Pumpkin, Barley and Tofu Miso

When I’m feeling the need for a meal that can impart a bit of love and affection, this wholesome braise is always a success. The original recipe that I have adapted is from the Gourmet Traveller Asian Favourites. I usually double the recipe, as I think the flavours are even more pronounced the next day when the barley grains have been left to marinate and soak up all the confidence of this flavourful broth.

Combine 1tbsp powdered dashi with 500ml warmwater and set aside. Heat oil in a large heavy based casserole dish and cook wedges of about ½ a jap pumpkinin batches until golden brown. Add ½ cup pearl barley, 40ml sake, 2 tsp soy and the dashi liquid. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the pumpkin is just tender, this should take about 30 minutes. Just before the pumpkin is cooked, add in an assortment of mushrooms. I love using a mix of different sizes and textures to add a bit of curiosity to the dish. Stir through 2 tsp shiro miso,add 100g silken tofu and 4 finely sliced green onions, simmering until onion is tender and tofu is warmed through. Garnish with fried shallots and coriander.

Cupcakes

When an event comes around that calls for a celebration, what better way to spread the cheer than engaging in the one incredibly therapeutic ritual… baking and decorating adorable little cupcakes!

My mum is an incredible baker, and her cupcake recipe is so simple to make and works every time.

Combine 125g butter, 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups plain flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 2/3 cups caster sugar, ¼ milk, and 1 tsp vanilla in a bowl and beat for 4 minutes. Divide into patty cases and bake in a preheated 180°C oven for about 20 minutes until golden.

My favourite part of making cupcakes is the intricate task of decorating. This particular festival of creation was a bit of a family affair, as we were fortunate enough to acquire my darling uncle’s chef like dexterity, which came as an absolute gift when we decided one hundred fondant roses were to embellish our little cupcakes!

There are plenty of great tutorials on YouTube on how to make various styles of edible sugar roses. I found this one to be quite helpful and easy to follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILo0h79d9uw

Making each individual petal as delicate and dainty as we could, we sat layering petal by petal to ultimately create these beautiful little roses. Once you settle in to find your rhythm and petal placement style, this task seems to have the effect of eroding time.  I become aware that neither my uncle nor I have been conscious of the clock and in the pursuit of perfection, spent four short hours fiddling with fondant. When the last rose is assembled, what a wonderful sense of achievement!

Now to assemble these miniature masterpieces! I found it easiest to pipe from the centre of the cake in a consistent outward then upward swirl.  As with creating the sugar roses, everyone tends to go about their method slightly different, so it’s just about playing around with what works best for you!

Fillet steak w braised red cabbage, roasted red capsicum and baby asparagus

Shopping at the fruit and veg market, these gorgeous baby asparagus caught my eye.

The flavour combinations in this dish could be considered bold, but I promise you, the nuttiness of asparagus, bite of cabbage, richness of egg, sweetness of capsicum and that distinct barbeque smokiness of the steak all tie together beautifully.

Cooking this cabbage accompaniment is so ridiculously simple!  Fry diced onion in a little olive oil until translucent. Add ½ a red cabbage, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 3 tbsp brown sugar, ½ cup apple cider and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Season with salt and nutmeg.

To roast capsicum, turn barbeque to medium heat. Place capsicums on flame and char until skin is blackened and blistering. Remove, and place in a plastic bag or a bowl covered with cling wrap until the steam has worked its magic and the skins can be removed easily. Chop roughly into pieces, drizzle with some good quality olive oil and season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Boil eggs.

Place the fillet steak on the barbeque and cook to your liking. About a minute before the steak is done, place asparagus spears on the griddle plate and cook until both sides are wonderfully marked. As soon as they’re ready, dress with a good squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Take the steak off the heat and let rest.

Toast off some silvered almonds in a dry pan until golden brown and that brilliant aroma is your pleasure.

Pile up all elements of the dish and finish with generous drizzle of olive oil. So delicious!

Labne

My newest obsession is labne.  I entirely adore Greek yogurt,voluptuous and velvety, so of course labne, a Middle Eastern yogurt cheese,would just as well pull at my heartstrings. It is surprisingly simple to make but requires 3 days to drain in the fridge and a piece of muslin cloth, which can be purchased from your local fabric store or a good kitchen store.

Combine 1kg Greek natural yogurt and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Line a strainer with a large square of muslin and spoon yogurt mixture into the centre.  Bring in each corner of the cloth, one at a time and secure with a knot.  Position the strainer over a bowl, ensuring that that strainer does not touch the base of the bowl and refrigerate for 3 days until all liquid has separated from the solids.

Labne can be shaped into bite-sized balls and coated in anything from seeds, nuts, fruits and spice mixes, and makes a unique and unexpected addition to any cheese board. One variation is to roll labne into balls then coat in Dukkah, which is a popular Middle Eastern mixture of nuts, spices and herbs. Place in a large jar and coat with olive oil to cover.  Will keep up to 1 month in the fridge.

Barbecued Chermoula Snapper with Roast Cauliflower, Chickpea and Quinoa Salad

With summer edging ever so near, to me nothing better illustrates sunshine like cooking a whole fish on the barbecue. Snapper has to be one of my favourite types of white fish. Its mellow flavour works so well with a variety of taste combinations and its delicate flesh couldn’t be more appealing for a dish such as this one.

When choosing a fish, look for one with a clear, unclouded stare and no fishy smell.  Ask your fish monger if he wouldn’t mind cleaning the fish for you to save the hassle and mess of doing it at home.

Chermoula is a traditional Moroccan spice rub, typically used to flavour fish or seafood. To make the mixture, Place 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp coriander seeds in a frying pan over medium heat and stir until seeds pop and an earthy fragrance fills the kitchen. Place the seeds, 1 chopped brown onion, ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ bunch coriander, ½ bunch parsley, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp ground turmeric, pinch cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a food processor, and blitz until all ingredients have been incorporated.  Let the mixture sit for a while before adding ingredients in an attempt to balance flavour.

To prepare the snapper, score the flesh diagonally along each side to allow the spice mixture to permeate. Massage the chermoula all over the fish, including inside the cavity. Position lemon slices inside the cavity, drizzle the fish with olive oil and place over a bed of seasoned red and green cabbage in an oven tray. Cover with foil and bake for about half an hour.

The fish I used weighed about 1kg and was enough to feed five.

This salad is one of my absolute favourites! It can be served alongside essentially any modest piece of meat and your dish will instantly turn into a winner. As well as being a luminary accompaniment, it is also ideal as a balanced vegetarian meal. I have adapted the Quinoa salad part of the recipe from the November 2011 issue of Gourmet Traveller.

Quinoa, a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudo-cereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption, though history suggests it has also been associated with higher spiritual and sacred beliefs and practices.

Quinoa is the most complete seed product existing due to a high protein quality, explained by a high content of the essential amino acids, such as lysine, threonine and methionine, which are of shortage in the cereals and legumes. Quinoa is also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron and other minerals. The National Academy of Science calls it ‘one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom’, which makes quinoa the perfect option for vegetarians, as the stress of having to combine a grain with a legume to achieve a complete protein is already taken care of. 

Preheat the oven to 220C. Combine 1 whole cauliflower, 2 cloves garlic, rind of 1 lemon, salt and pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in an oven tray until deliciously golden and tender. Pat 2x 400g cans of tinned chickpeas dry with absorbent paper and combine with rind of 1 lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on an oven tray until the chickpeas have become crispy and appear glistening gold.

Meanwhile, place 2 cups multicoloured quinoa and 3 cups water or vegetable stock in a saucepan and simmer until all water has been absorbed and the quinoa is luscious and fluffy. I like to use the multicoloured quinoa as I find each variety has a slightly different flavour, which creates collective harmony when combined. Aesthetically, the red, black and white look incredible come the finished dish.

Bring together a bunch each of coarsely torn mint and parsley, a couple of thinly sliced spring onions, splash of sherry vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil in bowl with the cauliflower, chickpeas and quinoa and season liberally. Labne, Greek yogurt or creamy sheep’s milk feta complement this dish exceptionally.

Meals that Heal

Like most Mondays, I decided today would be the day I create a shift in energy around eating for optimum health. I always find it easier to set the foundations of a new adventure at the beginning of the week. If I can make it to Wednesday without (usually dessert) leading me astray, it all seems more achievable from there. I am infatuated by the prodigious sensation that is eating and everything that surrounds it. This however, sometimes leads me to overindulge and lose the connection between my mind and body.

In my opinion, if you are to have healthy relationship with food, you must gain an acute awareness of your own body. Everyone is different; each body will react differently to a different approach. In today’s society it is often neglected that the body and mind work together as one. Each influences the other and each may be observed and understood through the other.

In recent years, the media has been inundated with stories on the miraculous healing powers of certain foods, what’s good for you, what’s bad for you, we are so overwhelmed by the vast amounts of information regarding food and nutrition it’s hard toknow what to believe anymore. When an outrageous claim (usually too good to be true) is made surrounding the next “it” product, get a little curious, do some research of your own. What you’ll find a lot of the time is that there isn’t any substantiated evidence to support these radical claims.  “Super Food” is one particular term that marketing companies have jumped on in order to justify their overpricing of products and whilst I believe most of these products are incredibly beneficial from a nutritional point of view, so are all our other whole foods. If fresh fruit and vegies had packaging, I’m sure they would become subject to some clever marketing and unfortunately we would probably have to pay triple for the newest “health food” on the market. My judgement is that all foods in their original state, as nature intended, are can be considered “health foods”.

Looking for inspiration, I started flicking through Meals that Heal, A Nutraceutical Approach to Diet and Health by Lisa Turner. This book provides a compelling argument that there is no substitute for whole foods; that the secret to good health lies in the life sustaining compounds called phyto-chemicals found in natural foods.  Turner identifies the Dynamic Dozen: Phyto Profiles, which includes tomatoes, cruciferous vegies, soybean, whole grains, citrus fruit, greens, red/orange/yellow fruits, red/orange/yellow vegies, fish, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, onions and garlic.

With fervency, I set about designing a meal that featured several of these phyto-chemical rich foods. What I’ve come up with is a sesame marinated tofu and wild mushroom cabbage roll with brown rice, snow pea sprouts and spring onion.

I find it most effective to marinate the tofu a day or two in advance for maximum flavour. For my marinade I used about 4 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 3 small red chillies, small knob grated ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic, squeeze of lime. Slice firm tofu into 1cm thick slices. Dry roast or fry off in a dry panto reduce moisture content so as to absorb more of the marinade. Bathe tofu in the marinade, making sure all pieces receive as much attention as the last. Seal inan airtight container and leave in the fridge so that all of the delicious flavours can marry.

Everyone seems tohave a different way of cooking rice, what I find achieves the best results is the absorption method. Put 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups water in a saucepan with a lid. As the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to a temperate simmer and leave until all liquid has been sucked up into those tasty little grains.

Place a mix of mushrooms, I’ve used a handful each of shitake, enoki, king and oyster, and 1 grated zucchini in a pan with a few drop of sesame oil. Cook on the heat until you achieve a beautiful golden colour, take care not to overcrowd your pan.

Peel off the largest of the Chinese cabbage leaves, cut out the chunky bits of stem and place leaves into a pan of simmering water until tender. Remove and leave on a board to dry out a bit ready for assembly. Finely shred the remainder of the cabbage.

To assemble this compact little dish, lay out the cabbage leaves, over lapping two or three depending on their size, so that there are no gaps. In the centre of the leaves, lay a couple tablespoons of brown rice topped with some finely shredded cabbage, snow pea sprouts, some of the mushroom mix, finely sliced spring onions and finally some of the beautifully fragrant tofu. Make sure you accessorise with plenty of the marinade drizzled over. Start by rolling the side closest to you over the filling. Next fold in each of the sides as tight as you can whilst still working with absolute dexterity as not to tear the delicate cabbage leaves. Continue to roll into a cosy little parcel and we are ready to serve!

Tofu is a vegetarian source of high quality protein andiron. It is a good source of B vitamins, potassium, zinc and other minerals whilst being low in kilojoules and saturated fats. The beneficial effect of soy foods on heart disease, some cancers, osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms is the focus of much research.

Mushrooms are rich in minerals and B complex vitamins. They provide good amounts of potassium, selenium, riboflavin, thiamin, folate and B6. They are also one of the best plant sources of niacin.

Brown rice is a whole grain. Grains containcompounds called phenolic acids, powerful antioxidants that help protect thebody’s DNA from carcinogens. Whole grains contain vitamin E, which protectscells from oxidative damage, helps prevent cancer and heart disease and booststhe immune system. When you combine the brown rice with the tofu in this recipe, we create a complete protein.

Cruciferous vegetables are packed with various phyto-chemicals that can prevent various types of cancer. The protective effect is assumed to come from the bioflavonoids, indoles, monoterpenes and other plant chemicals that inhibit tumour growth and protect cells against damage from free radicals.The cabbage in this recipe is an excellent source of vitamin C and high in fibre.

Seeds are packed with a variety of healthful compounds. Being a natural energy reserve for plants, nuts and seeds contain enough nutrients to fuels the growth of plants until they are mature enough to produce their own energy sources. As such, they’re nutritional powerhouses, containing numerous compounds including protein vitamin E and fibre.

Spanish Paella

Paella to me is quite a social dish. It evokes images of an enormous paella pan, filled with a striking combination of meats and seafood, contrasting colours and an alluring exotic aroma. Paella creates an essence of celebration and is a vivacious crowd pleaser, perfect for entertaining.

I would love to have access to a traditional paella pan but unfortunately the humble large and shallow saucepan will have to suffice. There are so many variations of paella, my recipe uses a mixture of seafood and Spanish chorizo but you can add chicken, rabbit or any other meat that takes your fancy.

Preheat your oven to 185C. Sauté 1 minced onion, 1 diced and seeded red capsicum, 4 cloves of garlic and sliced chorizo sausage in olive oil until vegetables are tender and the chorizo has acquired a bit of colour. Add 1 ½ cups Arborio rice and stir for a couple of minutes, coating the rice. Add ½ cup dry white wine, ½ cup passata, can of green beans and 1 tsp saffron threads that has been allowed to dissolve in 1tsp hot water, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes before burying a diversity of seafood amongst the rice. I like to use a firm white fish such as swordfish, prawns, squid and mussels. Bake uncovered, for about 20 minutes until rice is tender then remove from the oven, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. This will allow all the flavours to meld together and the juices to be absorbed.  Season profusely with cracked black pepper and serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.