Skip to main content

Greg Malouf's guacamole

Greg Malouf is the new chef at Petersham Nurseries, he is another superstar Australian but he brings a middle eastern vibe to things. We have been meaning to go and check his food out but to be honest his arrival has coincided with so much rain we decided to give it a miss until the weather improves. We dont mind eating in a posh garden centre but when the earth is sodden it doesn't seem so enticing.

Funnily enough just after reading of his arrival in Surrey I came across his book 'New middle eastern food' whilst we were mooching around the shops in Lewes and despite its considerable heft and price I decided I had to have it. It's a bit of a 'Moro meets Ottolenghi' but it looks like there could be some gems in there.

My first outing involved a few different dishes including this middle eastern spin on guacamole. Only little changes but the extra spice of the chillies and the unmistakeable taste of preserved lemon make a change to the usual version and allow you to include it in an eastern mediterranean style mezze


2 ripe-but-firm avocado, cut into 1/2 cm dice
1 tomato, de-seeded and cut into 1/2cm dice
1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 long green chillies, seeded, scraped and
finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic crushed with
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 preserved lemon, skin only,
washed and finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
Sea salt
Freshly milled white pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

In a large mixing bowl gently combine avocado with tomatoes, coriander, chillies, lime juice, garlic, preserved lime, onion and pepper and mash with a fork. 
Check seasoning adding extra lime juice and salt if needed. 
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

   






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders.   I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary  6 sprigs fresh thyme  2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak