Spinach and Cheese Cobb Loaf

This hot cheese dip is a  must have at any social gathering. I've been making this for years, and it's always a crowd pleaser, yet so simplistic and easy to make. It's ideal for taking along for a pre BBQ snack, or a late night belly filler after a few drinks. But one of the best bits is there's no 'plate' to have to remember to take home as the bread loaf triples as the plate, and baking dish. 

There's plenty of variations of this recipe out there, but my one is the one my mother taught me, and I find it the perfect balance of flavour, cheesiness, and creaminess without being too rich. 

Ingredients 

• 1 large round or oval loaf of unsliced white bread - traditionally you'll find a round 'Cobb' Loaf, but a farmhouse loaf, will also do. Don't bother with ciabatta as the holes make it unsuitable for hollowing out and then dunking into the dip. A day or two old bread is also fine. 
• 1 x 32g Maggi Onion Soup Mix 
• 1 x 250 gram tub of sour cream
• 2 cups of grated tasty cheese
• 250 grams of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess moisture
• tin foil 

Use a bread knife to carefully slice the top, or a 'lid' off of the loaf of bread. Set aside. Leaving a 2cm border around the edge of the bread, hollow out the middle of the loaf. Reserve this bread for dipping later. 

In a large bowl, combine the Maggi Onion Soup Mix, sour cream, grated cheese, and spinach. Mix with a large spoon till well combined. 

Spoon and spread the filling into the hollowed out bread. Place the lid back on and wrap the entire loaf tightly in foil. 

At this point you can set it aside in the fridge for up to 24 hours if necessary. You need to bake it for an hour before serving. 

Preheat oven to 180•C. Place the foil wrapped filled loaf into the hot oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, open up the foil and add any excess bread which was hollowed out to the oven. Bake for a further 8-10 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and take off the lid. Break the lid into chunks for dipping and serve alongside the other pieces of bread. Serve immediately. You can serve with crackers and vegetable sticks also if you like. 

Lentil salad with lemon and herb dressing

I concocted this salad one day when I had a craving for lentils, yes, craving lentils is a thing. As an ex-vegetarian I used to eat a lot of lentils, but these days have forgotten about what a satisfying and delicious meal they can make!

What's fantastic about this meal is it's generally pretty user friendly, so it makes a great dish to take when you're not sure what people can or can't eat. And with daylight savings now with us, I'm anticipating many more impromptu BBQ's where I might need to whip this one up.

It's naturally gluten free and vegetarian, and can easily be made dairy free or vegan by removing the feta, or substituting for a dairy free alternative. More so, it's a hit with carnivores alike and tastes fantastic alongside a hunk of crispy skinned salmon (as I served it today) or a medium-rare fillet of steak.

Best of all, any leftovers keep well till tomorrow and will make a quick and filling lunch.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6):

• 1 1/2 cups of green puy lentils
• 4 1/2 cups water
• juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/3 cup)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp finely slice fresh mint
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil, extra
• 4 zucchini, halved lengthways and sliced on the diagonal
• 150 grams baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 red capsicum, finely diced
• 150 - 200 grams feta, crumbled (optional)

In a saucepan bring the lentils and water to the boil. Simmer gently, covered for 40 - 45 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the dressing. Combine chopped parsley and mint in a jar* with crushed garlic, lemon juice, and (at least) 4 tbsp of quality extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, screw on the lid and shake well. Leave the dressing to mingle with itself while your lentils cook and you prepare the zucchini.

Heat the extra tbsp of olive oil in a heavy saucepan, add the zucchini and cook turning occasionally for 5-10 minutes, till it is golden on the outside, and soft in the middle (This could also be done on the BBQ, simply half the zucchini, brush with oil and grill cut side down first, turning once. Slice once removed from the BBQ). Place in a large bowl

In the same pan add the washed spinach leaves, leave a little water on them as this will help them to steam as they fry. Once wilted remove to the bowl with the zucchini.

Soon the lentils will also be cooked. Drain well and add to the bowl with the vegetables and the diced capsicum. Give the jar of dressing a good shake and pour half of it over the lentils. Stir well and set aside for at least 10 - 15 minutes. If serving with steak or salmon, this is when you would start cooking the meat.

To serve, stir well before sprinkling over crumbled feta and pouring over the remaining dressing.

This salad is delicious warm or cold, and although it makes a meal on it's own, it is also a fantastic accompaniment to BBQ'd steak, or crispy skinned salmon fillets.

Served with crispy skinned salmon fillet

* I always keep an old jam jar on hand for this very purpose. It also means that if I'm taking a dish somewhere I can easily take the dressing with me, pre-prepared, to pour on just before serving.

Spring Risotto: Spinach Zucchini and Feta

Today is World Vegetarian Day! Hooray! So in honour of this, I thought I would share this tasty spring vegetable risotto, seasoned with oregano and lemon, and mixed with salty feta, it's the perfect meat free meal.


Risotto often gets a bad rep, running with the misconception that it's full of cream and 'unhealthy'. However, traditional risotto, often has little to no cream. The creamy texture however comes from the slow cooking of the starches in the rice, and a dollop of butter added at the end. A little butter never hurt anybody right? 


Each bowl of this risotto is packed with seasonal veggies and flavour. The lemon gives it a real zing, combined with the saltiness of the feta (or toasted almonds if dairy free). Best of all, it can all be whipped up in under 30 minutes, and uses a minimal amount of dishes. 

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 stalks of celery 
• 2 large zucchini 
• rind and juice of 2 lemon
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 cups of arborio risotto rice
• 4 - 6 cups of baby spinach leaves, washed
• 2 cups of vegetable stock - ensure vegetable stock is gluten free if necessary
• 3 cups of boiling water 
• 30 grams of butter
• 200 grams crumbled feta* - Swap for toasted almonds for a dairy free alternative, and replace butter with oil. 
• olive oil and lemon juice to serve

Combine the hot vegetable stock and 3 cups of hot water in a bowl or pot. 

On a low temperature, heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid, and gently saute the celery and zucchini for 3-6 minutes till softened. Add the lemon rind and oregano, cook, stirring for another minute. 

Add the rice to the pan with the juice from the lemon, stir over a low heat until the juice is absorbed and rice is translucent. 

Add half a cup of the stock and water mixture, continue stirring, and when most of the liquid is absorbed, add another half a cup full. 

Repeat this process until all of the water is in the pot - However, when you add the last amount, also add the baby spinach leaves. Cover with a lid and let the spinach wilt for a minute or two. Remove the lid and stir all of the spinach in, and continue stirring till most of the liquid is absorbed. 

Test a spoonful of rice, it should be al dente, still a little firm to the bite, but soft enough to eat. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring till melted through. 

Stir through 200 grams of crumbled feta and spoon into four bowls. Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice.

* For a dairy free alternative swap the butter for coconut or olive oil, and replace the feta with 1/2 a cup of toasted chopped almonds sprinkled over the top. Alternatively if dairy is your thing, you could add 1/2 a cup of grated parmesan just before serving. 

Spinach and Feta Tart

As you might have seen I've made a lot of sweet tarts over the past year or so. However it's not often that I dabble with savoury tarts. Partly because I had yet to perfect the pastry. It needs to be buttery, crisp, but still taste wholesome. The addition of wholemeal flour and sunflower seeds in this pastry does just that. You could also sprinkle some toasted seeds over the top once it is cooked. 

This tart eats well warm straight from the oven, or cooled and packed for the lunchbox the next day. 

Ingredients (serves 4 as a meal, 8 as a snack):

• 1 cup of plain flour 
• 1 cup of wholemeal flour 
• 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
• 120 grams butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk 
• 3 - 4 tbsp of cold water
• 4 - 5 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 200 grams spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of cottage cheese 
• 160 - 200 grams feta cheese
• 1 tsp each of salt and pepper 
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated or ground

In a food processor, combine the flours, salt and sunflower seeds. Blitz to chop the seeds. Add cubes of cold butter and mix on high until it resembles breadcrumbs. 

Add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of water at a time, mixing until you have a soft dough. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for a minute or two. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a 30cm fluted tart tin, then prepare the filling. 

Place the spinach in a bowl and cover with boiling water for a minute. Drain and squeeze out excess moisture before roughly chopping. 

Put a small frying pan on a low heat and melt the butter and oil. Add the thyme and diced onion. Saute slowly, stirring often, for 10 minutes till the onions are soft, but not browned. Remove from the heat to cool. 

Break the eggs into a bowl with the milk, salt, pepper, and cottage cheese, and nutmeg, use a fork or whisk to beat well. Add the chopped spinach and cooled onion. Mix to combine. 

Roll the pastry and gently line the tart tin, pressing into the edges and trimming away the excess. 

Fill the pastry with the egg mixture, then crumble the feta evenly over the top, gently press it down into the filling with the back of a spoon. 

Bake in the hot oven for 50 minutes till the pastry is cooked and the filling is set. Allow to cool for at least ten minutes before slicing and serving with your favourite chutney and a salad. 

Champagne Brunch

Bacon, eggs, sausages, toast, fried tomatoes. Brunch is pretty simple right? Yes. There's the usual fry up favourites, but there's also some really easy sides and ways to incorporate veggies, that can make your brunch the better. The best thing about most of these is that they can be prepared in advance and just warmed to serve, which makes them perfect for entertaining a crowd. 

The following recipes include Potato Rosti, Garlic Spinach and Thyme Mushrooms. They go great alongside your usual brunch fry ups and are prefect accompaniments for that champagne breakfast celebration. 

Potato Rosti (makes 8 small) 

• 4 large potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cracked pepper
• 2 stalks of fresh rosemary, leaves only. 
• 2 egg whites
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Spread about 3 tbsp olive oil over a baking tray or roasting pan. 

Scrub the potatoes clean and use a food processor to finely shred them. 

Squeeze excess moisture from the potatoes and put them in a large bowl with rosemary, salt pepper and egg whites (the yolks can be reserved to make hollandaise or added to your scrambled eggs). 

Shape handfuls into patties and arrange on the baking tray. 

Drizzle liberally with more olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes turning once with a metal spatula. 

These can be eaten straight away. Or, set aside and crisp each side for a couple of minutes on the BBQ hotplate or a frying pan just before serving. 

Thyme Mushrooms (serves 4-6) 

• 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried) 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 20 grams butter
• 3 cups of button mushrooms, sliced about 1 cm thick
• salt and pepper 
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

Heat the olive oil on a low heat in a frying pan. Add the onion and thyme. 

Saute for 2 minutes till softened. 

Add the butter and sliced mushrooms, stir regularly for the next few minutes. 

When mushrooms begin to soften add the salt, pepper, red wine and balsamic vinegar. 

Increase to a medium heat and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes till mushrooms are soft and liquid is reduced. 

If preparing in advance simply reheat in a saucepan or microwave. 

Garlic Spinach (serves 4-6) 

• 1 bag of large spinach leaves (about 300g), stalks removed. 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 spring onion, green parts only, sliced 5mm thick

Remove spinach stalks and place in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Drain, squeeze excess liquid when cool enough to handle. If preparing in advance, set aside till you're ready to eat. 

Roughly chop squeezed spinach. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the spinach, garlic and spring onion. Toss for 1 minute. Serve immediately. 

Cannellini and Spinach Pesto Spaghetti with Tomato Feta and Pumpkin Seeds.

Following the very festive season I felt like I needed to take a break from meat, and was craving some simple, wholesome and vegetarian meals. In particular, cannellini beans. Also, with all the time away the fridge was rather bare. So after a little inspiration from a recipe I found on foodandwine.com  I concocted this delicious simple pasta meal.

It was ready in 20 minutes and made a fantastic lunch cold the next day. 

I've been enjoying my new food processor and am interested to dabble with other pesto/sauce recipes, so please feel free to suggest other ideas. 

You could also make this meal vegan by omitting the feta, or gluten free by using gluten free pasta. 

Ingredients

• 150g baby spinach
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 2 clove garlic
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 400g dried spaghetti
• 2 tomatoes
• 200g feta
• ¼ c pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Place spinach and peeled and roughly chopped garlic in food processor.  Pour boiling water over the spinach, leave for 1 minute, then pour out water, squeezing out most of the excess.
2. Add drained and rinsed cannellini beans with lemon juice, olive oil and oregano. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Boil spaghetti in salted water according to packet directions. Meanwhile, heat a dry pan and toast pumpkin seeds until some begin to pop.
4. Drain pasta and toss through pesto.  Divide pasta among four bowls. Sprinkle with diced tomato, crumbled feta and pumpkin seeds on top. Finally drizzle with more olive oil and salt and pepper.

Thank you for reading my recipes.

Stef

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