When the sun is burning bright and walking into your home feels like stepping into a furnace, the last thing you want to do is switch the oven on. Stick your head in the fridge? Yes. Turn the oven up to 200 degrees? No.
We still need to eat though, even in a heatwave. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best recipes from Eleanor Maidment’s Canny Cook page in You magazine, none of which require any cooking (except a few microwave jobs, which aren’t going to impact the temperature of your kitchen). What’s more, they all contain only four main ingredients, and have been designed specifically to be extremely budget-friendly.
Oven-free dinners, this way…
Smoked mackerel, wild rice and beetroot salad
Wild rice is nutty and robust and works brilliantly in this wholesome salad.
Serves 4
Price per portion £1.25 (Aldi)
2 x 250g packs microwaveable wholegrain, wild & red rice £1.50
500g cooked beetroot 59p
½(half) a bunch of spring onions (about 50g) 69p
200g hot smoked mackerel fillets £2.25
From the store cupboard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp wine or cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 Heat the rice according to the pack instructions. Meanwhile make a dressing by whisking the oil, vinegar and honey in a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
2 Roughly chop the beetroot and toss into the dressing along with the hot rice. Toss everything together, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3 Finely slice the spring onions, flake the mackerel (discarding the skin) and toss through the rice and beetroot. Divide between plates and serve. Some chopped dill or rocket leaves make a nice addition.
Chargrilled pepper, ricotta and lentil salad
A fabulous, light summer salad that’s great served with crusty bread or bulked out with cooked green lentils.
Serves 4
Price per portion £1.79 (Tesco)
190g jar chargrilled peppers in oil £2.75
250g ricotta £1.40
60g wild rocket 85p
250g pouch tomatoey puy & green lentils £2.15
From the store cupboard
1 tbsp balsamic (or wine) vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 Make a dressing by mixing the vinegar and honey with 2 tbsp oil from the jar of peppers and season
2 Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat with a wooden spoon. (Stir in some chopped fresh herbs or lemon zest if you have them.)
3 Generously spread the ricotta over the base of four plates. Top with the lentils, rocket and drained peppers and finish with a drizzle of the dressing.
Smoked kipper pâté
Kippers (smoked herring) are delightfully inexpensive and often forgotten about. They make a brilliant pate, which is great for a light lunch
Feeds 4
200g smoked kipper fillets, £1.50
80g soft cheese, 85p
2 spring onions, 69p
1 tsp hot horseradish sauce, £1.15
1 Heat the kippers according to pack instructions, then remove from the packaging and leave to cool completely.
2 Discard the skin and flake the flesh into a small food processor. Add the soft cheese, horseradish, finely chopped spring onions, the zest and juice of ½(half) lemon if you have it and a grind of black pepper. Whizz to a smooth pâté.
3 Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. Serve with toast or crispbread.
Cucumber, melon and feta salad
A vibrant, colourful salad that makes a wonderful alfresco lunch.
Serves 4
200g feta £1.69
1 cantaloupe melon £2
1 cucumber 89p
250g cherry vine tomatoes £2.25
From the store cupboard
3 tbsp olive oil
1½(one and a half) tbsp red wine vinegar
½(half) tsp honey
1 Halve the cherry tomatoes, place in a mixing bowl and season with salt.
2 Meanwhile, halve and deseed the melon, then cut into slices and remove the skin. Chop into chunks.
3 Halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds (you can add these to smoothies), then chop into chunks
3 For the dressing, whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, 1½(one and a half) tbsp red wine vinegar and ½(half) tsp honey with salt and pepper.
4 Add the melon and cucumber to the bowl with the tomatoes, then toss with half the dressing. Tip onto a large platter, or divide between individual plates and top with crumbled feta. Spoon over a little more of the dressing (you may not need it all). Some shredded mint leaves are a nice addition if you have them.
Ajo blanco
A gloriously summery chilled soup hailing from southern Spain.
Serves 3-4
150g blanched almonds £2.40
100g crusty white bread, crusts removed £1.45
2 tsp sherry vinegar £1.55
Handful green grapes £1.30
From the store cupboard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
500ml water
1 This is a great recipe for using up passed-its-best white bread. Cut away and discard the crusts and tear into the chunky pieces (you want about 75g in total). Soak in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.
2 After 10 minutes squeeze the bread to remove the excess water and place in a high-speed blender with almonds, vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin if you have it) and 1 chopped garlic clove. Add 500ml chilled water, season with salt and blend until smooth.
3 Taste and add a little more garlic, salt and vinegar to taste – it’s a fine balance so just add a little at a time. Blend again adding a splash more water to loosen if necessary. If the texture is a little grainy you can pass it through a sieve.
4 Chill for a couple of hours to let the flavours mingle, then serve topped with sliced green grapes. Some finely sliced cucumber makes a nice additional garnish too.
Butter bean, tuna and celery salad
A fresh, punchy salad that takes about 10 minutes to assemble.
Serves 4
220g jar tuna in olive oil (150g drained weight) £3.65
2 x 400g butter beans (or about 480g cooked beans) £1.40
4 celery stalks 80p
1 small red onion 17p
From the store cupboard
1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Drain the oil from the tuna into a bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and plenty of salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar if it needs it (a little Dijon mustard is nice, too, if you have it); set aside.
2 Roughly flake the tuna into a large mixing bowl. Pick any leaves from the celery and roughly chop them. Also finely slice the stalks and place in the bowl with the tuna. Add the drained and rinsed butter beans.
3 Finely dice the red onion and add to the bowl. Pour over half the dressing and toss everything together. Add more dressing and seasoning as needed.
4 Serve immediately or you can leave it to sit for an hour or so and let the flavours mingle. I often like to add a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs before serving, too.
Figs, ricotta and prosciutto on toast
A light supper that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.
Serves 4
4 fresh figs £2
250g ricotta £1.40
120g pack prosciutto £1.89
1 loaf sourdough £2
1 Cut 4 thick slices of sourdough. Toast them in a toaster, or drizzle with a little olive oil and rub with the cut side of a garlic clove and toast gently under the grill or under a griddle pan.
2 Tip the ricotta into a bowl with some salt and pepper, and beat with a wooden spoon. You can add some finely grated lemon zest and shredded basil or mint leaves, too, if you have them.
3 Generously spread the ricotta over the toasts and top with curls of prosciutto and sliced or torn figs. Add some rocket leaves, if you have them. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of salt and pepper.
Turkish-style tomato and white bean salad
A fabulous lunchtime salad. Try it topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs.
Serves 4
400g vine tomatoes £2.30
1 tsp sumac £1.70
1 red onion 17p
400g can cannellini beans 70p
From the store cupboard
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½(half) tsp honey
1 Peel, halve and finely slice the onion and toss with ½(half) tsp sumac and a little salt. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.
2 Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges. Drain and rinse the beans. Roughly chop a large handful of flat leaf parsley if you have it.
3 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and honey and season with salt and pepper.
4 Add the tomatoes, beans, onions and parsley, (if you’re using it) to the bowl and toss together. Toss with the remaining ½(half) tsp sumac and season to taste. Leave to sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavours mingle before serving.
Blueberry, lemon and mascarpone tart
A show-stopping finale to any summer meal. Any in-season berries can be used, or try a mixture of raspberries and peaches.
Feeds 6
1 sweet pastry tart case, £1.10
3-4 tbsp lemon curd, 76p
250g blueberries, £3
250g mascarpone, £1.75
1 Beat the mascarpone with 1-2 tbsp warm water to loosen and then spread over the tart case. Top with the lemon curd and use a spoon to ripple together with the mascarpone.
2 Pile the blueberries on top of the tart case and slice to serve.
Berry Eton mess
A quintessentially British summer dessert that can be knocked up in 15 minutes.
Feeds 6
8 meringue nests, £1.60
600ml double cream, £2.65
500g frozen summer berries, £2.50
Icing sugar
1 Defrost the berries. Taste and add a little icing sugar to sweeten if needed. (A splash of elderflower cordial or syrup from a jar of stem ginger could also be used to sweeten them, if preferred).
2 Place the cream in a mixing bowl with 3 tbsp icing sugar and whisk until just soft peaks. Add a dash of vanilla extract too if you have it.
3 Break the meringue nests into pieces and fold through the cream.
4 Layer the cream and meringue mixture into glasses, alternating with the berries. Some shredded mint leaves or chopped toasted hazelnuts scattered will jazz it up a little too.
