The Expat Cook

Chicken, Apricot and Lentil Stew

2010-06-29T17:58:00.002+09:30

I love Middle Eastern food. You can spice this one up to taste.

2 chicken breasts, diced
1/2 c dried apricots, quartered
1 can lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
ginger
3 c chicken broth
oregano
allspice
paprika
cardamon
couscous
olive oil

Saute onion in oil, then add garlic and ginger. Add chicken and brown. Mix in spices. Toss in lentilsm, apricots, and chicken broth. Cook until chicken is tender - about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water and oil to boil, then add couscous. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from heat and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Serve chicken stew over couscous.

Kefta Bil Tahini

2010-06-15T17:54:00.003+09:30

I really think there is nothing better than Middle Eastern food (aside from Mexican). I've replaced the potatoes in this recipe with beans (a 4 bean mix, to be precise, as I had no potatoes on hand).

1/2 kg lamb mince
1 large onion (1/2 diced, 1/2 sliced)
breadcrumbs (I used italian and omitted spices below)
1 egg
spices

Mix above (only diced onions) together and form into patties, then brown under grill.

3 tbspn tahini
water
lemon juice
ground pepper
garlic powder
potatoes, slice thinly

Place potatoes and sliced onions in bottom of casserole dish. Place kefta on top, then pour tahini mix over. Cook in 180C oven for 30 minutes. (If using beans instead of potatoes, serve over rice.)

Turkey & Curry Stew

2010-06-07T18:07:00.002+09:30

This is made with curry powder so not a true curry but more of a chili.

1/g kg ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chick peas
1 large onion, diced
curry powder
ground pepper
olive oil
yogurt

Saute onions in oil, then add turkey and brown. Add curry powder and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chick peas and simmer for 15 minutes. Mix in yogurt and simmer (do not allow to boil) for 5 minutes. Serve alone or over rice.

Lamb Shanks in the Crockpot

2010-06-06T12:14:00.002+09:30

Adapted from a Master Chef recipe - some of the same ingredients, different method of cooking

4 lamb shanks
thyme
ground pepper
5 beads mastic
lemon juice
1 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
honey
plain yogurt

Place lamb shanks in crock pot. Sprinkle with ground pepper and thyme, sprinkle with lemon juice, and pour in white wine, then chicken stock. Smear yogurt on lamb, then drizzle honey over. Place beads of mastic on top of lamb. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Fish & Potato Chowder

2010-06-01T18:13:00.003+09:30

As I couldn't stomach the thought of coming home on a cold winter's night and having boring old whiting and potatoes, I decided to try a chowder.

2 fillets fish (could also use a seafood marinara mix)
2 large potatoes, diced
veg (I used 1/2 cup each of frozen peas & corn, defrosted)
1 large onion, sliced
butter
white wine
stock (approx 2 cups, weak)

Melt butter in pot and saute onions, then add chopped potatoes and wine. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then add stock and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are almost tender. Add fish and vegetables, simmer until fish is cooked through. Remove 1/2 of soup from pot and put into food processor or blender. Blend well and return to pot. Serve with some nice warm bread.

Laban Immo (Lamb & Yogurt Stew)

2010-05-18T20:01:00.002+09:30

Changed this up slightly from another recipe I came across. Feel free to do what you like with the spices.

1 kg diced lamb
2 onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tub yogurt
beef or other broth
rosemary
paprika
cinnamon
ground pepper
flour
olive oil
1 can chickpeas
frozen broccoli &/or other veg

Saute onions, then garlic, in olive oil. Push to the side of pan when almost done cooking. Toss diced lamb in flour, pepper & paprika mix, then add to pan to brown. In separate pan, mix yogurt and an equal amount of broth. Whisk while heating, then bring to simmer. After lamb is browned, add yogurt mix to pan, along with chickpeas. Add cinnamon and rosemary. Bring to summer and let cook for about an hour. Serve with bread!

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate

2010-05-09T13:59:00.002+09:30

Haven't made this yet but it sounds good, so saving it!

12oz prepared hot chocolate (not too sweet)
2 tbspns honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 shots pepper vodka
2 tbspns heavy cream

Combine all but the cream (top the rest with that). Garnish with cinnamon sticks or choc shavings (optional).

Tahini Chicken

2010-04-20T20:25:00.003+09:30

Hubs says this one is a keeper

2 chicken breasts
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c water
olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
chili flakes
ground pepper

Chop chicken into 1 inch pieces. Heat oil and saute onions until transparent, then add chicken and brown. In the meantime, mix tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil and water. Add tahini mix to pan with chicken, as well as a sprinkle of chili flakes, and some ground pepper to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve on top of rice. Savory and spicy!

Steak in Red Wine Sauce

2010-04-13T18:17:00.002+09:30

2 steaks
2 c good quality red wine
garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
4-8 tbspn butter, chopped into small pieces

Using a baking dish that is big enough to hold your steak, fill with red wine. Whisk in garlic powder and pepper. Marinade steak for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Add oil to a non-stick pan, and sear steak on each side for 2 minutes on each side (do not overcook - steak should be medium rare). Remove steak from pan and place on plate. Add marinade to steak drippings and boil until reduced to 1/2. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the butter, a bit at a time, until melted. The colour of the sauce should lighten and sauce should thicken up. Serve steak and pour sauce over. Excellent with greens and mash.

Mashed Cannellini Beans

2010-04-12T17:46:00.000+09:30

An alternative to potatoes!

1 can cannellini beans
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash or two of lemon juice
freshly ground pepper
parmeson (optional)

Heat oil and saute onions, then add garlic. Add beans and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until tender. Mix in pepper, cheese and lemon juice. Mash by hand. Serve hot or cold!

Scones

2010-03-21T12:51:00.002+10:30

3 c self-rising flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
100 g butter
1 1/4 c milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix in melted butter, then milk. Knead lightly. Cut into 12 evenly sized pieces. Cook in 220C (fan forced 200C) for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden browned on top.

Barossa Brekky Sandwich

2010-03-21T12:36:00.002+10:30

I found this recipe in Around the World in 80 Dinners, and modified it slightly by not including bacon, using scrambled eggs instead of fried, and using freshly made scones instead of rolls. This is a perfect brunch, served with a side of fresh fruit.

Scones
Fruit Chutney
Eggs, scrambled with cheese
Pickled onion

Cut scone in half. Slather both halves with fruit chutney. Slice pickled onion and place on top of chutney, on one half. Spoon scrambled eggs on top of half with pickled onion and place other half on top.

Homemade Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

2010-03-20T16:28:00.001+10:30

Blue Cheese, in small chunks
Lemon Juice
Garlic
Milk
Mayo

Put all in small jar and shake, shake, shake!

Smothered Chicken

2010-03-14T17:02:00.003+10:30

This didn't taste of sinful as the last time I had it, but it was still tasty!

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 c canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c sour cream
1/2 c chicken stock

Mix flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt & pepper, then coat each chicken breast in this mixture. Heat oil in pan and brown chicken breasts, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and add onion & garlic to saute, about 3-5 minutes. Place chicken back in pan, mix sour cream & broth together, and add to pan. Bring to simmer and cover. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes.

Cocoa Brownies

2010-03-08T16:48:00.002+10:30

I've been craving brownies for some time now. These are heaps better than a package mix.

10 tbspn (140 g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 c all-purpose flour

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt into softened butter. Add vanilla and stir, then add eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Finally, add in flour and mix well. Bake in 325F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with slightly moist with batter.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2010-02-24T18:04:00.002+10:30

I was overjoyed to find minced turkey at the shops the other week. It's a rarity to find. Not sure what to make with it, I initially thought burgers, but then saw this recipe for taco seasoning. I abhor the Old El Paso type stuff in packets, but this turned out really lovely. Just enough seasoning, without being overpowering. (I can't remember how much mince I had, but I used Kevin's measurements as a guide.)

chili powder
paprika
cayenne pepper
cumin
oregano
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper

Brown your meat in oil, then add in seasoning and simmer for 10-15 minutes. This is healthy as well!

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

2010-02-23T18:22:00.000+10:30

I buy a new spice about once a month, usually intending to use it for some partcicular dish. This month is was fennel seed, which I just ground up with my new mortar & pestle. I've become a huge fan of roasted potatoes, which we never had much when I was growing up, and am experimenting with different spices when cooking. This time, it is:

Fennel seed, ground
Paprika
Cumin
Salt
Pepper

Cut up potatoes, mix in olive oil and spices, and bake for 45 minutes or until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside!

Brussel Sprouts Gratin

2010-02-06T18:48:00.002+10:30

Another winner from Closet Cooking!

Brussel sprouts
Butter
Flour
Milk
Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan Cheese
Cheddar or other cheese, to your taste
Breadcrumbs

Steam brussel sprouts and set aside. Melt approx 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan, then add 2 tablespoons flour and mix. Add milk (1 cup or so..start with a small amount and add more as needed), nutmeg, salt & pepper and mix. Then add in cheeses and bring the mix to a simmer, adding more milk as needed. The sauce should be slightly thick. Put brussel sprouts in casserole dish, then pour cheese mix over. Top with breadcrumbs and put in 180C oven for approx 20 minutes or until sauce bubbles.

Hot & Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli

2010-01-28T18:36:00.002+10:30

Butter
Olive Oil
Chili Flakes
Minced Garlic
Parmesan
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Steam veggies. Melt butter and olive oil in wok on high. Reduce to medium, add chili flakes and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Take off heat and toss in veggies, then parmesan. Serve!

Broccoli & Mushrooms with Oyster Sauce

2010-01-27T18:17:00.009+10:30

1 small bunch of broccoli, cut up
150 grams (1/3 pound) white button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/4 to 1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons good-quality oyster sauce

Heat your wok or pan over high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the broccoli and mushrooms and stir well. Add a splash of water, and continue stirring and tossing the broccoli, adding more water as it evaporates.

When the broccoli is about half cooked, add the garlic. When the broccoli is mainly cooked, add the oyster sauce and toss well. Cover and cook for a minute or two more.

Hillier’s Mini Christmas Puddings

2010-01-02T23:22:00.003+10:30

Hubs and I began a new (for him) holiday tradition on our 1st Christmas living together - Christmas stockings. That first year, I think I explained the process incorrectly, as while his stocking was full of candy, books, and other such items, mine was chock full of chocolates! This wasn't a bad things, and since then, we've stuck to candy filled stockings. This year, I ran all over town and did about four separate candy runs, looking for a few unique and special items. While Darrell Lea provided my 'xmas choc of the year' in 2008, this year my choc of choice came from Hillier's. Wandering through Harris Scarfe's Christmas section, I spotted this bag of Mini Christmas Puddings. Not sure about the brand, and wondering how it could possibly taste as good as the real thing, I thought why not try it out. The rest is history! Of course I had to have a taste before handing them all over, and ended up eating half the bag before the rest made it into hubs' stocking;) Rich dark chocolate covered, spicy, nutty, creamy, candy Christmas pudding was too much temptation to pass up. The intention was to go back and get more, but alas, I never made it:( Next year...

Lamb, Spinach & Egg Meatloaf

2009-12-09T11:51:00.000+10:30

We fancy a meatloaf once in a while but also love lamb, so this seemed like a perfect combo. A Persian-style polpettone!

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450g lamb mince
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup fruit chutney

Filling
2 cups spinach leaves
3 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Mix onion, garlic, lamb mince, cumin, breadcrumbs, egg and chutney. On a piece of baking paper, spread mince mixture evenly into a rectangle. Place spinach leaves evenly over the mince. Mix hard-boiled eggs with the mayonnaise, curry powder and salt and pepper, and spread on top of the spinach. Roll up meat and filling from the long side. Bake for 1 hour at 180C.

Cherry Raspberry Pie

2009-12-08T11:18:00.004+10:30

I've been thinking pie since last night and wondering what I could make from what I have in the house. Half a bag of frozen raspberries and a jar of cherries will work for this pie.

Ingredients for filling
package of frozen raspberries, thawed
2 cups pitted canned pie cherries in juice
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot)
2 tbsp unsalted butter

I'm using my mix in the dish pie crust for this one.

Drain the thawed raspberries, reserve the liquid in a measuring cup. Drain the cherries and add enough of the cherry juice to the raspberry juice to make 1/2 cup. In a sauce pan mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cherries and the cup of juice. Over a medium heat bring to a simmer and cook for approx 5 minutes. The mixture should be somewhat thick and clear. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it is melted and incorporated. Then gently fold in the raspberries. Put the filling into the pie crust. Cook at 350° and bake for another approx 50 minutes.

Getting Ready for Xmas

2009-12-04T10:39:00.003+10:30

Living in Australia, I'm learning to take joy in the small traditions I can claim as my own during the Christmas season. You see, this Chicago native is having a very hard time adjusting to Christmas in the sun. Last year on Boxing Day, I closed the curtains, put on Christmas movies, and pretended it wasn't warm out. Christmas eve and day had just about killed my holiday spirit, so it was time to get back to basics. This year, on top of the Wassail and Rum cake I made last year, I'm going to make a few of the meals my family traditionally makes for Chrissie. Xmas eve we'll be having homemade pizzas.

"Red" pizza
Spread some pizza sauce on crust (jar or can from the store)
Add pepperoni slices and any other ingredients you desire
Top with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella and some romano cheese
Bake according to directions on pizza dough

"White" pizza
Spread crust with olive oil
Spread diced garlic on top
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, perhaps a little oregano
Top with mozzarella (not as thick as you do on the red pizza; more like a sprinkling)
Bake according to directions on pizza dough

On Boxing Day, pasta!

Baked Ziti
1 pound of ziti
1 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan if that's what you like, or half and half)
2 cups grated mozzarella
16 oz fresh ricotta (if you can't get this use a 15 oz container from supermarket)
1/4 cup fresh or 1 TBS dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
egg
salt and pepper

Put all the above in a bowl and mix it up - except for the pasta. Cook pasta very al dente - almost to the point of being hard as it will cook more when you bake it. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan, add a bunch of sauce to it and mix it up. Then add cheese, spice, and egg mixture and mix it all up.

In the bottom of a lasagna pan, or other large pan (13x9) pour 2 ladels of sauce, or as much as it takes to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. Then add more sauce to the pasta mixture so it's really moist because after it's baked the sauce will soak into the pasta, making it dry, mix it up and put it inot the pan you coated with sauce. Pour more sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese (mozzarella or romano or parmesan - whatever you have) cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350F. When you serve it you can always add more sauce and cheese.

Scalloped Potatoes with Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce

2009-08-12T18:42:00.002+09:30

This is (finally) a healthy way to have scalloped potatoes. I just love recipes that mimic a heart-attack inducing white sauce.

Best-ever mushroom sauce
Potatoes
Butter
Salt & Pepper

Slice potatoes thinly, then layer 1/2 on bottom of casserole dish. Top with dabs of butter, salt and pepper. Cover with 1/2 of mushroom sauce, then repeat. Bake in 180 oven for 60 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and potatoes are tender.

Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce

2009-08-11T18:34:00.005+09:30

I'll be using this in the (upcoming) scalloped potatoes recipe from the same blog, but also think it would be lovely on steak, or mixed into pasta.

Butter
Onion, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Lemon Juice
Yogurt (approx 1 cup)
Sea Salt
Pepper

Melt butter, then add onion and saute until cooked through. Add mushrooms and saute, covered, until cooked about halfway (still slightly plump), then add yogurt, lemon juice and salt. Bring to simmer and let cook, covered, about 30 minutes, or until thickened. Add pepper at end.

Baked Home Fries with Yogurt Sauce

2009-07-30T10:45:00.006+09:30

It's been cold here, work has been busy, and I've been super lazy about cooking as a result, but I'm finally trying some new recipes. The Wednesday Chef can always be trusted for easy, tasty recipes, so I'm trying her recommendation for fried potatoes with yogurt sauce, although changing it up a bit.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Thyme
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons crumbled Greek feta cheese
2 to 3 tsp Dijon mustard
Pepper (I used close to a tablespoon)
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

Slice potatoes into shape and size you desire, sprinkle with thyme then toss in olive oil. Bake until crispy and cooked through. Combine the yogurt, feta, mustard and pepper. Add the vinegar and stir well, until creamy. Use the sauce to dip!

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

2009-05-31T15:43:00.004+09:30

This was so good I'm never getting Chinese take away again;) I didn't use specific measurements.

Peanut Oil
Sesame Oil
Garlic Powder
Oyster Sauce
Fish Sauce
Water
Beef strips
Broccoli

Heat peanut oil in wok on high, then add beef and stir-fry until browned. Remove beef and set aside. Add sesame oil to wok, then add broccoli and garlic powder and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add water and oyster sauce and bring to boil. Simmer until sauce thickens, then add in cooked beef and fish sauce. Mix well and serve over rice.

Beef Goulash

2009-05-29T15:48:00.003+09:30

I think sour cream just makes everything that much better, and so long as you aren't ingesting it on a regular basis, all is good.

Canola oil
1/2 kg diced beef
3 large onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1.5 tbspn paprika
1 c beef stock
1 tbspn tomato paste
1 tbspn flour (optional, to thicken)
1/2 c sour cream

Heat oil and brown beef (*option to flour, salt & pepper beef beforehand so as to retain more flabour). Remove beef and add more oil, then add onions and saute until soft and golden. Return meat to pot and add salt, paprika, stock and tomato paste. Bring to simmer and let cook for about an hour or until the meat is tender, then add in sour cream before serving. Serve over mash or noodles.

Aunt Rose's Spinach Pie

2009-05-02T15:17:00.002+09:30

My Aunt Rose was a fantastic cook. This is a simple recipe, but I wish I had some more of her more complicated ones. My mom sent it to me this week in hopes it would be something soft and edible, until I get my teeth fixed, so will give it a go tonight.

1 (16 oz.) tub cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever you have on hand)
1 pkg (10 oz.) chopped spinach (frozen)
3 eggs
2 tbspns flour
2 tbspns melted butter
½ cup chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and put in a greased pie plate.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for an hour.

Coffee, Rum & Raisin Meringue 'Roll'

2009-04-26T15:55:00.003+09:30

Obviously, I didn't get the roll part right. I'm a meringue novice, so it ended up at the bottom of the plate, which was still good.

Meringue

3 egg whites

2/3 cup caster sugar (I totally screwed up because I often forget to read instructions fully, and used icing sugar, which made a nice glossy meringue but it tasted a bit eggy)

Filling

2 tbspn rum

1/2 c raisins

2 tsp powdered instant coffee, plus extra to dust

300ml thickened cream

2 tbspn icing sugar, plus extra to dust

**I also had some powdered chocolate that I used as a topping and to dust the plate

For filling, combine rum & raisins in bowl. Cover and stand for 1 hour. Dissolve coffee in 1-2 tsp water. Add to raisin mix. With electric beater, mix together cream and icing sugar until firm peaks form. Stir in raisin mixture. Chill until required.

Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan. Line a baking pan with baking paper and using electric mixer, beat egg whites with pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tbspn at a time, beating constantly, until sugar dissolves and meringue is thick and glossy. Spread over pan and bake for 10 minutes, until just firm and browning slightly.

Invert meringue onto large dish (dust first with icing sugar) and top with rum and raisin mix. Dust with chocolate and coffee.

Part 3, Seafood Red Curry

2009-04-25T12:53:00.003+09:30

1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp bottled red-curry paste
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
bok choy and other Asian veg, as preferred
1/2 kg seafood marinara
1 tablespoon fish sauce
rice, to serve

Cook onion in oil in a wok. Reduce heat, then add garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, salt, and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in vegetables and return to a boil. Cover pot, then reduce heat and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Gently stir in seafood and simmer curry, partially covered, until vegetables are tender and seafood cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt to taste. Serve curry with rice.

Part 2, Wok-Charred Long Beans w/Black Olives

2009-04-25T12:40:00.004+09:30

This can also be served as an appetiser or main.

1 kg fresh long beans or other green beans, tipped & tailed, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 tbspns peanut oil
1/2kg ground pork
1 1/2 tbspns minced garlic
1 1/2 tbspns minced fresh ginger
1 fresh, small, hot red chile, seeded and minced (or a jalapeno, again!)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbspns salted chicken stock
2 tbspns Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic)
1 tbspn soy sauce
1/2 cup halved, pitted dry-cured black olives

Blanch the beans: Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, immerse beans and boil them 1-2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat wok over high heat. Add oil, then pork and fry, breaking into tiny bits. When pork has all lost its raw colour, stir in garlic, ginger, and chili; stir for a minute. Add green beans and stir fry for several minutes until just tender. Pour in the stock, vinegar and soy sauce and toss the beans until the liquid is mostly evaporated. Mix in the olives and heat through briefly.

Asian-style Tapas, part 1

2009-04-25T12:33:00.003+09:30

It's hubs birthday weekend, so I decided to do up a few Asian/Pacific Island dishes. The first is Poisson Cru, or Tahitian Salad. It can be served as an appetiser or main,

1/2 kg fresh ahi tuna, diced into 1/2 in cubes
1/2 c fresh lime juice
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 c diced cucumber, sliced
4 to 5 scallions, green & white portions, split lengthwise and minced
1 fresh green or red chile, seeded and minced (optional, I am using a jalapeno from father-in-law's garden again)
2 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional, I am using just a bit of dried shredded coconut)
3/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium tomato, squeezed to eliminate liquid, and diced

Combine al ingredients but tomato and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix in tomato and serve straight away.

Chana Pubjabi, with Liver

2009-04-24T18:33:00.003+09:30

This could be a vegetarian main, but we had leftover liver, so thought it would be worth using. I'm using garam masala for the first time as well, and fresh jalapenos from the father-in-law's garden. Thank you Wednesday Chef!

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained

In medium saucepan, heat oil and saute onion until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick.

Lamb & Barley Stew

2009-04-19T02:58:00.000+09:30

Found another great recipe on Closet Cooking, and am going to change it up slightly to include some parsnips and squash. I'll also use the frozen diced lamb I have and see how it goes, instead of beef. A perfect start to the winter stew season, as we are soon to head into it here in Oz.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg diced lamb
salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
carrots, diced
celery, cut up
parsnips, cut up
1/3 cup barley
1 cup red wine
beef stock
1 bay leaf

Season the meat by tossing in bag with flour, salt & ground pepper. Heat oil in a large pot. Add lamb and brown, then set aside. Heat more oil in the same pot, and add the onions, sauteing until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies saute for a few minutes. Add the barley and saute for a minute, then add the red wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan. Put the lamb back in the pot and pour in the beef stock until everything is covered. Add the bay leaves, and some additional salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour, or until meat and veg are tender.

Sour Cream Apple Pie w/Mix in the Pan Pie Crust

2009-03-28T15:48:00.003+10:30

So good it'll make you slap your momma! Seriously, this is one good pie. It's rich, and fruity, and the crust was flaky and perfect. Run, don't walk, to make it;)

Had a few apples and some leftover sour cream, so thought this was worth a go. I'd also seen a recipe for mix in the pan pie crust, so thought that was also worth trying, in place of the frozen yuck I have in the freezer. (The crust turned out so much better that I may need to toss the frozen stuff.)

Pie Crust

1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1/2 c canola oil
2 tbspn milk

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in pie pan. Slowly add milk and oil. Mix well with a fork and pat out to fit pan. Bake at 350 until brown, usually about ten minutes.

Topping

3 tbspn unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 2 tbspn sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbspn flour

Filling

1 1/3 c sour cream
2/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
3 tbspn all-purpose flour
4 or 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

To make the topping, in a bowl blend the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until the mixture is combined well. Cover and chill the topping.

To make the filling, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples and stir the filling and apples together.

Spoon the filling into the chilled shell and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a pre-heated 350-degree oven, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (You might need to put a bit of tinfoil on top of the pie during the last 15 minutes to prevent the top from burning.) Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely.

Cantaloupe Shake

2009-03-26T15:45:00.000+10:30

I got a large 1/2 cantaloupe yesterday for $1 at Central Market, so decided to make a cantaloupe shake, mmmmm....

1/2 cantaloupe
Milk
A few ice cubes
Honey, to taste

Mix it up in the blender. Drink before it separates. Very refreshing! Serves 2 very thirsty people, or 4 persons otherwise. This can be a breakfast meal.

Fish in Tahini Sauce W/Roast Lemons

2009-03-21T17:57:00.002+10:30

I only use my tahini for hummos, which I don't make that often, so I was pleased to see another recipe I could use it in. My trip to Central Market for veg isn't til next week, so I'm having to forego the onions in this one, at least this time around.

white fish fillets
salt, olive oil
3 lemons
1 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 cup water
2 large onions, thinly sliced
cilantro for serving

Preheat the oven to 200C. Rub fish with salt. Juice 2 of the lemons and slice the 3rd lemon. Combine tahini with the lemon juice and stir until the mixture is thick and lightened in color. Stir in the water to form a thin sauce. Lightly oil a baking dish and place the lemon slices in it. Place the fish over the lemon slices and rub with a little oil. Place the fish in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onions in some oil until softened. Add the onions to the tahini sauce. After the twenty minutes, remove the fish from the oven, it should be thick and opaque. Pour the tahini sauce over the fish, scattering the onions on top (optional: reserve a little extra tahini to drizzle on before serving). Return the fish to the oven and bake another 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and is bubbling all over. Let cool before serving, with cilantro as garnish.

Chickpea Salad

2009-03-19T10:29:00.004+10:30

Trying to go veggie at least once a week, and also trying to use up leftover veg before I head to Central Market tomorrow, so this will be dinner tonight.

Lettuce
Carrots, sliced
Tomatoes, chopped
Broccoli
Chickpeas
Kalamata olives
Capers (optional, will be on hubs half, not mine, as too salty)
Ground pepper
Dried oregano
Rice Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Sesame oil

(Last three ingredients to be mixed for dressing)

Ham & Mushroom Crustless Quiche

2009-03-19T09:35:00.003+10:30

1/2 onion, diced
1/2 c mushrooms
ham, cooked
4 large eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
ground pepper, to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
herbs to taste (fresh dill and/or parsley, for example)
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other type of cheese)

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan (or a 9-inch pie plate). Saute onion and mushrooms with a bit of butter. Whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt & pepper. Whisk in milk, then stir in mushroom mixture and ham. Pour quiche into prepared pan. Top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes (30-35 minutes in a pie plate), or until center is set and the outside edge is golden brown.
**Can also add in other veg (for example, asparagus or broccoli)

Less Boring Potatoes

2009-03-18T10:39:00.003+10:30

Firstly, credit where credit is due. Slightly modified due to lack of or choice regarding ingrdients, but still good and simple enough. I love any kind of potato salad, and this fits in as a good side.

Potatoes, cooked & diced
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 tbspn capers
Spring onions, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbspn red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. In large bowl, mix potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss to coat, and roast until golden and crusty, about 30 minutes, in 200C oven.
2. In the meantime, combine in bowl the capers, green onions, mustard, vinegar, paprika, a bit of salt and pepper, and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
3. When the potatoes are ready, add them to the bowl, toss gently to coat, and fold in the parsley. Taste for seasoning. Let cool to slightly warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Stout Cake w/Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-03-11T11:00:00.007+10:30

I found just the thing to make for St. Paddy's Day, although I changed it up with Youngs Double Chocolate Stout (very lovely in it's own right) in place of the Guiness. And since I doubt I will be able to find shamrock sprinkles here in Oz without ordering them from USA Foods, some green food colouring made it's way into the frosting.

1 c unsalted butter
1 c stout
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c all purpose flour (or self-raising flour and no baking soda or salt)
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 c sour cream

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, remove from heat and let cool a bit. Mix in the stout and cocoa powder. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Mix the stout mixture into the egg mixture. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Pour the batter into one or two greased and parchment lined circular cake pan(s). Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean; about 20-30 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 c confectioners sugar
3 tbspn Bailey’s Irish cream (or other brand, or some vanilla if you don't want to use Bailey's)
green food colouring or sprinkles to top!

Mix everything together. Frost cake when cooled.

Polpettone

2009-03-10T09:23:00.003+10:30

Polpettone is described as 'the giant meatball' as well as an Italian meatloaf. It is basically a meatloaf with meatball seasoning added, sometimes cooked in the sauce before being baked, and filled with salami, cheese and hard-boiled eggs. I saw a few recipes, but made up my own, based upon my meatloaf recipe and meatball seasonings.

1 kg beef mince
4 slices salami
3 hard boiled eggs
shredded cheese (I used colby as that is what I had, although I'd prefer mozzarella)
basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, to taste (I used dried but will be using fresh in the future when I start my herb garden, and may add rosemary as well, but didn't have any)
packet french onion soup mix
bbq sauce

Mix beef mince with seasonings (including onion soup mix), in a large bowl. (You can add breadcrumbs and an egg if you have less meat, or simply prefer it this way. Some ground pepper probably wouldn't go amiss either, but you definitely don't need salt.) Spread meat flat on counter or wax paper and place slices of salami, overlapping, in the middle. Top salami with some shredded cheese. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and place on top of cheese, then roll up the meatloaf. Cover meatloaf in a decent layer of bbq sauce, then bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, on 180C.

Baked Oatmeal

2009-03-09T18:14:00.003+10:30

Been wanting to try a baked oatmeal for some time now, as I figure I could make it in bulk, then eat it for the next few days---easy brekky. I slightly modified this recipe.

1 c large flake oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
2 T maple syrup
1 T dessicated unsweetened coconut
1 c milk
2/3 c juice
2 T chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 170C. In a large bowl, combine everything. Using oil or margarine, grease up a casserole dish and then dump in oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

Old-Time Beef Stew

2009-03-03T10:46:00.001+10:30

This is one of my favs that my mom makes, and it is pretty much straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which come to think of it, I have to, so I didn't need to get her to email it to me...oops;)

2 pounds diced beef
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
1 or 2 bay leaves
Ground sea salt & pepper
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp paprika
Dash ground allspice or cloves
6 carrots, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
1 pound small white onions (optional)

Flour, salt & pepper diced beef. Saute onion il oil. Thoroughly brown meat in 2 tablespoons hot shortening or oil. Add 2 cups hot water and rest of ingredients, minus veg. Cover, simmer 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove bay leaves and garlic. Add vegetables. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serves 6 to 8.

Personal Note: Mom likes to mix up some biscuits and drop on top of stew for the last 10 mins or so to serve along with the stew.

Fish w/Olive, Tomato & White Wine

2009-02-26T08:54:00.006+10:30

Yes again I should have taken a picture but I was just to keen to begin eating.

2 fish fillets (whatever you like)
olive oil
white wine
1 small onion, diced
1 large head of garlic, diced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
12 kalamata olives, cut in half lengthwise

In one pan, heat up some olive oil, then fry fish a few minutes on each side or until cooked through. In the other, heat some olive oil and saute onion and garlic a couple of minutes, then add tomatoes and olives, as well as a healthy dash or two of white wine. Cook through (simmer for about 5 minutes) then place fish on plate and top with tomato, olive & wine mix.

Mash, on the side
3 large red potatoes
butter
ranch salad dressing
milk
sea salt & pepper, ground
fresh dill

Boil potatoes and using hand masher, mix other ingredients in.

Concord Grape Pie

2009-02-11T13:15:00.005+10:30

Just as I am about to head off overseas the grapes in the backyard are looking mighty ripe and plentiful. Good thing hubs mentioned to me that he was planning on cutting down the grape vines while I was gone! I showed him the above picture of grape pie from Food & Spice and he was all for just slightly trimming them instead. My plan is to freeze as many of the grapes as I can fit in the freezer and defrost later to use in a few recipes. I love crumble toppings so much better than traditional pie so this one is a must try. My pics will follow in a few weeks!

4 1/2 c of Concord grapes
1 c of sugar
1/4 c flour
2 tsp lemon juice (preferably fresh)
1/8 tsp salt
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell

Streusel Topping
1/2 c of oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 c of butter, melted

Dash or two of cinnamon

Splash or two of vanilla

Squeeze the end of each grape opposite the stem to separate the skins from the pulp. Set the skins aside in a medium-sized bowl. Put the pulp in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Press the boiled pulp through a strainer to remove the seeds. Add the seedless pulp to the bowl with the grape skins, along with the sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Stir well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the (pre-baked) pastry shell.

To make the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 35-40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Stuffed Zucchini

2009-02-10T15:27:00.004+10:30

My mother-in-law gave us the biggest zucchini I have ever seen this weekend, along with some homegrown tomatoes. Picture a normal green zucchini, but about a foot long and twice as thick as a Subway sandwich. She told me to stuff it with onion, bacon, tomato and cheese, so I change it up a bit. I cut it in half lengthwise and scooped out the junk in the middle, then rubbed some olive oil on the inside and sprinkled salt, pepper and basil over. Next I cut up 1/2 a red onion, diced 4 tomatoes, and placed that in. I baked it on about 180-200C for about an hour. When it was cooked I shut the oven off and topped with some tasty cheese, although I think mozzarella would also do. I will attempt to take a pic of the leftover one tomorrow, although as you know, I'm very slack on the photos.

Peach & Nectarine Crumble

2009-02-09T11:15:00.003+10:30

My mother-in-law gave us a huge bag of fresh picked peaches and nactarines this weekend, so I decided to make a crumble. You can fit more fruit into this, since you can use any size baking dish, and I didn't feel like making two pies. This is a loose recipe, so you have to determine your own amounts. I used the same ingredients for the filling as I did for my apricot pie, and based the crumble topping on a few different recipes. The topping was really really lovely, without being too sweet.

Filling
Fruit, cut into 4-6 slices per piece depending on size (In this case about 6 peaches and 10 small nectarines)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice, preferably fresh

Mix lemon juice with fruit. Whisk dry ingredients together, then gently mix into fruit. Add to baking dish.

Crumble Topping
Oats
Coconut, shredded
Flour
Sugar
Vanilla
Cinnamon, ground
Ginger, ground
Butter, a little bit, melted

Like I said, you have to sort out your own amounts of the above and get the mix right. Mix all the dry ingredients together than add a splash of vanilla and mix in the melted butter. It shouldn't be too moist but not dry either. Top fruit with mix and bake on about 170C/350F for 45 minutes or so, until fruit is completely soft. Enjoy warm or cold. It's fine on it's own. You don't need any custard or ice cream with this one.

Roasted Broccoli with Prawns

2009-02-02T10:06:00.005+10:30

I made the above last night (photo courtesy of The Wednesday Chef). I also added some seafood extender, and mixed it up slightly different than this recipe.

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt (might try sea salt next time)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/4 kg prawns, shelled and deveined
1/4 kg seafood extender
juice from 1/2 lemon
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 160C. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, dash or two of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and chili powder. Place broccoli onto 2 non-stick baking sheets .In the same bowl, combine prawns and seafood extender, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, dash or two of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp & seafood extender to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 5 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges.

Passionfruit Cake

2009-02-01T19:34:00.006+10:30

Steve brought home 7 passionfruits from work Friday, so I decided to make something with them, especially as they wouldn't last long in this heat. I did a quick on-line search and found this recipe for passionfruit cake. It's really amazing, so I may need to try more from Amanda.

Cake:
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c self-raising flour
1/2 c passionfruit pulp (about 3 fruits)

Icing:
1/3 c butter (75 grams)
2 c icing sugar
4 passionfruit

Cake:
Separate eggs. Beat yolks and sugar together, gradually add flour and passionfruit pulp.The mix will be very dry. Beat egg whites stiff with a clean beater. Gently fold into the mixture (will be moist now). Bake 40 mins at about 160C.

Icing:
Beat butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add icing sugar and passionfruit pulp.

Coconut Rice Pudding

2009-01-23T11:59:00.002+10:30

As if the Chicken in Heart Attack Sauce wasn't enough, I had a craving for rice pudding, which I haven't had in ages. It was my favourite dessert as a child.

1 1/2 c rice, cooked
1 c coconut milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c sugar

Place rice, coconut milk, milk, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until mixture thickens.

*Optional toppings: shredded coconut and cream

Sticky Rice with Mango

2009-01-22T14:39:00.001+10:30

This is a simplified recipe. I haven't had sticky rice in ages, but it's lovely and easy.

1 cup rice (Thai sweet rice if you can find it)
400 ml water
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c coconut cream
mango, peeled and sliced

Steam rice. Mix coconut cream and sugar in pot and heat through but do not overcook or you will lose the flavour of the coconut cream. Take off heat and mix in rice.

Note: can be served hot or cold and there are versions with coconut milk if you would like a lighter version

Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories

2009-01-20T10:29:00.003+10:30

I recently did a review on Patty Pinner's other book, Sweety Pies. If you like that one, you will also love Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories. It's just as good but rather than only containing pie recipes it also has recipes for cakes, puddings and the like. The stories that come along with all of the recipes are delightful, and make the sweets seem that much more appealing.

Kangaroo Salad with Beetroot, Orange, Parsnips & Blue Cheese

2009-01-19T13:27:00.003+10:30

This is as simple as it sounds.

Lettuce
Kangaroo Fillets, cooked and sliced
1 Can Beetroot
1 Orange, sliced
2 Parsnips, cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Blue Cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
Sesame Seed Oil
Rice Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Soy Sauce

I'm not sure you even need directions!

Margaritas

2009-01-16T12:12:00.003+10:30

I found this on Adelaide Now (a fantastic site by the way) and it might have to be given a try, as the margarita mixes I usually get are quite shocking actually. I miss Lalo's!

45ml tequila
15ml Cointreau or triple sec
10ml fresh lime or lemon juice

Salt-frost the rim of a cocktail glass.
Shake the ingredients together well then strain into the prepared glass.

Crockpot Kangaroo Chili

2009-01-12T12:38:00.023+10:30

I love chili and make it differently each time, using different meats and different versions of veggie chilis, so when I saw a recipe for kangaroo chili I had to try it out. I've modified it to my taste and to make it slightly more robust. This chili is sweet, spicy, and smokey. It's a rich one, but a goodie.

1. Fry 3-4 slices bacon, non-stick pan (set aside)
2. Fry 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic in bacon grease
3. Add 1/2 kg kangaroo mince and 1 red and 1 orange capsicum/bell pepper
4. Add chili powder, cayenne and cumin, to taste
5. Cook until mince is browned
6. Put the lot in a crock pot, along with:

2 cans spicy chili beans (or regular beans doctored up with spices if you can't find spicy chili beans: kidney, pinto, mixed)
1 can corn
1 bottle of beer (any type, to taste--half for the cook and half for the pot)
2-3 tbsp Vegemite, or to taste, but do not overdo it (you can do without it you can't find this in the US)
1 big squeeze of maple syrup
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 big squeezes BBQ sauce (must be American, preferably a nice mesquite)

Cook on low for 3 hours or so, and serve topped with some grated cheddar and sour cream, as well as come crusty bread (homemade beer bread if you have the time).

**Kangaroo, if you didn't know is a very lean, healthy meat which is similar to steak as a fillet and much tastier than ground beef/mince.

Japanese Curry

2009-01-10T11:46:00.003+10:30

Yet another recipe hoisted from Closet Cooking, but oh so good...too good, in fact, not to share. It's like a stew/curry that is slightly spicey as well as slightly sweet.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound (1/2 kg) diced beef
2 onions (chopped)
1 sweet potato (grated, in food processor preferably)
water
carrots (cut up)
2 potatoes (cut up)
1 sweet apple (grated)
1 tablespoon honey
1 box Japanese curry roux

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Brown beef on all sides.
3. Set beef aside.
4. Add onions and saute until soft.
5. Add the beef and cover in water.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fall apart tender, about 1 hour.
7. Add carrots, potatoes, apple, honey and curry roux.
8. Cover in water.
9. Stir until the curry roux is fully dissolved.
10. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Serve over rice

Plum Clafoutis

2009-01-02T14:23:00.004+10:30

I was just watching the birds knocking some plums off the tree so decided I should try and find one more recipe. Awful timing to have to sort out sweets recipes as we're not yet done with all the xmas goodies!

6 tbsp caster sugar
14 ripe plums, halved and pitted
3 eggs
1 1/4 c low-fat milk
3/4 c plain flour
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Butter pie dish and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the bottom. Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of sugar over the top of the plums.
In a blender, combine the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fruit in the pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

P.S. Make sure it's cooked before you take it out of the oven...otherwise, it will fall:( I almost had a gorgeous pic for you, but I took it out too soon.

Crockpot Stewed Plums

2009-01-01T16:12:00.007+10:30

Seems to be many ways to stew plums, although I do think I will go with the crockpot and a simple recipe.

3 pounds (1.5 kg) Ripe Plums
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Halve plums and put in crock pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon and water. Put on the lid of the crock pot and cook on low for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Plums will be soft but maintain their shape. Cook on high if you prefer them to be a mushier texture. I think I'll do some of each, since I have so many freakin plums!
*Freeze for later use.

Plum Pie

2009-01-01T15:58:00.003+10:30

I'm going to be making about 10 of these unless I can figure out some other plum recipes;) Our tree is ready to pick (I even caught the neighbour behind us helping herself!) and there are loads, despite half of them already falling to the ground.

Ingredients:
4 c sliced plums
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie pastry

Topping:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp cold butter

1. In bowl, combine first 6 ingredients; pour into pastry shell.
2. For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Cut in butter until coarse.
4. Sprinkle over plums.
5. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 60 minutes or until golden brown.

Crockpot Gingerbread Latte

2008-12-31T11:49:00.004+10:30

Well, since I have to be the designated driver tonight and I'll be up later than my usual time, I thought it would be a good time to try the Gingerbread Latte recipe I've kept bookmarked from A Year of Crockpotting. As the Wassail turned out so yummy on Christmas Eve, I think it's worth giving another of her drink recipes a go. Even more exciting as the local Starbucks shut down and I couldn't get any warm liquid holiday cheer the usual way.

4 c milk (2% or lower is best to not worry about curdling)
1/2 c white sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup strong black coffee, or a freshly-brewed shot of espresso (per drink)

Put milk into crockpot, and whisk in the dried spices. Don't add the coffee. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or high for 1-2. The milk should be quite hot, but don't let it boil. Pour over hot coffee or espresso.

Optional: top with whipped cream
Note: Can cause serious sugar/caffeine high!

Tofu and Vegetable Green Curry

2008-12-30T12:59:00.005+10:30

2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup (75g) green curry paste
4 spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 sm-med pepper/capsicum
1 sm eggplant
400ml can light coconut milk
1/2 tsp coriander, or to taste
100g green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
300g firm silken tofu, drained, cut into thick strips
2-3 basil leaves or a dash ground basil leaves
steamed rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a large deep frypan or wok over medium heat, then add the paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the spring onion, fish sauce, sugar, broccoli, red pepper, green beans, coconut milk, basil leaves, coriander and 1 cup (250ml) boiling water. Stir to combine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then gently stir in tofu. Serve over rice.
*Variations on veg are always acceptable in a curry. I'm skipping the green beans and using plum tomatoes, as they were on sale today;) My only warning would be don't overload on the veg or you won't have enough 'sauce'
Pssst, if anyone has a favourite suggestion for green curry paste please recommend!

A Review of Christmas at Our House

2008-12-27T18:55:00.003+10:30

As the original post was long enough already, thought I'd begin a new one to let you know how things worked, out since I was trying a few different things. The first thing I made was Mary's rum cake and it was fantastic. My fears about the vanilla yogurt being a poor substitute for instant vanilla pudding (which I couldn't find here in Oz) were unfounded. Two tips: make sure not to over-bake or it will dry out and use all of the glaze. Primo! A Year of Crockpotting is going to be my new source for beverage recipes, especially as Starbucks in Adelaide has shut down. I think Gingerbread Latte will be next. The wassail was excellent, even though I used regular apple juice instead of cider (didn't pay enough attention and I think it may be difficult to find anyway). Steve and I drank the entire crock pot of it that night! The lamb rogan josh was good, and I may need to try some more Indian recipes, as it was much easier than I thought. I found paneer cheese at the grocery store here so something with that will be next:) Oysters have the consistency of post-nasal drip...yuck! Perhaps you simply need to cook them longer. The ribs were excellent with KC Masterpiece bbq sauce and the cole slaw was really nice, although next time I think I may shred the slaw in the food processor. Now on to New Year! Will be testing out some Thai style curries;)

Fruit & Yogurt Smoothies

2008-12-22T10:07:00.002+10:30

I've been experimenting with smoothies lately. Have made strawberry-banana, mango and mango-strawberry so far. It's a great way to get some fruit and yogurt in and a quick brekkie.

Fruit
Plain yogurt
Ice
Honey (optional)

Just put all in blender. Play around with amounts to get the consistency and flavour to taste.

Basic Vegetarian Curry

2008-12-18T02:48:00.000+10:30

This curry does not include a particular curry paste or curry powder, but spices instead. I was worried it might be a bit bland but it was really tasty. Serving over rice is optional, especially if you are warming it up for leftovers, as all the juice will cook off 2nd time around. You can also leave out the chickpeas and simply add a couple more potatoes. Another option is to take a bit out and pop it in the blender if you like a creamier curry.

1 package frozen vegetables of your choice
1 can chickpeas
2-3 small potatoes, chopped into small pieces & cooked
2/3 c vegetable stock
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger or powder
1 finely sliced clove of fresh garlic
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a non-stick fry pan and fry the onions, garlic, cumin and coriander for five minutes. Add potato, frozen veg, chick peas, ginger, turmeric and chili powders, vegetable stock, salt & pepper. Cook on medium heat for fifteen or twenty minutes. Serve over rice.

Lamb & Mushroom Kofta

2008-12-15T17:17:00.006+10:30

I grabbed this one from Boozy Susie and modified it just very slightly. I lurve my food processor today. Actually, I always love it but I used it twice today and it just made this recipe soooo easy.

1 cup mushrooms
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
parsley, to taste (I used dried, although fresh would probably be nicer)
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
500g lamb mince
butter
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil

Melt butter in large frying pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook whilst stiring for 5 min or until tender. Set aside. Combine parsley, onion, garlic and spices in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add mushrooms and mince and process until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Use hands to mould mixture into meatball sized balls. Place on a plate or tray and pop in fridge for 30 minutes. Heat olive oil in pan and fry until cooked through, or place on metal skewers and bbq or grill.

*Served with homemade hummus and store bought tabouli;)

**I also think these would make great burgers, perhaps with a tzatziki sauce mmmm.

Tofu & Vegetable Red Curry

2008-12-14T13:19:00.004+10:30

1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, sliced up
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp bottled red-curry paste
1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 (1-lb) package frozen mixed vegetables (or fresh to your preference)
1 (14- to 16-oz) block firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
rice, to serve

Cook onion in oil in a wok. Reduce heat, then add garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, salt, and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in vegetables and return to a boil. Cover pot, then reduce heat and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Gently stir in tofu and simmer curry, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt to taste. Serve curry with rice.
*Usual modifications: I skipped the tofu and used broccoli, plum tomatoes and a can of chinese veggies

Eggplant with Tofu & Red Pepper

2008-12-14T13:07:00.000+10:30

You can either use tofu or just throw in a package of frozen veg if you're not keen on tofu.

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
10 oz tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
chili powder, to taste
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
rice, to serve

In a bowl, mix oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil; set aside. Heat tbsp olive oil in a large pan or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Sauté tofu about 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to low and add remaining tbsp olive oil, and garlic; sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and eggplant. Raise heat to medium. Stir-fry 10 minutes, flipping eggplant after 5 minutes to cook on each side. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir well. Add tofu to pan and mix. Serve over rice.
*You can also use fresh chiles instead of chili powder
**I also used plum tomatoes as I had them

Christmas at Our House

2008-12-13T10:00:00.003+10:30

I'm stealing other people's recipes for Christmas eve and Boxing Day, and eating at the in-laws on the day, aside from brekkie.

Christmas Eve
Wassail in the Crockpot, from A Year of CrockPotting
Lamb Rogan Josh, from Boozy Susie

Mary's Rum Cake:
1 c chopped pecans or walnuts
glace cherries (my optional addition to the recipe)
1 18 1/2 oz. pkg yellow cake mix (or make your own!)
1 3 3/4 oz. pkg Jell-o vanilla instant pudding/pie filling
4 eggs
1/2 c cold water
1/2 c oil
1/2 c dark rum

Glaze:
1/4 lb. butter
1/4 c water
1 c sugar
1/2 c dark rum

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease & flour 10" tube or Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts & glace cherries over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Bake 1 hour. Invert on serving plate after cooling on wire rack. For glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Prick top of inverted cake with toothpicks and drizzle and smooth glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until glaze is used up.

Christmas Day
Shrimp & Blue Cheese Oysters for brekkie, the latter from Intercourses, an Aphrodisiac Cookbook

Blue Cheese Oysters:
1/2 c cumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp butter, softened
8 shucked oysters, on the half shell

Mix blue cheese, garlic, breadcrumbs and butter. Arrange oysters on a baking tray and top with mix. Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes.

Boxing Day
A cheese, pate and olive platter
Paula's Ribs
Homemade Cole Slaw, from Closet Cooking

Sweety Pies

2008-12-11T09:12:00.001+10:30

Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie is my cookbook recommendation for the year. Of all the cookbooks on my shelf, this one is my favourite by far. Over the past couple of months, I've made a lot of pies. Not all of them have come out of this book, but the ones that have, have been amazing. I'll shortly be doing a repeat of both the Old-Time Chocolate Meringue Pie (which I'd describe as a chocolate pudding pie) and Frankie's Coconut Pie. At the moment, there are about 6 more recipes tagged for trying over the next few months. I love making pies (although I have to admit, I haven't yet made my own crust, shhhh). They're easy and beautiful.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

2008-12-07T16:40:00.003+10:30

Another recipe from Baking Bites that I've been keeping bookmarked.

Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Pour into pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 17 minutes, until set at the edges.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar and eggs and process until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder and salt, then pulse until smooth. Pour filling over the hot crust when it has finished baking. Return pan to oven and bake for 23-26 minutes, until the filling is set. Cool completely before slicing and use a damp knife to ensure clean slices. Store in the fridge.

Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie

2008-12-06T09:04:00.006+10:30

I've been eyeing this recipe for a while.

9-in pie crust, prebaked
20-oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (or make your own with milk & vinegar)
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Drain can of crushed pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in pineapple, reserved pineapple juice, buttermilk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir well, then turn on the stove to medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture just comes to a boil and thickens. Be careful not to burn. It will have a lemon curd type of consistency with slow bubbles when it is done. Cover pan and cool to room temperature.

While filling cools, prepare the meringue. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in vanilla extract.

Pour cooled pie filling into baked pie shell. Top with meringue, spreading it to the edges of the pie crust to cover the filling completely. Smooth top with a spatula. Bake pie at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned. Cool, then refrigerate before serving.

Apricot Pie

2008-11-29T19:21:00.005+10:30

Our fruit tree has ripened, so the only thing to do was...

6 cups apricot halves
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice, preferably fresh
butter

Mix lemon juice with apricot halves. Whisk dry ingredients together, then gently mix into apricots. Fill pre-baked pie crust. Top with bits of butter. Add 2nd crust to top and cut slits. Bake at 200 for about 30-40 minutes until golden and apricot filling just beginning to bubble through the slits. Sprinkle top of crust with small amount of sugar immediately after taking out of oven. Let cool enough to gobble;)

Spanish Rice

2008-11-29T15:10:00.008+10:30

Veggie meal #1 for 101 of 1001

We're having Pork Chili Verde and Black Bean burritos from Chili Mojo (watch the video) for dinner tonight, so I was just going to make some rice and refried beans as a side, but decided to try some Spanish rice instead. I've never been a huge fan of it but that's most likely due to the fact that it's typically not cooked that well at restaurants. I combined suggestions from a few different recipes, including The Homesick Texan's recipe.

1 cup of rice
2 cups of chicken broth (or veggie stock)
butter
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
ground pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes (with chillies, if you can find them) -or- 1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can kidney beans (optional)
lime juice and cilantro to taste (optional)
avocado and sour cream to top (optional)

Add rice, chicken broth and butter to pot. Bring to a boil on high, stir once and cover. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, then remove from heat and keep covered for 5 to 10 minutes longer. In the meantime, cook onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, pepper and cumin and cook for approx one minute. Mix in cooked rice, lime juice and cilantro. Serve!

P.S. You could also add some capsicum/pepper to the onion mix, and use as a burrito filler along with some cheese and lettuce (and meat optional if you are a carnivore)

Anzac Biscuits

2008-11-25T15:01:00.004+10:30

A Kiwi workmate brought me a couple of these last year and they were so good---nothing better than oats and coconut.

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup oats
75g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup or corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Mix flour, sugar, coconut and oats. Melt butter and syrup. Dissolve baking soda in water and add to butter and syrup. Stir butter mix into dry ingredients. Place level tablespoons of mix onto greased baking trays, then press out with fork. Bake at 180C for about 12-15 minutes or until golden. Makes 15.

*Mine turned out slightly flat because I added a bit too much water but damn they were good anyway!

Simple Mafe

2008-11-23T11:13:00.000+10:30

This is a West African lamb stew. The recipe was obtained from The World is a Kitchen. The next time I make it I may add some garlic, diced tomatoes and use chunky peanut butter instead. I substituted macadamia oil instead of peanut oil, as I couldn't find the latter, and used dried thyme. It seemed to work out fine although I may search out the peanut oil next time just to try the difference. I also cut the recipe in half and found it to make 4 serves; below is the full recipe.

2 tbsp peanut or macadamia oil
1 large onion, minced
2 lbs lamb stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cups hot water
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 springs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in heavy saucepan, add onion and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add meat and lightly brown. In small bowl, mix peanut butter with cold water and pour it over the meat. Dilute tomato paste with hot water, pour liquid over the stew, and stir to mix well. Add remaining ingredients, lower heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Remove thyme springs and bay leave. Serve over rice.

Dawn's Potato Pancakes

2008-11-11T10:36:00.003+10:30

Have a handwritten recipe for potato pancakes tucked into my recipe book and as I'm at home jobless at the moment thought I'd spend an hour and a half cooking them up last night to have something special with dinner. I forgot that I could have literally shaved off 1/2 an hour by using my food processor instead of the grater for the onions and potatoes, and when we redo the kitchen I will definitely have two burners that I can place a large rectangular griddle over to cook more at a time.

6 small to medium potatoes
1 medium onion
1/2 c swiss or tasty cheese
2 eggs
3-4 tbsp flour

Grate potatoes, onion and cheese, and mix in eggs and flour to bind. Heat oil or shortening in non-stick pan and drop spoonfuls of mixture on to pan, then flatten with spatula. Heat until brown and crispy on each side. Serve immediately, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and with sour cream and applesauce on the side.

Coconut Pie

2008-11-10T12:09:00.005+10:30

I got this recipe out of a book titled Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie. It's a book of pie recipes (obviously) from women in the South of the US. I modified this one slightly by using low fat milk instead of whole and lowering the amount used (recipe called for 2 cups whole milk...but I buy low fat and didn't want to use more than I needed to of the weekly milk supply as I hadn't planned my grocery shopping to suit the recipe). I also used less butter (it called for an entire [US] stick but I used about half, which was actually an accident as I wasn't paying close attention). It was fantastic, warm and cold. The coconut rises to the top and forms a slightly crispy top and beneath is a custard consistency. Lovely!

P.S. Just realised it didn't call for a crust and although I used one, I wonder if you could do without.

3 large eggs
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c low fat milk
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Mix eggs, then add sugar, milk, melted butter and flour, and mix until well blended. Add vanilla and coconut, mix well. Pour into pie plate (after pre-baking the crust) and bake until centre feels firm, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Aussie Fish Burritos

2008-10-16T09:47:00.004+10:30

We had Barrumundi last night and there was so much of it, I only cooked half, so tonight I'm going to make fish burritos, as I have quite a few of the fixings. They won't be like traditional fish tacos, but they'll still be good.

Tortillas
Refried Beans
Barramundi
Shredded Lettuce
Carrots, shaved
Cheese
Lime
Sesame Oil
Cayenne
Cumin
Dill
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in pan. Dust fish with seasonings. Fry on both sides until cooked through, then break apart into small pieces and squeeze lime over fish. Warm tortillas and refried beans. Spread beans on tortillas, top with fish, shredded lettuce, carrots and cheese. Wrap up and feast on!

Banana Bread

2008-10-16T09:39:00.006+10:30

Being in between jobs, I finally have some time to cook decently, and I've even started using my digital camera, so here are some pics finally (and yes that is my very '70s orange kitchen counter...a remodel is a few years in the future). Found this recipe on Taste.com.au and as I had some over-ripe bananas sitting around, thought I might give it a go.

265g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
140g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
2 eggs, whisked
50g butter, melted, cooled
2 overripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 11 x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan. Line the base and 2 opposite sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang a bit.

Sift the combined flours and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Place the milk, eggs, melted butter and banana in a medium bowl, and stir until well combined. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Food Blog Wanderings Part 6

2008-09-18T19:07:00.004+09:30

I have been such an absolute slacker on this blog. Here I thought I would move to Oz and not only have more time to cook but even time to take pics of my creations...NOT. Life has been oh so busy the last 6 months; read all about it on my other blog. In the meantime, here are a few more recipes I add to the list of things I'd like to cook (and eat!) someday.

Breakfast
Oatmeal Pancakes (with mashed bananas!)
Huevos Rancheros (because nothing beats Mexican, even for brekkie)
Salads
Shrimp and Blueberry Salad
Strawberry and Avocado Spinach Salad
Dips
Rosemary-Lemon White Bean dip
Desserts
Strawberry Lemonade bars

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2008-07-20T15:41:00.003+09:30

Breakfast today was coffee with cinnamon and roasted garlic hummus on toast. I used my food processor for the 1st time this weekend, to make roasted garlic hummus. I've been wanting to make homemade hummus for a long time, and found a good recipe here. I used more chickpeas (a 13 oz. can rather than 1/2 a 19oz. can), and next time I would leave out the raw garlic, as it was just slightly too garlic-y. Watch out tomorrow workmates;)

1 can chickpeas
1 head roasted garlic
1/2 of a large, juicy lemon (zest and juice)
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend to proper consistency. Serve with toast wedges.

Next time I'm going to try with either olives or sun-dried tomatoes, instead of garlic.

Blueberry & Oatmeal Muffins

2008-07-19T15:54:00.002+09:30

These are sooooo good; it's the 2nd time I've made them. Another recipe from the Wanderings, found here. I've been using froxen blueberries, but since these are so cheap to make and I have plenty of all ingredients, I may try again with a mixed berry blend.

1 cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 egg
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oil
1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside. Combine the milk and the vinegar and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Put the oats and the milk mixture into the bowl of a food processor and let sit for a few minutes.
3. Process the mix a few times. Add the egg, sugar and oil. Process for 10 seconds.
4. Combine wet and dry without over mixing. Add the blueberries and stir to combine.
5. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for about 18 minutes.

The 1st time I made these I didn't use the food processor, as I didn't yet have one;) And the 2nd time, I forgot to add the egg, sugar & oil before I mixed the milk & oats mixture into the dry ingredients, so I ended up over-mixing when I put the egg, sugar & oil in with everything else. Both times they ended up great, just a different consistency. Hubs liked them the 2nd time around better, so it simply depends on what you like. Next time I may try adding some bran in with the mix, to make it a bit more healthy.

Killer Potato Salad

2008-06-11T13:17:00.004+09:30

I've managed to combine a few recipes to create a really tasty potato salad. All you need are:

Potatoes, cooked and chopped up of course
(Thick) Sour Cream
Mayonnaise
Wholegrain Mustard
Hard boiled eggs, chopped
Bacon, again cooked and chopped up of course
Scallions or Green Onions, chopped
Gherkins, chopped
Dill, to taste

Mix it up as you like and chill, then serve!

Italian Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches

2008-06-10T13:24:00.001+09:30

This is a basic recipe and I normally don't like it very much but I've found that I much prefer the style of Italian sausages at the Aussie butcher than back home..less fat and just a better consistency. You'll need:

Italian Sausages
Red Pepper/Capsicum, sliced up
Onions, sliced up
Seasoning (for Aussies, bolognese seasoning will do, for Yanks I'd suggest oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Buns
Mustard (yes, as blasphemous as using ketchup on hot dogs, but it adds something)

Saute pepper and onions until very soft. Add in seasonings at end. In the meantime, place sausages under the broiler until nice and crispy. Toast buns and made yr sandwich;)

BBQ sauce

2008-06-09T13:39:00.000+09:30

What's your favourite sauce? I bought a few at USA Foods Myer 'shop' the other week and really like the Open Pit Brown Sugar version. It was sooooooo much better than anything Australia has to offer that I'm going to have to spend the extra money to buy some once in a while, as the ribs I made with it were kick 'arse'. Nothing like combining the Aussie butcher with proper American BBQ sauce.

Why I Love Baking Bites

2008-05-28T13:45:00.003+09:30

This blog is so great! I don't have much time to do another Wanderings post, nor have I had time to make many of the recipes I have bookmarked, but I think this one deserves any entire post:)

Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie

Chicken Pesto Pasta

2008-05-26T13:04:00.000+09:30

I can't claim the credit for this one; it came from a fantastic book called Hoax Cooking.

1 pre-cooked whole chicken from the supermarket
1 jar kalamata olives
1/2 jar sun-dried tomatoes
1 jar basil pesto
penne pasta, cooked (duh right)

Basically, take apart the chicken - get rid of the skin and bones. Mix together chicken and all other ingredients. Serve! Very easy and impressive:)

Salmon with Orange Honey Glaze

2008-05-22T12:15:00.004+09:30

3/4 c Orange juice
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
Ginger, sliced (optional)
Salmon
Flour
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

Mix first 5 ingredients together, boil, then stir for about 8 mins or until syrupy. In meantime, coat salmon in flour, salt & pepper, then fry in non-stick pan until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place on baking tray lightly sprayed with cooking oil and spoon or brush glaze over, then cook for about 4 minutes on 200C.

Lime Custard & Blueberry Pie

2008-04-25T10:53:00.002+09:30

Today was a cooking day – Lime Custard and Blueberry Pie, Kangaroo Chili, and Blueberry and Oatmeal Muffins. (Follow the links to see recipes for the muffins.) I needed a day off from house stuff! The pie was pretty simple and really yum. I modified a recipe from Women's Weekly slightly and simply replaced buttermilk with regular milk, as well as used less lime zest than they suggested and a bit more lime juice and pulpy bits.

Shortbread Pie Pastry for crust
3 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
¼ cup milk
Juice from 1 lime
Zest from 2 limes
2 tablespoons custard powder (vanilla)
1-2 cups blueberries
Icing sugar, to dust

Line pie plate with pastry and bake on 200C/400F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180 and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Beat eggs and caster sugar in bowl until thick and pale, then add milk, lime juice and zest, and custard powder. Mix until combined, then pour into pastry shell. Bake for 15 minutes on 180C, then reduce heat to 160C and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, then top with blueberries and icing sugar. Enjoy!

Food Blog Wanderings Part 5

2008-04-19T12:10:00.001+09:30

Dips
Chili Con Queso (without Velveeta, for those Yanks abroad)
Salads
Teriyaki Mushroom Salad
Cucumber & Feta Salad
Mains
Lamb Souvlaki
Desserts
Apple Bourbon Bread Pudding
French Silk Pie
Beverages
Honeydew & Banana Soy Milkshake

Chicken Soup

2008-04-15T15:50:00.002+09:30

Seems the secret to a good chicken soup is lime and curry powder. My hubs is sick so thought I would cook some up for him as we had some chicken stock. ezpz!

Chicken Stock
Noodles
Carrots & Celery, diced
Onions & Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Curry Powder
Dash of Parsley
1 Lime, squeezed
3 Whole Cloves

Mix it all together, minus the noodles. Throw the lime halves in for about the 1st 10 minutes. After about 25 minutes, put the noodles in. Serve with noodles cooked.

The Perfect Gin & Tonic

2008-04-14T12:42:00.001+09:30

When you go to a bar in Chicago and ask for a gin & tonic with olives, the bartender knows what you mean. When you go to a pub in England and ask for the same, you get 2 olives on a napkin, next to your gin & tonic, which still has a lime wedge in it. In Australia or New Zealand, you just get an odd look when you ask for a gin & tonic with olives. Anyway, for a perfect gin & tonic, get a jar of green olives, preferably with pits still in, spoon out about 2 tsp of the olive juice into your glass, add 5-6 olives, then your gin, and some tonic water.

Food Blog Wanderings Part 4

2008-03-29T14:50:00.006+10:30

Mains
Snobby Joes (a veggie version of an American classic)
Black Bean Burgers
Breads
Strawberry Sour Cream Bread
Easy Beer Bread
Sides
Baked Sweet Potato Fries (great side for the Snobby Joes)
Desserts
Cranberry Cherry Crumble
Drinkies
Gin, Juice, Plus...

Gourmet Mac 'n 3 Cheese

2008-03-27T14:01:00.002+10:30

Macaroni
50g butter
1/4 c all purpose flour
2 1/2 c milk
1/2 c double cream
1/2 c dry white wine
1/4 c swiss/emmenthal cheese
1/4 c fontina cheese
1/4 c blue cheese
1 cup grated parmesan
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook Macaroni. Melt butter in pan. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add milk a bit at a time, whisking vigourously after each additon, then stir in cream, then white wine. Cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add cheese (only 1/3 cup of parmesan) and stir well to mix, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in macaroni and pt mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over and bake for 25-30mins on 180C.

Slow Cookers

2008-03-24T15:01:00.002+10:30

I need one. Any recommendations (from Australia)? Recipes also welcome;)

Food Blog Wanderings Part 3

2008-03-24T14:02:00.010+10:30

Breakfast Foods
Breakfast Casserole w/Asparagus & Mushrooms
Soups
Tomato Soup (with extra veg)
Spicy Cauliflower Soup
Potato Leek Soup
Carrot and Cashew Soup ( a way to get your nuts in)
Cream of Spinach Soup
Sandwiches
Reuben (the King of sandwiches!)
Pirogie Sandwiches (for the slightly lazy or just impatient)
Mains
Chili Verde (because any chili is worth an attempt)
Lemon Pasta
Reuben Casserole (no such thing as too much corned beef)
Crockpot Beef Stew w/Olives & Capers
Sides
Roasted Garlic Hummus (made my 1st batch of roasted garlic yesterday)
Roasted Garlic, Pepper & White Bean dip
Mixed Bean & Goat Cheese dip
Salads
Dijon Potato Salad
Chickpea & Broccoli Salad
Pinto Bean Salad w/Avocado, Tomato & Red Onion
Desserts
Cadbury Creme Egg Muffins (just in time for Easter)
Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
Banana & Custard Tart

Heavy on the soups this time around, but we are soon to go back to a house in Australia with no heat in the winter, plus it fits in with my 1-2x per week veggie meals.

Kangaroo Salad with Fig, Apple & Feta

2008-03-23T10:21:00.003+10:30

Kangaroo fillets
BBQ Sauce
Fresh fig, cut into slices
Apple, cut into slices
Baby spinach
Feta
Oil

Marinate kangaroo in BBQ Sauce. (Do yourself a favour and purchase some American BBQ Sauce from USA Foods. The Australian stuff is not worth injesting.) Mix other ingredients for salad. Add kangaroo, sliced (after you cook it of course, which I would suggest be done by grilling). Mix oil with some BBQ sauce, and use as dressing.