Issue 29

This salad holds a mould shape well. I like to garnish it with finely chopped fresh salad vegetables and herbs but it’s also nice plain.

• 1 cup quinoa (white or red)
• 3 cups water

Dressing:

• 3 medium tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup basil or mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper

Garnish:

• handful of basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup cucumber, finely diced
• 5-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped

Toast the dry quinoa in a pan until it starts to smell nutty and pops, about 2-3 minutes. Place in a sieve and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly and place in a pot with water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the grains have become transparent, the spiral-like germ has separated and all the water has been absorbed. This will take about 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Purée the tomatoes, garlic, basil, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper together until smooth. Mix into cooled quinoa, stirring until evenly combined. If desired mould salad, pressing it firmly into single-serve moulds or one large mould. Turn on to plates and garnish with basil, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

Prepared salad will keep covered in the fridge for a couple of days. Serves 6-8 as a side dish

We have used asparagus and eggplants but other vegetables such as beans, sliced zucchinis, capsicums, sliced sweet potato or pumpkin are also great with this treatment. The denser the vegetable, the longer it will take to cook.

• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
• 3 long Asian eggplants, halved lengthwise or 1 large round eggplant cut in 1.5 cm slices
• a little oil to brush
• salt and ground black pepper

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon root ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ cup fresh orange juice

Garnish:

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Brush vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-low heat turning frequently until softened and lightly browned. Asparagus will take about 8 minutes and eggplant 15-18 minutes.

Mix dressing ingredients until smooth and drizzle over vegetables. (Dressing can be made in bulk and will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks in a covered container.) Arrange vegetables on a serving platter, drizzle over dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 4 as a side dish

• 2 heads fresh corn or 2 cups corn kernels
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 250g fresh shiitake or button mushrooms, sliced (remove stems from shiitakes)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
• salt and ground black pepper

Remove husks and silks from corn. Grill over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, turning frequently. Cook until corn has turned yellow and is starting to brown in spots. Remove and allow to cool enough to slice kernels from cobs. If using cooked corn kernels, toss them in a hot pan or on a barbecue hot plate over high heat for a couple of minutes just to lightly toast and brown.

While corn is grilling, heat butter in a large frypan and sizzle ginger for a few seconds. Add sliced mushrooms and cook over high heat until softened, pan is dry and mushrooms are starting to brown; about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels to pan and cook a further 2-3 minutes. Mix in lemon juice and herbs and season to taste. Serve salsa with salmon (see Miso Grilled Salmon recipe above) or with grilled chicken. Makes 4 cups.

This marinade is also nice with other seafood and chicken.

• 6-8 boneless salmon fillets about 150g-180g each, skin on

Miso marinade:

• 2 teaspoons white miso
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Brush about ½ teaspoon over the flesh side of each piece of salmon. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Scrape off any excess marinade and brush flesh side with oil. Cook salmon flesh side down over medium heat for about 2 minutes then carefully turn and cook on the skin side for about 5-7 minutes for a medium-rare result, or until done to your liking. Wedge a fish slice or metal spatula between the skin and flesh to lift and remove the skin.

We took liberties with this painting. Did you spot the differences?