Another Very Simple Chickpea Salad with Olives

Simple and easy, nutritious and delicious. What more could we ask? Tinned or cooked chickpeas can be used to make it quick and simple, but I always prefer the taste of soaked and cooked chickpeas.

Chickpeas are so versatile. Used almost all over the world, many cuisines feature chickpeas in some form or other. This means that they can be used with many different flavour combinations to great effect. In this recipe, we use olives, herbs and zucchini. A little bit Italian, perhaps.

Similar recipes include a French Simple Chickpea Salad, a Simple Delicious Bittman Chickpea Salad, and Chickpea “Tabbouleh“.

Browse all of the Chickpea Salad recipes and all of the dishes featuring Chickpeas, explore the Bittman Salads and check out all of the many many Salad recipes. Be inspired by our easy Mid Summer recipes too.

This recipe is one of the vegetarian recipes from our first blog which was in existence from 1995 – 2006. Feel free to browse other recipes from our Retro Recipes series.

Spring Onion and Pea Soup

Spring onions are relatively easy to grow and so we always have plenty of them. They go into everything in the peaks seasons – dips, salads, soups, my miso bowls, with noodles, with pasta, you name it, we put spring onions into it.

We have made Spring Onion Soup before, a South Indian one, gentle and unspiced. So it was interesting to find a recipe for a similar soup. I suspect that leeks would also work well in this recipe.  It is a lovely soup, lighter than the chickpea soups we have been cooking lately. Both whites and greens of the onions are used; they are sauteed with peas, zucchini and LOTS of garlic, and then blended with the stock. You might think that the garlic will overwhelm the dish, but the flavour mellows with the cooking.

This is an Ottolenghi recipe, and he uses a product from Iran called kashk. Kashk, or kishk, is produced by the fermentation and drying of yoghurt or curdled milk, to form a powder that can later be reconstituted. Iranian kashk is used to bulk up soups, giving them a wonderfully deep and sharp aroma, a bit like feta but in runny form. But don’t worry if you can’t get hold of kashk – a mixture of crème fraîche and grated parmesan (or other mature cheese) is a good substitute.

It is Ottolenghi day on the blog – one of two days per month where we publish all the latest posts of recipes we have tried in our project of cooking from Ottolenghi books – currently we are cooking from Plenty More, but not ignoring his other books completely. Note that I often slightly massage the recipes to suit what is available from our garden and pantry.

Similar recipes include South Indian Spring Onion Soup, and Steamed Eggplants with Spring Oni0ns.

Browse all of our Soups. Our Ottolenghi dishes from Plenty More are here. We have written about our experiences cooking through this book. Or explore our Mid Autumn dishes.

Tomato and Walnut Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

With some itsy bitsy tomatoes in hand, looking more like jelly beans than tomatoes, we made a Tomato and Walnut Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing. A perfect choice, as we had made our own Pomegranate Molasses, and had whole walnuts sitting on the kitchen bench. You can of course, purchase pomegranate molasses – I find the Middle Eastern shops have the best ones.

It was Lucy’s recipe, from Nourish Me, that we went to for inspiration. It’s a pretty easy salad – take some juicy tomatoes, and make an interesting dressing with garlic, cinnamon and pomegranate molasses. Pretty good, as all of Lucy’s recipes are.

Similar recipes include Quick Tomato Salad with Mustardy Mayo, Tomato Salad with Balsamic and Marjoram, and Tomato and Pomegranate Salad.

Why not browse all of our Tomato Salad recipes? Or, if you have the courage, all of our many many Salad dishes. Or take some time to explore our Mid Autumn collection of recipes.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam

There are two camps in jam making. One camp insists that the fruit should be simmered with the acid (usually lemon juice) until the liquid is reduced and the fruit is soft, before adding the sugar. This softens the fruit and makes a fairly smooth jam.

The other camp likes to macerate the fruit in sugar to extract the juices for a more flavoursome jam where the fruit is not as tender and thus the jam is more chunky style.

I don’t mind either style, and it depends on the fruit and my mood of the day. The first way is definitely quicker – no overnight or day-long soaking – but I also quite love a chunky jam.

For this recipe we are using the maceration method. It is Rhubarb season and thus we are putting it to good use. I have written before about my previous aversion to rhubarb, but recently fell in love with it after making a simple, sweet dessert.

In this jam I used some lavender sugar – about half and half with plain sugar. You can add your own flavourings, should you care to. I do love a Strawberry and Black Pepper Jam.

Looking for something to have with the jam? Try Scones, Griddle Cakes or Crumpets.

Similar recipes include Strawberry Jam, Crab Apple Jelly, and Fig Jam with Black Pepper.

Browse all of our Jam recipes and all of our Rhubarb dishes. Or explore our Late Winter recipes.

We use Australian measurements: 1 tspn = 5ml; 1 Tblspn = 20ml; 1 cup = 250ml.

Crispy Battered Okra with Tomato Sauce and Herb Oil

Okra lends itself to crispy frying, and here is another recipe that batters and fries it until crispy, before nestling it on a tomato sauce. It reminds me of fish and chip shop battered potatoes and other vegetables. This is a recipe from Ottolenghi, so it is definitely a modern take on the crispy okra and okra with tomato sauce themes. The okra in the fish-and-chip-shop style batter is topped with sour cream, a tomato and bread sauce, and a gorgeously green herb oil. The batter is made with a touch of polenta, and mixed with buttermilk which gives it a lovely tang.

There will be more herb oil than you need, but it is infinitely versatile. Use the remainder to drizzle onto soups or over roasted vegetables.

Are you looking for other Okra dishes? Read more about Okra here. And try Stir Fried Okra with Sesame Seed, Warm Salad of Charred Okra, Tomato and Preserved Lemon, and Pickled Okra.

Browse all of our Okra recipes, and all of the Ottolenghi dishes that we have made. All of our Ottolenghi dishes are here. Our Ottolenghi dishes from Plenty More are here. We have written about our experiences cooking through this book. Or explore our Late Autumn collection of recipes.

Baked Dakos with Spiced Chickpeas, Tomato and Feta

Having just made Dakos (the wonderful Greek salad), using Dakos (the bread that has been dried until very hard), we turned to a recipe for baking Dakos (bread) with chickpeas and tomatoes, spices and feta. It is delicious, and it is just the day for turning the oven on.

The recipe is another one of Ottolenghi’s, but not from his books. It is published on the Ottolenghi website.  It is a great way to use up a packet of Dakos crisp bread, and I know you will enjoy it. Cook the chickpeas the day before if you like (or use canned ones).

The dakos becomes quite soft as it is soaked in tomato juices and a marinade of red wine vinegar and oil. The contrast of the vinegar in the dacos with the tomatoes and chickpeas is absolutely divine. Cook the recipe using a table-friendly oven proof dish, so you can take it direct from oven to table. It is harder to plate, but not impossible.

Similar recipes include Dakos, Dakos with Tomatoes, Herbs and Feta, Pasta Baked with Cabbage and Cheese, and Baked Eggplant Steaks.

Browse all of our Dakos recipes and our Greek dishes. Our Baked dishes are here. and all of our Ottolenghi dishes are here.. We have written about our experiences cooking through his book Plenty More. Or explore our Mid Summer recipes.

Miso Vegetables and Rice with Sesame Dressing

Oh my, this miso flavoured bowl of rice and vegetables is gorgeous. We have made it with noodles too, with equal success. Vegetables are poached in a mixture of miso, soy, mirim and vegetarian dashi for a high flavoured stock. They are served on rice (or noodles) and dressed with sweet rice vinegar, peanuts and sesame seeds. Highly gorgeous.

The play of the crispy veg with the soft rice and of the sweet and tart flavours of the sauce and dressing, the contrast of the dark sauce flavours with the freshness of the herbs and veg, the rubberiness of the mushrooms with the crisp veg, crunchy nuts and soft rice – all make this a dish worth the effort. Each veg has to cooked briefly, the rice is cooked, the sauce is reduced, the dressing is made, and, if you are making your own dashi, that needs to be made too. A comforting and nourishing dish indeed, but one that needs some time devoted to it.

The vegetables used are broccolini, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, cucumber and snow peas. It is a perfect balance of flavours and textures. It is best to use this combo the first time that you make it. It is an experience. For future dishes, if you need to change out some of the veg, consider substituting small broccoli florets, asparagus spears, enoki mushrooms etc. We have added sliced, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms too (delicious), and even the carrot can be substituted with jicama or kohlrabi if necessary. It is a versatile dish – sometimes we also add a few small leaves of Asian greens, blanched quickly in the stock. But the very very best combo of veg is the one specified by Ottolenghi.

The recipe is an Ottolenghi one from Plenty More, his recipe collection that never fails to delight! Use a rice that is a little sticky. He suggests sushi rice, and that is easily available.

Similar dishes include Malaysian Lemak Vegetables, Okra with Sambal and Coconut Rice, and Miso Sesame Dressing.

Browse all of our Rice dishes. All of our Ottolenghi dishes are here. Our Ottolenghi dishes from Plenty More are here. We have written about our experiences cooking through this book.  Or browse our Late Summer recipes.

Kandathippilli Rasam | Rasam with Long Pepper

Years ago, an ayurvedic doctor, Prof. Dr Kulkani, would come from Pune in India to Sydney to deliver courses on Ayurveda. I wasn’t a practitioner, just interested, and would attend as many of these as I could. He would talk about Pippalli (aka Thippalli) a lot, a powerhouse spice with many health giving properties. It impacted me so much that I usually keep some at home. In English it is known as Long Pepper and is grown and used in Indonesia as well. It has a peppery, interesting flavour, and has many culinary as well as medical uses.

Meenakshi Ammal has a rasam that uses not only the Long Pepper (Kandathippilli or Desavaram) but also Arisithippili (rather like pieces of root or stem). These add a special flavour to the rasam. I can’t always get Arisithippilli, so I omit it when not available.

This rasam is flavoured with the Thippilli peppers, black pepper, cumin seeds, chilli and curry leaves. With such layerings of flavours, how can it help but be delicious?

Are you interested in other Rasams? Try Tomato Indian Rasam Style, Kottu Rasam, and Garlic Rasam.

You might also be interested in the following articles:

• The difference between Rasam and Sambar
• Rasam Powder

Our simply explore all of our Rasam recipes. Our Indian recipes are here and our Indian Essentials here. Or take some time to browse our Late Spring recipes.

Brussels Sprout Risotto with Blue Cheese

A sprout risotto? You’d better believe it. Brussels Sprout are such a controversial vegetable – you either love them or hate them. We grew up with overcooked and soggy sprouts that had the colour and natural sweetness leached out of them and left the kitchen with a cabbage-y sprouts aroma. So in our kitchen they are either eaten raw, roasted, fried, or sauteed with a little garlic.

Unusual pairings with sprouts include pomegranate seeds, pomegranate molasses or maple syrup. Salty, sweet and sour flavours are great – try lemon juice and lime juice, preserved lemon, capers, parmesan, chilli, almonds, barberries, pistachios, even tiny toasted croutons, all work very very well.

Today’s recipe uses Brussels Sprouts in a risotto. It is an unusual recipe but you will love it. It is an Ottolenghi recipe from Plenty More. It combines shredded sprouts and fried sprouts in the risotto with lemon, parmesan and the bite of Blue Cheese. How exciting! It is lemony, herby, cheesy, and of course, with the flavour of delicious sprouts.

In fact, it is Ottolenghi day on the blog – one of two days per month where we publish all the latest posts of recipes we have tried in our project of cooking from Ottolenghi books – currently we are cooking from Plenty More, but not ignoring his other books completely. Note that I often slightly massage the recipes to suit what is available from our garden and pantry.

Similar recipes include Brussels Sprouts Salad, Gentle Vegetables cooked in Wine, Three Cheese Risotto, and Asparagus Risotto.

Browse all of our Risotto recipes and Brussels Sprouts recipes. Our Ottolenghi dishes from Plenty More are here. We have written about our experiences cooking through this book. Or explore our Early Autumn dishes.

Steamed Tofu with Bok Choy and Sesame

Steamed tofu is the antithesis of the punchy, in-your-face flavours of my usual Indian cuisine. Almost bland, it is gloriously so, adding creamy texture to its accompaniments. In this case we use bok choi (pak choi) and a soy sauce-seasame-mirin dressing. You do have to be willing to enjoy the subtlety of flavours to appreciate this dish. It is not something that would do well on Master Chef, for example, however we love steamed tofu.

We also have a variation to this dish where shiitake and oyster mushrooms are quickly sauteed and added to the tofu. This is inspired by an incredible dish of steamed tofu and mushrooms at the Whole Earth restaurant in Chiang Mai –  Three Flavour Tofu Topped with Shiitake Mushrooms.

Similar recipes include Curry Laksa with Fried Tofu, Kaffir and Tamarind Tofu, and Tofu and Spinach Layers.

Browse all of our Tofu dishes and all of our Bok Choi recipes. Or be inspired by our other Late Winter dishes.