Sushi Salad

 It's kind of weird that there are still food ideas out there that we've never heard of or imagined before. Down the road at the Colab Cafe they've been making sushi salad. What a brilliant idea! We love sushi but sometimes it's very ricey. So we've been experimenting with the flavours and textures in salad form- and have found it to be a brilliantly useful food. The basic salad lasts really well in the fridge and is very portable.

I'm not very good with plain white rice and since we always have a choice- last night I cooked a mix of red rice, brown basmati and wild rice. I like to put the rice in a pot during the day, pour water of it to a round 5 cms over the rice and let sit until later when I add a tsp of sea salt and simmer with the lid on for around 40 minutes and until the water is has been absorbed. 

Cool. Add ground black pepper.

So what else do you want to add to your sushi salad?

What do you have on hand and what do you love the most in sushi?

I've recently learnt that the light Asian pickle thing makes all the difference to raw veges so while the rice is cooling cut up a couple of carrots in to match sticks, peppers too if you like and then heat a 1/4 of cider vinegar to boiling point, add 1 tsp of salt and of sugar and pour over the cut up veges in a bowl. Give them a good toss together.  

Carrot sticks, any colour of capsicum, courgettes, cucumber, asparagus, snow peas and edamame are all great. The courgettes, asparagus and snow peas I slice finely and cook briefly before blanching. Drain well. Other things that work well are Yomogi- Japanese mugwort, mint, rocket, cress, coriander, nasturtium leaves and flowers. 

Then we added home made preserved ginger. It's so easy- learn how to make it just here.

And then a dressing: 

1/3 c of apple cider vinegar (or white rice wine vinegar if you prefer) add a dsp of honey or sugar and a little sea salt, lastly a dsp of soy sauce. Shake or mix together and pour over the salad. Mix it altogether- I use my hands.

That's the salad part. Next add things like nori cut in strips or pickled seaweed like Neptune's Necklace. Avocado makes a nice contrast to the other textures and flavours. We bought a small pierce of lovely salmon and cut it finely to make sashimi (remove any bones as you go) sprinkle with sea salt. Toasted sesame seeds white or black are a lovely too. The rest- make up as you go along. Wasabi if you like it.

So delicious and very satisfying.

Katie X

Persian Love Biscuits

 I came across these Persian Love Cookies just here at heneedsfood the other day and just adored the beautiful presentation! I don't bake a lot of biscuits but these looked so delicious and seemed so simple I decided to make them to celebrate spring.

Very easy to make- I halved the recipe the first time around.

Mine have come out tasting like extra delicious biscotti.

Ingredients:

140 grams of ground almonds

110 grams of sifted icing sugar

1/3 c of dried rose petals (yes, they're fine in the biscuits- I cut mine up)

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg- I grate nutmeg from whole nuts

A teeny pinch of salt

1 tsp rose water 

1 egg white

Mix until it all comes together in a ball

Roll in to balls & then in finely sliced pistachio nuts

Press each ball fairly flat- around 1 cm thick on to baking paper on an oven tray

Bake at 170 c for around 20 minutes

Keep a close eye on them towards the end of cooking- they need to be golden not dark brown!

When cold, ice with this icing:

Make a small amount of strong hibiscus (sabridiffa) tea in a small cup- cool

Strain and stir in to 1/2 cup of icing sugar until the icing is pourable 

Add a splash of rose water

Such a simple way to make glorious rose pink icing without artificial colourings

Decorate the biscuits and the plate and the table, if you like, with edible flowers

I've used lilac, double violets, heartsease, double pink hawthorn, flowering cherry blooms, white soul strawberries, Mme Cecile Brunner roses, granny bonnets and scented geranium flowers.

Dust the whole thing with icing sugar when you're done for a magical feel.

Katie X

Rustic French Apple Tart

This is the most delicious apple tart we've ever tasted. It's rustic and easy to make and just perfect for picnics. I'm sure you could also make a number of small pies instead of one large one.

It's just as good warm as it is cold.

Pastry

Sift 1 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of wholemeal flour in to a bowl.

Add a dsp of raw sugar and a pinch of salt. 

Grate 100 grams of frozen unsalted butter in to the flour and mix it in a little as you go so that it doesn't get clumpy. Rub the butter in lightly with the tips of your fingers until it resembles rolled oats but don't over handle and don't fuss too much. 

Make a well in the centre, add 1/4 c milk and 1/4 cup of yoghurt.

Mix with a spoon until it comes together, adding a little more flour if you need to.

Knead a little, but not too much. 

Place in a small bowl and cover with bees wrap and put in to the fridge for an hour, or overnight. 

Once you're ready to put your tart together turn on the oven to preheat to 180C 

Peel, core and finely slice three or four eating or firm cooking apples (not Ballarats that turn to pulp when cooked). Place them in a bowl, sprinkle over a tbsp of demara or other sugar, a tsp of cinnamon and a dsp of flour. Mix through the apple with your hands.

Roll the chilled dough out in a circle on to lightly floured baking paper on a baking sheet. 

Arrange the apple however you want to in the centre and fold up the edges all the way round.

Brush with melted butter if you like.

Bake for around 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown and the apple is cooked.

Katie X

Decadent Chocolate Cake

An utterly gorgeous chocolate cake for a very special occasion. A Jo Seagar recipe from way back. I've halved the recipe since unless you're making a cake for a crowd you really don't need to be eating that much chocolate! I bought 80 percent dark organic chocolate buttons from Le Petite in town. A 500 gram bag was $19 and between the cake and the ganache icing I used the lot!

Turn on the oven to Bake 180 C

In a pot dissolve 1 cup of raw sugar in 150 ml of water. Boil for about a minute. And add 225 gms chocolate and 225 gms of butter. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat. Beat 3 eggs in a food processor using the whisk attachment. Add 1/2C of  flour and combine briefly. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whizz again.

Pour in to a greased and lined 23 cm spring form tin.

Bake in a water bath for 40 minutes or until set and firm.

Cool in tin for a while before turning out.

When cold wrap in glad wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

To make the ganache topping heat 1 cup of cream until almost boiling, add 225 gms of dark chocolate and a tsp of vanilla essence. Let it sit for a minute and then stir in together. Spread over the cake.

If the ganache separates or goes lumpy- gently warm it up a again and add more cream. Stir.

Serve with whipped cream adding a tsp of vanilla essence when whipping.

The cream is really important to this cake as it balances out the other elements.

Katie X

Spicy Vege Pie

This spicy vegetable pie is so utterly delicious and really very like samosas, only there's no deep frying. The pastry is simple and delicious, the filling can be made with leftovers, or designed with great care.
It's good to think ahead before making.
Firstly, pop 113 gms of butter (a stick in US terms & this amount was perfect, so 113 grams it is!) in to the freezer while you peel and cook 3 potatoes- Agria would be great.
So the filling:
Peel, dice and cook 3 Agria (or other mashing potatoes) until tender, pour off the water.
Mash.
In a smaller pot lightly cook some cauliflower- 1/12 cups is what we are after.
In a frypan or skillet fry a chopped red onion, a diced carrot and 1/2 a red pepper in a little olive oil.
Towards the end of cooking add 1 tsp cumin seeds and some crumbled curry leaves, a good grating of fresh ginger and fresh turmeric (dry will do too) if you have them.
Add a tsp of good salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Then add 1/2 cup of frozen peas and continue cooking until they are defrosted.
Combine the mashed potato and the pan full of flavours together, add a tbsp of olive oil and either a big squeeze of lemon juice or some Mango powder (found in Indian shops).
Lastly, snip in some fresh coriander.
That's the filling. Taste and see if you need to adjust the seasonings.

Now the pastry: in to a bowl measure out 1 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of wholemeal flour.
Grate the frozen butter into the flour and mix it in as you go so that it doesn't get clumpy.
Mix a little with your hands until it all looks like rolled oats but don't over handle and don't fuss too much.
Add 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tsps of toasted cumin- just use the pan that you cooked all the onion etc in.
Cook for a round 2 minutes stirring as you go so that it doesn't over toast.
Add a pinch of sugar.
Make a well in the centre and add 1/4 c of milk and a 1/4 c of yoghurt.
Mix all together with a spoon until it comes together. Kneed a little but not too much.
Place in a small bowl & cover with bees wrap and put into the fridge for an hour, or overnight.
Once you're ready to put it all together.
Turn on the oven to 200 degrees C
Cut the pastry dough in half and roll out on to the bench or a board that is very lightly floured.
Make a rectangle (or any shape that takes your fancy including "handpies").
Spread the filling through the middle- making a hill as you go and leave a little space at the edges.
Roll out the other half and place on top.
Use a good heavy fork to seal around the edges.
Make some slits across the pastry with a knife.
This is so much fun to make "together" with someone you love.
Brush the top with a little melted butter (or beaten egg).
Bake for 10-15 minutes and use fan grill until it's all looking golden and smelling amazing- around another 15 minutes.
This is so delicious just as it is and brilliant served with Samosa chutney from an Indian shop.

The original recipe and inspiration came from this wonderful post here.

Katie X 

Handy Little Bacon & Egg Pies

These simple little pies are just delicious- why ever didn't I know about them before! The recipe I followed suggested to oil your tins very well...so I did! Don't want them getting stuck in there.
Muffin tins are ideal too.

I tried cooking the bacon rashers draped around the inside

of the tins, but they just slumped down. So I cooked 

the next lot in the oven for 10 minutes in another dish.

After that it's quite easy to arrange the bacon

around the inside. Before doing that, I cut several pieces
of flat bread (the super thin stuff) and lay them on the base,
then in goes the bacon. Over the flat bread add a couple
of pieces of camembert (or other cheese) if you like,
and then crack two eggs on the top.

And that's it!

Bake for 15- 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Or until they're just how you want them to be.

This was my first attempt that I made for my dinner- the yolks were still soft as I was eating it hot.

They were just as delicious cold on our picnic at the Church Knoll out at Pouerere Beach.

We'll certainly be coming back to make these little gems again.

Brilliant for Rob to take to work on an afternoon shift.

Katie X

Yoghurt Cheesecake

This recipe for a yoghurt cheesecake was originally sourced from my time in Le Leche League back in Taranaki when the kids were little. This is just a basic outline- the photos are not overly inspiring but sometimes you just want to get on & make the thing. There'll be another time to do a better job of recording the process.

The base: is made by crunching up most of a packet of Krispie biscuits in the food processor with 1/2 cup of coconut. Add 100 grams of melted butter- or enough to bring the mixture together.

Press in to an oiled spring form tin with lightly wet hands.If it's still crumbly it needed more butter.

The middle layer is simply a kilo of Greek yogurt set with gelatine. You could use any commercial flavoured yoghurt if you prefer.

To set: in a small jug or pot soak 1 rounded dsp of powdered gelatine in a 1/3 c of cold water.

heat in the microwave for 30 secs, or gently heat in the pot on the stove.

Stir to dissolve.

Add a tbsp of honey (or to taste) and a dsp of vanilla essence- skip this if you've used a flavour like strawberry.

Cool. then add 1/2 cup of the yoghurt in to the gelatine mixture & stir well. Then pour that mixture in to the yoghurt & stir quickly to get the gelatine mixed right through with out going lumpy, as it sets quite quickly once it meets the cold yoghurt.

Pour over the base & pop in to the fridge to set.

You could leave it just like that, decorate with fruit or flowers to serve or serve with cream.

If you want to add a jelly layer then:

The jelly topping could be anything you like really, but this one made with half a  litre of water, a flat dsp of gelatine (soak the gelatine in a little water, heat to dissolve add in to the larger amount) sweetened with honey. add the juice of a lemon or orange & some elderflower syrup. You could also use just apple juice & sweeten it a bit, or berries or make it lemony- just use what you have & your imagination. Yum passionfruit would be brilliant!

Cool & then when the yoghurt layer has just set- very carefully pour the jelly over the top & return to the fridge. It'll take a couple of hours to set well. Best left all day or overnight before serving.

Katie X

Lightly Spiced Apple Mousse

This particular apple mousse was inspired by a foodie conversation with a friend last week. The old fashioned recipe called Apple Snow came to mind at the time of our chat and then I also recalled the Ballarat apples I had sitting at home waiting for a purpose. Apple Snow is a dessert made with cooked apples and beaten egg whites and it's a tad bland so I used the concept and then just made it more delicious. Ballarat's are brilliant cooking apples- they turn to mushed apple in no time at all- perfect for this mousse.

Any suitable cooking apple will do.

I began by peeling, coring & chopping two large apples, adding just a sprinkle of water, popping on the lid & simmering the apples for 10 minutes or so (watching to see that they don't catch on the bottom as they cook) until they have broken down & have become apple sauce.

Add a tbsp of honey.

Leave to cool.

In a small pot or glass jug soak a large tsp of powdered gelatine in a 1/4 of water for a few minutes.

Heat gently on the stove or for 20 seconds in the microwave. Stir to dissolve.

Add to the apple and stir.

Beat 2 large egg whites until very stiff and smooth and meringue-like.

Beat 125 mis of cream with a tbsp of honey and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon until soft peaks have formed.
Fold the apple, egg whites and cream together gently.

 Pour in to small cups, or bowls, or one large one.
Chill. The flavours improve over time. One of those recipes that's even better the next day.

 Caramelised walnuts go well with the apple and cinnamon flavours too.
Stir a little brown sugar, butter and some walnuts in a nonstick pan for around 5 minutes until fragrantly golden. Tip out on to baking paper and spread out to cool.

Katie X