Tomato Salsa

This is wonderfully fresh on corn chips or with black bean burritos. You can also make it when you have a glut of tomatoes and preserve for the winter.  This is a very quick recipe that involves no peeling of tomatoes.  I use a food processor and while the texture could be a bit chunkier, it takes 5 minutes at the most to prepare! Ingredients 6 tomatoes (I use the over ripe ones) 1 capsicum - coloured or green 1 red onion 2 fresh garlic cloves 1/4 bunch coriander - mince the leaves and stems juice of one lime 1/2 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp sea salt freshly ground black pepper

Method 1. Roughly divide the onion,  capsicum, garlic cloves and optional chili pepper and put into food processor.  Mince finely (you may need to scrape the side of the bowl) 2. Add 4 tomatoes and olive oil and blend being careful to keep it a bit chunky. 3. Add lime juice and mix through. 4. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Depending on your tomatoes, you may need a pinch of sugar too. 5. Once the seasoning is right, add the extra tomatoes pulsing to keep them chunky.  Add coriander. Check seasoning.  Serve! 6. The flavours will marry over time but wonderful straight out of the mixer too.

Spring Lentil, Quinoa, Green Garlic and Coriander Salad

Ingredients1 cup cooked quinoa 1/2 cup cooked fine green lentils 3 baby carrots cut into skinny rounds 1 cup snow or sugar snap peas cut into bite size pieces 1 green garlic finely diced mixed greens - your choice, de-stemed, washed, spun 150 grams feta 1 bunch of coriander, dice the tops 2 limes - juiced and the zest from one 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar avocado

Method 1. Cook quinoa and lentils, in separate pots, and cool completely. (This step could be done in advance.) 2. Chop up coriander, juice and zest the lime, cut peas and carrot.  Dice green garlic.  Add all, including salt and pepper, olive oil and vinegar to the quinoa and lentils. Mix well and adjust seasoning. 3. Top with crumbled feta and serve on top of mixed greens. 4. Serve avocado on the side.  The flavour complements extremely well!

Mango Salsa

This is a great seasonal salsa, perfect on its own with chips but also wonderful with fish and chicken!  Even though mangoes are not a local fruit, they are so delicious and so abundant in December when the spring coriander is just ready to bolt, we enjoy their season. With chicken, we make chicken cutlets, bread them and lightly fry them in olive oil.  I then put them into a baking dish, cover about 1/4 inch with white wine, and layer the mango salsa over the top.  bake in a 180 for about 25 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through) and then turn up the heat to 230 for about five minutes to caramelize the salsa.

Ingredients 2 mangoes bunch of coriander juice of one lime 1 or 2 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 or 2 chillies salt Optional Green onions Chives

Method 1. Dice the chillies leaving the seeds if you like your salsa hot.  Mash the garlic with a press.  Put chillies and garlic into the salsa bowl with the lime juice, olive oil and salt. 2.  Cut the cheeks off the mangoes.  Remove skin and cut into 2 cm chunks.  Cut the remainder of the mango flesh from the pit.  Combine with the chillies. 3. Roughly chop coriander.  Combine with other ingredients and taste to correct seasoning.  You can add chives and or green onions depending on your personal preference.

Fennel Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

This recipe, like many salad recipes, is surprisingly simple.  It makes me think of a play...with distinct characters, probably young and innocent(pure).  When they come together, they create an explosion of vibrancy!

Ingredients Lime Vinaigrette 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil...don't skimp on the quality of olive oil...simple ingredients mean "The Best" ingredients 1 tsp light vinegar (white wine or apple cider) juice of one fresh lime 1 fennel bulb parmesan cheese

 Method 1. Cut off the long, leafy fronds at the top of the fennel bulb. 2. Throughly wash the bulb in warm water, scrubbing off any dirt. If the outer layer is too bruised or brown, remove it and do not use. 3. Cut the fennel bulb in half.  You can cut it in half again and then thinly slice each half about 3mm thick. Transfer the chopped fennel to a salad bowl. 4. Using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline, make strips of parmesan into the salad. You want about fifteen to twenty. 5. Assemble the dressing in a small bowl or ramekin by combining vinegar, olive oil, lime, sale and cracked white pepper. 6. Pour the dressing over the fennel and parmesan. Toss to coat.

Mojito

Here is a wonderfully refreshing drink for a hot summer evening  made with or without alcohol. Ingredients 10 fresh mint leaves 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges 2 tablespoons caster sugar 1 cup ice cubes 45ml white rum 125ml soda water

Method 1. Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. 2. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice and fill the glass with soda water. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.