11 May 2014

Bookshelf:Emma's Kumara & Kale Latkes with Poached Eggs, from My Darling Lemon Thyme - Recipes from my Real Food Kitchen


There’s been a bit about out there about social media & how bad it is & how we spend too much time on it.  Oddly enough this has all appeared on social media! And I get it; I am as guilty as the next person, we probably all do spend a little too much time on our phones, on our tablets, reading Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat or whatever the latest app is.  But....well I love it.   Not to mention it lets me keep in touch with friends & family on the other side of the world at the touch of a button.  It’s wonderful that my niece can pick up her iPod, hit a button & we’re there seeing each other & chatting away.  I’ve met many amazing people through social media online & then in person.

And that is where the social part comes in, well for me anyway.  You take it off line & in to reality & social media can become, well quite social. And this is what happened the other week.  Emma from My Darling Lemon Thyme was over in New Zealand for the launch of her cook book & we managed to squeeze in a little lunch & finally got to meet in person after 3 or so years of chatting, tweeting & following each other on line.  In fact 4 of us food bloggers, all who had originally met on line met for lunch at Little Bird Unbakery on Summer St.  And very social it was too. So you see it’s not all bad, in fact it is all very good if you actually put the social part in to practice.


If you haven't checked out Emma’s blog you should, it’s over here & buy her book; My Darling Lemon Thyme - Recipes from My Real Food Kitchen*.  It’s all vegetarian & gluten but most importantly full of the wonderfully delicious recipes. There’s small plates with the likes of sweetcorn & basil fritters or snow pea & avocado noodle salad with soy ginger dressing or terribly tempting corn, coriander & feta muffins.  And I’ll be making the carrot, cumin & red lentil soup with coriander cashew pesto this afternoon.

*Buy it here at Cook The Books.

There are wonderful sweet treats; a peach, rosemary & yoghurt cake or how about some raspberry, dark chocolate & pistachio brownies? Or dark chocolate, orange & rosemary truffles!! For the main event there’s a roasted cherry tomato quiche with chickpea crust or even pizza topped with chilli, greens & bocconcini & an olive salsa. There’s also a whole lot of bright, vibrant smoothies & juices.

And the first thing I cooked, well it was these kumara & kale latkes with poached eggs for Sunday breakfast. I have a thing for anything crispy & golden. These can be whipped up pretty, once the kumara has sat for 10 minutes it’s mix everything up, fry, poach & eat.


Kumara & Kale Latkes with Poached Eggs, from Emma’s My Darling Lemon Thyme - Recipes from my Real Food Kitchen

*the only addition, a little fresh red chilli as I do love my chilli. Plus it’s such a good friend to the sweet kumara & the robust curly kale. Next time I think I might add a little coriander too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g kumara* peeled & grated
1 tsp sea salt
2 large kale leaves, stems removed & leaves finely chopped
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red chilli, finely diced (optional)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
Olive oil or ghee
1 tsp cider vinegar
4-8 eggs, 1 or 2 per person
Salt & pepper

*New Zealand’s sweet potato


Directions

Pre heat oven to 120C/250F.

Place the kumara & salt in a bowl, mix well & set aside for 10 minutes.  Pick up handful’s of the kumara & squeeze & squeeze to remove all the excess liquid & place in a clean bowl.  We don’t want soggy latkes. Add the kale, spring onion, red chilli, eggs & parsley & season with salt & pepper.


Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or ghee in a frying pan over a medium heat.  Grab a little, about a quarter cup of the latke mixture & give it a little squeeze before placing it in the frying pan & flattening it with a spatula.  We don’t need perfect circles just golden crispy fritters.  Cook for 2-3 3 minutes until golden & brown underneath & flip them over & cook for a couple of minutes more.  Place on a kitchen paper lined plate & pop in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining mixture until all used up, you’ll get about 12 latkes.


Fill a medium saucepan with some water, I fill about half way.  Add the cider vinegar & bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, give it a good swirl & crack the eggs in the swirl, 2-4 at a time.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes until cooked as you like them, for me it’s got to be an ooey gooey golden centre so 3 minutes is perfect. Lift the eggs gently out with a slotted spoon & drain on some kitchen paper.

To serve, place 3 latkes on a plate & top with one or two poached eggs. Season will a little salt & pepper & a little more chilli if you like.


Crispy, sweet & packed full of that green kale goodness you will feel immensely satisfied & virtuous all at the same time! The perfect combination for me at present as we want a few weeks of healthy living before hitting the UK, The Netherlands & Singapore for a 4 weeks trip with will no doubt be brimming over with all sorts of deliciousness!


If you like this you might like this Ottolenghi's Swiss Chard Fritter
Three years ago Roasted Tomatillo Salsa


Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. You are so right, Mairi - there is a negative side to social media, but like you I would have to say that it has certainly provided me with the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people whose paths I might not have otherwise crossed. So thrilled, and a little bit jealous, that you got to meet Emma. i have her book on my wish list, and now you have me wishing for it even more :-)

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    Replies
    1. It's been great hasn't it Sue? You must get Emma's book it is just wonderful!

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  2. This book is definitely on my buy list. I love Emma's blog and so pleased that she had finally published. Shows how determination can get you a long way. Overall I think that social media is a great invention. I have "met" and then met some wonderful people including yourself!

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    Replies
    1. You must get it,such a beautiful book & I want to make just about everything!

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