Posts tagged avocado

A Spice Feast (Lamb steaks, nigella seed salad, roasted chilli sweet potatoes)

February 23, 2014 Comments Off read Meat

I’ve done it. I’ve finally narrowed down my favourite type of cuisine (well nearly). After a recent dinner time conversation with a friend it remained mutually concluded that choosing your death row dish is too ambitious a commitment. Top contenders include a creamy and decadent risotto or a homely fish pie but its still a hard call. However, cuisine and flavour I can conclude on. While I adore classic french food, on the opposite side is my love of Moroccan and middle Eastern style foods and ingredients. Think Ottelenghi. The use of spice adds so much flavour to satisfy any demanding taste buds. The dishes are filling and hearty but in a way that retains a light, fresh and (importantly for me) healthy style. Exciting spices and fresh ingredients keep my recipes quirky and the mix of hot and cold make it perfect for all seasons.

I still haven’t made it to Morocco however….yet…

Serves 2

Chilli and Coriander Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 giant or 2 normal sweet potatoes
½ hot red chilli (seeds retained if you dare)
Bunch of coriander
1 tsp black mustard seeds

Lamb Steaks

2 top quality lamb leg steaks
1 tbsp spice mix (see here)
Generous pinch smoked paprika
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Lime yoghurt (see here)

Green Nigella seed salad

½ cucumber
1 bag rocket
Handful of mangetout
1 avocado
½ lemon, juice
1 tbsp Nigella seeds

Preheat the oven to 200°C. For the potatoes, par boil until just tender but don’t water log (about 3-4 minutes). Drain and leave to steam a little. Season and drizzle with a little light oil and sprinkle with the mustard seeds. Roast for about 30-35 minutes until crispy.
Marinade the lamb in the spices and oil for as long as possible but remove from the fridge and leave a room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking.
For the salad, peel the cucumber in thin strips. Sprinkle with a little salt and leave to drain in a colander for about 5-10 minutes. Then rinse lightly under cold water and leave to dry.
Blanch the mange tout in boiling water and refresh in cold water and drain.
Slice the avocado and sprinkle with a little lemon juice.
To make the salad, combine the rocket, avocado, cucumber and mange tout. Sprinkle with the nigella seeds and only when ready to serve, squeeze over the lemon juice.
To cook the steaks, heat a frying pan until hot. Add about 1 tsp olive oil (not extra virgin – the burning temperature is much lower and it will burn!). If a thick layer of fat on your steaks, cook this out with the steak on its side for a few minutes first before cooking the steaks to your liking. I usually do about 2-2 ½ minutes per side for a 2cm thick steak. Leave to rest for about 5 minutes in foil to keep in the juices.
Chop the chilli finely with the fresh coriander. When ready to serve, combine roasted potatoes, chilli, coriander. Serve with the dressed salad.
Slice the steaks in thick finger like strips and pour over the resting juices. Serve alongside the salad and potatoes with some cooling lime yoghurt. Garnish with extra coriander if you like.

Pea and Mint Arancini with Avocado Puree

February 10, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

I can’t actually decide if leftover risotto turned morphed in arancini is actually better than risotto…? See what you think

Serves 2

Leftover pea and mint risotto, chilled (or any other risotto)
1 egg, beaten
Plain flour
Breadcrumbs
Grated parmesan
Good melting cheese e.g. mozzarella, tallegio etc
Sunflower oil for frying
1 large ripe avocado
Handful of chopped mint leaves
1 lemon

Get 2 clean shallow bowls ready. Place the egg in one, the flour in another and the breadcrumbs, parmesan and some seasoning in the other.
Roll your chilled risotto into balls (mine were about golf ball size) placing a small piece of your melting cheese in the middle if you like.
Roll each in first the flour, then the egg and finally coat in the cheesy breadcrumbs. If you want a thicker coating repeat in the egg and breadcrumbs. If not, place aside on a plate and repeat with the rest before chilling (the arancini that is…feel free to chill too).
Preheat the oven to 180°C for later. I fried my arancini in shallow oil but they are delicate (unless you made a very stodgy dry risotto to start with- to avoid this see tips here). If you have a deep fryer fry each arancini until golden. If not, fry in shallow oil until crisp. Place in a the oven to warm through to the middle while you make the puree.
Scoop out the ripe flesh from your avocado and place in a food processor with some seasoning and a splash of lemon juice. Blend until thick, glossy and smooth – feel free to add flavours here you like. I added some mint leaves but lime, coriander, chilli all work well depending on what flavour your arancini are.
Once ready, serve your crispy and melt in the middle arancini on top of your silky puree with a scattering of fresh mint.

Chilli and Cornbread

January 2, 2014 Comments Off read Meat

This is one of those rare suppers that is all the more appreciated when eaten in front of the TV on a chilly winters evening warming your lap- served in a warm bowl topped with cooling soured cream, freshly made guacamole and a hearty door-stop-wedge of cornbread smothered in butter or extra cheese- it hits the sport every time!

If you prefer, serve with rice instead of cornbread. I also highly advise you to make your own guacamole- I promise it is one of the easiest things to knock up and once you’ve made it, you’ll never buy a plastic pot of the gloppy stuff again. Regardless of taste- its quicker to make too!

Chilli (Serves 3-4)

450g beef mince
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tsp each- ground cumin, coriander, chilli powder, chilli flakes
300ml red wine
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 heaped tsp marmite
400g chopped tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
To serve- soured cream, guacamole, cornbread or rice

Heat a heavy based saucepan on the hob and add a splash of olive oil and soften the onion and red pepper for 10 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
Add the mince, break up and brown well. Add the spices and cook out for a few minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the wine, Worcestershire sauce and marmite and brink to a simmer.
Add the tomatoes and stir to combine.
Either simmer gently with a lid on, on the hob for 20 minutes or in an oven preheated to 180°C
After this time, add the kidney beans and stir well. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced and thickened. This can cook away slowly for as long as you like, in a low oven. If it gets dry, add a splash of water.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 small red chilli, chopped finely
1 lime, juice and zest
Small bunch coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper

Mash up the avocado flesh with a fork in a small bowl,
Stir in the chopped chilli, lime juice and zest and coriander and season. Serve at room temperature.

Cornbread– See here

Lamb, Mint and Pea Salad

August 28, 2013 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

Leftover lamb never tasted better. Freshly cut herbs from the garden, a cucumber from the greenhouse and some leftover local lamb. A sunny evening called for a fresh cleansing salad to start the week on a healthy note. Although washed down with a large glass of Cab Sauv it probably had the opposite effect!

Not sure the picture does this dish justice but it is extremely tasty, particularly also crumbled with feta or goats cheese as well as or instead of the lamb for the veges.

Serves 3 as a main, 4 as a lunch or starter

Salad

2 little gems
1 romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small cucumber, chopped on diagonal
1 avocado, chopped
1 lemon, juice
Handful pine nuts, toasted
Bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped
Bunch of chives, chopped
Leftover lamb, sliced- mine was rare roast butterflied leg but anything works well, shredded etc
250g frozen peas, blanched

Oregano and Lemon Yoghurt

6 heaped tbsp thick yoghurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
Bunch oregano, leaves picked
½ lemon juice and zest
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Sun dried Tomato Bread

250g self raising flour
4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Bunch basil
Salt and pepper
Warm water

Make the bread first. Blitz the sun dried tomatoes and basil in a processor until fine. Add the flour and some generous seasoning and blend. Pour in enough warm water until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes before leaving covered to rest.
Mix the yoghurt ingredients and chill.
Keep the stalks on the little gems to hold them together. Half each and cut each half into 3 keeping them together at the base.
Mix with the blanched peas, shredded romaine, cucumber and chopped herbs on a large platter.
Griddle the avocado on a hot oiled griddle pan until warm and charred. Season well and add to the salad. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon, a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning and toss gently to combine.
Sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and finally the lamb.

7. Heat a large frying pan. Roll the bread out to the thickness of a pound coin and big enough to fit the pan. Fry in the pan for about 5 minutes each side until toasty and beginning to char and crisp. Turn out onto a board and rip up and serve warm with the salad, dunked in the yoghurt or with some salted butter.

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

August 11, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Today the sun made a rare and facetious appearance in this so-called summer season we seem to be laden with this year. So naturally as Brits, we grabbed the opportunity to have a barbie. My most inspiring idol in the food industry, Jamie Oliver, has been the backbone of my passion for food and cooking ever since receiving a copy of Jamie at Home when I was a teenager. The titled spine of this book, after many years of use, is holding tightly (but dare I say unsuccessfully) to the binding of the splattered cover and greasy pages. This book is a staple in my assembly of cookbooks and always makes an appearance especially in the summer sunshine. This tasty and delicious little salad is therefore courtesy of my mate Jamie (I wish) which went down guilt free with our charred meat and roasted beets and goats cheese.

500g small carrots (mixed varieties if available)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed dried chillies
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 thyme sprigs, leave picked
Red wine vinegar
1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
2 ripe avocados
4 x 1cm thick ciabatta/sourdough slices, toasted
2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
1 punnet cress
4 tbsp mixed seeds
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Parboil the carrots whole, in salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and place into a deep roasting tin
While the carrots are boiling, grind the cumin seeds, chillies and salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic and thyme and smash to a paste. Add a swig of oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.
While the carrots are still warm in the tin, cover with the this paste. Place the halved orange and lemon cut side down in the tin and roast the carrots for 30 minutes.
While the carrots are roasting, toast the bread slices. Tear into pieces and add to the sliced avocados on a serving plate. Add the salad leaves and cress and toss.
When the carrots are ready, remove from the oven and, using tongs, squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange into a jug and add an equal amount of oil and a swig of red wine vinegar and season.
Add the carrots (along with the spices and marinade left in the roasting pan) to the bread and salad mix. Drizzle with the lemony dressing and scatter with toasted seeds. Serve!