We are squeezing the last drops out of summer. This bank holiday we thought we would give you the ultimate hosting hack, a super simple pair of recipes from a couple of our favourite London restaurants, that you can make at home for two or twenty. They are crowd-pleasers, we can promise you!
Baraffina inspired Pan Con Tomate
We cannot get enough of these, it’s been such a lovely long hot summer and that means an absolute bumper year for Tomatoes. One of our all-time favourite summer activities is to wander over to Dean street and devour a plate or six of these with a little sip or two of sherry. Baraffina’s chef, Angel Zapatta Martin, is a god amongst men when it comes to delicious simplicity!
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe pear tomatoes or any lovely large red tomatoes
- 4 slices of good crusty bread toasted
- 1 peeled garlic clove, halved
- A good olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped chives
Serves 2 (Multiply accordingly)
Directions:
- Grate the tomatoes with a cheese grater into a bowl. Stir the grated mixture with a pinch of salt and pour into a sieve set over a bowl. Let it drain for 20 minutes until the tomatoes have lost most of their water. This water makes the ultimate summer Bloody Mary too, just saying.
- Rub each slice of toast with half of garlic and top evenly with the Tomato mixture.
- Drizzle over the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a generous pinch of chives.
We told you it was easy.
River Cafe inspired Zucchini & Burrata with a hint of Sun-Dried tomato truffle pesto shamelessly stolen from the old Dock Kitchen.
The River Cafe is a food mecca, and we bow to Ruth Roger’s intuitive cooking, amazing ingredients and balance of flavour…plus they do a damn fine peach bellini. And the Dock Kitchen by Stevie Parle was a longstanding haven for fabulous food. Both have bought us a lot of happiness over the years!
Driven by sheer gluttony we discovered that you could combine dishes from both to come up with the ultimate indulgent summer salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 Burrata
- 1 medium courgette
- A bunch of basil
- A squeeze of lemon and a little grated lemon rind
For the Sundried tomato pesto
- 4 large caper berries or a teaspoon of capers
- 4 Sundried tomatoes
- A handful of fresh basil
- A tablespoon of honey
- A teaspoon of Truffle oil
- A glug of olive oil
Serves 2 (Multiply accordingly)
Directions:
- Peel the zucchini into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and lay on a kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture.
- Toss the ribbons in a bowl with a good splash of olive oil, the chopped basil, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of lemon rind and a good grind of salt and pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients for the pesto together in a hand mixer, blender or pestle and mortar.
- Layer the zucchini ribbons on a plate or bowl, and top with half a burrata, a spoonful of pesto and a sprig of basil, or lay it all out on a huge platter with Zucchini around the outside, and the burrata in the center with a huge spoonful of pest to top it all off.
We suggest you serve it all up with a little salty parma ham or prosciutto.
Have you tried ours yet? Shop our Delicatessen aisle for more delicious fresh and summery ingredients.
