I needed to use up a zucchini/courgette/long green thing, and given I was brought up never to waste food- off I went to my cookbooks. This recipe comes from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City. The word quick is understated. It's an extremely fast, tasty lunch. I do not, however, recommend that you squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini with a light coloured tea towel. It might turn green... just a bit.
Quick Zucchini Fritters
Makes 4 medium fritters
1 medium zucchini
1 egg
3 tablespoons self-raising flour
30g feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 clove garlic
Sprinkling of dried mint
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper, freshly ground
Oil, for frying
Grate zucchini into a clean tea towel, pull up the sides and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
Mix egg and flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Add the courgette and the rest of the ingredients (except butter).
Melt the butter in the fry pan and spoon mixture into pan to make 4 fritters. Flatten slightly.
Cook fritters for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through the center.
I recently checked out the revamped 'The Colombo' and was pleasantly surprised at what a great retail space it has become and the food offerings available. After discovering Coopers & Co and their assortment of unusual foods, we came across Trade Aid's Palestinian Couscous. Even had the store manager rushed up to explain the product with much enthusiasm. And she was right- it's delicious! The nutty flavour and asymmetrical texture really made this dish (courtesy of Donna Hay).
Roasted Pumpkin and Couscous Salad
Serves heaps! (mostly consisting of couscous ;) )
Half a pumpkin, cut into thin slices
Few dashes of olive oil
1 packet Palestinian Couscous
3 cups chicken stock
Half preserved lemon rind, finely chopped
Mint (I used a few sprinklings of dried mint)
200g feta, sliced
Preheat oven to 200C. Place pumpkin in baking tray and drizzle with oil. Bake for 25 minutes. (Was actually running behind schedule so par-boiled it first).
Prepare couscous according to packet instructions and leave to the side while pumpkin roasts.
Stir the rind, mint and feta through the couscous.
For the dressing, shake up all the ingredients together.
To serve, mix pumkin, couscous and dressing together.
Things have been pretty hectic lately, and as a result, there isn’t a lot of time to think about my next culinary master piece. When this happens, it’s nice to know there are still delicious, easy meals that can easily fit into your schedule.
I love food from the Mediterranean- the tomato, the pasta, the feta. And I love visiting the Mediterranean Food Company here in Christchurch. It’s so easy to pick up a few staples for the coming weeks. This first recipe incorporates all that I love, without the hassle.
Eggplant, tomato, chilli and feta pasta
Serves 2
Olive oil, for frying
2 small eggplants, sliced (these ones are from the Christchurch Farmers Market)
1 small onion, diced
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
Spaghetti, one small fist full (depending on how hungry you are)
Half jar of Passata
100g feta cheese, cut in bite-sized pieces
Parmesan cheese, grated for serving
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add eggplant and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until eggplant is golden and tender.
Add chilli and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain well.
Add Passata to eggplant mix. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the drained pasta. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir through feta. Add in your favourite herbs, if desired. I added some Italian dried herbs for extra flavour.
This next recipe is one of my favourites. And if you’re making it for two there is usually excess left for lunch the next day. The pearl barley adds a different texture to usual risotto, and is a relatively cheap ingredient.
For this post I decided it might be nice to do a double up of recipes containing foods with a mutual characteristic. Maybe it’s a defence mechanism but this specific one can be slightly off putting for some. However, you will soon forget about your discoloured digits after eating these delicious dishes.
Cherry sorbert
As you drive around the city, various stalls have popped up selling cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines and other juicy delights marking summer. This time of year means special one off dishes that are difficult to come by during the winter months. Perhaps the much colder weather makes us appreciate these fruits more; I say this as I try to hide my enthusiasm for them. I actually picked these cherries up from the Christchurch Farmers market. They are older, and as a result a bit of a bargain, but they still produce a fine sorbet.
Cherry sorbet
4 cups cherries, pitted
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon kirsh (you can add more to suit your taste, but this amount produced a deliciously sweet flavour rather than, in my opinion, an over powering alcoholic taste)
Process all together and put into a freezable 1 litre container.
Stir every few hours.
I must say this resulted in an amazing sorbet so it comes highly, highly recommended. I tried a black forest sorbet by mixing in some bits of dark chocolate but really the flavour spoke for itself without it.
Roasted beetroot and rocket salad
I have recently started a bit of gardening, which for those that know me really well will probably come as a surprise. I planted rocket, strawberries, beetroot, rhubarb, lettuce and some herbs. The beetroots have easily increased in size; they were purchased already half grown from the supermarket (I’m still claiming it!). So here I am proud to present my own beetroot and rocket straight from the garden. This recipe has been adapted from Annabel Langbein’s book The Free Range Cook.
Roasted beetroot and rocket salad
8 beetroot
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper
A handful of rocket leaves
A handful of beetroot leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup roasted almonds
100g feta cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 180°C. Boil the beetroot for ten minutes, then peel and chop into wedges. Mix together the first measure of oil, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper in roasting tray. Toss through beetroot and spread out into a single layer.
Roast for 40 minutes until just starting to shrivel. Allow to cool in the roasting tray. While the beetroot is cooking, roast the almonds in the oven for around 20 minutes stirring every now and again.
Evenly coat the rocket and beetroot leaves with lemon juice and second measure of oil. Toss together with the beetroot, almonds and feta.
This is a simple and tasty side dish that incorporates the whole beetroot plant- how resourceful. And it still tastes good.
I needed to use up a zucchini/courgette/long green thing, and given I was brought up never to waste food- off I went to my cookbooks. This recipe comes from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City. The word quick is understated. It's an extremely fast, tasty lunch. I do not, however, recommend that you squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini with a light coloured tea towel. It might turn green... just a bit.
