ENTERTAINING

Recipes

June 10, 2019 – Published in Design & Decor Summer 2019 issue

Planning a summer buffet

Words: Liz Said

Photography: Nikki Arnett

(All ingredients in the recipes may be purchased from Scotts Supermarket)

What I like about summer cooking is that you can prepare most of the dishes ahead because they are just as good cold as warm. This makes planning a summer buffet so much easier.

Nothing beats hot, fresh bread, so the stuffed bread is best eaten as it comes out of the oven, but that does not mean that any leftovers will go to waste. This also goes for the Cheese and Potato Strudel, which is just as delicious if allowed to stand for a few hours before serving. The Prawn Burgers do not need any other ingredient like egg or mashed potatoes or bread crumbs to bind them. If you follow the recipe you will end up with juicy burgers and again just as tasty served cold. Because of the creamy sauce, the Stuffed Pork Fillet might be best served warm. The Salmon and Prawn Roulade will cut better if placed in the fridge for a few hours after rolling and the quinoa salad takes just minutes to make.

Both desserts have loads of fruit. The Summer Berry Pudding is an English classic pudding and tastes as good as it looks and if you like the subtle taste of alcohol, the Boozy Fruit, Ricotta and Marsala trifle is just made for you. It is up to you how long you want to soak the fruit in the Marsala. It all depends on how strong you want the taste. These desserts need to be chilled overnight so must be planned ahead.

Have a lovely, relaxing summer.

STUFFED BREAD

MAKES 12

500g pizza flour
1 tsp salt
7g yeast
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp pesto
250ml warm water

For the filling:

145g fresh pesto
100g artichokes alla Romana, drained and chopped
3 roasted peppers, from a jar, drained and chopped
2 tbsp chopped black olives
250g mozzarella, chopped
Handful basil leaves, torn

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl; stir in the yeast; mix in the oil, 1 teaspoon pesto and the water to make a dough; add a little more water if the dough seems too dry.
Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes; put in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours until doubled in size.
Brush a 23cm springform tin with some of the oil from the artichokes and set aside 2 tablespoons pesto and 1 tablespoon chopped peppers; mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces, using scales to be exact; roll each piece into a ball, then roll out to form a disc with a rolling pin; divide the pesto and vegetable mixture between the 12 pieces of dough, then shape back into balls by pinching the edges together and rolling until smooth; arrange the dough balls, seam-side down, in the cake tin; cover with a piece of oiled cling film and leave to prove until doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 180˚C/Gas 4; remove the cling film; brush the rolls with the remaining pesto and scatter over the rest of the peppers; bake for 50 minutes until golden and cooked through; cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

See more recipes from Design & Decor Summer 2019 issue