Simple suppers: Mexican style prawn salad

I am trying to convince Dave that we should go to Mexico for our honeymoon. I'm pretty certain we won't be able to afford it, given that we would have only just arrived home after a few months travelling around Europe and will (hopefully) be settling into new jobs back home. But the more I travel the more I want to see. I have developed an insatiable thirst to experience all of the different countries and cultures of the world. It's also known as greed. Whatever it is, I'm certain that the way to any person's heart is food...perhaps if I make delicious Mexican inspired meals it will miraculously happen?! Ah well, a girl can dream!

Mexican can often be a bit heavy - weighed down by too much cheese and sour cream (yes there is such a thing). But I don't think it needs to be like this. Mexican can, in my view, be light, bright and fresh. Like this salad I made - a perfect week night salad that satisfies the Mexican cravings and spurs on the yearnings.

Recipe
200g raw prawns
1/3 cup wild rice
1 can kidney beans
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 red onion
1 avocado
1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes
iceberg lettuce
jalapenos - to taste
bunch of coriander - half finely chopped and rest of leaves reserved
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp cumin
juice and zest from 1/2 lime
1/2 red chilli finely chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil

For the dressing:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp agave nectar


Combine the finely chopped coriander, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin, lime juice, chilli and zest and sunflower oil in a bowl. Add the prawns cover with the marinade.

Cook the wild rice in boiling water for about 20 to 25 minutes then drain. Finely slice the capsicum,  dice the red onion and chop the jalapenos. Dice the avocado and slice the tomatoes in half. Shred the iceberg lettuce. Put all of these ingredients into a large salad bowl.

In a pan cook the prawns until they just turn pink. Add the prawns, rice and kidney beans to the salad and combine. Pour over the dressing and sprinkle over the remaining coriander then gently combine.

Serves 2-3

Sunday Spanish supper, inspired by Paris

A few weeks ago we went to Paris for the weekend to see the French open. While it lacks the traditions and atmosphere of Wimbledon, to be able to see tennis of such calibre at any tournament is a privilege. And the perfect excuse to go to Paris! It was nice to visit Paris a second time around and not have to stand in lines and run around the main sights in a frenzy. Like all European cities, Paris definitely fulfills the beautiful and romantic image it portrays to the world, but it also has a very grimy, grungy side to it. This can put people off - who never expected this. And we encountered first hand the crime that is rife throughout the city and its suburbs with a near mugging on the RER. (Be careful on the RER!) Crime aside, grungy inevitably creates interesting.

Away from the tourists in the trendy neighbourhood of the 11th arrondissement of Paris, you'll find Au Passage. My friend Anna had recommended it to me a whole year earlier but we didn't manage to get there on that trip. It is known for its small plates so when I called to make a reservation, I was slightly disappointed when the lady told me that for a table of our size, we would have to have the set menu. I shouldn't have been. What we were served was almost a degustation of delicious morsels with the grand main course a slow roasted leg of lamb. An admission: the chef is Australian. However, the menu is based on good quality French produce and the restaurant is full of Parisiennes, with more queuing outside - so it's French enough for me! The whole experience was fantastic.

You'll see on the menu that the first course was 'ajo blanco' - in fact a Spanish almond soup. For me, this was the most interesting dish of all and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought I would try recreating the magic myself last night. Claudia Rodden has a recipe in her book The food of Spain. While looking for the soup recipe, I came across a recipe for veal meatballs, with an almond sauce (keeping with the theme) which I thought would be perfect for the main course.

I think a ladle full of the ajo blanco is the perfect amount as it is so rich. Claudia's recipes serve a few so if there are only two of you, half the recipe.

Ajo blanco
75g white bread
275g blanched almonds
3 garlic cloves (I found this a bit strong so recommend 2)
100ml olive oil
750ml cold water
salt
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
green seedless grapes

Soak the bread in water and squeeze out. Grind the almonds very finely in a food processor then add the bread, garlic and oil. With the processor running, slowly add the water. Season with salt and vinegar.

Transfer into a bowl and refrigerate. Claudia says to refrigerate for at least 2 hours - I would say over night. (Trust me I tried it the next day!). To serve, ladle into bowls and drop in the grapes.

Veal meatballs in almond sauce
100g white bread crusts removed
1 egg
500g minced veal
1/2 onion very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
s + p
flour to roll the meatballs in
sunflower oil

For the sauce:
300ml chicken stock
200ml white wine
pinch of saffron threads
zest of 1 lemon
s + p
2 tsp sugar (I used agave nectar)
20g white bread crusts removed
40g blanched almonds
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil

Soak the bread in water then squeeze dry. In a bowl beat the egg then add the meat, bread, onion, garlic and parsley, as well as salt and pepper. Combine with your hand then shape into balls. Roll the balls in flour.

Cook the balls with oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes only until lightly browned.

For the sauce, pour the stock and wine into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the lemon zest and saffron, then salt, pepper and sugar.

In a pan fry the bread, almonds and whole garlic cloves briefly in the oil. Lift them out, let them cool slightly then grind in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the stock. Add the meatballs, cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Truly delicious.

Getting caught in the rain

Lately Dave and I keep on getting caught in the rain. And not just your regular moderately mannered rain but the torrential kind that saturates in a second. It happened again on Wednesday. Dave has been working long hours and we had hardly spent time alone for over a week so Dave met me at Borough market after work. I got there before him and eyed up some broad beans I thought would be nice for dinner. I had no money on me but the lovely American family who run that particular stall bagged some up for me in preparation for Dave's arrival. A while passed and they started packing up. I told them I'd have to put them back but they said, don't worry, come back and pay, we'll be here tomorrow. When do ever get that these days?! Things like that truly restore my faith in humans and reinforce my belief that farmers' markets create communities. There was no need to take up the offer though, as Dave turned up just in time.

We went and had a drink in a cosy old pub then went outside to get our bikes. While we were in the pub the weather had packed it in and it was raining. As we cycled home it got progressively worse, I nearly fell off my bike twice and my shoes filled with water. I can't quite understand how in movies saturating rain inevitably leads to hysterical laughter followed by scenes of intensely passionate romance. By the time we got home, I felt like a drowned rat, Dave was looking at me like I was a drowned rat (he definitely wasn't trying to pull any moves) and when I looked in the mirror I saw that I did indeed look like a drowned rat. Ah well, this is not the Notebook.

After such experiences, something comforting is required. So I made a risotto using my broad beans, peas and goats cheese. Light and summery in flavour but still satisfyingly cosy.

Recipe
1 cup arborio rice
1 small bag of broad beans, podded
3/4 cup peas - fresh or frozen
50 grams goats cheese
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
white wine (about 1/4 cup)
900 ml vegetable stock
bunch of mint, shredded
zest and juice of half a lemon
Parmesan

Put your stock into a pot and turn onto a very low heat just to keep hot. In other pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and cook for a minute or two to cover the grains in the olive oil. Add a decent splash of white wine and allow to cook off while stirring. Start adding stock, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring now and again. Add the next lot of stock when the previous amount is nearly dried up. It should take about 20-25 mins.

When the risotto is nearly done cook broad beans and peas in boiling water for a couple of minutes until just cooked. Drain and run cold water over them to stop them cooking. Pop the broad beans out of their skins.

Add the zest, lemon juice and mint to the risotto and combine. Add the peas and broad beans and grind in some salt and pepper with a small amount of stock. Taste - if it needs more lemon add some now. Grate in some Parmesan to taste.

Serve on plates and sprinkle over goats cheese.

Serves 2

Simple suppers: vegetarian sushi bowl

Tofu. It's not just for vegetarians. Carnivores turn their nose up at it but I say don't be a hater. Alright, it's not the most tasty stuff in the world but you can make it so. In fact a good agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu with a dashi sauce) is one of the tastiest things I think I've ever had. It's one of those products that wasn't around in my childhood but now seems to be ubiquitous. And for good reason: it's so good for you.

One thing I really miss about New Zealand is the sushi. In London it is expensive and fairly average. If someone needs a business idea there's one right there I reckon! I love making it myself but it takes me a while so I hardly ever do these days. Enter the sushi bowl. The sushi bowl is pretty easy and no fiddly rice patting and rolling is required. Simply choose your sushi ingredients of choice and throw together in a bowl! I made mine with tofu and it well and truly hit the spot.

Recipe

1/2 cup brown rice
1/3 block of firm tofu
Red capsicum thinly sliced
Cucumber sliced into sticks
avocado sliced
1/2 sheet nori
1 spring onion
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
wasabi

For the sauce:
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Rinse brown rice and cook. While the rice is cooking, slice your vegetables and nori. Pat the tofu dry and slice into sticks 1 cm wide.

In a pan heat sesame oil. Add tofu and cook on each side until pale golden brown. Mix together rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt for the rice. Once the rice is cooked, mix the vinegar mixture into the rice.

Put the rice in a bowl then add the nori, tofu, avocado, cucumber and capsicum. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and sliced spring onion. Pour over the sauce and add wasabi to taste.

Enjoy.

Serves 1