Baked Pumpkin & Zucchini Frekkeh with Stilton

This is truly a Rustic meal

Inspired by the new Chasseur casserole pot i got for my Birthday from my family. I was dying to use it and luckily for me the weather on Sunday evening was cold and very wet.....perfect for a baked rustic meal.

This is the first time i have tried Freekeh and it is delicious. this meal would work equally well with Quinoa or Barley or Rice.

ingredients

* 6-8 roast pumpkin wedges (with skin on)
* 1/2 a whole roast onion (simply cut the top off the onion, cut an x in the top, rub a bit of butter (or oil) on and some herbs or garlic if you like and bake until nice and soft
* 2 tsp chopped garlic
* 2 tbsp pesto
* handful chopped parsley, marjoram and thyme
* 2 tbs Avjar
* rind of half a lemon
* 1 lemon cut into wedges
* 1 cup Freekeh
* water
* s & p
* 1/3 cup of blue vein cheese, Stilton or other salty soft cheese.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and roast veg.
Cook freekah according to packet directions

Put the casserole on the stove on low-medium heat and saute the garlic with a little oil

Add the freekah to the pot and stir to combine, add the Avjar and some of the roast onion (cut into wedges) and stir to warm through and dry out the freekah a little (if yours is a little soggy like mine was), stir through the lemon rind and some of the herbs

Arrange the pumpkin and zucchini and more onion wedges on top of the freekah and crumble the cheese on top.

Bake in the oven until cheese has melted and all is warmed through (approx 15-20mins)
the freekah should develop a delicious slightly crunchy crust on the bottom

Dollop the pesto on before serving and scatter with herbs.
Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top (optional)

Pumpkin & Pesto Ricotta Parcels

This is a simple recipe for those parties or BBQ's when you need to 'bring a plate'

it looks impressive, and doesn't take long to make.

You could alter the filling to whatever you have on hand. Maybe try pesto ricotta with cannellini beans and roast capsicum, or roast cherry tomatoes, pesto ricotta and olive... or corn, pesto ricotta and capsicum.

ingredients

* 200g ricotta
* 2 cups roasted pumpkin
* 1/2 cup caramelized onion
* 3 tbsp pesto
* 1 cup (or a bit more) English or baby spinach leaves chopped
* 1 egg lightly whisked
* 10 filo pastry sheets
* 100g butter
* 1cup chopped herbs of choice
* extra herbs to garnish
* s & p


method

preheat the oven to 180 degrees

mix spinach and herbs with ricotta s & p & egg

lightly brush a filo sheet with butter lay another sheet on top lightly butter and repeat until you have 5 layers

grease 2 muffin tins cut the filo into squares to suit the muffin tin. press the filo in to trays

spoon some of the ricotta into each filo cup, push a piece or 2 of roast pumpkin into each cup, add a little bit of caramelized onion to each. pop into the oven foe approx 15minutes until browned on bottom and set firm.

serve on a platter scattered with the the extra herbs.

x BA

Lemon baked brocolli

This is a delicious way to eat broccoli, it is amazing the difference in taste in comparison to the watery flavour and texture of steaming or boiling it.

The zing of the lemon and chili really make it special.

Its my new fave snack!

Ingredients
* 1 head of broccoli
* drizzle of olive oil
* pinch salt & pepper
* pinch chili flakes (optional)
* zest of 1/2 lemon
* juice of half a lemon
* 2 cloves garlic crushed
* parsley

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
cut the broccoli into florets and coats lightly with olive oil, garlic & chili flakes (optional)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
place on a baking tray and grate the lemon zest over the top
bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned and crispy on the edges, (not too long as you want it to stay nice and green with a bit of crunch)
serve with a wedge of lemon, scattered with parsely. Or squeeze the juice over the top before serving.

yummo!

x BA

Asian pumpkin soup

 

I love pumpkin soup, this is my favourite variation. I used laksa paste this time but red curry paste or green curry paste also work well.

Ingredients
* 1/4 chopped pumpkin (2cm cubes)
* 1/2 Spanish onion diced
* 2 tsp ground coriander
* 2 tsp ground cumin
* 3 tbsp curry paste
* 1 or 2 tsp palm sugar
* fresh chilies to taste
* 1 tsp garlic
* water
* 1/2 can Coconut milk
* 1 tbs oil
* 1/2 bunch coriander -roots finely chopped and leaves picked and roughly chopped
* 1 apple

Sauté the onion and garlic with oil, add spices and curry paste and coriander roots (and chilli if using) and stir 

add pumpkin and stir.

Add water to cover and set to a high simmer until pumpkin is soft. Add extra water if required as the pumpkin is cooking

Once soft blitz the soup with a Bamix until smooth

Add 1tspn palm sugar and half the coconut milk. taste and add more sugar, coconut milk and or water to suit your personal preference

Lastly, grate one apple into the soup. Stir and serve garnished with lots of coriander, sprinkled with dukka if you like or with a splash of coconut cream or milk... Or with coriander pesto.

Ba xx

Basil pesto

Here is another kitchen staple of mine.

I wish I made my own all the time but the truth is as easy as it is to make I often buy pesto.

But why? It's far cheaper and tastier to make your own!

Here is a 5 min recipe for a must have condiment which is sure to jazz up many a meal with ease.

Here are some  ideas w pesto . Please let me know if you have some more!

*Pesto base pizza, use pesto instead of tomato for your pizza sauce
* add pesto to pasta with chopped tomato, lemon zest, fresh chillies and extra finely diced Spanish onion and fresh herbs
* put pesto onto your roast veg 5 minutes before done for extra flavour (to save the colour don't cook the pesto too long)
* add pesto to hollandaise for a fancy change
* add pesto to pasta sauce near the end of cooking  -  (i often do this when i am short of fresh herbs at home)
* add pesto to fritters, rosti, pie filling or tarts i often serve pesto as a condiment with these meals too
* use the pesto in salad dressings
* marinate your meats with the pesto with some extra oil added
* make a coriander pesto and use it in a stir-fry
* add it to casseroles/tagines toward the end of cooking
* add some Greek yoghurt to make a fresh dip for veggie sticks
* fill vol au vents cases with a little pesto, half a cherry tomato and a baby bocconcini or many other combos
* coat cubes of roasted eggpplant and feta with pesto and to toasted ciabatta slices with the mix for a yum bruschetta

i could go on all day....

time to make the pesto already! :)

Here I have omitted cheese and used a few types of nuts to add the extra flavor, plus extra lemon juice for a bit of zing. You could try different nuts or add a few capers or some chillies or Parmesan. Use raw nuts rather than toasted or use roasted garlic rather than raw.

I have even added marinated artichoke hearts and caramelised onions to my pesto before with a bit of verjuice, given it an extra whizz with the blender and used it as a salad dressing.

So go on experiment! 

Ingredients
1 large bunch basil, leaves picked
3/4c to 1c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c pecans
1/4c ABC paste
1/4 c lemon juice
3tspn garlic
S & P

Toast nuts In a dry fry pan shaking often until lightly browned, transfer to a dry tea towel cover with half the tea towel and rub gently to remove the flaky skins.

Put all if the ingredients except for 1/4c or oil and lemon juice in a food processor or blender, whizz until evenly combined

Check consistency , add more oil if required. Add lemon juice bit by bit to your taste.

Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge
I cover mine with a little extra layer of olive oil to help keep it longer and to keep it nice and green.

Should last over a week.

Xx Ba

Mango gelato served with banana & macapuno

 

My favorite food is mango, summer in neat little package all sweet smelling in its curvaceous blushing skin. A delicious mess to eat at the beach closely followed by a cleansing swim! I love mango for breakfast or dessert In a salad or on a skewer with some veg and feta on the BBQ (you NEVER see me with any facon or 'vege sausages') for dinner.

Mango is great anytime of everyday!

Today it's in a simple mango gelato

I served this with banana and macapuno. But if I didn't need to post a photo k would have eaten it straight out of the tub with a BIG spoon!

Macapuno is a delicious sweet Philippine conserve made with young 'sick' coconut, but Don't be put off! it's called a sick coconut as it's flesh does not dry and become hard. The coconut doesn't have any juice inside and the flesh is soft and jelly like. It is deliciously sweet, typically used in baked desserts.

Makes Approx 1L

*3 large mangoes flesh diced
*juice of 1 lime
* 1/2 cup caster sugar
* 100g glucose syrup

Put the mango flesh into a blender or food processor and purée until smooth

In a heavy based saucepan heat on medium-low the sugar and glucose syrup with a little of the mango puree until sugar is completely . Mix the glucose mix into the rest of the mango puree,add the lime juice & then transfer to a container and put in the freezer.

Once the gelato is frozen (I waited until the next morning) remove from the freezer cut up into pieces and process or blend until smooth again.

Put back into the container and freeze again.

Done 

(macapuno is available at most Asian supermarkets)

X ba

Pumpkin Fetta & Spinach Fritters

Makes approx 10 fritters

Ingredients

1 ½ cups wholemeal flour - I used biodynamic wholemeal spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 cup chilled soda water

½ tsp salt

2 cups of grated pumpkin (500grams)

2 cups loosely packed baby spinach or english spinach (leaves picked)

Handful of dill chopped

Handful of parsley chopped

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Tablespoon of fresh lemon

1/2 red onion finely chopped

100 grams crumbled goats fetta

Handful of grated parmesan

Extra virgin coconut oil for frying

Method

Mix flour, baking powder and eggs. Add chilled soda water and salt and beat to smooth batter. Cover and stand while you prepare other ingredients.

In a large bowl mix grated pumpkin, spinach, dill, parsley, grated nutmeg, fresh lemon juice, red onion, goats fetta and parmesan. Add in wet batter and mix well.

Heat a large heavy based frying pan to medium heat. I would recommend cooking one at first to test the batter and make sure the pan is the right temperature. Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil and add a large spoon of batter mix to pan, flatten with back of spoon and let cook for 5-10 minutes until the base starts to become firm or until golden. Flip and cook other side. Depending on how big your pan is you can cook a few at a time being careful that they are all separated (this will make it easier when flipping). Between each batch of fritters coat the bottom of the pan with about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. You can keep these warm in the oven on a baking tray at 50 degrees celsius until they are all cooked.

I served this with a very easy and quick Tzatziki and Martin & Ju's Summertime Salad.

Toasted Lebanese Bread

This is so simple and I love serving it with dips like hummus and tzatziki when people come over - or as a little snack before dinner. You can use wholemeal or white Lebanese bread. Don't forget to check the ingredients to make sure the Lebanese bread you choose doesn't have preservatives - there only needs to be flour, water, yeast and salt and usually they will also have iodine added.

Heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place Lebanese bread on a baking tray, Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with za'atar or sumac. Using a pastry brush mix the oil and spices on the bread and brush until coated. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until golden and toasted. They will become crispy as they cool. You can serve whole and you just break it up as you eat it or you can break it up before and place in basket to serve.

* sumac is a spice made from the sumac berry, often used in Lebanese food

Tzatziki

This is a really quick tzatziki I made very last minute to go with my Pumpkin, Fetta & Spinach Fritters.

1 lebanese cucumber
1 clove garlic finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup of Greek style or natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon of grated lemon rind
2 tablepoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the Lebanese cucumber in half length ways. Scrape out the seeds using a teaspoon. Grate cucumber and squeeze out excess water using your hands (you can also do this more thoroughly by place the grated cucumber in a muslin cloth or tea towel and squeezing it). Mix with grated garlic, lemon rind and juice, salt and black pepper. Mix well and serve. Is a great accompaniment to many meal or served as nibblies with toasted lebanese bread

Biss  :)

Banana Bread

I haven't baked anything for ages and I have had some lovely stone ground biodynamic spelt flour that I have been wanting to turn into something delicious. I adapted this recipe from a few others I had found and I was a little bit concerned about whether it would work (this is always a concern when using superior quality aka expensive ingredients! )... baking can be so temperamental! However this was a success and I think this will now be cooked time and time again. Perhaps next time I would even put a little less sugar, and throw in some seeds or nuts... You could toast it and spread it with some extra virgin coconut oil or nut butter too :) Enjoy!

This recipe also used Coconut Sugar which is an unrefined sugar from the coconut palm blossoms with a naturally low Glycemic index. It has a lovely caramel toffee flavour and melts in your mouth  Regular brown sugar has been leached of it's minerals and is highly refined. Brown sugar is simply white or raw sugar which has had caramel or molasses added. Once you have tried this you won't go back to regular brown sugar!  You could also use Rapadura sugar (Panela) which is an unrefined sugar made from evaporated cane sugar juice. Extra virgin coconut oil is also a great oil for baking as it can be heated up to very high temperatures and doesn't oxidised through the cooking process. It is also a very yummy replacement for butter on toast! Make sure the baking powder you are using is aluminium free - I like the one from Honest to Goodness.
 
Biss xx

Ingredients

3 medium very ripe banana

1/2 cup cooked pureed apple or pear

2 organic free range eggs

 2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil (melted but not hot)

2 tablespoons raw agave or maple syrup

1 cup of coconut palm sugar (or Rapadura sugar)

2 cups wholemeal, spelt flour sifted

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

pinch sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Use a mini food processor and blend the bananas, apple puree, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup and coconut sugar and blend until smooth (alternatively just mash the bananas and beat the eggs and mix all ingredients well)

In a separate large bowl, combine spelt flour, bicarb soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients and fold gently until mixed.Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes* or until dark golden and cooked through.  Cool a little in a tin before turning out to serve warm.

*NB: As all ovens are a little different so I would recommend you to set your timer to 35 minutes and check it every 10 minutes so as not to under or over cook it.

Biss xx
p.s I made this again the other day and I forgot the coconut oil! It wasn't as 'melt in the mouth' however it was still lovely and disappeared the same day!

Besan pancakes with curry stirfry filling

 

I always try too keep a few things handy at home such as

tinned tomatoes

tinned corn

tinned coconut milk (or coconut powder)

marinated artichoke

olives

a jar of roasted capsicum marinated capsicum

roasted veg - usually sweet pot or pumpkin or eggplant or carrots

a head of roasted garlic (i really hate peeling and chopping garlic this is an easy way to get around it)

a jar of caramelized onion

a jar jar of char grilled marinated zucchini

some sort of salty cheese

and my latest favorite which (I plan on trying to cook soon) a jar of hot Avjar.

With just a handful of these in the house I can always whip something up I'm happy to serve for dinner in a flash.

Here i used some roast white sweet potato i had in the fridge. whenever i make anything with roast veggies, i roast extra, chuck it in a tupperware and put it in the fridge for another dinner creation. it just saves time.

The Besan pancake recipe comes from the sbs food website, I have altered it slightly adding some white pepper and ground cumin.

The filling I made using the delicious ingredients from my weekly organic veggie box which included white sweet potato & and tin of corn I had in the pantry and an array of spices.

I rate this recipe for a mid-week meal. It doesn't take long or create too many dishes . Plus it's delicious

Ingredients

Besan pancake

* 150g Besan flour

* 2 eggs

* 250ml milk (any type)

* pinch salt

* pinch pepper

* pinch cumin

* 2 tbsp butter

Filling

* 2 small sweet potato . Diced and roasted

* 1/2 eggplant . Diced and roasted

* 1/2 bunch kale chopped into large pieces

* 1 bunch asparagus chopped

* 12 snowpeas chopped

* 2 sticks of coriander roots and stalks chopped, leaves picked

* 2 tspn curry powder

* 1 tspn cumin

* 1 pinch fenugreek seeds (these will help to thicken the sauce)

* 1 tspn ground coriander

* 1 pinch ground cardamom seeds

* garlic finely diced 1 tspn (or more if you like)

* ginger finely diced 1 tspn (or more if you like)

* 2 sliced shallots (white part only)

* 1 can coconut milk

* 2 tomatoes diced

Method

omit the steps for the roast veggies if you already have some ready to go :)

* turn on the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

* In a bowl whisk all the pancake ingredients except for the butter. set aside for 20mins

* put the sweet potato and eggplant in the oven coated with a little olive oil

after 15 minutes check and toss if getting a little golden on top.

* wash and chop all the veg

* heat a fry pan on the stove and add a little butter to prevent sticking, cook the crepes. use a small ladle of batter for each pancake and swirl the batter around to make a nice even coating, once it begins to dry carefully check the bottom by an edge and flip when browned and ready.

* take the roast veg out of the oven once ready and set aside. turn the oven off.

* keep the pancakes in the warm oven (now switched off or on very low) until ready to serve

For the filling

*Heat a fry pan on the medium-hot stove again, this time add a little olive oil the garlic, ginger, coriander root & shallots along with the spices stir fry for 1 minute

' add the other ingredients (except for the coconut milk & the tomato and coriander) and stir fry for 1 minute

* add the coconut milk and stir fry until the kale is wilted and cooked enough and the coconut milk has combined well and thickened

Serve the filling inside the pancake topped with coriander and tomato and serve with chilli sauce or a chutney (i had mine with mango chutney)

or let everyone serve themselves like tacos

enjoy!

BA :)

Mediteranean Quinoa Stuffed Capsicums

Ingredients
4 red capsicums
2 cloves garlic finely diced
a few tablespoons of olive oil
1 brown onion finely diced
1/2 large eggplant, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of quinoa  (I used tri-colour quinoa but regular will do fine)
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 400g tin of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons of capers, chopped
1 400g tin of cannelini beans, drained. Mash half the beans with a fork and leave the rest whole
Handful of freshly chopped basil
Handful of fresh ricotta
Handful of grated parmesan

Method 

1) Prepare the capsicums ...
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Cut your six red capsicums in half and discard the seeds - if you like you can leave the green stalk on the end - it does look nice for presentation and it will also keep the capsicums together :)
Brush the insides and edges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with finely diced garlic.
Place on a baking tray and back in the upper shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.


2) Prepare the stuffing...
Heat a medium sized pot on the stove, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion with some salt and pepper for a few minutes until soft and transparent. Add the chopped eggplant and oregano and saute for a further five minutes or until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the quinoa, vegetable stock cube, water, diced tomatoes and capers. Turn down to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the quinoa is cooked add the cannelini beans and stir through some chopped basil.


3) Stuff the capsicums
Fill the capsicums with stuffing, top with fresh ricotta and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 20 minutes.

I served this with a simple salad of mixed baby spinach and rocket, sunflower sprouts, finely sliced red onion and baked sweet potato with a dressing of dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar and natural yoghurt. It was really yum!

Biss xx

Pumpkin Dahl with Fresh Green Salsa

This is a very rich strong flavoured dahl and would be great even without the pumpkin. I think the next time I make it I will omit the vegetable stock and just use water. I'm not a big fan of adding vegetable stock to dahl. I often think it isn't necessary with all the other spices and it makes it much richer and saltier. This dahl is very warming, however I always have to serve food with something fresh!!

I didn't serve this with rice, however it would be great with plain basmati rice or coconut rice. 

Pumpkin Dahl
1kg jap pumpkin washed and cut into four wedges
Olive oil to spray pumpkin
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Salt and pepper
2 medium brown onions finely diced
4 garlic cloves finely diced
3 tablespoons of grated ginger
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
3 bay leaves
20 curry leaves
200g red lentils
800g whole peeled tinned tomatoes
400 mls vegetable stock
200mls coconut cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place pumpkin on oven, drizzle or spray with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked. Remove from oven and keep warm. Heat a few tablespoons of oil, saute onion, garlic and ginger with spices, bay leaves and curry leaves for about 15 minutes until fragrant and golden. add lentils tomatoes and stock and simmer until lentils are somft (approx 20 minutes). Stir through coconut cream, check seasoning and serve by pouring the dahl into a bowl over the pumpkin wedges. Top with Salsa and a dollop of yoghurt.

Green Salsa
1 lebanese cucumber finely diced
1 green capsicum finely diced
handful of coriander chopped
handful of mint chopped
juice from one lime
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
4 shallots finely diced
A few tablespoons of sesame seeds

Add all ingredients together and mix in a bowel. Serve with Pumpkin Dahl and a dollop of yoghurt.

 

Biss xx

2 orange gluten free cake

This Is a delicious cake recipe I have made a few times. It is moist and rich and especially good with double cream or greek yoghurt.

This is a traditional jewish recipe which I have taken from my very favorite tv series with my very favorite foodie Mauve O'Meara.

Get the recipe here

I have adapted this recipe slightly by substituting some of the almond meal with walnut meal & LSA. I also added a generous pinch of saffron threads . Yum!

Sauté spinach & cannellini beans w cheesy polenta

Saute spinach and beans is nice and easy for a week night meal.

If you can't be bothered with the constant stirring required for the polenta you could serve the spinach on some toast like bruschetta or on a potato or celeriac mash.

Ingredients

1 bunch spinach
4 cloves roasted garlic
1tsp cumin
1tsp paprika
1pinch ground lemon Myrtle
1 can cannellini beans
4 tbs Avjar
1/3c roasted capsicum strips
olive oil
2tbs water

chopped herbs of choice


1c polenta
4c water or stock
2c milk
1c grated cheese
(warning !!!!polenta makes a nice mess of your pots..a skin will form on the bottom. soaking with cold water overnight will make the cleaning job much easier)

method

Wash and chop spinach into large pieces
in a pot put the 3 soft cloves of garlic and the olive oil and stir to smoosh the garlic
add the spinach and cover with a lid for a few minutes.
take off lid and stir the spinach until wilted
add spices, stir
add drained tinned cannellini beans,   stir
add Avjar, stir
add capsicum last and stir gently

Put aside, ready to warm gently when polenta is almost ready.
Boil water
Add polenta in a steady stream while whisking
whisk constantly for 3 minutes until the polenta has become thick
stir rapidly constantly with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes until the polenta is thick and smooth
add the milk and  stir for another 5 minutes
add the cheese and stir for another 5 minutes


serve garnished with fresh herbs
enjoy :)


BA

sweet potato carrot and herb rosti w salad

 

A quick dinner I made last night. I suppose they are a hybrid between rosti and a fritter, I find them easy to make great for this time of year when the weather is getting nice and warm and I feel like I am well and truly do e with the heavy comfort food of winter.

I make these often using different veggies and bases and cheeses. Rice flour often and more of a batter to turn them into fritters ... Sometimes for brekkie with eggs and sometimes for dinner. These rosti are one of those meals i rely on again and again.

Here I have used white sweet potato and carrot with lots of herbs & a bit of marscapone



Ingredients

2 small sweet potato grated
1 carrot grated
1/2 onion sliced very thinly
handful of dill chopped
handful of basil chopped
handful of parsley chopped
approx 1/3c marscapone
2tspn chili flakes
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp cumin
1 egg lightly whisked
s & p
a little oil

method

preheat the oven to 190 degrees

squeeze as much of the moisture out of the grated carrot and sweet potato as you can. (if you have time you can sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for an hour before squeezing to really get rid of the moisture)

put the carrot sweet potato and onion in a bowl
add the spices and a little salt and pepper
add most but not all of the herbs
add the egg
mix it all together with a fork.
add the marscapone last...enough that the mix is wet and sticky but not sloppy like a batter

mix it all together with a fork again

heat a frying pan to medium-hot

add just a little oil to prevent sticking and put 2 or 3 small handfuls of the mix onto the pan  - use your hands to condense and shape them like little hamburger patties

cook until golden and crispy, then flip
once golden place on a tray and into the oven

repeat until all rosti cooked.
leave in oven until cooked through (10mins extra approx)

while the rosti are finishing in the oven make a quick salad to serve with.

Rocket would be nice... but i have on hand a lovely bunch of cos lettuce.
some tomato...i used the rest of the herbs from the rosti, plus some seeds (pumpkin and sunflower) which i toasted lightly. plus a little caramelized onion marmalade & some goats cheese crumbled on top.

i made a quick zingy lemony dressing for the salad.

check out some of Biss' salad recipes here on our blog for some really special salad dressing recipes!

serve with a dollop of marscapone, or with some salsa verde or pesto.

vegetarian smörgåstårta

Smorgastarta is a Retro Swedish dish most often served an milestone events such as weddings, christenings, or house warming. Originating in the 70's it is in essence a savory cake. A bit gaudy and daggy but recently under going a revival as a trendy retro dish....a little like fondue has in recent times. It is rich and definitely not low fat, but fun to make and decorate and handy as a share meal when you are asked to 'bring a plate'.

This recipe is for a not very traditional, vegetarian smorgastarta rather than the traditional on which consists of meats, cocktail prawns, caviar and salmon mousse. I decorated the top with some smoked salmon as i brought this dish to a friends house whom aren't vegetarian. Simply omit the smoked salmon from the decorating and replace with any other vegetarian alternative. Cucumber, sweet potato, herbs, edible flows, micro herbs, cherry tomatoes, avocado....anything pretty!

Ingredients

1 loaf of sourdough bread of choice (rye would be great)

1/3 cup char grilled sliced capsicum (you can use jarred or sliced to save time)

1 eggplant, thinly sliced length ways and char grilled

1/2 lemon sliced

avocado cream

1 avocado

1/2 cup marscapone

2 tbsp sour cream (feel free to substitute the sour cream with quark)

1/4 cup finely diced Spanish onion

1 handful finely chopped dill

juice of 1/2 lemon

s & p

baby capers

big handful parsley

big handful parsley

1 bunch dill

1 bunch steamed baby asparagus

1 handful toasted pine nuts

1 handful steamed string beans

(other veg to garnish such as cherry tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, sliced capsicum, char grilled capsicum, Spanish onion etc)

egg cream salad

3 eggs hard boiled

1/3 cup creme friache

3 tbsps sour cream

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

s & p

smorgastarta icing

1 packet cream cheese

2/3 cup mayo

1 cup marscapone

1 cup sour cream

first beat all the smorgastarta icing ingredients together until light and creamy.

put in the fridge to chill until later

next make the egg cream salad, mash the ingredients together and place in the fridge until later.

next slice and char grill the eggplant and capsicum

then mash the avocado, add the other ingredients together

and now its time to build the savoury cake!

slice the bread into 1cm thickness HORIZONTALLY

take the first slice and spread generously with the avocado mix, then layer the eggplant overlapping slightly spread a generous amount of the smorgasarta spread on top of the eggplant

next put the next slice of bread on top, scatter with the roast capsicum and slather with a generous amount of the egg cream salad

then lay the next slice of bread

cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge to set for 2 or 3 hours

then you are ready to decorate.

first generously ice the whole loaf with the smorgastarta icing, then

get creative, use patterns, use pretty herbs, think of it like decorating a cake.

Sweet potato pie

Sweet Potato Pie

This sweet potato pie is delicious and easy to make, especially if you have roast veggies left over from yesterday

You could use frozen shortcrust pastry sheets if you like. But if you have time it's far better making your own pastry.
I like to make Besan Pastry for extra flavour which is also vegan, wheat and gluten free. I have listed both regular pastry and besan pastry recipe below.

I filled this pie with Sweet Potato, Goats Cheese and Asparagus, however feel free to use any combination you like, i have put some suggestions at the end for you.

Besan Pastry

this recipe was given to me by a customer while I was cooking in an organic cafe and learning about the wants and needs of my customers

* 1 1/2 cups besan flour sifted
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
*1 generous pinch of salt
* up to 1/2 cup water


preheat oven to 180 degrees

if you have a food processor, process flour and salt leave running and add the oil in a steady stream

add water a little at a time until the dough is just a little bit sticky, be careful not to add too much or it will be too hard to roll.

place the pastry between 2 sheets of cling wrap and roll out approx 4mm thickness...big enough to cover the pie dish (or tart pan)

place the pastry into the dish, prick all over with a fork, cover with foil or baking paper, fill with pastry weights and blind bake for approx 15 minutes
remove from oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes


Shortcrust Pastry
this recipe is from Stephanie Alexanders "the Cooks Companion" the one cookbook i read almost every day! :)

*180g butter chilled
*240g plain flour
*pinch of salt (only if you use unsalted butter)
*1/4 cup water

*sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, grate the cold butter straight from the fridge over the flour.
*rub together to combine partly.
*make a well in the center and pour in water.
*using a spatula, work the water and flour together until you have a rough lump of dough
*put the dough onto the bench and using the heel of your hand smear the dough across the table to combine
*scrape back together, press into a flat cake, cling wrap and place in fridge for 20 -30mins
* remove from fridge, roll out on a floured bench to 4mm thick roll out approx 4mm thickness...big enough to cover the pie dish (or tart pan)
*place the pastry into the dish, prick all over with a fork, cover with foil or baking paper, fill with pastry weights and blind bake for approx 15 minutes
*remove from oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, Goats Cheese and Asparagus Filling

* 1 large sweet potato
* 1/2 cup pure cream
* 3 eggs
* handful of herbs (i used basil)
* handful of crumbled goats cheese
* 1 bunch asparagus
* 2 tables spoons caramelized onion marmalade chopped


cook sweet potato until soft, anyway you like... steam, boil or roast (i wrapped mine in al foil and roasted it like a jacket potato and then peeled it with my hands)

mash until very smooth (use your bamix/processor/blender)
whisk in your cream and eggs
add the onion

pour 2/3 of the mix into the pie crust, sprinkle over most the cheese and herbs, scatter most of the asparagus

pour the rest of the mix in and sprinkle and scatter the remaining ingredients

put back into the oven for 15mins or until the potato mix is set.

serve with some peppery rocket salad, with a zingy lemony dressing


You could also try these combinations

Beetroot for the mix with goats cheese, thyme, walnut

pumpkin mix with cauliflower coriander and cumin

potato mix with leek, peas and beans

sweet pot mix with roast capsicum & zucchini & parsley

carrot mix with capsicum pesto, parsley cumin and fresh Spanish onion

ricotta mix with parsley, marinated artichoke heart, feta & spinach

get creative :)

Ba

Buttermilk pancakes with caramelized mango and ice cream

Substituting the milk with buttermilk makes these pancakes super fluffy and blissful

To Make enough pancakes for 2 for brekkie;

1 egg
3 cups s/r flour
1 tspn baking powder (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
Pinch of salt

Caramelized mango
1 mango
Caster sugar

These qty's are approximate add more flour or buttermilk until you have the right consistency ... Not too runny. The best way to test is by making a pancake. My Mar (grandmother) and my dad both taught me that the first pancake is always a failure! So try your batter and your first pancake ...AND THEN adjust your batter, for me it's the only way to get it right

Whisk all the ingredients together until there are no lumps

Put a heavy based fry Pan on the stove on medium heat coat with a thin layer of oil or butter to stop sticking

Ladle a spoonful of batter onto the middle of the pan. Wait until the edges get firm and the middle has small bubbles forming. Flip

If your heat and batter is right the pancake should look great
After a few minutes flip to check the other side is cooked.
Time to taste test !

Adjust heat and batter and continue to cool the rest of the pancakes

Keep them warm in the oven until ready

Cut the cheeks off a mango
Sprinkle both cheeks with sugar
Heat a griddle or pan on high
Place the mango cheeks down on the pan once you see it oozing a little check to see if they are slightly charted and caramel.... Once they are you're done!

Arrange pancakes in a stack on plate
Cut mango into a grid to the skin but not all the way through and invert, place on plate or if you prefer cut the piece off the skin and pile onto the pancakes

Add a scoop of ice-cream
Serve with real maple syrup...

I would love to try this recipe with half almond meal and half s/r flour and a handful of toasted coconut flakes thrown in too. There are so many yummy varieties of pancakes to be made for any time of year, get creative!


suggestions-
Banana coconut Raisin and maple
Strawberry ricotta and hazelnut
Pear raspberry and choc sauce
Almond and orange zest w yoghurt and honey

Don't be shy!

Brekkie sauté

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This is a quick and easy brekkie, great for a lazy weekend morning

3 cups washed and torn or sliced kale
2 tbspn caramelized onion marmalade
3 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
1 garlic cloves chopped
Handful parsley chopped
Small handful lemon thyme chopped
1 lemon
S & p
Extra virgin olive oil
Splash red wine vinegar

Sauté garlic and mushrooms w a little oil (and butter if you like)
Add the caramelised onions and kale and continue to sauté
add a splash or 2 of vinegar
Sauté for a minute more
Add herbs stir, squeeze 1/2 the lemon over and season to taste

Serve on rye toast with a wedge of lemon.

I like to spread the rye toast with some soft goats cream cheese before topping with the Sauté

Enjoy 

Dulce de Leche

This recipe is my mum's she has a sweet tooth brought with her from the Philippines. She loves thick and rich sweets, made with cassava, or with tapioca, always containing coconut in some form & ALWAYS ALWAYS condensed milk in some form.....this one is our favourite form..... Caramel!!!

For the smoothest most decadent cake or pastry filling...or even to eat by the spoonful in the same guilty way one might eat a spoonful of nutella or peanut butter!

This recipe is unbelievably simple....

1 x can of condensed milk

Remove the label from the can and place in a slow cooker, fill the slow cooker with water ensuring the can/s are completely covered. set the slow cooker on low and leave to simmer for 6 hours.

You can adjust the cooking time depending on how runny or thick you like you caramel, and on what you plan on using the caramel for. The longer you cook it the thicker it will become.

I usually leave the cans in the slow cooker while I go to work so 8 hours.

You can cook the cans on the stove, however be sure to keep checking the water level to ensure the cans remain completely covered with water.

NB: Dulce de Leche can make a great gift idea. When the cans are still warm, but cool enough to touch, open them and spoon the hot caramel into sterilised jars, seal and decorate as a present!

Spanakopita

This picture perfect Spanakopita was made by the lovely Sarah Rudner - it was so delicious!!!

This is one of my all time favourite vegetarian meals. The recipe I love is from the Food Safari cookbook. This is my second post paying tribute to this book. I loved Maeve O'Meara's show and the book is just as great... Although not an exclusively vegetarian cookbook, it has some very beautiful and inspiring recipes. I find that as decadent and tedious as it may seem, this recipe works best if you butter each sheet of filo...

Ingredients
1 bunch (about 320g) English spinach or silverbeet
2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
4 green shallots, chopped
300g feta cheese
100g ricotta cheese
40g (½ cup) finely grated hard cheese like kefalograviera, parmesan or pecorino
5 eggs
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
60ml olive oil
Melted butter or olive oil for greasing dish
375g packet fresh (not frozen) filo pastry
185ml melted butter, approximately

Method 
Trim the roots from the English spinach, or if using silverbeet, remove leaves from tough stems. Wash leaves and drain well. Coarsely shred the leaves and tender stalks of the spinach and set aside.

Place the feta in a large bowl and coarsely mash with a fork. Add the ricotta, kefalograviera, eggs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper and oil. Mix with the fork to combine. Add the spinach and set aside while preparing the pastry case.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking dish.

Lay the filo out on a bench. Cover with a dry tea towel then a damp one to keep it from drying out. Line dish with a sheet of filo and butter the filo. Top with another sheet of filo and butter and continue until about half the sheets of filo are used.

Using your hand or a large metal spoon, gently mix the spinach filling until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pastry base and spread evenly. Top with remaining filo, buttering each sheet, ensuring the final sheet is well buttered. Trim any overhanging pastry and tuck in the sides.

Use a sharp knife to mark pastry top into diamonds, allowing the knife to pierce the pastry once or twice to allow air to escape during baking. Sprinkle lightly with water and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until well browned and set. Gently shake the pan and the spanakopita will slide easily when cooked. Cover with foil if over browning. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Note:
The spinach can be prepared a day ahead. It must be as dry as possible to ensure the spanakopita does not become soggy.

Biss xx 

Martin & Ju's Summer Salad

This salad is a creation of my friends Martin & Ju. It is very simple and what I love about it is that it doesn't need a dressing. The soft sweet mango flesh, crumbly, salty fetta, sweet and juicy grated beetroot, crunchy pine nuts and peppery rocket all compliment each other very well... Now with mangoes in season give this one a go! Kensington Pride Mangoes are my fave with a rich, classic, summertime, sweet, pungent and delicious flavour...

Assemble....
Place approximately 120 grams of mixed baby spinach and rocket in a salad bowl. Crumble over 100 grams of sheeps or goats fetta, one medium sized grated beetroot, the chopped flesh of one large mango and a good handful of toasted pine nuts... Toss and serve - VOILA!

Birthday cake Diary updates

So it has been sometime since i have posted any of my Birthday cake creations. I have just completed the Birthday Bonanza time of year. Both my husband's and my family having all of their birthdays between July and October... ..

Here goes!

Chocolate Ganache Mud Cake

Happy Birthday Cake for Cath

This cake was a delicious chocolate heavy cake...cooking time was only 15minutes. just enough to firm up the edges and leave the middle gooey. The ganache topping was beautiful firmed up in the fridge and the pretty berries which i put on just for a garnish actually really helped cut through the richness (as did the double cream) yum!

ice - cream cake

Happy Birthday cake for Kate

This was a bit of a cheats cake. My little sister wanted and ice cream cake & although ti made the chocolate ice cream i didn't have the time to make all three flavors (choc-mint, vanilla & chocolate was her pick)
so in the end i bought the ice cream and simply built the cake. the butterflies looked great they were icing sugar butterflies which when first put on looked lifelike. i would love to use them again on a slightly less moist cake.

Caramel & Apple Profiterole Cake 30th Birthday Cake for Dazza

This cake consisted of 3 profiterole layers filled with Dulce de leche, mascarpone cream & caramelized apple. The cake was then topped with toffees apple slices. Unfortunately even though i have a sugar thermometer i am yet to master the supposedly simple task of creating toffee (to cracking point anyway!)
I plan on trying the cake again!



Black Forest Cake II 30th Birthday Cake for Patt

This is the second black forest cake it have made.
The last one was a MONSTER also on this blog was a 30th brithday cake for Gabs. It was too big. too messy. The recipe i used was on from Martin Boetz of Long Grain. the recipe came from Food Safari Cookbook. find the recipe online here.
This time i used a genoese sponge cake recipe (from Stephanie Alexanders cooks companion) I made 2 cakes, Cut both in half but decided only to use 3 of the 4 layers. I used Martin Boetz mouse recipe from the last cake. & the standard ganache icing recipe of equal amounts chocolate to cream. Instread of whole Morello strawberries inside the cake i used a boutique cherry jam, I prefer the consistency in the cake. On top i used whole fresh cherries and did not soak them, wanting something fresh amongst the rich chocolate.
it was delicious.

Ben 10 cake Birthday cake for Jake

This was a simple sponge cake. i printed a picture of Ben 10 to the correct size and cut it out placing it on top of the cake and cutting out the shape. To decorate i used butter icing, licorice, coconut, green m&ms and skittles, chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows. the eyes i cut our printed eyes from a Ben 10 picture.


10 layer chocolate torte

Birthday cake for my Dad

The inspiration for this cake came from 2 places firstly from the 'Opera Cake' which my Dad loves & secondly from the Smith's Island cake. in which your cook each layer separately. it was a long night cooking since i only had 2 pans and shelves in the oven. I used the smiths island cake recipe as a guide however i used 3/4 almond meal & 1/4 wheat flour. I also added a little cocoa (in retrospect next time i will not make the cake chocolate it was a little too much). I used Martin Boetz's chocolate mouse recipe from the Black forest cake for the filling between each layer. I then topped it all with a chocolate ganache. it was great. i only wish i hadn't made the cake chocolate as well and the filling, some contrast would have been good.

Chocolate Sponge
Heidi's Birthday Cake

good old simple chocolate sponge cake with whipped cream & fresh strawberries & strawberry jam


Matt & Stephan's 30th Birthday Cake Good Old Classic Sponge w/ Strawberries & Cream

Yes Matt my Hubby & His whole family all LOVE Sponge cake so most of the cakes i make need to be sponge cake in some form, I love Stephanie Alexanders sponge cake recipe from The Cooks Companion it is called "Jacqui's Mum's sponge cake' (and i have tried MANY).

Lemon & Strawberry Puff
Birthday Cake for Jen

This cake was for my beautiful mother in law Jen. Yes she loves sponge cake...but after making so many i convinced her to try this one. This recipe is from Annabel Langbein. It was beautiful and light perfect for the birthday lunch we all enjoyed in the sun.Profiterole filled with lemon curd, whipped cream & fresh sliced strawberries.

I didn't remember to photograph all of the cakes i made i wish i had i missed a yummy Mars Bar inspired spongecake i made for my brother Tim. The sponge was 3 layers stuffed with dulce de leche & chocolate mousse. Also 2 triple layer chocolate & macadamia brownie cakes filled with chocolate swirl double cream and topped with strawberries one from my Friend Candy & one for my little Sister Eliza (can't belive i forgot to photograph BOTH of them) A sticky date pudding i made for my Dad for fathers day. A Mar Bar Icecream cake made for my friend Naz back in the summer. Sooo yummy that one was! & another 4 classic sponge cakes (they all looked the same! )