Carrot And Feta Fritters

Over the past few weeks I've seen recipes for fritters popping up all over the internet. It must be a sign!

I've always loved making zucchini fritters and corn fritters are wonderful for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Add a runny poached egg and crispy bacon for a weekend brunch or a herb yoghurt and flatbread or wraps for a light dinner. They really are so versatile.

These carrot and feta fritters were inspired by my fridge contents. I had a bag of carrots, a wedge of creamy Danish feta and a few eggs that needed using up. The coriander in the garden was starting to bolt and so I wanted to use it up too. The end result were these tasty fritters. I served them with chilli coriander yoghurt, a cos lettuce, tomato and capsicum salad and mountain bread. We made them into wraps and gobbled them up in no time. Even the kids loved them, minus the chilli. It's always great when everyone enjoys the same meal.

If you don't like chilli, or are serving this to little ones, just leave out the chilli in the yoghurt. It really is just to taste, so you can add a little or a lot, depending on how hot you like it.

If you have any leftovers, fritters are great reheated for lunch the next day.

Carrot And Feta Fritters With Chilli Coriander Yoghurt

1 large carrot, grated

1/2 cup coriander, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup Danish feta, diced

Pepper

A drizzle of oil for frying

1/2 cup natural yoghurt

A pinch of chilli flakes (or to taste)

1 Tbs coriander, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the carrot, coriander, eggs, garlic, shallot, flour, milk and feta. Season to taste with pepper. There is enough salt in the feta, so you shouldn't need to add any more.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry 3-4 fritters at a time, depending on the size of your pan. About 1/4 cup mixture makes a good sized fritter.

Fry for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side.

Remove from pan to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the yoghurt, chilli and coriander.

Serve the fritters with the yoghurt and salad and wraps, if you like.

Enjoy!

Kale Salad

I've been a bit slow to get on the kale bandwagon, but now that I've started cooking with it, I love it! We first started with kale chips and have moved on to using it in place of spinach or other greens. This is my first attempt of using it in a salad.

After having carrots left over from making the soup earlier in the week, I decided that roasting the carrot to bring out that beautiful caramel flavour would complement the green kale perfectly. Adding some orange for sweetness and pine nuts for crunch, it was delicious.

The dressing used the juice from the orange, mixed with some oil, salt and pepper. It was mild and sweet. If you prefer a bit more zing, add some lemon juice or white wine vinegar, or use it instead of the orange.

To sate my salmon obsession, I served the salad with pan fried salmon fillets which had been sprinkled with sumac. A very simple way to serve such a beautiful fish.

Now that I've made my first kale salad, I think I'm going to have to get experimenting a little bit more. The sweet tartness of dried cranberries would also be great, as would fresh or dried apricots. Can't wait to have a bit more fun in the kitchen!

Kale Salad

1 carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

A drizzle of olive oil

2 sticks of kale

1 orange

1 Tbs toasted pinenuts

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Place carrot in a small roasting pan, drizzle with oil and toss to combine.

Roast for about 30 mins or until tender and starting to caramelise. Set aside to cool.

Cut the kale leaves away from the stalks and then tear into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl.

Boil a kettle full of water and pour over the kale leaves. Allow to sit for 1 minute, then drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside to cool and dry.

Cut the ends off the orange and then peel with a sharp knife to remove all the pith.

Segment the orange in to a bowl, taking care to reserve all the juices. Squeeze any remaining juice from the core and set aside.

In a serving bowl, combine the roasted carrot, kale, orange segments, toasted pine nuts and spring onion.

Measure the reserve orange juice and add an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste and whisk to combine.

Dress the salad with as much of the dressing as you feel it needs and toss to combine.

Enjoy.

Carrot Soup With Roasted Hazelnuts

As the days get shorter and the feel of autumn fills the air, it's nice to start thinking about eating soup again. Over the long, hot days of summer, soup is the last thing you want to eat. You need something light and fresh with plenty of flavour.

Yes, you can have chilled soups when it's hot, but they've never really been my thing. A small shot of gazpacho perhaps, but I've never really enjoyed a big bowl of a cold soup.

Pumpkin soup is my husbands favourite soup in the whole world! I like it too, but prefer to be a bit more creative than doing the same old thing all the time. This carrot soup was a perfect alternative. Still orange, still hearty and tasty, but with a bit of a twist. The roasted hazelnuts give an extra nuttiness and add texture. The dollop of natural yoghurt gives some acidity and creaminess. The soup is quite thick, so if you prefer, add a bit more stock or water.

I used hazelnuts which were already roasted, as I was feeling lazy and that was all that was available at the time. If you wanted to roast your own, place the nuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and tip onto a clean tea towel. Fold into a parcel and rub to remove the bitter skins. Allow to cool before you chop.

We devoured this soup with a beautiful fresh baguette from the local French patisserie. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Carrot Soup With Roasted Hazelnuts

A drizzle of olive oil

1kg carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

100g roasted hazelnuts

Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley and natural yoghurt to serve 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. 

Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook until the onion begins to soften, but does not brown.

Add the stock and half the hazelnuts, cover with a lid and simmer until the carrots are soft.

Allow to cool slightly, then blitz with a food processor or stick blender until smooth.

Stir through the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Coarsely chop the remaining hazelnuts.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with a dollop of natural yoghurt and a sprinkling each of parsley and hazelnuts. 

Another Way With Tuna

It seems that I've been cooking a lot of tuna lately! I love how versatile it is and how you really can substitute it for a meaty dish. Last week I shared with you a baked tuna, today it's something a bit more simple.

Tuna steaks don't take long to cook, so are perfect for a midweek meal when you want something quick and easy. They cook faster than a regular steak, particularly because you want the middle to still be rare. Just make sure you don't over cook them. You only want half a centimetre at most cooked on each side. Any more than this and the fish will be dry and horrible. If you don't like tuna, or can't get it from your fish shop, you can substitute with any other sort of fish. Preferably use a firm fleshed fish, if you can.

Teamed with a sweet carrot puree and some wilted greens, you have a very colourful dish! I added some chopped roasted beetroot to my greens because I had some left over, but you could also use dried cranberries too. They both add a bit of sweetness to the greens, which can be bitter, depending on which sort you use. The red and green also look lovely, so if the weather isn't particularly warm for Christmas, it could be a good vegie choice!

The carrot puree can be made in advance and then just heated in a saucepan or the microwave when you're ready to eat. It doesn't take very long, but tastes great and looks lovely in a coloured bowl on the table.

There has been much Christmas cheer of late in the eat quaff laugh household, so no wine for us to go with the tuna tonight. If you are looking for a tipple, try a Riesling or unwooded Chardonnay. You want something light and fresh that is still nice and fruity, but not overpowering. Given that the tuna is quite meaty, a wine with a bit of complexity and depth would be perfect. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that matches!

Tuna Steaks With Carrot Puree and Mixed Greens

2 tuna steaks, about 1.5cm thick

Salt and pepper to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

4 carrots

50g Persian feta, marinated in oil

2 Tbs natural yoghurt

A bunch of mixed greens (rainbow chard, silver beet, spinach etc)

Chopped left over roasted beetroot or a handful of dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

For the carrot puree -

Peel and trim the carrots and chop coarsely.

Cook in the microwave or in a saucepan of water on the stove until soft. Drain and cool slightly.

Transfer to a food processor and whiz with the feta, yoghurt and enough of the marinating oil to make a thick consistency. Season to taste.

For the greens -

Wash and coarsely chop your selection of leafy greens. Remove any really thick bits of stalk which might be a bit woody.

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of the feta oil and cook the greens until they begin to wilt. 

Throw in the beetroot or cranberries to warm through and season to taste.

Add an extra drizzle of the oil to serve, if you like.

For the tuna -

Cover the tuna steaks on both sides with a grinding of salt and a very generous covering of ground black pepper.

Heat  a frying pan over high heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Sear the tuna for about a minute on each side. You want about 0.5cm of cooked fish on either side, with the middle nice and pink.

To serve, place a creative blob of the carrot puree on the plate and then the tuna on top. Decoratively place the greens on top of the tuna. Enjoy!

Super Salmon

I love salmon! There, I've said it. Whether it be smoked or fresh, you can use this amazing fish in so many dishes. Really, if there was no other fish or seafood available, I wouldn't mind at all. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't really like it that much and can't stand the smell when it's cooking. As a trade off, I try to make salmon much more interesting when I cook it, to satisfy both of us.

Australia is so lucky to have some of the best salmon easily available to the general customer. Every fish shop or market will usually have either Tassal or Huon salmon from Tasmania. Both are amazing. I'm lucky enough to get to the Tassal store in Kew to buy my fish, where it is so fresh and they have a great range of different products. Here I'm in salmon heaven - cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, salmon sausages, marinated fillets and whole fish. Last Easter we did a whole roasted salmon on the BBQ, which was fantastic!

For this dinner, I thought I'd keep the salmon simple, but match it with strong and flavoursome sides which would complement the fish. It's hard to overpower salmon.

The mash is actually a carrot and ricotta puree, which added some sweetness. The peas used some more of the fresh ricotta, in addition to fresh mint and lemon rind. The combination of the creaminess of the ricotta, the sweetness of the peas and the freshness of the lemon and mint were beautiful.

Again, this was such a simple dish to prepare, so it's great for a worknight meal when you want something quick, healthy and tasty.

 

Salmon with Carrot Puree and Ricotta Peas

 

2 salmon fillets, pin-boned and skin on
salt and pepper
A drizzle of Olive oil

Heat the drizzle of oil in a fry pan until really hot. You don't need too much oil as the salmon will release its own oil on cooking.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the pan. You want the skin to become all crispy, so leave it for about 5 minutes.
Carefully turn the salmon, trying to keep the crispy skin intact. Cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. You want the centre to be barely cooked, otherwise it will be dry and horrible.
When cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to rest for a few minutes while you get the sides organised.

Carrot Puree

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
50g fresh ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook carrots in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain.
Place cooked carrots, garlic and ricotta in a small food processor and whiz until a fine puree is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
Return puree to clean saucepan and heat through again when ready to serve.

 

Ricotta Peas

 

100g frozen peas
50g fresh ricotta
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook frozen peas in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain and keep warm.
Put peas in a bowl and stir through ricotta, lemon rind, mint and salt and pepper to taste. Try to break up the ricotta, but don't make it too mushy.


To serve, place a spoonful of the carrot puree on the plate. Carefully place the salmon on top, then scatter with the pea mixture. If you want to be all fancy, garnish with a few more mint leaves and a grinding of cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

And To Drink.....

Even though you really don't have to stick to the 'red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with chicken and fish' mantra, I still think that a white goes better with salmon. Yes, it's a meaty, full flavoured fish, but a more delicate floral white wine can be a perfect match.

This Leconfield 2006 Old Vines Riesling from Coonawarra in South Australia was fantastic. Being an aged wine it had a lot more complexity to it and was starting to develop a slight kerosene touch, which I love in an older Riesling. There was still plenty of fresh, fruity flavours that you would expect in a wine of this type.

The acidity in the wine cut through the richness of the salmon perfectly and matched with the lemon zest in the peas. The sweetness of the carrot puree also brought out a more honeysuckle aroma and taste.

The wines from Leconfield are always great, so it's worth looking out for them in the bottle shop or in restaurants. They make a Riesling and Chardonnay and also a range of reds, which the Coonawarra region is more know for.