summer Archives | Page 2 of 3

Avo broccoli mash with roast veggies and rose harissa

August 5, 2019October 13, 2019
by Jono

Quite a mouthful, the title of this dish, but despite that, it’s a marvelously simple thing to whip up, and a spectacular vegetarian feast of colour and flavour.

We recently got our hands on an air fryer, which is what we used to make the recipe, but a regular oven does the job just as well, if not better. Microwaving the veggies for a few minutes before popping them in the oven cuts out a good half an hour of roasting time.

I strongly recommend occasionally making a big batch of Harissa paste and keeping it in the fridge – it’s such a flavour explosion and goes well with almost anything, recipe here.

Jump to Recipe – Print Recipe

European

Grapefruit and Angostura granita

November 27, 2018November 27, 2018
by Jono

A granita is a very grown-up dessert, bitter and alcoholic sherbet made from fresh fruit juice, this is the perfect end to a heavy meal, or a great refresher on a hot day.

The lekka thing about granita – all you need is a freezer and a fork, no messing around with ice cream machines or any of that nonsense. This recipe was adapted from the wonderful book “crazy water pickled lemons”, which I highly recommend.

Jump to Recipe – Print Recipe

African

Leek and sweet potato cake

August 12, 2018August 13, 2018
by Jono

A stunner of a bake, kinda halfway between a quiche and a savoury cake… Feel free to leave out the ham for a vegetarian version. This is quick, easy, makes loads and can easily be the main item at a dinner party.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Middle east

Socca with sabzi khordan, roast tomatoes and sardines

February 12, 2018
by Jono

Socca is a flatbread made from chick peas, and is absolutely delicious, and very easy to make – recipe here.

Sabzi khordan is a persian side salad of fresh, sharp herbs, but here we put it as a part of the main course, and it rises to the challenge beautifully.

This is a perfect light lunch if you are entertaining and want to impress, but don’t want to do too much effort 🙂 It’s basically a salad, pancakes and sardines, but like everything in life, it’s not what you cook, but how you cook it that matters.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Middle east

Bulgar and spinach pilau with mint, lemon and rare…

January 29, 2018
by Jono

This pilau is a super-easy throw-together one-pot dish discovered on a busy weeknight, but such an incredible feast of subtlety, it will surprise and delight you mouthful after mouthful.

A wonderful take on classic ingredients, serve this alone with a blob of yoghurt for a simple weeknight supper, or have it as part of a middle eastern feast with falafels, baba ganoush, grilled meat, spreads, flatbread and mint tea.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

European

Cold spicy cucumber and pea soup

January 27, 2018January 27, 2018
by Jono

Cooked and chilled cucumber soup has long been a summer favourite of ours, served cold outside in the garden.

This version is fantastic – we love the bite of the chilli, the cool creaminess of the milk, the freshness of the cucumber and herbs, and the steamed peas add substance and texture and bring it all together beautifully.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Japan and China

Homemade wholewheat udon noodles

January 24, 2018January 25, 2018
by Jono

There are few things I enjoy more than home made udon noodles; the japanese have turned noodle making and eating into an art. This is super simple, and super delicious.

If you are looking for a good book on japanese cooking, Japanese cooking: A simple art is a really good place to start. This book details with precision the foundation of most japanese cooking, and this udon noodle recipe is adapted only very slightly from there.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Fusion

Mussel ragout with watercress and zucchini

January 21, 2018January 21, 2018
by Jono

Served with a fresh salad and grilled vegetables

We made this mussel ragout in the eastern cape coast of South Africa. The old idiom “Necessity is the mother of invention” is certainly true here – We pulled the mussels off the rocks, and the watercress was growing wild at a spring near the house. The japanese flavours work perfectly with tomato and seafood, and really lift a simple dish to amazing heights.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this with shop bought frozen mussels – if you can’t get this absolutely fresh, then rather do something else with your mussels – white wine and cream can cover up the unhappiness of frozen mussels quite nicely.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Middle east

The world’s juiciest baked falafels

January 20, 2018January 27, 2018
by Jono

The problem with all the baked falafel recipes out there? They are all dry, every one of them. We spent weeks (and hundreds of falafels) comparing various weird ingredients, trying everything conceivable to make THE juiciest falafels.

We actually overdid it in one of the batches, and managed to make falafels that roasted and crispy on the outside, but were basically jelly inside – Weirdly delicious!

This recipe is toned down a bit, to get a light, fluffy moist falafel thats crisp on the outside and juicy inside.

If you want a seriously juicy falafel – add half a cup of cooked oats to the mixture and tone down the other liquid accordingly.

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe