2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - K is for Kale - Gluten free vegan kale pizza with grilled vegetables

Yes - gluten free and vegan food can taste amazing! 

So I have been looking at this gluten free cauliflower pizza base for a while. Could you do the same with kale, and make it vegan as well? Why not!

Recipe

200g   Raw weight kale with large stalks removed

50g     Silken tofu

25g     Pine nuts

1/4tsp Nutmeg

1/2tsp Salt

Crushed black pepper to taste

 

1. First wash the kale then steam for about 4 minutes till wilted & soft. I do this by removing from the water it has been soaking in to remove any dirt. There should be enough water left on the leaves to steam it when you put a lid on the pan. Once it is cooked leave to chill. 

2. Place kale into a tea towel and squeeze out the water left inside - this helps the pizza base bind together. 

3. Whizz the strained kale in a food processor with the other ingredients till you have a fine texture. 

4. Form into a pizza base shape on a baking tray and non stick baking mat. 

5. Bake the base in a pre-heated oven @ 180 oC for 35 minutes (yes it really does take that long to dry it out). 

6. Take the base out of the oven and add your toppings. 

7. Replace in oven for 5 - 10 minutes to cook the toppings. 

8. Remove from oven and delve in!

For my topping I added neapolitan sauce, caramelised red onion, grilled butternut squash, asparagus, olives and roasted peppers & sprinkled with pinenuts.
Next time I'll try adding a little tapioca flour as well to firm it up a bit more.......

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2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - J is for (Cheesy) Jalapeños wrapped in pancetta or with crispy breadcrumbs

This should spice up the wedding breakfast!

Cheesey jalapeno peppers wrapped in pancetta & topped with breadcrumbs

Originally we were going to do these as a canape for a wedding this coming June. But the wedding couple instead decided on serving them as a side dish for the main course. Why not! This will spice up the lamb & chicken dishes they chose. I am a new fan of jalapenos after making these jalapeno poppers for a Mexican theme menu last year. 

Cheesy jalapeno peppers

Cream cheese or quark
Red onion diced
Lime juice
Coriander (cilantro in US)
Ground cumin
Parmesan
Jalapeno peppers

Slice the jalapeno peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Mix all the other ingredients together and stuff inside the peppers.
You can roll them in pancetta, or for vegetarians top them with  mix of breadcrumbs, herbs & grated parmesan. Both versions can be baked in the oven for c. 15 - 20 minutes @ 180 oC till peppers are soft and either pancetta is crisp (for pancetta version) or breadcrumb mix is crisped up and brown for the other version.


Related posts:

Jalapeno poppers for a Mexican theme menu

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2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - I is for Italian veal rolls (involtini) with stuffed aubergine: Chef in Venice #11

There's nothing better than getting away from cooking 24/7 and going on holiday..... and cooking! 

Involtini of veal

My excuse is it's more relaxed cooking - and food shops and markets in other countries are always so much more exciting!
We're going back to 2011 now - seems a long time since my last holiday....
Been to Venice a few times - the Biennale keeps dragging me & my friend back - I've been told I'm going next year (yay!).

Cooking for yourselves rather than eating out in Venice (along with a few other canny tips) means you can get by on a shoestring - I'm only a poor chef after all.
I also try out new things. Right then I was trying out roasted whole aubergines. We served them at a few weddings afterwards - a great vegetarian alternative for hog roasts I find.

Roasted aubergine

1. Cut aubergine in half lengthways.
2. Slash the aubergine flesh with a sharp knife in centimetre wide cuts so you almost get down to the skin, but not quite. Then turn it 90 degrees and cut the other way so you end up with diamond shaped cuts.
3. Cut garlic cloves in half and place these in random places in the cut aubergine. Do the same with rosemary and oregano sprigs.
4. Drizzle olive oil over generously, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven @ 180 oC for about 20 mins.
5. Once cooked you can either leave to cool and scoop out the flesh and use for aubergine caviar or you can chop the flesh and mix it with.. say... parmesan, oregano, salami, tomato and cooked onion and place it back in the aubergine shell and re-bake it to let all those flavours melt together. Tasty!

Involtini veal raw with mozzarella, roast peppers & capers

With the involtini of veal you can either roll it in pancetta like I did with this one or secure it with cocktail ticks like the one above. You can be all healthy and bake it in the oven or fry it in butter with lemon juice added in at the end.

A trip the the Veneto hills is definitely recommended! (It really is that blue!)

Random figurine with parasol on the backstret walk early morning. Get to know the back streets & shortcuts - saves fighting your way through the grockles! 

Besides the 2 main exhibition centres of the Biennale (Giardini & Arsenale) other countries have their pavillions scattered in random palazzos, churches and tumble down buildings across the city - and it is these which by far provide the best experience... maybe because you have a break in between finding each one, or that actually finding some of them is a mission in itself!

For the 2011 Anish Kapoor offering you had to travel by vaporetto as Basilica di San Giorgio sits on its own island. Less is more they say. It is a work he has done apparently in other venues, but this was the first time in a sacred place - and the symbolism sure got everyone thinking....



Related posts 

Other Chef in Venice posts

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Tapas delivery for a hen party

I <3 accounts!

Grilled tiger prawns piri piri - always popular when we do them. Grilled and them mixed  with piri piri sauce.

Spot the sarcasm. Luckily my dad does most of the accounts - keep it in the family - but while reviewing the invoices this afternoon I found this event from November that I hadn't blogged - that's November 2010 (so far behind).

Stuffed peppers - finish in the oven to crisp the parmesan/ breadcrumb topping

Stuffed tomatoes as well 

Garlic and herb ciabatta croutes - top with sautéed mushrooms (seen below)

Sautéed mushrooms with shallots, garlic and chives. Heat & top the garlic croutes (above)

 Chorizo and corn empanadas - see them being made in this post: http://bit.ly/ai7F08

Meatballs in white wine & tomato sauce 

Soda bread (see recipe here) and honey and fennel seed semolina platt (see that one here)

Spanish style lamb cutlets

Baked cannellini beans to go with lamb cutlets above

Paella
An old family recipe which I've updated slightly. Maternal grandparents had a spanish friend who lived in the UK in the 60's -  and it was passed down through the ages in his family. It was served only at special occasions - and for special people. This one was made without seafood as there were some members of he group who couldn' t eat it. 

As I used belly pork in the paella I cut off the skin first to make crackling which you can serve with it -  it's everyone's favourite part!

There! Do you think that was enough?


Related posts


Catered tapas event for a hen party
Meze starter for a hen party

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Involtini of veal

A quick picture before rolling up the veal last Friday. I have a hole in the back of my kitchen clock at the moment, and all the time seems to be falling out of it, so in the rush this was all I was able to take.Batted out veal escalopes rolled in pancetta, with roasted peppers and red onion, mozzarella, parsley and basil.

Once rolled (left) you refrigerate it to help it set in shape, then unwrap and roast on a roasting rack/ trivet at 200 oC. 20 minutes was medium, 30 well done.

This went with parsley pesto, grilled vegetables, tomato and basil salad and garlic bread.

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Roast asparagus and pepper salad

They say the simple things are the best.

They'd be right too.

Serve at room temperature or warmed in the oven with olive oil & balsamic.

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Nicoise vegetable tart

An old family ratatouille recipe bound with liason (1 pint cream & 3 - 4 eggs - or scaled down for small amounts) and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.

Underneath - since you ask - are oven dried tomatoes - see link below. And it's olive oil and balsamic.

Edit

How do you stop your pastry from shrinking when you blind bake the case?

I cut the pastry much larger that I need so there's a large overhang as shown here. You put your weight inside (baking beans or flour), then take it out when it's half done, brush the inside with beaten egg to cover any holes (see link below) and make the base firmer, then finish baking.

When it is cooked, take it out of the oven and trim the edges to the top of the case. You have to be careful when doing this or the side can crack - use a small sharp (not serrated) knife, almost flat against the rim of the pastry case tin. I start at the heel of the knife, and run it through to the tip turning the tart tin as I go - one long knife stroke. Do it while the pastry is still hot (use a t-towel) so it's pliable.

Related posts

1001 Kitchen tips #39 - Oven dried tomatoes

Sunday lunch in the Cotswolds

Golden wedding buffet lunch

The best balsamic

1001 kitchen tips #4 - no holes in your pastry case

1001 Kitchen tips #23 - the alternative to baking beans

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