Plum & Oat Bars

This week on our journey with Yotam Ottolenghi at I Heart Cooking Clubs, we're Going With The Grain.  I love all kinds of grains, and they form a significant part of my regular diet.  Flicking through my Ottolenghi cookbooks (Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Plenty and Jerusalem: A Cookbook), all manner of quinoa, rice, farro, barley, freekah and bulgur wheat dishes appealed, but somehow this week I felt I wanted to get a little sweet with Yotam.

His recipe for Raspberry and Oat Bars from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook is one that I've had bookmarked for about three years and, deciding that oats were going to be my grain of choice, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it.

In the absence of some raspberry jam, I subbed in some of my homemade plum jam, and I found the tartness of the plum jam to be a good foil to the sweetness of the caramel nut topping.  Oh yes, there is caramel and there are nuts!  Came as something of a surprise to me too.  

Now I don't know about you, but when I come across something labelled as an "(anything) and Oat Bar", I'm mentally imagining something that has some kind of "oaty" topping, or which is vaguely akin to a muesli (granola) bar.  Even when I read through the recipe, I still didn't quite get what this was going to be like - quite possibly because I am not really a baker.  So when Ottolenghi says in the recipe introduction "Wonderful with a strong after dinner coffee", I was thinking "No way!"  Granola bars with morning coffee (possibly even for breakfast), yes, but with after dinner coffee, definitely not.  Were YO and I about to have our first disagreement - surely not.  Now, don't get me wrong, I was not for one moment doubting that these were going to be great, I just envisaged something that didn't quite fit with my idea of a postprandial sweet treat.

The end result is a light, shortbready, oaty base, topped with a layer of sweet-but-tart plum jam, and then the whole thing is topped off with a thick layer of nuts and caramel.  Oh, that topping!!  Gooey caramel and a mixture of macadamias, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews.  Seriously, this slice is all about the topping, so don't let that title confuse you - this is no dull little "health" bar - this is definitely a decadent little treat, and definitely lives up to its promise of being a great after-dinner treat.  I thought about changing the title to something which might more fairly represent what these bars really are, but then it occurred to me that, as long as I keep calling them "Plum & Oat Bars", I can convince myself that it's ok to eat them for breakfast!

I don't do a lot of baking, and so I don't have an extensive repertoire in that department.  I'm also a fairly "apprehensive" baker, so when something turns out great it both surprises and delights the heck out of me in equal measure.   Well let me tell you that these bars might just be the best thing I've ever baked, and it's exciting to discover that Ottolenghi can surprise and delight me in the sweet department as well as all the savoury dishes I've come to love.

I made a few small changes to this recipe.  Firstly, as mentioned I used plum jam instead of raspberry.  I adjusted quantities to fit the slice tin that I wanted to use, as opposed to the small square tin used in the original recipe.  And, I used a different combination of nuts:  the original recipe called for flaked almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts.  Really you could use any combination you like.

Plum & Oat Bars Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

For the base

170g (6 oz) plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

140g (5 oz) butter, cut into cubes

80g (3 oz) caster sugar

pinch of salt

110g (4 oz) rolled oats

For the filling

1-1/2 cups plum jam (I used homemade)

For the topping

400g (14 oz) assorted nuts, roughly chopped

(I used a combo of macadamias, almonds, cashews & hazelnuts)

140g (5 oz) butter

100g (3-1/2 oz) caster sugar

60ml (2 fl oz) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F).  Lightly grease the base and sides of an 18cm x 32cm (7in x 12in) slice tin, and line it with baking paper.

Begin by making the base.  Sift the flour and baking powder together and put into your food processor.  Add the cubed butter, and blitz together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  (You could rub the butter into the flour by hand, but I'm an inherently lazy cook, so I'm happy for the food processor to do the work).  Remove to a bowl, add the salt, sugar and rolled oats, and mix to combine everything well.

Press this mixture (though not too hard) into the base of your tin, and bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden - about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the base has cooled, spread with the jam.

Now make the topping.  Place the chopped nuts in a bowl and set aside.  Put the butter, sugar, milk and vanilla paste in a small saucepan set over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat, pour over the nuts and mix well.

Spread the nut mixture over the jam and return the pan to the oven until the nuts are golden brown - about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

Slice into bars or squares and serve.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

And while we're on the subject of Going With The Grain, check out these other grain-filled recipes from Ottolenghi I've shared before:

Aubergine & Lemon Risotto

Fried Zucchini, Pea & Quinoa Salad

This will be my submission this month to Sweet New Zealand, inspired by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Bridget at After Taste - can't wait to see what sweet treats everyone has come up with this month.

I will also be sharing this post at Food on Friday hosted by Carole at Carole's Chatter and at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Rocket & Cress Salad with Roasted Figs & Haloumi

Last week when I shared with you this Salad of Baby Spinach with Dates & Almonds, from Yotam Ottolenghi, I thought it was not possible to improve on perfection.  And that may still be true.  But when I set out to make this salad again for my lunch today, and ended up allowing a few different ingredients I had on hand take this in a slightly different direction, I think I came pretty close.

I had some rocket (arugula to some of you) and watercress kicking around in the fridge, which I thought would make a nice change from the spinach.  I also had a nice block of haloumi I'd made a couple of weeks ago, using this recipe from Alessandra Zecchini.

I stuck with the sumac and chilli-spiked croutons and almonds from the original recipe, which I've got to say are so addicitive that I could eat just a bowlful of them on their own as a wee snack.  Sitting on my kitchen bench is also a large bowl of fresh figs, raided from my neighbour's tree, and it seemed like a few of those roasted off would make a nice substitute for the dates.

The result was everything I dreamed it would be, and more.  The peppery rocket and cress, combined with the lemony-spicy croutons and almonds, the sweet, juicy figs, and the salty haloumi was a blindingly-good flavour combination.  While crunchy nuts and croutons, velvety leaves, soft fruit and squeaky cheese all added up to a great textural combo as well.

This is the perfect dish for a light autumn lunch, or would also make a great side dish to roasted chicken or some lovely barbequed lamb chops.  Hope you'll give it a try.

Rocket & Cress Salad with Roasted Figs & Haloumi Recipe

Inspired by a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tomimi

from Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Vegetarian

Makes a meal for one person or side dish for two

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

Note:  Really you don't have to be too fussy about quantities here, just adjust to suit what you have on hand or to suit the number of mouths you want to feed

approx 100g (3-1/2 oz) haloumi, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for dressing

1-2 slices of sourdough bread, cut into cubes

small handful of raw almonds, very roughly chopped

1 teaspoon sumac

chilli flakes to taste

4x fat, juicy, fresh figs, cut into quarters

2x large handfuls rocket & watercress leaves, mixed

juice of 1/2 lemon

flaky sea salt

Heat a small pan over medium heat, and once the pan is hot, dry fry the haloumi slices until golden on both sides.  Remove and set aside to cool.

Wipe out the pan, add one tablespoon of the olive oil, and return the pan to the heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the bread and almonds to the pan and cook until they are crisp and golden, stirring regularly.  Remove from the heat, add the sumac and chilli flakes, and a small pinch of flaky sea salt.  Toss to combine well, then remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, wipe out the pan again and return to the heat.  Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and, once hot, add the figs.  Saute for several minutes, turning regularly until the figs are caramelised and softened and juices starting to run.  Remove and set aside while you assemble the salad.

Put rocket and watercress leaves into a serving bowl or platter.  Add the toasted bread and almonds and toss well.  Tear or chop the haloumi slices into bite sized pieces and distribute evenly amongst the leaves.  Arrange the roasted figs over the top, squeeze over the lemon juice, and drizzle generously with the extra virgin olive oil.  Taste and sprinkle over another pinch of flaky sea salt if necessary.

I'm sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, and at Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollam.

                     

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we last week began our journey of cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi, we are all about Loving the Leaf!  There is certainly no shortage of inspiration in any of Ottolenghi's books for turning out dishes of leafy green goodness, but with his latest book Jerusalem: A Cookbook being the most recent addition to my collection that was where I turned first.  With so many great choices here (Raw Artichoke & Herb Salad;  Kohlrabi Salad with Watercress & Mint;  Swiss Chard Fritters;  Swiss Chard with Tahini, Yoghurt & Buttered Pine Nuts;  Split Wheat & Swiss Chard with Pomegranate Molasses;  Watercress & Chickpea Soup with Rose Water & Ras el Hanout), and that was just in the first half of the book, I needed to look no further.   I would happily devour any one of those dishes, but it was this recipe for a salad of baby spinach leaves tossed with dates, almonds, and crispy croutons that really took my fancy.  Spinach is without doubt my favourite leafy green, and any kind of spinach salad is a favourite meal for me on just about any occasion - combine that with sweet, sticky dates, crunchy nuts and croutons, a little bit of lemony tang from a touch of sumac, and a little kick of heat from chilli flakes, and I am in leafy, salady heaven.

This salad delivered on all fronts - texture, taste (just the right amount of that sweet, salty, sour going on), and leafy goodness.  I made a couple of small changes - I subbed in fennel in place of red onion, which I'm not particularly fond of raw in salads, and I replaced pita bread croutons with sourdough, because that's what I had on hand.  I also adjusted quantities to make a delicious lunch for one person.  This certainly won't be the last time that this salad graces my lunch table.

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem:  A Cookbook

Makes a generous meal for one person, or a side for two

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1/2 a large fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

(a mandolin is ideal for this if you have one)

3x Medjool dates, cut into quarters, lengthwise (stones discarded)

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

knob of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for dressing

thick slice sourdough bread, cut into cubes

small handful raw almonds, very roughly chopped

1 teaspoon sumac

chilli flakes to taste

2x large handfuls baby spinach leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon

flaky sea salt

Put fennel and dates into a small bowl, add the vinegar and a small pinch of salt, toss well and set aside for about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil and butter in a small frying pan over medium heat.  Add the bread cubes and almonds to the pan and cook until they are crisp and golden brown - stir regularly.  Remove pan from the heat;  add the sumac, chilli flakes and another small pinch of salt.  Mix well and set aside to cool.

Toss the spinach leaves with toasted bread and almonds.  Add the dates and fennel, lemon juice, a generous drizzle of olive oil and another pinch of salt.  Taste to check seasoning, and when it is balanced to your taste, serve immediately.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, and at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.