Roast potato medley

Okay, this is not quite what I promised to post but I couldn't keep this one to myself. It is so simple to throw together and great for satisfying a carb-craving.

It is what I label as a "quick and dirty" because it's a very earthy dish that takes no time to prepare. Simply scrub the skins of the potatoes you plan on using - pictured above, I used 3 different types of sweet potaotes: yellow, white and purple-flesh, 2 types of potatoes: kipflers and royal blues, but you can use a variety of others that are available at the market. It helps if you get the tubers more or less the same size as it eases the cutting process a great deal. After cutting the potatoes into almost equal and generous wedges, season liberally with salt and pepper, then stick a few springs of rosemary about the roasting pan and a pour over good slug of olive oil.

Bake at 230C for 10 minutes until the flesh browns and blisters, then turn the heat down to 180C to cook until the 'tats are tender.

These are so incredibly good to eat on their own, or with a good spicy chutney or aioli. Or try it served with a leg of roast lamb.

Snack attack: Chocolate cereal clusters

Apart from an apple-blueberry crumble I made for a picnic last weekend, I haven't been in the mood for baked lately. Part reason is the cleaning up afterwards but mostly it has to do with the fact that I have packed on the winter kilos well ahead of time this year and I fear if I continue to pile on the padding, I might grow to be the size of a bouncy castle!

As part compromise, I made these chocolate cereal clusters to have with my morning and afternoon cuppa. Remember those cute Easter nests I made? Well, these are basically the same without the extra ganache, decorative eggs and fluffy chick. Although not entirely guilt free, this snack packs some health benefits. They contain shredded wheat, dried fruit (I used those really large plump raisins) and chopped pistachios (but of course any nut of choice will do). Instead of using my favourite dark chocolate, I decided on a dairy free block this time.

All you need is a microwave safe bowl to melt the chocolate and a good spatula to mix the ingredients and you are one step away from sweet gratification. I am certain I have seen this recipe in a book before but I cannot remember which so I am unable to credit it -- sorry.

These little clusters are so incredibly easy and fuss-free you might even let a pair of little hands help. They are incredibly more-ish with their crunchy and chewy texture so it is best to make them bite-size so a few can be consumed at a time with less guilt.

chocolate cereal clusters

4 shredded wheat biscuits

100g dairy-free chocolate (I used Sweet William soy chocolate which I am very fond of)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

2 tablespoon rice syrup

(makes 24 little bites - not counting ones you eat while making them)

melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until smooth and melted

add rice syrup to the melted chocolate and mix well

crumble shredded wheat biscuits into melted chocolate

add dried fruit and nuts

mix to coat everything in chocolate

place small mounds of mix on a lined tray

refrigerate to set the chocolate

enjoy

Warm chickpea and broccoli salad with toasted almonds

Tonight I made myself a warm salad. To be honest, calling it a salad would be slightly misdirected as I think it is more a stir-fry with one unlikely candidate as the protein component - chickpeas (NB I added a few shelled prawns just because I had them - of course, you can omit them should you wish to keep this dish vegetarian).

This is an incredibly fast, substantial and cheap meal to prepare and it really does cover all the required food groups. Here, I have opted for piquant Asian flavours: lime, fish sauce (which you can replace with soy sauce for a vegan/vegetarian alternative), garlic, chilli and fresh coriander. In hindsight, I could have added some coconut cream and leftover curry paste to the pan as well and I would have a quick vegetable curry. I was searching for something crunchy and salty to add to my salad - like bacon bits. But I don't eat pork. I suspect if you enjoy bits of salty pork, you could saute some pancetta in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients and it would be quite tasty. In the end, toasted flaked almonds played the role of "salty pork bits" for me.

Whatever direction you wish to take this dish is entirely up to you. I have a can of butter beans and lentils sitting in my cupboard, so next time I might use those in place of chickpeas. Grains and pulses tend to be neglected in most of our diets but they are an excellent and cheap source of protein. The added bonus is they are also high in dietary fibre - which commonly lacks in our contemporary diet.

Chickpea and broccoli salad

1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained well

1 chilli, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 lime/lemon, juiced

peanut oil

fish sauce (vego alternative: soy sauce)

handful of flaked almonds, toasted in a pan

heat pan or wok and add peanut oil

saute chopped chilli and garlic until fragrant then add chickpeas

add soy/fish sauce and juice to the pan (it should sizzle)

add broccoli florets and 1/4 cup of water

place lid over pan allowing the steam to cook the broccoli - this takes about a minute or two

remove from heat and place in bowl

scatter flaked almonds and chopped coriander on top of salad

enjoy

Luxury in a jar - Berry and rhubarb jam

Just the other morning while I was filling out the little jars at work with breakfast jam, I thought to myself,

"Such luxurious times we live in".

Centuries ago, jam was a delicacy only the royalty enjoyed. These preserves were made from fruit picked from the garden and glasshouse on the palace grounds. Fast forward to the present and I am portioning jam from a large bucket and everyone can enjoy a jam sandwich. Isn't it funny how we take these little luxuries for granted?

Of course there are jams, and there are jams. What sets the standard for the heavy-weights is the percentage of fruit. To me, any preserve containing a minimum of 45% fruit is called a jam. Anything less, it is a jelly or a fruit spread - and this is by no means my personal dismissal of its quality, merely a question of semantics.

Although I was tempted to make this jam without the use of commercial pectin, the idea of gathering enough apple pips or making an apple peel stock had me change my mind at the drop of a spoon. The truth is, most commercial pectin is derived from apple anyway but is conveniently crystallised for use. Initially, I planned on using raw sugar in my jam but spotted jam-setting sugar conveniently packaged in 1kg bags at my local grocery which is just the amount I required. Although, it costs a fraction more than raw or white sugar, it really does make the whole process, less of a process - that is, there is no need to:

1. measure pectin then mixing it through the sugar to prevent it from clumping together

2. determine the appropriate amount of citric acid required to activate the pectin and,

3. be left behind with a jarful of pectin that you may never use again, unless you are considering jam-making as a hobby.

The jam I made is a no-fuss-cook-in-30-minutes-soft-set variety. The advantage of the short cooking time is you get to preserve the vibrant colour and taste of the fruit and as a result, a more robust jam in both flavour and visual appeal. Some recipes call for a knob of butter to be added when the jam has come to its setting point. This does not affect the flavour of the jam and is merely done to help disperse the foam that accumulates during boiling (scientifically, its job is to break the surface tension of the jam). Some argue that this step may affect the shelf life of the product but I cannot personally remark on this as I have very little jam-making experience. I find skimming the foam off the surface of the jam before placing them in jars just as easy.

If you wish to read more about proper jam-making, this site offers some good guidelines. As does this site. However, I must add my jam (although breaking a few rules highlighted in aforementioned sites) is pretty spectacular and should you try it, you would probably think so too.

So try it, and let me know what you think.

Berry and rhubarb jam

500g raspberries

300g strawberries, hulled

300g rhubarb, peeled, cut to 2cm pieces and cured overnight with 1/2 cup sugar

1kg CSR jam-setting sugar

peel of 1 orange

peel of 1 lemon

1 vanilla pod, split and scraped

(makes 5-6 250ml jars)

mix berries and rhubar in a large bowl with jam setting sugar

place fruit in a large non-reactive pot and gently heat to dissolve sugar

add citrus peel and vanilla seeds and pod

bring to a rolling boil for 5-6 minutes

test to see if jam has set by placing a small amount on a cold plate. It is ready when a skin forms and it fails to run all over the plate (NB this jam is soft set, just the way I like it. You may need to use additional pectin if you prefer a firm set jam)

remove peel and vanilla pod

place in hot sterilised jars (I wash my jars and lids in hot soapy water then place them in the oven set at 120C to dry. I keep them at this temperature until I am ready to fill them with jam)

screw the jar tops on while jam is still hot and place in a cool dark place to store.

In the mood for soup: Curried red lentil and mango soup

The cold weather makes me want to hoover everything edible in my path, in particular temperature raising foods like slow-cooked meat casseroles so rich and savoury they leave your lips sticky, hearty soups, golden-roasted root vegetables seasoned with crunchy flakes of salt and espelette, spicy Indian curry with roti, pomme puree, thick slices of warm toast with soft and creamy scrambled eggs, cups of hot chocolate that leave you a Marx-ian moustache everytime you take a sip, freshly steamed sticky date pudding and the list continues.

This time last year, all I wanted to eat for every meal was macaroni and cheese! I made several variations of the dish, each time, using a different type of pasta and cheese. My favourite version was one I made with a smoked aged cheddar and casareccia which I ate with a piquant tomato chutney and a bitter salad on the side. Sometimes the marvellously simple dishes are the ones that deliver absolute pleasure in the eating, wouldn't you agree?

Before I share the recipe I made today, I would like to dispel any implication that my obsession for including a little bit of "summer" in my dishes is a reflection of any detestation for this cold weather. I love winter as much as I do summer and autum, but maybe less than spring, but I am sure that this is understandable. Winter has its charm, its character and its own moments -- like how the air smells "forest fresh" after an overnight shower, and how the grass looks greener and brighter with the early morning sun breaking through the blanket of mist. When else would you draw more pleasure and comfort from watching steam rise out of your coffee cup than on those crisp cold winter mornings?

So here it is, today's soup incited by traditional Indian dahl served with bread or rice, it is prepared in a short time and is absolutely loaded with taste. I included curry powder, fresh grated ginger and garlic which add a gentle spiciness to the soup and a few kaffir lime leaves for citrus tones without the sharp acidity. I simply adore citrus in soups! I then finished the soup with some light coconut cream and roughly chopped mango flesh. Served with some pappadums, this soup is so satisfyingly flavourful it left me wanting nothing more but a second helping!

Curried red lentil and mango soup

2 medium onions, finely diced

3 small-medium sized waxy potatoes, diced

1 large red chilli, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

piece of ginger, grated (i used one the size of my thumb)

3-4 kaffir lime leaves

1 1/2 cups red lentils

2 tsp curry powder (i used a mild one)

3-4 small ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or use a tin of chopped tomatoes)

1 tin of mango in natural juice, roughly chopped

1 small tin of light/regular coconut cream

(generously serves 6 hungry adults)

sweat onions with a couple of tablespoons of vege oil in a medium sized heavy based pot until soft but not brown. This will take about 4 minutes over medium low heat

add curry powder, chilli, garlic and ginger to the onions and cook until your kitchen is filled with spicy fragrance

stir in the diced potatoes and lentils to coat with the

cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time so the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom of the pot and add a teaspoon of salt

add 500ml (about 2 cups) water and bring to a boil

add the kaffir lime leaves, chopped tomatoes and the juices from the tinned mangoes

gently simmer until the lentils and potatoes are tender (you may have to add another cup of water to adjust the consistency at this point)

**you may at this point remove the kaffir lime leaves and blend the soup to achieve a smooth consistency**

finish with coconut cream and chopped mango

season with salt and pepper to taste