Saturday, January 30, 2010

Another Take on Cornbread

This recipe came from: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mumsknowbest/recipefairs/ep4_julia.pdf its another of the new hairy Bikers recipes, I was so impressed as I read it I had to put it up, I will cook it this week and add a picture. Its worth comparing to Tamra's recipe in December 08 which is a traditional recipe for cornbread.


Texas Cornbread
Ingredients
Cornbread Batter
1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 large eggs 1 cup of milk 1⁄2 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of salt1 can of creamed corn 1⁄4 cup of bacon drippings (can substitute for butter) Cornbread Filling
1 pound of ground beef (can substitute for alternative meat product) 2 onions 1⁄2 pound of grated cheese 1⁄2 cup jalapenos
Method
1. In mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Add buttermilk, creamed corn, and egg: beat until batter is smooth and set aside.
2.Place bacon drippings into an iron skillet or baking dish and heat in preheated oven.
3.Then lightly brown the ground beef with the chopped onions.
4.Pour half the batter in to the hot dish and sprinkle on the browned beef, cheese and jalapenos, top with the remaining batter.
5.Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.

Mango and Prawn Salad

This recipe is modified from Delicious February 2010.

700gms Tiger peeled prawns, dice 1/2 of them
1 mango cut into cubes
1 avocado cut into cubes
2 limes zest one and juice both
whisk in with the lime juice and zest diced coriander and a finely sliced red chilli
add 1 tbs of honey and 1tbs olive oil

Combine diced prawns and the fruit with the dressing

Serve on a lettuce leaf garnish with whole prawns and slices of lime

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Chicken Tajine













Yes I have recently unpacked my Tajine and this is my first attempt at cooking with it.


Take bite size chicken pieces including drumsticks and fry in Tajine
Slice 3 onions and fry as well
Add salt and pepper
1tsp ground ginger
pinch of saffron
2 preserved lemons
3 cups of water
cook for 30 mins
Then add juice of 1 lemon
cook for 15 mins

Serve on cous cous

Monday, January 25, 2010

Burger

This is straight from this months Delicious a magazine which is really worth getting if you are interested in food in Australia.

Blue Eye cod fillet ( you may need to pin bone it)
Ciabatta rolls toasted

Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Sliced iceberg lettuce
grated raw carrot, beetroot

Obviously cook the fish then brown the buns

Dress with low fat mayo and sweet chilli sauce

Almost no effort but it tastes wonderful

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Kitchen Diaries


Last December which does not seem that long ago, although it was. I wrote a review of one of my favourite books Nigel Slater's Kitchen diaries. I'm not going to review it again, so don't worry anyway you can look up my review. This book got me started on keeping a food diary of my own. I'm now in my fourth year and my diary has changed quite a bit. It doesn't chronicle everything I eat or cook. Who cares what I had for breakfast in June if it all is was was a piece of toast with Vegemite. Now i use it to document recipes I cook, and any changes or opinions on how well they worked, if I want to cook them again. Its a place to collect other recipes or references I want to look up later also great for writing down cooking techniques you may have picked up. I always set up a page for Dinner party ideas just a list so i know where to look. Looking back I can see how my interests change, and also how often i come back to things I really love. The diary has a strength over a simply recipe collection in that you find all the dishes you like in the cooler months all together. I am just recommending the idea to anyone who is interested.

Please feel to comment on any of any of these posts, feedback is always good. However Katherine sarcasm is not.

Preserving Our Heritage


If you have been reading my blog you will know I have started posting some of favourite recipes from my mothers cookbooks. The new Hairy Bikers Program Mum's Know best, seems to be about preserving family recipes from the U.K. The book is great and has lots of interesting family favourites, many are recipes past down through generations. They are often unique, recipes that you would never find anywhere else. Can't wait for the show to screen here! It got me thinking in this time of flashy cookbooks, celebrity chefs, TV cooking shows are we as Australians losing some of our family favourites. Being a multicultural country this would obviously include food from many cultures. So I am interested in joining or starting such a project. I will start with my blog but if someone knows of a project please let me know. If I get enough recipes I will start a blog for just these Australian Family Favourites. I am interested in any feedback.

Pictured are some of my mothers cookbooks and recipes.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Spicy Thai style Mango Salad


This is a great side salad to serve with a curry, in this case it was served next to a Beef Rendang.

Take two diced cloves of garlic and some coarse salt and two tbsp peanuts grind into a paste in a pestle and motor.
Add a teaspoon of shrimp paste
1/4 of a sliced Spanish onion
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 a finely diced tomato and gently pound
Add one chilli if you like it hot add more.
Then add a tbsp of fish sauce and a tbsp of tamarind liquid
The sauce is meant to be hot, sweet sour and salty
So add sugar to taste, brown sugar is ok palm sugar is better.

To serve prepare finely diced carrot, green beans, spring onion, tomato and of course the cut up mango
Assemble ingredients in serving dish and dress with the sauce.

You any combination of vegetables that you have on hand, and remember to taste it and adjust it to your liking.

Cook Books







A friend of mine asked my yesterday how many cookbooks do you have? I didn't know which ones to count, I collect old cookbooks, I collect books about food and I do collect books to cook from. Sometimes a cookbook is there for inspiration other times its there to see how the pros do it. The ones I really enjoy always get reviewed here and yes i have not reviewed many so for the curious here are the books. Still there is plenty of space for more and yes I have heaps of magazines as well.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Picnic recipes from the Hairy Bikers latest Program


I pinched from the BBC web site so please check some of the other recipes out they are excellent. Hope we get the show here in Oz soon.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mumsknowbest/recipefairs/ep2_bridget.pdf



Maryland Chicken with Sweetcorn Fritters and Bacon Wrapped Bananas
Ingredients
4 Chicken breasts (Skin on) 4 Bananas 8 Streaky Bacon rashers 1 Tin of whole Sweet Corn
For the fritter batter:
4 oz Plain flour 1⁄4 pt milk 1⁄4 pt water 1 egg
For the marinade :
2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons honey 4 x 2mm slices of root ginger 1⁄4 cup soy sauce.
Method
1. Crush and peel garlic. Warm honey. 2. Mix garlic, ginger, honey & soy sauce together. 3. Pour the marinade over the chicken and coat well, turning if necessary. 4. Cover or seal and marinate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. 5. Fry or bake the chicken. 6. Wrap the bananas in the bacon and grill or bake in a hot oven until bacon is crisp. 7. For the batter mix and beat well the flour, milk, water and egg. 8. Add the drained sweet corn. 9. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the mixture. 10. Fry until golden brown on both sides.

Pork Curry



Curry Paste

2 tsp Coriander seeds
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
2 diced red chillies
3cm diced ginger
1 diced shallot
1 diced garlic clove
1 coriander root
.5 tsp turmeric
2 tbs shrimp paste (roast in foil till fragrant)
dry roast the dry ingredients then combine all with a little water to make a smooth paste.

Then in a saucepan:
Soften 2 diced onions
4 diced garlic cloves
add 500gms of diced pork
Add the curry paste
Add 750mls of water and simmer for 1 hour

Then add
2 roughly chopped potatoes
1 handful of roasted peanuts
85 gms Tamarind paste
Simmer till potatoes are cooked (approx 40 mins)

Then add fish sauce and palm sugar to taste

Serve on Jasmine rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

Wayne's Moussaka


This is my take on this classic dish and it is not authentic.

Brown
2 diced onions
2 sliced cloves of garlic
500gms each of beef, pork and lamb mince

Add 2 tins diced tomatoes
2tbs tomato paste
thyme
rosemary
ground cinnamon
Cook on gentle heat till reduced

Grill two eggplants sliced into 1 cm slices
To assemble place a layer of egg plant top with a layer of meat sauce, another layer of eggplant and another of sauce
Pour a cheese sauce over the top (I use a ready made sauce to reduce the fat content)
Cover with grated Parmesan
Bake until golden brown.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Apple Pie

This was the recipe my mother used to make our family apple pie, it brings back memories.

1 Tin Pie Apple

113 gms butter
1 egg
3 tbsp of water
226 gms Self raising Flour
57 gms sugar

Cream butter and sugar adding egg water and flour, mix into a paste
Layer pie dish place apple in the centre and top

Bake moderate oven till cooked

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Low Fat Curried Pasta

2 cups spiral pasta
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp curry powder
4 green onions, chop
1diced red capsicum
1 diced green capsicum
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup no fat Greek yogurt
Then add one of the following :1 tin tuna, 2 cups chicken meat, prawn meat, 1 tin salmon
Cook 2 cups pasta in boiling water.
Heat oil in pan, add onion, capsicum & curry powder, saute 1 min. Add to pasta with mayonnaise & yogurt, mix well.

This can also be chilled and served cold for picnics, BBQ etc.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Chocolate Cherry Slice

No picture I am afraid as this is one of my favourites from childhood but as I can't eat chocolate you will just have to accept the recipe.

Base:
1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup coconut
.5 cup firmly packed Brown sugar
180gms margarine
Sift flour into a bowl add coconut and brown sugar then add melted margarine and mix well.
Line and grease a lamington tin with baking paper, Bake in moderate oven 20-30mins or until light brown.

Filling:
2/3 cup condensed milk
1 pkt diced cherries
1.5 cups coconut
15gms copha and a dash of pink food colouring
smear on base

Topping:
melted 90gms copha
1/2 cup chocolate

Pour topping on filling and put in refrigerator to set.
Cut into squares to serve.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Chicken Jambalaya The easy way


A few people have asked about quick and easy food. Zatrans is a New Orleans based company that makes quick and easy Southern food packs. Just add cooked meat and water and the pack and you have a meal. In this case cooked chicken, spicy salami and cooked prawns. 25 minutes later you have a meal. You can get Zatran's products from www.usafoods.com.au.

Old Favourite - Jazz cake



This was a fav chocolate cake as a child. No walnuts or fruit just coconut on the frosting.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Beef Meatballs In Thai style Sauce


Meatballs

500gms lean beef
2 finely sliced Spring Onions
1 Sliced red chilli
1 finely sliced Lemongrass stem
2 tbs of chopped coriander
2 tsps gated ginger
1 beaten egg

Mix ingredients and form into meat balls place in fridge for 30 minutes
Then cook in 200c oven for about 30 mins

Sauce
400ml can coconut cream
1 tbs Thai Red Curry paste

Once you have made the curry sauce add the meatballs and coat
Serve with fresh coriander as a garnish.

Mackerel Cutlets


1 Mackerel Cutlet per person

Pan fry the mackerel with 1 quatered lemon
Add 1 tsp fennel seeds
2 stems of sage
1 sliced clove of garlic
sliced pre roasted potatoes
Add 10gms of butter
30mls white wine

Place in 200c oven for 5 minutes or until done.