Saturday 15 February - Sunshine Food

Challenge on the food group this week was 'Sunshine Food' and as I happen to have a Sophie Grigson book by that very name I hunted through that to find some recipe. Not all of this meal went down too well with us, but having taken the photos I thought it was worth blogging.

Course one was something that reminds me of our family holidays in France in the 1970s  - plain artichoke with some thick, mustardy dressing. I love these, the others ate theirs but weren't really fussed about it.

For the main course, the bit that none of us were really that keen on was the chicken - this was spatchcocked and stuffed with a puree of black olives, garlic, and parsley under the skin, before roasting .

The dish of Provencal Tomatoes that went with it, however, were a huge success.

I did a tomato sniff test when buying them to get the ones that actually smelled of something. These were then halved and fried cut side down until brown, then placed in the serving dish. cut side up.

They were then seasoned andsprinkled with breadcrumbs mixed with chopped garlic, parsley and tarragon, drizzled with olive oil and baked for about half an hour.

These were served with the chicken and some new potatoes.

For Dessert, a 'Trio' of things that all of us like.

Lemon Panacotta - I added a splash of limoncello to this along with the gelatine to give it a bit more of a lemony flavour.

An orange compote made with sliced oranges and tangerines, in a caramel syrup with a touch of cinnamon, and a dash of Grand Marnier.

To go with these, a bit of a treat - some homemade Baklava - this is surprisingly easy to make.

Layers of butter brushed filo, topped with plain chopped nuts - I used pistachios and almonds and pulsed them in the food processor. Then another 4 or 5 layers of filo on the top.

The pasty was scored and then baked until crisp. While still warm a syrup of sugar and water was made - I added some rose water and a good squeeze of honey to this, although it wasn't in the recipe.

The syrups was then poured over the still warm pastry.

Once all three components were cold they were served - and went down a lot better than the main course!

Sunday 2 February - Mezze and Greek Walnut Cake

Inspired by a visit to Akram, I decided to have a go for the first time to make proper homemade falafel.

Chick peas were soaked overnight and then into the processor (raw) with onions, garlic and various spices and pulsed until a paste formed.

This paste was then popped in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

While it was chilling I made some Mezze style dips to serve alongside.

Roasted aubergines were turned into Baba ganoush by adding tahini, olive oil lemon juice and spices - the horrible grey flesh turns into a silky smooth dip when whizzed.

I also made some hummous out of tinned chickpeas.

The chilled pasted was formed into patties, and then shallow fried - the bit I was anxious about - what was going to hold the mixture together?

But they worked!! I served them with the dips, flatbread and a greek salad on the side.

 

For afters a delicious greek walnut cake - this was a bit like a meringue, with no fat in it, and just a little bit of flour. Once it was cooked a syrup infused with cinnamon was poured over.

I served this with frozen greek yoghurt which I sweetened with a touch of honey.