Tag Archives: lunch

Warm Halloumi and Mushroom Salad with Crispy Lentils

Posted on by
Reply

This recipe was recommended by my friend Megan who was owner-chef at the Palette Cafe at the Beaver Gallery in Canberra for over 20 years.  It was my favourite lunch venue and I miss it, although Meg continues to serve wonderful food whenever we’re invited for dinner.

The recipe comes from Taste.com, a good source of online recipes which has stood the test of time. In the recipe they put the lentils, halloumi and mushrooms in the oven to roast. I changed the method slightly and cooked everything, apart from the lentils, in a frying pan. I think it gives you more control over getting the halloumi nice and golden brown. The recipe serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course.

 

4 large portobello mushrooms
250g halloumi cheese
1 can lentils, drained, rinsed and patted dry
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
200g green beans
150g mixed small salad leaves and/or spinach leaves
2 tsp pink peppercorns

Spinach pesto:
50g baby spinach leaves
25g parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup walnut halves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100ml olive oil

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread out the lentils in a single layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, moving them around a couple of times, until they are evenly golden and crunchy. Remove from the oven and cool.

Place all ingredients for pesto except the oil in food processor. Process until chunky then add the oil through the feed chute with the motor running. Scrape into a small bowl.

Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 4 minutes or until lightly cooked. Not as well cooked as al dente but not as crunchy as when raw. Refresh under cold water, then pat dry.

Peel mushrooms and remove stalks. Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and cut each mushroom into 3 or 4 slices. Add lemon juice to the mushroom juices left in the pan, mix then add to the salad greens with a pinch of salt. Mix well then arrange the salad on four serving plates (or two for a main course).

Wipe out the frying pan and add a tiny drizzle of oil. Pat halloumi dry then cut into slices. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

On top of the salad arrange the beans, the mushrooms and the halloumi. Garnish with the crispy lentils and the pink peppercorns, then drizzle each serving with some of the spinach pesto.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main

Ottolenghi’s Turmeric Fried Eggs with Tamarind Dressing

Posted on by
Reply

While in London for a weekend last month we caught up with some old friends over dinner at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s six restaurants. Tucked away in a narrow Georgian alleyway, Spitalfields is the largest of his restaurants and it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Apart from the restaurant, there’s a deli which sells salads, pastries and other delicacies for customers to take home.

Plates at Spitalfields are designed to be shared. Many but not all are vegetarian. We enjoyed the meal so much we came back on our own next morning for breakfast. I had the Quinoa, Chia Seed and Cardamom Muesli with Raspberries, which was delicious and not too heavy after our feast the previous evening.

When we paid the bill we were given a card with this fried egg recipe from Ottolenghi’s latest cook book Extra Good Things. I made it, it was delicious and here it is. Serve it for breakfast, brunch or as a light lunch or dinner.

1 shallot or half a small onion, finely sliced into rounds
2 tsp lime juice
3½ Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g baby spinach
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 large eggs
1 green chilli, finely sliced into rounds, seeds and all
salt
Fresh coriander
Tamarind Dressing:
2 Tbs tamarind paste
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs lime juice
2 tsp brown sugar

Place the shallot or onion rings in a bowl with the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Mix well then leave to pickle. Place all ingredients for the dressing in a small jar with a lid and shake well. Add between half and 1 tablespoon of water and shake again, so it’s not too thick.

Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and stir for a minute, then add the spinach, a good pinch of salt and stir fry for a couple of minutes, or until wilted. Remove to a warm plate and wipe out the pan.

Add remaining oil to the pan with the turmeric and stir to combine. Add the chilli slices and stir fry for a minute or so, then push them to one side. Break in the eggs, using a spatula to keep each one separate. Spoon the chillies and some of the oil on top of each egg, then season with salt. Cook the eggs  to a point where they are crispy underneath but the yolks are still soft. Don’t turn them over.

Divide the spinach between two warmed serving plates. Top with two eggs each, the chillies, a few onion rings and any oil left in the frying pan. Drizzle with some of the tamarind dressing and garnish with coriander.

You will have some onions and dressing left over – use on roast potatoes or grilled steak.

Serve with warm flatbread, pita bread or naan to mop up the juices.

Serves 2

Savoury Cheese and Onion Bread Pudding

Posted on by
Reply

This savoury version of bread and butter pudding makes a tasty breakfast or brunch and is a good way to use up stale bread and odds and ends of cheese. You can also serve it with a salad for lunch. I made half the recipe for two.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 packet French Onion Soup mix
Freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
2 cups milk
4 cups day old bread, cubed (crusts removed)
1/3 cup grated gruyere cheese (cheddar or other hard cheese)
To garnish:
Snipped chives
Extra virgin olive oil

Grease a 6 cup capacity baking dish. Place oil, onion soup mix, pepper, eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine. Arrange the bread cubes in the dish to more or less fill it – add a few more if not enough.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread, then press down all over with a spoon to make sure all the bread is coated. Cover with the grated cheese.

Stand for an hour or two before baking, or refrigerate, covered overnight. Preheat oven to 180°C, then bake the bread pudding for about half an hour, or until golden and crispy on top.

Serve garnished with the chives and drizzled with a little olive oil.

Serves 4

Variatons: add some sliced, sautéed mushrooms and/or some diced bacon or ham.

Quick Pasties Using Roti Paratha

Posted on by
Reply

I bought a packed of 8 frozen roti paratha from an Indian grocery store and used them to make these meat pasties. They were amazing. The best meat pies I’ve ever made.

If you can’t find Indian roti paratha, buy puff pastry and cut out big circles about 15cm or 6 inches in diameter. I thawed the roti, filled them, pinched together the sides at the top, brushed them with beaten egg, then baked them at 200°C for just over half an hour.

As for the filling, you can use your imagination. I used some leftover roast lamb from a slow roasted shoulder, mixed with leftover gravy and leftover roast pumpkin, all cut into 2cm cubes. I served the pasties with hot English mustard and a mix of peas and asparagus.

You could look for a Cornish pasty filling online and use that, or use this beef casserole recipe, or this recipe which uses oxtails – just take all the meat off the bones.

For a seafood pasty use this recipe for Seafood Mornay, without the breadcrumb topping. It’s one of the most popular recipes on this blog.

Tomato Tarte Tatin with Goat’s Cheese

Posted on by
Reply

Many readers will be familiar with the delicious French apple tart called Tarte Tatin. Caramelised apples covered with pastry, cooked until golden and crisp and then inverted onto a serving plate.

This is a tomato version which is perfect to make when you have, as we do at the moment, heaps of cocktail tomatoes in the garden.

About 375g puff pastry
2-3 Tbs balsamic glaze
1 Tbs caster sugar
3 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs to garnish
About 500g cocktail tomatoes (enough to cover base of the pan)
To serve:
Rocket, toasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan salad
Crumbled goat cheese
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 Tbs (a 5cm or 2″ chunk) Parmesan cheese

Make the pesto by blitzing all the ingredients together to form a nice chunky paste. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cut a circle of baking paper to fit the bottom of a 20cm (8 inch) tart tin. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the paper, then sprinkle with the sugar and thyme leaves. Arrange the tomatoes over the base – they should cover it completely and snugly. Dollop the tomato pesto all over the tomatoes, as evenly as you can. Roll out the pastry, cut a circle 25cm (10 inches) in diameter. Place on top of the tomatoes and tuck in the edges.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Let the tart rest for 5-10 minutes then carefully invert onto a serving plate and remove the paper. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with crumbled goat cheese and thyme sprigs, with a lightly-dressed salad of rocket, toasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan.

Serves 6

Smoked Salmon with Ricotta and Asparagus

Posted on by
Reply

I’m always on the lookout for tasty, low carb lunches which can be made quickly. During the asparagus season we often have this easy combo. Aldi sells a fresh creamy ricotta in a 500g plastic container like a sieve, which we really like. It’s enough to make this recipe two or three times. Often the simplest of recipes are the best.

The smoked salmon rolls are quite filling, so if preferred use only two slices and less ricotta filling, to make them smaller.

6 slices smoked salmon
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (or substitution see below)
2 Tbs chopped chives
Balsamic Glaze
10-12 spears of fresh asparagus
Kewpie mayonnaise or butter (optional)

Place 3 slices of smoked salmon on a chopping board, slightly overlapping, to make a rough circle or square. Mix the ricotta with the chives and season if you like – I don’t find it’s necessary. Place half the mixture on the smoked salmon in a sausage shape in the middle, then roll up into a neat package. Repeat and place one on each of 2 serving plates. Meanwhile cook the asparagus for about 6 minutes in boiling water, drain and pat dry. Arrange asparagus on the plates. Drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the smoked salmon packages. Serve with kewpie mayonnaise or butter on the asparagus.

Serves 2

Substitutions: soft goat’s cheese, queso fresco in South America, cottage cheese.

Potato Waffles with Prosciutto and Rocket

Posted on by
Reply

Do you have an electric waffle iron languishing in the back of a cupboard? If you do then you might be interested in today’s recipe. Especially if you have kids or grandkids. And even if you don’t.

With this recipe (which came from the American magazine Food and Wine) you squash some bought potato croquettes (Tater Tots in the US) with a waffle iron to make a potato cake. In Australia I found something similar to Tater Tots in Aldi, which are called Potato Jewels.

Once the potato cake is ready you can top it with anything you fancy. We had prosciutto, but smoked salmon or trout would be nice. I added a few roasted pumpkin cubes to the topping (because they needed using up) and they went well.

 

Non-stick cooking spray
About 50 frozen Tater Tots or Jewels, thawed
Salt flakes
¼ cup sour cream or creme fraîche
2 Tbs whole-grain mustard
2 handfuls rocket
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
6 slices prosciutto (or smoked salmon or trout)
Thinly sliced gherkins for serving (optional)

Heat an 8 inch (20cm) electric waffle iron and grease with non-stick spray. Arrange about 25 Tater Tots or Jewels on the waffle iron to cover it. Sprinkle with salt, then close the lid and cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden and crispy on both sides. Open the lid a couple of times during cooking and press the potatoes down with a fork, in order to fill in any gaps. Repeat with another 25 or so Jewels to make a second potato waffle.

Meanwhile mix sour cream and mustard in a small bowl. Mix rocket with the olive oil and lemon juice.

To serve, spread each potato waffle with some of the mustard cream. Arrange 3 slices of prosciutto and half the rocket on each. If liked garnish with sliced gherkins.

Serves 2

Zucchini Fritters with Corn and Bacon

Posted on by
2

This recipe, from one of my favourite recipe websites called Mind Food, makes a delicious light lunch or dinner.

400g zucchini, washed and coarsely grated
½ cup self-raising flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
50g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 rashers bacon, rinds removed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cob fresh corn, kernels removed (or substitute frozen)
1 Tbs snipped chives
1/3 cup sour cream
Extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Sprinkle a good pinch of salt over the zucchini, mix through then leave to drain in a colander for 20 minutes or so. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can then place in a large mixing bowl with the flour, two cheeses, egg and seasoning to taste. You probably won’t need any salt having salted the grated zucchini.

In a large non-stick frying pan fry the bacon until crispy on both sides then drain on paper towels and keep warm. Place the corn in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Wipe out the frying pan then heat the tablespoonful of oil and fry the fritters for about 3 minutes each side, using about a quarter of the mixture for each fritter. Just scoop it out using two or three big spoonfuls for each. If the pan is large enough make all four at the same time. If not make two and keep them warm while you make another two. Drain well on paper towels, then arrange one on each of 4 warmed serving plates.

Drain corn and mix it with the chives, then divide amongst the four fritters. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a folded slice of crispy bacon. Drizzle a little olive oil around each serving.

Serves 4

Variation: top with a slice of smoked salmon or trout instead of the bacon.

Unbaked Granola Bars

Posted on by
2

These quick and easy granola bars are a welcome, healthy addition to children’s lunch boxes and provide a delicious snack for the rest of the family. They don’t require any baking and are perfect for kids to make themselves.

Both recipes are fairly flexible, so feel free to substitute different seeds or nuts or to leave out something you don’t like or don’t have, such as coconut. The second recipe has honey as a sweetener, while the first one relies on dates for sweetness. Both contain chocolate chips, but leave them out if you prefer. If you don’t have all the seeds, double up on the ones you have.

Superfood Granola Bars
1 cup peanut butter (or another nut butter)
2 cups pitted dates, pureed in food processor
3 Tbs cocoa powder (optional)
1 cup porridge oats
¼ cup coconut flakes or desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt (optional)
2 Tbs sesame seeds
2 Tbs flax seeds
2 Tbs hemp seeds
2 Tbs chia seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup almonds (or walnuts, peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts or macadamias)
½ cup chocolate chips

Place peanut butter in a small bowl and zap in the microwave for 20 seconds, or until softened. Add the pureed dates and, if using, the cocoa powder and mix well. Place remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the date mixture and mix thoroughly.

Grease a shallow square or oblong dish or container. This can be metal, glass, silicone, ceramic or plastic. Mine was 20cm or 9″ square dish and I sprayed it with oil. If the container is too big the muesli bars will be too thin.

Tip mixture into the container and use your hand or the bottom of a glass to flatten it evenly. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, then cut into bars. Stored in an airtight tin they will keep for a week or more, though I doubt they will last that long.

Makes 12-16

Rice Krispie Granola Bars
2 cups Rice Krispies or another brand of puffed rice breakfast cereal
1½ cups porridge oats
¼ cup coconut flakes or desiccated coconut
¾ cup honey
1 cup peanut butter (or another nut butter)
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ cup chocolate chips (dark, milk, white, your choice)

Place Rice Krispies, porridge oats and coconut in a large mixing bowl. Heat honey in a saucepan or in the microwave, just enough to make it liquid, then mix in the peanut butter and vanilla till smooth. Mix into the dry ingredients and lastly add the chocolate chips.

Grease a shallow square or oblong container. This can be made of metal, glass, silicone, ceramic or plastic. Mine was 20cm or 9″ square and I sprayed it with oil. If the container is too big the granola bars will be too thin.

Tip mixture into the container and use your hand or the bottom of a glass to flatten it evenly. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, then cut into bars. Stored in an airtight tin they will keep for a week or more, though I doubt they will last that long.

Makes 12-16

 

 

 

 

Minestrone

Posted on by
2

This traditional Italian soup is perfect for lunch or a light dinner in the cooler months of the year. Make a big pot at the weekend and serve it for lunch or dinner a couple of times through the week, or take some to work to reheat in the microwave.

There are as many recipes for minestrone as there are for bolognese sauce, so to a certain extent you can just use what you have on hand. Onion, garlic, carrot, tomato and celery are the basic essentials, while the other vegetables are mostly optional. If you have it in the fridge add it, but don’t make a special trip to the shops just to buy one zucchini or one potato.

In the minestrone I made for the photo I didn’t add any potato, zucchini, leek or spinach/cabbage. I did add frozen peas and the kernels from a cob of fresh corn which needed using up. The spiral pasta is bigger than the size I usually use in minestrone, but it’s what I had in the pantry. Vegetarians can just leave out the bacon.

Served topped with grated Parmesan and some crusty bread or toast, it’s guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart, as my Irish grandmother used to say. In other words, it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling.

2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 onions, peeled and diced
1 leek, trimmed and diced (optional)
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 rashers bacon, diced (optional)
Kernels from 1 cob corn, or one zucchini, diced
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups shredded spinach or cabbage
1 large potato, peeled and diced (optional)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
1 can cannellini beans, drained (or another bean)
2 x 400g cans tomatoes, whizzed in food processor
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs sherry (optional)
2 litres chicken or vegetable stock (or water + 2 stock cubes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 tsp sugar
200-250g small pasta
To serve:
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, then add bacon and the diced vegetables, but not the frozen peas and spinach/cabbage. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are al dente.

Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, then simmer until the pasta is cooked. Add more water as required and check for seasoning.

Serve the soup topped with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, with fresh bread or toast.

Keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days and improves in flavour. Add water as necessary on reheating, if the soup appears to be too thick.

About 8 servings