Summer Recipes from Alexandra Dudley
We've welcomed back food writer, podcast host and Sheerluxe recipe columnist, Alexandra Dudley who has kindly shared two delicious summer recipes with us. Both of these recipes are ideal for side dishes for barbecues or al fresco dining, or would make a tasty light lunch served on their own.
Read on for Alexandra's recipes for charred peach, chicory, mozzarella and basil with hot honey & confit tomatoes, garlic fennel and olives on cold labneh. You can view more of Alexandra's recipes on her Substack and on the blog post we published last year.
CHARRED PEACH, CHICORY, MOZZARELLA AND BASIL WITH HOT HONEY
If you’re cooking this for a dinner party, I recommend charring the peaches and washing the chicory ahead of time. Then you can assemble it just before sitting down. You can make the honey ahead of time too if you like (it will have a little more heat this way as will have infused for longer) but you’ll want to whack it back on the heat for 30 seconds or so before serving so that it has a nice drizzling consistency.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 peaches
Olive oil
Sea salt
4 heads of red chicory, washed with leaves separated
A big handful of basil leaves
125g mozzarella
60g runny honey
A good pinch dried chilli flakes
Method:
Halve the peaches, remove the stones and slice each half into 3 wedges. Toss the chopped peaches in a bowl with a glug of olive oil and sea salt.
Heat a griddle pan to high, then cook the peaches for about 3 mins either side.
Heat the honey and chilli flakes over a gentle heat until bubbling then allow it to infuse a little.
In a large bowl toss the chicory leaves with the basil, another slosh of olive oil and pinch of salt.
Plate the dressed leaves onto a platter, top with the peaches, tear over the mozzarella. Drizzle over the hot honey. (you may want to whack it back on the heat to loosen it again)
Confit tomatoes garlic fennel and olives on cold labneh
This is such a good one to make the most of the last of the tomatoes. I love to add a generous amount of garlic to mine and peel them beforehand (effort but worth it). The fennel in particular really takes on the flavour of the thyme in this and is so good but rosemary works too.
Ingredients:
500g Greek yogurt
400g cherry tomatoes
1 fennel bulb
2-4 bulbs garlic, cloves peeled
90g pitted large green olives
A few sprigs of thyme
Pinch of salt
250ml olive oil
Method:
To make the Labneh strain the yogurt in a clean tea towel or preserving bag hanging over a bowl to collect any liquid. I tend to do this overnight. Discard the liquid, season the Labneh with sea salt and chill until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees fan setting.
Quarter the fennel bulb and place into a large deep baking dish with the tomatoes, peeled garlic cloves and olives. Season with sea salt Add the olive oil and nestle in the thyme.
Cool for 45-60 mins until the garlic is soft and tomatoes are jammy.
Allow the confit tomatoes etc to cool slightly then spread the Labneh onto a plate and top with the confit tomatoes, garlic and fennel, garnishing with the thyme
Keep any extra oil for pastas, dressings or to mop up with bread.
