Tag Archives: summer

Stuffed Peppers

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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

Rhubarb Compote with Ginger and Pistachios

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We grow a lot of rhubarb which I usually make into pies and crumbles, or a simple compote for breakfast. We give the rest away to friends.

This recipe is light and refreshing as well as being gluten-free. To make it dairy free, swap the whipped cream for coconut cream or coconut yoghurt. Don’t be put off by the olive oil at the end – give it a try, it’s delicious.

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
½ cup water
2 Tbs or more sugar, honey or maple syrup, to taste
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1 orange
Topping:
Whipped cream (or coconut cream or yoghurt)
Lightly toasted shelled pistachio nuts
Extra Virgin olive oil

Place rhubarb, water and sweetener in a large saucepan and cook, stirring often for 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft. Add the ginger and orange juice and leave to cool. Keeps in the fridge for several days.

Toast the nuts by stirring them over medium heat in a dry frying pan until lightly toasted. Whip the cream. Serve the compote in individual serving dishes – martini glasses look pretty. Top with the whipped cream, then a few pistachios and a drizzle of oil.

Serves 8

Note: if liked add a little sweetener and/or vanilla essence to the whipped cream or coconut cream.

Eggplants with Labneh and Spicy Cashews

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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.

Prawn Burgers

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I was in my local shopping centre, heading for the supermarket, when I saw a sign outside a small bistro which said “Today’s Special: Prawn Burger”. I thought to myself “That sounds nice”, so I bought a packet of peeled green prawns and some brioche buns and made them for dinner. They were delicious.  If you can’t find raw prawns you could use cooked ones and just cook the burgers for less time.

On its own, or perhaps with some oven chips cooked in the oven or an air fryer, dinner’s ready.

200g peeled green (raw) prawns
1 spring onion, roughly cut up
½ an egg white
1 Tbs cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs (preferably Panko)
1-2 Tbs oil
To serve:
2 or 3 brioche burger buns, split and toasted
Mayonnaise (preferably home made)
Salad: Avocado, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, red onion
Or coleslaw: shredded cabbage, carrot + a mayonnaise based dressing, plus some avocado (shown in the photo)

Place half the prawns, the spring onion, egg white, cornflour and seasoning in food processor and process until fairly smooth. Fold in remaining prawns, roughly chopped.

With damp hands, form mixture into 2 burgers the diameter of the brioche buns and coat them evenly with breadcrumbs, patting them on. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Heat oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and fry the burgers for 4-5 minutes each side, or until golden and cooked through.

Spread some mayonnaise on the toasted buns, then fill each one with a burger and some salad or coleslaw.

Makes 2 burgers

Colette’s French Apricot Tart

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My friend Colette brought this delicious fruit tart to one of our monthly Potluck lunches where we all speak French for two hours. It’s called Tarte Bourdaloue, but I call it Colette’s Tart, because she gave me the recipe.

If you’ve ever looked at the pastries in the window of a French patisserie you will notice that they tend to almost overcook them, resulting in a few charred edges. This is what gives French pastries their authentic flavour, so when you make this tart, don’t undercook it. The original Tarte Bourdaloue used pears, but apricots, plums, apples or pears, either canned, fresh or frozen, all work well. You can even throw in a few berries.

Pastry:
250g butter, chilled
250g cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2½ cups plain flour
Filling:
2 eggs
180g almond meal
150g sugar
3 Tbs rum (optional)
Topping:
2 x 400g can apricots, pears or plums, drained (or use fresh or frozen fruit)
2 Tbs apricot jam, heated and sieved
Flaked almonds, lightly toasted
Process butter, sugar and flour until fine crumbs form, then add the cream cheese, cut into chunks and process just until pastry forms a ball. This is enough to make three tarts approximately 25-30cm in diameter. Tip out and cut the pastry into three, use one ball to make this tart and freeze the other two, wrapped in plastic wrap, to use another time.

Chill the pastry ball you’re going to use for half an hour or so. Roll it out using some extra flour and use it to line the tart tin. Mine is 30cm in diameter and has a removable bottom. If you don’t have a metal tin a ceramic one will do. If you find it hard to lift the pastry once it has been rolled out into a big circle, cut it into four and move it in sections. You can easily rejoin the seams by pressing them together with your fingers. Trim off the top edges with a knife. Chill the tart shell while the oven heats up.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the pastry shell blind (without filling) for 8-10 minutes, or until light golden. Mix filling and spread over the pastry base. Place the fruit on top, pushing it in a bit. From two tins of apricot halves I had a few left over. I probably could have used them all if I had arranged them closer together. If using pears slice them, then put them back together in the shape of halved pears, which looks nice – have a look at photos on Google.

Bake 30-35 mins at 200°C. Brush the heated apricot jam all over the tart, then sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 8 (with pastry left to make 2 more tarts)

Affogato with Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

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Affogato consists of vanilla ice cream or gelato drizzled with a shot of freshly brewed coffee and some Amaretto – an Italian liqueur made with almonds.

This traditional Italian dessert is so quick and easy to make. The perfect way to end a meal with friends, with almost no work involved and a cinch to make for yourself, when you feel you deserve a little treat.  If you don’t have Amaretto, experiment with other liqueurs you find tucked away at the back of your alcohol cupboard, such as Baileys Irish Cream, Tia Maria or Frangelico.

The home made vanilla ice cream takes less than five minutes to make (plus freezing time) and it’s so delicious! But if you can’t be bothered just buy your favourite brand.

Vanilla ice cream – bought or quick home-made (see below)
Freshly made espresso coffee
Amaretto or liqueur of your choice

Place two scoops of ice cream in a small tumbler. Add a shot of espresso, then drizzle with about a tablespoonful of Amaretto or liqueur of your choice. Serve immediately.

Quick Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream: whip two cups (half a litre) whipping cream until thick then add a can of condensed milk and a teaspoon of vanilla essence (or vanilla seeds scraped from one pod) and continue to whip until combined. Scrape into a container with a lid and freeze for several hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. If you prefer it a little less sweet use more cream. I used three cups (750ml) instead of two.

Eton Mess

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Looking for a quick and easy dessert to serve over the Canberra Day long weekend? Eton Mess, a traditional English dessert which makes the most of the summer berries is quick, easy and delicious.

A mixture of meringue, berries and whipped cream, this dish was first mentioned in print in 1893 and is thought to have originated at Eton College in England, where it’s served at the annual cricket match against Harrow School.

In the 6th episode of the TV series The Gilded Age, which I’m currently watching, the French chef is asked to prepare a British meal. For dessert he makes Eton Mess, which he describes disparagingly as a mess made by a bunch of schoolboys.

The traditional recipe for this sumptuous dessert uses broken up meringues, either home-made or shop bought. I prefer to use a pavlova base, because the meringue is crunchy on the outside, but soft and marshmallowy on the inside. In Australia pavlova bases are sold in most big supermarkets.  I’m not sure if they are available in other countries, except perhaps New Zealand, but you can always make your own or use broken up hard meringues, which are more readily available around the world.

I like to use half fresh cream and half sour cream or crème fraîche, but if preferred you can use all fresh cream.

1 pavlova base to serve 12 (or about 12 large individual meringues)
250 ml whipping cream
250 ml sour cream or crème fraîche
1 Tbs icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
500g strawberries
2-3 tsp caster sugar
150-200g raspberries (or blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants etc)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Wash strawberries, cut in half or slice if large and place in a bowl with the caster sugar. Mix and leave aside for an hour or two, so the juices start to run.

I used about three-quarters of a large pavlova base for this dish. Break off chunks and arrange about half of them in a large glass serving dish, or break up the hard meringues. If preferred, make individual servings using large whisky tumblers.

Scatter half the strawberries and half the raspberries or other berries over the meringue. Place the cream, sour cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whip using electric beaters until soft peaks form. Place blobs of the whipped cream over the meringue and fruit, then the rest of the pavlova/meringue pieces, the juices from the strawberries, the remaining cream and lastly the rest of the strawberries and raspberries. They are not shown in the photo, but if liked decorate the top with some chocolate sprinkles, which always look nice with berries and cream. Refrigerate until serving time and serve within a couple of hours.

Serves 6-8

Note: if liked, add a tablespoonful of a liqueur such as Kirsch, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Curaçao to the strawberries and sugar.

 

 

Strawberry No Bake Cheesecake

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This recipe is adapted from one called Narrabri Cheesecake which Matthew used to make before we met. Part of his bachelor repertoire, guaranteed to impress the girls. It’s quite rich and you will get at least twelve servings, enough to serve a crowd.

Crust:
150g plain sweet biscuits e.g. Digestives, Nice, Marie
100g butter, melted
Filling:
300ml whipping cream
750g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 can condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
Grated rind of one large lemon or two smaller ones
Topping:
250g strawberries, halved
Strawberry Sauce:
250g strawberries, diced
1-2 Tbs sugar, to taste
1 Tbs lemon juice

Butter a 22-24 cm (9-10 inch) springform cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper. Whizz the biscuits in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Mix with the melted butter, then press evenly over the base of the cake pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Using a stand mixer (my preference with this recipe) or hand beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Scrape out into another bowl. No need to wash the first bowl – just add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add the condensed milk and lastly the lemon juice and rind. Use a spatula to scrape down the mixture stuck to the sides of the bowl, then mix a bit more. Fold through the whipped cream, scrape into the cake pan and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Clean and sort the strawberries, keeping the best ones to decorate and the rest for the sauce.

Strawberry Sauce: place all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes then push through a sieve, discarding what won’t go through. Keep refrigerated.

Arrange halved strawberries over the top of the cheesecake. Run a knife with a thin blade around the sides of the cheesecake, undo the clip and remove. If you like, run a knife under the base of the cheesecake, under the paper, so you can remove the base. If preferred, just leave the base on. Slice cheesecake using a large knife dipped in hot water. Serve sauce (not shown in photo) separately in a small jug.

Serves  12-16

Variations: use other berries.

 

Tomato Tarte Tatin with Goat’s Cheese

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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

Melon, Buffalo Mozzarella and Prawn Salad

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I’ve tweaked this recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi and added prawns, which aren’t in his original version. The result is a light and healthy salad which will serve four as a starter or two as a main.

You may have noticed that I use this serving dish a lot. It’s one of my favourites from a pottery called Bison, located just outside Canberra in Pialligo.

½ small red onion, thinly sliced
Grated rind and juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g peeled large cooked prawns (weight before peeling about 500g)
3-4 cups mixed salad greens (lettuce, rocket etc)
2-3 cups melon balls or cubes (rockmelon or watermelon or a mix)
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 whole ball Buffalo Mozzarella (100-150g) cut or torn into bite sized pieces
1 Tbs buckwheat groats (optional)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 Tbs fresh coriander leaves
3-4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix onion with lemon rind and juice. Halve the peeled prawns horizontally. If prawns are small leave them whole. Add them to the onion with a pinch of salt and mix.

Arrange salad leaves in a shallow salad bowl. Arrange the melon balls, avocado and mozzarella on top. Arrange the prawns and onions over the salad and drizzle with the lemon juice. Place the buckwheat groats in a dry frying pan over moderate heat and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted.

Garnish the salad with the buckwheat, mustard seeds, coriander leaves and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main