Baby beets in a herbed dressing
Dress the beets in this wonderful, sharp, herby dressing while warm from the oven and serve at room temperature. They are equally good as a vegetable accompaniment to roasts, barbecues or grills or as part of a mezze selection.
Ingredients
2 bunches of baby beets (about 600g)
4 cloves garlic, roughly smashed
sea salt
1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
100g fetta, roughly crumbled
HERBED DRESSING
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
30 ml olive oil
30 ml walnut oil
1 tblsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
baby soft herb leaves to garnish (optional
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Wash the beetroot thoroughly to remove any grit, paying special attention to the area close to the stalks. Trim the roots and cut off the stalks, leaving about 3cm attached. Place in a baking tray and scatter in the garlic cloves. Season lightly with salt, then add the oil and toss thoroughly. Cover the tray loosely with foil and roast for 30-45 minutes, until the beets are tender.
While the beets are cooking start making the dressing. Crush the garlic with the salt, then whisk this with the lemon juice and oils.
Remove the tray from the oven and discard the garlic. When the beetroots are just cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them in half lengthwise. Place in large bowl with the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Add the herbs to the dressing, whisk, and pour into the beets. Check the seasoning, then add the crumbled fetta and toss gently. Garnish with baby herb leaves, if using. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 4
Pastirma and goat’s cheese gözleme
Ingredients
2 sheets yufka pastry
240g pastirma, very thinly sliced
220g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
1tblsp dried mint
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
melted unsalted butter
Method
Open out a sheet of yufka pastry so you have a large round on your work surface. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry in half, then cut each half into three equal wedges. Stack them on top of each other and trim the curved edge straight. Repeat with the other sheet of pastry to total 12 small equilateral triangles.Working with one pastry triangle at a time, arrange slices of pastirma in the centre of the triangle leaving a border around the edge. Scatter on the cheese and sprinkle with a little mint, lemon zest and oil. Brush some melted butter on the triangle’s points, then fold in the points to form a small enclosed triangle, Repeat until all the pastry, pastirma, cheese, mint and oil have been used.
Heat a heavy non-stick frying pan over a medium heat . Brush the gözleme with a little more melted butter and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once. Serve hot from the pan.
MAKES 12
Pomegranate and vodka sorbet
Serve this very adult sorbet in cocktail glasses with an extra splash of icy cold vodka.
Ingredients
250ml water
250g caster sugar
80g liquid glucose
400ml pomegranate juice (around 4 large pomegranates)
100ml vodka
juice of 1 lime
Method
Combine the water, sugar and liquid glucose in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. When the syrup is clear, increase the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Stir in the pomegranate juice, vodka and lime juice. Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
MAKES 600ml
Rose flavoured berry fool with marscapone
Ingredients
2 punnets strawberries, hulled and halved
2 punnets blueberries
2 punnets raspberries
100g coffee crystals
30ml rosewater
100g sugar
120ml cold water
200ml pure cream
200g marscapone
Method
Reserve a few berries from each punnet to garnish then make a berry puree using 1 punnet of each of the fruits. Cook with the coffee crstals for 10 minutes, and then allow to cool and pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Stir in half the rosewater and allow to cool.
Heat the sugar with 60ml of the cold water until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the water to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it thickens and darkens to a caramel. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cold water. Stir in well and allow to cool.
Whip the cream with the marscapone and remaining rosewater until stiff. Loosely fold in the whole berries with half the puree and half the caramel to give a marbled effect.
Place a big blob on each plate and swirl with extra puree and caramel.
Garnish with the fresh whole berries.
Natural oysters with parsley salad
Ingredients
6 ripe tomatoes
50g sugar
12 teaspoons water
30ml olive oil for sauteing
200g bastourma, thinly sliced then cut into 3mm batons
1 and 1/2 cups parsley leaves, shredded
100g artichoke leaves
100ml red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely minced
100ml extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
36 oysters, freshly opened
Method
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the flesh and seeds.
In a heavy pan, dissolve the sugar in 6 teaspoons of water. Once it is fully dissolved stir gently for 8 minutes, or until the syrup turns a deep golden colour. Add 6 further teaspoons of warm water, stir and bring back to a simmer for 2 minutes more until the caramel thickens.
Place the tomatoes on a rack, skin side down, and drizzle the caramel over them. Leave them to cook/dry in a preheated 140 degree C oven for 6-8 hours.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and saute the bastourma over a high heat until it is crisp (around 3-4 minutes).
Cut the caramelised tomatoes into thick strips. in a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, bastourma, parsely, artichoke leaves, red wine vinegar, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Season lightly.
For each person, arrange 6 oysters in their shells on a plate, and place a heaped spoonful of the parsley salad on top of each oyster.
Serve immediately to six people as a starter.
Tabbouleh with roasted walnuts
Tabbouleh is undoubtably one of our favourite salads with its simple focus on fresh flavours and textures. Here roasted walnuts add a lovely nutty crunch to the traditional version. By all means roast the walnuts and prepare the individual vegetables and herbs ahead of time. But don't mix in the lemon juice and oil until the very last moment or the whole thing will go mushy.
Ingredients
70g walnuts
2 bunches flat leaf parsley. leaves only
1/2 bunch mint, finely shredded
1 large purple onion, finely chopped
4 medium sized tomatoes, finely diced
juice of two lemons
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
100-120ml olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius
Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 8-10 minutes. After 4 minutes, shake the tray around so that the nuts colour evenly. Remove the tray from the oven and tip the nuts into a tea-towel. Rub them vigorously between your hands to remove as much of the papery brown skin as you can. Chop the nuts finely to the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Sieve to remove as much of the dust as you can.
Put the parsley, mint, onion, tomoatoes and walnuts into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serves 8 -10
Orange cardamom sour cream cake
Ingredients
Cake
130g soft unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
225g plain flour
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, finely ground and sieved
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200ml sour cream
Syrup
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons Cointreau
3 tablespoons caster sugar
6 cardamon pods, cracked
1 cinnamon stick
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius. Butter and line a 23cm springform cake tin.
To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale, then add the citrus zests and vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour with the cardamom, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the sour cream, mixing well on low speed after each addition. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves and then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Strain and discard the cardamom and cinnamon.
As soon as the cake is out of the oven, pierce the top all over with the skewer and pour over the syrup. Try to ensure it is soaked up evenly. Place the tin on a wire rack and leave it to cool completely before releasing from the tin.
Makes 10-12 slices.
Grilled flat chicken with broad bean crush
This flattened chicken dish is cooked under the grill and served smeared with the earthy and spicy broad bean crush. The crush is also delicious on toasted bread, served as a canape with drinks before dinner.
Ingredients
2 x 500g free-range chickens or poussins
salt and pepper
Broad bean crush
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g broad beans, podded, blanched and peeled
1 shallot, very finely diced
1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
50ml extra virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
Method
Preheat your grill to its highest temperatuire and line the tray of the grill with foil to make cleaning up easier.
To prepare the chickens, cut them down the back and splay them open. Season them with salt and pepper and place them under the grill, skin side down, making sure they are about 3cm from the heat source. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the skin starts to blister.
While the chickens are grilling, prepare the broad bean crush. First, pound the garlic and salt to a smooth paste. Next add the remaining ingredients to the mortar and pound them one by one or tip everything into a food processor. Either way, what you are aiming for is a sludgy, rough texture.
When the chickens are cooked, smear on the broad bean crush and cook for a few more minutes. Serve with Arabic bread, lemon wedges and a soft leaf salad.
Serves 4
Turkish delight florentines
Ingredients
50g unsalted butter
124ml pure cream
125g catser sugar
440g flaked almonds
60g plain flour
300g best quality dark chocolate
8 pieces rosewater Turkish Delight, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius. Grease and line 2 baking trays with parchment.
Put the cream, butter and sugar in a small heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly then stir in the almonds and flour.
Drop teaspoonfuls onto the baking trays, leaving plenty of room between each one for spreading. Flatten slightly with a wet fingertip. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden brown. If you like, at this stage you can cut the biscuits into neat circles with a pastry cutter, before returning them to the oven to finish cooking. Bake biscuits for a further 8 minutes until they are a deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven and, while they are still warm, scatter with the pieces of Turkish delight. (Alternatively, scatter the Turkish delight onto the melted chocolate before it sets.) Once the biscuits are cool and firm transfer them to a wire rack. Melt the chocolate and brush a thick coat onto the flat sides of the biscuits. Use a fork to create the traditional wavy pattern.
Makes around 15 biscuits.
Copyright Greg Malouf 2012 / Site designed by Marilyn & Sons and Built by Flint Interactive
Greg Malouf