Cory's Chilled Pea Soup with Sour Cream & Bacon

Fresh, vibrant and bursting with flavour, Chilled Pea Soup must to be one of the most refreshing ways to start any summer meal. There are many ways to 'gild this luscious lily' such as my friend Cory's sensational Chilled Pea Purée Soup with Sour Cream & Bacon. Sautéed onions, leeks and butter are the base for this elegant starter, to which chicken stock, peas and mint are added, then puréed until smooth. Half a cup of sour cream is blended into the soup for extra richness, then refrigerated until well chilled. Just prior to serving, Cory diced some extra thick 1/4-inch thick bacon he had custom cut at the butcher, and then sautéed in a cast iron frying pan until cooked through but still tender. Nestled in a small mound in each soup bowl and topped with a dollop of sour cream, Cory ladled a generous serving of his Chilled Pea Soup overtop and garnished with a sprinkle of chopped chives from our garden. The combination of flavours were outstanding, and the hidden salty, smokey, creamy treasure at the bottom was a stroke of umami brilliance. This recipe is a keeper!

Cory's Chilled Pea Soup with Sour Cream, Bacon Lardons & Chives

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, about 2 leeks

1 cup chopped yellow onion

4 cups chicken stock

2 10-ounce packages frozen peas

2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1/4-inch thick strips bacon, about 2-3 slices, cut into 1/2-inch lardons

1/2 cup freshly chopped chives, plus more for garnish

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes, until the peas are tender. Remove the plot from the heat, add the mint, and season with salt and pepper. 

Purée the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and purée on low speed. With the blender still running, open the vent in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is puréed. Whisk in the sour cream or crème fraîche, and chives and taste for seasoning. Chill until ready to serve.

An hour or so before serving, sauté the bacon pieces in a small frying pan until cooked through but still tender. Drain on a paper towel and reserve. To serve, place a small mound of bacon in the middle of each soup bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. Ladle the chilled soup over the bacon and garnish with chopped chives.

Cory & Richard's Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Pollo al Mattone, or 'chicken under a brick', is a classic Tuscan recipe, and this version inspired by Ina Garten's Tuscan Lemon Chicken, has all the fabulous flavour without spatchcocking the bird, whereby poultry or game is prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone and flattening it out before cooking. Our dear friends Cory and Richard prepared this Tuscan summertime feast, but served their Lemon Chicken as full bone-in skin-on breasts for ease of serving and presentation. Unabashed devotées of Ina Garten, Cory and Richard inevitably leave me doe-eyed in their culinary wake, and I'm always inspired to recreate their dishes weeks and years afterwards. As Oscar Wilde once quipped, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," and where borrowed recipes are concerned, it's also with great admiration and thanks.



Tuscan Lemon Chicken
Serves 6
Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

6 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin on
Maldon salt 
2/3 cup good olive oil 
4 tsp grated lemon zest 
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 
2 tbsp minced garlic 
2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves 
Freshly ground black pepper 
2 lemons, sliced into 8 pieces 


Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons of salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 4 teaspoons of pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken breasts in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken two or three times while marinating. 

When ready to grill, turn a gas grill on low heat. Place the chicken breasts, skin side up and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Maldon salt and serve garnished with lemon wedges. 

Grilled Zucchini with Parmesan, Pine Nuts & Basil

Naturally sweet and great source of Vitamin C, Grilled Zucchini are one of my favourite summer vegetables to grill on the BBQ. Sliced on the diagonal into generous 1/2-inch ovals and tossed with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the zucchini is then grilled until slightly soft, about 4 minutes per side, with an aim to create lovely grill marks. Sprinkled with a little Balsamic vinegar while still warm, the grilled zucchini can be arranged on a platter over a bed of fresh basil and served with a garnish of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and flurry of pine nuts for a wonderfully healthy and flavourful summertime dish.




Grilled Zucchini with Basil, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
Serves 6

8 zucchini 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup mixed green and purple basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 oz top-quality parmigiano-reggiano, shaved using a vegetable peeler


Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut them on an angle into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place them in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place the slices on a preheated outdoor BBQ and grill for about 3 minutes each side to achieve distinct char marks on both sides. Transfer to a mixing bowl, drizzle with some balsamic vinegar, toss together and set aside. Once the zucchini have cooled down a bit, add the basil and hazelnuts. Mix lightly, then taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Transfer the zucchini to a decorative plate and garnish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pine nuts.

Caprese Salad: Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella with Basil

Originally composed to resemble the colours of the Italian flag: red, white, and green, Caprese Salad — meaning "Salad of Capri" — is the simplest and most perfect summer salad. Sliced fresh Buffalo mozzarella, plump red tomatoes and fragrant fresh basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil, this sensational combination captures the essence of summer when tomatoes and fresh basil are at their peak. A drizzle of sweet, tangy balsamic vinegar at the end is pure perfection.




Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella with Basil & Balsamic Vinegar
Serves 6

6 Hot House tomatoes, washed and trimmed
2 balls Buffalo Mozzarella
1 bunch basil, washed and dried
1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Maldon salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste


Slice the tomatoes and Buffalo mozzarella into 1/4-inch rounds and set aside. Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella in layers, either in a concentric circle or rows, on a decorative platter. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Tear or julienne the basil leaves and sprinkle over the composed salad.

Spicy Asian-Style Chicken with Lemon & Scallions

This is my absolute favourite marinade for chicken. It can be used for satays, cornish hen or simple bone-in chicken breasts. It has a delicate sweet flavour but when the sauce caramelizes on the grill, the real depth and character of the marinade shines through, without overpowering the chicken. Slashing the chicken breasts prior to marinating ensures that the marinade saturates each piece and enhances the grill marks for optimum pizzazz. Wonderfully moist and flavourful, this recipe is delicious served with Curried Couscous and Grilled Zucchini, or reduced in half and used to marinate chicken satays for a fabulous appetizer served with a spicy peanut sauce.



Spicy Asian-Style Chicken
Serves 8-10

8 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin on
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy 
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp fish sauce

Garnish:
1 lemon, cut into wedges
4 scallions, sliced into 1/2-inch diagonal pieces


Cut the chicken breasts in half place and using a sharp knife, make 2 incisions into the top of each piece, then place into a bowl with all the ingredients and toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Preheat and outdoor BBQ to medium high and arrange the breasts on the grill and cook until golden brown with nice grill marks, about 8-10 minutes per side. 

Mini Insalata Caprese with Bite-Size Boccincini

Insalata Caprese is one of the simplest and tastiest summer salads, usually served with hot house tomatoes layered between slices of perfectly ripe Buffalo Mozzarella, and garnished with fresh basil. By using bite size bocconcini and small red and yellow cherry tomatoes tossed with some olive oil, sea salt or homemade pesto, you can enjoy this classic taste of the mediterranean in minutes. Served in small ramekins with a sprig of basil, it's the perfect addition to any outdoor buffet, with guests being able to enjoy their own tiny Caprese salads. Mini bocconcini and cherry tomatoes can also be threaded on bamboo skewers for a lovely appetizer. Interestingly, Insalata Caprese is sometimes called Insalata Tricolore, referring to the three colours of the Italian flag — Viva Italia!



Mini Insalata Caprese
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups mini Bocconcini
1 1/2 cups mixed cherry tomatoes, red and orange, whole
Basil Leaves, julienned and whole, for garnish
Olive Oil
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Toss the bocconcini, tomatoes and some julienned basil in a large bowl and season with olive oil, sea salt and some black pepper. Serve immediately in four small individual ramekins for personalized servings, or serve in a large decorative bowl and let guests serve themselves. Garnish with basil tops.

Red Sangria with Triple Sec & Mixed Fruit

A delicious, refreshing and easy cocktail for a warm summer afternoon is a colourful pitcher of red Sangria, typically made with red wine, triple sec, fresh seasonal fruit and a touch of citrus flavoured soda or bubbly water. The word Sangria comes from the Spanish word sangre, which means blood, which is an appropriate name considering its colour. We generally use a tasty but inexpensive medium-bodied wine such as Rioja, Merlot or Zinfandel and an orange flavoured liquor such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau. For fruit, I generally use the fruit of the season — raspberries, oranges, strawberries or blackberries. There's no way you can go wrong! Sangria is great for parties, because you can mix up a few pitchers and be done. So grab a bottle of wine, a few friends and whatever fruit you have on hand, and enjoy!  




Red Sangria
Makes 1 pitcher

1 orange, sliced thin, for garnish
2 cups of mixed fruit: raspberries, oranges, strawberries, blackberries etc.
1 bottle red wine, such as Rioja, Merlot or Zinfandel
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup ginger ale, club soda or 7-up

Add the wine, triple sec and sliced fruit into a pitcher. Cover and let marinate for an hour or so in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavour! Stir before serving to redistribute the fruit, then add the soda and ice cubes. Serve in wine glasses, over ice with a spoonful of the marinated mixed fruit and a garnish of sliced orange. Chin-chin!