cherry ripe self saucing pudding

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

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:

1. 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
   
2. By now the water should be boiled, so bung in your fettuccini (or pasta of choice)
3. 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.
4. Next, throw in the tomatos, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir carefully - try not to mash up the tomatos too much.
5. When that's cooked down a bit, add in the prawns and the pesto. Keep stirring.
6. 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.

Parmesan-crumbed Baked Fish

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

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

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

Easy Chickpea Salad

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

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

1. 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.
2. Mix the almonds, parsley and the cheese, then press on to the top of the steaks.
3. 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

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

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

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

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 :)