Monday, July 12, 2010

Broccoli Salad (cole slaw)


I've been making this a lot lately. No cooking required...only a very sharp knife.

- 2 carrots, chopped thinly into cubes
- 1 broccoli head, stem sliced thinly like carrots, sprouts roughly chopped
- 1/4 c cranberries
- 1/4 c roughly chopped walnuts
- your favorite salad dressing (Cilantro ranch)

Chop everything up, dress, toss, eat...eat seconds....possibly thirds

Jamie Oliver's Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt


Another recipe from Jamie Oliver. This is really easy and quick...as long as you have time to buy all the fresh ingredients (key to success).

• Preheat your oven to 225°F
• Pop your naan breads into the oven to warm through
• Halve, deseed and finely chop your chilli
• Peel and halve your cucumber lengthways, then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds
• Roughly chop the cucumber and put most of it into a bowl
• Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl
• Add the yoghurt, a pinch of salt and pepper and half the chopped chilli
• Pick the coriander leaves and put to one side




• Slice each salmon fillet across lengthways into three 1.5cm wide slices
• Spoon the heaped tablespoon of tandoori paste into a small dish, then use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to smear the tandoori paste all over each piece (don’t dip your pastry brush into the jar!)
• Heat a large frying pan over a high heat
• Once hot, add a lug of olive oil, put the salmon into the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side, until cooked through




• Place a warmed naan bread on each plate
• Top each one with a good dollop of cucumber yoghurt and 3 pieces of salmon
• Scatter over a little of the reserved cucumber, chilli and coriander leaves and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice



I love you Jamie!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Jamie Oliver's Best Ever French Beans


On the way home from the Jersey shore I stopped at a farmers' market. The green beans were so beautifully green; grabbed a bundle along with some plums, blue berries, cherries and peaches. Found this recipe in Jamie's Food Revolution.

1 1/4 green beans
1 1/2 grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt

Wash beans and snap off stalks. Add to saucepan of boiling water with a pinch of salt. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserve water. Add evoo and garlic to saucepan, when golden brown add beans and jiggle pan around to coat beans. Add a ladleful of reserved water, cheese and lemon juice. Stir and simmer until water and cheese starts to form an oozy, sticky sauce, remove from heat and serve.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Lemon Olive-Oil Cake


Recipe from Epicurious. Light and fluffy, great summer dessert. LOVE the springform pan.

* 3/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan
* 1 large lemon
* 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
* 5 large eggs, separated, reserving 1 white for another use
* 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped or slivered almonds, toasted
* Powdered sugar (about 1 cup, but you can measure as you go)
* Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease springform pan with some oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Oil parchment.

Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons and whisk together with flour. Halve lemon, then squeeze and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup) and reserved lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.

Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.



Transfer batter to springform pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer cake to a serving plate.

Mix powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to create a thin glaze. Pour glaze over cake. Top cake with toasted almonds and serve.