Large, scented tomatoes are beginning to flood the markets near me, and their presence brings back memories of Mexico. On a trip up north to Ensenada, a famous fishing port, I became obsessed with the Spanish-style arroz dishes studded with fresh shellfish and seafood of every shape and size. The clams! The crab! On another trip, we sat by the sea for a birthday lunch with the waves crashing on to the sand, while we were presented with a grilled prawn arroz, where the grains were steeped in rich tomato and grilled prawn umami that it was giddying. A cold custard with roast peaches will prolong the fantasy – a lunch that conjures up far away places that you can dream about from home.
Grilled prawns with red rice and allioli (pictured top)
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This may be a showstopper (and deeply delicious), but it is pleasingly straightforward in its execution.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 4-6
400g medium-sized, very ripe tomatoes
1 red chilli
1 red pepper, stem removed
100ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 left whole, 2 finely chopped
400g prawns, deveined, heads and shells left on
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp chipotle en adobo, plus 1 heaped tsp
1 tbsp sherry vinegar, plus 1 tsp
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
1 large pinch saffron
400g short-grain rice
250g good-quality mayonnaise
180g fresh or frozen peas
Chopped chives or parsley, to garnish (optional)
Put a frying pan over a high heat, add the tomatoes, chilli and red pepper, and dry toast, turning occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, until the tomatoes and chilli are blackened all over. Transfer the tomatoes and chilli into an upright blender, and continue to cook the pepper, either directly over a flame or in the pan, until blackened. Put the pepper in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large paella pan or frying pan (preferably with a lid) over a high heat. Once hot, add a few tablespoons of oil and the whole garlic cloves, and cook for a few minutes, until they turn golden around the edges. Add the prawns, season generously and saute for four to five minutes, until colouring on all sides.
Make a stock by tearing the prawn heads from the bodies and adding them to the blender with a tablespoon of chipotle and a tablespoon of sherry vinegar. Blitz to a puree, then pour in 500ml boiling water and blend again for 30 seconds. Set the prawns and garlic aside.
Pour the remaining oil into the large pan and sweat the onion and fennel over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until translucent, seasoning with salt and pepper. Now add the chopped garlic and saffron, cook for a few minutes, then stir in the rice for a few minutes, until the grains are coated in oil. Pour in the tomato and shrimp stock, taste and add more salt if needed, then cook uncovered over a medium heat for 18 minutes – do not stir!
Meanwhile, peel and deseed the pepper and cut it into thin strips. Put a quarter of them into the blender with the mayonnaise, reserved sauteed garlic, and remaining chipotle and sherry vinegar. Blitz and adjust the seasoning.
Tip the peas on to the rice and arrange the pepper slices in a fun pattern. Cover and cook for a further 12 minutes either on the stove or in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven, which gives a more golden result. In the last two or three minutes of cooking, return the prawns to the rice, along with any of their juices – again, don’t stir.
Serve the rice at the table garnished with the herbs, plus the allioli on the side and a crisp, green salad.
Baked peaches, amaretti and cold custard
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Prep 10 min
Chill overnight
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6
6 large, ripe peaches, cut in half and stones removed
100ml chardonnay or chenin blanc
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
½ tsp green cardamom seeds, finely ground
6 amaretti biscuits (optional)
For the custard
600ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, cut in half and seeds scraped out, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
60g unrefined caster sugar
1 tbsp amaretto
To make the custard, put the cream, vanilla pod and seeds (or vanilla extract) into a saucepan over a medium heat and heat until the cream is shimmering but not yet boiling. Take off the heat and leave to infuse.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and yolk in a bowl with the caster sugar, until light and fluffy, then whisk in the amaretto. Pour the infused cream into the eggs, whisking as you do, then pour back into the pan over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the cream reaches 88C on a thermometer, then remove from the heat. Pour the mix through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. Finally, using a stick blender, blend until smooth, pour into individual glasses or bowls and leave overnight in the fridge to set.
The next day, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Arrange the peaches cut side up in a roasting tin pour over the wine and sprinkle over the sugar and cardamom, and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the peaches are golden. Serve the peaches with the cold custard, a splash more amaretto poured over and a few biscuits crumbled on top, if you like.
