Mushroom salad

On Saturday I was in a magazine shop leafing through some issues and in the French food magazine Saveurs I came across a mushroom salad with such an appealing photo. I knew it wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to serve it with dinner that evening. I didn't understand every word in the recipe but I took a mental note of the ingredients and here you have my version of it (the proportion in the magazine was much larger as they used 1 kilo of mushrooms). Making the salad couldn't be simpler but keep in mind that the mushrooms need to marinate for two hours. I served the salad with grilled chicken and couscous for dinner and, as my husband phrased it, it was surprisingly delicious in its simplicity. I totally agree.

MUSHROOM SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• 300 g mushrooms (to save time you can use pre-sliced)
• 1½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• juice from about ⅓ of a lemon
• sea salt
• a handful of freshly chopped coriander

METHOD

1. Slice the mushrooms (or safe time and buy pre-sliced) and let them marinate in a large bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and some sea salt for two hours. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and if possible, stir occasionally
2. Before serving add the handful of chopped coriander

Rice with indian spices and sultanas

This rice recipe is very similar to the one I posted recently, called rice with Indian spices. The main difference is that there are no cloves and peppercorns in this side dish. Actually, cloves and peppercorns are parts of the garam masala spice blend but it contains many other ground spices and here we are only using ¼ teaspoon. You can skip the sultanas if you like but I think their natural sweetness and the Indian spices complement each other very well. As I said when I posted the other rice recipe, you can experiment with the spices as you like if your taste buds are calling for something different. If you want the rice saltier then sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on top.

RICE WITH INDIAN SPICES AND SULTANAS

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cup (300 g) basmati rice
• 3 cups (750 ml) boiled water
• 1 organic vegetable stock cube
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or ghee)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• pinch of chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• handful of sultanas/golden raisins

METHOD

1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Let the rice sit in the sieve until needed
2. Pour the boiled water needed (I boil it in a kettle) into a large glass jug and let the vegetable stock cube dissolve in it while you prepare the spices
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan (make sure the saucepan is big enough for cooking the rice) on medium heat and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chilli flakes. Gently fry the spices until the seeds start to pop. As you are only using two teaspoons of oil, you don't have to move the spices around in the saucepan. Just make sure all the spices and oil are in one place
4. As soon as the seeds start to pop, add the vegetable stock, rice and the other three spices and stir gently
5. Increase the heat and keep it on the highest setting until the water starts boiling (takes just a moment), then reduce it to the lowest and cook the rice for about 12-15 minutes. Use a lid but let it tilt slightly to allow the steam to escape
6. About three minutes before the rice is ready take a handful of sultanas and spread them over the rice without stirring (just stir them into the rice before serving)

Rice with indian spices

The other day we were having a barbecue - grilled chicken - and my husband asked me if I could make one of my rice dishes to go with it. In the past, I have been making all kinds of versions of rice with spices and/or herbs, so this time I decided to write down the things I threw in for the blog. When we have a barbecue we tend to keep things rather simple. I'm not really keen on heavy sauces with grilled meat or too many side dishes. I'm fine with a simple salad, a couscous salad or rice. Sometimes I just grab the tamari sauce for the rice, but I like using Indian spices to turn a simple meal into something a bit more special. As with all other recipes on the blog, this one is not holy. You can experiment with the spices you like to find your own version if this one doesn't appeal to your taste buds. If you want the rice saltier then sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on top. I recommend removing the cloves and peppercorns before serving.

RICE WITH INDIAN SPICES

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cup (300 g) basmati rice
• 3 cups (750 ml) boiled water
• 1 organic vegetable stock cube
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or ghee)
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 black peppercorns
• 3 whole cloves
• pinch of chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

METHOD

1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Let the rice sit in the sieve until needed
2. Pour the boiled water needed (I boil it in a kettle) into a large glass jug and let the vegetable stock cube dissolve in it while you prepare the spices
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan (make sure the saucepan is big enough for cooking the rice) on medium heat and add all the spices, except the turmeric. Gently fry the spices until the seeds start to pop. As you are only using two teaspoons of oil, you don't have to move the spices around in the saucepan. Just make sure all the spices and oil are in one place
4. As soon as the seeds start to pop, add the boiled water with the dissolved vegetable stock cube, the rice and turmeric and stir gently
5. Increase the heat and keep it on the highest setting until the water starts boiling, then reduce it to the lowest and cook the rice for about 12-15 minutes. Use a lid but let it tilt slightly to allow the steam to escape
6. Before serving the rice it is advisable to remove the cloves and maybe also the peppercorns, especially if you have children at the table

mashed sweet potatoes with pecan nuts

Happy New Year! I meant to share this recipe on the blog before the holidays but didn’t find the time to prepare and photograph it especially. I couldn't let another year pass without posting it, so before sitting down to enjoy a turkey meal on New Year's I used the opportunity to snap a photo. We first tasted this delicious side dish at Thanksgiving in Canada in 2009, which we got to celebrate that year for the first time with dear friends in the Icelandic Consulate in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I will never forget that night, what a feast we had! (I brought one side dish, Brussels sprouts, and I had made pecan pies for dessert). Since that night this has been served with our turkey every time because we absolutely love it. The recipe is called Sweet Potatoes Supreme but I don't know anything about its origin. The original recipe calls for 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. I use 1200 grams and I have no idea if I'm using more or less, as I have never measured it in cups. I make the mashed sweet potatoes according to the original recipe but I have made considerable changes to the topping, which contained a lot of sugar and butter that needed to be melted. I see no reason to overwhelm the naturally sweet flavour of sweet potatoes with too much sugar; I simply don't get it when they are drowned in sugar or marshmallows or whatever. As I never cook with butter, I threw that out as well. Besides, there is plenty of fat in the pecan nuts.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECAN NUTS

INGREDIENTS

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

• 1200 g sweet potatoes (approx. 2.7 lb)
• 2 tablespoons milk/soy milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon paprika

TOPPING

• 2 tablespoons agave nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1½-2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 130-150 g pecan nuts

METHOD

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

1. Peel the sweet potatoes. Quarter each of them by first cutting it in half and then the two parts in half lengthwise
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil (you need just enough water to cover them). Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender (takes about 20 minutes if each is quartered)
3. Drain off the water and use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes in the saucepan. Add the milk, salt and paprika and combine
4. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to an oven/serving dish (mine is rounded; diameter 23 cm/9 inches) and use a spatula to even it out

TOPPING

1. In a small bowl, lightly mix the agave/maple syrup and the coconut oil with a spoon and spread it over the mashed sweet potatoes (if the coconut oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
2. Cover with pecan nuts
3. Warm in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (I set my oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6) and make sure that you don't burn the pecan nuts

couscous salad with lime dressing

This simple and easy to make salad has been quite often on the menu this summer, or since we got back from a short trip to London in June. I bought a couscous salad in the Whole Foods Market on Kensington High Street to eat on the way back home and it tasted so delicious that I decided to use it as an idea for my own summer salad. This is one of my experiments and, in fact, I'm enjoying it while creating this post. The salad I bought was quite different and it had chickpeas in it but my experiments started with kidney beans and pinto beans. Actually, the only time we found it dull was when I used chickpeas. Maybe it needed to sit longer before serving, I don't know. It just didn't taste the same. As I said, it's easy to make so I like having it for lunch and then I use the rest as a side dish with dinner that same day. It goes really well with chicken and all kinds of grilled meat. There are many types of couscous available on the market, I use organic one from Rapunzel.

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH LIME DRESSING

INGREDIENTS

SALAD

• 200 g organic couscous (1 cup)
• 300 ml water (250 ml = 1 cup)
• 1 can kidney beans (400 g)
• 100 g sweetcorn (½ cup)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 orange, diced
• optional: ½ red onion, finely chopped

DRESSING

• 3-3½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (you will need two limes)
• 1½-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Himalaya or sea salt
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

METHOD

SALAD

1. Start with preparing the couscous which is very simple: Put couscous and water into a small saucepan, bring to boil (happens fast), remove immediately from heat, cover with lid and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes
2. Rinse and drain the beans and sweetcorn and keep them in a colander until ready to use (I use organic sweetcorn that I buy in glass jars)
3. Remove the seeds and dice the red pepper
4. Peel the orange with a sharp knife and try to remove all the pith. Cut the orange in half and dice it (make sure you are using a good and tasty orange)
5. If using the half red onion, peel it and chop finely (I recommend it for the salad as it adds a good taste)
6. Put all the ingredients into a big salad bowl and mix together

DRESSING

1. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and spices
2. Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and mix together, repeat two or three times until you have used up all the dressing
3. Leave the salad to stand for about 10 to 20 minutes while the flavours are developing
4. Serve as a main course with bread or as a side dish with, for example, grilled meat

Please note, do not keep the orange or limes in the fridge before preparing the salad. In an airtight container you can keep the salad in the fridge for 2-3 days.

oven braised artichokes with garlic & thyme

I found this recipe on the wonderful food blog Gourmande in the Kitchen, written by Sylvie Shirazi. With the artichokes in season they are everywhere and I was beginning to crave them. I didn't really make any changes, added a bit of garlic and used less oil. I took the photos when I was experimenting with skipping the white wine, so they look less cooked if you compare them with the photos of the original recipe. I wanted to taste them without the wine, just to see how it would work, and I must say that they tasted really good. The recipe with the white wine is, of course, delicious. If you have never cooked artichokes before then I dare you to try it, it's not as difficult as some would think and when you take that first bite it's quite rewarding.

OVEN BRAISED ARTICHOKES WITH GARLIC AND THYME

INGREDIENTS

• 45 ml extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons)
• 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/4 cup)
• peel from one lemon
• 60 ml good quality/organic white wine or water (1/4 cup)
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 large artichokes
• for garnishing: 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

1. In a large roasting pan, combine all the ingredients except the artichokes
2. Pull off and discard the thick outer leaves of the artichokes by bending them back and pulling them down toward the stem. (Remove leaves that are dark green, but do not remove leaves that are green at the top and yellow on the bottom.)
3. Snip off the tops of the leaves (at the point where the green and yellow come together) and trim around the base of the artichoke heart to smooth the sides and peel the stem
4. Cut the artichoke in half and scoop out the fuzzy choke with a small spoon. As each artichoke heart half is completed, add it to the roasting pan with the braising liquid, turning it to coat completely and prevent browning
5. Cover the pan with a lid or parchment lined aluminium foil and cook in the oven on 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 30-40 minutes, until the hearts are tender when pierced with a knife [I cooked them in the oven for exactly 40 minutes]
6. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, and let the artichokes cool in the braising liquid
7. Garnish with chopped parsley [I skipped that step], serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled

brussels sprouts w/chestnuts, bacon and parsley

I think I can say for sure that this recipe is the only one you will ever see on this blog that contains bacon. I fully realise that it's not healthy food but Brussels sprout definitely is. A few years back, I was preparing for Christmas with the TV on in the background. Suddenly I recognised Nigella Lawson's voice. They were showing some Christmas cooking series and she was preparing a turkey meal. I quit what I was doing to watch the show. As we always serve turkey on Christmas Eve or Day, I was interested in ideas for side dishes. Before I knew it Nigella was mesmerising me with her Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, pancetta and parsley. She, of course, makes everything look so easy and when I tried her recipe it really was. As I couldn't get pancetta I simply used luxury bacon and I've used it ever since. This side dish has become a tradition in our home at Christmas and we serve it with almost all our fancy meals. Believe it or not, our children love it. I think those who dislike Brussels sprouts simply need to taste these by Nigella to change their minds. As I never use butter I skip it and I usually skip the Marsala wine, so I'm making it optional. I often use chopped cashew nuts instead of chestnuts; it simply depends on my mood. Sometimes I use only about 800 g of Brussels sprouts, especially if I'm making many side dishes. Here is my version of Nigella's recipe but the link above will take you to the original one. Below are some notes on the difference.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CHESTNUTS, BACON AND PARSLEY

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg Brussels sprouts
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 200 g luxury bacon, preferably organic/free-range
• 100-150 g vacuum-packed chestnuts or cashew nuts
• optional: 4 tablespoons Marsala wine (60 ml)
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley, chopped, divided
• freshly ground black pepper
• optional: sea salt

According to Nigella's recipe you should use 250 g of pancetta cut into 1.25 cm (0.50 inches) cubes, but I find 200 g enough. According to her you should also use about 225 g chestnuts but I only use 100-150 g. Sometimes I use more; it sort of depends on what other side dishes I'm serving with the meal. There is no sea salt in Nigella's recipe, except that she boils the Brussels sprouts in salted water, but I like to sprinkle some on top.

METHOD

1. Slice the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts, cutting a cross on the base as you go. Place the Brussels sprouts into a large saucepan of salted boiling water and cook them for 5 minutes, or until they are tender but still retain a bit of bite
2. While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, cut the slices of bacon but don't make them too small. If using cashew nuts instead of chestnuts, chop them in a food processor or with a knife
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and drain the excess water. Allow the Brussels sprouts to sit in a colander until you use them (I like cutting them in half before adding them to the frying pan. If you have time I recommend it, but allow them to cool first)
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large clean saucepan or frying pan, add the cut slices of bacon and cook until they are crisp and golden-brown in colour, but not cooked to the point of having dried out
5. Add more coconut oil if you need to and add the chestnuts (or the already chopped cashew nuts). Use a wooden spoon or spatula and press down on the chestnuts to break them up into pieces. Once the chestnuts have been warmed through, turn the heat up and add the Marsala wine to the pan, if you use it, and cook until the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly
6. Add the Brussels sprouts and half the parsley to the saucepan and mix well (usually I add all the parsley to the saucepan or two-thirds)
7. Season with freshly ground black pepper and before serving, sprinkle some sea salt on top and the remaining chopped parsley

beans with garam masala

Beans with garam masala is an easy-to-prepare side dish; you can use either pinto beans or chickpeas. I made this simple recipe a long time ago and it became one of those instant hits among family members. The side dish goes well with, for example, chicken, rice, and mango chutney. I often serve rice or brown rice with meals but I admit that I tend to get tired of plain cooked rice. Therefore, I often mix the beans with the rice to add a different flavour (garam masala, a blend of ground spices, is a common ingredient in Indian and South Asian cooking). When combined with rice you have a wonderful vegetarian dish that you can serve with a salad, the beans adding fullness to the rice. Sometimes I do not add all the beans to the rice but keep some in a small bowl as a side dish for those who really like the taste of cooked beans.

BEANS WITH GARAM MASALA

INGREDIENTS

• 250 ml water (1 cup)
• ½-1 vegetable stock cube, yeast free
• 1 can (400 g) pinto beans or chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

METHOD

1. Rinse and drain the beans
2. In a large frying pan, put all the ingredients, stir to dissolve the stock cube, and bring to the boil (it does not take a long time and you do not have to cover the pan). Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, making sure the fluid doesn't dry up
3. Finally, put the dish into a small bowl and serve as a side dish or blend it with cooked rice (I cook 200-300 g of rice (1-1½ cups), put them in a large bowl and combine the beans)