1 red or green pepper, seeded

2 small or 1 large cucumber, peeled

2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced

a few almonds, hazelnuts or pine

nuts, lightly toasted

a few sprigs of parsley or mint, chopped

4-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

pinch of cayenne or a few drops of Tabasco

1-2 tbsp sherry or red-wine vinegar

1-2 cups cold water and ice cubes

Garnishes: red onion, tomato, cucumber, red or green pepper, bread for croutons, olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, olives

Tear bread into pieces and soak in some of the water. Chop vegetables roughly. Blend or process the bread, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seasonings in two or three batches. Pour into a large container and add a tablespoon of vinegar and then the olive oil. Add more vinegar or seasonings if needed and water if it seems too thick. Chill at least two hours or overnight to allow flavours to develop. For the garnishes, chop vegetables individually. Cut bread into cubes and fry in olive oil until crisp. Chop eggs and olives. Arrange garnishes in small dishes. At serving time, dilute with water if needed. Adjust seasonings, vinegar and olive oil. Serve cold soup in a tureen or glass bowl with a few ice cubes.

Variation: Make green gazpacho by leaving out the tomatoes and using green pepper and mint.

Antipasto platter with three salads

In Italy, antipasto means before the meal and not before the pasta, as is sometimes thought. It is the word used for various appetisers. These can be hot or cold selections of fish, cured meats, stuffed eggs or frittata, borlotti or cannellini beans, marinated vegetables, olives and pickles. Serving a number of antipasti and Italian bread for an al fresco lunch is an easy way to entertain.

The salads are the popular tomato, mozzarella and basil salad from Capri, grilled and marinated zucchini with mint (an idea from Marcella Hazan), and marinated mushrooms, an old favourite. I have arranged them on a large platter to create an impression of abundance and added sage frittata, grilled peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, rocket and herbs. You could have meat and fish platters on the table as well for friends and family who are not vegetarian.

Tomatoes, buffalo

mozzarella and basil

Serves 6

This salad is nice when made with different kinds of tomatoes, such as the heirloom varieties. Rocket leaves and sun-dried tomatoes are good accompaniments. Scatter the salad with capers or caper berries as a variation.

750g ripe tomatoes and cherry tomatoes

300-400g fresh mozzarella, buffalo or bocconcini

3 stems basil

2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

balsamic vinegar or red-wine vinegar

Slice tomatoes into thick rounds and cut cherry tomatoes into halves. Slice mozzarella into slices the same thickness as the tomatoes. Arrange slices overlapping on the serving plate with cherry tomatoes between. Season well and scatter with torn basil leaves. Dribble extra-virgin olive oil over the salad and decorate with sprigs of basil. Serve with Italian bread or bruschetta. Pass the balsamic or red-wine vinegar for people to sprinkle on for themselves.

Mushroom salad

Make this the day before or at least a few hours ahead. It goes a long way so you may only want to make half the quantity.

500g button mushrooms

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 tbsp lemon juice

8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly shaved or grated parmesan cheese (optional, but good)

Trim mushroom stalks and brush caps clean with a paper towel. Don't wash them. Cut mushrooms into slices, about 5mm thick. Mix with the parsley. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour dressing over the mushrooms and parsley and toss to coat. Serve the salad at room temperature with the parmesan on top (if using).

Zucchini with red-wine

vinegar and mint

The sliced zucchini can be either fried or chargrilled. Both give a good result, but taste a little different. The quantities in the recipe are given only as a guide.

500g zucchini

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

a small bunch of mint, leaves sliced finely

1-2 tbsp red-wine vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak zucchini in water to clean. Make sure there isn't any grit left embedded in the skin. Cut into diagonal slices about 5mm thick. To fry, heat a wide pan over medium heat and pour in a film of olive oil. Add zucchini slices in one layer and fry until golden on each side. To grill zucchini, preheat a ridged-grill pan. Brush slices lightly with olive oil on both sides. Place them on the hot grill and cook briefly, turning them over when marked. They will keep cooking after they come off the grill. Make a layer of zucchini slices in a dish. Scatter with garlic, mint, salt and pepper and sprinkle with vinegar and olive oil. Repeat layers. Leave salad to marinate for an hour or two. Serve at room temperature.

Cannellini-b ean and rosemary dip

This dip is a new recipe for vegetarian kitchen. It's a handy one to know, and can be whipped up in a few minutes. I often make a half quantity for myself, or if a friend is dropping in. This version of the dip is from the American classic Joy of Cooking, a favourite book of mine.

Try making the dip with oregano and flat-leaf parsley instead of rosemary. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon. A friend of mine adds capers (rinsed first). It could also be served hot as a side dish, or mixed into mashed potatoes.

2 x 400g cans cannellini beans or other white beans

3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 tsp finely chopped rosemary

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently heat the olive oil with the rosemary and garlic don't let it boil. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for a few minutes. Drain the beans and rinse with hot water. Keep several beans aside to use for garnish. Puree the beans in a food processor with the olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. For a more rustic finish, the beans could simply be mashed. Dribble a little olive oil on to the dip and decorate with a sprig of rosemary and reserved beans. Serve with crusty bread.