Orange and saffron potatoes

1 onion, diced finely

2 tablespoons olive oil

100 mls sherry

½ teaspoon saffron threads

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

3-4 oranges, juiced

½ teaspoon sherry vinegar, or more to taste

Fry onion in olive oil and salt until softened. Cover with ½ cup water, and cook on high until water is evaporated. This is a quick way to fry onions.

Add sherry and cook on high until nearly evaporated.

Meanwhile grind saffron, salt and sugar in spice grinder. Alternatively, mix them together with a little boiling water.

Add to pan with orange juice, cover and simmer until cooked.

Check seasonings, and add more salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.

Serve warm or cold as a salad.

Greek Spinach Rice – Tess Mallos

Tess Mallos’ “Greek Cookook” was the first I ever owned, and through it I fell in love with food and cooking. This is one of my favourites from her book.
This is exactly as she wrote it, but these days I use basmati rice and frozen spinach.
It’s delicious served at room temperature as a salad. But bring it to room temperature first. Served straight from the fridge the rice is hard and crunchy, so allow it to come to room temperature. I often warm it in the microwave.

1kg spinach or silverbeet (I use either a combination of baby spinach, parsley, mint or dill, and this may or may not add up to 1kg. Or I use one or 2 packets of frozen chopped spinach - drain and squeeze extra liquid out.)

1 cup chopped spring onions (I often use a normal onion)

1 leek, chopped (optional)

½ cup olive oil (measure this because this recipe relies on a good amount of oil)

1 ½ cups or 300g short grain rice (I use basmati because I prefer it less gluggy, and it has a lower Glycemic Index)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (or more, to taste)

1 tablespoon chopped parsley or dill

3 cups water

Salt and pepper.

Directions

Wash spinach or silverbeet very well.

Remove stems, drain leaves well and tear into pieces. If using silverbeet, chop the bitter stems finely, parboil for 5 inutes in salted water and drain.

In  deep pan gently fry onion and leek (if used) in oil until soft.

Stir in rice and cook 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and parboiled silverbeet stems (if used).

Bring to the boil and add sinach or silver beet.

Stir well, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, leave tightly covered and allow to stand for 5 minutes befoe serving.

Serve hot as an accompaniament to main meals, particularly grilled meats and fish.

Note: This is very good served cold.

Black bean and corn salsa

2 x 400g cans black beans, drained and rinsed or 1/2 cup dried beans, prepared (see below)
1 ½ cups corn kernels, thawed
1 capsicum, finely diced
1 cup finely diced celery
¾ cup minced red onion, salted for 20 mins, then rinsed under boiling water
1 fresh chilli, seeded and minced
½ cup chopped coriander
I avocado, diced

Lime dressing
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp  grated lime zest
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
S + P to taste
¼ cup vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, except avocado.

2. In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients, except the oil. Mix together, then gradually whisk in the oil.

3. Pour dressing over salad, and stand one hour before serving.

To prepare black beans cover with water, heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Allow to stand for 1 hour, then drain, cover with lots of water and simmer 20-30 minutes. Don't allow them to boil at this point or their skins will split. 

Smoked Tomato Sorbet on Toast

1kg tomatoes
350 mls glucose syrup, appx
3 tbspns olive oil
1 tbspn red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Puree tomatoes with oil and vinegar, then strain.
Measure amount of tomato juice and add half the amount of corn syrup. This will taste too sweet, but when frozen the sweetness will diminish.
Add salt to taste, remembering that the flavour of the salt will diminish on freezing too.
Add extra red wine vinegar if desired. Tomatoes vary in flavour so the balance of  salty, sweet and tart varies with each batch.
Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Form into quenelles using 2 spoons. You can find instructions here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXcIZ4aRHBU
Place on toasted Italian bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Poached modified from Cooks Illustrated recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
(Optional brine - 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup salt, 2 tablespoon sugar, 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled)

4 litres or quarts water

Method

Pound thick end of chicken breasts until about the same thickness as the rest of the breast.
(Optional) Place in pot with water and brine  Stand at room temperature 30 mins.
Heat over medium heat until 77 Celsius or 175 Farenheight, stirring occasionally to distribute heat evenly.

Remove from heat, cover and stand 17 - 22 minutes. Check thickest part for doneness.

Drain and use.

Melitzanosalata

This eggplant dip is adapted from the recipe of Tess Mallos, who died in 2012. She wrote the first cookbook I ever owned, and I still regularly make this recipe. She includes a small grated onion, but I find it too strong.

Eggplant dip (Melitzanosalata)

1 large or 2 medium oval eggplants to about 500 g (1 lb)

1 garlic clove, crushed with 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 slices bread, crusts removed.

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place whole, unpeeled eggplant on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven for 30–50 minutes, depending on size, until soft to the touch. While hot remove skin and chop flesh roughly.

Process bread into bread crumbs.

Remove the flesh from the eggplant and process with the breadcrumbs.

Add the other ingredients to the processor and pulse briefly. Don't overprocess as the olive oil becomes too bitter.

Place in a bowl and chill well. Mixture thickens when thoroughly chilled. Garnish with black olives and serve with crackers, toast fingers or crusty bread.

Salad Dressing - adapted from Neil Perry

This recipe is delicious and is worth doubling or even quadrupling!

2 coriander roots, washed and scraped

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons palm sugar

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

120ml grapeseed oil (Neil Perry uses best-quality extra virgin olive oil)

Crush the coriander roots, garlic and salt to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle.

Place the palm sugar with a splash of water in a small saucepan over low heat and cook for 5 minutes or until it becomes syrupy.

Add the sherry vinegar, and cook for 2 minutes, allow to cool.

Add the red wine vinegar, coriander paste and whisk in the oil.

Taste and maybe add a little more salt.

Whole Cauliflower

For me this dish ticks all the boxes. It's delicious, cheap, has stunning presentation and is healthy.

Method

Microwave a whole cauliflower covered on high for about 5 minutes. Stand for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
Place in a heated serving dish and cover with pesto, either bottled or homemade.

Homemade Pesto

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry frypan for 4 to 5 minutes

• 4 medium cloves of garlic, toasted in their skin for 7 minutes in the same frypan as the pinenuts 

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley

• 100mls extra virgin olive oil, salt (to taste)

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 1/2 tspn salt

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Eggplant, tomato and pomegranate salad

Dice 2 eggplants, toss with 1 teaspoon salt, place on kitchen paper and microwave, uncovered, 10 mins.
Dice and deseed 3 tomatoes cut into small dice. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt and allow to drain excess juice away.
Fry 3 cloves garlic in 1T olive oil.
Add microwaved eggplants and stir gently until brown.
Combine 1T pomegranate molasses
1T honey
1T water.
Pour over eggplant and allow the liquid to absorb into the eggplant.
Cool slightly then add diced drained tomatoes
1 bunch parsley, chopped.
Add 2 tablespoons extra olive oil.
Check for seasoning.
Sprinkle with pinenuts.
You could also add olives, capers or currants.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Select vegetables for this salad. They could include potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, onion, parsnip, eggplant, zucchini, red pepper or any other veges that might roast well.

Pre heat oven to 200º. If cut the vegetables smaller, this could be raised to 250º. The idea is that they brown on the outside, and cook on the inside without being overly dry,

Individually peel and toss in a bowl with oil, salt and sugar. The sugar helps them brown.

Keeping each type of vegetable in separate areas, place in a single layer on baking paper on a /shallow/ baking dish, The higher the rim, the more the veges steam and the slower they are to brown, so I use a scone tray with no rim.

Roast, turning occasionally, until cooked and browned, removing pieces when they’re ready.

Place rocket or baby spinach on a large platter and top with roasted veges. Strew over soft herbs and nuts. In the photo I’ve used parsley, macadamia and pomegranate.

Sicilian Style Stuffed Capsicums (Red Peppers)

6 yellow or red capsicums
150g fresh white breadcrumbs
1t honey
3 anchovies
2 cl garlic
1/4t cinnamon
2 tablespoons marsala
50g pitted black olives, rinsed and chopped
10g parsley
10g mint
50ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 150.
Soak 75g raisins in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, then drain.
Chop all ingredients finely and mix together
Taste before seasoning – even though the stuffing is still raw, you need to get an idea of how much salt to add (if any).
Halve 6 red peppers, spoon the stuffing into them and place in an ovenproof dish.
Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and bake in the oven for ½ -3/4 hr.
Place under griller and grill until brown on top.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Alternative use for seasonings - make into meat balls
Mix with seasoning with 200g pork or chicken mince.
Fry as meat balls.
Add 100mls marsala and/or cream to pan and heat.
Serve over pasta.