This Week’s Recipe: Rocket, Fig and Cheddar Salad

Why Rocket, Fig and Cheddar Salad?

In late summer as autumn approaches figs are one of the first ingredients I think of. Deep purple skinned figs with pink jewelled flesh lay gently on beds of tissue paper in my local fruit shop, making them too hard for me to resist.

Figs are a unique fruit that while delicate in flavour, transform into a robust ingredient when matched correctly with other ingredients. Apart from eating them whole, this salad is one of my favourite ways of enjoying the unique flavours of figs.

My twist on a classic flavour combination of bitter rocket leaves, pungently sweet and floral figs and sharp crumbly Parmesan is the reason I initially fell in love with this fruit. In my version I use a good quality English style cheddar that is sharp yet creamy as I find the cheese helps bring out the subtle floral sweetness of the figs, while the rocket balances their earthiness.

Enjoy this salad when figs are at their finest from March onwards (based on Australian seasons).

Ingredients
5 ripe figs, such as black Genoa or brown Turkey
150 g rocket, washed
30g mature cheddar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Pepper

Method
Cut fig into quarters removing the stem. In a large bowl place the rocket, figs and crumble over the cheddar.

To serve, drizzle with E.V.O.O and balsamic vinegar and season with plenty of salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Bon Appetite

This Week’s Recipe: Braised Potatoes

Why Braised Potatoes?

This recipe may not sound that appealing or mouth watering, but try it and the smell and taste at the dinner table will be enough to win you over and craving more.

Just for the sceptical cooks out there, close your eyes and imagine bay leaf scented stock filling the air with a continuous hint of buttery roasting potatoes. Eating them is even better. The perfect mixture of tender golden potatoes, tasting rich and robust from the stock and aromatics, with deliciously roasted crisp edges from the ones that sat at the top - not to be forgetting the caramelised ones that cooked on the bottom dish.

This recipe is dead simple with the flavour of the potatoes making it what works so well. Use a waxy potato such as nicolas and kipflers that are in season (in Australia late January till begging of March) and I am sure you will be hooked.

Serve them with something simple, trust me; you will want the potatoes to shine by themselves.

Ingredients
800g waxy potatoes (such as nicolas, kipflers and dutch creams)
400ml good quality chicken or beef stock
3 dried bay leaves
2-3 sprigs thyme
20g butter, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, zested
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, optional
Salt
Pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius.

Scrub and wash the potatoes to remove any dirt (I find warm water best for this as mud and dirt often contain some oils). Leaving the skin on cut the potatoes in half or quartes depending on their size.

Place the potatoes snugly in a baking dish, studding them with the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and butter. Cover with stock until the potatoes are submerged and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered for 1- 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are golden, and have absorbed most of the liquid, making sure to baste or turn the potatoes every now and then.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley if desired.

Serves 4-5 as a side dish.

Bon Appetite.

This Week’s Recipe: Hunza Pie

Why Hunza Pie?

Popular in the 60’s amongst hippie vegetarians and often seen in health food stores and at health retreats this simple pie is much more than a hippies’ delight.

Despite the name, this pie has nothing to do with the Hunzakuts who are people living in the Hunza Valley and are thought to live to 150 years due to their special diet; however, eating this pie you can see why the name is so appropriate.

Hunza pie is a mixture of simple and inexpensive ingredients that are good for you and that taste great – silver beet, brown rice, and cheese – encased in a beautifully crisp wholemeal or rye shortcrust pastry making it perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients
Pastry;
220g wholemeal or rye flour
110g cold, salted butter

Filling;
2 bunches silver beet
200g cooked brown rice
200g grated cheddar cheese
50g cottage cheese
1 clove garlic, grated
1 egg

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a food processor blend the flour and butter until it looks like course breadcrumbs. Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of cold water until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Cover and rest for at least a 1 hour in a cool place.

After an hour roll out the pastry and line a 24cm tart case. Don’t worry if the pastry breaks, simply push it into the tart shell and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is dry to the touch.

Meanwhile separate the leaves from the stems of silver beet reserving 1 bunch of the stems and wash all thoroughly. Cook the leaves in salted boiling water for 3 minutes and remove. Continue to cook the stalks for 7 – 8 minutes or until they are tender and remove to drain.

Once cool, squeeze out the excess water and chop roughly.

In a large bowl mix together the garlic, cheeses, rice and spinach and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Mix in the egg and fill the cooked piecrust, making sure to push the mixture right to the edges. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8
Bon Appetite.

Make your own… Chocolate Valentines Cookies

Show your loved one how much they mean to you this Valentines Day by baking them a batch of scrumptious chocolate love heart cookies. Or better yet spoil the most important person in your life - yourself!

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1/4 cup (35g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup (35g) cocoa powder
200g milk or dark cooking chocolate, melted
Decorations

Method
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
In a blender beat the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and continue to beat for 3 minutes, or until the butter is lighter in colour. Fold in the sifted flours in two batches.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth. Wrap it up and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5 mm in thickness, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts. Re-roll and chill the scraps and continue the same process nearly all the dough is used.

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until dry on the surface, and allow to cool.

Spread with the melted chocolate and decorate.

Makes 15 5cm size hearts.
Bon Appetite.

This Week’s Recipe: Watermelon, Mint and Fetta Salad

Why Watermelon Salad?
It is February and autumn is soon approaching, however looking out the windows many Australians will not believe it as our real Australian summer weather has only just arrived with hot (to very hot) sunny beach filled days and balmy fun filled nights.

This salad is beautiful mixture of texture and flavours and is perfect to make in summer, when watermelons are sweet and refreshing. This salad somehow reminds me of pickled watermelon rinds – a sophisticated soft, sweet and sour pickle flavour delicious with grilled fish or light Asian food – only without the effort, while making me feel that little bit healthier knowing I am getting the most out of life in a raw food movement kind of way.

Enjoy and savour the combination of sweet and savoury in this salad while the weather compliments

Ingredients
1 small Spanish onion
2-3 juicy limes
1kilo ripe watermelon
200 soft fetta cheese, such as Danish
1 bunch mint, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly torn
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Method
Peel and halve the Spanish onion and cut into very thin half moons and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the limes and pour over the onion. (This will cut back the sharpness from the onion, and help give that pickled watermelon rind flavour)

Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 3-4 cm pieces, and cut the fetta into similar sized pieces putting them in a large bowl together.

Sprinble over the parsley and mint and lightly toss. Add the onions and limejuice (which by now should be beautifully pink in colour), and drizzle with olive oil and a good turn of pepper.

Serves 6-8

Bon Appetite

Lemonade scones with Double Cream and Jam

Ingredients
1-cup (250ml) cold lemonade
1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
3 cups (450g) self raising flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
Full cream milk to brush

Method
Preheat oven to 220 Degrees Celsius and lightly grease a baking tray.

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and with a fork mix together so that the salt is evenly distributed. Add the cream and lemonade and mix to form soft dough. Try not to over work the dough otherwise your scones will be tough instead of light and airy. Turn out onto a lightly floured workbench and knead until combined.

Press the dough with your hands to a thickness of about 2cm. Use a 3-4 cm round cutter to cut out 24 or more scones and place on a baking tray.

Brush the tops of each scone with some milk and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with double cream (I suggest Tasmanian Meander Valley Double Cream if you can find it) and your favourite jam.

Makes 24 or more scones.
Bon Appetite