My Place - Food Wine and all that goes with it.

Fish Bake

2012-02-25T14:31:00.001+11:00

Heat oven to 180c

Grease a casserole dish

Layer with silver beet or frozen spinach (thawed first)

Place boneless white fish fillets over the spinach

Add a layer of sliced mushroom

Add an additional layer of the spinach

In a mixing bowl combine
1 can cream of chicken soup
A generous slurp of sweet sherry
1 tbs of flour

Pour this over the whole cover generously with grated cheese

Oven bake for about 30 mins or until golden

This dish could also be done with chicken for those of you who don't like fish.

Vegetable Birayani

2012-02-25T14:21:00.001+11:00

Start with vegetable oil and fry
1 diced onion
1 diced carrot
1 diced potato
2 celery stalks
1/2 a cauliflower florets only

Then add the spices
1tsp of garlic paste
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp turmeric
1tsp cardamon
1tsp coriander
2 cloves
1tsp cumin seed
1 cinnamon stick
2tsp ground almonds

Top with a 400gm can of tomatoes
and 1 can of chickpeas

Add approx. 100gms of basmarti
And about three cups of water

Simmer until rice is cooked

Wayne's Texas Tomato Surprise

2012-02-21T16:42:00.002+11:00

This is an adapted recipe that has quite an interesting flavour.

Soften in bran oil
1 sliced onion
1 thinly slice red capsicum
2 sliced celery stalks
2 finely diced garlic cloves
Season with:
1 tsp dried basil
1tsp ground cumin
salt pepper
1tsp chilli powder

Brown 1kg minced beef
Add 1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef stock

Simmer, meanwhile in a saucepan stir 2 cups of polenta with 3 cups of water until a smooth paste is formed (1min)

Combine all ingredients in a casserole and top with grated cheese.

Oven bake at 180c until golden brown

Serve with corn chips

This could be served with pitted black olives mixed through

Pan Fried Eggplant

2012-02-19T16:04:00.000+11:00

I don't believe in replacing meat with substitutes for a vegetarian meal. Its not necessary at all. This is a well balanced vegetarian meal that ticks all the boxes for taste.

This dish has 3 components:

Firstly road kill potatoes, see recipe on this blog

Secondly pan fried Haloumi

Finally thinly sliced eggplant
coat with a mitre of minced garlic, minced chilli and olive oil
Pan fry until golden

Cheesy Vegetable Bake

2012-02-19T09:57:00.002+11:00

Crease a baking dish
Layer with silver beet or spinach
Cover with a sprinkling of grated cheddar
Layer sliced mushroom and sliced onion
Sprinkle with goats cheese
Layer with silver beet or spinach
Mix 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, 1cup of flour
Pour over ingredients
Cover with Cheddar grated or sliced

Oven bake at 180c till golden

Sylvania Country Captain

2012-02-18T15:50:00.001+11:00

My version of a Virginia dish, recipe inspired by James Villlas.

Flour a selection of chicken pieces and fry in vegetable oil, set aside.

Fry 2 sliced onions and one large red capsicum.

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish
Add 1 400gm tin tomatoes
2 tsp allspice
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock

Bake for 30 minutes.

NB: the original dish added raisins and almonds

Creamy Eggplant Curry

2012-02-05T09:18:00.001+11:00

Yes another eggplant recipe just for Brenda

Masala Blend (rough idea)

2tbp ground cardamon

2tbp ground coriander

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp tumeric

1tsp ground cumin

2 dried chilli

Heat 3 tbp oil in a heavy based pan

Add spices and stir until fragrant

2 sliced brown onions

Cook until softened and covered in the spice blend

3 cubed regular eggplant

2 diced zucchini

Again stir until coated

Add water cover and simmer

Stir occasionally adding water if needed

Sauce:

Whisk together

3tbs besan (chickpea flour)

3tbs yogurt

Water

Add to curry and heat through

Serve on basmarti rice

Lamb Pie

2012-02-05T09:09:00.003+11:00

It is always a worry as to what to do with the leftover lamb after a leg roast. Firstly make sure to harvest all the meat.

Begin by thawing 2 sheets of puff pastry and two sheets of shortcrust. It is just easier and time saving over making your own.

Dice two brown onions and sauté in oil
Add 3 celery stalks finely diced
1 Leek sliced thinly
2 finely sliced garlic cloves
Season and add 1tsp oregano and 1tsp sage

When softened and translucent add
1 cup beef stock
3 cups of wine
400gm can bartolli beans (or any bean of your choice)

Cut your leftover lamb into small pieces and add

Thicken with gravy flour

Line a pie dish with the shortcrust pastry (you can blind bake it or leave the base out for a lighter pie)

Place in your filling top with the puff pastry spray with olive oil

Bake at 180c until golden.

Matt Moran's Chicken in Master Stock

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000+11:00

I have heard Matt describe this dish as one of his favourite dishes to serve his family. If you like this you really need to check out his cookbooks!!

1 × 1.6 kg chicken
2 bunches baby bok choy

Master stock
1 litres chicken stock
330 ml light soy sauce
200 ml rice wine vinegar
palm sugar
5 cm knob ginger, roughly chopped
2 star anise
1 cinnamon quills
60 ml sherry vinegar
2 small chillies, cut in half
1 bunch coriander, roots only

Sauce ( I did not make this part of the recipe)
Spring onion and ginger mix
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
½ clove garlic, finely chopped
20 ml peanut oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
20 ml rice wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients for the spring onion and ginger mix in a bowl.

To prepare the master stock, place all the ingredients in a stockpot and simmer for 20 minutes. Bring to the boil and add the whole chicken, then reduce the heat and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with the lid and leave for 1 hours.

Bake the chicken in a 200c oven for 40 minutes

When ready to serve, blanch the bok choy in salted, boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in iced water.

Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the bok choy, the spring onion and ginger mix, and some steamed rice.

Kylie Kwong's red master stock chicken

2012-01-25T10:11:00.000+11:00

This is another master stock recipe I have not cooked it but looks amazing. I "borrowed" this recipe from a site and I can't find it, please let me know if you know where this comes from.

Kylie Kwong's red master stock chicken

Kylie Kwong loves the colour and flavour of her red master stock chicken.

"This stock can be reused again and again by simply straining it thoroughly, storing it in an airtight container and freezing it," she advises.

"Each time you use this stock, it will become richer and deeper: simply thaw it and add a fresh batch of all the stock ingredients, plus enough water to make up the volume of liquid to six litres again.

billy kwong, Shop 3, 355 Crown St, Surry Hills, (02) 9332 3300

Serve as part of a banquet for 4-6

Ingredients:

1 x 1.6kg free-range or organic chicken

Masterstock

3 cups shao hsing wine or dry sherry
3 cups organic tamari
2 cups organic brown sugar
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup ginger slices
8 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and cut in half crossways
1 tsp sesame oil
10 star anise
4 cinnamon quills
7 strips fresh orange zest

Method:

Place all stock ingredients, plus six litres of cold water, in a large stockpot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Meanwhile, rinse chicken under cold water. Trim excess fat from inside and outside cavity, but keep neck, parson's nose and winglets intact.
Lower chicken, breast side down, into simmering stock, ensuring it is fully submerged. Poach chicken gently for 14 minutes. There should be no more than an occasional ripple breaking the surface. Remove stockpot immediately from the stove and allow chicken to steep in the stock for 3 hours at room temperature to complete the cooking process.
Using tongs, gently remove chicken from the stock, being careful not to tear the breast skin. Place chicken on a tray to drain and allow to cool.
Chop the chicken Chinese style as shown, below.
Spoon over some of the stock and serve at room temperature.

Carving poultry, Chinese-style

Step 1:

With a sharp knife or cleaver, make an incision along centre of breast and chop through the bone. Ease apart the two halves with your hands and the knife.

Step 2:

After cutting off wing from each breast and setting aside, make an incision between the drumstick/thigh and breast and remove the drumstick.

Step 3:

Cut bony pieces from the end of breast and discard. Chop each drumstick/thigh into slices about 5cm x 2cm and arrange on a platter.

Step 4:

Chop each breast across the bone into slices about 7cm x 2cm. Arrange on top of drumstick/thigh pieces. Finally, cut each wing in half and place on top of rest of chicken.

Spring Vegetable Canneloni

2012-01-24T09:32:00.001+11:00

This is a really nice vegetarian dish that tastes of spring.

Use a food processor to slice and combine a zucchini, half an eggplant, and several dutch Carrots.

On a flat sheet of pasta (lasagne sheets)
Cover with a thin layer of ricotta
Place a generous amount of the vegetables and roll up.
Repeat

Lay the completed Cannelloni in a baking dish
Cover with pasata
Sprinkle with a generous layer of grated tasty cheese.
Oven bake for 40 mins or until cheese melts and becomes golden.

Note the vegetables will retain some of their crunch, to make them softer microwave them for a few minutes before you start.

Spicy Tofu Noodles

2012-01-21T07:20:00.000+11:00

Ingredients:

1 large block of tofu
2 tbs oil

Sauce ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1tbs tamarind paste
2tsp lemongrass, white parts only, minced
1 tbs red chili, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/8 tsp five spice powder
1 cup pomelo jam (or marmalade)
2tbs brown sugar

1 tbs oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, minced

Directions:

To make the sauce:

Add oil to pan over medium heat and saute lemongrass, chili, and garlic for 1 minute. Lower heat and add sugar, reducing heat to low and simmering for about 10 minutes until all sugar has dissolved. Add the jam, stir to combine, and cool. Makes 2 cups.

Cut the tofu into cubes. Pan fry in the oil over medium high heat until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, to make it slightly more authentic, you can coat teh tofu in a fine layer of rice flour and deep fry until golden brown.

Add 1 tbs oil to pan over medium high and briefly saute onion, celery, green onions, and chili - about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup tamarind sauce and tofu, tossing to coat. Simmer 30 seconds and serve.

Serve with noodles

Spinach, Zucchini Lasagne

2012-01-20T08:21:00.001+11:00

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly oil a large ovenproof baking dish measuring about 23×33 cm and about 7 cm deep.

Mix together the ricotta, cheddar and a large bowl. Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce over the base of the oiled baking dish. Arrange four of the lasagne sheets to cover the base of the dish; if necessary, overlap them a little. Spread with a quarter of the ricotta mixture, then top with a third of the spinach/zucchini. Repeat layering twice more with the sauce, lasagne sheets, ricotta mixture and spinach. Top with the remaining four sheets of lasagne.

Spread the remaining ricotta mixture and pasta sauce over the top, then gently press the lasagne sheets down into the dish, so the sauce comes up around the sides. Use a sheet of foil to cover the dish.

Bake for 35 minutes, then uncover, sprinkle with the mozzarella and bake for a further 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into rectangles to serve.

Brioche Bread Machine

2012-01-18T14:27:00.000+11:00

I can hardly wait to try this, the recipe link is at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine , softened
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons water (70º to 80ºF)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Directions:

Measure all ingredients into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer.

Process on sweet or basic/white bread cycle; use light or medium/normal crust color setting.

Remove bread from pan; cool on wire rack.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/brioche-loaf-breadmaker-1-1-2-lb-loaf-94536#ixzz1jmDLxPi2

Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken

2012-01-18T07:58:00.001+11:00

Ingredients:

Diced chicken thigh fillets or better still on the bone
5 tbsp ketchup
5 tbsp orange marmalade
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove
thumb-size piece fresh ginger
1 tbsp chinese rice vinegar
few drops tabasco
1 tbsp corn starch
salt & pepper
1/4tsp 5 spice powder

Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl you mix the ketchup,marmalade, soy sauce and
The rice vinegar.
Add a few drops of tabasco and some sesame oil.
Grate the garlic and ginger in there as well and mix it up
If not sweet enough add brown sugar.
Add the chicken to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce in and mix well
Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Thicken sauce with either cornstarch or arrowroot

Serve with rice and fresh green beans.

Tomato and Asparagus Tart

2012-01-17T08:06:00.002+11:00

Heat oven to 180c line a pastry tin with short crust pastry, blind bake.
Heat olive oil in a frypan and add thinly sliced mushroom

Cook asparagus in microwave
Layer onto base of tart
Whisk together 2 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, diced boccocini
Pour into case
Top with sliced cherry tomatoes
Bake until set about 35 mins

Massaman Curry

2012-01-16T08:27:00.002+11:00

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup massaman curry paste (I used Mai Ploy brand)
500g beef chuck steak, cut into cubes
400mls coconut cream milk
300g small chat potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons limejuice
1 tablespoon palm sugar
steamed jasmine rice, 1/4 cup roughly chopped cashews, and 1/2 cup coriander sprigs (optional), to serve

Heat oil in a large, non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add beef and stir until well combined.
Slowly add coconut milk, stirring constantly. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Add potatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until meat is tender. Stir through fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. Serve with steamed rice, sprinkled with cashews and coriander.

Mango Ice Cream

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000+11:00

Combine the pulp of 2 mangoes
2/3 cup castor sugar
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup thickened cream

Blend in a blender
Pour into ice cream machine for 25 minutes
Set in freezer

Mexican Chicken Surprise

2012-01-13T19:34:00.000+11:00

Firstly cut chicken into bite sized pieces cook until browned.

Saute 2 sliced brown onions
Sliced celery

In a casserole dish layer
2 generous handfuls of corn chips
cooked chicken pieces
1 jar of salsa
300mls of sour cream
Top with grated cheese and bake for 30-40 mins at 180c

Serve on a bed of rice with corn chips

Eggplant Curry

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000+11:00

350g eggplant
1 clove garlic, finely crushed
1 tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
3 Tbsp tamarind paste
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sambal olek
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp vegetable oil
Juice of two limes
400ml coconut cream
2 fresh hot green chillies, very finely chopped

To prepare the eggplant, slice it into rounds about 1 cm thick. Stack a few slices on top of each other, and slice again into 1 cm thick "matchsticks".

Put the aubergine pieces into a bowl. Add the crushed garlic, ginger, tamarind paste, turmeric, salt and chilli powder. Mix well and set aside for at least 15 minutes to marinade. Pour off any liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl just before you are ready to make the dish.

Peel the whole garlic cloves and mash lightly but leave whole. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high flame, then add the mashed cloves and stir until they brown lightly. Add the aubergine pieces and continue to stirfry until they are cooked to the consistency you like. Remove from heat briefly and stir in the coconut milk, fresh coriander and chopped green chillies. Return to the heat and stir just until it starts to simmer, then serve.

Roasted Pumpkin and Haloumi salad

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000+11:00

For this I used a butternut squash but any pumpkin will do.

Cut pumpkin into small cubes
Coat with olive oil and oven bake until golden

In a fry pan
Place haloumi cheese cut into squares brown on both sides remove

Drizzle pan with olive oil
Add generous quantities of baby spinach wilt

Assemble and serve
Garnish with a quality olive oil and pine nuts

Chinese Prawns

2012-01-10T09:35:00.000+11:00

In a bowl combine
3tsp five spice
1tsp chilli powder
1/2 white pepper
1/2 sea salt
1/2 sechuan pepper
700 gms prawn meat
Fry prawns until cooked
Serve on a green salad with jasmine rice and lemon juice

Spicy Eggplant with Tofu

2012-01-09T09:31:00.001+11:00

Cut into pieces one eggplant
Dice 100 gms tofu
2 sliced red chillies
Cook in vegetable oil until both browned

Sauce with
1tsp black vinegar
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp brown sugar
1tbsp light soy
2tsp sambal olek

Eggplant Medley Curry

2012-01-07T09:11:00.000+11:00

Yes another eggplant recipe, I have not abandoned cooking Indian recipes but I am playing around with blends of spices to see what I get.

Masala Blend (rough idea)
1tsp Asafedita powder
2tbp ground cardamon
2tbp ground coriander
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp tumeric
1tsp cumin seed
2 dried chilli

Heat 3 tbp of mustard seed oil in a heavy based pan

Add spices and stir until fragrant
2 sliced brown onions
Cook until softened and covered in the spice blend
1 cubed regular eggplant
1 cubed graffitti eggplant
3 sliced grey eggplants

Again stir until coated
Add water cover and simmer
Stir occasionally adding water if needed
5 mins before serving toss in some cherry tomatoes

Serve on basmarti rice

Cuisinart Ice Cream maker Strawberry Ice Cream

2012-01-06T14:52:00.000+11:00

This is a new device I picked up before Christmas, now is the time to put it to use. Lovely result.

Ingredients:

Strawberries
2 pun nets fresh strawberries
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Ice Cream Base
1 cup milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Strawberries
Wash, stem, and slice strawberries.

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small airtight container.

Place strawberry mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Leaving the strawberries, in the fridge longer will enhance the flavor.

Ice Cream Base

Mix milk and sugar, allowing the sugar to dissolve (mix about 1 -2 minutes with a hand mixer or whisk).

Drain strawberries, adding juice to milk mixture. Set strawberries aside.

Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.

Pour mixture into your ice cream maker.

Mix about 20-25 minutes.

Add about half the strawberries to ice cream mixture

Mix 5 minutes more in your ice cream maker.

Allow to set firmly in freezer.

Waynes Gumbo

2012-01-06T10:07:00.000+11:00

This as all good Gumbos are is a mixture of what was to hand and what was inexpensive.
Slow cooked over 12 hours, ingredients added in order.

In the slow cooker at 6.00 am

I start with the ham bone leftover from xmas
1 ltr of chicken stock and 500ml of water
3 frozen beef sausages and chorizo

At 9.30 added Im not putting amounts because it depends on what you have
Diced celery
Diced carrot
Diced onion
Diced chilli

At 2.00 Added several diced potatoes

At 6.00 removed the ham bones and fat

Tea served in a bowl of rice at 7.00pm.

Coconut Ice Cream

2012-01-05T14:54:00.003+11:00

I love Thai flavours.

This is a simple recipe first

Heat 1/3 cup sugar and 2/3 cup of water until sugar dissolves cool

Combine with 3 cups coconut cream and 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Churn in ice cream maker for 25 minutes

I think next time I would leave out the shredded coconut.

Shanghai Style Eggplant

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000+11:00

Guess what todays dish is? If you didn't get it you are a bit slower than most.

500g Japanese eggplant (also known as Lebanese) I used regular.
5 tbsp oil
1 large red chilli, roughly cut into chunks
1 diced block of tofu2 cloves garlic, bruised
200ml water
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water, extra

Cut or snap the eggplant into 5cm thick pieces. Heat oil in wok until shimmering. Add, chilli and garlic cloves and cook for 20-30 seconds. Remove chilli and reserve.

Add eggplant and tofu and gently stir-fry. When eggplants have soaked up all of the oil, add 1 tbsp of the water. Keep adding water, a tbsp at a time until eggplants are soft and you have used half of the water.

Stir in dark soy sauce and sugar. Stir well and add remaining water. Cover with lid and cook for 1 minute. Uncover, the liquid should have been absorbed. Return chilli to wok, toss for 30 seconds and serve.

Eat immediately, but watch out the temperature very hot! Seriously!

CAULIFLOWER EGGPLANT CURRY

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000+11:00

No guesses needed as to why I am doing another eggplant dish.

1 cauliflower
1 eggplant
2 potatoes
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 to 4 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
dash of water
1 tomato, chopped or 1 tbsp. tomato paste or cherry tomatoes

Separate cauliflower carefully into flowerets and slice.
Cut eggplant into cubes.
Heat oil When hot add mustard seed,turmeric, curry powder and salt.
Add cauliflower and stir to coat with spices and oil.
Add water and eggplant.
Cube potatoes and boil them separately until partially cooked before adding them
Continue cooking over medium heat, adding water from time to time, stirring gently
Peas should be added about 5 minutes before serving
At the last minute add a cherry tomatoes
Remove from heat.

Eggplant Curry

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000+11:00

In a mixture of mustard seed oil and ghee.

Heat the following mix
2tsp ground cardamon
2tsp cumin seed
1tsp celery seeds
1tsp turmeric
1tsp ginger (powdered)

Add 1 sliced onion
1 diced green capsicum
1diced eggplant
3 diced carrots
1 handful of green curry leaves
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes

Add enough water to prevent the curry from drying out
Thicken with 2tbs besan flour to a little water mix and add to make a rich sauce.

Serve with rice

Rendang Curry

2011-12-24T16:08:00.000+11:00

This is one way to kill 2 birds with one stone.

I am going to use one curry paste to cook a beef and a vegetarian rendang.

Paste
In a blender combine

2 red onions
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp grated ginger
2 chillies
lemon grass stalks (white part only)

Heat in some oil until fragrant and then add
2tbs ground cumin
2tbs ground coriander
2tsp tumeric
1 tbs tamarind paste or lime juice
1tbs brown sugar or palm sugar if you have it
Then add coconut cream

This needs to be reduced slowly over about 1-2 hours

For the vegetarian version I added diced beetroot and diced eggplant

Diced beef was used for the meat eaters version

Spinach and Feta Slice

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000+11:00

This idea comes from Super Food Ideas, a cheap little magazine that often has clever ideas, well worth checking out.

Ingredients

1 Loaf wholemeal bread
olive oil cooking spray
1 packet frozen spinach
200g feta cheese, crumbled
1 large onion, chopped
8 eggs
1/2 thickened cream

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 4cm deep, 16cm x 26cm (base) slab pan.
I didn't do any of this I just layered it. Cut eight 1.5cm-thick slices from loaf. Using a rolling pin, roll out each slice until 5mm thick. Spray both sides with olive oil.
Use sliced bread to line pan, overlapping bread slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly toasted.
Meanwhile, place half the spinach in a microwave-safe dish. Cover. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until just wilted. Drain. Repeat with remaining spinach. Using your hands, squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Roughly chop.
Arrange spinach evenly over bread base. Top with feta and onion. Using a fork, beat eggs, cream and salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Pour over spinach mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Cut into slices and serve.

Potato, carrot and eggplant Curry

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000+11:00

This is a curry I through together to use up a few leftover vegetables.

Start by melting 1 tablespoon of ghee in some vegetable oil.
Fry a nice masala mix (powdered garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, cumin)

Add
4 diced potatoes
1 sliced onion
A handful of baby carrots
2 diced eggplants
Coat all ingredients with oil and masala powder
Add water till just about covered

Toss in a handful of red lentils

Cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked

If it needs thickening mix water and becan flour and stir through.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

2011-12-21T10:54:00.000+11:00

In a fry pan with a little olive oil sauté
1 sliced leek
2 cloves of garlic
150gms of sliced mushroom
When softened remove from pan
add a little more oil if needed
Diced chicken pieces
Several pieces of diced bacon
Brown the chicken, I used diced thigh fillet
Season salt, pepper, tarragon and chilli powder
Deglaze with white wine
Add a can of cream of chicken soup.
Top with cheese

Place in a casserole dish and cook for 25-30mins at 180c

Serve with pasta and garlic bread. I mixed the pasta into this one.

Beetroot Curry

2011-12-20T15:30:00.000+11:00

This one comes from My Sri Lanka with Peter Kuruvita. Always loving beetroot I thought this one look very interesting.

Ingredients

1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 green chilli
1 5cm piece pandan
1 sprig curry leaves
½ kilo beetroots, tops removed, peeled and cubed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt
1 cinnamon sticks, washed and broken up
2 tbsp ghee
Oil
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp white vinegar
300ml coconut milk
100ml coconut cream, plus extra to serve

Preparation

Place the beetroot, chilli powder, coriander, salt and cinnamon sticks chilli, pandans leaves and curry leaves in a bowl and set aside

Heat the oil in a separate pot over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Fry until translucent, stirring occasionally

Add the beetroot mixture, sugar and vinegar and stir to combine.

Add the coconut milk and leave to cook for 50-75 minutes, or until the gravy has reduced. To test if the curry has completely cooked, stick a knife through a piece of beetroot. It should fall apart quite easily but still have a slight crunch to it.

Check the taste of the curry. If there is too much vinegar, add a bit more sugar to balance it.

Add the coconut cream and stir to combine. Leave to cook until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Remove from heat and serve with a little extra coconut cream drizzled over the top.

Pistachio Dip

2011-12-16T19:04:00.001+11:00

50g (about 1 slice) day-old crusty bread, crusts removed, torn
215g (1 1/2 cups) pistachio kernels
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs Greek-style no fat natural yoghurt
125ml (1/2 cup) water
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Blend all of the above in a blender, goes well with seafood.

Muhammara Dip

2011-12-16T18:59:00.003+11:00

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
3 red capsicums (or roasted capsicum in a jar)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup (50g) walnuts
1 tbs molasses or golden syrup
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp sumac (see note), plus extra to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Rub 2 teaspoons oil over the capsicums. Place on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes or until soft. Turn off the oven and leave for a further 20 minutes until skins are wrinkled.
Place capsicums in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then cool for 10 minutes. Halve, then remove skin and seeds.
Place capsicum, garlic, nuts, molasses, lemon juice, cumin, chilli and 2 tbs oil in a food processor and grind until a coarse puree. Season with salt and pepper.

Chick Peas and Greek Yogurt Dip

2011-12-16T18:53:00.002+11:00

400g canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Greek-style yoghurt
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
salt and cracked black pepper

Method

Place chickpeas in a food processor or blender with 1 tablespoon warm water and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, pour olive oil in a thin, steady stream and process until smooth.
Remove chickpea mixture from the processor and fold through yoghurt, coriander, salt and cracked black pepper. Mix until well combined.
Serve drizzled with a little olive oil with toasted pita bread

Bean and Chilli Dip

2011-12-16T18:51:00.001+11:00

This is a morning tea dip for work.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 long red chillies, finely chopped
300g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
3 large tomatoes, chopped
corn chips, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add chilli. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add beans, tomato, tomato paste and 2/3 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stand for 15 minutes.
Place half the bean mixture in a processor. Process until almost smooth. Add processed mixture to remaining bean mixture. Stir to combine.

Tamatar Bhatkalikura (Tomato curry with coconut, spinach and eggplant)

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000+11:00

In a pan
Temper 1 tsp mustard seed and three chopped red chilli

Saute 2 sliced onions
500gms diced tomatoes
1 diced eggplant
Diced spinach, stalks as well
6 curry leaves
2tsp crushed garlic
500mls of water
Reduce then add
2tsp turmeric
3tps ground coconut
Cover until all vege has softened

Serve with rice and Indian sides

Glamorgan Sausages

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000+11:00

Well it goes without saying I didn't follow the recipe, mainly because I had no access to the cheese.

Ingredients

175-200g fresh white breadcrumbs
150 g Caerphilly cheese or lancashire cheese, crumbled or grated (I used grated cheddar and parmesan)
half a leek or 6 spring onions, very finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
half tsp thyme, leaves only
black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp English mustard or Dijon mustard
2-3 tbsp milk (needs a lot more milk than this)
45 g butter or 3 tbsp sunflower oil

Method

1. Mix together 150g of the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the cheese, leek or spring onion, parsley, thyme and plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper, blending well.

2. Beat the eggs with the mustard. Set aside 2 tablespoons of this mixture and stir the remaining egg mixture into the breadcrumb mixture. If it seems a little dry add a touch of milk to help bind it together without making it sloppy.

3. Divide the mixture into eight and shape each portion into a sausage about 2.5cm thick. Put the reserved egg and mustard mixture into a shallow bowl and spread the remaining breadcrumbs onto a plate. One by one dip the sausages into the egg mixture and coat in the crumbs. If you have time, chill the sausages in the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up.

4. To fry the sausage, heat the butter or oil in the frying pan and fry the sausages briskly for about 5 minutes until brown, reduce the heat and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

5. To grill, preheat the grill. Drizzle the sausages with a little melted butter or oil and grill the sausages under a pre-heated grill until well browned on all sides, turning frequently.

Andhra Tamarind Vegetable Curry

2011-12-13T09:30:00.000+11:00

Ok not sure if I can really call this by its true name, I have taken a number of liberties with the recipe. It was nice and this is what I did.

Heat 2tbs sesame oil (I know but its authentic)
Add
1tsp black mustard seed
.5 tsp fenugreek powder
1tsp asafoetida powder
1tsp dried red chilli flakes
2tsp curry leaves
When the seeds start to pop
Add
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbs brown sugar
1tsp turmeric
2tsp grated ginger
300 mls of water

Now dice the vege, I used (I think you could add whatever vegetables you have on hand)
2 eggplants
1 butternut squash
2 diced chillies
2tbs red lentils
Place a lid on and leave to simmer until vegetables are soft

Then whisk 125mls of water with 1 tbs of besan flour
Add to curry stir and heat

Serve with rice and desired Indian condiments

Pepper and Egg Stew

2011-12-12T09:30:00.000+11:00

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp hot smoked paprika
2 pinches saffron
400gm tin crushed tomatoes
1 each red, yellow (I left this one out, way too expensive) and green capsicums chopped
1 hot chilli finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them fry gently for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, or until soft and golden.
Add the garlic and capsicums and continue to cook over a low heat for at least 20 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft and wilted. Add the paprika, crumble in the saffron, then add the tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring from time to time, for 10–15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°c.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Make 4 hollows in the surface and carefully break an egg into each one. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the egg white is set and the yolk still just runny.

Vegetarian Oven Roast

2011-12-11T08:30:00.000+11:00

Well its cooked in the oven, so its baked. Sort of.

In a fry pan heat 3tbs oil and 50gms butter

Saute in this mix
1 sliced leek
1 halved and sliced red onion
1 sliced red capsicum
150gms diced swiss mushroom
50gms diced oyster mushrooms
400gm tin of cannelloni beans
2 sliced garlic cloves
3cm grated ginger
2tsp mustard
1 cup vegetable stock
Thicken with a tbs of flour
Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes dried tarragon

Separately cook a handful of diced Dutch carrots

Combine in a baking dish
Add a generous handful of grated cheese
Stir through 300gms of cream
Top with panco bread crumbs and bake until golden

Oven Baked Eggplant

2011-12-10T08:44:00.001+11:00

Brenda loves eggplant so this is another dish for her.

Cut an eggplant into halves.
Scoop out the flesh and dice roughly.

Fill with Sauce and top with diced eggplant
Drizzle with olive oil
Cover with grated cheese

Oven bake until golden

Sauce

olive oil
2–3 shallots, or 1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150–200g diced tomatoes
400g tin beans, such as borlotti, pinto or butter beans, drained and rinsed
Bunch of coriander, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot smoked paprika

Saute until reduced and thick

Stuffed Peppers

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000+11:00

2 large capsicum or bull peppers
1 olive oil
2–3 shallots, or 1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150–200g diced tomatoes
400g tin beans, such as borlotti, pinto or butter beans, drained and rinsed
Bunch of coriander, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
1tsp hot chilli flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional crumbled goats cheese

For the garlicky yoghurt (optional)

6 tbsp plain (full-fat) yoghurt or soured cream
½ garlic clove, crushed

Method

Preheat the grill to high. Lay the chillies on a baking tray and grill, turning from time to time, until the skins begin to char. Leave until cool enough to handle, then carefully peel away the skins, taking care to keep the chillies whole. Cut around and remove the stalks and
Cut a flap of flesh to form a ‘lid’. Carefully scrape out all the seeds and membranes from inside the chillies and lids, and tip out any juice.
Preheat the oven to 180°C Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat, then gently sauté the shallots or onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Dice the tomatoes. Simmer for a minute or two to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat.
Add the drained beans to the pan and roughly mash some of them with a fork, so they break up a little – don’t overdo it, you want plenty of them to stay whole. Add the chopped coriander, cumin, chilli and paprika, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the mixture carefully into the chillies and top with the ‘lids’. Lay them in
a lightly oiled ovenproof dish and bake for 20 minutes.
While the chillies are in the oven, combine the yoghurt with the crushed garlic and some salt and pepper, if serving, and set aside.
Serve the stuffed chillies hot, with a spoonful of garlicky yoghurt if you like, and a crisp, green salad.

Tarator Dip

2011-12-09T09:30:00.000+11:00

Another morning tea dip.

Combine in a blender, drizzle in olive oil

4 slices of good white bread crusts removed
200g walnuts, lightly toasted
2 fat garlic clove, crushed
250ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Paprika, to finish

Stuffed Potato

2011-12-08T11:00:00.000+11:00

This is a great supper for a cool night.

4 baking potatoes
Large knob of butter
4 tbsp cream
Handful of grated cheddar cheese
5 spring onions, finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the beans

Splash of bran oil
1 medium onion, chopped
400ml can tomatos
400g cans beans, drained
2 tsp mixed sweet paprika and cumin

Method

Wrap the potatoes well in foil and bake i for about 1½ hours, moving them around to ensure they cook evenly.
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the middles into a bowl leaving about 5mm of potato around the edge of the skin.
Roughly mash the potato and add all the remaining ingredients one by one mixing after each addition. Return the cheesy potato mixture to the potato shells.
Place the potato halves in the bottom of a Dutch oven lined with crumpled foil. Put the lid on the oven and cook for about 15 minutes checking occasionally.
For the beans, add a little oil to a Dutch oven or saucepan and when hot add the chopped onion and lightly fry. When the onion has a little colour add the passata and then the beans and sprinkle in the spice mix. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and serve with the potatoes.

Green Bean Casserole

2011-12-07T15:23:00.000+11:00

Green Bean Casserole

Green beans baked in a creamy mushrooms sauce and topped with golden brown bread crumbs french fried onions

Servings: makes 4-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

500gms green beans, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
300gms mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup cream
1 cup gruyere or cheddar , grated
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup french fried onions

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the green beans, cook until they just start to turn tender and plunge then them into cold water.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms start to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Sprinkle then mix the flour in and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.
Add the broth and cream and simmer until it thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the cheese and let it melt, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Mix the green beans into the mushroom sauce and pour into a baking dish.
Mix the melted butter, bread crumbs and french fried onions and sprinkle onto the casserole.
Bake in a preheated 180c oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Leek and Mushroom Pie

2011-12-06T11:00:00.000+11:00

Another lovely Nigel Slater recipe.
A mushroom pie in the shepherd's pie style, made with assorted mushrooms, Marsala, crème fraîche and tarragon.

Serves 4

small leeks 400g, untrimmed weight
olive oil 2 tbsp
butter 30g
mushrooms assorted 600g total
lemon zest and juice of 1
plain flour 2 lightly heaped tbsp
dry Marsala 3-4 tbsp
vegetable or chicken stock 300ml
tarragon a small bunch (3 tbsp)
crème fraîche 2 heaped tbsp

For the potato topping:
floury potatoes 1kg
butter 50g

Trim the leeks, removing any dark green leaves. Anything pale green or white is fine. Warm the olive oil and butter in a large casserole over a moderate heat. Thinly slice the leeks, then add them to the butter. Cover with a lid and cook, at a low to moderate pace, for 10-15 minutes until they are soft, but not coloured.

Sort the mushrooms, dividing them into firm (chestnut, portobello, button) and the more fragile, "wild" varieties that will take less time to cook.

Once the leeks start to soften, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the firm mushrooms, sliced or quartered where necessary, to the pan. Continue cooking until they are lightly coloured, adding more butter or oil as you think fit. Return the leeks to the pan. Add the lemon juice and zest, then the flour, and continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes then pour in the Marsala, followed shortly by the stock. Leave to simmer.

Remove the tarragon leaves from their stalks, leave them whole then stir into the sauce with the crème fraîche. Check the seasoning, remove from the heat, then pour into a large baking dish, tuck in the raw fragile mushrooms (they will overcook if added during the initial cooking) and set aside.

Cook the potatoes, unpeeled, in boiling, salted water until tender, then mash roughly, skins and all, with the butter. Place in rough mounds over the mushroom sauce (don't be tempted to smooth it), then bake for 45 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6.

Roasted Eggplant

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000+11:00

Ingredients
3 eggplants
3 large tomatoes
passata
1 large potato
1 large red onion
2-3 garlic cloves
parsley
olive oil
salt, pepper, cumin

Method
Cut the caps of the eggplants off and cut them in round slices (1cm thick). Cut the potatoe(s) and the tomatoes into round slices.
In a pyrex dish or another dish used for cooking in the oven (about 40 cm long and 20 cm wide) put one layer of eggpland slices, then one layer of tomato slices, one layer of potatoes. Over the potatoes add the chopped garlic and onion. Then continue with one layer of eggplants, the parsley and one layer of tomatoes. Make sure that the tomatoes cover the eggplants with the tomatoes in order to keep them as juicy as possible.
Add water up to 1/3 of the dish, and the passata (just a bit to make the sauce redder). Add salt, pepper, and optionally a bit of cumin.
Add the oil (the oil will drag the salt and pepper down and distribute it evenly among all the ingredients). It is important that the oil reaches the eggplants because this way they will cook better.

Cook at 200c for an 1.5 hours

Char Sui Pork Chops

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000+11:00

Take 4 pork chops and marinate
Marinade:
2 tbs Char Sui Sauce
2tbs Honey
2 tbs Lime Juice
Mix and marinate for at least 1 hour 6 would be better (but who can be that organised)

On the BBQ or in a hot pan char and brown the chops
Remove from heat and cover or place in a 180c oven for about 15 minutes

Serve with rice and either lightly stir fried selection of vege or a green salad.

Aubergine Curry

2011-12-02T16:30:00.000+11:00

Mustard seed oil, for frying
1 eggplant, sliced into wedges
400ml coconut milk
400ml Diced tomatoes
350g green beans

For the curry paste

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
5-6 shallots, roughly chopped
2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, roughly chopped
4 hearts of lemongrass, chopped (the white part)
5 green chillies, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric

Method

Put all the paste mix ingredients into a blender along with a couple of tablespoons of lemon or lime juice and blitz, pushing the paste down from the sides of the blender periodically, you want a smooth paste mix.
In a deep saucepan heat a little oil and add half the curry paste, fry the paste for a couple of minutes stirring all the time.
Add the eggplant, stir to coat in the paste. Add the coconut milk and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add green beans and cook for about 10 minutes or until the beans are tender but still have a bit of bite.

Serve with a selection of Indian sides on a bed of rice and a dollop of fresh yogurt.

Vegetarian Tagine

2011-11-26T11:00:00.001+11:00

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 onions, chopped
cut baby carrots
1 celery rib with leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 medium eggplant, chopped into roughly cubes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 box prepared couscous

Heat up olive oil in large stew pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then turn heat down to medium. Let cook about 7 minutes. Add dry spices and let cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add lemon juice.

Add tomatoes and bring to boil. Add in vegetable stock, chickpeas. Cook, simmering, 1 hour.

Salt eggplant pieces, let rest 2 minutes then rinse well with water and add, along with crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped red pepper to stew.

Tex Mex Casserole

2011-11-25T12:00:00.000+11:00

I find tacos boring this is a way of mixing it up.

Ingredients:

500gms of minced meat

1 can red kidney beans drained and rinsed

¼ cup water

1 cup salsa

Hot sauce

2 cups tortilla chips crumbled up (but not too fine – kind of chunky)

½ cup sour cream

1 onion chopped fine

1 tomato chopped in medium sized chunks

1 cup shredded cheese

Toppings as desired (guacamole, salsa, lettuce etc)

Directions:

Brown the meat in a skillet until done and drain off excess fat.
Mix beans, water and salsa in with meat and add hot sauce or chilli
Stir mixture until it comes to a boil and then remove from heat.
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray
Place crumbled chips in bottom of pan.
Spread meat mixture evenly over chips.
Spread sour cream over top of meat.
Sprinkle onions and tomatoes evenly over sour cream.
Cover all with cheese (can use more cheese if a big cheese fan).
Bake at 180c for around 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve plain or with any traditional taco toppings.

Mushrooms & Macadamias

2011-11-24T16:30:00.000+11:00

Sometimes a mushroom will hit the spot.

Six large mushrooms

80g butter

3 tbsp olive oil
6 sprigs thyme, picked
3 tbsp port or dry sherry
2 medium onions
200g/7oz breadcrumbs
200g macadamias chopped

Preparation method

Pre heat the oven to 180C
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms to allow them to be stuffed and lay in a large oven dish. Place a little knob of butter in each one and then drizzle the olive oil all over. Sprinkle the thyme into the mushrooms and finish with a few generous glugs of Madeira wine. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Now for the stuffing, roughly chop your onions and soften in a frying pan with a little butter till golden. Tear in the remaining herbs, add the breadcrumbs and allow to cook through slightly. Chop the macadamias and add to the pan and mix the contents well.
After about 20 minutes remove the mushrooms and generously heap your stuffing into the mushrooms, piling it as high as you dare. Don’t worry about there being extra stuffing, simply shape them into little balls and place them around the mushrooms.
Now return the dish to the oven for a further half hour. Serve when the stuffing is crisp and golden.

Can be topped with a little goats cheese. Serve with a green salad and road kill potatoes.

In this case I used 2 variants:

1) Instead of nuts I dusted the base of the mushrooms with Zaatar (some people don't like nuts)

2) For the meat eaters opened up a few nice sausages and used the seasoned meat to stuff the mushrooms

Mediterranean Vegetables

2011-11-23T16:27:00.000+11:00

Place the following in a baking dish

5 small potatoes (boiled)
2 roughly chopped red onions
1 eggplant cut into small pieces
5 whole cloves of garlic
Several vine grown tomatoes

Season with
1tsp cummin
2tsp smoked paprika
salt
pepper
Crumble fetta over the top

Cover generously with olive oil
Oven bake at 180c until cooked

Cajun Chicken

2011-11-22T09:10:00.000+11:00

Slice one brown onion and brown in vegetable oil
Add 300gms of chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
Slice 2 chorizo sausages and add
When the chicken starts to brown slice and add
1 red pepper
2 chillies
5 stalks of celery
2 cloves of garlic
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 tin red kidney beans
1 cup of chicken stock
Simmer for 35 minutes
Serve with rice

Mexicana Beef

2011-11-21T10:40:00.000+11:00

Take 500gms cubed beef
Brown, you can flour and brown them if you wish and remove from pot
Saute 2 chopped onions

1 diced capsicum

2thinly sliced green chillies
3 sliced garlic cloves
Deglaze with white wine
Add one tin tomatillos
2 cups of beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Season well
Simmer gently for 2 hours
Serve on rice and garnish with sour cream

Aloo Ghobi

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000+11:00

Preparation method

Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes, then stir in garlic and cumin. Continue to cook until onion begins to brown.

Stir in tomatoes and coconut milk and the coriander, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. Stir until mixture begins to boil, then put in the potatoes, cauliflower and chickpeas. Blend well. Reduce heat to low and cover.

Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to an hour (this will depend on the size of the potato chunks). Sprinkle in the garam masala, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Nigel Slater's Ribs

2011-11-19T17:29:00.000+11:00

I love ribs and this recipe is just wonderful. I take no credit it is from Nigel Slater, and if you have never read his books or seen his tv shows you have missed a treat.

Honey roast ribs with anise

Watch recipe3 mins

Sticky ribs are a classic example of sugar and spice working brilliantly together. You might never have thought of making them at home, but the results are amazing.

Ingredients

6 tbsp thickish honey
3 heaped tbsp oyster sauce
¼ tsp chilli flakes
4 whole star anise
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic
1.5kgmeaty pork ribs

Preparation method

To make the marinade, spoon the honey and oyster sauce into a roasting tin or baking dish. Add the chilli flakes, star anise and salt. Grind the peppercorns and add them to the marinade.
Toss the ribs in the marinade and tuck the garlic cloves whole between the ribs, then set aside for at least 2 hours. It wouldn’t hurt if they stay there overnight.
Roast the ribs at 160C 90 minutes, turning them in their sauce from time to time.
Then turn the heat up to 200C for 15 minutes, Keep an eye on them, as sometimes they burn easily. They are ready when the meat is tender, though far from falling off the bone, and the ribs are sticky and almost charred.

Tomato Stew

2011-11-18T15:00:00.000+11:00

This is one of Nigel Slaters recipes.

Ingredients

2 medium sweet onions
3 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium red chilli
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
8 tomatoes
100g thick yoghurt

Preparation method

Roughly slice the onions and soften in a large shallow pan with a little mustard seed oil. Add the garlic and cook to a pale golden colour. Thinly slice the red chilli and add to the pan without its fiery seeds. Now in with the cumin and brown mustard seeds, then brighten the mixture up with the turmeric. Stir well ensuring all the spices cook through.
Tip in the chopped tomatoes and then an equal amount of water again using the empty tomato tin. Now place the tomatoes, whole, in the pan. Cover with a lid allowing them to cook in their spicy tomato steam for 25 minutes.
When the tomatoes have softened significantly but still hold their shape, gently shuffle them to one side of the pan. Stir the yoghurt through the spicy tomato juices and serve.

Eggplant Masala

2011-11-17T16:40:00.000+11:00

Firstly create your own masala blend.

Add 2 red and 2 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp white poppy seed
4 tbsp grated coconut
2 garlic cloves
Blend until smooth

Finely dice
1 red onion
2 tomatoes
1tbs grated coconut

Saute in vegetable oil
Add masala for about 2 minutes
Add 1 eggplant cut into cubes
Add 100mls water
Cover and simmer for 20 mins

Serve with rice garnish with coriander and coconut

Fish Fry (Bhekti Rongpuri)

2011-11-15T16:38:00.000+11:00

This is another Indian dish. Simple tasty and spicy.

Make a paste with minced garlic , ginger, mustard, lime juice and salt. Now rub it all over the fish.

Cover the fish with breadcrumbs

Fry in mustard oil

Serve with rice and of course a vegetable curry, like the next recipe.

Mushroom and Asparagus Tart

2011-11-14T10:57:00.000+11:00

A light summery tart, quick and easy to make with whatever you may have at hand.

Take 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (yes make your own if you wish) Thaw

Turn up edges to make a tray
Cover lightly with tomato paste mixed with crushed garlic
Top with vege
I used sliced mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant and asparagus

Top with crumbled goats cheese (you can use any cheese)
Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese
Spray with olive oil
Bake at 180c until browned

Serve with crunchy bread and a green salad

Potato and Zucchini Bread

2011-11-13T05:00:00.000+11:00

This is a nice side for a mixture of vegetarians and meat eaters. Serve with a green salad.
500g potatoes
500g bread flour
7g sachet dried yeast
2 Zucchini
85g strong cheddar , grated
few thyme sprigs
2 tbsp olive oil

Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain and allow to cool a little. Put the flour and yeast into a large bowl. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, coarsely grate half straight into the mix, tossing occasionally to coat in the flour. This will stop the potatoes sticking in clumps.

Grate in half the zucchini, add half of the cheese and strip in half of the thyme leaves. Add 1 tbsp olive oil mixed with 175-200ml hand-warm water. Bring the dough together and knead for a couple of mins. Put into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 200C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm baking dish. Push the bread dough in firmly, pushing out air. Finely slice the remaining potatoes and courgette. Scatter over the top along with the remaining thyme and poke in roughly with your fingers so the slices stick out a little. Cover with cling film and leave to rise again for about 45 mins. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil, scatter with the remaining cheese, then cook for 50 mins-1 hr, until well risen and golden. Leave to cool, then serve, cut into squares.

Spicy Stuffed Eggplant

2011-11-12T08:02:00.000+11:00

Ok I know technically this is not a stuffed eggplant, but you get a better idea of what I was trying to do.

Small eggplants are best cut into quarters leaving the stems to hold it all together, in this case I used a large eggplant cut into pieces and used the skin to hold it together.

Start with a generous amount of vegetable oil
Fry 1 large brown onion until softened
Add your eggplant skin side up and sauté for about 5 mins
Then turn skin side down
Sprinkle with Garam Masala
Add 2 cups of water
Cover and simmer until eggplant softens

Onion Relish
Take 1 jar of sweet onion relish
add
2tsp chilli powder
1tbs tamarind paste
1tsp ground coriander
2tbs grated coconut

When the eggplant is ready
Spoon the relish on top of the eggplant
Mix some almond meal into the liquid

Serve on Basmarti rice