Holiday Recipes from Magdalena Roze.
We sat down with our friend and author of 'Happy and Whole' cookbook, Magdalena Roze, as she shared with us four delicious recipes you just have to try!
To find out a little more about the ever talented Magdalena, including her must have kitchen staples and what's next for her, read on here.
SUMMERY PANZANELLA SALAD
Adding sweet and decadent figs and nectarines to this traditional Tuscan panzanella salad gives it a lovely summery feel, and with the prosciutto and mozzarella it’s a meal on its own. Panzanella is a great way to use stale bread, and tossing the cubes in olive oil in a bag is a foolproof way of ensuring that they stay nice and crisp. If you’re sourcing your heirloom tomatoes from a farmers' market, try different coloured varieties, such as Green Tigers and Golden Yellows. This beautiful salad takes just minutes to prepare and makes a delicious accompaniment to roast or barbecued chicken.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, crushed, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 200g stale sourdough bread cubed, 2 big handfuls of rocket, 3 heirloom tomatoes sliced into wedges, 2 nectarines sliced into thin wedges, 8 slices of prosciutto torn, 6 fresh figs torn, 250 g fresh mozzarella torn (or 250 g bocconcini halved), 1/4 cup small basil leaves, 1/4 cup small mint leaves.
Dressing
60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method
Place the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and bread in a zip-lock bag and toss until the bread is evenly coated.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the bread cubes until golden. Set aside.
Arrange the rocket on a large salad platter. Add the tomato, nectarine, prosciutto, fig and mozzarella. Sprinkle over the mint and basil leaves.
To make the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Season to taste and drizzle over the salad. Serve immediately.
SOBA NOODLE SALAD WITH WAKAME
AND MISO-POACHED CHICKEN
Ingredients
2 tablespoons white miso paste, 20g dried wakame, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes then drained, 2 spring onions roughly chopped plus extra thinly sliced to serve, 4 cm piece of ginger sliced, 500g chicken breast fillets, 180g soba noodles, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 250g daikon, cut into matchsticks (see note), 160g (1 cup) frozen podded edamame beans blanched, 1 Lebanese cucumber trimmed, halved lengthways and thinly sliced, 90g (1/3 cup) pickled ginger, 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, shredded nori sheet, to serve.
Dressing
180g (3/4 cup) sour cream, 2 spring onions, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Method
This Japanese-inspired dish brings back lovely memories of our old home in North Bondi, where we’d have a soba noodle salad every week during summer. It’s light, fresh and perfect for a midsummer lunch or dinner on a balmy night. The wakame seaweed is one of the ultimate glow foods with its high doses of magnesium, iodine, calcium and vitamins. I love the miso-poached chicken for its flavour and tenderness, but you can also try this salad with an oily fish, such as salmon or trout. Trust me – you will feel great after eating this!
Place the miso, wakame, spring onion, ginger, chicken and 500ml (2 cups) of water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low, cover with the lid and gently poach for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to sit in the poaching liquid for 20 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing thickly.
Strain the poaching liquid, reserving the wakame for the salad and 125ml (1/2 cup) of the liquid for the noodles. Discard the spring onion and ginger.
Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes. Drain the noodles under cold running water and transfer to a bowl. Pour over the reserved strained poaching liquid and sesame oil, and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate until required.
To make the dressing, whisk the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
To serve, toss the noodles with the reserved wakame, daikon, edamame and cucumber, and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the chicken, extra spring onion, pickled ginger, sesame seeds and nori, and drizzle over the dressing.
Notes
If you want to make pickled daikon, pour 250 ml (1 cup) of water into a small saucepan with 80 ml (1/3 cup) rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon mirin and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Cook over low heat for 1–2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the liquid over the daikon, and set aside for 20 minutes to cool.
The pickled daikon, chicken and noodles can all be made a few hours in advance – just cover and refrigerate until needed. If you prepare the noodles in advance, pour an extra 125 ml (1/2 cup) of strained chicken poaching liquid over them, as they will soak up the liquid.
BROCCOLI SLAW
Ingredients
500g broccoli, florets shredded, stems cut into matchsticks, 150g white cabbage, finely shredded, 2 apples, cored and cut into matchsticks, 2 spring onions, thinly sliced, 100g (1/2 cup) buckinis (see note), 40g (1/4 cup) roasted almonds chopped, flat-leaf parsley and mint leaves, to serve.
Dressing
This is the perfect salad for a picnic or barbecue on a hot day. It’s crisp, fresh and bursting with flavour. I’ve added ‘buckinis’ (activated buckwheat kernels), which are full of protein and have a great crunchy texture, but broccoli is the hero – and rightfully so, it actually contains more vitamin C than oranges! This slaw makes a substantial meal on its own, but is also a great accompaniment to chicken and fish.
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk (recipe in Happy and Whole), 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon white chia seeds, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard.
Method
To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a jar, secure the lid and shake well. Allow to sit for 30 minutes (longer if possible) for the chia seeds to gel.
Place the broccoli, cabbage, apple, spring onion and buckinis in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Season to taste and top with the almonds, parsley and mint.
Notes
Buckinis are soaked and dried (‘activated’) buckwheat kernels and can be found in health food stores. Good substitutes include toasted sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
STRAWBERRY AND GINGER KOMBUCHA 'MOJITO'
Ingredients
Crushed ice, 400ml kombucha (see note), 600ml soda or sparkling water, 8 strawberries sliced, 8 thin slices of ginger, mint leaves, to serve, 4 rosemary sprigs, to serve, edible flowers, to serve (optional).
Method
This drink is the easiest thing ever to make! Divide crushed ice between four glasses. Pour 100ml of kombucha into each glass and top up with 150ml of soda or sparkling water. Divide the strawberries and ginger among the four glasses. Top each with mint leaves, a rosemary sprig and edible flowers. Enjoy!
Notes
You can use store-bought kombucha or make your own version very easily and cheaply by using my recipe in Happy and Whole. You’ll need to get it going at least 2 weeks before you plan to serve it.
While kombucha is a refreshing and healing drink in its own right, when combined with a few simple ingredients, such as rosemary, mint leaves and edible flowers, it also makes the perfect appetiser at a dinner party. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like it! My favourite combination is strawberry and ginger, but feel free to experiment with your own flavours. For an alcoholic version, you can add 30ml rum or vodka to each glass, though you may want to sweeten it with a little honey.
