My favourite little cafe

Like so many people I have the dream of owning a cafe one day; although I'd probably have to open it on some small Mediterranean island customed by locals with relaxed attitudes to consistency. I want the freedom to close for a day at the beach when needed, or to change the menu daily. I would amble to the market in the morning, have coffee and a chat to the charming barissta then reverently choose my produce while planning what to serve. Then I'd cook all day to music and put fresh flowers on the tables. Oh, and I'd only open for lunch: simple, tasty plates like polenta with browned mushrooms and parsley, broadbean pesto on sourdough with some leaves or tuna, green olive and artichoke pasta. My kids could do their homework sat at the bar munching on peaches, drinking hot chocolate in the mild winter.

I made something for lunch yesterday that I'd definitely put on the menu: ricotta and zucchini crostini. I decided to keep the Australian zucchini rather than courgette as I say now in England, because it rhymed nicely with crostini. It takes about 2 minutes to make and yet it comes across as something rather special and refined, the delicate creamy flavour of the ricotta is clean against the crisp richly oiled bread and peppery courgette.

Ricotta and Zucchini Crostini

(serves 4 for lunch or as a classy little starter)

75ml extra-virgin olive oil

8 slices of good bread (I used Chorlton sourdough from The Barbikan deli)

2 medium courgettes thinly sliced on rounds

8 tablespoons ricotta

lots of ground black pepper

a little maldon sea salt

Method:

Heat the oil in a fry pan and add the bread, as many slices as you can fit without overlapping. Cook the bread on both sides until it had turned a pale gold.

Cook the courgette slices in the same oil and season with pepper and salt. Toss pan around so that both sides of the courgette get browned.

Spread the crostini with the ricotta and top with courgette and a little more pepper.

***

Another thing I made recently as part of a tapas with friends was cannelini beans, cornichons, egg and peppers. It was something we had on the tapas sharing plate at De Los Santos and I really like the combination of colours and textures; the smooth round beans (white) and tangy crunchy cornichons (green) melded with crumbly egg (yellow) and a lemon dressing. The addition of (red) peppers was an after-thought of mine as I had a jar bought back from Spain by my friend Marie-Noel.

Cannelini Beans with cornichons, egg and peppers 

(Serve as part of a tapas)

400g tin of cannelini beans drained

2 tablespoons of cornichons thinly sliced

1 organic egg hard boiled

1 red pepper roasted, skin removed and sliced

a dressing of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil seasoned and shook-up

You can dress the salad a few hours before serving and it keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, but tastes best served at room temperature.