Kelly Gibney is all about wholesome real food while never compromising on flavour. She believes healthy food can be a source of pleasure and joy and has built a following based on this philosophy. She shares her recipes on her website, also featuring regularly in various periodicals, which culminated in her first cookbook ‘Wholehearted’ released a few years back. With another cookbook in the pipeline, Kelly takes the time to share a slice of her Sunday with us…
What does Sunday look like in your kitchen?
Sundays are a super-busy kitchen day for me at the moment. I’m just a few weeks away from handing in the manuscript for my second cookbook and I often do food photoshoots on Sunday when my partner Luke is home to hang out with our daughters (the reality of working on a book through the school holidays!)
I will madly cook and shoot dishes while family life goes on around me; often I drag one of them in to feature their hands in an image. I’ve photographed my recipes at home for the past decade so this isn’t unusual. My family is used to getting involved.
Ideally when I’m done, friends will come over for dinner and we’ll share in the dishes I’ve been photographing. It’s the best feeling when the kitchen is clean, drinks have been poured and it’s time to relax and eat yummy food all together. Ideally we’ll be eating outside enjoying some nice summer weather. There’s nothing better.
Why have you chosen this dish?
This is a simple summer salad that I could easily eat a couple of times a week over summer. I especially like finishing the weekend with good food, to chase away that Monday morning dread. All these gorgeous summer vegetables are just so delicious when cooked on the barbecue. The trick is to ensure you cook the eggplant until meltingly tender - it’s a crime to undercook eggplant. Don’t overcook the zucchini though. It should still be a bit firm and bright but with that hint of char. The garlic and chive yoghurt is cooling and flavourful and just brings it all together perfectly. Finishing it off with cherry tomatoes and plenty of basil leaves makes it feel like summer on a plate.
Barbecue vegetable salad with chive and garlic yoghurt
Serves 4
1 medium eggplant, sliced in 2cm rounds
2 medium courgettes, cut into strips
1 red capsicum, flesh cut into big chunks
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Handful fresh basil, to garnish
Chive and garlic yoghurt sauce
1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 lime or lemon, zest only
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1. Brush the eggplant, courgettes and capsicum generously with olive oil and sprinkle the eggplant with salt.
2. Mix together the chive and garlic yoghurt ingredients. Season well. Plenty of cracked black pepper is great in this.
3. Heat your barbecue to a medium-high temp. Cook the courgette and capsicum until just tender (with lovely grill marks) and cook the eggplant until very soft. Cut the vegetables into smaller bite-sized pieces. Let them cool for 5 mins.
4. Spread your large plate or platter with the garlic yoghurt. Layer the cooked vegetables, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves on top. A sprinkle of flaky salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is great too.