PAN - ROASTED VINE BABY TOMATOES WITH PINE NUTS

In of the SundayLife magazine's publications Adam Liaw (an Australian lawyer and a celebrity chef) shared with us a couple of summer recipes which his family loves to eat around this time of the year.  He also made an interesting comment on how the Asian cuisines are all about seasonal eating, quoting the Japanese saying “All good food has its time” and I couldn’t agree more.  When I was living in Russia 22 years ago, we didn’t have the luxury of fresh fruit and vegetables supplied to us every day of the year, we ate what was in season and enjoyed full flavours developed naturally due to their natural cycle of life.

And that’s why at this time of the year (Australian summer) that I thoroughly enjoy the taste and the variety of tomatoes, especially baby tomatoes on the wine, for their aroma, sweetness and juiciness which make them taste great in salads, roasted or pan-fried.

As much as I enjoy them in my summer salads, they become an excellent side dish to accompany your roast lamb or a beef dish.

My favourite way of wine baby tomatoes is just pan-fried them with a handful of pine nuts and a splash of balsamic vinegar to enhance their sweetness and caramelisation.

Here is how I do it.

You need:

One or two branches of vine baby tomatoes

2 tbsp pine nuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Method:

Place a pan on the stove over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, throw in pine nuts and season with salt and pepper.  Roast tomatoes for about 5 minutes, then give the pan a good shake and continue cooking until the skin on the tomatoes collapses into "wrinkles".  

Splash balsamic vinegar, give another shake and serve alongside your main course.

Enjoy!!!

BBQ SALMON KEBABS

When it comes to choose a method of cooking fish for, I prefer mine cooked on a barbecue. Not only it is a much healthier option, but it also eliminates the fish smell that normally lingers around your home for quite a while after the dinner has been consumed.

Having a South African husband whose love affair with the “braai” (SA term for BBQ) is a national pastime also contributes to what I describe “choosing your weapon”.  We cook our meals on a BBQ pretty much all year round, however in summer, it becomes a blessing not having to slave over the stove in the 35 degree heat.

The following recipe is one of the quickest and easiest way of cooking any fish.  Also, you've got this charred stripes on the flash that are super delicious and flavoursome.

This method of cooking is ideal for a mid-week quick dinner fix or a weekend lunch.

To feed 4 people you need:

4 salmon skinless fillets (approx 150-200 gr each)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon cut into wedges to serve

Method:

Cut about 3cm wide slices across each fillet and place in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and pour over olive oil.  You don’t need much olive oil because salmon is quite an oily fish.

Pre-heat your BBQ to 180C, thread four pieces of fish on each skewer and place them on top of the grill.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, then turn the skewers over and cook on the other side.

 

Remove onto the serving plate, arrange the sliced lemon wedges around the fish and serve.

Enjoy!!!

ICE-CREAM BALLS ROLLED IN DARK CHOCOLATE|GROUND HAZELNUTS|COFFEE BEANS

Desserts are not normally my thing, especially the ones that involve making dough.  For some inexplicable reason, my brain freezes just at the mere thought of it and refuses to follow the simplest of recipes.  So if we are entertaining some guests who never been to our home before and not aware of my baking phobia, I always rely on the skills of professional bakers and cake makers.

If I do decide to make a dessert myself, I choose the recipe that does not require baking per se things like semifredo, a mousse or even a coulis.  The recipe that I am sharing with you now is equally simple and easy to follow but it tastes delicious and I am sure your guests will love it.  I discovered it while watching Jamie Oliver's "30 minutes Meals".   And for those who ever watched this show, know that his recipes are simple, easy and most importantly, are utterly tasty.

All You need is:

500ml of vanilla ice-cream

70gr of good dark chocolate

100gr of hazelnuts

1 tbsp coffee beans (optional)

  

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C, place the hazelnuts on a roasting tray and roast for about 10 minutes or until the skin darkens, them remove the tray and while the nuts are still hot, place them onto a clean towel and rub vigorously to remove as much skin as possible.

Place the nuts, chocolate pieces and coffee beans into a small blender and grind to a thick breadcrumb consistency.  Empty the bowl onto a dry chopping board or a wide flat plate.

Prepare a dessert plate. Get the ice-cream out of the freezer and with the help of an ice-cream scoop, scoop out a ball of ice-cream and place it right into the chocolate-nut mixture. Working fast, roll it around to get it covered evenly and then place on the dessert plate.  I would make 3 balls per person and if there are leftovers, place them into a plastic container and store them in the freezer for a couple of weeks, if they will last that long without being eaten.

Serve them alongside strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and mini biscuits to create different textures and flavours.

You can find the collection of my simple desserts here.

Enjoy!!!

TURKEY BREAST STUFFED WITH SEASONAL VEGETABLES

In my opinion, turkey meat is absolutely underrated.  I have never ever seen any turkey dishes in any establishments in which I have been eating, high or low.  You can, occasionally, find a cold turkey roll pressed between two slices of bread at the sandwich bar but that’s about it.

Yet, it is nutritious, delicious, lean and flavoursome.  Truth be told, I wasn’t using this meat myself until one day my husband decided to go on the 2:5 diet and was advised that turkey meat is leaner then chicken and much more beneficial for his purposes.

So here I was in the poultry aisle of the supermarket facing a dilemma of what to do with the turkey meat.  At the beginning, I was cooking it for my husband only, just simply slicing the breast into strips and letting him BBQ it, so initially twice a week I was cooking two different meals which was not practical at all.  So I decided to make an effort and cook something that the whole family would enjoy without breaking my husband’s strict diet.

So here is my take on turkey breast stuffed with seasonal vegetables

To feed 4 people you need:

2 turkey breasts

3 brown mushrooms

1 red capsicum

1 yellow capsicum

1 red onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves finely sliced

2 tbsp pine nuts

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A sprinkle of smoked paprika 

1 sprig of thyme

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method:

Place a pan on a stove over medium heat.  Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and when warm, add sliced onions and garlic and sautee until soft and translucent.  While the onions are cooking, finely dice the mushrooms and capsicums into and add to the pan, throw in a spring of thyme and season well.  Cook the vegetables until tender, then add pine nuts and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, place one turkey breast on a chopping board between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and gently pound with a mallet until it is about 2 cm thick (it may be easier to butterfly the breast first, depending on how thick it is.)  When butterflying the breast, make sure that you don’t go all the way through.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle some paprika and lemons zest. Spread a thin layer of the stuffing over the breast, leaving about 2cm border around all sides. Tightly roll the breast lengthwise and using a kitchen twine, secure it in few places along the roll.

Put the same pan in which you roasted the vegetables back on a stove on a medium heat, add the remaining oil and butter and gently fry the breast turning it from side to side to get an even lovely brown colour all over.  It will take about 20 minutes to cook the meat through, depending on the thickness.  Squeeze a juice of half a lemon over the rolled breast towards the end of the cooking.

Once cooked, remove the turkey from the pan and place in a warm place to rest for 5 minutes.  Then move to a chopping board, carefully remove the twine and using an extra sharp knife slice on an angle and arrange on a serving plate.  Pour the juices from the turkey back into the pan, add a spoon of lemon juice and a bit of butter and when become hot, pour over the sliced turkey.  Serve and enjoy!!!

GRILLED SALMON SKEWERS

I love Middle Eastern food, its flavour, colours and textures are enticing, intoxicating and utterly delicious.  But there is one more aspect in this cuisine that attracts me the most and that is a healthy side of it.  Not only do they use a lot of fresh vegetables and herbs but also a lot of dishes are prepared on a grill and that not only gives them an extra flavour, but it is, in my opinion, also a much healthier way of cooking food than frying. 

I quite often prepare our meals on the grill.  There are other benefits to using your BBQ rather than an oven or a pan – there is minimal washing and zero smell, especially when you are cooking fish.  Case in point, my BBQ salmon skewers, very simple, with minimum preparation time and maximum flavours.

You need for 4 people:

3 pieces of salmon fillets (170-200gr each)

1 tsp smocked paprika

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon for garnishing

4 metal skewers

Method:

Pre-heat your bbq to 180C.

Slice each fillet in half lengthwise and then cit each piece into equal size cubes.  Place them into a bowl, splash some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with paprika, then mix it together, this will give your fish a lovely colour and an extra layer of smokiness.  Thread the same quantity of fish pieces onto each skewer and place them on the grill.

Because the fish is cut into relatively small pieces, you might need to cook no longer than 3 minutes on each side depending how you like your fish to be cooked, do over-cook it as it is becomes dry and not too pleasant to eat.  And that is it.

Arrange the skewers on a big serving plate, garnish with slices of lemon and serve.

For the ultimate fish and chip experience, serve the fish with boiled potatoes but bear in mind that potatoes take about 20 minutes to cook.  If you watch your waist, you can substitute the potatoes with smoky sweet potato wedges which also go very well with the fish but much lighter in carbs. 

If you are serving this dish for lunch or a light meal, serve it alongside a salad of your choice or choose the one from my “Salad collection”.

Enjoy!!!

SMOKY SWEET POTATO WEDGES

Who does not love potatoes:  fried, sautéed, boiled, roasted – all these delicious variations have been a staple food for millions of people all over the world for centuries.  However, now more and more people are watching their diets and look for a healthier alternative to this “packed to the rafters” carbs loader.

The solution to this dilemma in my kitchen is sweet potatoes – similarly versatile and very tasty but a much lighter and healthier option.  Two of my most popular recipes are making a mash or roasting them, hence my "Sweet potato wedges" recipe.  I use ground chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeno) because it has this delicious smoky flavour and brings a bit of heat but if you are not a fan of this spice, you can add few dry chili flakes, a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot paprika for an extra kick.

To feed 4 people you need:

2 medium size sweet potatoes

½ tsp smoked paprika
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled 

1/3 of ground chipotle (optional)

2 rosemary sprigs

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180C.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges about 2 cm thick and 8-10 cm long.  Place garlic on a chopping board and lightly flatten with the back of a knife. I then place them into a plastic bag with all the other ingredients and give everything a good mix.   I learnt this trick from Nigella Lawson, not only does it ensure that each piece is covered evenly with the spices but your hands remain clean.   

Once it is done, empty the bag onto the roasting tray, spray the wedges evenly and place it in the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally so the wedges get a nice brown colour all over. 

Serve alongside any meat or fish dish or on its own as a healthy snack.

Enjoy!!!

RADISHES + CUCUMBER SALAD+MESCLUN LEAVES IN A MUSTARD DRESSING

This salad ticks all the boxes we love in a salad:  simple, fresh, crispy flavours with crunchiness of radishes enhanced by the softness of the cucumber flesh, all happily married under the complexity of the mustard dressing. 

I like to serve it alongside the dishes with rather milder flavours and softer textures such as burgers or roast meets or chicken.

You need:

4-5 medium radishes 
1 medium cucumber

1 tbs of coriander leaves

3-4 green shallots finely slices

A bunch of mesclun salad or any salad leaves to your liking

Mustard dressing:

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 tsp of honey

Freshly ground pepper and salt

Wash and thinly slice the radishes, a cucumber and the shallots.  Place in a bowl together with the salad leaves and chopped coriander leaves.  

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar, give them a good shake, check the seasoning and pour over the salad. Give it a toss and serve alongside your main course.

Enjoy!!!