ArchiveJuly 2026

This week, I’m writing about a kitchen staple – oil. Have you noticed how often the smell of deep-frying seems to pervade the air? Whole towns and villages often smell of that cheap chip oil.  Everyone loves chips, many eat them several times a day/week…but there’s no reason why chips shouldn’t be nourishing and delicious – good potatoes, good oil or good fat, no problem…The quality of oil or fat used for deep-frying really matters and affects both flavour and nutrient density of deep-fried food. However, there is a growing concern about the damage many, some, say all of the seed oils are doing to our health so it’s really worth doing a deep dive into the whole subject.
Having done a considerable amount of research into the subject, I have to tell you that I am more confused than ever.
Some scientists argue that because of the high Omega 6 fatty acid content, seed oils can cause chronic inflammation which increases the risk of developing heart disease and several cancers. However, to confuse the matter, other controlled trials found that Omega 6 fatty acids, do not increase inflammation. One eminent scientist after another seems to contradict previous findings. On and on, the debate continues…
Seed oils were originally designed to grease and lubricate engines and wheels. But a few brilliant innovators like Benjamin H. Thurman found a way to refine seed soils to make them edible, soon they became a staple. This process was first discovered in the late 19^th and early 20th century…Proctor and Gamble led the way.
So, what to do in the midst of all this contradictory research? It’s always interesting, though, often not easy to discover who is funding the research – Cynics might say Follow the money…
So, how does the process work? To refine seed oils, acids are neutralised to remove bitterness, any unwanted colour is bleached out and the oil is deodorised to eliminate strong taste and smells.
Well, in view of all of this, I have decided to follow my gut feeling, so I choose to source the most natural products for best flavour and nutrition. So, what to use? Olive oil, tallow or if you can access it, good lard from organic pigs. Part of the appeal of the seed oils is of course the price, much less expensive than olive oil so often a favourite of chip shops though some like Hawksmoor in Dublin and the brilliant Rick Stein’s establishment in Padstow favour beef tallow.
To cook chips. Olive oil, one of my favourites, produces a crisp golden chip with a subtle aromatic flavour. Extra-virgin olive oil adds an extra fruity peppery note with a slightly softer crunch. Both are highly stable and have a smoke point of 210°C despite popular perception.
But I also love chips cooked in beef tallow, a saturated fat, it gives a deep savoury old-fashioned flavour, richer and more robust than neutral oils. It’s a saturated fat but it also provides Vitamins A and D.
For extra deliciousness and nutrients, Myrtle Allen always cooked chips for children’s tea at Ballymaloe House in tallow or beef fat. Myrtle didn’t serve chips at dinner, so parents regularly nibbled the chips off the kids plates, I still remember the squeals of protest…
It’s not difficult to make tallow at home, this is how my mother showed me how to do it. The best tallow is made by rendering down the suet from around the beef kidney. If you shop at your local butcher, you may well get it for free. Look out for organic if available. It has a high smoke point (350-400°C max). It oxidizes and degrades at a slower rate than vegetable or seed oil. Lard gives chips a crisp golden crust, just a little bit more indulgent with a smoke point of 188-205°C. Like olive oil and tallow, lard can be used up to five times if carefully strained between uses.
Tallow is also great for natural soaps and skin cream, but this is a cookery column, so you’ll need to ask Mrs. Google for the recipes, that’s fun too…

Tallow (Beef Dripping)

The best tallow is made from the fat that encases the beef kidney. Try to buy organic if possible. Remove any traces of blood or plumbing. Chop the fat into small pieces. Put into a roasting tin and cook in a very low oven at 140°C/Gas Mark 1 for a couple of hours or until the fat has rendered out of the suet. Pour off the liquid fat into a heat-proof bowl at regular intervals. Beef dripping solidifies and will keep for months in a fridge.

To melt beef fat, simply warm it gently. The fat will liquefy and can be used for roast potatoes or for deep-frying. Myrtle Allen always believed that the best chips were those cooked in beef dripping and I agree.  It is rich in Vitamin D and, in my opinion, is far preferable both in flavour and health terms to the cheap and low-grade oil that is frequently used to deep-fry.

It’s important to strain the beef fat through a fine tin sieve after each use, otherwise the little particles of food will burn when the oil is reheated. Tallow can be heated to 230ºC/Gas Mark 8 provided the oil is strained and does not burn. One can use it up to five times.

The Perfect Chip

Sales of frozen and pre prepared chips have sky-rocketed, so I feel many people have forgotten how easy it is to make chips at home.

The secret of really sensational chips is:

1. Good quality ‘old’ potatoes e.g. Golden Wonder or Kerr’s Pinks.

2. Best quality oil, lard or tallow (beef fat) for frying. We frequently use olive oil because its flavour is so good and because when properly looked after it can be used over and over again.  Avoid poor quality oils which have an unpleasant taste and a pervasive smell.

3. Scrub the potatoes well and peel or leave unpeeled according to taste.  Cut into similar size chips so they will cook evenly. 

4. Rinse quickly in cold water but do not soak. Dry meticulously with a damp tea towel or kitchen towel before cooking otherwise the water will boil on contact with the oil in the deep fry and may cause it to overflow.

5. Do not overload the basket, otherwise the temperature of the oil will be lowered, consequently, the chips will be greasy rather than crisp. Shake the pan once or twice, to separate the chips while cooking.

Method

They could be –

Straw Potatoes: finest possible strips about 6.5cm long, cook quickly at 190°C until completely crisp.

Matchstick: similar length but slightly thicker, cook as above.

Mignonette – Frites: 5mm thick x 6.5cm long – blanch first at 180°C then finish at 190°C.

Pont Neuf: about 1cm thick and 6.5cm long.

Jumbo Chips: about 2cm thick and 6.5cm long.

Buffalo Chips: similar size to Jumbo but unpeeled.

To cook the first two types: Fry quickly in oil at 190°C until completely crisp.

To cook the last three sizes: Fry twice, once at 160°C until they are soft and just beginning to brown, the time will vary from 4-10 minutes depending on size, drain, increase the heat to 190°C and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until crisp and golden. Shake the basket, drain well, toss onto kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt, turn onto a hot serving dish and serve immediately.

Potato Crisps or Game Chips

A mandolin slicer is useful though not essential for slicing.

These are paper thin rounds of potato which are fried at 180°C until absolutely crisp, drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt. Serve hot or cold.

Provided they are properly cooked they will keep perfectly in a tin box for several days.  These crisps or game chips are the traditional accompaniment to roast pheasant or guinea fowl.

Caesar Salad with Potato Crisps

The remaining dressing will keep covered in a fridge for several days.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large head of Cos (Romaine) lettuce

50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano if possible)

Dressing

1 x 50g tin anchovies

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

a generous pinch of English mustard powder

½ tsp salt

½ – 1 tbsp Worcester sauce

½ – 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce

175ml sunflower oil

50ml extra virgin olive oil

50ml cold water

Garnish

Potato Crisps (see recipe for The Perfect Chip)

Method

Wash the lettuce leaves, dry really thoroughly and chill lightly wrapped in a tea-towel in a bowl while you make the dressing.

I make the dressing in a food processor, but it can also be made very quickly by hand. Drain the anchovies and crush lightly with a fork. Put into a bowl with the egg yolks, add the garlic, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, Worcester and Tabasco sauce. Whisk all the ingredients together.  As you whisk, add the oils slowly at first, then a little faster as the emulsion forms. Finally whisk some water to make a spreadable consistency. Taste and correct the seasoning, this dressing should be highly flavoured.

To serve, put a tablespoon of dressing per person in a big bowl, add in the chilled whole lettuce leaves and about half the Parmesan. Toss the leaves gently but thoroughly in the dressing.

(This is done most effectively with the hand, but if this does not appeal to you, use salad servers.) Add more dressing if necessary to coat the leaves. Arrange the dressed leaves on individual chilled plates. Sprinkle the potato crisps and remaining Parmesan on top.  Serve immediately.

Such excitement here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School a few weeks ago…a Pop-Up Dinner. On every term, the students choose the theme and plan the entire event from start to finish. A brilliant learning experience for them and quite the eye-opener to understand just how much work goes into pulling off a big event from start to finish. The theme this time was NEW NOSTALGIA – CUMHA NUA, the proceeds go to several charities, including Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
Weeks of fun, thought, planning, haggling and recipe testing go into the menu that reflects the beautiful seasonal produce from the farm, gardens and local area.
All kinds of hidden talents emerge. They have a free hand to plot and plan, set the scene, decorate the dining room, pick and arrange the flowers, make the cocktails…
The student’s spent days making cheery, bright paper chains and there were yards and yards of gorgeous bunting made by Pam’s Mum.
Others with floristry skills, picked the flowers, made stunning arrangements and arranged a river of beautiful blossoms along the centre of the long tables. They collected green moss from the stone boundary walls which they wrapped around moulded chicken wire. These beautiful ergonomically shaped sculptures were then paced running down the centre of the tables and decorated with flowers, herbs, strawberries and vegetables, all picked on the farm just hours before the dinner.
The work was carefully divided. Several greeted the guests and welcomed them to the gaily decorated galvanise Pavilion with a selection of cocktails.
Silly Goose – apricot cheong, fresh gooseberry juice, lemon verbena ice soda was designed to commemorate a recently hatched gosling who now careers around with the ducks and thinks it’s a duck…!
Blushing BASILMALOE Fizz – strawberry and basil syrup, pomegranate and lime kefir.
And finally CAVA BRUT NATURE, with the option to add apricot cheong or strawberry basil to the bubbles.
Another creative team wandered around with a tantalising selection of cânapés.
Broad Bean Filo Tartlet with Ricotta and Herb Mayo.
Smoked White Fish on Seed Crackers with Pickled New Season Beetroot.
Little Ballymaloe Irish Cheddar Cheese Croquettes were topped with Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, this traditional Ballymaloe cânapé is always a favourite despite they many other creative concoctions.
And finally, Beef Tartare on Homemade Crisps, Cured Egg Yolk and Truffle Oil.
The carefully designed menu was drawn and painstakingly watercoloured by hand.
For weeks, one of our avid breadmaking students experimented with Fougasse bread shaped like fish. She added caramelised onions to add to the homemade butter made from the cream of our little herd of Jersey cows.
Seaweed Focaccia made with dried seaweed from Shanagarry Strand was also served with toasted kombu oil, how exotic does that sound! One of the students designed bandana-style scarves that all the kitchen and front of house teams wore on their heads around their necks.
Guests were a mélange of proud parents and friends of the students from all over the globe and our local community, many of whom come to every Pop-Up Dinner.
Once settled at the long tables, guests tucked into the starter which was a 100 Acre Farm Salad, hand-picked seasonal organic greens, with St. Tola’s goat cheese, honey and bee pollen, the description speaks for itself.
To clear the palette, Elderflower Sorbet, fresh tasting and delicious before Roast Loin of Lamb stuffed with Walnut Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash and there were Roast Aubergines and Charred Courgettes from the greenhouses.
The dessert was simply called Jam on Toast, a strawberry and gooseberry jam filled puff pastry sandwich with toasted brioche ice cream.
Guests were urged to leave space for the petits fours, beautifully served in the Garden Room after dinner.
As if that wasn’t enough, guests each left with a goodie bag of homemade butter and gooseberry jam!
So proud of our students who put such an effort and lots of fun into creating a seasonal feast that reflected the fresh produce from the farm, gardens and local area in mid-summer.
Thank you to the students for sharing the recipes.

100 Acre Farm Salad 

Serves 1 as a starter salad 

Ingredients

1 round of goat’s cheese (25-30g approx.)

1 nectarine

2 radishes

a selection of leaves of lettuce and salad leaves, watercress, tat soi…

½ carrot

a pinch of bee pollen 

10g slivered almonds 

1 nasturtium flower

Dressing

extra virgin olive oil 

white balsamic vinegar 

honey 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Method

Segment the nectarines and quarter the radishes with the stems still on.

Rinse the greens but keeps the leaves whole.

Use a peeler to ribbon the carrots. 

To make the dressing.

In a jar, mix the oil, vinegar, honey, sea salt and pepper and shake to mix, set aside. 

To Serve

Create a bed of the greens on your serving plate, place the goat cheese and nectarines beside the leaves. Arrange the radish and carrot ribbons on top of the salad leaves. Drizzle the dressing over and top, sprinkle with bee pollen, slivered almonds and nasturtium flower. Serve immediately.

Roast Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Walnut and Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash with Charred Courgette and Roast Aubergine

Serves 4 approx.

Ingredients

lamb loin, 8 chops

freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves of garlic

Walnut and Parsley Pesto

4 tsp walnuts

4 tsp hazelnuts

1 tin Ortiz anchovies (oil and fish)

10 sprigs of parsley, stem and leaves

handful of green carrot tops

3 cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil (to loosen the thick paste)

30g Parmesan

Butter Bean Mash (see recipe)

Charred Courgettes (see recipe)

Roast Aubergines (see recipe)

Garnish

fresh mint leaves

Method

Add all pesto ingredients except the Parmesan to a blender and blend to a loose mix with still some texture from the nuts. Fold in the Parmesan and taste. It should be quite punchy; the garlic flavour will mellow in cooking.

To prepare lamb loin, trim the outer fat layer to no more than ½cm. Lay fat side down on a board. Season with freshly ground black pepper then spread the pesto evenly over the meat. Begin rolling so the fat layer will be on the outside. Tie using a butchers knot in five or six positions along the roast and one going the full length of the roast.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Heat a rectangular grill pan over medium high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tin/baking dish with the 3 cloves of garlic. The sides of the roasting tin/baking dish at least 2.5cm high and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and continue to cook for a further 25-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 63-67°C using a meat thermometer.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving into 1cm rounds for serving. Transfer the pan juices to a jug to separate the fat (remove the fat from the top), reduce the jus in a pan to intensify the flavour adding a little chicken stock, keep the jus hot until ready to serve. 

To Serve

Spoon some butter bean mash on the centre of the plate, top with the charred courgette, roast aubergine with tahini yoghurt and sliced lamb. Drizzle with the jus and garnish with some fresh mint leaves.

Butter Bean Mash

Serves 6

Ingredients

400g soaked butter beans (150g dried and soaked)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

hot water to loosen

Method

Soak the butter beans overnight. Remove the skins either before boiling or after. Boil in half water and half chicken stock until soft but not grainy. Drain and add to a food processor along with the olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whizz to a smooth runny purée adding hot water to loosen. Adjust the seasoning to taste – it should be well seasoned.

Charred Courgettes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 small yellow/green courgette

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat a grill-pan.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2

Cut the courgettes in half lengthways, toss in olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly pepper then place cut side down on a hot grill-pan. Turn over halfway and finish cooking in the oven for 15-20 minutes. There should still be a little bite (al dente). Serve one courgette half per plate.

Roast Aubergine

1 slice per plate served with lamb (or 3 slices per plate for a vegetarian option)

Ingredients

1 aubergine

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Onion and Flaked Almond Topping

½ onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and slightly crushed

1 tbsp flaked almonds

pinch of sea salt

To Serve

Tahini Yoghurt (see recipe)

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds

lime zest

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7 (fan).

Cut the top and bottom off the aubergine. Then slice into 2cm thick rounds. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt and 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place on parchment lined baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until dark golden brown.

While the aubergine is cooking, make the onion and flaked almond topping.

Cut the onion in half then into thin half-moon strips. Put 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in cast iron pan, allow to heat then add the onion, cooking over a medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and dark golden brown. Add the cumin/coriander seed mix, the almonds and a pinch of sea salt, cook for two minutes until the almonds get a golden colour.

To serve, place the aubergine on a plate, top with tahini yoghurt, the onion and almond mix and finally the pomegranate seeds and lime zest.

Tahini Yoghurt

Ingredients

200g yoghurt

2 tbsp tahini

juice of ½ lemon or lime

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix together, adjust the seasoning to taste.

During this spell of gorgeous weather, we’ve been feasting on huge salads. The garden is bursting with beautiful produce, there are scarcely enough meal slots to enjoy and celebrate it all and the work of the heroic gardeners who sowed the seeds many months ago.
Apart from a great big green salad, our other staple is a bowl of unctuous potato salad flecked with green scallion tops and parsley. For those of you who think that potato salad is always dull, let me share the secrets of a truly morish and surprising delicious potato salad
Myrtle Allen, my late mother-in-law whom I spent many years learning from and cooking side-by-side  with in the kitchens of Ballymaloe House, was very pernickety about small details which very often made the difference between something tasting utterly delicious rather than ‘just OK’.
In the case of potato salad, the variety of potato was very important. Unlike many, she preferred as I do a floury rather than waxy potato, maybe Home Guard or Golden Wonders. Cook them in boiling, well salted water in their jackets.
If you haven’t got some good mayo, remember it takes less than five minutes to make even by hand, even faster in a food processor but you’ll need to start with four egg yolks rather than just two, otherwise the blades won’t be able to pick it up. It’s always worth making more mayonnaise than you think you’ll need? It keeps for ages in your fridge, maybe four or five weeks or more, unlike what you might think.
Some French dressing will take just a few more minutes more. Take a tablespoon (three parts extra-virgin olive oil to one part wine vinegar works really well). I use Mani, Greek olive oil made from the Koroniki olive and love Forum white wine vinegar) but use whatever really good extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar you can lay hands on, It’s really worth investing in good ingredients, the quality will make all the difference to your dressing and you don’t need to use very much. I like to grate in a clove of garlic, a generous pinch of flaky sea salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Finally, add a little finely chopped parsley and chives. Sometimes I add a little honey but not if I’m using it for a potato salad. Good feisty dressings are essential for tasty salads.
So, here’s the SECRET of a delicious potato salad…
While the potatoes are still warm, quickly peel and cut into chunky cubes. Season well with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Whisk the French dressing to re-emulsify, toss well so the potato cubes are nicely coated. Already you’ll have a delicious potato salad, but I love a little mayonnaise also. Thin the mayonnaise with a little water if necessary to achieve a coating consistency. Add in lots of chopped spring onions or scallions and parsley, fold through the potato salad. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary, it should be a revelation. Just before serving, sprinkle with some more chopped spring onions and coarsely snipped parsley. So delicious on its own or as a side with grilled lamb chops, a seared steak, some crispy chicken with one or several additions, smoked fish, chorizo or crispy bacon.
Everyone loves a brilliant potato salad, but if you make it with cold, soapy potatoes and you’ll wonder why it’s so dull.
To compose an enticing salad. One needs to think, not just colour – peppers, radishes…but texture, flavour and mouthfeel also.
Perhaps, have a base of crunchy salad leaves and maybe some beans, lentils or chickpeas, lots of fresh herbs. Maybe, incorporate sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavours to tantalise the taste buds. Play with Asian flavours, soy sauce, nam pla (fish sauce), sweet chilli sauce, gochujang, Moroccan flavours, zaatar, gutsy spices, rose petals…
I love salads with a little light coating of mayo but also those like carrot, cabbage and apple, just with a honey and wine vinegar dressing. This is a brilliant one to get your children to help with, they love the clean flavour, just grate some fresh crunchy carrots and apple on the coarsest part of a box grater, some finely shredded summer cabbage, maybe a few plump sultanas, some chopped fresh mint, then toss in some honey and vinegar dressing. Taste and check the honey and vinegar proportion and tweak if necessary.
Also good to remember the seasons. Lots of juicy nectarines, peaches and cherries at the moment. I’m loving the combination of slivered raw beetroot and fresh raspberry at present and raw zucchini (courgette) salad with extra-virgin olive oil, finely grated lemon zest and slivers of Parmesan. Also love a torn burrata with a coarse purée of peas and fresh mint leaves.
Maybe scatter some edible flowers and flower petals over the top, dill or fennel flowers have an intoxicating aroma and flavour, a surprising little pop of anise flavour in your salad. We love bright orange marigold petals, and the flowers of sage, chives, thyme and rosemary. They really add a pop of colour and unexpected excitement to your salad, have fun experimenting and enjoy every moment of the sunny days….

Sarah’s Salad of Nectarines, Green Beans, Almonds and Feta

The appeal of this salad from its contrasting flavours and textures. Make this in midsummer, when the nectarines are ripened by the sun and the green beans are still tender. It is best served on a wide plate, rather than piled into a deep bowl.

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a side salad

Ingredients

350-400g trimmed green beans

3-4 tbsp simple vinaigrette

60g whole almonds, toasted until golden and halved lengthways

75g feta, crumbled

2 ripe and fragrant nectarines

fennel blossoms, tender fennel fronds or green anise (optional)

good-quality oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper

Method

Start by cooking the green beans. Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and add a few pinches of salt. Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. Drop the trimmed green beans into the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes until the green beans begin to soften but still have a snap. Later in the season, when the beans are bigger, cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the cold water to stop them cooking, then lay on a clean tea towel to dry.

Place the green beans into a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette, add two-thirds of the almonds and half the feta, then gently fold a couple of times to combine, taking care not to smear the feta into the beans. Stone and slice the nectarines into wedges and gently fold into the salad. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, then transfer to a wide serving plate. Finish with the rest of the feta and almonds, a drizzle of good oil and pepper. Scatter fennel blossoms over the top (if using) and serve.

Variations

Duck Salad: Add strips of warm duck breast to the salad.

Other Fruits – swap the nectarines for peaches or plums or add slices of ripe sweet fits to the salad.

Other Cheeses – swap the feta for ricotta salata or a creamy goat’s cheese.

Simple Vinaigrette

Makes about 200ml

Ingredients

1 small shallot, finely diced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove

2 tsp Dijon mustard

150ml extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Method

Place the diced shallots into a small bowl with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Leave the shallots to soften for 10-15 minutes. Pound the garlic in a mortar (or it can be smashed on a cutting board using the side of a knife), then transfer the garlic to a bowl with the mustard and macerated shallots. Whisk everything together, then gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Adjust with salt and pepper. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

*Recipe from Fruitful by Sarah Johnson published by Kyle Books

Carpaccio of Zucchini with Slivers of Parmesan and Crispy Capers

There are masses of crisp zucchini at present, this simple dish depends totally on the quality of your ingredients, use the very best extra virgin olive oil you can afford, small crisp zucchini, and a sweet nutty Parmesan.

This salad needs to be served immediately after the zucchini are dressed.

Serves 6

Ingredients

675g freshly picked yellow and green zucchini, not more than 12.5cm in length

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

freshly squeezed lemon juice

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

225g rocket leaves, gently washed and dried

110-175g Parmesan, (Parmigiano Reggiano) in the piece, sliced into slivers

zucchini flowers (optional)

2 tbsp capers (optional)

Method

First, make the crispy capers.

Carefully heat oil in a pan (or use a deep-fry), toss in the capers, they will crackle and open out in crispy flowers.  Drain on kitchen paper.

Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice at an angle or lengthways into 3mm thick slices. Place the sliced zucchini in a large bowl.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Mix gently with your fingers, taste and correct the seasoning.  You may need a little more oil and lemon juice.

Lay the rocket leaves in a single layer on a large flat serving dish or on individual serving places.  Scatter on the zucchini, again in a single layer.  Finish the salads with a few shavings of Parmesan, capers if using and zucchini blossoms over the top. Serve immediately.

Spiced Miso Beef Salad

This is one of many delicious recipes from Donna Hay’s Sunshine, Lemon and Sea Salt cookbook published by Fourth Estate.

A good beef salad has it all: salty-sour punch, freshness and plenty of crunch. I’ve added sugar snaps and radishes for an extra burst of sunshine.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g beef eye fillet, trimmed

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp finely grated ginger

Sugar Snap Salad

120g mixed salad leaves

150g sugar snap peas, trimmed, blanched and halved

2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced

4 red or watermelon radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

Spiced Miso Dressing

80ml lime juice

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 ½ tsp sesame oil

1 ½ tbsp white miso paste

1 ½ tbsp firmly packed brown sugar

½ tsp shichimi togarashi

To Serve

Sliced long green chilli and extra shichimi togarashi

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Ma4k 6

Brush the beef with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Combine the miso, remaining sesame oil, soy and ginger.

Heat an ovenproof non-stick frying pan over high heat. Sear the beef for 2-3 minutes on all sides, until evenly browned. Remove the pan from the heat and brush the beef with the miso mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. Allow the beef to cool slightly, then thinly slice.

While the beef is cooking, make the sugar snap salad. Combine the salad leaves, sugar snap peas, cucumber and radish.

To make the spiced miso dressing, combine the lime juice, soy, sesame oil, miso paste, sugar and togarashi.

Place the sugar snap salad on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. Top with the beef and serve sprinkled with chilli and extra togarashi.