Five of My Favourite Sides from 2020

Hi Everyone!

I’m excited to bring you five of my favourite sides from 2020 that I tend to use over and over. I’ve based this on several factors – ease, cost, taste, appearance and family friendly.

So, number one: Rosemary Flavoured Potato Rounds

These are a nice change from the usual baked potato. They can be done by thinly slicing peeled potatoes and placing the slices in individual little circles, overlapping. Place them on baking paper which has been lightly sprayed for ease of lifting them off. Sprinkle with salt and fresh rosemary leaves and a drizzle of oil. Bake at 200°c for 35 minutes or until crispy. You can use them as a side or place a chicken breast on top. Not only is it easy but if looks spectacular.

Number two: Potato & Parsnip Al Forno

This potato dish was the jewel in the crown of side dishes with it’s hazelnuts, thyme & garlic, it made for a welcome variation on the old potato bake. I found it in the November Woolies magazine. It is truly an indulgent-feeling side dish. You get your hands in amongst it when you prepare it by just mooshing up all the ingredients in the dish and then laying it out evenly to bake. Very rustic. The smell throughout the house whilst it is cooking is to die for.

Moosh it all up with your hands and then spread evenly

Number three: Summer Salad with Zesty Tahini Dressing

This is a recipe pinched from my vegetarian friend (the gorgeous Soo). It is a beautiful and unusual layering of flavours, combining vegetables and strawberries with nuts and lentils. The dressing is just lovely but I must say that when I smelt it I was a little put off which just goes to show you how wrong I can be because it is fabulous with the salad. This would also be a wonderfully rounded meal for a vegetarian with the addition of some gently fried halloumi.

Almost a meal on it’s own

Number four: Charred Vegetable Salad

I have done this dish loads of times when I need to add some greens to a meal and in particular when I’m feeding a lot of people because it can be pre-done on the griddle pan or the BBQ and then finished off last minute. It can be served at room temperature or you can gently warm it in the microwave. The pancetta and crumbled feta with a simple dressing of oil and balsamic just finishes it off to perfection. There has never been a time when I have served this side dish that I haven’t been asked for the recipe.

Everyone will want the recipe

Number five: Stir Fried Cauliflower

The cauliflowers are pretty much lovely at any time of year but were particularly scrumptious when I decided to try this delicious stir-fried cauliflower, choy sum and snake bean dish. I did it ahead of time and just gave it a gentle warm through in the microwave. It was so tasty and it’s another one that would stand on it’s own as a meal to serve your vegetarian friends with perhaps the addition of some tofu or grilled halloumi.

Crunchy and delicious

So those are five of my favourites but there are so many more it was very hard to choose. Give these ones a go for starters.

Until next week,

From my table to yours with love x

Potato & Parsnip Al Forno with Hazelnuts, Thyme & Garlic

You could swap up the veg and use celeriac, carrot or fennel.

4 parsnips
1 kg potatoes
2 brown onions
4 cloves garlic
½ bunch fresh thyme (15g)
75 g hazelnuts
olive oil (`)
300 ml light cream
50 g mature red Leicester cheese (or similar)

Preheat the oven to 200°c/180°c fan-forced. Scrub the parsnips and potatoes (there's no need to peel them), peel the onions and finely slice everything, adding to a large casserole dish as you go.
Peel, finely slice and add the garlic, strip in most of the thyme and roughly bash most of the hazelnuts and add. Drizzle over 2 tbs of oil, add a good pinch of see salt and black pepper and toss everything together well. Arrange in a fairly even layer, pour over 300ml of water, then tightly cover with foil and roast for 1 hour 10 mins.
Remove the pan from the oven, lift back the foil and drizzle over the cream. Place the foil lid back over the top, then put a folded tea towel on top and carefully press down to compress everything. Discard the foil.
Finely grate over the cheese, scatter with the remaining hazelnuts, if using, and pick over the remaining thyme leaves. Drizzle with 1 tbs of oil, then return to the oven for a further 20 mins or until golden, bubbling and cooked through. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Summer Salad with Zesty Tahini Dressing

225 g block of halloumi (sliced) (or use fetta)
120 g baby spinach
140 g strawberries (sliced)
200 g butternut pumpkin (cubed and roasted)
175 g broccoli florets (lightly steamed)
140 g lentils (tinned is fine)
1 avocado (sliced)
½ c walnuts (roughly chopped)
few springs coriander
1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil

Tahini Dressing

1 lemon (juiced)
2 tbsp tahini
4 tbsp water
1 clove garlic
½ tsp himalayan salt (or rock salt)
pinch black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C
Toss the butternut in the oil in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a preheated over for 25 minutes, until lightly brown and tender.
Lightly steam the broccoli florets for a few minutes until they start to turn bright green, remove from steamer and set to one side to cool slightly.
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse a few times until it reaches a smooth consistency. You can add more water here to loosen it up.
In a pan on medium heat, add a small amount of avocado or olive oil and fry the halloumi if using. Otherwise crumble the fetta.
Next start to layer the salad. Take a large serving dish and add the spinach, lentils, broccoli, butternut, sliced strawberries, sliced avocado, halloumi (or fetta). Drizzle over the tahini dressing and then add the walnuts and coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Char-grilled Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Dressing

1 large red onion
8 medium egg tomatoes
8 baby eggplants
4 medium zucchinis
4 yellow squash (halved)
2 medium red capsicum (thickly sliced)

Balsamic Dressing

¼ c olive oil
¼ c balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove (crushed)

Cut onion and tomatoes into eight wedges each; thinly slice eggplants and zucchini lengthways.
Cook onion, tomato, eggplant and zucchini with squash and capsicum, in batches, on heated oiled grill plate or BBQ until vegetables are browned lightly and just tender.
Meanwhile, place ingredients for balsamic dressing in screw-top jar; shake well.
Combine vegetables in large bowl or on serving platter. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to combine.

Stir-fried cauliflower

1 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp finely chopped coriander root and stem
4 green onions (sliced thinly)
500 g cauliflower florets
¼ c water
200 g snake beans (cut into 5cm pieces)
200 g choy sum (chopped coarsely)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh coriander (coarsely chopped)

Heat oil in wok; stir-fry garlic, turmeric, coriander mixture and onion until onion just softens. Remove from wok; keep warm.
Add cauliflower to same wok with the water; stir-fry until cauliflower is almost tender. Add beans and choy sum; stir-fry until vegetables are just tender.
Add juice, sauce, chopped coriander and onion mixture; stir-fry until heated through.
Also delicious at room temperature