Ssummer cooking means one of two things to me: either not cooking – Who needs it when you can eat Greek salad three times a day? – or if you do, really do it. It’s about transporting yourself to the coast with a special plate of fish, creating an atmosphere with tropical fruits and generally painting it in all kinds of colors.
Coffee Marinated Pork Chops with Mashed White Beans and Kiwi Salsa (pictured above)
Ask your butcher for thick chops – boneless with a thick layer of fat that crisp up very nicely in the pan. If you want to get ahead, marinate the chops and mash the day before.
prepare 20 min
Marinate 1 hour +
Cook 20 min
It appears 4, as the main
3 thick pork chops (about 350 g each), boneless
1 teaspoon of olive oil
For dry marinade
2 tablespoons of freshly ground coffee
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tbsp dill seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Fine sea salt and flakes of sea salt
For mashed white beans
2 cans cannellini beans (400 g each), rinse and dry (480 g)
60 ml of sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil
2 limes: finely grated to get 1 tsp. peel, and squeezed out of the juice to get 1 tsp.
For the kiwi salsa
4 kiwis (about 320 g), cleaned and coarsely grated
5 g of gingercleaned and rubbed
15 g of coriandercoarsely chopped
1 red chili pepper (10 g), stem removed, finely chopped (seedless if you prefer less heat)
First, marinate the pork. Place all marinade ingredients in a spice grinder with a teaspoon of salt and pulse. Take a tablespoon of this mixture, put it in a small bowl with the zest and a teaspoon of salt flakes, crush with your fingers to make a sharp salt. Crush the mixture with your fingertips to make a spice salt. Rub the remaining mixture evenly over the chops. Leave to marinate at room temperature for at least one hour or, if ahead, refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Just remember to bring to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C)/390F/gas 6. Add all the purée ingredients to a food processor along with two tablespoons of water and half a teaspoon of salt. Beat for 30 seconds until almost smooth and transfer to a bowl. Cover and set aside for later.
Sprinkle three-quarters of a teaspoon of fine salt over the chops. Place them, fat side down, in a large, cold cast-iron skillet with half a teaspoon of oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook for two to four minutes, until the fat is crisp.
Add half a teaspoon of oil, turn the chops on their side and cook for 45 seconds on each side and repeat (if your pan is not big enough, place on a tray and cook one at a time). Arrange the chops skin side down and place the pan in the oven. Cook for nine minutes, remove from the oven and leave for five minutes. Chops should be slightly firm and spring back when pressed in the center.
For the kiwi salsa, place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
Place the chops on a cutting board and cut across the bone to separate the meat, then slice the meat on an angle into ½ cm strips.
Spoon the mashed beans onto each plate and arrange the pork slices on top. Sprinkle generously with spiced salt and serve with salsa on the side.
Sea Bream Masala with Coriander Salsa and Ribbon Salad
This is a great summer dish because most of its components can be prepared in advance. If desired, prepare the masala and marinate the fish the day before. Serve with plenty of rice or rice.
prepare 25 minutes
Cook 40 min
It appears 2
1 ½ teaspoons of chickpea flour
90 ml of olive oilplus ½ tsp
½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
2 whole sea bream, head, cleaned of scales and guts (about 250 g each)
2 limesFinely grate the peel to make 1 tsp, then squeeze out the juice to get 3 tsp.
1 red chili pepperseeded and finely chopped (10 g)
For salad
1 medium carrotskin removed and discarded, peeled into strips (80 g)
½ cucumbercut into strips using a peeler (80g)
¼ red onionpeeled and very thinly sliced (20g)
For masala
2 tablespoons of Madras curry powder
15 g of gingerpeeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garliccleaned and ground
40 g of corianderthe upper leaves and stems are twisted, and the lower stems are left aside
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 large lime leavesremove the stems and finely chop the leaves
1 plum tomatocoarsely chopped (160g)
¼ teaspoon of powdered sugar
Sea salt and black pepper
First prepare the masala. Place the curry powder, ginger, garlic, coriander stalks, tomato paste, lime leaves, tomatoes, sugar, 60ml water and a quarter teaspoon of salt in a small blender bowl. Beat until smooth, using a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.
Place a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the chickpea flour for two to three minutes until golden and nutty. Pour into a bowl, wipe out the pan, and return the pan to medium-high heat with two tablespoons of oil. Add the masala and cook, stirring often, for five minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the carom seeds and 200ml water and cook for a further 10 minutes until thickened and glossy. Stir in chickpea flour, remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 240C (fan 220C)/465F/gas 9. Using a sharp knife, score three to four 3cm wide slits on both sides of the fish from collar to tail. Make sure the cuts are deep – all the way to the bone. Using your hands, rub one tablespoon of oil and a quarter teaspoon of salt over each fish. Then divide the masala equally between the two fish and rub the mixture into the cuts, belly and skin to form a thin layer.
Place the fish on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, until the masala is dry and dark in areas. Remove from oven and set aside for five minutes.
Meanwhile, make the salsa. Place the coriander leaves with the remaining three tablespoons of oil, the lime zest, and one-eighth teaspoon of the salt in the bowl of a small food processor. Beat until almost smooth and put in a bowl. Mix the chilies and two teaspoons of lime juice and set aside.
To make the salad, place the carrots, cucumber, and onion in a medium bowl with ½ teaspoon oil, the remaining teaspoon lime juice, and one-eighth teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside.
Carefully lift the fish onto a large serving plate and spoon over the salsa. Serve with lettuce on the side.
The Guardian is committed to publishing sustainable fish recipes. Check the ratings in your area: Great Britain; Australia; USA.
Beet Tahini Dip with Coconut Salsa-Macha
Sweet and earthy, beets at their peak in summer are incredibly versatile. We like them as a sauce whipped up with a little heat and acid. Salsa macha is a hot, buttery sauce from Mexico that keeps for a week in the fridge; double the recipe if you like and enjoy it with fried eggs.
prepare 15 minutes
Cook 1 hourg 40 min
It appears 4, as leaven or part of meze
500 g of beets (about 3-4) thoroughly wash and wipe
Sea salt and black pepper
50 g of tahini
50 ml of pomegranate molasses
1 limefinely grated to make ½ tsp. zest, and squeezed out of the juice to make 1 tbsp.
For salsa macha
1 ½ teaspoons desiccated coconuttoasted
1 teaspoon of sesame seedstoasted
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seedstoasted
½ teaspoon cumin seedstoasted
⅛ teaspoon ground allspicelightly fry until fragrant
¼ teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or sweet paprika)
1 clove of garliccleaned and ground
75 ml of olive oil
For the coconut and coriander filling
10 g of raw coconut shavings
10 g of coriander
First, boil the beets. Place them in a large pot, cover with plenty of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 90 minutes until tender (a knife should go through easily).
Drain in a colander and set aside to cool enough to handle and peel. Discard the skin. Coarsely chop the beetroot and place half in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until chunky. Add them to a large bowl. Purée the remaining beets for 30 seconds and add to the bowl along with the tahini, molasses, lime juice and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the salsa macha. Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good pinch of black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
For the topping, combine the lime zest, coconut flakes and coriander in a small bowl and set aside.
Spoon the beet purée onto a large cutout plate, using a spoon to create swirls and dips. Drizzle with salsa and serve topped with shredded coconut.
