Peri Peri Prawns

In case you hadn't noticed (I'm sure you did), this little blog of mine has been sadly neglected over the last few months.  I could give you a dozen or more excuses for that - all of them valid, but all of them equally boring to anybody else but me.  So I'm going to dispense with the lame excuses, and cut straight to the chase - the blog is back, and I'm kicking things off this week with some fiery prawns ... just the thing to wake up the taste buds and a dormant blog.

I'm cooking along with my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week, where we are revisiting a cooking club favourite chef - Tessa Kiros.  I absolutely loved the time we spent cooking with Tessa a couple of years ago, and her book Falling Cloudberries became (hands down) the most used cookbook in my collection.

I had bookmarked Tessa's recipe for Prawns with Lemon, Peri Peri, Garlic & Feta ages ago, and a hot summer evening last night seemed like the perfect occasion to try it.  I made very little changes to the recipe, other than to adjust quantities (since I had no need to feed six people), substituted chilli flakes for peri peri seasoning which I didn't have, and I baked the dish in the oven instead of on the stovetop.

This dish was incredibly simple to prepare, absolutely bursting with the kind of flavours that I love, and served alongside a simple Greek salad, instantly transported me back to the Greek island holidays I've enjoyed so much in the past - if you want to travel without the hassle of packing a suitcase or renewing your passport, this is the dish that will take you there.

Peri Peri Prawns Recipe
Serves 2
Adapted from recipe by Tessa Kiros
from Falling Cloudberries
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

400g raw prawns
1-2 tablespoons butter
4x large cloves garlic, finely chopped
large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
very generous pinch of chilli flakes
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1x lemon, finely grated zest & juice
150g feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

Choose an ovenproof baking dish that will be just large enough to hold all the prawns in three layers.

In a small bowl mix together the finely chopped garlic and parsley, chilli flakes, lemon zest, and a generous seasoning of flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Dot some of the butter liberally around the base of the baking dish and cover with a layer of prawns. Sprinkle over a third of the garlic mixture, and dot generously with more butter.  Cover with another layer of prawns, sprinkle over half of the remaining garlic mixture, and once again dot with more butter.  Finish with the final layer of prawns, sprinkle over the remaining garlic mixture, and dot with some more butter.

Cover dish and place into the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, drizzle over the lemon juice, and crumble the feta over the top.  Baste with some of the buttery prawn juices which by now will have settled in the bottom of the dish.  Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes (or longer as necessary), until the prawns are cooked through and the feta is just starting to melt and turn golden.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately, with a simple salad and some crusty bread to mop up the juices.

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.

         

Christmas Round-up

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs is our December Pot Luck week - an opportunity to choose any recipe we like from our current chef (the fabulous Donna Hay), or from any one of previous eight IHCC chefs.

Turns out, time has been a bit precious for me this week, and cooking, photographing and writing about a new dish just didn't happen.  So instead I thought I would share with you a round-up of my favourite dishes from each of our chefs.

My very first post for I Heart Cooking Clubs was just as the group was winding up a six month spell with Nigella Lawson, and I shared these Chocolate Caramel Crispy Cakes ...

Despite the fact that these might seem like "kiddy" food, I can promise you that grown-ups love them too, and to this day this is one of the most viewed posts on the blog.  On a recent trip to San Francisco I made a batch of these for my 4 year old granddaughter - poor wee dot only got one of them, and the adults downed the rest!

This dish of Sauteed Chicken with Green Olives and White Wine from Mark Bittman is probably my "go-to" chicken dish.

I said it back then, and I'll say it again - this is probably the best chicken dish I've ever made.  It has great flavour, colour and texture;  is very easy to put together from ingredients you most likely already have on hand;  requires minimal preparation;  and would be a great dish to feed a crowd.

I loved so many of the dishes I made with Giada de Laurentiis, but these Espresso Caramel Bars were a real favourite.

These were pretty easy for even a reluctant baker to make - crispy, biscuit crumb base;  ooey, gooey, slightly chewy caramel centre;  fudgy, espresso, chocolate topping;  finished with a sprinkling of smoked sea salt ... I defy anyone to stop at just one!

For a variety of reasons, I didn't get to cook along with Jamie Oliver too often ...

... but this warm Salad of Cannelini Beans, Chorizo & Tomatoes is one that I've returned to over and over again.

Of all the chefs we've cooked with at IHCC, one of my absolute favourites (second only to Yotam Ottolenghi) was Tessa Kiros.  I loved so many of Tessa's dishes that picking a favourite was quite a challenge ...

but I think this Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Olives, Lemon & Yoghurt might be it.  This was one of the first recipes I bookmarked when I bought her book Falling Cloudberries, and with its thick, velvety texture, and bold, robust flavour it certainly didn't disappoint.  Lots of opportunity here to change up the toppings on this one too.

I didn't get a chance to cook too many dishes with Rick Bayless, but I know he was a big favourite with many of our other participants.

Choosing a favourite from the dishes I did make was easy ... it was hands down this Nieve de Limon (Lemon-Lime Sorbet).  I couldn't tell you how often I've made this now.  The bright, tangy citrus flavours are a refreshing treat any time of year.

Madhur Jaffrey has long been a favourite chef of mine, and a spell of cooking with her gave me the opportunity to dip into some of those cookbooks which had been gathering dust on the shelf for quite a while.  For many of our participants, exploring Indian food was a totally new experience, and I know that Madhur proved to be very popular with so many in the group.

This dish of Prawns in a Dark Sauce was simple to make, and the flavours rekindled so many childhood memories for me that I've since revisited this dish several times.

Those of you who visit here regularly won't be surprised to learn that my absolute favourite chef was Yotam Ottolenghi - I don't think I've cooked an Ottolenghi dish that I didn't like, and I find his food truly inspirational.  Trying to choose a "favourite" from the Ottolenghi dishes I've made is virtually impossible - I've loved every single one of them ...

... but I figured this Shakshuka should take first place, since it is by far one of the most frequently cooked dishes in my kitchen.

And, lastly, we come to our current chef - Donna Hay.  Our journey with Donna is still young, but this dish of Green Tea Soba Noodles with Soy-Roasted Salmon and Broad Bean & Radish Salad is already a favourite.

Quick, simple, healthy and absolutely delicious - this is definitely going to be a perennial favourite in my house.

If you would like to get to know Donna Hay a little better, and to see all the wonderful Pot Luck dishes my friends have come up with, then do go visit I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you for your visits, lovely comments, and most of all your friendship over the year, and I wish you and all your loved ones a very happy Christmas.  xo

Tahini Soup

This week is Pot Luck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, and just as I was sitting at the table this morning pondering which one of our wonderful chefs I would choose to cook with, my copy of Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros leapt out at me from the bookshelf - figuratively, you understand ... thus far, my cookbooks have not taken to actually jumping around the kitchen, which, although potentially interesting, is probably a good thing.

Anyhow, this is a book which I acquired towards the end of our time spent cooking with Tessa, and given how much I like this book I'm a little surprised that I haven't dipped into it more often.  Maybe it's because I always think of Greek food as being quintessentially summer food.  Still, with summer now just around the corner, there's a good chance this book will spend a little less time on the bookshelf and a bit more time out on the kitchen bench over the next few months.

Thumbing through the book, I came across this recipe for Tahini Soup.  I almost passed it by.  It seemed too simple, too unimpressive, and I wasn't even sure that I would like it.  Don't get me wrong, I love tahini, but I do find that in large doses it can be a little overwhelming.  I was certainly prepared not to be wowed by this dish, but it seemed quick and easy and just what I needed for a quick, late-lunch fix today.

This soup truly is the work of moments - in the time it takes to boil pasta it's done - seriously.  Despite the pasta, it is not a heavy or stodgy soup - instead it has lightness, and warmth, and is deliciously comforting.  My first impression when I tasted for seasoning before serving it was "pleasant enough, nice nutty flavour, but somewhat ordinary".  But, don't be fooled ... add the topping of toasted sesame seeds, smoky paprika, warming cayenne, and zesty lemon, along with a drizzle of the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can lay your hands on, and all of a sudden you have wow factor in spades.

In her introduction to the recipe, Tessa says, "This is a very simple soup that can be made in minutes.  Traditionally it's from the Cycladic Islands and is eaten in the week leading up to Easter, or on Good Friday when simple meat-free foods are eaten."  I say, eat this delicious soup any time you want maximum flavour for minimum effort.  I will definitely be making this again, in fact I think this just became my "go-to" soup.

Tahini Soup

Adapted from recipe by Tessa Kiros from

Food From Many Greek Kitchens

Makes 2 generous servings

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

4 cups boiling water

1 cup pasta shapes (I used casareccia)

salt

juice of 1-1/2 lemons

1/2 cup tahini

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

grated zest of 1 lemon

extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Bring water to the boil in a medium sized saucepan.  Salt the water, but not quite as generously as you normally might for boiling pasta, as this water will form the basis of your soup - about 1 heaped teaspoon should do it. Add pasta to the boiling salted water  Cook according to packet instructions until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over moderate heat, and toast the sesame seeds in the dry pan until golden.  Add the paprika, cayenne pepper, and lemon zest.  Stir until everything is combined, and remove immediately from the heat.  Remove to a small bowl so that the seeds don't continue cooking.

In another small bowl combine the lemon juice and tahini, add a ladleful of the boiling pasta water, and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

As soon as the pasta is cooked, add the lemon-tahini mixture to the pan and continue to stir over heat for a couple of minutes, until the tahini mixture has been fully combined.  Taste and add a little more salt if necessary.

Ladle into serving bowls, sprinkle over some of the sesame and paprika mixture, add a little freshly ground black pepper, and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

If you would like to get to know Tessa a little better, check out Food From Many Greek Kitchens and many of Tessa's other great titles available from Amazon or Fishpond NZ.

         

Do go and see what else my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs have cooked up for this week's Pot Luck ...

I'm also sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my good friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, at Cook Your Books, hosted by the lovely Joyce at Kitchen Flavours, and at Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

                          

Prawns Saganaki, Pita Bread & other Mezedes

Today I'm taking you on a trip to the Greek islands, and treating your taste buds to, not just one, but four recipes.  You see, at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week, where we are down to our last few weeks of cooking with Tessa Kiros, our theme this week was Mezedes - the Greek tradition of shared foods.  So I thought it was time to break out my copy of Food from Many Greek Kitchens - one of Tessa' books I have been enjoying enormously, but which I have not yet introduced you to.  Which, also makes this a great opportunity to share this post at Cookbook Sundays, a weekly event I host here at Couscous & Consciousness, in order to get some of those unused cookbooks down off the shelves and into the kitchen.

This is a wonderful book - the recipes, as is typical of Greek food, are simple and uncomplicated.  The photographs are stunning - for those of you who have ever been to Greece, this book will stir up so many memories;  for those of you who haven't, this will get you dreaming and planning your first Greek island holiday.

Anyway, as I mentioned, our theme was Mezedes and well ... you can't exactly just have one meze now, can you?  So I decided to go all out and came up with my version of a Greek feast - Prawns with Feta & Tomato, Peppers Stuffed with Feta, Roasted Lemon Potatoes, Pita Bread and a Greek Salad.

Traditionally, mezedes are served as small plates to be shared as the starter or appetiser to a meal, and the dishes offered here would probably be enough for 4-6 people if they were served as the appetiser to a larger meal.  But two of us ate this as our main meal, and had plenty of leftovers for the next day.  Every one of these dishes were wonderful, and the meal was greeted with the response, "Wow, that very first mouthful transported me right back to Paros".

I would recommend all of these dishes - every single one of them will get made again in my house - and I highly recommend the book.  The pita bread I had been wanting to make ever since Michele raved about it, and it did not disappoint - the breads were soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of "chew".  In fact, if I had to choose a highlight of the dishes I made for this meal, it would probably be the pita breads, not least because it was a revelation to discover how easy it was to make them, and how good the results.  The feta stuffed peppers were beyond easy to make, could easily be prepared in advance, and in fact could even be cooked in advance as they would be just as good served at room temperature as hot.  The saltiness of the feta and the sweetness of the roasted peppers marry together well for a wonderful flavour combination.  The roasted lemon potatoes are to die for if you're a potato lover, and I think this just became the go-to potato dish at my place.  As for the prawns - what's not to love about the simple combination of prawns, tomatoes and garlic?  I think that next time I would bake this in the oven though to intensify the flavour a little rather than cooking on the stove top.

Prawns with Feta & Tomato Recipe

(Garides Saganaki)

Adapted from a recipe by Tessa Kiros from

Food from Many Greek Kitchens

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

400g (14 oz) tin tomatoes, chopped

3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

300g raw, peeled prawns or shrimps
100g feta, crumbled

 Heat the olive oil in medium saucepan over low to medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute until it is just fragrant.  Immediately, add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, half the parsley and season liberally with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bring up to the boil, then cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Remove the lid, and simmer for a further 5 minutes or so to reduce and thicken the sauce a little.

Add the prawns to the pan and stir gently to make sure all the prawns are covered in the sauce.  Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes until the prawns are just beginning to turn pink.  Add the crumbled feta to the pan, shake pan gently to distribute feta through the sauce and prawns;  cover and cook for about 5 minutes until the feta is just starting to soften, shaking the pan from time to time.

Grind some more black pepper over the top, and sprinkle the rest of the parsley over the top to serve.

Pita Bread Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Tessa Kiros from
Food from Many Greek Kitchens
Makes 8 pita breads
Vegetarian

2 teaspoons dried active yeast
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons warm water
450g (1 lb) plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
200ml (7 fl oz) water

Put the 3 tablespoons of warm water in a small jug or glass.  Add the honey and sprinkle the yeast over the top.  Stir to dissolve, and then set aside for the yeast to activate.  You will know it's ready when it is frothy on top.

Put the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre, and pour in the activated yeast mixture, the olive oil and the water.  Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms into a rough clump.  Remove from the bowl and, using your hands, knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft and springy.  Note, the dough will be sticky to begin with, but avoid adding more flour or flouring your work surface, but simply flour your hands ever so lightly from time to time if the dough is clinging to your hands.

Lightly oil a clean bowl, add the dough ball to the bowl, cover with cling film and then a heavy cloth, and leave in a warm place to prove.  It will take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours and the dough should almost double in size.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).

Knock the dough down, knead lightly for a minute or two, and then divide into 8 equal sized pieces.  Using your hands, flatten each piece into a flat disc and leave for about 5 minutes for the dough to relax.

Using a rolling pin, roll each disc out into a rough circle, about 2mm (1/16th in) thick.  Brush lightly with olive oil and put onto unfloured baking trays (I got three to a tray). Bake one tray at a time until the breads are just firmed (about 5 minutes), then turn them over and bake for a further 3 minutes.  The breads will finish cooking when reheated just before serving, so they should be a little under-done at this point.

Remove from the oven and immediately stack the breads one on top of each other and wrap in a clean tea towel to keep them soft.

To serve, brush each side of the bread with a little olive oil, and add to a chargrill pan over high heat until warmed on both sides.

Peppers Stuffed with Feta Recipe
(Piperies Yemistes Me Feta)

Adapted from a recipe by Tessa Kiros from
Food from Many Greek Kitchens
Serves 2
Vegetarian

4x small sweet peppers
(look for the long, narrow, thin-fleshed ones - not capsicums)
100g feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
dried oregano

Cut the tops off the peppers and carefully remove the seeds, taking care to keep the peppers intact.

Crumble the feta, and stuff quite firmly into the peppers.  Replace the tops.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan.  Saute the peppers over high heat, turning from time to time, until the peppers have softened and browned and blistered on the outside, and the feta has started to soften.

Sprinkle a little dried oregano over the top to serve.

Roasted Lemon Potatoes

(Patates Fournou Lemonates)

Adapted from a recipe by Tessa Kiros from
Food from Many Greek Kitchens
Serves 3
Vegetarian

600g (1-1/2 lbs) potatoes, peeled & rinsed
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
dried oregano
1 cup water

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Halve the potatoes lengthwise, and cut each half into 3 wedges.  Put potatoes in a single layer into an ovenproof dish.  Pour over the lemon juice, and drizzle liberally with olive oil.  Season generously with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sprinkle over the oregano.  Toss the potatoes to ensure they are all well coated with everything.  Pour the water down the sides of the dish, and give the dish a gentle shuffle.

Roast for about 1-1/2 hours, turning and basting every 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and golden, and there is still a little sauce left in the dish.

Serve hot, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

I do hope you'll give some of these dishes a try - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

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 Food From Many Greek Kitchens and many of Tessa's other great titles available from Amazon or Fishpond NZ.

         

I hope you'll give these mezedes a try - I'm sharing them this week at Cookbook Sundays, where my friends are delving into their cookbook collections and sharing some of their recipes.  Do stop by to see what they're cooking - you might even feel inspired to link up a recipe from one of your own cookbooks.