Ilse's Kitchen - culinary adventures of a girl who loves to eat

In the heat of a crazy 42° Celsius summer day when I was living in Bilbao a decade back, I was browsing some Spanish cooking blogs and found an irresistible recipe by Ana from menorcana.com: melon soup. It’s served chilled, and sounded refreshing. It tastes much like the classic Italian melon and ham, but then in liquid form. Perfect for summers - or for bright sunny days like today (she writes as the sunshine pours in through freshly washed windows). Ingredients (serves 2): 400 honeydew melon 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice salt and pepper 2 strips Parma or Serrano ham, or 2 rashers bacon Instructions: 1. Cut the peel off the lemon and slice into chunks. Throw into a blender and purée until smooth. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, then place in the fridge until chilled. 2. Fry the cured ham or bacon until the strips are crunchy. Put aside on kitchen paper to get rid of the excess grease and let cool. 3. Pour the melon 'soup' into the glasses. Slic...

Do you ever wake up with asparagus cravings? I did this weekend, but it was early, and I had an  equally strong need for it to involve very little effort. The perfect solution: asparagus on toast. Ingredients (makes 1): 1 large tbsp cream cheese 1/4 avocado handful alfalfa few drops lemon juice 2 slices serrano ham 2 asparagus spears dollop of butter 1 slice rustic bread Instructions: 1. Peel the asparagus and cut off the bottom cm (or two, depending on how long your 'tough bottoms' are). 2. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the asparagus spears. Sautée for about 5 minutes, turning them every now and then so they don't burn. 3. In the meantime, mash the avocado into the cream cheese and add a few drops of lemon juice. Toast the bread. 4. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the bread. Layer the serrano ham onto it, and cover with alfalfa. On top, place the asparagus spears. Serve immediately.