Yogurt, Tahini and Strawberry Fool

I decided that muslin needed a special tribute as not only was it used to make this recipe but it is a common object used in our house and possibly my favourite kitchen tool. This soft, inexpensive, cotton material has may uses. So much so that I've taken to buying at least ten meters at a time as it is most annoying when i want to make something and its run out. In the kitchen I use it to make ricotta, cottage cheese, nut milks, coconut milk,

 labne (strained yogurt), ghee, to wrap up spices when cooking preserves etc etc. 

My five year old daughter also uses muslin all the time. She has different coloured cloths, which are amongst her most used toys. Some of the coloured cloths we bought, some we dye with food dye. The cloths become a myriad of things like back drops in a scene, blue becomes the ocean or skye, yellow the sand etc etc. The coloured cloths are also used for dolls blankets, super hero capes, bird wings, the list goes on.
If you follow my recipes you may of noticed me using the combination of yogurt and tahini for savoury recipes a few times. It is indeed a favourite combination of mine. The combination works equally well as a sweet dish and apart from leaving some yogurt in muslin to strain the night before this recipe is an incredibly quick, easy and healthy desert (or snack or breakfast!).

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

Creamy Yogurt

6 heaped tbs of organic yogurt

2 tbs of tahini

3 tbs of maple syrup

a few drops of vanilla extract

Quick Raw Strawberry Coulis

250g of strawberries washed and hulled

juice of half a lemon

1 tbs of maple syrup

a tiny splash of rose water

+

extra strawberries and chopped pistachios to serve

DIRECTIONS

To make the creamy yogurt start the night before by placing the yogurt in a colander lined with muslin. Tie the muslin up tightly around the yogurt. Place a bowl under the colander and leave it in the fridge to drain for at least 8 hours & up to 24 hours.

Discard the liquid and unravel the yogurt and place in a bowl with the other ingredients and stir till well combined. Set aside.

To make the strawberry coulis place all the ingredients in the blender and blend on high until liquified.

In a glass arrange in layers of sliced fresh strawberries, creamy yogurt, strawberry coulis and pistachios.

For extra special occasions decorate with rose petals, crumbled pistachio halva or persian fairy floss.

Enjoy!

Minty Broad Bean Dip

One of my favourite spring vegetables is broad beans. This dish is seasonal cooking at its best. Great fresh produce, inexpensive, a handful of ingredients and very little cooking time. 

Serve with raw spring vegetables for dipping, on bruschetta, or layer it with poached asparagus, poached eggs, roquette and pecorino as a lovely brunch or side dish.

Using young, new season broad beans means that you don't need to take the skin of each individual bean. If you make this dish using more mature broad beans then you will have to remove the skin from them.

INGREDIENTS

This makes one small bowl of dip so double the quantity if you need to

500g of broad beans = about 120g of podded beans

1 very small clove of garlic or half a clove

a handfull of fresh mint

juice of 1/4 of lemon

a pinch of good quality sea salt

1 tsp of pomegranate molasses

a slug of olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Blanch the broad beans in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse them well in cold water.

Place in the blender with the remaining ingredients and blend for thirty seconds to one minute. 

Serve and top with a little extra oil.

This is best served immediately.

Enjoy!

Glazed Beetroot, Wood Sorrel, Walnut and Goats Cheese Salad

I have been a long time fan of eating weeds but my interest has reasently spiked due to the purchace of an amazing book called The Weed Foragers Handbook. It's written by some fellow melbournians and it can be purchased here from their website. For $25 delivered to your door it is a must for any australian home, as learning how to identify and gather free and nutrient rich food is so worthwhile.
Wood sorrel is found in most parts of the world. I remember picking the stems of the yellow flowers and chewing on them for their sour taste. My son enjoyed the flower stems in the same way when he was younger and called it sour grass. Wood sorrel very high in vitamin c and is helpful in treating influenza, urinary tract infections, diarrhoea, sprains, insect bites, open wound and hookworm. It is also said to have anti-cancer properties. Like most edible weeds and lots of fruit and vegetables, wood sorrel contain oxalic acid. Oxalic acid has many benefits and is also produced in the body. However very high consumption of it can be toxic and should be avoided in high doses by pregnant women and people who suffer from gout or kidney problems. I recommend reading this really good article on oxalic acid here.
Wood sorrel looks a lot like clover but is easily distinguishable by it's sour, lemony taste. Clover is also edible so don't be afraid to have a taste. The lovely wood sorrel is best used as a herb and its lovely lemony flavour is a great addition to many dishes.
Because of my new enhanced love for weeds and my abundant source of wood sorrel growing in my front yard I decided to make a twist on an old favourite. If you cant find wood sorrel then you can substitute with another salad green. the wood sorrel has such an intense lemony flavour that this salad does not really require further dressing. If you use another salad green then dress lightly with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

INGREDIENTS
Serves two as a light lunch or four as a side

4 small - medium beetroots
2 tsp of virgin coconut oil
2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 heaped tsp of raw honey
a pinch of good quality sea salt
a couple of handfuls of wood sorrel romove most of the stems
75g of goats chevre
a handfull of walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly broken up

DIRECTIONS

Put your beetroots in a pot of water and bring to the boil, reduce to medium heat and simmer until a fork can pierce through. Drain the beetroots and rinse under cold water rubbing the skin off with your fingers. If the skin doesn't come off easily (it should if there cooked enough but occasionally it won't) use a vegetable peeler. Dice the beetroots then return to the pot at medium heat with the oil, vinegar, honey and salt and let it bubble away, stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced and the beetroots are completely covered in the glaze, about ten minutes. Let them cool a little, then assemble them on a plate the the remaining ingredients.

Enjoy!

Lemon & Lime Sago Pudding with Cardamon Macadamia Cream

Sago is one of my favourite deserts. It's naturally gluten free, it's light and fresh and really easy to make. I found a brand of coconut milk that is not lined with plastic (yay!).  The plastic in cans leaks harmful and carcinogenic BPA's into the food and is especially absorbed into coconut cream/milk and canned tomatoes.
If you cannot find organic coconut milk in a plastic free tin then you can make your own by using a cup of organic desiccated coconut and a cup of filtered water. blending it in the blender for a couple of minutes and then straining it through muslin into a clean jar. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. The addition of berries on top when they're in season would be lovely.

INGREDIENTS
Makes around 7 or 8 serves

Sago

250g tapioca pearls

2 tbsp of vanilla essence

2 cups of filtered water

400g can of coconut milk 

juice of two lemons

juice and zest of one lime

4 heaped tbsp of raw honey
extra water for soaking

Macadamia cream

150 g of macadamias

1/2 cup of water
1 heaped tbsp of raw honey
1 tbsp of vanilla
the seeds from 3 cardamon pods

DIRECTIONS

For the sago soak the tapioca pearls for a couple of hours. Strain and rinse them then put all the ingredients  into a pot and bring to the boil, stirring regularly. Reduce heat to low and cook until the pearls are translucent, about ten to fifteen minutes. Leave in the pot to cool. When cooled to lukewarm place in serving glasses or bowls and top with macadamia cream. You can serve these at room temperature or you can let them chill and set firm in the fridge. They will keep in the fridge for a few days.

To make the macadamia cream soak the nuts in the water for half an hour. Tip them, water included with the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend for a few minutes or until its nice and creamy.

Enjoy!

Spiced Pan Fried Potatoes With Egg & Creamy Tahini

Potatoes and eggs......winning combination. 

The secret to this dish is good produce. Potatoes and eggs are two things that you really should only buy organic. Apart from the health and ethical reasons the taste difference is far superior.

My favourite eggs in Victoria are Swampy's. Not only are his organic eggs fabulous and a good price he also makes great unpasteurized raw milk, cream and kefir. There's a great article on him here.

INGREDIENTS

Spiced Potatoes

2 tbsp of ghee or coconut butter

2 organic potatoes washed and diced into small chunks
1 tsp of nigella seeds
1tsp each of cumin seed and coriander seed crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 tsp of smoked paprika
a few good pinches of sea salt
fresh coriander

1 fried organic egg

Creamy Tahini

1 small garlic minced with a bit of salt
1 tbsp of tahini
3 tbsp of plain organic/biodynamic yogurt
1 tsp of pomegranate molasses
a pinch of good quality sea salt
a squeeze of lemon juice
a pinch of sumac and drizzle of olive oil on top

DIRECTIONS

To make the sauce simply stir the ingredients until well combined, top with sumac and olive oil.
In a heavy pan melt ghee and add potatoes and salt, cook on a medium to high heat, stirring often. Add the spices after 15 minutes and cook for about another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Check the seasoning.
Put the potatoes in a bowl top with a fried egg and serve with lots of coriander, creamy tahini, cracked pepper and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Seedy, Nutty Barley Granola

This is so easy all you have to really do is show up and hang around it for 20 mins. I have used barley oats. If you are gluten intolerant use a rolled grain that is gluten free. Eat it with seasonal fruit and yogurt, with your milk of choice, as a snack or a sneaky desert with poached fruit and ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

Fills about a 1.5lt jar

2 cups of rolled barley

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

100g each of almonds and macadamias roughly chopped

1 cup of organic desiccated coconut

1 cup of sesame seeds

3 tbs of coconut oil

4-5 tbs of raw honey

pinch of good quality sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Put all the ingredients in a baking dish and give it a little mix with a spoon (don't worry about the coconut oil and honey being clumpy, they'll melt in the oven). Bake in the oven at 160 degrees for twenty minutes or until golden, giving it a really good stir every five minutes so everything is evenly toasted. Cool completely in the tray. Store in an air tight jar.

Enjoy!

Cheats Pizzoccheri (Buckwheat Pasta with Cavolo Nero, Cabbage and Potato)

 This dish is a cheats version of a classic northern Italian dish from Lombady. Traditionally it's made with fresh buckwheat pasta that is shaped like a short tagliatelle. As I am aware its the only traditional Italian pasta dish that is not made from wheat. I am yet to make this pasta from scratch but I have made this dish many of times using buckwheat pasta bought from the health food store. You can usually buy it in either spirals or penne and it is sometimes mixed with rice flour. I'm a big fan of pasta, but now that I don't eat wheat anymore it's not in my repertoire so much. I do eat spelt pasta, I find that it is a great substitute to wheat pasta without compromising the flavour. If you are gluten intolerant this is a great dish. It's rich, filling, tasty and great for the winter months. 

Best part is that I made this entirely in one pot! Dream dish.

Ingredients

250g of buckwheat pasta
 2 medium size (350g) organic all rounder potatoes like dutch creams, peeled and cut into small cubes
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
100g of pecorino
1/4 cabbage finely shredded
6 leaves of cavolo nero leaves removed from steams & sliced into thin ribbons
80g of taleggio thinly sliced
chunk of organic butter
good quality sea salt

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. If you have a cast iron pot use this as it can be used for the entire process. When the water is boiling add the pasta and potatoes and cook until the pasta is al dente and the potatoes are cooked through, about 7 minutes. Take out some of the cooking water using a mug and set aside. Drain the pasta and potatoes, set aside.
Put the pot back on the stove on medium heat. Add the butter and garlic cook for a minute or so. Add the cavolo nero and cabbage and cook for another few minutes until wilted. Take off the heat add the pasta and potatoes, pecorino, salt to taste and add a little bit of the reserved cooking water to loosen it up. Top with slices of taleggio and bake in the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with a green salad and freshly cracked pepper.

Enjoy!