Simple Sardine Puttanesca - and a recipe Video!

We went camping awhile back. We packed up our tiny tent and took ourselves out of Sydney, to the Basin campground in Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, deep in the Northern Beaches. The campsite sits on a large, flat, sandy plateau surrounded by the Pittwater river. The only way to get there is by the local ferry, or by a hefty bush walk. We took the ferry, a beautiful old boat with an open top level, where you can chug along slowly, take in the sunshine and inhale the deep eucalyptus air.

As luck would have it, we had beautiful sunny days on either side of the weekend but for that one night we got rain. We set up our tent with the local wild wallabies hopping around, happily watching us struggle in the drizzle. We made pasta on our new camping stove, waded in the big river and at night sat on the rocks under the stars, enamel mugs full of red wine and played cards.

We decided to make a little film of the dinner we made. Think of it as Nigella goes Bush, minus the kilos of butter and cleavage, and with a few roos added in the mix. Although it started pouring mid-way through dinner...and we had no chairs...and no blankets, we sure did have some rainy fun.

This recipe also signals the premier of my first ever recipe video, uploaded onto my Youtube Channel. Have a look below and tell me what you think! I'm hoping to do some more video recipes soon, and who knows what little animal will feature in the next one...

Sardine Spaghetti (Puttanesca)

Serves 2 hungry campers

1/2 a red onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 tin of sardines, in olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tablespoon of capers

Big handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes

200g dried spaghetti

Salt and pepper

Whack some oil in a pan, get the onion and garlic frying off. In the meantime, put the dried spaghetti into a saucepan of boiling water.

Once the onions are soft, add the sardines and the tinned tomatoes. Let simmer while the pasta cooks.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the sauce along with the parsley and capers. Finish it all off with some lemon juice, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper. Serve with a plastic cup of Italiano red.

A Seasonal Guide to Autumn

First comes Spring, then comes Autumn. I can't wait to start cooking with all these heartier gems! 

Polenta Fries

"You had me at fries."

Polenta Fries

Serves 4 as a side

1 cup polenta

3 cups water

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes

2 tablespoon fresh rosemary

150g greek feta, roughly chopped

Freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

In a saucepan over a high heat bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, pour in the polenta in a slow stream, stirring with a whisk. Immediately turn down to a low heat. Continue to slowly whisk the polenta for about 15 minutes until cooked.

Remove from heat. To the polenta, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the dried chilli, the rosemary, 1/2 of the parmesan, the feta and pepper. Stir to combine.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pour the warm polenta onto the tray and spread to the edges. Even out with a knife to ensure the polenta is evenly spread, and about 1.5cm thick. Set aside to cool in the fridge.

When ready to fry, cut the set polenta into 1.5 cm wide fingers. Heat some olive oil in a pan on a high heat. Gently fry off the polenta fries in the oil until crispy on the outside and warmed through. Serve hot, sprinkled with extra Parmesan.

Indian Chickpea Crepes with Fried Egg

The other night after a couple of bevs out with some friends we ended up at the glowing fluroscent lights of a Sydney culinary institute - Indian Home Diner, home of the original Indian kebab.

Come 12:37am hoards of hungry, tiddly people line up for an 8 buck handful of goodness: naan bread stuffed with roasted chicken tikka thighs and a deep fried aloo chaat potato ball. The result is a steaming hot snack that is similar to a late night doner kebab, but way better because it's stuffed with potato and wrapped in a godamn naan. Genius.

I woke up the next morning with tikka stained fingers, a hangover and slight food remorse. As I dragged my body onwards on my walk to work and looked down at my bright orange fingertips, I decided I wouldn't ever take it back.

Below is a recipe for a more holier than thou Indian street food snack. Pudla is a crepe made out of besan (chickpea) flour that's eaten simply, dipped in aromatic sauces and hot pickles. I decided to add a fried egg, crunchy baked sweet potato, avocado and a coriander pesto to make it more of a meal. And while it may not be nearly as satisfying as an Indian Home Diner kebab after too many beers, your body will feel better for skipping the deep fried potato....or not.

Indian Chickpea Crepes with Fried Egg

Makes about 6 crepes

Crepe batter:

1 1/3 cups besan chickpea flour

1 cup water

2 teaspoons ground turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

Salt and pepper

Coconut oil, to fry

Coriander pesto:

1/2 a big bunch of coriander

Finely sliced white part of a handful of spring onion

1 small knob of ginger

1 garlic clove

Good few glugs of olive oil

Juice from 1/2 a lime

Salt, pepper

2 small sweet potato

To serve:

Wedges of avocado

Fried eggs

Sliced red chilli and spring onion

Lime cheeks

Beer

To make the coriander pesto combine all ingredients in a mortar and pestle and bash it all out until a chunky sauce is formed. Alternatively, whiz all ingredients in a food processor. Set aside.

Thinly slice the sweet potato into wafer thin rounds. Brush in melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Lay out onto a lined baking tray and place into a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius. You want this baby hot to make the sweet potato crispy and crunchy. Cook for about 15 minutes, be sure to check in on them often. Set aside once cooked.

Combine besan flour, salt, pepper, turmeric and water in a food processor or blender. Blend on high until smooth, and slightly bubbly. If it is thick, add more water. It kind of wants to be just thicker than water consistency. Pour into a good pouring jug - like something you would use to make pancakes.

Heat coconut oil on a medium high heat in a pan. Once the pan is hot, pour in about 1/3 cup crepe batter, depending on how big you want them. Let the crepe cook away for a couple of minutes. When bubbles start to form over the crepe, flip it over and cook for a further few minutes on the other side. Repeat until you have enough pancakes to feed your mates.

Serve crepes topped with a soft, fried egg, pesto, wedges of avocado, fresh chilli and spring onion, fresh lime and a glass of cold beer. Namaste.