On the Trail A Journey — by Ronit Robbaz-Franco Much of my upbringing was in the kitchen around simmering pots and pans, baking trays and delicious aromas. I grew up in a large family where the focus was lavish food and joyful feasting. My mother instilled in me both curiosity and respect for rituals, traditions, cultural diversity, and the use of local seasonal produce. My passion for food as celebration, entertainment and bringing people together is the result of my Moroccan Israeli heritage. My story is unique as I opted for the culinary treasures that lay on my travelling path around the globe for several years gaining a wealth of experience in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine, Indian and Gourmet Wholefood.

Ronit Robbaz-Franco is the founder of Open Table Catering “Food brings us together and as a universal language + Cooking School in Byron Bay and her business has been crossing cultures and ages, speaks to us of who we are, operating successfully for the last 15 years. where we have come from, and where we are going. The foundation of Open Table is to enable body and spirit to be deeply nourished, using local, kosher, organic and pesticide free ingredients. Open Table aspires to fuse The choices we make about what we eat affect our nutrition with contemporary trends. health, our environment, our families and communities.” ingredients 2 bunches of asparagus, peeled 1-2 bunches of heirloom carrots, peeled and halved lengthways 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup of buckwheat kernels 1 cup of water

1 tablespoon tahini 2 tablespoons water (or as needed) Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon 1 Garlic bulb (Cover in alu foil and roast for 30 minutes at 220°C) 1 teaspoon Zaàtar 80g micro greens or parsley and coriander 1 /3 cup mint leaves 50g pistachios, toasted and halved Edible flowers (optional)

method

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

Lay the carrots on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and smoked paprika. Season to taste. Roast for 25 minutes until tender and golden.

Lightly steam the peeled asparagus for 3 minutes (make sure water is boiling under the steamer) then and add it to the roasting carrots tray in the last five minutes, for it to roast and caramelize with the carrots.

Meanwhile, dry roast buckwheat in a large frying pan over medium heat for three minutes until lightly toasted. Place the buckwheat, water and salt in a pan, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the Buckwheat heat to low, cover and cook for a further 8–10 minutes or until the buckwheat is tender.

Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon rind and 2 tablespoons olive salad oil. Season to taste, cover and keep warm. Squeeze 3-4 garlic from their skins and mash until smooth with a fork. Combine the tahini, garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with Roasted Mini Carrot, and water. Season to taste and mix the zaàtar until well combined. Asparagus and Garden Greens Add the mint and greens to the buckwheat and toss gently. Top it with the roasted carrots and asparagus, garnish with pistachio and edible flowers. ingredients

100ml extra virgin olive oil/ ghee 300g feta cheese crumbled

2-3 onions, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill

3 garlic cloves 200g puy lentils (Cooked for 10-15 minutes and drained) 2 bunches of kale, finely shredded

2 zucchini, diced 12-14 sheets filo pastry

2 teaspoon fennel seeds 250g butter/ghee, melted

2 teaspoons ground cumin Salt & pepper to taste method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Peel and dice 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves. Sweat them in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 5-6 minutes until they soften and sweeten. Stir the ground into softened golden onions and cook for another 30 seconds before adding the cooked lentils and stir them in to absorb the flavours.

For the kale, zucchini and fetta mix:

Heat 60ml ghee or olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté rest of the onions, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add zucchini, kale and one teaspoon of fennel and cumin, and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes or until kale is soft. Cool aside for 5 minutes. Add the kale zucchini mix to the lentils, tossing with the crumbed fetta and dill, salt and pepper and set aside to cool down. Stack 3 filo sheets, brushing in between with butter/ghee (cover emainingr Kale, Puy filo sheets with a clean, damp tea towel). Place a portion of filling in a thin line lengthways along the pastry edge. Roll up lengthways. Starting at the centre of a round cake pan, carefully coil roll, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining pastry, butter and filling, joining each roll to the end of the last and coiling it around the previous roll until the pan is filled. lentils and Brush pie with butter or ghee. Scatter with sesame and remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Note: Alternatively you can roll each log into an individual spiral, place on a baking sheet and make sure to keep space in between do avoid goat cheese spirals sticking. Filo Spiral Pie Salad 1 tin organic chickpeas, drained 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 bunches coriander (cilantro), washed and drained To serve 150g (1 cup) pine nuts, lightly toasted Dressing Spread the salad on a wide shallow serving platter and scatter the snapper 60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice pieces on top. Garnish with coriander 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil and lemon zest and serve warm. 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 red birdseye chillis, finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Snapper 4 medium snapper fillets, each cut into 4 2 eggs ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground 150g potato flour 4 tablespoons za’atar 4 tablespoons ground sumac 125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil Zest of 1 lemon, for garnish Coriander leaves, for garnish

method Sumac Preheat the oven to 180°C. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and roast for 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly. Chop the coriander Encrusted roughly, add the pine nuts and chickpeas and toss. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.

To prepare the fish, lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add the snapper and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Snapper Mix the potato flour, za’atar and sumac in a bowl. Lift the snapper pieces, one at a time, out of the egg and coat on both sides with the flour mixture. with Coriander and Chickpea Salad Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil is hot.

Add the pieces of snapper and fry till golden, about one minute on each side. Lay the pieces on absorbent paper. ingredients

1.5 kg (3 large) eggplants 2 tablespoons tahini 2 cloves garlic ( preferably roasted garlic), crushed Juice of 2 lemons, to taste ¼ cup water Sea salt to taste

Garnish ¼ pomegranate, seeds only 50g pine nuts, lightly roasted A few leaves of parsley Pinch of sumac Olive oil

method

Prick eggplants in several places with the tip of a sharp knife, this prevents the eggplant from exploding during cooking.

The best way to cook the eggplants is on a barbecue or under a hot grill for 30 minutes, or on a gas stove.

Turn them regularly so that they char evenly all over. This method creates a strong smoky flavour.

Set aside just until eggplants are cool enough to handle, then remove stems and peel off and discard the blistered skin (the longer you let it sit the better, as it will release the different Deconstructed toxins it contains). Place eggplant flesh in a colander to drain for 10 minutes. Mash flesh with a fork to give a textured paste. In a separate bowl mix tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice and a bit of water, bejewelled season with salt to taste. Add to the eggplant puree and mix it till its combined, add salt if necessary.

You can also serve the whole eggplant laid on a plate submerged in tahini dressing and garnish with pomegranate smoky eggplant seeds, pine nuts, parsley , sumac and drizzled with olive oil. ingredients Lamb Tagine 1.2 kg boneless lamb shoulder, Pinch of threads cubed 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 onions, chopped 1 tablespoons date syrup/rice 1 80ml ( /3 cup) ghee or malt/maple syrup with Dates extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground ginger 150g medjool dates 1 teaspoon ground ½ preserved lemon 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ghee, for the ½ teaspoon freshly ground 40g flaked or slivered almonds, black pepper for garnish 400ml water or beef stock (broth) Fresh coriander leaves, for garnish 1 teaspoon coconut sugar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper method

In a large heavy based pan over medium heat, sauté the onions in the ghee until softened, around 10 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to high, add the lamb and, tossing from time to time, brown on all sides.

Add the water, sugar, saffron and salt.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce sticking.

Stir in the date syrup (or any other sweetner) lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the dates on top, cover and simmer for a further 10 mins, or until the dates are plump.

Meanwhile, rinse the preserved lemon under cold water, cut into strips and add to the lamb. Mix gently and cook for a further 15 mins or until the meat is fork tender.

Heat the ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat and add the almonds.

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until golden and immediately tip onto a plate to prevent burning.

Serve the lamb tagine sprinkled with the almonds and fresh coriander.

Serve with couscous and roasted vegetables.

Note: You can discard the membrane or pulp of the preserved lemon and just use the rind, however using it all adds tanginess to the lamb dish which is highly complimentary. ingredients 6-8 chicken thighs (off the bone) ½ cup tamarind paste 1 cup orange juice Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon pomegranate molassas 4 garlic cloves, chopped ¼ cup tablespoons roasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon sea salt ( or to taste)

80g walnuts, roasted lightly and chopped coarsely 1 pomegranate, seeds only Handful coriander

method

Place the tamarind, orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and salt in a baking dish and stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade and mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

About 30 minutes before time to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade and place it onto a rimmed baking sheet and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat flat frying pan on the stove to medium-high heat, place the chicken in the pan and roast between 3-4 minutes on each side (you can cover the pan with a lid if its spreading all over your stove). Alternatively you can cook it in the oven, in a roasting pan for 15 minutes, on 180°C fan force.

While the chicken is roasting, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a fast boil on high heat. Maintain high heat until the marinade is reduced to a thick sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and remove from heat once the desired texture is achieved. Add the roasted walnuts, pomegranate seeds to the marinade sauce, mix and set aside.

Once the chicken is finished roasting, serve the chicken warm with Tamarind, orange, the marinade dressing served on top, garnished with coriander. Optional – charred orange segment for serving.

Note: You can buy tamarind paste or concentrate in any Asian supermarkets, or nowadays in any Woolworths or Coles in the and pomegranate Asian section.

Tamarind paste can also be used to make a tamarind concentrate. Use 3 to 4 tablespoons of tamarind paste to 1 cup of warm water Chicken to create the concentrate. Website: www.opentable.net.au Cooking School: www.opentablecookingschool.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/opentable.byronbay Facebook Business page: Open Table Byron Bay Instagram: @_opentable