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

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

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

Ham and Ricotta lasagne

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• Ingredients2 x 250g packets large dried instant lasagne sheets3 x 500g jars tomato pasta sauce600g sliced leg ham6 large flat mushrooms, thickly sliced6 medium tomatoes, thickly sliced1kg fresh ricotta cheese, crumbled (see note)1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves120g baby rocket1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheeseSalad leaves, to serve
  Method NotesStep 1Preheat oven to 210°C/190°C fan-forced. Grease a 7cm-deep, 34cm x 36cm (base) baking dish.Step 2Arrange one-third of the lasagne sheets over the base of prepared dish, breaking to fit. Spread with 1 cup pasta sauce. Top with half the ham, mushrooms, tomato and one-third of the ricotta. Top with half the basil and rocket. Spoon over 1 cup pasta sauce.Step 3Repeat layers, finishing with lasagne sheets. Spread with remaining pasta sauce and remaining ricotta. Top with cheddar and parmesan. Cover with lightly greased foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and lasagne sheets tender. Stand for 10 minutes. Serve with salad leaves.2 x 250g packets large dried instant lasagne sheets

Goan Fish Curry

This from the pages of Gourmet Traveler Magazine

Ingredients
70 ml vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
30 gm ginger, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 star anise
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
400 ml coconut cream
200 ml fish stock or chicken stock
2 long green chillies, split lengthways
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
500 gm firm white skinless fish fillets, such as blue-eye trevalla, cut into 4cm pieces
 12 uncooked prawns, cleaned, tails intact
8 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
To serve:steamed jasmine rice and coriander sprigs

Spice mix
 6 small dried red chillies
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cloves

Method
For spice mix, dry-roast ingredients in a small frying pan until fragrant (1 minute). Transfer chillies to a mortar and pestle and finely crush, return to ground spices and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and stir occasionally until just tender (2-3 minutes). Add ginger, garlic, star anise and spice mix and stir occasionally until fragrant (1 minute). Add tomato, stir occasionally until liquid evaporates (1-2 minutes), add coconut cream, stock and chilli, season to taste with sea salt and simmer to develop flavours (8-10 minutes). Add vinegar and sugar, then fish and prawns and simmer gently until just cooked through (2-3 minutes).

While fish cooks, heat remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add curry leaves and mustard seeds, stir until fragrant and beginning to pop (30 seconds), then add to curry.

Serve curry hot with rice and coriander.