Deluxe homemade seedy crispbread and a tangy fennel salad for ever-ready summer meals

‘Serve immediately’ is a suggestion I would rather not read on a summer’s day. “Eat at your leisure” would be far more welcome. The most useful recipes at this time of year are often those that are not time-sensitive. A pâté that will come to no harm in the fridge for a day or two; a dish that can be served hot or cold; a vegetable recipe to be eaten straight from the oven yet will be just as delicious at room temperature for a relaxed lunch.

With this in mind, I made a soft smoked cod’s roe cream this week, whipping it till smooth, and brought it out – a soft pink cloud – with homemade spiced crackers. There was a vegetable dish too, baked heads of fennel with tiny new season’s broad beans from Italy, that sat good-naturedly for an hour or two while we decided when to eat.

With the promise of sunny afternoons, lunches outside and an altogether more laidback feel to the season’s cooking, it is this sort of recipe I need in my kitchen.

Whipped cod’s roe, seeded crispbread

The texture of the dip is crucial. Too thin, it will slide from your crispbread; too thick and it lacks all joy. I like a soft, whipped texture akin to soft-serve ice-cream. You can alter the texture with the addition of a little water, but take care not to let it become soupy. Serves 6-8

white bread 100g, crusts removed
milk 125ml
water 75ml
smoked cod’s roe 250g
lemon juice 50ml
vegetable oil 500ml

For the crispbread:
rye flour 150g
wholemeal rye flour 75g
sea salt 1 tsp
sunflower seeds 1 tbsp
linseeds 1 tbsp
golden sesame seeds 2 tsp
black sesame seeds 2 tsp
honey 2 heaped tsp
warm water about 125ml
melted butter 1 tbsp

To finish:
black and golden sesame seeds 1 tbsp each
shichimi togarashi spice mix 1 tsp

For the whipped roe, put the white bread in a mixing bowl, pour over the milk and water and set aside for a few minutes, till the bread is thoroughly sodden.

Meanwhile, tear the skin from the cod’s roe. If it proves difficult to remove, cut the roe in half and scrape the rusty-pink flesh from the skin with a spoon. Then put it into the bowl of a food mixer. Squeeze the milky water from the bread with your fist and add the bread to the roe (you can discard the milk, it has done its work).

Using the whisk attachment, beat the roe and bread together then pour in the lemon juice. With the whisk turning, pour in the oil slowly, as if you were making mayonnaise, and keep going till you have a thick, creamy texture. It will need a little salt. If you feel it is thicker than you would like, introduce a little cold water. Set aside in the fridge while you make the crispbread.

Put the flours in a large mixing bowl and add the salt and the seeds. Dissolve the honey in the warm water then pour into the flour and stir in the melted butter. Bring the dough together with your hands then turn out on to a floured board or work surface and knead thoroughly for a good minute. Wrap the dough in parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.

Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each one out on a floured board very thinly to the area of a digestive biscuit, in whatever shape you like. They should be thin enough that you need a palette knife to remove them from the board.

Place as many as you can on the baking sheet, sprinkle each with a pinch of the extra seeds and the togarashi, then bake for 8 minutes till crisp. Lift on to a cooling rack then place more of the crispbreads on the baking sheets and continue as before.

Roast fennel, broad beans, orange

There is an ease to this salad. It can be eaten while the fennel is still warm from the oven, or later when it’s cooled.

Serves 2-3

fennel 2 heads
olive oil 6 tbsp
broad beans 350g, podded weight
oranges 2 medium
fennel fronds a handful

For the dressing:
orange 1
honey 2 tbsp
cider vinegar 1 tbsp
mint leaves 2 tbsp, finely chopped
juices from the roasting tin 3 tbsp (above)

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Trim and discard the tips of the heads of fennel (save any fronds for later) then cut each head in half from stalk to base. Cut each half into 3 wedge shaped segments. Put the pieces of fennel into a roasting tin or baking dish, with the oil, a couple of screws of black pepper and a little salt then and toss gently to coat the segments.

Roast the fennel for 25-30 minutes, till the underside has caramelised, its surface sticky and golden. Turn each piece over and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Bring a deep, medium-sized pan of water to the boil, salt lightly, then drop in the broad beans and let them cook for 7-8 minutes, check their progress. Have to hand a large bowl of iced water. Drain the beans as soon as they are tender then tip into the iced water.

Slice the peel from the 2 oranges, then cut the fruit into segments. (Alternatively cut them into thin rounds. Whichever you prefer.)

Remove the outer skins of the beans. The quickest way to do this is to gently squeeze each bean. The bright green flesh should pop out of its papery skin effortlessly. (You can skip this if you wish, especially if your beans are very young and tender, but it is something I like to do.)

Make the dressing: halve the orange and squeeze 4 tbsp of juice into a small bowl or jar. Add the honey, cider vinegar and chopped mint and a grind of salt and pepper.

Transfer the cooked fennel to a serving dish then pour 3 tbsp of the juices from the tin into the dressing. Mix well, then taste the dressing, balancing the seasoning to your liking with a little salt and black pepper, a dash more orange juice or cider vinegar as you wish. Scatter the orange segments over the fennel.

Toss the beans with half of the dressing, scatter over the fennel, then spoon the remaining dressing over. Add any reserved fronds you may have.

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