An education on food

Last week I was lucky enough to spend some time with the lovely Lyndey Milan.  Lyndey is a well-known food and wine person and has a wealth of knowledge on all foodie topics. I not only got to help her prepare for her weekly food segment on a daily morning show but also got to join her when she spoke to kids about food as part of the 'week of tastes' campaign.

The 'week of tastes' is an interesting program dedicated to changing the way children relate to food. As part of the larger Sydney International Food Festival, and amidst growing concerns about obesity and poor nutrition, it tries to raise awareness about the diverse and exciting world of food. I feel quite strongly about food education and think it’s vital for a society to know where its food comes from (not the grocery store!), whose labour goes into growing it and how it makes its way to kitchens.

 

As part of the program Lyndey did a demonstration on the versatility of carrots, showing them that this vegetable could be used in a variety of ways. Changing taste and texture allows you to create new foods. We started with (grated) carrots with a little freshly squeezed orange juice, and then moved onto a (purée of) cumin carrot dip, (creamed) carrot soup, and we finished with a (baked) carrot cake.

While the kids tried everything (with Lyndey’s encouragement) they couldn’t get enough of the cake! So I thought I would make one myself. This cake was full of carrots, sooo moist and had the perfect cream cheese icing. Try it out for yourself.

carrot cake with cream cheese icing
serves 10-12 large slices or if cut into bars makes 24 pieces
adapted from Lyndey Milan’s recipe

cake
3 eggs
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup flour ( I mixed plain and wholemeal)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla bean/extract
2 cups (3-4 carrots) grated raw carrots
1/2 cup walnuts

cream cheese icing
150g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
lemon zest and 1 tbsp juice (1/2 lemon)
1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla bean seeds

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C (150 for fan forced)
Grease and line cake tin (I used a round one)

For batter: beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and then add in oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and fold in carrots and nuts. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake approx. 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on rack.

To make icing: beat together cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice/zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. Ice cake when cooled down. The cake should keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

A new take

I wanted something sweet to eat the other day and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, cookies are a new joy of mine since moving to Australia. Not wanting to leave my house, I searched the cupboards to see what they would lead me to. I found a LOT of oatmeal (my dad was visiting and since about half of his diet consists of this hearty grain we had stocked up on it). This naturally made me think of its most famous use – the oatmeal raisin cookie.  I wanted the cookies to be chewy and not too sweet. So I tried to find a good recipe but also one that I could easily adapt in order to reinvent the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie.

My search for recipes led me to one by SmittenKitchen – an amazing food blog with lots and lots of tested recipes. The ingredient list sounded good but of course I wanted to change a few quantities and types of products to test out my new take on the classic: I used 1/3 cup sugar, ¾ cup millet flour (instead of plain flour), ½ cup raisins, handful of walnuts and I had to add some chocolate (50g) – always dark. 

The millet flour made the cookies taste quite different. Instead of the classic, crispy exterior normally created by the baked oatmeal, the cookies ended up more soft and chewy, and almost a little crumbly (ie messy). The mess they made was well worth it – they turned out delicious! The strong taste of the millet worked to make the cookie seem grainy without the heaviness usually imparted by wholegrain flour.  The chocolate added that little extra touch!

Da best pizza

I know a fair number of die-hard junk pizza lovers. For them, a real pizza is the kind you find swimming in oil and oozing with cheesiness. For me that isn’t pizza. The best kind of pizza is the homemade kind: not mass-produced, and so fresh that the smell of yeast in the dough remains in the air, even after baking.  That is my kind of pizza.

There are a number of pizza recipes to choose from – my mom had a great recipe, my sister too. The other day I was reading Saveur ( best foodie magazine ever and seriously impossible to afford in Australia – thank you public library) and found an interesting pizza recipe. Of course I still had to change a few things...

Making the dough is easy but be careful not to mix too much sugar, salt and oil with yeast, because that way it won’t bloom. I added honey instead of sugar (this is what my sister does and I find it adds more flavour) and used half plain flour and half wholegrain. In the tradition of the Italians I use a few simple ingredients to make my pizza. It may sound strange to some but one of the tastiest pizzas I make has grapes, rosemary and red chili. Of course, I wouldn’t forget the parmigiano reggiano – a classic Italian cheese.

The fresh crisp pizza holds well with tomato sauce: otherwise known as a reddish concoction of goodness. I basically puree tomatoes and add sea salt, some crushed garlic and parsley.  If you don’t have time to make sauce, simply crush a few roma tomatoes in a bowl, that will do. Seeing as it’s wonderful to have some choice, I made a other few pizzas; one with sautéed mushrooms with gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and one with cherry tomatoes and bocconcini – all homemade, warm and gooey. Buon appetito!


pizza with grapes, rosemary and red chili (or other ideas)
serves 2-4 depending on hunger
adapted from Saveur No.127

1 cup water (tepid/room temperature)
1/2 package dry yeast (7g or ½ tbsp)
1 tsp honey
½ tsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
3 cups organic flour (I used half plain and half wholemeal for a heartier crust)
3/4 cup tomato sauce (as mentioned above just use crushed tomatoes and cook if desired)

topping ideas
red or green grapes
fresh rosemary
red chili
steamed Chinese broccoli/broccolini
cherry tomatoes
bocconcini
Saveur’s recipe used squash blossom and burrata - yum.

For the dough: first bloom* the yeast by placing water in a bowl, adding yeast and honey, let sit until foamy (10 mins). Mix flour and salt and stir in water and oil to make dough. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes (and no less!) Create two balls and place into bowl – add a little oil to ensure they don’t stick. Cover and let sit in warm place to rise – about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees C (use a pizza stone if you have one as it helps increase the heat/surface for a crustier pizza)
To make pizza: take small ball of dough and using fingertips stretch out to size preferred. Cover dough with tea towel and let rest 15 mins. To prepare pizza, spread sauce over dough and add ingredients. Bake for about 10-12 minutes depending on size and taste. Enjoy.

*If I forgot to mention, bloom refers to a chemical reaction -- when yeast is activated carbon dioxide is created and therefore the dough will rise.

Snack time

I am not one to resist the temptation of snacking. In fact I prefer to eat small amounts of a few different items over the course of the day. But I am not drawn to these light-in-between-meal-treats solely for hedonistic reasons: snacking is actually very healthy ... seriously it is. That's in any case what all the health gurus say; having small snacks and meals is supposed to be better than just eating large meals.

My father has been visiting from abroad. And while he is a man who enjoys his merlot, he’s not known for a huge appetite: he eats like a bird. He doesn’t really think about food nor does he really enjoy it. Which has often made me wonder if he is really my father...

In an attempt to sway him towards eating, and knowing he doesn’t eat much, I thought it best to make a delicious snack that he couldn’t resist. Sometimes there is nothing more inviting than a table full of snacks with different flavours -- sweet, savoury, spicy, tangy --  just sitting there asking to be munched on. My mission was to make spiced nuts ... very easy and too delicious to eat just one.  This recipe was passed onto me by my sister but I changed it a little.

You could serve the spiced nuts alone or with some cheese and grapes - or any other fruits as the sweetness balances perfectly with the heat of the mixed nuts. This is a perfect and easy snack to have for parties. It takes no time at all to make and your guests will be left wanting more. Even my dad ended up eating quite a bit!

Thanks for the pumpkins

This coming weekend is a little holiday in Canada called Thanksgiving. Since moving to Australia I find I feel more Canadian now than I ever did. That must have to do with holding onto nostalgic symbols of ‘home’ and the people you miss. So this week I decided to make pumpkin tarts.

My first experience with thanksgiving foods came in grade 7, when my teacher assigned a few of us to bake pumpkin pie. Initially, as a child of Indian parents, I had no idea what pumpkin pie was; nor did I have any interest in eating a vegetable for dessert (Australians seem to feel the same way about pumpkins in their puddings). But I was quickly won over. We used canned pumpkin puree, and while I frown on such things now, at the time it was incredibly delicious: sweet and creamy, hints of spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. It was vaguely savoury but sweet enough not to be mistaken for anything but dessert.

For my present-day version of pumpkin tarts I use wholewheat sweet pastry and fresh kent pumpkin (you could also use butternut). Pastry is one of those things that seems quite daunting, but don’t be afraid – it’s incredibly easy to make. I use my hands to make the pastry but using a food processor works just as well – and saves with the mess!

A few tips on working with pastry: don’t touch it too much as the heat from your hands melts the butter almost instantly; let it rest in the fridge as much as possible; and if it falls apart, don’t worry as you can press it into the casing and then bake it (it will miraculously stay together).

pumkin pie tarts
makes 4 medium sized tarts
If pastry still scares you then just buy the sweet pastry (available at any grocery store) and use my pumpkin filling recipe.

wholemeal sweet pastry (I use organic as much as it produces a better result)
200g wholemeal flour
125g butter (not too cold)
50g sugar
1 egg

Set oven to 180 degrees C
To make the pastry: make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Cut up butter into smallish squares and leave aside. Sift dry ingredients into large bowl, add butter and crumble with hands until pastry texture resembles sand. Add in slightly beaten egg and mix gently until pastry comes together into a smooth ball. Cover and rest in fridge 30 mins. Once rested, roll out with little flour on surface and place into cases. If it falls apart – try placing pastry back into fridge or press together in case - it will still work!  Dock* the pastry and bake blind*  Take out of oven and let cool in cases.

pumpkin filling
800g kent pumpkin
1 egg
½ cup milk (you could also use alternatives like soy, almond)
2 tbsp yogurt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp clove
pinch nutmeg
Set oven to 180 degrees C
Wrap pumpkin in foil (leave skin on as it’s easier to clean after baked) and bake 40 mins or until flesh is soft. Remove and cool. Process pumpkin with all ingredients but add egg last and mix well. Pour mix into tart cases and bake at 170 degrees for 40-50 mins until set. Cool and serve with extra maple syrup and/or whipped cream. Enjoy.

* docking refers to using a fork or sharp object and gently pricking the pastry so that it doesn’t rise.
* blind baking means baking without the filling in order to pre-cook pastry so it doesn’t remain raw. Often beans/beads/rice is used to act as a filling so that pastry doesn’t rise.

The end of winter

Winter is ending in Sydney – I guess officially it has already ended but the mornings are still fresh and chilly. With winter leaving us, we have to say goodbye to all those comforting, heavy winter foods. As one last hooray to winter I wanted to cook a winterish vegetable that is often overlooked: the cauliflower.

I wanted to cook it tandoori-style and with a lot of spice (since cauliflower is a vegetable that can carry heavy flavours). An Indian ‘tandoor’ is basically a very hot clay oven that gives food the most amazing flavour. It’s a little bit like a wood-fire oven, in that the high temperatures cook the food quickly and impart a smoky quality. Like most people, I don’t have a tandoor but luckily I do have a barbeque grill. Try my recipe for spicy ‘tandoori-style’ cauliflower with mint raita.

tandoori style cauliflower with mint raita
(serves 3/4 as a side)

½ head cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic crushed
½ tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 red chilies
2 tsp paprika
2 inch piece of ginger – grated
sea salt – pinch
freshly ground black pepper
½ lemon

Chop the cauliflower into florets and pour oil over making sure it gets on every piece. Add all spices, garlic, ginger, salt/pepper and mix. Place onto pre-heated grill at medium heat (if you don’t have a bbq use a hot oven). Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on how soft you like your cauliflower. Once cooked add juice from ½ lemon.

To make the mint raita: take 1 cup of yoghurt (I use an organic low fat yoghurt), add ½ bunch of fresh mint leaves (pick and chop finely), small handful of chopped coriander and salt/pepper to taste. The raita helps cool the palate from the spicy heat of the cauliflower.

A cheesy favourite

Of the desserts out there – pies, pastries, ice cream/gelato, pudding and a whole slew of other yummy treats - there is a favourite in my house: the cheesecake. Thanks to my husband, I too now love this delicious dessert. So I had to find a recipe that wasn't too indulgent. Instead of heavy, cream-laden, need-a-forklift-to-eat-it cheesecake, I like baking cakes that are light and smooth and melt in your mouth. I use a simple biscuit and almond meal base rather than a rich pastry and I don’t use cream or artificial thickeners (I only want unadulterated cheesiness in my cheesecake).

This cheesecake is a fruity one. The strong yet subtle flavours of lime and blood orange produce an interesting taste. I also use some blueberries - just a few for colour and added sweetness. I find that the bold bright colour of blood oranges and the tangy flavour of the limes match well with the cold creaminess of the cheesecake. If you’d rather use the fruit for decoration instead of baking it into the cake, just leave it out of the recipe and it will still work just fine. Often I bake a plain cheesecake and then add lemon juice and zest for a little freshness.


blood orange and lime cheesecake
(this recipe makes about 8-10 smallish pieces)

12 biscuits (I use wholemeal but you could use granita (Australia) or graham crackers (Canadian)
1/3 cup almond meal
1 tbsp melted butter
125g cream cheese
1 lime juice and zest
1 blood orange zest and 1 tbsp juice
225g ricotta cheese
1 organic egg
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
¼ blueberries

Set oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make the base: in a food processor crumble biscuits until the texture is like sand (or just bash a bag with biscuits with a rolling pin). Add almond meal, melted butter and mix, press into a small square or rectangle pan – making sure the base is at least 1/8 inch thick. To set the base, bake for 10 mins (watch it so it doesn’t brown too much). Take out and let cool.

For the filling: mix/blend the cheese with salt, zest, juice, honey, yoghurt and egg. Mix well but don’t overbeat. Add in blueberries.

Pour mix onto cookie base – it may seem watery but don’t worry it will thicken once baked and cooled. Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. If it’s browning on the top, cover with foil and resume baking. Take out and let cool. Refrigerate before serving and enjoy!

A strange sweetness

Right now it’s winter in Sydney. Yes, winter. I get confused by the strange feeling of waking up with cold fingers and toes and then the realization that it’s July. I know winter asks for warming foods like soups and slowly braised stews but sometimes, just sometimes, I still need to have something cold and sweet.

Since I’m a big fan of mixing sweet with salty or spicy ingredients, and dark chocolate with chilli is one of my favourite treats, I thought of making a dark chocolate and pink peppercorn sorbet. Pink peppercorns have a different taste and texture from the everyday black peppercorns you find in stores. Unlike black pepper, these little pink berries taste much sweeter, smell fantastic (like a flowery perfume) and the texture is soft and hollow so that when pressed they break apart easily. They are perfect for using in desserts and even in cocktails, and they add an extra hint of warmth – much needed for a cold winter evening (well, it’s not that cold in Sydney).

dark chocolate sorbet with pink peppercorns
this recipe makes a creamy sorbet, a little like an ice cream but not as rich

2 cups milk (non-fat or whole depending on richness desired)
½ cup cocoa powder
6 oz (about 170g) good quality dark chocolate
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sugar –  demerara sugar or something less refined
seasalt – pinch
1 tbsp pink peppercorns (crushed)

In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat, add milk and whisk in cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Heat up until whisked in smooth. When milk is warm add in chocolate (chopped). Once all chocolate has melted, take off heat and strain. If it doesn’t look smooth enough, blend 15 seconds. At this point, mix in vanilla and crushed pink peppercorns.

Chill the mix and then churn in ice-cream/sorbet maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can check on the mix every ½-1 hour and mix around with a fork. It’s not the best way to achieve a frozen product, but it will work.

For a rainy day

What else is there to do on a rainy day but stay at home and cook something that will comfort your soul. For me, there can be nothing better than spending a few hours behind a warm stove, chopping vegetables and stirring things together to create something simply delicious. Of the many warm and hearty dishes I like to cook on wet and soggy days, soup is one of my favourites. My pea and mint soup with freshly grated grano padano cheese is a really easy recipe. I use frozen peas – yes, you read it correctly: frozen peas!

Some folks may wonder about using frozen vegetables when freshness is the most important aspect of good food. But peas are very temperamental: if you don’t consume them right away you risk that they’ll lose their sweetness and become starchy and just plain boring. So when they are harvested they need to be either consumed right away or flash-frozen.  This is true of many vegetables, but peas mature much faster than the average vegetable so you have to be quick!  Therefore, cooking with frozen peas allows you to enjoy the pea at its peak.

pea and mint soup
serves 4

500g frozen peas (about 2 cups)
1 green onion
a few sprigs of fresh mint
750 ml water or stock (I use vegetable stock or 1 tbsp miso paste mixed in the water)
½ cup grano padano cheese – use parmesan if you can’t find this one…any sharp cheese or even fresh would work

In a medium sized pot, place peas and water/stock and bring to boil. Add in chopped green onion and salt and pepper (sometimes I also add some dried chili flakes for heat). Cook 5 mins and turn off heat. Add 2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves – leave roughly chopped as you will need to blend. Take off heat. Once mix is slightly cooled, blend mix and return to pot. Add cheese (add more if you love cheese) and then season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. That’s it!

The origins of the muffin

The other day I decided to bake some muffins. As I was reaching for the flour in the pantry I found myself wondering where muffins come from. They are not cakes or biscuits, and even the name sounds interesting. So how exactly is it different from other baked goods like cupcakes?

After some research I found out a few interesting facts about muffins. Muffins date back to the early 18th century. The Merriam-Webster dictionary suggests that the word derives from Low German: muffen (muffe) and it is defined as “a quick bread made of batter containing egg and baked in a pan having cuplike molds”. The Joy of Baking adds that the muffin originates from the French moufflet, meaning a type ofsoft bread. While European in origins the world has done what it wants with muffins and for most it’s a cross between cake and a bread. I do appreciate the way we have taken this simple traditional item and made it into something else entirely.

At my house, muffins are a staple, not only because they provide the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea or a frothy cappuccino, but because they are little carriers of goodness. A muffin, whether sweet or savoury, holds all the delicious ingredients of your choosing. For example, carrots, cinnamon, chocolate, walnuts, poppyseeds… and the list goes on. I like muffins because when I’m hungry and don’t want to eat something processed and greasy from cafes or stands, I can reach into my bag and pull out my homemade treat. They can be rich andsatisfying and so simple to make. Now after all my rambling on muffins, aren’t you hungry? If so, try out my spiced carrot muffins with lemon cream cheese.

spiced carrot muffins (with lemon cream cheese)
makes a dozen

Muffins
1-1 ½ cups milk – soy or regular milk
1/3 cup oil – I use vegetable but you can use any other non-flavoured oil
1 organic egg
2 large carrots grated
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
200g wholemeal flour (about 1 ½ cups)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp sucanat (short for sugar cane natural – you can get it at health foods stores, use something sweet if you can’t find it)
pinch cardamom
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt (helps the baking process and brings out flavour)  

Lemon cream cheese
½ cup cream cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup/honey

For muffins
Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk egg and milk together with oil. Add in wet ingredients (keep grated carrots aside) to dry ingredients to form batter. Batter should be wet like a cake and still lumpy (don’t overmix as you will lose air). If it’s not wet enough, add more milk, a little at a time. Incorporate carrots at this point and spoon into muffin tin. Bake for around 20 mins (check to make sure baked throughout).

For icing
Mix all ingredients together, adjust with less or more lemon juice if you want it thicker/thinner. Pipe or spread over muffins. Enjoy.

A time for love and a time for cookies

I never really understood the love people had for cookies – until now. When I was little I truly could not understand the obsession that my friends had with cookies, either homemade or store- bought. Moms baked (a lot) or they stacked cupboards with all kinds of cookies from oreos to chips ahoy to teddy grahams (remember those?). Every time I went over to people’s homes snack time meant cookies. Even at school when someone wanted something sweet to eat they would bring out their little snack pack of cookies. They even left Santa Claus milk and cookies! I think this love affair is a very North American thing. Now that I’m not around all those cookie- obsessed folks, I have had the chance to develop a love of cookies.

Now I adore them – not the oreo or (I hate to say it) tim tam (sorry friends!) kind – but more the type of cookies that have interesting, sometimes unusual ingredients. Here is an adapted recipe for gluten free chocolate cookies. I used tahini in the cookies as well. Tahini is a smooth, nutty paste made from sesame seeds. It’s used a lot in Middle-Eastern cooking and often you find it used in savoury dishes like hummus. I use it like a peanut butter in both sweet and salty dishes. Enjoy.

Chocolate and tahini cookies (gluten free but you can substitute all-purpose/wholemeal flour)
(makes about 12 cookies)
adapted from savoury sweet life recipe for bittersweet chocolate decadence cookies

¼ cup gluten-free flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon organic unhulled tahini
2 large organic eggs
¼ cup molasses and/or demerara sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½  cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside.  In order to melt chocolate, place chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt it in a bain-marie (a double boiler). To do this, set the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of bowl touch water and don’t not leave on for a long time, just until it melts). Once melted remove and then in another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and set the bowl over the same pot of simmering water. Continue to whisk everything until the mixture is lukewarm.

Making sure that each mixture is not too hot, combine the two carefully. At this point, add in the tahini and mix. Add the flour with salt and baking powder. This batter will look like thick cake batter.  Don’t worry they will look and taste like cookies once you’re done baking them. Scoop dough with tablespoon onto silicon or parchment sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes. The outside might look dry but it’ll be moist and gooey on the inside. Yum.

Birthday cake

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and I could think of no better way of making him happy then by surprising him with a cake. Well it wasn't exactly a cake but more a pancake (as a dutchman he appreciates pancakes). But these were not simple plain pancakes - these were my spectacular chocolate orange millet cakes.

The pancakes were light, moist and chocolatey with the slightest aroma of orange (the orange also added a little layer of sophistication much needed for impressing people in the morning).  I served the pancakes with a few orange segments, a dusting of cocoa and some syrup (being Canadian this should be maple but Australians might use golden syrup...not nearly as amazing) One more exciting thing is that they’re gluten free. Eat up and celebrate.

chocolate-orange millet cakes
Recipe for 2

2 whole organic eggs
½ cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla bean (paste or extract)
1-2 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder (unprocessed) – the more chocolate the better but it’s up to you
2 tsp orange zest (a little juice too)
½ - ¾ cup of millet flour (I used something in between these amounts)
pinch of baking powder
pinch of baking soda 

To make the pancakes, first beat the eggs and soy milk together, add in vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients - make sure with the flour that you add a little at a time so that you can ensure the consistency stays like a wet batter (should be loose/ pouring consistency).

Get a pan and heat to medium-high heat, use a little oil or butter and cook your cakes. When bubbles appear flip over and cook for another minute or so. Now you have your delicious chocolate orange millet cakes - perfect for a birthday or any other kind of day...

Salmon and soba

salmon and soba with leek salsa
serves 4 (this is an easy dish to cook for a larger number of people as well)

4 fillets of salmon (with skin on - remember it's full of omega fatty acids)
1 package of soba noodles (buckwheat)
fresh or frozen peas
1/2 large leek
1 red capsicum
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 2 inch knob of ginger (grated)
2 tbsp miso paste
2 tsp tamari (or soy/ponzu sauce)
1/2 bunch fresh dill
1/2 lemon (juiced)
fresh red chili (dried is fine)
olive oil
sesame oil (for adding to salsa at end)
white wine (something dry like chardonnay - and some that you would drink)

To start with the salsa use a saucepan or small pot. Slice or dice the leeks and fry in olive oil on medium heat. You want to sweat the leeks and not burn them (add a little salt to prevent them burning). Once the leeks have become a little soft, add in ginger and garlic, cook 1-2 minutes. While this happening, add some hot water to dissolve miso paste (start with 1 cup). Once dissolved, add into the pot. Add in tamari, diced chilis, 1 tbsp chopped dill and lemon juice. Once mixed take off heat and keep aside. Add just 1-2 drops of sesame oil (really just a little goes a very long way)

For the soba, follow instructions on package (very easy!) and make sure not to overcook as they'll turn to mush and lose their great texture. Strain and keep aside at room temperature.

For the salmon, in a large pan - pan fry skin side down in a little olive oil. Make sure pan is hot to ensure crispy skin. Cook for a few minutes on each side. A way to tell if salmon is just cooked and not overcooked is you will see the sides emit a whitish colour. Keep side once cooked.  In same pan, add a little white wine to deglaze and add chopped capsicum and peas (and any other vegetables you might have). To assemble, mix soba with peas and capscium and white wine reduction. Put salmon on top and pour a little of the leek salsa on top. Garnish with dill sprig and there you have it...a little gourmet meal for a regular night at home. So good.

A perfect coupling

So I’m back with another recipe! Sorry for the delay (I will try my best to post 1 recipe a week) but here is one my favourites. For those of you who love fish but hate the hassle of finding a good recipe/method that can impart enough flavour this recipe will help. Fish is one of those foods that can be tricky to cook the right way – most people overcook their fish and it becomes grey and rough, and trust me you cannot cover this up with any sauce no matter how tasty.  It’s always best to use delicate methods of cooking for fish, unless the texture is firm and meaty, in which case you can grill or fry without worry.  For this dish I used salmon fillets (here in Sydney I’m lucky to get to speak to the people at the fish market – they know a lot (a lot) about fish, how it’s caught and sold). I get wild atlantic salmon as it’s not farm raised. It tastes better and is generally a better environmental choice.

In addition to the salmon, I’ve used soba noodles. For those who don’t know soba is a Japanese buckwheat noodle (make sure to check the ingredients for those who don’t eat wheat as some cheaper soba add it in as a filler). It's healthy and has a great wholegrain taste. Unlike many noodles (egg based or other) that are heavy and simply carriers of sauce, soba has it's own distinct flavour and texture.  It’s colour is almost like a cloudy and gloomy day. When cooked it becomes the perfect friend to asian type flavours – salt, sweet, spicy and tangy. It's also just perfectly coupled with salmon. Try this recipe (with a glass of chardonnay like I have) and you'll see.

Banana bread revisited

banana bread revisited 
makes a whole loaf/12 muffins

2 large ripe bananas
1/4 cup olive oil (yes olive oil - will explain later)
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp demerara sugar
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup soy milk (or milk)
1/4 vanilla bean
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground clove
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups organic wholemeal flour (use millet or rice flour if gluten intolerant)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch baking soda

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Prepare a loaf tin by rubbing a little olive oil around it (use butter if you prefer or even silicon paper). In a large bowl whisk oil, sugar and molasses, add spices (adding spices at this point ensure the most flavour as the oil will act almost as an essence preserver). Once mixed well, beat in eggs one at a time and then add mashed bananas.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry mix gradually to wet mix and don't beat/mix too much.  Add in soy milk, little by little (don't make mix too runny) and then chopped walnuts. Sometimes I add bits of dark unsweetened chocolate as well. Pour mix into tin/pan and rest for 5 mins. Place into oven and bake for 45mins - 1 hour (check on bread after 30 mins).

Because there is little sugar/sweetness this is really more a bread than a cake, which is probably the reason it's called banana bread. That said, if you want to add something to it you can add my sweetened ricotta cream or drizzle it with warm marmalade. Eat up.

Bananas for bananas

I'm bananas for bananas. Those who know me well know of my morning ritual of having a banana with my coffee - every single morning. I think eating bananas is the only real habit I have. Friends of mine even make sure to stock up on bananas if they know I'm visiting (thank you friends). In addition to my love of this almost perfect fruit, I also enjoy baking with them. I don't like eating heavy, oily or greasy banana breads (I know - who does? but I witness people eating bad b bread all over town...just too bad) so here is a healthy and hearty alternative to the old classic banana bread.

A new camera please

Ok, so I made a big purchase and got a new camera. My old little point and shoot needs to be fixed and to be honest, it just wasn't cutting it. I want to take pictures that make things look more beautiful than they are - not worse. Really, who wants to see unappealing pictures of food...yuck. So now I will play not only with my food but with my camera. Let's see what I can do.

Lazy soup and salad

For most, lazy nights usually mean one of two things: dinner will be ordered in or it will be reheated. The last thing you want to do when you're too tired is to cook and then clean up after. To make your life easy but still eat something comforting and tasty try out this soup and salad.

Ok I know soup and salad sounds soo boring but this recipe will definitely make your mouth water. I just make the soup ahead of time in a big batch and then freeze leftovers for reheating on lazy days like this one. For the salad, I just tossed steamed asparagus, borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes and mesclun mix. So simple but perfect with a glass of red wine...what a wonderful lazy night.

pumpkin and ginger soup
makes a enough for 4 people or 2 and leftovers

3 cups/600g Pumpkin (I used kent pumpkin but butternut squash would work well too)
1/2 red onion
1/2 leek
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp or more of freshly grated ginger
1 whole red chili
1 tsp dried chili
2 tbsp or more olive oil
fresh thyme
cracked black pepper
sea salt
1/2 cup skim milk (or any other non-dairy substitute)
stock - vegetable, chicken... I use a great additive free stock or I make my own and freeze it

There are a few different methods of cooking the pumpkin, either roast in oven with olive oil until tender or cook in the pot after leeks and garlic have been sauteed. To make life easier for readers I'll describe the second method.

Get a large enough pot (soup/stock pot) ready on medium heat. Saute the leeks and onions in olive oil under tender, add garlic and ginger and cook 2 mins. Add some thyme and salt (keeps things from burning), add chopped pumpkin pieces and enough stock to cover. Add in fresh and dried chili.

Cook pumpkin until tender. When reached consistency you want, either blend or place in food processor. Add back to cleaned out pot, stir in milk to reach consistency you desire. At this point, season well and add fresh chopped herbs. Sometimes I like to serve this with fresh organic yoghurt - it gives the soup another texture and a tang that works well with the creamy and spicy pumpkin. Enjoy.

borlotti bean salad with asparagus and cherry tomatoes
makes enough for two sides

1/2 cup dried borlotti beans (try not to use tinned beans if you can - just soak or cheat by simmering 1 cup dried beans with 3 cups water for 55 mins)
1/2 bunch asparagus - try to buy in season - if you can't substitute with another hearty green vegetable
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
bunch of salad leaves - arugula or mesclun mix
fresh bread - wholegrain, sourdough..whatever you like
30 ml olive oil
1 clove garlic
5ml lemon juice
10 ml balsamic vinegar

To make dressing - mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar - cut the garlic clove in half and rest in liquid for 10 minutes just to infuse.

Cook beans and leave aside. Steam asparagus and cut tomatoes into halves. Mix all ingredients or assemble separately like the way I did. Take out garlic from dressing and drizzle over veggies and beans. Add a few pieces of bread and there you go. Easy dinner for a lazy night...just need a glass of wine.

Bean me up borlotti

I love beans. I seriously do. Legumes are these perfect, tiny little bundles of nutrition magically sprouted from the earth. You don't have to be a vegan or vegetarian to eat them - shocker I know. And once you slowly integrate them in your diet you won't experience all symptoms found in classic bean jokes. Eating them with grains and vegetables help to make them almost perfect proteins...meaning they fill you up and keep you happy. Sounds good to me.

The borlotti bean. This is my new favourite bean and almost as special as a garbonzo bean (chickpea). It has a meatiness and creaminess (and has a beautifully speckled design) that is great for hearty dishes or even for adding an extra something to a salad. See my recipe for risotto with borlotti and my next posting for a quick borlotti bean salad.

Blogging is serious business!

Ok I had nooo idea how intense blogging has become -- and I'm speaking of food blogging, let alone all the other blogs out there on who knows what. This new discovery combined with my revisited trait of perfectionism is dangerous. Last night I couldn't sleep because I had ideas up ideas of how to have a perfect blog - beautiful design, need a much better camera, have to read about blogging tips etc. I was dreaming of better names for my blog, better recipes - better everything!  Leave it to me to make something like blogging so serious that I will have to drop out of this too (well I'm not really a 'drop out' but let's face it, I have toyed with the possibility of 'not facing the music' one too many times)
But this morning I woke up with a renewed feeling that my blog will and can only do its best - so friends...I will try and make this blog the best that I can make it. Lowered expectations always help.

Dinner of risotto and red wine

So for dinner last night I made a trusted favourite of mine - risotto! sooo easy and soo yummy AND with red wine! sounds funny to some people but the Italians do this so it must be right. I usually use white wine in my risotto - to keep the flavours light and fresh, especially when using seafood. With this risotto, the red wine provides a warm, deeper flavour and matches well with sauteed radicchio, fresh peas and/or borlotti beans - basically any rich, velvety vegetable or legume. Giada De Laurentiis (an Italian American tv chef) has a great recipe that I tweak a little depending on what I feel like. Risotto seems time consuming but it's one of those 'one pot wonders' - that isn't mushy and old fashioned. And it sounds so much more fancy than it is.

red wine risotto with grilled red peppers, portobello mushrooms and borlotti beans
serves 3-4 depending on how much you love it
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup red wine - use red wine you would drink and I prefer full-bodied reds
1 cup - chopped leek (use onion if you don't have any), carrots and celery
1/2 cup peas - use fresh if you can, frozen works just fine too
a few garlic cloves
freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh dill
fresh parsley
2-3 cups (depending) of vegetable stock
1/2 cup borlotti beans (use canned if you didn't soak and cook them)


The vegetables
I use a bbq to grill red peppers and mushrooms - I grill them with a little olive oil and that's it. Use a hot oven or stovetop grill if you don't have a bbq. Remove skin from peppers and keep them aside for later.

The risotto
I start with keeping the stock on at a medium/low heat (use fresh stock if you have it, or bought if you don't). Then put a large enough pot on medium heat - with olive oil (1 - 2 tbsp) sweat onions, celery, carrots together for 6-7 minutes then add finely chopped garlic and cook for another 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook 2 mins until toasted a little (don't brown it). Add the red wine and let it get somewhat absorbed by the rice (2 mins or so), then add a little hot stock (one ladle of stock - don't worry about the exact amount, the rice will let you know when it's full!) Cook a few minutes until absorbed and then do the same at least two more times until the rice becomes creamy. At this point (just when the rice still has some bite) add in all the vegetables and the borlotti beans, add in chopped dill (to taste) and 1/4 cup parmesan.

Stir and add in the last bit of stock - cover 2 mins. Once finished, ladel out into big bowls, add more fresh parmesan, fresh black pepper and fresh chopped parsley...so good. I promise you'll love it.

The first step to food...spice

Where to begin with food. I'm obsessed with spices...I don't mean a little obsessed I mean A LOT obsessed...I want to know about every spice in the world and what use they have in terms of health and taste, and what recipes they are used in. I like finding creative ways to use spices in more contemporary and non-traditional ways. I think this is a new trend in the chocolate world (eg.vosges chocolates) and it seems to be picking up in the world of pastry and desserts. There are books galore on the spice route (I find the history of the relationship between colonialism and spice quite fascinating) Spices have healing qualities and there is new research all the time proving the benefits of eating (or drinking) spice. Here are a few of my favourite little spice additions to everyday classics.

spiced up coffee 
recipe for one...just multiply recipe for more folks

1 cup of espresso
soy milk or whatever milk you prefer (everyone likes a different amount)
1/4 tsp cinnamon or cinnamon stick
a teeny weeny drop of ground clove or a whole clove
1/4 tsp cardamom - ground or pod

To start steep the spices in your milk over the stove or in the microwave (for the cheaters) and then add hot espresso...or for the quicker version, what I do is place the ground spices in a mug, add the hot milk and then pour (from high above..be careful not to spill everywhere - this happens) the hot espresso. There you have it, hot and frothy spiced up coffee. Perfect to have with a fresh banana (my perfect compliment with its creamy texture against the spicy, hot smooth coffee) or morning muffin (muffin recipes to come soon - promise)

cardamom vanilla infused ricotta cream
recipe for 2
This is an absolutely easy and delicious (and even low fat!) alternative to cheesecake. I make this dessert often when I don't feel like heating up the house with my oven.

150-200g low fat ricotta cheese (basically a small little tub)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla bean paste - use fresh vanilla bean please - if you don't have it than use real vanilla extract
2 tbsp sugar/something sweet - I use maple syrup sometimes or unrefined demerara sugar
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice and zest (this keeps it fresh)

Basically place all ingredients into bowl and whip with whisk or beater until all mixed. I don't like to have the ricotta too sweet as you can serve it with sweeter items.

some ideas...
Cut up some fresh fruits - mangoes, strawberries, kiwis (whatever might be in season where you live) or use frozen blueberries and other fruits if not in season. Let them defrost and place the ricotta cream on top. I crumble homemade biscuits (or graham crackers, granita cookies) on top and voila! delicious and healthy dessert.
You could also serve this ricotta with pancakes or crepes for a delicious accompaniment. What a yummy morning that would be...