COOKING WITH THE FOOD ARSONIST

It’s that time of year again when the barbeque grills start to come out for the summer. This is a very speedy and easy to assemble menu, especially if you substitute spring rolls from the deli instead of making your own for that extra quick dinner. The kiwi and mango make a succulently tasty salsa for the healthy grilled salmon or tuna. Herbs play such an important part in cooking that you may want to try your hand at growing a few different types this summer. Not only are they a tasty part of cooking, but also add color and scent to the garden. Following the recipes, you’ll find a handy guide to herbs, as well as some mouth-watering ways to make your own herb-flavored oils and vinegars!

BAKED SPRING ROLLS

Ingredients:

2 oz Rice vermicelli
1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
3/4 Cup Carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 Cup Green onions, thinly sliced
8 Green Onions; washed, dried and trimmed
1/2 Cup Water chestnuts; canned – cut into matchstick pieces
1/2 Cup Bamboo shoots; cut into matchstick pieces
1/2 Cup Snow peas; thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Savoy cabbage; very finely shredded
1/4 Cup Sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon Sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons Ginger root, finely grated
1 teaspoon Soy sauce
4 teaspoons Vegetable oil
8 each Sheets Rice paper (phyllo dough or spring roll wrappers can be substituted), 8-1/2 inches in diameter
12 small Shrimp, cooked, deveined and shelled (except for tail)
Plum sauce for garnish

1. Cook rice vermicelli in boiling water for three minutes. Drain. Place in a large bowl and toss with sesame oil.
2. Add vegetables, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ginger root and soy sauce to the bowl and toss again. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 450F.
4. Place oil in a small dish. Dip one sheet of rice paper into warm water for 15-30 seconds until soft. (Omit this step if using phyllo dough or spring roll wrappers.)
5. Place wrapper on a dish towel. Brush surface lightly with oil.
6. Spoon 1/8 of the filling onto the bottom edge of the wrapper. Fold the bottom edge up to just cover filling; brush surface lightly with oil.
7. Fold in edges and then roll up, brushing surfaces with oil as you roll. Repeat with remaining rice paper/wrapper sheets and filling.
8. Place each roll seam side down on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake spring rolls on the lowest oven rack for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned.
9. Serve with plum sauce if desired. Garnish with a spring onion and three small shrimp, shelled except for tail.

SASSY SALMON STEAKS

With Lime, Soy and Kiwi and Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

For the Salmon Steaks:

Juice and zest of 2 limes

3 tablespoons (3x15 ml spoons) light soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15ml spoon) olive oil

1-2 red chillies deseeded and finely chopped

4-6oz (4x150g) salmon steaks (tuna or swordfish steaks are also excellent in this recipe)

For the Salsa:

1 ripe mango
3 ripe kiwis
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon (5 ml spoon) sugar
1/2 oz. (1/2 x 15g) pack coriander, chopped

1. Mix the lime juice and zest, soy sauce, oil and chili together.
2. Place the salmon steaks in a flat dish and pour over the marinade. Turn each piece to coat both sides and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if you have the time.
3. Preheat a barbecue or grill to high.
4. Meanwhile, peel and stone the mango, peel the kiwi and dice the flesh of each. Add the lime juice and zest to the sugar and stir to dissolve, then add to the fruit. Mix well and leave for 10 minutes.
5. Cook the fish for 2-3 minutes each side, basting with the remaining marinade during cooking.
6. To serve, place the fish on a bed of noodle salad (see recipe below) on a plate. Add the coriander to the salsa and place a spoonful on top of the fish steak.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

NOODLE SALAD WITH SOY SAUCE

Ingredients:

8 oz (250g) pack medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 bunch salad onions, finely chopped
6 oz (1/2 x 300g) pack beansprouts
1/2 oz. (1/2 x 15g) pack coriander, chopped
4 oz (1/2 x 120g) pack shilitake mushrooms (you can use white mushrooms if you prefer)
8 oz (1/2 x 200g) pack mixed salad
3x15ml spoons light soy sauce
Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (optional)

1. Mix the noodles, salad onions, coriander, beansprouts, mushrooms, and salad together in a large bowl.
2. Combine the soy and sweet chilli dipping sauce (if using) together and pour over the noodles.
3. Toss to dress all the ingredients, and serve with fish.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

ALMOND COOKIES

Ingredients:

2 3/4 Cups Sifted flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Butter
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon Almond extract
1/3 Cup Almonds, Whole

1. Sift flour, sugar, soda and salt together into a mixing bowl.
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add egg and almond extract; mix well.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Place an almond atop each cookie and press down to flatten slightly.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
6. Cool on rack.

Yield: About 4 1/2 dozen

Serve with hot Jasmine tea.

OUTSPAN ORANGE AND MELON MINTED SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (75g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100ml) water
3/4 oz. (15g) pack mint, chopped, reserving some whole leaves
2 tablespoons (2x15ml) Peach Schnapps
1 orange fleshed melon (e.g. Chanterais or cantaloupe)
4 Outspan oranges, peeled and segmented

1. Place the sugar and water into a saucepan. Allow the sugar to dissolve over a gentle heat, then turn up the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes until you get a syrup. Allow to cool. Add the chopped mint and the peach schnapps to the sugar syrup.
2. Halve the melon and deseed with a spoon. Cut into 8 wedges, remove the skin, and dice the fruit.
3. Combine the melon and orange with the syrup in a bowl. Serve in individual glass dishes garnished with whole mint leaves.

Serves: 6

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

SUMMER SANGRIA PUNCH

Ingredients:

75cl bottle rose wine (e.g. Rose d’Anjou)
1/3 cup (100ml) grapefruit juice
1/3 cup (100ml) tequila or vodka
1/3 cup (100ml) Ocean Spray Cranberry & Blackcurrant Juice Drink
1/3 cup (75g) unrefined caster sugar, or to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a large jug and serve with pieces of fruit (e.g., halved seedless grapes, blackcurrants, apple slices, orange slices) and lots of ice

COOKING WITH HERBS

Herbs are not only an essential element of cooking, but are also easy to grow, look good, smell wonderful and make a wonderful addition to your gardens. They can be grown in among your flower beds or in containers, ideal for terraces, balconies or window boxes. If you do grow them in containers, be careful to choose only those that are needed in small quantities, such as thyme, sage or fennel, rather than mint or rocket, which are usually required in handfuls.

Fresh herbs will give everyday dishes extra flavour, colour and fragrance. Chop them and add to sauces, or use as seasonings for meats and vegetables. Add whole herbs to extra virgin olive oil to make marinades and dressings, and use them as a garnish for fish, meat and salads. Most herbs can be used in cooking, but add them near the end of the cooking time to help retain their flavour. The flavour of the herb comes from its essential oil that is stored in the stem, leaves or flowers. The oil is released through heat or when the herb is torn; the essential oil can be cooked off if not added near the end of the cooking time.

Strong flavoured herbs such as rosemary and sage should be used in small quantities and are good with richer meats such as lamb and game. Delicate herbs, like parsley, are ideal with white fish and chicken. Many herbs, such as basil and mint, are delicious used in sweet as well as savoury dishes. Try them in ice cream or served with a fresh fruit salad of melon and strawberry.

Need a handy guide of herbs? Use the guideline below. This one’s garden this year will include basil, borage, chives, fennel, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, rocket, sage, sorrel and thyme.

BASIL: Sweet, aromatic flavour. It is a typical Italian herb, a perfect partner for tomatoes, summer vegetables, salads and desserts. A must for Provencal, Italian and Thai cooking. It needs a sunny, sheltered spot and free-draining soil. Water lightly in hot weather, but ensure the leaves are dry before nightfall. In exposed gardens, it is best grown in a conservatory or on a window sill.

BORAGE: Blue flowers with cucumber-flavoured leaves. This annual grows best in well-drained thin soil in the sun. It reseeds itself and, if you do not remove the dead flowers before they set to seed, may overtake your other plants.

CHIVES: Leaves have a mild onion flavour. This plant has lovely purple-globed flowers. Delicious with new potatoes, potato salads, tomatoes and dairy products. This herb makes a very attractive edging. Grow in rich soil and sun. Cut back the leaves once or twice in the summer to encourage new growth. These plants are dormant in the winter and reappear in the spring.

CORIANDER: Widely used in Indian and Oriental cuisines, the leaves are excellent in both curries and salads. Delicious partnered with ginger and coconut, or lime. (Not sure about how this is grown, since this one buys her coriander at the market!)

DILL: Wonderful served with smoked salmon and other fish. Stir it into soured cream as a dip or garnish. Should never be cooked. Best grown in moist, well-drained soil. See ‘Fennel.’

FENNEL: Bright green plant with distinct aniseed flavour. Excellent for use with fish. It is related to the dill and should not be grown close together as the dill and fennel will crossbreed. It looks similar to dill but has a more pronounced aniseed flavour. Best grown in moist but well-draining soil.

LEMON BALM: Lemon-flavoured leaves can be added to sweet and savoury dishes and is excellent in teas, both iced and hot. This Mediterranean herb will grow in most soils, though it grows best in rich soil types. It prefers sun or part shade and must be trimmed back to keep it from becoming unmanageable.

MINT: Add to teas, salads, sweet and savoury dishes. It adds a kick to summer salads, potatoes and curries and is delicious in sauces with meat. This hardy perennial is best grown in large containers because it is extremely invasive. Mint likes moist soil and will grow in sun or shade.

OREGANO: For pizzas and other Italian dishes; excellent in dishes with cheese, eggs or fish. Oregano is also known as ‘sweet marjoram’ and is a perennial plant with small white flowers in the summer. It should be grown in a warm, sunny location with thin, well-drained soil. If your garden soil is very heavy and wet, it is best to grow this herb in a container.

PARSLEY: Slightly peppery and fresh tasting, it makes an ideal flavouring for fish, salads, soups and sauces. It is also commonly used as a garnish. Parsley is best grown in very rich, moist soil with some shade in the summer. It is a biennial, meaning it runs to seed very quickly in the second year and should be removed and new plant modules planted. To ensure the best crop of parsley leaves, remove the flower heads as soon as the buds appear.

ROCKET: Yellow flowers and pepper-flavoured leaves can both be used in salads. This easily grown wild herb prefers poor soil and sun. Unlike salad rocket, it doesn’t matter if it produces flowers and seeds prematurely because the flowers are edible and the seeds produce new growth. It thrives on being picked regularly.

ROSEMARY: Highly aromatic leaves and a flavour that has hints of lemon and pine. Excellent with roast chicken and lamb, it is a great seasoning for roast vegetables also. (This is another one that is normally purchased from the market, though may try growing a bit this year.)

SAGE: A pungent herb, add to Mediterranean flavours, such as garlic and tomato. A little of this herb goes a long way. Superb for meats on the barbeque. This is a hardy evergreen perennial from the Mediterranean and prefers free-draining, gritty soil or compost and a warm, sunny spot. If the leaves look untidy in the spring, prune lightly.

SORREL: Add young leaves to salads for a lemon flavour; use the mature leaves in fish sauces. Remove the flower buds on this herb as soon as they appear since its leaves will lose much of their flavour if the plant flowers. Plant in a rich, moist, acid soil and a sunny or partly shaded spot.

THYME: This is an absolute culinary essential with antiseptic properties. The light lemon aroma makes thyme a perfect herbal complement to fish and chicken dishes. Excellent with grilled and roast meats. It’s also wonderful in marinades for meat. This is another Mediterranean herb and likes the same conditions as sage, so can be grown in the same area. To prevent the plant from growing leggy and woody, trim off the tiny, white, pink or mauve flowers as soon as they fade.

OLIVE OIL AND FRESH HERBS

It is very easy to make your own herb flavoured oils to add a wonderful summery, Mediterranean flavour to all kinds of dishes. The combination of fragrant, fresh herbs and rich olive oils are perfect partners for delicious dressings and marinades. Try steeping chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, rosemary or oregano in extra virgin olive oil for a tasty herb dressing, or add whole herbs to extra virgin olive oil for a superb, flavoured oil to drizzle over roasted vegetables and grilled meat.

Most olive oil comes from Spain, Greece or Italy and each has its own flavour and character. Distinguished by the level of acidity (the lower the acidity, the more valued the oil), there are several varieties of olives used to produce olive oil. Made from pressed olives, the oil from the first pressing of olives is known as extra virgin, rich in colour, especially smooth and fruity in flavour and is considered the ultimate olive oil. Used in a multitude of ways, it is excellent drizzled over salads and pasta. Extra virgin olive oil also is delicious as a dip for fresh, crusty bread, and with fresh herbs to make dressings and marinades.

After the first pressing, the remaining oil is refined to produce lighter coloured and milder flavoured pure olive oil, which is the ideal type used for general cooking. It has a small amount of extra virgin olive oil added to give it a hint of flavour. Mild and light olive oil is also available, and is the same as pure olive oil except it has less extra virgin olive oil added. Remember that extra virgin olive oil and olive oil are the best to use, but bear in mind when choosing your herb that extra virgin has a strong flavour that may overpower delicate herbs.

Use a sterilized container and add in rosemary, chilli, basil, a bouquet garni made of chives, rosemary and parsley, or any other herb combinations that you might like; pour in the olive oil and cap or cork (use only new, clean corks) tightly. Store in a cool, dark place.

VINEGAR AND FRESH HERBS

To make an herb vinegar, put rinsed and dried herbs and any spices into a sterilized container (a 750ml wine bottle is ideal) and add about 3 cups of vinegar, filling it to 1/4 inch of the top. Cap or cork tightly with a new cork and set aside for 2 to 3 weeks to steep, shaking occasionally. Flavoured vinegar has a shelf life of at least a year. Store in a cool, dark place.

Try these combinations in either red wine vinegar or in making flavoured olive oil, 4 sprigs fresh curly-leaf parsley and 2 Tbsp black peppercorns; or 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley and 2 sprigs fresh basil. In your white wine vinegar or olive oil: 4 sprigs fresh tarragon or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary. For a unique flavoured vinegar, try adding 4 sprigs fresh cilantro and 2 tablespoons dried star anise to rice wine vinegar.

Use your imagination and experiment. Part of the fun of cooking is trying out new things. Until next month, bon appetit!