Garden Vegetable Salad with Soft Boiled Eggs

I call this my Garden Salad because the majority of the ingredients  are vegetables that I've grown in my garden at one time or another.  Of course living on a boat I no longer have access to a garden, although I do grow herbs in little planters onboard.  

As a twist you can substitute the feta cheese with Mozzarella or any other cheese that you may prefer.  I deliberately left onion and garlic out of the dish as an experiment to see whether I could produce a tasty salad dish without either of those strong flavors.  I habitually add onion and garlic as staples to most of my vegetable and salad dishes, and raw onion can leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth for some time after a meal. So this dish was very much an experiment, it turned out to be really delicious, fresh and filling with great textures. The softness of the eggs, crunch of the celery and pecans, sweetness from the dates, freshness from the tomatoes and spinach, and earthy flavors from the asparagus and green beans, worked really well, the combination of flavor and texture was divine.

This salad makes enough for 8 people as a light lunch, or 4-6 people  for dinner.

Ingredients      

1 cup Pearl Barley
3 cups Vegetable Stock
6 Asparagus Spears
12 Green Beans, stems trimmed
4 Free Range Eggs
6 Medjoul Dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
I Red Bell Pepper, julienned
2 cups Spinach (or Baby Kale)
2 Celery stalks, chopped
3/4 cup Pecans, Toasted
Handful of Cilantro, roughly chopped
4 oz Feta Cheese crumbles
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste


Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium size saucepan, add the pearl barley, place the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 30 - 35 minutes, then drain any liquid left in the pan, (most of it should have been absorbed) and set aside.

In a large saute pan bring about 1" water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat,  and plunge the asparagus into a bowl of ice water for 1 minute, to stop the cooking and retain the color drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water  to a boil, and add the green beans, cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat,  and plunge the green beans into a bowl of ice water for 1 minute, to stop the cooking and retain the color drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

In a medium size saucepan, bring 1" of water to a boil.  Add the eggs one at a time carefully not to crack the shell, (the water should come about 1/4 way up the side of the egg, as you are steaming not boiling) replace the lid and continue to steam the eggs at a gentle boil for exactly 7 minutes.  Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking. Remove from the ice water, peel the eggs and set aside.

To assemble
In a large salad bowl add the rest of the ingredients except the balsamic vinegar, oil, salt & pepper,  add the pearl barley and toss to combine.
Cut the asparagus spears and green beans into 2" lengths, and add to the salad bowl, drizzle over the balsamic and oil, grate the salt and pepper (to taste) over the salad and toss well to combine coating the vegetables with the oil & vinegar.
Slice the eggs in half and place yolk side up around the edge of the salad.

Serve with slices of a freshly baked baguette drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy :)

Poached Strawberries & Rhubarb Panna Cotta

I'm always looking for different flavors for Panna Cotta, and the mix here of strawberries and rhubarb with the creamy panna cotta is devine and so easy to make.  Make it a day ahead of serving.  It's perfect as a light dinner party desert.

Ingredients:

 Panna Cotta
16 ounces heavy cream
1 Vanilla pod, sliced lengthways
2 ounces caster sugar
2 sheets of gelatine, soaked in water

Poached Strawberries & Rhubarb
5 ounces strawberries
5 ounces sugar syrup
2 thick stalks rhubarb

Mint to garnish.

Method:

Panna Cotta
Bring the cream with the split vanilla pod and sugar to a boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the stove, squeeze out the soaked gelatine sheets and dissolve in the hot cream, stir well to combine.  Pour the liquid through a sieve and fill small ramekins. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Poached Strawberries & Rhubarb
Puree the strawberries with the cream and sugar and press through a sieve.  Wash the rhubarb , and cut into 1" size pieces.  Spread out in a deep ovenproof dish and cover with the strawberry puree.  Poach in the oven (350f) for approx 15 - 20 minutes.

To Serve:
Dip the ramekins with the Panna cotta mix into hot water and untold onto a plate.  Arrange the rhubarb and strawberry mix around the Panna Cotta and spoon over a little strawberry sauce.  Garnish with a sprig of mint

The Perfect Egg

The Perfect Egg

I've been trying to cook the perfect egg for a while now, but (excuse the pun) I think I've finally cracked it :)

I hate overcooked eggs, I like my sunny side up yolk to be runny, my soft boiled egg to eat with toast fingers to be very runny (yolk only) and my medium boiled eggs (as in the photograph) to be cooked but still soft. 

So, many eggs later here are my findings:

To cook a perfect runny egg, using a medium heavy based saucepan with a lid,  take the egg (1 or up to 6) from the fridge and place it carefully into 3/4" of fast boiling water, (so you're basically steaming it) put the lid on the pan, and set the timer to 5 minutes. At exactly 5 minutes remove from the pan and drop into cold water for 10 seconds (to stop the cooking) before placing the egg in an egg cup,  serve with the top cut off with toast fingers.

For the perfect medium boiled egg (as in the photo) place the eggs (up to 6 at a time) into 3/4" fast boiling water, put the lid on the pan, and set the timer for 7 minutes, remove the egg (or eggs) from the pan, and as before drop into ice cold water for 10 seconds before peeling the shells off.

For a Hard Boiled Egg, as used in Deviled eggs.  Follow the method exactly as described above, but steam the eggs for 10 minutes

I found that this method of steaming the eggs makes them not only perfectly cooked, but very easy to peel.  One of the problems with trying to cook perfect eggs if you're cooking more than one, is that if you have a pan full of boiling water, the water temperature drops significantly when you add the eggs, this interferes with the cooking time, by steaming the eggs in only 3/4" water the temperature changes very little, and not enough to interfere with the timing of the cooking.

Enjoy:)

Roast Butternut Squash, Pearl Barley & Runner Bean Salad

1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/4”/3-cm cubes.

or you could use Pumpkin

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for roasting
4 cups Organic Vegetable Stock
1 cup/200g Organic Pearl barley
1 oz butter, salted

14 oz/400g Green Beans, topped but not tailed, 

3 1/2 oz / 100g Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in oil), roughly chopped

20 pitted Black Olives

1 tbsp Capers

1 Red Onion, sliced thinly 

1 bunch Fresh Basil, roughly chopped

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

Himalayan Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 200C/400F Gas 6.  Toss the butternut squash with a little olive oil and salt in a roasting pan.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until soft but not disintegrating.

Heat the vegetable stock in a pan until boiling, add the butter and pearl barley and turn down the heat, cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes, you want the barley to be al dente, but not chalky or overly chewy. When its ready drain and set aside.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. 

Prepare a bowl of iced water. 

Once the beans are cooked drain the beans and drop them into the iced water. the refreshing process halts the cookie and maintains the vibrant green color.

To assemble the salad, mix the pearl barley with the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, red onion, basil & garlic. Add this to the butternut squash and green beans, and stir gently until well combined, drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

Enjoy :)

Stuffed Aubergines with White Wine, Cheese & Tomatoes

2 large Aubergines, cut lengthwise into 16 pieces

2 tbsp Olive Oil (for brushing)

1 loaf White Bread

2 balls of Mozzarella about 4oz each (125 grams)

7ozs (200 grams) Parmesan Reggiano Cheese, roughly grated

large bunch Flat Leaf Parsley

2 Garlic cloves, 1 chopped

1lb (500grams) Cherry Tomatoes

3 tbsp Olive Oil

6ozs White wine

Basil leaves

1 tbsp chopped Thyme

Salt & Pepper

Brush all the aubergine slices with the olive oil and grill until golden but not burned. Tear the center out of the loaf of bread, (the crust can be frozen for later use as breadcrumbs) and tear into pieces. 

Put the bread into a food processor with most of the mozzarella and Parmesan, all the parsley and one whole clove of Garlic. Season the mixture, then blitz to a sticky crumbly  mix.

Make 16 balls about the size of a large marble, now roll the aubergine slices around the balls, and pack the rolls into a baking dish.  Try to use a dish that the rolls fit snugly into in a single layer.

Now make the sauce. Squash all the tomatoes or cut them in half.  Simmer them in 3 tbsp of Olive Oil in a heave based pan for 15 minutes with the chopped garlic.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F Gas Mark 6.  Add the white wine, basil leaves and thyme to the sauce and reduce for 5 minutes more then pour the over the aubergines. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan over the dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with a green salad, and a good Sauvignon Blanc preferably from New Zealand

Enjoy :)

Root Mash with Wine-Braised Shallots

This absolutely devine dish from Yotam Ottolenghi is just too delicious for words, you simply have to try it. It’s not a complicated dish and if you love your root vegetables this will deliver.  (I use my ricer for mashing the vegetables, I find it gives the mash a decadent, smooth texture). For more fabulous recipes from this amazing chef look for his books: “Plenty”,  “Plenty More” & ” Jerusalem”. 

Root Mash with Wine-Braised Shallots

1/2 cup/80g Puy lentils

1/2large Celery Root (Celaric) peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups, 300g)

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups, 300g)

1/2 Kabocha Squash, (or Butternut Squash, or pumpkin) peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups, 300g)

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 4 cups, 600g)

5 tbsp/70g unsalted butter, diced 

Braised Shallots:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 1/2 lbs/600g Shallots, peeled and left whole

1 2/3 cups/400ml Red Wine

1 cup/200ml Vegetable stock

2 Bay Leaves

1 tsp Black peppercorns,

4 Thyme Sprigs

1 tbsp Superfine sugar

2 tbsp/30g unsalted butter

Start with the shallots. Place the oil in a saucepan and place over high heat.  Add the shallots and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until colored all over.  Add the wine, stock, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, sugar and 3/4 tsp salt.  Cover, turn down the heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 hour.  Remove the lid, increase the heat, and boil for about 8 minutes, until the remaining liquid is reduced by half.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the shallots from the pan and keep them somewhere warm.  Stir the butter into the sauce and set aside until ready to use.

Bring a saucepan of water to a  boil over high heat, add the lentils, turn down the heat to medium, and simmer for about 25 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.

For the mash, half fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Add the celery root and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the squash and sweet potatoes and cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are cooked.

Drain the vegetables, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and mash well with a potato masher.  Add the butter, maple syrup, cumin,cooked lentils, 1 tsp salt, and plenty of black pepper.  Mix well and then divide the warm mash among the serving plates.  Top with the shallots, spoon the sauce over the top and serve at once.

Daisy's Falafal

1 cup Dried Chickpeas  (or 1, 14 oz can chickpeas)

1 small red Onion

3 garlic Cloves

1 small Red Chili, seeds removed

2 tbsp Ground Coriander

2 tbsp Ground Cumin

2 tsp Black sesame Seeds

2 tsp White sesame Seeds

large bunch Fresh Cilantro

large bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

2 slices Rustic White Bread, crusts removed

1/4 cup Cashews

4 tbsp Olive Oil

light Olive Oil, for frying

Himalayan salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For dried chickpeas, rinse well and leave to soak in plenty of water, overnight. To omit this step you can cheat and use canned chickpeas, but I always find the dried have better texture and flavor.

Drain the chickpeas well, and put into a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients except the light olive oil, and pulse to a rough paste.  Do not overblend or you will end up with a sticky, gooey mess.

The falafel should have a  rough texture. Put the mix into a bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes, this makes it easier to roll into balls.

Heat the light olive oil to 180 degrees (350F), in a deep fat fryer.  

Using a tablespoon, scoop some falafel mix and roll into a ball in your hands. Repeat until all mix is used. you should have about 20 - 30 balls.

Fry in small batches, for about 3 - 5 minutes, until deep golden brown, be careful not to burn them, but cook long enough for the falafel to be cooked throughly.

note: The uncooked mix will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Serve immediately with Mango Chutney, Tzatziki  or a mild curry sauce, garnish with micro leaves 

Enjoy :)

How To Eat Meat! (if you must)

It is constantly being said that our health is affected, detrimentally by eating too much meat.  On the other hand, there is ever more sophisticated and intense rearing that’s designed to encourage us to eat more. Unfortunately, the result of this type of farming is an obvious decline in the welfare and quality of our meat.  

I believe that if people were truly aware of how animals are raised in intensive farms, with all the hormones, medications and chemicals they’re injected with and fed on to increase growth, there would be a steep decline in meat consumption.  After all, what goes into the animal eventually passes into the person who eats that meat.

The only way to guarantee better quality meat and a better quality of life for these creatures would be to cut down on the ammount of meat we consume.  This would eventually end intensive farming, a cruel process that does not allow the animal to grow or mature correctly.  Meat would of course, become more expensive, though that too would help manage the levels of consumption.  But just think of the compensation of eating a juicy steak, or rack of lamb with its remarkable quality and flavour.  Meat should be a treat, not something on our everyday menu.

The flavour of Organic Free range meat from animals with freedom to roam in fields or orchards is impossible to beat.

And frankly, meat should be expensive - you can’t put a cheap price on the life of an animal, especially if its welfare is at stake.  So next time you go to reach for a packet of cheap plastic wrapped meat from the supermarket, it might be worth thinking of the consequences of what you’re doing.  Buy your meat from your local butcher, speak to him and find out where your meat comes from and how it’s been treated, both in it’s life and after it. 

After all if we’re going to eat meat we should be getting the best out of it and doing it with a clean conscience. 

Vegetarian or What? In a Nutshell:

I tell everyone that I’m a vegetarian, because I get ridiculously excited about fresh, organic vegetables, (this may stem from my living on a boat in the Islands, where so many of my favorite vegetables and fruits are unavailable or limited), so I go a little crazy when I find a colorful, well stocked farmers market.  Local farmers markets are just about my favorite hang out.  

The bulk of my diet is vegetarian, although I still eat meat and fish, but only occasionally, and only from humanly Organicaly reared animals.  Animals that have been allowed to roam freely in fields untreated with pesticides and chemicals therefor living in a natural environment, rather than mass produced livestock reared in cramped inhumane cages.  On balance, a stressed, improperly reared animal is not likely to be good for us, or taste good.  The type of feed, use of medications and the space an animal has been allowed to roam on all have an impact on their health and must surely negatively impact ours.  Convincing evidence from years and years of research prove that you can lower your risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer by increasing your fruit and vegetable intake.

While anecdotal evidence is easy to find, the argument for less meat is now heavily backed up by medical research.  Everybody generally knows that vegetables, especially greens, which are abundant in vitamins and minerals, are good for us, but the story goes a lot deeper.

Phytochemical's found in plants, are another explanation for the incredible health benefits of fruits and vegetables.  These chemical’s are what give plants their pigment, smell and more importantly flavor.

A number of research papers look at the effects of Phytochemical's on bone health, inflammation and even cancer.  We’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to investigating just how influential these thousands of bioactive compounds are to human health.  Looking at the associations between food and disease, the positive impact of diets largely based on plants and whole foods is indisputable.  This is why they make up the bulk of my diet, and why they should feature heavily on yours, too.  A Simple carrot or apple is  brimming with phytochemical’s such as quercetin and carotene.  These simple, affordable and accessible foods are key to good health.  Eating a plate of colorful plants is the easiest way to guarantee a complete range of essential phytochemical’s.

Animal products are an easy and delicious source of complete protein, key micronutrients such as zinc and vitamin B12 are nutritional qualities that are very hard to obtain in a purely plant-based diet.    You don’t have to give up meat to adopt a healthier lifestyle, simply eat it less, be choosey with what you buy, and appreciate it more.  I treat meat and animal products as a luxury item, and enjoy them much more as an occassional treat rather than something eaten on a daily basis.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible, and read the ingredients label. My son’s girlfriend Paige, takes ages to shop as she reads the label on everything.  You want to look for more protein (10g or more per serving) and fibre, less sugar and calories. The ingredients list usually lists in order of highest amounts first.  If a food lists sugar or glucose as the first ingredient, it’s best avoided. Paige say’s if she doesn’t recognize the ingredient or can’t pronounce it, the product goes back on the shelf,  not a bad rule to live by.

Additives to avoid:

Epidemiological studies have found that higher intakes of nitrates - which are converted to nitrosamines in the body will increase your risk of cancer.  Think ham, salami, bacon, mince and sausages, where the numbers of the nitrate group  249-252 are used as a preservative to improve shelf life and enhance color.

MSG (no surprise’s here) this switches off the brain’s ability to say “I’m full” causing you to eat more than you need.  It’s associated health concerns are obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are always best avoided, diet drinks and foods are full of them.

Food Coloring

Those to avoid include blue (E133)  red (E124)  yellow (E110) and yellow tartrazine (E102)

Tip’s: 

Always try to buy organic, it’s a little more expensive but the price’s are lowering as their popularity grows.

Phytonutrients are most concentrated in the skins of vegetables, so leave the skins on wherever possible.

Most of our salt consumption comes not from added salt at the dinner table, but from hidden salt within products we buy.  So check the sodium levels, no more than 2.5g of salt or 1000mg of sodium per day.

High fibre foods make you feel full for longer, so for snacks aim for 3g or more per serving, and for main meals 6g or more.