Rice Paper and Nori Crisps with Gravlax

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These home made rice paper and nori two-bite crisps are the perfect way to serve gravlax or smoked salmon or trout. They’re also quite tasty as a snack on their own. Easy peasy to make and so light.

4 sheets rice paper spring roll sheets
4 sheets nori (the ones used to wrap sushi)
Vegetable oil to fry
Gravlax (bought or home made) or smoked salmon or trout
Sour cream
Fresh parsley or coriander

Place rice paper sheets on a kitchen surface. Spray all over with water then lay a sheet of nori on top of each one so they stick together. Use scissors to cut each one into four. Heat 2-3cm oil in a small frying pan. Fry each square of rice paper/nori in the oil, rice paper side down and turning to cook the other side. They will cook in just a few seconds. Remove and drain on paper towels. If serving the crisps on their own, you might like to sprinkle them with some sea salt at this stage.

Cut gravlax or smoked salmon or trout into small pieces and arrange on the crisps. Top with a blob of sour cream and some parsley or coriander to garnish.

 

Makes 16

Crunchy Granola

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Are you a cereal or a toast person? Or perhaps you have both for breakfast.

I’ve always been a cereal person and like to eat a combination of fresh fruit and plain, Greek yoghurt. topped with some crunchy granola, Lately I’ve also been adding a dollop of chia seeds, soaked overnight in milk.

Unfortunately, the granola you buy in the supermarket is mostly made up of oats and far too sweet. The ones that contain more interesting ingredients and less sugar tend to be quite expensive.

For the past few years I’ve been making my own granola and it’s so easy. You basically mix all the dry ingredients with some olive oil and a sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup, spread it out on a couple of baking trays lined with paper and bake for 30-45 minutes. Once you’ve made a batch you’ll wonder why it took you so long to do so.

The two big pluses with making your own is that you can use only ingredients you like and add as much sweetener as you want. Or leave the sweetener out altogether. And definitely no salt.

The quantities in this recipe are flexible and there’s no need for accurate measuring. Start with the oats, then add whatever you have on hand. Feel free to leave out anything you haven’t got – maybe put it on your shopping list so you have it for next time – or to add something different.  Matthew doesn’t like coconut, but as he’s a toast or hot porridge person I usually put it in anyway!

After a week or so, the slight moisture from the dried fruit can make the granola lose its crunch. To avoid this, keep your dried fruit mixture separately and add it to your bowl each morning. Or leave the dried fruit out altogether. The photo shows the muesli before adding the dried fruit.

If there’s only one person in your house who eats granola for breakfast, you might prefer to make half the recipe.

4 cups rolled oats
½ cup almond meal or ground flaxseeds (also called linseeds)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1-2 cups roughly chopped nuts (I used almonds, pecans & walnuts)
½ cup shredded coconut
3 Tbs chia seeds
3 Tbs sesame seeds
3-4 Tbs olive oil (or vegetable oil if preferred)
3-4 Tbs runny honey or maple syrup (adjust to suit your taste)
Dried fruit:
2-3 cups sultanas, cranberries, dried cherries, goji berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. For half the recipe you will only need one.

Place all ingredients, except the dried fruit, in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil and honey or maple syrup in a small saucepan until dissolved then mix in.

Spread the granola evenly onto the baking trays and bake for 20-30 minutes. During the baking time remove the trays from the oven every 10 minutes or so and stir the granola, moving the outer edges into the middle, so it cooks evenly. When the granola is golden brown and evenly cooked remove it from the oven and cool thoroughly.

Don’t overcook or the nuts will be bitter. Mix in the dried fruit (if using) and store in a large container in the pantry. Or mix the dried fruit and store in a separate contaienr.

Makes about 8 cups

Optional additions: vanilla essence, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom

 

Roast Pumpkin with Miso & Ginger

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Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning.

Miso paste is produced by mixing fermented soybeans with salt and a fungus called Koji. Sometimes rice, parsley, seaweed or other ingredients are added. It can be used in sauces, dips, soups and other dishes to produce a rich “umami” intensity of flavour.

Miso paste is usually salty, but its flavour and aroma depend on the ingredients and fermentation process. It comes in either white or red, with the latter having a slightly stronger flavour. Use whichever one you have or can find in your local supermarket or Asian grocery store. Once opened it keeps for ages in the fridge.

Today’s recipe was inspired by a dish we were served at Raku restaurant in Canberra.

1 kg pumpkin
2 Tbs olive oil
Miso sauce:
¼ cup Miso paste
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs runny honey
1 Tbs water
2 tsp rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
1 tsp chilli paste or sauce
To garnish:
1 Tbs sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Fresh coriander leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Leave skin on the pumpkin, remove seeds and cut into wedges about 2cm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, in a single layer. Brush pumpkin with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven, turn pumpkin wedges over and brush them with the remaining olive oil. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix all ingredients for the Miso sauce in a food processor. Spoon over the pumpkin. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until starting to brown. It might need 15 mins. Turn the wedges over and coat them with remaining Miso sauce. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until nicely glazed as in the photo.

Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander. Serve hot or at room temperature either alone or with steamed rice, or as a side dish with salmon, chicken or beef.

Serves 4-6

 

Shakshuka

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Shakshuka originated in north Africa and is now popular all over the Middle East.

Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread for brunch, lunch or Sunday evening supper. You probably have all the ingredients in the pantry. We had to nip out to buy one red capsicum from the corner shop.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 onion
2 Tbs harissa, or to taste
1 tsp chilli paste, or to taste
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 eggs
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve:
4 Tbs thick Greek yoghurt
1 Tbs chopped fresh coriander

Thinly slice the capsicum and onion. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized deep non-stick frying pan and cook the capsicum and onion over medium to high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise. Add harissa and chilli paste to taste and cook, stirring for one minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are reduced by half, stirring often.

Season to taste, turn heat down to a simmer, then make four indents in the mixture and break an egg into each. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Test by pressing with your finger.

Garnish with dollops of yoghurt and the coriander. Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread.

Serves 4 as a snack, 2 as a meal

 

Japanese Salad with Sushi Flavours

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This salad combines all the flavours we love in Japanese sushis and it’s delicious.

Serve it on steamed rice for a quick poke bowl, or on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce, lightly dressed with Kewpie toasted sesame dressing, which you can find in most Australian supermarkets. Or use the salad as a filling for sandwiches or wraps. Or just eat it as it is for a high protein, low carbs light meal.

2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks (buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket for ease) or 300g cooked prawn meat, coarsely chopped
1 large ripe avocado, cubed
2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs Kewpie mayonnaise* (or ordinary mayonnaise)
1 Tbs Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds (preferably black)*
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbs pickled ginger, chopped*
1 Tbs Asian crispy shallots*
Salt to taste
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 Lebanese cucumber, quartered lengthwise then cut into small cubes
1 clove garlic, crushed
To garnish:
A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 sheet nori cut into strips, then into small julienne pieces*

Place all ingredients for salad in a large bowl and mix well.

Serve garnished with the coriander and nori pieces. Serve alone, or on steamed rice or in wraps or sandwiches.

Serves 4 on rice or in wraps or 2 on its own

*if you can’t find black sesame seeds, Asian crispy shallots, pickled ginger, Kewpie mayonnaise and nori seaweed sheets in the Asian section of your supermarket, go to an Asian grocery store

Lamb with Spicy Labneh and Carrot Salad

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This recipe was inspired by a dish I was served at the annual lunch of the International Women’s Club which was held at the Marion restaurant in Canberra in late August.

There were 180 women seated at tables for 10 and the food and service were both excellent. The main course was an alternate serve, where half had salmon with baked Jerusalem artichokes and half had sliced lamb rump on a bed of spicy labneh, with a shredded carrot salad.

This is my interpretation, but I have used lamb cutlets instead of rump. The carrot salad is delicious on it’s own or as a filler for sandwiches or wraps, or as part of a buffet.

2 cups thick Greek-style plain yoghurt
2 tsp harissa paste (or to taste)
8 lamb cutlets, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Paprika
Carrot Salad:
500g carrots, cut into thin julienne or very coarsely grated
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp each cinnamon, cumin and paprika
2 tsp honey (or more to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To garnish:
Chopped parsley or another green herb
Balsamic Glaze (optional)

To make Labneh, strain yoghurt for a few hours or overnight in a sieve lined with muslin or a man’s handkerchief, in the fridge. Discard the liquid and mix in the harissa.

Place currants in a small bowl and add just enough warm water to cover. Leave to plump up for half an hour.

Place all ingredients for the carrot salad in a frying pan, including the currants and water, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the dressing has thickened a bit. The carrots should remain fairly crunchy. Meanwhile season the cutlets with salt, pepper and paprika and cook them on a hot griddle, barbecue or in an air fryer, until they are cooked the way you like them – about 3-4 minutes each side.

Divide the labneh between 4 serving places and spread into a circle. Top with some carrot salad (you will probably have leftovers) and two cutlets per person. Garnish with chopped parsley and, if liked, a drizzle of balsamic glaze around the edge of the plate.

Serves 4

Variations: if you don’t have harissa paste, any chilli paste will do.

Potato Fritters with Smoked Salmon & Poached Eggs

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This recipe comes from Bill Granger, a Sydney-based chef who sadly died far too young in 2023 of cancer.

Bill is credited with inventing avocado toast, a breakfast or brunch dish which has become popular not only in Australia, but around the world.  My Chilean son-in-law says he’s been eating avocado toast for breakfast all his life and that it’s always been popular in Chile, so maybe Granger didn’t actually invent it. However, he certainly introduced it to Australians.

Bill was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years. Together with his partner Natalie, they built a thriving business that today counts 19 restaurants across Australia, Japan, South Korea and the UK. He wrote 14 cookbooks, selling over one million copies,

Today’s recipe is one of Bill’s signature dishes. Easy, tasty, quick and healthy. What more could you want?

Any leftover potato mixture will keep in the fridge for 24 hours or so. The second photo shows a larger fritter I made the following day. I put the eggs on top and broke them open. In the first photo the eggs are hiding below the smoked salmon.

 

Fritters:
2 medium to large starchy potatoes (eg Desiree)
1 very small onion or half a larger one
1 egg
1 Tbs chopped mint
2 Tbs crumbled feta cheese (optional)
2 Tbs plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 Tbs vegetable oil to fry the fritters
Dill oil:
1 cup loosely packed dill, finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs lemon juice and some grated zest
To serve:
4 eggs
2 Tbs sour cream
2 tsp ground sumac
4 slices smoked salmon or trout
Lemon wedges

Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes and onion and place in a colander. Add a good pinch of salt, mix and leave to drain for 20-30 mins. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can with your hands. Mix in remaining ingredients apart from the oil.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan. Make fritters using 2-3 heaped tablespoons potato mixture for each one and spreading them out to make each fritter into an oval about 7cm long. At the same time poach the eggs and mix all ingredients for the dill oil.

Serve one fritter per person, topped with two poached eggs, two slices of smoked salmon or trout, a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of dill oil. Top with a sprinkle of sumac and garnish with a couple of lemon wedges.

Serves 2

Note: if you don’t have sumac – a Middle Eastern spice – use coarsely ground black pepper.

The Zucchini Wrap which has gone Viral

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This wrap made with sliced zucchini (courgette) has gone viral on social media sites. I made it the other evening as a light supper and we had half each with a bowl of soup. Delicious, healthy, no carbs.

1 or 2 zucchini (courgette) depending on size
Grated mozzarella cheese
2-3 Tbs basil pesto
1 burrata cheese, drained and broken up
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced tomatoes
A handful of rocket leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Thinly slice the zucchini and lay on the paper in a rectangle then cover with a thin layer of grated mozzarella, as shown in the first photo.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden, see second photo. Remove from the oven and turn it over onto a chopping board. Spread with pesto then arrange the tomatoes and rocket on top (third photo) then season and roll up. Cut in two.

Makes 2 servings

Variations: use feta or goat cheese instead of burrata. Or some canned tuna or cooked chicken. Use lettuce instead of rocket. Cucumbers instead of tomatoes. Mayonnaise or humus instead of pesto. A smoked salmon, cucumber, dill and cream cheese combo would be nice.

Rocket & Pear Salad with Parmesan & Nuts

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My Peruvian friend Christina, an art restorer, was living in Paris when we were posted there. She gave me this recipe. Well, to be honest, she made it when we went to her place for dinner one night and I copied the idea. It has since become one of my favourite salads. Especially in the colder months when the pears are good but the tomatoes aren’t.

Sometimes the pears you find at the supermarket are very underripe, so it’s good to plan ahead and keep one in the fruit bowl for a couple of days until it feels just ripe, which is perfect for this recipe.

Rocket leaves or a mix of salad greens
1 ripe but not overripe pear (peel if preferred, I don’t)
1 shallot or ¼ of a red onion, very finely diced
Toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts or pecans
60g coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Dressing:
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
3-4 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste
1 tsp honey (optional)
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Place all ingredients for dressing in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Arrange rocket or salad greens on serving dish. Quarter and core the pear, then cut into thin slices. Arrange over the salad. Sprinkle with the onion, toasted nuts and Parmesan. Drizzle with the dressing, then gently mix. Any leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

 

Halloumi with Rhubarb Sauce

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We had this dish when we were travelling in Poland several years ago. As we grow rhubarb in our garden I made a mental note to recreate it, but then I forgot about it.
I was cleaning out the freezer in our garage this morning. A good weekend activity which doesn’t get done very often. I found all sorts of things I had forgotten about, including a container of cooked rhubarb.
So I added a few things to it, including half a cup of frozen raspberries and came up with a delicious lunch for two, as close to the Polish version as I can remember.
The raspberries are not essential, but they do give the sauce a better colour. You will have enough sauce to make this recipe two or three times. Any leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for several days or can be frozen.
Rhubarb Sauce:
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
½ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
For the Halloumi:
225g packet halloumi, sliced 1cm thick
1 Tbs olive oil
To serve:
Rocket leaves|
Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh herbs
Cracked black pepper
For the sauce, place all ingredients in a large saucepan and cook over moderate heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often, or until thick and chunky. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Dry the halloumi on paper towels then cook on both sides in the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan, until golden brown.Serve the halloumi on a bed of rocket leaves. Top with some of the rhubarb sauce and garnish with fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and some cracked pepper.

Serves 2 as a light lunch or starter
Variations: use pitted red plums, chopped, instead of rhubarb.