Pink on your Plate Mate

Imagine today every one in the world is an artist. Yes, you get to wear a beret. For the whole of your life you fill in your giant canvas and create a painting. As you grow up and older the white spaces start to fill in and become something complex and beautiful. If I were painting now it would be with shades of pink.

I would once have never touched anything pink because I kept associating it with tasteless pink lace dresses with puffy shoulders from the 80’s. You know, the ones from those weddings you see where everything is a shade of pink. Death by pink. It would be a horrible way to go. Things have changed, and I find myself having a fondness for a pair of pink heels, pink lady apples and wait… my blog title is pink. Pink food keeps catching my attention. This week radishes, fairy floss, prawns, red onion (be honest, red onion is actually pink), watermelon and raspberry muffins have inspired me. And I asked myself ‘what can I create that is pink?’

Don’t be afraid. It is not a girly colour to eat. Pink food is sophisticated. An example is this beetroot labneh that I made by combining puree beetroot with yogurt and then straining it through some cheese cloth overnight. It’s sophisticated and gorgeous.  I had it on pizza, as a dip and used it as a spread for a sexy chorizo and asparagus open sandwich. Oh la la! Go on, get some pink on your plate mate.

Open sandwich with chorizo, beetroot labneh and asparagus

For the Beetroot Labneh

1 small cooked beetroot, peeled and diced

1 cup of greek yogurt

Cheese cloth and a sieve

For the open sandwich

One slice of bread – I use a fantastic loaf of spelt bread.

¼ teasoppn of za’atar

½ a Chorizo sausage, sliced finely

A squeeze of lemon juice

Blanched fresh asparagus tips

 A couple of radishes sliced finely

Rocket leaves

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Method

For the beetroot labneh, use a stick mixer or a food processor to puree the beetroot with 2 tbs of the yogurt. Fold the beetroot mixture through the rest of the yogurt.

Spoon the yogurt into a sieve lined with cheese cloth, sitting over a bowl. Twist the cheese cloth around the yogurt and leave to drain over night. Once drained, transfer to a storage container.

Fry the chorizo in a pan on medium heat with the lemon juice. Once cooked, drain on some paper towel.

Top the bread with the labneh, za’atar, chorizo, asparagus, radish, rocket and the zest.

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Potato Land

There is something about long, winding, tree lined roads that makes me feel adventurous. The trees zoom past and the sky looms ahead. I can't help but smile as the city trails behind. That's when the adventure begins. Adventures come in many forms and on a road trip, poking around the corner, at any time, can be the most exciting occurrence. Like this fabulous farmers market. Without knowing it I had stumbled upon the Margaret River Farmers Market and found myself eyeing off an amazing assortment of stores and hearing people from all walks of life talking about the fresh cheese, cabbages or beeswax candles on display. You may remember the Subi Farmers Market from a recent post I wrote. I do have a fondness for farmers markets; especially ones in characterful locations.

Food adventures are just as exciting and I had just the recipe in mind for the long weekend. Exploring an extraordinary recipe is an indulgence I like to reserve for long weekends and so I had planned to cook something different.

Easter is a time to celebrate with good food and family. It’s a time to reach out and cook with the unfamiliar and explore adventurous territory in the kitchen. Have you tried gnocchi before? Gnocchi is one hell of an adventure from start to finish. There should be a 'read before cooking' warning next to every recipe for these pillowy dumplings of joy. 'Beware - you are entering the unknown territory of potato land. Don't be fooled by the angelic nature of gnocchi. Potato land is hazardous!' How true that statement is. I have had hazardous experiences before with sticky dough, gnocchi that breaks as you try to boil the little suckers, and flour that literally attacks me leaving me covered inch-thick in stickiness all the way from my hair to my toes. But I don't want to put you off. When made correctly gnocchi is transcendent. But so you can avoid the hazards I have included some tips I find particularly helpful.

Gnocchi carries sauce well. Here I have used a variation on the kale pesto I used for this recipe. But instead used a gorgeous bunch of fresh 'farmers market' spinach. Any classic pasta sauce will go well and can add variety to your gnocchi. 

Gnocchi with spinach pesto and prosciutto

For the gnocchi

2 kg of starchy potatoes

Rock salt for roasting

1 1/2 cups of 00 flour, sifted

2 egg yolks

Prosciutto, finely chopped

Parmesan cheese to serve

For the pesto 

1 bunch of silverbeet

100g pine nuts

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil to taste

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200c. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. To make the pesto, cut away the stalk of the spinach leaves and blanch. Refresh in cold water. 
  3. Combine the spinach, nuts, parmesan and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz. With the mortar running add a thin stream of olive oil until your liking. Set aside. You can also make this stage ahead of time.
  4. To make the gnocchi, place the potatoes on the prepared baking tray surrounded by the rock salt. Bake for 1 hour, depending on the size of your potatoes, until cooked.
  5. Remove the tray from the oven. Carefully cut the potatoes in half and leave to cool down until ready to handle.
  6. With a metal spoon scoop the flesh from the potatoes and discard the skins. Mash the potatoes or put the flesh through a potato ricer. Scatter the mashed potato with the flour and yolks. Fold to combine.
  7. Flour your work surface generously and kneed the dough 3-4 times or until workable dough forms. Your dough should not be sticky or too wet. But if it is, add more flour.
  8. Cut the dough into four portions. Roll each portion on to a long sausage about 2cm think. Take a knife and then cut 1cm thick pieces from the dough. Sprinkle in flour and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  9. Heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat and add the prosciutto. Cook until crisp.
  10. Meanwhile, on a high heat, fill a saucepan with boiling water. Cook the gnocchi in batches of about 15-20. They will rise to the top of the pan when cooked. Scoop gnocchi out with a slotted spoon and add to the fry pan with the prosciutto. Add the pesto and toss for 1minute or until golden.
  11. Serve with Parmesan and a delicious salad.

The Mad Hatter of Seasons

Little flecks of light make pretty patterns on the floor near the window in my living room. Every time a breeze comes rustling by, they dance about cheerfully reminding me that it is the afternoon. It feels too early for the shadows to be so long but the days are starting to get shorter and I have to say goodbye to summer. Out of all of the seasons autumn is the most confusing. If autumn were a character from a movie I like to think of it as the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland because it is a little mad. It is a time when you are never sure if you need a cardigan. The flue season kicks off and people get sick. The laid back attitude of summer has long vanished and been replaced by full schedules and a need to be on time, and so people rush about. Yet it’s almost comical when the first rain of the season comes because it causes everyone to drive terribly slowly. The birds go crazy in autumn too; they never shut up. Even as I write this post I have a very noisy magpie rustling through the dried leaves right out side my window. The mad hatter of seasons has poked his head in and said hello. Autumn is here. 

To relieve the feeling of hectic-ness that autumn has thrown my way, I find myself eating pie. Pie solves all manners of problems. A simple, humble pie feels homely and nurturing. It is exactly what this season calls for. I am not talking about the type of meat pie you see being smothered in sauce at the footy, but a healthy pie with pastry made from spelt flour with just the right amount of butter. 

This pie came about from a determination to create my own spelt pastry. Although not gluten free, spelt flour is easier to digest compared to wheat flour and I have come to really enjoy it in baking. Not to mention it is a super food. The filling comes from a recipe I use a lot as a weeknight dinner. This satay chicken pie is such a charming way to enjoy the start to autumn. It's a little exotic, a little healthy and completely comforting.

Satay Chicken Pie

For the pastry

1 ¼ cup of spelt flour

½ tsp xanthan gum

A pinch of salt

90g cold butter chopped

1 egg

1 egg whisked for brushing

For the filling

– adapted from Sally Wise’s ‘From My Kitchen to Yours’ p124

500g chicken breast diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion finely sliced

1 heaped tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cup of light coconut milk

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease a large muffin tray.
  2. For the pastry, combine the flour, butter, xanthan gum and salt in the bowel of a stand mixer. Mix on a medium speed until crumbles form. Add the egg and mix to combine.
  3. Remove the pastry from the beaters and divide into 4 round balls. Wrap in glad wrap and put in the fridge for an hour.
  4. To make the filling, heat the oil in a frypan on medium to high heat. Add the onion and sauté until cooked. Add the chicken for 5-6 minutes or until browned.
  5. Add the sauces and the coconut milk to the pan and mix to combine. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove from the heat and let the filling cool.
  6. To assemble the pies, roll out one of the portions of pastry between two sheets of baking paper until half a cm thick. Line one of the muffin holes with pastry and cut away the excess. Fill the pastry with filling making sure there is plenty of sauce for each pie. Roll the excess pastry to fit the top of the pie. Repeat four times. Prick the top if each pie with a fork and then brush with egg. There will be left over filling so you can use it for a yummy lunch or dinner!
  7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is cooked.

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Saturday Market Adventures

The sun peeps through my curtains and I instinctively try to hide under the tangle of pillows and sheets that surround me. No not yet! I'm still sleeping. That slim splinter of sunshine is enough to rouse me, groaning at the thought of getting up. Until, like a flash of lightning, I remember that it is Saturday. Getting up is easier on Saturdays. Saturdays are food days. Cooking, shopping, eating out and meal planning all happen on this day. Most of the time any way. And so instead of blindly stumbling into the kitchen to switch on the coffee machine, I enthusiastically watch the sun creep under the curtains and think about heading to the markets.

The Subi farmers markets have a relaxed vibe. It's a place where Saturday foodies enjoy gourmet coffee, an exotic breakfast and browse the assortment of stalls selling local, West Australian produce. If I have time I sit and watch families, dogs and the rest of the world go by, have a yarn to the guy who sells lettuce, and soak up the atmosphere with my canvas bags filled with leafy greens and seasonal fruit. It's never the same. Each week the produce changes as the seasons tick by. I take pride in finding an ingredient that inspires me in my weekly food planning. It could be guinnea fowl eggs, micro herbs, heirloom tomatoes, organic pork sausages, or a big-ass grape fruit. I come home excited, refreshed, and relaxed and never regret getting out of bed.

It is easy to forget how amazing WA produce is when the TV and magazines flog eastern states produce. Instead of buying ingredients from the Barossa Valley, Tasmania, and New Zealand, we in WA need to stick to our roots and be inspired by what we have right under our noses. What do you have under your nose? I’ll tell you that I have a very large grape fruit; an avocado and oh, a ripe banana. Actually, that banana looks a little too ripe.

Want to know what I'd do with one rotund grapefruit, an avocado and a rather ripe banana? Make an alternative chocolate tart, of course!

I have experimented with lots of types of pastry and I much prefer making my own. I use a small amount of butter and more nutritious flours than wheat. For this recipe I used a gourmet chocolate ‘ready made’ pastry, because I was short on time. It's called Careme, and its decedent. Although, you can use your own favorite pastry for this tart, or even bake the filling in a ramekin.