Walnut Guacamole and Spinach and Orange Salad

It's warm enough now to have lunch outside on the deck some days. A loaf of good bread, a couple of salads and you're done! We spread the guacamole on the bread and serve the spinach salad alongside.

The spinach and orange  salad is ridiculously easy using only these two ingredients and a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil. Baby spinach leaves would be best for this salad but we had larger leaves in the garden that needed picking and surprisingly they tasted just fine. But I would avoid using a bunch of elderly supermarket spinach leaves.Our own New Zealand oranges were lovely and sweet, nice to be able to use locally grown fruit. A sliced avocado and some toasted and coarsely chopped macadamia nuts made a nice addition when we ate it again the following day.

Walnut Guacamole:

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium  avocados mashed
A handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and coriander
1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts
2 medium tomatoes (squeezed to remove seeds and some of the liquid) then chopped
1/2 small red onion  peeled and chopped
Juice of a lime
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil ( I used Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil)


Mix together and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Spinach salad.

This is one of the easiest salads you could possibly make . The oranges provide sufficient acidity so there is no need for vinegar in the dressing. A tasty extra virgin olive oil does make all the difference!
To make it simply peel some oranges and slice. Arrange some baby spinach leaves and orange slices in a shallow bowl. Dribble over plenty of extra virgin olive oil ( I used Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil). Add some salt if you must!

A Shared Lunch with Two Black Dogs

The bottle of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil I was given last week wasn't finished yet so after my usual leisurely visit to the Takapuna market to gather supplies (creamy French feta, mushrooms,beetroot, semi sundried tomatoes and small loaves of ciabatta bread made locally by a German baker)) I felt inspired to put the rest of it to good use. I got busy and created a shared Mediterranean lunch with everyone dipping in happily.


And I have some exciting news to add. Nicky and Graham will be in a celebratory mood right now as last night they won a silver medal at the NZ olive oil awards for their Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil. So do try it in these recipes. It's seriously good.

Marinated Mushrooms with Semi Sundried Tomatoes

This is easy to assemble but it does need to stand for at least half an hour before serving to allow the dressing to soak in. We spread some slices of  ciabatta thickly with a creamy French feta from the market to serve alongside.

Ingredients:

200 grams of mushrooms ( sliced)

100 grams of semi sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic ( peeled and smashed)

3 tablespoons of chopped herbs (I used a mixture of oregano, mint and thyme) 

Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

2 extra tablespoon of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil.

Method: 

Put all the ingredients ( except the extra tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl and mix together.

Leave to marinate for half an hour .

Just before serving stir in the extra tablespoons of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil. This will really allow its lovely flavour to shine through.

Serve with some creamy feta cheese and ciabatta bread alongside.

Beetroot Dip

I usually make this beetroot dip with yoghurt but I think it's even more delicious made with creme fraiche . It will keep for several days in the fridge and stay thick and creamy.

Ingredients:

350 grams of beetroot
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
150 grams of crème fraiche
1-2 tablespoons of 2 Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil
The juice of a lime
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Some finely chopped mint and a few chopped walnuts to garnish

Method

Boil the beetroot in their skins for 30-40 minutes or until fork tender.
Drain and leave  until cool enough to handle. Slip their skins off.
Put the beetroot and garlic in a food processor and blend  (there is no need to blend until smooth, a little texture is fine)
Add the creme fraiche and blend again.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the lime juice and 2 tablespoons of Two Black Dogs olive oil,
Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt.
Garnish with chopped mint and walnuts just before serving.

My Hummous

This is my hummous recipe. It is  light and  citrussy. In many hummous recipes the oil is mixed into the hummous  but I think the flavour of it gets somewhat lost that way. It's nicer to drizzle it generously on top. 


Ingredients: 

1 can of chickpeas (400 grams) 
1 clove of garlic (peeled and smashed)
3 tablespoons of tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
a good dash of hot sauce ( I used Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce)
a drizzle of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil

Method

Drain the chickpeas
Reserve the liquid
In a food processor put the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid, and all the other ingredients except the olive oil.
Whizz till smooth.
If the mixture is too thick thin it down by adding a  little more of the reserved liquid.
Then adjust the seasoning and  if you like more fire, increase the amount of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli  sauce.

Put in a bowl and drizzle some olive oil over the top before serving with toasted triangles of pita bread.or spread on some ciabatta.

Two Black Dogs and a Bottle of Good Olive Oil

This week  I was given a bottle of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil to try. I love the back story. Graham and Nicky live in Mangawhai in Northland, New Zealand. Having bought a property on which there was a grove of olive trees  they decided to jump in gumboots and all to produce this lovely grassy green extra virgin olive oil.  

Their first olives were harvested in May 2015 and their Ascolano olives were used to produce a small run of extra virgin olive oil which has been certified by Olives New Zealand as Extra Virgin Olive oil.

Their two black labs have the best kind of dog's life running amongst the trees, sniffing around , sampling the odd olive and absorbing the sun after a swim.  The olive oil is named after them and they feature on the label.

I've really enjoyed creating some recipes with this oil:

Fennel. Apple and Celery Salad

I first tasted a salad made with just three ingredients: celery, fennel and apples at my sister in law Janet's house in Sydney recently and it has become a firm favourite at our home. To make it I sliced a couple of celery stalks, two fennel bulbs and two Granny Smith apples ( unpeeled) and put these into a salad bowl. I dressed the salad with 3 tablespoons of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil , the juice of 1/2 lemon (or you could use 1 lime) and some freshly ground rock salt. My special touch was to leave the dressing to soak in for an hour or so. Then I tucked in a few freshly picked mint leaves and provided a tiny jug of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil alongside to dribble over it as this really boosted the flavour.

The perfect breakfast

So what should come first when you have a slice of ciabatta, an avocado and some Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive .It's a debatable point. My son Nick uses olive oil like butter (he likes the way it soaks in and flavours the bread) and then adds the topping. Preferring to avoid soggy bread I do it the other way round. I mush up some avocado, spread it liberally on the bread and add a generous drizzle of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil which pools and glistens on top. Then I grind some rock salt on top and a sprinkle of Mexican spices or dukkah. Yum!The perfect breakfast.

Pita Bread with a fresh herb topping

Just  lately I've been making my own pita bread in the fry pan using a great recipe from the Kitchn . They don't puff up quite as much as those made in the oven but you do get nice crunchy toasted spots on the serface when you cook them this way. Here's the link:

 http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-pita-bread-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-90844

You can of course buy a packet of pita bread for this recipe but home made is nicer.

For the topping I picked a bunch of herbs from the garden : rosemary, thyme and oreganum, chopped them finely and smashed a peeled clove of garlic with some rock salt. I stirred this mixture into three tablespoons of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil. Then brushed it liberally onto two pita breads. They were baked in the oven) at 200 degrees C for about 10-15 minutes until the bread had crisped up. We had this for lunch with some kumara  flavoured hummous, delicious!

Hearts of Palm, Tomato and Spring Onion Salad

At the Takapuna market on Sunday I found some canned hearts of palm. I'd never used them before but thought I'd try them in a salad. And the verdict ? Very tasty and would make again.

I simply drained the liquid from a 400 gm can of hearts of palm. These hearts of palm look like little fat sticks but are quite tender).I sliced them quite thickly and put them into a salad bowl. Then added two chopped tomatoes, the finely sliced whites of 2 spring onions  and plenty of flat leaved parsley. The dressing was made with 2-3 tablespoons of Two Black Dogs extra virgin olive oil and the juice of !/2 lemon.

Variaton: 

The following evening we had this salad again. This time I added a chopped up avocado and arranged the salad on a bed of mesclun leaves. Some feta crumbled over the top completed the dish.

And here are some a pictures of the the handsome and bouncy black Labrador George, and his bosom pal little Millie! These two are the much loved pets of my daughter Rachel her partner and our three granddaughters. No olive trees for them but a nearby beach to cavort on !

Quinoa Tabouleh with a smoked paprika and mustard dressing.

This is the tastiest quinoa salad I have made this year, inspired by a recipe in  Yvette Van Boven's 'Home Made ' recipe book. It made good use of some of our abundant crop of parsley and the last of our rocket.

What intrigued me about this recipe was the combination of smoked paprika and mustard in the dressing  giving a slightly smoky and pungent flavour. Thanks Nick for being the taste tester.

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa ( I used Ceres Organics Super Grain Mix which is a mixture of white, red, and black quinoa and amaranth)
1 tin of whole kernel sweetcorn ( drained)
3 spring onions ( chopped)
1/2 cup of roasted cashew nuts
100 gm of feta cheese ( crumbled or chopped )
1 bunch of flat leaved parsley ( finely chopped)
1 bunch of rocket

Dressing:
Whisk together
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1 garlic clove ( peeled and smashed)
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 cup of olive oil
the juice of 1 lemon (or more to taste)

Method: Cook the quinoa first
Sort through the Quinoa as sometimes small  stones are present and it pays to remove these little toothbreakers. Then rinse under running water, In  pot , put a cup of  Quinoa or Super Grain Mix with 2 cups of watr. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Leave to cool until lukewarm.Add the other ingrdeints and stir in the dressing. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

La Boca Loca collected recipes from the taqueria

Shortly after La Boca Loca opened we enjoyed a lovely meal there. Before that our experience of “Mexican” food had been limited to the hearty pots of chili con carne we used to cook in our student days, and tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese served with sour cream and guacamole. So it was exciting to discover so many new dishes and to taste those earthy, smoky and spicy Mexican flavours. 

 

Afterwards I was invited into the restaurant kitchen to see how corn tortillas were made by hand on a tiny press so that each one ordered in the restaurant would be perfectly fresh.

 

Lucas Putnam grew up in a part of America with a large Mexican American population where Mexican food was readily available. But when he landed a job at Weta Digital to work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and came to New Zealand in 2001 he was surprised to discover that the fresh and tasty kind of Mexican food he loved was not to be found in Wellington. 

 

So he persuaded friends who travelled to Mexico to bring back the essentials he needed and cooked it himself. Before long he was hosting a Mexican dinner party every weekend. They became so popular that he was eventually persuaded to establish a Mexican restaurant with partner Marianne. Their aim was to bring the spirit of Mexico to the heart of Miramar by combining traditional Mexican ingredients with fresh and locally available ingredients.

 

La Boca Loca opened its doors in 2011. Four years later when they had hand-pressed 200,000 corn tortillas, made almost 70,000 burritos, 45,000 litres of salsa and poured 60,000 margaritas, the time felt right to write the cookbook which customers and friends had been asking for. 

 

In went the most popular dishes and cocktails from their restaurant menu as well as some personal favourites. Interesting chapters on the history of Mexican cuisine, pantry essentials and basic techniques such as handling chillies, how to prepare masa, press your own tortillas and making fresh and cooked salsas are also included.

 

If you are planning to try your hand at cooking Mexican food it is essential to know your chillies as these are widely used in Mexican cooking. I know how important this is from having once burnt my mouth horribly by biting into a fiery one grown by a Mexican friend. So the chapter on chillies, what they look like, how to use them and how each rates on the heat scale from mild to exceedingly hot is a must read.

 

But fear not, much Mexican food is not very hot at all or only as fiery as you want it to be and the heat can easily be adjusted to your taste.

 

Nothing is more annoying when you are keen to try a recipe from a different culture than not being able to find the ingredients. At La Boca Loca, they use fresh and local ingredients wherever possible but some that are unavailable here have to be imported. You can purchase or mail order these directly from the restaurant. and they are not expensive.

 

I’ve really enjoyed trying out some of the recipes and each one has been a success. So far I've made:

 

Fresh corn tortillas: These were so easy to make using only three ingredients (masa harina flour, water and salt).  A fun way to keep the grandchildren entertained in the kitchen!

 

Breakfast burritos: There are several variations in this book but we love the simplest one filled with scrambled eggs, crumbled feta or grated cheddar,  chopped tomatoes and avocado with a little hot sauce to taste.

 

Salsas are an essential part of a Mexican meal. The one I make most often is a mixture of finely diced onion, diced tomatoes and chopped fresh coriander, sharpened with lime or lemon juice and seasoned with a pinch of flaky salt. Adding chillies is optional.

 

Lucas encourages experimenting with whatever fresh fruit is in season. In autumn they use feijoa and in winter tamarillo. 

 

Ceviche de Pescado: This marinated raw fish salad tastes fresh and light. Far superior ras an appetiser to that old sixties favourite the prawn cocktail!

 

Black Bean and Corn salad is a healthy medley to eat with corn chips or tostadas. I find this a very useful recipe to make when there are vegetarians in the house.

 

Mexicans love to party. And La Boca Loca is famous for its cocktails created by its various bartenders whose legacy lives on in a bunch of tempting recipes for margaritas, sangria, mojitos, and fresh fruit juices.  When we have a Mexican feast or fiesta we’ll have ve to try some of these as well! 

 

La Boca Loca: Collected Recipes from the Taqueria. RRP $60.00. By Lucas Putnam andmd Marianne  Elliott. Available from bookshops nationwide. Distributed by Potton&Burton or direct from www.labocaloca.co.nz

This review was written for the GrownUps website:

http://www.grownups.co.nz/read/living/our_people/edi-la-boca-loca-collected-recipes-from-the-taqueria

Feijoa and Apple with a Crumbly Topping

A jar of this spicy crumble mixture will keep for at least a week  in the fridge . I sprinkle it on warm stewed apples and feijoas for an almost instant  winter dessert or over sliced mango and Greek yoghurt. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Tio Pablo masa harina

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of rolled oats

75 gm of very cold butter

Put the masa harina, spices and sugar into the bowl of a food processor

Grate the butter or chop into small pieces and add in.

Whizz briefly until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.Add the rolled oats and whizz for a few more seconds to combine.

Alternatively do it by hand:

Put the masa harina, spices, and sugar into a bowl and cut or rub in the butter until crumbly. Mix in the rolled oats.

Spread the crumble on a baking paper lined tray in one layer and bake at 180 degrees C for about 15-20 minutes until it is golden brown. Watch carefully, you don't want it to burn. Leave to cool down before storing in the fridge in a lidded jar.

The apples and feijoas can be stewed in the microwave. Simply scoop out the flesh of about 12 feijoas  and peel and chop 2 large apples. Put in a microwave safe ceramic  bowl with 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon and about two tbsp of brown sugar (or to taste)  

Microwave  for 5-10 minutes until the fruit is mushy. ( Different varieties of apples will take different amounts of time to cook)

Gluten Free Masa Harina Porridge with Apple, Cinnamon and Walnuts

This is real comfort food and lighter than porridge made with oats. If  you just need something warm and nutritious to fill your tummy and to ward of the winter chills try it!

Whisk together until smooth

1/2 cup of trim milk
11/2 tbsp Tio Pablo  masa harina ( or 1 tbsp if you want it to be a more runny consistency)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (or to taste)
1 tbsp brown sugar/maple syrup


Put all  in a microwave bowl and microwave on high for 11/2 minutes  ( whisking at 30 second intervals)
Add 1/2 grated apple ( leave the skin on if you wish) or  1/2 finely chopped apple and 2-3 tablespoons of raisins
Sprinkle with chopped walnuts before serving and drizzle a little more maple syrup on top
or sprinkle with a mixture of castor sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.


This is also quite nice left to chil in the fridge overnight  ( rather similar to Bircher muesli). If it thickens too much it can easily be thinned with a little more milk. Add the nuts and more maple syrup

Banana and Masa Harina Smoothie

Sometimes you just want the kind of breakfast you can whip up very quickly and sip while reading the newspaper , checking your emails or better still just sitting quietly and relaxing for a few minutes before the day gets busy.
I always keep some chopped up bananas in my freezer to make one ingredient banana icecream and recently discovered that I could also use them to make this nutritious smoothie.

Per person
1 tablespoon of Tio Pablo masa harina
1/2 cup of trim milk
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of brown sugar or maple syrup
1 frozen banana ( chopped into chunks)
1/2 cup of chilled full cream yoghurt ( I used Clearwater's with a touch of honey

Method:
Whisk the masa harina ,trim milk , brown sugar and cinnamon together until the mixture is smooth
Put in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high (whisking every 30 seconds) for 1 1/2 minutes or until it has thickened
Leave to cool until lukewarm
Put into in a blender or food processor with the still frozen chopped banana and the yoghurt.
Whizz together until smooth.
Stir with a cinnamon stick (optional)


Put into a tall glass and sip, or scoop out with a teaspoon.

Gluten Free Little Masa Harina pancakes.

When I was  cooking up  pancakes for brunch  there was no way I wanted a gluten free guest to miss out so I had to improvise. These little gluten free pancakes made with masa harina were the result. They had quite a distinctive flavour but were nice in their own way. At their best when piping hot, they lost their charms when cold.

Ingredients:


100 gm of Tio Pablo Masa Harina
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4  cups of milk



Method:



Put the Masa Harina into a bowl
Crack the egg and drop in.
Add 1 cup of milk and whisk all  together thoroughly until the batter is perfectly smooth.
Leave to stand for 1/2 hour.
Whisk in  another 1/4 cup of milk  or enough to make the batter slightly thicker than pouring cream.

Heat the fry pan then a little oil, just enough to grease the pan.
For each little pancake  use an  ice cream scoop as a measure.
When bubbles appear and the pancake has browned on the bottom  flip it over to cook the other side.
Don't rush the process , let them get a little crispy.


Serve while hot dusted very lightly with icing sugar. Pass  maple syrup to pour over.




These are also nice with a scoop of maple syrup ice cream ( check whether gluten free first!)

Or some stewed apples to which a little lemon juice and cinnamon has been added/.

Mini Corn Breads filled with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

                      

I like to serve these  mini corn breads either as a party food or for a light lunch. They are based on Dame Alison Holst's evergreen recipe for champion cheese muffins but baked in little silicone loaf pans. Part of the flour has been replaced by masa harina which intensifies the corn flavour.

These little loaves ( unfilled) also freeze really well and can be quickly defrosted and reheated in the microwave .

Ingredients

• 2 cup tasty cheddar cheese grated
• 1  cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup of Tio Pablo Masa  Harina flour                                                                                                        
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp sugar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• freshly ground black pepper to taste  
• 1/2 tin (205g) of cream style corn    
• optional:  some chopped sundried tomatoes, olives, parsley and coriander.                                                                                                     

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C

Very lightly grease 6 silicone mini loaf pans

Put all the dry ingredients and grated cheese into a large mixing bowl and mix together lightly with fingertips to combine.

In a small bowl whisk the egg and milk together.
Add the creamed corn

Pour this liquid into the dry ingredients , then fold together briefly. Do not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the mini loaf pans

Bake for about 15 minutes unto they have browned and spring back when lightly touched.

When they have cooled to room temperature fill with cream cheese and slices of smoked salmon.

I also use the same batter to make mini cheese muffins to which I add chopped sundried tomatoes, coriander and parsley.