Deliciousness.

Some recent cooking highlights!

Ottolenghi's Plenty is an amazing cookbook - one of my favourites. The recipes are generally not particularly simple but the amazing flavour combinations are worth the extra time/effort/ingredients that are called for. A dish I've cooked a few times now is the soba noodle salad with eggplant and mango. It's amazing, and great for dinner parties. The recipe can be found all over the internet, e.g. 101 Cookbooks.



A swiss cheese and tomato tart from taste.com.au. A simple and tasty recipe. As suggested in the comments I doubled some of the filling ingredients, although didn't quite cook it as long as I should have because of this. Next time!



Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible is my number one favourite cookbook. Almost every recipe that I've tried (more than 10 now) has been spectacular, and I've used it so much since I bought it a few months ago that it's almost permanently stationed on my cookbook stand. The royal chicken korma below is one of my favourites.



Not much in the way of cooking was involved here, but this was a very delicious cheese! (from the Wursthaus).



What tasty things have you been cooking recently?

A pretty amazing dal

I love dal and have been experimenting with a few different recipes lately. This particular one is my favourite so far, and is adapted from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible. It's a South Indian style, and the finishing touch of adding the curry leaves and mustard seeds in ghee is what sets it apart - it wouldn't be the same without this step!

Fresh curry leaves can be hard to find in Hobart, but Spice World in the Bank Arcade usually have them. They have an amazing, nutty aroma that I can't get enough of. They can be frozen, and this is nearly as good as fresh. I don't think that dried curry leaves are worth using though, as the flavour is just not there.

This recipe is great with rice, or creamy polenta.

Ingredients:
90g mung dal (red lentils)
90g toovar dal (split pigeon peas)
pinch asafetida (optional)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 shallot, very finely diced
1 green chilli, finely diced
1 tsp salt
Silverbeet or spinach (optional)
2 tbs ghee (or olive oil)
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
3 tbs coriander leaves, chopped

Wash the dal well, then drain.
Add the dal plus 1 litre of water to a large saucepan and bring to the boil without boiling over.
Skim off any scum that rises.
Add the asafetida, cayenne pepper, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, green chilli and salt.
Stir well then reduce the heat so that it's lightly simmering.
Cover partially with a lid and stir occasionally until the dal is tender (up to an hour), then turn off the heat.
If you include silverbeet, roughly chop it and mix it in after 45 minutes. If using spinach, add it when you turn off the heat.
Add the ghee to a frypan and heat.
Add the mustard seeds and chilli flakes and stir quickly.
Crush the curry leaves in your hand and add to the frypan.
Stir very briefly then quickly tip the contents of the frypan into the dal.
Mix together, then immediately cover with a lid and let it sit for several minutes.
Add the coriander and then stir briefly before serving.

Sausage, lentil and silverbeet casserole with polenta

Adapted from this Taste.com.au recipe, I added silverbeet, used tinned lentils instead of dried, and tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. The polenta is simple: boil 2 cups of water with 2 cups of milk, remove from the heat, add 1 cup of polenta, whisk lots, season to taste (usually 1 tsp of salt is about right), then let it sit for at least 10 minutes.

It was a comforting and very winter-appropriate dish.



p.s. can anyone else see the smiley face in the sausage at the bottom??

Thai pumpkin soup

This recipe was adapted from My Table by Pete Evans, which is another great cookbook with a wide variety of great recipes. This soup is full of flavour and contains lots of good things to help fight off winter colds.

Ingredients:
1 tbs oil
3/4 cup diced leek
3 tbs finely diced lemongrass
1 red chilli, finely diced
1 tbs ginger, finely diced
1 kaffir lime leaf, julienned
1 bunch of coriander, stems and roots chopped, leaves reserved
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
1kg pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
zest of one orange

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the leek, lemongrass, chilli, ginger, lime leaf, coriander stems and roots and garlic.
Fry until fragrant, but don't allow it to brown.
Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, stock and orange zest plus 150ml water and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat slightly and cook for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin has softened.
Blend the soup with a stick mixer (or blender or food processor).
Season with salt and pepper and serve with a sprinkle of coriander and chilli flakes, and a dollop of cream, sour cream or even yoghurt (whatever you have handy!)

Green pancakes

My new favourite cookbook is Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. I've been reading lots about this vegetarian book on blogs such as Where's the Beef? and Cook Almost Anything, and read his posts on The Guardian website and knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. It's an amazing book that I'm sure even the most dedicated meateater would find it hard to resist. It's not full of lentil/chickpea/bean recipes, rather it puts all sorts of vegetables to amazing and delicious-sounding uses. Once a Waitress has a great post about it.

This is the first recipe that I've cooked from the book, and it definitely won't be the last! I adapted it slightly by using silverbeet instead of spinach, halving the recipe, leaving out the whisked egg white at the end, and I didn't serve it witht the suggested lime butter. The pancakes were very fast and easy to prepare and tasted simply fantastic. The recipe is completely adaptable to any leafy vegetables that you have handy.

Ingredients:
125g silverbeet, washed
55g self-raising flour
1/2 tbs baking powder
1 egg
25g butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
75ml milk
50g spring onions, finely sliced
1 green chilli, finely diced
olive oil for frying

Wilt the silverbeet in a frypan with a splash of water.
Remove to drain in a sieve, and when cool, squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands then finely chop.
Put the flour, baking powder, egg, butter, salt, cumin and milk into a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Add the spring onions, chillies and silverbeet and mix in.
Add a dash of olive oil to a non-stick frypan and turn on to medium-high.
Spoon ~2 tablespoons of batter into the frypan and shape into a circle around 1cm thick.
Cook for about 2 mins each side, until golden.
Continue making and cooking pancakes until the batter is all used (I made 3 pancakes, more than enough for one person for dinner)

Matar paneer (Indian paneer and peas)

I used my paneer in a curry loosely based on this Taste.com.au recipe. This is a perfect weeknight dinner recipe - it's fast, easy, healthy and other than the paneer, uses ingredients that are always in my pantry.

Ingredients:
200g paneer
60g ghee
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen beans (I used a combination of both)
1/2 tsp garam masala

Dice the paneer into cubes.
Heat half of the ghee in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and fry the paneer until golden.
Add the remaining ghee in same pan over medium heat and cook garlic and ginger for one minute.
Stir in all spices except garam masala and cook one minute.
Add the tomatoes, fill the tin with water and add this as well, then cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the chickpeas, peas, beans and paneer, and cook, partially covered, for a further 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the garam masala and serve with either rice or Indian bread such as naan.

Paneer (cookbook challenge #2)

The theme for week two of the cookbook challenge is citrus. I decided to put a spin on this and make paneer, where lemon is a crucial ingredient when making the cheese (although other acidic ingredients such as vinegar can also be used).

It's a pretty simple process but results in a delicious fresh cheese that is tastier than what you can buy at the supermarket (and probably cheaper too, depending on the milk price).

Ingredients:
2L of good quality, full cream milk, unhomogenised is ideal. I used Ashgrove's Green milk.
1/8 cup lemon juice

Heat the milk in a heavy-based saucepan until it is almost boiling.
Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.
Place back on the heat briefly while gently stirring the milk.
Remove from the heat as soon as curds start forming, cover the saucepan, and set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
Line a colander with cheesecloth (and place a bowl underneath if you wish to collect the whey - it's great for watering roses and rhododendrons)
Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer most of the curds from the saucepan into the cheesecloth.
Pour the remaining curds and liquid through the cheesecloth.
Gather the edges of the cheesecloth and twist it tightly to squeeze out more liquid.
Place a saucer on top of the twisted parcel and weigh it down with heavy cans or jars.
Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the cheese from the cloth, wrap with damp paper towel then place in the fridge in an airtight container.
Leave overnight before using.



After adding the lemon juice to the milk:



The finished paneer after resting overnight - I got 290g cheese out of 2L milk:



I used the cheese in a really tasty curry, the recipe is posted here

Cookbook challenge, week 44 : San choy bau

Week 44's theme was Chinese, and I found that I have an unfortunate lack of Chinese recipes and cookbooks. Thankfully I found this dish in a Delicious. magazine; the original recipe is on the Taste website.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs peanut oil
1/2 tbs grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small red chilli, finely diced
300g chicken mince
2 tbs oyster sauce, plus extra to drizzle
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
8-12 large lettuce leaves, to serve (iceberg is preferable, but I only had baby cos)

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
Set aside for 15 minutes to soak, then drain.
Dice into small pieces.
Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms, ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for a minute.
Add the chicken mince and continue tossing in the wok until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and lemon juice, and cook for a further 2 minutes until the sauces are combined.
Remove from heat and stir in the coriander leaves, before serving in the lettuce leaves.
Drizzle with a little more oyster sauce and serve immediately.

These turned out really well. Cos lettuce isn't ideal for serving these in but did the job! The original recipe didn't specify any chilli but adding it gave the mince a real buzz. I really enjoyed these but J wasn't so keen, saying that they were "spicy but bland"... men!

Cookbook challenge, week 43: Kale chips

The theme for week 43 was crunchy. I decided to try making kale chips, seeing as my kale plants have plenty of leaves just waiting to be eaten. The concept really interested me - crunchy green chips! - and I was curious to see how they turned out.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale leaves, washed
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Cut out the thick middle vein of the older kale leaves, then cut/rip into pieces
Toss with olive oil and salt until evenly coated.
Bake on a baking-paper lined cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, or until crisp.


The thing that bugs me with this sort of recipe is: how much kale is a bunch of kale? Because the amount that I used (a big bowl full, 66g) was clearly not enough, as my chips ended up way too salty and oily. They definitely were crunchy though, and I will give them another shot with far less oil and salt. I think I'll play around with other seasonings too, such as garlic salt, cumin or chilli powder. Despite the results of this attempt not being great, I can definitely see how kale chips are appealing!

I used both curly and flat-leaf kale, the curly ones were definitely better in the end



Dressed and ready to bake - you can see there is far too much oil



Post-baking crispiness!

Cookbook challenge, week 42: Duck, two ways

Week 42's theme was bird, and there was no question that I wanted to cook duck! It's something I don't cook very often - it's very expensive - but I absolutely adore the flavour of the meat. Just like the chocolate-themed week, this was a good time to try two different recipes!

Duck breasts with port and cherry sauce
Gordon Ramsey - Cooking for Friends

Ingredients:
4 200-225g duck breasts with skin on
3 shallots, finely chopped
200ml port
250g pitted cherries (fresh or preserved, I used preserved)
2 tbs black cherry jam (I used blueberry)
300ml chicken stock

Season the duck breast then place skin side down on a dry frying pan.
Place the pan over gentle heat for 8-10 minutes until most of the fat has been rendered.
Increase the heat slightly and fry until the skins are golden brown.
Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the meat feels slightly springy and the duck is cooked to medium rare.
Remove to a warm plate and leave to rest.
Pour off most of the fat from the pan (save for roasting potatoes).
Add the shallots and stir over medium-to-low heat until soft.
Increase the heat and add the port to deglaze.
Boil until reduced and the pan is quite dry.
Add the cherries, jam and stock, return to the boil and cook until reduced by more than half and the sauce is syrupy.

I served this with braised bok choi, as suggested in the cookbook. The sauce was amazing, beautifully rich and perfectly matched to the meat, and this was backed up by J licking his plate clean!




Sweet duck with plums and star anise
Jamie Oliver - Jamie's Dinners

Ingredients:
4 duck legs (I used breasts)
4 tbs soy sauce
3 tsp five spice
10 star anise
1/2 a cinnamon stick
1 tbs olive oil
1-2 fresh chillies, sliced
16 plums, halved and de-stoned
2 tbs Demerara sugar (I used brown sugar)

Place the duck in a sandwich bag with the soy sauce, spices and olive oil and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC.
Place the plums in a casserole dish, add the chillies and sugar and mix all together.
Put the duck on top, skin side up if using breasts.
Bake for 2-2.5 hours.

I served this with duck-fat sautéed potatoes and steamed green beans. It was a fantastic meal, again the sauce was plate lick-able! It was possibly a tad too sweet which might be due to the type of plums I used, so if I cook this again I won't add the sugar. I added double the chilli (and didn't remove the seeds as the original recipe instructs) and the sauce was beautifully spicy.




Which is my favourite of the two? I honestly couldn't decide! They were both delicious, the only difference is how long they take to prepare and cook, with the cherry sauce recipe being very quick and easy.

Cookbook challenge, week 40: Cider and honey roast leg of lamb

This is a week late, but better late than never! Week 40's Cookbook Challenge theme was apples, and I made a roast lamb that incorporated both apples and cider into the gravy. The recipe came from Gordon Ramsey's Cooking for Friends.

Ingredients:
1 leg of lamb around 2kg, trimmed and skin scored
olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, skins on and halved
several sprigs of thyme
juice from half a lemon
4 apples
500ml cider
runny honey
300ml lamb or chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
Weight the lamb and calculate the final cooking time at 12 minutes per 450g for medium rare (or 15 minutes for medium).
Drizzle the lamb with a little olive oil then rub with salt and pepper.
Place in a deep roasting pan and scatter with garlic and thyme.
Pour over the lemon juice and drizzle again with olive oil.
Sprinkle with a little more seasoning then roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
Slice the apples into quarters and cut off the cores.
Remove the lamb from the oven and reduce the heat to 180ºC.
Scatter the apples around the pan and baste the lamb with the cider.
Turn the lamb over and drizzle with 2 tbs of honey.
Return to the oven for 30 minutes.
Turn the lamb around, baste with pan juices, and drizzle another tablespoon of honey.
Continue to roast for the calculated time.
Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside to rest in a warm place.
Sieve the contents of the pan into a saucepan, pressing the apples and garlic to extract all the juices and flavour.
Discard the pulp.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and add the stock.
Bring to the boil and let it bubble vigorously until the sauce has thickened.
Taste and adjust seasoning, then pour into a warm serving jug.
Carve the lamb and serve drizzled with the apple and cider gravy.

This gravy was delicious - rich and fruity and very moreish. The lamb itself was ok, but I really prefer cooking roasts in the slow cooker - I plan to make this gravy again next time I cook a lamb roast, but will try it with the slow cooker instead.

Cookbook challenge, week 39: Curried cauliflower and cheddar soup

The theme for week 39 was TV Chefs. I have a few celebrity chef cookbooks, and decided to use Gordon Ramsey's Cooking for Friends as as his recipes haven't featured here as regularly as Nigella, Jamie and Stephanie. The recipe is for a curried cauliflower and cheddar soup, perfect for this time of year when the weather is cold and cauliflowers are plentiful.

4 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp mild curry powder
300ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
300ml milk
100g grated cheese

Heat half the oil in a saucepan, and add onion and celery.
Stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add the remaining oil, cauliflower, curry powder, and season.
Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes.
Cover the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
Add the milk and splash of water if the liquid does not cover the vegetables.
Return to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft.
Use a hand blender to liquidize the soup.
Stir in the cheese.
Adjust the seasoning and add a little water if the soup is too thick.


This turned out alright - it wasn't amazing but it was enjoyable enough! I've got a better recipe for cauliflower soup buried somewhere, though.




The theme for week 40 is apple, and I know exactly what I am going to make. It's another recipe from this cookbook that I also had my eye on as it sounds amazing... stay tuned!

Cookbook challenge, week 37: Steak, Guinness and cheese pie with puff pastry lid

The theme for week 37 is hearty, and I found a recipe in Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home that sounded delicious and that I thought J would enjoy: a steak, Guinness and cheese pie.

Ingredients:
olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped (I used 3 small white onions)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
30g butter, plus extra for greasing
2 carrots, chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
4 field mushrooms, sliced (I used 7 white mushrooms)
1kg beef, cut into 2cm cubes
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
440ml can of Guinness
2 heaped tbs plain flour
200g grated cheese (I used less)
puff pastry
1 egg

In a large ovenproof pan (I used an electric frypan) heat a glug of olive oil on a low heat.
Add the onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes.
Increase the heat and add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery and mushrooms, and mix everything together well.
Stir in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of salt and a level teaspoon of pepper.
Fry for 3-4 minutes then add Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in an oven at 190ºC for 2.5 hours (I used a slow cooker on high for 4 hours), stirring occasionally.
If it is too liquidy after cooking, reduce the liquid over heat or add some more flour.
Remove from the heat and stir in half of the cheese, then season.
Leave to cool slightly (you can do up until this step a day ahead).
Grease an appropriately sized pie dish, then line with a sheet of puff pastry, leaving the edges dangling over the side.
Tip pie mixture into the dish, then scatter with the rest of the cheese.
Brush the edge of the pastry with egg.
Cut out a lid-sized shape of puff pastry and place it over the top of the pie, folding the overhanging bottom pastry over it.
Brush the top with egg then bake in a preheated 190ºC oven for 45 minutes, until puffed and golden.

I used a smaller pie dish, around 7 inches in diameter, and this only used half the pie mixture. I've saved the rest to use another time - I think I will make individual mini pies with it (as it was still a little sloppy when serving as you can see below). The pie was great, with a beautiful and rich (and hearty!) filling. Served with some steamed broccoli and beans, it made a great meal.

Cookbook challenge, week 36: Sausages and mash with red wine, cumin and onion gravy

The theme for week 36: comfort. The other half requested curried sausages and although I couldn't find a recipe for this in my cookbooks, I did find an interesting recipe in Nigella's How To Eat (this cookbook is getting a lot of use lately!). It's in the Weekend Lunch section of the book, and the recipe for the gravy is provided with suggestions to cook it with the sausages and mash.

Ingredients:
30g oil (or beef dripping)
225g onions, very finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 scant tbs of sugar
2 scant tbs of flour
500mL beef stock
150mL red wine

Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed large saucepan and add the onions.
Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the ground cumin and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Turn up the heat and add the sugar, and let the onions caramelise slightly for 3-4 minutes, then add the flour, stirring constantly.
Cook for another 2 minutes then add the stock and wine.
Mix well then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I cooked the sausages in the gravy, adding them when it had about 20 minutes to go - this works for devilled and curried sausages so I figured it would be ok with this recipe too. Served with mashed potatoes and some peas, it was very much comfort food. I think the gravy could do with another element, perhaps some fresh thyme to give it a boost, but it was still delicious as is.

Was it worth the 50+ minutes of cooking time? I'm undecided.

As you can see, I like my mashed potatoes lumpy, with skins still on!

Cookbook challenge, week 35: Spanish stew

The theme for week 35 (last week! I am a bit behind) was Spanish, and although I don't have any Spanish cookbooks (I plan to change this soon), I found a tasty-sounding recipe in Nigella Lawson's How To Eat.

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
400g chorizo sausages, sliced into fat coins
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
100mL dry sherry (I substituted some dry white wine)
1kg waxy potatoes, cut into halves or quarters
fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Put the oil into a wide oven-proof pan or dish (I used an electric frypan then transferred to an oven dish) on medium-low heat.
Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the chorizo, bay leaf, sherry and stir.
Add the potatoes, stir, and then add boiled water to only just cover the potatoes.
Simmer for 10 minutes then check for seasoning.
Put the dish into the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Remove and serve with chopped coriander and bread.





It was rather tasty - my worry was that the liquid would seem too fatty from the chorizo juices but it was instead very moorish. It would make a lovely component for a tapas-type meal or as a side dish to a roast, served with some fresh green beans.

A few of the Melbourne-based bloggers in this challenge met up for a Spanish potluck - check out Agnes's post here. Yum!

Cookbook challenge, week 34: The Astor Grill's seafood chowder

The theme for week 34 is soup, and I made a recipe from Tasmania's Table - seafood chowder from The Astor Grill here in Hobart.

Ingredients:
50g softened butter
1 small brown onion, diced
3 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
1 leek, washed and chopped
225g pink eye potatoes, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled, quartered, sliced
15g plain flour
1.2L full cream milk
150mL white wine
450g cod or ling
200g scallops, roe on
8 mussels in shell, debearded
120mL King Island double cream
Salt and pepper
1/2c chopped parsley, for garnish

Heat butter in a large saucepan.
Add onions, garlic, potato, leek and carrots and fry until browned.
Add flour, cook for one minute while stirring constantly.
Add wine and milk slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon to ensure there are no lumps.
Add the fish, scallops and mussels.
Simmer for 10-15minutes or until the potato is soft.
Finish with cream.
Season with salt and pepper to taste (I found that quite a lot of each is needed)
Serve and garnish with parsley.


I have no words for this, other than: oh my gosh it is completely and utterly delicious!
I only had half the amounts of seafood specified as I was planning to make half the recipe until a friend of J's was a last minute dinner guest addition. I can only imagine how much more fantastic this would be with the full amount of seafood... ooh!

Cookbook challenge, week 33: Scallops with a crisp crust

The theme for week 33 is seafood and I decided to use scallops as they are something I haven't really eaten much, or cooked with at all. The recipe comes from Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbs plain flour
1 tbs polenta
1/2 tbs cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
olive oil
8 scallops, cleaned (I left the roe on)
1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Heat a frypan with 1cm oil
Dip the scallops in the milk then roll in the flour mixture.
Cook in the oil until lightly browned on each side.

The recipe serves them with a parsley and lemon butter and salad, but we just enjoyed them with some Japanese mayonnaise. It was a very easy recipe, and I am happy that my first foray into scallops worked! The only odd detail about this recipe is that because they are dipped into the liquid then flour the batter does not stick to the scallops very well at all, and I had to handle them quite gently to avoid the batter falling off. Usually when battering things like this, recipes specify to dip them in flour then liquid then flour/crumb again. If I make these again I'll think try it that way instead to compare the results.

Trashy food: meatcake!

A friend recently hosted a bring-a-plate dinner, with the theme of sweets. I'll post more from this later, but I wanted to post the recipe for one of my contributions: meatcake! Vegetarians, avert your eyes.

I'm much more a savouries person than a sweets person, sweets become all a bit too much for me very quickly, so I thought I'd make this as a twist on the theme. I got a lot of tips from this site.

The meatcake in all its glory (thanks to Bec for this and the last picture)



Here's how I made it!

I mixed together the following ingredients to make a meatloaf mixture:
2kg mince, half beef and half pork
1 onion, finely diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tbs crushed garlic
2 tsp tomato paste
a good squirt of barbecue sauce
1 1/2 cups beadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

And then it looks like this:



I divided the mixture into two disposable foil pans, used because I didn't have two cake tins of the same size.



I put them in the oven at 190ºC and cooked them until their juices ran clear when cut into with a knife, which was about an hour and a quarter in my oven. They were then left them to drain on a cake rack (the meat leaks a lot of juices).



Once they had cooled and dried a bit, I put one on a cake stand and spread it with mashed potato. For convenience I used a packet of Deb potato - I didn't really have the time (or patience!) to cook and make a perfectly smooth mashed potato from scratch!




The final step is to ice the outside of the meat with mashed potato. I did a crumb layer first, by spreading a thin layer of potato over the cake. Next was the final layer using another packet of mash. It was actually quite hard to ice the cake as the potato prefers to stick to itself instead of the meat - I ended up finding that using the back of a very wet spoon resulted in the smoothest sides. I wasn't 100% happy with the result of the icing and would have loved to get it smoother and neater but I ran out of time - and mashed potato (I suggest using three packets of Deb instead of the two that I used).

I decorated the cake with bacon stars (lightly browned bacon, then shapes cut out using a biscuit cutter) and piped potato frosting, as shown in the first picture above.

It went down a treat!

Happy meatcake:

Cookbook challenge, week 32: Potato and cabbage vegetable

The recipe for this week's Potato theme comes from a book I hadn't used yet. It is 'The Higher Taste: A guide to gourmet vegetarian cooking and a karma-free diet'. It's a neat little book that I picked up second-hand, after loving the Hare Krishna food at the Falls Festival. I regretted not buying their book at the festival and hoped to find similarly good recipes in this book.



Ingredients:
1/4 large cabbage, thinly sliced (I used a Chinese cabbage)
3 large potatoes, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 tbs ghee
1 small hot chilli, finely diced
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt
1 small wedge of lemon

Heat the ghee in a large saucepan, then add seeds, turmeric, and chilli.
When the seeds start to crackle, add the potatoes and stir for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes until potatoes are tender.
Add salt and coriander powder.
Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Serve hot.


I'm not sure about this recipe - we ate it but it wasn't great. I don't know if it's the combination of ingredients, or if my spices or ghee were a bit too old, but the flavour was just a little odd. If I cook this again, I'll use a different combination of spices.

Pumpkin and rosemary macaroni

This recipe was inspired by a recipe on taste.com.au, except that I didn't really want to make a pasta bake, just a pasta.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
800g pumpkin, diced into 2cm cubes
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 cups chicken stock plus 1 cup water
500g macaroni
250ml cream - I used Philadelphia Cream for Cooking
1 tbs chopped rosemary

Heat oil in a frypan over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the onion softens slightly.
Add the pumpkin and dried chilli flakes, stir to combine, then add half the chicken stock and cook for 5-6 minutes until the pumpkin begins to soften.
Stir in pasta, cream, rosemary, remaining chicken stock and water.
Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is cooked, adding more water as necessary.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I also threw in some shredded roast pork, as I had some handy in the fridge. It would also be nice to add bacon when frying the onion and garlic.

Very tasty! It makes heaps - plenty of leftovers for lunches.