Make Your Own... Grissini

With crunch like the crust of a tasty ciabatta, lightness of a water cracker and fruitiness of a good quality olive oil, grissini make for the perfect snack or appetizer.

For a simple yet stylish appetiser, wrap freshly baked grissini with thinly shaved prosciutto and drizzle lightly with truffle oil, or enjoy them simply on their own and along side any antipasti.

Homemade grissini will last for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Besides being easy to make, they are also great matched with any flavours. Try added chilli flakes, fennel seeds, fresh herbs and flavoured oils.

1 cup plain flour,sifted
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100ml lukewarm water
Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Add the water and olive oil and knead together until a smooth dough is formed – this may take up to 10 minutes.
Leave the dough to rest, covered, in a lightly oiled bowl for 20-30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece out individually to a 50mm thickness. Cut into 1cm strips then roll the strips into cigars.

Carefully place on two line baking sheets and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly cracked pepper, or any other seasoning of choice. Note you may need to brush with a little water or oil to make seeds and spices stick.
Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes until golden brown and dry.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Makes 16

Rainbow Chard with Currants and Pine nuts

Why Chard with Currants and Pine nuts?

Swiss chard is one of my favourite winter flings. Besides being delicious and versatile, better yet it s great for you too.

Also known as silver beet; swiss chard is characterised by its slightly salty, bitter earthy flavour (shared with its cousins spinach and beetroot).

What many do not realise – and what I love – is that both the leaves and stalks are edible. Commonly white, the stalks of swiss chard can range in colour form red, yellow and pink (the combination together making rainbow chard).

This dish is one of my favourite ways to eat swiss chard as it ticks all the boxes.
Sweetness from the currants and onions, tartness from the verjuice, texture and bite from the pine nuts and a must have ingredient – butter all matched with the natural salty bitter earthiness of swiss chard.

Ingredients
½ cup currants
1 bunch rainbow chard or silver beet
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
60g pine nuts, toasted
70g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons verjuice

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water the boil.

Soak the currants in boiling water and leave for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile separate the leaves from the swiss chard and reserve the stems. Wash both leaves and stems in plenty of water and drain. Slice the stems into 2cm lengths and thinly slice the leaves.

Off the heat place the onion, garlic, pine nuts, butter and oil in a medium sized saucepan. Place over a medium low heat and cook for 10 -15 minutes, stirring, until soft and starting to colour.

Drain the currants and add to the onion mixture. Cook for 2 minutes until heated through. Take off the heat and stir through the verjuice.

Cook the swiss chard stems for 3 minutes before adding the leaves and cook for 1 minute until wilted. Drain the swiss chard and scatter over a large platter or shallow bowl. Drizzle the currant and pine nut sauce over the swiss chard and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Bon Appetite

Make Your Own.... Sesame Soy Glazed Sweet Potato

Glazed sweet potatoes are delicious as a warming winter side to an Asian inspired meal or as an interesting twist to the classic roast vegetable.
Try them in salads for a warm tasty touch, eaten cold at picnics or as a simple snack.

Ingredients
800g (3 medium) sweet potato, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sweet plum sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
Salt
Pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced) and 2 baking trays with foil. Cut sweet potato into 8 length ways.
In a large bowl toss together the sweet potato and oil. Season and bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the plum and soy sauce and fold through the chilli.
After 10 minutes take the sweet potato out of the oven and brush with the marinade. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the sweet potato is crisp and golden.

Serves 4

This week's recipe: Carrot and Cumin Fritters with Spiced Yoghurt

Why Carrot fritters?

Unlike a classic fritter - where vegetables seem to get lost amongst the batter - these carrot fritters are all about the carrot.

Golden and crisp on the outside, especially carroty and intensely orange on the inside these Kurdish inspired fritters are my latest food addiction.

Made with grated carrot, cumin, rolled with breadcrumbs and fried, they are especially delicious to make at this time of year when carrots are at their sweetest.

They are perfect by themselves as a simple snack, in a pita bread with rocket and spiced yogurt, or as a tasty twist on the standard three veg.

Ingredients
3 large carrots, peeled and finely grated (you need 2 cups of grated carrot)
1 onion, grated
2 egg
½ cup dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Vegetable oil for frying

Spiced Yoghurt
200g greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped

Place the grated carrot in a bowl and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

In a clean bowl mix the carrot, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs and cumin together. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the fritter mix into 12 equal portions. Carefully roll into flat rounds 2 cm thick (This fritter mix is quite delicate and you may need to squeeze a little excess liquid out when you roll).

Fill a large frying pan ¼ full with oil. Heat unitl a piece of bread turns golden in 30 seconds. Fry the fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate covered with kitchen paper and keep warm.

For the spiced yoghurt mix the yoghurt with the spices and fresh coriander. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the fritters with the yoghurt.
Makes 12 fritters.

Bon Appetite