Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters

Ok, tonight it's something fast, simple and vegetarian with a Greek flavour. These haloumi and zucchini fritters make a lovely light lunch or a nice side dish for grilled or BBQ'd meat or seafood. I served mine with some simply marinated lamb cutlets, drizzled with olive oil, lemon and plenty of pepper. There were plenty left over for a fresh tasting lunch the next day. I was thinking that these would also be really nice finger foods - just make them bite sized instead of the meal sized ones pictured here.

I love salty flavours and gorgeous Cypriot haloumi cheese really gives you that - so much so that you should be really careful not to add any extra salt to your mixture, or the dish will be overwhelmed. The fritters will be salty already because of the very strong haloumi and have a lovely aroma and taste, from the spring onion, garlic, fresh parsley and mint added to the batter.

You can whip a batch of these in no time, so what are you waiting for?

Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters

with Garlic Yoghurt

You will need: 
For the fritters: 2 medium zucchini, 250g (1 small packet) Haloumi cheese, 2 teaspoons finely chopped mint, 2 tablespoons chopped continental parsley, 1/2 cup finely chopped spring onion, 2 eggs, 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour, 1 clove minced or very finely chopped garlic, 2 pinches cayenne pepper, olive oil for frying.

For the sauce: 1 cup continental style thick plain yoghurt, 2 teaspoons finely minced or pureed garlic, pinch of salt, pepper to taste.


Method:
First, make the sauce - simply combine all the sauce ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grate the zucchini, place in a bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can. Grate the haloumi.

Combine the haloumi, zucchini, mint, parsley, spring onion,eggs, flour, garlic and cayenne and mix well. Heat a non stick fry pan with a little olive oil and cook the mixture a tablespoon at a time for about 5 minutes each side. Use a spoon to gently shape the patties. The mixture will be quite soft - this is normal, and the fritters will firm up a little as they cook and then again as they cool.

Drain on paper towels. Serve warm or cold with the garlic yoghurt. Makes about a dozen medium sized fritters.

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Get me to the Greek!

Eggplant has been around for a long time - apparently it has been grown in various forms since pre-history and is a member of the nightshade family, closely related to the potato and the tomato. It is a technically a fruit and comes in a large variety of shapes, colours and sizes - black, purple, white and green or even lilac.They can be almost as big as your head, or as small as a baby pea. Eggplant will soak up any other flavours that you put with it, so it is great in curries, stews or coated in a marinade.

Eggplant is in season right now so they have the advantage of being inexpensive and also of a really great quality. Always buy eggplant that are firm and glossy - the skin should not be soft, dull or puckered. The green stem should be green and firm. The most common question about eggplant is - to salt? or not to salt? If I am using very young eggplant, or the long slender lebanese style eggplant, I don't bother. However larger eggplant (like the one I am using in today's recipe) benefit from being salted before cooking to remove any excess bitterness from the fruit. I have included instructions for this in my recipe.

Eggplant is very popular in Greek cuisine and this is where I got the inspiration for today's recipe - a hearty lamb and eggplant dish that is loaded with flavour - add olives and fetta and fresh herbs and you have something delicious that takes advantage of the wonderful eggplant that is in season right now. Serve it with crusty bread and a beautiful green salad and even those who aren't crazy about eggplantwill be coming back for seconds.

Lamb, Eggplant & Fetta Rolls

You will need: 2 large eggplant, salt, 500g minced lamb, 1 large chopped onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons crumbled fetta cheese, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 tablespoon fresh mint, 1 egg, a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper, 3 cups nepolitana sauce (or passata), 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped deseeded Kalamata olives, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method: Slice the eggplant into pieces about 1cm thick, lengthways. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Drain off all of the dark liquid and pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels.

Heat a pan or grill and brush it with olive oil. Cook the eggplant slices in batches until slightly browned on each side. Set aside.

In a frypan, add a splash of oil and the chopped onion and garlic. Cook on a medium heat until the onion is soft.

In a large bowl, combine the minced lamb,oregano, paprika, mint, egg, cayenne pepper, parsley. Mix well with your hands. Now add the cooked onion and the crumbled fetta cheese. Season with a little pepper and mix well.

To make the rolls, lay a slice of eggplant flat and place about a tablespoon full of the mince mixture in a sausage shape across the middle of the slice, one third of the way down. Roll up the eggplant to encase the mixture and place in a shallow baking dish. Repeat until all of the rolls are completed.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Pour the nepolitana sauce (or passata) over the rolls and top with the chopped olives. Bake for about 45 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a salad, or rice.

Serves 4-6 People.

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Gourmet Goddess does takeaway

I love a kebab. Even those dodgy ones that you find yourself scoffing in the street as you stagger home after  lingering a little too long at the pub. (Oh come on! - we have all done it) My very favourite kind though, is one that includes lovingly cooked, beautifuly seasoned lamb (preferably from the leg), crunchy salad, soft freshly baked flatbread and then drizzled with thick, garlic laden Tzatziki. Definitely a cut above the "midnight kebab" style offering.

I had a small piece of lamb leg leftover from another recipe, (actually, it was the shank end that I had to cut off because the leg wouldn't fit in the pot that I wanted to cook it in) so I decided to roast it with a truckload of garlic, a touch of oregano and olive oil. I made a simple salad of vine ripened tomatoes and parsley (seasoned with lemon juice, a splash of extra virgin olive oil and lots of salt and pepper) and warmed up some pitta bread (made just around the corner from me in Marrickville)

To finish, I made a batch of homemade Tzatziki and served the whole lot on a platter so that we could just help ourselves and create our own kebabs. Of course I added some hot chilli sauce to mine - would you have expected anything else from me? The result was a delicious, easy to throw together and suprisingly healthy dinner. Here it is before we demolished it in front of the television.....

Gourmet Goddess Kebabs with Tzatziki

To make Tzatziki you will need: 2 cups thick, full fat continental yoghurt. (I like an organic Greek style one), 4 cloves minced garlic (feel free to use less, or a whole lot more depending on your pechant for garlic), 1 large continental cucumber, a couple of teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plenty of salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Slice the cucumber down the middle and scoop out all of the seeds (I just use a teaspoon to do this) Then, finely dice the cucumber. Mix with all of the other ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Tzatziki makes a great dip or a sauce for grilled chicken or seafood.

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Simple Sunday - Juicy Roasted Chicken

A roast dinner is the ultimate comfort food - I remember the Sunday roasts of my childhood when my grandparents would drive down from the country and we would have a roast lunch, usually a leg of lamb or a stuffed chicken, with gravy (made from the pan juices) and piles of beautiful roasted vegetables. If we were lucky (usually when we had guests) there was also a hot dessert or baked pudding. It was all very "1950's nuclear family" and funnily enough the only times I ever felt like we resembled those families I used to see on TV.


I think that those Sunday lunches were really important in instilling a love of cooking in me and also teaching basic kitchen skills. I remember peeling the vegetables, learning basic knife skills, discovering how long things took to bake and being entrusted to stir the gravy. As I got older I learned more involved processes, such as how to make the custard that would accompany baked apples or a steamed pudding. Eventually I would take over the whole process, loving the warmth and sense of responsibility that time in the kitchen gave me. The kitchen gave me focus, comfort and a sense of purpose.


Today's recipe is a very simple roast chicken that is packed with flavour. It does not have all the trimmings of the traditional family roast but uses some techniques for adding taste and keeping the flesh moist and succulent. I have chosen Greek inpired flavours and served it very simply with roasted potatoes and zucchini, drizzled with the galicky/lemony pan juices.

Juicy Roasted Chicken with Greek flavours

You will need:
1 whole chicken (neck and giblets removed), 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon lemon rind, 4 large cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon salted soft butter, about 1 tablespoon greek oregano (you will find this in deli's or continental stores. It is sold dried in bunches and is long and shrub like. Crumble the leaves off the ends and discard the very tough ends of the stalks), olive oil, Pepper, Salt.

Method:
Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water. Gently pat dry.

Combine the butter, lemon rind and 2 of the garlic cloves (minced or chopped very fine) until well mixed. Gently work the skin of the chicken breast away from the flesh (be careful not to tear the skin) and distribute the butter evenly over the breast. The butter will keep the meat lovely and moist.

Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken and rub it in to the flesh. When you are done, put this into the cavity, along with two thirds of the oregano, roughly chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Now rub the chicken all over with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and the rest of the oregano and cook in a hot oven for 20 mins. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for another hour or until the juices run clear and it is cooked through. Be sure to baste the chicken every now and then during the cooking process.

If you are cooking potatoes with the chicken, add them when you have about 30mins left to go with the cooking of the chicken. When the chicken is done, cover in foil and rest it in a warm place for 10-15 mins before carving. Drizzle the juices over the chicken to serve (or use them as a base to make a lemony gravy)

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