A Different Kind of Snack/Entree/Tapa

During a visit to The Monday Room in Christchurch a group of friends and I sampled some of their delicious tapas. The stand out for me were the Blue Cheese Polenta Chips- sooo good! After hunting around, I finally came across some instant polenta (becuase let's be honest, no one really wants to stand over the stove for hours stirring the normal stuff) at the Mediterranean Food Company. Here is my most recent suggestion for your next nibble.

Blue Cheese and Thyme Polenta Chips
(accompanied by Paprika Mayo)

1/2 trim milk
1/2 vegetable stock
3/4 cup instant polenta
25g ish blue cheese
Sprinkles of thyme
Olive oil, for frying

For the Paprika Mayo:
A few spoons of mayo
A few dashes of paprika ( I used La Chinata 'Sweet' paprika powder)

Combine milk and stock in a saucepan and bring to simmer over a medium heat.
Remove from heat, and gradually pour in polenta while mixing with a spoon. The mixture should have a porridge like consistency.
Stir in the blue cheese and thyme.
Pour into dish, and place in fridge to set for about 1/2 - 1 hour. Once set, cut into chips.
Heat oil in a pan and fry chips until golden brown. I don't actually recommend frying the chips using the method in the photo (it's for artistic purposes).

For the paprika mayo, mix ingredients in a bowl and add enough paprika to your liking.

This particular recipe used a lot of improvisation so have a bit of fun with it. I found the chips to be a bit dry so would suggest to add some more stock or similar (but not some much it becomes runny). Another recommendation would be to make the chips smaller so you have more to share. However, they were delicious and don't require a lot of confidence to make- so easy!

Dinner in a dash...

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.

Pearl barley, mushroom & chorizo risotto

Serves 4ish

Olive oil, for frying

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3-4 chorizo, thinly sliced

1¾ cups pearl barley

4 cups chicken stock

250g button mushrooms, sliced

Parsley

Parmesan, grated for serving

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic and chorizo until chorizo are brown.

Stir in barley and stock. Bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 10 minutes, until barley is tender and the liquid absorbed.

Sauté mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes.

Fold mushrooms, parsley and parmesan through barley and season.