Vegetable Samosas

2 large potatoes, diced finely
1/2 Cup peas or beans
2 Tablespoons oil or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 medium onion cut into small dice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 - 3 sheets shortcrust pastry

Heat the oil in large fry pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds and fry until they splutter, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic, ginger paste and garam masala. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add potato and peas and about 1/2 Cup water. Cook gently over medium heat until the vegetables are cooked, about 12 minutes. Season to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cut each sheet of pastry into 4. Place a Tablespoon on the filling in the middle of each pastry square. Fold over diagonally and seal edges by pressing together. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. Gently brush with ghee or melted butter.

Cook at 220 C for 15 - 18 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Serve hot or cold as part of a meal, or as a snack.

Vegetable Stir-Fry

Serves 6

2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 carrots, sliced thinly
2 heads broccoli, cut into small pieces
2 red capsicum, cut into 4 mm strips
1 green capsicum, cut into 4 mm strips
2 ½ Cups finely chopped green cabbage
2 handfuls snow peas
3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Heat the oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for 3 minute or until aromatic. Add the carrots and broccoli and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until tender crisp.

Add the soy sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until well combined and warmed through.

Spring Rolls

100 g dried rice vermicelli noodles
3 tsp peanut oil
¾ Cup finely chopped green cabbage
3 carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 ½ celery stick, ends trimmed, finely chopped
3 spring onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
3 teaspoons soy sauce
30 frozen spring roll wrappers, thawed
Olive oil spray
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold running water. Drain. Squeeze out excess liquid. Cut into short lengths.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cabbage, carrot, celery and shallot. Cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce.

Transfer vegetable mixture to a large heatproof bowl. Stir in the noodles. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Place 1 spring roll wrapper on a clean work surface. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture diagonally along the centre. Brush edges with water.

Fold in the ends. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Place on the lined trays. Spray with olive oil spray. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Middle Eastern Dips and Bread

Hummus
500 g chick peas
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1/3 Cup Tahini
2 tablespoon cold water
1 Tablespoon olive oil for garnish
Parsley chopped, for garnish
Paprika for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix chick peas, lemon juice, tahini and water in a food processor until a smooth paste is formed. Garnish with paprika, parsley and olive oil.

Muhammara (Hot Pepper Dip)
3 medium onions, finely chopped
½ Cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ Cup crushed walnuts
¾ Cup breadcrumbs blended with cold water to a purée
2 Tablespoons paprika
Pinch of ground cumin
Salt
1 tablespoon pine nuts sautéed in a little oil

Using a deep frypan, sauté the onions gently in the oil until soft and golden. Add the walnuts, breadcrumb purée, paprika, cumin and salt to taste. Continue to sauté gently on a low heat until the ingredients are well blended - about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, place in a bowl and garnish with pine nuts.

Baba Ghannouj (Eggplant Dip)
1 large eggplant
1 clove garlic
1/4 - 1/2 Cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 C and bake eggplant for 30 minutes, or until outside is crisp and inside is soft. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Place eggplant flesh in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash together, or pulse in a food processor hand. Place in serving bowl and top with lemon juice and olive oil.

Za'atar flatbread
1/3 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon ground sumac
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pita Bread
Mild paprika, extra, to serve
Olive oil, extra, to serve

Combine the sesame seeds, sumac and thyme in a mortar and pound with a pestle until crushed. Place the bread, in a single layer, on 2 baking trays. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sesame mixture. Bake for 5 minutes or until crisp.

Moroccan Tagine

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 Cups chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 Cup carrots, sliced crosswise ½ cm thick
1 large green capsicum, cut into ½ cm strips
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon each: ground allspice, ground ginger, and turmeric
¼ teaspoon each: cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper
1 Cup water
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
400 g can chopped tomatoes
400 g can chick peas, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add carrots, capsicum, spices and ½ Cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir several times during cooking. Serve over couscous.

Spicy Couscous

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 spring onions, chopped finely
2 red capsicums, finely diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, diced
2 C chickpeas
2 Cups boiling water
¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Cups couscous

In a medium-size frypan; heat the oil. Add green onions, capsicum, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and zucchini. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove from heat and keep warm.

In a medium-size saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients .

Mix, cover and let stand 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add the first mixture and fluff with a fork.

Cucumber And Yoghurt Salad - Laban Khyar

3 medium cucumbers
1 cups Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

Peel cucumber and cut into thin round slices. Place in a glass bowl.

Combine garlic with salt. Add it to the yoghurt. Add the cucumbers.

Mix thoroughly.

Serve cold, garnished with mint.

Tabbouleh

2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ Cup bulghur, medium grade
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Soak bulghur in water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in cold water until soft.

Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Combine all ingredients, except for salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on top.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Margherita Pizza

Dough

3 Cups plain flour
1 Cup warm water
1 sachet yeast
1 teaspoon water

2 - 3 Tablespoons passata
½ kg tomatoes sliced thin
½ kg fresh mozzarella sliced
10 fresh basil leaves
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 220 C.

Place yeast and sugar in water and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until it begins to bubble. Add to the flour and mix thoroughly. Knead until the dough is elastic. Roll out dough to the desired thickness.

Lightly cover the base of the pizza with passata. Place a layer of tomatoes. Place a layer of mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Top with fresh basil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook pizza for around 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Makes 2 - 3 pizzas (depending on size and thickness of the base).

Zucchini e Pomodori

6 zucchini
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoons butter
6 tomatoes, sliced
¼ Cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Cut the zucchini into thin slices lengthwise.

In a frypant, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil and butter for 2 minutes.

In a greased backing dish, cover the bottom with the zucchini slices. Add a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle half the parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, salt pepper and red pepper over the top. Add half of the onions. Add another layer and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Eggplant Parmagiana

2 -3 large eggplants

Olive oil

1 bottle passata

500 g shredded mozzarella

Dried breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Slice eggplants 1 cm thick. Heat a heavy pan, add 1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil and begin lightly frying eggplant slices on both sides and remove and drain as you go.

Take a cassarole dish and spread some passata on base. Sprinkle some crumbs and layer eggplant slices, sauce and cheese until the last layer is sauce with mozzerella on top. Sprinkle liberally with crumbs and bake in centre of oven for at least 30 mins. It is cooked with a skewer or knife can be inserted using no pressure. Allow to cool a little before cutting and serving.Experiment with quantity of sauce you like, it may be too wet or not wet enough.

Grilled Polenta

4 Cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 Cup medium coarse polenta

1 cup milk

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

½ Cup sundried tomatoes soaked until soft, drained, and chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Heat water to boiling.

In a small pan, sauté the chopped red onion and the 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil. (This will be added to the cooked polenta later.) When the water has boiled, add the cornmeal and salt, and simmer gently over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wire whisk, being careful that it does not boil over.

Add milk and whisk until liquid is absorbed and polenta is smooth, about 10-15 minutes. Add additional salt, if necessary.

Add the sautéed red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil and parsley to polenta, and stir well. Turn off heat.

While the polenta is still creamy, pour it out onto a baking sheet. Cover, and chill for at 1 - 24 hours.

Once it's set, cut into 12 squares, and brush each side with olive oil. Place the squares on a hot grill, and cover. Grill until polenta is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Greek Salad

6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
400 g feta, crumbled
8 tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, sliced
24 black olives
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, parsley, mint or basil

Make the dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and seasonings in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl. Sprinkle over feta and toss to combine.

Just before serving, whisk the dressing again, pour over the salad leaves and toss together. Scatter over the olives and chopped herbs and serve.

Spanakopita (Spinch Pie)

16 sheets filo pastry
1 kg spinach, defrosted
1 kg féta cheese
250g butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Mix the féta cheese with the spinach to make a mixture, adding the chopped garlic.

Spread some butter on an oven tray. Place each thin pastry on the tray, buttering each one using a brush. After you have done 8 fílo slices, place the spinach/féta mixture and spread over the entire oven tray, covering the 8 pastry slices. On top of this, place the remaining pastry slices, buttering each one of them as well. Place in oven and cook till brown.

Patates Fournou (Garlic Potatoes in the Oven)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dried oregano
5 garlic cloves
Olive oil
4 large potatoes
3 lemons (juiced)
Dried thyme

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into pieces (pieces should be slightly larger than a mouthful).

Arrange the chopped potatoes in a large baking pan.

Pour olive oil over them and 3 tablespoons of oregano, salt, pepper, squashed garlic cloves and a pinch of dried thyme. Pour the lemon juice over the potatoes and mix well.

Bake the potatoes for 18 minutes or until cooked.

Fresh Spring Rolls

50 g bean vermicelli

2 Cups hot water

8 dried rice paper wrappers

16 medium cooked prawns, peeled

16 fresh mint leaves

1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips

1 Cup fresh coriander leaves

1 Tablespoon grated lime rind

2 Tablespoons chilli sauce

Dip a rice paper wrapper into luke-warm water, allow to soften and place on a work surface. Place 2 prawns side-by-side in the centre of the wrapper and top with 2 mint leaves, 1 Tablespoon coriander, a few carrot sticks, a little lime rind and a small amount of rice noodles. Spoon a little chilli sauce over the top.

Press the filling down to flat it a little, bring in two sides; bring in two sides and roll up the parcel. Lay seam-side down on a serving plate and sprinkle with a little water; cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Note: For a vegetarian alternative, swap the prawns for cucumber strips.

Refried Beans

3 cans red kidney beans, drained
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter and sweat the onion until softened.

Mash the beans as fine as you like, then mix them with the onion mixture.

Add some hot water 1 Tablespoon at a time to give you the same consistency as double cream.

Serve. Delicious :-)

Guacamole

4 avocados, peeled, stones removed, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tomatoes, finely diced
½ C sour cream
2 limes, juiced
5 drops Tabasco
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place avocado in a shallow dish and mash with a fork until smooth. Add onions, tomato, sour cream, 2 tablespoons lime juice, Tabasco and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh Salsa

5 tomatoes, finely diced
1 can corn, drained
1 avocado, finely diced
1 red capsicum, finely diced
3 spring onions, very finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
4 Tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.

Chunky Salsa

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 small green capsicum, finely diced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
500g tomatoes, diced

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add chilli and capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring mixture to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Cool completely.