The barbecue-ability of the weekends is mostly dependent on the shocking British weather, but when the sun does peek out from behind the clouds, it’s good to have some recipes you can serve up in your back pocket.
The things you put on the barbecue are obviously great (who can deny the allure of some marinated chicken skewers that have bathed in a herby marinade for a while, or the simple joy of a slightly burnt sausage?), but that does not mean the sides should consist of a sweaty potato salad, and a plain old green one. Your sides can be as exciting as the main event!
July brings with it so many gorgeous vegetables coming into season, and they deserve a bit of a shout out I think. Emma Cantlay (@mainlybreakfast) draws a beautiful poster at the start of each month highlighting what is coming into season and it always gets me so excited, so definitely give her a follow.
In this week’s newsletter, you are getting a few recipes for seriously lovely, veg-heavy summery side dishes from me. You’ll get a zingy elotes salad, based on the much loved Mexican street food dish, and an aubergine parmigiana in salad form. The barbecue-ability of the weather may not be reliable, but fear not. These sides have your back. Both are intended to be side dishes, but if you wanted them to take centre stage in a meal, then by all means do it, but you may need to increase the portion sizes.
Come to think of it, my book Tucking In is packed with some other side dishes you may like. How would you feel about a curried potato salad, or a lighter all the pickles potato salad? What about a courgette, anchovy and parmesan salad, or a really hearty one with charred broccoli and curried lentils, or a gorgeously nutty sesame caponata? You can find the recipe for all of those ones in the book.
Paid subscribers this week can also read about a West African restaurant which blew me away, a novel I am loving and a new cookbook that you have to buy for your midweek dinners.
Sophie x
The Recipes
Elotes Salad
I made this on the weekend to go with some chipotle chicken on the barbecue, and lots of people have been asking me for the recipe since. I’m pleased to say you can have it!
Elotes, also known as Mexican street corn, is a really popular dish where you grill corn on the cob, then smear it in a mixture of mayonnaise, cheese, spices, lime and coriander. It is a stunning dish, but it is also messy to eat, so I’ve transformed it into a salad (though you also might consider this to be a dip).
Serves 4
4 corn on the cob
¼ small bunch of coriander
200g feta
150g sour cream
80g mayonnaise
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, plus a pinch to garnish
1 tsp Tajin seasoning
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 lime
salt and olive oil
Get your barbecue lit (either coals or gas), or light your indoor grill.
Rub your corn on the cobs with a little olive oil and salt, and wrap each one in kitchen foil. Place them on the barbecue or under the grill and cook them for about 10 minutes, turning them frequently so that they cook evenly.
When your corn is cool enough to handle, unwrap it from its foil and shave off the kernels with a sharp knife. Add these to a large bowl.
Set aside a few of your coriander leaves, then finely chop the rest. Add the chopped coriander to the corn, then crumble in all but 50g of your feta. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, smoked paprika, Tajin seasoning and cayenne pepper. Zest in your lime and squeeze in the juice, then give the whole thing a really good mix. Season it to taste with salt.
Spoon your corn mix into your serving bowl, then crumble over your remaining feta. Sprinkle over a pinch of paprika, then add your remaining coriander leaves on top. Serve it up.
Aubergine Parmigiana Salad
Aubergine parmigiana is one of those dishes MADE for summer, when aubergines and tomatoes are at their peek, except there is a problem. I generally don’t eat enormous trays of bubbly, cheesy things baked in the oven in the summer.
For this reason, I’ve given a classic aubergine parmigiana a summer glow-up. These are fat roasted rounds of aubergines, and sweet lil confit tomatoes, as well as soft, milky mozzarella and basil breadcrumbs. I could inhale an entire plate of it to myself.
For your confit tomatoes, it is important that you do them in as small a dish as possible. This will prevent you having to use tonnes of olive oil, and it ain’t cheap these days, so let’s avoid wasting it (I like the Falcon Enamelware small pie dishes for this).
Serves 4