5 of the Best Summer Dinner Recipes

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4

Toss the sourdough with the almonds, fennel seeds, lemon juice and zest, and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, and chuck it all onto a large baking tray. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, take out and toss the mixture well. Put back in the oven until everything is golden and crisp, then remove and leave to one side.

Place a small saucepan of water over a high heat. Once boiling, tip in the broad beans, cook for 1 minute, then drain and run under cold water. Pod the beans out of their skins and leave to one side.

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, then peel long thin shavings of the spears and place to one side. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, finely slice the fennel and add to the beans and asparagus.

For the dressing, whisk the mustard, chilli, lemon juice and zest, honey and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons of brown crab meat and season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop half the chervil leaves and stir in. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Toss the vegetables into the dressing bowl. Scatter onto a large platter, then crumble over the remaining crab along with the roasted sourdough and almond mix. Finish with a flurry of fresh chervil and a little extra lemon zest if you like. Eat straight away.

Preheat oven to 150 ̊c/gas mark 2

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large heavy-bottom casserole (with a snug- fitting lid) and place over a high heat.While the pan heats up, heavily season the lamb with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Add half the diced lamb to the pan and brown on all sides; remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl while you repeat with the rest of the lamb. Turn the heat down to medium.

Add the remaining olive oil and the shallots, garlic, celery and fennel to the pan. Fry until softened and cooked down slightly – roughly 10 minutes. Turn the heat up, pour in the wine, then add the lamb back in along with all the remaining ingredients.

Place in the oven with the lid on for 2 hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further hour (or until the lamb is really soft and the tomatoes have caught a little), stirring after half an hour.

When the lamb is done, cook some papardelle until al dente (following the packet instructions) and toss it through the stew. Serve with a grating of Pecorino and a flurry of pepper.

1.     Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6, then grease a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with butter and place on a flat oven tray. Put the sliced onion in a bowl of ice water.

2.     Using a pastry brush, cover a filo pastry sheet with melted butter, then place the pastry sheet within the tart tin. Brush another filo pastry sheet with butter, then place it on top of the pastry sheet already in the tart tin, but at a slightly different angle. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheets and then brush the whole of the filo case with butter.

3.     Roughly scrunch up the pastry that sits above the top of the tin, bake for 8–10 minutes until golden, then transfer the pastry case to a plate.

4.     Drain the sliced onion, then mix with the tomatoes and lettuce leaves in a bowl, and place the mixture within the pastry case.

5.     For the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic in a jug, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Garnish the tart with the mint and pour the dressing over.

Slice the monkfish into large chunks and pop into a large mixing bowl with the turmeric and lime zest and juice, and season generously with salt. Mix to make sure the fish is well coated, then place in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

Tip the desiccated coconut into a large bowl, pour boiling water over it, and put to one side.

Start your sauce by peeling and finely slicing the onions and garlic. Peel and finely chop the ginger, then slice the chillies in half lengthways.

Place a large casserole pan over a medium heat, add the coconut oil, then tip in the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until soft and completely cooked down.

Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves, and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add all the spices and fry for a further minute, then tip in the tomatoes and cook down until thick – this should take around 10 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and tamarind paste, and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Tip in the monkfish, and simmer until the fish is cooked through and opaque – roughly 10 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, drain the coconut using a fine sieve, squeezing out any excess water; then place it and all the remaining sambal ingredients in a large pestle and mortar, and give it a good bash together.

Serve the curry with the sambal and, if you fancy, some rice and rotis.