Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Cheese Salad Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 Medium Butternut squash
100g Greek style feta cheese
80g toasted pine nuts
80g washed watercress
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Seasoning
Edible flowers or fresh herbs for garnishes

Method

Heat the oven to 160 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil and set aside. Skin and seed the butternut and cut it into medium sized/bite sized cubes. Place the cubes onto the baking tray. Finely chop the garlic and put it onto the butternut. Drizzle olive oil over the butternut, enough to coat it all lightly, and season. Place the tray into the pre heated oven and roast the butternut for 15 minutes.

Cut the feta cheese into small cubes and set aside. Wash the watercress and place it on the bottom of the dish you will be serving the salad in. Once the butternut is cooked, remove it from the oven, check the seasoning. Let the butternut cool slightly before putting it onto the watercress. Once it’s cooled, place the butternut, feta and roasted pine nuts onto the watercress, arranging it so that there is an even mix of all the ingredients everywhere on the plate

Garnish the plate with edible flowers or fresh herbs.

Bon Appétit

Courgette cake recipe

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, grated

1 large egg
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp mixed spices
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Heat a large pan on medium, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-in. (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven. Stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2
minutes. Serve hot, alone or with yoghurt and mint dressing.

Each scrumptious morsel is totally satisfying and packed with vitamin-rich zucchini, yet strikingly low in calories, carbohydrates and fat.

Makes about 12 cakes.

Bon Appétit

Roast Pork Belly Recipe

Serves: 4
Preparation: 60 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours 20 minutes

Roast pork belly

600g pork belly, skin on
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons salt flakes
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Apple puree

2 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped
Juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon sugar

Honey cider vinegar glaze

¼ cup honey
½ cup cider vinegar
 

Cider vinaigrette

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
100ml grapeseed oil
Watercress and baby mache, to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 230°C.  For roast pork belly, trim pork of excess fat and score the skin. In a dry pan roast the fennel seeds, one tablespoon of salt and the peppercorns until fragrant. Cool, and then grind finely in a pestle and mortar. Rub all over the flesh side of the pork, massaging it in well. Sprinkle the skin with about one tablespoon salt and rub in. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge, wipe of all salt and moisture. Lightly salt. Place the pork on a roasting rack with a tray of water underneath to help keep the pork moist. Roast for 2 hours or until skin is crisp and flesh is tender. Check after 45 minutes to ensure the pork crackling doesn’t burn. If it’s looking a little too brown cover the pork with foil, or reduce oven temperature to 200°C. Rest for 20 minutes and cut into rectangular serving portions.

For apple puree, place apples in a saucepan with lime juice, sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer until tender. Blend in a thermomix or blender until smooth. Check the seasoning.

For the glaze bring both the honey and cider vinegar to a boil over medium heat, simmer until the syrup thickens. For the vinaigrette mix all ingredients and whisk well until emulsified.

To serve, place pork on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Add a tablespoon of apple puree next to pork. Add watercress, top with baby mache and lightly dress with vinaigrette.

 

Bon Appétit

Strawberry and Goats Cheese Salad Recipe

Ingredients

DRESSING
60 ml olive oil
45 ml balsamic vinegar
5g poppy seeds
salt and ground pepper

SALAD
250 g fresh strawberries W
Watercress, washed
Fresh rocket leaves, washed
150 g goat's cheese or feta (look out for reduced-fat feta)

Method

Mix the dressing ingredients together. Wash, hull and halve the strawberries. Toss the strawberries in the salad dressing and macerate for at least 15 minutes. Arrange the salad leaves and cheese on a shallow plate, add the strawberry mixture and serve with crusty bread.

Bon Appétit

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

250ml strawberry puree

100g sugar
60g yolks
100ml double cream
100ml milk

Method

Bring the strawberry puree up to the boil, and then remove it from the heat. In a separate bowl mix the caster sugar and eggs yolks together. 

Bring the milk and cream up to the boil and then remove it from the heat and slowly temper in the milk and cream mixture into the eggs and sugar. Then add the strawberry puree mix.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream churner, and churn the ice cream until it has frozen, then place it in the freezer in an air tight container

Bon Appétit