Soba noodles with miso and baby eggplant

April 2, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

Another vegetarian, Asian influenced dish. I just love the combination of flavors and ease of creating.

Serves 4
9 oz soba noodles
3 tsp dashi granules
1 1/2 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 1/2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
6 baby eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 cup cooked peas (if using frozen, boil them in water for 3 minutes and drain)
3 scallions (spring onions) sliced thinly on the diagonal
toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Cook the noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water fr 5 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water.
Dissolve the dashi granules in 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Stir in the miso paste, soy sauce and mirin.
Heat half the oils in a large frying pan over high heat.
Cook the eggplant slices for 4 minutes, or until golden on both sides. Set aside and use the remaining oil to cook the second batch of eggplant.
Put the first batch of cooked eggplant slices back in the pan and stir in the garlic and ginger, then the miso mixture and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and the eggplant is cooked. Add the noodles and peas and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Serve the noodles in shallow bowls and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta & toasted almonds

April 1, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta and toasted almonds

This is one of the most popular appetizers I serve at home. The recipe started out as one from Nigella Lawson and each time I made it I added ingredients and this is the culmination. It is absolutely divine and is a real taste – tickler!

Serves 4 but is easily augmented.
4 good sized red peppers
a good handful fresh basil leaves
4 – 5 scallions or 1 bunch if you like a lot of scallions, sliced across in 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthways
One 7oz block Greek feta cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds (the ones with the skins showing at the edges)
Good balsamic vinegar
Good extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

There are two short stages at the beginning which are easy, but important.
1/ About 4 – 5 hours before you want to serve this dish, (or the day before) put your four red peppers over each gas burner turned on full and leave on there until they get nice and black.
Turn them, using kitchen tongs and let the entire skin get good and charred, then either put them in a large glass bowl and immediately cover with cling film and set aside, or get three paper supermarket bags inside each other and put them in there, fold over the top and clip the top shut so it’s well sealed. Leave the peppers for a couple of hours to steam, then the skins will come off really easily, revealing sweet red flesh underneath.
With a tap running, (for your hands, NOT the peppers) remove the charred skin, which should just fall off. Remove the stem and the seeds inside and put the peppers into a colander to drain.
Slice the peppers into long strips, about 1/3 to 1/2″ wide and put them into a shallow serving dish.

2/ Preheat the oven to 400F
Put the almonds on a shallow baking tray and toast until starting to brown, this could take about 10 minutes or more, but keep watching them in case they burn. Set aside until cool. (You can always do as many almonds as you like, and freeze what you don’t need, ready for the next time you make the dish)

Okay, so now the assembly part, and this is a doddle!

To the pepper strips in the shallow serving dish, add the chopped scallions, the olives and the finely sliced basil leaves. Season liberally with salt and pepper and sprinkle a good amount of balsamic vinegar over it. Add about 3 tbsp olive oil and toss the mixture until well coated. taste for seasoning, adding more balsamic or salt if needed.
Crumble up the feta cheese and sprinkle over the dish, then sprinkle a little more balsamic over the feta in decorative streams. Sprinkle a good amount of toasted almonds over the feta.
And you have a really lovely , complex flavored appetizer that people can eat with a small fork.
It is better to bring it to room temperature before serving if you are making the dish in advance, which , by the way, can be done up to 2 days before and will last a good 3 days in the fridge if there are any leftovers.

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Breakfast · Egg based · Gluten Free

Cheesey bacon and egg cups

March 31, 2014 Belinda

Cheesey bacon and egg cups

Sometimes one has to have some fun with food, especially at breakfast which can get very tedious.
These are a lot of fun and really tasty
bacon
eggs
Seasonings of your choice
grated sharp cheese (optional)

On medium heat, fry the bacon on a skillet until lightly browned on each side, but still pliable.
Make sure it doesn’t get crispy because it will continue to cook in the oven and it needs to be able to bend in side the muffin tins.
Drain the bacon on paper towels and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line the muffin tins with the bacon slices. To make it easier, line the tin with the meat side on the bottom and the fat side on the top.
Cover the bottom of the muffin cup with a piece of bacon, then sprinkle it with some grated cheese.
Crack an egg into each cup. Sprinkle with seasoning of your choice, salt and pepper. (You can also sprinkle some more cheese over the top at this stage, or leave the egg visible.
Bake until set, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Loosen from the cups and remove. Enjoy!

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

The classic British shrimp cocktail sauce

March 30, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

I can hear some of you saying “Huh? Why a recipe for this?” Well, having lived in the US for 17 years, I feel the need to post this recipe, as a shrimp cocktail sauce here is a very acidic, tomato sauce, rather than the smooth, creamy, tangy sauce I was brought up with in New Zealand and the UK. Do try this very easy recipe, and simply boil a bunch of good sized shrimp in advance until just cooked, leave to cool and serve with this divine sauce and some shredded lettuce or curly lettuce underneath.

Serves 6

Cocktail sauce ingredients
1 cup of best quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
2 tsp Worcester sauce
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 or 2 drops of hot sauce
2lbs cooked medium sized shrimp, peeled and tails intact as it’s easier to pick them up.
lettuce shredded or curly lettuce like frisee and lemon wedges for serving

For the cocktail sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Toss in the shrimp and toss around in the sauce till they are coated.
Arrange the shredded lettuce in attractive glass dishes and put a pile of the sauced shrimp on top of the lettuce.
Garnish with a dusting of paprika and a wedge of lemon.

There! Now I feel better already!

Appetizers · Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Meat

Thai ginger lettuce wraps

March 30, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Thai ginger pork lettuce wraps

This is a really easy dish to make and can be such fun to serve with a big platter of sturdy small lettuce leaves and a big bowl of the spicy, gorgeous Thai ginger pork.
Stick it in the center of the table, whether for starters or a main course and everyone can help themselves. It certainly cuts out the formality of dining with guests. Very low carb and inexpensive to make too

Serves 3 – 4 but can be easily doubled.
3/4 lb ground pork (you can use dark meat turkey, if you don’t eat pork)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp grapeseed oil, or canola oil
One 8 oz can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
24 Boston Bibb lettuce leaves, baby romaine lettuce leaves or a small lettuce leaf strong enough to hold the meat filling.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground meat with the bell pepper, garlic, ginger, chili sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and 1 tbsp of the grapeseed oil. Mix well.
In a large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tsp oil until shimmering.
Add the ground meat mixture and stir fry over high heat, breaking up, until it is cooked through and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the water chestnuts, scallions, oyster sauce and cilantro and remove from the heat.
Spoon the ground meat mixture into bowls. Stack the lettuce leaves on plates.
To eat, spoon the meat onto the lettuce leaf, roll up and eat!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Middle Eastern Hummus

March 28, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Middle Eastern Hummus

Everyone needs a good recipe for hummus and as soon as you make it, you’ll wonder why you spent so much money buying it!

1 cup of good quality chickpeas (soaked overnight in twice the water volume and a pinch of baking soda)
or, if time doesn’t allow to soak, use a good quality tin of cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
2 tsp roasted cumin seeds (roast in a frying pan until fragrant)
1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste with a little salt
4 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
About 6 fl oz of good olive oil
** You can also add some fresh chopped chili for more flavor

Place the soaked chickpeas in a large pot and fill with fresh water, cook for about 45 to 60 mins until they are tender. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.
Place the chickpeas, cumin seeds, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and 2 tbsp of reserved cooking liquid in a food processor. Add about 3 fl oz of the olive oil and process, for a minute. Then add extra olive oil and cooking liquid to this mixture to get a smooth consistency.
Salt and pepper to taste

Fish · Nuts · Salad

Oil Packed-Tuna, Avocado, White Bean, Almond and Arugula Salad

March 27, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

This almost doesn’t need a recipe, but the combination is so delicious and healthy, I had to post it.

Serves 4 and makes about 1/3 cup dressing
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
honey
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 to 5 oz baby arugula
1/3 cup of lightly toasted slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (white kidney beans) canned is fine.
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
6 oz olive oil-packed tuna (preferably line or poll caught)
4 oz crumbled Greek feta cheese
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and diced small

Whisk together the lemon juice, balsamic, Dijon, a pinch of salt and a couple of twists of black pepper in a small bowl until well combined.
Add honey to taste and slowly whisk in the olive oil until well combined.
Taste and add more salt, pepper or honey if desired.
* The dressing can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Arrange the arugula in a salad bowl and top with the beans, quinoa, tuna, feta, almonds and avocado.
Drizzle with half the dressing and serve, passing the additional dressing on the side

Fish · Gluten Free

Orange scented halibut with fennel, orange, red onions and oregano

March 26, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

This is the loveliest, simplest and lightest summery dish. I have modified this recipe which originally came from Rachel Ray. The Sicilian flavor combo of orange, red onion, oregano and fennel is such a stunningly tangy combination with the sauteed fish.

Serves 4

4 (6 ounce) halibut fillets
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp plus some for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Grated rind of 2 oranges, keep the rest of the orange for the warm salad part of the recipe
3 to 4 medium bulbs of fennel, quartered, core removed and thinly sliced
1 large red onion, or two smaller ones, thinly sliced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar, a couple of splashes
A good handful of Italian parsley, chopped
1 1/2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves.

Heat the oven to 450 F
Drizzle the olive oil over the fish and season with the salt, pepper and grated orange rind. Let the fish sit in the marinade to soak up the oils of the grated orange zest while you prepare the oranges.

Peel the oranges as you would a melon; cut off the ends, stand them upright and cut the pith in thin strips from top to bottom. Cut the orange across into thin slices.

Put about 3 or 4 tbsp olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the halibut and sear on one side for about 5 minutes.
While it is searing, preheat another skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil to the pan, about two turns of the pan, then add the fennel and onions, season well with salt and pepper and cook 5 to 8 minutes until seared and beginning to soften.
While the fennel is cooking, turn the halibut and sear for about 3 minutes.
Put the frying pan with the halibut into the top of the hot oven for about 4 minutes while you’re finishing off the fennel dish and plating it.
Add the vinegar to the fennel mixture and give the pan a shake. Remove from the heat and toss in the orange slices, the parsley and oregano. Mix together gently.
Adjust seasoning and serve it on dinner plates topped with the halibut.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Egg based · Gluten Free

60 second aioli (garlic mayonnaise) to die for

March 26, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

This is the most wonderful garlic aioli, and all you need is a platter of crudites (raw vegetables) and bread and you have a fabulous starter for a crowd.
It is highly recommended to purchase a stick blender like this one;

Then all you need is;
3 large whole cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
4 eggs, at room temp
2 to 2 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt

Get a tall glass jar and put in the garlic halves and the 4 whole eggs.
Now, add your stick blender and sit it on the bottom of the jar, over the ingredients and turn on.

Very gradually, add the olive oil in a steady stream, keeping the stick blender on all the time.

You will end up with a gorgeous thick garlic mayonnaise. Now put in the lemon juice a tsp sat a time, sprinkle in a little salt, blend with the stick blender, and taste until it’s the perfect flavor for you!