Four fiery ways to inject heat into your summer cooking
Summer spice dishes are your culinary superheroes. Whether you're blitzing fresh chillies, dusting on fiery flakes or stirring in golden turmeric, they all pack serious flavour – as these recipes prove – and feel redolent of sun-drenched shores.
Fresh chillies bring a lively heat – think of them chopped straight into a vibrant relish in my monkfish dish – while dried chillies or flakes bring a deeper, smokier warmth and more focused punch. Flakes are also brilliant for sprinkling evenly and dialling up the heat without faffing around with chopping and deseeding. Ground chilli has its moments too, but it can't rival the texture or complexity of flakes or whole dried pods.
When you pair bold spices – such as the turmeric and cumin in my green pea pancakes with crispy green beans – they really dance together instead of one overpowering the other; turmeric brings a gentle earthiness and that gorgeous golden hue, while cumin adds a warm, nutty backdrop.
And when it comes to quenching a fiery burn, you can't beat an ice-cold beer; a crisp lager – perhaps a light pilsner – cuts through the heat. If you're in the mood for wine, grab a dry, fruity rosé – its chill character and gentle tannins will refresh your palate and keep the spice in check.
So don't hold back on the chillies or spice, and team them with other bold flavours, in these easy, delicious summer recipes.
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The Guardian
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