There’s a particular mood that creeps in at this point in the year. The evenings stretch, the barbecue is optimistically dusted off, windows are cracked open even when the air is still a little sharp. We want food that feels lighter, brighter, a touch celebratory – but not so virtuous that it forgets to be satisfying.
These recipes sit neatly in that in-between space. The sort of dishes that look impressive enough for friends in the garden, yet are simple enough to throw together on a Tuesday. Smoky, stuffed mushrooms that can hold their own as a vegetarian centrepiece. A crab linguini sharp with lemon and chilli that tastes like it belongs near the sea, even if it’s eaten at the kitchen table. Salmon glossed with honey and butter, ready in minutes and generous with flavour.
What unites them is ease and optimism. They’re colourful, quick and designed for sharing – plates that can be carried outside, set down in the middle of the table and picked at as conversation stretches on. Nothing too heavy, nothing too complicated, but enough richness to feel like a treat.
This is cooking for longer evenings and lighter moods: food that marks the shift in season without demanding hours of effort. Relaxed, sociable, and just indulgent enough to feel like summer is properly on its way.
BBQ stuffed mushrooms with clotted cream and blue cheese
BBQ mushrooms and clotted cream? Yes, please. These smoky portobello mushrooms are stuffed with blue cheese, kale, pecans, pine nuts and a bold dollop of clotted cream. Bubbled on the BBQ until golden and sticky, then finished with another spoonful of clotted cream for good measure. A vegetarian treat that hits all the right BBQ notes – rich, nutty, creamy and totally indulgent.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 large portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
100g clotted cream (plus extra to finish)
100g crumbly blue cheese
1 handful kale, finely chopped
1 handful pecans, roughly chopped
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 knob of butter (for finishing)
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the blue cheese, chopped kale, pecans, pine nuts, thyme, and a generous dollop of clotted cream. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spoon the mixture generously into each mushroom cap. Place the mushrooms in a BBQ safe tray or cast-iron pan. Add a knob of butter to the pan, letting it melt and bubble into a rich, sticky sauce.
3. Bake on a lidded, hot BBQ for approx 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the tops golden. Spoon the buttery juices over each mushroom and finish with a small spoonful of Trewithen clotted cream for extra indulgence.
4. Serve with hot salad or crusty bread – perfect as a veggie showstopper.
Crab linguini
Try this zingy crab, lemon and chilli linguini in a creamy sauce and you’ll want to make it every night on repeat. Ready in under 15 minutes, it’s the perfect quick and easy dinner.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
300g linguini
300g fresh crab meat, white and brown
Splash of dry cider
25g salted butter
75g clotted cream
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of parsley, chopped
Lemon, to serve
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the linguini according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a wide, deep pan that will hold all the cooked pasta, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the garlic and one chilli and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the cider. Add the cherry tomatoes and remove from the heat before stirring through the clotted cream until thoroughly combined and season generously.
3. When the pasta is cooked al dente, add it to the creamy sauce, along with a little of the starchy water, reserving an extra cup in case the sauce needs loosening further. Gently stir through the crab meat and parsley and put a lid on for a couple of minutes for the linguini to absorb the flavours. If needed, add a little extra cooking water before serving.
4. Serve with fresh lemon slices, the remaining chopped red chilli and garnish with parsley.
Recipes from www.trewithendairy.co.uk
Honey-baked salmon
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
4 boneless salmon fillets
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp honey
½ tsp dried parsley (or 2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of paprika
1 lemon, sliced into half-moons
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking tray with foil or a silicon mat.
2. Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down on the baking tray.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic, honey, parsley, salt, pepper and paprika.
4. Pour the mixture over the salmon fillets (don’t worry about any of the sauce pooling on the tray).
5. Arrange the lemon wedges on and around the salmon.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
7. Open the oven and baste the salmon with any of the sauce that has pooled on the tray. Bake for a further 4-7 minutes until the salmon is tender.
8. Serve with your favourite potatoes and green veg or salad.
Recipe from groovyfood.co.uk
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