The Cookbook

Banana Choc Chip Miffins

2010-05-02T12:25:00.003+10:00

Why miffins? Well, instead of admitting to a typo (me?! Never!!!), mini muffins are now known as miffins in our house! As a general rule, I am not a fan of baked banana goods. Give me a real, fresh banana anyday. But these muffins are chocolatey and banana-ery without having that typical banana bread taste. It may be the sour cream? I don't know, but I'm not complaining! It's a great way to use up those sad looking bananas that sit in our fruit bowl all on their own and just know they aren't going to be eaten.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 small bananas mashed
3/4 cup chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Place flour, baking powder & sugar in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs & oil until combined.
Fold into the flour mixture with the banana & chocolate, stirring until just combined.
Spoon mixture into muffin tray, bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to stand in the tray for 5 mins.
Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins or 24 miffins

My Notes

Using 2 large bananas as opposed to the 2 small bananas as listed in the ingredients doesn't make a difference to this recipe.
I always add more choc chips of any colour, it wouldn't be right if I didn't!
If I have only a bit of sour cream left in the container, I add that in too. Doesn't seem to make any difference to the end result.
For me, these muffins stick to paper muffin pans so I generally use the silicon ones for these.

Roast Chicken, Slow Cooker Style

2010-04-08T13:01:00.000+10:00

I have been keen to try using my slow cooker for more than just casserole-y type dishes for a while now. And while I can cook a mean corned beef in it, my family can only eat so much corned beef (excluding Owen, he would eat his corned meat every single day)! So roasting a whole chook in my slow cooker was a challenge I have been meaning to try for a while. The cooking/prep part was fine, but the 'roasting' part just didn't sit right in my mind. To say I was skeptical would be an understatement. I am one of those people who isn't a fan of throwing raw meat in my slow cooker, so a whole chicken was a giant leap! I am more than happy with the outcome. The meat was juicy and tender but still firm. I will be making this a regular dinner for my family!

Ingredients

1 1.4kg whole chicken (approx weight of a small chicken from Coles)
1 large lemon
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon + 1 pinch rosemary
45g butter
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
1 medium onion
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
salt and pepper
twine

Method

Pat dry the chicken, inside and out.
Roughly chop the lemon and peel the garlic.
Combine the rosemary, garlic cloves and lemon. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the lemon mix.
Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body (my chicken's wings were already tucked, thanks Coles!).
Using the butter, brown the chicken in a frypan on all sides.
Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery. Place these in the bottom of the slow cooker. These veges help the chicken to cook evenly and not stick to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add the browned chicken, pan juices, chicken stock and salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the pinch of rosemary over the chicken.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

My Notes

My slow cooker is a 3.5L, that's why I only used a small chicken. That chicken size fed the four of us dinner plus two lunch size leftovers!
I served the chicken with roast veges and blanched green beans as the skin on the chicken stays soft and I felt that it required some different textures to complete the meal. I don't think I would serve it with 'soft' veges, such as mashed potato or potato bake.
After 5 hours in my slow cooker, I removed 3 cups of stock and still had a quarter of the slow cooker filled with stock.
I used Greens Chicken Gravy Granules for the first time as well. The verdict: Tasty and easy! I didn't even need Marc to stand at the stove, stirring the gravy while I dished out dinner!

Chocolate Mud Cake

2009-10-18T18:44:00.000+10:00

Yesterday afternoon I decided that Marc and I would need something nice for supper, for after the kids had gone to bed. What better than a chocolate mud cake then? One of my all time favourite web sites, Exclusively Food have a super easy recipe for Chocolate Mud Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing on their web site, so I thought I would give it a try. Everything I have ever attempted out of their extensive repertoire has worked perfectly, so I was pretty sure this cake of theirs would follow suit.

As always, the recipe was easy to follow with pictures throughout the instructions and some great comments by both the authors of the blog and their readers/testers.

The recipe calls for buttermilk, which I didn't have, so I substituted this with 1 tablespoon vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup. But please keep in mind that you only need 1/2 cup of buttermilk for the recipe. I did forget this, and had poured almost all of the cup of milk into my egg/oil/vanilla mix before realising my error!

Because the cake took so long to cook, and I needed to feed the three boys dinner, the cake was put aside for the night (probably a good thing) before getting ganached today!

And here is my end result. I'm pretty impressed with it - even though I thought I had stuffed it up! It has great texture and flavour and is not over chocolatey (yes, that is a word in my vocabulary!), but chocolatey enough to not need to go back for a second slice (although I'm sure you could twist my arm!!). My two taste-testers were very happy with this one!

On a quest... so stay tuned!

2009-10-12T07:27:00.003+10:00

I need to find the motivation to try new recipes again. This little family of ours has all but slumped back into The Usual. And The Usual is not interesting enough for me! So. I am once again on the look out for more new meals to try, whether they be desserts (my favourite thing to make/bake!) or main meals or lunch box ideas for the little people. I have three willing taste testers, and a camera that needs something other than Harvey Boys to photograph!

Instead of me creating a new blog solely for this purpose, I thought I'd just use The Cookbook - after all, it's been neglected for so long and it too needs to be needed for something other than looking back at recipes to double check quantities etc from once new recipes that have now become the norm at our house.

So. Stay tuned... There will be something new I've tried on here soon!

Chewy Apricot and Chocolate Cereal Bars

2008-07-21T10:28:00.002+10:00

Ingredients

200g rice bubbles

100g chopped dried apricots

60g pecan nuts (optional)

100g butter

125g golden syrup

85g plain or white cooking chocolate broken into pieces

Method

Combine the rice bubbles and apricots in a mixing bowl.

Put the butter, golden syrup and chocolate in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until well coated.

Press the mix into a shallow slice tin (lined). Refrigerate to set.

Cut into desired bar size when firm.

Sultana Lunch Cake

2008-06-28T13:32:00.003+10:00

Ingredients
350g sultanas
225g butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Method
Preheat oven to 180.
Lightly grease a 20 cm cake tin and line the bottom.
Cover sultanas with water and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and cool.
Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time, beating well.
Add sultanas, sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir in milk.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 90 minutes, or until cooked.
(it only took 65 minutes in my oven at 140!)

Here's the finished product :)

Easy Potato Bake

2007-04-27T21:00:00.000+10:00

1 packet of potato and leek soup mix
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (I just use cheapie packet stuff you get in the pasta sauce aisle)
Approximately 5 or 6 potatoes. This all depends on size and how many people you are serving. I usually use 3 medium sized potatoes for the two of us.
3/4 cup milk

Preheat your oven from anywhere between hot to moderate. It really depends on your oven. You're aiming for a good temperature to cook the potatoes through and then brown the cheese, without burning the top.

Combine the milk and packet soup mix in a jug and set aside.
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes.
Layer about half the potatoes on your baking dish and pour over half the milk and soup mix.
Top with half of both cheeses.
Repeat the potato, milk and cheese process.
Cover the baking dish loosely with alfoil and bake for about half an hour or until the potatoes are soft.
Remove the alfoil and put the potato bake in the oven until golden brown.

Allow a few minutes to cool before serving if you've got time - this gives the juices to cool and settle a bit, making it easier to dish out.

Chocolate Decadence

2007-02-13T10:00:00.000+10:00

Here's something very naughty, but very yummy that you could give a try for Valentine's Day :)

INGREDIENTS
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Butter six ramekins or custard cups. Melt chocolate and butter slowly: You can do this in a double boiler, over, not in, simmering water, or in microwave, stirring to prevent scorching. Stir until completely smooth.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until frothy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir vanilla and salt gently into beaten eggs. Fold half of egg mixture into chocolate mixture, mix well. Then fold remainder of egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour chocolate and egg mixture into prepared ramekins.

Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place ramekins on towel, inside roasting pan. Butter a piece of foil big enough to cover entire pan, and cover the ramekins, buttered side down. Place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake 5 minutes, then remove foil and bake 10 minutes more. Remove ramekins from water carefully.

Let cool on wire rack for at least 3 hours. Cakes will firm up as they cool.

Serve in the ramekins and garnish with whipped cream, berries (frozen work really well if that's all you can get) and for that restaurant look, a shake of icing sugar for good measure, and serve.

Refrigerate unused portions - these left overs taste really good even a few days after!

Pumpkin & Apple Curry

2007-01-21T03:34:00.000+10:00

Thanks for updating the blog Meegs.

Here's a new one from me:

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
500 g / 1.1 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cubed
800 g / 0.9 lb baking potatoes, cubed
1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tsp mild curry paste
1 tsp turmeric, plus extra to garnish
2.5 cm / 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
2-3 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 vegetable stock cube
50 g / 2oz raisins
4tbsp fromage frais, to serve
bread or rice to serve

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Add garlic, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and apple. Stir in the curry paste, turmeric, ginger and bay leaves.
2.Add 500 ml / 1.05 pints water, the stock cube, raisins and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil, stirring, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender.
3. Spoon into bowls and top with the fromage frais and a pinch of turmeric. Serve with flatbread and/or rice.

Takes 45 mins. Serves 4-5.

Calling All Cookbook Contributors!

2007-01-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

To welcome 2007, we have upgraded to the 'new and improved' Blogger, which means a few things have changed:

You may not see your name listed under Contributors as per 2006. This is because we all need to have a new Google account now. If you haven't already, you will need to log in as per normal and set up a Google account. Then you will be back on the list of Contributors to our blog. At this stage I am just assuming this is what will happen automatically and that it won't be any more difficult than that...
Blogging your recipes will still be the same, however we can now categorise our recipes, so please label your post in the box located below the text box.
Categories (or Labels) I've already set up include: Mains, Vegetarian, Treats, Chocolate, Pasta, Salads, Soups, Chicken, Fish, and Breads. You get the drift... Please add more in if we need them.

And I think that's it! While I haven't had a good look around to see what else has changed yet, I'm sure you guys will have found more good stuff we can have a play around with in the new Blogger. Just make sure you post about it to let us all know :)

Artichoke Dip

2007-01-10T13:49:00.000+10:00

Ingredients

Jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise – or similar good quality mayo

2 cans artichokes drained

¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated

1 tsp minced garlic

Squirt lemon juice

Corn chips for serving

Method

1. Mix all ingredients

2. Bake until golden brown and serve warm with the corn chips.

This is enough mixture to make two decent sized dips, just split it before baking

smoked salmon on rosti

2006-12-16T12:39:00.000+10:00

This is a great easy meal to serve when you have friends over for a leisurely breakfast. It's even better with a bottle of bubbly! Rosti are Swiss pan-fried potato cakes, and are best made from starchy potatoes.

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
120g spreadable light cream cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
150 sliced smoked salmon

Method:

1. Coarsely grate potatoes; use hands to squeeze as much excess liquid as possible. Measure 1/4 cups of grated potato, placin each portion on a long sheet of baking paper.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non stick frying pan; place two portions of the rated potato in the pan, flattening each with a spatula. Cook rosti over medium heat until browned, turn with the spatula to cook the other side. Drain on absorbent paper, make six more rosti with remaining oil and grated potato.
3. Combinie cream cheese, herbs and juice in a small bowl.
4. Divide rosti among serving plates, top with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Serves 4.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

2006-12-12T21:04:00.000+10:00

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblsp white wine (or stock or water as substitutes)
1 tblsp honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tspn dijon mustard (you can use french as an alternative)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp chopped fresh oregano

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick spray and over a medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft. Mix in wine, honey, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for approximately 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Arrange salmon on the foil lined tray and brush fillets with the glaze, leaving enough syrup for a final glaze at the end. Sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes if you prefer your salmon to be cooked all the way through. 10 - 15 if you like some pinkness in the middle.
5. Brush fillets with the remianing glaze and season with salt and pepper.

Greek Salad

2006-12-12T20:50:00.000+10:00

This is actually one of Jodie's recipes that I've stolen and wanted to share!
And just a warning: these quantities make enough to feed a small army :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red capsicum, cubed
1/2 cup green capsicum, cubed
1 cup salad onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cupes contintental cucumber, cubed
1/2 bunch celery, sliced
1 cup tomatoes, cubed (or left whole if using cherry or grape tomatoes)
1 large cos lettuce
1 cup reduced fat feta, cubed
1/2 cup spanish olives
1/3 cup no oil fat free Kraft french dressing
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp french mustard

Method:
Combine the french dressing, garlic and mustard in a small leak free container and shake vigorously.
Mix together all the salad ingredients but don't toss the dressing though until you're about to serve.

Tomato Stacks

2006-11-18T20:45:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
500g vine ripened tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons basil pesto
100g feta, finely crumbled
olive oil for drizzling

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (or 180°C for fan forced). Cut off tomatoes from the vine, leaving the calyx and some stem (the green bit that's stuck to the tomato).
2. Slice a small amount off the base of each tomato, this is so it won't fall over. Cut each tomato in thirds horizontally.
3. Combine the pine nuts, pesto and feta in a bowl. Arrange a spoonful of mixture between the tomato layers and press together firmly.
4. Place the tomatoes in a medium sized oven-proof dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Vegetarian Chilli

2006-11-15T21:07:00.000+10:00

This is a recipe I've been meaning to blog for ages - it's an absolute beauty! Healthy, delicious and easy to make (if you can use a tin opener), it probably fits Del's call for a good slap together meal. Southern hemisphere dwellers may want to try it before the weather gets too hot...

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
225g chopped onions
2 medium green capsicum, seeded and chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (leave the seeds in for a hotter chilli)
3 tablespoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 x 400g tins of Italian style plum tomatoes, chopped
1 x 170g tin of tomato puree
1 x 565g tin red kidney beans, drained (bean lovers can add an extra tin)
1 x 425g tin pinto beans, drained
225g diced zucchini
Grated mature cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onion or spring onion, chopped tomatoes or chopped olives for serving on top of the chilli (yum)

Method
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, capsicum, garlic and jalapenos. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the chilli powder, oregano and salt. Add the tomatoes and their juice, tomato puree and beans. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve with toppings.

What's your favourite 'cook in a flash' meal?

2006-10-29T11:18:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone, I would love to read about all your favourite quick meals. You know the ones. You come home late, tired and grumpy (and starving) and the pantry is looking a bit on the lean side...
For me, I trot out the old student meal - two minute noodles cooked with frozen mixed veg (stir fry mixes are great) and any old other veg lying around in the bottom of the crisper. Drain, chuck some grated cheese on top and voila! - dinner in about 4 minutes (and very cheap too)...
So how about you, what's your favourite 'chuck together' meal?

Apple Slice

2006-10-23T07:36:00.000+10:00

1 pkt vanilla cake mix
1 cup coconut
125g butter melted
1 tin pie apples (800g)
1 small tub extra light sour cream
Sprinkle of cinnamon & nutmeg

Mix together cake mix, coconut and butter. Press into a lined slice tin approx 30cm x 25cm. Put pie apples over base. Spread with sour cream & sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in moderate oven 180 deg for 35-45 minutes. When cooled put in fridge till cold then cut into squares.

Spinach and Camembert Lasagne

2006-10-19T17:45:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:

1 bunch english spinach
500g fresh ricotta cheese
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
fresh lasagne pasta sheets
125g semi-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
200g camembert cheese, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease your lasagne dish. Trim the stalks from the spinach and discard. Wash the leaves and shake off excess water, but don't dry them completely. Chop leaves.

2. Place ricotta in a bowl. Add parmesan, nutmeg and seasoning. Stir until well combined. Set aside one third of the mixture. Add spinach to the remaining ricotta mixture and mix until well combined.

3. Line the base of the lasagne dish with a sheet of pasta. Spread half the spinach mixture over the lasagne. Top with another lasagne sheet. Spread with the plain ricotta mixture and top with the semi-dried tomatoes. Add another layer of pasta and spread over the remaining spinach mixture. Top with a final layer of pasta.

4. Arrange camembert over lasagne and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. The top will puff up, but then settly when removed from the oven. Stand for 10 minutes.

Pad Thai (Gluten-free)

2006-10-01T14:14:00.000+10:00

to pad, or not to pad?..... tonite that is.......

pack of rice stick noodles
olive oil
300g firm tofu, cut into thin sticks, or chicken breast
2 spring onions, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp snipped garlic chives
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup fish sauce
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
¼ cup tomato sauce/paste/puree
2 tbsp lime juice
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp chopped dry-roasted peanuts
_____________

Cover noodles with boiling water and set aside for 10mins or until soft. Drain well

Heat oil in wok over high heat, add tofu – cook until golden
Add vege and water
Stirfry for 3 mins

Push mixture to one side
Add chives and eggs, and stir till scrambled

Add noodles, sauces and lime juice to wok and stirfry until heated through

Turn off wok, and toss through sprouts, coriander and peanuts

Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

2006-10-01T13:26:00.000+10:00

Being diabetic, theres a whole lotta foods we eat that im 'not supposed to', so, using almond meal and eggs as the main ingredient replacements for refined flour, i can feel a lot less guilty about eating these and theyre a damn site better on my blood sugar. For those of you who can eat whatever you want, these really are a better alternative to eating white refined flour thats normally in muffins anyways.. and they taste fantasic!

Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

125g dark chocolate
50g marg.
4 eggs, separated
½ cup milk
tsp vanilla essence
1 2/3cups(200g) almond meal
tbsp cocoa powder
tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup dark choc. Bits

piped icing:
leftover dark choc block, plus some leftover choc bits melted in pan over water
take off heat, mix in block philli cheese with fork
add bit of vanilla and cinnamon
______________________________________

melt choc and butter in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until smooth; cool.

Stir in egg yolks, then gradually add milk and vanilla

Combine almond meal, sifted cocoa and baking powder, sugar and choc bits in large bowl. Stir in choc. Mixture.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form(around1-2 mins).
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into choc. Mix, then fold in the rest.

Bake patty cakes for around 20mins at 200°C.
Cool
Pipe icing, then place choc bit on top.
Dust with icing sugar

Note: Suitable to freeze

Warm peach upside down cakes

2006-09-25T16:19:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
415 g can peach slices in natural juice, drained
2 tablespoons reduced fat spread, melted
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self raising flour
150g light French Vanilla fruche
pure icing sugar to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Lightly dpray base of four 1-cup capacity ramekins with oil. Line bases with baking paper. Arrange 2 to 3 peach slices over base of each ramekin. Finely chop remaining peaches.
2. Combine spread and sugar in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg and vanilla together. Add to sugar mixture. Sift flour over batter and stir until well combined. Fold in chopped peaches.
3. Spoon batter over peach slices. Smooth surface. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Use a knife to loosen cakes. Turn out onto serving plates. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm with Fruche.

Serves 4

Variation: Try replacing canned peaches with fresh peaches when in season, or canned apricots or pears.

Mexican bean tortillas

2006-09-25T11:40:00.000+10:00

For my birthday, Meegan bought me an annual subscription to Super Food Ideas! I love trying out new recipes each month. Here's two yummy recipes from the October magazine that I made for my mum and brother on Saturday night.

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tomatoes
420g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
4 flour tortillas
1/2 green capsicum
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup chunky tomato salsa
1/4 cup low fat yoghurt
2 iceberg lettuce leaves, shredded

Method:
1. Lightly spray a saucepan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Add onin and cook, stirring, for three minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Finely chop 1 tomato. Add chopped tomato, beans, 1/4 cup cold water, taco seasoning and chilli powder to saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until liquid has reduced and thickened. Using a potato masher, roughly mash.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lay tortillas on a workbench. Spread with bean mixture. Top with capsicum. Roll up tortillas tightly to enclose filling. Tranfer to a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas warmed through.
4. Meanwhile, dice remaining tomato. Combine tomato and cucumber in a small bowl. Slice tortillas in half and place on plates. Top with coriander. Serve with salsa, yoghurt, lettuce and tomato salad.

Serves 4

Tomato and goat's cheese crumble

2006-09-06T04:43:00.000+10:00

Firstly some trivia. The English don't appear to use cups as a measurement in cooking and instead weigh absolutely everything. This sometimes poses a bit of a problem for me, who in an attempt to avoid acquiring possessions while o/s, hasn't purchased kitchen scales!

Now, I think this dish is truly delicious. But because one of the main ingredients is cheese, I tend to make it only for guests or a special occasion.

I serve it with rocket + roasted pumkin + balsamic mixed together as a salad and some warm, crusty olive bread. Yumbo.

Tomato and goat's cheese crumble

1kg / 2 1/4 lbs tomatoes (mixed varieties, including 1 punnet of cherry toms)
5 tablespoons olive oil
225g/8 ounces goat's cheese (firm or soft)
50g/2 ounces pine nuts
100g/4 ounces breadcrumbs
50g/2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F, 190 C/ gas mark 5.
Roughly chop the tomatoes, leaving the cherry ones whole; heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan, add the chopped tomatoes and seasoning and cook for 10 minutes (stirring occasionally) until softened; remove from the heat and stir in cherry tomatoes.
Spoon half the tomato mix into an oven proof dish (1 litre/1 ¾ pints size) and crumble half of the goat’s cheese on top; repeat the layers.
Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the pine nuts and breadcrumbs; remove from the heat and stir in half the parmesan; scatter breadcrumb mix over the tomatoes and cheese, then top with the rest of the parmesan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.

Cheers to Damien for introducing me to this recipe!

Easy Pancake Batter

2006-08-22T20:26:00.000+10:00

Found this wonderful recipe for pancakes in my Italian cookbooks.

1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
2/3 cup milk
6 tablespoons water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl.
Make a well in the centre and add eggs, oil and milk.
Beat until smooth and then stir in the water.
Cover bowl and chill for 1-2 hours.
Lightly oil frying pan, pour in batter and cook pancakes.

This recipe is great because it doesn't contain sugar. It can be used for savoury or sweet toppings. My girls like it because we can make the batter the night before and then cook them first thing in the morning. My favourite topping would have to be golden syrup and whipped cream, mmmmmmmmmmmm

The BEST Spag Bog ever

2006-08-22T20:13:00.000+10:00

This recipe is for the yummiest spaghetti bolognese I've come across. It takes time to do but it's worth it. Start it after lunch and by dinner you'll have a rich meat sauce to put in lasagne, with pasta, jaffles ......

15g butter
bacon ( a few rashers), diced and derinded
onion, finely chopped
500g beef mince
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
3 Tablespoons dry vermouth/white wine (I've used red and it tastes great)
1 and 1/4 cups beef stock (I tend to use half stock, half water to cut down on saltiness)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons cream/evaporated milk (I've used normal milk at times)

Melt butter in pan and gently fry onion, bacon, carrot, celery for about 10 minutes.
Add mince, stir until browned.
Stir in wine and bring to the boil, cook until most liquid has evaporated
Stir in stock and tomato paste, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Bring back to boil, cover and simmer for one hour (or half an hour or two hours)
Stir in the cream/milk and serve with pasta, use in lasagne, etc.

This is great to make a big pot and freeze portions. The longer it simmers, the more flavour it gets.

one for kristy... mediterranian pasta

2006-08-21T16:55:00.000+10:00

i promise, this will be my last post for today.............. its the first time ive been able to contribute, couldnt even leave a comment before, so heres my tomato based pasta sauce.

Jodies mediterranian pasta

4 large tomatoes
4 capsicum/or 10 sweet chilli
2 onion
olive oil
heaped tbsp paprika
tbsp Italian dried herb mix
2 tsp garlic
tbsp vinegar
2 pinches chilli powder
handful sliced Spanish olives
2 handful pinenuts
kidney beans
1 slice Australian reduced fat fetta(deli)

chop up tomatoes, capsicum and onion small and bake in large oven tray for around 1-1½ hours until the sweetness comes out in the capsicum

remove from oven

stirfry together oil and herbs and spices

add in oven mixture
stir for around 5 mins

add olives, kidney beans, and pinenuts
warm thru

serve with pasta and sprinkling of crumbled fetta on top

Cottage cheese meatloaf

2006-08-21T16:49:00.000+10:00

i rarely cook with meat, but on the occasion i do, this ones a favourite for sure!

500g mince
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
½ cup quick rolled oats
1/8 cup BBQ sauce
1 dash worstershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 onions
pinch salt
1/3 cup parmesan

Combine all ingredients apart from parmesan.

line medium pan with grease proof paper.

Pat down mixture with hands in pan.

Bake for 30mins at 180°C

Remove from oven, sprinkle parmesan over top.

Return to oven and bake for a further 15 mins, or until cooked through

homemade chips

2006-08-21T16:36:00.000+10:00

dunno 'bout anyone else, but mick and i loooove homemade chips!

easy!

chop your spuds into chips (i use sweet spud aswell, for better long-acting carbs for diabetic me!)

pop into a large baking dish
coat with bit of olive oil
then grab a packet of salt-reduced el taco seasoning, and sprinkle some over
mix it all through with fingers, to try to get even coating

i bake at around 260 degrees for around and hour, but my oven is dodgy, so every oven's different, and yours is hopefully more powerful and trust-worthy.

yummy!

Lemon Meringue Pudding

2006-08-20T19:20:00.000+10:00

I made this one for guests on Friday night and it was a big hit. It uses a sponge base instead of the traditional pastry base.

Ingredients - pudding
200 g bought sponge cake
430ml cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind
80ml lemon juice
6 eggs
165 g caster sugar
280g jar of lemon butter

Ingredients - meringue topping
3 egg whites
165g caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to moderately low. Lightly grease a round 2 litre ovenproof dish.
2. Cut sponge cake into 3 cm pieces. Place pieces randomly in prepared dish. Combine cream, extract, rind and juice in a small saucepan overlow heat, stirring until hot.
3. Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, pour hot cream mixture into egg mixture and then pour into dish over sponge cake. Bake, uncovered, in a moderately low oven for 45 minutes. Remove pudding from the oven and increase the oven temperature to moderate.
4. Cool pudding for 10 minutes, then, using rubber spatula, carefully spread lemon butter over the surface.
5. Make meringue topping. Spoon topping over pudding to completely cover surface. Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes or until browned lightly.

Method - meringue topping
Beat egg whites in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form, add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar disovles between additions.

Serve hot with cream or ice cream. Serves 8.

Pho Ga

2006-08-17T23:09:00.000+10:00

This recipe is all the things I love - quick, easy, and tasty! "Pho Ga" is basically a Vietnamese soup with chicken and rice noodles.

Here's what you'll need:

Chicken (100 - 200g per serve)
Garlic (1/2 - 1 clove per serve)
Ginger (about 1/2 as much as the garlic)
Peanut oil
Chili flakes (optional, but good for some spice)
Chicken stock/broth (about 500ml per serve)
Rice noodles
Corriander (or "cilantro" for the Americans)
Mung beans ("bean sprouts")
Escallots (optional)

And here's what you do:

Throw some water on to boil - enough to cook your desired quantity of noodles.
While you're waiting, cut the chicken into thin slices, crush the garlic, and crush (or chop into tiny pieces) the ginger. Ideally, if you have a mortar and pestle, you could use it to mash the ginger, garlic, and chili flakes into some sort of paste.
By now the water should be boiling, so turn it off, and put the rice noodles in, then cover it up. Let them sit there until the end of the preparation.
Throw some peanut oil into a large wok. Cook the chicken, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes for about a minute - enough so the outside of the chicken looks fairly cooked, but not cooked right through.
Add the chicken stock, and bring to the boil. Once it's boiling, the chicken will take about 8-10 minutes to cook through.
While you're waiting on the chicken to cook, wash your mung beans, seperate the corriander leaves from the stalks (chuck the stalks out), and cut up the eschallots.
When the chicken is just about cooked, pour in a little bit of fish sauce for flavour. Drain and serve the noodles, then spoon the chicken soup over the noodles and then garnish with the corriander, eschallots, and mung beans.
Eat, and enjoy!

Note: Best served with lots of Tuong Ot Sriracha on top!

Lentil, broccoli and mushroom stew

2006-08-13T00:25:00.000+10:00

Having noticed The Cookbook hadn’t been posted to for a little while, I thought I would get organised and finally post one I’ve been meaning to a for while now. And it looks like Meegs had the same idea!

Here’s a super-easy one that’s fairly nutritious and something a bit different.

25g butter
6 shallots, finely slices
1 clove garlic, chopped
100g mushrooms, sliced
125g green lentils
1 vegetable stock cube, made up with 600ml water
100ml white wine
1 red pepper, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
200g broccoli, small florets
2 tablespoons single cream

1. Melt the butter over a moderate heat and fry the shallots with the garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the lentils, vegetable stock and white wine. Season well.

3. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the pepper, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding more water if necessary.

4. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and stir in the single cream before serving.

I served it with rice, but crusty bread would be just as good.

Scones

2006-08-12T21:46:00.000+10:00

Here's a super easy and fail-safe scone recipe from Super Food Ideas that I've tried and tested a few times now.

Ingredients:
Plain flour for dusting
3 cups of self raising flour
80g butter, cubed
1 - 1 1/4 cups milk

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a baking tray with flour, or line the tray with baking paper. Sift self raising flour into a large bowl.
2. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre and add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until the mixture forms a soft dough, you may need to add more milk to get to the right consistency. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
4. Pat the dough into a 2cm thick round. Using a 5cm round cutter, cut out aprrox 12 rounds. Press the dough back together and cut out remaining rounds. Place scones on to the baking tray, about 1 cm apart. Sprinkle the tops with a little plain flour.
5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and well risen.
6. Serve warm with jam and cream.

Tuna Mornay

2006-08-12T21:27:00.001+10:00

You know those days when you have hardly anything in the pantry and don't really want to face grocery shopping or take away for dinner? This is one recipe that I call on frequently!
(Thanks Mum)

Ingredients
1 oz butter
1 1/2 ozs grated cheese
1 tblsp flour
1 cup milk
1 chopped onion
pinch of salt
1 medium size tin of tuna
4 potatoes (approx)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c.
Peel, finely slice and cook the potatoes until just tender, set aside for later.
Melt butter in a saucepan with the chopped onion.
Blend in the flour and salt.
Add the milk, stirring constantly until thick.
Add the tuna and most of the cheese. Leave enough to sprinkle over the top for baking.
Layer the potatoes in an oven proof dish.
Top with the tuna sauce and sprinkle the left over cheese on top.
Bake in the oven until golden brown.

Double Chocolate Brownies

2006-07-29T11:31:00.000+10:00

These are very yummy!

190g butter
350g sugar
25g golden syrup
3 eggs
115g plain flour
65g cocoa
95g dark good quality chocolate, chopped
125g raisins and 1/2 cup nuts (if you wish)

Cream the butter and sugar and syrup. Add eggs, one at a time (don't worry if mixture separates). Add the flour and cocoa, chopped chocolate and raisins/nuts if using and combine well.
Scoop into a tray lined with baking paper and spread evenly. Bake in 180 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Cut into squares. Try not to eat all in one sitting! Also really nice as a dessert with vanilla icecream and a drizzle of chocolate topping, with a strawberry on the side.

Lamb Tagine

2006-07-29T10:00:00.000+10:00

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut in half
Onion, chopped
750g diced lamb
1 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, cinnamon
grated rind and juice of half an orange
1 teaspoon saffron strands (have made it without, tastes fine)
1 tablespoon of almond meal
1 and 1/4 cups of stock (chicken or veg)

Soak apricots in bowl with 2/3 cup boiling water for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Heat oil in a pan and saute onions (about 10 minutes).
Add lamb, cumin, coriander and cinnamon (and salt/pepper to taste). Stir to coat lamb in spices.
Add apricots and their soaking liquid.
Stir in orange ring/juice, saffron, almondmeal and stock and stir through.
Place in casserole dish with lid and cook in oven for about an hour to hour and a half until meat is tender and liquid has started to reduce.
Serve with couscous and whatever veges you wish to put through the couscous (i like eggplant and zuccini)

Lamb Biryani - another easy meal

2006-07-29T09:45:00.000+10:00

As you notice, I only cook the "easy" stuff. This is great using any meat and any curry paste.

750g diced lamb/chicken/beef
one tin Korma curry paste (or whichever curry you like)
tablespoon oil, tablespoon butter
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 cup basmati rice
1.5 cups stock (chicken, vege, beef)

Combine meat and curry paste in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight (yeah, right)
Preheat oven (or hooded bbq) to 180 degrees.
Heat oil and butter over medium heat and cook onions until caramelised.
Place meat/curry paste in casserole dish. Spoon onions over meat.
Rinse rice and sprinkle evenly over onions.
Heat stock in microwave and then pour over back of spoon onto rice. Cover with foil and then lid.
Bake in oven (or bbq if your oven hasn't worked for months now, hint hint Michael we need a new one!) for about one hour 30 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve with pappadums.

cherry ripe self saucing pudding

2006-07-16T17:33:00.000+10:00

You may notice that any recipes that I contribute are super easy. This one is another simple one - in fact, it comes from a kid's cookbook!

Ingredients:
60 grams butter, chopped
1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 x 55 gram cherry ripe bars, chopped coarsley
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, extra
2 cups boiling water
50grams butter, chopped, extra

Method:
1. Melt butter in a deep 12 cup microwave safe dish, uncovered, on HIGH in a microwave oven for about 1 minute, or until butter has melted. Remove dish from the microwave.
2. Add sifted flour, caster sugar and cocoa to dish with milk and extract; whisk until smooth. Stir in Cherry Ripe.
3. Combine brown sugar and sifted extra cocoa in medium jug; gradually stir in the boiling water. Add extra butter; stir until butter melts. Carefully pour syrup mixture evenly over pudding mixture.
4. Cook, uncovered, on HIGH in microwave oven for 15 minutes or until just cooked in the centre. Remove dish from microwave oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
5. Serve with fresh cherries and cream. Serves 8.

Fettuccini with pesto and prawns

2006-07-15T01:39:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite recipies, especially with a good brand of pesto! Here's the ingredients, modify quantities as appropriate:

Prawns (however many you fancy)
Red pesto (e.g. garlic and sundried tomato)
Onion
Mushrooms
1/2 of a medium tomato per serve
75ml cream per serve
1 clove garlic per serve

Here's the directions - and presuming that the prawns are pre-cooked:

Chuck some water on to boil; while you're waiting, slice up the mushrooms and onion, cube the tomato, and peel your garlic. After the garlic is peeled, crush it up (hope you have a good garlic press!) on top of your mushrooms
By now the water should be boiled, so bung in your fettuccini (or pasta of choice)
Throw the onions into a hot pan (med-high heat) with your desired amount of olive oil, and cook them for a minute or two so they become soft.
Next, throw in the tomatos, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir carefully - try not to mash up the tomatos too much.
When that's cooked down a bit, add in the prawns and the pesto. Keep stirring.
Finally, when your pasta has 2 or 3 minutes left to cook, add in the cream, stir until it's evenly distributed (by which point it should be almost boiling), and then reduce your heat to a simmer. Keep stirring occasionally until the pasta is cooked.

That's it! Best served with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper.

Chicken Foccacia Melt - an easy dinner

2006-07-14T22:11:00.000+10:00

This is a great recipe for minimum effort, maximum effect cooking.

diced chicken
pesto
sundried tomatoes
sliced onions
mozzarella cheese
foccacia / turkish bread

1. Toss diced chicken with basil pesto.
2. Cook sliced onions in a frypan with a little oil. Add chicken/pesto mix, and sliced sundried tomatoes, fry until chicken is cooked.
3. Halve foccacia/turkish bread slice, lay cut side up.
4. Top with chicken mixture and then mozzarella cheese.
5. Place under grill/in oven until cheese is melted.
6. Serve on its own or with a garden salad. Glass of wine optional.

This beats ordering out for pizza, and is quicker too.

Parmesan-crumbed Baked Fish

2006-07-14T10:51:00.000+10:00

Carrying on the fishy theme, here's a non-salmon recipe to try.

Serves 4

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup fresh multi-grain breadcrumbs (or store bought - works nearly as well)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped (can use dried herbs here as well)
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 thick white fish steaks (about 200g each, try blue eye or king fish, or just ask your local fish person for something similar, they can be very helpful!)
Cooking spray (olive oil spray if you've got it)

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, lemon rind, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Drizzle mixture with olive oil and stir until the breadcrumbs are coated in oil.
4. Press the breadcrumb mixture onto the flesh side of the fish fillets to form an even topping.
5. Place fish, skin side down onto a baking tray and spray the fillets with oil.
6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until light and golden and the fish is just cooked through.

Serve with steamed greens, baby potatoes and some lemon wedges in winter, and salad in summer.

Bean Surprise

2006-07-13T19:56:00.000+10:00

Don't feel like cooking but want to eat something healthy? Got some vegies to use up and a can of baked beans in the pantry? Yes and Yes? Try Bean Surprise!

Grate some vegetables (e.g. carrot, zucchinni, onion) in a microwave safe bowl and heat for a few minutes. Mix in a can of baked beans and heat for a further minute or two in the microwave. Serve over toast or jacket potatoes.

Hearty Tomato Cooking Sauce - From Scratch

2006-07-13T11:29:00.000+10:00

In response to Kristy's request, here is my 'recipe' although it does tend to change quite a bit depending on what's lurking in the fridge.
Serves 4-6
Basic ingredients:
2 cans (or 1 large can) of chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch basil - don't chop til later or it will go black and disgusting!
2 Anchovies (optional but don't worry - you won't taste them)
6 black Kalamata olives chopped (again, optional if you don't like olives)
Olive oil - About 2 tablespoons, although you could use less if using non-stick pan
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of sugar
Sloosh of wine (white or red - doesn't matter)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the olives and anchovies and fry until fragrant (1-2 min). Add the onions. When they are soft and transparent, add the garlic and stir through for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, parsley and wine. Cook for a couple of minutes and then taste. This is where you add a bit of sugar to take the sourness away from the tomatoes. Generally, I put in about half a teaspoon.
Cook over fairly high heat (so it's bloop-blooping away nicely), stirring occasionally until thick and gorgeous (about 20 minutes). Chop the basil now. Season to taste and add the basil.

Variations and additions:
More vegies: Add chopped mushrooms and capsicum at the garlic stage.
Or add small florets of broccoli and a handful of toasted pine nuts or almonds at the tomato stage.
Add some heat: Add freshly chopped and deseeded chilli at the garlic stage (and maybe a shake of cumin and coriander powders to give some mexican flavour) Leave out the basil. Good with rice.
Vego Bolognese style: Add a dash of worcestershire sauce and 1/2 packet of pre-soaked Sanitarium Vegie-Mince (see pack for instructions - I love this stuff, really versatile).
A bit fishy: Add a can of tuna (well drained) just before the tomatoes. This is great with rice.

Cheers
Del

Does anyone have...

2006-07-13T08:31:00.000+10:00

a good recipe for a hearty tomato-based pasta sauce made from scratch?

Summer shrimp salad

2006-07-13T08:21:00.000+10:00

I know it's not summer in Aus at the moment but you can always pretend, right? Tried this today and there was something dinstinctly Aussie tasting about it. Light, fresh, healthy, simple, and... well summery.

1 pound frozen, fully cooked medium shrimp, thawed
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 cups watermelon, roughly chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
2 avocados, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, onion, watermelon, jalapeños, and avocado.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad; toss. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 333(49% from fat); FAT 18g (sat 3g); SUGAR 11g; PROTEIN 16g; CHOLESTEROL 0mg; SODIUM 599mg; FIBER 7g; CARBOHYDRATE 30g

I accidentally used parsley instead of coriander but it was still really good!

Easy foccacia - without a machine

2006-07-08T02:59:00.000+10:00

This is the first time I've made bread and I found it surprisingly easy.

* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 pinch ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 cup water
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup mozzarella

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.

2. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

I served it with cheeses, prawns, steamed green beans, walnuts and other antipasti-type snacks. It is delicious warm, but not as good the next day so best baked when you're having 4-6 people for dinner.

Easy Chickpea Salad

2006-07-06T14:43:00.000+10:00

This is the easiest (peasiest) salad.
You'll need:
1 can chick peas
1/2 small red onion
half a punnet of cherry (or grape) tomatoes
handful of flat parsley
white wine vinegar
olive oil
salt & pepper

Chop the onion nice and fine. Halve the cherry toms. Chop the parsley (not too fine - think rustic). Chuck it all in a bowl with the drained (and rinsed) chick peas. Add a big sloosh of vinegar, a glug glug of olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. That's it!

This needs about an hour for the flavours to really mingle and tastes delish the next day as well. If you don't have any chick peas, any canned beans (especially four bean mix) are just as good. I sometimes add a half teaspoon of tahini as well - gives it a nice middle eastern touch.

This is perfect served with roasted mediterranean veg and couscous or as a side dish for any informal 'help yourself' style meal. Enjoy!

Salmon with Almonds and Cheese

2006-07-05T04:19:00.000+10:00

Following on with the salmon theme, here's one I make quite regularly - and in fact made tonight (Left: Ben devouring it)!

4 x 175g salmon fillets
50g softened butter
4 tbsp slivered or flaked almonds
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
50g guyere or emmental, coarsely grated (any mild cheese really)
potatoes and a green salad or broccoli, to serve

Preheat oven to 190 deg C/Gas 5/fan oven 170 deg c. Season the salmon steaks all over. Liberally butter a shallow ovenproof dish big enough to take the fish in one layer. Smear the fillets with the remaining butter.
Mix the almonds, parsley and the cheese, then press on to the top of the steaks.
Bake for 15-20mins, until the topping is crisp and golden and the salmon cooked. Serve with potatoes and a green salad or broccoli.

Enjoy!

sweet corn and zucchini soup

2006-07-04T19:58:00.000+10:00

This is so easy! Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
400g zucchini, chopped
420g can creamed corn
1 cup water
1 cup milk
300ml cream
seasoning to taste
chives for garnish

Method:
1. Add a little oil to a large saucepan and saute onion until softened.
2. Add zucchini, corn, milk and water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Puree and then return to the saucepan.
3. Add cream and reheat without boiling. Garnish and season to taste.
Serve with your favourite bread.

Barbecued Salmon and Balsamic Roast Vegetables

2006-07-04T13:32:00.000+10:00

This recipe featured on our blog recently so some of you would have already seen it. It's one of our all time favourites because it's yummy, easy and good for you. Salmon is excellent "brain food" because of the high Omega 3 content.

Barbecued Salmon
Pour a generous amount of soy sauce and crushed garlic into a container and add salmon fillets to marinate (ensure the fish is well coated with the sauce and garlic) for 1 hour. When ready, cook on the barbecue over a medium heat until cooked through, remembering to turn the fish once or twice. Serve with a fresh salad and breadrolls in summer, or roast vegetables in winter.

Balsamic Roast Vegetables
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Combine 375g sweet potato, 375g red onion, 375g large carrots, 375g zucchini, 500g waxy potatoes (all cut into chunks) and 12 cloves of peeled garlic in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of Thyme sprigs, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and season with black pepper. Toss the vegetables well and spread them in a single layer in a large baking dish. Roast until the vegetables are cooked through and starting to brown on the edges, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Lasagne

2006-07-03T07:30:00.000+10:00

This is one of our favourites!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1. Lean mince - approx 600g
2. Store bought (or homemade if you're feeling energetic) pasta sauce. It doesn't matter which one, but we like anything 5 Brothers the most.
3. 1 Onion - finely chopped
4. 2 cloves Garlic - finely chopped
5. Grated cheese - approx 250g
6. Sour cream - medium sized tub
7. Grated Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Grease lasagne or casserole dish
3. Sauté the onion in a large frying pan with little olive oil
4. Add the mince and brown.
5. Once mince is done add the pasta sauce and let simmer as per the instructions on the jar.
6. Layer the lasagne dish with mince, then a lasagne sheet, spread a layer of sour cream over the lasagne sheet (as much or as little as you like, I like to be heavy handed with it) sprinkle the cheeses and repeat the process until your dish is full, or you've run out of mince!
7. Make sure you have a lasagne sheet as you're top layer, and cover with the sour cream and cheeses.
8. Bake in the oven for approximately half an hour, or until golden brown.
9. Leave to stand for about 5-10 minutes if you've got time - makes it a little easier to serve.

The leftovers freeze really well and as with most tomato based pasta dishes, it tastes even better the next day.

Optional extra - a layer of baby spinach leaves after the mince layers tastes good too.

Welcome

2006-07-01T22:21:00.000+10:00

Welcome to our new blog, 'The Cookbook'!

If you'd like to contribute, please leave a comment on this post, and we will add you on as a member to our recipe blog.

Happy cooking :)