Culinary Hotline - 07 December 2022
The festive season is upon us and we have a all the culinary inspiration lined up for you this month!
Sweet potato wreath
Recipe by: Amy Hopkins
Ingredients:
2kg orange sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh sage
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Wash the potatoes, cut off the gnarly bits and slice finely into 2mm-thick circles.
Layer the potato slices into a round dish like a wreath. Once tightly stacked (they will soften when cooked), drizzle olive oil generously all over and n between the rings.
Season with salt and pepper and bake for about an hour (you want to see those crispy bits on top).
When the potatoes are nearly done, heat a little olive oil in a small pan. Once very hot, gently, using your hand, take a bunch of sage and glide it through the hot oil until the colour darkens and the leaves just start to crispen slightly.
Serve potatoes with sage on top.
Basil & tomato salad
Recipe by: Amy Hokpkins
Ingredients:
Sliced heirloom tomatoes
Kalamata olives
Fresh basil
Sliced sweet peppers
Artichokes
Dressing: Olive oil, finely chopped basil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice). Add some chilli or a leeeeeetle garlic for a extra falvour bang!
Method:
You can easily customize the goodies. For example, you can leave out the olives and replace with sun-dried tomatoes or if your not a tomato person, ditch the mini tomatoes and replace with feta or vegan cheese or croutons even.
Add more! Toasted chickpeas would be lovely and crunchy in here if you don’t do croutons. Also make sure you have some bread to mop up the delicious olive oil and falvours in the bottom of the bowl!
Grilled aubergine will also do extremely well in this bowl!
Roasted aubergine with tahini & pomegranate
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
4 Aubergines, slices (1cm-thick rounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp pomegranate arils
Handful mint leaves
Second topping option:
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
10-12 baby tomatoes, quartered
Torn fresh basil leaves
Extra drizzle of olive oils
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the aubergine slices in a large baking tray (or two). Season and drizzle with olive oil, then roast for 30-40 minutes, until cooked. Plate the slices.
Mix together the tahini, garlic and lemon juice with some pepper, to taste. Add two to three tablespoons of water to loosen the mixture and add more tahini or lemon juice to adjust the acidity. Drizzle over the aubegine slices. Serve with pomegranate arils and mint or the second topping option.