Grilled Eggplant Caprese with Sundried Tomato Pesto

A small eggplant

A tomato

Bufala mozzarella 

Olive oil

1 clove of garlic

Sundried tomato pesto 

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the eggplant and marinate it in a ziplock bag with olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed garlic
2. Ideally, leave it to marinate for an hour in the fridge, but if you are short on time it will still be delicious
3. Place the eggplant on a grill pan until it is cooked and there are char lines
4. Slice the tomato and mozzarella
5. Stack the eggplant, mozzarella and tomato with the sundried tomato pesto between each layer
6. Top with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar 

Gazpacho

I may have developed a slight addition to gazpacho this summer. It is, without a doubt, my favorite summer dish. It's so light and refreshing. Not only is it delicious, it is probably the easiest and quickest thing to make. 

4 fresh tomatoes

1 green capsicum (bell pepper)

1/4 of a large cucumber

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar

A small handful of fresh baguette

1-2 small cloves of garlic

A small white onion

Salt and pepper to taste

a hand mixer or food processor 

How to make your gazpacho

1. Wash your veggies
2. Seed your capsicum 
3. Peel the cucumber (seed if you prefer, I'm lazy so I tend not to)
4. Add all your ingredients together in a food processor (or you can use a hand mixer) until your ingredients are as fine as possible
5. Be sure to taste as you go, I tend to not measure anything
6. OPTIONAL - if you want to make a very traditional gazpacho, pour your blended ingredients through an extremely fine sieve  to make it even smoother and leave over night in the fridge. I, however, tend to prefer a bit more texture to mine and don't add this step. But be sure to serve your gazpacho cold.
7. Garnish with garlic croutons and finely diced onions and green capsicum

Veggie Fritters

zucchini 

2 potatoes
2 carrots

1 small onion

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of flour

1 lime

Some sprigs of fresh parsley (about 2 talespoons minced)

Salt & pepper to taste

Oil for frying

Tzatziki 

1. Grate the veggies and chop the onion and parsley
2. Mix the grated vegetables in salt & pepper, squeezed lime, beaten eggs and flour
3. Heat oil in a pan (enough so the fritters will be half submerged) and try to ball the vegetables as best you can before dropping them into the oil
4. Cook them until they are golden on each side before laying them on paper towel to cool slightly and serving them with tzatziki!

Onion Dip

Adapted from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cups of sweet onions copped

1 cup of sour cream

1/2 a cup of buttermilk

Salt

A handful of minced chives

1. Heat the olive oil and add the finely chopped onions, cook them until golden
2. Leave the onions to cool
3. Mix everything together in a food processer and you are done!

Falafel

•  2 cups of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Oil for frying 

1.  Leave the chickpeas in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight and then drain them the following day.
2. Combine the chickpeas/garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, flour, coriander, pepper, cayenne and cardamom in food processor and blend. Be sure to keep the mixture bitty so the consistency is right.
3. Set the mixture aside and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours
4. Roll it into balls and heat oil to fry the falafel in, making sure it is not too hot that the outside browns quickly and the inside doesn't cook. Ideally, each side will get golden in about 2-3 minutes.

My favourite way to have falafel is wrapped in a galette with minced lettuce, onions, carrot and either tzatziki or garlic sauce! Enjoy :)

Edamame

A delicious snack, commonly served in Japan with a cold beer.

You will need:

• 1 pound of fresh edamame (soy beans)
• 2 tablespoons of salt and more for garnish depending on how much salt you like

1. Wash the pods and remove the stems
2. In a pot of water, boil the edamame with the 2 tablespoons of salt and let them cook for about 4 minutes
3. Drain them and garnish with salt
4. When eating them, suck the pods and eat the beans inside, leaving the pods aside

Spring Rolls

You will need:

• A cup of grated carrots
• A cup of grated white cabbage
• A cup of bean sprouts
• 200 grams of glass noodles
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• Spring roll sheets
• Oil

1. Grate the carrots and cabbage
2. Cook the noodles and cut them so they are about 3 cm in length
3. In a bowl, combine the carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts and season them in soy sauce 
4. Heat the oil
5. On a sheet of spring roll pastry, place some of the seasoned filling and place the noodles in the centre
6. Fold the pastry and fry the spring rolls for about 4 minutes or until they are golden

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Woe is me... yes, it is a Martha Stewart recipe... what has become of me...

You will need:

• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 18 ounces of canned chickpeas (2 1/3 cups)
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 3 tablespoons of tahini (sesame)
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 of a up of chives (minced)
• Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
2. Peel the garlic and place it in a foil pouch and drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over it
3. Roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the garlic is soft
4. In a food processor, mix together all the ingredients until it is very fine and smooth

Annnd some bossa nova :)

Tom Yum Goong - Spicy Thai Soup with Shrimp and Lemongrass

Ok so, I must admit I did cheat and use a cube of stock with tom yum goong flavouring because I didn't want to use pork or chicken stock. I am also not a huge fan of an overly fishy taste, so I didn't add fish sauce, but if you want a more authentic tom yum goong, add some fish sauce. 

You will need:

• A handfull of fresh and shelled shrimp
• A stalk of lemongrass
• One full lime
• A spring onion
• One red chili 
• A few stems of fresh coriander
• 1 cube of tom yum goong flavouring
• 2 table spoons of ginger
• Sea salt
• 4 cups of water
• 1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon of chili paste
• 1 tomato

1. Prepare all the ingredients: remove the outer layer of the lemongrass, cut it into 2 inch pieces and crush it with a knife. Wash the fresh coriander leaves. Slice the spring onion. Finely chop and crush the chili, cut the tomato in very thin slices, peel the ginger and slice it thinly
2. Pour the water and cube of flavouring in a pot with fish sauce and chili paste on a moderately high heat
3. Wash and deshell the shrimp and add them the pot aside from the coriander 
4. Toss in all the prepped ingredients and let simmer on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes
5. Squeeze in the lime juice, add the fresh coriander leaves
6. Be sure to taste your soup and add more salt, chili or limes as desired

Carrot and Ginger Soup

My new favourite soup :)

You will need:

• 3/4 of a kilo of carrots (around 5 cups)
• 1/4 cup of fresh ginger
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 2 onions
• A pinch of brown sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cubes of vegetable stock
• 4 cups of water
• 2 oranges
• A splash of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel the carrots and potatoes and place them in a ziplock bag
2. Sprinkle them with olive oil, freshly grated ginger, minced garlic, salt and peper, brown sugar and nutmeg and freshly squeezed orange juice - leave them to marinate in the fridge for approximately an hour
3. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
4. Rest your marinated veggies in an oven pan and leave them to bake for approximately 25 minutes (depending on how you sliced them, it may be faster or slower). Just make sure when they are taken out, they are moderately soft. 
5. Meanwhile, finely dice the onions and cook them in a large pot with olive oil until they are translucent.
6. Add the cups of water mixed with the vegetable stock cubes to the pot and add the cooked vegetables from the oven. 
7. Leave in the pot for 30 minutes on a low heat with a lid so the flavours mix in.
8. Puree the soup with a hand mixed or in a food processor and serve :)

Tzatziki

Turned out a bit more liquidy than I would have liked, but still so delicious. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 full cup of Greek yogurt
• 2 small cloves of crushed garlic
• 3 small cucumbers grated (I didn't even skin them)
• 3/4 a cup of sour cream
• A small handfull of fresh dill (or mint if you want to add some different flavour)
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: 

1. Be sure to strain your yogurt, I was clearly really smart in thinking this step wasn't crucial
2. Mix the yogurt with sour cream
3. Wash and seed the cucumbers then grate them into the yogurt
4. Crush and combine the garlic
5. Very finely dice the dill
6. Add all of your ingredients together and stir well

Healthy Alternatives:

Truth be told I actually used ultra low fat Greek yogurt and it was just as delicious :)

Pimientos de Piquillo (Garlicy Sweet Red Peppers)

This is a common tapas dish in Spain and is extremely easy to make. It can be served warm or cold and is amazing with fresh bread or even just on its own as a side dish.

You will need:

5 red bell peppers (go for organic if you can)
2-3 cloves of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of sugar
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
A brown paper bag

Roast Your Peppers in the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius
Wash your peppers
With a pastry brush, evenly coat the peppers in a light layer of olive oil
Lay them on a baking tray and place them in the oven.
They will take around 20 minutes to cook, but watch them closely. You want the skin to be slightly blackened and charred
Take your peppers out and put them in your brown paper bag so the steam helps to make the skin easier to peel off.
Once the peppers aren't too hot to work with, take them out and peel off the skin
Remove the tops, seed them and cut them in fours

Adding your garlic and oil:

Mince your garlic and add it to a bowl with the olive oil, sugar, salt and balsamic. Mix together
If you are serving your peppers cold, simply drizzle the mixture over your peppers and serve.
If you'd prefer it hot, in a small baking pan, place your peppers with the oil and garlic mixture and let it simmer until hot.

Guacamole

I'm yet to meet someone who doesn't love this, but hey, if your guests don't finish it, you have yourself a face mask ready!

• 3 very ripe avocados 
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 medium sized onions
• 1 large lemon
• A stem of cilantro (or coriander)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chop everything up very finely and squeeze in your lemon, stem and dice your cilantro and mix it all together!

Olive-Garlic Tapenade

• 3/4 of a cup - a full cup of black olives (I prefer to use kalamata olives)
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 3 stems of fresh parsley 
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• optional: 2 tablespoons of fresh capers
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, mix together all ingredients until they are fine. Serve on fresh baguette or crackers.

Photos by Alvaro Chocano De Rossi

Spiced South African Butternut Soup

This soup is so delicious and filling, I usually have it as a main meal.

Photo by Alvaro Chocano De Rossi

• 1 large butternut squash
• 5 large potatoes
• A knob of butter
• 3/4 of a litre of boiling water
• 1 & 1/2 cubes of vegetable stock (or chicken if you are more carnivorous) 
• 1 apple
• Cinnamon
• Curry powder (I use mild, but it's up to you)
• Mild paprika
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup of milk or cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Finely chopped the onions and place them in a large pot with some butter. Cook on a low heat until onions become more translucent. 
2. Peel the potatoes, chop into cubes and toss them in the pot
3. Add the boiling water and stock cubes
4. Peel the butternut and seed it. Cut it into cubes and add it to the pot.
5. Peel and core the apple aaaaand cut it into little bitsies and put it in the pot. 
6. I haven't put exact measurements for all of the seasonings because I really taste as I go. So do lots of tasting and add as much or as little as you want of everything.
7. Cook until all of your ingredients are very soft
8. Blend the soup, add the milk/cream

Caprese Bruschetta

You will neeeeeeed

• A fresh baguette
• 4 tomatoes
• Fresh mozzarella (about 6 ounces)
• 3 or 4 stalks of fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder (that is... if you like garlic as much as me)
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 a cup of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1. Finely (and when I say finely, I mean reeeeaaally finely) chop the mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil
2. Toss everything together in a bowl and mix well
3. Cut your baguette and there you go!

Spanakopita

When I was young, my mother taught me how to make this. It's probably my favourite meal :)

You will need:

• Filo pastry
• 3 bags of baby spinach (baby spinach is better because it's less bitter than large-leaf spinach. But if you're iron deficient, go for the big leaf! Yay for health tips :] )
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• 2 blocks of feta cheese
• 4 or 5 large onions
• 1 tub of ricotta
• Sunflower oil
• 1&1/2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

1. Wash the spinach well and if it is large-leaf, remove the stems
2. Cook the spinach in a saucepan until it is wilted, then put it aside to cool
3. Very finely chop the onions and fry them until golden in olive oil and sugar. Once cooked, put them aside to cool
4. In a large bowl, mix together the crumbled feta, ricotta, cream cheese. and salt and pepper. Once the spinach and onions have cooled, add them to the mix
5. Here is the tricky part... filo pastry can be hard to work with in the beginning, you have to be extremely delicate with it on a dry surface and you have to work quickly or it will dry and crack in minutes. Unravel the filo from the role it is usually sold in without separating the sheets. Cut the pastry in three even straight lines. Put aside the other two pieces while you are working with one (make sure you wrap them in foil or plastic so they don't dry out).
6. When making the pastries, take a full spoon of the mixture and put it on the end of the pastry closest to you. Using 2 sheets at a time, roll up the mix in triangles
7. Put sunflower oil in a pan on a high heat for frying. Place the pastry triangles in and fry them evenly on each side so they are fully golden brown.
8. Make sure you lay them on paper towel to soak up some of the oil

This recipe may be tricky, but once you master it, it is sooo good. It's yummy warm and cold and you could have it as an appetiser or main meal. Good luck!

On a different note: while I was making it, I listened to a song I hadn't heard in ages. It was introduced to me by an old friend when I was still living in Bangladesh... brings back lots of old memories :)

Sundried Tomato, Kalamata Olive & Boursin on Puff Pastry

Ok, I have to admit, I cheat a lot here. I don't make the pastry myself. Nor do I make the cheese myself but, if you are interested in making your own garlicy-creamy cheese, it is super simple: just add together cream cheese, fresh finely chopped chives, garlic powder, salt and finely chopped spring onions.

Photo by Saud F. Al-Owaidah

I, however, am freakishly obsessed with Boursin and could eat it with anything.

• Puff pastry dough
• 1/2 a small shallot
• 1 full pack of Boursin
• 5 pieces of sundried tomato
• 10 pitted kalamata olives

1. Puff pastry dough can e quite sticky, so it's a good idea to cover the surface you're working on with flour. Also sprinkle flour over your rolling pin and cookie cutter
2. With your rolling pin, flatten the dough until it is thin
3. With the cookie cutter, cut your dough into as many pieces as you can
4. Finely chop the shallot, sundried tomatoes and olives
5. Mix your chopped ingredients with the Boursin
6. With a teaspoon, place the mix on to your dough shape
7. Bake in the oven at about 200 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden

Garlic Bread

I loove having this with soup, but it goes well when dipped in pasta sauce too.

• Fresh baguette
• Mozzarella (or any preferred cheese)
• Butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt

1. Cut your baguette in halves both ways (that sounds dirty)
2. Peel the garlic and take the full clove and rub it all over crispy part of the baguette
3. Scrape some butter on the baguette
4. Very finely chop the rest of the clove of garlic and spread it over the butter (don't put too much... raw garlic can be... whew, potent!)
5. Put some salt over the butter/garlic
6. Sprinkle your cheese over the bread
7. Bake in the oven until the cheese is fully melted
8. Eat it and hide from anyone potentially attractive capable of smelling you!