Ed Smith - Crave: Recipes Arranged by Flavour, to Suit Your Mood and Appetite

This mix of burnt peach, basil, pistachio and burrata feels like peak summer on a plate; the perfumed fruit and herbs relax so effortlessly into cold, creamy fresh cheese. Indeed it is something youll most likely want to eat if the weather matches, or your mind is in holiday mode. A low-effort high-reward assembly, this works well as a starter or a meze-style dish to lazily graze on. The peaches need to be ripe enough to be flavourful, but not so ripe that theyre mushy and cant be grilled.

Serves 2 (scales well to serve 4, 6 or more)

2 flat peaches or 1 large white peach, pitted and quartered

45 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

68 basil leaves, largest leaves roughly torn

20g (oz) shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Juice lemon

125g (4oz) burrata

Flaky sea salt and ground black pepper

Place a griddle pan or heavy-bottomed frying pan (skillet) over a high heat and allow it to warm for 34 minutes.

Brush the peach flesh with a little oil, then place on the (near-smoking) pan and leave to colour for 23 minutes. Use tongs to turn the peach segments and char any other cut surfaces, then transfer them to a chopping board. Chop into 12cm (in) dice.

Put the diced peach into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the basil leaves over the peach, then add three tablespoons of the olive oil along with the pistachios, lemon juice a pinch of sea salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Mix well.

Place the burrata in the centre of a plate, using a sharp knife or scissors to open it up, then spread it out a little so the middle oozes out. Spoon the peach mixture over the top, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Gazpacho is always in the top three responses to the question What to eat in a heatwave? Rightly so: the Andalusian chilled soup is the liquid embodiment of refreshing and you should consume it whenever you feel as though it is too hot to cook. But there are so many very good (or perfectly adequate) versions already out there and Im not going to add another minor tweak on the ratio of tomatocucumberpepper to the mix.

Instead, if the heatwave is ongoing but you cant stomach any more of the red stuff, try this chilled melon and cucumber alternative. To my palate its at least as tasty and just as revitalizing.

Every soup needs textural contrast in order that it is interesting beyond the third spoonful. In this case, the chopped salad that sits in the middle, seasoned with lemon and mint, seems to double-up the cooling properties of the dish. Crisp, salty, fried coppa adds balance (if you cant find this, use prosciutto or any other cured air-dried ham).

Serves 4

1 cantaloupe melon, quartered, seeds scooped out and skin cut away

3 large cucumbers, peeled

1 small clove garlic

12 yellow cherry tomatoes

100g (3oz) ice

1 small banana shallot

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Juice 1 lemon

810 small radishes, quartered

Leaves picked from 23 sprigs mint, finely chopped

1 tbsp neutral cooking oil

50g (2oz) sliced coppa (or other cured air-dried ham)

Flaky sea salt

Serve with crusty bread.

Very roughly chop half the melon and two of the cucumbers, and transfer to a blender jug. Add the garlic, tomatoes, ice, half the shallot, the olive oil, one teaspoon of salt and half the lemon juice, then pulse and blitz for 2 minutes until completely smooth (pass through a sieve/ strainer if any flakes or seeds remain). Refrigerate until youve finished the next stage.

Chop the remaining shallot as finely as you can and dice the leftover melon and cucumber into 12cm (in) pieces. Combine them in a bowl, adding the radishes, mint, a good pinch of salt and the remaining lemon juice.

When ready to eat, warm the neutral cooking oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Fry the ham until crisp, flipping just once. Meanwhile, give the chilled soup a good stir (it may have separated a little) and divide between four bowls. Pile the chopped salad in the middle of each bowl, add the crisp ham, and season the soups with a few flakes of salt, a decent glug of extra virgin olive oil, and additional lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Current availability of produce means you could make each of these salads, or a variation of them, all year round. Technically, however, European citrus is in season and at its best in winter. Which is a neat coincidence as the vibrant colours and sharp, bracing flavours are a particularly good way to pierce gloomy days and reinvigorate tired minds.

Id serve them as sharing platters at the start of a meal, with some good bread to mop up juices or oils. Alternatively, assemble as a side salad to go with roast leg or rump of lamb, crisp, golden chicken thighs, feta or burrata, poached salmon or trout, or tuna steaks; or make a real meal of those pairings by adding herb-heavy grains such as bulgur wheat, freekeh or pearl barley.

Each serves 4 as a starter or 46 as a side dish

Parsley, orange and grapefruit salad with artichoke hearts and olives

2 oranges

1 grapefruit

200250g (79oz) artichoke hearts (in brine or oil), cut into bite-size chunks

120g (4oz) plump green olives, halved and pitted

Leaves picked from 50g (1oz) flat-leaf parsley

For the dressing

1 tsp sherry vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp golden caster (superfine) sugar

Juices from the citrus fruits and any oils from the olives or artichokes

Flaky sea salt

Use a sharp knife to trim the peel from the fruit (slice off the top and bottom first to provide a flat base then work methodically cutting vertical strips down the sides). Chop the fruit into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Scrape any juices from the chopping board to a separate bowl and squeeze any juice from the peelings into that too.

Add the artichokes and olives to the fruit. Chop any really large parsley leaves, but keep most whole, like salad leaves, and add to the mixing bowl.

Make the dressing in the bowl containing the reserved juices by combining them with the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and any oils from the artichokes and olives (these might include other herbs and aromatics which will be lovely!) and a pinch of salt. Beat with a small whisk or fork until emulsified, then pour over the salad, gently tumble and toss, and transfer to a platter.

Ribboned carrot salad with lemon, mint and a honey and orange blossom dressing

2 plump unwaxed lemons (or 1 Bergamot lemon, if in season)

2 large carrots, peeled

Leaves picked from 34 sprigs mint, finely chopped

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Flaky sea salt

For the dressing

2 tsp runny honey

1 tbsp orange blossom

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

tsp ground ginger

Juice lemon (included above)

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a bowl for the dressing. Use a sharp knife to cut the peel away from the remaining 1 lemons, then cut the flesh into 23mm ( in) discs, and those discs into quarters. Put these in a large mixing bowl and scrape any juices left into the dressing bowl.

Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to turn the carrots into a tangle of ribbons. Add those to the chopped lemon, along with the mint and sesame seeds and a good pinch of salt. Mix and leave for 5 minutes.