Beetroot and pinot noir risotto

Beets are everywhere at the moment but have you ever thought of using them in a risotto? And adding a dash of pinot noir?

This is one of my favourite recipes from my book Wine Lover's Kitchen which is perfect for this time of year. The sweetness of pinot chimes in beautifully with the earthy flavour of the beetroot/ beets. Use the freshest possible ones you can find for the deepest colour and flavour. (It’s worth wearing a pair of disposable plastic gloves when you cut them up so you don’t stain your hands!)

Vegetarian

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil

200g/7oz red onion, roughly chopped

3-4 fresh beetroot (about 450g) ideally with their leaves

I clove of garlic, crushed

225g arborio (1 1/8 cups) or other risotto rice

150ml (2/3 cup) inexpensive fruity pinot noir e.g. from Chile

1 litre (4 cups) hot miso stock made with miso bouillon powder

100g/3 1/2 oz mild, crumbly goat's cheese

a few sprigs of fresh dill or a handful of chives, chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying plan and fry the onion over a moderate heat for 5 minutes. Peel the beetroot/beets and cut into small cubes, add to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the crushed garlic, cook for a minute then tip in the rice and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the pinot noir and let it evaporate. Add the hot stock, about 50ml/3 tbsp at a time, stirring occasionally and letting each addition absorb before adding the next.

Once the rice is cooked (about 20 minutes), add a little extra stock or water, check the seasoning and leave for 5 minutes. Warm your serving bowls. Wash the beet leaves if you have some, strip from the stalks and cook down in a saucepan without any extra water. Place a few leaves in each bowl, spoon in the risotto, top with crumbled goats cheese and sprinkle with chopped dill or chives

What to drink: The pinot noir you used in the recipe. For other risotto pairings see

White or red wine: what's the best pairing for risotto?

And for other beetroot dishes The best wines to pair with beetroot

Extracted from Wine Lover's Kitchen by Fiona Beckett published by Ryland, Peters & Small. Photograph ©Mowie Kay

Smacked Cucumber and Crispy Green Salad with Zingy Ginger Dressing

Although Jenny's Chandler's new book is called Green Kids Cook there are plenty of recipes that would appeal to adults too including this deliciously crunchy salad which provides an answer as to what to do with kohlrabi (I never know).

A perfect project for the summer holidays ahead - what better gift can you give your children than teaching them how to cook? (And look after the planet as they do so)

Jenny writes: "Bashing and splitting cucumber is traditional in Chinese salads – the cracks and rough edges soak up the dressing beautifully. This is a perfect salad for a hot, hot day.

Smacked Cucumber and Crispy Green Salad with Zingy Ginger Dressing

Makes 4 servings

1 medium cucumber

1⁄2 small kohlrabi, about 150g/5oz (optional)

150g/5oz beansprouts or home-sprouted lentils or mung beans, well washed

2 spring onions, sliced

Zingy Ginger Dipping Sauce (below)

1 baby gem lettuce

a small handful of coriander leaves

a few mint leaves

a handful of roasted peanuts

1. Place the cucumber on your chopping board and bash it firmly with a rolling pin, splitting the skin but not completely squashing the flesh. Hit it four or five times and then roll it over and do the same on the other side.

2 Now chop the cucumber into 2.5cm/1in chunks (it’s easiest to slice it lengthways and then chop up the slices) and place in large bowl.

3 Chop the long, leafy stems off the kohlrabi (these leaves can be sliced up and cooked in a stir-fry). Peel the round vegetable carefully, then cut it in half. Cut a few thin slices and then cut across these into matchsticks. Add to the bowl along with the beansprouts and the spring onions.

4 Pour over your zingy ginger dressing and place the bowl in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, slice the lettuce crossways into slivers, wash in a sieve or salad spinner and drain well.

6 When you are ready to serve, take the cucumber salad from the fridge, toss in the lettuce and herbs and top with the peanuts.

Do try kohlrabi if you can find it. It looks a bit like a space alien but it has a really mild flavour and the crunchiest texture imaginable.

And how about…

• adding a sliced red chilli for some pingy zing?

• serving this salad on top of cold, cooked rice noodles?

• wowing everyone by throwing in a few chunks of melon or watermelon?!

Zingy Ginger Dipping Sauce

Makes 4-6 servings

2 tbsp light brown Muscovado sugar

3 tbsp hot water

4 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or lime juice)

3 spring onions, sliced

3-cm/1-in piece of fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 Put the sugar into a small bowl, add the hot water and stir to dissolve.

2 Stir in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and spring onion.

3 Now grate the fresh ginger, skin and all, using the finest grater possible. Stir the juicy paste into the sauce.

4 Put the sesame seeds into a small pan over a medium heat and toast, shaking the pan gently after 1 minute, until the seeds begin to jump about.

5 Carefully tip the toasted sesame seeds into the sauce.

What to drink: Anything appley or limey would be delicious with this dish or an alcohol-free ginger beer

Extract from Green Kids Cook by Jenny Chandler (Pavilion Books). Image credit Kirstie Young. Knowing Jenny as I do I know she would love you to buy this from your local indy bookshop but if you don't have one near you you could order it through bookshop.org which will channel the order through a bookshop of your choice.

Tahini BBQ lamb chops with fresh plums and spiced plum sauce

Barbecue no longer automatically means burgers and ribs as Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co's recent book Chasing Smoke amply demonstrates. This is a gorgeous way of grilling and serving lamb chops

"If you can, buy nicely trimmed lamb racks without too much of a fat cap, so that you don’t need to worry about rendering fat off them before dividing into individual chops" they advise. "Be forewarned, though: there will be a fair amount of smoke while cooking these, so they are best grilled outside. We use tahini in a few different versions of BBQ sauce, as the sesame paste lends itself so well to roasted meats, adding a rich nutty note. Here we include anchovies for a savoury touch and pomegranate molasses for sweetness.

The accompanying plum sauce is like a chutney or Chinese plum sauce, with its sweet, sour and spicy flavours. It partners perfectly with these rich BBQ chops, and also works amazingly with a simple roast chicken or duck. The BBQ and plum sauces can either be made shortly before grilling the chops, or up to a couple of days in advance.

A feast for 4–6

2 racks of lamb, divided into 12–14 single chops
100 g / 31⁄2 oz baby red chard (or lamb’s lettuce
4 plums, halved and stones removed)

For the tahini BBQ sauce

150 g / 5 1⁄4 oz tahini paste
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

2 salted anchovies, chopped

1 tsp pul biber or Aleppo chilli flakes
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

100 ml / 3 1⁄2 fl oz water, plus more if needed
1 tsp flaky sea salt

For the spiced plum sauce

Use a stick blender or a small food processor to blitz the BBQ sauce ingredients to a smooth, thick paste. You may need to add a little more water to reach the desired custard- like consistency, depending on the variety of tahini. You can use the BBQ sauce straight away or keep it in the fridge for a day or two until needed.

Put the plum wedges, sugar, garlic, spices, bay leaf and pomegranate molasses in a small frying pan, place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes until the plums soften and start falling apart, then remove from the heat and stir in the salt and vinegar. You can use this straight away, or cool and store in the fridge for a few days.

When you are ready to cook, brush half of the BBQ sauce over the chops, coating both sides. You will need the rest of the BBQ sauce to brush on the chops as they grill. Place the chops one by one on the rack above a hot BBQ. Grill for 2 minutes, then turn them over and brush with some more sauce. Grill for another 2 minutes before turning them back over and basting again. Repeat the grill-turn-baste process until the chops have cooked for a total of 6 minutes on each side. Remove to a serving platter with the baby chard spread over it.

Pop the plum halves on the BBQ, cut-side down. Grill for a minute or so just to warm a little, then add to the platter with the chops. Serve with the plum sauce on the side.

To cook without a BBQ

Use a lightly oiled, preheated griddle pan on your stove and cook just as you would on the fire. But have your extractor fan on full blast, as it will get very smoky!

What to drink: A robust modern red with a touch of sweetness. A Spanish garnacha would fit the bill. FB

From Chasing Smoke: Cooking over Fire around the Levant. Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich published by Pavilion at £26. Photograph ©Patricia Niven.

Rabbit Richard Olney

Maybe its because I've just been to Provence but one of the nicest books to arrive through my letter box this summer is Alex Jackson's Sardine which is full of recipes he cooks at his London restaurant of the same name. I've been there a couple of times and really loved it.

I picked out this one for two reasons - one, I love rabbit and think it's much underrated and also regard Richard Olney as a bit of an icon. (Why is it some of the greatest writers about French food are American?) I haven't cooked it but I mean to and thought you might enjoy it in the meantime.

Alex writes: "This wonderful recipe is a Richard Olney classic: rabbit slow-cooked in rosé, saffron, cucumbers, tomatoes and basil. Cooked cucumber is somewhat unconventional, but delicious. Breaking down far enough to avoid being watery, the texture is a bit like a soft-braised courgette (zucchini), which would make a nice substitution if cooked cucumber feels like a step too far. Remember that in this case a little saffron goes a long way; the other flavours are delicate and too much spice might overpower. This is a light, summery braise, full of the flavours of Provence."

A leafy salad, nothing with too much crunch, and some bread will be enough, as well as enough additional rosé to keep the whole table happy.

Serves 4

4 rabbit legs or 1 whole rabbit, jointed

Olive oil

1 medium sweet white onion, halved and finely sliced into half moons

1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled

4 bay leaves

A small pinch of saffron

1⁄2 bottle (375ml/13fl oz) dry rose

2 small cucumbers (Lebanese if possible)

4 juicy tomatoes

1 bunch of basil, leaves picked

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Season the rabbit well with salt and pepper. Place a wide heavy-based ceramic pan, something with a tight-fitting lid, over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the rabbit pieces until a light golden brown all over.

Add the sliced onions, garlic cloves, bay leaves and saffron, followed by the rose. The rose should cover the rabbit pieces; if not, top up with water to barely cover the meat. Cover the pan with the lid and bring to the boil. Just as the liquid in the pan has started to boil, place the pan in the hot oven for around 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the meat is soft and starting to fall off the bone.

After an hour of the cooking time, check whether there is enough juice left in the pan. If too much has evaporated, add a splash of water.

Top, tail and peel the cucumbers, then slice them in half. Scoop out most of the watery seeds, then slice on a slight angle into 1.5-cm/1⁄2-inch thick pieces.

Cut the tomatoes into small, angular bite-size pieces. Season both the cucumbers and tomatoes with salt and, once the rabbit is soft, add them to the stew. Drizzle the whole thing lightly with olive oil. Return the pan to the oven, this time uncovered, for a further 20 minutes, or until the rabbit has caught a little more colour and the vegetables have softened.

Remove the pan from the oven and assess the stew: it should not be too watery, but there must be enough strongly flavoured juices to mop up with bread and salad. If the stew seems a touch thin, cook it for a few more minutes, uncovered, over a low heat. If it seems a bit thick, add a glug more water. Taste the juices, as well as a small piece of rabbit, for seasoning, and if you think it needs it, add salt, a small knob of cold butter or an additional glug of extra virgin olive oil. Roughly tear the basil leaves into the stew, and it’s ready.

What to drink: Alex suggests a Provencal rosé and I'm totally happy with that. Maybe a Bandol rosé

From Sardine: Simple seasonal ProvenÒ«al cooking by Alex Jackson, published by Pavilion Books. Image © Matt Russell.