Simple Swiss Chard

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks discarded,

leaves cut into wide ribbons 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Roasted Pumpkin and Tomato Soup

700 g of pumpkin

500 g of tomatoes - red, yellow and tiger

1/4 bunch of fresh oregano

500 mll of vegetable stock

one garlic clove, sliced

an onion, diced

1 tsp. of chili powder

salt and pepper

olive oil

Cut pumpkin into chunks and tomatoes in halves. Place them in an oiled baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with fresh oregano. 

Roast at 200C for 30-40 minutes. Let cool and remove the skins. 

In a large pot saute garlic and onion. Add pumpkin and tomatoes, pour in the stock, season with chili and bring to boil. 

Blend the soup. Check the seasoning and reheat.

Spiced Honey Peach Muffins

Yields 12

Ingredients

290g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

200g soft light brown sugar (plus extra for tops)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp all spice

1 egg

1 tbsp honey

100ml sunflower oil

130ml milk

2 peaches diced (skin on)

 

Instructions

Pre heat the oven to 180C.

Mix all the dry ingredient together in a large bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients into this. Mix until combined but do no overbeat.

Carefully fold in peaches.

Divide between muffin cases and top each one with a little brown sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and firm.

Mediterrasian Spicy Eggplant

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Kathy Steger

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbs paprika
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• ½ tbs sesame oil
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 thai chili (optional), thinly sliced
• fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix olive oil, rosemary, paprika and vinegar in a bowl.
2. Add eggplant and onion. Stir to coat well.
3. Spread eggplant on a baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.
4. Allow eggplant to cool a little, then add the rest of the ingredients.
5. Mix gently, season with salt to taste and serve.
6. Can also be served cold.

chili garlic green beans

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt to taste

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Place the green beans in a large bowl and toss them with the olive oil and chili garlic sauce. Transfer the beans to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, or until beans are tender and just starting to brown. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt to taste.

notes

Chili garlic sauce is sold in the international aisle at most grocery stores. If you don't have light olive oil on hand, any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point will work. Light olive oil is not the same as extra-virgin olive oil!

Lobster and Potato Salad

From Smitten Kitchen
  Serves 6, generously (or easily more if among many sides)
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled small Yukon gold (Ina’s suggestion) or fingerling (what I used) potatoes
Coarse, kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
1 large or extra-large egg yolk, ideally at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (you can skip this, or use less, with little harm; I used 1 tablespoon vermouth instead)
3 tablespoons drained capers (I imagine minced cornichons would be a good alternative)
6 scallions, thinly sliced (yielding about 1 cup)
2 medium stalks celery, diced small (about 1/4 inch) (yielding about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cooked and cooled, in a 1-inch dice (from about 7 to 8 pounds fresh lobster; see post above for better budgeted suggestions)
1 lemon
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon (Ina’s suggestion) or flat-leaf parsley (what we used)

Cook the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with an inch or two over water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes, until just tender. (A bamboo skewer is ideal to test them.) Drain in a colander, and let potatoes cool for 5 minutes. Cut potatoes into quarters or halves (or fingerlings into 1/2- to 1-inch segments) and place them in a large bowl.

Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, 1 teaspoon salt, and many grinds of black pepper (Ina recommends you use a full teaspoon of pepper). Whisking constantly and vigorously, pour the oil in in a thin drizzle, ideally making an emulsion. Stir in the wine (if using) and capers.
Assemble the salad: While the potatoes are still very warm, pour half the vinaigrette on the potatoes and toss them gently, allowing them to soak up the vinaigrette. Stir in the scallions, celery, red onion, lobster, and add enough vinaigrette to moisten. Reserve any remaining vinaigrette for later. Add the zest and juice of the lemon, the tarragon or parsley, and more salt and pepper to taste (Ina calls for another 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, but this felt like overkill). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend. Taste for seasonings and add more vinaigrette, if necessary.

Serve: This salad is especially good served closer to room temperature. Don’t forget to share.

Kale Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

From Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup (105 grams or 3 3/4 ounces) walnut halves or pieces
1/4 cup (45 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) golden raisins
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup panko (15 grams or 1/2 ounce) or slightly coarse homemade breadcrumbs (from a thin slice of hearty bread)
1 tiny clove garlic, minced or pressed
Coarse or kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch (about 14 ounces or 400 grams) tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety), washed and patted dry
2 ounces (55 grams) pecorino cheese, grated or ground in a food processor, which makes it delightfully rubbly (1/2 cup total)
Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Prepare walnuts: Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.
Prepare raisins: In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water and raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft. Set aside in liquid.
Prepare crumbs: Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.
Prepare kale: Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs. I always find removing the ribs annoying with a knife, because the leaves want to roll in on the knife and make it hard to get a clean cut. Instead, I’ve taken to tearing the ribs off with my fingers, which is much easier for me. Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.
Assemble salad: Put kale in a large bowl. Add pecorino, walnuts and raisins (leaving any leftover vinegar mixture in dish), remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together. Just before serving, toss with breadcrumbs and, if needed, a final 1 teaspoon drizzle of olive oil.