Guacamole

Guacamole.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe tomato 3 avocados, very ripe but not bruised juice 1 large lime handful coriander, leaves and stalks chopped, plus a few leaves, roughly chopped, to serve 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 chilli, red or green, de-seeded and finely chopped tortilla chips, to serve

Method:

Use a large knife to pulverise the tomato to a pulp on a board, then tip into a bowl. Halve and stone the avocados (saving a stone) and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the tomato. Tip all the other ingredients into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit a stone in the guacamole (this helps to stop it going brown), cover with cling film and chill until needed. Scatter with the coriander, if using, then serve with tortilla chips or spicy wedges and sour cream

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Watermelon and Feta Salad.

Ingredients:

1 small red onion 4 limes 1.5 kilograms watermelon (sweet and ripe) 250 grams feta cheese 1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley 1 bunch fresh mint (chopped) 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 100 grams pitted black olives black pepper

Method:

Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes' worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more. Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm / 1½ inch triangular chunks. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don't lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime.