THe JAnuary BOX

BREAKDOWN

Aubergine Cardamom Jam: absolutely superb with roast lamb, chicken, alongside rice, or soft feta on your cheeseboard

Tahini Dressing: an absolute must to have in any kitchen.  Friend to a host of vegetables, grilled fish, grilled aubergine.  I have added a few recipes for your to try.

Favourite Dijon Vinaigrette: another standard to drizzle over leaves, steamed broccoli, slaws, carrots, sandwiches…

Kimchi: mine has ginger, apple and pear.  I think you’ll like it!  Add to rice.  My favourite? Atop crispy buttered toast!

Curry & Mustard Leaf Mayo: this is a novel and delicious thing!  Nutty and slightly spicy, it is superb over all kinds of potatoes.  It makes a great dip and can be spooned over rice, salads, roast chicken or grilled fish.

Dhanya Chutney: another favourite from The Kitchen – stir a little through your tomato smoor”.  Fantastic with sausages, lamb chops. Make a cheat coronation sauce with mayo and yoghurt.

Dukkah: I’m very proud of my dukkah.  I developed it years ago before dukkah was a “thing”. Good bread.  Good olive oil. Dip oiled bread in the dukkah. Repeat.

Sorrel Butter: this sour-salty butter is heavenly on fish. Have a little taste and think of all the other things it could go with… vegetables, steak….

Lemon Squares (of legend!): a bit of nostalgia.  I fell in love with these when I lived in the states in the early ‘90’s… I had to make up my own recipe to try and relive that first bite. I think I got it right!  A taste of nostalgia from The Kitchen.  With my love.

RECIPES

Cauliflower Apple Date and Rocket Salad

Thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsal for this inspired salad.  Interestingly, the rocket is the key to its success!  A surprisingly good accompaniment to most meat dishes and plain grilled chicken.

180g whole almonds, toasted

2 medium cauliflowers

3 apples

1 cup dates, sliced

Tahini Dressing

200g rocket

1 T nigella seeds (black onion seeds) (optional)

Salt and black pepper

Cut the cauliflower into very small pieces, about 2cm, and very finely julienne the stalks.  Waste not want not!  Keep any small tender leaves and slice into bite size pieces.  Put all the cauliflower into a large mixing bowl.

Core the apple and chop into roughly the same size pieces as the cauliflower and tip them into the bowl with their friends.  Add the sliced dates.  Roughly chop the almonds and add to the salad.  Pour over the dressing and stir well to coat.

Lastly but most importantly, fold in most of the rocket, leaving a few leaves for garnish.  Add more sea salt and a sprinkle of black pepper as needed or a squeeze of lemon juice.  Finish with the nigella seeds and the remaining rocket.

Greens with tahini and crispy onions

One of the best things about having The Dining Room, was planning what delight we would lay on our guests for our Tuesday and Thursday evening dinners.  The sheer pleasure of seeing their amazement: this deliciousness, here in Woodstock!  These greens were a favourite we would plot to have on the menu. 

½ cabbage, cored, sliced into ½ cm slices

600g spinach or swiss chard, thoroughly washed and roughly sliced

4 T vegetable oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

Salt & black pepper

4 T Tahini Dressing

3 onions, finely sliced

½ c flour, seasoned with a pinch of salt and white pepper

3 c oil for frying onion rings

In a small bowl, separate out the onions rings and toss them in the seasoned flour to coat.  Heat the oil in a wok or a deeper saucepan and fry the onion rings until golden and crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.  Set aside.

In a large wok or deep saucepan, over high heat, stir fry the cabbage in a tablespoon of oil until just wilted, about 2 minutes.  Fry the cabbage in two stages so as not to overcrowd the pan.  Do the same with the spinach.  Towards the end of each fry, add ½ tsp garlic and stir-toss with the cabbage and spinach.  Place the fried cabbage and spinach on a warm serving platter. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with the tahini dressing. Top with the crispy onions.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Brusselsprout “Chhonk” and Radish Mint Pickle

Feeds 4 -5 as a Main dish

For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

2kg red sweet potatoes

¼ c sunflower oil

For the “Chhonk”:

3 T sunflower oil

300g Brussel sprouts, bums trimmed (come on, it’s not really a tail!) and cut in half lengthways

2 T ghee

1 tsp black mustard seed

1 T curry leaves

1 tsp garlic

Pinch chili flakes

Pinch sea salt

For the Radish Pickle:

5 large radishes, finely julienned

Small bunch of mint, shredded

3 T sugar syrup

2 T white vinegar

Pinch salt

Cut the potatoes in wedges, rinse them thoroughly, then in a large bowl, toss them with the sunflower oil.  Lay out the wedges on a lined baking sheet and roast at 190°C for 20-30 minutes until those potatoes are well coloured and golden.  You might need to turn and toss them half way through to recoat and be sure they are being evenly coloured.

Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok and fry the brusselsprouts till they are well coloured.  Leave their cut sides on the pan to brown a bit then stir every 2 – 3 minutes until cooked, about 6 minutes.  Add the ghee to the pan along with the garlic, mustard seeds, chili and curry leaves (if using) along with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.  Set aside in a warm place (or heat briefly before using).

Toss the contents of the pickle together in a small bowl.

To assemble:

Arrange the roasted potato wedges on a large platter.  Season with flaked sea salt.  Spoon the curry leaf mayo over the potato wedges.  Spoon the brusselsprout “chhonk” over the dressed potatoes and then spoon the radish pickle with its vinegar over the whole dish.