Bruschetta with Tomato and Parsley Salsa
Amid the flying of pans, plates and other kitchen bits and pieces I managed to please the discerning palates of my beloved parents this Mother's Day.
I didn't get a chance to photograph each dish I made although my dad captured these professional photos with his new snazzy camera.
On the menu was Bruschetta (pictured above) with tomato salsa. It's so easy to make. I bought a half loaf of bread from the bakery in the morning and brought it home. I cut the bread into reasonably thick slices on a 90 degree angle. I then drizzled garlic olive oil on the bread slices and baked in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees for around 10 minutes, until the bread was just slightly brown on top.
For the Bruschetta topping, I diced up two roma tomatoes. I was going to add basil, although I forgot to buy it, so I went with parsley as an alternative. I added a small amount of chopped up parsley to the tomato mix. I then seasoned the mix with sea salt and ground black pepper. I added a small amount of olive oil and tasted it to make sure the seasoning was spot on.
American Style Ranch Dipping Sauce
My entree was grilled queensland king prawns which were deveined and shelled, although I left their tails intact for presentation.
I served up this American style ranch dipping sauce to go with the prawns. I also wanted to use the dipping sauce for the southern style American hot wings that were to be served as a main course. This is complete comfort food, just the way my mum likes it!
Recipe - Grilled Prawns
Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• Lemon juice
• 1 kilo of cooked prawns
Method:
- Devein and shell all your prawns, leave the prawn tails intact.
- Thread each prawn on a skewer, making sure the prawns are "spooning" each other. Place the prawn skewers on a non stick baking tray.
- Pre heat your grill to high.
- Mix all the spices together in a small bowl.
- Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice on the prawns.
- Brush some melted butter on top of the prawns.
- Sprinkle some of the spice mix on top of the prawns. Go easy with the seasoning, less is more!
- Place the prawns on the grill with the seasoning side down. Brush some more melted butter over the other side of the prawns and sprinkle some more of the spice mix on top of the prawns.
- After around three minutes or so the face down side of the prawn skewer will be slightly browned. Flip the skewers over and cook for two - three minutes on the other side. It's important not to overcook the prawns, they can dry out easily under the grill.
- Remove from the grill and serve with fresh lemon slices.
