There is that long stretch in the evenings now and we have been lucky in Blacklion with a lot of good weather and have eaten in the garden often. These are two good al fresco meals. If you cannot find tuna you could use salmon instead. Achill Island organic salmon is excellent. Or you could use Shines Irish Wild Tuna in olive oil, which is caught off the north west Irish coast. This dressing is also nice with grilled chicken, and – I promise you – cherry tomatoes are easy to grow.

This lamb chop recipe is a great dish to prepare the night before and is great for the barbecue. Ten years back, we had hardly heard of quinoa but now it is readily available. In the restaurant we serve it in the three grain version, white, black and red, with Thornhill duck. We add dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts and herbs to add flavour.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Recipes

Fresh tuna salad

Serves four to six

For the dressing:

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

For the tuna:

4 x 100g fresh tuna steaks (or salmon steaks)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

300g baby new potatoes

4 eggs

100g green beans, trimmed

2 baby gem lettuce, trimmed & leaves torn roughly

24 baby plum cherry tomatoes, cut in half

16 pitted black olives

4 tsp rinsed capers

  • 1 To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a screw-topped jar and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and shake really well until nice and thick.
  • 2 Bring a medium pan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes, then cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and leave them to cool completely, then cut them all in half.
  • 3 Put the eggs in a small pan and just cover with boiling water. Place on a medium heat and bring to a simmer, then cook for six minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then peel off the shells and cut each egg into quarters lengthways.
  • 4 Plunge the green beans into a pan of boiling salted water and cook over a medium heat for two to three minutes to blanch. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
  • 5 Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan over a very high heat for five minutes. Brush the tuna with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes on each side, depending on how rare you want them. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes and then cut into slices.
  • 6 Put the cooked baby new potatoes in a large bowl with the green beans, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives and capers. Add two tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently to coat. Arrange on plates or use one large platter. Arrange the slices of tuna on top and drizzle over the rest of the dressing. Finish with the quarters of soft-boiled eggs and serve.
  • Grilled lamb chops with lemon and herb quinoa

    Serves four

    1 tbsp cumin seeds

    1 large garlic clove, peeled

    Good pinch dried red chilli flakes

    Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

    3 tbsp rapeseed oil

    8 lamb chops, well trimmed

    250g quinoa

    500ml water

    1 bunch spring onions, trimmed & sliced

    3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

    1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Steamed long-stemmed or purple broccoli

  • 1 Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over a medium heat until fragrant and then tip into a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, lemon rind and season with salt and pepper. Bash to taste and stir in the lemon juice and oil.
  • 2 Put the lamb chops into a shallow, non-metallic dish and rub over half of the cumin mixture. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the quinoa, or overnight in the fridge.
  • 3 Rinse the quinoa in cold water and place in a pan of water. Put on a medium heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir through the rest of the cumin mixture. Cover tightly with cling film and leave for another 10 minutes or longer is fine.
  • 4 Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Add the marinated lamb chops and cook for three to four minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for at least five minutes.
  • 5 When ready to serve, stir the spring onions, coriander and mint through the quinoa and divide among plates. Add the lamb chops and some broccoli dressed with a little oil.