{Just Photos} Asian Winter Greens at Cook The Books

Last week I popped along to Cook the Books for a little green inspiration by way of Alan Fong from The Fresh Grower.  I have long been a fan of there little baby cos lettuce, just beautifully fresh & crisp.  Alan also grows a number of Asian greens...Shanghai pak choi, baby white Guangzhou pak choi alongside snow peas, beans, sugar snap peas, spinach & my favourite bellaverde; sweet stem broccoli. Not to mention the most gorgeous coriander that no one wanted to buy!!!

Alan’s family have been growing vegetables down in Pukekohe for 3 generations. Allan’s mission is to bring fresh bright greens to our dinner tables that look & taste delicious. The evening was packed pull of fresh, bright, simple flavours that can we whipped up for a speedy weeknight supper.

To start sweet chilli chicken baby cos canapes.  Chicken is marinated in cayenne, garlic, soy & vodka, yes vodka just a little.  Then simply stir fry the chicken & pile in in to baby cos leaves topped with a few crispy noodles for crunch. Bright, fresh & terribly moreish.

Next up the belleverde, even the name is beautiful.  I love broccoli & I love these tender little stems even more.  The belleverde was quickly steamed & then plunged in to ice cold water to keep its vibrant green hue.  It was then stir fried with a little garlic & just a splash of gin or vodka, just to stop it sticking & topped with a little soy before being piled atop some sizzling steak.  This one has since made a couple of appearances on my dinner table as quick & light supper.

One of my favourite dishes of the evening, I think everyone’s actually as the platters had barely a morsel left on them was the stir fry pork mince with baby white pack choi & crispy noodles .  Quite an achievement actually, as you never ever go hungry at Cook the Books, the portions are generous, to say the least!

I am assuming you notice the word crispy noodles, who doesn’t love a crispy noodle?  Well these are quite a treat & they are quite the healthy crispy noodle too. Boiled & then tossed with just a little oil they are baked in the oven before being topped with the pork that has been mixed with garlic, ginger, soy & of course just a splash of vodka & the baby white pak choi.  This is one of those dishes that left in front of you, you just can’t help but go back for a little more & a little more....

As if all that wasn’t enough, like I said you never go hungry at Cook the Books, we finished off with some stir fried rice with kailaan, a Chinese broccoli.  This one too has made a few appearances for dinner & lunch. Quick to whip up & there is just something wonderfully comforting & satisfying about a bowl of egg fried rice.

For more cooking inspiration & lots of cook books check out Cook the Books.

Cook The Books

139 Richmond Road (corner Norfolk St)

Grey Lynn,

Auckland,

New Zealand

www.cookthebooks.co.nz

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK:

Monday to Friday – 10am to 6pm

Saturday and Sunday – 10am to 4pm

The Ultimate Winter Couscous, from Ottolenghi’s Plenty - IHCC

This week over at IHCC it is a little bit of sunshine & as we head for the shortest day of the year here in New Zealand the timing is perfect.  I am not a fan of the shorter days, I prefer a little more light & sunshine. The shorter days, even though nowhere near as short as Winter days in the UK, seem to be able to weigh me down. It surprises me every year that June here in NZ is the month of shorter, often wetter, windier, grayer days.  And boy can it rain!  Though in saying that we have had a few sunny days as well....always much appreciated & they really do put a little spring in everyone’s step.

Back in Scotland we would be basking in day light from 4am until the well after 10pm when the sun would slowly set, my perfect kind of day especially if the sun is indeed shining! Here at the bottom of the globe there’s no lazy twilight the sun sets & that’s it lights out.  

So this week’s theme is perfect to brighten up a Winter’s day.  On a positive only a matter of days until the shortest day & then we are back on the upward spiral to Spring!  I give you the Ultimate Winter Couscous packed full of sunshine.

There are quite a few, well quite a lot of ingredients. It is however couscous & vegetables to feel free to mix it up with what you like or what you have on hand. I had smoked paprika rather than hot, raisins rather than apricots & double the amount of chilli flakes.  Along with the sunshine I like a little heat!

The Ultimate Winter Couscous, from Ottolenghi’s Plenty

Serves 4, or even more

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled & cut into large dice

2 parsnips, peeled & cut into large dice

8 shallots, peeled

2 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

3 bay leaves

5 tbsp olive oil

Salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

2 1/2 cups pumpkin or squash, peeled & cut in to cubes

1/2 cup raisins

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup couscous

Large pinch of saffron

1 cup boiling vegetable stock

3 tbsp butter, broken into pieces

2 tbsp harissa

1 oz preserved lemon, finely chopped

2 cups cilantro leaves

A few slices of red chilli

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 190C/ 375F

Place the carrots, parsnips & shallots in a large roasting dish or baking tray along with the cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt & all the ground spices and mix well. Place in the oven & cook for 15 minutes. 

Add the pumpkin, stir & return to the oven. Continue cooking for about 35 minutes or until the vegetables have softened but keep a little bite. Add the raisins, chickpeas & water. Return to the oven & cook for a further 10 -15 minutes until hot. 

About 15 minutes before the vegetables are ready, put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, saffron and a good pinch of salt. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & leave for about 10 minutes. Add the butter & fluff up the couscous with a fork until the butter melts in. Cover again & leave somewhere to keep warm until the vegetables are ready.

To serve, spoon couscous into a deep plate or bowl.  Stir in the harissa & preserved lemon to the vegetables; taste & add salt if needed. Spoon the vegetables onto the center of the couscous. Top with lots of cilantro leaves & a few slices of fresh red chilli if you like a little extra bite.

This will definitely brighten up your day. Full of flavour & sunshine it is the perfect antidote to a grey winters day.

This is for this week's IHCC a little bit of sunshine...head over here for a little more.

If you like this you might like these...
Swiss Chard Fritters
Green Couscous

Enjoy!

Almond & Orange Blossom Florentines from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem - IHCC

Top tip with florentines...don’t leave them out.  Not only will they lose their crispness, if they are especially thin & delicate, as they should be, & exposed to Auckland’s winter humidity they will lose everything & become a gooey mess.

Yes we did have a little bit of a florentine debacle the other weekend, from one giant florentine to a gooey mess.  At least the giant florentine was saved, smashed in to shards & straight in to a air tight container it may not have look pretty as picture but it did taste as it should, crispy, crunch, nutty & terribly moreish.

So this week on our Ottolenghi journey over at IHCC we are moving on to some sweet treats.  I came across these almond & orange florentines & thought I’d put my florentine nemesis to bed.

Almond & Orange Blossom Florentines, adapted minimally from Ottolenghi

That minimal adaptation half teaspoon of orange blossom water for a hint of the exotic.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for brushing

2 egg whites

100g / 3.5oz icing sugar

260g / 9oz flaked almonds

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

100g dark chocolate (optional)

Directions

Pre heat oven to 150C / 300F

Line a baking tray with baking paper & brush it lightly with a little vegetable oil. Fill a small bowl with cold water.

Place the egg whites, icing sugar, almonds & orange zest in a bowl & gently mix it all together. Dip your hands in the cold water & pick up little portions to make little mounds on the lined baking tray & space them well apart, this is key to avoid the aforementioned giant florentine.

Dip a fork in the water & use it to flatten each biscuit.  Try to make them as thin as possible without too many gaps between the almonds.  About 8cm wide is what we are looking for.

Place the tray in the oven & cook 10-12 minutes until golden.  Allow to cool & then remove gently from the baking tray with a palette knife & place in an airtight container; this will avoid aforementioned gooey florentine debacle. They’ll keep for 4-5 days.

If you are in the mood for a little additional decadence melt some dark chocolate & drizzle it over the top.

They worked!! All those almonds & the egg white to bind just make the whole becoming one giant florentine not an issue & as they made their way in to an air tight container we also avoid gooey disintegration.  The only thing, they could be just a tad crispier.

But as they are, nutty, orangey & just a little floral they are quite lovely.

For more Ottolenghi inspiration check out I Heart Cooking Clubs over here.

And you might also like these...

Fresh Figs with Manchego & Honey

Sweet Potato Cakes

This is also my entry for Sweet New Zealand being hosted by the gorgeous Sue who cooks up all sorts of deliciousness over at Couscous & Consciousness.

Enjoy!