12

Rice saladJ.Lapping plate

from Burgg Furniture. Spoon

from Top3 by Design.Crostini

Coral bowl from Batch

Ceramics. Glass from Hub

Furniture. Knife from Top3 by

Design. All other props stylist’s

own. Stockists p126.

Rice salad with peas, mint, zucchini,

lemon and pine nutsSERVES 4

This summery salad can be served warm, but it’s lovely chilled

for half an hour, especially on a hot day. Taste it before serving,

it may need a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt at the end.

150 gm (¾ cup) arborio rice

2 small zucchini, cut into

5mm dice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Finely grated zest of

1 lemon, juice of ½

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

120 gm (¾ cup) frozen peas,

defrosted

1 tbsp each chopped mint,

tarragon and parsley

50 gm(⅓ cup) pine nuts,

roasted

50 gm finely grated ricotta

salata or pecorino,

to serve

1 Boil rice in a saucepan of

salted water until just cooked

(9-10 minutes). Drain, then

leave for 5 minutes to cool.

2 Blanch zucchini in salted

water until just softened

(1 minute; see cook’s notes

p126), then drain.

3 Transfer rice to a bowl and

dress with vinegar, lemon juice

and olive oil, and season to

taste with sea salt. Add peas,

herbs, pine nuts, zucchini and

lemon zest, toss to combine,

and serve topped with

ricotta salata.

Crostini with smoked trout, dill crème

fraîche and cucumberSERVES 4-6

A simple starter for Christmas or the days after. We’ve used

smoked trout and thinly sliced cucumber, but if there’s a side

of gravlax and a jar of cucumber pickles in the fridge (see recipe,

p56) they’ll also do nicely in this setup.

30 thin baguette slices

from about ½ large

white baguette

50 gm butter, melted

200 gm crème fraîche

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

Juice of ½ lemon

(or to taste)

½ telegraph cucumber,

thinly sliced

250 gm thinly sliced smoked

ocean trout

Watercress sprigs, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 175°C. Brush

baguette with melted butter and

bake, turning occasionally, until

golden (8-9 minutes). Cool.

2 Whisk crème fraîche with dill,

lemon juice and a large pinch

of salt until slightly thickened.

3 Top crostini with slices of

cucumber and a fold of smoked

trout, spoon over crème fraîche

mixture and top with a sprig of

watercress to serve.

52 GOURMET TRAVELLER