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.
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