Grilled Runner Beans with Lemon Dressing
Monday, January 22, 2024An easy, versatile vegetable side dish with plenty of crunch, tossed with a tangy dressing made with lemons, garlic, dill and fennel seeds. Long flat runner beans taste very much like green beans, but the broader surface area, stringless, and firm texture make them ideal for grilling. They take on char while retaining their shape. Add prosciutto, parmesan or nuts for the topping if you fancy.
Baby Leaf Salad with Roasted Hokkaido and Herb Dressing
Sunday, December 31, 2023Crispy, tender baby leaves are gently tossed with chicken schmaltz roasted Hokkaido pumpkin wedges and aromatic toasted cashew nuts in this colourful and pretty salad. The lemon-and-herb vinaigrette gets a touch of sweetness from a teaspoon of honey and works beautifully with almost any salad. I used a mixture of flat parsley, oregano and thyme. If you can't find red chard and bull's blood, just use baby arugula, lamb's lettuce or young spinach instead.
Minted Lamb and Feta Meatballs with Tomato Salad
Wednesday, December 27, 2023Pumpkin Walnut Pâté
Sunday, December 17, 2023This Pumpkin Walnut Pâtés is delicious, vegetarian-friendly and perfect for dipping into with slices of crusty bread, crackers, grissini or vegetable sticks. You can serve this as an appetizer for any of your holiday parties. I used homemade roasted hokkaido for this, but butternut squash or even canned pumpkin will work just as fine. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Green Beans with Coconut Curry Dressing
Monday, December 11, 2023The creamy and flavourful Indian-inspired salad dressing with uniquely warming spices and coconut cream livens up the green beans and works great with other vegetables too. Nigella seeds add an herby-oniony flavour while pink pepperberries add a floral note and a gorgeous pop of colour and subtle crunch. This easy salad takes less than 30 minutes to pull together and makes a versatile side dish or starter. Feel free to add some crispy bacon or nuts if desired.
Spiced Carrots with Cashew Ajo Blanco
Thursday, December 07, 2023Ajo blanco, literally translated as white garlic, is a traditional cold Spanish almond bread soup whose origin dates back to the 8th century. Raw garlic, combined with sherry vinegar, is used to give this creamy soup an unusual kick. This recipe is turning the soup to into a creamy and delicious dip by reducing the amount of water usually added. It is a versatile dressing for seafood, meat, roasted vegetables and a wide variety of salads. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Pan Seared Salmon Steaks with Leek Vinaigrette
Sunday, November 05, 2023Pamper your family and friends with these crispy pan seared salmon steaks drizzled with a simple homemade leek vinaigrette.
A salmon steak is cut into cross sections from whole fish and includes the bone, whereas a fillet is cut lengthwise from tail to collar and boneless. It is usually bone in while a fillet is boneless. Since a whole steak is cooked on the flesh sides only, so the skin will not become crispy. You can replace with salmon fillets for the recipe.
Sugarbeet Salad with Dill and Feta Dressing
Friday, November 03, 2023Like sugarcanes, sugarbeets are primarily used to produce sugar and molasses. But they are also great to serve as a winter vegetable, just like their relative red beetroot. You usually won't find sugarbeets in the grocery store, some farmer markets might carry them though. Use parsnip, parsley root or kohlrabi for the recipe if you can't find them.
Sugarbeets can be consumed either roasted/stirfried/pureed or raw when young and are grated or sliced into salads. They have white, fleshy root with a unique taste. Great to serve with game and you can also make latkes with sugarbeets in place of potatoes.
Keto Tuna Casserole
Saturday, October 28, 2023Whip up this budget-friendly treat using storecupboard ingredients, canned tuna and homemade garlic mayonnaise. Ready in under 30 minutes, gluten free and keto, this easy recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. In place of breadcrumbs, I used ground pork rind to give this casserole a crispy, crunchy topping. Use almond meal instead if you prefer.
Peruvian Chicken Kebabs with Ají Verde
Thursday, September 21, 2023Juicy, succulent and bursting with vibrant flavour, these Peruvian chicken skewers are easy to prepare and perfect for grilling outside in the summer. But you can always make it in a grill pan any time you want. Serve them alongside a delicious, creamy ají verde, a spicy Peruvian green sauce.
Ají Verde is made with plenty of cilantro, scallion, lime, ají amarillo (Peruvian yellow chillie), mayonnaise, garlic, cotija cheese and huacatay (Peruvian black mint).
Since I can't find huacatay and ají amarillo, so I replaced some cilantro with fresh mint leaves, and used jalapeño chilli pepper instead. Ají Verde sauce is terrific served alongside roasted chicken or grilled meats, and it's equally good with grilled seafood. You can even use it as a salad dressing.