EVERYDAY DISH
Kale, Brown Rice and Avocado Salad with Miso and Tahini Dressing This salad is topped with one of my favourite Japanese dressings. You can replace the brown rice with grated raw cauliflower and add other raw seasonal vegetables of your choice.
1½ cups water 8 large kale leaves, stems removed 2 cups finely shredded cabbage 6 fresh dates, roughly chopped 1 avocado, diced 1 carrot, peeled
Dressing 3 tablespoons tahini 1 tablespoon white miso 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon soy sauce 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons cold water sea salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons toasted mixed seeds Put the rice and water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 45 minutes. Fluff up with a fork then spread onto a large plate to cool. Rip the kale into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon sea salt. Scrunch handfuls of the kale in your fingers for about 2 minutes until it becomes darker and softer in texture and has reduced in volume. Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and season, adding a little more water if needed to make a pourable dressing. To assemble: Add the cabbage to the kale and pour over most of the dressing, turning to coat well. Add the cooled rice, dates and avocado and toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl. Use a vegetable peeler to cut long thin strips off the carrot. Place on top of the salad and scatter with the seeds. Drizzle over the remaining dressing. Serves 6 COOK’S TIP: White miso will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for several months.
S IDES
Cheesy Mushroom, Spring Onion and Garlic Bread The success of this stuffed bread lies in using a good dense, textured loaf. Supermarket bread will just fall apart when cut in this manner and isn’t firm enough to hold the filling. 1 large round sourdough loaf
¾ cup brown rice
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2 tablespoons butter 250 grams button mushrooms, sliced ½ cm thick 2 teaspoons chopped thyme 100 grams butter at room temperature 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1 ball fresh mozzarella in whey, drained and torn (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Without cutting through the bottom crust, cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise about 3cm apart with a sharp breadknife. Heat the first measure of butter in a sauté pan and cook the mushrooms and thyme with a good pinch of salt until golden and tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool. Combine the second measure of butter, garlic, spring onions, parsley, Cheddar and Parmesan in a bowl and season well, then mix in the cooled mushrooms. Push the mushroom butter down into the crevices of the loaf and smear a little over the top. Grate over a generous amount of Parmesan and freshly ground pepper. Place on a large piece of foil and wrap securely. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven. Peel back the foil and dot over the torn mozzarella if using. Return to the oven for another 7–10 minutes, until the cheese is melting and golden. If not using the mozzarella, return to the oven for just 5 minutes. To serve: Remove the loaf from the foil, place on a board and cut into slices to serve. Serves 6–8
PANTRY NOTE: Toasted mixed seeds are available in the loose bins section at supermarkets.
D ISH
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