Commonsense Cook
March is Herb Awareness Month so why not try these deliciously simple recipes using flavoursome fresh garden herbs.
Family recipes made easy by chef Colin Fassnidge
Colin Fassnidge shares 6 great recipes using fresh herbs
Recipes Colin Fassnidge. Photography Alan Benson. Styling Emma Knowles
A Simple Green Salad with Vierge Dressing
A green salad should be in everyone’s repertoire. I use this recipe as a starting point and then swap out the leaves and herbs for whatever is currently growing in our garden. Make the dressing the day before you use it. Serves 4
100g rocket
4 Tuscan kale leaves, leaves torn, stalks finely sliced
4 rainbow silverbeet leaves, leaves torn, stalks finely sliced ½ bunch of basil, leaves
picked and torn 2 tarragon sprigs, leaves
picked and torn 2 marjoram sprigs, leaves
picked and torn extra virgin olive oil or
hemp oil, for drizzling
Vierge dressing (makes 1 litre)
100g coriander seeds,
toasted
2 star anise, toasted
1 litre extra virgin olive oil 3 bunches of basil, leaves
picked
½ bunch of mint, leaves
picked
½ bunch of flat-leaf
parsley, leaves picked sea salt and black pepper freshly squeezed lemon
juice, to taste
For the vierge dressing, place the coriander seeds, star anise, olive oil and herbs in a blender and blend until smooth. Don’t over-blend as you want to avoid the heat of the blender warming the dressing. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and season to taste. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 24 hours for the flavours to infuse.
The next day, strain the dressing through a fine sieve and transfer to an airtight bottle or jar. Before using, season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
For the salad, combine the rocket, kale, silverbeet and herbs in a salad bowl and mix well using your hands.
Spoon over enough vierge dressing to lightly coat the leaves and toss to combine.
Drizzle with olive oil or hemp oil and serve immediately.
Show-stopper Whole Roasted Pumpkin
This is a showstopper of a dish that often outshines any meat on the table. Serves 4-6
100ml olive oil
1kg whole Japanese pumpkin,
halved horizontally sea salt
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced 4 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up 2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp smoked paprika
¼ bunch each rosemary, sage and thyme, roughly chopped
2 bird’s eye chillies, finely
chopped (optional) 2½ tbsp sherry vinegar extra virgin olive oil, for
drizzling
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).
Drizzle the olive oil over the cut surface of the pumpkin and sprinkle with sea salt, garlic, spices, herbs and chilli (if using).
Place the pumpkin halves on a lined baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes to get some colour, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (fan-forced) and cook for a further 40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft but not falling apart.
Finish by drizzling with the sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
Greens and Ricotta Turnovers
A flavoursome vegetable surprise to unwrap. Freeze any leftovers in a sealable bag for the perfect time-poor dinner. Serves 4
100ml extra virgin olive oil 2 large red onions, finely
sliced
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced sea salt and black pepper 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced 30g white anchovy fillets,
finely chopped
½ bunch each of tarragon and sage, leaves picked and chopped
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes 300g green leaves, such as curly kale, silverbeet or sorrel, roughly chopped 2 tsp white wine vinegar 300g full-fat ricotta
4 sheets good-quality frozen
puff pastry, just thawed 30g capers, rinsed and
drained, chopped small handful of grated
parmesan
2 small eggs, beaten
1 tbsp fennel seeds
½ bunch of thyme, leaves
picked green salad leaves, to serve
Herbed breadcrumbs
50g fresh breadcrumbs 1 rosemary sprig, leaves
picked
8 sage leaves
2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
To make the herbed breadcrumbs, place the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel bulb, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then add the anchovy, herbs, nutmeg, paprika and chilli flakes. Stir to combine, then stir through the greens to wilt. Season again to taste (the anchovy will have already added salt). Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill in the fridge for 45 minutes. Once chilled, stir through the ricotta and then the herbed breadcrumbs – this will help to dry out the mixture.
Put a large baking tray in the oven and preheat it to 180°C (fan-forced).
Lay a puff pastry sheet on your work surface and spread one-quarter of the mixture onto one half of the sheet, leaving a 2cm border. Scatter over one-quarter of the capers and parmesan. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the filling and trim it into a turnover shape, pinching the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling to make four turnovers.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and lay a sheet of baking paper on the hot tray. Place the turnovers on the tray and brush with more beaten egg. Sprinkle fennel seeds, thyme and salt over the top and grind over black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until the turnovers are puffed up and golden. Remove the turnovers from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with a fresh garden salad.
Green Gnocchi
This dish is a great way to sneak some extra greens onto your kids’ plates. Serves 6-8
350g rock salt
1.2kg Desiree potatoes,
scrubbed clean bunch of sage, leaves picked bunch of flat-leaf parsley,
leaves picked
½ bunch of rosemary, leaves
picked
110g (¾ cup) plain flour, plus
extra for dusting 200g parmesan, grated, plus
extra to serve sea salt and black pepper 3 egg yolks juice of 1 lemon extra virgin olive oil, for
drizzling
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).
Spread the rock salt out on a baking tray in an even layer. Place the potatoes on top, then dry in the oven for 1 hour to remove their moisture. Cut the potatoes in half while they are still hot and push them through a potato ricer into a large bowl.
Place the herbs, flour, parmesan and a pinch of salt in a blender and blitz until well combined and bright green.
Add the egg yolks to the potato and use a spatula to chop through until they are just combined. Add the herb mixture and use the same chopping motion to combine the ingredients into a loose dough. Flour your hands and a clean work surface then tip out the dough and use your hands to gently knead and bring it together without overworking it. You should have a soft, bright green dough.
Break off a portion of dough and gently roll it into a 1.5cm-thick sausage. Cut the sausage into 2cm-long pillows of gnocchi and set aside on a lightly floured tray. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over medium– high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then gently add the gnocchi to the pan. Watch and wait for them to rise to the top, then give them 30 seconds floating at the surface. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess water to drain away, and transfer to a serving bowl.
Drizzle the gnocchi with the lemon juice and olive oil, scatter over the lemon zest and extra parmesan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Salt-crusted Chicken
This is a chicken in an oven, in an oven! The salt crust dough encases and lightly steams the chicken, while imparting a gentle herb and salt flavour. Serves 4
1.6kg free-range chicken olive oil, for brushing freshly ground black pepper 3 garlic cloves, finely
chopped
2 tsp salted butter, softened
Salt crust
1kg plain flour, plus extra
for dusting
300g table salt
½ bunch of rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped ½ bunch of marjoram, leaves picked and roughly chopped ½ bunch of thyme, leaves picked and roughly chopped 3 egg whites
To make the salt crust, combine the flour, salt and chopped herbs in a large bowl. Beat the egg whites in another bowl and stir through 300ml of cold water until well combined. Pour the liquid into the middle of the flour mixture and form a rough dough. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or until soft. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Line a baking dish with baking paper.
Place the chilled dough on a floured work surface and roll out to a 2cm-thick circle, large enough to wrap the chicken. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with pepper, then rub the garlic and butter all over the chicken.
Place the chicken in the centre of the salt crust dough, then gently lift and mould the crust around the chicken and seal at the top. Patch up any holes with leftover bits of dough. Carefully transfer the chicken parcel to the prepared dish and bake for 1 hour or until the thickest part of the chicken thigh reaches 60°C on a kitchen thermometer (you will need to pierce the salt crust to do this). Allow the chicken to rest for 15–20 minutes, then crack open the salt crust, carve the chicken into thick slices and serve.
My Spiced Breakfast Omelette
Cooking an omelette is an act of joy that brings together the simplest of ingredients to make a hearty meal. Serves 3-4
6 eggs
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 bird’s eye chillies, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger bunch of coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped sea salt and black pepper
2 handfuls of bean sprouts handful of large-leaf rocket 2 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp freshly squeezed
lime juice
½ bunch of mint, leaves
picked
20g roasted peanuts,
chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
Place the eggs, ground coriander and cumin, two-thirds of the chilli, the garlic, ginger, half the fresh coriander and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender and blitz until well combined.
Combine the bean sprouts, rocket, fish sauce, lime juice, remaining chilli and fresh coriander, mint and peanuts in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and pour in the egg mixture. Using a spatula, move the mixture around the pan, pulling the outside into the middle so the mixture cooks evenly. When the bottom of the omelette starts to set, stop mixing with the spatula and leave the omelette to set for 1 minute. Don’t overcook the omelette – it should still have a little moisture throughout the egg mixture.
Add the filling to the centre of the omelette and use the spatula to fold the omelette in half over the filling. Slide the omelette onto a serving plate, cut into slices and serve.