Caesar Salad

We are a bit crazy about lettuce at The Lettuce Shop, one might think we're famous for it. This week we have noticed that cos and festival lettuce are both looking fantastic, so we thought we'd bring this fabulous recipe to your attention. 

Caesar salad is famous for its lettuce, cos lettuce makes this dish (as well as the creamy Caesar dressing). We made our own dressing, if we're going to do it we may as well do it properly and keep it fresh all round.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 cos lettuce, torn into pieces

2 eggs, boiled, peeled and cut in half

50g croutons ***

4-6 anchovy fillets

50g parmesan, freshly shaved

Freshly ground black pepper

** Optional: Bacon or chicken pieces

*** Croutons available from The Lettuce Shop

Dressing (makes 1 cup):

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1 tbs Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt

1 tbs lemon juice

1 cup extra light olive oil (do not use EVOO, makes mayo bitter)

4 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

To make dressing, place egg yolks, mustard and salt into small food processor and combine well for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and process for a further 30 seconds.

With the food processor running, first add a few drops of olive oil, then slowly add the olive oil at a very thin drizzle until all oil has been added and you have a creamy mayo texture.

Add anchovy fillets, garlic and Worcestshire sauce, process until combined. The sauce should be of a slightly runny consistency, if too thick add some water and mix well.

Arrange cos leaves on a plate, top with croutons, eggs, parmesan and drizzle generously with dressing. Season with lashings of freshly ground black pepper and serve!

*If you would like to add bacon, lay bacon slices on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 180C for about 10 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towel. Alternatively add shredded chicken.

Do you have a favourite lettuce-based salad? Share it with us.

Fennel and citrus salad

Fennel is one of those best kept secrets, not always a first choice when it comes to salad additions yet the perfect ingredient. Fennel has a mellow anise flavour, and when accompanied with citrus it really comes to life.

Fennel is also nutritious. It is high in fibre, low in calories and has been labeled the ultimate digestive aid. With its zesty, palate-cleansing taste, it is a good source of vitamin C and potassium.

This recipe is as simple as it is delicious.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 orange, peeled and sliced

½ red onion, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Handful of rocket

Juice of ½ lemon

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Slice fennel thinly then coat in the juice of ½ lemon and a dash of olive oil. To see how to slice fennel bulb click on this link. Meanwhile plate the other sliced ingredients, top with coated fennel and dressing, garnish with freshly ground black pepper and fennel fronds. The perfect summer salad!

Strawberry buttermilk cake

 

Strawberries are sensational at the moment. We have been getting our hands on Heavenly strawberries, grown locally and available until November. If you have not tried Heavenlys yet, may I suggest you do.

 

We have this gorgeously light buttermilk cake recipe for you. The lightest centre topped with strawberries, smells divine fresh from the oven. It could quite possibly be THE EASIEST cake ever. Seriously.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarb of soda

½ tsp salt

100g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200ml buttermilk

1 punnet strawberries, hulled and halved

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 9” cake tin.

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt together.

In another bowl cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla bean and buttermilk. Mix well.

Gradually add flour to butter mixture until well combined.

Transfer mixture into greased tin. Arrange strawberries on top, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cake is well risen, light golden colour and firm to touch. Allow to cool in tin. Once cool turn cake out, cut and serve as is or with a dollop of fresh cream. And devour!

Deliciously nutritious stuffed potatoes

As you know we're all about convenience at The Lettuce Shop, so when it comes to whipping up dinner we lean on the 'easy and convenient' side. Stuffed potatoes are not only stocked with nutrition, you can add whatever vegetables you like and they're super simple to prepare. Not to mention they taste delicious!

For this recipe we added mushroom, tomatoes and fresh chives. 

Ingredients (serves four):

4 large Nadine potatoes

8 button mushrooms, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

Fresh chives, chopped

Butter

Cheddar cheese, grated

Sour cream

Sea salt

Wash potatoes, pat dry and pierce with a fork. Bake in oven at 200C for 1 hour or until soft when pricked. Once cooked, allow to cool. Make a thin slice along the length of each potato and scoop out the centre. Place centres into a bowl, mash with a knob of butter, salt and pepper. 

Sauté mushrooms in butter, add tomatoes and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add to potato mash mix and combine. 

Place potato/mushroom mix into the centre of hollowed out potatoes. Place onto baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with cheese, sour cream and chives. Serve!

For a more kid-friendly version fill potatoes with pizza topping ingredients such as pepperoni and mozzarella. Pizza style stuffed spud, genius!

No bake strawberry cheesecake

When good strawberries have been hard to come by for awhile we get a little bit excited when we stumble across delicious berries like these. They smell absolutely sensational, and taste as sweet as can be. Eaten fresh, they require nothing else to compliment their beautiful flavour. Added to a cheesecake however, they are equally as delicious, and the sweet smell of strawberries only compliments the mild flavour of cheesecake.

These beauties are locally grown in Wanneroo, and if you like strawberries we suggest you get your hands on some.

Ingredients
Base:
250g Granita biscuits, blend to crumbs

100g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
300ml whipping cream

500g light cream cheese, softened

100g caster sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 punnet strawberries, hulled and pureed

10g unflavoured gelatine (1 sachet - or 2 sachets if you prefer your cheesecake more on the firm side)

Topping:
1 punnet strawberries, hulled

Grease round springform cake tin. ** Tip: turn removable base of tin upside down so the cheesecake base won’t stick into the groove that forms at the join.

Mix biscuit crumbs and butter well and press firmly into base of tin. Place into the fridge while making the filling. 

Whip cream to medium stiffness (mousse-like texture) and chill. In another bowl mix cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy.

Heat lemon juice and pureed strawberries in saucepan. Take pan off heat and sprinkle in gelatine, stirring until dissolved. Set aside to cool – gelatine and cream cheese mixtures must be at the same temperature before combining. Add ¾ of the cooled puree mixture to cream cheese and sugar mixture (the remaining ¼ kept for the top of the cheesecake), stir until combined. Fold in whipped cream until well combined. Pour into base and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Remove cheesecake from fridge after 1 hour and pour remainder of puree mixture on top. Return to fridge overnight or until fully set.

Once set, gently run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it before unlocking the spring form pan. Garnish with strawberries and serve!

We are joining in the Berry nice to meet you! blog hop. Check out some of the other lovely recipes below.

Honey roasted sweet potato & red onion

If you haven't already noticed The Lettuce Shop is all about convenience. We aim to make life that little bit more convenient for our customers, hence the delivery of fresh produce to your front door. We are also a bit partial to sharing some good finds, and this is a simple beauty!

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 red onions, cut into wedges

2 tbs olive oil

Fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp cumin

1 tbs honey

A dash of balsamic vinegar

Fresh coriander

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 200^oC. Place sweet potatoes and onions onto a baking tray. Mix olive oil, ginger, cumin, honey and balsamic vinegar until combined and pour over the top of the potatoes and onions. Season with freshly ground sea salt and roast until the potatoes are tender (30-40 minutes).

Top with fresh coriander and serve.

Every monday the wonderful Veggie Mama has a link for bloggers to share their vege dishes. Head over and check out some other fabulous recipes.

Smoked salmon, asparagus and dill tart

The Lettuce Shop hopes you had a wonderful Christmas. If you are not yet back at work we also hope you are having a refreshing break and are making the most of the downtime. In our busy lives downtime is so essential, and after the busy period that comes before the festive season it's important to use downtime wisely.

Here is a tried and tested easy recipe for you. It contains simple ingredients and is quick to whip up on a summers night to be enjoyed with a lovely summer salad.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

100g smoked salmon, sliced

4 asparagus spears, cut in half and sliced lengthways

2 tbs dill, chopped

4 eggs

185ml cream

Salt and pepper

For crust:

250g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

250g plain flour

250g ricotta

Mix the flour and cubed butter together with your fingers to make a crumby consistency. Once crumbs have formed add the ricotta and combine well. Roll pastry out into a disc shape, cover with cling wrap and place into the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes take the pastry out of the fridge, roll out on a floured surface, fold into 3 like an envelope and roll out again. You need to make a circular shape at about 10mm thickness. Once rolled out, gently lift the dough with a rolling pin and place into a greased 28cm flan tin. Press into the sides and cut off any excess.

Cover pastry case with greaseproof paper and baking weights or uncooked rice and bake for 12 minutes, crust will reduce down sides of tart tin. Remove baking paper and rice and bake for another 5 minutes.

Combine eggs, cream and dill in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Place sliced smoked salmon and asparagus in the bottom of the pastry case, top with egg and cream mix. Bake in 180^oC oven for approx 30 minutes or until set and golden colour.

Serve with a crisp, leafy salad.

Rocket, pear and walnut salad

It's only natural that as purveyors of fresh produce we enjoy dishes loaded with greens. This summer salad is so easy it will make you wonder how it can taste this good. The secret is the freshest of fresh greens and a tangy yet sweet delicious dressing. Fresh, ripe, thinly sliced pear only adds to the crispness of this salad. Paired with a BBQ feast or eaten on its own, it won’t disappoint.

Ingredients:

1 pear, finely sliced

1 bunch of rocket

1 bunch of baby spinach

1 handful of chopped walnuts

Parmesan cheese

Dressing:

1 tbs honey (or 1 tbs mango chutney)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tbs wholegrain mustard

Splash of balsamic vinegar

2 tbs olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Roast walnuts in hot pan for a few minutes until aromatic. Combine dressing ingredients together, mix well and set aside for 15 minutes; remove garlic. Toss roasted walnuts into a bowl with rocket and baby spinach. Add sliced pear, drizzle with dressing and top with freshly shaved parmesan.

Eat immediately!