Skordalia (Greek garlic dip)

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 Belinda

This is a super dip to have with raw veggies or warm pita bread
1 lb yellow potatoes
2 tbsp + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 cloves garlic (about one head), roughly chopped
½ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup slivered almonds
zest and juice of one lemon
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
optional garnish – 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
to serve alongside – cucumbers, radishes, carrots, or crusty bread

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot, then add 2 tablespoons salt and potatoes to the pot and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small frying pan and when hot, add the almonds. Let them sauté for 30 seconds, then add the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds then remove from heat.
Add the garlic, almonds, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until mostly smooth.
Add the potatoes and olive oil to the food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl or plate and top with an additional drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley, if desired.
Serve with a medley of veggies or warm bread.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Asparagus with labneh, brown butter and burnt lemon

June 3, 2023June 3, 2023 Belinda

Ottolenghi’s super recipe.

It’s no secret that asparagus enjoys a good soak in the old brown-butter (bubble) bath, which we’ve generously accommodated for. There are so many textures going on here, from tender asparagus to creamy labneh and hints of burnt lemon. The burnt lemon is a clever way to use up excess lemon peel by roasting it on a high heat until nicely charred. The result: a fragrant, bitter and intense condiment to sprinkle on to both sweet and savory dishes. Plan ahead by making the labneh the night before or, alternatively, use store-bought labneh or some thick-set Greek yoghurt.

Serves 4

900g thick-stemmed asparagus (2–3 bunches), woody ends trimmed (450g)
3 tbsp olive oil
70g unsalted butter
2 sprigs of thyme, plus 1 tsp picked leaves
1 tsp light soft brown sugar
salt and black pepper

Labneh:
650g Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Burnt lemon:
2 unwaxed lemons

1. Make the labneh by putting the yoghurt and ½ teaspoon of salt into a bowl and mixing well to combine. Line a medium sieve with a piece of cheesecloth or a clean tea towel, with plenty of cloth hanging over the sides. Add the yoghurt, using the overhanging cloth to completely encase it, then set the sieve over a clean bowl and place a weight on top (a couple of tins will do). Refrigerate overnight. When the labneh is ready, discard the liquid collected and transfer the labneh to a clean bowl. You’ll make about 300g of labneh. Stir in the garlic and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

3. Make the burnt lemon. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the lemons into long strips – don’t worry if you get some of the pith. You want 30g in total. Set aside a couple of strips and put the remainder on a small baking parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 9–12 minutes, until completely dry and mostly blackened (they’ll shrivel up significantly). Finely grind with a pestle and mortar, then pass through a sieve, to catch any large pieces (discard these). Set the burnt lemon powder aside. Scrape away any pith from the reserved strips, and very finely julienne them. Set aside.

4. Reset the oven to a high grill setting. Put the asparagus, oil, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper on a large baking tray lined with foil, give everything a good mix, then arrange the spears so they’re not overlapping. Grill on the highest shelf for 8–10 minutes, until tender and nicely browned. Ovens can vary, so check at the 6-minute mark.

5. Meanwhile, make the browned butter by first putting the butter into a small saucepan and placing it on a medium-high heat. Once melted, continue to cook for a further 3–4 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until nicely browned and smelling nutty. Add the thyme sprigs (careful, the fat will spit!), then stir in the brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon of the burnt lemon powder and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Set aside to cool down slightly, about 5 minutes.

6. While the butter is cooling, segment one of the peeled lemons. Use a small sharp knife to trim away any excess pith, then cut between the membranes to release the segments and roughly chop each into 3–4 pieces. Juice the remaining lemon to give you 4 teaspoons of juice. Add the juice and all the segments to the browned butter mixture.

7. Spread the labneh out on a platter or plate, and top with the asparagus, so that the spears are all facing in the same direction. Pour over the browned butter, then scatter over the picked thyme. Lastly, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the burnt lemon powder and the lemon strips.

Accompaniments · Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Sauces

Aji Verde (Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce)

March 3, 2023March 6, 2023 Belinda

Recipe from food blog, “Cookie and Kate”

Aji verde is spicy Peruvian green sauce, made with cilantro, jalapeños, a little mayonnaise and Parmesan. It is utterly irresistible drizzled onto tacos, used as a dip for tortilla chips, shrimp and as a sauce for roast chicken, french fries, fish, beef… absolutely anything!!

Yield: 1 ¼ cups, but can be easily doubled or trebled

½ cup mayonnaise
2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro, mostly leaves but small stems are ok (from 1 big bunch of cilantro or 1 ½ medium)
2 medium jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed but reserved, roughly chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
⅓ cup (1 ounce) grated Cotija or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until the cilantro has broken into very tiny pieces and the sauce is green and mostly smooth (no matter how long you blend it, it will still have some texture to it).
Taste, and adjust if necessary.
This sauce is intentionally bold and spicy and I usually think it’s just right as written. However, if the flavor is too overwhelming, blend in 1 tablespoon of olive oil while running the food processor. If it’s not spicy enough, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds and blend again.
If it doesn’t have enough zip, add another tablespoon of lime juice and/or a pinch of salt.
Aji verde keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week.

NOTES
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: Simply omit the Parmesan. To temper the flavor a bit, drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil while running the food processor.

MAKE IT VEGAN: I think you could replace the mayonnaise with equal parts vegan sour cream, and omit the cheese.

Yum!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free

Baked feta with cherry tomatoes

February 5, 2023February 5, 2023 Belinda

This recipe is superb and is an adaptation of a viral TikTok video used with pasta. Serve with warm focaccia bread.

4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1lb sweet cherry tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 good-sized shallot or 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 small red chillies (sliced) or a good pinch or dried red chili flakes
Flaky sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
10 oz block Greek feta or a couple of smaller ones. (It doesn’t have to be exactly 10 oz)
A good handful fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chili honey, to drizzle
Good bread for serving

Heat the oven to 400F. Place one rack in the middle of the oven and one near the top, under the broiler.

Put 2 tbsp olive oil into an 8″ or 9″ oven-proof baking dish that is presentable.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, chopped thyme, shallots and chillies. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to coat, then add the blocks of feta. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil over the feta and tomatoes, crack more pepper and gently toss without breaking the feta blocks.

Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven for 20-30 minutes. After that, transfer to the broiler rack and change the setting to the BROIL, watching carefully incase it burns. Broil on high for 5-8 mins or until the tomatoes are starting to char and blister.
Meanwhile, heat up the bread in a toaster oven or another oven.
When the tomato/feta dish is ready, pull out the dish and add the torn basil leaves, gently stirring to combine so the feta “smooshes” into the tomatoes and it becomes a gooey mess!
Drizzle with the chili honey and serve

Appetizer Vegetarian · Holiday Food

Bourbon Glazed Cranberry Baked Brie Holiday Wreath

December 24, 2022December 24, 2022 Belinda

My stepdaughter, Sharon made this for our pre-Christmas family dinner last night and it was really super. Well worth making!
Recipe c/o “Brunch with Babs”

1 (16 oz) wheel of Brie, cold
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped raw pecans
1 tbsp bourbon
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2/3 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1 package frozen dinner rolls – number of rolls dependent on pan size
Egg wash – 1 egg in 1 tbsp water
Rosemary and pomegranate seeds for garnish
For bow: an assortment of herbs including rosemary and sage plus some twine to wrap

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.

Line baking pan with parchment and spray or oil lightly. Peel or slice the top rind of the Brie, being careful not to remove any of the cheese. Place brie wheel in the center of baking pan.

Line up the dough balls around the brie in a single layer (in 2 rows), as snug as possible. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest in warm spot for at least 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, pecans, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. After the dough has risen, top the brie wheel with cranberry sauce and nut mixture.

Brush the wreath with egg wash. Bake wreath until golden brown and puffed up, about 15 to 20 minutes dependent on bread and pan you use. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Brush oil onto bread and sprinkle with course salt. Garnish wreath with the pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs. To make the herb bow – just bundle a bunch of herbs and tie with kitchen twine.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Holiday Food

Baked blue-cheese cake with pickled beetroot and honey

December 21, 2022August 5, 2023 Belinda

Another beauty from Yotam Ottolenghi

“The pickled beetroot needs to be made the day before. It keeps for a few weeks in the fridge, so can be made well ahead of time. You’ll make more than you need for this recipe, so keep any leftovers in the fridge to spoon alongside grilled fish or cheese. If you are short on time, dicing some ready-pickled beetroot is a perfectly good substitute.

“You can bake these in wide ramekins or small soufflé tins, but the recipe also works well as one large cheese cake. If you go for one large cake you’ll need to double the base mix quantity and increase the cooking time to 45 minutes. Make sure, also, that you grease and line the whole tin (rather than just the base) before the batter gets poured in. Finally, instead of serving it at once, you’ll need to let it cool for an hour before releasing it from the tin and reheating.”

Serves 8

For the pickled beetroot:
3 large beetroots (670g), skin on and scrubbed clean
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
10g sprigs of thyme
½ tsp black peppercorns
50g caster sugar
500ml red wine vinegar
coarse sea salt

For the base:
40g unsalted butter, fridge-cold and cut into 2cm dice, plus 20g extra, melted, for greasing the moulds
50g pumpkin seeds, toasted
5 digestive biscuits (75g), roughly crumbled. (You could substitute Graham crackers at a push)
40g coarsely grated Parmesan

For the cheese cake:
20g unsalted butter
1 medium leek, trimmed, white and green parts finely sliced (125g)
360g cream cheese
170g creme fraiche
80g double cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20g chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped basil
100g Stilton (or a mixture of
75g Valdeon and 25g Gorgonzola), roughly crumbled
4 eggs, lightly beaten

To serve:
40g runny honey (mixed, optionally, with a few drops of truffle oil)
30g hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed
15g baby basil or regular basil leaves

Place all the ingredients for the pickled beetroot in a medium saucepan, for which you have a lid, and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Pour over 800ml of water – all the beetroots should be submerged, so add a little bit more water, if you need to – and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 35–40 minutes, covered, until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside until completely cool. Lift out the beetroots, then peel and cut them into 1cm dice. Strain the pickling liquid, discard the bay, thyme and peppercorns, and return the liquid to a medium heat for about 25 minutes, until reduced by half and with about 600ml left in the pan. Set aside to cool, then pour the liquid over the beetroots. Keep in the fridge for 24 hours before using.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Lightly grease eight 12cm wide ramekins or soufflé tins and place a circle of baking parchment in the base of each.

Place all the ingredients for the cheese cake base in a food processor, with ½ teaspoon of salt. Blitz well to form fine crumbs, then divide between the ramekins, pressing down evenly and firmly. Set aside until ready to use.

Place the butter for the cheese cake in a small pan and add the leek. Cook on a medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the leek is soft but still retains its colour. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a large mixing bowl along with the cream cheese, crème fraîche, double cream, garlic, chives, basil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well to form a smooth paste before adding the blue cheese and eggs. Fold gently, then pour the mixture into the individual ramekins. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the mixture is cooked and a skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve at once, in the ramekins or soufflé tins, with a drizzle of the honey and the hazelnuts and basil sprinkled on top. The beetroot, strained, can be spooned on top of the cheese cakes, before the garnishes, or served alongside.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Holiday Food

Whipped Goat Cheese with Bacon & Dates

December 15, 2022February 16, 2023 Belinda

Creamy whipped goat cheese topped with crispy bacon, sweet dates, caramelized shallots, and fried rosemary…served with toasted bread for dipping

Serves 8-10
6 oz raw bacon slices
12 oz crumbled goat cheese, at room temperature
½ cup greek yogurt
4 tbsp honey, split
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tbsp water
¼ tsp kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
12 medjool dates, pitted + roughly chopped (about 6 oz chopped)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
toasted bread or crackers, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lay the bacon in one, even layer in a 12” cast-iron skillet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crisp.
Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese, greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey, olive oil, water, salt, and a few cracks of black pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spoon the whipped goat cheese out onto a large plate or into a shallow bowl. Set aside.
Transfer the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Place the skillet (with all of the bacon drippings) over medium heat. Add the rosemary sprigs. Allow the rosemary to fry on both sides until crisp. Transfer it to the plate of bacon to drain.
Add the shallots to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes until caramelized and tender. Stir in the dates, apple cider vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for just about a minute until reduced and sticky.
Spoon the date mixture over the goat cheese. Crumble the bacon and rosemary leaves over top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and a few more cracks of black pepper. Serve with toasted bread or crackers alongside for dipping.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free · Salad

Watermelon and feta salad with marinated olives and preserved lemon

September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 Belinda

Recipe by Ottolenghi

1 small watermelon (1.6kg)

Kalamata olives:
50ml olive oil
1 medium red chili, thinly sliced into rounds
1 small garlic clove, skin on and lightly crushed
3 thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
35g preserved lemons skin, julienned (the skin from about 2 small preserved lemons)
25 black Kalamata olives, pitted (100g)
coarse sea salt and black pepper

To serve:
100g feta, lightly crumbled into 1–2cm chunks
70g pickled watermelon rind, drained (optional; see introduction)
15g basil leaves
10g mint leaves

Place the olive oil for the olives in a small saucepan on a medium heat with the chili, garlic, thyme, rosemary and preserved lemon, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and a grind of black pepper. Warm through gently for 4–5 minutes then remove from the heat. Set aside to cool, then pour over the olives. Set aside until ready to use: they can be used straight away but their flavor will intensify if you keep them marinating for 24 hours before serving.

Quarter the watermelon, cut out the red flesh and set the skin – with the white rind attached – aside. Cut each section of red flesh, width-ways, into 1cm thick slices, then cut each slice into smaller triangles, about 6cm long and 3cm wide. You will need 600g of flesh (discarding the seeds if you like) for the salad, so anything in excess of this can be set aside for snacking. If pickling the watermelon rind, see here for instructions on what to do next.

When ready to serve, spread the fresh watermelon wedges out on a large platter or individual plates and sprinkle the feta on top, along with the pickled watermelon rind, if using. Spoon over the olives and their marinade, discarding the garlic, rosemary and most of the thyme. Finish with the basil and mint leaves, tearing them as you go, along with a couple of sprigs of the thyme and serve at once.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead

Labneh with olives, pistachios and oregano

September 4, 2022May 2, 2024 Belinda

Serves 4

1lbs labneh
20 black olives, pitted
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Grated zest of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml olive oil
30g pistachios, lightly toasted
30g pine nuts, lightly toasted
½ tsp flaked chilli
Coarse sea salt

Use the back of a spoon to spread the labneh over a platter creating a loose wavy pattern, about 2cm thick.

Next, dice the olives or chop roughly. Place them in a bowl and add the oregano, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil.
Use a pestle and mortar to crush the nuts unevenly, leaving some just broken and others finely crushed; add to the olive mix and stir. Add some coarse sea salt to taste, or you can sprinkle some on at the end. You can alter the amount of ingredients depending on your preference.

Spoon the olive mix over the labneh clearing about 2cm away from the edge (you don’t need to use the whole quantity if you want your labneh a bit milder). Sprinkle with chili and serves with wither torn bread chunks or crackers.