Eunice Power: Simple recipes that are built for the summer season

I have two delicious recipes for you this weekend; Spinach and ricotta gnudi paired with a simple tomato sauce, and Lamb cutlets on the barbecue, served with a romesco sauce

Eunice Power: Lamb cutlets with a romesco sauce. Picture Chani Anderson

This weather is glorious, but it’s not exactly kitchen weather. All anyone wants to do is stay outside and eat a little later than usual once the sun starts to set..

I’ve been listening to market gardeners lately, and many of them are feeling the pinch.

People are eating lighter, eating out more, and heading off for picnics at the beach instead of cooking big meals at home. With that in mind, this week’s recipes are built for the season.

First up is spinach and ricotta gnudi paired with a simple tomato sauce. There is beautiful Irish spinach around at the moment, so it felt right to put it centre stage.

My second recipe is one of my favourites at this time of year: lamb cutlets on the barbecue, served with a romesco sauce made from store cupboard ingredients. The lamb needs very little — just a few simple spices and a couple of minutes on each side. The key is not to overcook it. Keep a close eye on the barbecue and let the meat rest before serving.

I hope you get to enjoy the sunshine a little longer and maybe find time for some cooking too.

Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi with Tomato Sauce

recipe by:Eunice Power

The secret to these gnudi is lightness in every ingredient and every step.

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the gnudi

• 250g fresh young spinach

• 250g ricotta, drained

• 110g plain flour (or 00 flour), triple-sieved

• 70g Parmesan, freshly microplaned, plus extra to serve

• 1 large egg

• Pinch of nutmeg

• Sea salt and finely ground black pepper  

• For the tomato sauce 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

• Pinch of sugar

• Salt and pepper

• A few fresh basil leaves (optional)  

•  

Method

1. Make the gnudi

2. Remove any stalks from the spinach and give the leaves a good wash. Place in a colander and pour over a full kettle of boiling water to wilt. Leave to cool completely, then press out as much water as possible. Roll the spinach in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper and give it a firm squeeze, then finely chop.

3. Tip the ricotta into a sieve set over a bowl and leave for 10–15 minutes to drain off any excess liquid.

4. Measure out the flour and sieve it three times to keep it as light as possible.

5. Combine the chopped spinach, drained ricotta, sieved flour, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or a dough hook, mix very gently until just coming together. The dough will be quite sticky — that is exactly right. Do not overwork it.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. Divide each portion into 5 pieces, then gently roll each piece into 5 walnut-sized balls using lightly floured hands. They will be sticky — a little extra flour as you go is fine, but resist adding too much. The stickiness is what keeps them light.

7. Place the gnudi on a parchment-lined tray, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow them to firm up.

8. Make the tomato sauce Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened.

9.  Pour in the chopped tomatoes, then fill each empty tin about a quarter full with water, swirl to rinse, and add that too. Add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15–20 minutes until slightly thickened.

10.  Reduce the sauce for a further 10–15 minutes until nicely thick. If you like a smooth sauce, blitz with a hand blender until silky. Stir in a few basil leaves if you have them. (This will make more sauce than you need; always handy to have a tub of leftover sauce in the fridge.)

11.  Cook and serve

12.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer — this is important, as a rolling boil will break them up. Drop in the gnudi in batches of about 8 at a time. They will sink, then float to the surface after about a minute. Cook for 2 minutes in total, then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining batches.

13. Spoon the tomato sauce onto warm plates and arrange 6 gnudi on each. Dust generously with extra Parmesan and finish with a few fresh basil leaves.

Before you begin, take a moment to prepare each element properly; freshly microplaned Parmesan so it’s soft and billowy, triple-sieved flour to keep it as airy as possible (00 flour is ideal if you have it, but plain flour sieved three times works beautifully and is far more likely to be in an Irish cupboard); andwell-drained ricotta, pressed in a sieve to remove every drop of excess liquid.

These few minutes of preparation make all the difference between gnudi that are light as clouds and ones that are heavy and dense. If the dough feels worryingly sticky when you come to shape them, trust it. The stickiness is exactly what you want. I usually make these in the morning and allow to rest for a few hours in the fridge before cooking.

Lamb cutlets with quick romesco sauce

recipe by:Eunice Power

This recipe is one of my favourites during summer: lamb cutlets on the barbecue, served with a romesco sauce made from store cupboard ingredients.

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 12 trimmed lamb cutlets

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• Large pinch of chilli flakes

• 3 garlic cloves

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

• For the romesco

• 2 large roasted red peppers (from a jar)

• 1 large garlic clove

• 50g olive oil

• 50g toasted flaked almonds

• Large bag of salad leaves

• New potatoes and plenty of butter

Method

1. Marinate the lamb

2. Put the lamb cutlets into a mixing bowl and add the paprika, cinnamon, cumin seeds, chili flakes, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you get on with the rest of the dinner.

3. For the romesco sauce

4. Simply put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Check the seasoning at the end. This makes more than you need for one meal, but it’s a handy thing to have in the fridge.

5. Grill the lamb

6. Scrub and steam the potatoes.

7. When the potatoes are almost ready, turn on your barbecue or heat a large frying pan over high heat. Lift the cutlets from the marinade with tongs and cook for about 4 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the second side. You want them brown and caramelised on the outside and pink in the centre. There’s no need to add oil to the pan, as the marinade already has plenty.

8. Serve the cutlets with a big salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, the steamed potatoes slathered in butter, and a generous dollop of romesco sauce.

These lamb cutlets are like savoury lollipops, especially with the vibrant romesco sauce alongside.

It’s a quick dinner but built on lovely seasonal ingredients.

When you’re buying your salad, please try to buy Irish and buy local. I get mine from Mairead at Garraí na Mara and from Clotilde at Comeragh Mountain Farm, both based near me in Dungarvan. The potatoes are the famous and floury Ballinacourty Queens.