Beef Rissoles

Ingredients:
1 kg beef mince
1-2 brown onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 heaped teaspoons cumin
small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl by hand and form into patties. Cook in a fry pan sprayed with oil, turning to brown both sides and cook through. Serve with sweet potato and potato, either boiled and mashed or cut into chips,sprayed with oil, sprinkled with Moroccan seasoning and oven roasted, and a green salad.

Read More»

Chicken and Aubergine Parmagiana

This is a delicious, healthy and easy to cook version of an Italian classic.

Ingredients:
1-2 large aubergines (eggplants)
1 tbs olive oil
2 large brown onions
3 large cloves garlic
700g jar tomato passata
400g can chopped tomatoes (with herbs, optional)
1 tsp sugar
fresh basil (optional)
800g-1kg chicken breast
1 cup grated mozzarella, or 100g thinly sliced


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Slice the aubergines (quite thinly) and place on oven tray(s) lined with baking paper. Lightly spray with oil and then bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile fry the chopped onions and crushed garlic in the oil, until the onion has softened. Now add the passata and chopped tomatoes with the sugar and extra herbs, if using, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Prepare the chicken by slicing horizontally, and cutting into portions. Cook in a fry pan which has been sprayed with oil for a couple of minutes, until browned on both sides.
5. Grease a rectangular baking dish with oil and layer the ingredients as follows: Start with a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of aubergine, followed by the chicken, then another layer of aubergine and  the rest of the tomato. Top with the cheese.
6. Bake, covered with foil for 15 minutes and then uncovered for a further 20 minutes or until browned and the chicken cooked.
7. Enjoy with a green vegetable such as broccolini, or a green salad and some bread.

          Serves 6

Read More»

Fondant Icing - Two Methods

Last weekend my daughter requested that we make a "Candy Crush" birthday cake for her 18th. It soon transpired that we needed fondant icing and when I eventually found it in the shops it was going to cost a fortune, so I decided to have a go at making it myself. I used two different methods and both were very successful.

The simplest method uses white marshmallows so I tried that first and we used it to make the candy decorations. But we needed a batch of chocolate fondant icing to cover the cake for which we used the gelatine method. The recipe was the perfect amount for covering the 23cm square cake, with some to spare. I made it and used it immediately. It worked fine without "resting".

Marshmallow Fondant Icing

Ingredients:
500g white marshmallows
2 tablespoons water
1kg pure icing sugar, sifted


Method:

1. Place marshmallows and water in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until marshmallows puff up and start to melt.
2. Slowly mix  in the sifted icing sugar, reserving 1 cup of icing sugar for kneading. Mix until you have a very stiff dough.
3. Tip icing out onto a work-surface well-dusted with icing sugar and knead, continuing to add more icing sugar, until smooth and no longer sticky to the touch. (5-10 minutes) 
4. Roll into a ball and wrap in 2 layers of cling-wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
5. To use fondant, allow to come to room temperature and then roll out on a surface well-coated with icing sugar.

Note: When kneading, add extra water if too dry (e.g. if mixture is tearing too easily), half a tablespoon at a time.

This recipe is based on the following: bestrecipes.com.au, http://whatscookingamerica.net

Chocolate Fondant Icing

Ingredients:
1 kg (7 cups or 2 lbs) pure icing sugar, sifted
11/2 tablespoons glycerine
1/2 cup glucose syrup
1 tablespoon gelatine powder
1/4 cup cold water
125g (4 oz) dark chocolate, melted (or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence for plain fondant icing)


Method:

1. Sift icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the water and gelatine over low heat until the gelatine is dissolved. Do not boil!
3. Remove from heat and add glycerine and glucose syrup. Stir well and add vanilla essence if using.
4. Pour gelatine mixture and melted chocolate (if using) into well in sugar.
5. Mix until combined, then knead until smooth.
6. For best results, wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and rest for several hours at room temperature.

Note: Glycerine (or glycerol) is available at the chemist.

This recipe based on: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au
http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-rolled-fondant-361282

Read More»

Paella

Paella is traditionally cooked in a very large pan which can be set over a couple of burners on your stove, turning regularly so that there is even cooking. I used my large Sunbeam family banquet electric frying pan on low setting (2). Paella differs from risotto in that you are not meant to stir while it is cooking. The lid is left off and a crust is meant to form around the bottom and outside(called the socarrat). It is covered at the end of cooking to allow the rice on top to finish cooking.

Here's a great article about cooking paella from Rick Stein: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/blogs/tried-and-tasted/rick-steins-paella-party-food-20110907-1jwne.html

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Sliced Chorizo sausage

1 -2 red peppers, finely chopped

2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped

3-4 teaspoons smoky paprika

2 cups Arborio rice (or Calasparra rice if you can get it)

6 cups stock (or boiling water and 3 teaspoons chicken stock powder)

2 teaspoons salt

750g marinara seafood mix

6 chicken drumsticks (optional, reduce quantity of seafood mix to 500g)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed and cooked

Method:

Heat oil in pan and gently fry onion, garlic and chorizo sausage and chicken. Remove sausage and chicken to a bowl when cooked. (You could put the chicken in the oven to continue cooking while you make the paella). Now add peppers, tomatoes and paprika and cook gently stirring to make a sauce (called the sofrito). Then stir in the rice and allow it to absorb some of the sauce for a couple of minutes and then add the stock and salt. Now allow the rice to cook for 5-7 mins. Next add the marinara mix and leave to cook a few minutes until cooked through. Finish by adding the peas and reserved sausage and chicken, turning off the pan and covering with foil. Leave to rest a few minutes before serving.

Mine didn't dry out as much as it should have done, and I probably stirred it too much, being afraid of it sticking given the uneven nature of the pan's heating element. Nonetheless it was very tasty and for once everybody liked it.

Read More»

Wholemeal Cheese Scones

Felt inspired to cook these yesterday to go with some homemade pumpkin soup. The recipe is based on one by Rose Elliot from her book "Cheap and Easy", a vegetarian recipe book published in 1988. The resulting scone has a wonderful crunch, partly owing to the added sunflower seeds.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450g) wholemeal self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dry mustard powder
3 oz (75g) (or 3 heaped dessertspoons) margarine
2 eggs beaten
about half a cup of milk (mix with eggs to make up to 300 ml )
5-6oz (125-150g) grated cheese
about half a cup sunflower seeds


Method:

Preheat oven to 220C. Rub the margarine into the combined flour, baking powder and mustard in a large bowl. Stir in about two thirds of the grated cheese and the sunflower seeds followed by the combined egg and milk mixture to form quite a stiff dough. Tip dough out onto a lined baking tray, and, using a little extra flour to prevent your hands getting too sticky, pat out the dough to a thickness of about 2 cm. Cut out scones and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 10-15 mins until risen and cheese has melted. Makes about  16 scones. Any not eaten fresh may be frozen.

Read More»

Beef Casserole with Cheesy Dumplings/Scone Topping

The scone dumpling topping is amazing. You can change the veggies in the casserole as you wish, replace the red wine with stock or water, use different herbs e.g. fresh ones if available or add a few bay leaves. It can also be cooked in a slow cooker if preferred, but take care when transferring to the hot oven to cook the topping.

Ingredients:

olive oil
1kg chuck steak cut into chunks, visible fat removed
400g button mushrooms, quartered
2 large onions, sliced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
250g short cut bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can cherry tomatoes (or 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable stock)
2 glasses red wine
3 tablespoons wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped


Cheese Scone Dough:
2 cups self raising flour
80g  margarine
1/2 cup grated cheese + extra for topping
About 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup milk
1 egg beaten (for glaze)


Method:

Heat some of the oil in a large casserole dish and brown half the meat on all sides. Remove to a plate and then add some more oil and brown the rest of the meat. Add this to the plate. Now add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper and bacon to the pan. Stir and cook gently for a few minutes until the onion is softened. Return the meat to the pan. Now stir in the flour and herbs. Cook for a couple of minutes and then stir in the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and stock (if using). Bring to the boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours, stirring regularly. The carrots may be added with the tomatoes if there is room in the pan. I wait and add them after about an  hour of simmering. Add extra liquid e.g. stock or water if required, or leave off the lid to reduce liquid if the gravy is too runny near the end of cooking.

Meanwhile make the scones. Start by rubbing the margarine into the flour. Then stir in the cheese and parsley followed by the milk. Bring together as a thick dough. Form into balls (about 12) and place a layer of them into the top of  the dish. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with some more grated cheese. Place the uncovered casserole into a preheated oven (220C) and cook for about 15 minutes until the scones are risen and golden brown. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

Tip: I make a double quantity of the scone dough and make an additional batch of cheese scones, which can be frozen for later use.

Read More»

"'Lots Of Veggies" Bolognaise Sauce

My 10 year old daughter won't eat veggies, but she loves this! I make a double quantity and freeze half to use another time e.g. for a lasagne dish.

Ingredients:
1 kg regular beef mince, brown this first, breaking up the lumps and spoon out excess fat
2 onions, chopped,
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 slices short-cut bacon, chopped, visible fat removed
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2-3 carrots, grated
2 courgettes (zucchinis), grated
2 tbs tomato paste
1 x 400g can brown lentils
125g (approx) mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red wine
1-2 tbs dried basil or 2 handfuls fresh basil, chopped
optional extra herbs e.g. oregano, parsley, or Italian herbs/seasoning to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste (I often don't use any)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup) (my "secret" ingredient) (or use a couple of tsp sugar)
2-3 cups water as needed to give good consistency
1-2 tbs flour to thicken, optional



Method:
Start by browning the mince and bacon and removing excess fat. (I use a large electric frying pan.) Turn down the heat and move the mince to one side so that you can cook the onions and garlic in the space vacated. Once the onions are softened  mix it all up and add the tins of tomatoes, followed by all the remaining ingredients other than the water and flour. Mix and simmer gently, covered for about 30minutes. Stir often adding the water gradually as required. Don't let the sauce stick/burn onto the pan! Towards the end of cooking you can add the flour to thicken the sauce, perhaps adding more water. Serve with spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.

Read More»

Choc/Banana Muffins

School's back, so here's a recipe with a little bit of goodness in it..

Ingredients:
2 cups white self-raising flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp table salt, iodised
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup banana, mashed  (2-3 bananas)
1/4 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup reduced-fat milk
1 medium egg(s)
1 tsp  natural vanilla essence



Method:
Preheat oven 180C(fan-forced) and grease 12 hole muffin pan.
Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl. 
Mash banana in another bowl and add the oil, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix these well. Now add these "wet" ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in. Be careful not to overdo the mixing.

Divide between muffin pans and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Weight Watchers ProPoints value per serve = 6

Read More»

Smoked Salmon Flan

Made this for dinner tonight, quite a success. It forms a crust and is easier to remove from pan after cooling.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped finely in food processor
3 eggs
1 cup light milk
1 cup grated 50% reduced fat Bega cheese
ground pepper
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup Aldi "Cholessterol' margarine, melted
100g smoked salmon
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 tomato sliced



Method:

Preheat oven 180C. Grease flan tin.

Add eggs, cheese, milk and ground pepper to the food processor and process.
Now add flour and margarine and process again.
Pour mixture into greased flan tin.
Sprinkle in shredded smoked salmon.
Top with parsley and tomato slices.
Bake 180C for about 50 minutes.

Read More»