A health-giving, nourishing tea, best drunk when you’re feeling a little under the weather and in need of a boost.
Author: chefalice
Squash, maple and pecan are natural bedfellows, and when roasted together are one of my favourite low-hassle side dishes. You should serve this with rich, savoury meat dishes, or things involving a creamy or cheesy sauce; if your meal is already a little sweet, or you’re contemplating other sweet side dishes, consider the Rosemary and chilli roast squash instead. This is best with winter squash or pumpkin such as kabocha (delica), acorn and red kuri (onion) squash, whose nutty, earthy flavours suit the maple and pecan well. The more ubiquitous butternut verges on being too sweet to be matched with…
Roast squash or pumpkin is one of my favourite side dishes. I like it, in particular, with meat-heavy meals where I might otherwise have used potatoes and carrots (beef or lamb stews, roast pork or chicken, for example); it provides both heft and sweetness, and replacing two vegetables with one makes room for a bigger pile of seasonal greens. But I also like squash in its own right, as something with a bit of texture to be served with creamy sides such as polenta, or beans and their broth. If you can find them, use winter squash like kabocha (delica),…
Avocados have become food celebrities; everyone loves the buttery fruit that’s as healthy as it is rich thanks to its 20 essential nutrients including stores of monounsaturated fats and fiber. And no party is complete without a bowl of guacamole. To prevent this adored dip from ever becoming tired, we incorporated pomegranate seeds and pepitas for a nutritionally supercharged guac sporting a lively interplay of flavors and textures. First, we made the perfect rustic but creamy guacamole by mashing three diced avocados with a whisk until cohesive but still chunky. Mincing our seasonings together ensured the flavors would be evenly…
Traditional muhammara is a sweet-smoky blend of roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and spices popular in Turkish and Syrian cuisine. A true multi-use recipe bursting with flavor, it makes a delicious dip, a spread for sandwiches, and even a sauce for meat and fish. Our simple version incorporates beets, which gives the already nutrient-packed mixture a splendid color, along with a boost of vitamins and minerals. We tested several methods of preparing the beets, steering away from roasting to minimize kitchen time. Some tasters loved the flavor and texture imparted by raw grated beets, but for optimal creaminess…
While I love making pasta myself and have such fond memories of making it with my grandchildren when they were young, I have to be honest and say that 9 times out of 10 my pasta will be from a packet. But that packet will be well chosen I usually have spelt and wholewheat pasta, something seductively Italian and a packet of fine egg noodles sitting in my larder. It’s great to see that there are some really good Australian dried pastas available now, and this simple pumpkin and sage mixture is the perfect way to show it off.
Farmed fish is the way of the future, given the diminishing stocks of the sea, and I have tasted some great farmed barramundi at Parndana Area School on Kangaroo Island (and I know there are others). The students there are responsible for growing the barramundi in tanks and the school has a purpose-built hospitality centre where they cook the barramundi in every way imaginable. Colin visited a few months ago and declared their salt and pepper barramundi the best he had eaten!