Recipe | Vegetable crisps

Sweet roots turned into a wonderfully crunchy snack

Serves 6
3 large parsnips
3 large beetroots
3 large sweet potatoes
Vegetable oil
Sea salt
1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 Preheat oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ 300F. Line 4 baking sheets with baking parchment (or if short of space or trays, cook crisps in batches). 
2 In a small bowl, mix 3–4 tbsp of vegetable oil, the fennel seeds and a good grind of salt. Lightly brush the baking parchment with the oil mixture. Set aside.
3 Use a mandolin or vegetable slicer attachment on a food processor or, failing that, slice all the vegetables as thinly as possible. Use kitchen towel to pat slices dry.
4 Place the vegetable slices on your baking sheets, making sure they don’t overlap. Then lightly brush the crisps with the oil mixture.
5 Bake for 1 hour; after an hour, remove the parsnips, returning the beetroot and potatoes to the oven for another 30 mins. Cool on a rack, and store in an airtight container.

Turn to page 24 of August's The Simple Things for more of our picnic in the park menu, including:

• Build-your-own bruschetta 
• Hummus Kale & basil pesto
• Jumbo apple sausage rolls 
• Summer salad & orange dressing
• White chocolate & raspberry traybake 

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Recipe | Lavender and honey cakes

August is a quiet season for baking... Let these light and pretty lavender numbers tempt you back into the kitchen

LAVENDER AND HONEY CAKES
Makes 12

40g salted butter (room temperature) 
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
11⁄2 tsp baking powder
120ml milk
1 egg
1 tsp lavender essence

for the icing
80g unsalted butter (room temperature)
160g icing sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp lavender essence
Purple food colouring
Dried lavender to decorate (optional) 

you will need
12-hole cupcake or muffin tin lined with 12 paper cases

1 Preheat oven to 170C/Fan 150C/325F. Measure the butter, flour, caster sugar and baking powder into a bowl and use an electric whisk to beat until the butter is incorporated and you have a sand-like texture.

2 In a separate bowl, mix the milk, egg and lavender essence and add slowly to the dry mixture, mixing to form a batter.

3 Pour the batter into the cupcake cases, about a heaped tablespoon in each, and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins or until lightly golden and springy to touch. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4 To make the icing, whisk together the butter, icing sugar, honey and lavender essence for a couple of mins until smooth. Add as much purple food colouring as you like, then put in the fridge for 15–20 mins until firm.

5 Ice the cakes using the back of a spoon and garnish with a sprig of dried lavender.

Recipe from Milly’s Real Food by Nicola Millbank (HarperCollins).

Cake in the House is our monthly recipe feature - get a cake recipe every month in The Simple Things!

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Recipe | Tropical lime granita

The sharpness of the lime granita is a treat when balanced with lovely sweet fruit. Tastes of tropical beaches

Makes 700ml (6–8 servings)

180ml caster sugar
A pinch of coarse sea salt
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn to release their flavour
1 stick of lemongrass, bruised
150ml soda water
350ml lime juice (1 lime usually yields 20–25ml)
1⁄2 small pineapple (about 150g), peeled and roughly diced*
100ml coconut cream, to serve

1 In a large saucepan, heat 180ml water, the caster sugar, a pinch of salt, the lime leaves and lemongrass until the sugar has dissolved and the flavours have fused together; this should take 8–10 mins on a medium heat. Discard the lime leaves and lemongrass.

2 Add the soda water and lime juice to the pan and stir gently (try not to stir all the bubbles out of the soda water). Pour into a freezer-proof container with a lid and freeze. Take out every hour and, using a fork, scrape the granita so that you end up with fluffy ice, rather than one big block. It should take about four hours to freeze.

3 To serve, put a generous portion of pineapple in a bowl, top with a scoop of granita and pour over a little coconut cream. Sprinkle with a small pinch of sea salt.

* This works well with any fresh fruit but if you find yourself near an Asian supermarket, stock up on rambutan, lychee or mangoes.

Recipe from Cook Thai by Sebby Holmes (Kyle Books). 

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Make | Natural food colouring

There’s no need to rely on artificial food colourings when most colours can be created with natural ingredients found in your kitchen. Add a teaspoon at a time, increasing gradually for a more intense colour

Pink
125g pack of cooked beetroot
2 tsp juice from the pack
Blitz the beetroot and juice in a food processor until smooth. Strain if desired. Store in an airtight contained for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Purple
70g blueberries
4tsp water
Blitz the berries and water in a food processor until smooth. Strain through a superfine mesh sieve to separate solids. Store in a jar for up to a month.

Green
60g spinach
Enough water to cover it
Cover spinach in water and boil for 5 mins. Strain and discard liquid. Blitz spinach and6tbsp water in a food processor. Add more water if needed. Strain through a fine sieve, cool and store in a jar for up to a month.

Yellow
120ml water
1⁄2 tsp turmeric
Put water and turmeric in a small pan and heat for 5 mins. Allow to cool and store in an jar in the fridge up to a month.

Red
80g raspberries
4 tsp water
Blitz berries and water in a food processor until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. Store in a jar for up to two weeks in the fridge.

From The Art of the Natural Home by Rebecca Sullivan (Kyle Books).

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Recipe | Campari orange poptails

There’s something a little mischievous about turning a childhood treat into something strictly for grown-ups. Poptails – or alcoholic lollies – are summer cocktails, only cooler; delicious, playful and quirky. 

Makes 8–10
60ml water
110g granulated sugar
600ml freshly squeezed orange juice (from 6 or 7 oranges)
80ml freshly squeezed lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes)
90ml (6 tbsp) Campari
Sliver of orange, to garnish (optional)

1 Heat water and sugar in a pan until sugar has dissolved. Mix with the orange and lime juice and Campari. 
2 Fill the moulds, leaving a little space at the top. If you like, put a sliver of orange into the top of each. 
3 Freeze until slushy (60–90 mins), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, at least five hours.

Note: the alcohol content makes poptails more fragile than their booze-free cousins. For best results:
* Leave a 5mm gap at the top of the mould for expansion.
* Poptails take longer to freeze because of their alcohol content – about 5–8 hours or overnight.
* Metal or rubbery silicone moulds work best. Leave sitting at room temperature for a while before unmoulding (unless using silicone when you can just push them out) and take care – they’re more delicate than lollies.
* Serve as soon as possible after unmoulding, but if you need to store them, wrap in cling film and store in the freezer in an airtight bag. Best eaten within a week of making.
* Make bite-sized poptails in silicone ice cube trays, skewered with cocktail sticks.

Recipe from Ice Kitchen: Poptails by Cesar and Nadia Roden (Quadrille).

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Recipe | Halloumi fries

Coated in sesame seeds and served with soured cream, honey and fresh pomegranate – what’s not to love?

Serves 2

4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 x 250g pack of halloumi cut into chunky chip ‘fries’
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1 tsp honey
Seeds of 1⁄2 a pomegranate
Bunch of flat-leaf parsley
4 tbsp soured cream

1 In a bowl, combine the flour and sesame seeds. Coat the halloumi fries in the mixture until covered.
2 Place a small, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and pour in 2–3cm of vegetable oil. Test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a small piece of halloumi into the pan – it should immediately start sizzling.
3 Carefully place a few halloumi fries in the pan and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until crunchy and golden. You’ll needtodothisinbatchesof4or5soas not to overcrowd the pan. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the fries and drain on kitchen paper.
4 Drizzle the fries with honey, scatter with pomegranate and parsley and serve with a dollop of soured cream on the side.

From Milly’s Real Food by Nicola Millbank (HarperCollins)  

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Pomegranate cake

This traditional Iranian cake has all the moreishness of a drizzle cake, topped with an indulgent cream-cheese frosting, carrot cake-style. Doubly delicious

POMEGRANATE CAKE

200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1⁄2 lemon
240g self-raising flour mixed with 1 tsp baking powder, sifted
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
50g fresh pomegranate seeds

for the syrup

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Freshly squeezed juice of 1⁄2 lemon
80g granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
150g fresh pomegranate seeds for the frosting
250g full-fat cream cheese
50ml double cream
80g icing sugar

1 Preheat oven to 160C/Fan 140C/325F. Grease a 23cm round loose-bottomed cake tin and line with baking parchment.
2 Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of the food mixer and beat on a medium speed until fluffy. With the speed set on slow, add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice and the sifted flour/baking powder and blend until just mixed. Add the pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds and carefully mix until just combined.
3 Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 45–50 mins until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin slightly while you make the syrup.
4 For the syrup, place all the ingredients except the seeds into a small pan along with 80ml water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat to high and boil for 5 mins until slightly syrupy. Spoon half of the warm syrup over the warm cake and set aside to cool completely in the tin. Add the fresh pomegranate seeds to the remaining syrup and set aside to cool fully.
5 Place all the frosting ingredients in a large bowl and beat using a balloon whisk or hand-held electric whisk until thick and creamy.
6 Turn out the cooled cake onto a plate. Spoon over the frosting and use a palette knife to smooth it to the edges in rustic style. Carefully spoon the remaining syrup and seeds over the frosting and allow it to drip down the sides of the cake. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe from Lola’s: A Cake Journey Around the World by Lola’s Bakers and Julia Head (Ryland, Peters & Small).

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Recipe | Ciabatta bun camembert burgers

Burgers can be special, grilled outdoors and topped with crisp leaves, crunchy pickles and melting camembert

Serves 6
450g beef mince
1 camembert (approx 250g)
6 ciabatta buns
6 tbsp readymade aïoli
Handful of baby spinach
Gherkins

1 Shape the minced meat into 6 round patties, each roughly 1cm thick, and cut the camembert into slices.
2 Cook the patties on the barbecue,
3 mins on each side for medium rare (or cooked to your liking).
3 Cut the ciabatta buns in half, spread aïoli on one side of the bun, top with baby spinach leaves, a cooked patty, two slices of camembert and a few slices of gherkin.

Turn to page 24 for the rest of our beach barbecue menu, including: 
Green summer salad
Pesto and sun-dried tomato pasta
Prawn kebabs
Pineapple coconut juice
Fruit salad

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Recipe | Strawberry and pesto pasta salad

Strawberries and pasta? Why not! This fun and colourful salad has a bounty of fresh fruit and veg and the pesto avocado dressing is creamy yet light. Enjoy in the sunshine with a glass of something cold.

Strawberry and pesto pasta salad

300g dry pasta
1 broccoli, head and stalk
2 carrots, tops removed and peeled
250g fresh strawberries, hulled
1 nectarine, sliced
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Pesto and avocado dressing:
75g homemade* or shop-bought pesto
1 ripe avocado
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
To serve:
Shavings of pecorino or parmesan
Toasted pine nuts
Extra virgin olive oil

1 Cook the pasta until al dente.
2 Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small florets, trim and roughly chop stalks and place in a sieve over the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.
3 Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, season and mash until combined.
4 Thinly slice the carrots, quarter the strawberries, slice the nectarine and halve the tomatoes. Transfer the pasta and broccoli to a large serving bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and dressing and gently toss to coat. Add a dash of water if you need to loosen the dressing.
5 Serve topped with pecorino, a sprinkling of pine nuts, seasoning and a drizzle of oil.

*To make homemade pesto, you will need:

100g fresh basil, leaves and stems picked
60g grana padano or parmesan, grated
50g pine nuts, toasted
80ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, peeled

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, season to taste and blend until well combined. Store the pesto in the fridge in a sealable glass jar and it will keep for about a week. Alternatively, roll it into a log using a sheet of greaseproof paper and store it in the freezer.

Taken from Green Kitchen at Home by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Hardie Grant). 

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Recipe | Gooseberry cake

This seemingly plain cake conceals treasure within – pops of delicious, tangy gooseberry to cut through the moist sponge

GOOSEBERRY CAKE

200g very soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
200g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
200g plain flour
75g soured cream or natural yogurt
100g oat flour (see below)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
300g gooseberries
5 tbsp demerara sugar

1 To make the oat flour, put the oats into a food processor and blitz on a high-speed setting for 5 mins or until you have a fine flour. Use on the day of making.
2 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160F/ 350F. Grease a 20cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
3 In a bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 2 tbsp of the flour with each addition (to stop batter splitting). Once all the eggs are added, stir in the soured cream or
yogurt. Once combined, fold in the remaining plain flour, oat flour and baking powder.
4 When the mixture is smooth, stir in the vanilla and 200g of the gooseberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, then top with the remaining berries and sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
5 Bake for 45–50 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Recipe from Gatherings by Flora Shedden (Mitchell Beazley).

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Recipe | Peachy lemon verbena iced tea

A thirst-quenching cooler with fresh fruit and herbs

Peachy lemon verbena iced tea

Serves 4–6
1 ripe peach
A handful of lemon verbena
A drop of honey (optional) 
A handful of ice

Slice your peaches. Add to a large jug of water along with the lemon verbena. Swirl in a little honey, if you want a touch of sweetness. Let it infuse for 15 mins in the fridge. Add a handful of ice before serving.

This recipe is from our modern afternoon tea feature on page 24 of June’s The Simple Things. Other recipes include:
Rhubarb fizz
Curried egg & chive sandwiches
Crab, chilli & fennel sandwiches
Broad bean, goat’s curd & mint open sandwiches
Dark chocolate chip scones
Jammy raspberries
Cardamom, rose & strawberry cake
Cherry & elderflower cheesecake tartlets

More from the June issue:

More summer recipe ideas:

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Recipe | Cardamom and rose water lassi

A sultry midsummer’s eve calls out for an exotic dessert. Enter sweet, iced lassi with a mix of fruitily spiced cardamom and delicate rose water that transforms the traditional Indian drink into a grown-up after-dinner treat. 

75g caster sugar
6 green cardamom pods, split open
2 tsp rose water
500ml plain yogurt
About 150ml full-fat milk
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Handful of ice cubes
Handful of unsalted pistachios, cut into slivers, to serve

1 For the syrup, put 100ml water in a pan and add the caster sugar, cardamom pods and rose water. Place on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick syrup.
2 Strain through a sieve and transfer to a blender along with the yogurt, milk, granulated sugar and ice cubes. Blitz until chilled, smooth and frothy. Serve topped with pistachio slivers.

Recipe from Round to Ours by Jackson & Levine (Quadrille).

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Recipe | Squid with chorizo

Deliciously marinaded and served fresh from the grill, homemade kebabs are nothing like their greasy takeaway cousins and are just the job for a barbecue

This is a version of Madrid’s bocadillos stuffed with fried squid rings. Like the original, these skewers are wonderful, fresh from the grill, piled into a crusty roll with lashings of paprika aïoli.

Serves 4
400g squid, cleaned (ask your fishmonger to do this)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
150g cooking chorizo, cut into 2.5cm chunks
Handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

for the aïoli
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

1 Cut the squid into 2cm rings and halve the tentacles. Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon zest, garlic and oil. Season and set aside for 15 mins.
2 Thread the squid onto four skewers, alternating with the chorizo, and brush with any marinade left in the bowl. Heat a barbecue or griddle pan to high and cook the skewers for 5 mins, turning halfway through, until the squid and chorizo are charred in places and cooked through.
3 Meanwhile, make the aïoli. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic and smoked paprika.
4 Scatter the skewers with the parsley and serve with the aïoli for dipping and the lemon, cut into wedges for squeezing.

Recipes from Posh Kebabs by Rosie Reynolds (Quadrille).

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Recipe | Dark chocolate chip scones

Afternoon tea is brazenly frivolous. Not only does it flagrantly flout traditional meal times, but also its ingredients read like a roll-call of treats: fizz, finger sandwiches, elegant tarts and cream-laden cakes. Modern treats, too. This menu of cardamom cake, spiced crab sandwiches and chocolate-pimped scones is moreish, memorable and anything but chintzy.

Why have fruit scones when you can have chocolate!

Dark chocolate chip scones

Makes 8 scones

350g plain flour
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
85g cold, unsalted butter, cubed
3 tbsp caster sugar
75g dark chocolate, finely chopped
175ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 beaten egg, to glaze

1 Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/ 425F. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the butter. Rub it in with your fingers until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Fold in the sugar and chopped chocolate.
2 Gently warm the milk until warm but not hot. Add the vanilla (if using) and lemon juice. Set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
3 Make a well in the dry mix and add the warmed milk. Combine it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour on a clean work surface. Tip the dough out.
4 Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour. Fold the dough over 2–3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round, about 4cm thick.
5 Dip a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) into some flour. Plunge into the dough. Repeat until you have four scones. Press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. Brush the tops with the beaten egg and transfer carefully onto the preheated baking tray.
6 Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/Fan 140C/ 325F) for a few mins to refresh.

Turn to page 25 of June's The Simple Things for more of our afternoon tea menu, including:

Rhubarb fizz
Curried egg & chive sandwiches
Crab, chilli & fennel sandwiches
Broad bean, goat’s curd & mint open sandwiches
Jammy raspberries
Cardamom, rose & strawberry cake
Cherry & elderflower cheesecake tartlets
Peachy lemon verbena iced tea

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More cake recipes:

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Recipe | Pimm’s jelly with cucumber sorbet

The fruit cup and all its trimmings in jelly form goes down well at garden parties 

Pimm’s jelly with cucumber sorbet

For 4 glasses of Pimm’s jelly
Pimm’s No1
Lemonade
1 lemon, sliced and quartered
4–5 strawberries, halved and sliced
1⁄4 cucumber, thickly sliced and quartered
8 sprigs of mint
Gelatine sheets

1 Fill each glass a quarter full of Pimm’s and top up with lemonade. Pour all of this liquid into a measuring jug. You will need one gelatine sheet per 100ml.

2 Place the gelatine sheets into a large heatproof bowl and pour a little of the mixture over them so that they are just covered. Put aside for 10 mins, or until they have softened.

3 Set a small saucepan of water simmering and place the bowl on top of it, until the gelatine has melted. Remove from the heat and pour in the rest of the Pimm’s, stirring as you go, then pour the mixture through a sieve into a second bowl, to catch any lumps of gelatine.

4 Tip it into a jug and then pour into the glasses, until they are about two thirds full. Place the glasses in the fridge, reserving the leftover jelly mixture.

5 After 2 hours, when the jelly has started to set, remove the glasses from the fridge and push in the fruit, cucumber and sprigs of mint. Once you have packed each glass with fruit, pour over a little liquid jelly (warm it a little if already set) to make the top smooth and glassy and return to the fridge for a further 4 hours at least before serving.

For the cucumber sorbet

700g peeled and deseeded cucumber (approx 2 whole ones, should weigh 700g after prep), cut into chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
200g caster sugar

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Chill for 2 hours in the fridge, then churn in an ice-cream maker until stiff. Transfer to a container and freeze for around
2 hours before using. If eating at a later date, remove from the fridge 20 mins before serving. 

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Recipe | Smoked trout, cucumber and coconut salad with dosa

More interesting than a plain old wrap, a South Indian dosa makes a tasty accompaniment to a spring salad. Many recipes require the pancake batter to ferment overnight but these need no fermentation, making them ideal for speedy dinners. 

Smoked trout, cucumber and coconut salad with dosa

SERVES 4
400g smoked trout, coarsely flaked, bones removed
1 cucumber, sliced
2 handfuls fresh coriander
25g shredded coconut*
1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves**, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
Juice of 11⁄2 limes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Cos lettuce leaves, to serve

for the dosas
150g wholemeal flour
50g rice flour
2.5cm piece ginger, grated
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds

1 To make dosa batter, combine flours, ginger, chilli and cumin seeds in a large bowl, then whisk in 430ml cold water. Season and set aside.
2 Combine trout, cucumber, coriander, coconut, onion, kaffir lime leaves and lime juice in a large bowl and set aside.
3 Heat 1⁄2tsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add 2 tbsp of the dosa batter, swirl to thinly coat the base of the pan, cook until golden (1 min), then flip and cook until crisp (1 min). Transfer to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter. Stack the cooked dosas between sheets of baking parchment to prevent them sticking to each other.
4 Serve with the smoked trout, extra lime leaves and lettuce.

Recipe from Lemons and Limes by Ursula Ferrigno (Ryland Peters & Small).

* Shredded coconut is available frozen from Asda and Morrisons, or grate fresh chunks, which are more widely available.  
** Find fresh kaffir lime leaves with the fresh herbs at your supermarket.

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Recipe | Picnic Pies

These mini pork and apple pies are portable pockets for flavour, just right for a bank holiday picnic

Picnic Pies

Serves 6
220g pork loin, diced
110g pork belly, diced
3 rashers back bacon, diced
30g chicken livers
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Pinch of ground mace or nutmeg
1 red apple, peeled, cored and diced

for the pie crust
310g plain flour, plus extra to dust
11⁄2 tsp salt
50g vegetable shortening (such as Trex) 

for the glaze
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk

you will need
1 jam jar (approx 7cm diameter)
Kitchen twine
6 strips of wax paper, about 30x8cm each

1 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/375F. Put the pork loin, pork belly, bacon and chicken livers in a food processor and blitz to mince. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in onion, sage, garlic and mace, and season to taste.
2 To make the pie crust, sift flour and salt in
a bowl. Put the shortening and 120ml water into a saucepan and heat gently until the fat melts and the water comes to a boil. Pour the
liquid into the flour and, using a wooden spoon, gently bring together into a soft dough. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, knead lightly until smooth.
3 Divide dough into eight pieces and roll six of them into 12cm disks. Invert them, one at a time over an upturned jam jar. Wrap a strip of wax paper around the outside, and tie round the middle with twine (as above).
4 Turn the whole thing over so the dough sits flat. Carefully work the jar up out of the pie crust (you may need to slip a palette knife down between dough and jar). Divide pork filling into six portions and put one portion in each pie. Put the diced apple on top.
5 Roll out the last two pieces of dough and, with a cookie cutter, cut three disks from each piece the same size as the tops of the pies. Put a disk on each pie, press edges to seal, then turn edges in and over to form a rim. 6 Brush the pies with egg-milk glaze. Pierce each top with a fork to let the steam escape. On a large baking sheet, bake for 45–50 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool, and serve cold.

Recipe by Louise Pickford from Traditional Pub Grub (Ryland Peters & Small)

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Recipe: Rhubarb & sweet cicely shrub with Aperol

With fragrant leaves and flavour-bomb seeds, sweet cicely is as tasty as it is easy to grow. On page 45 of May’s The Simple Things, Lia Leendertz proves sweet cicely’s worth in delicious salads, puds and aperitifs

A shrub is an old method of preserving fruit by boiling it with vinegar and sugar, creating a sharp concentrated syrup that is hugely refreshing topped up with soda water, or used in a cocktail, as here. Rhubarb and sweet cicely are natural friends, the sweet cicely bringing out the fruit’s sweetness.

Rhubarb & sweet cicely shrub with Aperol

To make the shrub:
Makes about 500ml
250ml white wine vinegar
200g granulated sugar
1kg rhubarb, chopped into pieces
A handful of sweet cicely leaves, roughly chopped

1 Put the vinegar and the sugar into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. 
2 Add the rhubarb and simmer until the fruit has disintegrated and the liquid is pink. Remove from the heat, add the sweet cicely leaves, and stir. 
3 Allow to cool and then strain the mixture through a muslin into a sterilised jar.

To make the Aperol cocktail:
Rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub
Aperol
Soda water

Put a couple of ice cubes into a tall glass. Fill a third of the glass with the rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub and the next third with Aperol, then top up with soda water.

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Recipe: Ricotta and tomato tart

Turn May’s bank holidays into a reason to invite friends over, to linger over cocktails, moreish nibbles, a savoury tart and salad. The trick is not to plan anything too formal – just a chance to enjoy good company and the garden in its ready-for-summer prime. Dust down the garden furniture, hang the fairy lights and let the sun set on your holiday-at-home weekend in style.

Ricotta and tomato tart

Tangy mustard and sweet tomatoes with creamy cheese – the vibrant colours of the veg in this line-up celebrate spring’s fresh flavours

Serves 6
1 readymade sheet puff pastry
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
250g ricotta
5 small tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Lightly grease a tart dish with butter and line with the puff pastry, leaving an overhang to allow for shrinkage. Leave to rest in the fridge for 20 mins.
2 Spread the mustard over the pastry base then top with ricotta. Slice the tomatoes and dot them on top of the cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3 Bake for 35 mins until the pastry is cooked and the filling firm to touch. Leave to cool in the dish for a couple of mins before turning out to cool on a wire rack. Serve hot or cold.

Turn to page 24 of May’s The Simple Things for more of our long weekend get together menu, including Blueberry & thyme gin & tonic, Pear & blue cheese crostini, Roasted broccoli & quinoa, Parmesan crackers, Caramelised onions, Grape & raisin salad with honey mustard dressing and Raspberry & pistachio pavlovas.

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Cake in the house: Lemon olive oil cake

Made with oil rather than butter, this citrussy cake is light as a feather, bringing to mind warm summer evenings. Enjoy with a digestif for a fine end to a meal

LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE

2 large lemons
125g plain our, sifted
5 egg yolks and 4 egg whites
220g caster sugar
180ml olive oil
tsp salt

Decoration:
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon

You will need:
23cm round loose-bottom or springform cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Finely grate the zest from both lemons and mix together with the flour. Halve one of the lemons and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.

2 Place the egg yolks and 150g of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand-held electric whisk and large mixing bowl) and beat on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 mins.

3 Reduce the speed to medium and add the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice, beating until just combined (the mixture may appear separated). Use a spatula to stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

4 Place the egg whites and salt into another large, grease-free mixing bowl. Make sure the whisk is completely clean, then whisk on medium-high speed using a hand-held electric whisk until foamy. Add the remaining 70g sugar gradually, whisking continuously until the egg whites form soft peaks, about 3 mins. Gently fold one-third of the whites into the cake mixture, before folding in the remaining whites thoroughly.

5 Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and gently tap against the work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–50 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

6 Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, transfer to a serving plate.

7 To decorate, place the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in the lemon juice using a hand whisk or fork until it’s a pouring consistency similar to double cream. Gently pour over the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle with grated lemon zest and serve.

Recipe from Lola’s: A Cake Journey Around the World by Lola’s Bakers and Julia Head (Ryland Peters & Small).  

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