As we ring in the new season, let’s sit down to some lighter meals made with the freshest of Spring ingredients.
Osborne Ice Cream Sundae
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 fresh banana
50ml pure maple syrup
60g fresh whipped cream
20g chopped dried apricots
20g chopped dried figs
20g dried kismiss white raisins
- This makes one sundae so you’ll need to multiply the above ingredients by the number being served.
- Chop the banana and put half into the sundae glass or bowl being used for service. Place the ice cream on top of the banana slices and then top the ice cream with the remaining banana slices and pour the pure maple syrup over the top.
- Place the whipped cream on top of the ice cream and liberally sprinkle over the chopped dried fruits.
- Drizzle with a little more maple syrup, add a sprig of mint for colour and serve.
Fish Tacos
4-5 regular sized, fresh soft kuboos
2 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 white onion chopped finely
1 tbspn coriander, fresh, washed and picked
2-3 hammour fish fillets cut into 2cm cubes
Pinch salt and pepper
60g plain yoghurt
1 tbspn fresh lime juice
1 small lettuce, shredded
200g feta cheese cubes
1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
60g black olives, destoned and chopped
1 small avocado, roughly chopped
- Ensure that the garlic and the onion are chopped as finely as possible. Place both into a medium sized bowl and toss with the fresh coriander leaves.
- Add the lemon and lime juice and the zest of the lime and stir together. Season this mixture with salt and pepper.
- Add the cubes of hammour and, with a spoon, carefully coat the fish in the mixture. Cover and sit it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes.
- Remove and drain the fish. Heat a frying pan with a little oil and carefully and quickly fry the fish (it is partially cooked already due to the ceviche acid of the citrus in the marinade). Cook for mere seconds on each side just to add a little colour. Remove immediately to paper towel to drain and cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yoghurt, remaining lime juice, coriander leaves and salt and pepper. In separate bowls place the olives, lettuce,tomato, feta cheese cubes and the chopped avocado. using a small plate as a guide, cut the kuboos each into 2-3 small circles approximately 9-10cm diameter each. One kuboos should give three small tacos sized discs.
- Place the cooked fish, the bowls of salad and bowl of yoghurt mixture on table. Place warm kuboos tortillas on plates. Allow your guests to make their own Middle Eastern fish tacos as they desire.
Agali Sponge
3 egg yolks
50g x 2 caster sugar
3 egg whites
1 tbspn rosewater, heated with 3 stamens of saffron
pinch cardamom powder
65g plain (all-purpose) flour
¼ tspn baking powder
1 tbspn sesame seeds
1 tbspn Lawze, Saudi Almonds or regular chopped almonds
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and line each mould with a paper muffin case (cupcake paper).
- In the bowl of an electric mixer whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for approximately 5 minutes on high speed to ensure light creamy mixture. When light, add the rosewater with saffron and whisk till combined, then remove to a larger bowl to mix by hand.
- In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and the second 50g of sugar together to form a meringue (stiff peaks). Sift the flour and the cardamom together.
- Add half of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mix and lightly fold together. Sift the flour/cardamom over the top and fold in lightly, but quickly to ensure no lumps of flour form. Add the remaining egg white meringue and fold through.
- Sprinkle a little of the sesame seeds into the base of every paper case. Use a piping bag or spoon to fill each paper case with the Agali sponge mixture. It should give you 24 cupcakes depending on size of tin. On top of each cake sprinkle more sesame seeds and two to three almonds per cake. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 18 minutes until lightly gold brown.
- Remove and cool before serving. Serve cold within one or two days or cut each in half, grill lightly and serve with mascarpone and a little honey for a Middle Eastern treat.
Mixed Seafood Linguini
300g linguini pasta (fine spaghetti), cooked al dente
3 tbspn fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 tbspn fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tbspn fresh oregano, chopped fine
2 lemons, zest and juice
2 onions sliced, finely
3 garlic cloves, sliced
½ red capsicum, chopped into f
ine cubes
125mls fish stock or water
500g fresh mussels
200g fresh peeled shrimp
6 -10 oysters, shucked and cleaned of shell
2 tbspn unsalted butter
salt and pepper
- Finely chop the parsley, basil and oregano. Toss in a bowl with the lemon zest and leave aside.
- Heat a large, deep frying pan or a small stock pot. Heat a little olive oil and, when hot, sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes with the garlic.
- Add the capsicum and lemon juice and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the fish stock or water and add the mussels. Cover and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes or until all the shells have opened. Remove any shells that do not open. Sprinkle the prawns over the mixture,carefully place the de-shelled oysters on top of the mix, cover and steam again for 2-3 minutes until prawns are cooked and changed colour and oysters have firmed.
- Add the butter to the mixture and stir until it has melted, add the salt and pepper and correct the flavour if more is needed.
- Place the cooked linguini pasta into a serving dish, top with the cooked seafood mixture and sprinkle the chopped fresh herbs over the top and toss lightly before serving immediately.
