Naan Bread
So easy to make...
Continuing in my "breads of the world" series..ok..I made that part up, I wanted to feature a simple no yeast bread that can really be enjoyed at any time. Many are familiar with naan bread as an accompaniment to Indian food. It has a perfect softness that allows you to tear it up and scoop curries with it. I also don't mind it on its own as long as it has some kind of flavour attached to it. Traditionally it is cooked in a tandoor oven but it can easily be made at home. I tell you, when I get my perfect kitchen designed it will have a tandoor in it!
This recipe came about in a number of ways. I wanted to indulge in some traditional Indian fare, namely curries so I could experiment with all the wonderful flavours and spices. Also, don't forget with winter approaching here in Australia, a curry is the perfect winter warming cuisine. Anyway, Allen had recently been doing a series of posts on Indian food after he had discovered the wonderful Anjum Anand. I was fascinated with her very easy approach to Indian food and how simple she made it look. At around the same time, Mango Power Girl, who is one of my favourite foodie bloggers did a post on making naan bread following Anjum's recipe. So the signs were there! Talk about criss cross blogging!..or whatever you want to call it! Anjum is really wonderful. After a bit of research I discovered she was being referred to as the "Indian Nigella"....ummm..I don't think so. Maybe the glamour factor might come into play in the comparison, but I certainly didn't see Anjum in a "summery dress" twirling about the English countryside making strawberry lemonade and sipping it seductively, as the camera pans on her red lips! (don't get me wrong..I like Nigella, I just wish the camera would focus on her food rather than her body parts!).
But I digress...
Dress the naan up with a number of spices
The recipe for the naan bread can be found here. There really isn't any reason for me to repeat it as I followed Anjum's to a tee. I only doubled the ingredients to make more (yes the king of carbs like his breads!) and I varied the spices a little. Some I topped with caraway seeds, others with cumin....Just get creative. In fact this bread is so easy to make you could even add Mediterranean toppings to it...think oregano/thyme/basil garlic etc...I ended up serving mine with some North Indian curry, which I also made using Anjum's recipes. It was great but I didn't really want to focus on the curry. As you know, there are thousands of recipes for that in the blogosphere. Also, just a side note be sure to consume the bread on the day. It doesn't do too well the day after...
"Let's Break Bread!"...Olive Flatbread
Plump Kalamata olives with herbs
Call me "King of The Carbs!". That's right. If there is one simple pleasure I cannot live without it has to be bread. Whether it be a sourdough with its crusty exterior and sour like taste, a good golden brioche from Germany or Australia's very own "damper" . I'm a sucker for it! It was always present at the dinner table growing up. Whilst bread has received a lot of negative press in recent years due to the "no carb" following it was never going to disappear completely. These days I vary the types I eat depending on my mood. But I usually end up with a wholemeal sourdough loaf. I love it toasted and dipped in extra virgin olive oil and dipped in za'tar . Or I end up making bruscetta. Or paninis...the list goes on and I don't want to bore you!
I've managed to make bread from scratch a few times. With varying mixed results. I got into a period a few years back where all I did was bake bread for a whole week and gave it to all the neighbours...all for "testing" of course! It was only recently when I made tsourekia, that I got inspired again. And it sort of freaked me out. My first batch turned out like bricks. Of course on closer inspection I had been using out of date packet yeast, so there was my answer. All the memories came flooding back about how bread making from scratch is like an exact science. The environment has to be warm enough to let the bread prove, the water can't be too hot when you blend it with the yeast, using the correct flour with a high gluten content etc...But nonetheless I enjoy the challenge and the feel of kneading the dough and giving it a good bash about! Nothing like letting your frustrations out!
A few loves for all to enjoy
When I picked up some Kalamata olives up the other day, I knew that i wanted to make some kind of olive bread with these. I looked through my extensive library of books and mags but in the end I settled for a recipe on an Australian website found here. This website is an archive from all the foodie magazines released here in Australia with tons of free recipes. I pretty much followed the recipe except for a few things: I didn't use fresh rosemary on mine. I just used a mixture of dried herbs that I scattered over the flatbread. Also, they call theirs a "focaccia" whereas mine didn't really puff up on the second proving as much. It still worked out ok and was a little flatter, hence me taking the creative licence to name it a flatbread. It kept for a few days too. All I did was reheat it in the oven wrapped in foil and drizzle it with some extra virgin olive oil again. I just love biting into it and feeling the plump, salty taste of the olives and the distinct taste of the olive oil.
After this little experiment. I got crazy again and decided to make some Indian flatbreads or naan...we'll save that for a few posts time.
Thank You & Thank You!!!
Firstly, the lovely and talented Marianna handed me a Big E! For Excellent. Just wanted to say thank you to her. My manager will be in contact shortly. Secondly, The lovely chica Nuria, who hails from the very vibrant city of Barcelona and Helen from the Uk, have handed me the "Arte Y Pico" Award. It honours fellow bloggers for their creativity and their contribution to the food blogging community. Nuria and Helen, I really want to say "THANK YOU" out loud so the whole blogosphere can hear me! I really do appreciate it and the fact that you thought of me.
Now comes the hard part. I wont pass on the E! award because everyone I know has one already. That solves that. The "Arte Y Pico" award should really be given to ALL food bloggers. Yes I know that sounds cliched like in a "I wish world peace to all nations" kinda way, but I really mean it. Food blogging is a serious business these days. It can take a lot out of you. WE WORK HARD! There's cooking, photographing and lots of recipe writing involved. We should all be awarded for our skills and talent. But I digress. This award asks me to pass it on to 5 other people. There are a whole heap of rules associated with it. I've taken these from Nuria's bog and pasted them here.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the ward itself.
4) Award-winning and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y pico"blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) To show these rules.
Here's me contemplating who to give the award to....
Without further ado, I will pass this on to the following recipients. You can pass this on if you wish or not. It's entirely up to you...No pressure! If you've already ben handed this, no worries. Just do as you wish!
Peter from Kalofagas. This man is better than any Greek cookbook I have ever laid eyes on! You will find it all at his blog. He's been doing a great job educating a lot of people about Greek culture and about food in his very unique way. Γεια σου Παντελη!
Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. Laurie is the "Superwoman" of ingredients. She highlights recipes in a way that wants me to read more. Her use of varied ingredients and the things she creates in her kitchen are outstanding. I follow her CSA box arrivals religiously and I look forward to see what she will do next. I ALWAYS learn something from her.
Ben from What's Cooking. The Mexican Powerhouse of the blogosphere! This chico takes a poblano and makes a masterpiece out of it. His blog is a wealth of information. He has sections dedicated to "health", "Ingredient of the week", and my favourite "What's Cooking World?" where guest bloggers highlight dishes from their region. Seriously, his blog is better than any glamorous cooking magazine. Check it out!
Emiline from Visions Of Sugar Plum. Emiline is the baking Maestro. Cookies, sweets, slices and pies. She has it all. Her creations are masterpieces and really, who needs Martha Stewart when you have her showcasing her baking skills! Her take on the hospitality industry is hilarious...she has some very entertaining stories. I encourage you to read her blog....but be warned. You might get very hungry!
Maraianna from Swirl and Scramble. This woman's passion for food is a 10 on the Richter scale. She LOVES food and her recipes showcase fresh ingredients in a unique way. She travels the globe taking very artistic photographs of food (of course!), people and urban culture.
There you go! All done. I've got some olive flatbreads that I need to take out of the oven...
Parsley Pesto
Parsley Pesto...very versatile
I came back from the markets the other day with bunches of fresh parsley wanting to make the classic Lebanese dish "tabouleh". A good look at the weather had me thinking otherwise. So after a change of plans I utilised the fresh parsley by making a gremolata for my lamb shanks. With the remainder of the bunch I decided to make a pesto. I had never ever thought about using parsley as a herb in pesto before. After a quick google search I found this recipe on the "Country Living" website. It sounded so fresh and I also had a whole heap of walnuts that were waiting to be used.
Let me start off by saying that I have never really had an opinion on parsley before. I always remember the "curly" variety being the star for garnishing a lot of dishes in the 70's....(yes I'm that old!). Then I discovered the "flat leaf" variety or "Italian" parsley as it was referred to. It was only until I got older and a lot more adept in the kitchen, that I truly discovered its many versatile uses. Tossed through pasta with a Napolitana sauce, used with lemon to flavour dish and of course tabouleh! It has a lot of health benefits and is very rich in anti oxidants and iron. Reading through Wikipedia I also discovered a lot of medicinal uses for it. You can see a lot more information here.
Anyway, back to the recipe at hand. This was by far one of the most tastiest pestos I have tossed through pasta in a long time. The lemon, provided the perfect zing and the toasted walnuts gave it an extra crunchiness that was just magical. Apart from being used in pasta I also smeared it on warm, freshly toasted pita bread as well. Highly addictive and dare I say delicious. So this is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb blogging event hosted by Laurie. This woman should be named Queen of the Herbs! She has so many delicious recipes and I always learn something when I read her very informative and delicious posts.
Double dipping anyone?
RECIPE FOR PARSLEY PESTO WITH WALNUTS
Again I varied the original recipe slightly. Not by much. I always encourage people to play around with their food!
- 1 cup of parsley leaves tightly packed or a big bunch with all the stems removed
- 1 cup of slightly toasted walnuts (shells removed of course!)
- 1/2 a cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 clove of crushed garlic
- juice and zest of half a lemon
- 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients except for oil in a food processor or blender. Once the ingredients have been pulsed a few times proceed to add the olive oil in a thin stream. Scoop out the mixture and toss through some warm, freshly cooked egg noodle pasta. Or smear it lavishly over flat bread or pita.
Lamb Shanks with Soft Polenta
Melt in the mouth shanks with soft polenta
I was looking to make a dish to unleash the carnivore within. One that would suit the current "cold snap" as it's referred to on the news. What's better than slow cooking some meat on the bone and mopping up all the juices with some crusty bread? Nothing! I really wanted to embrace the cooler weather with a hearty dish. I love lamb and when I saw these beauties on sale I couldn't resist. It's quite an inexpensive meal overall and paired with polenta even better. I thought about using mashed potatoes with the lamb shanks but instead paired with some really high fibre cornmeal a.k.a polenta. Polenta can be quite "bland" on its own so I jazzed mine up with some good Danish butter and some Grana Padano cheese. The final touch being heaps of cracked pepper. Jut be let it known that I used "instant" polenta. There was no way you were going to catch me sitting at the stove stirring for 45 mins. I understand that a lot of Italians consider the instant variety a "sin". Well, it was the quickest sin I've ever committed! Five mins to be exact...LOL I also forgot to mention that I garnished my lamb shanks with some gremolata. Gremolata is a blend of finely chopped flat leaf parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Its traditionally spooned on that other Italian classic osso buco. I made mine without the garlic. It gave the dish an added lift and some extra zing!
RECIPE FOR LAMB SHANKS
Again, let me emphasise that I have no "set" amount of ingredients when I cook winter type stews. I always fry my meat off first ensuring it browns all over and seals the falvours. I also make a "base" by sauteeing some diced onions or leeks with some carrot and celery in some olive oil. To this dish I also added a fresh chopped chilli and some pancetta. Once the base had become translucent I added my browned shanks in along with their juices. I then placed in a can of chopped tomatoes, about 2 cups of chicken stock and a decent amount of red wine to cover the shanks. My herbs of choice were some fresh thyme and oregano and a few bay leaves. Once this had come to a boil on the stove, I placed my "oven friendly" (no plastic handles!!!) pot into a pre heated oven. I let it sit in there for about 2-2.5 hours at 160 deg C. The result were soft, "fall of the bone" cooked shanks.
RECIPE FOR SOFT POLENTA
It's almost like watching a science experiment. The moment you take the polenta off the stove it starts to "firm" up on the plate. This is my quick and easy way to cook it.
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of full cream milk
- 1 cup of instant polenta
- 50 grams of butter
- 1/2 a cup of grated Grana Padano
- salt and pepper to taste
Place the milk and water n a medium heat and allow it to come to a boil. Stir in the polenta and stir very quickly with a wooden spoon. It will thicken almost instantly. Look for the consistency of mashed potatoes. Take off the heat an stir in the butter and cheese. Add salt to taste and heaps of cracked black pepper. You may wish to add more butter or cheese but don't over do it.
Scoop the polenta out of the pot and place it on the plate. Place shanks on top and garnish with the chopped parsley and lemon zest or "faux" gremolata.