Jamie's Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This is a great, easy, different salad... I served it with chicken tikka masala one night, with pies and home made coleslaw the next night, and with tuna cakes the next....

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, outer green leaves removed, broken into florets

sea salt

olive oil

1 knob butter

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1-2 dried red chillies

1 handful blanched almonds, smashed (I actually used raw almonds)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 200°C. Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes then drain in a colander, allowing it to steam dry (you don't want any water left in your cauliflower or it won't roast properly). Toss it in a good lug of olive oil and the butter. 

In a pestle and mortar, bash your spices and chillies with a pinch of salt, then mix them with your almonds and put in a hot, dry ovenproof tray to slowly roast them. After about 5 minutes, add the cauliflower. When it gets a nice bit of colour on it, add the lemon zest and juice and mix around well. Cook in over for about 15 minutes.

Thanks Jamie Oliver. 

Fish Tikka Masala

Yum, yum! This is a slight variant on Alison Holst's Fish Tikka Masala, and it was soooo yum.

Ingredients (for 2 people):
- 350g firm fish
- 1/4 cup unsweetened yogurt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed, peeled, and chopped
- 1 tsp each cumin, coriander, and fenugreek seeds
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup cream
- 2 Tbsp grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- Sprinkle of brown sugar (1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- handful fresh coriander, to serve

Cut fish into cubes, then place in a plastic bag with the yogurt, honey, lemon juice and garlic. Massage the bag so the fish is evenly coated with the mixture. Set fish aside while you turn on the grill, and make the sauce.

To make the sauce, place the whole spices in a large dry pan and heat until fragrant. Transfer to a morter and pestle and grind. Then put the spices along with the next seven ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pan and heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer while you cook the fish.

Arrange the fish on a tray and grill for about 5 minutes. Add garam masala and coriander leaves to sauce, stir to mix, add grilled fih, and simmer for 2-3 minutes longer.

Serve with rice and/or naan/roti.

Easy Miso Soup

Did you know how easy miso soup is?.... and how warming it is on a winter's day?

Ingredients:
- 600ml boiled water (from kettle)
- 1 sachet dashi
- 1 1/2 Tbsp miso paste (or more/less to taste)
2 or 3 of the following:
- small handful wakame
- 1/2 spring onion, chopped finely
- 1/2 block of silken tofu, chopped into 1cm squares

Put boiling water and dashi sachet into a pot, and cook on medium for about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile mix the miso paste with a small amount of hot water (about 1/4 cup), so it becomes less paste-like and more sauce-like. (This will make it much easier for the miso to mix with the soup)

After the 6 minutes have passed, add the miso-sauce, and other ingredients.

There, you're done!

Delicious Autumn Fruit Salad

I'd never had a persimmon until today, and I'd never had such a delicious fruit salad until today!.... The sweetness of the persimmon and pear balanced the tanginess of the feijoas and mandarins perfectly.... You have to try it.

Ingredients:
- 2 mandarins, peeled
- 1 persimmon, chopped
- 2 feijoas, peeled and chopped
- 1 pear, chopped
- a dash of lemon juice

Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Frittata

This is another one from the Real Fresh Food Cookbook, but downsized to fit in my dish.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- 250g silverbeet, cooked
- 250g carrot, grated
- 5 eggs
- 125ml yogurt
- Pinch nutmeg
- 125g smoked fish. Salmon works well
- 1/2 teaspoon seasalt

Preheat oven to 160deg. Line dish (mine was approx 19 x 24cm) with baking paper
Place eggs, yoghurt, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Press grated carrot into prepared baking dish. Pour some egg mixture over and press down through carrot. Repeat with silverbeet.
Break smoked fish into small pieces and scatter over the top. Push fish down into the egg mix a little. Bake for 30-40 min.

This is a great dish for using up vegetables that are getting a bit old.... Try grated pumpkin, spinach, Cooked potato, etc.....