Hutch’s Quick Cauliflower Cheese

This version of a traditional cauliflower cheese was sent to me by my brother, whose nickname is Hutch. It’s quick and easy. The oven heats up while you prepare the dish.

I didn’t have any nutritional yeast so looked on Google and came up with miso paste, which I did have, as a substitute. It’s quite salty so I didn’t need any additional salt for the sauce. It went very nicely with the last of the Christmas ham. The recipe is easy to halve.

1 large cauliflower cut into large florets
2 eggs
125ml milk
125ml oil (olive or canola)
200ml plain yoghurt
1 tsp paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs nutritional yeast or white miso paste
Salt if necessary
Almond slivers or flakes
Grated cheese – I used cheddar

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Cook cauliflower in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes then drain. Mis remaining ingredients except the cheese and nuts, whisking to remove any lumps from the miso paste.

Add the cauliflower, turn to coat, then tip into a greased baking dish. I decided to divide it between two smaller dishes and keep one to serve the following day. Scrape the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with almonds and cover with grated cheese. The amount is up to you.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t overcook.

Serves 6-8

 

 

 

Pearl Couscous & Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Maple Dressing

This salad is a real winner. One you will make again and again. Healthy but filling, it just hits the spot.

Maple Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs maple syrup
4 Tbs orange juice
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad:
1 cup pearl couscous (also known as Israeli couscous)
1 small butternut pumpkin (also known as butternut squash)
1 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper
4 cups baby spinach, firmly packed, stalks removed, or larger leaves, torn up
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pecan or walnut halves

Place dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to combine. Preheat oven to 200°C. Peel pumpkin and cut into 2cm cubes. Mix with the oil, salt and pepper, then spread out on a shallow baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and starting to brown. Cool.

Meanwhile cook the couscous for 5-10 minutes in a pan of boiling, salted water, until al dente. Drain in a sieve, then run it under the cold tap and drain again. Toast the nuts by stirring them in a dry frying pan over moderate heat for a few minutes.

Mix the spinach and couscous with some of the dressing and arrange in a shallow salad bowl. Arrange the pumpkin, pecans or walnuts, cranberries and onion over the top. Drizzle with a bit more dressing.

Serves 4

Asparagus with Smoked Salmon, Poached Egg & Quick Hollandaise

Asparagus goes very well with smoked fish and with eggs. This recipe uses both and ties all the ingredients together with a delicious herby hollandaise sauce, which takes no time at all to make.

It’s best to be cautious on timing the first time you make the sauce. Microwave ovens vary and it may only need 10 or 12 seconds on High in yours.

10-12 spears asparagus
4 slices smoked salmon
2 large eggs
Quick Hollandaise Sauce:
2 egg yolks
3-4 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper
60g butter, melted
1 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
To garnish:
Pink peppercorns (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil

Trim and wash asparagus and place in a frying pan. Add cold water to cover, then turn on the heat, bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain on paper towels then arrange on two heated serving plates. Meanwhile poach the eggs and make the sauce.

Arrange a poached egg and two slices of smoked salmon on each serving of asparagus. Garnish with the sauce, a few pink peppercorns, if using and a drizzle of olive oil.

Quick Hollandaise Sauce: place egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a heatproof bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk to combine. Whisk in the hot melted butter, then zap in the microwave for 14-15 seconds on High (no more or the egg yolks will scramble). Whisk vigorously to combine, add the tarragon and serve.

Serves 2

Zucchini with Feta, Herbs & Pine Nuts

We like to have one or two vegetarian meals a week. This recipe is delicious.

4-6 medium zucchini (courgettes)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
125g creamy feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (whatever you have)
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
To serve:
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic glaze

Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash zucchini and halve lengthwise. Make diagonal cuts in both directions on the cut surface of each zucchini half then arrange on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked.

Meanwhile mix the topping. For the herbs I used a mixture of coriander, marjoram and sage, but use whatever you have.

Arrange one or two zucchini halves per person on serving plates. Spoon topping evenly over the tops and drizzle each plate with a little oil and balsamic glaze.

Serves 4

Mexican Charred Corn Salad

This fresh corn salad is a nice accompaniment to chicken, fish or beef or use it to fill some wraps, with a few slices of barbecued chicken.

Using mayonnaise in the dressing makes it creamier but leave it out if you prefer. Optional garnish is some sliced avocado.

3-4 cobs of fresh corn (or 3 cups frozen corn, thawed)
2 Tbs olive oil
2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced or diced red onion
3 Tbs mayonnaise, preferably home made (optional)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbs chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1 small red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 small red capsicum (or ½ a larger one), diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or substitute crumbled feta)
2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
Garnish:
Sliced avocado (optional)

Remove kernels from cobs using a sharp knife. Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook the corn for 10 minutes, stirring often, over medium to high heat, until it’s starting to brown a bit.

Mix all ingredients together.

Serves 4

 

Brussels Sprouts with Honey & Balsamic

Brussels sprouts, love them or hate them?
Nightmares of these over-cooked, soggy vegetables have haunted generations of children. Back then everybody boiled them for far too long, leaving them grey and unpalatable.
But have you ever tried them roasted? With the addition of olive oil, salt and pepper and about 20 minutes in a hot oven, sprouts take on a whole new persona.

Before serving, you might like to add a touch of honey and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. In the second photo I’ve added some cooked peas and crumbled feta cheese.

Let me know in the comments if this recipe convinces you to give sprouts another go!

500g brussels sprouts
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp honey
1-2 tsp balsamic glaze
1-2 cups frozen peas, cooked in boiling salted water and drained (optional)
100g feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim sprouts and halve vertically. Mix with oil and seasoning. Spread out on a shallow tray lined with baking paper and roast for about 20 minutes or until al dente and starting to brown on the edges. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer for 10-15 minutes.

Drizzle with the honey and balsamic glaze. If liked, mix in the peas, top with the feta and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

Serves 4-6

 

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers or capsicums are delicious served hot or at room temperature.

The filling is flexible. This version has a vegetarian filling, but if preferred you can add some browned minced beef, chicken or pork, or some chopped ham.

4-6 small to medium capsicums (peppers), red or yellow
Filling:
1 cup rice, quinoa or pearl (Israeli) couscous
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup pine nuts
Olive oil
½ cup home made breadcrumbs
To garnish:

1 long green chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
Or fresh parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Cook the rice, quinoa or pearl couscous in boiling salted water until al dente, drain well.

Cut capsicums in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side up in a large oiled baking dish in one layer. Mix ingredients for filling, except for the olive oil and saving a bit of the feta and pine nuts for the topping. Fill the capsicum halves.

Mix the saved feta cheese and pine nuts with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the capsicums are starting to char a bit – see photo.

Garnish with the green chilli – or some fresh parsley leaves – and serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

Quick Falafel

When we lived in Israel in the late 1970s, we loved the street food called falafel. Crispy chickpea patties served in a warm pita bread pocket with humus, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.

Falafel are traditionally made with chickpeas. Using a can doesn’t work – they end up mushy. This recipe uses red lentils instead of chickpeas which you just soak for an hour. The photo shows the falafel ready to fry – which is why they look a bit insipid. Next time I think I’ll make them a little bit smaller.

Falafel:
1 bunch parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 cup red lentils soaked one hour in cold water then drained
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and salt
4 tbs chickpea flour (besan flour)
¼ cup olive oil + extra for frying the felafel
To serve:
4 pita bread pockets
Hummus (bought or home-made)
1 small cucumber, diced
2-3 tomatoes diced (or 8-10 cocktail tomatoes)
½ red onion, diced
Coriander or parsley, chopped
Avocado diced (optional)
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the felafel. I use the food processor to finely chop the parsley and onion, then add the drained lentils, spices, salt, chickpea flour and olive oil. Process just enough to get a chunky mixture. You don’t want it smooth. Form into 2cm flattened balls with damp hands.

Deep fry or shallow fry the falafel or spray both sides with oil and cook them in an air fryer for about 10 minutes, turning once about halfway through.

Meanwhile warm or toast the felafel pockets. Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, coriander or parsley and avocado if using. Add a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, fill each pita pocket with some hummus, cucumber and tomato mix and two or three crispy warm felafel.

Serves 4

Broad Bean Garlic & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This recipe is adapted from one by Jamie Oliver and it’s a real winner.

A great way to use broad beans if you have them growing in the garden. Or a packet of frozen broad beans works well. In fact they are one of those vegetables, like peas, which freeze so well they’re almost as good as fresh ones.

500g broad beans, fresh or frozen
150g soft creamy goat cheese (see note below)
4 thick slices sourdough bread
2 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon (or parsley if you can’t get tarragon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Extra Virgin olive oil

Cook broad beans for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, refresh under cold water, then slip off and discard the outer skins and drain again. Add the tarragon and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix cream cheese with one of the cloves of garlic, crushed. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of plain yoghurt.

Toast the bread then rub with the other clove of garlic. I brushed both sides with a little olive oil and toasted them in a sandwich press.

Divide the cream cheese  between the slices of toast, top with the broad bean mixture and drizzle extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4

Note: Jamie uses feta cheese mashed with plain yoghurt. I used Aldi spreadable goat cheese which comes in a 150g pot. It’s soft enough that you may not need any yoghurt.

 

Eggplants with Labneh and Spicy Cashews

This recipe was inspired by a dish we enjoyed at a small deli and restaurant on King Street in Newtown called Pistou. There are lots of little gems on King Street and Pistou is no exception.

With a good wine selection and lots of delicious sharing plates, including cheese and charcuterie platters, it was a good choice for a light meal on a Friday evening.

If you haven’t come across labneh before, it’s just strained plain yoghurt and you can easily make your own. After removing the excess liquid it becomes very thick. Labneh can be served as it is or you can add salt and herbs or a little sweetener and vanilla for a sweet version. Try this delicious Ottolenghi recipe for labneh with summer berries.

Instead of making the Caramel Sauce you could use balsamic glaze or pomegranate or date molasses.

250g plain Greek yoghurt
2 medium to large eggplants
Olive oil to brush
Salt to taste
Spicy Cashews:
1 cup cashew nuts, lightly toasted
1 tsp each cumin and paprika
½ tsp each salt and chilli flakes
Caramel Sauce: (see note below)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
To serve:
Juice of ½ a lemon
Fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Make labneh: place a sieve over a bowl, line it with a piece of fine cotton or muslin and scrape in the yoghurt. Cover and leave in the fridge for several hours or until all the liquid has drained out. Discard the liquid.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a shallow oven tray with baking paper. Remove stalks from eggplants, then cut them in half lengthwise. With a sharp knife, cut deeply into the flesh in a diamond pattern. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and tender.

Place ingredients for the Spicy Cashews in a food processor, then use the pulse button to chop. You want some larger pieces of cashew to remain, so don’t over-process.

For the Caramel Sauce, place sugar in a small heavy-bottomed pan and cook, swirling and shaking the pan, until it has dissolved and turned into caramel. Add vinegar – be careful as it will spatter – and continue to swirl and shake until the caramel has dissolved. Cool.

To serve, spread labneh on one large or four individual serving plates. Top with the eggplants, then the Spicy Cashews. Drizzle with some of the Caramel Sauce, then the lemon juice and garnish with the coriander.

Serves 4

Note: instead of making the Caramel Sauce, you could use balsamic glaze or pomegranate or date molasses instead.