Lemon & Nigella seed salad

If you have never tasted these lovely seeds, go out and find them. Don’t be fooled and buy black sesame seeds, get the real stuff. Ironically, I learned about this lovely seed through THE Nigella, but there is no real connection there, just that I really like both of them.

They are very aromatic and they make any simple salad or dip sing with flavor.

Lemon & Nigella seed salad 

  • 1 quarter iceberg lettuce, in fine slivers
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 red onion, in thin slivers
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Pepper & Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp of nigella seeds

GreekStew1

This salad combines very well with a Greek stew.

Add some chicken to make this a lunch salad.

 

Rockin Rocket Pesto

rrpIf you ever tried growing rocket (or arugula) you know it grows like a weed. You can eat these lovely leaves every day once your rocket plants get going.

In Holland you find them in the wild too. They grow on sandy soil, so you find them in the dunes, next to rail roads and just on side walks.

If you are lucky enough to have an abundance of rocket, you might be looking for a new way to use it up. I like to do this by making my own pesto.

This recipe has no exact quantities, I suggest going with your instincts, and go by what you have in your fridge and adding ingredients to your taste.

Rocket_Pesto

Rockin Rocket Pesto

  • 1 – 2 handfulls of rocket
  • 1 handful of cashews (or hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, whatever nut you like)
  • a piece of hard cheese
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 – 2 tbsp of lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

I grind and mix my ingredients in my trusty little blender. Make sure you have enough oil in the blender.

Store your pesto in a jar or container in the fridge. Keep a layer of oil on top of your pesto to keep it fresh. Eat it within a week, but for us this is not a challenge!

This pesto is lovely as a dip with some home made bread, on your (meat) sandwich or through your pasta. If you add some more oil and lemon juice, it makes a lovely dressing for your tomatoes and mozzarella salad.

RocketPesto_Salad

 

This recipe works with basil or fenil tops too.

Homemade mayonnaise

Mayo2I know it’s easy to buy mayonnaise ready made in the jar. I recommend you make this delicious sauce at least once, because;

  • you see what ingredients go in
  • you can determine the quality of the ingredients used, adding your own favorite ingredients
  • and of course it really does taste much better.

Once you have mastered the basic recipe below, you can start varying the ingredients to make your personalized version by;

  • Using your favorite vinegar or citrus juice like flavored vinager or lime juice instead of lemon juice.
  • Using your favorite mustard.
  • Adding 1 or 2 garlic cloves to the mustard and egg yoke, creating garlic mayo or Aioli.
  • Substituting up to 125 ml of the neutral oil by olive oil or yoghurt for a healthier mayo.

As a Dutchy I love my mayo with chips. It is also great for making a potato salad.

Mayo1

Keep your leftover mayonnaise in a jar in the refrigerator. The lemon and the mustard ensure that you can keep your mayo for at least a week, if it lasts that long that is….

Basic mayonnaise

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • half tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
  • 275 ml of neutral flavored oil, I use sunflower

Combine your yolk, mustard, vinegar and salt and whisk until well combined.

Keep whisking and gradually add your oil. After adding all the oil you should have a thick and glossy mayonnaise.

If you add your oil too quickly, the mayonnaise will split. Try whisking vigorously. If this doesn’t rescue your mayo, put this batch to the side.  You will have to start over. When you are halfway adding your oil, add your split mayo instead, essentially creating a double batch of mayo.

Potato salad

Turn your mayonnaise into potato salad by adding it to some boiled sliced potatoes. Add some capers and sliced spring union for some freshness and a splash of green.

Mayo3