Yellow Salsa (Grilled Peach)

This summer I was inspired by friends to make salsa.  As the summer winds down, here's a perfect dish to enjoy with the lasts of the summer produce.

Select yellow salsa ingredients, yellow tomatoes, peaches, corn, yellow onions and peppers.

Coat the peaches and corn in olive oil and add some colour and char on the grill.

You don't want to cook the peaches to a mush, just sear them well.

Mince the ingredients and stir together with a bit of salt, cumin and chipotle (for that nice kick and extra smokyness).  Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with your favourite tortilla chips.

Grilled Aubergine with Rice and Tomatoes

Fresh from the garden and grilled until tender.  Served with seasoned rice, diced tomatoes and a balsamic reduction.

First, slice and soak the eggplant in heavily salted water while the grill preheats.

Drain and rinse the eggplant.  Coat with olive oil and grill until tender.

Make sure to get some good grill lines.

Season jasmine rice with salt, smoked paprika and olive oil.

Plate by layering rice and eggplant.  Garnish with diced tomatoes and a balsamic reduction with shallots.  And basil, always gotta have basil.

Baked Summer Squash

A delicious, fresh from the garden and vegan dish; baked and stuffed summer squash.  Many squashes, scallop, patty pan, rond-de-nice, don't slice well.  Rather than chunking them in a stew, this preparation provides an elegant presentation.

Select the chunky and round squash.

Slice the bottom to flatten it, scoop out the insides with a melon-baller and save them for the filling.  Then coat each of them with olive oil and bake at 35oF.  To keep them from moving, ramekins or muffin tins can be used.  Thirty minutes is usually long enough - just make sure they're tender.

While they're baking, saute a mirepoix (carrots, celery, onions), adding tomatoes, peppers and the scooped out parts of the squash.

When it's reduced, it should nice and thick.

Spoon the filling into the squash and garnish with fresh herbs.

Squash Blossom Fritters

Mmmm... fried food.

Prepare mashed potatoes with a nice savoury spice: onion powder, dill, green onion, parsley, smoked paprika and salt.

Pick full and large flowers that open easily.  This has to be done early in the morning as the flowers tend to wilt in the sun.  Be sure to pick the "male" flowers as they are the easiest to work with.  It's easy to tell the difference - the female flowers have small squashes attached.

Pipe in the potato mix:

Coat with a flour-water batter.  I used buckwheat so that it's gluten free.

Fry ~375F until golden brown.  Buckwheat is a darker grain, so these are fairly brown.

Drain on kitchen roll (paper towels):

Serve while still hot - otherwise they go soggy.

Red White and Blue Chocolate Mousse

Happy Fourth!

Not the traditional eggy mousse, rather a whipped cream and melted white chocolate.  As the chocolate cools, it sets the mousse.  Check out Byron Talbot's youtube channel for inspiration:  http://youtu.be/j3OrIr1WrhE

Breakfast Wedge

Inspired by the chaps at Sorted Food [http://sortedfood.com/], a vegetarian version of an easy breakfast dish:

Check out their process here: http://youtu.be/D1mPghz6jjw

Naturally, serve it the British way - with (vegetarian) baked beans!  Also served with fresh tomatoes and basil.

Balsamic Vinegar "Caviar"

Flavourful balsamic bundles, perfect for serving with fresh tomatoes.

Start with a moderate vinegar:

Mix agar agar and vinegar:

Heat until all the agar agar crystals are dissolved:

Fill an irrigation syringe with the hot mixture: Irrigation Syringe available at Amazon.com

Drop slowly into freezing oil.  Grape seed oil works well:

Strain:

It keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.

Pomegranate Avocado Spread

I'm enjoying some of the best pomegranates at the moment.  This simple spread is the perfect alternative to mayo or butter in sandwiches.

Extract the kernels:

Whisk an avocado until smooth.  Add a pinch of salt and a bit of lemon - just enough to prevent oxidation:

The perfect spread:

Thai Noodles and Veg

This tasty dish is rich, warm and packed with lots of fresh veg.

Soak and drain the rice noodles:

Prepare the seasonings: curry paste, peanut paste, lemongrass, salt, red curry paste:

Cashews for protein:

Chop the veg - carrots, onions, green onions, lettuce, sweet peppers:

Heat a can of coconut mild; add the seasonings and veg:

Promptly add in the noodles and cook until done:

Warm yet spicy comfort food!

Roast Roots and Chèvre

Fresh from the spring garden, carrots, beets and greens.

Start by cleaning and peeling the produce.

Place in a lined baking dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast at 175C (350F) until fork tender.

Depending on taste, serve warm, or allow to cool before plating with fresh greens and goat's cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower

A cauliflower roast plated on quinoa and garnished with pistachios.

First, hack up the cauliflower, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

After baking at 350F for ~20 minutes, you may want to broil it to add colour.

(nom)

Serve with prepared quinoa and garnish with salted pistachios.  Nutty, roasty and filling.

Bitter Melon

If you're Piony, there's one thing that cures all ailments: bitter melon!  It's kinda like a cucumber, but it has a distinct bitter base flavour. Start by sauteing diced onion and adding the sliced bitter melon.

Pour over beaten eggs and continue to cook until done through - like a frittata.  Once done, top with shiitake and tomatoes.

Pad see ew (Phat si io)

This was more experimental - I'd only had a taste at a restaurant.

Start by soaking rice flake noodles (square rice noodles).  Create a broth of fresh tomato puree, soy sauce, crushed peanuts, diced onion and a bit of water.  Bring it to a boil and drizzle in a beaten egg.  Add the rice flake and a bit of coconut oil.

Keep it stirred until it's tender - serve promptly.

It's an amazing flavour - serve with fresh tomatoes and Thai basil.

Kale Chips

Fresh picked from the garden.  Coated with olive oil and sea salt.

Spread on parchment or a baking mat.

Bake at 175C (350F) until crisp - guilt free deliciousness.

Rice and beans

Black beans and rice is a delicious meal.  I decided to turn the tables and make:White beans and black rice:

Seasoned with sugar, olive oil and black truffle salt

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup

I've never cooked with fennel, so I though I'd give it a go.

Start by roasting some tomatoes and red peppers.

Then saute onions until caramelized (I added beet leaves for extra red colour).

Make a broth (I used carrots, fennel bulb, mushrooms, kale)

Blend the roasted tomatoes and peppers along with enough broth to make a proper soup)

Roast a slice of fennel bulb for each serving.  Finish caramelizing the fennel in a frying pan.

Thai Green Curry (winter)

That curry is unbelievably good.  It can range from mildly warming to a searing sweat-inducing  spice.  Served with brown jasmine rice and cashews.

For a hot moderately hot curry, start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste, a teaspoon of crushed peanuts or crunchy peanut butter and a teaspoon of salt.  Add these ingredients to a can of coconut milk and simmer.

The oil will start to separate out of the coconut milk when it's ready.

Add sliced or julienned vegetables, bamboo strips and Thai basil.Unfortunately, in the winter, basil doesn't grow.  This dish is prepared with carrots, onions, peppers, napa cabbage and fennel.

In the summer, I'll post a proper green curry.

Thai Red Curry Soup with Cocunut Rice

An amazing flavour and comfort food, red curry is both spicy and smooth.  Curried coconut milk with carrots, bell peppers and napa cabbage, served with toasted flake coconut

Omelette aux asperges

Three whites, one yolk and blanched asparagus. Topped with gruyère; served with a buckwheat biscuit and chili roasted fingerling potatoes.

Chili roasted fingerling potatoes:  Coat with olive oil, chili oil, smoked paprika and parsley.

Avocado Spread

This isn't like most mushy avocado spreads, rather the addition of fresh, shredded kale gives it a texture.  Also, it's not a guacamole flavoured spread.  Instead, it's seasoned with smoked paprika, onion powder and saffron.

It goes great on (or in) grilled wraps: