Okay, we really shouldn't complain - not when it's lashing down in England, and people are posting all over Facebook that it's so cold they've had to light the wood burners and dust off the thermal underwear. But it just seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Here in Piddock Place, the most we can face most days is a sandwich. Much as we love salads and barbecues, we're a bit sick of them now. It's just been too darn hot to cook.
But when friends came for supper on Saturday, we could hardly serve up cheese and tomato sarnies, now could we? And I was guessing that they were probably about as sick of salads as we are. So I got my thinking cap on and came up with a supper idea that actually went down a storm.
For staters, I decided to do a twist on stuffed peppers. There are some lovely miniature peppers around at the moment - sweet and tender, so they don't need to be cooked. In fact, you don't even need to remove the ribs and seeds, I just halved them, and removed the stalk - although you could leave that intact for presentation purposes. Never thought about it until I was half way through though!
I kept the fillings simple, because when it's hot, simple is best. And I went for fishy fillings rather than meat and rice.
Tuna, egg and capers
Quantities don't really matter here - it depends how many you're catering for really.
- Tuna
- Finely chopped hard boiled egg
- A few chopped capers
- Mayonnaise, lemon juice, black pepper
Just mix everything together, and pile into the peppers. You're aiming for a slightly stiff consistency here, so it doesn't spill out, so add the lemon juice and mayo little by little, tasting as you go.
Crab salad and cucumber
You can make your own crab salad with chopped crab sticks, a little smoked paprika and some freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and mayonnaise. On the other hand, if you're feeling too hot to be bothered even to do that, you can use a ready made one. Then just mix in some finely chopped cucumber, for texture and flavour. I was going to add sweetcorn too, but I didn't find it in time!
I just halved some olives and plum cherry tomatoes, for decoration and an extra taste and texture sensation. Just before serving, I sprinkled with a little smoked paprika. That too added a little extra in the flavour stakes.
There are all sorts of combinations that would work well here - grated cheese, chopped tomato and onion, or taquitos de jamon and scrambled eggs come to mind. Really, anything you have in the fridge or the cupboards can be pressed into service here.
The sweet taste of the peppers, combined with the savoury fillings and the smoky paprika is fresh on the tongue - just what you want on a hot day, and they re surprisingly filling.
The main course was a bit of a twist on a Salade Nicoise. Tuna, eggs, olives, tomato, cucumber, lettuce peppers and mushrooms. I didn't dress the salad, just drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with black pepper. I used one of those large tins of tuna you can get in the supermarket,s because they're nice and chunky. It's easy to drain off the oil, and it looks good on the plate too. I always buy mine from Lidl. At 5.19 Euro, not only is it the cheapest around, its also very tasty.
I served up the salad with bread, ali oli and tomato paste, and again, it ws a perfect meal for a hot evening - nice combination of flavours, and enough without being heavy on the stomach. And thanks to the protein content in the egg and tuna, we didn't feel hungry again in a couple of hours.
So, there you have it - a simple supper or lunch, hardly any preparation or cooking time and a nice combination of Mediterranean colours and flavours. What's not to love?