Inspired by the mint, curry leaves and green chillies growing in our little courtyard garden, the flavours of Kerala recipes came to mind.
This light, bright biryani is quick to make and is delicious with a zesty salad and Spicy mint and coriander pesto
It has flavours of Prawn Caldine imbued into a delicious coconut rice topping finished off cooked “dum” style in the oven.
Recipe to come….but here are some photos to whet your appetite!
I was inspired to serve my lighter version of the traditional Roman lentil stew along with roast pork and cheesy grilled broccoli for dinner last night.
It is believed the tradition of eating lentils at the stroke of midnight or serving them as a side dish began with the Roman custom of giving a leather bag of lentils with the wish they will turn into gold coins for the receiver.
My recipe is not really a stew, more like a light braise with the addition of baby spinach to add a bit of colour and extra crunch.
It was the perfect accompaniment in lieu of potatoes or other carbs and the leftovers went well with grilled sausages for lunch today too.
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Heat oil over medium heat
2. Add onions, carrots and celery and herbs then sauté over low heat until softened
3. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until cooked through and melded with onion mixture.
4. Drain lentils and add to onion mixture, along with the white wine and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Season with generous sprinkling of black pepper and salt to taste.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes until wine is reduced, add spinach and mix through, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional).
6 Serve as a side alongside roast pork or with and grilled meat or fish.
A lovely Easter holiday at Pearl Beach, one of our favourite Sydney getaways. Lazy beach days as summer turns to autumn here, walks, swims and a book fair to keep us all stocked up for reading. Blissful family time and healthy grazing and feasting as well.
Here are some photos of our some of our lunches so far. Promise to post recipes in weeks to come.
This crunchy mint and coriander chutney is like an Indian version of Italian pesto and is one of my favourite accompaniments with biryanis like Durban Chicken Briyani or Fish Briyani ..so I think it will be delicious with Yakhni Pulao too.
The addition of crunchy peanut butter to the fresh mint and coriander creates great texture, like pine nuts do in Italian pesto. The spicy, crunchy chutney will go well with the silkiness of the Yakhni Pulao.
I’m making a Yakhni Pulao tonight which is a traditional Kashmiri and Pakistani rice dish in which the spiced meat stock used to flavour the rice is the star of the show. (Yakhni means soup or broth)
Here are some recipes I found from Tea for Turmeric and Archana’ s Kitchen which I am using as the basis for my version, the recipe for which I will share through the week.
Yakhni Pulao is known for unique flavours created by simmering the chicken or meat in a stock of whole spices such as green and black cardamom, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and star anise. The finished dish is enhanced by spicy sides, pickles and salads.
As well as the Indian Spicy Mint and Coriander Chutney, I will be making an Indian Carrot Salad and a Cucumber Kachumber salad. Recipes to come too!
In the meantime, here’s my original recipe for Indian Spicy mint and coriander chutney:
This Burrata with fennel jam and spinach, with a hint of chilli, was delicious as an accompaniment for dinner tonight.
I was inspired by the Burrata with fennel jam at lunch at Nomad restaurant in Surry Hills in Sydney this week. There it is swimming in fennel flavoured olive oil and served with their delicious crusty sour dough to mop it up.
My version of the fennel jam doesn’t involve quite as much oil, and I added one chilli to the fennel mixture during the cooking to add a kick of spice.
I also teamed up the Burrata and fennel jam with baby spinach leaves and cherry tomatoes to make it much more of a salad.
The resulting combination was really good, and perfect as an accompaniment to our steak tonight. It would also make for a great addition to a buffet or a festive meal. Great to share amongst a few people.
Mind you, you could add more oil and skip the healthy ingredients and serve it just as Nomad restaurant do! Or you could just use the fennel jam as a great accompaniment to cheese or a charcuterie platter.
Method
1. Slice fennel and onion as thinly as possible, reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnish.
2. Heat oil in large flat, non-stick frying pan, add fennel and onion, lower heat to medium heat and cook slowly until fennel and onion start to soften for about 5 minutes.
3. Add chilli and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add sugar and vinegar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
5. Continue cooking until vinegar evaporates and the sugar creates almost a glaze on the fennel and onions.
6. Place baby spinach leaves and tomatoes on a platter, sprinkle cracked black pepper over the leaves and tomatoes, spread fennel jam over the centre.
7. Place Burrata on the top, garnish with a few fennel fronds and serve.
The last few days have involved lots of beautiful relaxed eating…the kind of days I spend most of the working year dreaming about.
Christmas leftovers, barbecues and grilled fresh fish all call for good salads and accompaniments … here are some recipes of the types of side dishes we’ve been enjoying alongside our meals.
The fresh ingredients particularly local tomatoes and cucumbers here in the Cook Islands are delicious …so simple green salads and cucumber salads have also been a mainstay with heartier sides like the ones below providing some variety.
Mixed Salad with cucumber raita
Hope this provides some inspiration for the new year!