Tomato Salad

 It seems like tomatoes just taste as good as I remember them as a child. This salad - or dressing lifts them to a higher level of yum...and its super easy.

Ingredients

• 1 kg tomatoes (I like to use a mix of varieties)
• 1/2 small red onion peeled
• 10 g fresh basil plus extra for serving
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Chop the smaller tomatoes into halves and the larger ones into quarters. It’s quite nice to have a mixture of different sizes here, so don’t worry about making them all perfectly even.

2. Combine the red onion, basil, garlic and a good pinch of salt and black pepper in a food processor. Blitz into a rough paste, making sure it retains a some texture. Add it to the tomatoes along with the olive oil, red wine vinegar and another big pinch of salt. Give everything a good stir, then let the salad marinate for at least 20 minutes, or for up to 4 hours.
3. Spoon into a serving dish, avoiding any tomato juice left at the bottom of the mixing bowl. Serve topped with an extra crack of black pepper and a few sprigs of fresh basil.

Mini Sourdough Boules

Mini sourdough boules baked in a cupcake pan are awesome! 

They are very similar to what yiuy might get in a more 'fine dining' restaurant.

Dough

100 g active sourdough starter

325 g water

500 g bread flour

10 g salt

Make as normal and let it bulk ferment as normal.

After bulk, divide the dough into small portions, about 70–75 g each, and shaped them into tight little rounds.

Placed each one into a lightly greased cupcake pan, seam-side down.

Scored the tops and gave them a good spray of water.

Bake

Oven at 450°F (230°C)

Covered the pan with another cupcake tin for 15 minutes

Uncovered and baked 10 more minutes until beautifully golden

The result?

Crispy crust on every side, super soft crumb, and perfectly portioned mini loaves. Absolute win.

Cheesy Sourdough Star Bread

 

This Cheesy Sourdough Star Bread is made with a soft dough layered with roasted garlic butter and melty mozzarella. Twisted into a star shape, it makes the perfect savory center piece for any gathering.

It takes a bit of time to make it, but it's nothing when you see the finished product!

The original recipe is here  https://countryroadssourdough.com/cheesy-sourdough-star-bread/

Ingredients 

• ▢ 300 grams milk, warmed to 100℉, 1 ¼ cup
• ▢ 55 grams butter, melted, ¼ cup
• ▢ 1 large egg, 50 grams
• ▢ 25 grams granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons
• ▢ 10 grams salt, 2 teaspoons
• ▢ 200 grams active sourdough starter, scant 1 cup
• ▢ 600 grams all-purpose flour, 4 ¼ cups

Filling

• ▢ 30-40 grams garlic, 1 small head 
• ▢ 114 grams butter, ½ cup
• ▢ 5 grams fresh parsley, ¼ cup
• ▢ 400 grams mozzarella cheese, 3 ¾ cups

Egg wash

• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon water

Instructions 

• Mix together the dough ingredients in a bowl or straight edge container until combined. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for a couple of minutes until the dough is soft and forms a smooth ball. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. Alternatively, you can knead it in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment on low speed for a few minutes.

  300 grams milk, 55 grams butter, 1 large egg, 25 grams granulated sugar, 10 grams salt, 200 grams active sourdough starter, 600 grams all-purpose flour
• Set the dough in a warm spot covered, and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size. At 80°F, it takes about 4-5 hours. 

  Alternatively, you can leave the dough to rise overnight at 68-70°F.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Roast a head of garlic by cutting off the top of the head and peel off excess skin. Wrap the garlic head in foil with a drizzle of oil on top. Roast at 400ºF for about 40 minutes or until soft. 

  30-40 grams garlic
• Once roasted, squeeze out the garlic and beat with the butter and fresh parsley.

  114 grams butter, 5 grams fresh parsley
• Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into four equal pieces.
• Roll out one section in a 9-inch diameter circle. I like to roll it on a round silicone mat. Repeat with the remaining three balls. 
• Place one piece of dough down on the silicone mat or on a piece of parchment paper. Spread ⅓ of the garlic butter mixture on top of the dough and sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheese.
• 

  Place a second layer of dough on top. Repeat that 2 more times, ending with dough on top.
• Place a shot glass or similar sized cup in the center of the dough. Begin by cutting the dough into 4 equal sections, stopping at the cup so the center stays intact. Then cut each section into an additional 4 equal sections. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to easily cut the dough into equal strips. Now you should have 16 cuts around the dough.
• Take 2 strips of dough and twist them in opposite directions two or three times. Squeeze the ends together. Repeat this 7 more times.
• 
• Place the star bread onto a rimmed sheet pan and cover it with a lid or foil. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 1-2 hours to rise more until it looks puffy and aerated.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make an egg wash and brush it on top of the star with a pastry brush. Bake for 40 minutes uncovered.
  
• 
  

No-Knead Focaccia Bread

 No-Knead Focaccia Bread

This bread is incredibly easy to make. It just involves a bit of preparation in advance. the recipe says to make up the yeast starter and  mixture (steps 1 and 2) the night before, but it works just as well making it several hours (at least 4) in advance of when you wan the bread.

Ingredients

Yeast starter: 

¼ cup semolina 

½ tsp instant dry yeast 

80ml warm water

Bread Mix

3 cups plain flour (tipo 00 flour or high grade)

1 tsp sea salt 

320ml warm water 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 

Topping

Sea salt 

and

¼ cup crispy fried shallots 

1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 

or 

rosemary and thyme

olives 

or 

cherry tomatoes

 

Steps

1. To make the yeast starter, combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and set aside for 1 hour or until thick and foamy.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a very large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the semolina mixture, 320ml water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to stir to combine. Drizzle with a little extra oil. Cover and set aside overnight to rise. 

3. Use a spatula to slide under the dough reaching halfway and pull the dough up over itself. Repeat, turning the bowl 4 more times.  

4. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking paper. Drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil. Brush to cover the base. Scrape the dough gently into the prepared pan. Use lightly oiled fingers to press gently into the pan until it resists. Set aside for 1 hour, covered, gently pressing the dough to reach the corners of the pan every so often.  

5. Preheat oven to 230°C/450°F. 

6. Use oiled fingertips to press deep holes into the dough. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of water. Pour over the dough. Sprinkle with sea salt, crispy shallots and chilli flakes, if using. Bake for 15-20 mins or until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when you tap it.

Feijoa Kasundi

We love tomato kasundi, so decided to try this feijoa version with feijoas from our tree.
It's nice, but nothing beats the tomato version.
Great with cheese and crackers.
I reduced the amount of sugar to about 1/4 of a cup and increased the amount of chilli.













Feijoa Kasundi

500g peeled and roughly chopped feijoa
3 apples, peeled cores and roughly chopped
1-2 green chillies, finely sliced
1 1/2 onions finely chopped
200ml apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 garlic clove, finely chopped
Juice and zest of one lime or lemon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp salt

All in a pot, summer on low heat for 1 1/2 hours!

Preserve in sterilised jars

Crunchy Peanut Satay Slaw

This coleslaw has a really yummy peanut coconut dressing. Its worth the little bit of extra effort!
Its a Marion Gadsby recipe - her recipes are great!

Ingredients:

4 cups (300g/10.5oz) shredded cabbage (red, white or a mix)

1 cup (100g/3.5oz) carrot strips

½ cup podded edamame beans

½ cup mint leaves

2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced

2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Peanut Satay Dressing:

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

¼ cup coconut milk

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 tsp palm sugar

Method

STEP 1

For the peanut satay dressing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to serve.

​

STEP 2

In a large bowl, place the cabbage, carrot, edamame, mint and spring onion. Add dressing half the dressing and gently toss until well combined. Add more dressing if necessary. Top with roasted peanuts and serve.