Magda Palmer - Appetisers

Magda Palmer

APPETISERS

AUBERGINE PUREE-Baba Ghanoush- Lebanon

2 large or the equivalent of 2 large aubergines

5 fresh cloves of garlic peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil and extra for coating uncooked aubergines

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini paste

1 dessertspoon maple syrup

½ teaspoon chilli powder (optional)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Garnish;

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

Olive oil

Finely chopped parsley

Serve with;

Black Olives and flatbread.

Preheat the oven to 200°c. Wipe the eggplants with a damp cloth, chop them roughly, leaving the skin intact, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for half an hour. Rinse under running water, pat dry, and lightly coat the skins with oil. Place the flesh side up on a baking tray and bake till the flesh is tender, about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the aubergines. Remove from the oven, cover, and stand until cool.

Puree all ingredients except the garnish until smooth, transfer to a large, shallow plate, gently spoon a fine coating of olive oil on the surface, and sprinkle with cumin and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for two hours before serving.

AVOCADO, SKEWERED DELIGHT.

Avocados are a superfood, a nutritious fruit that provides healthy fats, fibre, nutrients and antioxidants, such as folic acid, Omega 3, magnesium, potassium, lutein and fibre. A modern addition to appetisers.

3 avocados, firm but not hard

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 long cucumbers

1 cup of caperberries

whole basil or mint leaves, depending on taste preference

medium-sized skewers

black pepper and salt

Cut avocados in half, remove the seed, then spoon the flesh. Smash the flesh while adding the lemon juice. Taste, then add salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber, leaving fine strips of green skin intact for a striped effect. Slice the cucumber into wide, thin, long strips. Sprinkle a little salt on the strips and leave for a minute. Wipe the salt completely off the strips and lay them flat. Spread with a fine layer of avocado, roll them up, and fasten with a toothpick or skewer; add a basil or mint leaf to the skewer and another cucumber roll. Finish with a caperberry.

Note: When choosing avocados, they should be solid but not hard and allowed to ripen at room temperature. For faster ripening, put avocados in the same bowl as bananas. Whenever you want to eat your avocado, it may be for breakfast, toss this peeled and diced fruit in a little fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.

ALMOND CRÈME, often called ALMOND CHEESE.

A savoury dish can be used as a gentle spread on biscuits or bread, as a dip that pops with added spices and herbs, or as a date filling.

2 cups raw cashews

1 cup raw blanched almonds

½ cup lemon juice

contents of two probiotic capsules

1 tablespoon apple pectin

Himalayan salt, to taste

1 cup nutritional yeast

Spices of your choice for coating

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil to grease hands

Soak all nuts for at least 2 hours in boiling water or overnight in cold water. Drain and discard the liquid.

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If the mix is too dry, add a little almond milk, one tablespoon at a time. Refrigerate overnight.

BANANA NIBBLES- Philippine-inspired recipe.

any number of large, unripe bananas, light vegetable oil, and fine sea salt or Himalayan salt. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Slice off both ends of each banana, then slice the skin three times from top to bottom. Using your fingers, gently remove the skins. You may have to wedge the handle end of a teaspoon to help in this task. Discard the skins. Using the thick part of your thumb as a guide, slice the bananas to equal thickness. Transfer them to a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Spread the banana slices on the prepared tray and bake for about fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven, but make sure the temperature stays at 200 °C. When the banana rounds have cooled slightly, take a heavy can and gently press down on each round until it is half the thickness. Brush each side with oil and return to the oven, spaced on the tray.

Using the bottom of a glass liquid measuring cup, gently press straight down on one round to achieve a ¼-inch thickness. Repeat for each round, then sprinkle with salt.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for about ten minutes or until golden. Serve warm with dipping sauce or eat as a plain nibble.

Dipping Sauce for Banana Nibbles:

1 cup raw cashews

1 dessertspoon powdered garlic

½ teaspoon chilli powder

juice of one lime

salt to taste.

Soak cashews overnight or for two hours, covered in boiling water. Drain and rinse the cashews, then transfer them to a blender. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth.

BEANBALLS

1 can of white beans, drained/rinsed and smashed smooth

1 cup walnuts, toasted and crushed, measured after crushing

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 large brown onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely, measured after chopping

2 tablespoons tahini paste

1 tablespoon of dried sage

2 tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseeds

6 tablespoons of hot water

1 tightly packed cup of bread, crusts removed and previously soaked in water, squeezed dry

½ teaspoon of salt

1 dessertspoon of garam masala

Cornflour for coating

Olive oil for frying

Add a dessertspoon of oil to a pan and fry onions until golden; put aside to cool. Mix flaxseeds with hot water and leave until gelatinous. Using a large bowl, add all ingredients except the olive oil meant for frying. Using your hands, combine by mixing and squashing until the mixture is firm. Form the mix into golf ball size, roll them in cornflour and refrigerate for at least an hour. Heat the oil in a deep pan. It is hot enough to drop in your Beanballs when a small section of bread browns in just under a minute. Fry the Beanballs until crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent paper.

Serve hot or cold, with or without sauce. Eat hot or cold, with sauce or plain.

Note: This recipe makes about thirty golfball-sized rissoles. They are soft inside and crispy outside. Play with the ingredients. Change the fresh herbs to half one and half another, or use rosemary, thyme or any others that take your fancy. Add finely chopped olives, green or black. Add vegan parmesan cheese. Add spices. Turn this recipe into vegan burgers.

Make Tomato Sauce.

2 cups very ripe tomatoes, after they have sat in boiling water and their skins have been removed.

½ cup chopped brown onion

1 cup of chopped red capsicum

½ cup fresh chopped herbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 dessertspoon raw sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Puree until smooth, using all ingredients except the pepper, salt, and herbs.

Taste and season. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter herbs on top. Serve separately with Beanballs, or spoon some sauce on a plate and place a Beanball on top.

CAPSICUM (BELL PEPPER) STRIPS AND ALMOND BALLS.

3 large red capsicums.

2 cups of grape tomatoes, multi-colours

½ cup fresh thyme, measured after being finely chopped

almond cream (page 33)

1 cup of nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste.

3 tablespoons olive oil

Dressing ingredients;

½ cup fruity olive oil

1 dessertspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup of fresh basil

1 dessertspoon of maple syrup

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

salt to taste

Take the almond cream, add the nutritional yeast, and blend until smooth. Cover it and let it rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Line a tray with baking paper. Prick the skins of the tomatoes in a couple of places. Then, hand roll them in a bit of oil. Place them on the tray and bake until just tender. This doesn't take long. Remove from the oven and put aside to cool. Remove the membrane and seeds from the capsicums, then slice them into little finger-sized pieces. Heat oil in a flat pan over medium heat and add the capsicums. Turn them constantly. When soft but not burnt, remove the pan from heat and put the capsicums aside to cool.

Make the dressing.

Blend everything except the salt at high speed until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat almost to the boil. Remove from the stove, taste, and add salt.

Compose the dish.

Transfer tomatoes and capsicums to your serving dish, add the dressing, and gently combine them with soft-tossing. Refrigerate.

Make Almond the Balls.

Using the fruity olive oil, grease your hands slightly. Take one dessert spoon of Almond Cream, roll it into a ball, lightly coat in the finely chopped thyme, and add it to the capsicum/tomato mix. Continue until you like the number balance of balls to the capsicums and tomatoes.

Appetisers page 2

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