PERSIAN CHICKEN SALAD

Once again I turn to my exotic Feast magazine for cooking inspiration. This time, the inspiration was Persian cuisine or Iranian fare, due to the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7^th century. Trademarks of modern day Iranian cuisine include contrasting sweetness with sourness, the use of dried hers, fruits, nuts and flowers and of course rice. The Iranian’s are known for their elaborate methods of preparing rice and for the interesting ingredients they serve it with. My Persian chicken salad is a lot simpler to cook than the recipe Feast published; they use a whole chicken and have to face the arduous task of removing the skin and bones. After a long day, I just couldn’t be bothered, hence the chicken breast fillets (which are healthier by the way). To achieve the sweet and sour taste, you could use eggs, peas, olives, radishes and pickles in your salad. To be completely honest, I bought a jar of pickles especially for the making of this dish but could not muster up the arm strength to open it! I suppose we do need men for one or two things….

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup doongara or basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 500g chicken breast fillet, cut into even 4cm pieces
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Dressing

• 1/8 cup 99% fat free mayonnaise
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard 

COOKING 

1. Bring wild rice and vegetable stock to the boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until no liquid remains and rice is tender. Remove from heat. 

2. Meanwhile, bring white rice and 1 cup water to the boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until no liquid remains and rice is tender. Remove from heat. 

3. Place chicken pieces, cumin, onion, garlic, salt and 1.5 litres of water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 5 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove from heat and drain, reserving 60ml of the chicken broth. 

4. Meanwhile, whisk all the dressing ingredients together, including the 60ml reserved liquid, in a small bowl. 

5. Arrange the cooked chicken, rice, tomato, celery and carrot in a large serving bowl or plate. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve either warm or cold. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35 minutes (if you are able to cook the two varieties of rice simultaneously, if not , 50 - 55 minutes)

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A TWIST ON POTATO SALAD

Whenever I feel like cooking vegetarian, I take one of Heidi Swanson’s cookbooks off my shelf and lose myself in it. Heidi Swanson is the author of the super healthy and natural food blog 101 cookbooks and personally taught me that what I thought was healthy, low-processed food was actually not. I know I have discussed her on this blog in the past, but she really deserves a 100 mentions. Her ‘Mostly not Potato Salad’ was the inspiration for this recipe. The different mustards and red wine vinegar create a certain French flavour, which works beautifully with the potatoes and green vegetables. I substituted dill for chives, pickles for green beans and avocado for leek; I figure if you keep the vegetables green you can change them around!

INGREDIENTS

• 850g pink potatoes, unpeeled or peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 large cucumber, unpeeled and roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 4-5 small pickles, roughly chopped
• 1 small ripe avocado, roughly chopped
• a handful of baby spinach leaves, washed

Dressing

• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• pinch of sea salt 

COOKING  

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add potato pieces and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until potato is just tender. Remove from heat and drain well with cold water. Place in a large serving bowl. 

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. 

3. Place the chives, cucumber, celery, pickles, avocado and baby spinach leaves in the serving bowl with the potatoes. Toss well to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the vegetables and toss again if desired. 

Serves / 4 as a main / 6 - 8 as a side

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 16 minutes 

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FENNEL & ARTICHOKE RISOTTO

I spotted fennel at the weekend fresh food market on several occasions this winter, but was rather scared to cook with it, as I had heard that it had a somewhat liquorice and aniseed quality. I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to take the leap and purchase a large fennel bulb from the Westend markets. Dusting off my Women’s Weekly The Complete Cook, I learnt that fennel is both a vegetable and herb, as its downy leaves can be chopped and used in salads, sauces, soups, rice dishes and fresh salmon like its relative dill. The tops of the fennel bulb can be used as a bed to steam fish and the bulb of the fennel (the part that I used in this recipe) has infinite uses. The bulb can be sautéed, grilled, roasted and stir-fried. I recommend cooking fennel as it does soften the strong aniseed flavour and brings out its natural sweetness. So the lesson here is to experiment with new vegetables, as you never know what you never try. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g tin artichokes, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 a large fennel, trimmed of leaves, washed well and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine, such as Nutalex 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups vegetable stock (preferably Massel brand)
• 1 leek, washed and finely chopped
• 2 cups arborio or doongara rice 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra, if desired

COOKING 

1. Heat margarine in a large saucepan and add fennel and leek. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until leek and fennel have softened but are not burnt. 

2. Add rice and stir ingredients to combine. Pour vegetable stock and wine into the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, adding artichoke pieces. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is absorbed and no liquid remains. Remove heat and place risotto in a large serving bowl. 

3. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over low to medium heat. Add lemon juice and parsley to the pan and stir frequently until warmed. Remove from heat and drizzle over the top of the risotto. Serve with extra fresh parsley, if desired. 

Serves / 6

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

CHILLI BEEF STIR-FRY

This was a very simple recipe that I whipped up one afternoon. Rice noodles are always my go-to, as they gluten-free and so easy to cook (just add boiling hot water to them and sit for one minute). The vegetables can be alternated, as can the beef mince; you could use pork or chicken mince instead. Gluten-free kecap manis can be found in all major supermarkets now. I think it is wonderful that these products are becoming available to the masses, as so many  people have intolerances to gluten nowadays.  

INGREDIENTS

• 250g extra-lean beef mince
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 100g bean sprouts, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 3 generous tablespoons gluten-free kecap manis
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce 
• 400g rice noodles (gluten-free)

COOKING 

1. Place noodles in a large bowl of boiling water and separate noodles with a fork. Leave to sit for 2 minutes, then drain well with cold water. Set aside. 

2. Heat a wok over medium heat and add garlic, chill and oil. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until the flavours are fragrant. Add the beef mince to the wok and cook, stirring and breaking up the lumps, until browned. Gradually add the broccoli, carrot, bean sprouts and spring onions to the wok, stirring well. Pour the kecap manis over the vegetables and add the cooked noodles. Continue to stir until the broccoli is just tender. Remove from heat and add the soy sauce. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20-22 minutes 

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SPRING HAS SPRUNG

September 1^st marks the first ‘official’ day of spring, however this past week and weekend the sun has been shining with all the heat and radiance of a summer’s day. I have lived in Brisbane for several years now and have never really been able to tell the difference between the seasons of spring and summer. At times I think it would be rather pleasant to actually feel the seasons click over and watch the autumn leaves fall and the stark winter trees shivering in the wind. But when I wake up to the most glorious and divine day in late August, I know that I am right where I want to be. For now. 

Below are some of my photos from last spring. Flowers, fruit, bright oranges and cool blues feature.  

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PASTA CARBONARA SANS DAIRY

If someone told me a few months ago that Pasta Carbonara could be made without using dairy products, I would have laughed in their face. Thanks to the amazing Feast SBS food magazine, I can now consume one of my all-time favourite meals without using milk, cream or butter. Did I mention that it is also gluten-free? Traditional spaghetti alla carbonara is made with pork, egg, cheese and black pepper, however I omitted the pork for the lighter ham option. Spaghetti alla carbonara is thought to have been created by the miners in the Apennine mountains who introduced it to Rome. However, another theory is that this dish originated in World War 2 when American servicemen based in Rome had their bacon & eggs rations prepared by local cooks.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g gluten-free pasta 
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
• 150 - 175g gluten-free ham, roughly shredded
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten (preferably free-range)
• 1/4 cup pecorino (sheep's cheese), finely grated 

COOKING 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, with the lid covered. Add pasta to the saucepan and cook, uncovered, for around 8-10 minutes or until pasta is al dente or slightly tender. Save 125ml (1/2 a cup) of the pasta cooking liquid. Drain well, rinsing with cold water. 

2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes or until garlic starts to colour. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl or plate. Set aside. 

3. Add shredded ham to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until ham starts to brown. Add white wine to pan and stir for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. 

4. Return pan with the ham to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid and cook for 30 seconds or until heated through. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the remainder of the cooking liquid. Pour the eggs into the pan and toss until ingredients have just combined and the eggs have started to set. Place pasta into four separate bowls, season with sea salt & pepper and drizzle with the pecorino cheese. Sprinkle cooked garlic pieces over pasta. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 8 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

SATURDAY MORNING INSPIRATION

So many things in this world inspire and touch my very soul, sometimes too much. Words have a huge impact on myself and my tear ducts. Descriptive poetry, song lyrics and profound quotes affect me deeply. There is any better feeling than reading and thinking about all the truth that the words convey. Below are a few writing passages that have recently taken my breath away. Some scenic beach shots made today’s inspiration post as well.