Falafel with Tahini Flatbreads

It's Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week.  This is always a popular theme, because not only do we get to choose any recipe we like, but we can choose to cook with any one of our nine IHCC chefs - that's a whole lot of choice.

I couldn't resist the temptation to return to my favourite chef - the highly inspirational Yotam Ottolenghi.  I'd been wanting to try the falafel from his fabulous book, Jerusalem: A Cookbook, for months, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them a try.

I first developed my love affair with falafel when we used to live in Christchurch and would frequent the fabulous Sami's Cafe (sadly, no longer there).  I'd tried falafel several times before, and always came away feeling horribly disappointed, but Sami's falafel won my heart.  Unlike the horrid, dry, tasteless "bullets" I'd experienced in the past, Sami's falafel were light, crispy and beautifully flavourful.

After Sami had set the bar so high, I was excited to see if Ottolenghi's falafel could live up to my expectations.  I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe.  Instead of using only chickpeas, I replaced half the quantity with some dried fava beans - a little tip I learned from Sami.  I replaced onion with shallots, because I prefer their more delicate flavour.  I replaced some of the spices called for in the original recipe with some Sami's Kitchen Falafel Spice Blend ** (a fragrant and spicy mix of coriander, cumin, pimento, pepper, cinnamon and cloves), and I also increased the ground cardamom in the original recipe, just a little.  Cardamom is our ingredient of the month at Tasting Jerusalem*, and I love the fragrance and slightly sweet flavour that it brings - it can overpower though, so do use it with restraint.  The end result - sensational flavour, great texture, gorgeously crunchy, everything I dreamed they would be.  I will definitely be making these again.

Of course, falafel is not complete without a few trimmings, not least some good pita bread.  I chose to make Donna Hay's Tahini Flatbreads from issue #73 of Donna Hay magazine.  These are so good, that they've become my "go to" flatbreads over the last few months, and are likely to stay that way for a long time.  If you've never tried making your own flatbreads before - seriously, these are the ones to try.

Falafel Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
from Jerusalem: A Cookbook
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup dried fava beans
1x shallot, roughly chopped
1x clove garlic, roughly chopped
generous handful flat-leaf parsley
generous handful coriander
4x teaspoons Sami's Kitchen Falafel Spice Blend **
(available in New Zealand here, or internationally here)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 tablespoons plain flour
generous pinch sea salt
3 tablespoons water
sunflower oil to deep fry
sesame seeds to finish

Place dried chickpeas and fava beans in a large bowl;  fill the bowl with cold water;  and leave to soak overnight, or at least 12 hours.

Drain the chickpeas and beans well and place in the bowl of your food processor.  Add the onion, garlic, parsley and coriander.  Blitz until finely chopped.  It's best to use the pulse function on your food processor so that you don't overdo it.  The final mixture should be very finely chopped and just beginning to clump together, but definitely don't grind it to a paste or let it get mushy.

Remove mixture to a bowl, and add the spices, baking powder, flour, salt and water.  Mix well, using your hands, until everything is well combined.  Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour before continuing.

Place a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat and fill with oil to a depth of about 7cm (2-1/2 inches).  Heat the oil to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Using wet hands, form the mixture into small patties or ball.  Squeeze them together really well, as you will find the mixture is a little crumbly and delicate.  Sprinkle just a few sesame seeds on the top of each one, and very carefully lower them into the hot oil, cooking them in batches, until deep golden and crispy, and cooked through - about 4 minutes.

Remove, drain on a paper towel, and serve immediately.

Tahini Flatbread Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Donna Hay
from Issue # 73 of Donna Hay Magazine
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1-1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon honey
sunflower oil for frying

Mix water, sugar and yeast together in a small bowl, cover with a tea towel, and set aside for about 5 minutes until the mixture is all frothy on top.

Meanwhile, mix flour and salt together in a large bowl, and make a well in the centre.

Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture, and whisk it in lightly.  Then pour all of the liquid into the dry ingredients.  Mix together to form a dough, and knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth - about 5 minutes.

Return the dough to a lightly oiled, clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to stand in a warm place until doubled in volume - about an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the tahini and honey together in a small bowl and set aside.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide into 8 pieces.  Form each piece into a small ball then, working with one piece at a time, roll each ball out to form a circle.  Place a teaspoon of the tahini-honey mixture on each round, and spread it out, leaving a 1cm (1/2 inch) border around the edge.  Fold the dough in half, and then in half again, to form a triangle;  then roll the dough out again to flatten it.

Heat a little sunflower oil in a large cast iron, or other heavy based, pan over high heat, and fry until golden and cooked through - a couple of minutes each side.

Serve the finished falafel, with tahini flatbreads, a generous dollop of hummus, fresh coriander, a simple tomato salad and a drizzle of yoghurt.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get to know Donna Hay and Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, and to see what everyone has cooked up for our potluck feast this week, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links ...

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

         

*I am also sharing this post at Tasting Jerusalem, a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of “Jerusalem: A Cookbook” by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, and liking our Facebook page.

And, because it would be rude not to, I'm also sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads, and at Foodie Friday, hosted by Designs by Gollam.

                     

**  Note:  I'm not paid to tell you how good Sami's Kitchen spice blends are.  I'm just telling you because I use them myself a lot and I love them.  If you're able to get them where you live I urge you to try them.

Chorizo with Chickpeas & Tomatoes

Our current IHCC chef, Donna Hay, is the self-confessed queen of the well-stocked pantry and, by her own admission, if there's a short-cut to be found for delivering maximum freshness and flavour to the plate with minimum effort, she's found it.

She's a woman after my own heart like that.  As most of you will know by now (since I bang on about it often enough) I love to make most things from scratch, for many reasons ... I like to know what I'm eating, I reduce my environmental impact by consuming more homemade food and less packaged goods, and perhaps most importantly for the sheer joy of doing so.

Now, don't for one moment be misled into thinking that I spend hours every day slavishly toiling over one dish or another.  I don't - a well-stocked pantry is an absolute God-send to me, and means that very rarely do I spend more than 30 minutes over preparing a meal.  Even dishes which are more complicated might be broken down into two or three stages and prepped in advance.

How do I achieve that?  When produce is in season, I spend a bit of time on the weekends creating many of those pantry staples such as pesto, harissa paste, pasta sauce, preserved lemons, hummus, jams, pickles and chutneys.  These all get stashed in the freezer or pantry in meal-size quantities.  I also occasionally cook up big batches of chickpeas and dried beans, rice and quinoa, and store by the cupful in the freezer - but to be honest, I don't always get around to that, and I don't have a very big freezer either, so I do often resort to canned chickpeas, canellini beans, borlotti beans, and so on.  Canned or frozen chickpeas or beans are ideal for creating a quick and easy meal.

Other staples I always have on hand include: rice - basmati, brown, arborio (for risotto), sushi, and calasparra (for paella);  oils - olive (both virgin and extra virgin), rice bran, sesame, avocado, coconut and walnut;   vinegars - white (for adding to egg poaching liquid), balsamic, white balsamic, and my new favourite, apple cider;  pasta - dried (usually De Cecco brand) in a variety of shapes, lengths and sizes (nearly always at least 6 packets on hand), and fresh homemade fettucine and ravioli (stored in individual portions in the freezer);  spices - I keep a fairly extensive selection on hand - they're a great flavour booster - most commonly used in my house is probably smoky paprika;  miscellaneous - pomegranate molasses, olives (green and black), mustard (grainy and Dijon) and cheeses - parmesan, pecorino, feta, mozzarella, cheddar;  Asian influenced - soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, Chinese cooking wine, nori sheets, wasabi paste, pickled ginger, miso paste, assorted curry pastes, and noodles (soba, ramen, udon, rice).  It doesn't take much more than a bit of fresh vegetables or protein to turn a few of these ingredients into a meal.

In case you haven't guessed where this is all headed, our theme this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs is Pantry Magic - sharing something delicious inspired by the ingredients in our pantries.

This recipe for chorizo with chickpeas and tomatoes was one of the first that I bookmarked when I got my copy of Donna Hay's "Fast, Fresh, Simple".  Right there in the "Fast" chapter, using just a few ingredients that I always have on hand, I knew it wouldn't be long before this dish found it's way onto my table.  Chorizo is nearly always on hand in my house, and ditto the chickpeas.  Fresh cherry tomatoes, I picked up at the vegetable market last week, and were a bit of a hothouse indulgence at this time of year, since we are still a couple of months away from tomato season, though I could just as easily have used here some of the slow roasted tomatoes I have stashed in my freezer.   Fresh basil called for in the recipe is not really in season yet either, but I substituted by drizzling with some basil pesto from the freezer.  This made a light and delicious lunch (two servings), which could easily be multiplied to feed more people.  You could ring any number of changes to this - some kalamata olives and/or feta cheese would be great additions;  a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and/or some finely sliced preserved lemon would be a great flavour booster;  or serving over grilled sourdough toast with a poached egg on top would turn this into a sensational breakfast/brunch dish.

I'd love to know ... what are some of the things you always have on hand in your pantry?

Chorizo with Chickpeas & Tomatoes Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Donna Hay

from Fast, Fresh, Simple

Serves 2

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

olive oil

150g chorizo sausage, thinly sliced

1-1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1x 400g (14 oz) can)

1/4 cup basil pesto

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Working over a small bowl, squeeze cherry tomatoes between your fingers - just enough to split the skins and start the juices running.  Set aside.

Set a skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil to the pan.  You won't need very much as there will be a certain amount of fat will come out of the chorizo - probably 1-1/2 teaspoons will be plenty.  Once the oil is heated, add chorizo to the pan and saute until browned on both sides.

Add chickpeas and tomatoes, along with any of their accumulated juices, to the pan, and continue to cook until the chickpeas are warmed through, the tomatoes have softened a little, and the tomato juices have mingled with the oils in the pan and turned "syrupy".  You'll end up with something rather like a warm dressing.

Remove from heat.  Taste and season to your liking with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Finish with a generous drizzle of pesto.

Delicious served hot straight out of the pan, but just as good at room temperature the next day.

If you would like to get to know Donna Hay a little better, and to see what Pantry Magic everyone else has created, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links ...

... or check out Fast, Fresh, Simple and Donna's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, or Fishpond NZ.

                   

I'll also be sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Cook Your Books hosted by Joyce at Kitchen Flavours, and at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads.

                       

Hummus Kawarma (Lamb) with Lemon Sauce

There is much that I could say to preface this post.  But I'm going to keep it simple.  As I mentioned yesterday, today my blog turns four.  No-one could be more surprised about that than me - I'm not particularly good at sticking to things.  In fact, this blog and my yoga practice are the only things I've ever stuck at for any length of time in living memory.  There is much I could probably say about the "journey" this blog has taken, but most of all I just want to say thank you to all of you for continuing to read my posts and leave your kind and generous comments.  The friendship and thoughtfulness I've discovered in complete strangers humbles me deeply, and there really are no words to express my gratitude.  'Nuff said.

Now back to food.  Our June Community Recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs was Ottolenghi's hummus, and I did plan to bring you this last week to coincide with our "Got A Pulse" theme, but life got in the way and it just didn't happen.  Not in a bad way mind you.  A highlight of my week was a visit for the last four days of my oldest and dearest friend.  Friends for the last 35 years, but not having had the opportunity to spend time together like this since we flatted together in our twenties, I can tell you we had a wonderful weekend ... good food and good wine (both of which were infinitely superior to what was consumed back "in the day"), shopping, movies, and talking till the wee small hours, picking up where we left off as though it was yesterday.  So I'm sure you'll forgive having had to wait a few extra days for this post.

Needless to say, this is another gem from Yotam Ottolenghi.  Warm hummus (yes, warm ... who'd have thought), topped with spicy lamb, a piquant, garlicky lemon sauce, and (the icing on the cake) buttered pine nuts.

I've got to say that this is not a "throw it together in five minutes" kind of dish.  There are quite a few steps involved.  But most elements of the dish can be prepared in advance, and if you're suitably prepped, the final dish actually can come together in just a few minutes.

I took a couple of shortcuts.  The original recipe called for a number of different spices for marinating the lamb.  I took the easy option, using some of my favourite Sami's Kitchen spice blends:  Shawarma spice blend (a combination of pepper, pimento, mustard, cumin, ginger, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves), and Za'atar (a blend of thyme, sesame, sumac, salt, coriander and cumin), and I must say (though I'm not paid to do so) that these represent no shortcut in flavour.  I know that these spice blends are readily available in New Zealand and Australia (not sure about elsewhere), but I do highly recommend them if you can get your hands on them.

And a word about the hummus.  Ottolenghi's hummus is a little different from what I've made before.  In fact, I kind of have my "go to" hummus recipe which I pretty much make now with my eyes closed, so I almost wasn't going to bother - I was thinking I'd just make my usual hummus and putting the toppings on it.  But then my friend and IHCC co-host Kim at Stirring the Pot posted this dish and hooked me in when she described the "cloudlike and velvety" qualities of the hummus.  After I shared Kim's post on my Facebook page, my friend Martine made it and said it was the smoothest, best hummus she'd ever tasted.  And when the lovely Joanne at Eats Well With Others described it as "the hummus to end all hummus", it was a no-brainer ... I had to try it.  So, all I can say is - don't just take my word for it.  When I tell you this hummus is wonderful, I've got back-up!

Of course the hummus on its own is heavenly - still warm and velvety with more tahini than I would have imagined - but top that with the spicy lamb, lemon sauce, and buttered pine nuts, and you have, as Ottolenghi says, "one of the most sensational things you can put in your mouth".  Nothing else needed but a few warm pita breads and a simple salad.  Eat with your hands!!

Hummus Kawarma (Lamb) with Lemon Sauce Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem:  A Cookbook

Serves 4

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

Basic Hummus Recipe

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup tahini

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

100ml (or so) (1/4 cup) chilled water

generous pinch of salt

Wash chickpeas well and place in a large bowl.  Cover with at least twice their volume of cold water, and leave to soak overnight.

Next day, drain the chickpeas and place in a medium-sized saucepan along with the baking soda.  Set the pan over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.  Add 6 cups of fresh water and bring to the boil.

Continue to cook until the chickpeas are soft enough to crush between your fingers, but not completely mushy.  This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending somewhat on your chickpeas and also how long they soaked for in the first instance.  Mine took just a little over 20 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas, and reserve a handful or so for garnishing the finished dish.  Put the rest of the warm chickpeas into the food processor and blitz until you reach a stiff paste.  Then add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt.  Blitz it up again, and then with the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the iced water, and keep processing for about 5 minutes until completely smooth.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest for about half an hour before serving.

For the lamb:

300g boneless lamb shoulder

2-1/2 teaspoons Shawarma Spice Blend

1 teaspoon za'atar or dried oregano

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried mint

generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

generous pinch flaky sea salt

olive oil

For the lemon sauce:

generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch flaky sea salt

To serve:

flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

large handful pine nuts, fried in a little butter

Chop lamb very finely.  This is easiest done in the food processor, pulsing just until finely chopped but not quite minced.

Remove lamb to a bowl and add the shawarma spices, za'atar, vinegar, mint, parsley and salt.  Mix well to make sure all of the meat is covered with the seasoning.  Cover the bowl and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Prepare the lemon sauce, just before cooking the lamb, by simply putting all the ingredients into a small bowl, and mixing well.

Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the lamb in a couple of batches, stirring as you cook.  It will only take a couple of minutes - take care not to overcook.

Serve in shallow bowls, spreading a generous portion of hummus in each bowl.  Make a hollow in the centre of the hummus, and serve the warm lamb into the hollow.  Scatter with the reserved chickpeas, and drizzle with the lemon sauce.  Sprinkle over extra parsley and the buttered pine nuts to garnish.

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'm also sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, and very amusing, Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Sour Chickpeas (Khatte Chhole)

What with one thing and another over the "stupid season", I haven't managed for the last couple of weeks to join in with my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are cooking the food of Madhur Jaffrey.  Time now that all the busyness is out of the way to join back in.

Our theme this week is "Appetisers", and it seemed like the perfect time to try this recipe for Sour Chickpeas that I've had earmarked for sometime now.  These sour, spicy chickpeas are classic street snack food found all over northern India.  Madhur says, in her introduction to the recipe, "although Khatte Chhole are generally eaten as a snack in India, I serve them at my lunches and dinners, with vegetables, meats and rice".  I'm inclined to agree.  I enjoyed them as a bit of a snack served with some crisp triangles of toasted pita bread, but I liked them best over rice for a light lunch.

Now, you will have observed already that this dish suffers photographically from the DBFS (dreaded brown food syndrome), but trust me when I tell you that it tastes a lot better than it looks.  There is certainly plenty of spiciness in this dish, and the sourness (although I think initially somewhat foreign to European palates) works really well with the delightful nuttiness of some steamed Basmati rice.

Sour Chickpeas (Khatte Chhole) Recipe

Adapted slightly from recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Would serve 4-6 as a snack or accompaniment or

Serves 2-3 as a light meal

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2 cups cooked chickpeas

(canned are fine, but if you cook your own save the cooking liquid)

2x shallots, peeled and very finely chopped

salt

1x green chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you like less heat)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

juice of 1x lemon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1x large or 2x medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put one of the chopped shallots in a small bowl, together with the chopped chilli, grated ginger, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Mix together well and set aside.

Now heat oil in a heavy based, deep pan over medium heat.  Once oil has heated, add the remaining chopped shallot to the pan and fry, stirring from time to time, until the shallot becomes fragrant and begins to turn golden brown.  Add the chopped tomato and continue to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has "broken down", and has become like a thick sauce.  Add the coriander, cumin and turmeric, and stir to combine everything well.  Add the chickpeas to the pan, and stir to coat well with the spice and sauce mixture.  Now add 400 ml (14 fl oz) of water, or reserved chickpea cooking liquid if you have it.  Add the garam masala, cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Stir to combine, and then bring up to the boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the mixture of shallots, chilli, ginger and lemon juice.  Mix well and remove from heat.

Serve immediately, or cool to luke warm.  (I actually liked it best at room temperature).

If you would like to get to know Madhur 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 Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I'm sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace; at Gallery of Favourites hosted by the equally lovely April at The 21st Century Housewife and Alea at Premeditated Leftovers;  and at My Meatless Mondays hosted by Chaya at My Sweet and Savory.

             

Chickpea, Feta & Coriander Salad

If you've been following this blog for awhile, then you know that one of the places I like to play is at the I Heart Cooking Clubs group.  This group chooses a different chef and cookbook author every six months, and during that time we explore the recipes of that chef according to a variety of themes.  We've just finished cooking for the last six months with renowned British chef, Jamie Oliver, and you can check out all the contributions over that period here.

Now it's time to welcome in a new chef, and this week we begin cooking with the very talented Tessa Kiros.  Tessa was born in London to a Finnish mother and Greek-Cypriot father.  When she was four years old the family moved to South Africa, and when she turned 18 Tessa decided to spread her wings and travel.  During her travels Tessa has explored many different cultures and traditions, and worked in restaurants in Sydney, Athens, Mexico and London.  On a trip to Italy she met her husband, Giovani, and now lives in Tuscany with their two daughters.  Tess has written a number of cookbooks, and I have to say that if you don't have at least one Tessa Kiros cookbook in your collection you are truly missing something.

I picked up a copy of Falling Cloudberries (A World of Family Recipes) about 18 months ago (thanks to some Christmas gift vouchers).  In her introduction to the book, Tessa says:

"These are the recipes I grew up with:  the recipes that have woven their way through the neighbourhoods of my mind, past indifference and into love.  Those that have stayed while others might have fluttered away with a gentle spring breeze.  These are the ones I choose to share;  the ones that special people have taught me and that I have recorded, sometimes over a pot of coffee at my own kitchen table, and sometimes struggling to understand through the barriers of language on a journey somewhere."

There are recipes from Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, Italy, and many of the other places that have influenced Tessa's cooking style.  The book is beautifully photographed;  the recipes are simple and accessible;  and all the recipes are interwoven with wonderful stories about Tessa's childhood and travels.

Our theme this week, unsurprisingly, is "Welcome Tessa", and I chose to make her Chickpea, Feta & Coriander Salad from the Falling Cloudberries book.  This was incredibly quick and easy to make and, left to marinate for about three hours for all the flavours to infuse, made a great accompaniment to some chicken kebabs and rice.  I did make a couple of minor changes, leaving out red onion and spring onion (since, as you most likely know by now, we don't do onion in our house), but if you feel inclined to include them, then saute one red onion in the oil until cooked through before adding the garlic and chilli, and mix some spring onions in when adding the herbs.

Chickpea, Feta & Coriander Salad

Adapted from recipe by Tessa Kiros in

Falling Cloudberries

Serves 6 as a side dish

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

400g tin of chickpeas

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, chopped very finely

1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

200g feta, cut into small cubes or crumbled

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice and zest of 1 lemon

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, put into a bowl and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan, add the chillies and the garlic and cook briefly - really just until the chilli has softened and the garlic is fragrant.  Take care not to brown the garlic.  Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Add the feta, coriander, parsley, lemon juice and zest to the chickpeas.  Add the cooled garlic and chilli oil, and then extra virgin olive oil.  Mix everything until well combined, taste and season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper as desired.

Set aside to marinate for 2 to 3 hours to allow the flavours to develop fully.  Serve at room temperature.

As mentioned, I served this with chicken, but it would also make a great partner for fish or lamb, or even on its own with some grilled pita bread for a light lunch.  Oh, and by the way, if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, this tastes even better the next day.

If you would like to get to know Tessa 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 Falling Cloudberries and many of Tessa's other great titles available from Amazon or Fishpond NZ.

         

I am also sharing this post at Cookbook Sundays, hosted by Melynda at Mom's Sunday Cafe, and Meatless Mondays, hosted by Chaya at My Sweet and Savory.

Pasta e Ceci

Sadly the sun has definitely set on my Greek island holiday where, as you know, I have been doing a 5-week yoga retreat with my teachers, Graeme and Leonie Northfield.

From past experience, I have found Graeme and Leonie's workshops to be deeply profound on many levels, and this year was no exception.  For me this was a much needed time of letting go, after all the stresses of the Christchurch earthquakes and their aftermath, and I am enormously grateful to Graeme and Leonie for having allowed the space and the support for me to find a way in my practice to both honour and overcome what I have been through.  I have come home with the inspiration to take a more joyful and compassionate approach to my practice, letting go of much of the judgement that has always "dogged" my practice up until now;  a new-found gratitude for what I can do, rather than harsh judgement of what I can't.  It was wonderful to come together again with special friends made at previous workshops, and to make some new friends too.  The bond which seems to develop between people practising together in this intense way is unlike any other.  Off the mat also, the retreat did not disappoint. We enjoyed glorious, sun-filled days (not a single drop of rain in six weeks), mornings at the beach after practice, leisurely breakfasts, mid-day trips to town for coffee and a bit of shopping (which may or may not have included pastries), afternoon siestas, and long dinners at the local tavernas.  We even managed to take in a cooking class, which was one of the real highlights of the trip for me, and which I will tell you more about in another post.

And now I have returned to wet and wild here on the Auckland west coast.  Day after day the coast has been lashed by fierce winds, bringing with it huge surf.  Even in normal conditions the sea here can be treacherous, but right now we are witnessing mother nature at full force.  Then at night come the electrical storms.

It is of course all very spectacular, and although it has its own dramatic beauty which I love, there is no doubt that being thrust into the midst of wintery storms after weeks of endless 30 degree C days is a bit of a shock to the system.  Crisp, fresh salads and summer fruit have had to move over in favour of more warming food such as soups and pasta dishes, and yet I still want to cling to some of that lightness of summer foods - my body is not quite ready to plunge into heavy stews and casseroles just yet.  In a recent issue of Jamie Magazine, The Italian Issue I came across this recipe for Pasta e Ceci, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  The pasta and chickpeas provide just enough substance to provide comfort and warmth;  spinach, herbs and lemon add lightness and brightness to the dish;  and the accompanying mixture of creme fraiche, garlic and paprika adds some extra warmth and creaminess without a trace of heaviness.  Actually in the original recipe Jamie uses a mixture of yoghurt and harissa, but since I didn't happen to have either of those on hand I used a little creative license.

I'm sharing this recipe with my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we continue to cook with Jamie Oliver.  This weeks theme is Pot Luck, and I think such a dish would be a great contribution to a pot luck dinner anytime of year.

Pasta e Ceci Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Jamie Oliver

Jamie Magazine, The Italian Issue (March/April 2011)

Vegetarian

Makes 3 generous servings

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

250g pasta shapes (I used strozzapreti)

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp fresh mint, coarsely chopped

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, grated zest and juice

4 generous handfuls of baby spinach leaves

200g creme fraiche

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon smoky paprika

Bring a large pan of water to the boil over high heat, salt the water liberally, then add the pasta to the water and cook until almost al dente.

Meanwhile, put the chickpeas into a bowl.  Add the chopped mint, salt, pepper, olive oil, grated zest and juice of the lemon.  Toss well to combine.

Add the spinach to the bowl of chickpeas and toss together.

When the pasta is almost, but not quite al dente, remove it from the heat, and reserve about one cup of the pasta water.  Drain the pasta and then return it to the pan, adding in the mixture of spinach and chickpeas.

Place the pan over medium heat, add the reserved cooking water, and cook until the pasta is fully cooked through and the spinach has wilted.

Remove from the heat, add a little more olive oil, and taste, adding more lemon juice, salt or pepper as necessary.

In a separate bowl mix together the creme fraiche, garlic and paprika and serve alongside the pasta.

I really enjoyed this dish, in fact I ate it three nights in a row - it is certainly not a heavy dish, so could easily be enjoyed anytime of year, and if you're after quick and easy it doesn't get much better than this.

Interested in getting to know Jamie a bit better?  Then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all been cooking up ....

.... or check out Jamie's Italy and many of his other great titles, available from Amazon or Fishpond NZ.

         

I am also sharing this post at Magazine Mondays (hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice) and at Presto Pasta Nights (which will this week be hosted by Tandy of Lavender and Lime).