No oven required: Alexina Anatole’s quick and easy no-heat recipes

Cucumber and avocado gazpacho and addictive carrots: when it’s too hot to cook, contrast, texture and seasoning bring dishes to life Heat brings caramelisation, char, the slow collapse of ingredients into something rich and deep, but when it’s too hot to cook, flavour has to be built differently – through contrast, texture and a more deliberate hand with seasoning. Salt, in particular, becomes transformative: drawing out moisture, softening structure, shifting raw into something more yielding. That principle underpins this carrot salad, inspired by the Japanese yamitsuki (‘addictive’) method most commonly used on cabbage, while a chilled cucumber gazpacho offers clean, cooling clarity. Prep 20 minChill 1 hr+ Serves 4 For the gazpacho4 cucumbers (about 1.2kg), peeled and deseeded100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to garnishZest and juice of 1 lime 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated1 tsp flaky salt 1 tsp white miso paste Flesh of 1 avocado To garnish Black olives, slicedWhite grapes, sliced,Soft herbs (mint, dill, basil, say)Black pepper Put all the gazpacho ingredients except the avocado in a food processor, add 100ml cold water and blend thoroughly. Add the a