All posts by Genevieve

Dukkah (Duqqa)

Condiments and Dips, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dukkah crusted tuna

Dukkah is a classic Middle Eastern blend of spices, seeds and herbs. Originating in Egypt, there is no definitive recipe, with each home and store offering their unique blend. At its most simple it is a blend of mint, salt and pepper. It can be used as a topping for meat such as salmon, tuna or chicken, but can also be used as a dipping for bread (turkish flat bread is a good choice) or vegetables for a crunchy starter.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp Cloves
  • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • Handful of chopped pine nuts, toasted
  • Handful of chopped almonds, toasted
  • Handful of chopped cashew nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 tbsp White sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp Black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Toast the seeds in a a pan for around 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  2. Transfer the seeds to a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind until you have a coarse powder.
  3. Transfer to a little bowl, add all other ingredients and mix.
  4. Use as a topping for meat, or with olive oil as a dipping for bread or vegetables

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Intergalactic Lovers – Little Heavy Burdens

Dukkah Crusted Tuna

Dinner, , , , , , , ,

Dukkah crusted tuna

Dukkah (duqqa) is an Egyptian mix of nuts and spices. There is no definitive recipe, with the exact mix of nuts, herbs and spices varying from home to home and shop to shop. Dukkah can be used as a topping for meat (we have used this version with tuna, salmon and chicken), or as dip with bread or vegetables. It is very simple to make, and can keep for a couple of weeks in an air tight container.

Ingredients

  • 2 tuna or salmon fillets
  • Coconut oil for pan frying

For the dukkah:

  • 1/2 tsp Cloves
  • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • Handful of chopped pine nuts, toasted
  • Handful of chopped almonds, toasted
  • Handful of chopped cashew nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 tbsp White sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp Black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Toast the seeds in a a pan for around 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  2. Transfer the seeds to a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind until you have a coarse powder.
  3. Transfer to a little bowl, add all other ingredients and mix.
  4. Place a generous amount of dukkah on the tuna or salmon fillets (top side only)
  5. Fry the fish fillets – skin side first – for a couple of minutes until done.
  6. Serve with Korean carrot salad and (cauliflower) rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Bony King – Wild Flowers

Persian Stuffed Poussin

Dinner, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Persian stuffed Poussin

We love Middle Eastern Food! There are so many rich flavours and ingredients to explore that we never tire of exploring its kitchen. The Persian (Iranian) kitchen uses liberal doses of pistachios, dates, figs and pomegranates. What is not to love? 

Inspired by the tastes of Persia and the Middle East, this stuffed Poussin or Chicken is very rich in flavour with dates, prosciutto and mixed nuts combining to make a very rich stuffing. It was delicious with the Persian Avocado Salad that we created to go with it too!

Ingredients

  • 1 large poussin (or small chicken)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • handful of thyme sprigs (exact amount does not matter as it will just add aroma)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp ghee or butter

Stuffing

  • 75g pitted dates
  • 30g blenched almonds
  • 30g cashew nuts
  • 2 slices parma ham / prosciutto

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees fahrenheit)
  2. Chop up all of the ingredients for the stuffing into small pieces. Alternatively, place all stuffing ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop roughly.
  3. Stuff the poussin (or chicken) with the mixture and tie the bird closed using kitchen string.
  4. Place the bird breast side down into an oven tray and brush with coconut oil, ghee and 1/2 the lemon juice. Sprinkle over a pinch of course sea salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
  5. Add the garlic (unpeeled) and the thyme to the tray.
  6. Place the tray in the oven and bake for around 35 minutes depending on the size of your bird. It should be golden brown and crispy on the side that is visible to you when you open the oven.
  7. Turn the bird over and baste with the rest of the lemon juice and a little more coconut oil. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until the top of the chicken is also golden brown and crispy.
  8. When the chicken is ready, leave it to rest for a few minutes before carving and serving it.
  9. Serve with the Persian Avocado salad and some sweet potato chips from the Air Fryer

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Bony King – Wild Flowers

Persian Avocado Salad

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Persian Avocado Salad

OK, so we can’t actually promise that this is an authentic Persian Salad. It isn’t. It was dreamed up in our kitchen while we were making Stuffed Poussin and needed a salad to go with it. But it is inspired by the tastes of the Middle East, and Persia in particular. The figs and dates combined with the nuts give a very rich salad, that is contrasted by the freshness of the salad. You can use whichever salad greens you happen to have in the house. Mesclun salad or rocket would be a good choice, but any other lettuce would also work. The parma ham / prosciutto can be omitted to make the meal vegetarian or vegan. 

Ingredients

  • 250g of lettuce greens – mesclun salad, rocket lettuce, or other lettuce of your choice
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 150g pumpkin
  • coconut oil
  • 2 slices of parma ham / prosciutto, chopped (optional)
  • 25g cashews, chopped and toasted
  • 25g almonds, chopped
  • 25g pinenuts, chopped
  • 2 chopped dates, chopped
  • 2 dried figs, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • pinch of coarse sea salt

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (420 degrees Fahrenheit)
  2. Wash the lettuce greens and add them to a bowl
  3. Place the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a glass and stir vigorously to combine into a vinaigarette. Pour over the lettuce greens and toss to coat all the leaves.
  4. Cut the pumpkin into roughly 1cm square chunks. Place on a roasting dish in the oven. Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt and cook in the oven for 20 minutes until a fork pricks easily through the pumpkin and the edges have turned golden. Alternatively, toss the pumpkin in 1 tsp of coconut oil, sprinkle with sea salt and cook in an Air Fryer for 10 minutes on 220 degrees Celsius. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before adding to the salad to avoid the greens from wilting.
  5. Chop up the dates, all the nuts and the parma ham. Fry them together in a pan over a moderate heat with a little coconut oil until golden and crispy. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the salad greens
  6. Chop the figs into small pieces and sprinkle over the salad as well.
  7. Fry the sesame seeds in a dry pan over a moderate heat until they turn golden, stirring all the time to avoid burning. It will take only 2 minutes.
  8. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and a little coarse sea salt over the salad.
  9. Enjoy on its own as a light meal, or serve together with Persian Stuffed Poussin

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Hills Like Elephants – The Endless Charade

 

Prawns in Chilli Garlic Oil

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , ,

Prawns in chilli garlic oil

Sometimes you really don’t feel like cooking, but that doesn’t mean that you want to eat boring. Or at least we don’t. We had a bag of frozen prawns in the freezer, enough in the fridge to make a salad, and sweet potatoes. 

The garlic, chilli oil that the prawns are cooked in takes a fragrance from the chilli and garlic, but does not become spicy. Using large sized chillies also makes sure that it is not hot from the chilli either. 

Ingredients

  • 20-25 large prawns, shelled, de-veined, but with tails still on
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 large red chillies, cut into small rounds
  • 5 large garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
  • large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
  • pinch of sea salt
  • a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in the frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the garlic and fry until they start to brown
  2. Add the chilli and fry for a couple of minutes more.
  3. Scoop out the garlic and discard it. Add the prawns to the pan.
  4. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
  5. Fry the prawns until they have changed colour from grey to red, and have started to gain a golden colour.
  6. Add the coriander to the pan and stir quickly before removing the pan from the oven.
  7. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
  8. Makes a good meat dish alongside a meal salad and sweet potato chips

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Neil Young, Promise of the Real – A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop

Moroccan Snack Bars

Snacks, , , , , , , , , , ,

Moroccan Bars

We love to have some healthy snacks in the fridge to get us through those moments when the next meal is just a little bit far off for our stomachs. These bars have no artificial ingredients or sugars, and are made of whole nuts and dried fruits. It is a good idea to check the ingredients list on dried fruits though, because sometimes oils are used in the drying process, sugars are added, or chemicals are used. We try to avoid all of these, and figs and dates seem to be the most easy of dried fruits to find without these additives.

These snack bars aren’t an authentic recipe from Morocco, but rather a bar that is inspired by the fruits and nuts that grow so well in this very fertile country. Famous for almonds, apricots, pistachios, figs and dates, the Moroccan kitchen is full of flavour.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried dates, chopped
  • 1 cup dried figs, chopped
  • 1/4 cup blanched almonds
  • 1/4 cup pistachios
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup cashew nuts

Directions

  1. Dry roast the pine nuts in a frying pan over a moderate heat. Toast until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan.
  2. Dry roast the almonds and cashew nuts in a frying pan over a moderate heat. Toast until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan.
  3. Place all of the nuts in a food processor with the metal knife blade inserted. Pulse until the nuts are finely chopped.
  4. Add the fruits to the food processor and turn the speed up to a medium speed. Process for about 1 minute until the fruits and nuts are all finely chopped and start to stick together.
  5. Grease a metal tray with a little coconut oil. Pour the mixture onto the tray and press down firmly with your hands to form a large square / rectangular shape. You need to press quite firmly to press all of the mixture together.
  6. Place in the fridge for an hour
  7. Cut into bar shapes and store in an airtight plastic container between layers of greaseproof baking paper.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify:

Healthy Snack Balls

Snacks, , , , , , , , ,

Fig, date, mixed nut, healthy snack balls

We like to have some healthy snacks in the fridge that we can call upon when we are getting a bit grumpy before dinner is ready. These snack balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Given that they are made of all shelf stable ingredients, they are also a perfect addition to kids lunchboxes. You could also add cacao nibs or roll them in desiccated coconut for a couple of variations.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mixed nuts (eg brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts)
  • 1 cup dried figs, stem removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup dried dates, roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Place the nuts in a foodprocessor with the metal chopping blade inserted. Chop the nuts for about 1 minute to small chunks
  2. Add the figs and dates to the foodprocessor and process further until all the ingredients are finely chopped. It may start to form a ball.
  3. Form the mixture into balls by squishing it tightly between your hands, and then rolling them between your hands into a uniform shape
  4. You could also roll the balls in desiccated coconut if you would like to vary the recipe.
  5. Store in a container in the fridge. Makes around 15 balls.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Ewert and the Two Dragons – Circles

Green Mango Salad

Dinner, , , , , , , , ,

Green Mango Salad

We love Thai food and this green mango salad is a simplified version that is made sugar and soy free through the use of maple syrup and coconut aminos. It is great served with a Thai Green Chicken Curry or a Thai Pumpkin and Mushroom Curry.

Ingredients

  • Coconut oil
  • 5 red shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 cm fresh galangal, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped (deseeded when using a hot chilli)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1,5 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1/4 tsp maple syrup
  • Splash of water
  • Squeeze of lime juice
  • 1 raw green mango, peeled and cut into thin strips of 3 cm long
  • Handful fresh coriander, roughly copped
  • Few Thai basil leaves
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped and with the middle stem of the leaf removed

Directions

  1. Fry the shallots, garlic, galangal and chilli in a little coconut oil for about three minutes.
  2. Add the coconut aminos, maple syrup, water and lime juice and give it a stir.
  3. Take the pan of the heat and add the mango, coriander, basil and kaffir lime.
  4. Mix well and serve with grilled salmon, Thai Green Chicken Curry or a Thai Pumpkin and Mushroom Curry.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Midlake – Antiphon

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Dinner, , , , , , , , ,

Thai Green Chicken Curry

A Thai curry is a very regular event at our table. It is one of our go to, mid week meals. We love to spice it up. You can adjust the spiciness with how much curry paste you add, and it depends on how spicy the paste is that you use as well, so do experiment a little to vary it to your own taste. We make our own paste, but we also have found a very good paste from a Thai supermarket that avoids any nasty ingredients as well. Up to you which you prefer.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut cream
  • 1-2 Tbsp green curry paste (store bought, or see the separate recipe to make your own Green Curry Paste)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp fish sauce – check the label carefully to make sure it is just fish and salt and does not have other nasty ingredients (or use vegan fish sauce if you are vegetarian or vegan)
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized portions.
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 handfuls pea aubergines
  • 6-8 apple aubergines, cut into wedges
  • (If you can’t find the pea and apple aubergines then use green beans, mushrooms and regular aubergines instead or any other vegetable that you like)
  • large handful of Thai basil
  • few kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 large red chillies, cut on the diagonal to give slices

Directions

  1. Put the coconut cream into a frying pan, add the curry paste. Cook over a moderate heat for a minute or two. Keep on stirring to make sure it does not stick or burn.
  2. Add the coconut milk and water and stir well to combine
  3. Season with fish sauce
  4. Add the chicken and cook slowly for about 10 minutes
  5. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes until the aubergines are cooked through
  6. Add the kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil. Stir well and simmer for another minute
  7. Remove from the heat and garnish with sliced red chillies.
  8. Serve with (cauliflower) rice and a green mango or papaya salad

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Brooklyn Brothers – The Album

Thai Pumpkin and Mushroom Curry

Dinner, , , , , , , , , ,
Thai curry with mushrooms and pumpkin
This recipe has become one of our go to staple dinners. We keep a pot of homemade Thai curry paste in the fridge (it lasts a couple of weeks) and whip this up as a quick after work meal together with rice or cauliflower rice.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the curry paste. Fry until the paste becomes fragrant.
  2. Add the coconut milk and stir.
  3. Add fish sauce, water and vegetables and bring to the boil.
  4. Cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are done.
  5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, stir and serve with rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: William Fitzsimmons – Gold in the Shadow