yesterday it was australia day, quite weird to celebrate "Sorry day" for the first time since a national apology to aboriginal people. nevertheless, being low on nationalism and high on indigenous justice in this family, australia day is a rather muted affair.
i fired up the weber and cooked my signature middle eastern roast lamb. since its been stinking hot I made some salads from the african and middle eastern cookbook. buy it! $25 in Australia and just brilliant.
Zahlouk
I blackened an eggplant under the grill (I was supposed to have three), then peeled it and finely chopped the mushy innards...
Simmered a can of chopped tomatoes with a teaspoon of sugar until the liquid had reduced to a thick sauce.
Dry-fried 4 cloves of garlic until blackened a bit, then peeled and chopped them finely.
Toasted 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (no oil, medium heat, shake regularly and don't overcook - very quick), then crushed them in the mortar and pestle.
Mixed it together with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a teaspoon of harissa, some black pepper.
i would have added chopped parsley if we'd had some...
zucchini and cauliflower salad
this is easy peasy.
break half a cauliflower into florets and steam until soft. mash it a bit with a fork.
add 2 tbspns olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 2-3 garlic cloves (see above).
cut two zucchinis at an angle (to make it fancy looking) in thick chunks and saute them in olive oil (medium-high heat, cooked quickly until browned but still crunchy)
add to cauliflower with the juice of the other half of the lemon....
add salt & pepper to taste & chopped parsley if you happen to have any...
carrot salad
i have to say that indian and middle eastern cooking has redeemed the carrot for me.
Cut 3-4 carrots into short slivers and steam until softened but still crunchy. toss in a bowl with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2-3 diced garlic cloves (see above), 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed, toasted cumin seeds (see above), juice of a lemon, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp paprika, some coriander (we had bottled, not fresh leaves...) and chopped mint (which we didnt have). very nice.
I mangled another salad which shall remain unmentioned.
pizza posts are forthcoming, i promise!
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