06/2021

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Stuffed Chicken Leg Quarters with Radish Tops over Pea Pepita Hummus

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Create a truly flavour-packed meal with this delicious, yet budget-friendly stuffed chicken leg served on a bed of creamy pea pepita hummus. The leafy green tops of cherry radishes are are typically under-appreciated and very often thrown away. Don't let radish leaves (carrot tops, and beet greens) go to waste. Instead, try them to make pesto, add to the salads or combine with herbs and spices to make the stuffing for your roast.

	Pea Pepita Hummus
1 bunch Radish tops, chopped 2 tbsp Chives, chopped 2 tbsp Flat parsley, chopped 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp Cumin seed powder 1 tsp Fennel seed powder 1/2 tbsp Lemon zest 1 tsp Pink salt 1/3 tsp Black peppercorns 3 tbsp Olive oil 3 / 1-1.2 kg Chicken leg quarters 1 tbsp Butter	300 g Frozen peas, blanched, refreshed 15 g Chives, chopped 1 clove Garlic, chopped 100 ml Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tbsp Tahini 30 g Pepitas Salt Chopped chives, to garnish Cherry radishes, to garnish

Place chopped radish tops, chives, parsley, garlic cloves, spices, lemon zest, pink salt and black pepper in a food processor. Process until finely chopped and combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil to make a paste.
Place a chicken leg skin-side down. Feel for the thigh bone with your fingers then, with a sharp knife, carefully cut down through the flesh either side of the bone. With the tip of the knife, cut around the bone and scrape away the flesh, leaving the bone as clean as possible. Twist the bone at the joint with the drumstick and, with scissors or a knife, cut out the thigh bone and the back bone, leaving the drumstick bone in place. Save the bones for the stock.
Spread one third of the radish top stuffing on the chicken thigh. Roll it up and secure the stuffing with toothpicks. Brush the skin with a little bit of remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the rest of the chicken legs.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Heat the butter in a frying pan and brown the chicken legs. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken is cooked when the juice runs clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg is pierced with a skewer.
To make the hummus, place the peas in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain.
In a blender, add peas, chives, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and whiz to combine. Add tahini and pepitas, and whiz until smooth. Season to taste with salt.
Spread some pea hummus on a plate. Slice the chicken and remove the toothpicks. Place it on the top of hummus. Sprinkle some chopped chives over. Garnish with cherry radish and drizzle some pan juice over if desired.

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Beetroot Raisin Loaf

Sunday, June 27, 2021

A simple and fun raisin bread made with sweet beet juice and topped with chopped hazelnuts for an extra crunch. Original recipe from Taste calls for 1/3 cup of sugar for the filling, which I have completely omitted, since I used sweet beet juice instead of water. It is pleasantly sweet with a hint of earthy beetroot flavour. Great to enjoy with (nut) butter for the breakfast or snack anytime. Egg and butter free too! The bread freezes well, so double the recipe if you wish.

7 g Active dry yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
240 ml Beet juice, lukewarm
380 g Plain flour
1 tsp Sea salt
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
120 g Raisins
2 tbsp Hazelnuts, chopped, for topping

Place yeast, sugar and warm beet juice in a jug. Whisk with a fork until yeast has dissolved. Stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Sift flour into the bowl of your mixer. Stir in salt, yeast mixture, olive oil and cinnamon. Mix at slow speed until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Knead in raisins for the last 2 minutes of kneading time.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Grease your mixer bowl with a bit of olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch dough down and knead until smooth. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C/400F. Grease a 10cm x 22cm loaf pan well with olive oil or line with a baking paper.
Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle about 9 inches long and 5 inches wide. Roll up from the short end into a log. Place the log in the prepared pan. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size.
Brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately and turn the loaf onto a cooling rack.

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Cherry Labneh Tart with Pistachios and Honey

Friday, June 25, 2021

Labneh, a thick strained yoghurt, is the base for the filling in a sweet vanilla flavoured tart crust, which is then sealed with a thin layer of melted white chocolate couverture to prevent the pastry getting soggy. You can use mascarpone instead of the yoghurt cheese or a mix of two for the filling. All the seasonal berries, currants, or stone fruits are fantastic as the topping. The cherry labneh tart is then finished off with a sprinkle of chopped raw pistachios that not only makes it look pretty but also adds extra flavour.

Crust	Filling
250 g White spelt flour 20 g Vanilla sugar 125 g Cold unsalted butter, chopped A pinch of salt 1 Egg, plus 1 extra egg yolk 50 g White chocolate couverture, chopped	460 g Labneh 30 g Powdered sugar 400 g Cherries, pitted, halved 30 g Coarsely ground pistachios Summer blossom honey, optional

For pastry, whiz spelt flour, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add egg and extra egg yolk and pulse until a smooth dough forms. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 22cm loose-bottomed tart pan. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until 4mm thick, then use to line pan. Trim excess, leaving 2mm above the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove weights and paper. Bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
Melt the white chocolate couverture and spread thinly over the tart case. Set aside until the crust is completey cool and the chocolate set.
Combine labneh and icing sugar in a bowl, then spread into case. Top with cherries, pistachios and drizzle with honey, if using, to serve.

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Chilled Radish Soup

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

A few easy ingredients and this radish soup comes together quickly. Unpeeled cherry radishes are blended with buttermilk to create a light, yet creamy soup with a delicate pink blush. The spiciness and pungency of radishes is tempered by tangy buttermilk and rich crème fraîche. The soup turned out absolutely delightful. I used round "Cherry Belle", but the elongated "French Breakfast" is just as good. Serve this nourishing and wonderfully refreshing soup cold like a raw tomato gazpacho in summer for grilling and barbecue.

300 g Radishes (I used round "Cherry Belle")
250 ml Well-shaken and chilled buttermilk
1/2 Lemon, zest and juice
80 g Crème fraîche
1 tsp Agave syrup
1 tsp Smooth Dijon mustard
1 tsp Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs, to garnish

Wash and clean radishes. Reserve 2 for the topping and thinly slice them. Set aside. Cut the rest into quarters. Place the quartered radishes in the cup of your immersion blender together with buttermilk. Blend until smooth.
Add in lemon zest, juice, crème fraîche, agave syrup, Dijon mustard, and olive oil. Stir to mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate the soup for several hours until well chilled. Divide the chilled soup between 2 bowls. Garnish the soups with reserved sliced radishes and herbs. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over if desired.

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Lamb’s Lettuce with Sesame Crusted Feta

Monday, June 21, 2021

This simple salad featuring lamb's lettuce and warm, salty, and tangy Feta cheese encased in a crispy golden sesame crust. Lamb’s lettuce, also known as corn salad, has a mild, almost nutty flavour. (Feldsalat, Ackersalat, Schafmaul, Mäuseöhrchen, Rebkresse or Rapunzel - this green salad has plenty of names in Germany. Nüsslisalat in Switzerland and Vogerlsalat in Austria.) The unusual name reputedly comes from the lettuce’s resemblance to the size and shape of a lamb’s tongue. Feel free to substitute baby spinat for lamb's lettuce, and halloumi for Feta.

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette and Salad	Sesame Crusted Feta
120 g Lamb's lettuce (or baby spinach) 100 g Grape tomatoes, halved 50 g Dried cranberries 2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 2 tsp Maple syrup 2 tsp Whole-grain Dijon mustard 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper	1 Egg, medium Salt and black pepper 5 tbsp Sesame seeds 200 g Feta, cut into 16 squares Lard (or oil), to fry

Thoroughly and properly rinse, wash and dry lamb's lettuce. (I usually soak them in water for 8-10 minutes, so the dirts and sand sink to the bottom. Rinse them under water and dry them in a salad spinner.) Arrange them on two plates with grape tomatoes and dried cranberries.
For the dressing, add white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard to a jar, and blend shortly. Slowly stream in olive oil and blend again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the crusted Feta, dry the cheese with kitchen paper and cut into 16-18 squares. Whisk the egg in a soup plate and sesame seeds in another.
Dip the cubed Feta in egg and then coat with sesame seeds. Heat the lard or oil in a pan over a medium-high heat until hot. Gently place in Feta in 2-3 batches and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on a piece of kitchen paper.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and top with a few pieces of sesame crusted Feta.

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Cumin Roasted Baby Carrots with Spiced Buckwheat Granola

Saturday, June 19, 2021

If you can find tender baby carrots, they are wonderful to roast whole. Just give them a good scrub—no peeling required. Save the greens for the pesto. Otherwise, regular carrots are okay too. Don't over cook the baby carrots or they would get mushy.
The sweet and savoury buckwheat granola makes the BEST topping for roasted vegetables, salads or soups. You can of course use other seeds, or spices to make this to suit your taste. Quinoa is another great alternative.

Spiced Buckwheat Granola	Cumin Roasted Carrots
50 g Buckwheat 50 g Almond sticks 50 g A mixture of sesame, pepita and sunflower seeds 6-8 Dates, stoned and chopped 2 tbsp Avocado or olive oil 1 tbsp Maple syrup 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Black salt	750 g Baby carrots with tops, trimmed 2 tbsp Avocado or olive oil 1 tsp Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes Salt and black pepper 1 tbsp Carrot greens, chopped

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix all the ingredients for the granola in a bowl then spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Bake in the middle of hot oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Wash carrots, peel and trim off tops, leaving some small stems if desired. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Spread carrots onto a baking tray. Drizzle with avocado oil to coat them. Sprinkle with cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to coat thoroughly.
Roast for 18-22 minutes, depending on size, until tender when tested with the point of a knife. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with spiced granola and chopped carrot greens.