Feta and Chive Baked Potato salad

The phone rang the other day , one of my neighbours was overloaded with "sweet onions" .... had asked hubby to go to the supermarket and get some onions, came back with a bag of 12 HUGE onions ..... what to do , but share with neighbours , I promptly adopted 2 of them and proceeded to make tomato-basil soup. 

Next day and an email comes through, "..... willing to share 15LBS of yellow potatoes ... please come and take some   ...... delivery available".... this neighbour did not ask her husband to do the shopping ..... it is an equally funny story though!!! ...... I promptly turned up at her doorstep and adopted 10 of them. 

At this point I was just laughing out loud and heartily , to my neighbour trying to offload the potatoes , I suggested collaboration with our other neighbour and start making vichyssoise soup .

These potatoes were my favourite yellow potatoes and I have long wanted to try making a baked potato salad.

The potatoes were washed and scrubbed , chopped into bite size pieces with the skin on , tossed with some olive oil , kosher salt , freshly ground pepper and dried oregano. The whole mixture was tossed with my hands to ensure every morsel of the potatoes was coated . I then placed them in a oven proof dish and an 420F oven and roasted until slightly browned and cooked through to fluffy goodness.

Once they were cooked , I let them cool slightly , tossed them slightly and sprinkled some Maldon sea salt flakes , crumbled feta cheese and chopped garlic chives from my garden . Tossed gently to combined and enjoyed them for dinner.

Go ahead and make them and allow yourself to try different toppings, here are some suggestions :

•  crushed garlic (to taste)  , grated pecorino cheese and more olive oil to coat
• thinly sliced red or yellow peppers with capers. kalamata olives and fresh flat leaf parsley , with a squeeze of lemon juice

Let just say perfect to go salad for the hot summer days ahead !!!



Feta and Chive Baked Potato Salad
.... inspired by many a cookbooks


Yellow potatoes, scrubbed with skin left on
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
dried oregano ... or herbs de provence
olive oil
feta cheese
fresh garlic chives
Maldon Seal salt flakes

Firstly, this recipe has no quantities because you can add as much or as little of what suits your meal purposes.

Cut potatoes into bite size pieces , place in oven proof dish , toss with olive oil , salt and pepper and dried herbs of choice then , tosse well to coat and place in 420F oven .

Bake for about 25minutes or until slightly browned and cooked through.

Allow to cool slightly before adding topping of choice , in this case crumbled feta and garlic chives .

the reason we allow the potatoes to cool slightly iss so that you do not "cook" the fresh herbs and the cheese only melts , just slightly.



Pizza Bianca

Hello readers , I know it has been a very long time between posts , so much has happened , so many travels to far flung corners of the world. However , we are home now and ensconced in everything that a new school year brings.

As I was preparing dinner last night , the phone rang and I was asked " are you home, I have something for you  ?" ... of course said I ........ minutes later there was a knock on the door and I was greeted with this spectacular pizza bianca delivered in rustic fashion , enveloped in a beautiful tea towel.

My eyes needed time to digest everything , as they started to absorb this vision of perfectly cooked dough with hills and dales and little pools of olive oil and sprinkles of rosemary , it was sheer politeness that stopped me from tearing into this pizza , immediately.

Over the summer my friend Lara was privileged to receive lessons from a good friend of hers on bread making and all its facets, from making this pizza, to no-knead bread etc. Where was I ??? ...... not in that kitchen silently taking in the moment and enjoying the experience of working with flour, water and yeast .

When the whole family gathered for dinner, it was with a flush I presented the pizza at the dinner table , after fighting off hubby ( who also wanted to tear right into it upon his arrival from work) ....... lets just say when everyone started eating some if this pizza - silence befell the dinner table.

I urge everyone who loves pizza to go out and invest in a pizza stone and peel - they are lifetime investments you will never regret and make this pizza.  

Pizza bianca does not have sauce , it is usually served with a drizzle of good olive oil , a sprinkle of fresh herbs of your choice - I would recommend rosemary as it is the most flavourful and screams pizza, in Rome this pizza is usually eaten in the morning in the same way that we enjoy toast.

Pizza Bianca

made with love by Lara from  this book


3 cups bread flour , plus additional for dusting

1/4 tsp instant or other active yeast

1/2 tsp table salt

3/4 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups cool water (55 to 65 F)

1/4 cup extra virgin oil , plus additional for coating the bowl and brushing

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

3 sprigs fresh rosemary , leaves removed

In a medium bowl stir together the flour, yeast , table salt and sugar. Ass the water and using a wooden spoon or your hand , mix until you have a wet sticky dough - about 30 seconds. Lightly coat a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it . Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubles in size 9-12 hours.

When the first rise is complete , generously dust a work surface ( a cutting board is useful here) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece . Using lightly floured hands fold the dough over itself two or three times and nudge it into a loose rather flat ball . Brush the surface of the dough with the olive oil and sprinkle with the coarse seal salt - this will gradually dissolve onto the surface/ Put the dough in a draft-free spot and let rise until doubled 1-2 hours.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise , preheat your oven to 500F with a rack in the center, place a pizza stone , of at least 14 inches on the center rack. 

Generously dust a pizza peel with flour and place the ball of dough in the middle. Spread out the dough using your fingers like an outstretched claw, do not puncture the dough - you want to create dimples to become a haven for the olive oil and rosemary and stretch out the dough across the pizza peel to approximately 12 inches. 

Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and sprinkle with fresh rosemary leaves. 

At this give the peel a little tug , the dough should move ever so sightly - a better word would be hydroplane - that way it will be easy to slide on to the hot pizza stone. Should it be sticking at any point , gently lift the corner of the dough and sprinkle more flour underneath. 

Shake and slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, and bake for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown on the mounds but pale in the dimples . 

Remove from the oven with the peel , allow to cool a few minutes before slicing and serving. 

............ thank you Ina

For many that know me well , know that I am not a baker. I enjoy cooking , everyone says I cook well ( thank you) - however "baking" mortifies me .

Being an aquarian , there is a free spirit within us that does not like to be sequestered. Rules are made to be broken and does it really matter if I put in one teaspoon of this or half a teaspoon of the same thing.

In the world of baking it does.You see baking is a precise science, it involves accuracy , it involves good chemical reactions between baking soda and buttermilk which produce the fluffiest cakes , and precise ratios of liquids that help a cake rise and impress.

However , I have started to overcome my phobia of baking, by tackling baking recipes that involve mixing together wet and dry ingredients. How difficult can that be ? I ask myself. Not difficult at all , to me a marriage made in baking heaven . There is room for a little extra of this and smidge of that .

So, I now welcome you to the world of Ina Garten , one of the cooks I idolise , whose recipes never fail me, but always impress .  She is famous for starting all cake recipes with a pound of butter and in an effort to lighten things up she makes this delicious Lemon Yogurt cake  - which is so mind boggling simple I don't know why I did not make this sooner.

The other day I adapted her recipe and turned it into a Lemon- Blueberry Cake - yummy.

Then I was eating one of my favourite oranges, the Cara-Cara orange. So deliciously sweet and juicy , I thought I would try and adapt her recipe and make it with oranges , and for an over the top finale, decorate the top of the cake with glazed orange segments . The inspiration for this came from watching Jamie Oliver's new cooking show ( travelling around europe) where he made a Honey and Pistachio Cake during his trip to Greece.

So, with yoghurt at hand, I used low fat , 2 sturdy mixing bowls , and quite literally 5 minutes of your time ( it takes longer for the oven to reach temperature) - you will make a cake that will impress everyone and give Top Pastry Chefs a run for their money.

This morning I enjoyed sharing this cake with my wonderful neighbour Lisa - goes perfectly with a nice cup of coffee and wonderful conversation.



Cara-Cara Orange Yoghurt Cake with Glazed Oranges
adapted from an Ina Garten recipe and inspired in part by Jamie Oliver

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup low-fat yoghurt ***
1 cup sugar
3 extra large organic eggs at room temperature ( very important)
zest of one cara-cara orange
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
the juice of half an orange

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed cara-cara orange juice

Glazed Orange Segments

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
half a cara-cara orange thinly sliced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a non-stick loaf pan with some canola oil and dust with flour - guaranteed not to stick .

In one bowl measure out the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt, place to the side.

In another bowl place the yoghurt, 1 cup sugar, room temperature eggs, orange zest, vanilla extract and the juice of half an orange. Whisk until well combined .

Pour the batter in to the floured loaf pan and place in oven, bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean .

Meanwhile, make the Glazed Orange Segments. Place the water and sugar and water in a saucepan and add the orange slices . Bring to boil then immediately turn down to a simmer , you want the syrup to thicken slowly and cook and soften the orange slices in the meantime. Keep an eye on this step , if it looks like the water is evaporating too quickly , add a splash of hot boiling water and stir gently and continue to cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Once the syrup has been almost absorbed by the oranges turn off the beat and allow to cool . Should the orange glaze become hard and stuck to the saucepan, gently reheat to loosen up the sugar syrup , then place on top of the cake for decoration after you placed the glaze and it has set slightly.

While the orange segments are been cooked make a thin  glaze for the cake, Mix 2 tablespoons orange juice into 1 cup confectioners sugar and mix well until you have a nice runny consistency. Pour over the cake once it has been removed from the loaf pan and cooled.

*** I use the Mountain High brand Low-fat yoghurt. It is best to use a thick style greek style yoghurt , and there are plenty easily available in the supermarkets. A lot of low-fat yoghurt tends to be a little runny and this will ruin the consistency of the batter .

NOTE: you can also make this cake with regular oranges , just not too sure if they will be as sweet as the cara-cara oranges.

Tilapia Fish Burgers with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise

In an attempt to make eating fish a lot more fun , I started to make fish burgers. I enjoy nothing more than baking tipalia in the oven , simply dressed with olive oil , a sqeeze of fresh lemon, sprinkled with salt and pepper and herbs de provenance ..... hhmmmm .

However, once I placed the fish it on the dinner table, I could swear I heard a  silent collective groan of "fish again ????" . So when I put on my deceptive mummy cook hat on, I started to think of more interesting ways of serving fish . With some leftover tilapia fillets one day , I played around with interesting and fresh ideas to make a more healthy and interesting burger.

You can add whatever you like to this mixture , it is not caste in stone. You can also use whatever fish fillet your family enjoys. I selected tilapia because it is readily available and is generally a mild fish , be careful if you are using cod as it has a very strong taste and may over power all the other ingredients. Look a this recipe as a guide. The mixture should look colourful and with a nice balance of fish and vegetable ingredients.

I enjoy them in a lightly toasted bun with some lettuce a nice shmear of tartare sauce or a nice piquant lemon caper mayonnaise. By keeping all the ingredients chopped and diced small there is no real cooking involved because the fish is cooked and we are merely browning the outside of the burger and heating through all the ingredients. The other secret ingredient is the use of japanese panko breadcrumbs , they keep the burgers light and moist and add a nice little crunch to the outside.

The burgers were devoured by the whole family , second helpings were going on, which I loved .You can always serve these with a green salad, a nice  quinoa salad or bean salad. And as always in classic burger tradition - toasted bun, lettuce and a some condiments - and please not ketchup here - it would be totally sacrilegious.

They would make an excellent starter to an elegant dinner party , served simply on a spring lettuce mix, gently tossed with olive oil and sea sea salt and a few grinds of pepper and a lemon wedge. They can be enjoyed just out of the oven or at room temperature ( my favourite) and they can go a long way for a buffet and or family style dinner.

The burgers are light, refreshing and healthy ..... but please do not mention all the health benefits to the family - that way, you will sell them on the idea of eating a burger - how good they are for them will be between you and me.

Tilapia Fish Burgers

a gg original recipe

4 tilapia center cut fillets (or fish of choice)

olive oil

salt and pepper

herbs de provence

red onion 

red bell pepper

fresh flat leaf parsley

2 green onions

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 egg

1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise

panko breadcrumbs

skim milk ( or whatever you use at home)

canola oil

lemon wedges

Place the tilapia fillets in an oven proof bowl, coat with a little olive oil, season with salt , pepper and herbs de provence , add a splash of cold water and bake in a 400F ( 200C) oven for about 12 minutes or until cooked through and flaking easily.

Remove from oven allow to cool, then place in a bowl and flake with a fork, try to keep the pieces a little chunky ( as you would for crab cakes) so that you can identify the fish pieces in the burger.

Finely chop the red onion, bell pepper, parsley , green onion and add to the fish along with everything else except the panko breadcrumbs, milk and canola oil.

Place about 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumb in a bowl and enough milk to soften the breadcrumb but not become a soggy mess. Allow the breadcrumbs to absorb all the milk then add to the fish mixture. If you end up with too much milk in the bowl- sometimes this is hard to judge - just squeeze the breadcrumb in your hand , place that in the fish mixture and discard the excess milk.

Combine well , your mixture should be moist and just holding together , you may need to a touch more mayonnaise - but be prudent as you do not want a soggy mayonnaise mess.

Place in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up before forming into burgers.

Remove from fridge , form into burger approximately 3 inches wide and no more than 1/2 inch thick . You do not want these to be too thick or they will fall apart in the cooking process and you will end up burning the outside of the burger and the middle part of the burger will be "uncooked".

Preheat a non stick frypan and coat the bottom of the pan - barely, with some canola oil , meanwhile form the burgers and press the outside of each burger in the panko breadcrumbs and shallow fry until a light golden colour.

Place in a pyrex or ovenproof dish and bake in a 400F or 200C oven for about 8-10 minutes until heated through.

Squeeze a fresh lemon before serving.

Lemon Caper Mayonnaise 

a gg original recipe adapted from many a cookbook

1 cup good quality mayonnaise 

the zest and juice of one lemon 

1 tablespoon capers - roughly chopped 

a pinch of salt to taste 

a few grinds of pepper

a splash of olive oil

1 very small garlic clove crushed ( optional)

Combine all of the above and adjust seasoning as needed , allow to develop flavours for at least 6 hours or overnight int he fridge. Spoon on top of the burgers and enjoy.