Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

While in Texas last month for work, I was able to have dinner with my siblings and sister-in-law, under the same roof, for the first time in almost two years. It was such a treat, and we took advantage of the few evenings we had together to eat delicious homemade food, drink lots of wine, and catch up with music playing in the background. My fantastic sister-in-law and brother were true to their Cajun roots and prepared an incredible gumbo for me and my sister one night (with zydeco playing in the background, of course).

my brother dishing up gumbo for a sibling dinner in Houston: Cajun-Tex cuisine

This gumbo was FAR better than the recipe that my sister and I had attempted together when she came to visit me and the hubs in London a couple of years ago. We never got the roux right. And the roux is key. The resulting gumbo just didn't have that deep, rich taste, and there was a slightly grainy texture to the stock. My paternal grandmother used to make gumbo every year for all the family who came to visit their Nashville home at Christmas. I have great memories of gumbo dinners at the kids' table with my cousins, and was disappointed to discover how difficult it seemed to replicate the dish. Like the yeast-bread gene, I thought I'd also skipped out on the gumbo gene when my sister and I failed to make a good batch. Following our unsuccessful try, I hadn't attempted gumbo again, sticking to cajun-inspired chicken or pasta dishes, or the easy crowd-pleaser shrimp and grits (need to post that one soon).

delicious gumbo with chicken and sausage, roux-less and gluten-free

But my sister-in-law and brother shared the secret to their roux-less, tasty recipe. By charing the okra, then the onions, and then concentrating the flavor of the spices and broth into the vegetables, you create a wonderful, dark stock that tastes as rich as the finest butter-and-flour roux. In fact, I think the flavor of this gumbo is even better than all of the roux-based gumbo I've had in the past. And I'm pleased to say that it goes over well in the southern hemisphere : ) This gumbo is also gluten-free friendly, and dairy-free, too, since extra virgin olive oil is used instead of butter.

easy, rich-tasting gumbo, served with lots of Tabasco

After sourcing locally grown okra (labelled okra beans!) at our nearby grocer, I made a batch of this gumbo over the weekend. It really is an incredibly delicious recipe, and can be adapted to use whatever combination of chicken, sausage, or seafood you have on hand. We used shredded rotisserie chicken and a couple of links of chorizo (no andoille sausage here in Sydney as far as I can tell), but prawns (shrimp) and sausage would also be awesome. We used roasted red bell peppers rather than tomatoes because of allergies to tomatoes, but either will work well. The hubs gave this recipe his highest approval, and strongly recommends you make it as soon as you can. Make sure you have Tabasco on hand. And happy anniversary for tomorrow to my one-of-a-kind brother and sister-in-law, love y'all!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
serves 4

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup okra, sliced (divided use)
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (divided use)

2 red bell peppers, roasted, skins peeled, and diced (or 1 cup chopped tomatoes)

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced andoille sausage (or chorizo), uncooked
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken
1 cup raw prawns (shrimp), optional

To serve:
1 cup dried rice
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
Tabasco sauce

In a small bowl, combine the spices (black pepper through parsley) and set aside.  You will gradually add this spice mixture as you prepare the gumbo.

You will first char the okra, then onion, which will help to create a dark, rich roux-like broth for the gumbo. Heat a large saucepan on the stove over high heat. As soon as the pan starts smoking, add the tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add half of the sliced okra (3/4 cup) along with a few pinches of the spice mixture. Quickly swirl the okra around the pan to cover with oil and the spices, then leave to sauté for a minute before stirring. You want to char the okra so that it's a bit blacked, but be careful not to burn it through (you may need to turn your burner down to medium-high if your saucepan is thin). Cook okra for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly charred. Add the onions and a few more pinches of the spice mixture. Again, quickly swirl them around to coat with the oil and spices, then leave for a minute before stirring. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until onion is beginning to brown.

Add 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth to the okra onion mixture to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all of the blackened bits. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan.

Add the diced roasted bell peppers and the minced garlic with another few pinches of the spice mixture. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan, until all of the liquid has evaporated (2-3 minutes). Now add 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until all of the liquid has evaporated (5-6 minutes).

Add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, the sausage, and a few more pinches of the spice mixture. Cover, turn heat down to medium-low, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Prepare the rice according to package directions, set aside and keep warm.

After simmering the gumbo for 40 minutes, add the shredded, cooked chicken and the remaining 3/4 cup sliced okra. (At this point, taste the gumbo and, if necessary, add the remaining spice mixture.)  After added the chicken and remaining okra, simmer for 15 minutes. If using prawns (shrimp), add them at the end of the 15 minutes, and simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes, just until prawns turn completely pink.

To serve, place a 1/2-cup mound of rice in the centre of each bowl, and ladle gumbo over the rice. Sprinkle with the sliced green onions, and serve immediately, with Tabasco on the side.

Quickbread Cinnamon Rolls with Walnuts & Golden Syrup

I can't do yeast bread. I should practice more often. I should make sure the yeast I have hasn't expired every time I try to use it. But really I just prefer quickbreads. They're a sure thing. Baking powder and baking soda and that's all the leavening you need.

My great-grandmother, Mamaw, who lived in a tiny Louisiana town until she peacefully passed out of this world at the age of 101, was renowned for her yeast rolls. These perfect, light, flaky things were like a cross between a biscuit and a dinner roll, just incredible. We used to eat them by the basketful at dinners in her little white clapboard house on the sweet potato farm that was run by her husband, then their son (my great uncle), and his son after that. My dad (Mamaw's grandson) and his sisters and cousins still speak with reverence of the times she would make those rolls and cover them in a homemade, cocoa-based chocolate sauce. Then they became *chocolate rolls*, and were apparently the most delectable things any of them had ever tasted. I never had the chocolate version, but Mamaw's rolls original-recipe-style were heaven on earth. My mom does a pretty authentic rendition of Mamaw's rolls, and my aunt can make a delicious version of the chocolate rolls. But something about Mamaw's method made those rolls irreplaceable.

quick, delicious cinnamon rolls with walnuts and golden syrup

 I didn't get the good-at-yeast-rolls gene. But I love dinner rolls and breakfast rolls of all sorts. So when I saw a recipe on Vintage Mixer for one-hour cinnamon rolls, and realized they didn't require yeast, I had to experiment. I made a smaller batch and adjusted a few ingredients, making them less sugary-sweet but imparting the rich flavor of golden syrup. Golden syrup is a British staple, and is readily available here in the Antipodean colonies. It's beautifully thick and amber-colored, with a slightly roasted, almost buttery flavor. You can probably find golden syrup in many North American grocery stores, but, if it's unavailable, maple syrup or agave syrup will do fine. These cinnamon rolls are incredible, delicious and flaky just like their yeast-roll counterparts, but without the stress of using the yeast correctly, waiting for dough to rise, etc. I've found the perfect breakfast sweet roll recipe, and I think Mamaw would approve. Thank you Vintage Mixer! Play around with filling combinations to change it up (as if you'll tire of the perfect combo of cinnamon and walnuts), but this simple quick-bread base is a keeper.

I used walnuts in these cinnamon rolls, but pecans would also work well, as per the original Vintage Mixer recipe. I halved the recipe and still managed to make eight smaller (2-3 inches wide, 1.5 inches thick) cinnamon rolls, and they fit perfectly into an 7-inch pie pan. I also rolled the dough thinner, to about 1/4 inch, which allowed for a more cinnamon-filling to roll ratio. If you like a thicker cinnamon roll you can roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness, though this will yield fewer rolls. Double the ingredients for a larger batch, cutting the rolls a little thicker (2 inch increments instead of 1 inch), baking the rolls in a 9-inch square pyrex dish or metal baking tray, and adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time to ensure the middle rolls cook through. These rolls can also be prepared the day before, covered and stored in the fridge overnight, and baked fresh the next morning.

Bake these fast and easy quickbread-based cinnamon rolls for birthday mornings, holidays, or any time you feel like treating yourself and your loved ones to a sweet breakfast treat.

Quickbread Cinnamon Rolls with Walnuts & Golden Syrup
makes 8 (2-3 inch) cinnamon rolls
adapted from Vintage Mixer

Quickbread Dough
1 1/2 cups flour (I used a 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
small pinch of freshly ground sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (or extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup milk (any fat content is fine)
2 tablespoons golden syrup (or maple syrup, or agave syrup)

Cinnamon-Walnut Filling
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup coursely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
small pinch of freshly ground sea salt
2 tablespoons (divided use) unsalted butter, melted (or extra virgin olive oil)

Golden Syrup Icing
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon golden syrup (or maple syrup, or agave syrup)
2 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1 teaspoon milk (or any dairy-free milk)

First make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the melted butter (or olive oil), milk, and golden syrup. As the golden syrup is so thick, I found it easier to microwave the butter, milk, and golden syrup together for about 15 seconds, then whisk them together. Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture, and stir well to combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 2-3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Place dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes (or the freezer for 10 minutes).

Make the filling while the dough chills. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pour 1 tablespoon of the melted butter (or olive oil) over the cinnamon sugar mixture, and stir to combine.

When the dough has chilled a bit, remove from fridge and place on a very lightly floured countertop. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness for skinnier cinnamon rolls, or to 1/2 inch thickness for thicker cinnamon rolls. I rolled mine out to about a 7x10-inch rectangle. Spread 1 tablespoon melted butter (or olive oil) evenly over the dough. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the buttered dough, and press the mixture in lightly with your hands. Starting from the long end, carefully and tightly roll the dough.

Slice the rolled rope of dough into 8 sections (so that each section is about 1 inch thick). Place the rolls into a greased 7-inch round cake tin or pie dish, arranging them so that the seams of the rolls are facing toward each other and not towards the outside of the pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220C/ 425F for about 18-22 minutes, until the middle roll looks done and they are beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for a couple of minutes before drizzling the icing over the tops. Serve warm.

For the icing, combine 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon golden syrup in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for about 10-15 seconds on high. The golden syrup should now be less viscous and closer to maple-syrup consistency. Stir in the two tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar, and, if necessary, thin out with 1 teaspoon of milk (or your choice of dairy-free milk). Stir well, then drizzle over the warm rolls, spreading the mixture around the tops a bit to evenly coat the rolls.

*Preparation tip: if you are clumsy with transferring ingredients back and forth across various countertops in your kitchen, make sure to use metal bowls so that when you drop them, you only have to vacuum up brown sugar and walnuts, not broken glass:

#southernspoonfail
the hubs kindly vacuumed up the cinnamon-sugar-walnut-melted butter mess
while I attempted to finish the cinnamon rolls with minimal ingredient casualties

Chorizo & Shrimp Tortilla Bisque

Happy almost Cindo de Mayo! This date originally marked a battle victory by Mexican soldiers over the French in the 19th century, but Cinco de Mayo has since been taken up by Mexicans and Mexico-lovers across the US to celebrate Mexican pride and culture. Growing up in south Texas, Mexican culture was a big part of our regional identity, and my home town regularly celebrated Mexican and Tex-Mexican holidays in style. The color, cheer, and community enthusiasm of these events made a lasting impression. Every April-May, the time of San Antonio's city-wide Fiesta, shortly followed by Cinco de Mayo, I get a little nostalgic for my Tex-Mex roots. But a Mexican food dinner (fajitas; ceviche tacos?!) with a corona or margarita quickly recalls these vibrant celebrations.

We've got some amigos together to hit the town tonight to mark Cinco de Mayo and try out a new restaurant in Sydney's Surrey Hills: Mexico Food & Liquor. The atmosphere looks great, the food looks fresh and creative, and there are 70+ tequilas on the menu. Fantastico! I might be most excited about the buñuelos with xocolate and pinenut crema. I haven't had Mexican buñuelos in forever. They can best be described as large, fried tortillas, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. My mom used to bring big, crispy stacks of them home from a nearby Mexican bakery, and one of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurants in San Antonio used to serve their huevos rancheros with a side of fresh fruit placed in a little buñuelo bowl. Yum.

Tortilla-style soup: a thick bisque of roasted bell peppers, shrimp, and chorizo,
topped with corn, roasted peppers, avocado, fresh herbs, sour cream, and crispy tortilla strips

We got into the Cinco de Mayo mood last night with a sort-of tortilla soup dinner. I ended up creating more of a thick puree rather than a broth-based soup, and we used shrimp and chorizo rather than the typical shredded chicken. The only tortillas are crisped up and served on top as a garnish, rather than stirred into the broth like a traditional tortilla soup. So this really isn't tortilla soup at all. It's a spicy roasted bell pepper bisque with shrimp, chorizo, and a generous portion of Tex-Mex tortilla soup-themed garnishes. But you'll love it, and it goes down well with either wine or a light Mexican beer.

garnishes ready to serve with chorizo & shrimp bisque

We have allergies to tomatoes in this house, so the roasted bell peppers were a great substitution for the tomatoes in traditional tortilla soup. If you're short on time, just use a drained can of peeled tomatoes instead of the roasted bell peppers, and you could also substitute a 1/2 cup of corn cooked from frozen for the fresh corn on the cob. To make the bisque vegetarian, replace the chorizo and shrimp with a can of drained black beans, stirring them into the soup at the end as you heat it over the stove. The chorizo isn't strictly necessary, but adds great flavor and texture to this bisque. Happy eating, and enjoy your fifth of May whether or not you celebrate Tex-Mex style!

delicious chorizo & shrimp tortilla bisque

Chorizo & Shrimp Tortilla Bisque
serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as a starter or side dish
adapted from Jeanine Donofrio of Love and Lemons at Camille Styles

4 large red and yellow bell peppers (I used 3 red and 1 yellow)
1 brown onion
3 garlic cloves (whole, unpeeled)
1 jalapeño or chili (I used a bird's eye chili)
1 large ear of corn on the cob, green leaves and silks removed
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup shrimp (peeled and deveined; raw or cooked)
1 small link cooked chorizo sausage, coursely chopped or crumbled (about 1/3 cup)

1 lime
small pinch of freshly-ground sea salt

1 tortilla (use a gluten-free corn tortilla if cooking g-f)
1/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 avocado, coursely diced
Cholula or Tabasco hot sauce (to serve)

Preheat oven to 230C  / 450F.

Chop each bell pepper lengthwise into three large sections, and peel and chop the onion into quarters. Slice jalapeño in half lengthwise and de-seed. Place the chopped peppers, onions, jalapeño, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a large baking tray and place in oven. Roast for 20-30 minutes (removing jalapeño and garlic cloves after 10 minutes so they don't burn), until outer layers of onions begin to brown and the skins of the bell peppers are bubbling and beginning to blacken.  As soon as you remove the the onions and peppers from the oven, place peppers into a pyrex or glass bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap for at least 5 minutes.

Slice the tortilla into thin strips. Place strips on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 230C/ 450F for 3-4 minutes, until crispy but not browned. Remove baked tortilla strips and set aside for garnish.

While the onions and peppers are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and place the corn cob into the pot. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until corn is tender. When the corn is done, drain and discard the water, remove corn cob, and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Reserve pot for cooking the soup. When the corn cob is cool enough to handle, carefully scrape the corn kernels off of the cob with a knife. Set corn kernels aside, and discard cob.

Remove the roasted bell peppers (now cool enough to handle) from the glass bowl, and carefully peel off and discard the skins. Coursely chop the peeled peppers, setting aside about 1/4 cup of chopped peppers for garnish.

Place the remaining chopped peppers into a blender, along with half of the cooked corn kernels (keep the other half of the corn kernels for garnish). Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skins and add the garlic to the blender. Coursely chop the roasted onions and jalapeño and add them to the blender. Pour two cups of broth into the blender. Add to the blender 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, dash of cayenne pepper, and half of the chopped parsley (1/4 cup). Blend pepper mixture until you have a smooth puree.

Pour pureed pepper mixture into a large pot (same one you used to cook the corn), and bring to medium heat on the stove. Add to the pureed pepper mixture the shrimp, chopped chorizo, half of the chopped parsley, and the juice from half of the lime. (Set aside the remaining half of the parsley for garnish, and slice the remaining half of the lime into 3 wedges for garnish). Heat the bisque until hot throughout, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If you are using raw shrimp, make sure to cook the bisque until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Taste the bisque, and, if desired, add up to an additional 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cumin and smoked paprika, and a small pinch of freshly ground sea salt.

While the bisque is heating, prepare the garnishes. Place each garnish on a large serving tray or into separate small serving bowls: the roasted and chopped bell peppers, chopped parsley, corn kernels, lime wedges, chopped avocado, sour cream (or greek yogurt), and crispy tortilla strips. Place garnishes on serving table with small serving spoons or forks, along with Cholula or Tabasco hot sauce.

Ladle hot bisque into bowls and serve immediately, allowing guests to top their own bisque with the garnishes.

Bisque will keep for two days in the refrigerator.

Banana Walnut Oatmeal Pancakes with Honey

Two breakfast food posts in one day-- catching up here on SouthernSpoon. These are those banana pancakes I mentioned earlier, so soft and filling and wonderful, and this is what we ended up having for breakfast (brunch?... it was almost noon) this morning.

gluten-free pancakes made with ground oats and flaxseed, sweetened with ripe bananas,
served with honey and chopped walnuts

These gluten-free, dairy-free wholesome pancakes are adapted from this recipe I've been playing around with from Cookie + Kate (whose blog I adore). I've kept them gluten-free friendly by using oats ground up in a blender (make sure your oats are labelled g-f to ensure they're safe from cross-contamination with gluten-containing products). I've added some ground flaxseed and orange juice, with a few more warm spices. I bet you could leave out the egg altogether if you added another tablespoon of flaxseed to make sure things bind together. But one egg does work well with the baking soda to keep them nice and fluffy.  

banana walnut oatmeal pancakes = gluten-free, diary-free breakfast treat

The banana in these pancakes is not overwhelming but sweetens them up beautifully. The best addition here is chopped walnuts in the batter, with more sprinkled on top for serving, all topped off with a generous drizzle of honey. 

I love the mild flavor and delicate crunch of walnuts-- they seem to make any recipe a little more sophisticated. And they always reminded of my cousin. Her boyfriend used to bring her walnuts to snack on while she was studying for the MCAT because he'd read that they help your memory and are just generally good for your brain. Such a thoughtful guy! And now they're married, and this weekend is their anniversary, which they're celebrating with a sweet baby boy. Cuz, I hope you find time to make these pancakes one weekend soon to share with your wonderful family. 

Happy weekend, all, and to family and friends in San Antonio, TX-- Happy Fiesta!

Banana Walnut Oatmeal Pancakes with Honey

Adapted from Cookie + Kate

makes about 10 4-inch pancakes

1 cup rolled oats (not instant; and make sure they're labelled gluten-free if you're cooking gluten-free)

1 cup mashed, ripe banana (2 large bananas)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons orange juice (fresh-squeezed if you have an orange)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, allspice, nutmeg

1/4 cup coursely chopped walnuts, plus more for serving

runny honey (for serving)

Preheat oven to 100C / 215 F, and place an oven-proof serving dish in the oven.

Grind the oats into a flour using a blender or food processor. I just pulse in a blender for about 10 seconds so that some whole rolled oats remain. Pour oatflour into a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, olive oil, orange juice, ground flaxseed, and egg. Mix well to combine. 

To the small bowl with the oat flour, add the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Whisk together to evenly distribute the soda and spices.  

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix well. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Heat a skilled over medium-high heat. When a few drops of water sprinkled onto the skillet dance across it, you're ready to cook the pancakes. Grease your skillet with a little olive oil if necessary. Ladle about a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the skillet. This batter is thicker than your typical pancake batter, so you may have to spread it out a bit as soon as you drop the batter onto the skillet.

Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Place cooked pancakes into the serving dish in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.  

When finished cooking all the batter, serve pancakes warm with chopped walnuts and honey. 

Big Potato Latkes, Topped with a Fried Egg

Good morning from a very sunny Sydney. The hubs is still sleeping, and I'm deciding what to cook up for breakfast. It's always a variation on a theme of eggs with a side of fruit. But we like to get creative: toast topped with mashed avocado, poached eggs, and smoked salmon is a typical version; mini breakfast casseroles if we happen to have preservative-free sausage; the hubs's killer omelets with a big fruit smoothie; banana oatmeal pancakes (need to post those soon) with a side of fried egg; etc.

 bright sunflowers from the hubs, soaking up the morning light

Ever since I received the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from my awesome sister-in-law for Christmas we've fallen in love with potato latkes as a base for eggs. I'd had latkes before, but never with a perfect fried egg on top-- this is the way to eat them, people. Eggs with a side of hashbrowns is already a great combo, and this just melds them all together.

big, tasty potato latkes with a fried egg, topped with Cholula... 
fresh fruit and strong coffee round out the meal

So below I give you our take on the Smitten Kitchen's breakfast latkes. We usually just make two gigantic ones, but the batter could easily make four latkes of a decent size (more if you use a large potato, though make sure you up the onion ratio if your potato is big). Serve with Cholula hot sauce, a side of chopped fresh fruit, hot coffee, and you're good to go for a satisfying start to the weekend.

latkes and fried eggs for an awesome weekend breakfast

Latke-maker's tip: after having used a tea towel for soaking up excess moisture from the grated potato/onion, do not throw said tea towel into the washing machine with a load of other clothing. Everything will smell like onions. Even after the second wash. Handwash that sucker first, then rewash in the machine.

Big Potato Latkes, Topped with a Fried Egg
Slightly adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
serves 2-4 (depending on how big you make your latkes!)

1 medium potato, peeled (we use a waxy potato, about the size of two stacked decks of cards)
1 medium onion, peeled
2 tablespoons flour (I use whole wheat flour, all purpose or gluten-free flour would also work)
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of freshly ground sea salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 egg for the latke batter (sometimes I just use the egg white, this works fine)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2-4 eggs for frying (an egg to top each latke)

Place a baking tray in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 100C / 215F.

Using the big wholes of a grater, grate the potato and the onion. Place the grated potato and onion on a few layers of heavy-duty paper towels or a tea towel, fold over and pat firmly. Leave to sit for a few minutes while you mix together the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add the potato and onion mixture (which is now a little drier after the paper towels/ tea towel have soaked up some of the excess moisture). Toss the grated potato and onion so that they are evenly coated by the flour mixture. Add the egg and stir well to combine.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and spread one tablespoon olive oil evenly over the pan. When a few drops of water flicked onto the skillet dance across it, it's hot enough to cook the latkes. Scoop out a quarter to a half of the latke batter (depending on how many latkes you're making), and drop onto the hot skillet. Quickly flatten the batter with the back of a wooden spoon and spread it out into a thin circle (if making two big latkes, the circle is about 5-6 inches across). Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until dark brown (watch carefully so they don't burn).

Remove cooked latke and place on the baking tray in the oven to keep warm. Spread another tablespoon of oil around the hot skillet, and cook the second latke. When it's done, add it to the baking tray in the oven to keep warm.

Once you're finished cooking the latkes, turn the heat down to the lowest setting (you may need to add a little more oil to the pan), and carefully crack one egg for every latke onto the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the whites are mostly set, then gently flip each egg over. Immediately remove skillet from heat, place latkes on plates, and transfer one egg (flipping egg back to right side up) on top of each latke.

Serve immediately with Cholula or your favorite hot sauce.

Mediterranean Salad with Balsamic Roasted Eggplant, Couscous, & Sardines

After a three-week trip to the USA for work, I've returned to Sydney craving the abundant, fresh produce and seafood that is featured so well in this city's grocers, cafés, and restaurants. It was strange going back for the first time in my 8-year ex-pat furlough and not craving tasty food. I enjoyed our time in the UK, and certainly developed a taste for some English specialties (marmite on toast, a good curry, tea with milk but no sugar, those huge scones at The Orchard in Grantchester with clotted cream and strawberry jam). But every time I was back in the States during those years I crammed in as many American, southern, dishes as I could, from Tex-Mex and mom's homemade recipes to salads big enough to feed a small army.

Here in Sydney, however, my palate is sated. There is such an accessible and never-ending range of ethnic food eateries (from food trucks and holes-in-the-wall to expansive sit-down restaurants crammed with diners) that I hardly notice my underlying constant desire for Tex-Mex.  If I do, there are quite a few places in town that make a mean carnita taco and margarita (and stock those Mexican beers, served ice-cold), but I might just choose Argentinian instead because it's so damn good. The salads here are creative and satisfying, they showcase the best of seasonal produce. Brunch in Australia is an unparalleled experience. The Italian-influenced café culture has perfected the panini (not to mention the coffee), and there seems to be a gelato shop within a few blocks of wherever you're standing. And the seafood. Oysters of all description, mussels, salt and pepper squid, whole fish fresh off the boats at the fishing docks, prawns as big as your hand. And the wine is a treat.  

gorgeous heirloom tomato salad at the Sydney Theatre Company's Bar at the End of the Wharf,
a favorite locale for the seasonal food, live music, great vibe

So while I enjoyed a late night taco run with my siblings, mom's home cooking, fried chicken tenders, kolaches from the incredible Czech Stop Bakery in West (thinking of that sweet community now as they start a long recovery from the fertilizer plant explosion), beef BBQ in Texas and pork BBQ in Tennessee, and drank my fill of southern brews, I didn't feel like I was topping up on something I'd been missing out on for the last 23 months. 

Shiner Bock beer at the Monument Cafe, Georgetown, TX
and delicious kolaches at Czech Stop Bakery, West, TX.  Bless the people of West.

And when I got back home here by the ocean and that beautiful harbour bridge and opera house, walked into the door and saw that the hubs had filled the fruit bowl to capacity with beautiful, seasonal produce, I felt very blessed to live in a country of such abundance. 

I've been making lots of salads recently, even though the days are shorter and the evenings are getting cooler as we move into fall. This recipe is a keeper: very filling with couscous and sardines (they're fantastic-- don't question it, just try it). And full of flavor with the marinated, roasted red peppers, artichokes, kalamata olives, and homemade balsamic roasted eggplant. Plus lots of heart-healthy good fats and omega-3s from the olive oil and sardines.

mediterranean salad with couscous, marinated vegetables,
homemade balsamic roasted eggplant,  and sardines

To make it meatless, you could substitute a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas for the sardines. I used sardines in spring water without added salt, and they were a perfect, mild accompaniment to the other salad components. Chopped feta or haloumi would be good, though the salad is salty enough already with the various marinated vegetables. And the roasted eggplant slices are great, I've also made them for pita wraps and sandwiches.

As you move into spring in the northern hemisphere, enjoy the blooming flora (I relished the opportunity to see bluebonnets on the Texas country roads for the first time in eight years!), and try out this salad as a quick and delicious dinner or weekend lunch.

bluebonnets in bloom near Brenham, TX

Mediterranean Salad with Balsamic Roasted Eggplant, Couscous, & Sardines

Serves 3 or 4 as a main dish

for the roasted eggplant:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 medium-sized eggplant 

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

for the salad:

1/2 cup dried couscous

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups salad greens sliced into thin strips (I used romaine lettuce and spinach)

1/2 cup coursely chopped roasted, marinated red peppers (I used store-bought for this recipe, or you can just roast your own bell peppers as described in this post)

1/2 cup coursely chopped marinated artichoke hearts

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced

3 or 4 sardines, drained and sliced in half lengthwise (try to find sardines without salt added)

for the dressing:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 205C / 400 F. 

First prepare the roasted eggplant. Discard the top stem of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut each of those halves lengthwise again. Holding two long halves together at a time, slice cross-ways down the eggplant to make 1-cm wide slices. Repeat with the other two long halves of eggplant. 

In a large glass bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, and ground pepper. Toss the eggplant slices into the bowl and stir to coat evenly with the olive oil and vinegar mixture. Spread the coated slices out in a single layer on a baking pan. (Save the bowl to make the couscous!). Place the two whole, unpeeled garlic gloves on the pan with the eggplant slices. Bake at 205C / 400F for 15 minutes, then remove from oven to cool.

While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the salad. In the same bowl in which you tossed the eggplant slices (so it should still have a nice residue of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dried herbs), place the dried couscous. Pour the 1/2 cup of boiling water over the dried couscous, and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.

To prepare the dressing, whisk together in a small bowl the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, and pepper. Set aside.

When the couscous has soaked up all the water (about 5 minutes), remove cover and separate grains with a fork. At this point the eggplant should be finished roasting. Remove the two roasted garlic cloves from the eggplant pan, squeeze the garlic out of the papery skin, and chop the garlic finely. Stir the roasted, chopped garlic into the couscous. Add the thinly sliced salad greens to the couscous in the glass bowl, and toss carefully so that the couscous is evenly distributed throughout.  

On a large serving platter, arrange the couscous-salad greens mixture. Over the couscous-salad greens sprinkle the chopped roasted peppers, artichokes, roasted eggplant, and olives, and top with the sardine halves. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad. 

Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve within 12 hours.

Cocktails in teacups

No recipe, but last weekend we had cocktails at Hemingway's on Manly Beach. Awesome café during the day that serves perfect coffees and iced water in old Hendrick's gin bottles in a Hemingway-esqe atmosphere: author quote on one wall, vintage, tome-lined bookshelves on the other, rustic wooden tables and chairs, metal stools... waves crashing out the front door.

At night, they serve a small menu and a long list of cocktails, which come served in Hendrick's china teacups. Amazing. The cucumber-infused, apple tea and rose gin cocktail was a lot less girly than it sounds. A refreshing sip (though probably not strong enough for old E. Hem. himself). Highly recommended if you're ever on Sydney's North Shore.

(This is not a sponsored post, just sharing what we like around here).

Green Bean & Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Lime Vinaigrette (and how to roast bell peppers)

There's a take-away restaurant around the corner from us that has the most tantalizing spread of hearty salads, marinated and roasted chickens, and freshly-prepared meals. It's difficult to resist going there on a busy weeknight or lazy weekend to grab a pre-made meal. Our favorite salad they serve-- green beans and avocados with a tangy poppyseed dressing-- comes with tomatoes, which we have to remove due to allergies. There are probably other hidden ingredients (like preservatives) lurking in their dressings that we should be more attentive to, even in what looks like a fresh, homestyle meal. Preservatives in this country crop up in everything, so unless we've made it ourselves it's likely that it will contain something we shouldn't be eating due to allergies.

crisp green beans, creamy avocado and tangy poppyseed lime dressing

On Friday I experimented making a copycat recipe of that favorite salad of ours, and quickly nailed the dressing with a bit of tweaking. This recipe is a game-changer: it's amazing how such simple ingredients can be so perfect together. Instead of tomatoes, I threw in some roasted red bell peppers for a little color. The resulting salad tasted even better than the restaurant version, and it was a delicious side dish with our roasted chicken.

incredible, easy-to-make green bean avocado salad

A good extra virgin olive oil is key to making a flavorful vinaigrette, and feel free to adjust the acidity by adding more or less lime juice or apple cider vinegar.  Toasted, slivered or chopped almonds would be a great addition, as would any fresh herbs you have on hand like basil or parsley. For dinner or lunch, picnic or potluck, this is an incredibly easy, tasty, and different salad to have in your repertoire. Hope you love it as much as we do.

Green Bean & Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Lime Vinaigrette
serves 4

Salad

2 cups green beans, washed, ends removed
1 avocado
1/4 cup coursely chopped roasted red bell peppers (capsicum) (see roasting tip below)
2 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Poppyseed Lime Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lime
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (to taste)
1 teaspoon poppyseeds
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of freshly ground sea salt
pinch of dried chili flakes (optional)

Steam the green beans for just 3-4 minutes so that they are still on the crisp side of crisp-tender. Immediately remove beans from the pot and quickly run under cold water, then place the beans in a bowl of cold water.

Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl. Start with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and add up to a teaspoon more to adjust the acidity to your liking. If you prefer a slightly spicy dressing, add the pinch of dried chili flakes.

Drain the cooled green beans and place the beans in a large salad bowl.  Add the chopped roasted red bell peppers and green onions.  Pour half of the vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Slice the avocado into long slices that are about 1/4 inch thick, and add the avocado slices to the salad bowl. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the salad and combine very gently so as not to break up the avocado slices. Serve immediately, or chill for up to 12 hours.

* Roasting bell peppers:

Wash and de-seed a bell pepper (capsicum).  Slice it in half, and place the two halves on a baking tray or cookie sheet with the skin side up.  Place the baking tray approximately 4 inches from the heat source in an oven set to broil (grill) on high. Broil (grill) the peppers, with the oven door propped open a couple of inches, for 4-6 minutes, until the peppers soften and the skin begins to bubble and blacken.

Immediately remove from the oven and place the peppers in a sealed plastic bag. Allow the peppers to cool for at least 5 minutes.

Remove peppers from the bag and peel off the skin of the peppers using your fingers (this should not be too difficult to do after the peppers have cooled in the plastic bag). Discard the skin, and set aside peppers for desired use.  (In the recipe above, I used one half of a roasted bell pepper, coursely chopped, to make about 1/4 cup).