Finding Feasts

How to make Chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s Muhammara Dip

When I catered for a friend’s birthday party her request was cocktail / finger food. On the menu was this rich and tasty capsicum dip originating from Syria and Lebanon, known as Muhammara. Perfect for a cocktail party served with bread or crackers. It tastes amazing with poached eggs on toast for brekkie, or on sandwiches.

There are many recipes out there, but I could not go past Yotam Ottolenghi. The recipe calls for Aleppo chili flakes which are available at specialist grocers and Herbies the BEST most AMAZING spice people if you are in Australia. I had none so I substituted the Aleppo chili flakes with normal chili flakes, and I am pleased to say it worked out well. Finding pomegranate seeds in winter was another challenge hence again I omitted these.

Enjoy! Bella

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ETHIOPIAN CHICKEN CURRY | DORO WAT

A rainy weekend means a curry for dinner and this Ethiopian chicken curry known as Doro Wat, definitely packs a punch.

With slow cooked, fall off the bone chicken, coated in a rich and flavourful sauce made from a berbere spice mix, a red chilli-based spice mix, I guarantee you this dish will blow your mind!

A traditional Doro Wat is made by using a whole chicken which is cut into 12 pieces spicy. It is very, very spicy so if you are making this for those that are not prone to liking heat you might want to pull back on the chilli when making your own berber spice mix. Like all good curries this tastes better the next day.

Enjoy, Bella

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Smashed Pumpkin on sourdough with poached egg, Truffle oil & feta

Smashed pumpkin on sourdough with poached egg, truffle oil and feta is the perfect weekend brunch idea. It also makes a nice change from the traditional smashed avo on toast.

You can use left over roast pumpkin from the previous nights roast dinner or roast some pumpkin ahead of time. Finish the dish off with a drizzle of vino cotto, a sprinkling of parsley for freshness and I guarantee you will walk straight past the avo in the shopping isle!

Your taste buds will love it!

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Polish Brined gherkins [OGÓRKI KISZONE]

Summer means that my parents have an abundance of cucumbers and gherkins. They eat the cucumbers, the gherkins, well in good Polish tradition, they pickle them or preserve them in brine – a water solution which is flavoured with salt, pepper, garlic, horseradish, mustard seeds, bay leaves and the all important dill, is left to ferment over time. You can add chilli however I am keeping to mums basic traditional recipe.

As the brine ferments they become sour in flavour and take on the spice from the garlic and pepper. Mum sometimes adds fresh horseradish if it is available.

For fresh and crunchy gherkins you can pop open your jars on about the 4th day, if you can’t wait, however for a tangy and more fermented gherkin keep them fermenting around 2 – 4 weeks where their flavour will be bold and tangy, absolutely delish! Your brine will become a little cloudy which is absolutely ok.

After you have popped the lid and are ready to enjoy, these will keep in the fridge for up to a month….not in my house tho! Gone in a matter of days. Gherkins were a staple at my families breakfast, lunch and dinner table on a weekly basis. No Sunday brunch extravaganza would be complete without these making it to the dinning table.

Smacznego!

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How to make polish tomato soup [zupa pomidorowa]

There is nothing better than my mother’s tomato soup [zupa pomidorowa]. The soup is comforting, heartwarming and made with love. I still ask for this whenever I visit home, a perfect winter warmer with a dollop of cream and some crusty bread. At home mum would serve the soup with homemade noodles, gosh I still remember the joy of each spoonful, slurping up the soup and sucking up the long noodles, love in a bowl.

Growing up soups were a staple dish in our Polish household, there was enough made each week to last our family for several days. Like most other Polish families, Sundays we ate Rosół, a clear chicken broth with homemade noodles, carrots and fresh parsley. The broth would serve as the base for the tomato soup the following day.

The recipe I am sharing here has evolved over the years as my preference is for a more creamy, hearty version. This is achieved by using fresh, ripe tomatoes that have been roasted off in the oven with carrots, onions and leek – one of my favourite vegetables. Being in Sydney we are in winter now so the tomato season is over however I find that roasting the tomatoes off in the oven brings the slightly unripe ones back to life, giving them a lovely sweetness and a depth of flavour.

If you have a soup story to share, I’d love to hear about it.

Smacznego – Bella

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Apple Galette aka The Easiest Apple Tart Ever

Apple Galette aka The Easiest Apple Tart Ever is a recipe that you will use continuously from this point on … I promise!

A lot of people feel there is too much time and effort needed in making their own pastry, let alone a flaky pastry, but, being a rather lazy cook myself I know that this one will turn you into a pastry maker forever.

The pastry is done in a food processor in under 1 minute. It is then pressed into a ball and placed into the fridge till you are ready to roll it out and add the filling… See! So incredibly easy. You really can’t mess this pastry recipe up.

Once you’ve got the pastry, the filling combinations are endless; peach, berries, rhubarb, whatever.

If you want to make a savoury filling, say a mushroom galette, then omit the sugar and use half a whole wheat flour for added savouriness. Cook down the filling so as to not make the pastry soggy, making sure the filling is completely cold before placing on the pastry and cook for the 40 minutes or so.

Tip: cover the base of the rolled out pastry with a thinnish layer of flour that will absorb any excess liquid from your filling.

This is an amazingly simple recipe for an end result that is an incredible centrepiece.

Happy pastry sculpting, Blondie 🙂

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Beef and Broccoli Cannelloni

Beef and Broccoli Cannelloni is classic Italian dish … tasty bolognese sauce wrapped in sheets of pasta under a blanket of golden cheese. This is a dinner that really does appeal to the whole family. Plus it’s loaded with a whole head of broccoli!

Serving it with a salad dressed in a zingy dressing will balance out the richness of the bolognese and cheese.

Enjoy – Blondie 🙂

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