4 Summer Recipes From Sensational Dining Destinations

For the eggplant purée:

· Peel and dice the eggplant, place in a glass or ceramic baking dish, cover, and microwave on high until tender.

· Pat with paper towel to remove moisture, then blend to a purée with olive oil and salt. Chill.

For the tomato tartare:

· Quickly blanch tomatoes in boiling water, drain, peel and remove seeds.

· Finely chop, then sprinkle over the salt and sugar, then place in a sieve to separate the pulp from the liquid.

· Reserve pulp and drizzle with a little olive oil and oregano.

For the tomato water:

· Purée tomatoes, then transfer to a strainer lined with cheesecloth.

· Strain over a bowl without pressing so that only the water filters through.

For the tomato-water gelatin:

· Season the tomato water with salt. Divide water into two parts.

· Combine one part with agar agar and bring to a boil, whisking for a couple of seconds. Add remaining water at room temperature, mix well, and pour into a rectangular mold (5cm x 4cm), forming a layer that is 0.5cm thick. Refrigerate for around two hours to set gelatin.

For the pistachio purée:

· Grate pistachios and slowly incorporate water. If you have a Pacojet, transfer to a container, freeze to -20°C and pacotize until creamy. If not, freeze and then blend.

For the basil-pistachio pesto:

· Wash and dry basil leaves.

· Quickly blend olive oil and pine nuts at high speed, pausing as necessary to keep the mixture from getting hot.

· Add basil and salt, then blend for a couple of seconds until the pesto is uniform. Add pistachio purée.

For the tomato sauce:

· Purée tomatoes, then pass through a fine chinois. Season with salt, sugar, and oil.

For the diced eggplant with oregano:

· Peel and slice eggplant. Steam for 2 minutes, then dice into 1.5cm cubes. Season with olive oil, salt, and oregano.

To finish:

· Place a spoonful of eggplant purée in a bowl. Cover with basil pistachio pesto and chopped pistachios. Next to the eggplant purée, add tomato tartare, tomato sauce, and Datterino tomatoes covered with tomato gelatin. Garnish with diced eggplant, onion rings, black olives and basil. Finish with a piece of hot pane carasau and drizzle with a little oil.

“The first recipe to come to mind is orto extravergine, or ‘extra-virgin vegetable garden’,” says Massimiliano Alajmo, Sesamo’s head chef at Royal Mansour Marrakech, who has gained a total of five Michelin stars for restaurants he has helmed. “This dish is the quintessential Italian summer: tomatoes, eggplant, pistachios and basil pesto. The pistachio cream is made by blending pistachios with water, a technique that I learned from my dear friend Corrado Assenza of Caffè Sicilia in Noto. This dish would be best served on the beach, along with a glass of Etna Bianco A’Puddara from Tenuta di Fessina, followed by one of Corrado’s unforgettable granitas.”

Ingredients

For the eggplant purée:

400g round purple eggplants

10g delicate extra-virgin olive oil

4g salt

For the tomato tartare:

200g vine-ripened tomatoes

100g Pachino cherry tomatoes

2g salt

1g granulated sugar

Delicate extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Pinch of oregano

For the tomato water:

500g Datterino tomatoes

For the tomato-water gelatin:

100g tomato water

1g agar agar

Pinch of salt

For the pistachio purée:

250g pistachios

200g still mineral water

For the basil-pistachio pesto:

300g fresh basil leaves

150g delicate extra-virgin olive oil

150g pine nuts

2g salt

300g pistachio purée

For the tomato sauce:

120g Datterino tomatoes

3g salt

2g granulated sugar

15g delicate extra-virgin olive oil

For the diced eggplant with oregano:

270g round purple eggplant

15g delicate extra-virgin olive oil

2g salt

0.5g oregano

To finish:

4 pistachios, roughly chopped

240g Datterino tomatoes, sliced into rounds and seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil and salt

8 red-onion rings, seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and traditional balsamic vinegar

4 Taggiasca black olives, cut into pieces

6g fresh basil leaves

20g pane carasau (Sardinian flat bread), toasted under a broiler

Delicate extra-virgin olive oil

Founder of Zannier Hotels Arnaud Zannier and his wife Alicia – a designer and model – have launched a new farm-to-table dining and lifestyle concept on a 400-hectare working farm in Menorca. “I associate summer with laid-back vibes and music, which is why I always make sure to have a playlist ready for any evening, whether it’s with my friends or my family,” says Arnaud. “At Nonna Bazaar, having live music so people can dance or chill out was part of the project since day one.”

Meanwhile, for Alicia, “the perfect summer dinner table is comprised of freshly picked flowers from the garden and natural rustic-chic details, like adding a sprig of lavender to the napkin, simply tied with string. Lots of candles are a must to create a warm atmosphere. Sparkling wine or rosé with good friends makes it all complete.”

Ingredients

For the vegetables:

2 big tomatoes, cubed

½ pumpkin, cubed

1 fennel, cubed

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium red peppers, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 eggplant, sliced

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp powdered saffron

¼tsp ground red pepper

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

For the couscous:

1 cup uncooked couscous

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

⅓ cup raisins

¼ cup sliced toasted almonds

For the meat:

2 cups well-trimmed shoulder of lamb

1 cup spicy chorizo sausage

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup ground almonds

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

For the vegetables:

· Peel all the vegetables – apart from the tomatoes – and prepare as above. Start to prepare the couscous (as below) while cooking the vegetables.

· Boil the pumpkin, carrot and fennel for 20 seconds in salted water with olive oil and 1/2 tsp paprika. Stop the boiling phase by cooling them under water.

· Heat some olive oil in an uncovered pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, and then the boiled vegetables. Remove from the stove.

· Put the eggplant, zucchini and peppers in a pan together with the onion and vegetable mix, half the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 12 minutes.

· While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the tomato sauce with the other half of the tomatoes and the spices. Add some olive oil if needed. Cook it over low-medium heat for 5 minutes.

· Mix the cooked vegetables with half the tomato sauce and leave it to cook for 5 minutes, then serve in a closed tajine dish. Serve the other half of the sauce in a separate dish.

For the couscous:

· While the vegetables are cooking, boil 1 cup of the stock and add it to the couscous.

· Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. When it has, add the other half of the stock.

· Stir in the raisins and almonds.

For the meat:

· Cut all meat into small medallions. Fry some olive oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Add the meat when the pan is very hot. Leave it for a few minutes, until the meat is no longer pink, then add the parsley.

· Remove from the heat and keep it covered so it remains warm.

· Sprinkle with cilantro and almonds, then serve on top of the vegetables and couscous.

Eva Malmström Shivdasani, co-founder and creative director, chooses a dish inspired by a vacation memory. “At Soneva Fushi, it is always hot, so our most popular dishes are those that are fresh and light,” she says. “Many years ago, during a particularly hot summer in Italy, I made a refreshing cold melon soup to help my guests cool off. It’s very easy and needs only three ingredients: melon, mint and lemon. It’s so simple yet delicious that we now serve it to Soneva guests in Aqua – our private yacht in the Maldives.”

Ingredients

1 cantaloupe melon

A small handful of mint leaves

1 lemon

· Cut the cantaloupe melon in half, remove and discard the seeds, scoop out the flesh and put it in a blender.

· Add mint leaves and lots of fresh lemon juice (to suit your taste).

· Put the soup into the freezer to chill, being careful not to let it freeze.

· Serve directly from the freezer with one or two cubes of ice and a sprig of mint.

This soup can also be made with cantaloupe and honeydew, blended separately. Pour the two blended melons into the bowls at the same time, but from separate sides. The two soups will not mix, so the colours stay separate – then, using a fork, you can make beautiful designs.”