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Toast the bread and brush one side (or both sides, if you like) with olive oil.
Slice the tomatoes thinly and arrange on top of the toast, then scatter the cheese evenly on top of that.
Put the toast under a hot grill for 4–5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling and the tomatoes are heated through and slightly softened. Serve at once.
Garlic bread
Hot garlic bread is unfailingly popular and really easy to make. You can also prepare it, ready for popping in the oven, ahead of time, and even freeze it (before baking).
SERVES 4–6
1 baguette or 1 small wholemeal loaf
3–4 garlic cloves
salt
125g (4oz) butter, softened
Set the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6. Slice the baguette or wholemeal loaf three-quarters of the way through into chunky slices – they should just hold together at the base. Cut the wholemeal loaf right through into thin slices.
Make the garlic butter by crushing the peeled cloves in a little salt, then mixing into the butter. Spread this butter on both sides of each slice of bread. Push the bread back into the original shape, then wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s heated right through and crisp on the outside. Serve at once.
VARIATION
Quick garlic bread for one or two
Spread some slices of bread with garlic butter made using a small clove of garlic (as described). Grill them, without any foil covering them, until the butter has melted and the bread is crisp round the edges.
Hot garlic chickpeas in pitta bread v
These sizzling hot, garlicky chickpeas make a wonderful snack; it’s hard to stop eating them straight out of the pan! They’re great packed into a pitta pocket, along with anything else you fancy – such as sliced tomato, onion, chopped mint, a spoonful of mayonnaise or yoghurt, or some sweet chutney.
SERVES 4
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
a little self-raising wholemeal flour, to coat
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
2–4 garlic cloves, crushed
TO SERVE
4 warm wholemeal pitta breads
any of the optional extras mentioned above
Spread the chickpeas out on a large plate and sprinkle with the flour and a little salt and pepper. Turn them gently so that each one is coated with flour.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the chickpeas and garlic. Fry the chickpeas gently until they are crisp and golden, turning often. You may need to do them in more than one batch.
Slit open the top of each pitta bread, fill with the hot chickpeas and any extras you are adding, and serve.
Quick pitta bread pizza
These quick pizzas taste surprisingly like the ‘real thing’, yet can be whizzed up in moments.
SERVES 2
2 wholemeal pitta breads
6 tbsp tomato purée
1–2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
½–1 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
a few button mushrooms (optional), thinly sliced
125g (4oz) torn mozzarella or grated Cheddar cheese
a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of dried oregano and a few olives (optional), to garnish
Cut the pitta breads open and separate the two halves. Put these on a baking sheet that will fit under your grill.
Mix together the tomato purée, chopped onion, oregano, oil and adding sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
Spread each pitta bread half with the tomato purée mixture.
Arrange the tomato slices on top to cover the surface and add a few thin slices of raw mushroom (if using), or any other ingredients you want – such as sweetcorn, thin strips of red pepper, artichoke hearts and olives – and sprinkle the cheese all over the top.
Place under a hot grill for 5–6 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Serve at once.
Quick ciabatta pizza
Ciabatta bread, split in half, makes a wonderfully light and crispy base for a quick pizza. A packet of half-size ciabattas is best, making one pizza each for four people once the ciabattas have been split in half; alternatively, cut a normal-size ciabatta into four. Do use good-quality canned tomatoes – they reduce to a delicious thick sauce far quicker than economy versions. Keep some ciabattas in the freezer and some canned tomatoes in the cupboard and you’ll never be stuck for a tasty quick meal again!
SERVES 4
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
tsp dried oregano
2 half-size ciabatta breads, or 1 normal-size ciabatta
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125g (4oz) grated Cheddar cheese or torn mozzarella
a handful of pitted green olives
Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes, covered, then add the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer, without a lid on the pan, for about 10 minutes or until thick.
Meanwhile, slice the bread in half lengthways. Put the pieces on a grill pan or baking sheet and grill on both sides until just crisp; don’t let them get really brown.
Brush the toasted bread lightly all over with the rest of the olive oil and place, cutside up, on the grill pan or baking sheet.
Season the tomato sauce (#ulink_0a661fbf-5fef-58c2-90ba-70dfb16d5d68) with salt and pepper, then spread it over the top of the ciabatta halves, dividing it between them. Scatter with the grated cheese and put the olives on top.
Place under the hot grill for about 7 minutes or until the sides of the pizzas are crisp and the cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve at once.
Iced banana smoothie v
If you freeze chunks of banana and then whiz them with freshly squeezed orange juice, the result is a wonderful, thick smoothie, almost like a completely natural ice cream shake.
MAKES 1 X 250ML (10FL OZ) GLASS
1 banana, peeled
200ml (7fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice (using about 3 oranges)
Peel the banana and cut into roughly 2cm (1in) chunks, then freeze until solid.
To make the smoothie, put the frozen banana chunks into a blender or food processor with the orange juice, and whiz to a pale, thick cream. Serve at once.
Fruit cup with vermouth v
This lovely fruit cup, which a friend of mine serves as an aperitif, is beautifully refreshing and great for drinking in the garden in the summer. All you do is mix together equal quantities of well-chilled apple juice, orange juice and white vermouth. Then add a few sprigs of fresh mint and a few slices of orange, lemon and/or cucumber, as available. You can use either still apple juice or a sparkling one if you want some bubbles.
Fresh peppermint tea v
This is the most refreshing way to end a meal, and good for the digestion if you’ve overindulged. You can use real peppermint, or spearmint, the variety most commonly grown in gardens and available in shops. It’s less intense than peppermint.
MAKES 1 POTFUL
a large bunch of peppermint or spearmint
boiling water
Cram the mint into a large tea pot or cafetière and fill to the top with boiling water.
Leave to stand for 4–5 minutes, then pour. If you’re using a cafetière you can push down the handle, separating the mint leaves from the water, as you would with coffee, but a teapot works fine too. You can top it up again with more boiling water if you wish.
Lassi v
This drink from India is refreshing in hot weather, but also nourishing because of the protein and calcium in the yoghurt. It can be made salty or sweet, according to taste.
SERVES 1
1 heaped tbsp natural yoghurt or vegan yoghurt (#litres_trial_promo)
200ml (7fl oz) chilled water
a pinch of salt, or 1–2 tsp clear honey and a pinch of cinnamon, or a few drops of triple-strength rose water
Put the yoghurt into a glass and gradually stir in the water. Add the salt or honey and cinnamon or rose water.
Strawberry bliss in a glass v
This is the most wonderful fruit smoothie, sweet and delectable. The more powerful your blender, the smoother and better this will be. If you really love smoothies, you may find it worth investing in a good-quality, high-speed machine.
MAKES 1–2 LARGE GLASSES
1 sweet orange, peeled and cut into rough chunks
1 banana, peeled and roughly sliced
1 thick slice of fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled (or leave unhulled if organic)
a small bunch of sweet red grapes
a cup of ice
Put all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and process until thick and smooth. If adding everything at once is a bit too much for your blender to handle, start with the oranges and use chilled water instead of ice, to get things moving. Drink as soon as possible.
VARIATION
Blackberry bliss in a glass v
The flavour of late summer! Use 225g (8oz) juicy ripe blackberries instead of the strawberries.
