La Différence

La Différence
A passion for food

Monday 20 October 2014

Bulgar Wheat Salad with Pears, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

                             Bulgar Wheat Salad with Pears, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

Pomegranates have to be the jewels of the food world.  They make any dish burst into life with their iridescence quality. I've used them here for this colourful, delicious, abstract salad. Pretty as a picture.

A light refreshing & healthy dish that will grace any table, makes a delightful starter or lunch. It's a perfect time of the year for this....pears & pomegranates are both in season and are great value for money just now. There's a delicious contrast in flavours with this salad, sweet, sour, sharp & salt along with plenty of different textures with a nice crunch from the Pomegranate.    



To serve 4 portions as a starter or side dish or 2 for a main meal

1 cup of Bulgar wheat simmered in 5 cups boiling water for 15 minutes ...leave until all water is absorbed
2 Ripe but firm pears cored and sliced lengthwise into 8 pieces per pear (I used Conference)
2 Pomegranates Seeded  * see below for tips of de-seeding
1 red onion finely sliced
4 oz Feta Cheese
handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
handful of mint leaves chopped ( substitute of 2 tsps of mint sauce if you don't have it)
2 tsps sesame oil
1 tsp Ras-el-Hanout  * see below
the juice of half a large lemon.
½ tsp sea salt
good grind of fresh black pepper


Method

Cook the Bulgar as per packet instructions or as I mentioned above
Leave until it is just warm..if all the liquid hasn't been absorbed then drain well
Place in a large bowl
Add the Sesame oil, the lemon juice, salt, pepper, Ras-el-Hanout mix together
Add the parsley, mint, red onion, pomegranate seeds & pears gently fold everything together
Pile on a plate and crumble of the Feta Cheese and sprinkle with a little extra chopped parsley.
Serve  

* Ras-el-Hanout is a Moroccan Spice Mix that includes dried ginger, coriander,paprika, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom amongst other spices. It also has a sprinkling of scented rose petals added.  It's such a versatile mix that I use in a lot of my dishes.  You can buy it readily in most UK supermarkets
You could substitute this with a little dried cumin, allspice, paprika & coriander.  Just use 1 tsp of this combination


Pomegranates from our Turkish Holiday


* To easily de-seed a pomegranate, roll it on your work surface with a firm hand.  You will feel the seeds coming away beneath the skin.  Cut in half, either bang the skin with a wooden spoon over a bowl and they will start to fall out or just remove them with your fingers discarding any of the bitter pith that lies between the seeds. I'd suggest you use gloves for this...pomegranates will stain your hands.

   



Thursday 9 October 2014

Quinoa & Mackerel Salad with Broccoli, Pineapple & Red Peppers




Quinoa is a welcome change from rice, pasta or other grains.  There's been quite a lot of research into it's health benefits...I'm not too sure I believe the claims that it's a super food..but it contains beneficial amino acids ...it is also slightly more calorific than rice but benefits from having more protein...great for vegetarians especially.

Here's a little article from the BBC's Jo Lewin who writes for the Good Food Magazine

An introduction to quinoa

Quinoa, pronounced ‘keen-wa’ is a great wheat-free alternative to starchy grains. There are two types: red and creamy white. Both types are slightly bitter when cooked and open up to release little white curls (like a tail) as they soften.
Grown in South America (Peru, Chile and Bolivia) for thousands of years, quinoa formed the staple diet of the Incas and their descendants. In recent years, foodies in the UK and the US have heralded it as a superior alternative to bulgur wheat, couscous and rice. Though it often occupies a similar role to these grains in dishes, quinoa is actually in the same family as beets, chard and spinach.



Nutritional highlights...Herby quinoa, feta & pomegranate salad

The UN named 2013 ‘International Quinoa Year’ in recognition of the crop’s high nutrient content. With twice the protein content of rice or barley, quinoa is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium and manganese. It also possesses good levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E and dietary fibre.
Cooked quinoa seeds become fluffy and creamy, yet maintains a slight crunch. It has a delicate and subtly nutty flavor, versatile for breakfast (as a cereal), lunch (as a salad) or dinner (as a side).

My recipe uses Smoked Mackerel but you could use, salmon, tuna or chicken or if you're a vegetarian leave these out ...you could substitute with some toasted cashew nuts...they would be just perfect.

The recipe:- to serve 4 portions
4 small smoked Mackerel Fillets ( mine were peppered)  skin removed & flaked
120 gms/ 4 oz Quinoa cooked as per packet instructions 
1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florettes and blanched
1 red onion finely chopped
1 red pepper diced
16 radishes sliced
½ small pineapple cut into chunks
4 spring onions sliced...including the green part
small bunch of parsley chopped
the zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 tsps toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp light Olive Oil
2 tsps Horseradish sauce or 1 tsp prepared Wasabi paste
Salt & pepper to taste 
Method
In a jug mix together the sesame oil, zest & juice of the lemon, the olive oil and  Horseradish sauce 
Check for seasoning, add salt & lots of pepper to taste
Place everything else in a large bowl, pour over the dressing, carefully bring everything together
Serve   

   





 

Monday 6 October 2014

Apple Sauce, Hazelnut and Raisin Cake


                                    Apple Sauce, Hazelnut & Raisin Cake 


I had a real bumper crop of Bramley Apples this year,  to me they are the perfect cooking apple making just the best pies and are great for apple sauce.
I sometimes peel & slice them, lay them on a parchment lined tray, sprinkle over some caster sugar a freeze.  When they're frozen bag them up ready to use as you will.  I also like to make chutneys and as I have used here ...just stewed unsweetened and frozen to use in so many different recipes.

This isn't the traditional Apple Sauce cake with no butter or eggs.....tried it a few times....so dry and bland.  If you're going to bake a cake why not make it worth your while and eat something delicious...not just make do with saving a few calories.  It's not for everyday....but once and a while a piece of cake is a real treat.  

Line a loose bottomed 9" tin with parchment

Ingredients:-

1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce from tart cooking apples (Bramleys)
8oz/ 250g butter
6oz/175g dark brown sugar
4oz/125g SR wholemeal flour
4oz/125g SR white flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of  salt 
2 tbsp oatbran
4oz/125g Raisins or Sultanas
4oz /125gskinned hazelnuts,  chop half of them and leave the remainder whole for decorating the top of the cake
2 eggs beaten
2 small eating apples, peeled, cored  and thinly sliced to top the cake
Demerara sugar to sprinkle over

you will need a piece of foil, doubled over to fit loosely over the top of the cake tin.

Set the oven to 160c 325f gas 3

Method,

This is made with the rubbing in method so
Place the sieved flours into a large mixing bowl with the salt, oatbran and the cinnamon.
Add the butter and rub in together
Add the raisins/sultanas, dark brown sugar, the chopped hazelnuts mix together
Add the beaten eggs and the apple sauce & lightly combine everything together
Pour into your prepared tin
Arrange the apple slices and remaining hazelnuts on the top of the cake
Sprinkle over around 1 tbsp demerera sugar.
Loosely place the foil over the cake tin and bake for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
Remove the foil turn the oven down to 140c/275f/gas 1 and bake for another 15 minutes.
Check that there's no middle wobble going on.....if not insert a metal skewer ...it should come out cleanish....this is a moist cake... remember
My cake took a total of 1 hour 35 minutes but as all ovens very it could vary 15 minutes each way.  Just keep your eye on it 
Leave in the tin but place on a cooling tray.
I left mine for several hours before removing this moist cake from it's tin and I removed the parchment just before serving.
Store in the bottom of the fridge....it should keep for several days,  it will also freeze perfectly well until required.