Tagged with Persimmon

Charred Cauliflower Tacos with Persimmon Salsa & Beet Slaw

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I felt like making tacos again and this time I also made them vegetarian. The charred cauliflower and beet slaw makes them very crunchy. And I like the slight sweetness that the persimmon adds to the salsa.

This recipe is for 12 small tacos.

Ingredients:

For the charred cauliflower:

½ of a cauliflower, chopped into small florets

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Pinch of lemon pepper

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

For the beet slaw:

2 beets, peeled and julienned

Juice of 1 lime

Splash of olive oil

Splash of white vinegar

Salt

Pepper

For the persimmon salsa:

3 small persimmons, chopped

3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 red onion, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Splash of white vinegar

Splash of olive oil

Salt

Pepper

A handful of chopped coriander

A pinch of cayenne or 1 chopped chili

Extra:

12 small tortillas

 

To make the persimmon salsa, just mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.  Do the same for the beet slaw.

To cook the cauliflower, pour the olive oil into a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the cauliflower, salt, lemon pepper and pepper. Cook until the cauliflower gets charred, stirring from time to time. This will take about 7 minutes. Set it aside.

To serve, warm up the tortillas in a pan. Then add the beet slaw, charred cauliflower and top with the salsa. Enjoy!

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Duck Breast Salad with Orange – Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

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I love duck breast and it’s something I don’t eat very often. Usually I have to go to a butcher to get it because regular supermarkets here don’t carry it unless it’s the holiday season. That time of the year has come and when I saw it at the supermarket, I couldn’t resist. This is a salad you can have as a first course or main, perfect for the holidays. And it doesn’t require a lot of time which is very handy if you want to host a dinner.

This recipe serves 2. If you would like it as a main course, I find it nicer to get 1 duck breast per person.

Ingredients:         

For the vinaigrette:

½ cup of fresh orange juice

½ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

2 tablespoons of honey

Salt

Pepper

For the duck:

1 duck breast, about 225grs.

Salt

Pepper

For the salad:

1/3 cup of dried cranberries

2 apples, thinly sliced (I used one Royal Gala and one Granny Smith)

1 persimmon, thinly sliced

40grs of baby kale

75grs of arugula

 

To make the vinaigrette, just place all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake it until it emulsifies. Taste for salt and set it aside. Just re-shake it right before serving.

To cook the duck breast, first preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Trim any excess skin that is just hanging off the meat. Using a sharp knife, score the fat of the breast in a criss-cross pattern.  Season it with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat up a cast iron skillet or oven-proof pan over medium heat. Place the duck breast with the skin side down and let the fat render off for 4 minutes. Then sear the meat side for 1 minute.  Finally turn the breast fat side down again and place it in the oven for 5 minutes. This will give you a medium to medium rare duck breast depending on the size of it. Once the breast is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes and then thinly slice it.

To plate up, mix the arugula with the baby kale and divide it among 2 plates. Add the cranberries, apples and persimmon.  Then add the sliced duck breast and serve with the dressing on the side.

For more foodie inspiration, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

Baked Ginger Chicken Wings with a Persimmon Pineapple Salsa and Pork Floss

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On my recent trip to Lima, we went to this hamburger restaurant called Papacho’s. It is one of the many restaurant chains Gaston Acurio has.  He is Peru’s most famous chef and food ambassador.  I had never been there before but ended up going twice in a week for their charapita chicken wings. Those wings are bathed in a salsa with chilies and fruit from the Peruvian Amazon and topped with finely shredded Cecina which is salted dried pork.  Since my hubby and I liked them so much, I decided to make my own version of the dish.  I made the salsa with persimmon and pineapple and topped it with some pork floss instead of the Cecina.  The combination was delicious. To view the picture of the wings this dish was inspired on, you can check out my post about Papacho’s here.

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Ingredients:

1 kilo of chicken wings

1 cup of ginger syrup

¼ cup of ketchup

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of honey

3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon of salt

Pepper

For the salsa:

1 persimmon peeled and finely chopped (here is called kaki)

1 cup of finely chopped fresh pineapple

1 red chili

5 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander

1 red onion, finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Garnish:

A sprinkle of pork floss

 

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

In a large bowl, mix the ginger syrup, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, balsamic, salt and pepper. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat.

Line an oven dish with 2 sheets of aluminum foil. This will make the clean up later easier.

Place the chicken wings on a single layer in the oven dish. Bake for 1 hour.

While the chicken wings are baking, start making the salsa. Just mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, Cover with plastic film and refrigerate until use. One tip, cut all the fruit and onion as small as you can.

Once the chicken wings are cooked, transfer them to a serving plate. Top with the salsa and sprinkle some of the pork floss.