Aubergine Salad

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place aubergine rounds circa 1.5 cms each on baking paper on a tray.  Brush both sides with oil and cook for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Pour over, while hot, a marinade of  caramelized balsamic vinegar, garlic, oil, 1/2 t ground cumin and 1/2 ground coriander.  Put in fridge for minimum 2 hours.

Alternatively pour over Pepler's pomegranate vinagrette with ginger.

Serve with yoghurt and pomegranate seeds or chopped yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

Destitute Gourmet - Warm Orzo Salad with Chilli and Basil

Warm Orzo Salad with Chilli and Basil

 

1 cup orzo or risoni cooked and drained

1 double boneless breast of chicken thinly sliced or 1-2 cups roasted pumpkin

1 tbsp sesame oil

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 cup broccoli florets

½ tbsp fish sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

3 spring onions thinly sliced

½ cup chicken stock

Juice of ½ a lime

A handful each of basil leaves and coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan; quickly seal the chicken if using, then add the garlic and spring onions and toss cooking them quickly. Add the prepared broccoli and the chilli sauce and fish sauce. Mix through then add the stock. Simmer till the broccoli is tender then lastly toss in the fresh herbs and pumpkin if using. Tip the cooked orzo into the pan and thoroughly coat in the pan juices. Serve immediately as a warm salad or cool and refrigerate till required.  This stirfry/warm salad can be made with chicken or as a vegetarian dish. Orzo is a type of pasta also known as risoni as it resembles large grains of rice. It has a lovely silky texture.  Destitute Gourmet.

Julie le Clerc's Orzo with Spice-Roasted Carrots, Currants and Pinenuts

Orzo with Spice-Roasted Carrots, Currants and Pinenuts

 

1 cup orzo

½ t turmeric for cooking orzo

4 carrots, peeled

½ t turmeric, for roasting carrots

oil to roast

1 t ground cumin

1 t ground coriander

1 t paprika

½ c currants

½ c pinenuts, toasted

3T chopped fresh coriander

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

2 T spiced vinegar

salt and pepper

Cook orzo with ½ t turmeric added, until just tender.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Preheat oven to 180C.  Cut carrots in half lengthways then slice on the diagonal into 1 cm thick pieces.  Place in a roasting pan, drizzle with a little oil, sprinkle with spices and toss to coat evenly.  Roast for 30 mins, remove and allow to cool.  Mix orzo, carrots, currants, pinenuts, coriander, oil and vinegar together well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serves 6. 

Mum's Orzo or Risone salad

Mum’s Orzo or Risone

 

250 g or 1/2 packet of Risone

1 1/2 litre water

oil

2 or 3 red onions

zest of 2 lemons + extra to garnish

purple basil (optional)

Bring 1 1/2 litres of water to boil and add 250 g or about 1/2 packet of Risone and let it boil for about 9 minutes. Add about 1 tablespoon oil and stir to stop sticking. Drain through sieve. Finely cut 2 or 3 red onions and lightly fry in about 1 tablespoon oil - just stir lightly until they are softish. Mix through pasta.  Stir zest of 2 lemons through and let cool.

Serve at room temperature. Add more lemon to top for a garnish. Mum also added a little purple basil - it matches the colour of the onion but isn't essential. Make sure that you have stirred the pasta thoroughly to the base - it is easy to get a solidified layer at the bottom.

Mum's Green Lentil Salad with Bacon

Green Lentil Salad with Bacon

 

1 cup lentils

1 large red onion

1 large handful of parsley

2 rashers of bacon

balsamic vinaigrette

1.         Rinse lentils in water with sieve.

2.         Put lentils in pot, add salt, well cover with water and simmer 20-30 minutes till soft but not mushy.  May need to add more water.

3.         Sieve lentils and wash if necessary. Put in a bowl.

4.         Cut onion finely and gently cook in a little oil in a frypan.

5.         Add onion to the lentils in a bowl.

6.         Add chopped parsley and mix.

7.         Cut bacon into little bits, cook crisply and place on top.  (Or lemon zest or half cherry tomatoes).

8.         Mix with large quantities of balsamic vinaigrette.

Keeps well in fridge.  Add more balsamic when serving.

Mum's Red Onion and Pine Nut Couscous Salad

Red Onion and Pine Nut Couscous Salad

 

1. Cook couscous in usual way. I think it is about 1/2 cup water to 1/2 cup couscous or 100 grams. I stir in oil at the end, not butter as the box says, as I seem to be able to get it fluffed up more satisfactorily. If you are making a large amount it is better to make it in 2 small batches and combine later - much less chance of getting a gluey mass at the bottom.

2. Fry 2 or 3 finely sliced red onions and 1 tsp cumin in a little oil until reasonably soft.

3. Add a covering of balsamic vinegar and cook over a fairly high heat until the majority has evaporated off.

4. Stir very thoroughly through the warm couscous.

5. When ready to serve, sprinkle with cut pistachio nuts and roasted pine nuts.

 

This salad is better made the night before as it gives the vinegar time to seep through the couscous and intensify the flavour.

Mum's Beetroot and Bulghur Wheat Salad

Beetroot and Bulghur Wheat Salad

1 c bulghur wheat

Just over 1 c water

Leave 30 mins, stir.

Juice ½ lemon

2 T curley parsley

2T coriander
3T oil
1t Dijon
2 cloves garlic

Mix until blended and add to wheat

About 2 c chopped beetroot

1 onion, finely chopped

Add to wheat mixture and toss.  Sprinkle with spring onion.