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Spring Salad with Cod Liver and Toum

Saturday, May 22, 2021

The salad recipe is simple and fast, especially if have made garlic sauce and boiled eggs a day before. Cod liver requires absolutely no preparation, just open the tin and it is ready to be added to the salad. I use arugula and a mix of Lollo Rosso, Lollo Bionda and red Oakleaf for the salad, but feel free to use any seasonal salad greens. In addition, you can add nuts, olives, and cheese to the salad too. You actually don't need a dressing for this, just toss it with all the juice and oil from the tin. But I love this garlic sauce so much that I want to use it on everything plus cod liver goes really well with garlic.
Toum, literally means garlic, is a Lebanese garlic sauce. It's very versatile and can be used in grilled meat, falafels, roasted vegetables, potatoes, pastas and salads...pretty much anything. It's made with just 4 ingredients (garlic, oil, salt and lemon juice) and can be stored in a tight-lid mason jar in the fridge for months. If you don't want garlic sauce turn golden, use nuetral oil instead of olive oil. I personally perfer olive oil. Avocado oil is a good alternative. Cod liver is incredibly tasty and so good for you as it is chock full of fat-soluble vitamins A and D, and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. It has a milder flavour than sardines, less fishy, pure taste and a pink-beige colour.

Salad	Toum Garlic Sauce
3 Hard boiled eggs, quartered 1 head Leaf lettuce (or arugula) 1 Cucumber, sliced Fresh herbs (basil, parsley and dill) 2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds 220 g / (about 2 tins) Cod liver in its own juice and oil Salt and pepper	1 head Organic garlic, peeled 1 tsp Celtic grey salt (or regular sea salt) 1 Lemon, juiced (about 2-3 tbsp) 360 ml Olive oil (or avocado oil)

Peel the garlic cloves and place them with grey salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times until the garlic is well minced, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add 1/3 of lemon juice and pulse a few times until everything is combined, again scraping down the sides as necessary.
While the food processor is running, drizzle the olive oil in slowly, one tablespoon at a time. Don't try to rush the process or it won't be creamy and emulsified. Once the garlic looks emulsified by the a few tablespoons of oil, increase the speed of adding the oil and alternate with the rest of lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice is incorporated. After about 10 minutes, it will look thickened, light and airy. Transfer to a tight-lid mason jar and store in the fridge until ready for use.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add eggs and simmer for 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop the egg from cooking any further. Peel and quarter the eggs.
Tear the salad leaves into bite-size pieces and cut the cucumber into slices. Arrange salad leaves, cucumber slices and herbs in a salad bowl or platter. Drain the cod liver (save the oil and juice to dip the bread or drink it as I did) and cut into smaller chunks. Arrange the cod liver chunks and egg quarters on the top of the salad. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the prepared garlic sauce.

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Baked Coffee Coconut Sugar Brined Pork Belly Slices

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Pork belly is soaked in a brine of coffee, coconut sugar and juniper berries, baked to golden-brown and served on a bed of your favourite salad. The acidity of coffee, like tannic acid in wine and tea, act as a tenderizer, helps break down fibers in meat, making it juicier, more tender and flavourful.
This coconut sugar sweetened brine, which adds more flavour and helps meat retain more moisture when cooked, is also excellent with chicken thighs and drumsticks, and pork chops or beef ribs.

2 tbsp Ground coffee
400 ml Boiling water
1 tbsp Coconut sugar
2 tbsp Sea salt
1 tsp Black pepper powder
1 tsp Juniper berries, ground into powder
1 kg Boneless pork belly slices (6-8 slices)

For the brine: In a large mixing bowl, add ground coffee. Pour in boiling water. Allow it to brew for a couple of minutes. (Strain the coffee if you want, I didn't) Stir in coconut sugar, salt, and spices. Whisk until salt and coconut sugar are fully dissolved and everything is incorporated. Cool.
Place the pork belly in a container and pour in the cooled brine. Place the container in the refrigerator and allow to brine at least 8 hours or overnight.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F fan-forced. Drain the brine from the pork belly and spread out into a large roasting tray in a single layer.
Bake in the middle of hot oven for 40-60 minutes until deep golden brown. If you wish to caramelize the pork belly, turn the oven temperature to 200C/400F fan-forced and cook 20 more minutes until caramelised. (I didn't bother) Serve with your favourite salad.

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Tomato Salad with Fourme d'Ambert and Fresh Herbs

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

A refreshing and delicious everyday salad with a mix of tomatoes and fourme d'ambert - one of France's oldest and most-prized cheeses, dressed with a simple truffle vinaigrette.
Fourme Ambert is a mild blue cheese that was traditionally made with raw cow's milk in Auvergne region of France. It is known for its narrow cylindrical shape and has delicate aromas and unique flavour. “Fourme” in French means “mould”, as in the container that is used to shape the cheese. A village called “Ambert” was the centre of production for Fourme d’Ambert Cheese.

	Truffle Vinaigrette
400 g A mix of cherry tomatoes, halved 1 Red onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used basil and flat parsley) Salad greens of your choice 100 g Fourme d'Ambert, cut into cubes	1 tbsp Truffle oil 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp White wine vinegar 1/3 tsp Honey 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard Salt and black pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients to make a uniform dressing. Store in the fridge until ready for use.
Rinse and dry cherry tomatoes. Slice them in half and place in a large bowl. Add in chopped red onion and fresh herbs. Add in half of the dressing and gently toss to combine.
Place the leafy greens on a serving platter. Spoon the tomatoe salad over. Sprinkle the fourme d'ambert cubes on top. Serve with the remaining dressing.

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Roasted Stuffed Chicken Thighs

Monday, May 17, 2021

Chicken thighs are super cheap and bursting with flavour. These are filled with a wild garlic stuffing for a tasty and budget-friendly meal. You can stuff chicken thighs with anything you like, herbs, garlic, fruit, quinoa, nuts, cheese and vegetables. Try your favourite combinations and be creative.

120 g Wild garlic, chopped
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp Peppercorns
1 tsp Finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp Hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
2 tbsp Pepitas, chopped
4 tbsp Olive oil
4 / 800 g Chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
Salt and pepper

Rinse wild garlic thoroughly and dry. Roughly chop them. Crush the fennel seeds and peppercorns finely in a mortar and pestle. Place chopped wild garlic in a vegetable chopper together with crushed fennel seeds and peppercorns, lemon zest, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Process until the mixture has a paste-like consistency.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Loosen the skin of each chicken thigh, then ease the paste under it. Season all over, then put in a baking tray and roast for 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the skin is crisp. Serve with pearly barley salad or simply with a side salad.

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Turkish Simit with A Twist

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Simit, Turkish sesame bread ring, is the most well-known and popular street food in Turkey. The dough is first twisted and shaped into a ring, then dipped in a grape molasses solution diluted with water, which helps the seeds stick to the simit and gives them a hint of sweetness. It's crusty, filling and very tasty. Great as a breakfast with butter, cheese and olives, or as an easy lunch with a bowl of soup or simply plain. However, I thought I would experiement it with some beet juice and poppy seeds instead of the more traditional sesame seeds. I guess not all the Turkish friends would approve, but it's FUN. So why not? Sunflower seeds and pepitas would be great as the coating too.

Dough	Topping
170 ml Luke-warm water 30 ml Beetroot juice 12 g Fresh yeast (or 5 g dried yeast) 350 g All purpose flour (I use German#550) 1 tsp Sea salt	4 tbsp Molasses (use grape molasses if you could find some) 3 tbsp Water Poppy seeds

Mix water, beetroot juice and yeast in a bowl. Leave for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in yeast mixture. Mix on slow speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Return to the bowl and cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel. Set aside to proof for 45-60 minutes.
Mix the molasses and water in a bowl until well combined. Divide the dough into 8 even portions. Roll each portion into a 45cm long rope. Take two dough ropes and place them alongside one another. Braid them together and squeeze the two ends together to form a ring. Repeat with the remaining ropes to make 4 simits.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Dip each bread ring into the molasses mixture and coat with poppy seeds. Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and set aside for 10 minutes.
Bake for about 18 minutes until nicely golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy it with butter while they are still warm.

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Dukkah Eggs with Blistered Pimientos de Padrón

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Coated with dukkah, paired with blistered pimientos de padrón, these eggs are guaranteed to spice up your breakfast or a light lunch. Serve them with your favourite sauce, like hummus, avocado sauce or herbed yoghurt.
Pimientos de padrón or just padron peppers, are small, Spanish green peppers with a sweet mild taste. They're super-simple to make, requiring little prep and just five minutes of cooking. Dukkah is a middle Eastern spice blend consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts and spices.

4 Medium eggs, at room-temperature
2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp Dukkah spice mix
200 g Pimientos de padrón
Flaky sea salt

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add eggs and simmer for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs. Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop the egg from cooking any further.
Peel the eggs and brush them with one tablespoon of olive oil. Place dukkha on a plate and roll the eggs in the dukkha. Set aside.
Wash the padron peppers and dry well. The drier they are, the better they’ll brown and blister. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Fry the peppers, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until blistered and browned.
Transfer the peppers to a serving plate and season with some sea salt. Sprinkle with some dukkah if desired. Serve with dukkah egg and your favourite sauce.