CARROT DIP
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
This is so easy and quick to make. I make 500 ml at a time and use it on garden salads, roast vegetables and even on pasta salads.
200 ml Balsamic Vinegar
250 ml vegetable oil like canola
1 tablespoon sugar
Plenty of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3-4 cloves of plump garlic peeled (optional)
Using a large measuring jug, measure out the vinegar. Add the salt, sugar, mustard. Grind plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Then add the oil. Whisk everything together until it is smooth and thick. If using, put the garlic in your bottle and then pour over your dressing. Store in refrigerator and use as needed. Makes 500ml.
POTATO GRATIN
Who doesn’t love the creamy goodness of an old fashioned potato gratin?
1 kilogram of waxy potatoes like Nadine
¾ cup cream
½ cup milk
3 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
150 grams Gruyere cheese grated
15 grams butter cubed
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 180o C. Peel and slice potatoes thinly (I used my hand or you can use a mandolin). Place the cream, milk and garlic in a largish pot and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the sliced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Gently transfer half of the potatoes to a baking dish. Cover with half of the cheese, grate some of the nutmeg, add the remaining potatoes and cream mixture and top with remaining cheese. Grate some more nutmeg and top with the cubed butter.
Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
ZHOUG
A fiery hot chilli relish originally from Yemen but now popular in Israel. It is eaten as an accompaniment to just about everything. I served it up with roast Maryland chicken. This recipe is courtesy of Greg and Lucy Malouf from their Moorish cook book.
4 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 cups fresh coriander, roots removed
4 – 6 red chillies – I did not remove the seeds but you can if you don’t like super-hot relish
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
A splash of water
Crush the cardamom pods, peppercorns and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle, then sift to remove the husks. I used a tea strainer.
Wash and thoroughly dry the coriander. Put the chillies, coriander, garlic, salt and water in a blender, add the spices and mix well. Tip into a jar and seal with 1 tablespoon olive oil. It will keep for around a week in the refrigerator.
Makes 100 ml
TRAY BAKED CHICKEN MARYLAND
A chicken Maryland is a cut of chicken which contains both the drumstick and thigh. It is a great budget-friendly cut to use for a quick roast chicken or in a one-pot wonder meal.
4 pieces chicken maryland cut legs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Maldon sea salt
Preheat oven to 210oC or 190o C fan bake. Rub the vegetable oil on the legs and sprinkle Maldon sea salt liberally. Place legs on a wire rack over an oven tray. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes until done. Serve with couscous and Zhoug. Serves 4.
Schmaltz is the rendered chicken fat which collects in the tray. You can spoon into a small bowl and use it to flavour rice or couscous.
AMMAMMA’S CABBAGE SALAD
My maternal grandmother (Ammamma) passed away when I was very young and I did not have the privilege to know her better. My mother talks of the food she used to prepare very fondly and this is one of my grandmother’s recipe. You need tender baby cabbage the one that has almost soft, buttery leaves.
1 small tender, baby cabbage, washed and dried
100 grams grated coconut (I used frozen coconut)
1 thumb ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies (seeded and finely chopped)
1 shallot finely chopped
Juice from one lemon (about 30 ml)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil like canola
50 grams peanuts (handful)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon channa dhal (split chick pea)
1 dried red chilli
Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
Salt to taste Using a box grater, grate the cabbage. In a large bowl, mix the cabbage with the green chilli, ginger and shallot. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small fry pan and fry the peanuts until golden brown. This needs to be done on low heat otherwise they burn and taste bitter without the crunch. Once fried, remove and set aside. Put the fry pan on heat again and add the remaining oil to prepare popu (seasoning). Add the channa dhal, followed by mustard seeds. When the channa dhal turns slightly brown, you can also hear the mustard seeds popping, add the red chilli and asafoetida if using. Remove heat as the residual heat is sufficient to fry off the asafoetida and chilli. Just before serving, add the popu (seasoning) along with peanuts to the cabbage mixture. Add salt, lemon juice and adjust seasoning to your taste. Serve immediately. Serves 8 -10.
DHAL FRY
This is a very simple and satisfying dish (sometimes called tarka dhal or tadka dhal) you see on the menu in Indian restaurants and households. There are any number of variations – normally this is made with Toor Dhal (obtained from specialist Indian stores and you would cook this in a pressure cooker as stove top method takes too long) but I have done a simple one with all the flavours using red lentils.
Ingredients
1 cup red lentils washed
1 thumb size fresh ginger piece chopped fine
1 large onion finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli finely chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
½ fresh lemon
1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
Method
Place the lentils in a large saucepan and add two and a half cups water. Add the onion, ginger, chilli and turmeric powder. Stir to combine contents of the pot and bring it to a boil. Once the water is bubbling, reduce heat and let the lentils simmer for 15 minutes stirring a couple of times so the lentils do not stick to the bottom. Once cooked stir in the salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves and set aside. Heat the ghee in a small fry pan. When hot add the cumin seeds, fry until they splutter or the seeds have opened up and the flavour is evident. While hot pour on top and serve immediately with pulao. Serves 4.
PULAO
Ingredients
2 cups Basmati rice rinsed in a sieve and drained
1 large carrot cut into a small 1 centimetre dice
1 large onion sliced very thinly
1 cup frozen peas
½ thumb size piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
4 plump garlic cloves finely chopped
1 x 5 cm cinnamon stick cut in half
5 cloves
5 cardamom
4 tablespoons ghee
Salt to taste
Method
Take a wide saucepan with a lid preferably one with a non-stick surface. Heat ghee and add the whole spices. Fry for a minute until all the spices have opened up and the smell is evident. Then fry the onions for three minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and continue to fry for a further minute. Add the rice, carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Add salt and three and three quarters cups of cold water from the tap. Increase heat and let the contents of the pan come up to the boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and continue cooking for a further 4- 5 minutes. The key to cooking beautiful rice on stove top is to get the best quality Basmati rice you can afford and also do not stir more than once in the middle of cooking. Allow the rice to rest for ten minutes before serving hot with the Dhal or raita.
Radish / Onion Salad
5 small pink table radishes sliced thinly
2 medium red onions sliced thinly
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
½ teaspoon Ajwain seeds (Indian store)
Juice of one lemon
Method
Using your hands, mix the radishes, onions, salt, sugar and ajwain seeds. Squeeze in the lemon juice and allow to pickle for at least half an hour. Serve as part of an Indian meal.
ANDHRA STYLE LEMON PICKLE
10 large, juicy lemons (Meyer)
Juice from 4 lemons
10 tablespoons salt
9 tablespoons chilli powder (I use a combination of very hot and mild Kashmiri chilli powder)
1 heaped dessertspoon full of fenugreek seeds (roasted until brown and ground to a fine powder)
10 cloves plump garlic (optional)
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
4 tablespoons vegetable oil like canola
Method
Cut the 10 lemons into eighths or if smallish into quarters. Take a large jar and place lemons in jar. Add all the salt and shake the jar so the salt is mixed in. Set the jar aside for 24 hours. Squeeze out all the pieces (retain the juice that has collected) and you can dry the pieces in the sun or I prefer to dehydrate them in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius for about 16 hours or so. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds – fry until the seeds are sputtering. Then add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. In another large mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon mix the chilli powder and roasted fenugreek powder and add the oil mixture. Add the dried lemon pieces and also the reserved juice (the one from soaking). Mix well and put all the pickle back into the jar. Allow to rest in a cupboard for a couple of days. Then give it a good mix and squeeze in juice from the four lemons. Will keep for a few months in the back of your cupboard. Serve as accompaniment to an Indian meal.
GUACAMOLE
1 large ripe avocado (you know it’s ripe when the stalk falls off easily)
1 red chilli finely chopped (optional)
1 small garlic (optional)
1 small tomato finely chopped
1 small shallot finely chopped
Few sprigs of coriander leaves chopped
½ a large lime
½ teaspoon hot sauce
Salt to taste
Method
Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Using a fork, mash it so there are a few small chunks here and there. Add the remaining ingredients and give it a mix. Serve as a dip or relish for burgers or potato wedges.
PICKLED ONIONS
200 grams red onions
For the pickling liquid
50 ml apple cider vinegar
50 ml water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon hot chilli sauce
Method:
Peel and slice the onions as thinly as you can. Sprinkle and mix the salt and sugar. Place in a jar and pour in the apple cider vinegar and water. Mix or shake jar and allow to rest fifteen minutes before serving. Will keep in refrigerator for up to a week. Use for burgers or in tacos as a topping.
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
1 cup mayonnaise
1 shallot (2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
100 grams of blue cheese crumbled
Salt and pepper
Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour and take out one hour before serving. Great with Cos lettuce or microwaved broccoli.