Easy Ottolenghi summer recipes: starters and snacks | Food (2024)

When making any of these dishes, your kitchen counter will end up looking like an artist’s palette. The various shades of green in one corner (asparagus, beans, courgettes, peas, avocados and mountains of soft herbs), the yellow and orange shining through the middle (lemons, corn, saffron, cheddar and mango); red is there, too, bold, bright and sweet (strawberries, cherries, watermelon, tomatoes, barberries). As with any artist’s palette, all you need to create a masterpiece is a blank canvas, a good view and an appetite to create.

Saffron and mustard scones with cheddar and piccalilli

These would make a very classy addition to any summer picnic. They also work with thick-cut ham instead of, or as well as, the cheese. Scones are always best eaten on the day they’re baked, but if need be these will keep in a sealed container for a day. Makes six.

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. In a large bowl, mix the flour, mustard powder, cayenne, baking powder and half a teaspoon of salt, then, using your hands, rub in the cubed butter until the mix is the texture of fine crumbs.

In a second bowl, mix one egg with the yoghurt and saffron, including its soaking water, then add to the crumb mix. Using first a spatula and then lightly floured hands, bring the mixture together into a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1.5cm thick, then cut out three (or four) circles with a floured, round 7cm cutter (you want smooth edges, so don’t twist the cutter as you press down). Re-roll the offcuts of dough to 1.5cm thick, and cut out three (or two) more circles, to make six in total.

Transfer the rounds to a large oven tray lined with baking paper. Beat the second egg and use to lightly brush the top of each scone. Bake for 14 minutes, until the scones are golden-brown and a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool, then cut the scones in half widthways. Spread both sides generously with butter, and top with cheese and piccalilli. Add the pea shoots, if using, sandwich back together and serve.

Lamb, tomato and baharat pizzette

For the topping
300g lamb mince
1 ripe 100g tomato, cut into 0.5cm dice
½ banana shallot, peeled and very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp baharat spice mix
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
15g coriander leaves, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the flour and yeast with a tablespoon of oil and a half-teaspoon of salt. Add the water and, using a spatula, bring the mixture together until combined. Tip out the dough on a lightly oiled work surface and, with lightly oiled hands, knead for five minutes, until soft and elastic. (Add a little more oil if it starts to stick to the work surface.) Split the dough into six equal pieces (about 55g each), then space them well apart on a large oven tray lined with baking paper. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and leave in a warm spot for 30 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.

Grease a 40cm x 30cm oven tray with a decent amount of olive oil. Put three dough balls on the tray, spaced well apart, then use your fingertips to pull and stretch each one into an 18cm x 12cm round-edged rectangle; make sure there is at least a 3cm gap between each pizzetta. Spread a sixth of the lamb mix (about 70g) evenly over each pizzetta, leaving a 1cm border around the edge, and use your fingers to press the meat slightly into the dough. Bake for eight to nine minutes, until the meat is cooked and the pizzetta crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.

Serve warm, scattered with the rest of the chopped coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.

Oven chips with Greek oregano and feta

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the potatoes for nine minutes, until starting to soften at the edges but still holding their shape. Drain, leave to steam dry for five minutes, then tip into a large bowl. Add the sunflower oil and a tablespoon of salt, toss to coat, then tip out on to two large oven trays lined with greaseproof paper (you’ll need two trays, so the potatoes aren’t overcrowded). Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring every now and then, until golden brown and crisp.

While the chips are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat, then gently fry the garlic for three or four minutes, until pale golden brown. Lift out the garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate; reserve the infused oil.

Once the chips are cooked, sprinkle with the dried garlic, drizzle with the infused olive oil and return to the oven for four minutes to heat through. Remove from the oven and, while the chips are piping hot, sprinkle with feta and oregano. Serve at once.

Grilled corn with avocado butter, grilled limes and aleppo chilli

Put the avocado, butter, a teaspoon each of lime zest and juice, and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in the small bowl of a food processor. Blitz until smooth and whipped, then refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Ventilate the kitchen and put a large griddle pan on a high heat. Once it’s very hot, chargrill the cobs for 10 minutes, turning them regularly, until charred all over, then transfer to a plate. Griddle the flesh sides of the lime wedges for two minutes, until they’re striped with dark char marks, but take care not to char the skin.

• Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay