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Spices for beginners

July 16, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables; I think it’s because it’s so versatile. Most of us associate it with cheese sauce, but it’s also delicious roasted in a simple Italian tomato sauce with lots of crushed garlic, black olives, chopped parsley and chilli. I also love it puréed hot with a splash of cream and a knob of butter, seasoned with smoked sea salt,  and served with gorgeous lemon-and-sage pork chops.

Recently I decided to try roasting a few florets in a spice mix of my own and serving them with a mint dipping sauce. To do this, you need a few spices in your grocery cupboard so that you can play around a bit and create your own flavour combinations. All my friends confessed to not really knowing all that much about spices, so here are a few hints and tips on how to store and prepare spices so you can start your very own spice rack at home.

Roast spicy cauliflower with mint dressingSTORE whole spices in small jars and bottles so you can use them up while they’re still fresh and full of flavour. It‘s a good idea to buy them in small quantities so you can refill them when they run out instead of allowing them to go stale.

BUY whole spices so you can grind them yourself using a spice grinder, coffee mill or pestle and mortar for more intense aromas and flavours. Whole spices also last longer than ground spices.

DRY-FRY spices in a pan over a low heat for a few seconds until they’re lightly coloured to release and enhance their flavours. However, be sure to remove them from the hot pan so they don’t continue cooking when off the heat.

PREPARE spices with care. If they burn they will lose their delicate flavours and become bitter.

COOK spices by adding them to a saucepan with gently heated olive oil, butter or ghee. This will impart their flavours into the liquid, which will, in turn, flavour every other component of the dish.

SEASONING food using spices instead of too much salt and pepper is a good way to lower your salt intake.

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Roast spicy cauliflower florets with mint dressing
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetiser
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cauliflower heads
  • 1 T coriander seeds, toasted
  • 2 t cumin seeds, toasted
  • 1 t dried chilli flakes
  • 2 T garam masala
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 2 cups fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 2 fresh chillies
  • 1-2 lemons, juiced

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Break the cauliflower heads into florets and toss with the toasted spices, chilli flakes, garam masala and 1 T olive oil.
  3. Spread onto a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Blend together the mint, one chilli, remaining olive oil and the lemon juice.
  5. Divide the cauliflower between 4 bowls and pour over the mint dressing.
  6. Slice the remaining chilli and use to garnish.
  7. Cook’s note: Dust the cauliflower with spiced flour and fry for a slightly crispier result.

 

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Remember to visit Woolworths The Pantry for more ideas and recipes.

Love

Hannah

Consultant Food Editor, Woolworths TASTE

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by Woolies Pantry

Divine cheese-and-herb chicken breast roasts

June 15, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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Remember my post about food for men from just a few days ago, Monday in fact! That really was a weekend of seriously rich food, great wine and good company which was awesome.

Before that it had been a few weeks (ok more than a few weeks) of pure self indulgence! I am officially addicted to butter-lovers microwave popcorn as well as munching down on my old school-favourite chocolates like Lunch Bar, Bar One and Chomp.

When last did you sink your teeth into one of those bad boys? My local Woolworths, like most, have strategically moved their great value big box gummy sweets to the aisle before the tills and caught me off guard, so much so that they were in my shopping basket and swished through the scanner before I could say “Yummy”. Cringe yes?

I have been hiding behind the excuse of winter and getting away with it by wearing more chunky knits and oversized jerseys, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t have to face myself in the mirror every morning, even in the dimmer light of the grey June sky.

So this week has been the week of avoiding that popcorn aisle and giving away the last of my gummy sweets to Callan (ok there were only four, lonely liquorice-flavoured dinosaurs left) but one thing I can’t give up on these freezing cold winter nights is crumbed chicken! Yes that’s right, I said it!

The delicious chicken breasts are my favourite, patted with gorgeous golden crunchy crumbs hot out of the oven and served with steamed tenderstem broccoli and asparagus piled onto creamy mashed potatoes. Now that is my kind of comfort meal.

I recently tried Woolworths cheese and herb breast roast, a roll of succulent chicken crusted with the same golden-crumbed crust hugging a sage, onion and Cheddar stuffing. Delicious! With my new healthier self in mind, balance is vital so I always make sure I have a hefty side serving of greens.

The oven-ready roast cooks in its foil tray in under an hour at 180°C and pairs perfectly with crisp green beans glistening with burnt butter and scattered with crushed nuts.

This is how I make my favourite gourmet green beans.

You will need 250g fine green beans. I like to snap the harder stalks off of the top of each bean but I leave the softer ‘tail’ on because you hardly even notice they are there. I like to add my beans to a saucepan bubbling with salted boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes so they stay a vibrant green and crunchy before draining them.

While they are cooking, add 50g of butter to a small saucepan (you can add more depending on how much sauce you want) and keep your eye on it when the butter melts.

When it starts to bubble it will turn a golden brown colour fairly quickly and you don’t want it to burn. When it browns, remove it from the heat as it will keep cooking in the hot saucepan, even off the stove.

Add some crushed walnuts or almonds to the sauce with some crushed garlic and sage, if you like, to go with the stuffing. Toss the butter onto your hot drained beans so they glisten with a lovely coating of burnt butter and crushed nuts and serve immediately.

Enjoy it if you are making it this weekend. It’s perfect for a cheat’s Father’s Day meal. And don’t forget to pop in at the Woolies Pantry for more easy cooking inspiration this weekend.

Hannah

Consultant Food Editor, Woolworths TASTE

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