The Food Diaries

Red curly kale quesadillas

I’m not quite sure why this vegetable is called “red” curly kale, when clearly it’s purple in colour. Regardless, this is a great vegetable to cook with as it gives off very little water in the cooking and stays quite robust (as opposed to spinach which can turn mushy very quickly).

Take a small bunch of red curly kale (200g), strip off the leaves and finely chop the stalks. Layer the leaves one on top of the other, roll up and slice thinly into a chiffonade. Finely chop 2 garlic cloves. In a pan fry the stalks and garlic in a little olive oil. After these have softened (just a few minutes) add the kale, cover and let steam for a couple of minutes (or until the kale leaves have softened). Season with sea salt and a pinch of cumin.

To assemble: take a small corn (or flour) tortilla and place a layer of grated cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or queso fresco). Add 1tbs salsa sauce (I like roasted tomato and chili asado, but any will do) and then a layer of kale. Add a little more cheese, cover with another tortilla and pat down to even out the filling. Continue till all the kale has been used up (makes around 4 sandwiches). Wrap each in aluminium foil and place in an oven at 175c till the cheese has melted and tortilla has just begun to crisp up. Alternatively you can fry them in a dry, hot pan.

Serve with sour cream if you like. Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.

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BREAKFAST QUESADILLAS >

Shrimp tacos

Prep the ingredients for the taco fillings: finely shred a couple of small gem lettuces, dice one ripe avocado, deseed and chop a ripe tomato, finely chop two spring onions, mix together 200g cooked small shrimp with 1/3 cup sour cream, chipotle paste to taste (or other Mexican chilli sauce) the juice of 1/2 lime, salt and pepper to taste.

Heat up a stack of 6-8 small corn tortillas (heat till softened in a dry frying pan) then keep warm and covered.

Now assemble the tacos: lettuce, tomatoes, shrimps, avocado, spring onions, and top with additional sour cream and a squeeze of lime.

Serves 2. Alternatively, skip the tortilla and serve in salad bowls.

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MEXICAN CREAMED CORN >

PRAWN COCKTAIL STACKS >

Breakfast Quesadilla

In a small pan over a medium heat layer the folllowing: 1 small corn tortilla, a thin spread of adobe chili paste*, then some grated white cheese (cheddar will do fine), a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche, a scattering of grilled asparagus spears cut into chunks (or a handful of fresh baby spinach) then top with another small corn tortilla and press down using the back of a large metal spatula. When the bottom tortilla starts to brown and the cheese to melt, carefully flip over and continue cooking till brown on both sides.

Transfer to a serving dish, cut into wedges and serve with additional sour cream or creme fraiche.

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MEXICAN POACHED EGGS >

FINNISH SCRAMBLED EGGS >

*my chipotle paste: simply blitz up a can of chipotle in adobo sauce.

Olive”tapenade”,  creamy basil sauce and chipotle paste

I love having homemade sauces and pastes sitting in the fridge on standby, ready to tart up  simple ingredients (pasta, potatoes, vegetables). They take just a few minutes to prepare but can keep quite well in the fridge, especially if you invest in these handy vacuum-sealed containers which keeps foods fresh much longer than normal (herbs keep for 2 weeks, hard cheeses for months - no kidding).

First up is a creamy olive tapenade (sort of like a tapenade, but milder and creamier): In the food processor blitz together 1 cup pitted black olives (I like the wrinkly varieties the best), 1/4 cup ground almonds, three anchovy fillets, 2 garlic cloves (peeled), the juice of 1 lime, 1/4 cup low fat Quark cheese (or 0% Total Greek Yogurt), and a good glug of olive oil. You can easily improvise with the quantities and ingredients (omitting the garlic or anchovies or the cheese or the oil, etc……)

This “tapenade” is great on rye crackers, paired with some goat’s cheese and slivers of grilled pimientos. It also works great stirred into pasta sauces, or served as a dip with crudites.

Next up is the creamy basil sauce: Blitz together a large bunch of fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup ground almonds, 1/4 cup low fat Quark cheese (or 0% Total Greek Yogurt), the juice of 1 lime, 1 garlic clove, and a good glug of olive oil.

I like to serve this with new season Jersey royals, stirred into pasta sauce, mixed in with salad dressing - the list is endless.

Finally, the easiest of them all: my chipotle paste: just blitz up a can of chipotle in adobo sauce.

I like to add this to anything that needs a bit of a Mexican kick.

Mexican breakfast - corn tortilla with poached eggs

Here’s a simple way to make Mexican-style eggs without all the bother of Huevos Rancheros (who needs so many dishes to clean on a weekend morning?). Poach a couple of eggs (I love these little silicon poach pods). Warm 3 small corn tortillas (in the microwave or in a frying pan for a crispier finish). Overlap the tortillas on a large plate, spread a little Adobo sauce (Puree a can of Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce - this keeps well in the fridge), top with your eggs, a sprinkling of salt, pepper, lime juice and some snipped chives.