Adding a bit of spice is a comforting anecdote to the bleak, grey skies
Despite the fact its mid July, every evening I contemplate putting the heat on for an hour.
I resist and put a cardigan on instead.
At this time of year we should be barbecuing in the sunshine and enjoying crisp summer salads.
Instead I’m trying very hard not to go with my natural inclination to make soup and stews as a comforting anecdote to the horizontal rain and bleak, grey skies.
Instead I like to add a bit of spice to my cooking.
Monkfish is a fish we used to through back into the sea or use for bait. It definitely isn’t the prettiest of varieties – it has a huge black head and wide mouth.
The tail though belies pristine translucent white meat that is firm enough to be grilled or roasted.
In the recipe here the fish is given a Moroccan style spice coating of fennel, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and coriander with lemon zest. Marinate it for 20 minutes then cook on a grill pan ( I’m not even going to suggest the outside grill at this stage).
You could substitute chicken or pork for the fish.
To accompany the fish I’ve added some baba ganoush.
This middle eastern aubergine dish is a great way of getting the most out of this often misused vegetable.
The whole aubergines are brushed with oil and roasted.
If you have a gas cooker (or one of those butane stoves) you could cook the aubergine directly on the burner until scorched on the outside, keep moving it around to ensure even cooking.
Scoop out the flesh and mix with a fried onion with garlic and cumin, lemon juice and oil.
Blend to a smooth puree and serve on the side of the grilled fish.
Strawberries are in full swing now and there’s nothing like these sweet berries topped with some chilled cream.
The recipe here is for one that transcends the weather.
It’s for a strawberry crumble cake – the berries are cooked with sugar and then thickened with some cornflour.
A sponge is made with melted butter, sugar and eggs as a base rather than whisking soft butter with sugar.
A layer of it, with coconut in the dry ingredients, is spooned into a cake tin, topped with the strawberry mixture, the rest of the sponge and then a layer of crumble.
It’s baked to golden perfection.
You could have it hot with some custard and cream if the weather is as it has been or serve it cold as a tray bake – either way it ticks all the flavour boxes for this time of year.