Pomegranate, quinoa and sumac salad

Pomegranate, quinoa and sumac salad

So lately I have been using instagram a fair bit, such a easy app, really inspirational and you receive great feedback. I posted this salad and received some interest so I thought with summer coming and I'm sure everyone is looking to get all toned and terrific, or even if you just need some fresh flavours on your palette, I thought I'd post the recipe so you can try this one at home. Inspired by Greg and Lucy Malouf's book, Saha. 

1 generous tbls natural yoghurt, optional

100g wild rocket, washed 

1 c cooked quinoa

2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced in long wedges

2 spring onions, sliced into rounds

1/2 pomegranate, seeds only

1/2 c flat leaf parsley, torn

sumac

fresh lemon

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and cracked black pepper

If you would like to use the yoghurt now is the time. I love to paint it around the bottom of the platter so when you pick up the dressed salad it adds to the dressing a creamy tart element.

Sprinkle with rocket,

Then scatter over the cooked quinoa, 

then place on the quinoa the slice wedges of crunchy cucumbers, topped with the spring onion. 

Add the pomegranate seeds on top, along with any juice they may have had, this adds as a dressing also when your finished. 

Now I squeeze a half a lemon evenly over it and drizzle with eevo, season with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the sumac over, maybe 2 nice pinches, it goes beautifully with the lemon, adds and interesting flavour and also makes it look good. 

Serves 6 as a side. Enjoy! 

Salad Love......

Salad Love.....
I have been loving the warm weather today and it has inspired me to quickly post a few snaps taken on my phone, so please excuse the photography, during my cooking sessions in the kitchen in warmer weather when all you want to eat is light, crunchy, clean, healthy food. I am a big fan of the salad and any way to make vegetables and salad ingredients more interesting and appealing to all the better.
I feel as if today you go for quick and not nessecaraliy heathy, I was ready a celebrity magazine the other day and actually, shock horror, got a fabulous tip that said if it goes off in 5 days or under it probably isnt that good for you ( not the pantry staples that is). But it made sense, it may take a few minutes longer and a touch more experimentation but it is well worth the chop!

Backyard wedding

A few weeks ago we threw a beautiful little ceremony in a lush green backyard with cake, vows and flowers! Really when it comes down to it all you need is friends, love and of course good food. We all ate lots of mexican pulled pork tacos and an amzing cake from my friend Anna, we all lived happily ever after as well!

wood fired pizza and silver spoons...

So on a beautiful summer afternoon we were lucky enough to be shooting some great food at Jessies house from Follow Studio. It was a slightly Italian inspired adventure, but the guidelines included fresh tasty chic flavours to be enjoyed all year round.
We choose the freshly shucked pacific oysters with forvum vinegar and eshallot dressing, the tomato and buffallo mozerella salad, always a favourite, although I add the chillis and sumac for an extra kick. Try it, you will be addicted! Then the garlic and roesmary woodfired pizza, hard to refuse! But my favourite was the seared sea scallop with the fennel salad on the antique silver spoon, so elgant and chic yet the flavours so simple they speak for themselves, heaven.......

Wedding inspiration

A friend of mine sent me these beautiful photos of her friends wedding, I love how relaxed the settings are, everybody would be talking over the tables, such a grounded and earthy feel. Nothing too uptight, all the guests would feel at home and really let their hair down.

I was asked to quote on a wedding recently at 'The Pacific Club' at Palm Beach in Sydney, this is what I would imagine there. They have a beautiful thatched roof, old wooden floor boards and a drop dead view of the b each, slat air blowing in your hair and an amazing dusk wedding, with great food from Belinda Black catering of course and you would have a stellar evening!

Blood Orange Jelly

So on a windy spring day I decided to try my luck with the last blood oranges here of the season and make this jelly. So in Australia we call it a jam but its a recipe from a book a friend of mine, Ellie, introduced me to by Christine Ferber. A master of all things preserved, the recipe is as follows.

1.2kg Blood Oranges
750g grannysmith apples
1kg plus 1 cup sugar
750g water plus 200g
2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon

Rinse apples, remove stems and cut into 1/4s without peeling.
place in preserving pan with the 750ml water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 min, Pour this preparation through a sieve lined with muslin. Let refrigerate juice over night, next day, measure out 500g juice, leave the sediment in the bowl to form a clearer jelly.
Squeeze the blood oranges, Measure 500g juice and put the seeds into a cheesecloth bag.
Rinse and brush the 2 oranges in cold water, and slice them very thinly into rounds.  Poach the rounds in the 200g water until the slices are translucent.
Add the apple juice and orange juice and sugar and lemon juice, and seeds in the cheese cloth bag, bring to the boil and stir occasionally, skim frequently for a clearer jelly.
Continue cooking on high heat, for 10min.
remove cheesecloth bag, return to boil. Put jam into jars and seal immediately.
For the actual recipe, the book is 'Mes Confitures', by Christine Ferber, the best preserving guide, or so says my Jamming buddies Ellie and Yossy from Brooklyn, NY.

We had great fun one summer shooting and preserving that every time i do this it now brings back so many fun memories, just what it is all about. Enjoy!

Spring Flea @ Good Company

Spring has sprung and we are celebrating so come and join us, on offer with be flowers, homemade jam and sweet baked goods. Also we will have swimwear from Sol Bellow and Shoshanna shoes also some vintage and new styling goods.

Cant wait to see you all!