In hot weather a cool meal can be very welcome - and it doesn't have to be a sandwich and glass of water.

To start, make a quick-to-prepare Chilled Cucumber soup; peel and remove the seeds from 1 cucumber, cut it into chunks and blend until smooth along with a little spring onion, 1 garlic clove, tspn toasted ground cumin seeds (grind 1 full tspn and reserve the other half to sprinkle on the top at the time of serving) and 6 ozs (12 Tbsp) unsweetened soya, almond or cow's milk. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, this can also sit overnight in the 'fridge.

Make dessert from a handful of mixed berries set in jelly, plain or fruit flavoured, and chilled. Top with whipped cream and a berry or two.

To save time and effort make the marinade for the meat and the chutney at the same time. Here's how: Wash 10 ripe black plums, score around the middle of each one with a knife - enough to pierce the skin, and place the plums in a saucepan along with 1 small de-seeded chilli, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 3 ozs (6 Tbsp) white malt vinegar, 3 ozs (6 Tbsp) water, 1 chopped onion, 1-inch piece of finely chopped ginger, 1 tspn freshly ground cumin seeds, 1 star anise, piece of cinnamon stick about 1 inches long. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the plums release the inner pits (kernels) - about 35 to 45 minutes. There's no need to add salt as it could cure the ribs making the end result more like ham.

Allow the plum mix to cool before removing and discarding the pits using your fingers or a fork and spoon, remove the star anise and cinnamon and discard also. For the marinade, remove 2 generous Tbsp of the thick plum mix and as much of the liquid, put into a bowl, and mix together well with 1 Tbsp olive oil and reserve.

Put the rest of the thick plum mixture into a bowl to serve as chutney, any leftover will last for a week or two in a lidded container. Do NOT use tin (aluminum) foil as it will react.

Baby spare ribs: The ratio is 1lb of ribs for 1 person. When oven-baking baby ribs it isn't necessary to let the fat drip off during cooking. So no need to place them on a rack above a tray to catch the fat drips, they don't have that much. But you will need to do this for 45 minutes to 1 hour if you're using large sized ribs

To prepare the ribs for roasting, remove the thin membrane from the backside of the ribs by easing up one corner, gripping this tightly and tearing it away from the meat of the ribs. You can use a piece of kitchen cloth or muslin to get a better grip on the membrane if needed. Discard the membrane.

Wash the ribs, pat dry, and place in an oven proof glass container, stir the marinade and spread it all over the ribs. As the marinade contains vinegar it's not advisable to use an aluminium tray for this. Cover and keep cool for around 1 hour. Then bake covered at 160C (325 F) for 30 minutes, keep checking for charring - the sugar can cause that - and leave to cook for a further 30 minutes before uncovering and cooking for 15 minutes more. That's between 1 hour and 1 15 minutes total for baby ribs. Full size ribs will require 1 hour more.

When the ribs are done, the meat will shrink back from the tips of the bones and by touching the ends with a long knife or spatula (they will be very hot so don't use your fingers) you will be able to jiggle the bone around in the meat.

Serve with a side dish of boiled rice, potato salad or polenta. And with baby yam leaves; Cut off any hard stems and stir-fry the leafy parts in olive oil for 3 minutes. Alternatively use amaranth leaves, aka Chinese spinach.

Polenta: Made with ground yellow or white cornmeal it is a tasty and nutritious addition for any time of day - if you have leftovers save for breakfast and serve with jam or syrup. Bring 1 cup (8 fl ozs) water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add 3 ozs cornmeal in one go, stirring briskly all the while. Stir until polenta thickens. It should come away from sides of the pan, and be able to support a spoon. Stir in 1 Tbp butter.

When ready to eat, garnish the soup with a topping of 1 Tbsp plain yoghurt or cream sprinkled with tspn toasted cumin seed, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive, and a few chives or spring onions.

Dish up the ribs, the polenta and the yam leaves. Pour iced tea or a chilled Chardonay or nice Merlot and have a delicious meal in the company of your music, the daily 'paper or a good book Enjoy!

Food Column

(HK Edition 08/25/2012 page4)