Coffee and Cardamom Pound Cake

When I first saw this recipe, I was curious about the combination of coffee and cardamom. I love both coffee and cardamom but have never tried them together in a bake before. I'm so glad I did. This cake is a winner!

I made half a recipe, using a half-bundt pan. I halved all of the ingredients, except for the sugar, which I've further reduced to 100gm. The cake smells amazing while baking. I skipped the icing as we are not fond of frosting, we prefer our cakes plain. I let the baked cake sit overnight and sliced it the next day.

It was moist with soft tender crumbs. A winner! I love the combination of coffee and cardamom, balances really well together. This is one cake that I would make again.

I made half of the recipe and baked in a half-size bundt pan (6-cup capacity). The recipe below is the full recipe to be baked in a 23cm bundt pan.

Coffee and Cardamom Pound Cake
(Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh)
90ml full-fat milk, at room temperature plus an extra 20ml for the coffee
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
200gm self-raising flour
100gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
300gm caster sugar
300gm unsalted butter, soft but not oily, diced, plus extra for greasing
1-1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
1-1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 tsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Icing :
1-1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
45ml full-fat milk, warmed
240gm icing sugar, sifted
30gm unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 195C/175C Fan/Gas Mark 5. Grease and flour a 23-cm bundt tin and set aside.
2. For the cake : Place the milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and lightly whisk, just to combine.
3. Sift the flours and salt directly into the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place, then add the sugar and mix on a low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture and continue to mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. then gradually add the remaining egg mixture, in two batches, making sure the first batch is fully incorporated before adding the next. Don't worry if your batter looks slightly split ; it's due to the large proportion of eggs in the mix, but it won't affect the final result.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and divide the mixture between two bowls. Add the ground cardamom to one bowl and fold to combine. Warm the extra 20ml of milk in a small saucepan, then place in a small bowl with the coffee granules and cocoa powder. Stir until the coffee dissolves and the consistency is that of thick but pourable milk. Combine this with the cake mixture in the second bowl.
5. Spoon the two mixtures into the prepared tin in four alternate blocks, two of each colour, then use a skewer or small knife to make a zigzag-shaped swirl once through the mix, to create a marble effect. Do not be tempted to overdo the swirling as you will lose the effect of the marbling.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes. The cake tends to dome in the oven, so if this happens and you want a perfectly flat base (the top will become the bottom once it's inverted), just slice off the top to flatten it out before turning the cake out on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make the icing : Combine the coffee and warm milk in a small mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar to the coffee mixture, together with the soft butter. Whisk until smooth and thick, then spoon over the cooled cake, so that it drips unevenly down the sides. Allow the icing to set slightly before serving.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #32 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake

This month at Cookbook Countdown, we are making Tea Time Treats! You are welcome to join us. Make any tea time treats, share and link your post with Cookbook Countdown.  Head over to Cookbook Countdown for more details. 

This is a super simple, fuss-free cake to make, no need of a stand mixer! Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add some of the blueberries, stir to combine, and pour mixture into the baking pan. Scatter more blueberries over the top along with the flaked almonds, then bake. How easy is that!

I made half a recipe, reduced the sugar to 80gm, baked in a 7 inch pan for 40 minutes.

Cake is not too sweet, with tender moist crumbs. A slice is perfect with a cup of warm tea, for a lovely tea-time treat.

The full recipe can be found here

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake
(Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh)
(my adaptation for half a recipe )
90gm ground almonds
30gm desiccated coconut
80gm caster sugar
35gm self-raising flour
2 large eggs
100gm salted butter, melted, then set aside to come to room temperature
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100 gm frozen blueberries
10 gm flaked almonds

1. Grease and line a 7inch round cake pan. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Place the almonds, coconut, sugar, flour and salt (a pinch, if using unsalted butter) in a large mixing bowl and whisk to aerate and remove the lumps.
3. Place the eggs in a separate medium bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined. Pour this into the dry mix and whisk to combine. Fold in 70gm blueberries, then pour the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle the last of the blueberries on top, along with the flaked almonds, and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking, the relatively large number of eggs in the mix means that it can go from still being a little bit liquid in the centre of being well cooked in just a few minutes.
4. Set aside for 30 minutes before inverting out of the tin, removing the baking parchment and placing the cake the right way up on a serving plate. It can either be served warm with cream or set aside until cool.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #31 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Kaffir Lime Leaf Posset with Fresh Papaya

It is Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I've made a lovely dessert from Yotam Ottolenghi/Helen Goh's cookbook Sweet. It's a nice rich sweet dessert made with heavy cream. What I like about this dessert is, it is infused with the fragrance of tropical flavours ; kaffir lime leaves, limes zest, lime juice and fresh papaya, all of which are easily available over here, anytime of the year.

Fresh Kaffir lime leaves, from my garden pot. The aroma of the leaves is like no other!

Heavy cream is heated with shredded kaffir lime leaves and shreds of lime zest, then left to infuse for half an hour. Add sugar with a pinch of salt to the cream and heat until the cream bubbles and rises. I did reduce the sugar to only 4 tablespoons (about 50 gm). The original amount for the sugar is 140gm which I've guessed would be too sweet for us, that was why I started with only 4 tablespoons, and after tasting the mixture when the sugar has fully dissolved, I found that the balance is not needed, 4 tablespoons is just perfect! Strain the mixture into a heatproof measuring jug, stir in one tablespoon of lime juice, the cream will thicken, then pour into ramekins or bowls. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Right before serving, place slices of papaya on top, sprinkle with some finely grated lemon zest, with a teaspoon of lime juice in each bowl.

This posset makes a lovely after dinner dessert. It has the lovely fragrance from the kaffir lime leaves. And with the added lime zest and juice, helps cut the richness of the cream. Not too sweet, just right! We've enjoyed this dessert very much!

This lovely dessert recipe is from Sweet, a cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, or you can get the recipe at this link. The only changes I've made is to reduce the sugar to 4 tbsps (about 50gm).

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

February 2018 Potluck

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #27 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Rum and Raisin Cake

It's IHCC's first Potluck Week for 2018. I've made Rum and Raisin Cake from the cookbook Sweet by  Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Ever since I bought the book, this is the recipe I've been wanting to make, I love cakes with rum, and this cake did not disappoint.

The only change I've made is to reduce the brown sugar slightly and omitted the glaze, as I prefer eating cakes without any glaze or frosting. As long as the cake is moist, buttery and delicious, the glaze or any frosting would not be missed, at least for me.

The raisins needed to be soaked in rum the day before. 

The batter is really thick, thicker than most bundt cakes I've made, and that got me worried that the cake would be heavily densed. I was tempted to add a few tablespoons of milk, but decided to follow the recipe instead. The filled bundt pan with the batter was a weight! 

During baking, the cake almost did not rise at all, the level of the batter when filled into the pan was almost exactly that as when the cake was done baking. It smells incredibly rum-delicious when the cake was baking.

When the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, I turned the cake out of the bundt pan, and that was when I knew that the cake would be OK, as it was quite soft and tender to the touch.

This cake smells incredibly fragrant from the rum, with moist, surprisingly soft tender crumbs, maybe due to the sour cream used for the batter, and not only it is rum-fragrant, you can taste the rum too, a definite plus in my books, delicious!  I really like this cake, and would love to make a yellow version of it by replacing the raisins with sultanas and using white sugar instead of brown. 

Recipe can be found from guardian.com here, or from Sweet , page 124.

kitchen flavour's notes;
reduced brown sugar to 200gm
omitted salt, as I've used salted butter

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

January 2018 Potluck

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #25 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Fish Steaks in Chraimeh Sauce

It's Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). For this week, I've cooked with Yotam Ottolenghi, a fish dish taken from his cookbook "Jerusalem". 

According to Ottolenghi, Chraimeh is the "queen" of all dishes, just as famous as gefilte fish (another fish dish) for Tripolitan (Libyan) Jews. Families pride themselves on their particular chraimeh. This dish certainly looks delicious from the photo in the book. At a glance it looks like fish cooked in sambal sauce, but upon reading the ingredients list, it is entirely different. 

He has advised to use any type of white fish meat, the best would be large sea bass. In the recipe, he has used salmon because they are the most widely available as steaks. I have used snapper steaks. He has suggested to double the sauce since it is so tasty, so that there is more to dip with bread, or serve with couscous or rice. I have made one and a half times more of the sauce.

To prepare the sauce, first dry-toasted some caraways seeds, then ground. Caraway seeds has a lovely minty fragrant, but once they are dry-toasted, they smell incredibly nice. The ground caraway is then mixed in a food processor or blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients ; garlic, sweep paprika, ground cumin, cayenne, ground cinnamon, green chilli and oil, to a thick paste.

The fish steaks are coated with some seasoned flour, heat some oil in a skillet and sear on high heat on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove and put aside. Heat some oil in the skillet, fry the spice paste for just 30 seconds, then add some water and tomato puree. Bring to a simmer, add some sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Put the fish in the sauce, bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and cook until the fish is just done, depending on the size of the fish, about 7-11 minutes. I turned the fish halfway during cooking. Remove from the heat, take the cover off the pan and leave to cool down. Serve just warm or at room temperature, with some chopped coriander and a wedge of lemon.

This is quite delicious! We had it at room temperature and it tastes even better when I tasted it right after cooking. I did not squeeze the lemon juice over because the sauce is good as it is. But be sure to add lots of chopped coriander, it makes the dish taste even better! 

Salmon Steaks In Chraimeh Sauce
(adapted from "Jerusalem", by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)
110ml sunflower oil
3 tbsp plain flour
4 salmon steaks, on the bone, about 950gm (I use snapper)
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp caraway seeds, dry-toasted and freshly ground
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 tsp cayenne
1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
150ml water
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp caster sugar
1 lemon, cut into four wedges, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice (1 tablespoon lemon juice)
2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
salt and black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a large frying pan for which you have a lid. Place the flour in a shallow bowl, season generously with salt and pepper then toss the fish in it. Shake off the excess flour and sear on a high heat for a minute or two on each side, until golden. Remove the fish and wipe the pan clean.

Place the garlic, spices, chilli and 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a food processor and blitz to form a thick paste. You might need to add a little bit more of the oil to bring everything together.

Pour the remaining oil into the fyring pan, heat well and add the spice paste. Stir and fry it for just 30 seconds, so that the spices don't burn. Quickly but carefully (it may spot!), add the water and tomato puree to stop the spices cooking. Bring to a simmer and add the sugar, lemon juice, 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Taste for seasoning.

Put the fish in the sauce, bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and cook for 7-11 minutes, depending on the size of the fish, until it is just done. Remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and leave to cool down. Serve the fish just warm or at room temperature, garnished with coriander and a wedge of lemon.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

IHCC September Potluck!

Baked Okra With Tomato and Ginger

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is, "Monthly Featured Chef : Yotam Ottolenghi".  It has been awhile since I last cook with Ottolenghi's recipes. This monthly featured chef theme is a great way to revisit these chefs again.

During one weekend a few weeks ago while I was at my sister's house, I was browsing through her cookbooks shelves and was so jealous that she has a copy of "Ottolenghi, The Cookbook", that I sneaked it home! Haha! OK, so I borrowed the book from her, since she is not using it at the moment. After looking through this book, I knew which recipe I wanted to try first, Baked Okra With Tomato And Ginger. 

I had another round of okra harvest, and their productive stage is coming to an end soon. Okra is one of our favourite and we have been enjoying them, cooked in various ways. Last month, I've made Madhur Jaffrey's, Okra with Potatoes. This month's Ottolenghi's okra dish is a new favourite.

According to Ottolenghi, in this recipe, the sliminess of the okra is minimized by removing the stalks carefully, without exposing the gloopy seeds, and by baking the okra whole rather than stewing it.

The okra are first baked in the oven with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. The sauce is cooked over the stove and the baked okra are then stirred into the sauce and simmered for a few minutes before serving. I've added more ginger and red pepper flakes. Adjust the amount of sugar to taste, as I've added a little more sugar to balance out the sourness from the tomatoes.

This dish is delicious! I have never baked okras before. I think that it is a wonderful way of cooking okra, so that when it is cooked and tender, it only needs a quick cooking over the stove, especially when there's just enough sauce that you would not want it to dry out with long simmering. I have however cut the cooked okra into half by using a clean kitchen scissors just before serving. Eating them, cut into halves is so much easier! 

I could eat these baked okras just like that, baked with just salt, pepper and olive oil. They are tender, sweet and delicious. While these are really good, when cooked them in the tomato and ginger sauce, it is another delicious level altogether. 

Baked Okra With Tomato And Ginger
(adapted from "Ottolenghi", Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)
serves 2 to 4
1 lb/500gm okra
5 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 knob fresh ginger (scant 1/2oz/12gm) finely chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp superfine sugar
1-1/2 tbsp cilantro leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. To prepare the okra, take a small, sharp knife and carefully remove the stalk end. Try not to cut very low; leave the end of the stalk to seal the main body of the fruit, so the seeds are not exposed.
2. Mix the okra with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Scatter on a baking sheet in a single layer, then place in the oven and leave for 15 to 20 minutes, until just tender.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and fry for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and some salt and pepper and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.
4. When the okra is ready, stir it gently into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. To serve warm, spoon the okra onto serving plates and scatter the cilantro on top. If serving at room temperature, adjust the seasoning again before serving and garnish with the cilantro.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

Monthly Featured Chef : Yotam Ottolenghi

Full-of-Herbs Fish Cakes

"June Mystery Box Madness Challenge", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). Each month, we were given a list of ten ingredients and must select at least three out of the ten ingredients to make a dish from any of IHCC's past or present featured chefs' recipes. 

The ten ingredients for this month are ; Any White-Fleshed Fish, Green Leaf Lettuce, Pine Nuts, Dill, Cheddar Cheese, Almond Extract or Liqueur, Blueberries, Cornstarch, Bell Pepper and Black Beans.

My selected MBM ingredients ; White-fleshed Fish (I used sole), Cornflour and Dill, to make Yotam Ottolenghi's, "Full-of-Herbs Fish Cakes. And I've served the fish cakes with the fourth MBM ingredient, Green Leaf Lettuce.

This is a full-of herbs fish cakes indeed! The herbs ; dill, coriander, basil, lime leaves, lemongrass and ginger. Chopped shallots and chopped garlic are first sauteed over a medium-low heat about 5 minutes, then all the chopped herbs are added in (minus the ginger), stir for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Remove and allow to cool. The herb mixture is so fragrant, the lime leaves gave a wonderful aroma that no other herbs can give, do not leave it out. Though it is not stated in the recipe which type of lime leaves that he uses, I have always used kaffir lime leaves for my cooking, a common ingredient over here in Malaysia. Kaffir lime leaves are so fragrant. And I do have two pots of kaffir lime plants in my potted garden. 

White-fleshed fish meat (boneless and skinless, I've used sole) are cut to chunks and process briefly in the food processor just so they are broken into small pieces. They are then added to the herb mixture, along with chopped ginger, half an egg, cornflour, ground coriander, fish sauce, lime zest, and salt. Shape into long portions, flatten a little, and fry in hot oil on both sides until cooked through. Recipe states to fry both sides for about 90 seconds, and place them on a baking tray, and finish off the cooking in the oven for a few minutes. I have omitted this step. Fish meat cooked pretty quickly, and lazy me do not want to wash an extra tray! So I have cooked the fish cakes on the stove over medium-low heat on both sides, turning them over a couple of times until they are cooked through. 

Serve them hot with a squeeze of lemon, and some green lettuce.

These were delicious. Very tasty and really fragrant from the kaffir lime leaves. These fish cakes taste the best when hot (as recommended in the recipe), as when they cool down to room temperature, they do get a little fishy! We ate these with rice as part of our dinner dish.

Full-of-Herbs Fish Cakes
(source from guardian.com, recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
30gm fresh coriander leaves, chopped
25gm, fresh dill, chopped
20gm fresh basil leaves, finely shredded (I've used Thai basil)
6 lime leaves, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground coriander
400gm haddock fillets (or other firm, white fish), skinless and boneless
10gm fresh ginger, peeled and finely ground
1-1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/2 egg, lightly beaten (use the other half for something else)
1 tbsp corn flour
salt
50ml sunflower oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan, add the shallots and garlic, and saute on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the herbs, lime leaves, lemongrass and ground coriander, and cook for two minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Cut the fish into rough chunks and place in a food processor. Blitz in a few pulses, just until it's broken down into approximately 0.5-1cm pieces - take care not to over-process.

In a large bowl, mix together the oniony, herby mass from the pan, the fish, ginger, fish sauce, lime zest, egg and corn flour and add a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Split the mix into 40gm portions, form each into a long 8cmx4cm kebab, and gently flatten a little.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Fry the fish cakes in batches for about 90 seconds on each side, until lightly golden. Transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for about two minutes to cook through. Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

I'm linking this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week, 

"June Mystery Box Madness Challenge"

Seriously Zesty Bread Salad

"October Potluck", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). For this week, I've made a salad recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi (YO), which I have been wanting to make ever since our time with Ottolenghi more than a year ago!

YO has indicated in the recipe to use either sourdough or ciabatta bread, which is toasted with some olive oil and salt, until crispy and brown. I have however used my leftover homemade bread which I stored in the freezer and really needed to clear.

The veggies ; It was noted in the recipe that this salad is only worth making when tomatoes are in season and full of flavour. I have used cherry tomatoes instead, as cherry tomatoes are sweet and I love them in salads. Other veggies; cucumber and coriander from my garden, red onion, red pepper, crushed garlic. Toss the veggies with red wine vinegar, olive oil, grated zest and juice of half a lemon, with some salt and black pepper to taste. Just before serving, mix in the toasted bread, mix gently with a spoon, though I do not understand why YO advised using your hands for this step! Using a spoon works rather well, and hygienic too! 

Sprinkle with some sumac and dig in! Ooh, this is so good! The toasted bread is so crunchy and delicious. I cannot remember the name of the bread that I've made, but it has a light sweetness to it, and extremely delicious when used in this salad! All the veggies and the red onion are wonderfully crisp. This salad is zesty and tangy alright, from the lemon zest and juice, and with the red wine vinegar. And the sumac, I would not skip it! Simply wonderful with the sprinkling of sumac. I can see how this salad is great alongside a piece of slightly charred meat from the barbecue as mentioned by Ottolenghi. I had this with some chicken dish. I will definitely make this salad again.

Seriously Zesty Bread Salad
(adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi)
150gm rustic bread (stale or fresh) - sourdough or ciabatta, for example
salt and pepper
2 small cucumbers (15cm long), cut into 2cm pieces
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, cored and cut into large pieces
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2 tsp sumac (optional)
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil

This salad is only worth making when tomatoes are in season and full of flavour. It should be acidic and tangy, and will taste amazing alongside a piece of slightly charred meat from the barbecue. Serves four.

Method :
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. Spread out the bread on a roasting tray, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with some flaky salt. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy and golden, then leave to cool. Mix all the other salad ingredients and adjust the seasoning to taste. Just before serving, mix in the toasted bread, using your hands.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), for this week's theme, "October Potluck".




and "Souper Sundays" @ Kahakai Kitchen"

Roast Chicken with Chili and Basil : IHCC - Thank You Ottolenghi

"Oh, Ottolenghi", our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), and this will be the last week that we are cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes. We, at IHCC have been cooking from his recipes for six months now, and it has been an incredible six delicious months. I have discovered and learned to enjoy using ingredients like harissa and sumac, something that I have heard of before, but have only started to use them during our term with Ottolenghi. 

Ottolenghi has the knack of combining ingredients and spices that never fails to deliver, to sum it all, Ottolenghi is one fantastic outstanding chef. I will definitely "see him" again, during our Potluck themes in the months to come, and I believe, so will my friends at IHCC.

Today, I'm sharing one of Ottolenghi's chicken recipe and have done a roundup of all Ottolenghi's dishes that I've cooked from the last six months, since I cannot make up my mind which are my most favourites! 

Roast Chicken with Chili and Basil

The basil is only for garnishing and which I have completely forgotten, until after the meal! haha!

Chicken pieces are marinated in a mixture of Dijon mustard, sesame oil, sunflower oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, dried chili flakes, scallions, coarsely ground black pepper and salt to taste. Leave the chicken in the fridge, covered, for about 4 hours. A little touch of Asian which I find in this dish, with the usage of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Remove chicken from the fridge about 20 minutes before roasting. Transfer chicken pieces to a roasting tray and bake for about 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Arrange chicken on serving plate, pour the roasting juices over and served garnished with fresh basil leaves. I just served it family-style with the whole roasting pan on the dining table! Haha! That was why I have forgotten about the basil!

Delicious! It is not spicy at all, perfect for the family. And the chili on the plate, yes, it's for me, and I finished the chili as well.

I served this roasted chicken with Tomato Rice (a delicious Tessa Kiros recipe, will be sharing in next post, here), and some greens. Another keeper recipe from Ottolenghi. 

Roast Chicken with Chili and Basil
(source from : here)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp dried chili flakes
3 scallions
2 chicken legs
2 chicken breasts
2-4 mild red chilies
8 basil leaves for garnish
seas salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, whisk the oils, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar and chili flakes. Season with a little salt and some pepper.

Roughly chop the scallions and add them to the sauce with the chicken and the whole chilies. With your hands, rub the chicken well with marinade and keep refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken in a roasting tray and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.

Arrange the chicken on a serving plate, place the chilies on top and pour the juices on. Garnish with basil.

Roundup of all Ottolenghi's dishes 

This post is linked to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). 

We are moving on from Mediterranean to Australia,  I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) will be starting with the next featured chef, Donna Hay, starting from October. For more details about joining in, please click here.

Baby Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Almonds : IHCC September Potluck

"September Potluck", is this week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are a given a choice to select from any of our previous featured chefs recipes or the current chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. Since we have only two more weeks to go before we are starting with a new featured chef, I've decided to make one Ottolenghi's salad which I have bookmarked to try for ages.

A simple salad which takes just minutes to prepare. I have replaced the regular spinach with my own homegrown Malabar Spinach (Chan Choy) from my container garden, picked the young tender leaves, and this is actually the first time I'm using them in a salad, and I love it! I would usually wait for the leaves to grow bigger and used them for simple soups and stir-fries. Now that I have found a new of using the small, young tender leaves in a pasta dish (Chicken Florentine Pasta) and in this salad, am planning to grow more of these veggies!

Crispy tortillas and almonds.

These are so good, I could eat this alone as a snack! The tortilla are so crispy and yummy with the toasted almonds, seasoned with sumac, red pepper flakes and salt.

The other substitutes that I've made was to use tortilla wraps instead of pita, since I have some leftover wraps in my fridge. The original recipe uses dates, and I have replaced it with dried cranberries instead, my preferred choice. Tortilla wraps are roughly torn to pieces. A little butter and olive oil is heated and the torn pieces of tortilla wraps are added in together with the coarsely chopped almonds. These are cooked, stirring for about 5-6 minutes until the tortilla are crispy and the almonds toasted. Remove from heat and stir in the sumac, red pepper flakes and some salt to taste. Set aside to cool.

Dried cranberries, sliced onions are mixed with some white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt, and left to marinate for 20 minutes. Drain before tossing into the salad.

Just before serving, toss the tortilla and almonds mixture together with the spinach leaves. Add the cranberries and onion mixture, some olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

This salad is so delicious! All the ingredients blends so well together. Crispy delicious tortilla seasoned from the sumac spices, nutty crunchy almonds, crispy onions, sweet dried cranberries which has softened slightly from soaking with the white wine vinegar, fresh green Spinach, a hint of sourness from the lemon juice, and the wonderful spicy taste from the flaked chilies and of course Sumac, a beautiful spice which I'm just learning to use. I just can't seem to stop eating this salad, before I know it, the whole plate is clean! Haha! I will definitely make this again. Yum!

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
(adapted from "Jerusalem", Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3-1/2 oz pitted Medjol dates, quartered lengthwise (replaced with a generous handful of dried cranberries)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small pitas, roughly torn in 1-1/2 in pieces (I replaced with tortilla wraps)
1/2 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
2 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 oz baby spinach (homegrown Malabar Spinach)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt

Put the vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl, add a pinch of salt and toss mixing well. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes then drain and discard any of the residual vinegar, set aside. While this is marinating, heat the butter and half of the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the pita and almonds and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning until the pita is golden brown and the almonds are toasted. Remove from the heat and add the sumac, red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp of salt, tossing and set aside to cool. When you are ready to serve, toss the spinach and pita/almond mixture together in a large bowl. Add the dates, red onion, the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and another pinch of salt. Toss again and taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), for the theme of this week "September Potluck". We are starting with a new featured chef, Donna Hay, starting from October. For more details about joining in, please click here.

I'm also sharing this post with :

My Meatless Mondays @ My Sweet And Savory

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Souper Sunday @ Kahakai Kitchen

Brik (A Tunisian Snack) : IHCC

"New To Me!", our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are currently cooking from our featured chef, Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes. To fit the theme, it can be a new dish, a new ingredient or simply a new method of cooking. Most of Ottolenghi's recipes are "new" to me, as most of them are Mediterranean dishes, so it's all there, new dish, new ingredient and new method.

I decided to look for a snack recipe, and found it in "Brik". According to Ottolenghi, "This very simple Tunisian recipe uses very few ingredients to make the most sumptuous snack". The original recipes uses feuilles de brick pastry, no idea what pastry that is! But then Ottolenghi has conveniently mentioned that spring roll wrappers make a good substitute, now, how did he know I have a pack in my freezer? Haha! 

While he uses a round pastry, mine was square. This snack is so easy and quick to make. Ingredients used are the pastry, chopped fresh parsley, chopped spring onions, egg and some seasoning. Since I do not have any fresh parsley, I have used all fresh coriander instead. And I did not add the spring onions because somehow I missed that!  Ottolenghi also suggested that for some heat, a teaspoon of Harissa paste can be added to the egg. Of course, that works for me! I have some homemade Harissa Paste left in my fridge.

To assemble, firstly, heat up some oil in a saucepan for frying the pastry parcel. Working quickly as soon as the oil is hot (not too hot!), place a piece of spring roll wrapper on a shallow plate, spread some Harissa paste in the centre, place the chopped fresh coriander/parsley all around, break an egg onto the Harissa paste. Fold the pastry over the egg, to enclose it, making a parcel. I use a flat wooden spatula to lift the parcel and place it in the hot oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown, but watch out that the egg is not overcook, but still soft. Remove and drain on kitchen paper towel.

I fried the first one till golden brown and crispy but...

the egg was fully cooked, looks like I have overcooked it.  Now for the second one....

I added more Harissa Paste, about 1 tablespoon, notice the brown patch? That's the Harissa Paste inside. And this time used an egg cold from the fridge to avoid it being overcook since it is cold. Assemble and fry the parcel, it is not as golden brown as the first one since I'm not taking any chances that I'll end up with an overcooked egg again, but the wrapper is very crispy.

This is looking much better, the whites are just softly cooked .....

and the yolks are still runny... perfect!  And crispy wrapper! I had these two parcels for my lunch, with a big mug of warm tea....burp...smile!

This is an interesting snack, firstly, I have now discovered a Tunisian snack, secondly I have never cooked a raw egg, enclosed in a pastry and fry them this way before. Two "newish" here, a new dish and a new method of cooking an egg. And now, I have ideas of add-ons for a simple snack for the kids, using this method. Thanks to Ottolenghi!

Brik
(adapted from guardian.com, Yotam Ottolenghi)
about 250ml sunflower oil (I used only about 1/3 cup, use a small saucepan)
2 circles feuilles de brick pastry, about 20cm in diameter (I use spring roll wrapper)
3 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1-1/2 tbsp chopped spring onion, both green and white parts
2 free-range eggs
salt and black pepper

Pour the oil into a medium saucepan so it comes 1 cm up the sides, place on medium heat and leave until hot, but not too hot, otherwise the pastry will burn before the egg is cooked.

Trim one piece of pastry and lay in a shallow bowl. You will need to work quickly, otherwise it will dry out. Put half the parsley in the centre of the round and half the onion, creating a little nest for the egg, then carefully crack one in. Season generously, then fold in the sides of the pastry to create a parcel - the folds will overlap so the egg is sealed in. Gently place the pastry seal-side down in the hot oil and cook for a minute a side - the pastry should be golden-brown and the egg semi-cooked, with the yolk still runny.

Lift out the pastry parcel and place between two sheets of kitchen paper to soak up excess oil, then set aside somewhere warm. Repeat the process, and serve hot.

Do stop by I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) to view all the "New To Me!" dishes, my friends has made, and if you are interested to join us, please find out more details at IHCC.

I'm also sharing this post with :

See Ya In The Gumbo @ Ms. enPlace

My Meatless Mondays @ My Sweet And Savory
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza) : IHCC

"Pies and Tarts", our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are cooking from our featured chef, Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes. This week is all about pies, tarts, galettes and anything with some kind of crust!

I have been planning to make a savoury pie of Ottolenghi for the past few days, and this pizza was what I made on that very morning that I planned to make the pie. The switch came about, as I was browsing thru Ottolenghi's website, looking for recipes for the coming week's themes, when I found this pizza recipe, and decided to make this pizza instead, since I have all the ingredients. And I am glad that I've made the switch!

Adding the salsa salad over pizza is so good! You gotta try this!

The dough is very easy to make, just mix the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead by hand for a few minutes. The dough is then left to rise until doubled in size. It is then divided into either 4 large or 12 small rolls, I made them into 12 individual servings. Roll them into thin discs, brush both sides lightly with olive oil and keep aside for 15 minutes or so, until they have risen a little.

The filling is made up of minced beef, which I have replaced with minced chicken, marinated with ground cinnamon, ground allspice, red chilli flakes, chopped fresh parsley, pomegranate molasses which I have replaced with pomegranate concentrate, sumac, and some salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together and keep in the fridge until needed.

To make the salad, mix the chopped cucumbers (remove the soft centered seeds), chopped tomatoes, finely chopped onions, chopped fresh parsley (I have used corianders). Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. 

The slightly risen discs are then spread with Tahini (I use my Homemade Tahini), topped with the chicken filling, scatter some pine nuts over the top, and bake for 12-15 minutes. From the recipe, it says to use 3 tablespoons of Tahini, which is too little for me, imagine dividing 3 tablespoons for 12 small pizzas, that is 1/4 tablespoon each! I have however used more than that, did not measure, but just spread the paste on the dough until I am satisfied! Haha! In all, I've used up all my Tahini which is about 1/3 cup.

Even though Ottolenghi suggested to bake the pastry until just done, I have baked the full 15 minutes until they are browned as I love brown crust.  

Freshly baked Lahmacun, it may look all brown and boring, but the filling is so tasty! Can you see the tahini on the crust, a change from the regular tomato pizza sauce. This is very good!

Top with the salad and enjoy! We sure did!

This is one delicious pizza!  The chicken filling is so tasty, and it has all the Mediterranean flavours, a bite into it would make you instantly think of Mediterranean! The blend of spices used including a new one which I've only just started using, Sumac, is just so wonderful. I'm so glad I've discovered Sumac!

The pizza crust has a delightful light crunch, with a bread-like texture in the centre. 

And eating the pizza with salad topping is something new to me, and I love it! If you try out this recipe, make the salad, it really takes this Turkish Pizza to a whole new level!

Even my kids do not mind that their pizzas has got no cheese at all, they would usually request for more cheese for the topping, but for this, they love eating the salad over the pizza!  

I bought this spice Sumac a few weeks ago, and this is the first time I'm using it, looking forward to use it more often.

Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza with Spicy Minced Beef and Salad Topping)

(adapted from : Ottolenghi)
Ingredients :
Topping :
250gm minced beef (I used chicken)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
25gm flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I used coriander)
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (I use pomegranate concentrate)
1-1/2 tbsp sumac
25gm pine nuts
3 tbsp tahini (I used about 1/3 cup)
2 tbsp lemon juice

Dough :
250gm white flour, plus extra to dust (I use bread flour)
1-1/2 tbsp milk powder
1/2 tbsp salt (I use 1 tsp)
2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
1/2 tbsp caster sugar
60ml sunflower oil (I use canola oil)
1 medium egg
100ml lukewarm water
olive oil for brushing

Salad (optional)
1 mini-cucumber, cut into 1cm dice (190gm)
2 small tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice (150gm)
10 radishes, thinly sliced (75gm) (omitted this)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (65gm)
10gm parsley, roughly chopped (I use coriander)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper

Method :
Makes 4 large or 12 small snack size pizzas

Start with the dough. Put the flour, milk powder, salt, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Make a well in the centre. Add the sunflower oil and egg and stir as you add the water. When the dough comes together, remove it from the bowl and knead lightly for 3 minutes on your work surface until smooth, elastic and uniform. Dust a bowl lightly with flour, place the dough inside, brush with some olive oil, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, at which point the dough should have almost doubled.

(I place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn over the dough so the oiled surface is up, cover bowl with cling wrap).

Put all of the topping ingredients in a large bowl, apart from the tahini, pine nuts and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 210C and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment.

Divide the risen dough into 40gm balls, you should get about 12, and roll each into a thin disc, about 2mm thick and 15cm in diameter. Brush each disc lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on the baking sheet. Cover and leave to rise for 15 minutes.

If you make the salad, mix together the vegetables and add the parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir gently and set aside.

Spread the tahini onto each pastry disc, divide the filling between the pastries and spread it evenly so it covers the dough fully. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until just cooked. You want to make sure the pastry is just baked, not over-baked; the topping can be slightly pink inside and the pastry golden when you look underneath. Remove from the oven, spoon the salad on top, if making, and finish with a drizzle of lemon juice. (I did not bother with the drizzle of lemon juice).

Please stop by I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) to view what my friends have made for this week's theme, "Pies and Tarts", and if you are interested to join us, please find out more details from IHCC.

And I'm sharing this with :

See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace