Lunch on the lawn

Anne Neary, proprietor of Ryeland House and Cookery School in Kilkenny, shares some summery recipes

SUMMER IN IRELAND is never a given, but we are good at dropping everything when the sun does appear. Here are a few simple and speedy summer recipes to encourage a bit of spontaneous partying.

At the moment asparagus is simply delicious, and to honour this wonderful vegetable I have devised a recipe for sun-dried tomato, olive and asparagus bread. The bread is fantastic on its own but it is also delicious with some creamy artisan cheeses.

The key to success for long and lazy summer lunches is pre-preparation, so get everything ready early in the morning and then just relax for the rest of the day.

I grew up in a small fishing village in Co Wexford so seafood and shellfish hold a special place in my heart. My childhood neighbour smoked wild salmon for us, and in the intervening years I have never tasted anything so wonderful.

The sunshine is having a great effect on my Beauford brown hens. They are laying excellent eggs at the moment and I have used them to make lemon butter sponge, which is always very well received by guests. For a refreshing summer drink I have included Beaujolais Berries to wash down the lunch. Trust me, this will definitely be the toast of the party.

Asparagus sundried tomato and olive bread

100ml olive oil plus extra for greasing

250 asparagus spears ,cut into 3 pieces

225gr self-raising flour

1 tbsp thyme leaves chopped

3 eggs slightly beaten

100ml fl oz milk

Dozen green or black olives

110gr sundried tomatoes chopped

110gr cheddar cheese

Preheat an oven to 190 degrees or gas mark 6. Line a 2lb loaf tin on the bottom and grease the rest of the tin. Now add the asparagus to boiling salted water and cook for two minutes, drain and cool quickly under a running tap. Pat dry. Mix the flour and thyme in a large bowl with some seasoning. Make a well in the centre then add the eggs, milk and oil, stirring all the time to draw the flour into the centre. Beat for a minute to make a smooth batter. Reserve five asparagus tips and some olives. Add the remaining asparagus, tomatoes, olives and two thirds of the cheese to the batter. Pour into the tin, then put the reserved asparagus and olives on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes or until the bread feels firm to touch. Cool in the tin for five minutes, and then turn out.

Home-made pesto

Stir into pasta or serve this as a salad dressing.

15g basil

1 tbsp of pine nuts

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

180ml of olive oil

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until you reach the desired consistency.

Barbecued scallops with tomatoes and sauce vierge

I love all types of seafood and shellfish but scallops cooked in this way are always the clear winner for me. If you prepare the sauce vierge beforehand these are great for a picnic cooked on a disposable barbecue. It serves six as a starter and three as a main course. Total cooking time is two minutes.

12 large scallops

Olive oil

The juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp of chopped coriander

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce vierge

150ml olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds

450g tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Small handful each of basil, coriander and parsley chopped

Place the scallops in the oil, lemon juice, coriander, salt and pepper and set aside for one hour. For the sauce, warm the olive oil, garlic and coriander seeds. Tip in the chopped tomatoes; add the red wine vinegar, the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until needed. Have a large non-stick frying pan good and hot and cook the scallops on both sides for 1 minute. Serve drizzled with the sauce.

Lemon butter sponge

Serves eight, total cooking time approximately 40 minutes.

For the sponge

175g of margarine

175g of self-raising flour

175g of sugar

3 eggs

½ tsp of baking powder

The grated rind of half a lemon

For the filling

200g of icing sugar

100g of unsalted butter

The juice and rind of half a lemon

2 tbsp of boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan-oven/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin. Place all the sponge ingredients, with the exception of the lemon rind, into a mixing bowl and beat for about two minutes before folding in the grated lemon rind. Pour the sponge mixture into the greased cake tin and smooth the top. Bake the sponge in the preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until firm to the touch. When baked, turn the sponge out on to a wire rack and cool.

For the filling, simply place all the ingredients, except for the boiling water, into a bowl and beat until fluffy. Now add the boiling water and beat again until the water has been absorbed. When the sponge is cold, split it in two and fill with the lemon butter. Dust the top with icing sugar and decorate with lemon and lime rind.

Beaujolais berries

Be the host or hostess of the summer with this little number. Be warned, no matter how much you make, it will never be enough. Serves six.

700g of strawberries, hulled and halved

3 tbsp of golden caster sugar

A handful of mint leaves plus a few extra

1 bottle of Beaujolais

Lay the strawberries in a dish and sprinkle over the caster sugar. Scatter over a handful of mint leaves and leave to sit for about 30 minutes to allow them to release their juices.

Pour over the Beaujolais and scatter over a few more fresh mint leaves. Leave to rest for another 10 minutes and then serve.

Ryeland House is just outside Kilkenny, in Cuffesgrange. See their website to order Anne Neary’s cookery book and for details of cookery courses: ryelandhousecookery.com/ Tel: 056-7729073. Domini Kemp will return next week