Tag: capers

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Caper Gemolata

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 6

Anything that successfully dials up potatoes is a win for me.

Indeed, in our always-dieting house, we need an excuse to be pairing potatoes and this recipe is one such excuse.

It’s luxurious, it’s bursting with flavour from all the vinegar capers, anchovies and herbs.

And it looks wonderful plated.

You can see the effort and the effort is worth it.

Ingredients

1.5kg potatoes
Salt
4 tbsp olive oil plus more for the pan
1/4 c sherry vinegar
3 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 c flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes until tender and drain.
  2. Heat the oven to 240c and arrange the shelves high. Oil a baking sheet on a baking pan and place each potato down, gently pressing until crushed though still intact. Brush the tops of the potato with 1 tbsp and roast for 25 minutes.
  3. Brush the potatoes with 1 tbsp more oil and then grill until golden brown: 4 – 7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.
  4. While the potatoes cook, combine in a bowl the vinegar, capers, anchovy paste, garlic and remaining 2 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp salt: drizzle over the potatoes and serve immediately.

Italian Coleslaw

.Reading time 2 minutes.

FullSizeRender (7).jpg
Just wonderful; creamy thanks to the parmesan; hot thanks to the chilli oil.

Italian Coleslaw

Serves: 4 – 6

This is a really sophisticated little number I pulled from Gourmet Traveller.

It speaks of the thinly sliced, super-fresh vegetables and herbs you throw in and with the parmesan, chilli oil and some seasoning, wow.

We had it with a glazed pork chop and some braised beans it was wonderful; it is hot, fresh, soaked up the rest of the plate and stood its own as a side. The next lunch served with a rare BBQed eye fillet and some hand-cut chips, it got even better.

Slaw is always good and this is a wonderful version of it.

Ingredients

180gm peas (de-thawed peas are fine or if using podded peas, start with 500gm )
¼ white cabbage, thinly sliced
Fennel bulb, thinly sliced
½ Spanish Onion, thinly sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
½ cup each (loosely packed) basil, mint and flat-leaf parsley, coarsely torn
¼ cup (firmly packed) watercress sprigs
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed
40gm parmesan, finely grated
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp chilli oil
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

  1. If using podded peas, blanch peas in boiling salted water until tender (1 – 2 minutes), fresh and drain. If using frozen, de-thaw completely.
  2. Combine in a large bowl with cabbage, fennel, onion, radish, herbs, watercress, capers and parmesan and toss to combine.
  3. Just before serving, add oils and juice, season to taste and toss lightly to combine.

Sirloin Steak in a Tomato and Caper Sauce

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

This recipe is from Delicious magazine and it did well to get cooked and typed up.

I have one of those Country Road bags completely full of recipes pulled from different magazines and newspapers and with so many cookbooks and recipes online, it is a rare lucky-dip into the bag for the occasional lunch or dinner.

Anyway, pretty glad we picked this one.

Easy, healthy, tasty and definitely worthy of typing up.

Served with a parsnip mash (with cumin, cayenne, nutmeg and walnut oil) and some steamed beans.

Yum!

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
4 x 150gm sirloin steaks (we used porterhouse)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
400gm can tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano

Method

  1. Place 1 tbsp oil in a frypan over a high heat. In batches, sear the steaks for 1 minute on each side and set aside.
  2. Reduce heat to medium then add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the pan. Cook garlic, anchovies, capers and parsley, stirring for 2 – 3 minutes until the anchovies melt.
  3. Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until thickened.
  4. Reduce heat to medium. Return steaks and any resting juices to the pan. Cover the steaks with the sauce then simmer for 6 minutes for medium-rare.
  5. Serve sprinkled with parsley leaves.