Beetroot and blood orange salad with crispy buckwheat

So much of a recipe is all about the "elements" coming together. Skills we have learnt, things we have been given, inspiration we have borrowed all converging on the plate. 

This salad is a classic example of something borrowed, gifted and stolen.

A couple of month ago I went to my second Scarf dinner (pop ups that give young people hand on experience in the hospitality industry) and experienced my first crispy buckwheat in cauliflower dish. The texture was life changing and I had to make it! 

Crispy buckwheat
Ingredients

• 130g raw buckwheat
• 25g butter
• 10 g olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

• Add buckwheat to a bowl and cover with cold water
• Soak for 30 mins
• Drain and shake of excess water
• In a non stick fry pan heat butter and oil over medium heat
• Add buckwheat and stir gently as it toasts about 8 minutes
• When buckwheat is crisp and brown add balsamic vinegar and coat grains
• Take off heat and spread flat on a large tray to cool

I used my cast iron pot for the photo but prefer to use a non stick frypan the other times I've made it

The fermented garlic honey came from an episode of Andy and Ben Eat Australia where they visit The Fermentary in Daylesford which only encouraged my baby steps into fermenting.  The smell of the bubbling honey for any garlic lover is heaven and while I'm not a doctor, with an occasion teaspoon I've had no signs of man flu this winter. 

Garlic honey labneh
Ingredient

• 300g natural yoghurt
• 1/4 cup fermented garlic honey

Method

• Place a fine sieve over a large bowl
• Add the yogurt and cover with plastic wrap
• Let sit in the fridge for about 24 hours
• Place yogurt into a mixing bowl
• Add honey and combine

Salad Ingredients

• 2 small golden beetroot, boiled till tender and quartered
• 1 large beetroot, boiled till tender and diced
• 1 large candy stripe beetroot, boiled till tender and thinly sliced
• 1 blood orange segmented The blood oranges for this post were supplied by Redbelly Citrus
• 1 spring onion sliced on bias (diagonally)
• 3 radishes sliced thinly
• 1-2 tbsp garlic honey
• 1-2 tbsp lime agrumato olive oil (or olive oil with squeeze of lime)

Assembly...no allen key required

Spread a tsunami of labneh across a serving platter (I need a large black plate) or pretty much just put it on the plate 

Artistically arrange the golden beetroots or pretty much just put them on the plate 

Seductively drape the candy stripe beetroot or pretty much just put them on the plate

Joyfully scatter the radishes like confetti or pretty much just put them on the plate

Bestow the crimson sunset blood orange gems or pretty much just put them on the plate

Disseminate the grassy spring onions or pretty much just put them on the plate

Purposefully position the purple empire of beetroot cubes or pretty much just put them on the plate

Adorned with crisp salty jewels of buckwheat or pretty much just put them on the plate 

Delightfully drizzle with garlic honey and lime olive oil or pretty much just put them on the plate 

Find a gallery and display your work of art....Traditionally I find a table  works best.

An earlier version which is less busy and you could whip up with a tinned beetroot if you can't be arsed boiling fresh one. 

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Albania

Mirëmbrëma this is Albania calling, home to our 6th stopover on the Chow Down to Eurovision 2014.

There are many sources of inspiration for the dishes that appear in the chow down, be they friends, cook books, Google, my own travels, or the Eurovision contestants themselves.

This dish of lamb baked in yogurt came from watching YouTube, and some follow up Googling. 

My Albanian is not what it use to be or ever existed so I am happy that I can cook by watching. It may be the culinary equivalent of musically playing by ear.

2010 saw Albania came 16th in the final with Juliana Pasha's It's All About You, with some fantastic backing singers. I promise those toes will be a tapping!

 
 

 

 

Lamb baked in yogurt (the translated name was cooking casserole sour)

Ingredients

• 600g cooked lamb (I used some left over braised lamb shanks, bone removed)
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 3-4 spring onions finely sliced (optional not pictured)
• 500g natural yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 gloves garlic (crushed)
• Salt and pepper
• 15g butter

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Place the cold cooked lamb in a baking dish and season to taste
• Sprinkle over rice and spring onions
• In a mixing bowl combine yogurt, eggs, garlic, pinch of salt
• Pour yogurt mixture over the lamb
• Dot the top with butter
• Bake for 30 mins
• Serve with a simple salad I went for just rocket and tomato nothing fancy, but a great way to use left over lamb roast.

 

 

Oh feel the comfort.........get me a blanket I'll be on the lounge with Eurovision re runs!

 

 

Albania did not qualify for the final of Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 and in Malmö so let's see what 2014 brings for them.

  

 Hersi (Herciana Matmuja) will perform One Night's Anger but lets hope that one night wont be in Copenhagen in May.

 Fat i mire!

 

No really it was nothing - Raspberry & Rosewater Labneh

A lot of people freak out when they see a recipe that takes a couple of hours, overnight or even days, but it's important to remember that you're not actively involved for that amount of time.

Patience is a virtue that allegedly based on gender I will never posses but as the hashtag states sexism stops with me so I'm ok with slow food.

48 hours is a good time frame for this dessert with about 4 minutes of participation required, how can anyone not love something pretty that takes zero effort?

Labneh is a thick strained yogurt cheese that can have an almost cheesecake like texture, sounds perfect so far. Natural yogurt is the key as the whey will separate where as some "thickened" yogurts don't separate to the same extent.

I have been experimenting using cheese moulds to shape the labneh but find the results to be not as attractive as I hoped. The raspberries may have something to do with it but I'll keep working on it as I have a vision of plating moulded labneh with crushed baklava and pistachios. Pomegranate seeds are another option and while deliciously tart I preferred the texture of the raspberry.


Raspberry Labneh
Ingredients
This recipe will serve 4-6

• 1kg natural yogurt
• 200g smashed raspberries (frozen)
• 150g icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp. rosewater (more or less depending on the strength of your rose water)
• 80g pistachios toasted and chopped to garnish

Method

• Place a fine sieve over a large bowl
• Add the yogurt and cover with plastic wrap
• Let sit in the fridge for 24-48 hours (the longer the thicker and it will lose about 200g in whey)
• Place yogurt into a mixing bowl
• Add raspberries, icing sugar, rosewater and mix
• Serve garnished with extra raspberries and pistachios
• Photographed is about 24 hours straining, I could happily go thicker
• I also haven't add the ingredients and then strained as I think that would be draining away flavour as well as whey.
• It would also make a great cake filling

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Bulgaria

The 23rd country we visit on this Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 is Bulgaria. I'm sure I've already mentioned that I watch Eurovision live which means a 5am kick off in Australia. Breakfast is a pretty high priority on these mornings as it needs to be super quick and substantial enough to get me through the rest of the day, exhausted from the stress of the results while still buzzing from the excitement of the whole spectacle.

Thankfully these days I am smart enough to pre book annual leave for these days so I can either "chillax" for the day or re watch the contest over and over again. (you know which one I do)
In the past the breakfast of choice was a weird scrambled bacon and egg omelette, that involved chucking bacon, eggs, spring onions, chilli, and parmesan in the food processor to wiz it up. Then I would half scramble half omelette the mixture as I made sure the internet stream was prepped. A pile of buttered ciabatta, a quadruple espresso, my blankie and I am ready to hear Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Te Deum play.

Tradition or bouncy I have come to accept the newer version.

Keeping an eye out for new breakfast ideas I came across today's offering from Bulgaria Panagyurski Eggs. This dish has a nice kick with the garlic and paprika, but gentle texture with the yogurt so I think it will find a place along side my ciabatta, espresso and blankie on Eurovision mornings.   

Bulgaria always brings something special to Eurovision but whether it be the throat singing, stilt walking dancers or the electro scratching, break dancing and salon girl of 2008 they have only reached the final once.

My all time favourite Bulgarian entry is from 2009 Krassimir Avramov with Illusion, there is nothing this act doesn't have, a counter tenor, costumes from a revival of Pippin and Robin Hood, an ensemble competing to see who can hit the highest note, spinning a girl by the end of her stilts and is that a cameo from Eleanor LaGore?

Gina Riley as Eleanor LaGore from Big Girls Blouse

It is Eurovision at it's finest and you may find yourself humming the song.

Panagyurski Eggs
Ingredients

• 500ml Greek yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• salt and pepper
• 6 eggs
• A splash of vinegar
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. paprika

Method

• Strain the yogurt in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for about 1 hour (this is not necessary if using a thick yogurt)
• Combine garlic with yogurt and season to taste
• Spread mixture over a serving plate
• In a medium saucepan of water, add the splash of vinegar and bring to the boil
• Poach the eggs to the yolk firmness you prefer
• Drain the eggs in a colander
• While eggs are cooking heat the oil in a small saucepan
• Add the paprika, remove from heat
• Place the eggs on the serving plate
• Pour over the oil and serve
• The oil takes no time at all when it's hot to burn the paprika so be mindful to take it off the heat.

This year Bulgaria will again send Elitsa Todorova, their only finalist and Stoyan Yankulov with Samo Shampioni (Only Champions), will there be stilts and drums?

 Успех!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - F.Y.R. Macedonia

Hello this is  Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia calling. For the country with the longest name in the contest we have one of the shortest posts and easiest dishes of the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013.

I first discovered halva while watching Greek Come Dine With Me and then had some tutoring from a Macedonian colleague, she'd advise too pale, too dry, but I think I got it right in the end.
My all time favourite F.Y.R.M entry is 2002 Karolina singing Od Nas Zavisi musically this song is so interesting and I love the complex backing vocals, but really if you can rip off a ball gown to reveal gold chest armour you're OK in my book.

I've also added a special mention for another F.Y.R.M act I love for their theatricality, Toše Proeski with Life from 2004 who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2007.

Halva with walnuts
Ingredients

• 7 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 orange zest and juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable)
• 3 1/4 cups coarse semolina
• 200g walnuts chopped coarsely

Optional topping

• 500g Greek yogurt
• 1 pear pealed and chopped
• Pomegranate seeds
• Honey to drizzle

Method

• In a large saucepan add the water, sugar, honey, orange zest and juice, cinnamon and cloves.
• Gently simmer and stir to dissolve sugar and infuse flavours for about 20 minutes the strain.
• In a large boiler add the oils and semolina and mix
• Toast over a high heat to darken the semolina, it should turn a nut brown colour
• Take semolina off the heat and add the walnuts and mix through
• Carefully add the syrup, this will be very dramatic and may spit so caution is advised
• Mix to absorb the liquid
• Spoon halva into an oiled Bundt tin, again carefully as it is super hot
• Let cool in the fridge for a few hours
• Remove from Bundt onto a serving plate
• Rather than filling the hole with a pot plant (you've all seen the movie...it's a cake) I combined the pear and yogurt then topped with pomegranate seeds and honey but this is optional

Gotta love an oozing reveal!

It also make a delicious breakfast while writing and if you cover up the halva you can try and claim you are just having healthy yogurt, it's worth a shot.

Will F.Y.R.M give us some drama again this year as Esma & Lozano sing Pred Da Se Razdeni?

Cо среќа!

Purple non people eater

I have a love of, well obsession but not to intervention level with all things purple. Most of my wardrobe is purple, the sofa, pens, soap, even my bin liners. My bedspread is purple which my dad gave me as a souvenir from his trip to Cambodia, I had asked for a purple table cloth. He swears the lady told him it was a table cloth, personally the double layer and the zipper were the give away that it wasn't quite right.
The garden has also not missed out on the touch of purple, beans, cabbage, beetroot, carrots, radicchio, there better be some health benefit in that much colour, maybe just not the same one.

One a good day I like to start with a vegetable juice, which should forgive any of the sins later in the day. One word of warning when you drink beetroot juice, remember you have so that when you go to the bathroom you don't suddenly think you are dying!

Beetroot is the king of all edible purple, when I was a child (ok maybe 22) I thought beetroot came from a can, that was how it grew. Nowadays I know a lot more about the joys of beetroot, roasted, chips, grated, mashed, actually I'm not sure about mashed, but now there's a project.

Beetroot relish
This is the perfect mate for a hamburger, a better marriage has not existed. I also love it on a ham sandwich.

Ingredients

• 4 large fresh beetroots grated (I use the food processor, save the week of purple fingers)
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of white vinegar, you can use which ever you like, white wine or balsamic.
• 1/3 cup of  water
• optional knob of butter for gloss

Method

• Combine all in a medium saucepan and cook on medium till beetroot is soft and reduced about 30mins.
• You can add more water if needed to get it started but the beetroot will also give off some liquid.
• You can also vary the amount of vinegar as it can be a bit of a slap in the face, but i kinda like that.

Beyond easy beetroot dip X 2

Dip 1

• 2 fresh beetroots grated (zest size)
• 1 tub of natural yogurt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt to taste

combine, couldn't be easier......or could it??

Dip 2

• 3 small fresh beetroots (tops removed)
• 150g ricotta
• 1 garlic clove grated (optional)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt to taste
• Splash of olive oil to garnish

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and blend till the texture you prefer, chunky or smooth. If your food processor can handle the pressure you don't even need to cut the beetroot. I'm sorry but I couldn't possibly make it simpler than that, short of coming and doing it for you.