FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE

Veges and fish. Is there anything that is more divine on a warm, summer night? Sunday’s resident chef Sam Mannering thinks not.

SUMMER VEGETABLE TIAN

A tian? While sounding like a dynasty from Imperial China (which is not far off really, since tian is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven), in France, a tian is a shallow earthenware baking dish from Provence that is also the namesake of the thing that goes in it. Sort of like a refined, layered ratatouille. To me, it smells and tastes of summer – a gorgeous dish that easily stands alone.

Speaking of which – I say it often and I’ll say it again: SMELL YOUR PRODUCE. I don’t care how weird it may look to others in the supermarket (and it doesn’t, by the way, you’ll come across as inherently chic and cultured) because if your tomatoes especially don’t smell of anything, they’re not going to taste of anything.

This is excellent alongside the grilled fish and pesto idea below, but, as I say, serve it up as the main event. I know I’d be happy.

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES COOK TIME: 2 HOURS SERVES: 4-6

• Olive oil (lots)

• 1 red onion, finely diced

• 4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 2 capsicums, diced

• Small handful of fresh thyme

• Small handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 2 courgettes, finely sliced into rounds

• 1 eggplant, halved and finely sliced

• 4-5 good tomatoes, thinly sliced

• Another handful of basil leaves

1. Preheat a large, ovenproof pan over a moderate heat. Add a glug of olive oil and follow with the red onion, garlic, capsicum and thyme and gently cook down for about 10 minutes, until soft, fragrant and reduced somewhat.

2. Add the basil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3. Spread the capsicum mixture out evenly across the base of the pan. Take your slices of courgette, eggplant and tomato and, alternating between them, with the occasional bit of basil, do concentric circles of them, starting from the outside of the pan, until the pan is full up. Pack it in generously until you have used up everything – finesse is nice in theory, but not essential. Use the photo as a guide.

4. Drizzle the whole shebang generously with olive oil and a good showering of salt and pepper. Cover with tin foil and pop into the oven to gently bake for at least an hour and a half, until everything is melty and tender. Remove the tin foil and cook for a further half hour to let any excess liquid cook off. Serve immediately.

GRILLED FISH WITH BASIL PESTO

You read that right. This isn’t some 90s appreciation post. Some things are best kept simple and now that we are at the height of summer, with all carbs cancelled until autumn, it’s important to make the best of your protein. Which, at the height of summer, should be a lovely bit of fish.

I write about green sauces a lot, so it seems. Salsa verde, chimichurri, pesto – they all conform to the same basic purpose in that they’re damn delicious with a bit of grilled something. While a parsley or mint equivalent is better in my opinion in winter and spring, basil is for summer. It may seem like a lot of garlic. That’s because it is. Make sure it’s locally grown – you can generally tell by the size. You want garlic with lovely big cloves. You’ll be astonished by the difference in flavour.

You know those herb pot things of basil? You’ll want the leaves from about two of those. May seem like a lot but it’ll bash down pretty quickly.

I used tuna for this – kingfish, hāpuku, kahawai, porae – anything firm and fresh, preferably cut into steaks. One of my favourite dishes of all time, this.

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES SERVES: 4

• 2 cloves of garlic (see note) • 2 tbsp pine nuts, gently toasted • Two large handfuls of basil leaves (see note)

• Olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 4 lovely thick steaks of kingfish, hāpuku or tuna, as fresh as possible

1. In a pestle and mortar, add the garlic, pine nuts and basil and start bashing. Add a glug of oil to wet the mixture.

2. Once it is reasonably broken down, continue to add more oil as you pound, a bit at a time, allowing it to be incorporated before you add more. Sort of like making aioli or mayonnaise. About half a cup should do it.

3. Once you have a lovely thick sauce – the consistency is entirely up to you – I prefer it a little chunky, but you may want it smoother – season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. The flavour will improve with time, and the garlic will mellow out, so you may want to make this in advance and leave it in the fridge, covered, so the flavours can get to know one another.

4. Get a pan or a barbecue going over a high heat. The hotter the better. Quickly grill the fish on both sides and then allow to rest for several minutes.

5. Dollop the pesto over the top of the steaks and serve immediately, with a wedge of lemon on the side.