We’ve been enjoying the summer for more than a few weeks already, but it’s right now — when July melts its way into August — that the summer harvest is at its peak. Summer squash is plentiful, bouquets of basil are everywhere, and tomatoes are starting to ripen. It’s at this moment that you should be running into the kitchen to take advantage of the most bountiful time of year. In this heat, I’d like to forgo food altogether, or subsist on only fruit, but my stomach just isn’t having it.
This week we are going to share with you 2 recipes that are quite the basic – it’s simple, easy and we promise that it’s delicious. We decided to share you our all time favorite bread – ciabatta and serve along with a refreshing sauce – coriander chutney! You could always implement both of the recipes into other dishes!
Personally, I have been trying to get over my fear of baking with yeast and making bread in general. “Everyone who tries this homemade Italian bread loves it.” That’s what we feel after we first have ciabatta, thus we can vouch for that.
Ciabatta is, in the words of Field, “a remarkable combination of rustic, country texture and elegant, tantalizing taste. It’s much lighter than its homely shape would indicate, and the porous, chewy interior is enclosed in a slightly crunchy crust.”
Unlike most bread recipes that usually says something like “form the dough into a ball” at some point. This one did not – it is wet and sticky. At first, I was a bit skeptical when we are making it. However, there is nothing for you to worries at all if you keep on practice and follow the recipe. This is an excellent beginner recipe, as there’s not much kneading involved and you just kind of let the dough do its own thing, which is just fine, because trust me, it knows what it is doing.
Ingredients – 2 large loaves |
- 500g strong white flour
- 2 tsp of dried fast-action yeast
- 2 tsp of fine sea salt
- Olive oil, as needed
- 400ml of warm water
METHOD |
Whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in the warm water, and beat it well with a wooden spoon.
When the dough is well combined, flour your hands, stick ’em in a bowl, and pull parts of the dough up and slap it back down into the bowl. Do this for another 5 minutes. This will push air bubbles into the dough and create nice holes when it bakes.
Oil a large bowl, then plop the dough into that bowl. Drizzle your olive oil over the top of the dough, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cover with at towel. Place the bowl in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 18 hours.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then sprinkle it with flour. Flour your hands, and shape the dough into a long loaf, about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with a just a touch of flour for strictly aesthetic purposes, then bake for 35-40 minutes, until the bread is lightly golden. If you tap the bread, you should feel like it’s hollow – that’s how you know it’s ready!
A slight twist on the classic, with a dairy-free option if you use coconut yogurt. coriander chutney can be blitzed up in seconds and add a pop to the spiced sweet beef. We love cilantro, ate it with most of the dishes! When we get a taste of the coriander chutney, we could never separate coriander and chutney anymore. What we really love about this coriander chutney is the texture. Don’t get me wrong, we love a good thick chunky chutney. But this particular chutney is wet, and thin, which makes it perfect for dipping.
- large handful of coriander
- knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp of light brown soft sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
What is the first time you thought about summer? The first came into our mind is we need food that is refreshing and able to quench our thirst under the hot sun. We tend to eat meat that is less toxic like chicken, therefore, we are going to use beef instead. Moreover, for a meat lover like us, the chicken could never satisfy us. These succulent steak recipes are perfect for summer grilling. Gather some friends, throw some steaks on the grill and get ready for a relaxing beefy brunch. In order to balance up, the heartiness for the steak, ciabatta, and coriander chutney are been used in order to make this dish perfect. So let’s get started!
INGREDIENTS |
- 2 medium beefsteak
- 150g of plain yogurt
- 75ml of coconut cream
- 1 tbsp of hot curry powder
- 4 tbsp of mango chutney
- 1/4 iceberg lettuce, trimmed and shredded
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
METHOD |
In a small zip-lock bag, combine 75g of the yogurt with the coconut cream, curry powder, and half the mango chutney. Add the beef steak and leave to marinate for at leave 20 minutes in the fridge.
Place a griddle pan over a high heat and let it get smoking hot. Grilled the beef steak for 3 minutes on each side. For a juicy steak, let it rest for 5 minutes before chopping it into thick slices.
Swirl the remaining mango chutney into the remaining yogurt and spoon over the surface of the bread. Top it with lettuce, sliced steak, coriander chutney and extra coriander leaves, and finish with the toasted almonds and extra slices of green chili.
NOTE FROM THE TWO SISTERS: Now you have this juicy, crunchy summer beef steak for the weekend brunch. Serve it with this Smurfy Lemonade for a chilling weekend. We hope that you like it! Whatever you do, just make them. You can make the Ciabatta bread and Coriander Chutney a week ahead. Store it in a dry and cooling place.
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