SUMMER HEIGHTS

Make the most of fresh produce with inspiring 

- Samuel Goldsmith

Our food copy editor Samuel Goldsmith has taught food and nutrition in secondary schools and has worked as a food editor for lifestyle magazines such as Woman & Home. He is also vice chair of the Guild of Food Writers. @samuelwgoldsmith

When the sun is shining in the summer months, it's easy to feel a little guilty if you're not spending all your spare time outside. But, even if you don't have a lot of outside space, you can still enjoy the seasonal produce on offer. The broad bean pasta is seasonal comfort in a bowl, making good use of broad beans' best assets. Their vibrant green colour - often hidden away inside their grey-ish skins - and sweet, nutty flavour are a refreshing pairing with creamy ricotta and zesty lemon.

I prefer to peel broad beans, which seems like extra effort, but can be just about done in the time it takes the pasta to boil. To do this easily, squeeze the flesh out of the skins with gentle encouragement. There will be no judgement if you'd rather leave the skins on, but there will be a slightly bitter flavour and chewier texture.

One of the biggest notable improvements when it comes to the summer months is the quality of tomatoes: there's nothing quite like a ripe tomato eaten straight from the garden. My dad has been growing them for years, and provides the immediate family with a generous glut - my grandfather being the most satisfied consumer. I prefer to make the most of their flavour using them raw, especially with nduja, the spicy Calabrian spreadable sausage. While many of us struggle with the pronunciation of nduja, it's luckily very easy to enjoy its flavour. I've used it as a base for the tomatoes in a twist on classic Italian bruschetta. My grandfather would leave out everything but the bread, tomatoes and a generous sprinkling of salt, if he was making it.