by Amber Rose
KALE AND CASHEW PESTO
85g cashew nuts, lightly toasted
50g Parmesan, grated
2 garlic cloves
100ml extra virgin olive oil
85g kale, green leafy parts only, not the inner stalk
A squeeze of lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put everything into a blender and blitz into a rough sauce. Season and add more lemon juice or Parmesan if needed.
WALNUT PESTO WITH PARSLEY, BASIL OR KALE
175g walnut halves or pieces
1 garlic clove
70g Parmesan, finely grated
A handful of parsley, basil or kale
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place everything into a blender and blitz into a rough sauce. Adjust the balance with a little extra cheese or oil. Season.
My favourite salsa verde.
SERVES 4–6
Salsa verde literally means ‘green sauce’. I LOVE this stuff – you can adapt it to whatever you are eating, be it veg, chicken, fish or grilled meat, by adjusting the herbs accordingly. I use tarragon or dill in place of mint if I want to make this sauce to go with fish; rosemary instead of basil would be a natural pairing with lamb. Because salsa verde uses fresh herbs, use it the day you make it for the best colour and flavour.
2 garlic cloves
A small handful of capers (not the salted ones)
7 anchovy fillets
3 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
A bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked
A handful of fresh mint, leaves picked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
10 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
The traditional and best way to make salsa verde is to chop the garlic, capers, anchovies and herbs really finely by hand. Put them into a bowl and add the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the olive oil until you get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the flavours with salt and pepper – you may need a bit more vinegar.
Alternatively, you can make this sauce by simply putting everything into a blender and blitzing to a lovely green sauce, but be careful not to make it too smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Serve fresh. I find it tastes best eaten within a day or two.
Fig and date chutney.
MAKES ABOUT 1KG
Deeply delicious, rich brown, sour-sweet fig chutney to tickle the tastebuds and delight the palate. This is one of my absolute favourite chutneys and it is always the one my son and I reach for when we want to enjoy a fine piece of cheese. Make it in late summer, when fresh figs are plentiful – especially if you’re lucky enough to have your own tree. Fresh figs can be expensive in the supermarkets, so try to find them at the farmers’ market or greengrocer where they tend to be cheaper. This recipe really is at its best when the figs are bursting with ripeness.
EQUIPMENT
Several sterilised glass jars with lids
1kg fresh figs
300ml cider vinegar
250g onions, chopped
250g golden raisins or sultanas
5 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
250g coconut sugar or rapadura
Stem and coarsely chop the figs, place them in a large stainless steel or enamelled saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients except the sugar, and bring the mix to the boil. Simmer for 30–35 minutes until the onions and fruit are soft.
Add the coconut sugar. Bring the fragrant mixture slowly back to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer very, very gently so that the pan only just bubbles. Cook for a further 15 minutes, giving the chutney the occasional stir to prevent it sticking to the bottom. When the mixture is thick and jam-like, remove it from the heat, ladle into the jars and seal while hot. If sealed well, this chutney can last for months on the pantry shelf.
Serve with delicious cheeses, homemade breads and other yummy savoury things.
My classic apple and pear chutney with ginger.
MAKES ABOUT 1KG
This chutney is great to make when you have apples falling off the tree and you can’t eat any more crumble. It makes a great gift and even though it appears to have a lot of sugar, you only eat a small amount at a time. Plus, if you use rapadura, it’s an unrefined cane sugar, which contains molasses, and that makes the chutney more nutritious. Bramley apples work best here, but you can also use Granny Smith apples in the absence of a good, tart cooking apple.
EQUIPMENT
Clean piece of muslin
Several sterilised glass jars with lids
700g cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
300g pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
3–4 medium red onions, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
100g sultanas, roughly chopped
12 dates, pitted and chopped
100g ginger, grated
50g stem ginger in syrup, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
750ml apple cider vinegar
500g rapadura (or coconut sugar, unrefined brown sugar or honey)
PICKLING SPICES
5 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
8 whole cloves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
Put the pickling spices on a clean piece of muslin. Bring up the sides and tie the muslin with a thin length of string. Add it to a large, heavy-based preserving pan along with all the prepared ingredients and salt and pour over the apple cider vinegar.
Bring the pan slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes until the contents become pulpy and soft, stirring once in a while. Add the rapadura and allow it to dissolve in the hot liquid. Continue to cook gently for about 1½–2 hours, stirring every so often so that the chutney does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and fish out the muslin bag. Transfer the chutney into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in the cupboard for two to three months before opening and consume within one year. Once open, keep refrigerated.
Charred cherry tomato and chilli salsa.
SERVES 6–8
This is my favourite, super-easy, classic Mexican salsa made with chargrilled cherry tomatoes. It’s delicious with grilled fish, slow-cooked pork tacos, avocado on toast, or with crispy roast chicken with a side of guacamole and a green salad.
600g cherry tomatoes, washed and dried
3–4 whole fresh serrano or jalapeño chillies, destemmed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
A handful of chopped coriander
½ red onion, finely diced
Generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the tomatoes on a large foil-lined baking tray and place under a preheated grill for 10–15 minutes until they are softened and blackened in spots. Set aside to cool a little.
Set a large frying pan over a low–medium heat. Roast the chillies in the dry pan, turning occasionally, until they are blistered all over and blackened in spots. Remove and set aside to cool a little.
Slip the skins from the tomatoes and, using a small sharp paring knife, gently scrape the skins from the chillies. (You don’t need to be too meticulous – some burnt bits add extra flavour, which I love.)
Use a pestle and mortar to pound the garlic with the roasted chillies an
d salt to a paste. Transfer to a bowl, add the tomatoes and give a gentle stir to coat, mashing very lightly with a fork to break up the tomatoes a little. Add the lime juice, coriander and onion and drizzle over the oil. Stir once more and season to taste.
You can make this salsa up to 12 hours before you want to use it.
Oma’s tomato kasundi relish.
MAKES ABOUT 3 LITRES
I first tasted kasundi relish when I worked in an amazing bakery in Melbourne called Babka. It has a lovely warmth and beautiful depth of flavour. Try it with barbecued meats, fried eggs or cheese on toast. This particular recipe comes from a dear friend, Marguerite Guinness, a wizard in the kitchen and in the garden too. Marguerite always makes her kasundi relish in late summer when her garden is overflowing with sweet, sun-ripened tomatoes. If you want to make it thicker and more intensely flavoured, cook it for a little longer than the recommended time, so that it reduces even further; either way it’s delicious and moreish.
EQUIPMENT
Several sterilised glass jars with lids
25g cumin seeds, lightly toasted
200ml ghee or cold-pressed sunflower oil
40g mustard seeds
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
4 tablespoons chilli powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
200g ginger, minced
100g garlic cloves, crushed
2.5kg large fresh tomatoes, chopped
400g coconut sugar
500ml malt vinegar
3 tablespoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lightly crush the cumin seeds using a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Put the ghee or oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop and sizzle. Reduce the heat and add the other spices. Cook for a further minute until the spices release their fragrant aromas.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and simmer gently for 1½ hours, or until the relish has thickened. Transfer to the jars and seal while still hot. This relish will last for months if not all winter. Once opened, keep refrigerated.
Pico de gallo.
SERVES 4–6
I am totally in love with this stuff; it’s great with a Mexican feast but so, so good with many other things too. Pico de gallo is simply a Mexican fresh tomato salsa. Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, a phytochemical that helps protect against cancer, and the raw onions and garlic are full of prebiotics – a particular kind of fibre that probiotics, the healthy yeast and bacteria, feed on – so with each tasty mouthful you are providing the microflora in your gut with all the good stuff it needs. I love serving this as a side salad with avocado and eggs on rye toast. It’s a cinch to make and the results far surpass the effort needed to throw it together.
300g heritage and cherry tomatoes
1 medium red chilli, finely diced
1 medium green chilli, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Juice of 1 lime
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
A small dash of olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chop the heritage tomatoes into small pieces and cut the cherry tomatoes into either halves or quarters, depending on size. Put them into a large bowl along with all the other ingredients, season and mix thoroughly.
Transfer to a serving bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use. It’s best eaten soon after it’s made.
Beetroot and ginger chutney.
MAKES ABOUT 1.2KG
This is a favourite chutney of mine. It is wonderfully fragrant and will fill your kitchen with its aroma as you cook it. I love beetroot, and making chutney is a great way to use up a glut. I sometimes give this chutney for Christmas presents, it goes so beautifully with cold meats and festive leftovers.
EQUIPMENT
Several sterilised glass jars with lids
500g fresh beetroot, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1kg cooking apples, peeled, quartered, cored and roughly chopped
2 large red onions, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons freshly grated root ginger
80g stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
350g rapadura or coconut sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon cumin
750ml red wine vinegar
Put the beets, apples and red onions into a large pan. Add the fresh ginger, stem ginger, rapadura, salt and spices. Pour in the vinegar and stir well to mix. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 1 hour. Stir every now and then to prevent the chutney from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
After 1 hour the chutney should be ready and the beetroot lovely and tender. Spoon into the jars and seal while still hot.
If sealed well, the chutney should last several months, if not all winter. Once opened keep refrigerated and consume within three weeks. Serve with cheeses, cold meats, salad sandwiches, homemade quiches or vegetable tarts.
Dips and Pâtés.
Hummus a few ways.
SERVES 4–6
Hummus is a great thing: kids love it, adults love it – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love it. There are some quite decent shop-bought ones, but I much prefer the taste of my own hummus and I also know that it has the best-quality oils in it, not bad fats, which are one of the worst things anyone, children especially, can eat for many reasons. Bad fats, such as processed oils, which are found in pretty much all store-bought dips, contain trans-fats which are highly toxic and should be avoided at all costs. With a homemade hummus you get the best of everything, and it’s more delicious. Win win. The basic recipe uses chickpeas, but you can vary that by adding roasted vegetable purées very successfully, as I show here.
BASIC HUMMUS RECIPE
200g jarred/canned chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 teaspoon cumin
100ml tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra to serve
Sea salt
TO GARNISH
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon finely chopped curly-leaf parsley
Put everything into a food processor along with 4 tablespoons of cold water and blitz until smooth (or use a bowl and stick blender, and save yourself the task of washing the food processor). Season to taste.
Spoon into a bowl and use the back of the spoon to smooth the surface and create a lovely swirl on the top. Sprinkle with the paprika and parsley, then drizzle a little extra oil on top.
Roasted red pepper hummus with chipotle.
Follow the basic recipe but omit the cumin and water and add 2 roasted red peppers, skinned and deseeded, and 1½ teaspoons of chipotle powder. Blitz until you have a lovely smooth hummus.
Season to taste and finish as usual, but replace the paprika and parsley garnish with a sprinkle of extra chipotle powder.
Roasted pumpkin and sumac hummus.
Follow the basic recipe but omit the water and add 100g roasted butternut squash. Blitz until you have a lovely smooth hummus.
Season to taste. Finish as usual, but sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of sumac instead of paprika.
Roasted carrot and turmeric hummus.
Follow the basic recipe but omit the water and add a handful of roasted carrot pieces and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Blitz until smooth and garnish with plenty of good extra virgin olive oil and chopped curly-leaf parsley.
Cashew and artichoke dip.
SERVES 8–10
This is a delicious dip and one I have made for many parties. Artichokes are one of the most nutrient-dense veg you can eat, and they also contain lots of prebiotics. Raw cashew nuts are a great source of minerals, fibre, pr
otein and unsaturated fat, making this dip a winning combination.
145g raw cashew nuts, soaked in room-temperature water for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours
400g roasted artichoke hearts (you can make your own or use jarred roasted artichoke hearts in oil)
Juice of 1 lemon
½ red onion, finely diced
½–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground sumac
3 smallish garlic cloves, minced
A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
A few good glugs of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Drain and rinse the cashew nuts several times under cold running water.
Blend all the ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor until completely smooth, thick and creamy, adding a glug of olive oil at a time to get just the right consistency. You are looking for a smooth, creamy dip that holds its shape quite well.
Scrape the mix into a beautiful serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and perhaps an extra dusting of sumac and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. This dip will last a few days in the fridge if covered.
White bean purée with roasted garlic, rosemary and sumac.
SERVES 10 AS A DIP
This delicious white bean purée is a wonderful way to use beans. It’s incredible served instead of mashed potato and it’s amazing as a dip or part of a mezze platter. You can also make little crostini and serve this on top as a canapé, perhaps with some crispy prosciutto and a fried sage leaf. Divine.
2 large whole heads of garlic
3–4 good-sized rosemary sprigs
1–2 tablespoons ghee
2 x 400g cans haricot beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
