At the moment I am cooking my way through Nigella’s book, At My Table. I admire her careless abandon and prowess in the kitchen. One of my favourite recipes so far is the Roasted Salsa, and the Sticky Toffee Pudding.At My Table is perfect for anyone who wants to cook good, simple food.
Tomatoes are a favourite of mine. My cousin introduced me to eating it in a whole different way. She would take an enormous bite of a juicy tomato and sprinkle salt on as she eats her way through the deliciously plump fruit. This to me was foreign and strange, seeing my mom only ever cook with it and never seeing anyone eating it as is. Now to this day, that is exactly how I enjoy eating a tomato. I love this recipe because I always have surplus tomatoes, and who doesn’t want salsa they know exactly what ingredients are in it!?
Nigella’s Red-Hot Roast Salsa.
Ingredients:
- 10 Medium sized Roma Tomatoes (halved across the equator)
- 4-5 Red Chillies, I used dried ones, you can of course stick to the original recipe and use fresh if you have any on hand.
- 1 large Red Onion, peeled and chopped into eighths
- 2 Red peppers, de-seeded and chopped into strips
- 4 large Garlic cloves, peeled and smashed or bruised with the back end of a knife
- 1/4 teaspoon of Smoked Sweet Paprika
- 1 teaspoon of Smoked Sea Salt flakes, plus more to taste
- 2 Tablespoons of Olive oil
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C/200 fan. Add the halved tomatoes cut-side up in a large roasting dish. Add the chillies around the tomatoes, then the red onion wedges, strips of red pepper, and the garlic. Season with the salt, paprika and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 40 – 45 minutes, until everything is soft and slightly charred around the edges.
Take out of the oven and set aside for 5 minutes. Pull off the stalks of the chillies and discard. Transfer everything into a large bowl or blender(If using a blender wait 10-15 minutes for the roasted mix to cool down further, to avoid explosions across your kitchen) and blitz with a stick blender or stand blender. Until smooth but with a little chunky texture. Blitz according to preference. Add a little more salt and store in a sterilized jar or wait to cool completely before serving with tortilla chips or spread over a breakfast burrito.
I used this salsa in every way imaginable, to get the best out of it. I spread a generous amount over chicken breasts with garlic, parsley and a lemon juice, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes on high. This was such a great way to add moisture and flavour to the lean and sometimes bland part of the bird.
Let me know in the comments section if you love salsa and the different ways you use it.
Have a delicious week x
This recipe is inspired by two amazing women, Donna Hay, and my sister. My sister texted me some food inspiration when I really had none at all, she had a vision of me making something delicious with luscious figs she spotted in store, with that in mind I recalled a 
This recipe is inspired by one I spotted in the latest Summer issue of Donna Hay’s Magazine. Instead of the doing the Frosé version, I am not much of Rosé drinker, but instead added some of Malfy’s delicious Gin. Malfy Gin, of Italian origin off the Malfy coast to be exact, has refreshing zesty citrus notes with hints of juniper. I chose this particular gin, to see how the lemony notes in the gin would pair with the watermelon and rose-water. To describe the finished product, I’d like to think of it as an alcoholic watermelon, rose-water flavoured frozen lemonade. I know, a mouthful in description, but it’s damn delicious and best of all so easy to make at home! I omitted sugar too, because the watermelon adds the much needed sweetness that this slush requires to be, well a slushy. 
This first recipe is inspired and adapted from one of my food heroes, Yotam Ottolenghi. The Labneh I made is from the cookbook, NOPI. To complement the rich labneh, I made macerated strawberries in a pomegranate molasses and sumac syrup with a dash of freshly cracked black pepper this was just the edge the in-season sweet strawberries needed. I love how extra creamy and decadent the Faircape Double Cream Yoghurt made this labneh. The texture of the yoghurt is such a thick yet smooth consistency that I would happily swop out cream in savoury recipes for this delicious yoghurt. Last night, I made a little throw together with whatever was in the fridge and pantry, and ended up making an incredibly tasty lime chicken pasta dish with this yoghurt as the base for the sauce. My verdict: I love cream very much, but for those days where you need to watch your calorie intake, I will certainly add this double cream yoghurt as a great substitute.
Labneh is a thick spreadable cream cheese that is made with usually greek yoghurt, a little salt and lemon juice and left to sit in the fridge to drain off the whey for 24 hours to thicken and turn into labneh. Usually served with plenty of good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil and Za’atar. Like always, this time I’ve put my own twist on Labneh and how I serve it.
Here’s to many more firsts! xo
The Corkless Mind 