Broad Bean Patties

This year we did not grow broad beans, a very sad state of affairs indeed. Some of my green fingered friends have taken pity on me and given me a couple of bags, fresh picked and ready for me to make my all time favourite dip. The dip requires double podding which is ok when you have heaps but less so when your supply is limited. I am very grateful to them for their contributions and have really been enjoying both the dip and these patties.

These patties are made with single podded broadbeans which is much less work and less wasteful as the outer skin is used. Our worm farm and compost bins get the benefit of the outside pods. 

These are a very good alternative to meat pattie which makes them suitable for vegans and vegetarians and are also gluten free. 

My favourite way to eat these is to make them into a burger, they can also be made into smaller balls as finger food or as as an alternative to falafels. In a bun with salad they are still vegan friendly, egg and cheese may still be acceptable to vegetarians, and some cooked bacon makes them more like the traditional burger but no longer vegetarian or vegan. Takes care with the bun as this will be a problem for those on gluten free diets, I mostly use a commercial gluten free bread, wrap or bun when serving them to people with gluten intolerance.

Broad Bean Patties

Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free

500g podded broad beans* ½ brown onion 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 clove garlic 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 tablespoons chia seeds 4 tablespoons cornflour salt and pepper to taste *at least 1 kg unpodded

To cook Extra cornflour Grapeseed oil / olive oil for frying

Place podded broadbeans, onion, thyme and garlic in a food processer and blitz until finely chopped or crumb consistency. 

Add cornflour and chia seeds. Mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.

Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour to allow the mixture to firm.

Divide mixture into five or six balls*, roll in a little cornflour and flatten into burger patties.

Heat a small amount of oil in a frypan and shallow fry on both sides until golden brown and heated through.

Uneaten patties can be refrigerated for two days and reheated in the microwave or oven. Alternatively freeze, defrost and reheat.

*Make the mixture into smaller balls and use as finger foods or an alternative to falafels in a wrap

Dips

Dips are one of my go to starters when I have people over. Easy to make and simple to plate and serve. I like the ease of people helping themselves whilst I am busy getting the rest of the meal organised. A selection of crackers, bread or vegetable sticks, perhaps a bowl of olives or some Fetta or salami and the first course is organised. The dips that I make most often are hommus, avocado and beetroot. When fresh and in season I also make this broad bean dip and eggplant. I like the dips to be thick and hold their shape on the plate, if you prefer a thinner dip a little more water can be added.

Avocado 

Avocado Dip
2 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lemon
salt

To serve
chopped mint or chopped parsley
olive oil / lemon oilive oil
Method
Place avocado flesh, garlic, a generous pinch of salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Blitz until a smooth and creamy puree.
Place dip on serving platter
Pour a little oil over the dip and garnish with chopped mint

Hommus

Hommus
1 can chick peas, drained
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
salt

To serve
ground cumin
olive oil / lemon olive oil
Method
Placechick peas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in a food processor. Blitz until a smooth and creamy puree, add a little water to get the consistency right. Taste and adjust flavour with some salt.
Place dip on serving platter.
Pour a little oil over the dip and garnish with ground cumin.

Beetroot Dip

Dips are great for casual entertaining. I often serve a dip with a basket of crackers or chopped bread and leave guests to help themselves whist I am busy looking after the rest of the meal.  Many vegetables can be pureed to make into a dip, however, beetroot with it's earthy flavour and vibrant colour is one that I come back to often. It can be served plain, but the topping while a little more work, is not difficult and adds to the presentation.

Beetroot Dip

2 -3 medium beetroot

1 tablespoon tahini

1 clove garlic

Pinch of salt

Additional olive oil

To Serve

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2  -1 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 tablespoons sour cream

1 spring onion, finely chopped

Chopped parsley

Method

Wash beetroot and place in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until soft. Drain, allow to cool and peel.

Place cooked beetroot, garlic, tahini and salt in a food processor and blitz until mixture forms a smooth purée. Add a little oil if necessary. Taste and add a little more tahini and salt if desired.

Place/spread the beetroot purée on a serving plate.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the purée and then sprinkle the cumin over the surface.

Spoon the sour cream over the middle of the purée, do not stir it into the beetroot.

Top with the chopped parsley and spring onion.

Scotch Eggs

I was asked to make sausage rolls for one of those bring a plate morning tea functions. So the sausage meat was purchased and  the request was changed to a platter of sandwiches. I could have made sausage rolls but decided to make some Scotch Eggs instead. I seem to recall that very first time that I made these was in Form 2 (Year 8) Home Economics. Whilst not something that I make often they have been made every now and then. Sometimes I get all fancy and use a quail egg and chicken mince, however, that defeats the purpose of what I consider to be the true purpose of them - budget busters. The idea behind these is to make a small amount of meat go further by enclosing hard boiled eggs in a coating of sausage meat. These are then crumbed and deep fried. They are a bit fiddly to make with all the steps involved, however, they are a very tasty if not particularly health conscious. They are also very nice served cold with some relish and salad.

I like to add chopped parsley, thyme, lots of black pepper and some garlic powder to the sausage meat.

The eggs are then deep fried until a light golden brown and then finished in the oven\.

The recipe makes four generous or hearty eggs, it could be stretched to six with a thinner meat layer.

Scotch Eggs

4 hard boiled eggs 500 g sausage meat 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley and thyme Generous amount of fresh black pepper

Flour 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk  1 cup fresh white bread crumbs Oil for deep frying.

Method

Peel/ shell the hard boiled eggs.

Combine sausage meat, herbs, garlic powder and pepper. Mix well.

Divide meat mixture into four.

Take a portion of the meat and enclose an egg. Repeat with remaining eggs and meat.

Coat each egg with flour.

Make egg wash by whisking the egg and milk.

Dip the eggs into the egg wash and then roll in the breadcrumbs. If time permits return the egg to the fridge to allow the crumbs to firm around the eggs.

Heat oil and fry until a golden brown and sausage meat is cooked through. Alternatively fry until pale golden brown, place on a tray and cook at 160 deg C for a further 15 minutes or until sausage meat is cooked through.

Ceviche with Fresh Salsa

This is possibly the best way to cook fish if you do not like to actually cook. Really fresh fish is an absolute must and the fish needs to be kept refrigerated, I have been known to store it on ice in the fridge during Summer. I purchase the fish from a specialist fish shop and always tell them that I want to eat it raw. This is definitely a dish that you make the same day as you purchase the fish.

The salsa is deliciously fresh and makes a great salad. I like to serve it with half an avocado and sometimes I use the leftover as a filling in a toasted tortilla wrap.

The fish is not cooked in the traditional sense. It relies on the acid in the lime juice to 'cook' the fish. I could get all technical and explain how the acid in the lime juice denatures the proteins in the fish, however, just accept that the process causes the flesh to become firm and change colour and makes the fish look cooked.

As with cooking it is easy to overdo it, too much time in the lime juice and the the fish will become tough. Very thin slices fish will only take twenty minutes. It is best to check the fish as it is in the lime juice.The fish can be removed from the lime juice and then refrigerated until you are ready to serve.

An Explanation of the Process

Raw fish in lime juice and a little salt.












Fish after time in the lime juice. In this case it was nearly four hours, the pieces were 2  cm dice.

The fish cubes cut in half, notice the outside looks cooked and the middle is still pink















the fish mixed in with the salsa








and as a wrap









also nice with a little kewpie mayonnaise in the wrap

The process again, this time with salmon

Fresh fillets of salmon.










Remove skin and divide portion into smaller pieces.

 
Slice each piece into 4-5 mm thick slices.










Place in the lime juice

This is how the salmon looks as it 'cooks' in the the lime juice. Anti clockwise, Top left, raw fish, bottom left, after 5 minutes, bottom right, after 10 minutes, top left after 20 minutes. Notice that the outside edges of the salmon become paler colour and the texture of the fish slightly firmer.

Ceviche with Fresh Salsa

400 g  very fresh firm fleshed fish* 1 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon salt Firm or fairly firm flesh such as rockling, marlin or salmon To Serve Optional Avocado / thin wraps Small amount of oil and lime juice mixed to a dreassing

Salsa 1/4 red capsicum, 1/2 Lebanese cucumber 1 mango, 1 tomato 2 spring onions 2 tablespoons chopped coriander 2 teaspoons grated green ginger 1 red chilli, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed Juice of 1 lime Freshly ground black pepper

Method

To Prepare Fish

Remove any dark flesh/blood line from the fish.

Slice fish into 5 mm thick slices / Dice fish into small cubes.

Cover fish with salt and lime juice, making sure fish is totally covered.

Cover with clingfilm or place in a container with a lid and place in refrigerator. The thicker the cubes of fish the longer it will take to ‘cook’ If the fish is very thin it will take less than an hour. More time is required for thicker cubes of fish.

Drain fish, discard the lime juice.

Assemble the Salsa

Finely dice the capsicum, cucumber, mango and tomato and thinly slice the spring onions. Mix salad ingredients together.

To serve
1. Slices arranged on a serving platter. When serving it this way I usually put a thin slice of avocado inbetween each slice of fish and then put the salsa on top and spoon  a little drizzle of lime juice or a dressing made with lime juice and oil over the plated fish. Serve immediately.

2. Combine fish with all the salad ingredients and mix carefully. Spoon over avocado if using or mound onto a plate or into a bowl. Serve immediately.

3. Use as a filling for a wrap.

Eggplant Spread

A Summer vegetable garden seems to reward endlessly. Currently, our big crops are tomatoes, eggplant and chillies and we are now focussed on dishes that use up lots of tthem or preserving. This quite simple eggplant spread makes a great base for bruscetta or any form of toasted sourdough or as I have used,  Middle Eastern flat bread. I like to cut the bread into generous fingers and then assemble a platter - a perfect starter or snack.

I used purslane instead of parsley for this version. I pluck the small leaves from the stems or pinch off little pieces rather than chopping it up.

Purslane is a succulent/weed that adds texture and has a delicious flavour. It was a surprise to find a bage of this delicious plant on my doorstep, some to eat, some to plant and hopefully the seed will set and I will have it growing in my garden.









More eggplants ready for picking

Eggplant Spread

1 -2 eggplant ½ small onion, very finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 small chilli, finely chopped 1 -2 tablespoons lemon olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped parsley freshly ground black pepper, salt

To Serve Toasted bread slices cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered Meredith goat Cheese / crumbled fetta

Method

Pierce eggplant a few times with a skewer. Char over a gas flame if possible and allow skin to blister. or put on barbecue. If neither of these is possible skip this step.

Once skin has blistered place eggplant in the microwave and cook on high until it is all soft and squishy.

Carefully remove from the microwave, cut in half and scoop out the flesh, dicard the skin.

Finely chop /mash the flesh and place in a bowl.

Add diced onion, garlic, parsley, chilli, pepper, oil and a little salt if desired. Mix well.

Spread over toasted sourdough/ ciabatta, breadstick, top with crumbled cheese and the tomato pieces.

I like to serve the spread at room temperature, if you make it in advance or have leftover, refrigerate and then remove from the fridge and hour or so before it is needed.

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

The marketing hype for lamb on Australia Day is working. Who hasn't seen these videos or this one. I really enjoy a burger and have written about burgers before. We got into the spirit with lamb burgers for lunch. Today's effort gives more than a passing nod to our multicultural society.

Pasta Dura roll, lamb patty, Meredith Goat Cheese, cucumber, crispy prosciutto and some homemade beetroot relish, more about this another time. Definiely not the traditional Aussie Burger but just as delicious.

I used this recipe for Minced Lamb and Zucchini Meat Balls to make the meat patties. The quantities listed will make 4 -6 large patties.

Minced Lamb and Zucchini Meat Balls

500 g minced lamb

½ onion finely diced

1 zucchini, grated and squeezed to remove the moisture

1 egg

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1 clove garlic, crushed

Generous grind of black pepper and some salt

Oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except for the oil, mix well.

Shape into small, bite sized balls.

Heat a small amount of oil in a frypan, add meatballs and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Reduce heat if necessary. Alternatively, sear the balls, place on an oven tray and finish cooking in a hot oven.

Baked Ricotta

I make these often over Summer as they require minimal effort and can be cooked in the microwave. Great on those hot days when you want to cook as little as possible. They can be served hot or cold and are quite filling without being too heavy. They are also suitable for vegetarians.

Sometimes I line the ramekin with thinly sliced zucchini and serve it on some fresh tomato sauce and basil. A wide vegetable peeler makes it easy to get really thin slices. The meat lovers in the family quite enjoy this with a slice of prosciutto lining the ramekin.

When cold they are a good addition to an anti pasto platter











or in the lunchbox with some salad

Baked Ricotta

500g ricotta

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme/oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh

Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Grease 4 individual ramekins.

Pack mixture into ramekins

Bake at 160 deg C until firm, approximately 20 minutes or alternatively microwave on high in  2 minute intervals until set

Variation

Thinly sliced zucchini to line dishes

Fresh tomato sauce

Prepare ricotta mixture as above.

Grease and line ramekins with long thin slices of zucchini

Pack mixture into ramekins, fold the the zucchini strips over the top to encase the ricotta.

Bake at 160 deg C until firm, approximately 20 minutes or alternatively microwave on high in  2 minute intervals until set.

This how easy they are to make

grease and line the ramekin with the zucchini

pack in the filling

fold the the zucchini strips over the top to encase the ricotta and bake

Pakoras

Indian in origin, these delicious little snacks are gluten free and can be made with any combination of vegetables. These are made with finely diced zucchini and capsicum. I have also made them with par cooked potato, corn, and pumpkin or a combination of all of them. The batter should just coat the vegetables and be thick enough to bind the vegetables together. I use a wok to deep fry and cook three or four at a time.

Pakoras

1 cup Besan/ chickpea flour

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons Garam Masala Spice Mix or a little more if you like lots of spice

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

2 cups vegetables* cut into small dice approximately the size of a pea.

Oil for deep frying

Combine chickpea flour, garlic, egg and spices in a bowl, add sufficient water to make a thick batter.

Stir in vegetables

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into hot oil and fry until golden and vegetables cooked through.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve with some tomato sauce or a mixture of sweet chilli and tomato; I use a spicy homemade tomato sauce.

*Par cook hard vegetables such as potato or sweet potato as this will ensure that they cook better in the batter. I dice them and then cook in a little water in the microwave.

Heavenly Green Stuff - Broad Bean Dip

Today we had a slightly bigger haul of broad beans, this time enough to make my favourite dip.  You need lots of broad beans to make a bowl of dip so buy a big bag full, they are surprisingly wasteful, especially when double podded.  I really like the dip when it is still slightly warm, however, it can be made in advance and served chilled.

Broad Bean  Dip

2 cups double podded broad bean
1 -2 cloves of garlic, crushed
lemon olive oil / olive oil
salt and pepper
squeeze of lemon juice

To serve
extra lemon oil
freshly shaved parmesan
crusty bread , Middle Eastern bread, crackers

Method

Mash cooked and double podded broad beans with a fork. Keep some texture in the mixture.

Add a little lemon olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper, be careful not to make the mixture too soft / wet.  Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning.

Pile the dip into the middle of a plate, pour over a little lemon olive oil and garnish with shaved parmesan,

Pumpkin Fritters

More from  'a few good recipes that can be switched around'. This time pumpkin fritters. I use this idea or  recipe a lot. It is easy to change the flavours by using different vegetables and spices. This version is made with grated pumpkin instead of zucchini and has some sliced spring onions and finely chopped green chilli added to the batter. The fritters are great as a snack with some sort of dipping sauce. This time I mixed finely chopped pickled jalopeno chillis with some commercial mayonnaise, they are also delicious with some spreadable cream cheese.

Pumpkin Fritters

1 1/2 cups grated pumpkin

1 egg

4 tablespoons SR flour

1/3 cup milk

1 -2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 teaspoons chopped green chilli

2 spring onions finely chopped

Oil for frying

*Some additional milk and flour may be needed to adjust the consistency of the batter

Method

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to make a thick batter. You may need to add a little milk if it is too dry or some extra flour if too wet.

Heat oil in a frypan, when hot drop in heaped spoons of the batter.

Turn over when the bubbles start to pop

Cook the other side.

Drain on kitchen towel.

If making a lot keep the fritters warm in the oven.

the batter should look like this

cook one side, bubbles should appear in the fritters and will begin to pop. This is the when to turn them over.

and then the other

 

When You Need A Burger

Sometimes I have to give in to the urge - this is my take on the 'all beef patty blah, blah, blah'

The first step is to get a good bun, I buy Noisette brioche rolls from a local cafe and freeze them, however, any bun will do. I like to toast the inside or place it cut side down on the pan.

 Spread the bun with beetroot dip/relish or sliced beetroot. I prefer a thick dip as it is easier to bite into and you have one less layer to slide about inside the burger.

Add your beef patty or as I do a thin slice of scoth fillet steak, bashed out. I get to burgers from each piece of steak.

and an egg

some bacon, I like it crispy and well sizzled

a slice of cheese

thinly sliced tomato

shredded lettuce and some tomato sauce or onion jam. Put the the top on, grip firmly and enjoy.

Drinks Anyone?

There is something about a casual get together for drinks that is really enjoyable and although, I do not drink, I do enjoy the banter and snacks. When it is my turn to host drinks I usually serve a selection of cheeses, salami, olives and perhaps a dip on a big platter. Sometimes I make these caramelised onion and fetta puffs. I used this onion jam that I made a little while ago and some Meredith Goats Cheese. Any onion /chilli jam or chutney could be substituted for the onion jam and a fetta or grated tasty cheese used instead of the Meredith Goats Cheese. I usually have a stack of circles that I have leftover from making tomato and olive tarts. It is not necessary to cut out circles, cut the pastry into squres which can then be folded in half and make triangles.

This time I made caramelised onion puffs and tomato and olive tarts.

To make these you need

1 pkt of puff pastry sheets ( 2 sheets will give 9 puffs)
onion jam/chilli jam/chutney
Meredith Goats Cheese/fetta/ tasty cheese
egg wash and some sesame seeds for garnish

This is how simple they are to make

Cut out pastry circles - I usually get nine circles per sheet. Put on a tray lined with cooking parchment.

Place a little onion jam and goats cheese on the base circle.

Place another circle on top, press/squeeze edges together to enclose filling.

Brush with egg glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds if you have them.

Bake in a hot oven until puffed and golden browm, approx 15 minutes.