The outright king of my summer kitchen is risotto. We love the creamy taste of the seeds of arborio rice. A few basic ingredients, a few additions and every time we have a new dish.

This popular dish comes from north Italy and always contains rice, shallots, butter, wine and bouillon. It is interesting that risotto is the first dish (primo piatto) served before the main dish, and it takes turns with soup and pasta. That is how it should be in an Italian restaurant, but in my home risotto has always been simply a yummy dinner.

This time I prepared lemon risotto with curcuma, peppermint and smoked salmon.

Ingredients (for two people)
150g of arborio rice
1 shallot
1l of vegetable bouillon
3 tablespoons of butter
100ml of dry white wine
a half teaspoon of curcuma
3 tablespoons of parmesan
2 tablespoons of lemon peel
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
150g of smoked salmon

Because of the fact that the summer is the fruit season, I think that it's a sin if you don't use them. My children at least twice a day ask me to prepare bowls with fresh fruit. They get a mixture of the fruit which I bought at the market. They most often eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, and often also peaches and apricots. We rarely eat fresh currants. I buy them sometimes and use them for preparing desserts or cakes.

Today I would like to share with you the recipe for a cake with currants (red and black) and desiccated coconut. It is an unusual combination, but it is really good. I recommend it!

Ingredients (20×20cm cake tin)
dough
250g of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
100g of brown sugar
100g of butter
2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
1 tablespoons of cream
coconut layer
8 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of sugar
additional ingredients
200g of red currants
100g of black currants
1 tablespoon of cornmeal

Rolls with bilberries are a very important part of my culinary program. They are our favourite rolls, except for doughnuts. They remind us of our childhood and my grandma's kitchen. In the bakers we can buy bilberry rolls, but inside we sometimes find bilberry jam instead of fresh fruit. So, two or three times a year I try to prepare bilberry rolls at home. Then I can be sure that there is fresh fruit inside.

Today I would like to share with you the recipe for yeasty rolls decorated with lemon icing. They are excellent, so I always prepare a double serving.

Ingredients:
dough
250g of flour
7g of dry yeast
1 egg
75g of sugar
125ml of milk
40 g of butter
a pinch of salt
filling
4 tablespoons of butter
200g of billberies
a pinch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of potato flour
lemon icing

Originally in Italy polenta was prepared with chestnut flour. Now it is usually made with cornmeal. Likewise, potatoes in Poland are served for dinner. You may serve them soft and hot as potato purée just after cooking, form dumplings with them or cool them down, cut fry and grill them.

Traditionally, polenta takes a long time to cook, and you need to stir it incessantly, because it is easy to burn. If you can find instant polenta, buy it, because it takes 3-5 minutes and significantly reduces the prep time of the meal.

Ingredients:
60g of cornmeal
375ml of water
1 tablespoon of butter
a pinch of salt
200g of raspberry
1 teaspoon of caster sugar

Strawberries, raspberries and broad beans are a symbol of summer for me. I like eating broad beans hot from the pot just after cooking. I eat them with a passion, forgetting that I should share with my family. Sometimes, my daughter joins me and then there is nothing left to save. We apologise and cook another serving for the rest of the family.

Today I would like to share with you the recipe for a swift snack. I made a refreshing lemon-peppermint salad with broad beans. It is a great combination and the heavy broad beans are a new dimension. It is an excellent idea for lunch at work because it is best cold.

Ingredients:
250g of broad beans
2 tablespoons of lemon peel
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
a fistful of peppermint leaves
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper