Keeping it Light

+ Bites Sides weLove.

Whipped Tofu Garlic Dip With Roasted Cherry Tomato & Crackers

Ingredients:

2 packets of Holland & Barretts firm bio tofu 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and pepper 400g cherry tomatoes 6 garlic cloves Rosemary Deliciously Ella crackers

Serves: 4 portions Prep time: 30 minutes

Method:

In a cast iron skillet, place the cherry tomatoes, rosemary and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in a hot oven set on fan and grill at 190 Degrees Celsius, to roast for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the tofu in a food processor with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend till smooth. Spoon the dip out into a bowl, and top with the tomato and roasted garlic. Served with Deliciously Ella’s crackers, available at Holland & Barretts.

Recipe: Debbie Schembri

PANZANELLA : – ITALIAN BREAD SALAD WITH TOMATO, ANCHOVY AND QUICK - PICKLED RED ONION AND CIDER VINEGAR

Serves: 4 portions Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

A handful of torn day-old bread 800g tomatoes, roughly chopped 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 red onion, sliced 6 anchovy fillets 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Generous pinch of salt Ground pepper 1 tbsp capers, chopped

Method:

In a large salad bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes with the vinegar, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper, let that marinate for a few minutes. In a small bowl mix the chopped capers with anchovy fillets together with a fork. Add to the bowl with the bread, and toss well to coat the bread in the marinade. Finish with some torn mint.

Couscous Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

400g couscous 900ml boiling water 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 1 cup chopped parsley 1 cup chopped mint 1 red onion, diced 1/2 cucumber, diced 2 medium tomatoes, diced 1 tsp of za’atar or dried thyme 2 tbsp labneh Juice of 1 lemon

Serves: 4 portions Prep time: 30 minutes

Method:

In a medium sized bowl, add the couscous and tomato paste and cover with the boiling water. Loosely cover the bowl, and let that sit for 20 minutes. In the meantime, prep all remaining ingredients except the labneh. Fluff the couscous up with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Mix the couscous together with the prepped ingredients and served with a spoonful of labneh, and a squeeze of lemon over the top.

Gbejna & Beetroot Topping

Serves 2 Prep time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 gbejna 150g Fresh Cream 200ml Beetroot & onion chutney 100g

Method:

Blend the gbejna and the fresh cream together pulsing the blender lightly. Transfer to a bowl and serve with the beetroot and onion chutney on top.

Grilled Marrow & Mint Dip:

Serves 2 – 4 Start to finish: 25min

Ingredients:

Small, fresh marrows 400g 3 Garlic cloves peeled 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp Lemon juice 4 Sprigs Fresh mint 1tbsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Ground coriander seed Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Cut the marrows lengthwise in half and season them with just a little salt and a brush of oil. 2. Either roast them or grill them till they are fully cooked and have a nice char on the outside. The marrows should lose around half of their weight by then. 3. Once cooked, place the marrows along with all the other ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency. 4. Serve with warm bread and crackers

Ta’ Qali, ATD4000 Tel: +356 2141 3550 • Email: info@meridiana.com.mt www.meridiana.com.mt

Winery Tours & Wine Tasting by appointment

Wine & Spirits Merchants

Stadium Street, Gzira, GZR1301 Tel: +356 2133 0447 • Mob: +356 7909 3197 • Email: info@srausi.com www.srausi.com

GRILLED BREAD

Ingredients: Strong wheat flour 400g Wholemeal flour 100g Warm water 420g Yeast 20g Salt 10g Sunflower oil 40ml Sugar 20g

Add the salt and sugar to the water and mix in, till both have fully dissolved, next add the yeast and the flour to the mix. Using a dough hook on the planetary mixer knead the dough for around 10 minutes or till it begins to cling away from the side of the bowl. Once kneaded, fold the dough a few times and cover with a damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out. Leave the dough to double in size, once doubled drop the dough again and wait till it doubles in size one last time.

Add the oil to the dough and oil your hands well, divide the dough into 4 equal parts, then place the dough on a tray and leave them to rise for 15 minutes.

On a grill pan or BBQ cook the dough over a medium to low heat. Cook the bread 15 minutes on one side, flip over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve warm

Serves 4 Prep time 2 hours Cooking time 20 min

Serves: 3 portions – Prep time: 30 minutes

NEW POTATO SALAD WITH TUNA CHUNKS AND HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

For the mayonnaise:

3 egg yolks 200ml vegetable oil 200ml olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed Juice of one lemon 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

1kg new potatoes 3 eggs 2x 160g cans of RedElmar low fat tuna chunks in brine 3tbs of homemade dill mayonnaise Small bunch of fresh dill and mint 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

Method:

Start by preparing the potatoes, placing the scrubbed whole potatoes into a pot of salted water, and bring to the boil. These will need roughly 20 minutes to cook through (test by pricking with a fork - if you can break the potato easily, they're done). Meanwhile, boil a separate saucepan for the eggs. Once the water is boiling, place the 3 eggs (for the salad) into the water and cook for 6-7 minutes for a jammy yolk.

Meanwhile, prepare the mayonnaise. Start by separating the yolk from the white of the other 3 eggs, adding only the yolk to a food processor. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and mustard, and start the food processor. While it’s running, add the oil very slowly to start (only a fine drizzle), and increase as you see the egg mixture thickening. When all the oil is added, add the lemon and dill and mix for a few seconds more to combine. Season further to taste.

To serve, spread some of the dill mayo onto a plate, top with the halved potatoes, halved egg mixed herbs, tuna, capers and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive and a pinch of flaked sea salt.