Culinary Hotline - 21 December 2022
This week is the last culinary hotline for 2022 and man oh man has it been a year! We had to end this year off with a festive fun filled bang!
Roasted beetroot with mint, red onion & yoghurt
Recipe by: Gabriella Sangiorgio
Ingredients:
10 medium-large beetroots, washed & cut into 4 segments
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 red onion, cut in half and then finely sliced into a half-moon shape
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 handful of mint, roughly chopped
250g full cream yoghurt
Micro herbs, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Place beetroots into a bowl and toss to coat in the balsamic vinegar, sugar and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Season with salt & ground black pepper.
3. Pour into a roasting tray and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 30 mins then take out of the oven, remove the foil and place back into the oven for another 15 mins or until cooked to your liking.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Add the red onion, red wine vinegar and chopped mint to the beetroot. Toss to combine.
6. Get a serving plate and smear the base of the plate with yoghurt. Add the beetroot on top then finish off with micro herbs.
Harissa-roasted carrots with tahini dressing
Recipe by: Gabriella Sangiorgio
Ingredients:
1kg baby carrots, peeled (if needed) & sliced in half lengthways
2 Tbsp rose harissa
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey/ maple syrup if vegan
1-2 Tbsp cold water
Salt & pepper, to taste
Chopped parsley, to serve
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Place prepared carrots into a bowl and add harissa, olive oil and salt. Toss to coat and pour into a baking tray. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the tahini dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together apart from the water. Once you have your desired consistency, add a bit of water and whisk to combine. You want a creamy result! Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Remove the carrots from the oven once ready and put onto a serving plate. Drizzle with the tahini dressing & top off with the chopped parsley and sesame seeds. Serve warm or cold.
Melanzane
Serves: 8-10
Recipe by: Gabriella Sangiorgio
Ingredients:
8 brinjals, sliced thinly lengthways
Olive oil
Canola oil
Salt + pepper
1L Passata
3 cloves garlic
Dried oregano
4 eggs, beaten
500g mozzarella
80g parmesan
Method:
Fry the brinjal slices in shallow oil mix (70% canola oil + 30% olive oil) and keep topping up as needed. Fry each side on a high heat until golden. Drain on kitchen towel.
Meanwhile, prepare passata. Place some olive oil, the garlic and oregano to a pot and cook on a medium heat for a minute. Add passata plus a quarter cup of water (pop into the passata jar and swirl to clean the bottle then add to pot) and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 45 min to an hour.
Meanwhile, grate mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. Beat 4 eggs with a fork. Set aside.
Now it’s time to assemble: place a ladle of passata sauce into an oven dish. Add a tight layer of prepared brinjal. Drizzle over some of the beaten egg then top with some mozzarella. Add another ladle or two of the tomato sauce then layer of brinjal + layer of egg + grated mozzarella. Repeat until brinjals are finished. Last layer should be mozzarella + grated Parmesan cheese. Pop into oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees C.
Amaretto cheesecake
Recipe by: Gabriella Sangiorgio
Ingredients:
For the base:
75g ground almonds
75g flour
50g caster sugar
100g butter, chopped
For the filling:
330g cream cheese, chopped & softened
500g fresh ricotta
250g caster sugar
60ml lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 Tbsp water
5 eggs
For the cherry topping:
375ml water
155g caster sugar
1kg cherries, washed & pitted
125ml Amaretto
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.
2. Lightly grease a 22cm round springform cake tin and line the base with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
3. Make the base by placing the ground almonds, flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and process for 1 minute or until a rough dough forms.
4. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and just cooked. Set aside to cool.
5. While the bake is baking, make the filling: place the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, lemon juice, zest and vanilla into a food processor and process until smooth.
6. Place the cornflour and water in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add this and the eggs to the food processor/ other ingredients and process until just combined.
7. Lightly re-grease the sides of the cake tin and pour the filling over the base. Tap gently to remove any air bubbles.
8. Bake for 1 hour then turn off the oven and allow cake to sit in closed oven for another hour. Do not open the oven door!
9. Once ready, remove from the oven and pop directly into the fridge to set.
10. Meanwhile, make the cherries: place the water and sugar in a large saucepan on a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cherries and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the cherries are tender.
Remove from the heat, pour in the Amaretto and stir to combine. Set aside.
11. Assemble cheesecake: remove cheesecake from the tin and place onto a cake stand. Top with cherries & fresh mint (optional).