Rosemary - Peach Salad

I house sat this summer, and several weeks ago I was locked in a chicken coop.
Twice. Within a couple days.
The first time the knot on the rope to open the door from inside had slipped and come undone.
Normal problem I'm sure, it'd eventually happen anyway.
Luckily, I was only in there about 10-15 minutes, looking around and wondering how I’d get out, before someone showed up who I could call to open the door for me. I was certainly grateful.
You see, chickens are ok company, but not my most favorite.
Anyway, I "fixed" the door so it wouldn't happen again.

Yes, I fixed it by not really paying complete attention and tying the rope to the wrong hole in the latch. The door shuts behind you, and... it doesn't matter how much you pull the rope.
(Uh-oh and a bit of internal panic.)
The second time it happened was a Saturday and nobody else was around so I had to figure something out by myself. 

I found a stick on the dirt floor of the coop, and I was able to get it through a gap in the door, and wiggling it into the hole of the latch, jimmying it at the right angle while slightly shaking the door so that the latch would release.

While I was working on this, I had the feeling of being a monkey in a film strip (these things seemingly ONLY in film strips, the kind you'd possibly watched in grade school, if we had some of the same early grade school experiences- projector, rolls of film pulled from tin cans, and pull-down screen... the whole shebang), while the voice-over would say, "We had previously thought man was the only animal having the use of tools."
And I was glad no one was there to watch.

Long story short, it ended up working (yay), and again I was only locked in there 10-15 minutes.
Next step, I want to learn how to pick locks. It's inspired.

Why tell this story?
There's really no good reason, other than about the same time I was trying to brainstorm different ways to use summer fruit.
Good story.

And so, this is a fabulous end-of-summer salad with a great combination of flavors.  It could be your starter, or you could possibly make into a light meal with a little tweaking.
I've served it six times for different dinners in the past few weeks, and I made it for my own dinner twice this week, along with open-faced BLTs (also great for summer if you find some good heirloom tomatoes and meaty bacon). Needless to say, I think it's quite alright.
And a safe bet.
No eggs required.

Rosemary - Peach Salad
(Vinaigrette for 4-5)

Vinaigrette:
1 T (15 ml) finely minced shallot
1 T (15 ml) Sherry vinegar
1/8 t kosher or sea salt (a nice pinch)
1/2 t fresh minced rosemary needles (visually, maybe a hazelnut-sized amount)
1 t (5 ml) honey
4 T (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

proscuitto/speck (thinly sliced, about piece per person- depending on size)
greens (mixed, spring, baby spinach...) 
a ripe peach (1 large for 4 people)
thinly sliced green onion (optional, but nice)
minced parsley (ditto)
toasted sliced almonds (or pecans... not optional)
fresh basil leaves (also optional here, but a great addition- I promise, use if you have it)

Other possibilities: 
fresh mozzarella or burrata
cherry tomatoes
strawberries (maybe it sounds crazy, but I think a little bit would add some nice color and flavor here)


Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).
To make the vinaigrette,  combine the shallots, Sherry vinegar, and salt in a small jar or bowl.  Let sit 5 mintues, add the rosemary, and let sit another 5 minutes. To the sherry mixture, add the honey and mix well.  If making vinaigrette in a jar, add about 1/4 of the olive oil and shake the jar to blend. Add about 1/2 of the remaining olive oil and shake well. Add the last of the olive oil and shake again to combine. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and set aside.
(If using a bowl to make the vinaigrette, whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream...)

While the shallots sit in the vinegar, crisp the proscuitto. Carefully separate the proscuitto and place it on a sheet pan in a single layer, and cook in the preheated oven 5-8 minutes. It will darken and dry as it cooks, but will finish crisping after it has been removed from the oven to cool. Move the proscuitto on the pan a bit to make sure it's not stuck, then let cool completely.

To assemble salads, place a handful of greens on each plate or in bowls. Sprinkle with green onion and parsley (if using). Cut the peach into eighths and use 2/8 per person, slicing into bite-sized pieces and distributing them over the greens. Re-shake or whisk the vinaigrette (if necessary) and spoon over the salads. Crumble the proscuitto over the salads and top with sliced almonds. Sprinkle with a little chiffonade of basil, if using, and serve.

Honeyed Walnut Cake

Ok, so, this one was a bit difficult to name.
It's not a "cake" in the baked-and-eaten-with-a-cup-of-tea dessert-y, cake-y texture sense of the word.
I mean it more as a shape, a configuration, the tight togetherness of the ingredients.
While going through potential words in English to describe the form, they sounded so inelegant: brick, log, block, slab, chunk... bleh.
Sometimes the English language is decidedly lacking in charm.
Then I thought about other, more strictly fruit and nut confections- pressed date and almond, fig and walnut- and with a slight stretch, even panforte fits the bill. They're cakes. So cake it shall be.

I had found something like this months back, and it was wonderful to nibble with a glass of red wine, or as dessert with a splash of Port. The problem being, ooh, it was pretty expensive.
I thought maybe I could make it myself for much cheaper.
There are four ingredients, just like the other one. Maybe it's not exact proportion or technique-wise, but it's really good and certainly not cost-prohibitive.
 

 

I'd recommend it for a wine and cheese party, with appetizers, or for after dinner as part of cheese based dessert board along with that Port, maybe some dark chocolate... go ahead and add fruit, too (though this by itself is perfectly fine).

You're going to use two amber liquids here- one more pale golden, the other a bit deeper- two syrups I'd be willing to bet many, if not most, people have on hand anyway.
Honey and maple syrup, but make it pure maple syrup, real maple syrup, not a thick corn syrup based concoction.
Personally, I think it's good both are included here. Honey alone can be intense at times, not my most favorite ingredient, but it does have it's place. 
The syrups are cooked to reduce a bit and become the cement holding the walnut bits together.
I didn't give a temperature for cooking the syrup... it's a small amount, and it would difficult to get an accurate reading on a thermometer, so in this case it's more sensorial than measurable and exact.

Of course the recipe can be halved for a smaller group, or if you prefer assurance it will disappear.

Test the size of your mould after you've broken up the toasted walnuts. You can use a ring mould, a metal cup measure, something rectangular if you've got it, if you're careful- a metal can with both ends cut out... perhaps even a wide-mouth jar (as long as you'd be able to remove the finised cake). Place the  nuts in the container you plan to use and shake things a bit so the walnuts fall into place, giving you a general idea how things will fit.

A friend had also suggested sprinkling the mould with sesame seeds to help combat the stickiness you may encounter upon serving (at least the bottom, which becomes the top when unmoulded).

I'm going to recommend doing this by weight, at the very least for the walnuts since their shape is so irregular...


Honeyed Walnut Cake 
(6-8 portions?) 

150 g whole walnuts (this comes to about 1 1/2 c in volume)
4 T honey (60 ml)
2 T maple syrup (30 ml)
1/4 t fine sea salt (small for weight, but my measure says 1.2 ml)

Toast the walnuts lightly in a preheated 325 F (163 C) oven 7-10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, break the walnuts into pieces (I usually do this by hand as I think it gives a nice size with soft edges, just twisting each walnut. Then I rub handfuls of the walnuts a bit between my palms to remove any loose skin.)
Bring the honey, maple syrup, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium, then reduce the heat a bit and cook 5 minutes, swirling the pan several times. You'll have to watch it, because the honey mixture can really bubble and expand.
(The syrup can quickly reduce and become stiff, so it's important not to overcook it, likewise it's important not to cook at too high a heat as the sugars can burn. You'll only know it it cooked too much for sure afterwards when the walnut cake is cool... it may be a crispier, stiffer confection to slice, but it's still very edible.)
Turn off the heat and stir the walnuts through for a couple minutes, to warm them again and make sure everything is coated nicely.
Have a mould at the ready, lined with lightly buttered or sprayed parchment or waxed paper. Spoon/pour the walnut mixture into the prepared mould. Fold over the edges of the paper so that everything is contained within the mould and press down so the nuts all find their place and are all tightly packed together.
Let cool completely- it may take a couple hours since it's so dense.
Unmould, unwrap, slice and enjoy with wine and cheese, etc., as an appetizer or a dessert. 

Rösti

I'll start with a disclaimer: yes, the photos show the rösti to be a bit dark, but it wasn't quite as dark as it seems. Though I can cite my biggest problems as a pan that wasn't flat on the bottom (realized too late), which led to some spotty cooking, and an electric burner (of which I am not a fan).
Things are certainly not always perfect (but it still tasted good).  

 

 

But, being slightly impatient and unwilling for a do-over (since I've not posted in a while), as well as the fact that light was good and I could get some very welcome reflection off the snow in the yard at the time... I made do.

Then again, I would greatly prefer a darker and obviously crispy version to the soggy alternative.

Rösti is a Swiss fried potato dish, like hash browns or latkes, nice at any time of day and a comforting sort of thing during cold weather.
I generally serve it as a starter myself, along with crème fraîche and smoked salmon,  but one round could easily make the base of a meal for two or three people.

If you want to go all out for a special occasion, perhaps caviar?

I won't say this is a completely authentic dish as I'm certainly no authority on Swiss cooking, and, there's no cheese included in this version (though I don't know if that's a total deal breaker).

The potato mixture could be cooked in ghee, or maybe bacon fat if you have it around and prefer that additional flavor.

Rösti
serves 6-8 as a starter, 2-3 as a main

1 1/2 lb. (24 oz/680 g) Yukon gold potatoes
6 green onions, sliced
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 t (7 g) salt
1/2 t (less than 1 g, but add to taste) freshly ground black pepper
2 T (20 g) cornstarch
4 T (57 g) unsalted butter
1 T (15 g) olive oil

(possible accompaniments include: smoked salmon, caviar,  bacon, cheese, crème fraîche, dill, lemon, applesauce)


Grate the potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water. Let the potato soak 5 minutes, drain and rinse in a colander. Place the shredded potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible (less liquid = crispy).

Transfer the potato to a large bowl and add the green onion. Beat the egg and extra yolk together in a bowl to combine and add to the bowl along with the salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
Stir everything together to combine well.

Heat a 10 inch skillet (well seasoned cast iron, preferably) over medium heat. Add half the butter and half the olive oil. When the butter has melted, swirl the pan to combine the oils and coat the pan. Place the potato mixture in the pan in an even layer and press down slightly to smooth the top. Cover the pan (with a lid or a sheet pan), and cook 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and loosen the potato from around the edge. Turn the rösti out onto the flat (underside) of a sheet pan and place the other half of the butter and olive oil into the hot skillet. When the butter has melted, again swirl the pan and slide the rösti, uncooked side down, back into the pan. Again, cover the pan and let cook 8-10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Remove the pan from the heat and let set a few minutes. Turn the rösti out onto a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve as desired. 

Tempura

I had to put this one up as soon as I could because all potential options are not available year-round.

It's pretty much the soft shelled crab that I do this for- I don't spend time year-round battering and frying food.
But soft shelled crab is a once-a-year thing, and that's it.

Tempura is light-ish, as far as fried foods go, and nice appetizer idea.
Shrimp, vegetables.... and, as above, really nice with soft-shelled crab for a meal if you can get your hands on some.

Vegetable options include green beans, carrots, sweet potato, squash or zucchini, squash blossoms,  asparagus, broccoli/broccolini, sliced onions or whole green onions, eggplant...

Obviously, you'll need fry in rounds, and you certainly won't want to be making it for a huge crowd. AND, you'll want to give the oil a chance to come back up to heat between rounds as necessary. I can be personally guilty of not doing this, as I want to hurry up and get it done, but it can lead to oil-logged tempura (not quite so nice).

For me, all it needs is a squeeze of lemon and maybe a sprinkle of salt right after it's removed from the hot oil... Maybe some chili sauce if you need a little heat.
Wow. Especially that crab. So good. 
And of course, it's all best right off the heat.

Tempura Batter
(coats about 12 soft shelled crabs)

3/4 c plus 3 T (144 g) white rice flour, plus more to dredge
3/4 c (104 g) cornstarch
3/4 t (6 g) salt
1/2 t (4 g) baking soda
1 large egg, cold
1 1/2 c (360 ml) sparkling water, cold

soft shelled crabs (*gills removed by you or your fishmonger), shrimp, vegetables (onion, broccoli, zucchini, etc.) to fry
neutral vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, etc.) for frying

Whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.

When ready, heat a dutch oven over medium heat with about 2 inches or so of oil.  Dust the crab (or the onion rings, or broccoli, etc.) with rice flour and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200-225 F (94-107 C) and place a paper towel lined sheet pan inside.
When the oil reaches 350-375 F (175-190 C) finish the tempura batter.
Whisk the egg and sparkling water together and pour into the cold flour mixture. Whisk the batter together until combined.
Quickly coat a crab with the batter and place it in the hot oil. Repeat with 1-2 more crabs, however many fit comfortably in the pot. Let the crab fry a couple minutes, until a pale golden, then flip it so the other side cooks about the same amount of time.
Remove crabs to the paper towel lined sheet pan in the oven to stay warm and drain a bit.
Repeat with the remaining crabs and/or vegetables, perhaps giving it a minute between batches to come back up to heat (too cool and your batter soaks up extra oil).
Perhaps sprinkle with salt and serve with lemon wedges, chili sauce, or as desired.

Falafel Revival

I try to make falafel at least once a year, preferably more (for the obvious reason of their fabulousness).
And well, for the past couple years falafel has been part of the Good Friday dinner over here. The meal that evening is more of a simple appetizer type of affair for us- perhaps cheese, apple slices, a green salad.
I don't know, I just think they're wonderful little bites, fantastic when extremely fresh and just made, but they certainly more than pass muster when baked from frozen.

In a way this is sort of a PSA, if you want to think about it that way. It's something to think about a little ahead of time- especially since dried chickpeas need to soak overnight.

Especially for this purpose, I make falafel several days before and freeze them. They're easy to throw into the oven- reheat however many you want or need when you're ready.
Besides, I'd much rather have a stash of homemade in the freezer (as insurance, of course) than a store bought frozen version.
(And I may end up having to make another batch before they're needed next week...)

The full recipe for falafel can be found here.

(No, they're not cooked in these photos- time to go fry them up!)

Caramelized Pecans (or An Addition to a Cheese Board)

This was something put together on Thanksgiving from what I found available to go with the aperitif.
Since everything worked out fairly well I had to write it down. I guess posting is my way of making sure I don't misplace it.

Relatively simple, somewhat festive, a little sweet and a little savory, caramelized pecans make a nice addition to a cheese board.
Perhaps slightly addictive?
A fortunate thing that the recipe makes a limited amount?

I like cheese boards with a little variety (taste, texture, color...).
Said cheese boards might include dried fruit or fig jam/lingonberry jam/cranberry sauce, nuts, and crackers or thin slices of bread

Well, the pecans weren't such a bad addition.
And since they're easy and a crispy little step up from plainer toasted pecans, I could see myself doing this over and over- provided I had what's necessary on hand when the special occasion need arose.
But really, I think practically everyone could at least do a variation to serve in a pinch.

Either that, or this could potentially make a nice little homemade gift in a pretty jar.
(In case you're wondering, they didn't seem to stick together when stored- I suppose the bit of butter helps with that aspect.)

You could, of course, omit the rosemary completely OR dress them up a little differently.
Instead of rosemary, maybe a touch of cayenne for a kick, or a sprinkle of baking-type spices: cinnamon, a touch of cloves and allspice (and black pepper to add interest?). Perhaps stir some orange zest into the caramel just prior to the pecans, and add a handful of dried cranberries before removing the pecans to cool.


Caramelized Pecans
makes 2 to 2 1/4 cups

2 to 2 1/4 c (200-225 g) pecan halves
6 T (1/4 c plus 2 T, 90 g) granulated sugar
2 T (30 g) unsalted butter
1/2 T (2 g) minced fresh rosemary needles
1/2 t (3 g) kosher or fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place the pecans on a tray. Bake 8-12 minutes, or until lightly toasted and crisped, shaking the pan a couple times as they bake.
Remove the pecans from the oven and set aside.
In a medium saucepan or frying pan, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts and takes on a nice shade of amber. Add the butter and stir through to combine.
Add the rosemary and salt, and stir to incorporate a bit and then add the pecans. Toss and stir until the pecans are coated.

Remove the caramel pecans to a piece of parchment paper to cool, spreading them out so they are separated. Sprinkle with extra salt if desired.
Let the nuts cool completely before serving or store in a covered container.

Socca

Socca is a simple chickpea flour crêpe from the south of France. 
While there are types of chickpea flour pancakes in several different countries, such as Italy and India (and, of course, with different names), we're going with France here. 

  

With a few simple ingredients, something wonderful can be created.

I like to make socca as part of a light meal, and it's the only reason I keep chickpea flour around. 

This version here isn't the thinnest you'd ever find, but instead it's got a toothsome bite and the edges have a nice crunch.

The version I prefer isn't strictly plain- it has some character from the addition of spices.

Socca is classically served with a drizzle of olive oil and grindings of fresh black pepper.
Try with sauteed onions and mushrooms, fresh herbs, or Parmesan shavings.

Recently I had a version with a fantastic fresh pesto, sliced sugar snap peas, and Parmesan shards.

But I also like to eat it with fish and lemon.

Socca 
makes 1, 10 inch crêpe
serves 4-6 as an appetizer

1 c (140 g) chickpea (garbanzo) flour (or a garbanzo-fava bean flour blend... which I actually prefer)
1 c (240 ml) water
2 T (30 ml) olive oil
scant 1/2 t (about 1 g) ground cumin
good pinch cayenne pepper

1 t (5 g) kosher or grey salt

several grinds fresh black pepper

To cook:
Olive oil for the pan

Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth (the batter will be loose). Set aside and let sit 30 minutes. 

Heat the broiler element of the oven on high. Drizzle a heavy 10 inch oven safe skillet (such as cast iron) with a bit of  olive oil and smear it around the inside until coated. Place the skillet in the oven a few inches from the element about 5 minutes to heat.
Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the previously rested batter. Tilt the pan as necessary to evenly coat it with the batter (move quickly so the pan stays as hot as possible). Place the pan back in the oven and cook 5-10 minutes, or until dry/cooked through and the top shows some spots of char.

At this point I like to flip it out of the pan and onto a cutting board (maybe with a little help from a fish spatula) and flip it charred side down back into the pan. It goes back into the oven a few minutes until the second side cooks a bit more and gets a little char. 

When finished, flip back out of the pan and back onto the cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve warm as desired. 

Pea and Quinoa Fritters

My last visit to Australia, a couple of my cousins and I made a trek out to Woollahra (I believe), one of Sydney's suburbs. We had a lovely outdoor breakfast at a cafe, a gorgeous walk through wisteria-draped areas that looked a bit like they might belong in Victorian Colonial India, and traipsed into Donna Hay's General Store (which no longer exists as a brick-and-mortar location). Purchases were made for my aunt's birthday and we lazily browsed the perfect little space.

I love Donna's style.

Donna Hay Magazine is something I occasionally like to splurge on at the bookstore newsstand (as is the case with a couple others) if I find it and it generally catches my eye for one reason or another. That said, the bookstore is a place that's probably ok for me to stay away from. I can't usually leave there without something, and if it's just a cup of coffee, it's a particularly good day of resistance.

I have a weakness for fantastic recipes and gorgeous cookbooks. Give me a cup of tea and an hour or so, and I end up poring over Donna's publications every time. The photography and food styling are wonderful: you'll just want to eat everything off the page. If nothing else, it's a bit of an education on those topics without taking an actual course.

In one of her more recent issues, there was an article with a recipe for pea and quinoa fritters. I liked the idea, but I switched things up.
They make a nice vegetarian main, and along with a salad could be a complete meal (though they do make really nice nibbles).

Maybe I can call this falafel-inspired pea and quinoa fritters.
Certainly they've got the shape and color, as well as some of the flavor components. But the recipe is not chickpea based, it's grain-based instead.

The peas and herbs offer fresh flavor, and the fritters are great on their own or dressed up with fresh tomatoes, a little crab meat, or a yogurt sauce.

Pea and Quinoa Fritters
makes about 20, 3-inch fritters

1 c (170 g) white quinoa
2 c (480 ml) water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 t (5 g) salt
3/4 c (90 g) white rice flour
2 c (260 g) frozen green peas, blanched and drained
1/4 c (12 g) fresh minced cilantro leaves

1/4 c (12 g) fresh minced Italian parsley leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c (33 g) minced shallot
1/2 t (1 g) cumin
pinch of cayenne

1/2 t (1 g) freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs
neutral oil, for frying

Yogurt sauce (to taste):
plain yogurt
lemon zest
lemon juice
black pepper
salt 

Place the quinoa, water (chicken or vegetable broth), and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, give a stir, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and let steam 5 minutes. Remove the lid and let the quinoa cool completely. 

Place half the cooked and cooled quinoa in a food processor along with the rice flour, peas, cilantro and parsley, garlic, shallot, cumin, cayenne, and black pepper. Process to a coarse paste. Add the eggs and process again until just incorporated. Place the quinoa mixture in a large bowl and add the rest of the quinoa. Stir until fully incorporated. 

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a layer of neutral oil and let heat until the oil shimmers. Add large spoonfuls of the fritter batter to the hot oil. Let cook a few minutes, or until set and golden on the underside. Carefully flip and cook until golden and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel lined pan to remove the excess oil and continue with the rest of the batter, adding more oil as necessary. 

Serve as desired or refrigerate and reheat in a dry frying pan or in the oven until heated through. 

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Shrimp is like a blank canvas: a versatile and mild type of seafood ready to take on flavor.
If marinated and placed into a lettuce leaf cup, the lettuce and shrimp plus other garnishes become a vibrantly flavored (and colored) hand-held salad.

Southeast Asian inspired, the fresh flavor combination altogether offers a light bite, perfect for summer- either as an appetizer, a starter, or a casual main.

A little sweet, lots of savory, with a good dose of bright freshness, spice from the chili flakes and sweet chilli sauce, and cool crispness from the crunchy and buttery lettuce.  

The shrimp is great to finish the day before and chill... everything's ready to go when needed.

Disclaimer:
YES, those are cooked shrimp you see.
NO, you do not want to buy cooked shrimp for this recipe. I mean, you can, I suppose, but the flavor will be better if you marinate raw shrimp instead of cooked. Plus, if you decide to cook already cooked shrimp you'll more than likely end up with a texture you weren't expecting.

(If you're ready to shoot, but happen to be missing some key elements, a grocery store run is in order. But sometimes communication between two people during grocery runs yields unintended results. Really, it's ok though.)

Serve assembly line-style, already put together, or pack into small individual jars and refrigerate to take later for picnic salads.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
serves 6-8

2 lb (900 g) medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
large thumb sized piece of ginger, finely grated
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and crushed with the back of a knife, and sliced
1/2 t (1 g) chile flakes
2  large cloves garlic, minced
2 T (30 ml) soy or tamari sauce
1 T (17 g) packed brown sugar
1 t (5 g) kosher salt
1/4 c (60 ml) lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1/4 c (60 ml) olive oil

1 large carrot
4 medium radishes
3 large green onions

lettuce (Bibb is my preference here)
fresh cilantro leaves
fresh basil leaves
sweet chilli sauce, to serve

If the shrimp still have the tails attached, remove and discard. Slice each shrimp into three bite-sized pieces and set aside. Mix marinade ingredients together in a large bowl: ginger, lemongrass, chile flakes, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, lime juice and zest, and olive oil. Add the pieces of shrimp and carefully fold together to coat in the marinade. 
Cover and let marinate at least 3 hours and up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Before you are ready to cook the shrimp, grate the carrot and radish, and slice the green onions. Place in a medium bowl and set aside. 
Remove shrimp pieces from marinade and saute in a pan until cooked through along with 2 T (30 ml) of the liquid marinade. 
Cool to room temperature and add to the bowl with the vegetables, mixing carefully but thoroughly. Add a bit of the cooked marinade from the pan if desired for a little extra flavor. 
(At this point you could refrigerate the shrimp and vegetable filling until ready to use, up to a day ahead.)

Spoon into lettuce leaves, garnish with cilantro and basil leaves as desired. 
Serve with sweet chilli sauce. 

Beet Dip

Australians seem to love their beets (just an observation).
They'll even put beets on their hamburgers (and that goes for McDonald's, too).

I have no idea why, but they do, and beets will always be something I associate with Australia.
Funny, since beets don't seem to be the natural thing that comes to mind when you think of the place. I mean, Eastern Europe/borscht/beets, YES... the stereotypical association makes much more sense.
Australia/kangaroos/beach culture/beets?

Not that beets are bad.
No way am I saying that.

As I've said before, I used to hate them (I ate them only when I had to at the dinner table, and only while holding my breath as well as my nose so as not to taste their dirt-like flavor, and after swallowing making sure to wash them down quickly with milk or water... no joke, beets were a very dramatic vegetable for me).

Beets and I are on better terms these days.
Mostly roasted is how we go, frequently in a salad, sometimes all on their lonesome in more of a vegetable main attraction role.

It's a little different, but another preparation for beets is in a dip, and a version of beetroot dip is something you can find at the grocery store in Australia right alongside the hummus.
A lovely shade of creamy magenta that couldn't be anything but beets, it tastes great, and it's a way to get a bit more iron into your day.
And it's something that my aunt Jane seemed to always have on hand as a snack for late in the day while dinner was being prepared.
I'm happy to have been introduced to it.
And I'm partial to rice crackers as the vehicle for consumption- it's how we (dip and I) were introduced.

Leftover roasted beets? This may put them to good use and makes the recipe even easier.
You know, it tastes better than dirt, too. Now if that's not a ringing recommendation, I don't know what is.

Ideas for garnishes and accompaniments:
sliced green onion
minced parsley
sesame seeds
chèvre or feta
za'atar (mine is blend from Penzey's- sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, salt)
extra sour cream or Greek yogurt
olive oil or walnut oil
toasted almonds or walnuts

Beet Dip
adapted from a Bill Granger recipe
makes about 3 c/ 720 ml

1 lb. (450 g) beets
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/4 c (285 g) sour cream or Greek yogurt
1-2 lemons

1 t (3 g) cumin

1 t (2 g) coriander
1/2 t (3 g) hot chili sauce- such as sriracha
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C.
Top and tail the beets and rinse of any dirt.
Massage the outside of the beets with olive oil, and tightly wrap each individually in aluminum foil. Place the foil packets on a baking sheet. 
Roast the beets 1- 1 1/2 hours, or until tender enough to slip the tip of a sharp knife very easily into the beets.
Remove the pan from the oven and carefully open the foil packets to vent a bit. Let the beets rest until cool enough to handle. 

Pour any extra olive oil from the foil packets into a small bowl and reserve. Peel the beets (the skins should easily slip off the beets if you use your fingers or a blunt knife), and roughly cut them into wedges. 
Place the beets, minced garlic, and sour cream or yogurt into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. 
Add 1 T/15 ml olive oil (the reserved olive oil plus any extra to make up the difference), the grated zest of 1 lemon, 2 1/2 T (40 ml) lemon juice, cumin, coriander, and chili sauce. Process the mixture a minutes or two until everything is well-combined.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (I start with 1 t/7g and 1/4 t/1 g, respectively). Pulse several times until everything is incorporated and adjust as desired with lemon juice, and/or chili sauce.
Serve with crackers or sliced pita.
Refrigerate any extra in a covered container.

Extra dip might be nice on a sandwich.
I don't know, but I'm wondering if it might not be a good condiment with fish...