Pascale's Kitchen: Refreshing summer recipes

As the days get longer and warmer, it’s time to equip our kitchen and pantry with a whole new slew of colorful and refreshing dishes and treats. And, of course, we want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen. 

Summertime is when we indulge in quality cheese and wine, platters of luscious summer fruits and brightly colored vegetables, alongside pasta, chicken or fish dishes.

I try to limit using my oven as much as possible so as to keep the temperature down in the kitchen, and instead switch to quick and easy stovetop recipes. 

Learn more about Pascale's Kitchen here>>

I recently had the honor of hosting chef Ivan Maslov, 35, owner of Maslov Food Solutions, at home in my kitchen. I asked Ivan if he would prepare a few gourmet dishes together with me that would be appropriate to serve guests on a hot summer day. I emphasized to Ivan that I’m particularly interested in recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, even for people who do not have much cooking experience. 

When Ivan entered my house, I was shocked by how tall he is – over two meters, I think. But I soon overcame my shock and we got down to business.

Over the next few hours, I learned so much from Ivan, who was born in the Ukraine, but feels completely Israeli. He didn’t attend culinary school, and is 100% an autodidact. He learned on the job at a number of popular restaurants, including Topolopompo, Rafael and Messa. 

Ivan explains that he has a love/hate relationship with Russian cuisine, but in recent years he’s allowed himself to include flavors that he recalls from his childhood.

Ivan is particularly sensitive to even the smallest details, including using only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients, and understanding how they interact with each other.

He loves to play around with techniques and recipes hailing from French, Spanish and Asian cuisine, and has come up with his own recipes for fish, smoked meat and vegan dishes. To learn more about Ivan and see some of his distinctive recipes, take a look at his website: www.maslov.co.il.

Here, Ivan shares with us recipes for pickled pumpkin carpaccio, fish tartare with smoked gazpacho and plum crumble.

The pickled pumpkin carpaccio, which has a really surprising taste, is beautiful and of course tastes amazing, is a perfect summer treat.

The second dish, fish tartare with smoked gazpacho, Ivan serves in a transparent bowl so that you can see all the layers before you even begin eating it.

The third recipe – plum crumble – is one that Ivan fondly remembers from his childhood, especially served with refreshing vanilla ice cream or sweet whipped cream.

As soon as plum season begins, Ivan begins preparing his favorite sweet and sour plum crumble which brings back wonderful memories from his childhood, when his grandmother would prepare it for him and his siblings.

 

All year long, she would prepare pies with whichever fruit was in season, but plum crumble was always Ivan’s favorite due to the delicate balance between sweet and sour, and especially when she served it with vanilla ice cream. 

 

Use a 24-cm. or 26-cm. diameter round pan, or a 23-cm. X 23-cm. square pan. 

2 kg. plums or peaches

100 ml. water

200 gr. sugar

50 gr. butter

Dough: 

300 gr. flour, sifted

100 gr. sugar

Pinch of salt

200 gr. butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes

Quality vanilla ice cream

Cut the plums in half and take out the pits. Rinse the plums well and dry them. 

Pour the water into a large pot that can also be put in the oven. Add the sugar and cook until the sugar has caramelized. Add the butter and stir until it’s completely dissolved. Lower the flame and add the plums. Mix well and continue to cook over a medium flame for five more minutes until plums have softened. 

To prepare the dough, add the flour, sugar and salt into a blender and blend well. Gradually add the butter cubes and mix until crumbly. Spread the crumble on top of the plums.

Place in an oven that has been preheated to 180° and bake for 30 minutes until the crumble has lightly browned and is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool a little. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream. 

Level of difficulty: Moderate.

Time: About 1 hour.

Status: Dairy.

This dish always garners rave reviews. And one of the best aspects of this recipe is that it’s vegetarian, so it can be served with brie. 

 

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

500 gr. pumpkin, peeled and cubed

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Handful roasted hazelnuts

Handful spicy red chili pepper slices

100 gr. brie cheese, sliced or crumbled

Handful of tarragon leaves

To prepare the marinade, add the vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper to a pot and bring to a boil over a medium flame. Let the marinade cool completely. 

Slice the pumpkin with a mandoline vegetable slicer so that all the pieces are uniform in shape and size. If you don’t have a mandoline, use an extremely sharp knife. Place the pumpkin in the marinade so that all the pieces are covered for 3-4 minutes. 

Arrange the pumpkin pieces on a serving platter, drizzle with the olive and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chopped hazelnuts, chili peppers, brie cheese and tarragon leaves. 

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 15 minutes.

Status: Dairy.

Gazpacho, a traditional Spanish cold soup made with blended raw vegetables and bread, is a refreshing addition to any summer meal. The following recipe is Maslov’s personalized version which is served with tartare made with any white fish. 

 

1 eggplant, blackened and peeled

3 maggie tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1 cucumber

½ red onion

1 handful of spicy pepper, chopped

1 tsp. sugar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Juice from 2 lemons

6 basil leaves

Tartare: 

300 gr. white fish, cleaned and cut into ½-cm. cubes (can use greater amberjack, sea bass, red snapper or sea bream)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Juice from ½ a lemon

2 Tbsp. olive oil                         

 

Toppings: 

100 gr. sour cream

1 turnip, sliced thinly

6 basil leaves

Roast the eggplant over an open flame on your stovetop. Keep turning the eggplant so that it gets cooked all over until all the skin has burned and fallen off the eggplant. Let it cool completely, then peel off the rest of the skin. 

Put all of the gazpacho ingredients in a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Pour the gazpacho into a strainer held over a large bowl. Push down on the mixture with the back of a ladle until all the liquid has dripped into the bowl so that you end up with a perfectly smooth liquid. 

Put the fish pieces in a large bowl and season with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. 

Pour the gazpacho into glasses so that they’re 1/3 filled. Then, place 1½ tablespoons of the fish on top of the gazpacho, then a ½ teaspoon of sour cream and on top a few slices of turnip and basil leaves. 

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 20 minutes.

Status: Parve.