sunny summer food - part one!

Ah! The weather in London is blissful (at the moment!) so a good opportunity to update one's eating habits.  If you believe in eating according to the season - as I do - you're in for a treat with some of the produce currently available locally.

I love healthy Mediterranean-style food - along with my passion for the area - and have recently got back into home bread making.  If you've never tried cooking with Spelt (an ancient grain related to wheat with a 'nuttier' taste and fewer allergy/intolerance problems) simply make some dough using water and fast yeast, knead, leave to rise for 40 minutes - in a warm place - before shaping into a flat-bread shape.  Brush with, or slick-on, a small amount of olive oil then cook, until brown 'stripes' appear on both sides, in a grill pan.  It's a perfect way to start the day, as it is, or along with your preferred topping and a serving of fresh fruit.   Also a great accompaniment to a creative salad, with a tasty dip, or as a light, fragrant pizza slice - later in the day.  

For the pizza method, all you need is a fresh herb of  your choice (rosemary works best) and a scattering of fresh courgette and red onion slices.  Simply press them into the dough and grill, as before.  For a more substantial slice, enhance the topping with some 'blobs' of goats cheese and tomato purée or a smattering of prepared tomato sauce (although best to add these after you've grilled with the other ingredients, if you don't want to make too much mess).   Alternately you can oven-bake and also adjust quantities, according to required servings.  Even nicer accompanied by a glass of chilled  Provençal rosé... 

Happy summer eating (and drinking)!