Simple suppers: steak and slaw

Hello! Sorry I've been out of action for a week, I was in Budapest for the May bank holiday last weekend. Probably the most beautiful European city I've been to so far but with a fantastic arty/punk/underground vibe. Very cool. The best part about it is they seem to take their coffee very seriously. And the food, well it far exceeded my expectations. Going to any country in Europe is always a lesson on how simplicity can be a beautiful thing. Creamy potatoes with onion or spinach is heaven and a soup that has had some serious love gone into it can be so much more satisfying than you would ever think possible. As in many cultures, cabbage is an important ingredient in more traditional style dishes. The poor cabbage is often underestimated I feel. I'm as guilty as anyone - sometimes all you can imagine when you think of cabbage is that dripping slopping mess that they call KFC coleslaw. But the cabbage has so much more potential than that. In Budapest Dave had cabbage stuffed with pork with a distinctive vinegar flavour - super good. And my roast duck was served with braised red cabbage.

I've found the dishes in countries such as Hungary to be heavy and rich. Great when you're on holiday but when I'm at home I prefer my meals for the most part to be a little fresher and lighter. Last night, inspired by my cabbage escapades, I made steak and slaw: my way. When it comes to steak I'm usually a purist - garlic, salt and pepper is the most I'll put on it. But I decided to make a herb crust for it. It was a good decision - the fresh slaw and the deep flavour of the steak were a good match! I'm thinking my next cabbage installment will be kimchi - I've wanted to make it for a long time. Michelle Obama's been making it so I figure I can too!

Have a great weekend.

Cabbage, radish and apple slaw
3/4 cup finely shredded red cabbage
3/4 cup finely shredded white cabbage
1 carrot julienned or grated
10 radishes finely sliced
1 apple sliced into thin sticks
coriander
juice 1 lime
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil and cayenne pepper. Combine with the slaw ingredients and add the coriander. Set aside while you prepare and cook your steak.

Herb crusted steak
2 beef steaks
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic crushed
olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped herbs. You could use all fresh or a mixture of fresh and dry. I used fresh coriander, dried oregano and dried mixed herbs.
1/2 red chilli finely chopped (completely optional)

Put mustard, garlic, chopped herbs and chilli into a bowl. Add olive oil slowly until you have a wet paste.
Smear the paste over the steak.
When you are ready, cook your steak to your liking. Rest for 5 minutes then devour with the slaw.

Serves 2

Education, seasonality and carnival on a plate

When I first starting working for the New Zealand government as a graduate we went away on 'grad camp'. One of the things we had to do (this is going to sound absolutely ridiculous) was create our personal 'brand'. In other words, a brand or motto that sums you up, describes what makes you unique and what drives you. Cliched as it may sound, I often think back to that. Mine was "make a difference". I was drawn to working for the government because I wanted to do something that I felt would make a real impact on peoples' lives and improve my country. And I did truly believe in the work I was doing. With only 9 months left on my UK visa, I ponder what my next steps will be. I'm not sure what is in store for me if I'm honest, but I know that whatever I do, it will be with the aim of somehow, either directly or indirectly making a difference - it's what we all want right?

One of the things I think about often is the role of food in reducing poverty, improving economic growth and general health and well being. Love or hate TV chefs, I think cooking shows and the increasing popularity of food has helped to educate people and influence consumer choices (myself included). However, it faces strong competition from other factors that steer people down a path of unhealthiness such as busy lives and the ubiquitous fast food chain. I think a lot more could be done to educate people about food to help them make better decisions. The flow on effect could be huge. I hope that one day somehow I can be a part of that. Perhaps this is the start of it?

A really easy way to eat more healthy is to start with a healthy ingredient such as a fruit or vegetable. So rather than thinking you feel like hamburgers, or basing your meal around meat, wander around a vege market and choose something that you like the look of, or haven't cooked or possibly even seen before. I love creating meals based on one ingredient - it forces you to eat seasonally which is cheaper and tastes better, as well as forcing you to get creative. For this meal my ingredient was mango. My friend Lucy alerted me to bowls of cheap mangoes on the side of the road a few weeks ago and I've been thinking about them ever since. Now the mangoes are everywhere - they are well and truly in season folks so make the most!

This Asian duck and mango noodle salad is so tasty and bright - it looks like a summer carnival on a plate! You could just as easily do this with chicken or even fish.

Warm Asian duck, mango and noodle salad

2 duck breasts
2 mangoes
1 red capsicum
green beans - small handful
1/2 red onion
vermicelli noodles
coriander
mint

For the dressing:
1 inch fresh ginger finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2 red chilli finely chopped
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp agave nectar*

Trim the green beans and finely slice the capsicum and red onion. Slice the mango into thin slices or cubes. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. Turn on oven to 180 degrees.

In a very hot pan place the duck breasts skin side down. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until skin is dark golden. Cook the other side for a further few minutes. Depending on the size of the breasts, I normally then cook them for a further couple of minutes in the oven. The trick is to try to get crispy skin and pink flesh. Remove from the oven and let it rest.

Soak vermicelli in boiling water and drain when cooked. Slice the duck and combine with noodles, capsicum and green beans. Pour over the dressing and add the mango. Garnish with coriander and mint...and more chilli if you like it HOT!

* If you don't have agave nectar in your pantry already, get it! It's an all natural, healthy alternative to sugar - genius!

Serves 2.

Pesto pasta and Friday night dinner

It's been one of those unbelievably long weeks. As the years go on, it becomes more and more difficult to recover from a big weekend. Reality can be truly depressing. When I'm feeling a bit sluggish I turn to comfort food. I don't care what anyone says - we are all emotional eaters to a certain extent. For me, pasta is the ultimate comfort food - even after years of coming home drunk as a poor student and cooking up the biggest pot of tomato pasta you have ever seen, I still love it. I tend to cook slightly more healthy versions these days and more often than not it involves some sort of pesto. But not your ordinary store bought pesto - homemade pesto made with ingredients you generally wouldn't think to make pesto from. Broccoli pesto is my ultimate favourite. You steam the broccoli then put it in a food processor with lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic. So, so good. This week I made pumpkin seed pesto to have with my steamed broccoli and lemon spaghetti. You could get so creative with your pestos - for those in the southern hemisphere, try kale with almonds or walnuts for a lovely winter pesto.

So the pasta got me through to what is now Friday and I am so happy to be having a night in with Dave and a glass of red wine. Setting the tone for the rest of the weekend I hope. Tonight for dinner we had an aubergine, roasted beetroot, lentil and feta salad with yoghurt dressing. It's a variation on an earthy salad I make regularly with beetroot and lentils. Comforting but extremely good for you.

Here's to recovery weekends!

Pumpkin seed pesto

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
bunch of basil

Put pumpkin seeds, garlic, basil and water in a food processor and turn on. Gradually add the olive oil until you have the right consistency. Add more oil if need be.

Aubergine, beetroot, lentil and feta salad

2 aubergines sliced into rectangles
3 beetroot quartered
1/3 cup lentils
50 gm cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of baby spinach
zest and juice from half a lemon
3 tsp ground cumin
half packet of feta
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
mint
olive oil
s + p

Turn on oven to 180 degrees. Seal beetroot along with 1/4 cup water in tin foil and cook on a roasting tray for 45 mins. After half an hour, cook lentils in a pot of boiling water.
Coat aubergine with 2 tsp cumin and olive oil then cook in a frying pan.

Remove beets from foil and drain. Return to the roasting tray along with the aubergine and bake for a further 10 mins.

For the dressing, combine yoghurt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, lemon zest and juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients then pour over the dressing. Tear chunks of mint leaves and drop over the salad.

Serves 2 - 3

Slovenian inspiration and a cheeky crumble

I haven't posted for a while...last weekend Dave and I went to Slovenia for a few days and I haven't had a chance since then to write. Slovenia, despite the rain that wouldn't leave us alone, was fantastic. The place is incredibly beautiful and it was so nice to go somewhere other than a European city for a change and smell the fresh country air. We started in the capital, Ljubjana, which is a lovely little town set along a river. It feels in some respects as though it has been lost in time and has managed to retain much of its traditional charm. For the final couple of days we headed an hour up the road to the tranquil Lake Bled. We cycled,  walked through stunning gorges and rowed out to the island in the lake. It was all very wholesome! The people are extremely friendly too. We are definitely going to head back and explore more of Slovenia.

As far as food goes I wouldn't say it's a stand out food destination but on the other hand all of the meals we had were pretty darn good. On our first night we went to a traditional Slovenian restaurant. the traditional food is quite rich and meat based. I had a venison steak with mushroom sauce (the locals forage for mushrooms and blueberries in the forests on the outskirts of the city). Dave had venison goulash with buckwheat mash which was hearty and delicious. The next day we decided we would we would try a local favourite: horse. The takeaway joint 'Hot Horse' is apparently popular with students after a big night out. Dave had a burger and I had a tortilla wrap. The meat tasted fine but the texture wasn't great and I don't think I will feel the need to repeat the experience again. But I'm glad I tried it!

Pasta and pizza is popular with Italy being right next door. Seafood is also a regular occurrence on the menus of Slovenian restaurants. While we were in Bled we went to a gorgeous seafood restaurant. The interior looked like what I imagine a French grandmother's country cottage to look like but somehow they pulled it off. The food was simple but so tasty. We had soups to start - cauliflower and a tomato based fish soup. Dave had salmon gnocchi and I had trout with the most delicious mash of spinach and potato.

The cauliflower soup and all the fish we had reminded me of a smoked fish and cauliflower soup I had made a while ago based on a BBC Good Food recipe. I think I underestimated cauliflower for a long time. So much more can be done with cauliflower than smothering it with cheese sauce, which, don't get me wrong is tasty too. The smoked fish makes this a very rich soup. If you are not keen on smoked fish try making a cauliflower soup without it. It has so much flavour all on its own.

Since it's Sunday night I made a crumble - my go to dessert - as a bit of a treat. Rhubarb is coming into season here in the UK so it's time to make the most of it. I teamed it with some strawberries and served with yoghurt.

Cauliflower and smoked haddock soup

25 gm unsalted butter
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, sliced
1 garlic clove chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 litre of vegetable stock
pinch of saffron threads
200 gm smoked haddock fillets
1 large floury potato
1 cauliflower
s + p

Melt butter in a large saucepan and add onion, celery and garlic. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper.

In a wide saucepan bring to the boil stock and saffron. Reduce heat and add the haddock. Poach for a few minutes. Remove the fish and set aside.

To the soup pot add potatoes then pour over the stock. Cook for 10 minutes then add the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Return to a low heat and add flakes of the fish. Serve.

Serves 2.

Rhubarb and strawberry crumble

2 bunches of rhubarb
2 punnets of strawberries
3 tbsp brown sugar + further tbsp
1/2 cup water
for crumble:
3/4 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
50 gm butter melted

Turn oven on to 180 degrees.
Slice rhurbarb into 4 cm long chunks. To a pot add the rhubarb, sugar and water and cook for a 2-3 mins. Drain off water and add strawberries and a further tablespoon of sugar depending on how tart your rhubarb is. Cook for a further minute.

Combine flour, sugar and rolled oats in a bowl. Add melted butter and honey and combine to form a crumble.

Put cooked fruit into the bottom of an oven proof dish. Put crumble mixutre over the top. Cook for 15-20 mins or until the crumble is golden brown on top.

Serve with icecream or yoghurt.

Serves a family.

Eating the rainbow

So much of our appreciation of food is aesthetic. If it looks attractive, we want it. Like anything, what we find attractive depends on our individual taste. For me, when something looks fresh and bright I know it's going to be tasty. This is good, because the general rule is the more colourful your food, the better it is for you. Apparently different colours bring with them different nutrients and goodies our bodies need so you should try to 'eat the rainbow'. And I'm not talking about a rainbow of different artificially coloured cupcakes; I'm talking fruit and vegetables people.

You can eat the rainbow pretty easily if you fill your fridge with vegetables. Any leftovers can be thrown together along with seeds, nuts, herbs and any kind of dressing to create a vibrant salad. It's easy and if you ignore the part of yourself telling you that you are turning into a rabbit, it's generally a brilliant experience.

This is the rainbow salad I made two nights ago. You could follow this recipe or substitute ingredients - it's like an interpretive dance with food. Have fun.

Recipe

2-4 beetroot depending on size
2 carrots
1/2 bunch of brocolli
1/4 cup edamame beans
1/4 cup peas
1/3 cup quinoa
1 avocado
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
handful of herbs - I used dill and basil but coriander or mint would be good too.

dressing:
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
s + p

Julienne your carrots and beetroot. Blanch in boiling hot water separately so your carrot doesn't turn purple) for a minute or two then drain and rinse with cold water.  Rinse then cook quinoa in boiling water. While the quinoa is cooking, chop your broccoli into florets and the avocado into cubes.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Steam broccoli and just before it is cooked add the peas. Drain quinoa. Combine all salad ingredients in a big bowl including the seeds and herbs. Pour over dressing and combine - then your done.

Serves 2-3.