Friday, August 31, 2012

Butternut Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

Ingredients

  • 1butternut pumpkin cut into half
  • paprika and nutmeg to taste
  • 100gms baby spinach leaves, pine nuts
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 250g fresh ricotta cheese
  • 250g lasagne pasta sheets
  • 150ml milk
  • 25g grated parmesan cheese 
For the béchamel sauce
  • 55g butter
  • 55g plain flour
  • 350ml milk

Preparation method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C
  2. Cover the pumpkin with olive oil and bake  until the pumpkin is tender, up to one hour. Then scoop out the softened flesh
  3. Season the pumpkin with plenty of paprika, a grating of nutmeg, freshly ground black pepper and a little salt, to taste.
  4. Add the ricotta cheese . Stir well . Cover and allow mixture to stand.
  5. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan without letting it brown. Add the flour little by little, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
  6. When the flour has evenly absorbed the butter, continue to cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes.
  7. Add the 350ml milk a little at a time, strirring constantly to make a smooth, thick and creamy sauce. Season.
  8. Arrange a layer of lasagne pasta sheets in the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Spoon over a third of the pumpkin mixture. Cover with baby spinach leaves and a sprinling of pine nuts Lay more pasta sheets over the top, followed by another layer of pumpkin and another layer of pasta, followed by a final layer of the pumpkin mixture. Finish with a layer of lasagne pasta sheets.
  9. Pour the 150ml milk over the top and allow it to drain through to all pasta layers.
  10. Bake for ten minutes in the preheated oven, remove and spread the béchamel sauce on top.
  11. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until all the milk has been absorbed by the pasta and the lasagne looks cooked and is beginning to go crisp.
  12. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan and place back in the oven for a few minutes - take care not to burn the pasta or the béchamel on top. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pork Sausage and Roast Potato Bake


In a baking tray:

Place
A selection of pork chipolatas
Potato sliced into small pieces
Onions cut into quarters
Sliced garlic cloves
Diced zucchini
Drizzle with lemon myrtle  infused olive oil

season with salt and pepper

Oven bake until golden

Friday, August 17, 2012

Beef Curry


INGREDIENTS

  • 500gms diced beef
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1  piece fresh ginger root - peeled, sliced and crushed
  • 1 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 tbs ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder, toasted
  • 1 1tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 piece cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup thick coconut milk

METHOD

  1. Rinse the beef and pat dry.
  2. Crush the garlic cloves into a paste and combine it with the crushed ginger.
  3. Add the vinegar, salt, pepper, roasted curry powder, and cayenne.
  4. Mix in the beef cubes and toss to coat.
  5. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  6. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  7. Add the curry leaves  Stir in the onions.
  8. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and turned translucent.
  9. Mix in the beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
  10. Stir in the cinnamon stick, and cloves.
  11. Add the tomato paste and water and mix well.
  12. Simmer, covered, on low heat for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
  13. Check the curry every half hour; you may need to add more water (up to 1 cup)
  14.  is too dry and is sticking to the pan.
  15. Add the coconut milk and heat through.
  16. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.

Eggplant, Chickpea and Tomato Curry


Ingredients

Serves4
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon madras curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 2 medium tomatoes, remove core and dice
  • 1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes, soak in cold water to prevent discolouration
  • 1 (400g) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
  • 1 cup (250ml) water

Preparation method

Prep: 10 minutes |Cook: 20 minutes
1.Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan on medium high heat. Sautee onion until golden brown.
2.Lower heat to medium then add in bay leaves, garlic, ginger and spices then stir fry for about 2 minutes.
3.Add in tomatoes and stir to coat tomato pieces with the spices. Increase temperature to medium high heat.
4.Drain eggplant and add to the wok with chickpeas. Stir well to incorporate eggplant and chickpeas well with tomatoes and spices.
5.Add salt and half of the water. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
6.Stir in tomato sauce and remaining water. Simmer stirring occasionally for a further 10 minutes. You may need to add more water as it cooks to get the desired consistency of the gravy. The resulting dish should have a thick gravy the consistency of tomato sauce.
7.Serve piping hot with basmati rice, warm naan or chapatis.




Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Thai Style Meatballs


A different take on meatballs taken form Kathy's Kitchen and adapted for my purposes. Check out that blog for some great recipes. http://kitchenkathy.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/thai-meatballs.htmlMeatballs


500gms. ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1onions, diced
2 tsp. red Thai-style curry paste
1 tbsp. lemongrass, finely chopped (peel away the outer green leaves and only use the white part at the bottom)
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 egg
2 tbsp. fresh coriander, finely chopped
 flour (for coating)

Place all ingredients, except flour, in a bowl and mix to combine. Shape the meat mixture into balls, and roll them in the flour. Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs, moving them around as necessary to make sure they cook through.Or set in fridge for 15 minutes than oven bake for 40 minutes.
I stir-fried some frozen veggies (Asian blend) with a soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce with rice

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Hairy Bikers Lasagne

Time has caught up with the boys as it catches up with most of us. This new series is looking at losing weight with healthy recipes, this seems to be the first recipe. I am looking forward to this show here in Australia. Check the website here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/p00vq8c8

Ingredients

Preparation method

  1. Trim the leeks until they are about the same width as your lasagne dish. Cut the leeks lengthways through to the middle but no further.
  2. Open out the leeks and remove five or six of the narrow leaves from the centre of each leek. Thinly slice these inner leaves. Separate the larger leaves – these will become your ‘lasagne’.
  3. Finely chop half the onion and cut the other half into wedges. Thinly slice the celery and dice the carrots.
  4. Put the minced beef in a large non-stick frying pan with the sliced leeks, chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic.
  5. Place the pan over a medium-high heat and fry without added fat for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. You’ll need to break up the mince with a couple of wooden spatulas or spoons as it cooks.
  6. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and cook for 2–3 minutes more. The pan should look fairly dry at this point.
  7. Sprinkle over the plain flour and stir it thoroughly into the mince and vegetables. Slowly stir in the red wine and beef stock. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato purée and dried oregano, then drop a bay leaf into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper.
  8. Turn down the heat slightly and leave the mince to simmer for 20–30 minutes until rich and thick, stirring occasionally.
  9. While the mince is cooking, put the onion wedges in a saucepan with the remaining bay leaf. In a small bowl mix three tablespoons of the milk with the cornflour.
  10. Pour the rest of the milk into the pan with the onion wedges and set it over a low heat. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the milk to infuse for 10 minutes.
  11. Half fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the leek ‘lasagne’ and bring the water back to the boil.
  12. Cook the leeks for five minutes or until very tender. It is important that the leeks are tender or the lasagne will be tricky to cut later.
  13. Drain in a colander under running water until cold. Drain on kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
  14. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
  15. Remove the onion wedges and bay leaf from the infused milk with a slotted spoon, then return the pan to the heat. Give the cornflour and milk mixture a good stir until it is smooth once more and pour it into the pan with the infused milk.
  16. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly until the sauce is smooth and thick.
  17. Season the sauce with a good grating of nutmeg to taste and plenty of ground black pepper.
  18. If the sauce is a little too thick to pour easily, whisk in a couple more tablespoons of milk.
  19. Spoon a third of the mince mixture into a 2.5 litre lasagne dish. Top with a layer of blanched leeks. Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with leeks. Pour the white sauce over the leeks and top with the sliced tomatoes. Mix the Cheddar and parmesan cheese and sprinkle all over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden-brown and bubbling.
  20. Divide into portions with your sharpest knife. Serve with a freshly dressed green salad.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Beef Pie

I love a pie in winter, they are warming and filling and so nice after a long and cold day at work.


Slice 1 brown onion and sauté
Add
3 sliced celery ribs
2 diced carrots
1 diced red capsicum
100gms of sliced mushrooms
3 sliced garlic cloves
500gms of diced beef
2 cups of beef stock
1 cup red wine
When cooked thicken with a little flour and place in pie dish

Cover with puff pastry (yes I use frozen, thawed)

Oven bake at 180c until golden

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Eggplant Curry


Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 230c
  2. Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.
  3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.
  4. Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Serve with rice and coriander