Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Vegetable Braid










1 sheet of Puff Pastry

1 cup Cheese (Cheddar will be fine), shredded
half Broccoli and half cauliflower  florets
Olive oil spray
1 thinly sliced red onion
Salt and black pepper to taste



Cook the cauliflower and broccoli
Place a layer of onion on the base of the pastry sheet
Top the onion with the cooked vegetables and grated cheese
Spray with olive oil and oven bake until golden.

My braiding skills don't look so great.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms


This is a really nice vegetarian dish that combines several types of grains.

Firstly cook 2 cups of Sunwhite Mountain Blend (which is 50% long grain brown rice, 25% red rice and 25% wild rice) with 1 cup of white quinoa

Remove mushroom stems and place a layer of finely chopped onion
Top with the cooked quinoa and rice mixture

Cover with cheese and oven bake at 180c

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Akara (Fried Bean Balls)


A very common African dish also found in the New World.

Start by soaking 250gms of black eyed peas for 8 to 10 hours
Drain and place in a blender
In a blender combine a diced medium onion
4 red chillies
2 eggs
salt
garlic (1 or 2 cloves)

Blend until a thick puree

Form into balls and drop into boiling oil until golden.

Sweet and Sour Chicken


This recipe comes from Karen Martini's new book Everyday, well worth purchasing!!!

6-8  Chicken thighs with skin still on

Sweet and sour sauce

200ml malt vinegar

130ml Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

100g sugar

2 tsp salt flakes

4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated

80g fresh ginger, cut into thin batons

1 long red chilli, cut on the diagonal

Half medium yellow capsicum, cut into thin batons

1 x 400g tin diced Italian tomatoes

Half pineapple, cored and cut into 5mm dice

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).

2. To make the sweet and sour sauce, place the vinegar, wine or sherry, sugar and salt in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over high heat until the sugar dissolves.

3. Bring to the boil, add the garlic, ginger and chilli, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the capsicum, tomatoes and pineapple and simmer for a further three minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Put a large, heavy-based frying pan over high heat and allow to heat for four minutes. Season the chicken thighs, then add, skin side down, to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken for eight minutes, then turn over and cook for a further three minutes. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sweet and sour sauce. Bake in the oven for eight minutes until bubbling.

5. Scatter with the coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Gobhi ka Pakora (cauliflower fritters)


This was a very tasty dish.

Batter
150gms gram flour (its more coarsely ground)
1tbs ground coriander
1tbs garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp lime juice
Blend the mixture with cold water until its thick as cream
Allow to stand for 20 minutes

Dip cauliflower florets into the batter and deep fry.


Monday, January 20, 2014

Salmon and Prawn Shells


Well its really a simple cheat to use bargain smoked salmon and some eggs from the fridge.

I bought the shells from the supermarket but you could easily use frozen pastry or make your own if you so inclined.

Place 3 cooked and peeled prawns in the base of each shell and top them with small pieces of smoked salmon.

Mix 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk and pour into the shells.

Bake until the custard sets and top with more smoked salmon .

Serve with crusty bread and either a salad or wilted vegetables (I used pak choy)




Saturday, January 18, 2014

Green Tea infused Kangaroo with Seasoned Rice



This is a Japanese inspired dish.

Take 4 kangaroo fillets and slice into thin strips
Marinade for at least 4 hours

Marinade:
2tbs light soy
2tbs sweet chilli sauce
2tsp of loose green tea
1tsp grated ginger
2tbs of diced coriander stems
1tbs of grated lemongrass (white stalks)

Stir fry the steak at high heat

Serve with rice mixed with furikake (this is a Japanese rice seasoning added after the rice is cooked)



Monday, January 13, 2014

Baingan Ka Bharta: Spiced Eggplant Mash










Ingredients

  1. 2 eggplants 
  2. 2.5 tablespoon oil
  3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  4. 3/4 cup diced onions 
  5. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  6. 3-5 hot chilis
  7. 1 tin of crushed tomatoes 
  8. 1/2 tablespoon ginger
  9. salt to taste
  10. 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  11. 1 teaspoon garam masala
  12. 1 teaspoon red chili powder/cayenne/paprika
  13. a lot of fresh coriander leaves, chopped


Method:


Roasting  the eggplants:

If you have a  gas cook top, smear some oil on the each eggplant and place each of them straight on the burner, at medium flame,  allowing the skin to get charred and blackened and turning them so all sides are done. The inside will be soft and mushy. by just placing the eggplant straight on the burner and keeping the flame on low setting.  .

Eggplants may be grilled on the outdoor grill too. Smear oil on the skin and cook by turning the eggplants to cook all sides until the outside is charred and inside is cooked and soft.

To cook in the oven, preheat oven to 200c. Smear some oil on both sides and roast  flesh side down 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Bake it after it is roasted for about 5 – 7 minutes. This imparts the smoky flavor and also changes the color of the eggplants.

Let them cool. Peel off and discard the charred skin. Mash or use the food processor to puree the roasted flesh and keep aside.


Cooking the Bharta:

Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Add the oil and when the oil is hot and shimmers, add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onion, garlic, hot chili peppers. Cook at high heat for a couple of minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the ginger, tomatoes, (the peas – if you are using them), turmeric, salt, chili powder and cook  for 5 – 7 minutes in medium heat until tomatoes are cooked and the oil separates. Add the eggplants and stir and toss well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the mashed eggplants are well combined with the spice mix in the pan.

Remove from heat. Add the fresh coriander when ready to serve.

Serve with flat breads

Curried Butternut Squash with Chickpeas


Ingredients:
  1. 1 butternut squash peeled and diced
  2. 1 tin of chickpeas
  3. 2 red dry chili
  4. a pinch of asafoetida
  5. 1 tablespoon panch phoron/Indian five spice 
  6. 2 green chili pepper, 
  7. 1teaspoon grated ginger
  8. 1 teaspoon turmeric
  9. 1 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
  10. 1 teaspoon sugar
  11. salt
  12. 2 tablespoons oil 
  13. 1 teaspoon butter
Indian Five spice
Equal parts of the following

mustard seeds
cumin seeds
fenugreek seed
fennel seeds
nigella or onion seeds


Method:

Peel and dice the squash. 

Divide the panch phoron/Indian five spice into half. Save half the amount and lightly roast the other half. Cool the roasted spices and finely grind them. You can save if you have any leftover, for later use.

Coat the squash with oil and oven bake at 180c until it starts to soften

Heat the oil in a pan. Put half of the panch phoron/Indian five spice, dry chilies, and the asafoetida in the hot oil.  When they sizzle in about 30 seconds, add the diced squash, salt, sugar, turmeric and chile powder and toss them till all the oil and the spices coat the dices squash.

 Add the ginger, slit green chilies, and the brown chickpeas. Stir and toss them. Cook at medium heat for about 4 minutes.  toss and cover and cook till the diced squash are cooked through – fork tender, but not mushy. They should still be holding their shapes. If there is still any liquid left, cook and dry it off. (I like to make this a dry dish. Some prefer to have some liquid left. Have it your way.)

When they are done, just before you switch off the heat, add a teaspoon of butter and one teaspoon of the roasted five spice powder. Switch off the heat and garnish with fresh cilantro and chilli  flakes if you want.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Morcon - Stuffed beef roll in tomato sauce


This is a Spanish inspired Philippine version of a beef olive.

Start with thin large steak eg round

Place on a board and cover with
slices of chorizo
strips of Edam cheese
diced black olives (make sure no pits)
1 or 2 boiled eggs, depending on size of steak
Roll and tie with baking string (don't use plastic based string unless you eat plastic)

Brown the rolled beef in a large sauce pan and then remove
Add more oil and sauté
2 sliced onions
4 diced garlic cloves
1 diced capsicum
1 can diced tomatoes
700mls pasata
2 cups beef stock
2tbs cider vinegar
2tbs light soy
3 bay leaves
1 tsp chilli flakes or 1 fresh diced chilli

Return the beef and simmer

Monday, January 6, 2014

Trout and pasta














Why trout? Well I went into the supermarket with no idea of what to prepare for tea. A vaccuum sealed trout was available at a really great price so how could I resist?

Firstly get your pasta ready I used linguine.

In a frypan with a little olive oil sauté

2 diced brown onions
3 cloves of garlic

Flake the skin off the trout taking care to remove any bones mix into the fry-pan
Mix the cooked pasta through and sprinkle with baby spinach leaves

When serving squeeze on a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

Haloumi and Mediterranean Vegetables


A simple summer meal.

In a fry-pan with some olive oil sauté

A mixture of vegetable in this case:

Chopped red onion
5 diced garlic cloves
2 zucchini cut into chunks
6 small tomatoes
Small mushrooms cut in half
Handful of baby spinach leaves

Serve with pan fried haloumi

You could add whatever vege is at hand eg eggplant, squash, chilli, capsicum, olives

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Moroccan Fish


This is a tasty stew using Moroccan flavours

Place in the bottom of a saucepan

2 carrots cut into matchsticks
2 sliced onions
2 red chillis
6 garlic cloves half crushed half diced

Top with a kg of firm white fish pieces

Mix 1 tbs of turmeric, 2tbs hot paprika in 250mls of water

Add and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes

Serve with white rice


Leftover Mexicana

Of course this isn't a Mexican dish but it's a great way to use up leftovers.

500gms of mince
2 diced onion brown onions
2 diced red chillies
2 celery ribs
2 finely diced carrots

Sauté all of the above in vegetable oil.

Add tinned tomatillos
2 cups beef stock
1 tbs chilli powder
1tps ground cumin, coriander

Simmer and serve with rice corn chips and cheese.

Eggplant and Cheese


This is a simple Vegetarian side, but tasty.

Half a number of eggplants lengthwise

Drizzle with olive oil and oven bake at 180c for 20 minutes

Then remove from oven cover with tomato (paste, tinned tomatoes and garlic mixed)

Top with broken up mozzarella and grated Parmesan

Return to oven until golden

Thursday, January 2, 2014

A New Year

I guess in terms of a new year I have a few things to achieve.

1. Cook more
2. Waste less
3. Become more sustainable in my footprint on this planet

Finally Loved this article from my local paper by Mark Bittman

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/the-flexitarian-sustainable-resolutions-for-your-diet-20140101-305zq.html