Okra, Ladies Fingers, Bhindi or Bamya

Okra has a mild green bean and asparagus taste which is very high in vitamins and beneficial for pregnancy and diabetic and digestive issues among many others.

Okaro also known as Ladies Fingers, Bhindi and Bamya is also used for thickening stews and soups such as Gumbo, by slicing and adding to food 10 minutes before cooking is complete.  You can also stir-fry, chopped or whole (6-12 minutes); steam whole (5 minutes); grill whole (2-3 minutes each side).  If cooked quickly, Okra is crunchy; if slow cooked, tender.  Because of its sliminess, Okra has had a bad rap in certain cuisines.  Find more slime free recipes here.

For the best results:-
Purchase 5 -10 cm (2-4 inches) for better taste.
They should firm and snap rather than bend.
Wash with a paper towel or veggie brush and rinse.  This will remove the fluff with older Okra.
Trim by topping and tailing the conical stem and pointy tip without cutting the okra flesh.
Slicing or cutting the okra flesh will release a slimy substance and make the food gelatinous.
To prevent the okra from having any sense of slime, it can be soaked in vinegar for 30 minutes and then rinsed and dried.

Linguine, Potato, Green Bean and Basil Pesto**********

This is a cheap and quick "peasant" style meal with the unusual combination of pasta and potato, making it a filling and hearty meal.  Great after a long day with  a bottle of your favorite.  If possible, I don't peel spuds as much of the nutrition is in the skin.

Serves 4:     Preparation time 15 mins:     Cooking time 25 mins

Trimming and slicing the beans is the time consumer here.

Ingredients:-

    4 Liters of salted water
    1- 2 large potatos diced
    350 g green beans, trimmed and sliced lengthwise
    500 g dried linguine or trenette
    190 ml basil pesto
    knob of butter
    1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Method:-

    Bring salted water to boil in a pot.
    Add the potato first and simmer for 12 minutes.
    Add the beans 5 minutes after the potato, to continue to simmer for 7 minutes.  (Total of 12 mins)
    Add the pasta to cook according to packet directions, bring to boil and then simmer until al dente.
    (Total approx 23 mins)
    Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking water.
    Put half the pesto in a large bowl.
    Add the cooking water, potatoes, beans and pasta, and the butter, and toss well.
    Spoon the rest of the pesto on top, sprinkle with parmesan, lightly toss and serve immediately.

Inspired by the recipe from SBS:- Trenette with pesto, potato and green beans

Harissa

Harissa is Tunisian in origin but is used widely in Morocco and other North African countries.  It can be used as a condiment, paste or a sauce.  Rub it dry on a roast, coat a rack with a mix of paste and yoghurt or add it to your favorite veggie dish.   Use the paste as a replacement for mustard if you like your sandwiches hot.  The Yemeni spice Zhug is made by adding cloves and cardamon to this mix.

I have split the recipe in two parts, as I like to keep the dry mix and make a paste when required. 

Ingredients:-

Makes about 1 cup (250ml) of dry mix.    Preparation Time 15mins.    Cooking Time 4mins.

Dry Mix:-

A mild chilli mix.

4 tsp Coriander Seeds
4 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Caraway Seeds
16 Dried Chili , chopped or blended (8Tbs, 100g):  I like to mix the chillies.  Include seeds for hotter, for a milder version, use dried Red Peppers. 
1 tsp Mint Dried
4 tsp Paprika Smoked
2 tsp Salt Sea/Kosher
2 tsp Garlic Powder

Paste:-

3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Lemon, Juice of
Water for consistency

Method:-

In a small fryingpan, heat over moderate heat, the Cumin, Coriander and Caraway seeds and toast until fragrant (4min).  Let the seeds cool down and add all the ingredients to a coffee grinder and grind.  If using a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds, finely chop the chillies and then mix all the ingredients together.

Store into an air tight container in your spice rack...

To make a paste of your premix, just add the the Olive Oil and Lemon Juice and mix.  Add water to adjust consistency if required.

A good article on Harissa and its uses can be found here.

Vegetable Tagine

I love this dish.  It is quite  versatile and is amicable to a " kitchen sink" mix.  I often double the recipe and using it as a simmer sauce for tagines or poaching.  The image on the left is just such a doubling "kitchen sink".

So here is the "normal" recipe with the simmer sauce version at the end:-.

Serves 6 stand alone.    Preparation time 25 minutes.  Cooking time approx 40 minutes.

Ingredients:-

1 Tbs coriander seedsi
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1 Tbs caraway seeds
1 tsp - 2 tsp Harissa mix or paste:  Optional for extra zap!
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 large brown onions (400g), finely chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbs tomato paste or
2 cups (500ml) water
800g diced tomatoes (un-drained, if canned)
600g pumpkin, chopped coarsely
8 (240g) yellow squash, quartered:
200g baby green beans, trimmed and halved
300g chick peas, cooked (or canned, drained and rinsed).

Method:-

Crush coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle.
Heat oil in large pan, cook garlic and onion, stirring often until onion soften.
Add crushed seeds (and Harisa Paste), paprika, salt, pepper and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add tomato paste, water, tomatoes and pumpkin and bring to boil
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Stir in squash, beans and chick peas and simmer covered until squash is tender.

Server over couscous or rice.

My simmer sauce alternative makes about 8 liters, which can be jarred, frozen etc...

To make my famous simmer sauce, I omit the tomato paste, squash and green beans; double everything else above and use tomato puree, zucchini and eggplant as well; and simmer it down a little so that the pumpkin is almost  gone.

Simmer Sauce Ingredients:-

2 Tbs coriander seeds
2 Tbs cumin seeds
2 Tbs caraway seeds
2 tsp - 3 tsp Harissa mix or paste:  Optional for extra zap!
2 Tbs olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 large brown onions (400g), finely chopped
4 tsp sweet paprika
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
700ml (680g) of tomato puree if doubling for a simmer sauce.
4 cups (500ml) water
1.6kg diced tomatoes (un-drained, if canned)
1.2 kg pumpkin, chopped coarsely
2 zucchini and
1 eggplant
600g chick peas, cooked (or canned, drained and rinsed).

Simmer Sauce Method:-

Crush coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle.
Heat oil in large pan, cook garlic and onion, stirring often until onion soften.
Add crushed seeds (and Harissa Paste), paprika, salt, pepper and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add tomato puree, water, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and pumpkin and bring to boil
Reduce heat to slow simmer for 45 - 60 minutes or until pumpkin is almost gone.
Stir in chick peas and simmer covered until peas are tender.

Tonight, I did the simmer sauce, making 8 litres of sauce and then used approx 2 liters with 1 kg of chump chops, which I seared for a few minutes each side and then "targined" for 40 minutes on low simmer.  Delicious!  Enough for 3 of us and an additional serve for my aging mum.  The remainder of the sauce, I will refrigerate, share and take down south to Denmark...

Savoy Cabbage with Pancetta

I cooked this last Saturday as an accompaniment to Di's baked salmon. The cabbage comes out rich and creamy. The two went extremely well together. It was such a treat, I Facebooked it!

We used the leftovers as a type of "bubble and squeak" with eggs the next morning!

I use a multi-function cooker for this recipe, however you can use a pressure cooker, oven safe pot or a pot and slow cooker; as you will need to both saute and slow/pressure cook.

 As is often the case, I was bragging about my cooking expertise with my mate down the pub (we often compare what's for dinner) and he asked for the recipe, so here 'tis Rick:-

Serves 4

Ingredients:-

1 large savoy cabbage, thinly shredded
185 g pancetta, diced
1 brown onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
60 ml dry white wine
2 tsp caraway seeds
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:-

Saute the pancetta until the fat is rendered.
Add the onion and saute until soft.
Add the garlic.
Add the cabbage one handful at a time until each handful has cooked down.
Pour in the white wine and add the caraway seeds.
Cook for 5 mins until the cabbage has completely wilted.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slow cook (95-100 deg C) for 2 hours or
Pressure cook on high (13 psi) for 10 minutes

Ready to serve.