The Recipe Room

Tabbouleh used to be one of my favourite salads back before I switched to gluten-free, and I always figured I’d never be able to have it again due to the fact that it’s always prepared with either bulgur or couscous, both of which are, of course, off-limits to anyone on a gluten-free diet.

Luckily, I stumbled across a recipe for making couscous from basmati rice recently and quickly jumped on the opportunity to create this basmati tabbouleh recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (You might also want to have a look at this lamb with couscous and apricot salad, but using basmati rice instead of couscous.)

 

Rosti is a traditional Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes and was originally eaten for breakfast by farmers.  Somewhat similar to the more familiar hash browns, they are usually fried, although I prefer them baked.  These bacon and potato rosti are oven-baked and while I don’t think I’d want to eat them for breakfast very often, they make for a wonderfully satisfying snack or starter.

I like bacon, but you could also try this salmon and rosti bake. Or if you prefer to make them vegetarian-friendly, you can leave out the bacon or alternatively replace it with some cheddar cheese or even apple if you’re the adventurous type.

You Need:

• 450g potatoes, whole and with the skin left on
• 2.5tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 rashers of back bacon, diced
• 1tbsp potato flour
• 1tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2tsp salt
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley or basil to decorate the plate.

Steps:

1.  Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Parboil the potatoes in abundant, lightly-salted water for 6 minutes.
4. Drain and set aside to cool.
5. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to be handled, peel them and grate with a coarse cheese grater.
6. Set aside.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over low heat until it is hot but not smoking.
8. Add the chopped onion and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Add the bacon and onions to the grated potatoes along with the rest of the olive oil, potato flour, parsley, chives, salt and pepper.  Mix well.
11. Divide the mixture into eight small portions and press into patties using your hands.
12. Arrange the patties carefully on the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each patty.
13. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the rosti turn golden brown and crunchy.
14. Garnish with the sprigs of fresh parsley or basil and serve immediately.

Ready In:  45 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty:   3 out of 5

Known in Turkey as Mücver, these absolutely scrumptious courgette and leek fritters are typically eaten as a snack in the mid-afternoon between lunch and supper, but they also make for a great appetiser or side dish, and you could even make a full meal out of it by serving them alongside some salad and (gluten-free) bread. (I also recommend these potato and Gruyére cakes. Absolutely delicious!)

Fortunately, the original Turkish recipe only calls for one tablespoon of flour, so it was no problem whatsoever to substitute that for cornflour and make these gluten-free.  They are traditionally eaten plain, as far as I know, but I like to eat them with a bit of sour cream or Greek yoghurt, as I find the tartness offsets the earthy flavour of the fritters quite nicely.

 

One of my fondest memories from a trip I made to Turkey a few years back has got to be the incredible breakfasts!  Nuts and cheeses, yoghurt, honey, fresh fruit and marmalades, and of course, menemen, a kind of Turkish scrambled eggs.  I can still remember falling asleep every night with my mouth watering in anticipation of the next morning’s breakfast!

This recipe, as with most scrambled egg recipes, is very quick and ridiculously simple to prepare.  The only thing you really need to keep in mind to make this taste as good as possible is to use the best quality vegetables you can find, preferably organic.  And if you haven’t switched over to organic free-range eggs, I strongly recommend you do so as soon as possible, as the difference in taste and colour is absolutely astounding!  Also, if you can find the Italian style green peppers (they’re longer and thinner), then you should use them for a more authentic experience.

If you like a big breakfast, why not also try these mini pancakes with mozzarella, spinach and pine nuts? You can technically eat them for lunch or dinner, but to me, pancakes are for breakfast. And I usually prefer salty over sweet in the morning.