Snack & Starter

There is autumn / fall in the air. Yes, the temperatures will not really fall enough to be classified as autumn / fall weather until October, but there is a definite change in the air.

We are in the mid – late stages of summer 2018.

Summer in most parts of Pakistan generally means soaring temperatures and unending bouts of severe humidity followed by much welcome monsoon rain. Summer for us also means an abundance of glorious sun ripened fruit such as mangoes, faalsa (rather unromantically classified as Grewia Asiatica in English) watermelons and peaches.

This simple yet beautiful Grilled Peach, Feta & Walnut Salad is an elegant tribute to summer fruit – an easy, delicious and restaurant worthy salad that comes together in no time. Ripe peaches, juicy and slightly smoky from being grilled contrast wonderfully atop a bed of fresh crisp salad greens doused in a sweet and tart Honey Citrus Dressing and topped with salty feta and earthy toasted walnuts – how gorgeous and refreshing is that?

This salad does well at being served at room temperature but I like it best cold. Grilled Peach, Feta & Walnut Salad

Recipe Type: Starters & Sides    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 15 Minutes    Cook Time: 10 Minutes    Total Time: 25 Minutes

Serves: 1 – 2

 

Smoky peaches, crisp salad greens, Honey Citrus Dressing, feta & toasted walnuts contrast perfectly in this lovely Grilled Peach, Feta & Walnut Salad.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 – 2 medium sized peaches (ripe but firm)*
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey + extra
• 1/2 – 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice + extra
• Salt
• Fresh milled black pepper
• 1 – 2 cups salad greens / mesclun mix**
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Toasted or caramelised walnuts
• Balsamic glaze (optional)

 

METHOD

1. Preheat a cast iron grill or a grill pan over medium heat.
2. Halve peaches, remove the pits / stones and slice into thick rounds.
3. Brush / coat both sides of peach slices evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Grill sliced peaches on both sides, 2-5 minutes per side, or until good dark char marks appear.
5. Cool on wire rack & cool completely.
6. When peaches have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to a flat plate and place in the fridge to chill.
7. Prepare the Honey Citrus Dressing by whisking together the extra virgin olive oil, honey, fresh lime or lemon juice with a pinch each of salt and black pepper.
8. When the dressing emulsifies and thickens, taste it.
9. It should be sweet, tart and zingy. Add more lemon / lime juice, honey, salt or pepper if needed. Set aside.
10. When ready to serve, toss your washed and dried salad greens in  the dressing and place on serving plate.
11. Place cold grilled peach slices on top, crumble over some salty feta and scatter toasted walnuts all over.
12. If wanted, give the salad a final drizzle of balsamic glaze – the salad will taste great without it as well.

 

NOTES

*Mangoes, pears and apricots also grill well and make good substitutes for / alternatives to peaches in this kind of salad.

**Here I’ve used a 50 gram packet of salad mix by Origi Nature available at Haryali Store. It is a mix of rocket (arugula), baby spinach, baby kale and tender basil.

Pita pizzas are a pretty kickass idea when you’re looking to make versatile pizza style snacks or appetisers fast.

These good looking crispy discs are perfect for times when:

* You don’t want to bake your own pizza crust.

* You want to experiment with toppings other than the ones offered by commercial pizza places.

* You don’t own things like a pizza stone, a pizza steel, a pizza peel or a cool kiln-like brick oven.

* Baking pizza on an upturned baking sheet hasn’t helped much because your oven doesn’t operate at the kind of furnace-like temperatures required to make a really awesome pizza crust.

* All of the above.

You can use any of your favourite pizza toppings to make these. The possibilities are endless and consider these 3 types of pita pizzas as guides and build your own favourites.

Use your favourite pizza sauce, mushrooms, olives, caramelised onions, feta cheese or anything your heart desires and that you like to top your pizzas with.

It is hard to give exact quantities for the ingredients here because it will all depend on the size of the pita breads you use and how generous or stingy you are with the toppings.

The pita breads I used to make these pita pizzas were roughly maybe 6″ in diameter so use that as a guide.

I used a homemade Parsley Walnut Pesto to top one of the pizzas. That is what I had in the fridge so that is what I used. The pesto recipe below is flexible; if you want to make a traditional pesto, use sweet basil and pine nuts.

I had roasted pumpkin pieces in the freezer so I defrosted some of those and added to one of the pizzas and topped it with some leftover baby spinach from a salad that I had made the previous evening.

The pita breads I’ve used here were purchased a few weeks before and had been sitting in my deep freezer. I put them to defrost on the kitchen counter while I got the pizza toppings ready.

I’m all about what’s available and making life easy. So work with what you have and what you like.

Also, these pita pizzas look best when they’re not perfectly prettified. The more rustic looking, the better, in my humble opinion.

It is ok to be generous when topping your pita pizzas but remember not to overload them with the toppings. It is pita bread after all, hence not as sturdy as thick crust pizza dough so keep that in mind.

 

QUICK PITA PIZZAS

 

Recipe Type: Starter & Snack    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 10 Minutes    Cook Time: 10 Minutes    Total Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 2 – 3

 

Crispy quick pita pizzas – easy, fast & fun to put together thanks to readymade pita breads & a myriad of topping possibilities – yum!

 

PIZZA MARGHERITA

INGREDIENTS

• Pita bread*
• Olive oil
• 4 – 6 canned whole peeled tomatoes, preferably Italian style
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Mozzarella cheese, sliced into squares or rectangles
• Fresh sweet basil leaves

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F.
2. Brush pita bread evenly with olive oil.
3. Cut or tear tomatoes roughly into quarters and drain as well as possible.
4. Add a good pinch each of oregano, basil, garlic powder and onion powder.
5. Pour in a teaspoon or so of olive oil, add salt & pepper to taste and toss lightly to combine, being careful not to break tomatoes.
6. Arrange seasoned tomatoes randomly all over the pita.
7. Top with squares or rectangles of sliced mozzarella.
8. Drizzle a little olive oil all over.
9. Place directly onto your oven’s wire rack.
10. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is well melted.
11. Remove from oven, top with fresh sweet basil leaves.
12. Slice into wedges & serve.

 

PESTO & SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZA

 

INGREDIENTS

• Pita bread*
• Olive oil
• Pesto, store / deli bought or homemade (recipe below)
• Mozzarella cheese, sliced into squares or rectangles
• Sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
• Fresh sweet basil leaves, chiffonaded

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F.
2. Spread pita bread evenly with pesto leaving a 1/2″ – 1″ border.
3. Place mozzarella randomly over the top.
4. Top with sundried tomatoes.
5. Drizzle a bit of olive oil all over.
6. Place directly onto your oven’s wire rack.
7. Bake 5 – 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.
8. Remove from oven, top with chiffonaded sweet basil, cut into wedges and serve.

 

BLUE CHEESE, ROASTED PUMPKIN & WALNUT PIZZA

 

INGREDIENTS

• Pita bread*
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese, sliced into squares or rectangles
• Blue cheese, crumbled
• Roasted Pumpkin bits (recipe below)
• Walnuts
• Arugula / Rocket leaves or baby spinach

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F.
2. Brush pita bread evenly with olive oil, leaving a 1/2″ – 1″ border.
3. Place mozzarella randomly on top & scatter blue cheese over it.
4. Place roasted pumpkin pieces on top and add walnuts.
5. Drizzle olive oil all over.
6. Place directly onto your oven’s wire rack.
7. Bake 5 – 10 minutes or until mozzarella has melted.
8. Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula/ rocket or baby spinach leaves.
9. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top of the leaves if wished.
10. Cut into wedges and serve.

 

PESTO 2 WAYS

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fresh sweet basil leaves OR flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon pine nuts OR walnuts, ground
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & grated
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + extra
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt

 

METHOD

1. Put all ingredients together in a small blender or in the small bowl of a food processor.
2. Blend or process until combined and a thick paste forms.
3. If not using straight away, put in an airtight container and cover with a layer of extra virgin olive oil.
4. Store pesto airtight in the fridge for up to a week.

 

ROASTED PUMPKIN

 

INGREDIENTS

• Pumpkin, peeled & cut into 1″ pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Dried herbs such as thyme, Italian herb mix, fines herbes, herbes de Provence etc (optional)

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
2. Line a roasting tin or baking sheet with foil.
3. Add the pumpkin cubes and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Season with salt, pepper and herbs if using.
5. Give everything a good mix with your fingers so that the pumpkin in thoroughly coated with the oil and seasonings.
6. Bake 15 – 30 minutes, stirring pumpkin pieces halfway through baking or until fully cooked. Plus points if any light charring occurs in places.
7. Remove roasted pumpkin from oven and cool completely to room temperature.
8. Store airtight in the fridge up to 1 day and a few weeks in the freezer.

 

* You can use any type of pita bread to make these pita pizzas such as whole wheat, gluten free etc.

The ones I’ve used here are multi grain pita breads from La Patisserie.

Up until the ’90s, the most popular salad in Pakistan (second only to our local Kachumer Salad) used to be Russian Salad.

Basically any combination of salad ingredients, such as shredded cabbage,
boiled potato cubes, hard boiled egg bits, with or without chopped apples and / or pomegranate seeds doused in a ton of mayonnaise was loosely referred to as Russian Salad.

Because of my childhood aversion to most things containing mayonnaise, I wasn’t exactly in love with any form of this salad.

Fast forward to early – mid 2000s and I happened to taste a Russian Salad so incredible that I was an instant convert. It was as authentic as it can get because it was made by a Russian family friend, a Moscow native, living in Daharki.

Olga, the Russian lady in question, was happy to share with me the list of simple ingredients that go into making a traditional Russian Salad.

I told her that that was the first time I had actually enjoyed eating a Russian Salad at which she told us of her annoyance at people who combine things like cubes of tinned pineapple with mayonnaise and present that as Russian Salad 😁.

Post-Soviet countries such as Ukraine and other countries like Bulgaria love Russian Salad or Salad Olivier. This salad is also pretty popular in Iran where it is known as Salad Olivieh.

In an age where superstars of the modern salad world such as heirloom tomatoes, burrata and dried cranberries rule, I feel classic salads such as Waldorf Salad, Salad Niçoise, Russian Salad etc also need to be revisited and savoured from time to time.

Except for a few of the older eateries and clubs in Pakistan that have been around for a couple of decades, Russian Salad has sadly been relegated to the “Forgotten Classics” list.

I call my take on this classic salad Russian Salad Olivier. This is a salad that I can happily have in place of a regular meal.

Sprightly, fresh tasting & filling without being stodgy, this is usually the first salad (& many times the only salad when entertaining carnivorous relatives who sadly consider anything with potatoes as the only vegetable dish worth eating 😁) that gets finished when I do an assortment of salads as part of a family daawat / party.

Russian Salad Oliver

 

Recipe Type: Starter & Snack    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 20 Minutes + Chilling Time    Cook Time: 10 Minutes    Total Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 2 – 4

 

Cooked, raw & pickled vegetables make up this classic Russian Salad Olivier. Tangy citrus & fresh herbs add sprightliness to the salad’s satisfying flavour.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2″ – 1″ cubes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2″ – 1″ cubes
• 1 cup green peas, fresh, frozen or canned*
• 1/2 cup chopped spring onions, both green & white parts
• 1/2 cup chopped pickled gherkins OR dill pickles OR pickled jalapeños
• 1 – 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled & chopped into 1/2″ – 1″ cubes (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise**
• A few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice***
• Fresh dill / soya OR fresh coriander leaves
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

 

METHOD

1. Bring a medium sized pan full of water to the boil.
2. When it reaches the boil, salt it well and add chopped carrots. Let cook uncovered 2  minutes.
3. Then add the potatoes and cook uncovered 5 – 7 minutes or until the potato cubes are cooked.
4. Potatoes must be tender but still hold their shape so make sure not to over cook.
5. If using fresh peas, add them during the last 5 – 7 minutes of cooking. If using frozen, add them during the last 2 – 4 minutes of cooking.
6. Drain the cooked vegetables well, and cool completely to room temperature.
7. Remove cooled vegetables to a roomy bowl, cover and refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes or until cold.
8. To assemble the salad, add chopped spring onions and chopped gherkins, dill pickles or jalapeños to the cold vegetables. Also add drained canned peas, if using.
9. Stir in enough mayonnaise to coat the vegetables thoroughly but not heavily. Use a light hand to stir so that the veggie cubes don’t break.
10. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped fresh dill / soya or coriander leaves.
11. Taste the salad and see if it needs more of anything – pickled veggies, mayonnaise, lemon juice, fresh herbs, salt or pepper.
12. Once satisfied with the taste, remove the salad to an airtight container and chill in the fridge for at least an hour – up to 24 hours is fine too.
13. Serve the salad cold and store leftovers airtight in the fridge.
14. Consume within 2 days.

 

* According to a few Russian and Eastern European food bloggers, canned peas and not fresh or frozen ones, are traditionally used to make Russian Salad.

** I feel that the quality and the quantity of mayonnaise used is what makes or breaks this salad. It is essential not to drown the salad in mayonnaise. I would suggest Best Foods Mayonnaise, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and American Garden’s U.S. Mayonnaise but obviously feel free to use any local brand that you like.

*** Do not skip fresh lemon juice. The tangy acidity of the lemon cuts through the gloopines of the mayonnaise and keeps the salad tasting fresh, tart and bright.

There has been no looking back since I started making restaurant style salsa, guacamole and queso blanco dip at home. These taste phenomenal and are unlike anything you’d find in a jar.

I literally had that “Where have you been all my life?” moment the second I took my first taste of each of these dips. To state that this salsa, guacamole and queso blanco dip are all three of them incredibly good is an understatement – at least for me!

The salsa is piquant with the kind of depth that I used to find was hard to replicate outside a restaurant. It is a breeze to put together as I usually have most of the ingredients it requires on hand.

Guacamole is best made right before you plan on eating it and benefits tremendously from generous quantities of salt and lime or lemon juice. Some recipes call for the addition of tomato as well but I choose not to add it.

The queso blanco dip is rich and creamy but the gentle heat and slight tartness from finely chopped pickled jalapeños and seasonings balance it out along with the fresh toppings.

I love enjoying copious amounts of all of these together with tortilla chips hence made a single post about them instead of three separate recipe posts.

Also, by no means do I claim these recipes to be authentic. This is how I like them and have adapted the recipes a little from Laura Vitale‘s lovely recipes keeping the scarcity of some and the unavailability of other Mexican ingredients in Pakistan in mind.

Avocados are, admittedly, not as readily available in Pakistan as the rest of the ingredients required to make the other two dips. I buy firm avocados, wrap them in newspaper and leave them to ripen for a day or two before using.

If you’ve never made guacamole before it may be helpful to Google things like “how to choose an avocado” – and if you’re lucky enough to have come across those black-green Hass avocados in Lahore, please let me know.

Crispy chips like Doritos and Tostitos are obviously amazing for scooping up the salsa, guacamole and queso blanco dip right into your mouth.

Many imported brands of flour and corn tortillas are now available at various stores. So there’s plenty of choice if you want to make your own tortilla chips.

I like the tortillas made by Lahore’s local bakery “Bread & Beyond” that come in two sizes and are available at their stores / bakeries.

To make the chips, I stack a couple of tortillas on a chopping board and slice into eighths with a sharp knife. I then deep fry the tortilla wedges until golden then drain them well.

For a healthier alternative, brush each tortilla on both sides with olive oil while stacking and slice into eighths. Place the cut wedges on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C until golden.

Restaurant Style Salsa, Guacamole and Queso Blanco Dip

 

Recipe Type: Snack & Starter    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 20 Minutes    Cook Time: 20 Minutes    Total Time: 40 Minutes

Serves: 2 – 4

 

Enjoy the bright & bold flavours of homemade restaurant style salsa, guacamole and queso blanco dip right in the comfort of your home!

 

SALSA

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large fresh ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup canned tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 1/2 – 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 large green chillies, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• A few fresh lemons or limes
• Salt
• A pinch of fine white sugar

 

METHOD

1. Optional: Place whole tomatoes on medium high heat directly onto the stove rings. Keep turning tomatoes with a pair of tongs until the skin is blackened and charred in places all over. Remove roasted tomatoes to a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so and peel the charred skin off and discard. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor add onions and green chillies.
3. Grate in the garlic cloves and process until chunky.
4. Add fresh tomatoes (cut into quarters if unroasted or halved if using roasted tomatoes as per the optional first step), canned tomatoes, coriander leaves, cumin powder, oregano, lime or lemon juice and salt.
5. Pulse until mixture is somewhere between very finely chopped and pulpy. Do not over process.
6. Check salt and adjust lime or lemon juice and seasoning accordingly.
7. Mix in the pinch of sugar if the salsa tastes too sour and could do with a bit of balancing.
8. Remove the prepared salsa to a serving bowl, cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 15 – 20 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
9. Store leftover salsa covered airtight in the fridge.
10. Best consumed within 1 day.

 

GUACAMOLE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 – 4 ripe avocados
• A few fresh limes or lemons, halved
• Salt
• 1 small red onion, chopped OR a few green onions, chopped
• Chopped fresh coriander

METHOD

1. Halve the avocados and remove the seed from each. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
2. Immediately sprinkle with salt and squeeze over the juice of 1 or 2 limes or lemon.
3. Mash with a fork until chunky. Add chopped onion & continue mashing and smooshing with the fork until the consistency is somewhere between creamy and lightly chunky.
4. Taste to see if the salt and lime / lemon juice are according to your liking. Adjust if needed.
5. Scrape out into serving bowl, top with a few chopped coriander leaves.
6. Guacamole can start changing colour with time so make it just before serving, do not let it sit and serve straight away.

 

QUESO BLANCO DIP

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup heavy / double cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup cubed cheese (any local cheddar cheese OR American Cheese OR Monterey Jack OR a combination of any of these cheeses)
• 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños, drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder plus extra
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano plus extra
• Fresh milled black pepper
• Salt
• 1 small ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
• A few pickled jalapeño slices, drained
• Fresh coriander leaves

 

METHOD

1. Put the cubed cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until shredded. Do not use pre-shredded cheese.
2. Combine the cream and milk in a saucepan and whisk together until combined.
3. Heat until you see small bubbles along the side of the pan and add the shredded  cheese a little at a time, whisking constantly until all the cheese has been added and has melted into the milk and cream.
4. Add the chopped jalapeños, cumin powder, oregano and black pepper.
5. Stir well and check for salt. Adjust seasonings accordingly, adding extra cumin and oregano if needed.
6. Pour the queso blanco dip into a serving bowl. It will thicken as it cools.
7. At this point you can place the bowl under your oven grill / broiler for half a minute or so or until the top is crusty and golden. This step is totally optional. Just make sure your bowl is oven proof.
8. Top the dip with chopped tomatoes, jalapeño slices and fresh coriander.
9. Serve at room temperature and if serving later, warm up gently in a pan over low heat, adding a bit of milk to loosen it if needed and then top with the garnish.
10. Store in the fridge.

Crispy Spinach Chips are pretty cool things. Crunchy, nutrient rich and tasty without the guilt. And very easy to prepare.

Most recipes for spinach chips use baby spinach. If you’d like to use that instead of the regular spinach called for in this recipe, do so by all means. I’ve used ordinary spinach leaves because they are easily available and I usually have them in my fridge.

I once tried making kale chips pretty much the same way and they tasted good too. So you can try this recipe with kale as well. But honestly, I prefer spinach over kale for reasons of availability, cost and flavour. So I like these Crispy Spinach Chips better than the kale ones.

Besides being a much healthier snack overall, these Crispy Spinach Chips are  also a good crunchy treat for those following low carb eating plans.

This is also a keto friendly recipe for folks eating according to that particular meal / diet plan.

Crispy Spinach Chips

 

Recipe Type: Starter & Snack    Author: Alice In Eatland 

Prep Time: 5 Minutes    Cook Time: 10 Minutes    Total Time: 15 Minutes

Serves: 1

 

Crispy Spinach Chips – crunchy & delicious without the guilt! These baked nutrient dense chips make a super healthy snack. Gluten free. Low carb.

 

INGREDIENTS

• Handful of spinach leaves (can be 1/2 to 1 cup of spinach leaves, depending how many you wish to eat)
• 1 teaspoon or so of olive oil
• Sea salt OR regular salt
• Extra flavourings such as chaat masala, garlic powder etc.

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
2. Wash the spinach leaves and dry thoroughly with sheets of kitchen paper.
3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
4. Toss the spinach leaves with a little olive oil. You don’t need a lot; just enough so that the leaves are very lightly coated with the oil. I find it easier to rub the oil onto the leaves with my fingers.
5. Sprinkle salt and any additional flavouring of choice lightly on both sides of each oiled spinach leaf.
6. Place the leaves on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
7. Bake 5 – 10 minutes or until the spinach leave edges begin to curl away from the baking sheet. The leaves will darken in places, shrink & curl a bit and look dryish.
8. Keep an eye on the spinach so that it doesn’t burn. It’s okay if the leaves turn brown in places while baking but don’t let them over brown.
9. Remove the baked spinach leaves carefully from the baking sheet, preferably to a wire rack or wire colander to minimise surface contact so the chips remain crisp.
10. These can soften with time so they are best eaten immediately after baking.