FAMILY FAVOURITES

Family by Hetty McKinnon (Prestel, $47), celebrates family ties with recipes from the author’s family as well as from those of friends’ families. Perfect for Thanksgiving!

THE DECONSTRUCTED FALAFEL SALAD

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 bunches of kale, stems removed and leaves torn

1 Persian cucumber, sliced into thin rounds

3 cups pita chips

Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Handful of mint leaves

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Sea salt

For crispy roasted chickpeas:

500 gms cooked chickpeas, about 2 drained cans, patted dry

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

Sea salt and black pepper

For lemon tahini:

1/3 cup tahini

Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed

1 garlic clove,  finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Place the drained chickpeas in a small oven-proof dish. Cover with olive oil. Season well with 2 big pinches of sea salt and black pepper, and add the garlic, cumin and paprika. Stir to combine. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are crispy. Set aside.

For the salad, place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle with oil. Add the kale, in batches, along with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, until wilted.

Pour the tahini into a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and garlic. Gradually add 1 tbsp of water at a time, until the sauce is the consistency of thickened cream. If the tahini “seizes” and becomes very thick, add more water; it will eventually come back together to form a cohesive creamy sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper, add more lemon juice if you like it lemony.

Combine the crispy chickpeas (and their cooking oil) with the kale, cucumber, half the pita chips and herbs. To serve, drizzle with the lemon tahini and scatter over the remaining pita chips. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES WITH CHILE-CILANTRO SAUCE

4-6 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup black lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup green olives, pitted, roughly chopped

Handful of cilantro leaves

3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Sea salt and black pepper

For chile-cilantro sauce:

1/2 habanero chile, seeded and roughly chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 garlic clove

Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Season with salt and bake for 25-30 mins., until tender.

Place the lentils in a pot and cover with plenty of water. Bring to the boil, add 2 big pinches of salt., reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 mins., until just soft. Drain.

Place the lentils in a bowl, add the olives, a few cilantro leaves, a drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine.

To make the chile-cilantro sauce, blend the chile, oil, cilantro, lemon and garlic in a blender until very smooth. Season with salt and adjust the lemon according to taste.

To serve, slice each sweet potato down the centre to create an opening and push the flesh down with a fork to form a well. Fill with the lentil mixture.

Drizzle over the chile-cilantro sauce and scatter pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves.

ANY FRUIT CRUMBLE

1 cup almond meal

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup brown or white rice flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp slivered almonds

Fruit filling:

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup superfine sugar

5 cups fruit, cut into chunks

1 tsp vanilla extract

Squeeze of lemon juice

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch loose bottomed tart pan.

For the coconut crumble, place the almond meal, coconut, brown sugar and rice flour in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until combined.

Reserving about a third of the crumble mixture for topping, pour the rest into the prepared pan and press it into the base. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

To make the fruit filling, melt the butter together with the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the fruit, along with the vanilla and a touch of lemon juice, cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 3-20 minutes, depending on your fruit. Apples and pears may take up to 20 minutes to soften, while berries will only take 3 to 5 minutes to start breaking down. Once the fruit is soft, it’s ready to go. Uncover and stir briefly, then leave to cook for a few more minutes, until the fruit mixture is thick and syrupy.

Add the silvered almonds to the reserved crumble mixture and toss to combine. Spoon the fruit onto the tart shell and sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture on top. Return to the oven and bake for 15 min, until golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream.