Walnut And Basil Pesto With Roasted Tomato

Basil would have to be one of my all time favourite herbs. How can you possibly resist that gorgeous smell? I love it in salads, particularly with fresh tomatoes from the garden and some bocconcini, goat's cheese or feta. Delicious!

Tomato and basil just scream summer to me.

Last week I bought a massive bunch of basil for a salad I was making and had lots left over. Not wanting to waste it, I thought I'd make my second favourite basil dish - pesto. Normally I'd use toasted pinenuts in pesto, but they can get rather pricey.

A few weeks ago I saw a recipe for a basil pesto using walnuts, so thought I'd give this a go instead. In my version, I toasted the walnuts first to give them a bit more depth of flavour and nuttiness and added lots of garlic and lemon juice.

The result was delicious! I'll definitely be making my pesto this way again. Combined with the beautiful sweetness of the roasted tomatoes, this pasta dish was fantastic for an easy mid-week vegetarian meal. Alternatively, you could serve the pesto and roasted tomatoes on toasted sourdough as a bruscetta. A lovely light lunch.

Bright, fresh and tasty. What more could you want?

Basil And Walnut Pesto With Roasted Tomato

70g walnuts
3 cups basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup grated parmesan plus extra to serve
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil plus extra for drizzling
salt and pepper to taste
200g tomatoes, quartered
250g pasta

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Place walnuts on a baking tray and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
On another tray, drizzle tomatoes with oil and roast for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a small food processor, combine walnuts, basil, garlic, parmesan and lemon juice. Blitz until a course paste forms. You'll probably need to scrape down the sides to make sure everything is combined.
Add the oil and season to taste and whiz again until the desired consistency. I like mine to still be a little chunky.

Cook the pasta according to packet directions and drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Return hot pasta to the saucepan with the pesto and stir to coat. Add some of the cooking water to loosen it a little bit.
Once combined, stir through the tomatoes.
Serve in bowls with extra parmesan and a few chopped basil leaves on top.

Enjoy!

Salami, Feta And Tomato Pasta

As it gets closer to the crazy Christmas end of the year, I'm finding that there just isn't enough time to do everything that I need to do. Even trying to find the time to sit down and write up recipes for the blog is getting difficult.

This pasta from the other night was so easy to make and probably took less time to make than to write up! The combination of crispy salami, salty feta, sweet tomatoes and spicy rocket was beautiful.

Not just around Christmas, but any time of year, I like to try to use up what's in the fridge at least once a week, so that I don't have stuff sitting around for ages. It's a great way to stop food wastage and can lead to some interesting experiments!

This pasta was light and tasty and helped to clean out the fridge. If you wanted to add a few extra ingredients to make it a bit more fancy you could, but at this time of year when there is so much rich food on offer, as simple dish is always a good idea.

Salami, Feta And Tomato Pasta

250g short pasta
100g salami, thickly sliced into circles and then halved
2 tomatoes, diced
A few big handfuls of rocket
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
100g Danish feta, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as per packet directions and drain, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water. Set aside.
In the same saucepan, fry salami pieces until they release their fat and become crispy.
Toss the cooked pasta through the salami fat to coat.
Over a medium heat, add tomato, rocket, mint and lemon juice and toss to combine and to wilt the rocket.

Season to taste and add some of the pasta water if it seems too dry.
At the last minute, stir through the creamy feta until it melts and creates a sauce.

Serve in bowls with extra feta and rocket on top, if you like.

Enjoy!

 

Baked Ricotta

I'm always looking for new vegetarian meals for meat free Monday, as I do get sick of having the same sort of thing all the time. As much as I love haloumi, it is nice to have something different occasionally!

This dish is really easy, and you can change the flavours depending on what you have in the fridge or the cupboard. It's also quite light and after a weekend of some serious eating, it was just what I needed. If you like olives and capers, throw a handful of each into the mixture. I had some olive salt that had been sitting in the cupboard for ages, so used that instead of regular salt. You could also throw in some baby spinach leaves when it comes out of the oven and let the heat in the dish wilt it, rather than serving it with a side salad.

For something a bit different, you could even serve this as an entree or nibble at a party with fresh slices of baguette or crackers, although you would need to cut the capsicum and tomato into smaller pieces so that your guests didn't make a complete mess!

When you don't have the time to make up something fancy, but you want a tasty lunch or light dinner, then this is perfect. I hope you like it.

Baked Ricotta With Capsicum And Tomato

1/4 cup olive oil

500g fresh ricotta, cut into 4 wedges

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 a punnet of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 red capsicum, roasted and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 yellow capsicum, roasted and chopped into bite sized pieces

4 sprigs of thyme

A sprinkle of chilli flakes, or to taste

Crusty bread, to serve

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Pour half the oil into an oven proof dish and then arrange the ricotta wedges in a single layer on top.

Season with salt and pepper.

Scatter the tomatoes and chopped capsicum over the ricotta. Season to taste.

Drizzle with more of the oil and top with the thyme and chilli flakes.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the ricotta is starting to turn golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven, drizzle with the remaining oil and season further, if you like.

Serve with crusty bread and a light leafy salad.

Enjoy!

Warm Eggplant And Pomegranate Salad With Haloumi

Meat free Monday came a day late this week! And I'm back on the haloumi bandwagon after forcing myself to make vego meals without it for the last month or so.

Tonight I was inspired by the Middle East, with gorgeous fried Lebanese eggplant, capsicum and tomato with a tart, but sweet, pomegranate molasses dressing. The salty fried haloumi complemented it perfectly.

This was actually quite a light meal, so would be perfect on a warm summer's night, sitting outside, eating by candlelight. I can't wait for the weather to warm up!

I hope you like this simple meal as much as we did. Especially if you match it with a crisp, dry Riesling.

Warm Eggplant And Pomegranate Salad With Haloumi

2 Lebanese eggplants, halved and chopped into chunks
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 red capsicum, cut into chunks
2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
A couple of handfuls of fresh mint, finely chopped plus extra to serve
250g block of haloumi, sliced into 5mm slices
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs pomegranate molasses, plus extra to drizzle
1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar
A handful of pine nuts, toasted

Combine the pomegranate molasses and vinegar in a small bowl and season to taste. Set aside.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the chopped eggplant.
Boil for about 3 minutes, or until starting to soften. Drain well.
Heat a good drizzle of oil over medium high heat in a large frypan and cook onion, garlic and eggplant until starting to brown and soften.
Add the capsicum and stir for a minute or two or until it just begins to loose it's crunch.
Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir through the tomato and mint.
Pour over the molasses dressing and stir to combine.

Heat another good drizzle of oil in a second frypan.
Place haloumi slices into the hot pan and fry for 2-3 minutes each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel.

To serve, place the warm vegetables on to plates and top with the haloumi. Sprinkle with pine nuts and extra chopped mint, if desired. Drizzle with a little bit more of the pomegranate molasses for extra flavour.

Enjoy!

And To Drink....

To go with the strong flavours in the warm salad and the salty cheese, you need a wine with plenty of body, but also some acidity and freshness. The 2011 Cofield King Valley Riesling was perfect. Plenty of lemon and lime on the palate, with a dry finish and lots of acidity.

The only thing that could have made this dinner better is a warm night, sitting outside under the stars. I'll definitely be making this one again in summer when I can really appreciate the food and wine.

Prawns And Corn

After a busy day, and week, at work, there is nothing better on a Friday night than an easy dinner that is quick to prepare, but which is full of flavour. This meal ticked all the boxes! Prawns don't take long to cook at all and quickly boiling the corn and chargrilling it didn't take long either.

If our vegie garden was doing a bit better this summer, the tomatoes would have come from the garden. Unfortunately the hot weather has really given it a beating, so the tomato plants have been suffering. A quick stop at the local fruit and vegetable shop and I had a punnet of beautiful mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes to use. Yellow, red and purple, they looked and tasted delicious! Nothing beats the flavour of fresh produce that actually tastes how it is meant to.

This recipe was based on one in the February edition of Gourmet Traveller magazine. I used a different dressing, as I had some left over from the beautiful fig and goat's curd salad I made on Valentine's Day. I also didn't have access to shiso leaves, so used mint and coriander instead.The flavours were fresh and the corn amazingly sweet.

If you don't like prawns, then you could easily serve the salad with fish, chicken or even lamb or beef. For a vegetarian version, the sweet corn and juicy tomato would also match perfectly with fried haloumi slices. In fact, I think this might be my next version. Salty, sweet and fresh all in one dish!

Prawn, Chargrilled Corn and Tomato Salad

1 shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
A pinch of caster sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

 2 corn cobs, husk removed
A drizzle of olive oil
1 punnet of mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions, ends trimmed and cut into thin slices
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful of fresh coriander leaves
12 prawns, shells removed but tails left on



To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. Season to taste.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the corn cobs. Bring the water back to the boil, then turn the heat off.
Drain the corn and set aside.
Heat a chargrill pan or the BBQ over medium heat.
Drizzle corn cobs with oil and cook for 5 minutes, turning regularly, so that you get grill marks on the flesh.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, stand the cobs on their end and remove the kernels with a sharp knife.
Place the corn in a bowl with the tomatoes, spring onion, mint and coriander.
Toss the salad with enough of the dressing to ensure it is well coated and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a clean pan, heat a another drizzle of oil until hot and fry prawns for about a minute on each side, or until the flesh has turned slightly pink and opaque.
Quickly toss the cooked prawns through the salad and serve on a platter for everyone to help themselves.

And To Drink....

 I was introduced to the amazing range of Vinaceous wines at a recent Fabulous Ladies Wine Society dinner held in Melbourne. This winery from Margaret River in Western Australia makes beautiful wines with quirky labels that are a bit of fun. Mr Vinaceous, Nick Stacy, has created a range of wines featuring himself as a ringmaster of sorts, with images of ex-girlfriends as the main act. His father, a big influence in his life is on the labels of the red wines. Names such as Sirenya (pinot gris), Shakre (chardonnay), Salome (tempranillo rose), Raconteur (cabernet) and Red Right Hand (shiraz grenache tempranillo) also add mystery and intrigue.

I was most impressed with his chardonnay and tempranillo rose, but particularly liked this pinot gris for a light, fragrant white to have in the warmer weather.

The fruit from this wine came from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and has plenty of passionfruit, apple and apricot, without being overpowering. It is clean and crisp with fine acidity and minerality.

The Vinaceous pinot gris matched perfectly with the sweetness of the prawns and the corn and the acidity of the tomatoes. While the pinot gris is a lovely food wine, it would also be gorgeous on a warm day, sitting out in the sun with some smoked salmon, fresh bread and good friends!

Christmas And Sparkling Shiraz

I love Christmas in Australia, when the weather is hot and all those beautiful cherries, mangoes and other summer fruits come into abundance. I love the fresh herbs and ruby red tomatoes growing in the garden. I love the tradition of still having roast turkey and ham on Christmas Day and of eating way too much. I love the very Australian drink of Sparkling Shiraz to have with my lunch on Christmas Day.

Sparkling Shiraz is as Australian as thongs and laminations, Vegemite and pavlova. It is a wonderful drink and the sweetness and bubbly berry-ness goes perfectly with so many foods. Turkey, ham and duck are great matches. If you've never tried it, make sure you track one down.

Tonight we are having a Grant Burge Sparkling Shiraz Cabernet as the December wine from The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society Wine Club.  I have had plenty of Grant Burge wines in the past, but never the Sparkling Shiraz, so I was really looking forward to this one.

Grant Burge is a winery from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, which has been producing table and sparkling wines since 1855. Located 80km north of Adelaide, the Barossa is a beautiful area of rolling hills, vineyards, fine food and wine. The winery produces a number of different levels of wine, with Barossa reds being a favourite. White wines also feature highly, particularly those with fruit from the neighbouring Eden Valley.

Given that we'll be having plenty of turkey next week, tonight I thought I'd match the sparkling Shiraz with some great Australian lamb.  Red wine and red meat always go well together, so why not add a bit of sweetness and a few bubbles!

I was given a bunch of some beautiful fresh mint from a friend's garden the other day and decided that mint, lamb and sparkling shiraz would be the perfect combination.

With amazing fresh herbs, truss Roma tomatoes and asparagus, I have put together a simple but amazing salad to showcase all of those beautiful flavours. Part Greek, part Middle Eastern, part Australian, it is a wonderful blend of amazing food and cultures.

The Grant Burge Sparkling Shiraz was inky black in colour with plenty of spice and blackberry flavours. There was also some plum and cherry notes too. The sweetness and berry-ness matched perfectly with the lamb, complementing the crisp nutty coating. Nuts and berries go well together, don't they?  I was worried that the salty feta and olives would be a bit overpowering, but because the feta was nice and creamy, it all balanced out. Sweet tomato, fresh mint and peppery rocket were the perfect combination of flavours.

I'd definitely recommend this wine, especially on Christmas Day. Even on Christmas Eve, New Years Eve or any time you want something a little bit different and a little bit fancy. To be drunk with a full meal, some prosciutto and fresh bread, strong cheeses or just on its own. Perfect.

Nut And Seed Crusted Lamb

1 lamb backstrap, cleaned of fat and sinews
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted
1 tsp lemon myrtle flakes
A good grinding of salt and pepper

Combine sesame seeds, almonds, lemon myrtle, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle.
Gently crush the almonds and combine all the flavours.
Generously sprinkle the lamb all over with the seed and nut mixture.

Heat a fry pan on medium high heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.
Depending on the size of your lamb and your frypan, you may need to cut the fillet in half.
Cook on one side until the coating is golden and the lamb sealed. Turn over and cook the other side.
You still want the lamb to be a little pink in the middle.
Set aside to rest in a warm place, covered with foil.

Tomato and Asparagus Salad

3 truss Roma tomatoes, quartered
Half a bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
A handful of rocket leaves
50g feta, cut into cubes
A handful of black olives
A handful of fresh mint leaves, torn
Extra virgin olive oil
Verjuice

Pour boiling water over the asparagus in a heatproof bowl and leave for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
Place asparagus, tomato, rocket, feta, olives and mint in a salad bowl or on a platter.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and and a dash of verjuice to taste and gently combine.

Baked Tuna

I think I've told you before that we are trying to eat more fish in the eat quaff laugh household. Personally, I would eat salmon every day, but the man of the house isn't such a fan and would prefer to have anything but.

Tuna is another fish that we do have quite often and it seems to keep everyone happy. Seared on the outside so that the middle is still pink, it is great crusted with cracked black pepper or sesame seeds. Rather than cooking the tuna like a steak, this dish quickly sears the outside and then bakes it in the oven. Because you use a big piece of fillet, rather than individual slices, it tends not to dry out and you get all the amazing fishy flavours melding with the sauce ingredients. Just ask your friendly fishmonger for  a large piece of fillet, if they don't have any on display.

When you feel like seafood, but want something quite hearty and filling, then this is your meal. This time around I have used red wine, but I've also made it with white wine and it's equally as good. It really depends what you have on hand, what's open at the time or what you feel like drinking! Being so versatile, you can really make more or less the same recipe into different tasting meals. When the weather is cold, serve with mash and some green beans or asparagus, when it's warmer, maybe some fresh crusty bread and a rocket salad. Just make sure you don't waste all those delicious juices!

 

Baked Tuna

 

600g piece of tuna fillet, preferably all one thickness
A drizzle of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 French radishes, finely chopped
2 tsp small capers
500g fresh tomato, coarsely chopped
200ml red wine
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
A handful of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Season tuna all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over high heat and sear the fish on all sides until golden.
Remove from the frying pan while you make the sauce.
In an ovenproof pot with a lid, heat another drizzle of oil and gently fry garlic, shallot and radish until softened.
Add the capers, tomato, wine and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the tomato starts to break down. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the tuna in the middle of the sauce, cover with a lid and bake for 5 minutes.

Take the pot out of the oven, carefully turn the tuna over, re-cover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. You want the centre of the tuna to still be pink and moist.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes to finish cooking.
Place the tuna on a serving plate and spoon the tomato and juices over the top.
Sprinkle with the chopped mint and serve.

 

 

And To Drink...

This dish really goes against the 'white wine goes with fish' principle, due to the tuna fillet being so meaty. You could serve it with the red wine you cooked with, a white wine, or something in between!
We decided to have ours with a Rose, as there wasn't any of the cooking wine left! It was the remains of a bottle we'd had the night before.

The 2012 Lethbridge Rose was actually perfect with the fish. It had a little bit of sweetness, but was heavy enough to balance the meatiness of the tuna and the acidity of the tomatoes and capers. There were plenty of red berry flavours and a little bit of spinciness. On a warm night, having a chilled wine was perfect.

Lethbridge Wines are located in Lethbridge, which is 30km northwest of Geelong. We have gone down there for the last two years at vintag,e in February or March, to pick the grapes on their Friends Pick days. It's a lot of fun (and not too much hard work) and it's very satisfying to know that you've helped in the making of their wines. We've even had the chance to stomp the grapes in the barrels. It was very messy, but we loved it, especially the kids!

Please check out their wines, if you can. The premium reds and whites (named after the winemakers children) are wonderful.

Using My Fresh Vegetables

Last week I wrote about the great delivery of fruit and vegetables that I received from Kelly Bros. This week I thought I'd share with you a couple of the meals that I've made using this beautiful fresh produce.

The first thing I made was a simple, but very tasty, san choy bau using the iceberg lettuce and spring onions. A perfect Friday night dinner when all you want after work is something that you can whip up in no time. I very rarely buy iceberg lettuce, favouring mixed leaves or baby cos, even though I do love that crispy crunch you get from freshly washed leaves. Whenever I do have iceberg lettuce, it really makes me think of wrapping up a flavoursome mince filling and enjoying a light summer meal. My version of san choy bau really was easy and I cooked it up in the time it took my husband to read the kids their bed time stories and put them to sleep!

When you cook up the filling, make sure you evaporate as much of the sauces as possible. You don't want too much liquid or it will leak out all over the place when you're eating! It's still best to have a napkin on hand to catch all those juices. Alter the flavours to suit your taste, add some chilli if you like. It may not be authentic, but damn it tastes good.

San Choy Bau

500g pork mince

3 mushrooms, diced

4 spring onions, washed, trimmed and cut into thin rounds

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced into rounds, white part only

1 1/2 Tbs hoisin sauce

A few drops of sesame oil

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp oyster sauce

A handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Iceberg lettuce leaves, torn into cups

Heat a wok on moderate heat and stir fry the mince, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and mushrooms until cooked and the meat and mushrooms release their juices.

Stir in the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce and reduce the juices until the mixture is reasonably dry.

Stir through the few drops of sesame oil, or to taste.

At the last minute, stir through the mint and spring onions, keeping them fresh.

Serve the mince mixture in lettuce cups. 

Over summer, when we have lots of tomatoes and parsley in the garden, I love to make big bowls of tabouli. I love this as a meal in itself, served with some fresh Turkish bread and a dollop of natural yoghurt. It's also great as a salad to take to BBQ's or to just have with grilled chicken or fish. We had ours with some simple grilled chicken and a yoghurt, mint and sumac sauce.

As an alternative to the regular style of tabouli, which uses cracked wheat or burghul, I decided to use Quinoa. It's an equally easy grain to use and bulks out the salad much the same way as burghul. Great for those looking to cut out or reduce the wheat products in their diet. Also, being lazy, I had quinoa in the cupboard and couldn't be bothered heading out to the shops again to buy some burghul!

Tabouli really does need the freshest vegetables and herbs to make it shine. Make sure your tomatoes are red and full of flavour and the herbs are freshly picked and fragrant. I also added a radish to mine, as I had a bunch from my delivery and thought I'd make it slightly different. Add the lemon juice to your taste and make sure you season well to bring out the flavours of the vegetables.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup quinoa

2 vine ripenend tomatoes, diced

1 lebanese cucumber, seeds removed and diced

3 spring onions, washed, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

1 French radish, finely chopped

A bunch of parsley, chopped

A large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sumac

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, approx 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and allow to cool until room temperature.

Combine tomato, cucumber, spring onion, radish, parsley, mint and quinoa in a bowl. Stir gently to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sumac.

Pour over the lemon juice and oil to make a dressing. You want enough to make the salad moist, but not too wet.