Nashi, beetroot & feta salad

A quick little post for a quick side salad. It, of course, contains beetroot. You may have noticed how much I love beetroot. I got the idea for this side dish from a Jamie Oliver recipe but added my own twist to it. Jamie's version used regular pears but I decided to try it with nashi instead. I really enjoyed it. It was so refreshing with that slightly earthy beetroot flavour. I will definitely make this one again. 

Nashi, beetroot & feta salad

Serves 2

1/2 nashi, julienne 

1/2 medium beetroot, julienne

olive oil

raspberry vinegar

crumbled feta

Combine all ingredients. Place in the fridge to let flavours combine. 

Beetroot Tarte Tatin

Beetroot again, I have told you numerous times how much I love beetroot. I have only made a few tarte tatins before but each time they have been very good. I ended up using extra beetroot and a larger frying pan than the recipe called for but didn't increase the glaze/sauce ingredients. It will worked well but I think it would have been better if I had increased those ingredients as well. I loved the combination of sweet with the earthiness of beetroot is just an amazing combination. Served with a very basic salad it was a fantastic vegetarian meal. 

Beetroot Tarte Tatin

15g butter
8 small beetroot, peeled, halved
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 sheet frozen butter puff pastry, thawed
50g goat's cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
 

Preheat oven to 200C. Melt butter in a ovenproof non-stick 19cm (base measurement) frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the beetroot for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar and thyme. Season. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until beetroot is just tender. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Increase oven to 220C.

Trim pastry into a 24cm disc. Arrange beetroot evenly over base of pan. Top with pastry. Fold in excess. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto a plate. Top with goat's cheese.

Stuffed pork scotch fillet with mustard & hazelnut red cabbage

Continuing on with my fridge/freezer/cupboard recipes. This was a top of the head recipe one night when I wasn't really sure what to make. I had some pork scotch fillet in the freezer which I had defrosted to make another recipe which I:-

1. Couldn't be bothered making; and

2. Lost interest in wanting to eat it.  

So instead I put it in the fridge until I could decide what to make. I ended up making two recipes one night after the other. The first was to stuff one of the steaks with a feta & sun-dried tomato stuffing. It was very good. I also used a quarter of the red cabbage which I had in the fridge to make a side dish. I also had a roasted sweet potato with garlic butter and some steamed broccoli. 

Stuffed pork scotch fillet

1 pork scotch fillet steak, approximately 2cm thick

small piece of feta cheese, probably about 10 g, (I used a danish-style feta) 

2 semi-dried tomato halves, finely chopped 

pepper

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

Pre-heat oven to 180C. 

Cut a pocket into the side of the steak making sure not to go all the way through, Use your finger to open it up a bit further. 

Mix feta and tomatoes together well and season with pepper. (The feta is salty enough so don't add salt) Using your fingers stuff the feta mixture into the cavity in the steak. 

Heat oil in a oven-proof fry pan over a medium-high heat then brown the pork for 1-2 minutes on each side and then place the whole pan in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

Mustard & hazelnut red cabbage

1/4 small red cabbage, finely sliced 

1 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1/4 c chopped hazelnuts

Heat butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add cabbage and sauté. Place a lid on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage starts to soften but still has some bite. Add the mustard and stir well and continue to cook for a minute. The add hazelnuts and stir to combine and serve immediately. 

Beet, Feta & Almond Tart

I made this last Sunday night for dinner. I served it with a very easy Nectarine & Rocket salad. It was very good hot but quite rich. It was also very good cold for lunches during the week. In fact it may have been better cold than hot. The only thing I would change would be to use milk instead of the cream. That is definitely a personal taste thing though as I found it to be way too rich for me. I would also put a little bit less beet in next time too, although I had used 2 1/2 beets so when writing out the recipe I said to use 2. If you don't want to make your own pastry then you can just use some premade shortcrust pastry. This is my Gramma's pastry recipe and it is so easy to make. My Gramma used to make it with her own rendered lard, which of course, made an incredible pastry but butter works just as well.

Beet, Feta & Almond Tart

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
125 g butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp white vinegar
water to make up 1/2 c with egg & vinegar

Combine flour & salt, cut in butter. Combine egg & vinegar and add water. Add slowly to flour & butter mixture until you get a soft pastry. (You probably wont need all the liquid) Wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll out and line tart pan. Chill in freezer for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 180 C.
Line pastry shell with baking paper and fill with pie weights/beans/rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove baking paper and weights and return to oven for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until slightly golden.

For filling:

2 medium beets, roasted until tender, cooled and chopped
2 or 3 spoons of caramelised onions (I had some in the freezer, if cooking probably about 1/2 a red onion slice & cooked)
about 100 g marinated feta (I just used as much as I wanted)
1/4 parmesan, finely grated
3 eggs, lightly beaten
185 ml (3/4 c) cream, (I would probably use 150 ml milk next time it was a bit rich for me)
1 - 2 tbsp sliced almonds

Combine beets and onions and put into tart shell. Top with crumbled feta and half the parmesan.
Combine eggs & cream and pour into tart shell.
Place tart pan on a baking tray and bake at 180 C for 20 minutes.
Top with remaining parmesan and almonds and return to oven for a further 15 minutes or until set and golden.

Dukkah-Crusted Lamb with Pearl Couscous Salad

I was invited to spend Christmas with friends this year and it was wonderful. I enjoyed taking a break from cooking and it was nice to be away from home for a few days. It was also terrific to spend time with my friends. However there was a bit of indulgence involved, especially with a trip to Bourke Street Bakery, along with all the other associated Christmas goodies. So I feel the need to have a few lighter meals for a while. This does not include the feast that I am making tomorrow for New Year's Eve, although I am mainly doing that for the leftovers that I can have for lunches. 

I started my lighter meals last night with this lamb recipe over on Taste but I didn't really follow the recipe so will post what I did instead. It was very good, although I think that my dukkah is starting to get some age on it and therefore lose a bit of its flavour so I think I will probably toss it and make up a new lot. The couscous was very good although I think I could have made it a bit healthier if I had used quinoa instead of the pearl couscous. You really could add any salad veg that you wanted to.

Dukkah-Crusted Lamb with Pearl Couscous Salad 

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

4 Lamb loin chops

Olive oil 

Pistachio dukkah (made with pistachios instead of almonds)

1/3 c pearl couscous

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

1/4 continental cucumber, pealed, quartered and sliced 

1/4 red onion sliced 

1/2 avocado diced 

2 slices of feta cheese, diced 

Handful mint leaves, chopped

Raspberry vinegar (I bought this ages ago, it is so good and well worth it)

salad leaves to serve

Method: 

Drizzle lamb with oil and sprinkle with dukkah giving it a good rub. Set aside while making salad. 

Cook pearl couscous in some vegetable stock following packet directions, rinse in cool water and drain well. Combine couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado, feta and mint, drizzle with a small amount of raspberry vinegar and mix to combine. Refrigerate until serving. 

Heat pan over medium-high heat and add a small about of grapeseed oil to pan. Cook chops for a few minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove and drain on paper towel and trim fat from lamb. 

Serve with salad leaves and couscous salad with an extra drizzle of vinegar. 

Delicious: July 2011 - Crumbed Lamb Chops with Roasted Greek-Salad Vegetables

It seems like it has been a really long week and I am having trouble unwinding tonight. I was hoping to get to bed early tonight but I wasn't tired earlier. I am finally started to feel a bit sleepy now so hopefully I will get this typed up quickly and then be able to get some sleep. 

This would have to be my favourite recipe that I have made out of this issue of delicious magazine. I really, really loved the roasted greek-salad vegetables. I have made them twice since as well. The lamb when with the vegetables perfectly. I used some lamb loin chops rather than the frenched cutlets. The only reason was that the loin chops were half the price of the cutlets. I really liked the lemon zest in with the breadcrumbs. It was also a really easy meal to make. I can see this one entering into rotation on my menu planning. 

Crumbed lamb cutlets with roast greek-salad vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 3 roma tomatoes, halved (I used a punnet of cherry toms) 
• 2 red capsicum, roughly chopped 
• 3 zucchini, halved lengthways and thickly sliced 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
• 1/3 c olive oil (I used garlic olive oil) 
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 200 g feta, chopped 
• 1/2 c kalamata olives (I used pitted ones) 
• 1 tbsp oregano leaves, plus extra to serve 
• 1 c dried breadcrumbs (I used panko breadcrumbs) 
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 8 French-trimmed lamb cutlets
• 1/4 c plain flour, seasoned 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 200 C and line a large baking tray with foil.
• Toss vegetables and garlic with 2 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Season. 
• Spread on the tray and bake for 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. 
• Add feta, olives and oregano leaves and bake for a further 5 - 8 minutes until feta is golden. 
• Meanwhile, combine crumbs with zest and remaining 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Coat lamb first in flour, then in egg and crumbs, shaking off any excess. 
• Heat remaining oil 2 tbsp oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat (I used grapeseed oil). 
• In batches cook lamb for 2 - 3 minutes each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. 
• Place lamb cutlets on a serving platter with rated vegetables, lemon wedges and oregano leaves.

Tomato Pesto & Feta Swirl Bread

A few weeks ago I had the urge to bake something breadish. I was initially going to make some plain rolls and then thought that I could spice it up a bit by making some filled scrolls instead. I was thinking in terms of cinnamon scrolls. At the time there had been a spate of cinnamon swirl loaves on foodgawker and tastespotting. So instead of individual scrolls I thought I might make a whole loaf. However, I didn't really want something sweet, I was more interested in making something savoury. Going to the fridge I found half a jar of tomato pesto and half a block of feta cheese. They seemed like a perfect fit, although I think next time perhaps some parmesan as well. 

Late in 2009 I came across the perfect bread roll/dough recipe over at Phemomenon's blog and since then it has been my go to recipe for rolls and scrolls. It is such and easy recipe, although I have tweaked it a bit over the many times that I have used it. So when I decided to make this loaf I saw no reason not to use that same recipe and it certainly did not disappoint. I was rewarded with a fantastic loaf of bread that rose and browned beautifully. The tomato pesto flavour really worked well  and the little bits of feta were perfect throughout. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again and again. 

Perfect Bread Dough

Adapted from Phemomenon

Ingredients:

• 1 c warm water
• 1/2 c warm milk 
• 3 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/2 c plain flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup, then leveled off
• 1/2 c extra flour if required

Method: 

• Combine water, milk, yeast and sugar in KitchenAid bowl and stand until frothy. This should take 5 - 10 minutes. 
• Add oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour  and, using the paddle attachment, beat on a low speed to combine. 
• Add in a further 1 cup of flour and continue beating until incorporated. 
• Change to dough attachment and add remaining 1/2 c flour (adding some or all of the extra 1/2 c if the dough is too sticky). Continue to mix the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 
• Increase speed slightly, I don't go over 3 on mine for doughs, and let knead for 10 minutes. 
• Remove the dough from the bowl, oil it with some olive oil and return the dough to the bowl turning it to coat in the oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 20 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press dough out into a rectangle the same width as the pan you plan to bake it in.
• Spread with tomato pesto (however much you like) making sure to leave a border around the edge and top with crumbled feta cheese. 
• Carefully roll the dough up and place into your bread tin with the seam at the bottom of the pan. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for approximately 20 minutes. 
• In the meantime pre-heat oven to 200C. 
• Brush the top of the loaf with either melted butter, milk or beaten egg (I forgot to do this) and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden. You may need to turn the pan halfway through baking to get an even colour. 

This was lovely served warm or cold and even toasted up really well under the grill. 

September 2002 - Spicy Roast Pumpkin, Feta and Olive Salad

Goodness me it has taken a while to get started posting this month. It is almost half gone and I am just doing my first one. At least it is just the posting that I am behind with and not both posting and cooking. I have been cooking my way through another stack of back issues of delicious. magazine. Spring is well and truly the theme running through all of the September issues, even if it doesn't always feel so spring-like outside. There are some wonderfully light, fresh and tasty meals on offer. 

I have to admit that I struggled with something to make from this issue. Not because there wasn't much that I wanted to make but because I had already made so much from it already. Jill Dupleix's Scotch egg recipe is a winner. She uses a muffin pan to pack the mince mixture around the boiled eggs and then bakes in the oven. I really enjoyed them when I first made then and have made them several times since.

The "a-z ingredients" feature in this issue is iceberg lettuce. I had already made the San choy bau, which was lovely, Nasi goreng, which was terrific, and the Marinated lettuce salad, which seems rather old fashioned but was very nice. The only other option in this feature was iceberg wedges with blue cheese dressing. I have made something similar in the past so decided not to go with that one. 

I did consider making Nigella's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova. I love pavlova and it sounds so luscious. Nigella's description of it makes it sound wonderfully rich and crisp with a chewy centre. I was having my grandparents around for father's day on the first Sunday of this month so thought that I could make it for that. However the prohibitive cost of berries at that time made me hesitate. With raspberries being $9 for a 125g punnet it is rather crazy. Blueberries were about the same price. Strawberries were much cheaper but I thought that the sweetness of strawberries might make the whole thing a bit cloying. There was, of course, the option of frozen raspberries but they would not look near as nice. Instead I decided to make a pumpkin pie for Father's day dessert and make something else from this issue. 

Since I had the pumpkin, butternut pumpkin, for the pie I decided to make Bill Granger's Spicy roast pumpkin, feta & olive salad. It was very good. Although a little bit more cumin and cayenne pepper would have been good as it wasn't quite as spicy as I was expected. I didn't have any spinach so used iceberg lettuce. I didn't use as much oil in the dressing either. I probably used 1/2 to 1 tbsp and I didn't bother with the shallot. I would definitely make this one again. 

Spicy Roast Pumpkin, Feta and Olive Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 800g pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
• 100g baby English spinach leaves
• 150g marinated feta
• 20 kalamata olives, pitted

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped  shallots (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220C. 
• Place oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a bag, add pumpkin cubes, hold closed tightly and shake to cover evenly. 
• Transfer to a roasting tray and bake 30mins or until tender and caramelised. 
• Combine dressing ingredients an a jar and shake until combined.
• Divide the spinach leaves among 2 plates and scatter pumpkin, feta and olives over the top. 
• Drizzle with dressing.

June 2006 - Greek Egg & Feta Pies

Okay, so I really want to get another post done but I am not feeling too well tonight so I will keep it reasonably short. Although I must say that it really will not be hard to keep it short on this one. I certainly wasn't overwhelmed for choice of vegetarian meals from issue #50. There are only 7 vegetarian recipes from the 48 recipes listed in the index, excluding desserts and side dishes. That really is a disappointing number.

I was going to make Valli Little's Spiced Haloumi Pasta. An intriguing mixture of pasta, haloumi and Indian spices served with naan and mango chutney. I was unable to find any fresh curry leaves (or dried for that matter) so I decided to leave this one for a time when I am able to get some. I have bought fresh curry leaves locally in the past so I am assuming that it is a seasonal product and this just isn't the right season.

I ended up making Jill Dupleix's Greek Egg & Feta Pies. These were incredibly simple and very tasty. I only did two things differently. I used puff pastry instead of phaffing around with filo and I chopped up the black olives and sprinkled them on top before baking. I would definitely make these again. Jill suggested serving with salad but it was cold so I cooked some beans and reheated the last of the Airport Potatoes to go with them.

Greek Egg & Feta Pies (my way, LOL)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 30 g feta, crumbled (I am not sure how much I used, I think I could have used more)
  
• 1 green onion, green part only finely sliced
• 4 black olives finely chopped

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 C.
  
• Divide puff pastry into four. Roll each piece slightly and then use to line a well greased texas muffin pan.
  
• Crack egg into each of the pastry cases being careful not to break the yolk.
  
• Sprinkle with feta, green onions and olives. Season with pepper.
  
• Bake in oven for 15 minute or until pastry is golden and eggs are set.
  

January 2006 - Lamb Cutlets with Bean, Strawberry and Feta Salad

After an unsuccessful choice last time I was hoping that this time around would be better. Again there were large amounts of seafood recipes. There are also a lot of recipes for using up left over Christmas ham and turkey. Since I did not host anyone for Christmas this year I have no left over ham or turkey. I do have a turkey breast roll in the freezer but I do not want to cook that right now.

There was one recipe in particular that caught my eye. It is another Valli Little recipe, I never realised before how many recipes of hers are in delicious. and how wonderful most of them look. I promise though there are some recipes by different chefs coming up. In this month's magazine there is a full page picture of Lamb Cutlets with Bean, Strawberry and Feta Salad. It instantly caught my eye with the different colours and I just knew that the flavours would be wonderful. I will admit that I am not normally a fan of green beans as a vegetable. I always remember them being soggy, bland and overcooked. However this salad looked too good to let my apathy toward one of the ingredients stop me. I am so glad that I made this. The beans that I purchased were not as young and thin as I would have liked but they were okay. The sweetness of the strawberries combined beautifully with the sweetness of the lamb. All the sweet was cut by the salty and creamy feta. I used the raspberry vinegar in the dressing, however mine is very sweet so I think that I could have left the sugar out but it wasn't too bad. It was a really easy dish to pull together and easy to make after work for a week night meal.

Lamb Cutlets with Bean, Strawberry and Feta Salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 12 french-trimmed lamb cutlets (I didn't get french-trimmed, I like the extra meat)
  
• 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
• 2 tbs raspberry or red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 500g French or thin green beans, blanched
• 400g small strawberries, sliced
• 400g feta, crumbled

Method

1. 
   Place lamb in a shallow dish and drizzle with 100ml oil. Add the lemon slices, half the mint, and season. Toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   
2. 
   Whisk remaining oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Toss together beans, berries, feta and remaining mint.
   
3. Heat a barbecue or chargrill to high and cook lamb, in batches if necessary, 2-3 minutes each side. Cook lemon slices for 1 minute. Toss salad with dressing and serve with lamb and lemon.