02.10.2014
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
SERVES 4
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle
1tsp lemongrass, pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle
1 small red chillies, finely chopped
1tbsp soy sauce
500g chicken thigh fillets (approx 4)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
NUOC CHAM
60ml (¼ cup) fish sauce
60ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
2 tbsp white sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 red bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 carrot, julienned
TO SERVE
Fresh or dried vermicelli noodles, cooked following packet directions
Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Bean shoots
Carrot, julienned
Cucumber, sliced
Herbs (such as vietnamese mint, thai basil or coriander)
Peanuts, lightly crushed
Fried onion
Spring onion, thinly sliced
1. Combine all ingredients together except for the chicken and oil. Stir to dissolve. Add the chicken to the mixture and marinate for at least thirty minutes, turning to coat occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and 125ml (½ cup) water in a pan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring mixture to just below boiling point, then set aside to cool. Add garlic, chilli, lime juice and carrot and stir to combine.
3. Heat a pan or grill plate over a medium heat and add the marinated chicken and any of the remaining liquid. Cook chicken until it begins to caramelise and turn dark brown (approximately 4 minutes). Turn chicken over and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Set aside to rest.
4. In four individual serving bowls arrange the noodles, bean sprouts, lettuce and carrot. Drizzle a little of the Nước chấm, paying particular attention to the noodles. Slice the chicken into large pieces and arrange over the salad and noodles. Top with herbs, peanuts, fried onion and spring onion. Serve with extra Nước chấm on the side.
Recipe from Julia Ostro
28.09.2014
Grilled Jerusalem artichoke, heirloom beetroot, goats curd and watercress salad
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
150 grams Jerusalem artichokes, cleaned
5 golf-ball sized golden beetroots
5 golf-ball sized purple beetroots
1 bunch of picked watercress
75 grams of goat’s curd
25ml of good quality extra virgin olive oil
8ml red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Wrap all the beetroots individually in aluminium foil, seasoning each one with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Place wrapped beetroots on an ovenproof tray and cook for 30-40minutes (depending on size) in the oven.
While the beetroots are cooking, place Jerusalem artichokes in a pot of salted cold water and bring to the boil. Once brought to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 6-8minutes (or until you can put a skewer through chokes with no resistance). Strain and allow to cool.
After 30-40 minutes, remove beetroots from oven when you can put a skewer through each beet without resistance.
Peel the beetroots while they are still hot by squeezing them out of the foil. If done correctly the skin of the beetroot will remain inside the foil and the clean cooked beetroot will remain.
Cut beetroots into quarters and re-season with oil, salt and pepper.
Pre-heat grill.
Slice artichokes lengthways and season with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Place artichokes on the hot grill until they’re nicely charred.
Once removed from the grill, place artichokes in a bowl and cover with cling film. This allows the artichokes to keep steaming and marinate in their own juices.
To dress, whisk 25ml of olive oil and 8ml of red wine vinegar.
Assemble all ingredients on a serving plate and finish by breaking the goats curd over the top and dressing everything well at the end.
Recipe from Dish-Pig
25.09.2014
Roasted sweet potatoes, red onions and pine nuts with tahini
serves
4 people
ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
2 red onions, cut into wedges
a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil (or another high heat oil)
for the garnish:
1/2 cup of pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds or gomasio
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 tablespoon of coarse chopped flat leaf parsley
for the tahini:
3 tablespoons of tahini paste
1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
optional: some arugula or spinach to serve over
method
- Pre-heat the oven to 475º
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, lay out the sweet potato and red onion. Drizzle with the oil, and season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- Bake them for 30-40 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Keep an eye on the onions, since they might cook slightly faster. If they are ready sooner than the potato, remove the onions and allow the potato to cook until done.
- While the potatoes and onions are baking, make the tahini. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the tahini, adding as much water is necessary until you reach the consistence you like. I like it a little loose so that it easily drizzles over the vegetables.
- Toast the pine nuts. Drizzle a little oil in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts along with a dash of salt and cook for about two minutes, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer them to a small bowl so that they do not continue to cook.
- To serve, spread the vegetables out on a serving platter over a bed of greens (arugula, etc – if you choose), and then drizzle the tahini on top. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top followed by the sesame seeds, or gomasio, the thyme, and the parsley.
Recipe from whatscookinggoodlooking
23.09.2014
18.09.2014
16.09.2014
Pickled strawberry & beet salad with a herbed vinaigrette
Recipe taken from Whats Cooking Good Looking I know this recipe is really long but its delicious!
Ingredients
for the pickled strawberries:
3 cups of red wine vinegar
3/4 cup of maple syrup OR 1.5 cups of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
3 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
3 lemon peel pieces (about 1″ long)
approx. 2lb of fresh, ripe, organic strawberries (The fresher, the better. Freshly picked ones would work best) washed well + hulled
for the herbed vinaigrette:
1 clove of garlic, chopped
a handful of cilantro
a handful of basil
a few chives, chopped
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of avocado (optional, to make it slightly creamy)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
pepper
about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
for the salad:
about 10 small beets, cleaned well and thinly sliced
several large handfuls of greens, I used arugula and spinach
optional garnish: a sprinkling of herbs such as chives, basil, and cilantro
Method
Start by pickling the strawberries:
- Place all of the ingredients in a large, heavy pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Place the hulled strawberries into a canning jar, or any jar with an air-tight lid.
- Pour the hot brine over the strawberries filling the jar to 1/4″ before the rim. Make sure you get all of the spices, etc into the jar as well.
- Set aside and allow it to cool while you prepare the salad.
Make the herbed vinaigrette:
- Place all of the ingredients expect for the oil into a food processor. Pulse a few times and then while the food processor is running continuously add in the oil until it is emulsified and you have the consistency you like.
- Taste and adjust as necessary, but keep in mind the strawberries are a bitter component to the salad so do not add too much acidity.
- Set aside until you’re ready to dress the salad.
Steam the beats and prepare the greens:
- Place the beets in a pot with a steamer basket and steam, covered for about 10 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.
- While the beets are steaming, wash and prepare the greens. Place the washed greens into a bowl and toss with the a little bit of the dressing and any other add ins that you like.
Assemble the salad:
- Plate the dressed salad greens and add the beets on top and then the pickled strawberries. Sprinkle with some herbs and nuts if you like, a drizzle a little more of the vinaigrette over top. Serve immediately.
Storing the pickled strawberries:
- Once the strawberries have cooled to room temperature, cover them and keep them in the fridge when you are not enjoying them. They will keep for a long time (around a year) as long as they are stored in an glass, airtight container in the fridge.
Coconut and Lime Tart
MAKES 1 TART
250g ginger nut biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
6 eggs, lightly beaten
250g brown sugar
175ml coconut cream
juice of 6 limes
finely grated zest of 2 limes, plus extra to serve.
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Blitz the biscuits in a food processer until it is a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add a little extra melted butter. Press the biscuit base evenly into a pie dish or a flan tin ensuring the sides and base are covered. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly darkened in colour.
3. For the filling, whisk the eggs, sugar and coconut cream together to combine. Add the juice and the zest of the limes and gently mix. Pour into prepared tart base and bake in the oven for a further 25-30 minutes or until just set.
4. Leave to completely cool in the dish or tin and then transfer to a serving plate. Top with extra grated lime zest and serve.
Recipe from Julia Ostro
10.09.2014
08.09.2014
07.09.2014
Salted Caramels
“Make sure you use double cream and good quality sea salt flakes. They will keep at room temperature for 5-7 days or a little longer in the fridge (just make sure you bring them back down to room temperature before serving). If you want harder caramels, rather than chewy ones, reduce the cream to 225ml.
250g caster sugar
250ml double cream
60g golden syrup
25g butter
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1tsp vanilla extract
sea salt flakes
1. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.
2. Place all the ingredients, except for the salt, into a heavy saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and continue to boil until mixture reaches 122C on a sugar thermometer. This can take from 10-20 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and stand for a few minutes. Sprinkle the top generously with sea salt.
5. Stand until firm. This should take around 2-3 hours. Cut the caramels with a sharp knife or some kitchen scissors into desired size. If the knife sticks to the caramels, spray it with a little oil.
5. Wrap the caramels in wax paper.”
Recipe taken from julia-ostro.com
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