Hlalem (Tunisian Pasta and Beans)

Pasta is probably my all time favourite food, I just adore it! Lately, though, I've been trying to eat a little less of it because I'm not quite as young as I used to be and I don't burn it off as easily, so now pasta is a real treat. I'm always a bit excited when a pasta dish comes up as part of my research for a country, because then I have an excuse to make pasta :)

This Tunisian dish of pasta and beans is wonderful - hearty, nourishing and beautifully flavoured. Traditionally it is sometimes made with the addition of Mergues sausages, so if you like, you can throw in some chopped vegetarian sausages when you add the pasta. I've used frozen broad beans, but you can also use dried - just soak them with the chickpeas and add them at the same time.

Hlalem (Tunisian Pasta & Beans)

Ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours and then drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp harissa paste or harissa spice mix
3/4 cup green lentils, rinsed
1 x 400g diced or crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
200g pasta (any large shape such as large spirals or shells)
1 cup frozen or fresh broad beans

To Make
1. Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours and then drain and rinse.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the harissa paste or spice mix and fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add the chickpeas and lentils and enough water to cover them. Then add the tomato paste and tin of tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Keep an eye on the water level and add more water as needed during the cooking.
4. Once the beans are cooked, add the pasta and the broad beans. Simmer, uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente. You may need to add more water as it's cooking in order to properly cook the pasta.

Serve.

Serves 4-6

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Tunisia!

Check out my other Tunisian recipe posts:

Cooked Carrot & Olive Salad

{Baked} Tunisian Yoyo (Orange Flavoured Doughnuts)

Mzoura (Harissa Parsnips)
Sweet Potato, Olive & Caper Briks

Mzoura (Tunisian Harissa Parsnips)

Parsnips are often a vegetable which gets undervalued, a lot of people dismiss them without giving them a chance or just don't got near them in the first place because of some childhood memory of mushy boiled unflavoured parsnips. Well, I love parsnips - if they're cooked right! They add a beautiful hearty nutty flavour to soups and stews. They were just delicious in my Swede & Parsnip Cottage Pies. They're perfect for all kinds of comfort food (potato and parsnip mash anyone?). These simple but really tasty Tunisian spiced parsnips really impressed. I cooked them up as side veggies for one of my dinner parties and they ended up being a favourite of many of my guests!

Mzoura (Tunisian Harissa Parsnips)

Ingredients

800g parsnips, peeled and sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp harisa paste or harisa spice mix

2 tbsp agave nectar

Fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)

To Make

1. Boil the parsnips until only just tender. Drain well and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large frypan and add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is softened.

3. Add the cumin, corander and harissa. Fry for about 30 seconds and then add the parsnips and about 1/2 cup water. Simmer until the water is gone and then add the agave nectar and stir to coat completely. Heat through and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 as a side veggie. Perfect for potlucks.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Tunisia!

Check out my other Tunisian recipe posts:

Cooked Carrot & Olive Salad

{Baked} Tunisian Yoyo (Orange Flavoured Doughnuts)

Hlalem (Tunisian Pasta and Beans)

Sweet Potato, Olive & Caper Briks

{Baked} Tunisian Yoyo (Orange Flavoured Doughnuts)

It's wonderful to try new desserts from all over the globe as part of my world food challenge. The only problem, of course, it it's potential impact on my health!! In Tunisia they have a dessert of fried orange flavoured doughnuts soaked in orange blossom and honey syrup. Sounds divine but oh my, I'm not sure if I should be eating that! So, I've dived well off the ladder of authenticity with this one and baked my doughnuts. I'm sure it creates a much different dish but honestly they were pretty delicious, although with a slightly more bready/bagel-y consistency than they were probably supposed to. I made my orange blossom syrup with agave instead of honey and I think that it replicated the flavour quite well.

Ingredients
1 x 7g sachet of yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups plain flour

Agave & Orange Blossom Syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tsp orange blossom water

To Make
1. Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes until the top becomes very frothy and it smells yeasty. Stir in the oil, orange zest and orange juice.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and then make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Turn the dough out onto a floured benchtop and knead for 5 minutes (or use a mixer with a dough hook, I think I have one somewhere but I always prefer to knead my dough by hand).
3. Wash, dry and lightly oil the large mixing bowl and then return the dough to it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a cloth and set aside in a warm place to let it rise for 2 hours.
4. While it's rising you can make the syrup by combining the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and then bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the agave nectar and orange blossom water. Simmer on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until thickened and syrupy. Transfer to a jar or bowl and cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and then tear off pieces about the size of a billiard ball. Roll into a log between your hands and then connect the ends to make a doughnut shape. Now stretch the hole in the middle out so that it's a bit bigger than you think it should be (because the yeast will rise more as it bakes, so if you make the holes small they'll disappear when you bake them!). Continue until all the dough is gone.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes, until just golden. Remove from the oven a punch a couple of holes in them with a skewer to help absorb the syrup and then put the hot doughnuts straight into the cold syrup. Allow to soak, turning as necessary for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a plate. Serve.

NOTE: To make these more authentic, follow the recipe up to step 5 (inclusive), and then instead of baking them fry them in oil for about 3-4 minutes each side. Then drain briefly in a paper towel, punch holes with a skewer and soak in the syrup.

Makes about 14 yoyos.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Tunisia!

Check out my other Tunisian recipe posts:

Cooked Carrot & Olive Salad

Mzoura (Harissa Parsnips)

Hlalem (Tunisian Pasta and Beans)

Sweet Potato, Olive & Caper Briks

Tunisian Cooked Carrot & Olive Salad

Sweet tender cooked carrots make up the bulk of this easy and delicious north African salad, flavoured with harissa and tangy lemon & vinegar and punctuated with marinated black olives that pack a punch of flavour every time you get one. I love cooked salads, and this one made me really happy. It's healthy, quick to make, a bit different to your usual table salad and perfect for all seasons.

Ingredients
1 kg carrots
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp harissa (you can use paste or spice mix)
1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
10 marinated kalamata olives

To Make
1. Trim and slice the carrots. Place in a pan and cover with water; bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
2. Combine all the remaining ingredients except the olives in a jar and shake to combine.
3. Drain and rinse carrots. Place in a bowl and dress with the dressing in the jar.
4. Sprinkle olives on top and serve at room temperature.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Tunisia!

Check out my other Tunisian recipe posts:

{Baked} Tunisian Yoyo (Orange Flavoured Doughnuts)

Mzoura (Harissa Parsnips)

Hlalem (Tunisian Pasta and Beans)

Sweet Potato, Olive & Caper Briks

Kale & Macadamia Pesto

If you've never made your own pesto then this should be the year you try it, because you're missing out! Home made pesto is so bright, fresh and delicious! It's also much better for you, generally using less oil and, of course, no preservatives or additives. If you make your own pesto, but you've never made kale pesto, then this should be the year you try it because you're missing out! Kale makes the tastiest pesto, and it's also a lot cheaper than basil. I've posted kale pesto once before, my Kale, Almond and Orange Pesto, but this one has an Australian flair, with delicious creamy macadamia nuts.

Kale & Macadamia Pesto

Ingredients
1 bunch kale, washed
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

To Make
1. Remove the tough stems from the kale and tear up into pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blitz into a paste. You can have it as chunky or as smooth as you prefer (I like mine a bit chunky!).

Makes about 2 jars.

To have with pasta:
1. Cook some pasta al dente and then drain. Stir a generous drizzle of olive oil through the hot pasta and then add lots of kale pesto. Stir until all the pasta is coated in pesto and then eat hot or cold as a salad.

Easy Vegan Fig Rolls

I think these are very cute, they remind me of a sweet version of a sausage roll. They're so easy to make, just a handful of ingredients, and they make a pretty healthy snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I hope you all had a great Xmas and new year period, I know I indulged a little too much and am now just getting back on track with my normal (slightly healthier) habits! I'm really excited about what 2014 has to offer though, there are some wonderful things in store for us and I've decided to make it one of my best years ever.

Vegan Fig Rolls

Ingredients
250g dried figs
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 sheets filo pastry
1 tbsp melted nuttelex (or other vegan margarine)
Sesame seeds, for garnish

To Make
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Chop up the figs and place in a small saucepan. Add the water, agave and spices. Place over a low heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone and you have a thick paste.
3. Transfer to a food processor and process until you have a fairly smooth consistency.
4. Lay out one sheet of the filo and brush a little bit of melted margarine around the edges. Place the second sheet on top of the first.
5. Spread the fig paste in an even log along the pastry lengthwise and then roll it up into one big long roll. Brush melted margarine on the last inch of the pastry to help it stick better.
6. Cut the log in half and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the tops with the remaining melted margarine and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, until the pastry is just crisp and slightly golden. Once cooked, cool and then slice into bit sized pieces.

Makes about 10 pieces.

15 Most Popular Recipes of 2013

Happy New Year!

2013 was a bit of an up and down year for me, I had some wonderful highs but also some very sad and devastating lows. I'm hoping that 2014 will have more of the highs and less of the lows, but, of course, one can never know what life is going to throw at you.

I don't doubt we have a delicious year of vegan treats and world foods ahead of us, but to start us off I thought I might share with you some of the most popular recipes from 2013. This year I posted about 100 new recipes onto the blog, which now has more than 300 recipes on it in total. That is a staggering amount really, you can browse them here if you like. I'd like to thank everyone for all the kind words and great support that you've shown me. It means a lot to me, from nice emails, kind comments on posts, feedback on recipes or even just likes on my facebook page, it all makes my day a little brighter when I hear from you all. 

My new years resolution in relation to the blog is to post a little less often and to spend a bit of time putting together a cookbook. I've already had quite a few people say they'd be keen, and hopefully some people will buy it :)

In the meantime there are hundreds of recipes up here for free for you to enjoy and adapt. Here are the most popular ones of 2013, some I could have guessed but others came as a complete surprise.

1. Vegan Condensed Milk

2. Triple Melon Ice Blocks (Sugar Free)

3. Salsa Lizano (Costa Rican Brown Chilli Sauce)

4. Homemade Vegan Sour Cream

5. Vegan Dulce de Leche

6. Raspberry Infused Vodka

7. Vegan Tofu Feta Cheese

8. Spicy Chickpea Salad with Olive Hummus Dressing

9. Makowiec (Polish Poppyseed Strudel)

10. Vegan Fried "Chicken" (Tofu) and Waffles

11. Pyzy (Polish Potato Dumplings) in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

12. Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans & Rice)

13. Alaisa Fa'apopo (Samoan Creamy Coconut Rice)

14. Nepalese Curried Vegetable Momo with Sesame Chilli Dipping Sauce

15. Mesa'a'ah (Spicy Egyptian Eggplant)

Hope you've enjoyed that cross section of some of the delights we've had last year. How did 2013 treat you? Anything interesting or unexpected happen to you? Share your most significant moments in the comments :)

Hearts of Palm & Olive Empadinhas (Brazilian Empadinhas de Palmito)

I've saved my favourite recipe until last this month, to end the year with a really awesome dish! Have you eaten empanadas before? They're pretty popular all over South America, and I made a couple of different types when I featured Argentinian food - Pumpkin Jalapeño Empanadas and Sweetcorn Empanadas, they were both amazing. These aren't empanadas though, they're Brazilian empadinhas. A bit like empanadas but they're in cut little pies which is even better because you can stuff more filling in!

I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you that these were to die for. So tasty!!! Make your new years resolution to make these in 2014! Happy new year everyone!

Hearts of Palm & Olive Empadinhas (Brazilian Empadinhas de Palmito)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 cup oat or soy milk

Filling:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups oat or soy milk
1 can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
1/3 cup chopped black olives
Salt and pepper to taste


To Make
1. In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt for the dough. Melt the margarine and set aside to cool down a bit.
2. When cool, stir the melted margarine through the flour with a fork. Gradually add the oat milk until it all starts to come together in a dough. Get it to a consistency which holds together as a dough, but doesn't stick to your fingers when you knead it. You may need to add a little more flour or a little more milk to get it to this.
3. Knead the dough for a few minutes, until it is smooth and stretchy. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
4. Meanwhile you can make the filling. Heat the oil in a large pan and then add the diced onions. Sauté until they are soft and then sprinkle over the flour. Stir well to form a thick paste and cook this paste for about a minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring well each time, until all the milk has been added.
5. Add the chopped hearts of palm and the black olives and stir through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Grease a muffin tin well. Roll out a piece of the dough nice and thin (it should be about 2-3mm) and use a glass to cut out 12 little lids (use a glass that is about the same size as the top of your muffin pans). Divide the  remaining dough into 12 equal pieces (approximately equal, don't get out your scales or anything). Roll out the pieces nice and thin into a circle and line the bottom and sides of the muffin tin. You're circle will fold up about around the sides of the tin, don't worry about that, it just makes it look lovely and rustic. Trim any edges that stick up too high and use the remaining pastry to patch any gaps that spring up.
7. Divide the filling evenly amongst the 12 pies and top each one with a lid. Use a fork to press the edges together around the top and then poke a couple of holes in the top so they don't explode when you cook them.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 12 empadinhas.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Brazil!

Check out my other Brazilian recipe posts:

Avocado Cream & Passion Fruit Mousse (Creme de Abacate & Mousse de Maracujá)

Bolinhos de Arroz (Brazillian Fried RiceBalls) with Orange, Olive & Brazil Nut Rice

Chocolate Coconut Kisses

Pizza de Brigadeiro (Chocolate Pizza) with Strawberries & Cream Cheese

Black Eyed Bean Acaraje

Hearts of Palm & Rocket Pizza

Hearts of Palm & Rocket Pizza

When I started to research Brazilian recipes for this month of amazing world food, I didn't anticipate coming up with so much pizza! Pizza isn't what immediately springs to mind when I think of Brazilian food, but apparently Sao Paolo is the second biggest city in the word in terms of pizza consumption (I think the first was New York). They even have several traditional dessert pizzas - yes, I definitely made one! In case you missed it, here is my chocolate, strawberry & cream cheese pizza :)

You might remember from a couple of posts back my friend Ruth had some fun helping me with styling. The result being one of the most colourful photo shoots appearing on the blog so far, which seems quite appropriate for Brazil month (did you see it? If not the photos are right here). When you do a lot of food photography, you can tend towards always using the same set ups and the same props so sometimes it's nice to get someone else's ideas, especially when they're slightly nutty (like Ruth). I set this pizza out on a rustic style chopping board with a big knife and a glass of red wine.

Then Ruth comes running out clutching a brightly coloured beach towel that she had found in our bathroom proclaiming in all seriousness that it would be great in the shot. I was not immediately sold on the idea, but I humoured her. In the end though, I really quite liked it, so I used the photos! The beach towel provides bright colour, a slightly unusual texture and puts me in mind of summer. Summer dinners of freshly made pizza with a glass of red wine, what a wonderful scene. So, thanks Ruth! It was great fun having you helping me cook and styling my shots. I'm looking forward to next time already :)

What do you think? :)

The dough recipe makes enough dough for 3 big pizzas, but the topping quantity is just for 1 pizza. So you can freeze the other 2/3 of the fresh dough, or use it to make a couple of other pizzas - or even a pizza for dessert.

Ingredients

Pizza Dough
2 tsp dried yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups room temperature water
1kg plain flour
1.5 tsp salt

Topping
5 tbsp tomato passata
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 can hearts of palm, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups fresh rocket

To Make
1. Whisk the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and set it aside for 10 minutes until foamy on top.
2. Add the 2 cups water & olive oil and whisk to combine. Then add the salt and all the flour, mixing gently. Flour up your hands and start mixing the dough with your hands until it comes together. It should be dry enough not to stick to your fingers, wet enough to stay together in a ball. If you need to, add more flour or water to get it to the right consistency.
3. Flour a benchtop and turn the dough out. Knead for 10 minutes, at which point the dough should be smooth and springy to touch. Wash, dry and lightly oil the mixing bowl. Return the dough ball to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm spot to rise for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
4. After 2 hours, punch the dough down and cut into 3 pieces, if you're saving the other two then wrap them up in plastic wrap and freeze them. Roll one piece out into a big flat rectangular disc and place on an oiled baking tray.
5. Spread with a thin layer or tomato passata. Top with sliced tomatoes, sliced hearts of palm and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and a little bit of extra tomato passata.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven, top with the fresh rocket and serve immediately.

Serves 4.
Also featured in the Vegan Virtual Linky Potluck.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Brazil!

Check out my other Brazilian recipe posts:

Avocado Cream & Passion Fruit Mousse (Creme de Abacate & Mousse de Maracujá)

Bolinhos de Arroz (Brazillian Fried RiceBalls) with Orange, Olive & Brazil Nut Rice

Chocolate Coconut Kisses

Pizza de Brigadeiro (Chocolate Pizza) with Strawberries & Cream Cheese
Black Eyed Bean Acaraje
Hearts of Palm & Olive Empadinhas (Empadinhas de Palmito)

Brazilian Black Eyed Bean Acaraje

These delicious black eyed bean acaraje from Brazil seem almost too simple to be as good as they are. You soak beans, blend them, add a couple of spices and fry them. Too good to be true? No! It's true and it's oh so good! You can make these with any kind of beans you like, just make sure you use dried beans and soak them for 24 hours before hand. I was pleasantly surprised to find that these are very much like a Brazilian style felafel. The flavour is simple but makes you want to go back for another one! I recommend serving with a garlic mayonnaise sauce or maybe a tahini sauce (not that it's very Brazilian, but it would be delicious). Now you've got a base recipe, you can also experiment with different herbs and spices and make your own special version. Wrap up with salad and mayo or hummus in a wrap for a super special packed lunch.

These can be made a bit ahead of time and kept warm in the oven until you're ready to serve them. They stay beautifully crunchy, and are a great thing to serve up to people.

Brazilian Black Eyed Bean Acaraje

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups black eyed beans

1 small onion

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil, for frying

To Make

1. Place the beans in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 24 hours then drain and rinse. 

2. Spread the beans out on a bench or board and gently rub with a tea towel or paper towel to dry. Then leave them to air dry for about 30 minutes.

3. Place the onion in a food processor and pulse until roughty chopped. Add the soaked beans and the spices and process unto a coarse paste.

4. Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok. 

5. When the oil is hot, use 2 dessert spoons to press spoonfuls of the mixture into neat little quenelle shapes. Drop straight into the oil and dry for about 30 seconds or until just golden. If you are shallow frying, you'll need to turn them over and cook on both sides.

6. Remove from oil and drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. Do this until you've used up all the bean mix. Keep warm in the oven until you're ready to eat them.

Serve with garlic mayonnaise or creamy tahini sauce. 

Also part of the Vegan Virtual Linky Potluck.

This month I'm featuring lots of recipes from Brazil!

Check out my other Brazilian recipe posts:

Avocado Cream & Passion Fruit Mousse (Creme de Abacate & Mousse de Maracujá)

Bolinhos de Arroz (Brazillian Fried RiceBalls) with Orange, Olive & Brazil Nut Rice

Chocolate Coconut Kisses

Pizza de Brigadeiro (Chocolate Pizza) with Strawberries & Cream Cheese

Hearts of Palm & Rocket Pizza
Hearts of Palm & Olive Empadinhas (Empadinhas de Palmito)