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Persian Cucumber Salad with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette and Za'atar

Saturday, July 03, 2021

Take the humble cucumbers to new heights with this easy, refreshing salad tossed with smoked paprika vinaigrette and sprinkled with a homemade za'atar. Any cucumber will do in this salad, but I just love the mini thin-skinned Persian variety. It's perfect as a side for an outdoor grill.
Persian cucumbers are thin-skinned and only grow to be about five to six inches long and remain quite narrow. They are crispier and have a mild and sweet flavour. You can use other mini cucmbers too.
Za'atar is typically a combination of dried oregano, thyme, and/or marjoram with sumac and toasted sesame seeds. You can purchase this middle Eastern spice mix or easily make your own at home.

Salad & Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette	Za'atar Spice Blend
120 ml Extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar 1 Shallot, minced 1 tsp Dijon mustard 3/4 sp Smoked paprika 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Freshly ground pepper 750 g Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise 1 tbsp Chopped fresh dill Pink peppercorns, to garnish, optional	1 tbsp Dried thyme 1 tsp Dried oregano 2 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted 1 tbsp Sumac 1/2 tsp Salt

Place olive oil, vinegar, shallot, Dijon, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a blender or a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Blend or shake until well combined.
To make a za'atar, just stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.
Toss cucumbers in a large bowl with the dressing. Chill, tossing once, for 1-2 hours. Just before serving, add dill and toss to combine.
Arrange them on a platter. Sprinkle some za'atar and pink peppercorns if using.

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Easy Spelt Carrot Bread

Thursday, July 01, 2021

This easy, quick carrot bread would make a great breakfast with Greek yoghurt and fresh seasonal fruit. The grated carrot and honey give this bread wonderful soft crumb texture and mild sweetness. If you want to pamper yourself with something extra and richer, top the bread with a generous smear of (nut) butter or even cream cheese frosting!

100 g Whole spelt flour
140 g Refined spelt flour
12 g Baking powder
1 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground cloves
1 Large pinch of nutmeg
1 Large pinch of salt
220 g Finely grated carrots
80 g Honey
2 Large eggs
100 ml Olive oil (or avocado oil)
80 g Rum soaked raisins
4 Left over seedy crackers for the topping (or walnuts), break into smaller pieces
2 tsp Raw brown sugar for the topping

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Grease a 21x10x8cm loaf pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baing powder, spices, and salt. Peel and grate the carrots, set aside.
Place honey, eggs, and olive oil in another bowl. Beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches and stir with a spatula until just combined. Add in carrot and raisins. Fold to combine.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with seedy crackers or walnuts. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean that is inserted in the center and the top is golden brown and crunchy. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

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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.