Stuffed Rock Oysters

These delightful nibbles are a great starter for a special summer dinner! I don't really measure when cooking these, and quantities will change with different sized oysters and your personal preference, but below is a rough guide!
These are really only a mornay oyster with added flavour from prawn, prosciutto, capsicum and shallot, however if you serve them to guests they will be pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients / person
4 Rock Oysters
mix of diced capsicum, prosciutto, shallot and cooked king prawn
small quantity of white sauce
grated tasty cheese

How to?
Line a baking tray with foil and arrange oysters so they are not touching and are evenly spaced. Place a small amount of prawn and prosciutto mix on each prawn, top with white sauce and cheese - place under grill until cheese starts to toast. Serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and a wedge of lemon.

Fruit Balls

Sometimes it is once to have a little treat at morning tea, but it is very hard to find treats that don't contain an amazing amount of rubbish.
So.... Something to have with a cup of tea, a drink of water or even a juice.
An aside before we begin...... Most of us buy cinnamon from the supermarket, has a nice sweet smell, is dark rusty brown in colour... Most of the time it isn't even cinnamon,but casia. I went and bought whole cinnamon quills, they are a light beige brown in colour and have a very delicate scent, but when you grind them, wooooo hooooooo, lovely strong cinnamon scent. True cinnamon curls in one direction, not both edges into the centre as casia does,
Anyway, I digress, fruit balls is why you are reading this. All measurements are approximate and should be adjusted to your personal preferences.
Ingredients
1 cup Dates - roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried Apricots - roughly chopped
1/4 cup Pistachios - roughly chopped
1/4 cup Coconut, I use moist flakes
1/4 teaspoon Coconut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey
Few drops rose water
How to
Place all ingredients into a food processor and mix until the mixture comes together in a ball. Roll mixture in your hands in 1/2 teaspoon amounts, to form small balls, then refrigerate. If you want to stop them from sticking together they can be rolled in desiccated coconut, sesame seeds or chopped nuts.

Makes about 24

Limoncello, Smoked Salmon and Dill with Pasta

I wanted something a little lighter for dinner on a Sunday night after a weekend of rather rich food, and decided on smoked salmon with pasta and a lemon sauce,that was super quick and tasty, here's what I did......
  Ingredients: 
For the Sauce:
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 - 2 Lemons
1 Tablespoon Lemon Myrtle Infused Macadamia Oil
1 Tablespoon Limoncello
 1 Tablespoon finely chopped Dill
1/4 Cup Cream
For the Pasta:
 2 Serves pasta (of your choice)
1 Carrot - Julienned
1 Handful Green Beans -
Sliced 1 Shallot -
Sliced 150g Smoked Salmon - chopped
How to: Cook pasta in well salted water, adding carrot for last minute and beans for last 30 seconds (I like them really crunchy), drain loosely - a little water left in the pot is good.Add all sauce ingredients and heat through - adding the salmon and shallot at the very end to prevent over cooking. Serve with a lovely grind of fresh black pepper.

I will post a pic next time I cook this! Yes - there will be a next time.

Chicken Noodle Soup

A version that has a little style and a lot of flavour, for a little effort!
I roasted a chicken and had leftovers and wanted to make a soup with a bit of punch, as we both like Asian style flavours, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do my own version of this classic
Stock
Left over Roast Chicken - all of it
Few stalks of Celery - roughly chopped
1 Onion - roughly chopped
1 Carrot- roughly chopped
1 Star Anise
1 Clove
1 Clove Garlic
Several slices Fresh Ginger
How To
Throw it all in a pot, reserving the star anise and clove for later, with several litres water, cover and simmer for a few hours, add star anise and clove, simmer for another hour. Let cool. Strain enough through s clean cloth into a saucepan for the soup - about 2 1/2 cups for 2 people, reserve the rest for another use.
For the Soup
Stock - from above
1 handful of good quality Japanese Noodles *
1/2 cup Thinly sliced Smoked or Roasted Chicken Breast ^
Dash Soy Sauce
1 Carrot - thinly sliced, on the angle
Few Match Sticks Fresh Ginger
Finely Sliced Spring Onion - the green long ones
Finely Sliced Red Chilli - to your own taste
How to
Heat the stock and add ginger, soy sauce. Cook the noodles per packet instructions, in the stock - add carrot for the last few minutes of cooking time for the noodles, when carrot and noodles are cooked, add the rest of the ingredients to your liking and serve

* these are silky and smooth - I can get them in the Asian section of the Supermarket
^ I buy it ready cooked, and cryovaced from my supermarket

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Chicken Cabbage Wraps

Anyone reading this who is not from Australia, and has never visited, may be under the impression it doesn't get cold here - it does! It was 3∘C when I left home this morning, and Barbie wanted her ears warmed!
I have been looking for some lovely, heart warming meals that are not fat laden, to enjoy in the cold weather, minus the guilt - thank you!
I had planned to make cabbage rolls, but the idea of fiddling with many rolls didn't give me a great rush of motivation.......... I'll make two parcels, or wraps, yeah - faster, easier....... Done!
Ingredients
Cabbage leaves - enough to line your chosen large ramekins and cover the top
250g lean Chicken mince
1/2 cup cooked, white rice
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1/2 Brown Onion, finely diced
Dash - Soy Sauce
Dash - Fish Sauce
Dash - Sweet Chilli Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Brown Sugar
How to
Blanch the cabbage in slowly boiling water for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, and place in a colander to drain. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl, you should have a fairly wet mixture.
Line two large ramekins, or heat proof dishes, with the cabbage - leaving enough overhanging to cover over the top. Place 1/2 the chicken mixture into each lined ramekin, and fold cabbage over, as tightly as possible. Place bowls into a bamboo steamer. And steam for approx. 25 minutes, or until cooked by testing with finger pressure. Drain juices and invert onto a plate for serving. I like mine with a little sweet chilli sauce.

Ideas
These can be changed in many ways to suit your tastes, by adding some cashews or almonds for crunch, grated carrot and zucchini to further reduce calories and increase vegetable content............ We are only ever limited by our imaginations
Approx. 320 calories per serve!

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Ricotta Pancakes with Spiced Fruit and Chantilly Cream

Recently we went to Zest in Leura, and enjoyed a lovely breakfast, I enjoyed the Middle Eastern Pancakes with Fruit Compote and Chantilly Cream, this is my take on them. The spiced fruit here are also inspired by Maggie Beer, on a recent episode of MasterChef, making a roast pork with apple sauce! Nothing like playing confusion chef!
Ingredients
Pancakes
1/2 cup fresh Ricotta
1 large egg
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1/2 cup Wholemeal Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar
1/2 cup Milk - approx.

Fruit
2 apples, peeled and diced - Jonathan, Pink Lady, Fuji - Red or pink skinned apples for one the other Granny Smith
1/2 punnet Strawberries, sliced *
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
Few sprigs fresh Thyme
Pinch ground Cinnamon
Zest 1/2 lemon
Cream
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon icing sugar
How to
Pancake batter
Blend ricotta and egg, I use a stick blender with the whisk attachment, until light and fluffy. Add to dry ingredients and whisk, adding enough milk to make a semi - thick batter.
Fruit
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the leaves of the Thyme sprigs and gently fry to release the aroma, add the apple and sugar and gently toss, until a light caramel forms, add cinnamon to your liking and set aside.
Pancakes
Heat a heavy bottomed fry pan and lightly grease with butter, I use paper towel to do this. Add enough batter to make pancakes to your desired size - I make ours fairly big, cook on the first side until bubbles are coming through all over, then turn and cook for another 2 minutes.
Fruit
Re - warm the apples, they should be soft on the outside with some crunch in the middle, add lemon juice and strawberries and just warm.
Cream
With a stick blender and whisk attachment, whisk cream and icing sugar until thickened.
Serve
Place 2 pancakes on a plate, top with fruit and place cream on the side - enjoy
* if you can't smell the sweetness of strawberries, don't buy them, you will be disappointed!

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Lamb Pide

One of the most wonderful things about living in Sydney is multiculturalism. Food is better the multicultural way.

We like going to a local market, Parklea, where I love getting a Pide - the delicious goodness of lamb, cheese, spices in a crispy thin flat bread...... Drool! I decided I would learn to make them, as I do, here is my take on it.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 cup, or so, Plain Flour

Good pinch of Salt

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Warm water

Filling

500 g Minced Lamb

1 Finely diced Onion

2 cloves Garlic, crushed

1/2 cup frozen Spinach, defrosted and drained

1 Lemon, zest and juice

Moroccan spice mix

Smoked Paprika

Salt and Pepper

Grated tasty cheese

How to

Pastry

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor, turn on and add olive oil through feeder shute. Slowly add warm water until dough forms a ball, this forms a gorgeous elastic silky dough. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel, leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

 

Filling

Gently sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a Heaney based fry pan, add lamb, cook until well browned. Add spinach and seasonings, leave covered to cool.

 

Assembly

When pastry has rested for at least 30 minutes, cut into four even portions. Take one and roll it out to approx 30 cm in diameter. Place 1/4 of the filling mix in the centre and sprinkle with some grated cheese, gently fold in edges until they meet. Repeat x 3

I cook mine on a George Foreman grill, until nicely browned and the sides sound and feel papery.

Cut each one into 3 strips and serve with wedges of fresh lemon. Yum.

 

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Tuna, Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiché

A rather different quiché I made a few years ago, thought I would have another go......... I must admit, it was much nicer today for lunch, than it was  last night - I think letting the flavours develop makes for a much nicer pastry treat!

Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
125g Softened Butter - cubed
240g Plain Flour
1 Free - Range Egg
Pinch Salt

For the Filling:
100g Tuna in Springwater - drained
60g Danish Fetta - crumbled
1/4 cup cooked, chopped Spinach
1/4 Spanish Onion - thinly sliced (I use a mandolin)
4 - 6 Free Range Eggs
1/2 cup Thickened Cream
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Powdered Garlic

How to:
Have a non-stick quiché pan ready, with a removable base.
Throw all the ingredients for the pastry into a food processor, and process, until they come together in a ball, roll out to about 3mm between 2 sheets of baking paper, and line quiche tin, rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Prick base of pastry all over with a fork, and blind bake for approximately 20 minutes - leave your pastry a little pale, as it goes back in the oven with the filling, and you don't want to burn the edges! Let it cool.......
Meanwhile, whisk eggs, cream pepper and garlic powder.
Spread tuna, crumbled feta, spinach and onion over the base of the pastry, and fill, not quite to the top, with the egg mixture.
Bake at 160°C until the egg has just set, don't overcook, it will be yucky!

Real men eat quiché!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Anyone want a soup that will tick a lot of boxes? High vege content - tick, fast - tick, tasty - tick, scored me a 10/10 from the judge......... Here it is.......
Ingredients
1 head Cauliflower, roughly broken up
1 litre Chicken Stock
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 stalk Celery, leaves as well, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Butter
200 ml cream
Dash Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
1 - 2 rashers of streaky bacon
1 teaspoon finely chopped Chives
How to:
Place cauliflower and stock in a large saucepan, lid on, over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add celery and onion, sauté for about 5 minutes, until you just get some colour, add the garlic and put the lid on for s further 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the cauliflower, and simmer for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until everything is soft.
Cut the bacon into thin strips and fry until crispy, reserve.
Drain into the large saucepan, and reserve stock. Add the nutmeg,cream and about 1/2 the reserved stock, blend until very smooth, I use my stick blender.
Season to taste.
Serve with a dollop of cream in the centre, sprinkled with bacon, chives and freshly ground black pepper. I really like a nice, crusty bread too!!!!!

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Homemade Spring Rolls

We really like Asian food. Yum. Whether it be true Asian or westernised Asian, yum, yum, yum.

Unfortunately we no longer like the good old spring roll from the local takeaway, sorry Soo's, but mine are WAY better!

When I told Andrew I was making these for him last night, his eyes lit up like Christmas, and such appreciation of my efforts makes the fiddling worth it!

A fond memory is serving these to a bunch of our friends, blokes blokes, and Andrew was asked 'Where's the sauce?' His reply was 'Try them without, if you still want some, I'll get you some' - the sauce was not requested, only an offer of marriage.

Ingredients

1 packet of Frozen Spring Roll Wrappers

100 g chicken mince

8 green king prawns

1 carrot, grated

1 Spring onion, finely sliced

1/4 red capsicum, finely sliced

2 snap peas or snow peas, finely sliced

2 cm knob of fresh ginger, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

Dash of each - fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 handful vermicelli noodles - the finer the better, soaked and well drained

1 beaten egg.

How to

Place sauces, ginger and garlic in a food processor, and mix very well. Add prawns and mince, not too finely - this makes the rolls have an odd texture. Mix all other ingredients in.

 

Unwrap the wrappers and place them between a folded, damp tea towel - this prevents them getting to dry as you work.

Place one wrapper in front of you - a corner pointing towards you. Place about 1 tablespoon of mixture on the wrapper, close to the corner, and roll until about half way. Fold the ends in, dab with the beaten egg and roll the rest of the way. Continue until no mix is left. Deep fry in hot, hot oil until crispy and golden.

*alter the recipe for whatever veg you have, or would like to try, I often add bean shoots, mushroom, corn, your imagination is your limitation. Enjoy!

 

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Pineapple Polenta and Thyme Loaf - Mother's Day 2013

I woke up to a day that was less than stunning, with very thick fog until nearly 10:00am, uuugh, can I just roll over and go back to the land of nod? No, Peta, you have guests for morning tea, remember? It's Mother's Day!
Hmmmm, what treat to make for Andrew's mum? I love Bev, and she's a terrific cook, I wanted something a bit different...........ahhhhh, Pineapple Polenta and Thyme Loaf - smells delish in the house while it's cooking, and I rather like the crunchy outside, dense moistness inside and the peculiar mix of sweet and savoury, here's the how to, if you want to give it a try........
Bev, this one is for you!
Ingredients:
150 g butter
150 g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
75 g self - raising flour
75 g polenta
2 teaspoons baking powder
250 g canned pineapple, chopped in a processor - not too finely, the occasional chunk is rustic
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, approximately
Dash of vanilla extract
How to:
Line a loaf tin with baking paper, and heat the oven to 190∘C.
In a food processor, process the polenta and thyme until the thyme is well chopped and the polenta nice and fine - set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter and light and fluffy, add 1/2 the flour and then the eggs, little by little, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix on a low setting until we'll combined.
Pour the very wet mix into the lined loaf tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes - until set.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack, it will likely ooze some butter.
It doesn't need icing, but a sprinkling of icing sugar will look pretty against the golden brown crust - if you are so inclined!
Enjoy!

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Appliances Online

Hmmmm, I had a lovely morning tea yesterday that has led me to reflect on Jewish cooking, what it is and how you do it! I received an email from Appliances Online - inviting me to a morning tea, a Mothers Day Morning Tea, but I'm not a mum, I hear you say.
I looked into it a little further to discover the ladies from Monday Morning Cooking Club, a group of 6 lovely ladies who happen to be Jewish; who were cooking said morning tea support many charities, one of my favourite being amongst them - OzHarvest.
Why not?
Please, if you're interested google Monday Morning Cooking Club, and have a look. I wasn't blown away by fabulous, frivolous pastries, but offered some lovely, wholesome home baked food, cooked with care, and the very best bit? A story to share.
Looking through the MMCC book - thanks to Harper Collins, I was warmed by the care put into sharing food from the wider Jewish community, from young and old, across the globe.
I haven't dealt with Appliances Online - however was treated to a tour of the premises - looks great, very efficient. Prices are competitive  and I am told by a good friend she buys her appliances there because of competitive pricing, excellent customer service and FAST delivery.
Below is the lovely Breville All in One I came home with, and because of my LOVE of gadgets, of course, I've used it already! Yep, the blades are VERY sharp - my ring finger and thumb can attest to that.

A very big thank you to Appliances Online - and the great team who work there, Monday Morning Cooking Club, Breville and Harper Collins!

Tomato Soup, for the Winter

Winter is coming, here in Australia, and I love a warming soup, snuggled up on the lounge, mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
As a child, one of my favourites was Campbell's Tomato Soup, now that my taste has matured somewhat I like to make my own!
Ingredients
12 or so large tomatoes - a mix of roma and field are great
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1 tBrown sugar
Drizzle balsamic vinegar
6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 Spanish onion
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh cream
Some lovely fresh Thyme
Method
1/2 the tomatoes and place on a baking tray with garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar - roast at 180 degrees for an hour.
Sauté onion until clear and add tomatoes, squeeze garlic cloves into pan and add stock, add a little more balsamic vinegar at this time. Simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Purée in batches and pass through a sieve, and cream and heat. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with nice bread........... We like ciabatta.
Yum yum yum! Enjoy

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