Category: Side

Paul Farag’s Potato Rosti with Cultured Cream and Bottarga

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

Wow.

This as starter or a side. Just brilliant.

By Paul Farag, the genius behind Sydney Turkish 2-hater Aalia, this recipe has a little technique behind it, though it’s otherwise simple and elegant.

What we loved about it was the drama of serving two large Rostis so that everyone can get in on the fun.

The shaved bottarga is just lux. Add caviar if you really want to impress.

I say it every time, though when I find a new potato dish that is a home run, I’m so excited.

(Nat found it, cooked it and I can no credit other than to be typing this up.)

We’re BBQing lobster on Christmas Eve – an annual tradition with Nat’s parents – and this rosti is going to make Nat’s mother so happy: just need to someone cook all that ghee without her seeing!

(If you don’t have a mandoline fitted with a julienne attachment, now might be the time.)

Ingredients

1gm sebago potatoes, peeled*
200gm ghee, melted
200gm crème fraîche
10gm bottarga or roe, caviar
1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Method

  1. Using your mandolin fitted with a julienne attachment, cut your potatoes into fine matchsticks.
  2. I rarely interrupt a recipe other than to suggest a wine or to keep stirring, however I say this as someone that made four cauliflower pizza bases one Friday night, not realising I would need to food-process, steam something like 20 cauliflowers and then suffer through the purgatory of squeezing the hot wet rice of 20 cauliflowers: do not julienne 1kg of potato with a knife. Just don’t.)
  3. Using your hands, squeeze out all the excess liquid, then place potato in a large bowl. Toss the potato with half the ghee and season well with salt flakes and freshly ground pepper.
  4. Place a non-stick pan with a 23cm base (use a sheet of baking paper to line the pan if your pan isn’t non-stick) over medium-low heat. Add half the potato mix, spreading it evenly to cover the base of the pan, lightly shaping it to a neat circle, but trying not to push down too much.
  5. Cook for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown. When ready to flip, place a chopping board over the pan and flip onto the board. Place half the remaining ghee (50gm) in the pan and transfer the rosti back to the pan, uncooked side down and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes until deep golden colour. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Repeat the remaining process with the remaining potato mixture and ghee.
  6. To serve, place a good dollop of crème fraîche on top of each warm rosti, finely shave bottarga over the top and sprinkle with chives.

* Yes, you can buy them in Australia.

Lidia Bastianich’s Onion and Potato Gratin

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 8

This is a classic, if slightly inelegant gratin.

And that’s what I love about it.

Thicker slices or potato and onion when compared to the far thinner slices of potato when we cook a French gratin.

The addition of the sage and bay leaves and the two types of cheese just adds to the comfort.

Nothing revolutionary here, though as a side, you’re just going to make people very happy.

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the baking dish
2 large white onions, thickly sliced
Sea salt
8 large, fresh sage leaves
1 c heavy cream
1 c whole milk
2 fresh bay leaves
1 kg medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1cm thick
170gm Italian Fontina, grated (I substituted Gruyère)
3/4 c freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan

Method

  1. Butter a large baking dish and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 200c.
  2. Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a medium pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions, season with 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the sage leaves, let them sizzle for a minute, then add the cream, milk and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and season with 1 tsp salt. Add the potatoes, and simmer just to combine, 3 – 4 minutes.
  4. Add the cheeses to a medium bowl and toss to combine them. Transfer half of the potato-cream mixture to the baking dish and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, then the cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake until it’s bubbly and the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top is golden brown and crusty and the potatoes have absorbed the cream and are no longer soupy (it will thicken up more as it cools as well), about 30 minutes. Discard the sage and bay leaves. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mark Bittman’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic (New York Times)

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

This is an absolutely superb dish from The New York Times.

11,736 five stars and one more from me.

It is so simple. Caramelise the brussels sprouts and garlic in a completely set-and-forget manner. Transfer to the oven.

Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and my word, you’re plating an absolutely brilliant side.

I can not overstate how good these are. As part of an amazing Italian lunch we had late one afternoon, we agreed that this was the winning dish.

And since when have brussels sprouts beaten a porschetta pork chop or a Lidia Bastianich potato and onion gratin?!

Must be good.

Ingredients

500gm brussels sprouts
4 – 6 tbsp extra virgin oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200c. Trim the bottom of the brussels sprouts, and slice each in half, top to bottom. Heat oil in a cast iron pan (skillet) over medium-heat until it shimmers: put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to the oven. Roast, shaking pan every 5 minutes, until sprouts are quite brown and tender: about 10 – 20 minutes.
  3. Taste and season as necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Char-grilled Asparagus

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

This is such a delightful side, showcasing how the addition of a few simple ingredients can make a vegetable side totally sing.

For a BBQ, this is the sort of dish that makes good, great.

Definitely one to bookmark.

Ingredients

2 bunches of asparagus
2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra to finish
1 tsp sea salt
60gm feta, crumbled
1 tbsp capers
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Black pepper

Method

  1. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Toss the spears in the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Lay the asparagus in a hot griddle pan, placing them perpendicular to the ridges of the pan. Cook for 6 – 9 minutes, turning occasionally, or until just al dente and lightly charred.
  2. Arrange the asparagus on four serving plates. Sprinkle over the feta, the capers, lemon zest, more pepper and a drizzle more of the oil.

Maricruz Avalos’s Tamales De Elote (Sweet Corn Tamales)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 8

We did a long Sunday afternoon Argentinian lunch this weekend.

A wonderful Beef Empanadas to start.

And then rump cooked over charcoal served with Chimichurri. Smashed potatoes.

And these quite wonderful Sweet Corn Tamales. Much better than cornbread in my opinion and far more… well, Argentinian.

It was in itself an absolutely love lunch with some wonderful flavours.

Though wow, these Tameles are just a great side. Chicken, a braise, a wonderful piece of steak: a great, great accompaniment.

The original receipe asks for the Tamale to be cooked within the corn husks, though this didn’t seem practical to me. My husks were not large enough and so I used baking paper which worked the trick.

Just add some kitchen twine.

These won’t win any awards, though as a side – kid-friendly too – they’re great.

Note: the original recipe asked for Masa Harina and Cornmeal, neither of which I had. I substituted plain flour and polenta and this worked perfectly well.

Ingredients

1kg corn kernels (about 5 – 6 corn ears) with husks
1/2 c butter
1/2 c caster sugar
1/2 c Masa Harina (substitute plain flour)
1/2 c cornmeal (substitute Polenta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Cut off the two ends of each corn ear and with a sharp knife, remove the kernels. Working in batches, place the corn kernels in a food processor and grind them until you have a paste.
  2. Drain any liquid from the corn in a colander and place in a large bowl.
  3. Beat the butter and egg until nicely fluffy. Add the buter mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the corn and mix until well combined.
  4. In a large, reserved corn husk – or on baking paper – place several large tbsp of the corn mixture and make into a log. Fold over the sides of the husk/baking paper and roll into a tube, securing with kitchen twine if necessary.
  5. Add the tamales in the rack of a steaming pot, making sure the open side is upwards. Steam for 90 minutes, adding more boiling water as necessary.

A Soulful Sunday by Slyvia Woods

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Serves: 6

When Nat and I were last in New York, we visited the famous Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. An absolute institution serving soul food since 1963.

Obama at Sylvias.

We had an amazing meal of shrimp, fried chicken and grits and walked away with the cookbook. A book we hadn’t cooked from until today.

We almost always cook to a theme and this menu of soul food was absolutely on-point and so much fun. We even found a playlist of banjo ballads!

The boys loved it; especially the beans which alongside fish or a steak would be an excellent, contemporary meal. Don’t let the ingredients, process or sheer simplicity of it throw you.

Add some hot sauce, some mayonnaise and of course, BBQ sauce and well, this is a meal that is just good for your soul.

The Absolute Best Southern Fried Chicken by Julia Pressley

I have slightly adjusted this recipe by using chicken tenderloins rather than jointing a whole bird. Just a bit easier and healthier.

Ingredients

1kg chicken tenderloins
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1 c vegetable oil

Method

  1. Pat dry the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the salt, 1 tsp black pepper and the garlic powder. Sprinkle over the chicken and let stand for 20 minutes or even better, overnight in the refridgerator.
  2. Place the flour, remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper and paprika into a heavy plastic bag. In batches, add the seasoned chicken and shake until each piece is covered with flour.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat until it bubbles when a little flour is sprinkled in. Add the chicken pieces and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 7 minutes or until the chicken is browned on the bottom, flip and repeat. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels before serving.

String Beans with New Potatoes by Sylvia Woods

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1/2 c chopped onion
250gm red potatoes cut into chunks
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 c boiling water
500gm string beans, ends trimmed

Method

  1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until browned; remove from the skillet and crumble. Discard all but 2 tbsp of the bacon fat.
  2. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened. Stir in the potatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the strinf beans. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes longer or to desired doneness, stirring occasionally.

Golden Brown Macaroni and Cheese by Mattle Wilson

I’ve types up a few mac and cheese receipes and this one is equally as deserving a type. It isn’t deconstructed or containing truffle. It’s as bare bones as it gets and that’s why it’s so good.

Ingredients

500gm uncooked macaroni
4 tbsp butter
2 1/2 c grated mild Cheddar cheese, divided
2 large eggs
1/2 c milk
Paprika, for the top

Method

  1. Cook the macaroni until done, drain pour into a greased baking dish. Stir in the butter and 2 c of the Cheddar cheese.
  2. In a bowl, beat the eggs and then beat in the eggs. Add the mixture to the macaroni and stir through. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c Cheddar cheese on top and dust with paprika. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is hot throughout.

Nat’s Grandma’s Sausage Rolls

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 10+ for finger food

Rita Ashes was famous for her roasts, pineapple upside down cakes and her sausage rolls.

Rita with Nat in yellow.

These are old school and crowd pleasers. The trick is cutting them small like Grandma used to do so they are bite sized, easy to eat with your hand, treats. Maintaining a little dignity (as Grandma would have wanted) as you shove them in your mouth.

“Very good Dear” as Grandma would say.

Ingredients

Puff Pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
750g sausage mince (cut the casing off of thin supermarket sausages)
1 onion, blended or thinly diced
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 egg, beaten
Tomato sauce, plus more to to serve

Method

  1. Once you have cut the casings off the sausages mix the mince, onion, breadcrumbs, 1 egg and mixed herbs in a bowl.
  2. Cut a piece of puff in half and pipe a line of tomato sauce along the edge (one sheet will make two sausage roll logs)
  3. Roll about 2 heaped tbsps of mince mixture along the tomato sauce line.
  4. Roll making sure its secure. Cut into about 7 slices. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  5. Brush each with the lightly beaten egg and bake for about 25mins on 180C until golden brown.

Nadia Sawalha’s Herby Garlic Bread

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4 – 6

A few weeks back, we catered a lunch for my mother-in-law.

Italian cheeses and meats to start.

And for mains, wonderful chicken ragu and Gordon Ramsay’s slow beef cheek ragu. Greens with classic vinaigrette.

As well as this excellent herby garlic bread, a nod to a meal Nat and I had had a few weeks prior where the large pastings of butter, herbs and garlic on large toasted baguette were just great.

Homemade garlic bread has always been chalk and cheese with the store-bought crap that can never be calorie justified: this garlic bread makes one of the strongest arguments for why you should have at least two slices with dinner.

Ingredients

1 long French baguette

For the herby garlic butter

225gm quality, unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme
1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 tbsp inely chopped fresh parsley
10 – 15 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
  2. In a pestle and mortar, pound your butter, herbs and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper and stir through the lemon zest and juice.
  3. Slice the baguette thickly, though keep the pieces together so the loaf’s shape is intact. Place on a piece of foil large enough to wrap around it later. Slather each slice on both sides with the butter. If any is left over, spread over the crust.
  4. Fold the foil over the baguette and cook for 20 minutes.

Pushpesh Pant’s Eggplant in Mild Yoghurt Sauce (Dahi ke Baigan)

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 2

This is just such a moorish dish.

The eggplant rounds, seasoned with spices and pan-fried.

The yoghurt, tempered with the oil, mustard seeds, dried red chillies and the fresh curry leaves.

Yum.

Another cracking addition to any thali. A dish on its own. A side you really should try as part of a long Indian banquet.

Oh, the dish perfectly doubles in size. I was worried it wouldn’t, though it very easily does.

Ingredients

250gm (1 small) eggplant, trimmed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of chilli powder
Pinch of ground turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
1 1/2 tsp ginger paste*
1 tsp garlic paste*
2 – 3 green chillies, de-seeded and chopped
200ml (1 cup) natural yoghurt

For the tempering

Pinch of asafoetida**
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 – 2 dried red chillies
Sprig of curry leaves

Method

  1. Cut the eggplant into round slices. Put the ground spices in a small bowl, season with salt and add 1 tbsp of water. Mix together.
  2. Coat. Non-stick pan with a thin film of oil over a medium heat. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, garlic paste and green chillies and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the eggplant and cook for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring once with a wooden spatula, then remove from the pan an set aside. Put the yoghurt in another pan and mix with a little water, then bring almost to the boil, stirring constantly to ensure it does not curdle.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based frying pan (skillet) over medium heat, add the asafoetida and mustard seeds and stir-fry for 1-minute, or until the seeds start to splutter. Add the dried red chillies, if using, and stir fry for about 2 minutes, or until they turn a shade darker, then add the curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the yoghurt mixture, add the eggplant and simmer for a further 2 minutes, or until the yoghurt and the eggplant is hot.

* Essentially, lots of ginger and lots of garlic blended with water. We have jars of ginger, garlic and ginger/garlic paste from our local Indian grocer in the fridge for this, a pretty simple and convenient approach that doesn’t unduly undermine the flavour.

** We did a cooking class with the wonderful Ajoy Joshi of Nilgiris in Sydney and this spice doesn’t add flavour. It is for flatulence (!) and we have always skipped it.

Claudia Roden’s Sweet and Sour Minty Grilled Courgettes

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

One of my favourite BBQ tricks is to toss sliced zucchini with oil, chilli and garlic and to grill alongside the chicken, pork, whatever.

It dials things up and shows a bit of effort.

This dish goes further and the addition of the ricotta is wonderful.

Nat absolutely loved the sweet and sour of the sauce and of course, it can all be prepared in advance.

Ingredients

3 courgettes (zucchini), cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices
Olive or sunflower oil
100ml white wine vinegar
50gm sugar
1 tbsp dried mint
Salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Whipped ricotta

250gm smooth ricotta
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1/2 small lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1. For the ricotta, whip the ricotta with the oil, lemon zest and season.
  2. Preheat a grill to high. Brush the courgettes with oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt. Grill on the BBQ or on a griddle pan for about 10 minutes until tender and lightly browned in places.
  3. Heat the vinegar and sugar with the dried mint and some pepper in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts, then simmer for 2 minutes to reduce it a little. Arrange the courgette slices side by side on a serving plates pour the vinegar dressing over them and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with the whipped ricotta.