Blog – Page 16 – The Food Wife

Harissa & Halloumi Kebabs

11th June 202311th June 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes 4 kebabs

These Middle-Eastern inspired kebabs alternate salty halloumi, with zingy harissa and juicy tomatoes. These can be cooked on a barbecue, under a grill or in the air fryer. They are a perfect for the summer, eaten with a salad or stuffed in a pitta.

Two hours before cooking, begin to soak your wooden skewers in water and prepare the marinade.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp garlic infused oil (or 2 tsp oil with 1 clove of minced garlic)

2 tsp harissa paste

Salt and pepper

1 block of Halloumi cut into 1 inch pieces

Cherry tomatoes

You will also need 4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for a couple of hours.

Step 1: Make the marinade by combining the oil (and garlic if using), harissa paste and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the halloumi pieces so they are well coated, cover and leave in the fridge to marinate.

Step 2: Just before cooking, assemble the kebabs by skewering alternate pieces of halloumi and a cherry tomato carefully onto the skewers.

Step 3: Cook under a hot grill or on a barbecue for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and scorched slightly from the heat.

Serve, drizzled with a little pomegranate molasses if you fancy.

Turkey Koftas

28th May 202328th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approx 25 (serves 5+)

These little morsels are great as part of a mezze or as the protein with a salad for lunch or dinner.

Frying the onion before adding to the mince helps give a sweeter flavour to the koftas and the turmeric gives them a golden hue.

Iâ€™d suggest using a non stick pan. I also like to use two frying pans as Iâ€™m cooking them. Once I have filled both pans itâ€™s ready to start flipping them over and the whole process is done quickly.

I used turkey mince but you could use beef, lamb or pork if you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

750g Turkey (thigh) mince

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground turmeric

3 tsp ground cumin

Oil

Step 1: Over a medium heat, fry the onion in a little oil, until golden but not browned. (I used a garlic oil for extra flavour).

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the spices, salt and pepper, eggs, mince and slightly cooled onion together, with your hands. Make sure you really squish it so itâ€™s thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Heat some vegetable oil in a non stick frying pan, over a medium-high heat. Use a dessert spoon to scoop a heaped amount of the mixture and use another spoon to round the top. Transfer into the hot oil and cook for a few minutes on each side, not turning until each side is browned. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.

Step 4: Remove the koftas from the pan, once cooked, and keep warm until all are ready and then serve.

Tahini Noodle Salad

11th May 202311th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

This salad can be a meal in itself or pair it with some protein, such as tofu, prawns or chicken.

You can use any noodles you fancy but vermicelli rice noodles are a good carrier. Cook these according to the packet instructions (usually soaking in just-boiled water for five minutes) and then drain carefully and run cold water through them to make them ready for the dressing and stop them sticking together.

This dressing is enough to coat the noodles here but it is a light dressing. If you want a stronger punch, double the quantities.

Ingredients:

200g rice noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions and then run under cold water to cool.

1 shredded carrot

1 red pepper cut into strips

2 spring onions, sliced

Plus any extra vegetables you fancy, sliced

For the dressing:

3 tbsp Tahini

1 tbsp Soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

1 tbsp Honey/maple syrup

1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp (sweet) chilli sauce

Thumb size piece of ginger, grated

Step 1: Mix all the dressing ingredients together to a smooth paste.

Step 2: In a large bowl combine all the noodles and vegetables together. Pour over the dressing and using clean hands, toss together until everything is coated. Serve.

Chicken and Chorizo Skewers

9th May 20239th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 14 mini skewers

These little skewers are great cold for a picnic or hot straight from the barbecue, or serve warm with salad for a lunch.

The chicken is marinated in spices that echo the flavours of the chorizo.

I served these with my giant couscous salad with roasted peppers and feta.

Ingredients:

1kg chicken breast cut into large chunks (aim for 42 so 3 pieces per skewer)

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp olive oil

14 slices of chorizo cut about 5mm thick

14 small wooden skewers, soaked in water for an hour before skewering

Step 1: Begin by marinating the chicken pieces in the paprika, garlic and chilli along with the oil. Leave for at least an hour or up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Step 2: Skewer the chicken pieces and chorizo slices on to the skewers. I did two pieces of chicken, followed by one slice of chorizo and then finishing with one piece of chicken per mini skewer.

Step 3: You can cook these on a barbecue or under the grill, turning every couple of minutes until cooked through. You can also do them in the air fryer – I found that 15 minutes at 188c was just right to cook them through but keep them nice and juicy!

Giant Couscous Salad with Roasted Peppers and Feta

9th May 20239th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 6 (+) as a side dish

The inspiration for this salad comes from a recipe I remember having in the 90s which partnered walnut oil and feta cheese which were such a great combo. If you donâ€™t have any walnut oil then you can use extra virgin olive oil of course but it wonâ€™t have the same nutty hit.

You can add any other veg you fancy to this but the roasted peppers are the staple. I used one raw courgette cut into small cubes. Cucumber would also work well.

You can make this a couple of hours in advance so itâ€™s good for a picnic or barbecue.

Ingredients:

300g giant couscous, cooked according to the packet instructions and then drained and run under cold water until cool.

1 jar of roasted peppers, drained and diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

Any other veg you fancy e.g courgette or cucumber cut into a small dice

100g feta, crumbled

For the dressing:

2 lemons, juice only

4 tbsp walnut oil

Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 1: Assemble all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix together the dressing ingredients (I do this in a jar that I can shake to emulsify).

Step 3: Toss the salad and dressing together and serve.