Midweek meals: Here are five quick cold dishes you can enjoy when the weather is hot 

No need to fire up the cooker or stove for these easy recipes

Quick and easy cold recipes

Summer rolls

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Handheld yumminess; fill your summer rolls with whatever you like - leftover barbecue meat is the perfect addition for carnivores and cooked prawns are always welcome.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the dip:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2 tsp of runny honey

• 1 medium clove of garlic, crushed

• 1 tsp of crushed black pepper

• For the rolls:

• 50g thin rice noodles

• a handful of lettuce leaves, washed and very roughly chopped

• a small handful of mint, washed and very roughly chopped

• a small handful of coriander, washed and very roughly chopped

• 1 carrot

• 8 rice paper sheets

• a small handful of sesame seeds

Method

1. To make the dip mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, black pepper and garlic and set aside. You can add some sesame seeds or chopped chillies as well if you wish. Set aside to allow the flavours to blend.

2. Soak the rice noodles for 15 minutes in just boiled, slightly salted water.

3. Using a potato peeler slice the carrots into very thin strips.

4. Fill a large flat bowl with just-boiled water and carefully dip a rice paper sheet into the water for about 15 seconds, until translucent and soft. Place it onto a clean tea towel to remove excess water then transfer onto a chopping board.

5. Place a line of noodles, carrot strips, lettuce, mint and coriander along one side of the rice paper disc. Sprinkle the filling with sesame seeds. Lift the other edge over the filling and press it down then roll it up tightly, so it looks like a cigar. You can tuck in each end to make it neater.

6. Repeat with the other rice paper discs and when they are ready to go. Serve with the dip.

 

Rebooted Caesar salad

I love taking dishes that are almost tragically ‘unhip’ and with some quality ingredients and newer techniques, making a dish smart and fun again. Especially something like a Caesar salad which everybody loves!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• For the Caesar:

• A head of large romaine lettuce or 2 heads of baby gem

• Aged Parmesan, grated, for garnish

• 2 anchovy fillets (Boquerones are best)

• 50g Lough Neagh smoked eel

• For the dressing:

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1¼ tsp white wine vinegar

• 1 black garlic clove

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 10g Parmesan, grated

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 dash Tabasco

• A pinch of black pepper

• 120ml vegetable oil

• For the Pangrattato:

• 250g stale sourdough, roughly blended

• 100g guanciale or high-quality smoked bacon, diced as finely as possible

• A splash of extra virgin olive oil

• Zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. To make the dressing, it is essentially the same process as making a mayonnaise. Place the egg yolk, vinegar, black garlic, eel and anchovy into a food processor and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing reaches a thick consistency and add the final ingredients until the dressing reaches the taste you like.

2. To make the Pangrattato, add the guanciale (or high-quality smoked bacon, if using) to a cold pan and allow it to crisp up slowly and the fat render well from the meat. As soon as it crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper. Add the chopped sourdough to the pan of rendered fat and allow to crisp, just like croutons, and add the lemon zest and leave to one side until ready to finish the dish.

3. To finish the dish, take the lettuce and break into individual leaves, wash and dry the leaves.

4. Generously dress each leaf with a handsome amount of the Caesar dressing, a handful of the Pangrattato and a large grating of aged parmesan. Rebuild the leaves on a plate, each one back on top of the other and finish the top layer with the still crisp guanciale, a few Boquerones anchovies, 5-6 pieces of smoked eel, and cover this final layer with the remaining croutons and a final grating of Parmesan.