Ingredient 14 - Date olives

The first olive tree was recorded in Egypt 1700 years before Christ. The only difference between green and black olives is ripeness –green are unripe, black are ripe. There are endless varieties of olives, from the Picholine olive to the Date olive.

My curiosity got the better of me when I came across this type at the local delicatessen. Substitute whatever your favourite type is into the recipe.

This recipe can be served up as finger food, makes a lovely light dinner with salad or with poached eggs for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Date olive and Pinenut Polenta with Sweet Chilli Jam

Polenta

1 cup polenta

2 ½ cups water

2 cubes vegetable stock

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

140g date olives

¼ cup pinenuts

2 tbsp chopped basil

• Remove seeds from olives and chop roughly.
• Heat olive oil in frypan over medium heat. Saute olives and pinenuts together for 10minutes. Stir through chopped basil.
• Bring to boil water and stock cubes in large saucepan. Pour in the polenta slowly, stirring continuously. Remove from heat. Stir through the olive mixture and cheese, and pour immediately into dish.
• Let the polenta set for approx. 20min or until firm and then slice into rectangles.
• Place pieces under the preheated grill until the tops are browned.
• Serve immediately with sweet chilli jam.

Jam

3 very ripe tomatoes

½ red onion

2 tbsp olive oil

1 long red chilli

2 tbsp brown sugar

• Slice onions into fine rings and roughly chop tomatoes and chilli.
• Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in saucepan. Saute the onions until soft.
• Add tomatoes and chilli and bring to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to mush the tomatoes as they soften.
• Once mushy add the sugar and continue to simmer for 30-40min, stirring occasionally, until all the fluid has evaporated and it has the jam consistency.

Ingredient 13 - Star Anise

Star anise is a spice native to China and Vietnam. It is in fact a small fruit off an oriental tree, in the shape of a star as its name suggests. The fruit are picked just before ripening and then dried.

Star anise adds a unique mild liquorice flavour to culinary dishes and is also incorporated into liquor products such as Galliano. The spice also has medicinal benefits, traditionally treating rheumatism as well as aiding in digestion.

The spice is popular ingredient in Asian-based soups as demonstrated in this recipe where it enhances the meat flavours.

Perfect for a rainy day!

Five spiced chicken with Star Anise noodle soup

Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts

2 tbsp Chinese five-spice

2L chicken stock

8 whole star anise

1 packet somen noodles (Hakubaku brand, bundles of 3, 270g)

4 small bunches choy sum

5 green shallots

½ bunch coriander

2 large red chillis

• Preheat oven to 180°.
• Spread the Chinese five-spice powder over a large plate. Cut breasts in half and coat each side well with spice mixture.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in fry pan. Fry the chicken breasts for 3-5min on each side until browned.
• Place breasts on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook chicken in the oven for a further 15minutes until cooked through. Cool for 5 minutes and thinly slice.
• Remove the stalks of the choy sum and thinly slice bunches crossways. Slice shallots, thinly in white sections, thicker in green. Finely chop the chillis.
• Bring the chicken stock with star anise to boil in a large saucepan. Remove the star anise and reduce heat to a simmer.
• Place choy sum and noodles into the saucepan. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Ladle the soup mixture into deep bowls, top with sliced chicken, and serve with small bowls of chilli, shallots and coriander.

Ingredient 12 - Paneer Cheese

Paneer cheese is of Asian origin, most commonly used in northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  It is a firm cheese that has not been aged, and is set by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or vinegar.

Paneer cheese is delicious in spinach or pea based curries, and what’s more, it is lacto-vegetarian friendly!

If you prefer a creamier curry then replace the water in this recipe with some pouring cream.

Lamb, Spinach and Paneer Cheese Curry

Serves 6

Cooked leftover lamb – around 1 cup, chopped

1 bunch of silverbeet

1 brown onion

2 green chillis

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tin chopped tomatoes

½ cup water

200g block Paneer cheese

• Trim the white stalks off the silverbeet. Place the leaves in a medium saucepan and pour in enough boiling water to cover them. Gently simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Drain well under cold water.
• Finely slice the silverbeet, or alternatively place in a blender and process until smooth.
• Dice the onion and green chillis.
• Heat the olive oil in a deep frypan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and gently sauté until onions are soft. Then add the spices and fry until fragrant.
• Add the lamb and stir until coated in spices and onion.
• Pour in the tinned tomatoes and water, and stir through the spinach mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Gently stir in the cubes of Paneer cheese to ensure the cheese has mixed through the curry and further simmer for 15 minutes.
• Season well and serve up with steamed rice, chopped mint and green chilli.

Ingredient 11 - Fresh Figs

Figs are the edible fruits picked off the Common Fig or Ficus carica tree, a large deciduous shrub, which is native to southwest Asia, and parts of Mediterranean.

These fruit are very nutritious, with one of the highest plant sources of calcium, potassium and fibre. Fresh figs are deliciously sweet with a fleshy chewy centre and smooth edible skin. They can also be purchased in a dried form.

Strange, but I had never honestly cooked with figs prior to this despite being on my list of favourite foods!

These make the perfect little treat for everyone at work to ease the Monday morning blues.

Fresh Fig and Gorgonzola tarts with Candied Pecans

Makes 24

3 sheets of puff pastry

4 figs

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

¾ cup pouring cream

3 large eggs

100g Gorgonzola cheese

• Preheat oven to 150°. Grease a 12-muffin tray with butter.
• Heat a small frypan over low heat. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the pecans in the frypan and let it gently bubble around the pecans, stirring occasionally, for 15min or until liquid is absorbed. Cool for 5min.
• Wash and dry the figs. Cut them in half lengthways and then thinly slice them horizontally.
• Lightly beat the eggs and cream in a mixing bowl.
• Cut the puff pastry pieces into 9 squares (ie. 3x3). Place a piece in each of the muffin holes. Crumble a good tbsp of cheese on top of each base, add 1 tbsp of egg mixture, and then gently place 2 slices of fig and candied pecans on each.
• Cook the tarts in the oven for 25-30min or until pastry is golden.
• Repeat the process for the second batch. You may want to keep the remaining pastry in the freezer until just prior to use so it doesn’t turn into a soggy sticky mess.

Ingredient 10 - Smoked Trout

Smoked trout quite simply in my repertoire has always been pushed aside by its sibling the smoked salmon.

Yet here it proves to be just as delectable, and serves up perfectly for the palate as a breakfast or lazy dinner.

The most difficult part of this recipe is probably poaching the eggs, something that I never had to master until now where I can no longer rely on my gorgeous old housemates!

Enjoy!

The smoked trout special

Serves 2

4 pieces wholegrain bread

350g smoked trout

4 eggs

• Bring half a large shallow saucepan of water to boil. Crack each egg into a cup and then pour them gently into the water. Turn off the heat and them sit for until cooked, roughly 4-5 minutes for soft poached eggs. You may have to use a spoon to nudge the white parts closer to the yolk as they cook.
• Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them on absorbent paper on a plate to drain.
• Meanwhile toast the bread and spread generously with smashed peas and avocado mix. Place smoked trout on top, followed by the egg, drizzle with some dressing and top with chopped chives.
• Serve with lemon wedges, extra smashed pea mix and plenty of cracked pepper.

Smashed peas and avocado

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups boiling water

½ ripe avocado

2 tbsp cottage cheese

• Place frozen peas and boiling water in a bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes and drain well.
• Mash the peas, avocado, cottage cheese and lemon juice roughly together. Ideally it should be a lumpy ‘whole’ consistency. 

Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp light olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

• Whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl, or alternately shake in a jar.

Ingredient 9 - Puy lentils

Puy lentils, or ‘lentilles du Puy’ as some would say, were originally grown in the volcanic soil of Le Puy in southern mountainous France.

Compared to the other varieties these lentils are quite petite and have a very interesting speckled green and blue appearance. However despite their size they are very flavorsome!

Puy lentils are a fabulous addition to salads, as they tend to retain their shape and bite after cooking, instead of the mushy consistency of brown or red lentils in for instance dhal.

This salad can be served up with lamb for a quick dinner!

Puy lentil and roasted vegetable salad with goat’s cheese

Serves 4

1½ cup Puy lentils

8 cups water

500g pumpkin

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

200g goats cheese

fresh basil

• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• Chop pumpkin into small cubes (approx. 1 x 1cm) and halve the cherry tomatoes. Lay them at separate ends on a tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle the vegetables with brown sugar and olive oil and roast them in a slow oven for 20min. You may need to remove the cherry tomatoes earlier from the oven if ready.
• Bring to boil the water and lentils in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 25min or until the lentils are tender. Drain well.
• Combine the lentils, roasted pumpkin and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Crumble the cheese and scatter with basil.
• Pour over the dressing and toss well. 

Dressing

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

¼ tsp minced garlic

• Whisk ingredients together well.

Ingredient 8 - Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake mushrooms originate from East Asia. As well as being edible these mushrooms are considered to ‘boost qi’ or life energy.

These mushrooms are not traditionally used in Italian dishes and I am quite certain the old Italian Nonna next door would shake her head in shame here at me, however this recipe is a great twist on the traditional risotto.

Serve it up with a bowl of steamed bok choy and sesame seeds.

Shiitake Mushroom and Red Curry Risotto

Serves 4

1 ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion

½ tsp minced garlic

½ tsp ginger

2 tbsp red curry paste (3 tbsp if you like spice)

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup coconut milk

5 cups chicken stock

coriander and chilli to serve

• Soak the mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes until soft and drain well.
• Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan.
• Finely slice the onion and ginger. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan. add the garlic, ginger and onion and sauté until the onion is soft and golden.
• Mix in the red curry paste, stirring until fragrant.  Add the rice and continuously stir until the rice granules become translucent and you can hear a ‘sucking noise’.
• Pour in the coconut milk, again stirring continuously until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process with the chicken stock, adding 1 cup of stock at time and including the shiitake mushrooms with the 3^rd cup. This whole process will take around 20 minutes.
• Try the rice once the 4^th cup of stock has added – you want the rice to have a slight bite to it and not be soggy. If still undercooked and chewy then finish the remaining stock. If al dente then remove from heat and stir the parmesan cheese through the risotto.
• Serve with chopped coriander and fresh chilli.