I cannot count the times dinner has been a collection of things on a plate. An assembly of ingredients that work together but are not what you could call ‘a dish’. It could be as simple as good bread and Cheddar; a salad of ripe, pepper-dusted tomatoes and cool mozzarella; a plate of salami with a jagged piece of airy ciabatta or a store- bought pité with hot toast. And talking of toast, my dinner has been that many a time, albeit with a few flat mushrooms cooked in garlic butter on top or perhaps a can of beans gussied up with a bit of chilli. (Others would no doubt mention boiled eggs, tomatoes or eggs scrambled into a fluffy cloud.)
The assembly can also come in the form of a salad. Of cucumber and tuna perhaps; beetroot and air-dried ham; or a sharp apple salad with feta cheese. It may be an artfully arranged mixture of fennel and ricotta, or something with a cooked element such as bulgur wheat with figs and maybe a slice or two of Parma ham on the side.
Stuff that goes pretty much straight on to the plate often includes a raw ingredient at its heart — something so perfect you want to eat it in all its glory. Fresh crab, cool and salty; a quivering ball of milky-white mozzarella; peas from the garden tossed with ham.
These are, by their nature, light meals. A lunch, a quick bite after work before you go out, a simple supper.
I value them for their immediacy and lack of fuss. They are instant hits that involve almost no cooking. Dinner without turning on the oven.
A few favourites
Tip 200g couscous into a bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover, then leave for 20 minutes or so, till the grain has soaked up the water.
Marinate a single 250g piece of feta in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for 20 minutes. Chop 300g cherry tomatoes and 50g sun-dried tomatoes and mix them together in a bowl. Crumble the feta into large pieces, then fork them through the grains with the tomatoes and 3 heaped tablespoons of chopped basil leaves. For 4.
Heat 250ml tomato juice with a crushed clove of garlic, then pour it over 125g couscous and cover. Leave for 10 minutes, then fluff the grains gently with a fork.
Make a herb oil by blitzing 100ml olive oil with 15g basil leaves in a blender or food processor. Roughly dice or tear a 125g ball of buffalo mozzarella. Chop a spring onion, a couple of plump, ripe tomatoes and a large handful of parsley and mix with 125g lemon-marinated olives, sliced in half. Toast a handful of pine nuts and chop them. Toss together the mozzarella, parsley, spring onion, tomatoes and olives, then fold in the soaked couscous and trickle with the basil oil. For 2-3.
Carrot and celeriac make good partners in a remoulade, the carrot introducing a little sweetness to the mineral qualities of the celeriac. Peel a celeriac and 2 or 3 carrots, then shred them into matchsticks about 6cm long. Salt lightly, then toss with a little lemon juice to stop the roots browning. Toss with créme fraiche, Dijon mustard and a dash of wasabi paste. Yes, wasabi paste. Wonderful with slices of air-dried or York ham.
Cut a large aubergine into large dice and cook slowly in olive oil in a shallow pan. When it is golden and silkily soft, add 2 finely sliced garlic cloves and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, till the garlic starts to colour. Add a handful of chopped basil and chives. Drain a 160g can of tuna, gently break up the tuna and stir it into the aubergine. Squeeze over the juice of a lemon. Boil 300g spaghetti in deep, generously salted water for 9 minutes. Toss the sauce lightly with the drained pasta. For 4.
Toast some sourdough bread and, while it is hot, pile on to it a few slices of ripe tomato, a handful of tuna and a spoonful of salsa verde made in the blender (olive oil, lemon juice, rocket, basil, parsley, anchovy, capers, no garlic).
tuna, new potatoes, cucumber, Dijon mustard, dill, olives, white wine vinegar, sugar
Wipe 240g new potatoes clean, removing any loose flakes of skin, then boil them in plenty of salted water till just tender. Lightly peel a medium-sized cucumber, cut it in half lengthways, then scrape out the seeds and pulp from the centre with a teaspoon, reserving thern for the dressing. Cut the cucumber into finger-thick chunks and place in a large mixing bowl.
Make the dressing: put a mere pinch of caster sugar in a blender or food processor, add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a little salt and pepper and the reserved seeds and pulp from the cucumber. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil and blitz briefly to a smooth, creamy dressing. Tip the dressing on to the cucumber, add 2 tablespoons of chopped dill and stir gently.
Drain the potatoes, then cut each one into about 4 thick coins. Add the warm potatoes to the cucumber, along with 125g best-quality drained canned tuna in olive oil, turning them over carefully in the dressing so they are evenly coated. Scatter over a handful of purple nigoise olives.
For 2. A light main dish. A summer lunch. The usefulness of a can of tuna.
Add a little smoked bacon, cut into postage-stamp-sized pieces, to the spring onion. Smoked meats work well with oily seafood such as salmon and mackerel.
An Arbroath smokie, that rare and wonderful dry-salted and smoked whole haddock, makes a splendid substitute for the mackerel.
smoked mackerel, peas, edamame beans, ciabatta, spring onion
Cook 200g edamame beans in their pods in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain the beans and pop them out of the pods. Cook 150g frozen peas in deep boiling water till tender, then drain.
Flake 300g smoked mackerel into large pieces. Tear 100g ciabatta bread into large pieces and fry them in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow, non-stick pan over a moderate heat till pale gold and crisp. Chop a spring onion and add to the pan, then toss in the edamame beans and peas, followed by the smoked mackerel. Serve immediately.
For 2-3. A smoky, green feast.
A few thoughts
apples, ginger, endive, limes, cider vinegar, feta, sprouted seeds
Squeeze the juice from 2 ripe, slightly yellowing limes. Finely grate into it 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, then stir in a tablespoon of cider vinegar.
Thinly slice 2 apples, Russet or Cox perhaps, then put them straight into the dressing. Tear up 2 endive. Toss with the apple, a handful of sprouted seeds and the dressing. Serve with a huge wedge of feta cheese or perhaps the more gentle Ticklemore.
For 4 as a side dish. Fresh, ultra crisp, almost astringent. A dish to awaken the senses.
More bright and crunchy salads
Raw cauliflower florets, sliced thickly, tossed with cooked prawns, dill, mayonnaise and small pieces of lemon flesh. (Use sweet Italian lemons, remove the peel and underlying white pith, then chop the flesh very finely.)
Pears, sliced and tossed with air-dried ham, then dressed with cider vinegar, grain mustard and lemon juice.
Green mango, peeled, stoned and sliced, then tossed with coarsely shredded cucumber, spring onion, radish, mint, coriander, lime juice and a dash of sesame oil.
Shredded roast chicken, chopped peanuts, beansprouts, finely sliced red chilli, mint leaves and shredded carrot, tossed with a dressing made from equal amounts of mirin, lime juice and fish sauce, sweetened with a pinch of sugar.
Grill streaky bacon till crisp. Lightly steam some roughly chopped white cabbage leaves and their thick stems. Make a dressing by mixing white wine vinegar, smooth Dijon mustard, olive cil and a little double cream, to taste. Mix the warm, drained cabbage with a generous amount of chopped parsley, then toss in the dressing and crumble the crisp bacon over.
Cut a couple of raw kohlrabi into almost paper-thin slices, then leave to marinate in equal amounts of blood orange juice and white wine vinegar for about an hour. Arrange on a serving plate with thin slices of fat-marbled coppa, black olives and a little frisée lettuce, erisped in ice-cold water. Finish with finely grated orange zest.
Finely shred equal quantities of raw white and red cabbage and leave to tighten in iced water for 20 minutes. Make a dressing with groundnut or rapeseed oil, red wine vinegar and crumbled blue cheese — I used one part vinegar to two parts oil. Drain the cabbage, then toss with the blue cheese dressing and thin slices of cold roast pork.
beetroot, fennel, speck, soured cream, onion, red wine vinegar
Peel a large onion, slice thinly into rings, then put it in a small bow! with 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and set aside for 20 minutes. This will remove the harshness from the raw onion.
Peel 300g raw beetroot — you'll get pink fingers — then slice into the thinnest possible rounds and place in a mixing bowl. Remove the fronds from 2 small fennel bulbs and set aside, then slice the fennel very finely and add to the beetroot, but do not mix yet.
Put 150ml soured cream in a small bowl and beat in 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Drain the onion, discarding the vinegar, and add it to the beetroot and fennel. Introduce the dressing, slowly and lightly mixing it into the vegetables (overmixing will result in a pink salad).
Pile on to a serving dish, add 6 slices of speck and then the reserved fennel fronds.
For 2—4. A sweet crunch. The taste of winter.
white crabmeat, melon, red chilli, lime, basil
Slice a lusciously ripe 1.5kg melon in half and scrape out and discard the seeds. Cut the melon into manageable sections, then remove the flesh from the thick outer skin in short, thick slices. The shape is up to you, but I tend to go for short, finger-thick pieces. Put the melon into a bowl, then deseed and very finely shred a red chilli and place in a small mixing bowl. Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a ripe lime and then shred or tear about 12 basil leaves and mix them in with a little salt and black pepper. Put the melon pieces into the chilli and basil dressing and mix together gently, trying not to break the fruit.
Check 250g white crabmeat carefully for any fragments of shell. Place the melon on a serving dish and scatter the crabmeat over the top.
For 2. Shellfish as salty, fresh and bracing as a wave. Sweet, juicy melon.
cucumber, fennel, ricotta, avocado, lemon, balsamic vinegar, dill, sprouted seeds
Make the dressing: put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl, stir in a little salt and black pepper, then whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Finely chop 3 or 4 sprigs of dill and add to the dressing, then taste and check the balance. It should be fresh but not sharp. Add more balsamic vinegar as necessary.
Peel half a cucumber, remove the seeds with a teaspoon, then cut it into thick slices. Halve and finely slice a small bulb of fennel. Peel and thickly slice an avocado and fold ail gently into the dressing, then let everything sit in a cool place for about half an hour (not much longer though). Add several tufts of sprouted seeds, such as radish or mung beans.
Transfer to a serving dish, place a large spoonful of ricotta per person on top and serve.
For 2. Light, bright, refreshing. A mild, gentle salad.
There are few salads as sublime as mozzarella, basil and tomato, but I like mine dressed with olive oil that you have blitzed to a thin purée with basil leaves and a dash of red wine vinegar.
Halve small, ripe tomatoes, trickle over olive oil then season with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook under an overhead grill. Tuck torn pieces of mozzarella amongst them.
Slice the mozzarella thickly. Dip in seasoned, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then fry in olive oil till crisp. Lemon wedges. Maybe some thick slices of ripe tomato.
smoked pancetta, mozzarella, tomatoes, lettuce, basil
Grill or fry 12 thin slices of smoked pancetta till very crisp, drain briefly on kitchen paper, then blitz to coarse crumbs in a food processor. Break a large ball of buffalo mozzarella into 4 pieces, then roll in the pancetta crumbs. Slice and lightly salt 2 large tomatoes and place on a plate with 4 small leaves of butterhead lettuce. Blitz 10g basil with 5 tablespoons of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Place the crumbed mozzarella on the tomatoes and lettuce, then spoon over the basil dressing. For 2 as a light lunch. Crisp bacon, soft mozzarella.
Add raw fresh peas to a salad of watercress and sliced oranges. Crumble feta cheese over and add some fruity olive oil.
Grate Parmesan cheese into some freshly cooked warm peas and toss with melted butter or olive oil. The cheese will melt very slightly. Great with lamb chops.
Toss freshly cooked hot peas and skinned broad beans with a firm white cheese such as Ticklemore or Ryefield goat. Throw in some sliced radishes and add an olive oily/lemony dressing.
peas, ham, pine kernels, dried chilli flakes, pea shoots
Pod 200g fresh peas; if you have bought them ready podded, you will need 100g. Put them in a large bowl. Roughly chop 3 tablespoons of pine kernels and put them in a shallow pan with a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes and 50g butter. Let the pine kernels colour a little.
Tear 150g thick cooked ham into rough, jagged pieces, add them to the raw peas and dress with the hot pine kernel butter. Top with a large handful of pea shoots, if you have them.
For 2. Humble, sweet. A fresh hit of green peas.
corn on the cob, smoked streaky bacon, parsley, roasted salted almonds
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan. Slice 4 smoked streaky bacon rashers into long, thin strips and fry in the oil till almost crisp. Add 50g roasted, salted almonds and continue cooking for a minute or two. Slice the kernels off a corn cob and stir them inte the bacon. Mix briefly, so the raw corn is coated with the bacon fat, then toss with a handful of torn parsley leaves and serve immediately.
For 2. Sweet, salty and crunchy.
A couple of thoughts
Raw sweetcorn, which I have used here, is less sugary than cooked and has a more satisfying crunch.
Whole heads of sweetcorn can be peeled, basted with maple syrup and butter and roasted. Turn them from time to time as they cook, then serve with a chicory and toasted pecan salad. A few thoughts
A frugal way to use up the spare meat from the Sunday roast, this is also a clever way to celebrate the remains of the Christmas turkey or goose. I pull the poultry meat from its bones in large, bite-sized pieces and only at the last minute to keep it moist and juicy.
Instant couscous doesn’t need cooking. Pour an equal volume of boiling water over the grains and leave for 10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed, then fluff it up with a fork.
Pomegranate molasses, with its sweet-sour, caramel citrus tang, is available from Middle Eastern grocers and the major supermarkets.
Tear rough, bite-sized pieces of ham into the prepared couscous. Stir through golden sultanas, chopped parsley, cooked and drained Puy lentils and slices of crisp, cold, slightly sharp russet apple.
Tear pieces of cold roast pork left from the Sunday roast into chunky pieces. Stir them through the soaked and fluffed couscous. Add peeled and sliced tangerines, parsley and shredded mint leaves; no dried fruits but perhaps some of the pomegranate seeds and pistachios.
leftover cooked turkey or chicken or goose, couscous, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, golden sultanas, pistachios, mint, pomegranate, yoghurt, pomegranate molasses
Pour 2 cups of freshly boiled water from the kettle over a cup of couscous, cover with a lid, then leave to plump up until the water has been fully absorbed. Shred 600g cooked turkey, chicken or goose into large, juicy pieces and put it into a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries or cherries,
2 tablespoons of golden sultanas and 2 tablespoons of shelled pistachios. Season generously with salt, pepper and chopped mint leaves then add the seeds of a whole pomegranate.
Fluff up the couscous with a fork, then fold in the dry ingredients. Top with 4 heaped tablespoons of yoghurt, a trickle of pomegranate molasses, more mint leaves, and a few more pomegranate seeds.
For 2-3. Bejewelled leftovers.
Swell the couscous in hot apple juice. Toss with toasted walnuts, shredded fennel, Cheshire cheese, cubed apples and lots of freshly chopped parsley. A little black pepper, a pinch (no more) of ground cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon to finish. A surprising side dish for leftover roast pork.
Boil a small (500g) ham hock in water for about 40 minutes till tender. Remove from the cooking liquor and set aside. Pour the liquid into a bowl, tip in the couscous, cover and let it swell. Remove the ham from the bone and toss with young broad beans, sliced fennel and chopped parsley. A little olive oil will moisten it nicely.
Pour the couscous into a heatproof bowl and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Pour over boiling water or stock, cover and leave to swell. Toss together a mixture of toasted pine kernels, fried finely sliced onions, and an abundance of chopped dill, parsley and mint. The quantity of herbs to couscous should be about equal. Fold the mixture together with handfuls of rocket leaves.
couscous, cherry tomatoes, red onion, harissa paste, vegetable stock
Halve 200g mixed cherry tomatoes and put into a roasting tin. Peel and slice a red onion and add to the tomatoes. Toss the vegetables gently in olive oil, to coat evenly, then bake at 200°C/Gas 6 for approximately 20 minutes, till the tomatoes have started to burst and the onions are soft enough to crush between your fingers. Pour 100g couscous into the roasting tin.
Bring 400ml vegetable stock to the boil, pour over the couscous, cover tightly with foil, then leave for 15 minutes. Season the couscous with black pepper, then stir in a tablespoon of harissa paste. Serve the couscous with the roast vegetables.
For 2. Grains to nourish and enliven.
A few thoughts
Use instant couscous. If you have the traditional variety, steam it till tender.
You can grill the vegetables, if you prefer, or cook them in a shallow pan on the hob. Make sure the vegetables are still warm when you dress them. The vegetables could include courgettes and marinated aubergines (olive oil, garlic). You could also put the cooked vegetables on bruschetta. It would be less of a meal — more of a snack — but still worth a go.
Swap the couscous for cracked wheat or rice if you prefer.
figs, bulgur wheat, blackberries, walnut oil, red wine vinegar
Bring 150g bulgur wheat to the boil in deep, lightly salted water, then cover the pan and turn off the heat.
Take 150g blackberries and crush 4 of them in a bowl with a fork. Stir in a tablespoon of walnut (or olive) oil and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Wipe 3 ripe figs, cut off the stalks, then slice down from tip to base, not quite cutting through to the bottom. Press the sides gently to open each fig out like a flower.
Drain any water from the bulgur, then toss the wheat with the remaining blackberries, the blackberry dressing and the figs.
For 3. Calm grain, bright, fruity dressing. A side dish for ham or beef, or a light lunch.
Very hot, crisp sourdough toast, spread generously but not gluttonously with beef dripping, a pinch of very finely chopped rosemary and, should you have some, a smear of roasted garlic.
Melt beef dripping in a roasting tin, add a few Romano peppers, halved lengthways, and slow roast till they are soft as silk. Pile on to toasted sourdough bread with a handful of rocket.
Warm some dripping in a shallow pan, then add sliced onions and cook over a moderate heat till they are soft, golden and sticky. Stir in some of the dark jelly that lies under the fat, then, as it starts to bubble, add chunks of fontina cheese and let them melt into golden pools. Don't stir, but spoon the strings of soft onions, molten cheese and beef juices on to rough, artisan-type toast.
beef dripping, new potatoes, egg yolks, rocket or watercress, leftover Sunday roast beef
Halve, but don’t peel, 350g new potatoes and boil until tender. Drain and leave to cool. Warm 150g beef dripping in a small pan to melt it. Put 2 egg yolks in a mixing bowl, then beat in the warm beef fat a little at a time, as if you were making mayonnaise. You will need to do this with a hand-held electric whisk on a high speed. It simply won't work otherwise. When the mayonnaise is thick, add the cooled potatoes and a little salt.
Serve on a bed of rocket or watercress, then top with the crisp end of the Sunday roast, a few slices of rare leftover beef and the brown residue and sediment, warmed a little, from the roasting tin.
For 2. Deeply savoury, salty, almost smoky. A sensational end for the roast.
Clean, piquant, bright. Grated cucumber, black pepper, chopped mint, a few capers and some roughly crumbled feta cheese. Fold gently through thick sheep's or goat's yoghurt and pile on to crispbreads.
A rough mound of coarse pork or goose rillettes, a few salted capers and slices of ripe, fresh but still slightly sharp apricot.
Tip a drained can of chickpeas into a food processor and add 8 anchovy fillets, a good squeeze or two of lemon juice and a handful of flat-leaf parsley. Blitz, introducing a few tablespoons of olive oil as you go, till you have a coarse, soft paste. Pile on to crispbreads.
smoked salmon, garlic, cream, dill, crispbreads
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Bake a head of garlic for 30-40 minutes, until soft. Squeeze the soft cloves out of their skins into a bowl with your finger and thumb. Gently whisk in 150ml double cream. Chop 110g dill (you can do this in a food processor, but give only 3 very short bursts on the pulse button). Stir the dill into the garlic cream. Shred 300g smoked salmon into long, thin pieces. Toss the salmon in the dressing and pile on to crispbreads.
For 2—4. Silky salmon. Crisp bread.
tomatoes, cucumber, anchovy fillets, tarragon, basil, parsley
Slice 4 large tomatoes in half and put them on a baking sheet. Trickle over a little olive oil and season with black pepper. Take 8 anchovy fillets and add one to each tomato half. Cook under an overhead grill till hot and lightly toasted.
Peel a cucumber, slice down its length, then scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Chop the cucumber into thick chunks. Make a dressing for the cucumber by pouring 5 tablespoons of olive oil into a blender or food processor, adding the leaves from 3 or 4 large sprigs of tarragon, 5 large basil leaves and a few parsley leaves and blitzing till you have a bright green dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the cucumber.
For 2. Vibrant, refreshing.
A few thoughts
Ripe, sweet tomatoes are best for this, to balance the salty qualities of the anchovies.
You don't need to put salt on the tomatoes, the anchovies are salt enough.
Use chervil in place of the basil.
Serve the whole lot as a filling for warm pitta, tipping the cooked tomatoes and crunchy cucumber into toasted pitta pockets.
Add a crumbling of feta cheese and a few torn basil leaves.
cherries, cherry tomatoes, salami, tarragon vinegar
Halve and stone 150g ripe cherries. Cut 150g cherry tomatoes in half, then toss them with the cherries. Sprinkle a little tarragon vinegar over and set aside for no longer than half an hour. The fruits don't need to be seasoned.
Slice 100g good, peppery salami very thinly and remove the skin, then tuck amongst the cherries and tomatoes.
For 2. Light, bright, the taste of summer.
A few thoughts
Sweet-sharp fruits and soft, flat speckled salami make a fine addition to a summer lunch.
The salad will be at its best if the cherries are cold from the fridge and the tomatoes are not overripe, maybe even slightly sharp. It can also be served as a starter.
Mozzarella would work well in this salad too.
Boil or steam asparagus spears, drain them, then add them to the salad opposite instead of the broccoli. I prefer to use chervil or tarragon rather than dill for this, though any of the aniseed herbs will work.
new potatoes, speck, purple sprouting broccoli, dill, creme fraiche
Scrub 350g new potatoes. Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, salt it, then add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or so, till tender. Drain the potatoes and cut them in half. Finely chop a few fronds of dill and stir into 150ml créme fraiche, together with a little salt and pepper. Gently toss the hot potatoes in this dressing.
Trim 100g purple sprouting broccoli, keeping the most tender leaves attached, then steam or cook in lightly salted boiling water for a few minutes, till done to your liking. Drain and toss carefully with the potatoes, trying not to break the spears up. Serve on plates or in shallow bowls, tucking 100g thinly cut speck in amongst the potatoes and broccoli.
For 2. Deep-green broccoli, smoked ham, dill potatoes. Substantial.
A few thoughts
I use speck for the salad opposite because its flavour holds up well against the broccoli, but you could use any air-dried meat.
This is also a good way of using up the Sunday roast. Cut the slices as thinly as possible.
For a less rich version, make a dressing with olive oil, lemon juice and dill instead of the créme fraiche,
After slicing the potatoes in half, I sometimes toss them in a little sizzling oil or butter to crisp them.