Kumara Bravas for Matariki

Here's a kumara dish for Matariki. Kumara have been grown in Aotearoa for a very long time. It is thought that they were first brought here by early Maori settlers from  the Pacific over a thousand years ago.  

My Kumara Bravas recipe was inspired by Patatas Bravas , a classic Spanish tapa dish which is served in bars all over Spain. Bravas means fierce . In this recipe the bite isn't too fierce.It comes from the hot chilli sauce.

Matariki, the Maori harvest festival invites us to celebrate and share. So  put the kumara bravas on  a big platter . Pass it round with some toothpicks so everyone can dip in and enjoy.

If you haven't used smoked paprika before start with a little, it's an acquired taste but I think it really makes this dish special. 

Ingredients:

400 grams of  peeled Kumara (cut into wedges)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of vegetable/olive oil
1 400 gram can of diced tomatoes in tomato juice
1 medium size onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika ( optional)
1 teaspoon of palm sugar (crushed)
a dash of hot chilli sauce (I used Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce)
salt to taste

Parsley or coriander finely chopped

Method:

Chop the kumara into chunky pieces. Toss with a tablespoon of coconut oil and bake in a 200 degree C oven for about 20 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown. They may need a little longer.

While they are baking prepare the sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable/olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until it has softened.
Add the crushed garlic and fry for a further minute.
Add the remainder of the ingredients.
Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring the tomatoes and mashing them with the back of a fork from time to time. The sauce should be pulpy and will have reduced.
Arrange the kumara wedges on a platter.
Drizzle some of the hot sauce over the top.
Garnish with the chopped parsley/coriander


( If you don't have coconut oil, vegetable oil will do although it won't be as aromatic. Palm sugar does add a warm, caramel flavour but it can be replaced by sugar. )

Crackers with Chilli Cream Cheese and a Mexican Salsa.

 

 

Spread brown rice crackers with a Hot Samoan Boys cream cheese dip, top with a Mexican Salsa, and you have a delicious healthy snack.

 

Start by making the dip. Beat together 300 grams of cream cheese, the juice of a lime and a few drops of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce. Add finely grated lime rind to taste.

 

It's the zest of the lime, the outer green part of the peel that you want here. Do not use the white underneath, it's bitter.

 

The idea for adding some grated lime rind to this dip came from a Pacific Flavours workshop at Cook the Books, It makes your mouth tingle and adds some zing. 

 

Next make a Mexican Salsa (A mixture of chopped tomato, green pepper, red onion , fresh coriander,a squeeze of lemon  juice and some salt to taste.) Leave it to rest for a while so the flavours can  mingle.

 

Spread brown rice crackers generously with the cream cheese dip and top with the salsa. Best served straightaway. After a few hours they can go a little soggy.

 

You can also make this with mascarpone instead of cream cheese, more calories but deliciously rich and creamy.

 





 

 

 

 

Roasted Pumpkin with Chilli and Thyme

 

These colourful and spicy pumpkin slices make a healthy and tasty side dish . You don't have to peel the pumpkin which makes life easy!

The recipe can easily be doubled, or trebled depending on how many mouths there are to feed.

For three people you will need:

400 grams of pumpkin (sliced fairly thinly)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 crushed garlic clove
A dash of Hot Samoan Boys chilli sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss everything together and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish. Scatter some fresh thyme leaves over the top.

Bake  at 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked through and is slightly browned.
 

Chilli Gingernuts

 

 

Go on, put a little fire into your gingernuts! These little cuties are crunchy at the edges and slightly chewy in the middle. For adults only, or staunch kids.  

Ingredients:

125  grams of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
1 egg
2 cups of selfraising flour
3 teaspoons of ground ginger
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
Melt butter in  a saucepan
Remove from heat.
Stir in the sugar, golden syrup and beaten egg.
Sift flour and ginger into another bowl
Pour in the butter mixture
Mix them together.
Put the dough in the fridge to cool down for about 15-20 minutes
When it has firmed up roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls
Place well apart on lightly greased/ baking paper lined oven trays (or they will run into each other)
Bake in a moderate oven for about 12 minutes till they are golden brown.
Watch carefully towards the end of the cooking time to make sure they don't burn at the edges.

Makes approximately 45
 

Ancient Grains Salad

Eaten last night at a Quinoa seminar at IE Produce in Takapuna. What a great night we had! A chance to learn and a chance to taste a range of quinoa recipes  including this super healthy salad. The main ingredient was Ceres organics ancient grain fusion (white and black quinoa combined with brown and red rice)

Once cooked these ancient grains were combined with olives, sun dried tomatoes and garden herbs and tossed in a dressing.

 

Quinoa with fresh herbs, Sundried tomatoes and Olives

Ready in             20 minutes

Serves:                2  

          

1 cup               Ceres Organics Quinoa, (red, white, Super grain mix or quinoa rice blend)

     ¼  cup             parsley, chopped

     ¼ cup              basil, chopped

     1 tbsp              Thyme leaves, chopped            

 1/4 cup            Ceres Organics Sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped small

    1/4 cup            Black olives, chopped small

Dressing:

 

  2 Tbsp.            Fresh lemon juice

  4  Tbsp.        Ceres Organics Olive oil

  Pinch               Ceres Organics Herb salt

Cook Quinoa according to packet instructions. Transfer to a bowl.   Allow to cool.  Add fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes and black olives.

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Toss with quinoa.

 

 

Joyce has kindly posted the recipes we tried  on the IE produce website. To see them go to http://www.ieproduce.com.

 

Once you are on the home page

Click on ‘In Store shows (right hand side of the page)

Click on ‘Past Shows’

Click on Quinoa evening (pronounced keen-wa)

Click on ‘recipes’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gingernuts

 

 

Some biscuits. like people, just need their own space. That's just how these gingernuts are. Leave plenty of room between them as they bake or they'll spread out and stick to their neighbours.

Still, even the conjoint ones tasted really nice once they'd been broken apart and just as I remembered them from Nick's Playcentre days. Crisp at the edges and a little chewy in the middle, they came from his friend Robert's Mum.

Ingredients:

125  grams of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
2 cups of selfraising flour
3 teaspoons of ground ginger

Method

Melt butter in pan
Remove from heat and add sugar, golden syrup and beaten egg.
Mix until well combined
Sift flour and ginger into bowl
Pour in butter mixture
Mix until combined
Allow to cool a little
Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls
Place well apart on lightly greased oven trays
Bake in moderate oven for about 12 minutes till they are golden brown.
Watch carefully towards the end of the cooking time to make sure they don't burn at the edges.
Makes approximately 45

Chilli Con Carne

A big pot of Chilli Con Carne will keep the wolf from the door on a blustery chilly winter's night. This spicy comfort food is inexpensive and filling. Leftovers taste even better the next day.

Be careful not to make it too fiery if there are children about, they tend to like mild. So adjust the amount of hot chilly sauce to suit their taste. Adults can turn up the heat as much as they like.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of oil

1 large onion (chopped)

2 rashers of streaky bacon (roughly chopped)

2 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)

500 grams of minced beef

2/3 cup of beef stock

400 gram can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice

400 gram can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tablespoons of tomato puree.

1 teaspoon of sugar.

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

Hot chilli sauce/ chilli powder to your taste (I used 1 teaspoon of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce, then added some more at the end of the cooking time as we like it hot)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and bacon over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Set this mixture aside.

In the same frying pan brown the minced beef, stirring it with a spoon to break it up, for about 5 minutes. All the pink bits should be gone.

Transfer the mince to a large saucepan. 

Add the onions, bacon and garlic.

Stir in the tomatoes in their juice, the beef stock, the oregano, tomato puree, a dash of the hot chilli sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer gently on a low heat with the lid on for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. It should be thick but still moist.

Add the red kidney beans and continue to cook, again with the lid on, over a low heat for 10 more minutes.

Adjust the seasoning at this stage. You may want to add more chilli sauce as well as more salt and pepper.

To serve put tortilla chips in large bowls and spoon over the Chilli Con Carne. Top with lots of grated cheddar cheese and spoonfuls of sour cream. Or simply serve with some boiled rice.

 

 

Blue Cheese and Walnut Pastry Nibbles

 

We went to a drinks and nibbles party at the Auckland Zoo last night so I created these little savoury pastry roll ups. So good!

 

Ingredients:

(Multiply as many times as you like depending on numbers). Each sheet will make about 20 .

 

1 sheet of flaky puff pastry ( I used Edmond's reduced fat flaky puff pastry)

1/2 cup of walnuts

50 grams of blue cheese

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 200C

Defrost the flaky puff pastry sheet ( This will only take a few minutes)

Crush the walnuts inside a plastic bag by bashing them with a rolling pin.

Crumble the blue cheese.

Mix cheese and walnuts together in a bowl. Spread them over the pastry sheet.

Press down on them with your hand to make them stick. 

Roll the pastry up tightly and pinch the edges together well ( use a little water to stick them together if necessary)

Cut the roll into 1/2 cm slices with a very sharp knife.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes till golden brown ( watch towards the end as theycan burn easily)

Nicest served warm but still good when they have cooled down.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Hearty Cheese and Courgette Slice

This is a the kind of hale and hearty savoury slice which will warm you up and stick to your ribs in this wintery weather. And it's totally vegetarian.

Ingredients:
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
100 grams of butter ( straight out of the fridge)
150 grams of grated Cheddar Cheese
3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
2 zucchini (grated)
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
2/3 cup of milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor.
Add the butter,
Whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Put it into a large bowl
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs , milk and chilli sauce  together
Pour this over the dry mixture .
Add the grated courgettes and chopped parsley to the bowl.
Stir until everything is  just combined.
Spread the mixture into a baking paper lined oven dish (20 cm by 30 cm) 
Bake for about 25 minutes until the slice is golden brown and cooked ( test by poking a toothpick in, it should come out clean)

Serve with sweet chilli sauce  and a small mesclun salad.


 

Hot Chilli Chocolate

 

Heat up your day with a cup of hot chilli chocolate. It's so good!

To make it ( for each person) brew up a cup of a good drinking chocolate ( I use Kokako which  has a pure and intense flavour and is both organic and Fair Trade.
Then drop in a square or two of dark chocolate and a splash of chilli sauce ( I used Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce) and stir until the chocolate has melted.
Reheat for a few seconds if necessary.
Enjoy!


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