italian Archives - Sugar et al

Pumpkin and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza with Basil and Feta

1|12|2014

Love happens in the most unlikeliest of places. It happened to me in Melbourne. On a bus. We had stopped by at a quaint little town for tea on our way to Philip Island and I was so engrossed in taking pictures that I did not realize that our 30 minute tea break was getting over and it was time to get back up on the bus. I looked around and noticed there weren’t that many options for take-away. One of the cafes nearby, had a few sweet things on offer but no-one was game except me. I urged my husband to get hold of some sandwiches while I got the kids seated on the bus. Hubby came back at the nick of time holding two small and two big brown paper bags. I did not have breakfast that morning so I was ready to eat anything. He handed over mini pies to the kids and I thought a large one was coming for me.

‘Pumpkin Foccacia’ he said handing over one of them. I was so sure that I had heard him wrong. Our tour guide had taken over the speakers on the bus and was describing the next destination. If you are with me for a while, you know I am not a fan of pumpkin. I may have started to eat it and enjoy it it small quantities but not in my sandwiches and wraps. I looked inside the bag and there it was. ‘No way’ I exclaimed.
‘They said it is the most popular item on their menu’ he replied. I wasn’t happy but I was hungry so I bit into it. I could taste basil pesto and feta, two of my favourite things. I started to enjoy it. The pumpkin was mild and a perfect contrast to the crunchy foccacia, salty feta and aromatic pesto. I loved the flavour combination. It was like a burst of freshness in the mouth. Something so unexpected for me. It also looked amazing with the bright orange, green and white.

When I got home, I wanted to give the flavours another try. Instead of a foccacia I used the dough to make a pizza. Instead of pesto, I added fresh basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes. I thought I managed to create a similar flavour effect, yet I would recommend using Pesto for a bolder taste and the ideal balance. If you are making this recipe, go with a strong herb pesto like basil or mint. You may use home-made or store bought. Dollop spoonfuls over the pizza base before you layer the pumpkin. The pumpkin is more like the filler component here and a great base to pair the rest of the ingredients. This would make a nice meat-free alternative for vegetarians as well.

Pumpkin and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza with Basil and Feta
Serves 4

Pizza Dough (makes two 12 inch pizzas)
3 cups Plain Flour
2 tsp/7g/1 sachet dried yeast
1/2 tsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
Olive oil, for brushing
Semolina or Polenta, to dust

Pizza Topping
1/2 cup pizza/pasta sauce
150 g butternut pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
salt and pepper, for seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
a handful of fresh basil leaves
a handful of rocket & baby spinach leaves, for garnish

Make the dough: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix together and use your hands to bring it to a soft dough. Knead it on a floured surface to make it smooth and pliable. Return it to the mixing bowl that has been brushed with oil. Add the dough and turn to coat.
Cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Punch down dough with your fist. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it gently for a minute. Halve the dough (for one 12 inch pizza) and roll it out to the desired portion and thickness.

Make the pizza :Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Dust pizza tray with semolina or polenta. Place the rolled out dough onto the prepared tray. Spread a thick layer of pizza/pasta sauce around the base of the pizza. Top with thinly sliced pumpkin, sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until base is crisp. Remove the pizza from the oven, top with leafy green (basil, rocket and spinach). Serve with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and cracked pepper.

Beetroot Panzanella Salad

13|08|2014

This has been one long winter. Now that it is in its last stretch, the wait is the hardest. The last always seems like the longest, coldest and darkest to me. The length of this wait, however is not as lasting, extended and painted as the dreams and plans I have for the upcoming Spring and Summer. There will be fresh berries. Picking, eating and adorning my cakes. There will be the colours of Spring, spilling out everywhere. There will be picnics. Planned, impromptu ones (the ones you plan in your head, then do on an impulse). A mega dose of sunshine. And a good few extra hours to photograph.

We are fortunate in Australia to have access to pretty much every fruit and vegetable, round the year. But I still tend to look at root vegetables as a winter thing particularly for their warming characteristics in food. Part of this stems from my growing up years in India when beetroot, radishes and good quality carrots were available only during the colder months. Beetroot is my favourite, which is apparent since this is the second recipe I am dedicating this season.
I have been making Panzanella even before I knew it was called Panzanella salad. Crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, leftover vegetables from the fridge, a good dose of extra virgin olive oil (I use a garlic infused one), a hint of vinegar and fresh basil from my garden, It is as simple as it sounds. This is one salad which is not only refreshing but can fill up your stomach while feeding your body with a whole lot of nutrition. The classic Panzanella is a celebration of juicy tomatoes, torn stale toasted bread that soaks up the tart vinaigrette and the fresh flavours of basil. More of a summertime salad. I am however happy to eat it and feed it to my pre-schoolers with the addition of sweet beetroot in winter. It provides a nice balance to the sharpness of the vinegar. It is important to use a crusty bread with body that does not become soggy in the salad. Olives, cucumber are added in some recipes. But basically, you can go ahead and make the recipe your own.

Beetroot Panzanella Salad
Serves 4

200 g (about 1/3rd a loaf) sliced Sourdough bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
200 g yellow tomatoes, halved
200 g baby beetroot, peeled, cooked and quartered (I use the packaged ones from Coles, Australia. Canned will also do)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use garlic infused extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar) 1
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional, not required if you are using the garlic infused variety of olive oil)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Fresh basil, to scatter

Tear the sliced bread into rough pieces about 3-5cm in size. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add half of the bread. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and bread.

Place the tomatoes, beetroot, red onion and bread in a salad bowl or tray. Combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic (if using). Add to the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Use clean hands to toss until well combined. Scatter with torn basil leaves to serve.

Pasta with Kale-Almond Pesto and Salmon

18|05|2014

A delicious pasta dish made with kale pesto sauce and served with salmon to make a great weeknight dinner.

t’s been a while since I shared a quick weeknight dinner recipe in this space. Weeknights haven’t changed, neither has there been a dearth of exploring new recipes or ingredients. But weeknights are all about quick cooking and quick eating. Tired feet, hungry stomachs, the evening chill and no natural light. There is little or no room for photography. And food that looks delicious and tastes better, deserves to be photographed and shared.

Having said that, there is always excitement around dinner. With little prep and planning, the stress is taken away from cooking a meal from scratch and a warm nutritious dinner is ready to be savoured without the guilt of consuming loads of calories.

Jars of homemade pesto have come to my rescue for years of cooking simple delicious meals. How convenient is it when dinner is a matter of opening a jar and stirring through its contents through a pot of freshly cooked pasta. To spruce up the dish are flakes of pan fried salmon, a generous shaving of parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. And that is all. Does that mean it lacks in flavour? By no means. The flavours are packed inside the jar of homemade pesto.

I’ve tried numerous variations of herbs in pesto. In fact, I feel there are no hard and fast rules when making pesto at home. The only factor that remains unchanged for me is the presence of herbs, nuts and olive oil. I add a mix of herbs from my garden as I go. Its all about building flavours and of course nutrition. Kale is great in a pesto. It turns to a coarse paste which coats the pasta really well. If you do not like heat, leave out the chillies in the pesto.

I am not a fan of rich sauces in my pasta so this recipe is great for a simple stir-through. Salmon can be replaced with any protein of your choice. I like the flavour of fresh pan fried salmon. You can skip this step and use canned salmon flakes instead. It would certainly make the recipe simpler and quicker. For a vegetarian version replace salmon with roasted pumpkin or sweet potato.

Pasta with Kale-Almond Pesto and Salmon
Serves 4

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 fillets of salmon, skin and bones removed
salt and pepper, for seasoning
375 g spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)
1 cup kale-almond pesto
Shaved Parmesan, to serve
Freshly cracked pepper, to serve
Extra Virgin olive oil to serve

Kale-Almond Pesto
1/3 cup almonds
1 long red chilli
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
150 g kale leaves, stems removed and blanched
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
2 tbsp. oregano leaves
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and cracked pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Combine salmon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat the olive oil a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook salmon for 3-4 minutes on each side till cooked on the sides and still pink in the centre.or until cooked to your liking. Remove from heat and cool slightly. With a fork divide into flakes.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 60ml (1/4 cup) cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan.

Add the pesto and reserved cooking liquid to pasta and toss to combine. Add the salmon and stir through. Divide among bowls, top with shaved parmesan and cracked pepper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

To make the pesto: Place the almonds, chilli and garlic on a small baking tray and drizzle with oil. Roast for 8-10 minutes or almonds are golden brown.
Squeeze the garlic from their skins and deseed the chilli.
Place the almonds, chilli and garlic in a food processor with kale, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Process to a coarse paste. Stir through the grated parmesan. Store in the refrigerator till needed.

Mushroom and Breadcrumb Pasta

9|02|2014

Quick smart dinners are becoming a way of life in our house. Why lock myself up in the kitchen and get involved in stages of cooking when a delicious dinner can be produced at the table within minutes with the least effort. Don’t get me wrong. I love cooking elaborate meals, 4 course dinners and over anything else spending time in the kitchen. But summer evenings don’t last forever and hanging around outside with the kids in the lingering daylight can at times sound like a better proposition.

Quite a few of my go-to recipes in such a scenario happen to come from Donna Hay’s Fast Fresh Simple. This simple vegetarian pasta dish is not only easy to put together and delicious, it uses a few ingredients. And a unique way of using them. When I first saw the recipe with breadcrumbs, I was quite unsure how it would turn out. But since it involved dried porcini mushrooms which happened to be at home, I was willing to take the risk as I really love the deep earthy flavour of mushrooms. I am not a big fan of thick, heavy sauces with my pasta so I found this a refreshing change. Crunchy bits of porcini flavoured crumbs thoroughly coating threads of spaghetti. Some herbs, garlic, lemon zest and parmesan and that’s about it. To serve I like to add torn Bocconcini to the pasta that melts a tad bid from the heat in the pasta making it even more delicious. I also found it a great way of using up old bread.

Mushroom and Breadcrumb Pasta (adapted with a slight variation from Donna Hay’s Fast Fresh Simple)
Serves 2-3

20 g dried porcini
200 g spaghetti
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp thyme leaves
70 g breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil and finely grated parmesan, to serve
Bocconcini cheese, to serve

Place the porcini in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Place the pan back on the heat. Add the oil, garlic, lemon zest and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the porcini and roughly chop.

Add the porcini to the pan with the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until crumbs are golden. Add the pasta to the pan with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Divide between serving plates and sprinkle with parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and Bocconcini cheese.