As the good weather continues, though fortunately with a little added freshness after those uncomfortable baking hot days, we can still enjoy the benefits of alfresco eating, or at least enjoy dinner with the windows open.
It’s been rather novel to make plans for weekend barbecues without having to make alternative contingency plans as one would normally do.
The coals are lit, the drinks chilled, and 99.9 per cent of the time, it all goes swimmingly.
I may grumble about the lack of rain for my garden, but I’ll definitely miss it when January comes around and it’s chucking it down for days on end.
Whatever your opinions on climate change (and I reckon the last six months of global weather will have demonstrated unambiguously that something’s definitely up) it’s certainly an interesting time for we weatherwatchers.
I just feel for those who devote their lives and careers to growing plants for food – these unpredictable days must be a nightmare for them, worrying about drought one minute and flooding the next.
It’s worth thinking about farmers and growers once in a while, as we generally consume their produce without giving it a moment’s thought, all that careful planning, hard work and occasional disaster.
It can’t be easy.
We must appreciate them.
So, to our recipe this week, which makes the most of some great ingredients that are in top form at the moment, namely sweetcorn, salads and tomatoes.
My wife, Tracy, had made us a salad a few weeks ago that she’d seen in some magazine or other, which involved the use of popcorn.
As I walked into the kitchen and heard the bag popping loudly in the microwave I thought I was being treated to an afternoon movie with requisite snacks, but was told it was to be part of a new supper idea.
Well, it was a revelation – the popcorn is crunchy and soggy all at once, soaking in dressing yet remaining partly crisp, which adds a whole new exciting dimension to a salad, and it got me planning my own version which I’m sharing here.
I wanted to use fresh corn as well, so a few cobs of corn were first poached and then cooked over open flames to get a nice tasty charred effect.
To this we add the crunch of lettuces, the bitter twang of chicory leaves, the pop and juice of baby tomatoes and then a subtle note added by wedges of avocado and blobs of fresh, creamy soft ricotta cheese.
Dress this with a lemony vinaigrette and you’re good to go, but as I was planning the salad, I thought of the word ‘popcorn’ and immediately thought of ‘popcorn shrimp’, that classic American fast food snack.
Crunchy, deep-fried prawns would be a little obtrusive in such a delicate salad, I thought, but I liked the idea of sweet seafood working with the corn and tomatoes, so I just made a quick sweet chili coating for fresh tiger prawns and sizzled them in a hot oven before strewing them over the finished salad.
Of course, you can feel free to leave the salad unadorned for a vegetarian treat, or indeed add griddled chicken or firm white fish if seafood isn’t your bag.
Whichever version you try, you mustn’t leave out the popcorn.
It really is a revelation, and will certainly wow your dinner companions as you enjoy this endless summer.
Popcorn Shrimp Salad
(Serves 4)
For the salad:
Two cobs of fresh corn
One 70g bag of microwave popcorn, popped
250g cherry or baby plum tomatoes
Two avocados
One 250g tub of ricotta cheese
100g baby spinach leaves
Two baby gem lettuces
Two heads of pink or yellow chicory
For the dressing:
Two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
One tablespoon sunflower oil
The juice of one large lemon
One teaspoon of grated lemon zest
Quarter of a teaspoon of Maldon salt
Freshly ground pepper
For the shrimp:
450g raw tiger or king prawns, shelled, cleaned and deveined
80g unrefined golden caster sugar
One tablespoon plain flour
One tsp of maldon salt
One tsp of chili powder
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Two cloves garlic, minced
Make up the dressing, so that the flavours may mingle:
Tip all of the ingredients into a jam jar or similar container and shake until well emulsified.
Set aside while you prepare the salad:
Separate the chicory leaves, wiping with a damp cloth if there’s any dirt.
Wash the gem lettuces and spinach in plenty of cold water, and drain, then remove the leaves and allow to dry on a tea towel.
Shred by hand into a bowl with the chicory leaves and refrigerate until required.
To prepare the corn:
Peel the leaves and straw away from the corn cobs and trim the bases away.
Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil, and simmer the corn cobs for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking.
If you have a gas stove, set a small burner on full power, or alternatively heat a grill (or barbecue if you can be bothered!).
Push a skewer or large fork into the base of each cob and roll about in the flames until the outside of each cob is nicely blackened.
Allow to cool, then carefully slice of wedges of kernels.
Arrange the salad in a large wide bowl, with the spinach, gem leaves and chicory on the bottom.
Halve the baby tomatoes and arrange in the leaves evenly.
Halve and stone the avocados, then scoop out the flesh with a serving spoon in one go.
Cut into wedges and arrange on top of the salad.
Finish with the corn kernels, the popped corn and some dollops or quenelles of the fresh ricotta.
Season if necessary, then dress with the vinaigrette at the last minute.
Finally, prepare the prawns; heat the oven to 240°C / Gas 9.
Lightly oil a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes to heat up.
In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour and seasonings.
Toss the prawns in the mixture and coat well.
Tip immediately onto the hot baking tray – mind those fingers! – and roast for 10 minutes until golden and sizzling.
Serve immediately on top of the salad.
