Blackened Cucumber, with Walnut Tarator and fresh herbs
Ingredients
Cucumber, cut in half lengthways
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Walnut Tarator
A handful of walnuts
Teaspoon of Cumin seeds
Teaspoon of Coriander seeds
Third of a teaspoon of Urfa chilli flakes
Third of a teaspoon of Aleppo Chilli flakes
Two tablespoons of full fat Greek Yoghurt
15 ml extra virgin Olive oil
10 grams of Date Molasses or Pomegranate Molasses
Herbs
fresh picked Dill and Mint
Method
Toast off your walnuts, Cumin and Coriander seeds. Leave to cool and grind into a powder.
Mix into your Yoghurt and add in your Olive oil, Molasses, chilli flakes and season to taste.
In a medium hot dry pan, put your cucumber cut side down. Cook until nicely charred (this recipe can also be done as part of a BBQ).
Transfer Cucumber to chopping board and slice into 5 slices on a 45 degree angle.
Season liberally with salt, pepper, Olive oil and a splash of Cider Vinegar.
To serve, place your Tarator in the middle of your bowl, and make a well the length of your cucumber, have 3 nicely picked sprigs of each herbs and place Cucumber down the centre, with a little drizzle of Olive oil. It’s lovely having the contrast of warm Cucumber and cooling Yoghurt.
Beets, their leaves and Rose kombucha.
Ingredients
Beetroot, washed and trimmed.
Waste coffee grinds from your morning coffee.
Beetroot leaves, washed
A good quality vinegar (I use a homemade Rose kombucha vinegar)
Cold pressed Rapeseed oil
Preheat oven to 180c, Make a loose slurry with the coffee grinds, water and a couple of pinches of salt. Pour on a baking tray and add your Beets, the coffee mixture should come a third of the way up. Cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 2 hours, you should be able to poke a knife into them with minimal resistance. Once the beets are cooked, leave to cool for a few minutes then peel the skin off, you should be able to rub it off easily. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the leaves till the stems are cooked. Whilst still warm season the beets and their leaves with your vinegar, cold press Rapeseed Oil, Salt and Pepper. Serve.
Carrots and Radishes roasted in Miso with Tahini and numbing oil.
Ingredients
Carrots, washed
Radishes, washed
1tsp chopped Thyme
2 tsp Miso
1 tsp Olive oil
Carrot tops, washed
Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Tahini
Lemon
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp Gochugaru chilli flakes
2pods black cardamom
2 star anise
1tsp coriander seeds
1tsp sichuan chilli
1 tsp each Black and White sesame seeds
1/2tsp cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic Peeled
1 thumbnail ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp tomato paste
1 shallots finely diced sliced
1 lemon grass sliced
150ml peanut oil
For the numbing oil caramelize your Shallots, Garlic, Ginger and Lemongrass in 2 tablespoons of your Peanut Oil, add the Tomato paste and cook out for 2 mins, add the rest of the ingredients and gently simmer for 30min. Put to the side and leave to cool, will last for upto a month.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch your Carrots for 3 mins, slice in half length ways. Roll your carrots and Radishes in the miso, thyme and oil for 20mins at 190c.
Quick pickle a few sprigs of carrot tops in a little cider vinegar.
Season the Tahini with a little squeeze of Lemon.
Serve and Enjoy!
