Autumn Snack for One

Tags

avocado, Basil, Cape Town, chilli, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, garlic, goats cheese Agave nectar, health, olvie oil, peaches, quick meal, red onion, season foods, snack healthy food, whole wheat seed bread

It’s a quiet day; the stormy weather of yesterday gone. Today we have soft autumn sunshine, the air is crisp and chilly. I love the different seasons and the changes it brings. This evening will be perfect for cosy fireside natter while sipping some delicious port.

But back to lunch which is roasted vegetables and avocado on toasted whole wheat seed bread, followed by grilled peach served with goats cheese, a drizzle of Agave nectar and a sprig of mint. This is a very healthy snack, wonderful the skin, cholesterol, blood pressure and general circulation.

For the roasted vegetables and avocado on toasted whole wheat seed bread you will need

½ red pepper cut into bite size chunks

1 small red onion cut into chunks

11/2 tablespoon olive oil

½ an avocado

1 garlic clove

1 small green chilli

2-3 basil leaves

A spritz or two of fresh lime juice

A slice of whole wheat seed bread or bread of your choice, toasted

Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C

Put the chopped pepper and onion in an oven proof dish, sprinkle with one tablespoon olive oil, season and toss the vegetables together. Place in the preheated oven for about 15minutes then turn the grill on high and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes, or until the vegetables take on some charred colour.

Place the avocado, garlic, chilli, basil, lime juice and ½ a tablespoon olive oil in a blender and blend to a rough or smooth consistency. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Spread the avocado mixture over the toast and top with the roasted vegetables. Serve.

Oven grilled peach served with goat’s chees, agave nectar and mint

Ingredients

1 peach cut in half, stone removed

A little olive oil

A few slices of goat’s cheese

A few sprigs of mint

A drizzle of agave nectar

Method

Place the peach halves face up in an oven proof dish. Rub the cut side of each half with a little olive oil and place under a hot grill for about 5-8 minutes or until they start to take on colour.

Place each half on a plate or in a little bowl, top with some goat’s cheese, a sprig of mint and drizzle with a splash of agave nectar.

Note:

if you don’t have agave nectar, use a good quality honey instead

Three of my Favourite Ingredients

Tags

avocado, Cape Town Chef Cooks, Chillies, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, food and drink, food and travel writing, Food Blogs, Food Writing, healthy food, Healthy Meals, ingredients, Kate Abbott, Lifestyle, Light meals, Olive oil, Photography, Poached egg, recipes, smoked salmon

I love Avocado, smoked salmon and eggs, and in this recipe I have combined them to produce a dish that is full of fantastic flavour. It is healthy and easy to prepare and is one of my favourite meals for lunch or brunch.

Ingredients

Toasted wholegrain brown bread

A few slivers of smoked salmon

A few slices of avocado

A soft boiled or poached egg

Lemon juice

Olive oil chilli dressing

Black pepper

Sea salt flakes

Method

Cut the toast in half and place the toast on a plate; drape over a few slivers of smoked salmon followed by a few slivers of avocado. Place the poached egg on the plate next to the smoked salmon and avocado.

Sprinkle over some lemon juice and dress with the chilli dressing and some black pepper. Season the egg with a little salt.

For the chilli dressing

Ingredients

2 medium hot chillies

Juice from one lime

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Olive oil

Method

Place the chillies, lime juice, salt, and sugar in a container and blitz with a hand held blender until you have a rough mixture. Stir in some olive oil and serve.

A Palate of Innovative Dining

Tags

avocado, baby potatoes, Berries, Biscuits, Cape Town, cooking, Cream Yoghurt, Dessert, Entertaining, food and drink, Food Blogs, Lemon Creams, Lemon rind, lemons, recipe, S.A. Food Blogs, Salads

 

Clifton kitchen was booked for Friday and Saturday evening. It was dinner for four on Friday and dinner for six the following evening, nothing unusual about that except for the consideration in the menu planning for a vegetarian guest who eats fish but not eggs.

On the menu were;  rich roasted tomato soup, followed by fish slowly poached in olive oil infused with thyme, black olives, garlic, bay leaf and ginger. The accompaniments were boiled new baby potatoes, a large salad of mixed leaves gently tossed with pears, avocado, onion rings, and toasted walnuts; drizzled with a blue cheese dressing. A loaf of fresh crisp country bread, followed by a lemon cream dessert served with a ginger snap biscuit.

Each course was well received and by the time every one was ready to take their leave of the evening, it was done with requests and a promise to supply the recipe for each of the meals served, with particular emphasis on the lemon cream which I include in this blog.

Lemon Creams

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 ½ cups thick yoghurt

¾ cup castor sugar

1 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind

80 ml lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Place the cream, yoghurt and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently whilst stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes to remove the ‘rawness’ from the cream, then bring to the boil and remove from heat.

Stir in the lemon rind, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour into 6 small ramekins or pretty containers of your choice. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until set. I usually make them the day before.

Serving options

Top with berries or whipped cream and serve with a biscuit such as ginger, digestive, wafer or tuile biscuit.

What’s In Season For August

Tags

Apple, apples, Asian greens, avocado, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprout, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, Carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Chefs, Chicory, cumquats, fennel, food and drink, Foodblog, Fruit, garlic, ginger, grapefruit, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lemons, limes, mandarins, Nettle, Nettles, okra, olives, onions, oranges, papaya, parsnips, pineapple, potatoes, pumpkin, recipe, rhubarb, Seasonal produce, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, swede, sweet potato, turnip, Vegetable, Vegetables, witlof

It’s hard to believe that we are just a few days away from the month of August. In my garden shrubs and trees are sprouting new growth and last season’s spinach which I had not removed has regrown without much prompting and is looking healthy and lush. The nettles too are doing well in this garden.

Nettles are incredibly nutritious, they establish themselves anywhere where in soil with high fertility, on banks of river beds, near trees and within the vegetable patch. Yes they sting like mad and one needs gloves when picking, but the application of heat when cooking removes all trace of stinging hairs. Cook the nettles as you would spinach. The flavour is slightly stronger than that of spinach and is a lovely substitute to use in the classic spinach and ricotta gnocchi or for a lovely leek and nettle sauté.

When selecting fruit and vegetables, it is best as always to buy where ever possible, locally produced and what is in season to ensure the benefit of maximum flavour and nutrition from your fruit and vegetables.

Here is a guide for produce to look for in August.

Fruit:

Apples, cumquats, grapefruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges, papaya, pineapple, rhubarb,…

Vegetables:

Asian greens, avocado, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leek, okra, olives, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, swede, sweet potato, turnip, witlof…