And, what's not to love, when Potluck means not only do you get to choose the recipe, but you also get to choose the chef.
That's right, choose any donna hay recipe you like, or if you prefer take the opportunity to revisit any one of our previous eight IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
Yotam Ottolenghi
That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern and "modern Australian" recipes to choose from.
To join in just post and link your October Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday 27 October. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Up & At 'Em! theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous breakfast dishes everyone made.
Dear Yotam Ottolenghi, What a incredible six months it has been cooking along with you!
You brought vegetables from the sidelines to the center of our plates...
You introduced exotic ingredients like harissa, sumac, za'atar, and labneh into our world...
You showed us the beauty in a perfectly "burnt" eggplant and had us drooling over your cookbook photos...
You got us to cook with unique and delicious flavor combinations...
You made salads sexy...
You challenged us and made us grow... (I mean sure, occasionally we grumbled a bit about the long and unusual ingredient lists and sometimes vague recipe directions, but the end results made it worth the effort!)
You gave us an amazing amount of wonderful dishes and cooking experiences...
Oh Ottolenghi! As much as we are looking forward to cooking along with our new IHCC chef Donna Hay, we are truly going to miss cooking with you each week and exploring the world of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Israeli cooking. But, don't be too sad--although we might not see you as quite regularly anymore, we will always have POTLUCK!
Yours Truly,
Your Loving I Heart Cooking Club Friends
----
As we spend this last week with Ottolenghi,feel free to make any Ottolenghi dish you have been wanting to make and/or share a roundup of your favorite Ottolenghi dishes and post by Sunday, September 29th.
-----
Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's September Potluck theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous dishes that were made.
It's Potluck week again! Choose any Ottolenghi recipe you like, or if you prefer choose any recipe from any one of our previous seven IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian,
Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian and Middle Eastern recipes to choose
from.
To join in just post and link your September Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday, September 22nd. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
This week we're all about those ingredients that you once used to hate, but have grown to love - or at least to like a little bit. We all have one of those, don't we - brussels sprouts, oysters, tofu, sardines, offal, are just a few ingredients that spring to mind which are often not so popular when we first try them. I'm sure there is a list a mile long of potential ingredients you've grown to like.
So break out those Yotam Ottolenghi books (or have a look online), track down a recipe featuring one of those ingredients you were once less than enamoured of, and post your dish by Sunday 15 September.
Don't forget to link your dish as well as a thumbnail image below, and please leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our New To Me theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the wonderful dishes we made.
One of the joys of cooking along with Ottolenghi is the variety of ingredients he uses and the way he combines them into different combinations and dishes! So this week our IHCC theme is... New to Me!
It's your chance to make any Ottolenghi recipe you like with a new (or newish, less used or familiar) to youingredient, dish, cuisine, cooking technique or cooking style. So open up those cookbooks, go online, pick something NEW and post your Ottolenghi recipe by Sunday, September 8.
Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's Pies & Tarts theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous dishes that were made.
***Optional Monthly Community Recipe: Labneh Roundup***
August's Optional Monthly Community Recipe was Labneh, creamy and delicious strained yogurt cheese. Sue of Couscous & Consciousness ended up with a beautiful jar of creamy labneh orbs and says, "When you're ready to use the labneh, remove the balls from the oil, roll
in a mixture of dried mint and freshly ground black pepper, and serve
in salads, or as part of a mezze platter, or just with a couple of
crackers. ... The resulting cheese has a delicious, delicate, citrusy/yoghurty tang,
and the dried mint is the perfect complement to it. Although there are a
couple of days involved in making this, most of that time it's just
taking care of itself in the fridge. The actual effort you have to put
in is about 5 to 10 minutes max, and results in a great store cupboard
ingredient to have on hand."
At Kahakai Kitchen, I used my yogurt cheese in Ottolenghi's Labneh with Olives, Pistachios & Oreganowhich was so darn delicious I think I am going to have to make it again this week. Topped with a mix of briny olives and
toasted nuts and spread on crusty bread, it made for an easy and tasty appetizer. (OK, actually I ate a small plate as my dinner meal with bread and rosemary flat bread crackers but it would be a fabulous pupu!) ;-)
I looked through the last few weeks and didn't see any other entries so if you did make labneh, leave a comment on this post and I will add you to the roundup. Since this is our last month cooking along with Ottolenghi, we are going to skip an Optional Monthly Community Recipe for September and evaluate if we will continue this feature with our next chef. (Voting poll for our next female chef will be up soon--keep your eye on the side bar!) Looking forward to seeing your "New to Me!" dishes!
**Please take a moment to vote for our new female chef! Voting poll will be up for one week only!**
We know that some of you are natural born bakers and love making crust from scratch. However, there are some of us (ahem...perhaps all three of your IHCC hosts) that do not enjoy making crust from scratch! Thankfully, for our sake, there are lots of options using puff pastry and Phyllo dough which are right up our alley!
Please make and post your Pies and Tarts by Sunday, September 1st. Please remember to post a thumbnail image and leave a comment after so that we do not miss out on your tasty dish!
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Potluck theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous dishes everyone made.
Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe
- there's still a couple of days to get your entries done, and you can
post them using the linky at the end of this post. This month we're
making Labneh, and you'll also find a round-up of all the Hummus
dishes everyone posted last month. This fun IHCC feature is a great
way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your experiences
and connect with other members of the group.
Please note the voting poll on the upper right sidebar. We are asking participants to vote on whether they would like to continue cooking the recipes of Yotam Ottolenghi until the end of November or if they'd rather vote in a new female chef/cook starting October 1st. There is only one more day to vote so please get your vote in! Once the voting is complete we will make an announcement on the sidebar so stay tuned!
And, what's not to love, when Potluck means not only do you get to choose the recipe, but you also get to choose the chef.
That's right, choose any Ottolenghi recipe you like, or if you prefer choose any recipe from any one of our previous seven IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian and Middle Eastern recipes to choose from.
To join in just post and link your August Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday 25 August. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Nuts and Seeds theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous "nutty" dishes everyone made.
Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe - there's still a couple of weeks to get your entries done, and you can post them using the linky at the end of this post. This month we're making Labneh, and you'll also find a round-up of all the Hummus dishes everyone posted last month. This fun IHCC feature is a great way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of the group.
**Please notice the poll on the sidebar. We are asking participants to vote on whether they wish to continue cooking the recipes of Yotam Ottolenghi for an additional two months (end of November) OR whether they wish to vote in a new female chef/cook starting October 1st. The poll will be up for one week only, until August 27th. Depending on the results of the poll, we will either announce a continuation with Ottolenghi or post a new poll asking for your vote on a new female chef/cook!
Sometimes you feel like a NUT... (or maybe a SEED!?!) It's time to pick a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe that includes Nuts and Seedsof any kind.
So just go NUTS and don't be afraid if things get a little SEEDY!
Make and post your recipe by Sunday, August 18th!
Make sure it is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from online, one of his books . Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's Gorgeously Green theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous dishes that were made.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. There is still time to join in! This month we're making Labneh, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Harissa recipes. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us. ***
Chose a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe that features any green ingredient and post yourGorgeously Greenrecipe by Sunday, August 11th. Don't forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below.
Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss
out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Mezze Madness theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the amazing "small plates" everyone shared.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're making Labneh, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Harissa
recipes. You have until August 31st to submit your
entries - just link them at the end of this post. This is a great way
to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us, and come back on September 1st for a round-up of all
the Labneh posts and discover what we're doing for next month's
community recipe. ***
July's Optional Monthly Community Recipe was Harrisa, the fiery chilli sauce that defines
North African cooking. In Tunisia, harissa takes the place of other
seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Used to season
everything from grilled meats, fish, and roasted vegetables, to soups and
stews, harissa is spicy and complex in flavour, but can be adjusted anywhere along the heat spectrum to suit your personal tastes.
Just as every Middle Eastern housewife will have her own recipe for harissa, so our participants had a multitude of variations and uses for their harissa. Let's see what they came up with.
My co-host, Kim at Stirring the Pot, made Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini & Sumac. Kim says, "This is a very satisfying and eye-pleasing meal that can be served family-style for breakfast, lunch, or dinner." She goes on to say "The harissa adds a really flavorful dose of heat to this recipe that is
distinctive and so delicious. After tasting the harissa in this recipe I
have grown to absolutely love it. My jar of harissa is front and
center in my refrigerator. I've added the harissa to my standard
meatloaf. I've added it to eggs. I added it to my spaghetti sauce.
Just this morning I added it to my breakfast burritos. It's my new
favorite condiment! If you enjoy a very flavorful way to heat up your
food then I encourage you to make a batch!" I could not agree more.
Renia from The Development of Taste made her own hybrid version of harissa adapted from a couple of different recipes, and used it in Ottolenghi's Garlic Soup with Harissa. She says "it was sunny and delightful - just enough to start a meal the right way", and suggests that a more substantial meal could be made of this soup with the addition of some vegetables or garbanzo beans. Mmmm, yes please!
My other co-host, Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, was on the same page and made Garlic Soup with Chickpeas and Harissa to give herself an immune-system boost after a bad cold and dose of laryngitis. Deb says, "This
is a good one! The soup itself is full of flavor--sweet, herby and
garlicky and tasty on its own. Stir in the tangy yogurt and add the heat of
the harissa paste and it becomes even better. The yogurt is optional--but adds extra flavor and texture." She also suggests that the addition of chickpeas, or other beans, are a must to make this a particularly satisfying dish.
Zosia at Are You Cooking? used her harissa in Shakshuka - the wonderful dish of eggs poached in a vibrant, spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers, harissa and other spices. Zosia says of her harissa, "It's garlicky and spicy
and very versatile; I've used it as a marinade for chicken and shrimp,
spiced up some pasta sauce with it and used it in place of ketchup on
burgers. Delicious!" She goes on to say that her Shakshuka "was spicy, tomatoe-y and a little sweet with richness provided by the egg yolks. It was a quick and delicious any-time-of-day meal that will be repeated often." A sentiment shared by all of us who made this dish when it was our Optional Monthly Community Recipe back in April.
Joyce at Kitchen Flavours made Scrambled Eggs with Potatoes, Preserved Lemons and Harissa. Although Joyce was a little disappointed with her dish as she wasn't able to get the spicy Merguez sausages called for in the original recipe, she found "There's a hint of spiciness from the Harissa paste, and a mild spice
fragrance from the caraway seeds. The preserved lemons adds a nice
interesting bite." Although I'm not normally a scrambled egg lover, the thought of all these flavours spicing up those eggs really excites me.
Just like last month, Kim and I were once again on the same page. Over at Couscous & Consciousness, I too made the Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini & Sumac, using both a red and a green harissa in my dish. This dish was an absolute explosion of wonderful flavours and textures -
soft, sweet lamb; crunchy nuts; sweet/salty hits of preserved lemon; a
bit of heat from the harissa; sweet, juicy tomatoes; tangy,
tahini-spiked yoghurt; and oozy, gooey eggs. I think this is my favourite Ottolenghi dish so far.
August's Optional Monthly Community Recipe is Labneh
Photo courtesy of Zosia at Are You Cooking?
Labneh is a strained yoghurt cheese, made by simply doing just that - straining yoghurt through a muslin cloth, fine strainer, or even paper filter - to remove the whey. The resulting "cheese" is often served in the Middle East as part of a selection of mezze. The strained cheese can be used as a spread on toast or in sandwiches, or rolled into balls and rolled in a variety of herbs, and crumbled into salads.
If you would like to participate in this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe
then go ahead and make Ottolenghi's version of labneh (there
is a recipe in his book, Jersualem). If you don't have the book, then feel free to leave a comment below (including your email address) and we will send you the recipe/instructions.
Make and post your labneh,
with the added challenge of using it in a recipe, on or by August 31st. Labneh would fit nicely into this week's theme, which is Mezze Madness, but you can also post your labneh in place of any weekly theme during the month.
Please note, there will be no linky with this post - simply link to any current weekly theme post during the month.
This week we're going mad for OttolenghiMezze. Mezze can be a single appetiser, or a whole spread of appetisers or small plates, and such dishes lie at the very heart of Middle Eastern food. Popular mezze include hummus, baba ghanoush (a burnt aubergine puree), tabouleh and much more.
Whether you feel inclined to share just one mezze dish, or go all out and make a feast of it, you'll be sure to love this week's Mezze Madness. Choose a Yotam Ottolenghi dish (or several of them) from any one of his books, or online sources, and post your Mezze Madness recipe(s) by Sunday 4 August.
Don't forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below. Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Eggscellent theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the amazing "eggy goodness" everyone shared.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. You still have a few days (until 31 July) to submit your entries - just link them at the end of this post. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us, and come back on 1 August for a round-up of all the Harissa posts and discover what we're doing for next month's community recipe. ***
This week it is Yotam Ottolenghi recipes that feature or include... The incredible, edible EGG!
Make and post your Eggscellent recipe by Sunday, July 28th!
Make sure it is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from online, one of his books . Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's July Potluck, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous dishes that were made.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. There is still time to join in! This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us. ***
Potluck is easily everyone's favorite week! This is the week where the choice is all yours! You can choose any Ottolenghi recipe or any recipe from one of our previous seven IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
To join in just post and link your July Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday, July 21st. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed ourFruitfull theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous "fruity" dishes everyone made.
*** Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe - there's still a couple of weeks to get your entries done, and you can
post them using the linky at the end of this post. This month we're
makingharissa, with the added challenge of using harissa in an Ottolenghi recipe. This fun new IHCC feature is a
great way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your
experiences and connect with other members of the group. ***
This week we're getting all fruity and dishing up Ottolenghi recipes that feature fruit, whether it be fresh, dried or frozen.
Maybe you want to get all sweet and make something for dessert ...
Date & Oat Bars
Maybe a crisp, fresh salad spiked with fresh or dried fruit ...
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds
Or maybe a savoury dish where the fruit really plays a leading role appeals ...
Lamb-stuffed Quince with Coriander & Pomegranate
Whichever way you choose to go you will find a multitude of recipes to choose from in any one of Ottolenghi's books or online.
Just make sure your dish is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe and that you post it by Sunday 14 July.
Don't forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below. Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed our Paint the Town Red theme last week, be sure to check out the links and get a taste of all the amazing "red food" everyone made.
*** Don't forget to check out this month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're making Harissa, and you'll also find a round up of last month's delicious Hummus recipes. This is a great way to join in cooking one recipe
as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of
the group. Do join us. ***
Or at least it's time to make some Ottolenghi recipes that feature or include ingredients with a reddish hue! There are a wide variety of reds to choose from like rosy red apples, juicy pinky-red watermelon, crispy red and white radishes, sharp purplish-red onions, or scarlet-colored cherries or grapes. You could make a dish with red lentils, red meat or even red snapper. It's up to you! Just make sure it is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe and that you post it by Sunday, July 7th.
Don't
forget to link your dish with a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's Got a Pulse?theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous bean, lentil & legume creations that were made.
Any type of lentil: red, orange, yellow, green, brown and black.
Any type of bean, such as: broad beans, garbanzo beans/chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, black beans and several more.
Even garden fresh legumes such as green beans, lima beans, soybeans/edamame, and peas are fair game.
To join in simply post and link your Got A Pulsedish by Sunday, June 30th. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed out on our June Potluck head on over to see all different things we cooked up!
*** Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe. This month we're
making Hummus, which would fit nicely into this week's Got A Pulse theme. This Sunday, June 30th is the last day for hummus entries. This fun new IHCC feature is a
great way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your
experiences and connect with other members of the group. ***
And, what's not to love, when Potluck means not only do you get to choose the recipe, but you also get to choose the chef.
That's right, choose any Ottolenghi recipe you like, or if you prefer choose any recipe from any one of our previous seven IHCC chefs:
Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian and Middle Eastern recipes to choose from.
To join in just post and link your June Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday 23 June. Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
*** Don't forget to check out the Optional Monthly Community Recipe - there's still a couple of weeks to get your entries done, and you can post them using the linky at the end of this post. This month we're making Hummus, and you'll also find a round-up of all the Preserved Lemon dishes everyone posted last month. This fun new IHCC feature is a great way to join in cooking one recipe as a group, to share your experiences and connect with other members of the group. ***
Here comes the sun... What warms and pleases like a sunny day?! Or foods with the bright sunshiny colors of yellow and orange? It's time for A Little Bit of Sunshine!
*Photos courtesy of stock.xchng.com Put some sunshine in your life by picking an Ottolenghi recipe featuring or including ingredients with sunny hues of yellow and/ororange.
Just make sure you use an Ottolenghi recipe and be sure you make and post yoursunny dish by Sunday, June 16. Don't
forget to link your dish, as well as a thumbnail image, below. Please
remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on
your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Please see our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you didn't check out the entries for last week's Something Sweet theme, be sure to check out the links and see the fabulous sweet creations that were made.
If you missed last week's Optional Monthly Community Recipe announcement, we are making hummus! Pick and make any Ottolenghi hummus recipe and post and link it by the end of the month. Details are here. Don't forget to wear your sunscreen!
Make and post your Something Sweet on or by Sunday, June 9th. Don't forget to link your dish, as well as your thumbnail image, below. Please remember to leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.
If you missed ourPattycake, Pattycaketheme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous dishes everyone made.
The Optional Monthly Community Recipe for May was Preserved Lemons/Quick Pickled Lemons!
The quick pickled lemons were easy to make, very fragrant, and really colorful and bright. Part of the challenge was to use the pickled lemons in a recipe. Everyone chose to pair their lemons with a patty of some sort. The lemons were served as a relish with some flavorful chicken patties, a condiment for some gorgeous fishcakes, and a topping for a delicious veggie burger. Check out the recipes below.
Joyce, from Kitchen Flavours, made Chicken Meatballs with Preserved Lemon and Harissa Relish. Joyce's chicken patties were a lovely mixture of ground chicken, corn kernels, and fresh chile, as well as herbs, seasonings, and spices. Not only did Joyce rise to the challenge of making the quick pickled lemons, but she also made her own harissa paste and combined the two into one gorgeous Preserved Lemon and Harissa Relish that looks simply stunning on the plate. Joyce gave the relish and the chicken meatballs a thumbs up! Great job with the challenge, Joyce!
My lovely co-host and friend, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, made Fish and Caper Patties with Burnt Eggplant and Lemon Pickle. Deb's fish patties were made with a local mahi and served with a perfectly golden brown crust alongside some rather seductive burnt eggplant (Note: I have got to try that burnt eggplant). Deb thought the quick pickled lemons added a sweet, strong, fragrant punch to the dish. I imagine the lemons would be a perfect accompaniment to the fish!
They say great minds think alike and I have to agree. My equally lovely co-host and friend, Sue of Couscous & Consciousness, was on the same page with Deb this week. She also made Ottolenghi's Fish and Caper Kebobs with Burnt Aubuergine and Quick Lemon Pickle. After two such wonderful reviews I am convinced I need to try this dish! Sue is a fan of both preserved lemons and the quick pickled lemons and found the quick pickled lemons incredibly moreish. Sue loves the quick pickled lemons so much she has decided to make them a "refrigerator staple" so she will have them on hand for all sorts of dishes.
Over at Stirring the Pot, I made Ottolenghi's Fava Bean Burger (my favorite veggie burger to date) and topped the burger with two slices of the most unique pickle I've ever had, pickled lemons. I thought the spices in the quick pickled lemons really paired nicely with the burger. The lemons added a spicy refreshing quality to the burger. I'm eager to try the lemons in future recipes!
The Optional Monthly Community Recipe for June is Hummus!!
Ottolenghi has several versions of hummus in his cookbooks. Feel free to try your hand at any of them. If you need a little inspiration, there is a video of Ottolenghi making a warm hummus below.
Please feel free to make and post your hummus in place of any theme or even as a bonus recipe for the month. Hummus would fit in nicely with our Got a Pulsetheme which runs the very last week of June.
We really appreciate and enjoy all the wonderful dishes you are sharing with us!!
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