Monthly Archives: January 2016

Lobster Mango and Avocado Salad

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After caviar and truffles, lobster is near the top of the list of luxury food items which are expensive, so we don’t eat them very often.

I was in Costco recently looking for something special to serve over the holiday period. They had imported American lobster tails for about $45/kg and as a friend had told me they were very good I bought four, which worked out at about $15 each. Peanuts compared with what you pay for lobster in a restaurant.

If you’re substituting Australian crayfish tails, which are smaller, you will need four.

We ate the first two hot with chive butter, but concluded that the best way to enjoy lobster is cold. So with the second two lobster tails I created this very simple salad which we ate as a main course. Mangoes are in season at the moment and the result was delicious.

Lobster Mango and Avocado Salad2 lobster tails, in shell, each weighing 250-300g (or 4 crayfish tails)
6 cups salad greens, washed and spun dry
3 Tbs salad dressing
1 mango, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum (pepper) de-seeded and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
Seafood Dressing:
2 Tbs mayonnaise (preferably home-made)
2 Tbs sour cream
1 Tbs tomato ketchup
Juice half a lemon or lime
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Thaw lobster tails if frozen then cook them in boiling salted water for 8-10 mins or until shells are red and flesh is white and opaque. Plunge into iced water and when cool drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Remove shells and slice flesh into medallions.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and add red capsicum slices and a sprinkle of salt. Fry for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and starting to char on the edges. Cool.

For Seafood Dressing, mix all ingredients together.

If using large lettuce leaves tear them into smaller pieces. In a bowl mix salad greens with salad dressing and arrange on two serving dishes. Divide mango and avocado between the two plates. Top with the lobster, spoon over some seafood dressing, then garnish with the spring onion and a few pieces of red capsicum. There will be capsicum left over for another use. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter

Notes: instead of using red capsicum, garnish salad with dry pink peppercorns or salmon caviar, available from specialty shops. Instead of lobster use large cooked and peeled prawns or crab meat.

Chicken and Leek Gratin

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My friend Franca raved about this Chicken and Leek Gratin by Annabel Langbein so I couldn’t wait to try it. It lived up to its reputation and got a big tick firstly because it’s delicious and secondly because it’s quick to make.

Chicken and Leek GratinCreamed Leeks:
2-4 leeks, depending on size
3 Tbs butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup cream
Chicken layer:
8-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
Crust:
2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs (left quite chunky)
2-4 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped parsley
3 anchovies
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Grated rind 1 lemon
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
50g butter

Wash, trim and chop the leeks, using all the white and a bit of the green part . Heat butter in a medium frying pan and cook leeks for 5-10 mins or until softened. Add the cream and season to taste. Spread leeks over the base of a buttered ovenproof lasagne-type dish.

For the chicken layer, if liked cut each chicken piece in two then mix with remaining ingredients and arrange over the leeks.

For the crust, make the crumbs first in a food process then add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times to chop and combine, but don’t over-do it. Spread over the chicken.

Recipe can be made ahead to this stage and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours, covered or out of the fridge for an hour or two. Allow to come to room temperature.

Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 50-60 minutes or until nicely browned and chicken is tender when pierced with a skewer.

Serves 6-8

Fried Egg in a Bagel

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This recipe from a website called Food52 is so simple you hardly need a recipe. But it’s such a novel idea and so delicious I had to tell you about it.

You simply fry an egg in the hole in half a bagel.  Serve for breakfast or lunch, accompanied by bacon, ham, smoked salmon or on its own. The recipe makes two servings, but you may decide to eat them both! They go very well with leftover ham from Christmas.

Fried Egg in a Bagel

1 bagel split in two horizontally
1 Tbs butter
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the holes in the two halves a bit bigger using a serrated knife or a small scone cutter. Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan and swirl around. Place bagel  halves in the pan, cut side down, break an egg into each and season with salt and pepper. It doesn’t matter if it spills out a bit.

Cover and cook until the eggs are just set. Serve alone or with crispy bacon, ham or smoked salmon. If serving with bacon cook it in the pan first, then remove and cook the bagel so it gets a nice bacon flavour.

Serves 2

Quick and Easy Pita Bread

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I found this recipe in a book of Greek recipes called Taking you Home that I borrowed from the public library. It’s not proper pita bread because it doesn’t contain any yeast and when cooked it doesn’t form a pocket. To make proper pita bread use this recipe.

However, they taste good and you can make them in less time than it takes to nip down to the shops and buy some. A great accompaniment to dips and to serve at BBQs. Another big plus is that they reheat extremely well the following day in the oven, in a frying pan or in the toaster.

The original recipe calls for 500g self-raising flour and 500g Greek yoghurt, plus a tablespoon each of baking powder and salt. I decided to make just over half the recipe and next time I will cut down on the baking powder and salt as they were a bit too overpowering. My adjusted quantities are below.

They would make perfect individual pizza bases.

Easy Pita Bread300g self-raising flour
300g thick Greek yoghurt
1-2 tsp salt, to taste
1 rounded tsp baking powder
Extra flour for dusting
Olive oil or Canola spray

Mix flour, yoghurt, salt and baking powder in a bowl until combined. If it seems too stiff add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water – just enough to get it all to stick together. Tip onto a floured surface and knead gently for 30 seconds – just enough to get it all combined. Cut dough into six and with a floured rolling pin roll each piece into a circle about 15cm (6 inches) in diameter. If you want them smaller cut dough into 8 or 10 pieces.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray the bottom with oil. Cook the pita for about 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. Cook remaining pitas, making sure you spray each side with oil.

Serve warm.

Makes 6-10 pitas

Note: store any leftover pita in a plastic bag in the fridge. Reheat for a few minutes in a moderate oven or for a minute or two on each side in a dry frying pan. Or cut them in half and zap them in the toaster.