thepassionatecook

Spaghetti with avocado & cashew pesto

Gone are the days when all I had to think about was what to stuff my face with... and more often than not, as a student and/or single this either means how to secure the next treat or how to cheat your way to a four-course meal for the £2.50 that's left of your monthly allowance after a boozy night out with your friends.

Then you grow up, have a family and all of a sudden you become concerned about what they stuff their faces with... for me this began when I was pregnant with my daughter and gave up vegetarianism to be sure the growing baby would get all the nutrients she needed - eating well in pregnancy is difficult enough, overcomplicating it by sticking to a vegetarian diet didn't seem like a good idea.

When they grow up, you realise just how much of a role model you are. Since they learn mostly by observation, it's no good trying to drill them to "eat yer greens" if you yourself shudder at the sight of a tenderstem broccoli or sprint faster than a runner bean at the sight of a vegetable curry. You have to lead by example. Which is not too hard for me, given that I like all vegetables, some more some less, but there's only one I loathe with a passion: beetroot.
But I get side-tracked.

Where was I? Oh yes, the importance of eating your greens. You might have taken that on board already, when you realise that even the latest wisdom in nutritional science has a sell-by date - what used to be considered healthy in my teens is no longer so... my Mum, for example, used to insist that we should eat rye bread always, yet years later it emerged that it contains just as few nutrients as white. I felt like I had been cheated out of years of eating crunchy baguettes and buttery croissants... and my poor mother sought solace in the tasteless wholewheat cakes and no-fat spelt muffins that were so popular in the Eighties - and with popular I mean that everybody made them, but nobody actually ate them.

Another such wisdom that will haunt me forever is one that my gran almost beat into me: babies need to eat spinach at least once a day! That tender leaf might have been nutritionally valuable when my father grew up after the war, but it then emerged that spinach attracts heavy metal like nothing else... it can actually be quite toxic - so another theory went out of the window. And don't get me started on the whole cholesterol issue and that unbearable margarine!!!!

The current nutritional buzzwords in my part of the world are melatonin and fatty acids. Young mothers should be particularly familiar with the former, as it is the reason for babies having crying sessions in the evenings, which can be quite debilitating for the poor parents, but it serves a purpose. It encourages the shedding of melatonin in the mother, a hormone that plays an important role in the sleep cycle and makes babies (and adults alike) sleepy. So the baby might cry at first, but after being fed, it'll sleep better. And this is the reason why we now can buy milk in the UK that has been fortified with melatonin.
It seems to me that these days, you don't even need to be concerned about what you're feeding your kids anymore because manufacturers add nutrients to everything: added calcium and vitamin D in your yoghurt, vitamins in your cereal, melatonin in your milk, folic acid in bread and possibly now tap water (!), omega3 in your smoothie... if people ate regular diets, instead of gobbling down burgers, sandwiches, chips and soft drinks all the time, they wouldn't need all that! But it looks like we're on the best way to eating astronaut food in a few decades!

So here's how to add some oleic acid to your diet, said to help prevent breast cancer. Apparently it also helps with concentration (and as everything these days is said to help you to a higher IQ - looks like parents don't listen until you tell us that our children are going to be as dumb as a stump unless they eat it!), enough reason for me to bring it into my kids' diets more. These spaghetti are a sure hit, as apart from the health benefits, they're also incredibly easy to make - if you want, you can even use store-bought pesto rather than making your own, but I guess it's worth going the extra mile given that it doesn't take more than ten minutes!

So even if I should find out a few years down the line that those poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs for short) raising your IQ is all a big hoax and our bread producers start adding the next best thing to their food, I'll still be making this quick and healthy pasta sauce - after all, it's all about the taste with me, you know? And this one sure is a keeper!

Sweet potato & rocket frittata bites with feta and mint pesto

(photograph courtesy of Cook Sister!)

Trawling through folders on my computer that have been lying dormant for a long time, I came across this picture taken at an event I catered for last year. It had the most ecclectic mix of people and some pretty amazing ABBA costumes... not to speak of the delectable canapes, of course ;-)

These frittata bites are incredible for cocktail parties because they're easily made, need next to no work with regards to assembly and they can be made well in advance. I also love this dish in its non-party version, which I often make to get more protein into my diet. Eggs are incredibly good for you of course, dispelling the myth that they raise your cholesterol, studies have shown that it doesn't, in fact, if anything, it raises your good cholesterol and lowers the bad. Not to speak of the minerals, essential fatty acids and vitamins the humble egg contains, especially B-Vitamins, a great source of energy!

This version with red onion and sweet potato is such a healthy treat it's almost unreal - make this on the weekend to serve as a weekday lunch, a quick dinner when you're home late from work and have had no time to shop or enjoy at breakfast - you can even enjoy it in a breadroll if you must! It keeps for a good few days in the fridge and if you pep it up with some feta and mint oil, maybe a salad on the side, you've got yourself a lunchtime treat the whole office will envy you for!

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Red lentil koefte

Hello. My name is Johanna and I am a recovering Eurovision addict. Or that's what I thought. I am, in fact, a continuously relapsing Eurovision addict. For much as I growl each year that the voting is rigged, the music is not what it used to be and the whole thing is just farcical, guess where I'll be on the appointed day the following year? In front of some television or other.

We weren't allowed to watch much television when we were growing up, in fact, for large stretches of my life my parents didn't even have a TV... but Eurovision night was when we were allowed to stay up late and watch that abominable show. And it's not even like I could be patriotic and support my own country, because as you may have noticed, Austria only participates about once in a decade (we're just too crap, or maybe our taste in music is too sophisticated... Mozart, Haydn... erm... Falco - you know where I am coming from). So over the years, I have seen some pretty appalling shows, I think I only ever missed one, which was when I was living in Mexico.

I have also experienced these cursed nights in the most surreal of settings: one year, in my early student days, we all dragged sofas out onto the pavement, placed a TV set on a window sill facing outwards (no flatscreen TVs back then, either, it was a whopper of a set which didn't live to see the next morning, as some half-drunk moron tried to adjust the antenna yet again and the thing came crashing down on the pavement) and enjoyed the show al fresco - and tons of passers-by joined in and purused of our generously stocked cool boxes which were, in fact, laundry baskets and cleaning buckets filled with ice cubes.

Another memorable night was in an old, derelict tramway shed transformed into an alternative music venue in a rather seedy part of Vienna - I went there with a friend (female, straight) only to find out (and she might have known that but not let me into her little secret) that it was going to be the largest turn-out of Vienna's gay community. I had the best time of my life: there was a live act of the Geschwister Pfister, a brilliant Swiss comedy act consisting of a husband-and-wife team and her gay brother-in-law... who went on to do the live commentary for the eurovision contest on stage. The whole thing was followed by a dance-off to the hits and flops of past Eurovision years which turned out to be a right hoot!

This year, try as I might, I cannot not watch the event, seeing that we have his royal poofness Graham Norton doing the commentary, plus one of my all-time favourite voices (however much of a waste of talent she will be on that stage) is competing for France... it is, of course, Patricia Kaas. Ever since I found that out, I had long-standing arrangements with my daughter to see the show together, from the comfort of my bed, bag of nachos on my lap, spreading crumbs everywhere (actually, only on my hubby's side because he is a partypo**** and refuses to watch with us). But alas, she has better things to go to, so I will be off to a friend's where my desire to watch the show will not be met with complete disbelief.

The plan is for the two of us to come up with finger food that represents some of the participating countries. While I haven't made my mind up about what I will be making (suggestions welcome), this will be on the menu definitely, as my homage to Turkey. I made these lightly spicy lentil koefte a while back when I started my lofe-affair with Middle Eastern cooking and discovered the beautiful book Turquoise. As for the rest, I am thinking of some mini-quiches (France), a tortilla of sorts (made by my friend who is Spanish), some falafel with hummous (might be able to pass it off as Israeli), some blinis with caviar (Russia), some gravlax with home-made dill & mustard sauce (Sweden)... if you have any suggestions for the more "exotic" countries like Armenia or Lithuania, Rumania or Azerbaijan where, to be honest, I haven't got the faintest idea of their national dishes, please send me some inspiration!!!

Baba Ghanouj (Iraqi style)

For me, this recipe represents more than just a way of serving the probably most recognised of Middle Eastern dishes for me... I recently enjoyed my first visit to an Iraqi restaurant and the whole experience was an eye-opener. I was lucky enough not to jump into the cold water all by myself, I was actually guided and pampered by a very good friend of mine who hails from Iraq and therefore knows exactly what to order and can comment on the originality or authenticity of it all, something I would have completely missed had I gone alone.

The place we went to (Masgouf House in Knightsbridge) may be unassuming in terms of decor, the service could be friendlier and more forthcoming, but I enjoyed my visit there tremendously - and not just because of the wonderful spectacle that is the people-watching involved. I had expected the food to be much more exotic or foreign to what I know, but learnt that Iraqi cuisine is a mixed bag, leaning either to the Persian or the Turkish side - and what we enjoyed was decidedly the latter. Lots of grills, succulent pieces of chicken marinaded in saffron and yoghurt, the speciality of the house, Masgouf seabass, was a whole bass butterflied and seasoned with salt, pepper and tamarind, then skewered up and grilled in the wood-fired oven... very nice indeed. For starters we had kibbeh halab (rice balls filled with lamb mince - I am usually not too keen on lamb, but thoroughly enjoyed the taste of this), a "salad" which was basically a plate of big chunks of baby gem lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes and peppers, Khubz baked in the tannur, the most wonderful flatbeard I have ever eaten, and Baba Ghanouj.

Now, this Baba Ghanouj was very different from what I had enjoyed under the same name until then - for me, Baba Ghanouj was a paste of bland-tasting aubergines, seasoned with more or less garlic, always involving yoghurt and a drizzle of lemon juice but definitely nothing worth an entry in my diary, if I had one. The Baba Ghanouj at Masgouf House was an entirely different affair: it had such a wonderful smokiness and was so pleasantly creamy, as opposed to slimey, I also don't think it had much, if any, yoghurt. From what I could find in my internet research, the Iraqi way of making Baba Ghanouj is using tahini - an ingredient you don't find in Turkish Baba Ghanouj if my latest cookbook (turquoise) is to be believed.

So last week I tried my hand at Baba Ghanouj for the first time and boy, it was love at first sight (not sure the sentiment was returned, as I gobbled the whole pot up almost entirely on my own, getting really greedy with my fellow diners). I seriously charred those aubergines under the grill until the skin was hard and brittle, completely black, not just browned - I basically went as far as my smoke-detector would let me... then scooped the flesh out, chopped it up, mixed it with a good measure of tahini, just enough not to be overpowering or sticking to the palate, a good squeeze of lemon juice and just enough garlic. And I was rewarded with what I believe to be the best Baba Ghanouj ever. I could eat the whole pot for lunch without any help at all - Next time my friend Dabia comes over I will let her try my version to see if she, as an Iraqi, approves... if I can get myself to share, that is!

Turkish "Spoon salad"

Finally the time has come to reveal my first experiments with Turkish food. You should think that growing up in Austria, a country which has become a second home to many emigrated Turks, I should be a tad more familiar with the cuisine, but I am not. I have spent years ignoring doner kebab, to be honest, I can't stand the smell and tend to hold my breath when I walk through that part of Vienna's Naschmarkt. When I was pregnant with my second child, I had to walk from the train station to the ad agancy where I worked in Camden and on my way back, I would always walk a side street to avoid the Kebab bar... you get the idea.

I have eaten at a few Turkish restaurants back in Vienna, but it never stuck in my memory, maybe because they just weren't memorable or because I wasn't the foodie I am today and still walking around with my eyes closed when it came to exploring any cuisines that sounded more foreign than Italian or Chinese. Since living in London, I have become more aware, I guess, and more curious - but Turkish food doesn't feature much here compared to other, more exotic temptations.

For the past few weeks, my couch table has been dominated by a brilliant new tome: "turquoise" by Greg and Lucy Malouf. I am not sure how to classify this book as it is so much more than yet another cookery book - it has tons of recipes, yes, and very tempting ones at that, but also takes you on beautiful journey of discovery. History, architecture, people - you sort of want to jump in there, despite the fact that their whole journey happened in the winter time, so no glossy pictures of tourists lined up like sardines in a tin, roasting on the (no doubt beautiful) beaches, but snapshots of the real people, the real life. No make-up artists or set preppers either. I like that. A lot.

With regards to the food, I'll repeat that I have had virtually no exposure to Turkish food, so I am not one to judge the book by its authenticity. But so far, everything I have made out of it - and believe me, there are still dozens of earmarked pages to go through - was absolutely brilliant. The first time I cooked from it, I decided that rather than spending hours devising a perfect course of dishes from amuse-bouche through to coffees, I would just cook whatever took my fancy and we'd consume it, tapas-style, all at the same time.

This "spoon salad" basically combines all the flavours of a gazpacho: cucumbers, onion, beautifully vine-ripened tomatoes, red peppers, chilli, fresh herbs and some Turkish condiments. As I haven't made it to a Middle Eastern deli yet, I had to play around a little: where "hot Turkish red pepper paste" was required, I used harissa (I was slightly suspicious when I bought a Sainsbury's own-brand, but was pleasantly surprised by the "fruitiness" of it and the fact that it seemed to contain red peppers, which made it perfect for the occasion), I used sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar and I didn't have any pomegranate molasses, so just skipped that part... I still very much liked the result, it's a beautifully versatile dish located somewhere between a salad, a dip and a salsa that was equally delicious eaten on its own with some flatbread as well as accompanying a pistachio-crumbed chicken breast (recipe to follow).

Definitely a keeper. And I know I'm sometimes obsessed with authenticity and I wouldn't be seen dead in most Mexican restaurants in Europe or Austrian eateries here, just because it doesn't taste like "home", but if anyone were to tell me that the recipes from turquoise are not authentic, I'll respond that I couldn't care less because they taste pretty darn amazing and that's certainly good enough for me.

Chestnutrisotto and a drizzle of honey

It's been a long time since my last post and the radio silence over the past few weeks and months was due to the fact that I had tons of exams and was burying my head in books... so much so that I didn't leave the house for weeks on end and forgot my father's birthday - and not ANY birthday, either, it was his 60th. No, don't say anything, I've had enough stick from everyone around me already and I will have to live with the repercussions of the whole incident for the rest of my life, so cut me some slack for now.

So that you don't think I am an entirely horrible person, I'll have you know that I DID realise my mistake out of my own accord and did NOT have to be prompted, I DID call him the morning after and he DID get a present - and I even sent my daughter on a surprise visit to his birthday celebrations (which I couldn't attend as I was writing my exam that day). I hope this went some way towards a reconciliation...

And if it didn't, I am planning on making this wonderful risotto for him: creamy indulgence, the sweetness of the chestnuts intensified by a drizzle of honey just before serving... I just know it's going to bring tears of joy to his eyes and it's a wonderful way to see out the winter (yes, I am hopeful that the sunshine we enjoyed last week was NOT our summer and that there's more, warmer days ahead of us).

I'm back in the kitchen now, despite another exam coming up at the end of May, but I have done some intense cooking yesterday and more to follow today - lots of recipes to share with you, including my first attempts at cooking Turkish and Bistro food out of my newest cookbook acquisitions - so hang in there!

Smokey aubergine dip with crudités

As I was commenting to some friends the other day, living abroad as well as maintaining a food blog has opened a whole new culinary spectrum to me and I find it thrilling to discover new flavours, new ingredients and new ways of combining familiar foodstuff every day. For instance, my ignorance vis-a-vis aubergines (or eggplant or melanzani or whatever they might be called in your neck of the woods) has over the last couple of years turned into a bit of a love affair, although I have not yet reached the level of confidence that would allow me to engage in weird and whacky kitchen experiments.

This humble vegetable has recently made a star appearance in my house which I'd like to share with you, if you let me. As I have mentioned before, we established new food traditions for Christmas last year and, albeit less stringent in its execution than some folks are with their stuffed beast and brussel sprouts (which they will make year after year without fail despite the fact that the family doesn't even like it) we stuck to our theme at least. Christmas Eve, therefore, saw large platters of finger food arranged before heading off to church, which we then slowly polished off throughout an evening of unpacking presents and singing carols, ever more boldly as the evening went on, with the courage gained with some glasses of wine and champagne.

Having tried my hand at quite a few catering events over the years, my finger food repertoire is vast and I know exactly which items lend themselves to advance preparation and which don't. I still take pleasure in trying new things and find myself leafing through cookbooks just to find myself wondering how each individual dish could be translated into a canapé of sorts. It is therefore hardly surprising that I should try out quite a few new ideas over the holidays, in the safety net that is my family - there's nothing worse for your nerves than making something for the first time for a crowd of people who you don't know and who expect only the best from you. This time, I took much inspiration from a brilliant book I discovered a while ago, without using it much until now. It is called Asian Bites and covers little dishes (not really finger foods, but I find most of them can easily be converted) from Asia, spanning the whole of the continent from Turkey to the Far East. What a bounty of exotic flavours... absolutely amazing. Luckily, everything I have tried so far uses ingredients that are readily available around here or easily substituted, and everything has worked brilliantly.

This here was a great addition to the platter of crudités and hoummus that has become a staple around here, simply because my children prefer to eat some vegetables raw (especially carrots and peppers) and also because it's healthy and wholesome - making up for all the foie gras and truffles and other indulgences we're known to consume over the festive period. It is easy and straight-forward in its preparation and tastes even better prepared a day or two ahead, allowing the flavours to develop their full potential. Smokey and smooth, but also refreshing in flavour, this is one dip that I have made many times since, it's also great served alongside an omelette in the morning or to accompany fish and meats, as well as serving as a healthy spread in a lunch-time pitta or wrap. A true allrounder and a very tasty one at that!

Other aubergine recipes on thepassionatecook:
Salmon on aubergines and slow-roast tomatoes (April 2005)
Caramelised aubergine tartare with curried nuts and almonds (April 2005)
Aubergine parmigiana (July 2006)
Red pepper, aubergine & scamorza terrine (January 2008)
Aubergine, tomato & pine nut croustades (October 2005)

Roasted sweet potato & red onion

Ever heard of the blood group "diet"? I am not a diet girl, really, I have never been engaged to Atkins and the grapefruit and South Beach diets don't feature in my repertoire, despite the fact that I gained 25 kilos while living in Mexico, 9, 15 and 23 kg respectively in my pregnancies. The infamous cabbage soup once made an appearance on my stove only to be chucked out as soon as we finished our first bowl... inedible. Really. Fact is, I am way too undisciplined to follow any regime that doesn't advocate comfort food. (Whether I am naturally drawn to foods that are good for me or just have an above-average metabolism, I don't know. But I am far from being fat and any doctor's model student when it comes to measuring body fat, cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Do I think I am "practically perfect in every way?" - no way! There's always room for improvement, don't you think?)

The curriculum for the studies (a BSc in Complementary Medicine) that I embarked on last year also has a module on nutrition and the blood group "diet" was highly spoken of. I have the misfortune of having grown up in Austria and being a blood type O. What that means in a nutshell is that I am not supposed to have any potatoes or pasta, both of which are a staple in my diet. Sweet potato, on the other and, is beneficial for my metabolism and that's a vegetable that is all but  unknown where I grew up and therefore only a recent discovery. Paired with red onions and coriander or parsley, roasted in the oven for just over half an hour, those sweet potatos are a real treat, recently enjoyed with a steak straight from the BBQ, a chimichurri sauce (recipe to follow) and a new addiction: cavolo nero. Also extremely beneficial for me supposedly. Who said diets have to be painful???

And if you're in the mood for roasting now, why not participate in our much-revered foodblogging event "Waiter, there's something in my..." where the theme this month is roasts. You've got until Sunday, so that's your dinner for the weekend sorted! ;-)

Marsala-roast onions with camembert

When I first learnt in High School at the tender age of ten that Europe's main diet in the Middle Ages was onion, I couldn't believe it. Of course, potato, rice and many other staple foods weren't known around here until a certain Cristoforo Colombo set sail for India and discovered something entirely different (I will be entirely grateful for the fact that he brought us, among other things, avocados, exotic fruit and CHOCOLATE!) Much as I love onions, I couldn't bear to think of the stench everywhere as people were tucking into onions as if they were apples... but then again, Dove wasn't selling on market stalls either, nor did they have the convenience of a bathroom or WC. So I guess onion breath was the least of their worries.

Making a meal of onions is exactly what I did a few weeks ago - what was originally planned as a side ended up being our dinner... and deservedly so. There's nothing better than to indulge in something roasted on a wet autumn day and even more so when there's cheese involved - and mopping up the juices with a fresh slice of French sourdough makes you forget it's only onions you're eating - a luxury they wouldn't have had in the Middle ages, of course!

Courgette & thyme croustades with parmesan cream

When Jeanne of Cook Sister! announced this month's theme for the ever-so-popular event "Waiter! There's something in my..." which she, SpittoonExtra's Andrew and myself have alternately been hosting for almost two years, I was wrecking my brain over what to make for a few very busy days only to browse through my picture folder this morning and realise that the answer had been right in front of me all this time... I had tried out some canapés for a cocktail party I am catering in two weeks' time and these beauties not only were an absolute winner, but also fall smack bang within the category of Cucurbitaceae!

Crispy croustades (find Rahm's mini croustades in your local supermarket like Sainsbury's and Waitrose here in the UK, order online or pick them up on your next trip - advance commiserations! - to Ikea) filled with "caviar de courgettes" - a moist and herby "ragout", for want of a better word, of zucchini seasoned with thyme, topped with a velvety cream of parmesan - this is perfect finger food for vegetarians, easily prepared and the individual components keep for days in the fridge, minimising the headache on the big day. This also works really well without the croustades, especially when served in shot glasses as a stylish amuse-bouche. If you opt for the latter, omit the parmesan shavings and you might want to thin out the cream (with milk) just a little to allow for frothing just before you assemble - they will look like gorgeous little cappucchino's (at least to the colour blind ;-))

And don't forget you've got a couple more days to participate in this month's round of "Waiter, there's something in my..." where the theme is cucurbitaceae. Details for participation here.

More recipes featuring members of the cucurbitaceae family on thepassionatecook:
Courgette flowers stuffed with goat's cheese, drizzled with honey (Sept 2005)
Pumpkin, coconut & blood orange soup (Nov 2006)
Pumpkin & chestnut strudel with taleggio and sage (Oct 2006)
Pumpkin quiche with blue cheese & thyme (Oct 2006)
Pumpkin & gorgonzola tarte (Sept 2006)
Roast butternut squash bites with pumpkin seed pesto (Oct 2005)
Chestnut risotto baked in kabocha squash (Nov 2005)
Melon & prosciutto salad (June 2004)
Cucumber canapés with smoked trout mousse (Oct 2005)
Sesame-crusted tuna carpaccio with cucumber & mooli salad (June 2004)