Steak Tagliata with Black Olive and Parmesan Dressing
Tuesday, August 06, 2024One of Italy's most popular ways to prepare steak--Tagliata which gets its name from the Italian verb tagliare, meaning 'to cut or slice'. It's perfect for any steak night dinner. Steak tagliata usually calls for sirloin, aka rump or flank, but I much prefer the texture and flavour of fatty ribeye. Traditionally, it's prepared on a grill, but you can easily make this with a grill pan or just a regular skillet.
Butter-dipped Radishes
Monday, August 05, 2024Radishes dipped with softened butter and sprinkled with sea salt is a classic low-carb snack in French cuisine. The secret to this French canapé is in the quality ingredients. So use the best unsalted butter, fresh, mild radishes (I used tri-coloured radishes) and sea salt, like fleur de sel or herb/spiced salt. I used kala namak black rock salt because I love it. The butter really works to tame the pungency and peppery flavour of the radishes and, of course, a little salt simply enhances the flavour.
Lime, Chilli and Spring Onion Chicken Drumsticks
Sunday, August 04, 2024A delightful chicken recipe, adapted from Dish, with fresh lime, spring onion, and a little spicy kick. The dressing was added at the end of roasting, so the chicken became sticky without burning and the zingy lime flavour stays fresh. Serve this dish with rice and your favorite vegetable.
Green Bean Salad with Bacon and Grated Eggs
Saturday, August 03, 2024Green beans are such a versatile vegetable. Blanch them and toss with crispy bacon, shaved egg and a wholegrain Dijon mustard vinaigrette for a delicious green bean salad that's perfect for lunch or dinner party. You can prepare green beans, bacon, dressing and eggs in advance and store separate in the refrigerator. Put it together just before serving. Haricots verts are French green beans, they are thinner, longer and straighter and cook faster.
Malt Loaf
Friday, August 02, 2024There's something very comforting and pleasurable about a cup of tea with a thick slice of sticky buttered malt loaf--an easy, favourite British teatime treat known for its rich, sticky texture and malty flavour. The key to a great malt loaf is in the fruit-soaking – overnight at room temperature. For maximum flavour and texture, wrap the finished loaf and leave it for a couple of days before tucking in.
Any dried fruit is fine for malt loaf. Chop larger fruits like dates, figs, prunes or apricots to the size of raisins before using. You can adjust the amount of malt extract according to your taste. For this recipe, I used 5 tablespoons.
Blackberry Tart
Thursday, August 01, 2024Finally blackberry time again - and therefore time for a delicious blackberry pastry. Perhaps you have some bushes in your garden or neighbourhood that bear lots of the delicious fruit. If that's the case, then you should definitely try baking this blackberry tart. And of course, you can always go get some from the supermarkets.
Somehow blackberries are always somewhat overshadowed by strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. Yet they are so pretty, flavourful and great for our health! In this cake / tart, I replaced the white sugar with sugar alcohol (you can use either xylitol or erythritol) to make it a less guilty treat. Both pastry and filling can be prepared separately one day ahead, then bake next day. Cool the tart thoroughly before slicing to get a nice clean slice. If you can wait, refrigerate the tart until the filling is set, 1-2 hours.
Tuna Pâté
Wednesday, July 31, 2024This creamy, rich tuna pâté, adapted from food&wine, is super simple and takes no time at all to prepare. They go well with raw vegetables, crackers or toasted baguette. It's a great way to turn a can of tuna into a healthy appetiser for entertaining, snack or a light lunch. My preference is for tuna in olive oil, but you could use the one in sunflower oil if preferred.