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Sautéed Kale with Garlic Anchovy Crumb

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kale-with-garlic-anchovy-crumbThis dish is a simple, healthy flavour bomb. It takes just minutes to cook, gives you a good serve of greens and is absolutely loaded with garlic and umami to have your tastebuds dancing. It really shows you what a little dressing can do to make an ordinary side dish extraordinary!

This garlic anchovy crumb can be used to dress many things but goes particularly well with slightly bitter greens. To get the most out of it you want uneven breadcrumbs: some chunky for crunch and some finer to soak in the flavoured oils from your pan. These aren’t so easy to buy, but they are very easy to make yourself. Just take a stale end of a loaf, dried in a very low oven if need be, cut off any crust that’s too hard and chop roughly. If it’s dry enough it will naturally break up into some finer pieces too, if not give some chunks a few pulses in a small food processor to break them down further.

The key to the kale itself is quick cooking. Like most fresh vegetables if you overcook it you lose the flavour and are left with only the bitterness. Try to buy younger kale if you can: with thinner tender stems that you can keep as part of the dish. If your bunch has thick stems you may need to trim them out (you can always use these trimmings in a soup or stock).

Sautéed Kale with Garlic Anchovy Crumb
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Serves: 4-6 (as a side)
A simple, healthy flavour bomb!
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • For the crumb:
  • 1/3 cup rough breadcrumbs (make your own if you can)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 anchovy fillet, finely diced/mashed
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. To make the crumb: heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toss for 1 minute so they coat with oil and begin to colour.
  2. Add the garlic, anchovy and salt and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the crumbs are golden and fragrant. (Take care not to burn the garlic.) Set aside and wipe out the pan.
  3. Heat a fresh tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the kale. Sauté, tossing constantly, until just cooked (it only takes 1-2 minutes).
  4. To serve: spread the kale in a bowl and scatter the crumb over the top (so it stays crispy!).

 

Slow Roasted Orange and Fennel Carrots

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slow-raosted-orange-and-fennel-carrotsRoasting has to be the simplest way to bring out the delicious flavour of vegetables: a bit of oil, seasoning and time is all it takes. But it’s also becomes a bit predictable, so it’s nice to have a few simple flavour combinations up your sleeve to mix things up. This simple side is one such combination: the flavours of orange and fennel add a slightly sweet and bitter zing to gently roasted carrots. It’s best cooked slowly in a low oven, so makes the perfect accompaniment to my Moroccan Lamb Shoulder Tangia (or indeed another slow roast).

Slow Roasted Orange and Fennel Carrots
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Serves: 4-6 (as a side)
A different take on roasted carrots that’s a perfect side for slow-roasted meat.
Ingredients
  • 12 baby carrots
  • 100ml orange juice (from 1 large orange)
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Pour the orange juice and olive oil into a small oven proof dish, then add the carrots and toss to coat. Sprinkle with fennels seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. At this point take the cover off, toss the carrots in the juice and return to the oven for another 30-45 minutes. The carrots should be mostly tender (with just a little bite) and the juice reduced to a sticky sauce.

 

Moroccan Lamb Shoulder Tangia

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moroccan-lamb-shoulder-tangia-aboveAlthough they can be nondescript from the outside, the Hammams (public baths) of Marrakech are a well known tourist attraction (and, I can attest, well worth a visit!). The part most tourists don’t get to see, though, is what happens next door to (or underneath) these baths in the fires that heat the rooms and waters. If you pay these a visit you might be surprised to find several tall terracotta pots stacked among the coals throughout the day. These pots are known as tangia, and inside you’ll find a dish of the same name. The constant heat of the fires is ingeniously harnessed to produce a fragrant stew of lamb on the bone, cooked slowly over many hours until meltingly tender.

What a great way to cook! It’s so simple that tangia is known as a bachelor’s dish. All you need to do is take your pot to the markets in the morning to gather your lamb and preferred mix of spices from your favourite stalls, top up with some water and seal before handing over to the fire keeper to cook throughout the day. Come dinner time you swing back by the baths and pick up a perfect stew! Of course I don’t have the same luxury here in Sydney, but a good cast iron dish (with tight fitting lid) and low oven make an admirable substitute for the real tangia.

Finding an authentic recipe is not easy, and I suspect it varies quite a bit in reality in any case.  I took some tips from the blog The View From Fez, which had the most detailed description of the daily ritual I found. But I’ve modified the recipe quite a bit by using a whole lamb shoulder (which is easier to come by in my experience), some butter rather than all olive oil (in Morocco they would actually use smen, a fermented butter), and a different treatment of herbs and spices.  If you have a favoured ras el hanout (Moroccan spice blend) then by all means use that in place of most of the spice in this recipe, though for fragrance and colour I’d still recommend additional saffron.

The result is a perfect winter dish: meltingly tender lamb in a fragrant spiced sauce with sweet chunks of garlic and onion. The sauce is thin but perfect to serve on cous cous which soaks up the goodness. Add plenty of parsley as a fresh contrast and enjoy!

Moroccan Lamb Shoulder Tangia
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Serves: 6
Be transported to Marrakech for the night with this delightfully simple, meltingly tender lamb stew!
Ingredients
  • 1.6kg lamb shoulder, bone in, trimmed of excess fat
  • 25g butter
  • 1 small preserved lemon, skin only, roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • small pinch saffron
  • 10 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 onion, chopped into 6-8 large chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • For the cous cous:
  • 2 cups instant cous cous
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Add the spices, preserved lemon, garlic, onion and water to an oven dish with a lid (a cast iron dutch oven is ideal). Coat the lamb with olive oil and plenty of salt, then place on top of the other ingredients.
  3. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, when the lamb pulls apart easily. Remove from the oven and skim and excess oil from the sauce with a spoon (a little remaining fat is OK, it will combine nicely with the cous cous). Set the lamb aside to rest while you make the cous cous.
  4. Place the cous cous in a large bowl. Boil the water and pour over the cous cous, then immediately cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes to cook. Remove the cover, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and separate the grains by stirring with a fork. Add the parsley and stir through to mix.
  5. To serve line each bowl with a layer of cous cous, top with chunks of lamb, onion and garlic then pour over a generous help of sauce to soak in. Garnish with additional parsley.

 

Baby Zest: Hokkien Noodles with chicken, mushroom and vegetable medley

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Hello hello!   It’s been too long my friends!

Don’t worry, the lack of posting does not mean Miss One has been starving or has been feeding on packaged/frozen/takeaway food – she’s still being well nourished with home-made meals but we just haven’t had time for sharing.  Reason is that I’ve just been getting a little more absorbed back into the corporate world, changing from 3 to 4 working days.  Luckily for Miss One, the one day less with Mummy has been replaced with a day with Daddy and it’s amazing what a noticeable difference it makes to the daughter/daddy bond – I think all dads should consider a 4 day working week! :).   I think I’m the only loser out of the new arrangement but overall, it’s a net win for our family so I’ll take one for the team this time.  But I have noticed that I treasure my time with bub even more now and I make a real effort to do lots of fun activities with her so it’s not all bad for me either.

Anyway, enough about our domestic arrangements and back to the point of this post.

This is my version (one of many, really) of a stir fry Hokkien noodle dish for the whole family but it is so versatile that you can tailor it to your little one’s taste (or yours).  It is simple and nutritious as it seems no matter how much vegetable matter I add to it, Miss One will happily eat it.  I remember the first time I made it, it was also the first time she would not allow me to assist her at all but with a combination of two spoons, fingers, hands, she managed to clean up the whole bowl by herself!  These days she demands seconds “more, more!” accompanied by her knocking her fingers together in baby sign language.

baby-zest-hokkien-noodles

It must be the half Asian in our little Miss One that she seems to have a natural affinity for Asian flavours – vietnamese noodle salads, sushi, anything my mum makes.  And she also seems to like any kind of noodles – rice, egg, thin, thick, soba … so when I saw these “ready to heat” Hokkien noodles, Miss One got lucky as it makes super easy.

The prep work consists mainly of chopping everything into small pieces to fit the little mouth – slicing chicken breast, cutting the carrot into flat batons, broccoli florets into small posies and sugar snap peas diagonally into smaller segments .  I marinated the chicken quickly by sprinkling over some sesame oil,  light soy, a bit of sugar and white pepper – this was taught to me by my mum and it always makes chicken tastier, whether it is for chicken wings, chicken satay or stir fries.

I cooked the carrot, peas and broccoli separately first to make sure they are cooked and softened to make them easier for bub to eat. When I cook vegetables in the wok, I heat up a little bit of oil, throw in the vegetables and then add a few dashes of water – this helps cook and soften the vegetables to the texture that bub enjoys.  Miss One even had a few helpings of vegetables while I was cooking, coming over with her bowl for refills and asking for “more, more”- it was very cute and reminded me of Oliver!

The only slightly unusual ingredient I have used and Miss One seems to love are the mushrooms – these were not your usual cup variety today, I sourced a mushroom mix of fresh shiitake, oyster and Chinese black fungus (aka cloud ear fugus – what an appetising name! Mmmm!).  Other times  I’ve used enoki which also works well – I just find the addition of some exotic mushroom makes it just a little bit more special for bub and adults alike.

The mushrooms and corn kernel can basically be just tossed around abit in the hot wok as they don’t need much cooking at all but it will take away the raw taste especially if you add a little oyster sauce as I find it really brings out the best in the mushies.  Oops!  I gave it away!

Yes, the fabulous key ingredient (I’d say it’s mandatory) is oyster sauce – it adds saltiness and sweetness which is a vital taste combo in much of Asian cuisine.  I added about a teaspoon to the vegetables and it is also the sauce that brings the whole dish together when I toss the chicken, vegetables and noodles at the end.

Like I said, this is mainly for inspiration, so be creative and change the protein or add your bub’s favourite vegetables – just make sure everything is appropriately bite-sized, especially the noodles (or just do what I do and apply the baby scissors prior to serving, then stand back and watch your little one take care of the rest!).

Would love to hear what magic vegetable/protein combos you discover for your little ones!

As with all our recipes, it’s all ready to be downloaded into your Zest Recipe Manager.  If you haven’t got one yet – download for free from here:  http://plentyofzest.com/zestapp/.

Baby Zest: Hokkein Noodles with chicken, mushroom and vegetable medley
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A quick and versatile all-in-one dish for bubs and adults alike!
Ingredients
  • 450g ready to heat Hokkien noodles
  • 2 medium sized carrots, cut into thin batons
  • 1 medium head of broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 150g sugar snap peas, cut diagonally into segments
  • 1 cob of corn, kernels cut off
  • 150g mixed mushrooms, cut into small pieces
  • 250g chicken thigh fillets, cut into baby bite size pieces
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • White pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare Hokkien noodles as instructed by your package so they are cooked and ready to add later.
  2. Marinate the chicken in a bowl: mix with sesame oil, sugar, light soy and sprinkle with white pepper. Set aside.
  3. Warm up a teaspoon of oil in a wok over a high heat. Throw in the carrots and about 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until carrots are cooked through and softened a little (about 2 minutes). Set aside in a bowl. Cook the broccoli and sugar snap peas in the same way and add to the carrots.
  4. Heat up another teaspoon of remaining oil. Add the marinated chicken, and stir until cooked (about 2 minutes). Set aside in a separate bowl.
  5. Heat up the remaining oil. Throw in the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce and stir well to coat. Add the corn kernels, toss them through and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add the prepared noodles, chicken and cooked vegetables to the mushrooms and corn. Add the remaining oyster sauce and stir through until all the ingredients are warmed and well distributed.

 

Pistachio Crusted Moroccan Lamb

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pistachio-crusted-moroccan-lamb

For a quick midweek meal, it’s great to have a few spice mix ideas on hand to pair with different meats. And when it comes to spicing up lamb you can’t go past Moroccan style. Whether you’re aiming for the full glory of a ras-el-hanout mix, or just the simple combination of cumin and coriander I use here, your lamb will never be boring again. The novel addition of a honey pistachio crust adds a little sweetness and crunch to keep you interested!

Don’t fret over the crust, there’s no need to aim for a perfect coating as you can see above! Just use a little of honey and a bit of cajoling to get some crunch on top of each cutlet. It only takes a minute and makes a huge difference.

Pistachio Crusted Moroccan Lamb
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Serves: 2-3
The basis of a quick mid-week meal, anything but boring!
Ingredients
  • 6 lamb cutlets
  • 3 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 40g pistachios, toasted and well crushed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Place the cutlets in a mixing bowl and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the coriander, cumin and salt then stir well to coat the meat with the spices.
  2. Warm the remaining tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the cutlets and cook to your preference (I prefer medium rare which takes 2-3 minutes per side for thicker cutlets).
  3. Remove the lamb from the heat to rest. While it is still quite hot lightly brush the top of each cutlet with honey and scatter over a layer of pistachio. Press down lightly so the pistachio stays put (it only needs to stick enough to not fall everywhere as you eat).
  4. Serve with couscous and a green salad.
Notes
The flavour of spices can vary a lot based on how fresh they are. If you have the time to toast and freshly grind your own coriander and cumin seed you won’t need to use as much and you’ll have even better flavour. But for a mid-week meal I figure most of us reach for pre-ground spices!

 

Blood Orange Master Stock Braised Beef Cheeks

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masterstock-beef-cheeksr

Some ingredients just don’t last in my kitchen, they demand to be used. As soon as Jane brought home some beautiful little blood oranges, my mind was spinning with ideas. These sweet little gems have a distinct flavour and an amazing visual impact — it’s hard to resist cutting them open just to see the gorgeous colours inside! Some disappeared immediately into salads with finely shaved fennel, but a couple were reserved for new experiments.

I’m happy to report the experiments a success! Adding the fragrant zest to a master stock (adapted from a Kylie Kwong recipe) gave a flavour punch that pairs wonderfully with beef cheeks. Hours of gentle braising give the flavours plenty of time to infuse and stand up to the rich, gelatinous meatiness of the cheeks. A splash of juice in the sauce and garnish of fresh segments add a final zing that lifts the whole dish.

Blood Orange Master Stock Braised Beef Cheeks
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
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Serves: 6
Rich, meaty beef cheeks meet zesty blood orange.
Ingredients
  • 1.2kg beef cheeks
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon blood orange juice
  • For the garnish:
  • 2 spring onions, julienne
  • segments of blood orange
  • For the stock:
  • 3 litres cold water
  • 1 1/2 cups shao hsing wine
  • 3/4 cup dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup light soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2/3 cup ginger slices
  • 6 spring onions, halved crosswise
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 6 star anise
  • 2 cinnamon quills
  • zest of one blood orange
Instructions
  1. Check your beef cheeks for any silvery sinew on the surface and trim as necessary.
  2. Next prepare the stock: add all ingredients into a large stock pot and bring to the boil. Turn down to barely simmering, add the beef cheeks and braise slowly until tender. This will take at 4-6 hours, so make sure you allow plenty of time!
  3. When the cheeks are almost ready you can prepare the sauce and garnish. First, take 2 cups of the stock and place in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring to the boil and reduce by at least half to make a flavourful sauce. (Taste the sauce and reduce further as desired.)
  4. While the sauce is reducing you can prepare your garnish. Julienne the white parts of two spring onions. Carefully cut the remaining peel and pith from the blood orange then segment over a bowl so you can catch the juices.
  5. When the sauce is ready, complete it with a tablespoon of the orange juice, then serve your cheeks with a liberal covering of sauce and garnish of spring onions and blood orange.
  6. Enjoy with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice and some lightly steamed chinese greens.
Notes
You can reuse the stock if you take care to keep it safe. First strain out all the solids, then bring to the boil to kill any nasties. Chill immediately, storing in the fridge if you plan to use it soon (within a few days) or freezer to keep for longer.

 

Lamb Koftas with Onion Jam

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lamb-koftas-angle

This recipe has everything: spices and nuts, sweet and sour, moisture and crunch. And yet it’s simple to throw together and easy to experiment with! I’ve settled on koftas with fresh flatbreads as my favourite combination, but you could easily have these as burgers or mouth watering meatballs! The secret to a good kofta, as I picked up from Tessa Mallos’ Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook, is lots of parsley. A whole bunch may seem like overkill but I find it complements the rich lamb mince perfectly.

If you have the time do consider making your own bread to go with these, it makes a world of difference. For a quick midweek meal choose a very thin wrap or small pita pockets so the bread doesn’t overwhelm the dish. Or just go full caveman: ditch the bread and wrap the koftas with the lettuce!

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Lamb Koftas with Onion Jam
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Serves: 4
Middle eastern flavours with a sweet onion twist!
Ingredients
  • 700g lamb mince
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry pan
  • For the onion jam:
  • 2 red onions, sliced into half-rings
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • For the yoghurt sauce:
  • 1 cup natural yoghurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • To serve:
  • 1 Cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed
Instructions
  1. Start with the onion jam. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper then cover and cook slowly, stirring regularly, to completely soften the onions. After 25 minutes remove the cover and add the vinegar, then cook down for a further 5 minutes.
  2. While the onions are softening you can start preparing the lamb. Combine the lamb, parsley, spices and pine nuts in a bowl, season with salt and pepper then mix thoroughly to combine. Form into koftas by taking large tablespoons of mince and shaping them in your palms. It helps to keep your hands wet and cup your palms to get the right shape.
  3. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat then fry the koftas, turning to colour them all over. As the fat renders from the meat you should get a beautiful caramelised crust around the outside of each kofta.
  4. Finally you can throw together the sauce by combining the yoghurt, lemon juice, zest, garlic, olive oil, mint and salt in a small bowl and stirring well. Garnish with an extra swirl of oil on top.
  5. Serve the koftas with your favourite flatbread. Time to get your hands dirty: stuff your bread with one or more koftas, lettuce leaves and a helping of onion jam, then top with yoghurt sauce and dig in!

 

Jane’s Rice Salad

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rice-salad-warm

This is Jane’s signature dish and her most sought-after recipe! A rice salad that is fresh and bursting with different flavours and textures. Just look at the brilliant colours: verdant coriander and pistachios contrast with ruby cranberries and jewels of pomegranate. The looks are more than matched by the taste: every mouthful is an explosion of sweet and sour, bitter and fresh, underlined by wholesome rice and nuts. It’s so good you could eat it as a meal on its own, although we more regularly have it as a side in a large spread. Perfect for a BBQ or picnic, just be ready to let your friends know where you got the recipe from ;).

This recipe is our favourite combination, but is ripe for experimentation. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the ingredients, add your own style! If you can’t get pomegranate, for example, try adding some more herbs instead. Mix up the nuts and fruit to your own taste. The dressed rice is a perfect canvas to create your own work of art.

Jane’s Rice Salad
Serves: 8 as a side
A fresh and surprise-packed rice salad that tastes as amazing as it looks!
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups brown rice
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Seeds from 1 pomegranate
  • 1 cup currants
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup almond slivers
  • 1 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Cook the brown rice using your preferred method and set aside to cool in a large salad bowl.
  2. Toast the pistachios and almonds in a 150°C oven (or a dry frying pan) until lightly browned, around 4-5 minutes.
  3. Combine the zest and juice of the limes with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper to form a dressing. Mix into the rice thoroughly.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the rice and toss to distribute evenly. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, fill a large bowl with cold water. Cut the pomegranate in half crosswise, then hold a half cut side down in your outstretched fingers over the bowl. Give the back of pomegranate half several good whacks with a wooden spoon and the seeds, plus some pith, will drop into the bowl. Repeat with the other half. The pith will float so you can remove it easily, then gather the seeds by straining off the water.

 

Triple Pumpkin Pizza

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triple-pumpkin-pizza-done-contrast

This is a pizza with a twist — of insanity! I love the combination of roasted pumpkin, persian feta and toasted pumpkin seeds. I’ve often used it (or variations, e.g. pine nuts) for salads, pastas and pizzas. Then the thought occurred to me that I could crank it up a notch by making a pumpkin pizza dough, and the Triple Pumpkin Pizza was born!

triple-pumpkin-pizza-process

The insane aspect is this does take a lot more time to make, as you need to fully cook and puree some pumpkin before you can start making the dough. From zero to pizza you’re looking at a few hours of actual time — but not that much extra work. The pumpkin in the dough gives it a sweetness and softness that is unique, while still yielding a crisp bottom. With the added zing and bite of lemon and pepper on the feta this is a pizza of wonderful contrasts.

So sure, cheat most of the time and use a regular base. But you owe it to yourself to go full pumpkin every once in a while ;).

Triple Pumpkin Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time:
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Serves: Makes 4 individual serve pizzas
Triple your pizza flavour with a pumpkin base, sweet roast pumpkin pieces and savoury toasted pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
  • For the dough
  • 400g strong plain flour (preferably Italian 00 flour), plus extra for dusting
  • 330g pumpkin
  • 50ml tepid water, plus 50ml extra as required
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For the toppings
  • 670g pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 280g persian feta
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup pepitas (dried pumpkin seeds)
  • 60g spinach or rocket leaves (or a mix)
  • For the dressing and sauce:
  • 100mL olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Keep 330g of your pumpkin, for the dough, in one large piece. Wrap tightly in foil, place on a baking tray and into the oven until cooked through, about 1 hour.
  3. Meanwhile peel and cut the remaining topping pumpkin into a 1-1.5cm dice. Toss in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Spread the pieces on a lined baking tray and add to the oven. Roast until almost cooked, about 25 minutes, then set aside until assembling the pizzas.
  4. When the large chunk of pumpkin is totally soft, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Discard the seeds and scoop the flesh out from the peel and into a small food processor. Process into a smooth puree.
  5. Mix 50ml of tepid water with the sugar and dry yeast, and allow to stand for a few minutes so it starts to foam.
  6. Sift the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the yeast mixture, then use your hands to slowly bring the dough together. (Depending on the water content of your pumpkin you may need to add more tepid water, gradually, to bring the dough into a ball.)
  7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well, for around 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Bring together into a ball.
  8. Dust the bowl with a little extra flour, place the dough inside and cover with a damp tea towel. Prove for 1 hour, in a warm place, or until the dough has approximately doubled in size.
  9. When the dough is ready, tip out onto a lightly-floured surface and knock the air out of it. Divide into quarters, one small ball for each pizza. (If you are not ready to make the pizzas yet you can wrap the dough well in cling wrap and refrigerate until required.)
  10. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Add pizza stones to the oven so they are hot when the pizzas are placed on them.
  11. Now prepare the toppings. Break the persian fetta into bite-sized pieces in a small bowl. Grate the zest from the lemon liberally over the feta. Season well with cracked pepper.
  12. To make the dressing, first juice the lemon. Combine 50ml of lemon juice with 100ml of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Use 2 tablespoons of this lemon dressing to coat the spinach/rocket leaves.
  13. Add the tahini and garlic to the remaining 100ml of lemon dressing and combine well to form the pizza sauce.
  14. To assemble and cook each pizza, take one small dough ball and roll out into a base 1-2 millimeters thick. Carefully place the base on a hot pizza stone, spread thinly with sauce and scatter over pieces of cooked pumpkin and a generous quantity of pepitas.
  15. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are brown and the bottom of the base is crisp.
  16. Scatter the dressed spinach/rocket and feta over the cooked pizza and serve immediately.

 

Sesame Beef Noodles

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sesame-beef-plate

The genesis of this recipe was a small collection of prawns and toasted sesame seeds Jane had left over from a dish out of Kylie Kwong’s Simple Chinese Cooking. I turned those into a quick noodle dish with home-grown eggplants, soy and mirin, and was pleasantly surprised how well it came together.  Jane and I both agreed the sesame-highlighted sauce would be great with beef and shiitake mushrooms, hence the switch in protein for this final recipe.  As can sometimes happen it took plenty of tweaking to get the sauce as good as the original fluke!

Sesame Beef Noodles
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
A quick noodle dish for two, with the edge of mirin and toasted sesame goodness.
Ingredients
  • 2 serves fresh egg noodles
  • 3 spring onions, sliced crosswise into 3cm pieces
  • 200g beef, finely sliced
  • 60g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2-3 lebanese eggplants, diced
  • 1 heaped tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
  • 3 tablespoons mirin
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
  1. Prepare the egg noodles by standing in boiled water, but strain them before they are fully heated to avoid over-cooking (when they are added to the wok later).
  2. Make two sauces: the first with 2 tablespoons each of mirin and soy sauce (for cooking), the second with the remaining tablespoon of mirin, the dark soy sauce and the sesame oil (for finishing).
  3. Heat a little vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat. Quickly fry the spring onions until they soften and brown, then set aside.
  4. Keep the wok on the heat, adding another tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the beef and a third of the cooking sauce and fry quickly, for 30-60 seconds, until almost cooked. Set aside.
  5. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, followed by the eggplant and another third of the cooking sauce. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, stirring, then add the shiitake mushrooms and remaining third of the cooking sauce. Continue to stir for another 30-60 seconds to cook and colour the mushrooms.
  6. Now bring the dish together. Reduce the wok to a medium heat, return the beef (and juices) to pan, then add the noodles, finishing sauce and half of the sesame seeds. Stir to combine and heat through.
  7. Serve by topping with spring onions and a generous scattering of the remaining sesame seeds.
Notes
  • You can easily toast your own sesame seeds by adding them to a hot, dry frying pan and stirring occasionally until they brown. The aroma is fantastic!
  • Choose the cut of beef you prefer. I used rump here as it is economical and I often prefer a bit of bite. Fillet is best for a tender stir fry.

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