Prawns with Avocado and Ginger and Lemon Myrtle Mayonnaise

I have been wanting to make this dish for quite a long time. I surprised Mark last Wednesday night with a mid-week romantic meal and decided to serve this as an entree.

It was exceptionally easy and tasted delicious. It is important, however, to buy good quality, very fresh prawns as they really are the centrepiece here.

Unfortunately I cannot give precise measurements for the ginger and lemon myrtle to add to the mayonnaise. I just added a little bit at a time and then tasted the mayonnaise and kept adding more until I was happy. If I had to guess, I would say add about 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger and 1-2 teaspoons lemon myrtle. But really, you can just add however much you want until it tastes the way you want it to taste. I also added a very small amount garlic, but this is optional.

I used the mayonnaise recipe that I posted on 22 February 2009, but did not add the mustard.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 quantity mayonnaise (see post from 22 February 2009 and omit mustard)

1/2 - 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Approx 2 teaspoons lemon myrtle

1/2 clove garlic crushed

8 fresh cooked prawns peeled and heads removed

1/2 avocado sliced

Handful fresh mint

Method

Make the mayonnaise. Add ginger, lemon myrtle and garlic to taste. Arrange the prawns and avocado on a plate. Spoon over a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise and sprinkle over the fresh mint. Serve immediately.

Gnocchi with Quick Prosciutto and Tomato Sauce

I love to make gnocchi on the weekend ready for a quick Monday night dinner. The gnocchi recipe I have used here is the same recipe I posted on 13 April 2009. This time I made the gnocchi on Sunday and just stored it in the fridge ready for Monday. If I was going to store it for any longer I would have placed it in the freezer rather than the fridge.

I really cannot tell you how much better homemade gnocchi is than store bought gnocchi. Of course it does take a little extra time, but it is well worth the extra effort. Store bought gnocchi can be very heavy and glue-like, whereas homemade gnocchi is very light and tastes completely different.

But as I have said before, you have to be gentle with it - do not over knead and handle it very lightly.

Have a go!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1/2 tablespoon garlic

1 small brown onion finely chopped

1-3 cloves garlic (I like a lot of garlic, you may prefer less) crushed

100g prosciutto roughly chopped

1 tin crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Handful each of roughly chopped fresh parsley, basil and oregano

Parmesan cheese and a green salad to serve

Fresh gnocchi (as per post from 13 April 2009)

Method

Bring a large saucepan of boiling water to the boil. Add salt. Set aside until sauce is almost cooked.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp. Pour the tomatoes into the pan with the red wine vinegar and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.

Meanwhile bring the saucepan of water back to the boil and add the gnocchi. It only needs a minute or two to cook.

Remove sauce from the heat and stir through the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked gnocchi and stir gently to combine.

Serve with parmesan cheese and a green salad.

Hearty Hamburgers

Yesterday, when Mark said he wasn't sure what he wanted for lunch, hamburgers popped into my head. I don't eat burgers a lot - I almost never eat take away (other than pizza) - but I do enjoy a really good hamburger.

The burger I made for Mark was more traditional - bun, lettuce, cheese, beef, tomato sauce, onion, tomato. But I really felt like avocado and aioli, so that is the recipe that I have set out below.

These burgers were huge. Honestly, they could have fed an extra 1 or 2 people. So, the recipe below is the same quantity I made for us (and which I finish) but I'd suggest making four beef patties instead 0f two. I also served these with oven chips - so if you make 4 patties and the burgers look a little small, you can bulk it up with some chips.

Ingredients (Serves 2-4 - divide mince accordingly)

2 tomatoes cut in half

Drizzle olive oil

4 hamburger buns

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra)

2 red onions sliced

Salt and pepper

1 brown onion grated

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 teaspoon oregano

250g beef mince

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

1 egg

1/4 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (you'll need a little extra if the mixture is too wet)

Olive oil to fry

1 avocado

Aioli (see mayonnaise post from 22 February 2009)

Oven fries to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the tomatoes cut side up in a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is caramelised and very soft.

Combine the onion, garlic, oregano, mince, tomato sauce, egg in a bowl. Add breadcrumbs until mixture is still sticky, but not too wet or too dry. Mould mince mixture into 2-4 beef patties.

Heat olive oil in a fry pan and fry mince patties on each side until browned and cooked through.

Just prior to serving, toast the hamburger buns. Top with avocado, tomatoes, beef patties, caramelised onion and aioli. Serve with oven fries.

Marinated Spiced Strawberries - dessert for those who don't really eat dessert

As I have said before, I am not big on sweets. I much prefer savoury food like cheese. And I also have a few friends who are like me (or perhaps just one?) so I am always excited to find a dessert that is easy and that even someone who is not a huge fan of desserts will enjoy.

These strawberries really hit the mark. As much as I am not a sweets person, I do like cream. And while strawberries and cream are a classic combination, sometimes I find that even strawberries are a bit much in terms of sweetness (as a result I use raspberries and pomegranate a lot more often). But marinating the strawberries for a few hours before serving makes them delicious and tangy and also really soft and 'melt in your mouth'. And of course, I have made good use of one of the numerous spices I have purchased recently.

I have used pomegranate molasses, but you could also use balsamic vinegar. Originally that is precisely what I was going to use, until I realised I had run out. If using balsamic, you may need to add a little extra sugar. Just taste to work out whether it needs anything extra.

These strawberries would also be lovely served with yoghurt and also with pancakes - watch this space, I may try that recipe soon.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 x 250g punnet strawberries hulled and cut in half

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Juice of half a lemon

Whipped cream to serve

Method

Place the strawberries in a bowl with the molasses, sugar, allspice and lemon juice and allow to marinate for at least two hours.

Serve with whipped cream.