Elegant recipes inspired by Mediterranean summer holidays

Ricotta replaces butter in this cake and adds moisture, which keeps it tasting fresh for a few days. 

There is a small restaurant near where I used to live in Florence that serves this dish – the simplest but most delicious combination of perfect ingredients. It reminds me of the importance of ‘less is more’ in summer cooking

Every French fisherman, Italian grandmother or coastal restaurant has its own recipe for fish stew or soup, and I love to try them all. When it comes to cooking it at home, I adapt the dish to make it suit the fish available. The main thing is to achieve a balance of firm, sweet-fleshed and shelled fish for maximum flavour.

There is a small Greek island that I go to in the summer where you can find a family-run restaurant on a beach. It serves a sharing plate of crisp-skinned chicken bathed in oil, juicy with lemons and fragrant with mountain oregano – flavours that I will always associate with hot summers on sun-drenched islands.

When I worked at The River Café, we used to prepare a wonderful Italian antipasto called zucchini alla scapece – crisp courgette coins marinated in vinegar, chilli and mint. I have added courgette’s summer partner, aubergine, the dense, meaty flavour of which tastes so good with the sweet courgettes and wine vinegar, and mint to brighten the dish. Burrata cheese, a mozzarella filled with soft curds, is extra rich and creamy and benefits from the acidity of these marinated vegetables. Serve as a first course or with tomato bruschetta for a light lunch.

I have never been a fan of squeaky, al dente green beans. I much prefer vegetables to be cooked to the point where they are yielding their natural sweetness. This works as a side dish or as part of a selection of vegetables for a lighter meal.