Monday 21 May 2012

Autumn Colours On Your Plate



Wow what a busy week, starting with a few days down in Wellington, going to The Food Show and then spending some time with my friend Jo.

 The Food Show was fabulous, there were amazing food and drink exhibitors, lots of free giveaways, and wonderful foods made by artisan producers.  A fantastic feast for the senses, and a great line up of free, live cooking shows.

We watched the highly entertaining Annabelle White and the fabulous Nadia Lim.  I loved Nadia's down to earth approach, she was really friendly, and being a Nutritionist, her knowledge of food combined with her cooking skills were great to see.

I then spent a couple of days at Jo's beach house, just chilling! Bliss!!  Came home rested and relaxed.  I had alot of time thinking about my next post. 

I love Autumn, I miss seeing the gorgeous colours of Autumn and the cold, crisp days in England.  I love nothing more than eating hot soups and comfort food.  I started thinking about the amazing vegetables that are in season in Autumn. Tamarillos, yams, aubergines, beetroot to name a few. Fabulous vibrant colours.  So I decided to create Autumn colours on your plate.

Roast Vegetable & Halloumi Salad with a  Coriander & Chilli Dressing
(serves 8-10)
Cooking Time - 1 hr
2 Parsnips
2 Beetroot
2 Kumaras (any colour, I used golden)
3 Carrots
1 Packet ready washed fancy lettuce
200g block Halloumi Cheese  ( You can also use Paneer Cheese)
1. Peel and chop all the vegetables into chunks (approx 1.5 - 2cm).  Place in a large oven tray/dish and drizzle with olive oil, coating the vegetables lightly.
2 . Roast in a pre heated oven at 180-200 c  for about 45 min, or until the vegetables are cooked and golden.
3. as the vegetables are cooking you can prepare the fried halloumi cheese and dressing.  for the Halloumi cheese, cut into small thin  chunks, , heat a non stick frying pan and on a medium heat, cook the halloumi until golden. Leave to cool.

Coriander and Chilli Dressing                         

4-5 Tbls of Olive Oil
1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbls of chopped Coriander
2 tsp runny honey
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes (more if you like a kick)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Blend all the ingredients with a blender ( I used  a hand held one) taste and season, you can add a dash more salt or lemon juice or chilli depending on your taste.

When the roast vegetables are cooked, cool to room temperature and then assemble.  In a large dish add 1/2 pkt of salad leaves, half the vegetables and then repeat the process. if you think you have too many vegetables you can put some in the fridge to use another day.  Scatter the halloumi cheese and then drizzle the dressing.  Vibrant autumn colours on your plate!

Enjoy.

Till next time.

Ashia


Thursday 10 May 2012

Mothers Day Cake

Mothers Day, is a day when all mothers around the world are honoured and celebrated.  To me it's extra special as I am mum to two beautiful kids.
Every family celebrates Mothers day in their own way, in our house I have usually had breakfast in bed, made by the children and then home made cards and a gift.

This year, however I will be at AKL airport at 6.30 am handing the children over to hubby (who will be flying in from Perth at 5.30) and catching a flight myself,  to Wellington, to have some "me" time! Starting off at the Food Show (more about that next week)  and then spending a couple of days with my best friend at her house on the beach

I think Mothers just want a "thank-you" to know that they are appreciated.  Take them out for a meal or bake some goodies for a special afternoon tea.  Chocolate is one of those all time favourites, so I decided to post my favourite chocolate cake recipe with a decadent chocolate ganache, topped with some fresh roses for decoration, I think it's a winner!
My mum is thousands of miles away in England and although Mothers Day has already been celebrated there, this one is for you mum.......

This is a beautiful moist cake, it keeps well and is very easy to bake.

Chocolate Cake
100g Melted Butter (cold)
1 Cup Castor Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbls Cocoa
pinch of salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
1 1/2  Cups sifted Flour
1/3 Cup boiling water

1. Pre heat oven to 150 c
2. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients in the order listed, don't mix until the water is added.
3. Then beat until smooth and glossy (I usually use a hand blender for this) the mixture should be thick and runny.
4. Pour into a deep  greased 20cm tin and bake @ 150 c for 30 -35 min  or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Turn out when cold and ice.

For the Chocolate Ganache

1 Cup Fresh Cream
400g Dark Chocolate

1. Chop the chocolate into fine pieces
2. Bring the cream to a boil in a medium saucepan, switch off the heat when the cream starts to bubble
3. Add the chopped chocolate to the cream and gently fold in until it has all combined into a thick, glossy mixture.  Put it in the fridge for 30-45 min to thicken so that it is spreadable, decorate your cake.... I can assure you there will not be a crumb left!!

Alternatively you can ice it using this simple chocolate icing
1 Tbls Melted Butter
1 Tbls Cocoa
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Tsp boiling Water
Mix it all together, adding a touch little more water if you want a runnier icing and more icing sugar if you want a thicker consistency. 
Tip - Ensure that you sift the icing sugar or you will end up with lumps in your icing.

Happy Mothers Day to Mums everywhere.......enjoy!
Till next time

Ashia

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Home Baked Foccacia Bread

I love baking bread at home, and I use this recipe, time and time again, when I have family or friends over for dinner.  It never fails me and wows everyone!

I would usually serve it with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil mix and a middle eastern dukkah dip, as an appetiser when people arrive, as we are usually chatting over drinks and dinner would still be 30-45 min away.

For the dough -:

3 Cups Plain Flour
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Tbls  Dried Yeast
1 Tsp salt
1 Cup Warm Water

1. Put the flour in a large bowl, (or you can use a mixer if you have one)   make a well
add the salt, yeast and olive oil, and the warm water. If you have a bread maker you can put all the ingredients in and put it on the dough cycle.

2. If you are not using a bread maker or mixer, knead it into a dough, I love this bit, you can push, fold and roll the dough over and over for about 5 min, this develops the structure and gluten.

3. With floured hands, make the dough into a roundish shape put it in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove, for about an hour. With 10-15 min to go you can preheat the oven to 225 c.

4. The dough will have doubled in size,  knead it again for a couple of minutes and then roll it into an oval shape, about 1.5-2 cm in depth, it does not have to be perfect, it's supposed to be rustic.

5. Push your fingers randomly through the dough
making large dents, drizzle liberally with olive oil, and sprinkle rock salt and fresh rosemary

6. Bake for 15-20 min and serve hot!

Suggestions for other toppings -:

I have used caramelised onions, cherry tomatoes and black olives or crushed garlic. Or you can serve it with a bowl of hot soup.

The day this picture was taken I served it simply with some lemon infused olive oil. Perfect!

Enjoy

Till next time

Ashia