YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

We love pickles and are often experimenting with different tastes and flavours.  Recently we made some a new batch using no vinegar.  This method is brining them.  The longer they sit the more tangy they get. We also had some left over liquid from a previous batch with had vinegar.  We combined 2 different methods to create a 1/2 brined 1/2 pickled cucumber.  DELICIOUS!  We added fresh horseradish root because we found in Poland it is a common practice.  We had no grape leaves, so we substituted fresh bay leaves.  Both will keep the cucumbers crisp and crunchy.  The brine will get cloudy. Makes 10-16 half pickles 1 pound/500g small pickling pickles (5-6)* 1 cloves crushed garlic 1 thumb sized piece of fresh peeled horseradish root 1 teaspoon/5g yellow mustard seed Small handful fresh dill or 1 tablespoon/15ml dried dill weed 4 cups/1 liter water 1/4 cup/60ml white vinegar 1/4 cup/59ml/55g coarse sea salt OR 2 1/2 Tablespoons/37ml/41g table salt handful fresh dill or 3 tablespoons/45ml

This earthy, rustic bread cut into wedges is delicious served with any sambal or chutney. 1 1/2 cups/188g all purpose white flour 1 teaspoon/5ml/5g salt  1/2 cup/120 plus 1 tablespoon/15 hot water 1/2 cup/50g chopped scallions 1 1/2 teaspoons/7ml sesame oil 1 tablespoon/15ml canola or vegetable oil Place the flour and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, pour in the water and process until the dough almost forms a ball. Add the scallions and process until a soft ball forms. Remove the dough from the food processor and knead by hand on a floured surface for 1 minute. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into an 8 1/2 inch/22cm square. Brush with sesame oil. Starting at the end nearest you, roll the dough up into a right jelly roll. Slice the roll into three equal parts. Roll each third between two sheets of plastic wrap into 6 1/2 inch/17cm ovals, 1/8 inch t/3mm to 1/4 inch/6mm thick. Heat 1 teaspoon/

  TASTY SPINACH, BAKED RED PESTO SAUCE & LEMON by Jamie Oliver Ingredients 1 onion olive oil 4 cloves of garlic 500 g frozen spinach 1 x 320 g sheet of all-butter puff pastry 4 x 130 g salmon fillets, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources 2 large free-range eggs 1 heaped tablespoon red pesto 1 lemon Method Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Peel and chop the onion and place in a large non-stick pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Peel, finely slice and add the garlic. Finely grate in the lemon zest, then cook for 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in the spinach, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes, or until all the liquid has cooked away. Season to perfection. Unroll the pastry and place it, still on its paper, in a baking tray. Spread over the spinach, leaving a 5cm border all the way around. Sit the salmon fillets on top, 1cm apart, then use the paper to help you fold in the pastry ed

  6 ounces/170g, dry rice noodles 1 tablespoon/15ml dark sesame oil 1 tablespoon/15ml cornstarch 1 pound/450g thinly slice pork loin 1/4 cup/60ml Thai fish sauce 1/4 cup/60ml fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons/45ml/39g light brown sugar 1/4 cup/60ml peanut oil (sub vegetable or sunflower oil) 4 cloves minced garlic 1/2 tablespoon dried pepper flakes (sub 1 red thai chili, minced) or to taste 1 green onion thinly sliced on the bias 3 large eggs, beaten 1 cup/184g fresh bean sprouts 1/2 cup/65g roasted peanuts, chopped 1 lime cut into quarters Small handful cilantro, chopped (we use flat leaf parsley) Soak rice noodles in a bowl of hot water for 40-45 minutes then drain. In a medium bowl whisk sesame oil and cornstarch.  Add pork and let marinate at least 15 minutes Mix together fish sauce, lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl. Place a wok or large skillet over medium high heat.   Add half of the peanut oil and heat to shimmering.  Add pork and cook about 2 minutes.  Remove pork to a plate

  This is a great for dinner parties. Everything can be done in advance. Sear the meat, cook the sauce and spinach. Put everything on an oven safe serving plate or baking dish. The meat will finish cooking while everything else reheats.  Serves 4 (4) 4oz/115g pieces beef tenderloin  1 egg, lightly beat ½ cup/118ml toasted GF breadcrumbs ½ cup/118ml vegan parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon/5ml olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced divided 4 whole fresh tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ¼ teaspoon/1ml black pepper 3 or 4 basil leaves, cut into thin strips ¼ cup/60ml white wine 2 tablespoon/30ml parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon/20ml butter 4 large handfuls of baby spinach 8 ounces/225g baby bella mushrooms, sliced Combine the egg, crumbs and cheese. Divide evenly pressing on the top of the tenderloin. In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 teaspoon/4ml oil, and sauté the beef 3 minutes on each one side. Turn and cook 2 - 3 minutes on the other for medium rare. Re

Semi-Sourdough Sandwich Loaf YaDa Chef Makes 1 loaf 2 1/4 - 3 1/4 cups/281g-406g flour - we used all-purpose 1 tablespoons/9g  active dry yeast 1/2 cup/125ml sourdough starter 1/ cup plus 1 tablespoons/265ml warm tap water 1 teaspoon/5g salt 1 tablespoons/12g sugar 2 tablespoons/30ml oil - we used grapeseed oil canola is fine oil for spritzing In a large mixing bowl (of a food mixer), place 1 cup of flour, yeast, starter, sugar, salt and oil. Add warm water all at once. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook (you can start with a paddle then move to a dough hook later on - we didn’t want to have to wash anything extra) for about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup more of the flour. Mix on a medium to high speed (depending on your mixer) for 1 minute. Slowly add remaining flour.  While mixing, add your flour until your dough is just sticky but not too much.  It will want to stick to the sides of the bowl but come off easily. When all your flour is combined, on a medium mixing speed mix (this is your k

  While a cookout requires great mains and even better side dishes, there’s always room for dessert. Keep the grill fired up for grilled bananas, the ultimate treat for cookouts. You may be familiar with bananas in  banana bread  or  banana muffins , even  banana pudding , but you've never had bananas quite like this. The grill imparts a wonderfully smoky, caramelized flavor on these favorite fruits. That pairs beautifully with ice cream, caramel sauces, whipped cream, and more, just like a  banana split. Here, learn how to grill bananas so you can turn the kid-friendly fruit into a family-friendly dessert everyone will love during summer and beyond. Ingredients for Grilled Bananas Grilled bananas are made with just four ingredients and will be ready in no time. After just a few minutes on the grill, you’ll end up with tender bananas packed with brown sugar flavor. For this recipe, you'll need: Light brown sugar:  This will help sweeten and caramelize the fruit. Ground cinnamon