What do you do with A Large Marrow - Stuff It

Spanish Stuffed Marrow

The Gardener in the Family came in proudly with an armful of Courgettes/Marrow

One of the Marrows was too big and it went into the compost But...we did find a use for the medium one though
I went on-line and found a suitable recipe on the bbcgoodfood.com site
And I stuffed it.
It was very tasty and went down a treat with the family
The courgettes, of course  no problem... plenty of things to do with them

It seems I didn’t get around to taking a photo of the finished product, so you will have to imagine it
If you haven’t got Manchego cheese just replace with Tasty Cheddar

1 Marrow
Sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
100 gms Chorizo Chopped

1 tsp smoked/normal paprika
1/2 tps cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp each dried oregano and dried thyme
2 x 400 gms chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper chopped
Handful chopped parsley
85 gms fresh breadcrumbs
100 gms Manchego or Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 200C or 180C if using your fan bake
Cut the marrow in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle
Put the halves outside up in a large roasting pan and season well with S & P

Heat the oil in a pan
add the onion and sweat on low  till just tender about 10 mins

Add the garlic, chorizo, spices and dried herbs

Cook for a few minutes and add red pepper and tomatoes

Turn down to low simmer and cook for 10 mins, then stir in the parsley
Spoon the tomato mixture into the marrow halves

Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins

Test the marrow with a knife to see if the marrow is getting tender
Then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Cheese

and return to the oven for 10 minute

until the crumbs are golden and crisp and the marrow is tender
Cut into large slices and serve
It was excellent the next day for lunch at room temperature

And here are the Gardeners at work

Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds and Shaved Parmesan - Followed by Gingery Chicken Soup over Zucchini Noodles

Currently my flatmates are on the No Grain kick, of course, gives me a chance to hunt down food that is just not just plain old meat and vege.
 
So for our first dinner, we started with this delicious Celery Salad, peppered with Sweet Dates, Crunchy Toasted Almonds, shaved Parmesan, with a simple dressing of Lemon and beautiful Olive Oil.
Then we completed the meal with Gingery Chicken Soup over Zucchini Noodles

If you want the gluten option...serve with some Beautiful Fresh Crunchy Bread

For the Salad
½ cup raw almonds
8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal, leaves separated
6 dates, pitted, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 gms Parmesan, shaved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preheat oven to 175C.
Spread out almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet;
toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.
Let cool; coarsely chop.

Toss almonds, celery, celery leaves, dates, and lemon juice in a medium bowl;
season with salt and pepper.
Add Parmesan and oil and toss gently; season with red pepper flakes.

So first course made
On to the main
Gingery Chicken Soup of Zucchini Noodles

To be honest I do like carbs with my meal but I also really enjoy any food and this tasty Noodle dish really hit the spot

 4 medium carrots, divided
 3 (3") pieces ginger, unpeeled
 1 Large whole chicken
 1 medium onion, unpeeled, cut into sixths
 3 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces
 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  Handful of cilantro stems, plus leaves (for serving; optional)
  2 medium zucchini (about 10 ounces)
  2 teaspoons Sea salt, plus more
  3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
  Lime wedges (for serving; optional)

First make the Broth
Scrub 2 carrots and cut into 4 Cm pieces
Finely grate ginger to yield 1 tsp
Then thinly slice remaining ginger
Place chopped carrots, ginger slices, chicken, onion, celery, garlic
Peppercorns and coriander stems in stockpot
Fill with cold water to cover
Cover with lid and heat over high until mixture comes to boil
Lower heat and bring to a simmer

Cook, uncovered, skimming foam and fat from the surface occasionally
And reducing  heat if needed so mixture does not come to a boil,
until chicken is just cooked through
About 30 minutes

Using tongs, carefully transfer chicken into a large bowl and let cool slightly
About 15 minutes...so you can handle it
Remove meat from bones, discard skin
And return bones to pot

Continue to simmer until liquid is flavourful and reduced
Should take about 2 hours

Meanwhile shred chicken and set aside
When your broth is ready strain into a large bowl
Discard the vege and bones

You can do this ahead, in fact the day before
Just refrigerate the broth and chicken till you are ready to go
You should have about 8 cups of broth

Make noodles
Use the clever peeler which makes noodles out of vege

Or you can spiralize them
Or cut them into very fine noodles
This is what they should look like

Set aside
So to compete the Soup
Peel remaining carrots and slice into 1 cm slices on the bias
Return the broth to your stockpot
Bring to a simmer

Add carrots, shredded chicken, the reserved grated ginger
2 tsps sea salt and good grind of black pepper
And cook until carrots are tender.
5-7 minutes
Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary...


To serve place zucchini noodles in bowls
Ladle simmering soup over the noodles
And top with coriander leaves

Serve and if you have any limes
Offer them
That last touch of lime juice, Just lifts the completed soup

Mad about Zucchini Noodles

During my grain free cooking project, I came across  Zucchini noodles
You may have noticed!!!
Browsing through the recipes, that come into my mailbox every morning
I found this on the Epicurious Site
So here is another version of the fabulous Noodles, it is also a version of Ratatouille
Served with Lamb once again
Perfect match
Once again another Gluten Free recipe

It seems like a bit of work but it’s worth it
You can prepare earlier it's good at room temperature
I have changed the original recipe.
The noodles were supposed to be served raw
I wasn't happy about that so I lightly sautéed them
Also I cooked the egg plant in batches
Half with the tomatoes
The second half I cooked separately, to get a different look
I loved adding the raw cherry tomatoes at the end
Nice colour and texture

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini made into noodles
2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey 
Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup basil leaves

5 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 garlic cloves think sliced
1 egg plant cut into quarters and sliced  divided into two

2 large tomatoes quartered and seeds removed
10 cherry tomatoes halved
1/4 cup pitted olives I used green
First make the noodles
place them in a sieve and salt them

Leave them for about 10 minutes
Squeeze out the liquid and set aside

Then make the dressing
Whisk Lemon juice, honey, pepper 1/2 cup basil sliced, 3 tablespoons olive oil 

and pinch of sea salt
Set aside

Prepare the eggplant and large tomatoes

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of Olive oil in a pan over gentle heat
Cook garlic gently until it turns golden brown
Remove with a slotted spoon and add to dressing

Increase heat to medium heat and add eggplant and the first lot of tomatoes
Stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is browned and cooked through
The tomatoes will soften
Season with S & P and transfer to a bowl and cover with the dressing

Add a little more oil to the pan and brown the rest of the eggplant, don't forget to make sure it cooked right through
Raw eggplant  NO!!!
Add to the rest, along with the cherry tomatoes and the olives

Finally throw the Zucchini Noodles into the pan and toss them around for 2-3 minutes
just to soften

Check seasoning and adjust if necessary
Add to the rest,
Toss and throw the remainder of the basil on top

I can see a Frittata coming up with the leftovers

Spicy Qunioa Coated Fish- with Roasted Sweet Potato- Dont forget the leftovers!!! #grainfree

Once again thanks to Donna Hay and Bon Appetit for this recipe
I'm a bit philosophically anti Quinoa...as I am about the Term Super Foods and other..."Let's be
Over Healthy" Food Fads
It's the hype that bores me also I had to chase all over town to buy these flakes!!!
Luckily it wasn't a hot hot day.
Meanwhile there are some very good uses for all these foods and I love eating ALL beautiful produce
AND I do

On my Grain Free "feed the mob" week, I found this recipe of coating Fish with Quinoa Flakes.
It was very delicious and I may even... in fact I will... do it again

Served with Spicy Roasted Kumera (sweet potato)
A winner

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
Cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups quinoa flakes
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
2 eggs
4  snapper fillets
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

Mayonnaise and lime wedges, to serve


Preheat oven to 200C
Place the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the chili flakes and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl
and mix to combine.
Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and
Sprinkle with half the salt mixture, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Roast, turning halfway, for 20 minutes or until golden.

Place the quinoa, lime zest, remaining chili flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl
and mix to combine.
Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine.       
Heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Dip the fish into the egg and press into the quinoa mixture to coat. 

Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through.

Serve the fish and potatoes with the remaining salt mixture,
the parsley, mayonnaise and lime wedges.

So not to forget the Leftovers... which we had, as I had been very generous, with the amount of fish that I had bought

Fish Cakes for lunch. Double Quinoa Use!
Yes in fact, I suggest,  cook excess so that you have enough to make these little gems
So so tasty

Hard to give exact amounts but as a rule of thumb, I would suggest
Equal amounts of potatoes and fish and enough egg to bind

Crumbed Fish
Potatoes, peeled cubed
Olive oil
Parsley finely chopped 2-3 tablespoons
Egg
Sea Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
Quinoa Flakes

Oil for frying

Cook the potatoes in salted water and mash roughly with a little olive oil
Meanwhile flake remaining crumbed fish and
Add to potatoes
Add parsley and beaten egg
Season to taste

Meanwhile roll into balls and dip into Quinoa Flakes

 Place oil in medium hot pan and cook Fish Cakes, till Golden all round

 While Dan cooks
Games are being played

 Serve with a nice green fresh salad

  Definitely a keeper

Zucchini Noodles - Perfect Replacment for Pasta - #grainfree

Continuing on the Theme of Grain Free, I didn’t want to just have meat and vege, fish and
vege. or boringly "Just Salad" on its own, so I looked around for some interesting ideas.
Donna Hay had this recipe for Zucchini Noodles using Chili Tuna for your protein
Haven't had canned Tuna for  a while and it was good.  This Tuna packed a lunch

However I think this dish can be used with any protein. 
In fact you will see further down, what we did with it, in the following week

¼ Cup (60ML) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Capers Drained
2 Teaspoons of grated Lemon Zest
6 Medium Zucchini Thinly sliced lengthwise with a julienne peeler
Or a Spirializer or finely cut. they need to look like noodles
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
¼ cup dill sprigs
2 cups Rocket leaves
2 X 185 gms tins of Chili Tuna
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted Pistachio Nuts, to serve

First I have to mention my julienne peeler
Love it

Just slide it down the vegetable
and Voila
Noodles

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat,
add the garlic, capers and lemon zest

and cook for 1–2 minutes or until lightly golden and crispy.

Add the zucchini, lemon juice and salt.
Cook for 1 -2 minutes or until heated through.
Remove from the heat,
Place the rocket on a platter
Pour noodles over the top
Sprinkle the nuts and dill

Divide between bowls
Top with the tuna and serve

Serves 4.


SO the following week in my time at Pauanui on the Coromandel Coast
So beautiful down there
The kids practising their dance to the very popular and very annoying song from the Moana Movie
"Shiny", we heard it a lot.

 Up she goes

These Noodles certainly needed another outing
This time served with Barbecued Chicken Breast

We also blended the noodles with some packaged coleslaw
Served with sliced Chicken Breast

and some tasty Croutons over the top
for a bit of extra Crunch

These noodles are so good, I have been making them even just for me on my own
Perfect

Chicken, Avocado and Cabbage Salad #GrainFree

It's holiday time, and I had two wonderful weeks away with my family
First week was spent in Leigh, north of Auckland
An amazing view from the deck

Of course we all went shopping for food
The fridge was full

This was going to be an Almost Grain Free week
Some of us had toast for breakfast, others omlets
But generally the rest of day was without Grain.
I did a bit of research and found some interesting recipes
Making sure we were all satisfied
You might notice,. there was no shortage of alcohol
What is a holiday without wine?
Anyway I digress.
Paleo Pete has published this recipe of a Chicken Salad
I had a trial run on New Years Eve for my friends
Served it with my Herbed Rice, Tomato and Feta Dish

Click here for the recipe

1/2 a green cabbage, shredded
1 ripe avocado, stone removed, diced
1 roast chicken, removed from bones shredded or chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
A good handful mixed herbs, torn (tarragon, parsley and chervil)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped

Roast the chicken have a look here for the best roast chicken

Or buy one from the supermarket, your choice

Place cabbage in a large bowl, add 1/2 the chopped herbs

Mash the avocado slightly to a creamy and slightly chunky texture
Add to the bowl with the roast chicken, olive oil and lemon juice 

Season well with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Give it a good toss through so the avocado dresses the salad evenly.
Cover and chill

When you are ready to serve
Lay salad out on a platter
Dress with almonds and extra herbs

It was very nice but in Leigh we changed the format
Used red cabbage
and served the salad without the chicken and served it separately

And to spice it and bulk it up, we made a salad of Roasted pumpkin, barbecued corn, with some spring onions and a French Dressing
Delicious
 More Grain Free recipes to follow