Snuggle up and enjoy these recipes that will warm you from the inside out
It doesn’t get that cool here on the Gold Coast, but evenings can be a bit nippy and a cold salad isn’t so appetising. Warm up with these glorious healthy comfort foods that will meet your carb cravings — as the cooler weather seems to make us hungry for carbs!
Each of these recipes are created and photographed by Michelle Sanchez, a professional photographer in Adelaide. A keen home cook, Michelle loves her organic veggie patch and uses home grown produce where she can, although she admits it is far from always possible as she doesn’t have the greenest of thumbs!
She does, however, love inventing and photographing new recipes she creates and hopes you enjoy these as much as she enjoys putting them together.
For more of her recipes visit: diversebymichellesanchez.weebly.com or like her Facebook page: diversebymichellesanchez
STUFFED SWEET POTATO
Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
6 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup cheddar, grated
8 basil leaves, roughly torn
2 tbsp of chives, finely chopped
¼ BBQ chicken, shredded*
100g semi-dried tomatoes, chopped roughly
100g full fat ricotta**
Micro chervil and basil leaves, to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. Place the sweet potatoes onto a baking tray and into the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (until soft inside).
While the sweet potatoes are baking, combine the cheddar, basil leaves, chives, chicken, semi-dried tomatoes and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut a slit in the top of each, lengthways. Spoon out most of the flesh and add it to the above mixture. Mash up the potato roughly and stir it through. Spoon the mixture into the sweet potato skins. Place back in the oven for a further 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and garnish with micro chervil and basil leaves to serve.
Recipe notes
*I’ve used store bought BBQ chicken, but you can also use up left over roast chicken/turkey
**I prefer to use ricotta with a bit of texture, rather than smooth ricotta
ARTICHOKE AND CHIVE COB LOAF
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 cob loaf
600ml sour cream
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
230g jar of marinated artichokes
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 spring onion, finely sliced
Bunch of heirloom carrots, sliced in half lengthways
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 160⁰C. Cut a hole in the top of the cob loaf and set aside the ‘lid’. Pull out most of the bread from the middle of the cob loaf and set aside.
Drain the artichokes well and chop them up finely. Place into a bowl with the sour cream, chives, parsley, cumin, paprika and salt. Stir well to combine. Scoop the mixture into the cob loaf and place the lid back on.
Wrap in alfoil and place on a baking tray. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until it is warm throughout. Take the cob loaf out about half way through to stir the contents, place the lid back on and re-wrap it.
Top with spring onions. Serve with carrots, and the leftover bread.
CURRIED CHICKEN FILO LOGS
Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
2 chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm cube of ginger, grated
½ cup Brussels sprouts, finely shredded
½ cauliflower, finely chopped
¼ cup frozen peas
12 sheets thick style filo pastry
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp poppy seeds
70g salted butter, melted
For the yoghurt dipping sauce (optional):
½ cup Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp shredded mint leaves
2cm knob ginger, grated
Squeeze of lime juice
Pinch of salt
Spring onions, to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs. Brown for 4 to 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan.
Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, mustard seeds, garam masala and curry powder and stir for a further 30 seconds.
Add the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and frozen peas and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Shred the chicken and add it to the vegetables. Season with salt and stir to combine. Allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. Take two of the filo sheets, one on top of the other and brush the top piece with melted butter. Take 1/6th of the chicken mixture and place it in a line 4cm from the short edge, leaving the longer sides free to fold in. Fold in the edges and roll into a log. Prick holes in the top, brush with more butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Repeat until there is no mixture remaining. It should make 6.
Place on a tray in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Combine the ingredients for the yoghurt dipping sauce. Serve warm.
QUINCE & RHUBARB GALETTE
Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tbsp white sugar
125g chilled butter, chopped into 2cm cubes
¼ cup cream
3 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
500g quinces (peeled, cored and chopped into eighths)*
2 rhubarb spears (chopped into 4-5 cm pieces)
80g butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
Vanilla ice cream to serve
DIRECTIONS
To make the pastry, place the plain flour and sugar into a food processor. Add the chilled butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the cream and cold water and pulse until it begins to form a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and gently squeeze it together to form a ball. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. You can make the pastry a day in advance.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. When it’s boiling, add the quince pieces. Blanch for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190⁰C. Place the butter and brown sugar into a pan over low-medium heat. Continue to stir until the butter and sugar have melted and combined (around 4 minutes). Add the quince and rhubarb pieces and coat well with the sugar/butter mixture. Leave on the heat for around 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Roll the pastry between two pieces of non-stick backing paper. Roll to around 35cm x 25cm. Remove the top sheet of baking paper. With tongs, carefully assemble the quince and rhubarb pieces onto the pastry, leave a free edge (around 4cm). Fold up the free edges and press together in the corners so that it holds in place. Drizzle a tablespoon of the butter/sugar syrup from the pan over the quince/rhubarb. Reserve the remaining syrup in a warm spot.
Gently slide the galette onto a baking tray and place in the oven for 40 minutes or until it is golden.
Remove from the oven and drizzle over the rest of the butter/brown sugar mixture. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
RECIPE NOTES
*You can make this recipe with apples instead of quinces. You don’t need to blanch them as long — a couple of minutes in boiling water will do, until they are al dente.
