I made a double batch of choc chip cookies yesterday - mostly to go in the freezer, but kept a few out for me... They are so good!! Recipe is in post below.
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| Cookie dough - yum! |
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Pork, Basil and Pepper Stir Fry
This delicious stir fry is from Marie Claire Cooking - one of the first cookbooks I bought over 14 years ago. It's a great dish and I particularly love the heat from all the cracked pepper and chilli.
I'm also using an Induction cooktop at the moment (while living in Melbourne) and so can't use my wok. The saucepan worked well - no issue there at all.
With regard to the ingredients below, I generally use regular basil, and 2 mangos rather than just the one. The extra mango gives the dish additional sauce and flavour - try it however you prefer!
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
2 red chillies, chopped
500g pork strips
200g asparagus, halved and trimmed
4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 cup Thai basil leaves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 mango or 2 nectarines, chopped
Heat oil in a wok over high heat.
Add garlic, pepper and chillies to wok and cook for 1 minute.
Add pork to wok and stir fry for 4 minutes or until pork is well browned.
Add asparagus, lime leaves, basil and soy sauce and stir fry for 3 minutes.
Stir through mango or nectarine pieces.
To serve, place stir fry on serving plates with steamed rice as an accompaniment.
Serves 4.
Marie Claire Cooking, Donna Hay, Page 112.
I'm also using an Induction cooktop at the moment (while living in Melbourne) and so can't use my wok. The saucepan worked well - no issue there at all.
With regard to the ingredients below, I generally use regular basil, and 2 mangos rather than just the one. The extra mango gives the dish additional sauce and flavour - try it however you prefer!
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
2 red chillies, chopped
500g pork strips
200g asparagus, halved and trimmed
4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 cup Thai basil leaves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 mango or 2 nectarines, chopped
Heat oil in a wok over high heat.
Add garlic, pepper and chillies to wok and cook for 1 minute.
Add pork to wok and stir fry for 4 minutes or until pork is well browned.
Add asparagus, lime leaves, basil and soy sauce and stir fry for 3 minutes.
Stir through mango or nectarine pieces.
To serve, place stir fry on serving plates with steamed rice as an accompaniment.
Serves 4.
Marie Claire Cooking, Donna Hay, Page 112.
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| Finished stir fry in the pan |
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| Stir fry served with steamed rice |
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Bills Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Mum reminded me how good this dish is the other day as I hadn't made it in years. This is actually a good one for the slow cooker, but I didn't have enough time and so followed Bills method of baking it for 2 hours. It tasted fantastic, though I think the lamb would be even more tender if I had cooked it a little slower. Another really hearty dish with loads of flavour.
1 tbsp olive oil
8 small frenched lamb shanks
1 Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
4 tsp fish sauce
4 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 cups chicken stock or water
2 potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, unpeeled and chopped
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Heat oil in a frying pan over a high heat.
Add lamb shanks and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are well browned.
Remove lamb and place in a baking dish.
Reduce heat to medium and add onion to the pan.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute longer, then add chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add sugar, fish sauce, chopped tomatoes, lime leaves and stock, and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat.
Add potatoes and sweet potato to the baking dish with the lamb, and pour the sauce over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours, or until the lamb falls away from the bone.
Serve with steamed cous cous or rice.
Serves 4.
Bills Sydney Food, Bill Granger, Page 139.
1 tbsp olive oil
8 small frenched lamb shanks
1 Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
4 tsp fish sauce
4 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 cups chicken stock or water
2 potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, unpeeled and chopped
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Heat oil in a frying pan over a high heat.
Add lamb shanks and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are well browned.
Remove lamb and place in a baking dish.
Reduce heat to medium and add onion to the pan.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute longer, then add chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add sugar, fish sauce, chopped tomatoes, lime leaves and stock, and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat.
Add potatoes and sweet potato to the baking dish with the lamb, and pour the sauce over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours, or until the lamb falls away from the bone.
Serve with steamed cous cous or rice.
Serves 4.
Bills Sydney Food, Bill Granger, Page 139.
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| This is the sauce that has just come to the boil |
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| The pot straight out of the oven |
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Wednesday - minor blog frustrations...
I'm very new to the blog world and am having difficulty with formatting and the colour of my post headings. Yellow keeps cropping up as a heading colour even though I have tried several times to change it. Will keep working on it...
I made a great Lamb Tagine tonight which I'll post in the morning - delicious!
I made a great Lamb Tagine tonight which I'll post in the morning - delicious!
Speedy Tuna Pasta (recipe from Mum)
This is a really good dish if you want to make something great for dinner in about 15 mins (or faster!). I love the taste, it's healthy and filling. I made a double quantity this time which will cover us for two meals. Mum passed this recipe on to me and I'm not sure who originally created it.
200g dried pasta
185g can chunky tuna in olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
pinch of sugar
2 handfuls (about 40g) rocket
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain.
Meanwhile, drain the tuna reserving the oil.
Flake the tuna into chunks. Please 2 tbsp tuna oil and onion into a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 mins, or until just tender.
Add tomatoes, sprinkle with sugar and cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
Add the drained pasta, tuna and rocket to the saucepan and cook, occasionally tossing gently until the rocket just starts to wilt.
Add a little more of the reserved tuna oil if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Serves 2
200g dried pasta
185g can chunky tuna in olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
pinch of sugar
2 handfuls (about 40g) rocket
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain.
Meanwhile, drain the tuna reserving the oil.
Flake the tuna into chunks. Please 2 tbsp tuna oil and onion into a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 mins, or until just tender.
Add tomatoes, sprinkle with sugar and cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
Add the drained pasta, tuna and rocket to the saucepan and cook, occasionally tossing gently until the rocket just starts to wilt.
Add a little more of the reserved tuna oil if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Serves 2
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| Finished pasta (double quantity) |
Monday, 16 May 2011
Jamie Oliver's Curry Rogan Josh (with lamb) and Chapattis
This recipe is a new find and it's fantastic. I added lamb as it is meant to be a vegetarian dish - and I'm sure would be divine without meat. Just knew that my husband would prefer it with meat and it would probably be more filling for both of us. Important for me at the moment as I'm pregnant and forever hungry!
I added about 1kg of diced lamb once the onion was soft - browned it off before adding the other vegetables. Seemed to work fine and still tasted fantastic. My other variation was adding more of the curry paste. I used about half of a 540g jar of the Pataks Rogan Josh curry paste. Next time I will probably use the spicier version as this original one was delicious but not spicy at all.
The recipe is from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's 30 Minute Meals" book and so there aren't specific timings for things - he's assuming you're doing it all in 30 mins and so it's a step by step guide that takes you through the entire 30 mins. The recipe also includes a carrot salad, lemon pickle and special rice - I'll try those additional elements next time.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees, fill and boil the kettle, put a large pan on a high heat.
Curry
2 onions
1 medium butternut squash
1 small cauliflower
optional: 1 fresh red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh coriander
1/2 a jar or Patak's rogan josh paste (I ended up using 1/2 jar of the 540g size)
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
100g washed baby spinach
1 x 500g tub natural yoghurt
Chapattis
1 pack of chapattis
turmeric, for dusting
olive oil
Curry
Peel and slice the onions and add to a pan with a splash of water and a few good lugs of olive oil.
(Once the onions were soft, I added the lamb now and browned it off before adding the other veggies)
Carefully cut the butternut squash in half across the middle, wrap up the base and put in the fridge for another day. Slice your piece into 1cm chunks - no need to peed. Add to the pan.
Trim the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves.
Cut it into bite-sized chunks, and throw them into the pan.
If you want some extra heat, slice up the chilli and add it now.
Crush in the unpeeled garlic.
Finely chop the coriander (stalks and all).
Reserve a few leaves for garnish and add the rest to the pan with a couple of generous splashes of boiled water.
Add the rogan josh paste and the tin of chickpeas, with their juices.
Season and stir well, then put a lid on.
Cook hard and fast, stirring occasionally.
Check after approx 10 mins and add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry. Stir, then replace the lid.
After another 5 mins, take the lid off. Do you need to adjust the consistency?
If so, you can add a generous splash of boiled water, depending on whether you want it drier or wetter.
Or mash up some of the veg for different textures. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if needed.
Then add the spinach and stir through.
Chapattis
Scrunch up a large sheet of greaseproof paper under the tap.
Flatten it out, then layer the chapattis on top, drizzling each lightly with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of turmeric.
Wrap them in the paper and put them on the middle shelf of the oven.
(Keep an eye on them as they don't take long)
To serve
Tip half the tub of yoghurt into a small bowl.
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
Remove chapattis from the oven and take them straight to the table.
Transfer the rice and curry into large serving bowls.
Spoon the remaining yoghurt over the curry, sprinkle with the rest of the coriander leaves and take both bowls to the table.
Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, Jamie Oliver, Page 82.
I added about 1kg of diced lamb once the onion was soft - browned it off before adding the other vegetables. Seemed to work fine and still tasted fantastic. My other variation was adding more of the curry paste. I used about half of a 540g jar of the Pataks Rogan Josh curry paste. Next time I will probably use the spicier version as this original one was delicious but not spicy at all.
The recipe is from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's 30 Minute Meals" book and so there aren't specific timings for things - he's assuming you're doing it all in 30 mins and so it's a step by step guide that takes you through the entire 30 mins. The recipe also includes a carrot salad, lemon pickle and special rice - I'll try those additional elements next time.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees, fill and boil the kettle, put a large pan on a high heat.
Curry
2 onions
1 medium butternut squash
1 small cauliflower
optional: 1 fresh red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh coriander
1/2 a jar or Patak's rogan josh paste (I ended up using 1/2 jar of the 540g size)
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
100g washed baby spinach
1 x 500g tub natural yoghurt
Chapattis
1 pack of chapattis
turmeric, for dusting
olive oil
Curry
Peel and slice the onions and add to a pan with a splash of water and a few good lugs of olive oil.
(Once the onions were soft, I added the lamb now and browned it off before adding the other veggies)
Carefully cut the butternut squash in half across the middle, wrap up the base and put in the fridge for another day. Slice your piece into 1cm chunks - no need to peed. Add to the pan.
Trim the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves.
Cut it into bite-sized chunks, and throw them into the pan.
If you want some extra heat, slice up the chilli and add it now.
Crush in the unpeeled garlic.
Finely chop the coriander (stalks and all).
Reserve a few leaves for garnish and add the rest to the pan with a couple of generous splashes of boiled water.
Add the rogan josh paste and the tin of chickpeas, with their juices.
Season and stir well, then put a lid on.
Cook hard and fast, stirring occasionally.
Check after approx 10 mins and add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry. Stir, then replace the lid.
After another 5 mins, take the lid off. Do you need to adjust the consistency?
If so, you can add a generous splash of boiled water, depending on whether you want it drier or wetter.
Or mash up some of the veg for different textures. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if needed.
Then add the spinach and stir through.
Chapattis
Scrunch up a large sheet of greaseproof paper under the tap.
Flatten it out, then layer the chapattis on top, drizzling each lightly with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of turmeric.
Wrap them in the paper and put them on the middle shelf of the oven.
(Keep an eye on them as they don't take long)
To serve
Tip half the tub of yoghurt into a small bowl.
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
Remove chapattis from the oven and take them straight to the table.
Transfer the rice and curry into large serving bowls.
Spoon the remaining yoghurt over the curry, sprinkle with the rest of the coriander leaves and take both bowls to the table.
Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, Jamie Oliver, Page 82.
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| My pot before the spinach was added |
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| A serve on rice (had still forgotten spinach at this stage) |
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| Delicious chapattis - crunchy freshness straight from the oven |
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Comforting Chicken Stew
I've actually only made this once and it was a recommendation from Mum. It's a delicious and hearty winter stew, packed with veggies and flavour. It's also really healthy as there's no butter or oil - just the chicken, vegetables and stock. It's a good one to cook when you want to put something in the oven and forget about it for a while. The preparation is really quick. Good to serve with fresh crusty bread to mop up the juices.
2 tbsp plain (all purpose flour)
2 tsp sea salt
4 chicken leg quarters (I used chicken thighs)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 leek, sliced
500ml chicken stock
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, add the chicken and toss to coat.
Toss all vegetables in a separate large bowl.
Arrange half the vegetables in a large baking dish.
Add floured chicken, then the remaining vegetables.
Pour in 500ml chicken stock.
Then cover and bake in moderate oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
Serves 4.
(Mine needed a bit longer in the oven, I probably gave it an extra 20 mins)
Marie Claire Seasonal Kitchen, Michelle Cranston
2 tbsp plain (all purpose flour)
2 tsp sea salt
4 chicken leg quarters (I used chicken thighs)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 leek, sliced
500ml chicken stock
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, add the chicken and toss to coat.
Toss all vegetables in a separate large bowl.
Arrange half the vegetables in a large baking dish.
Add floured chicken, then the remaining vegetables.
Pour in 500ml chicken stock.
Then cover and bake in moderate oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
Serves 4.
(Mine needed a bit longer in the oven, I probably gave it an extra 20 mins)
Marie Claire Seasonal Kitchen, Michelle Cranston
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| All the raw ingredients in the pot |
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| Cooked dish after I'd taken out 2 servings |
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Bills Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bill Granger's choc chip cookie recipe is the best! I always make double quantity and keep a few stocked containers in the freezer. Kids and adults love them - my husband loves a couple of cookies with his mid-morning latte. Lisa x
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate bits
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Add vanilla and egg and stir to combine.
Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.
Fold through chocolate chips.
Place spoonfuls of cookie mixture on a greased and lined baking tray, allowing room for spreading.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until they turn pale gold.
Allow to cook on the tray for 5 minutes before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool.
Makes 16.
(I tend to make smaller cookies and get at least 25 from a single batch)
Bills Sydney Food, Bill Granger, Page 111
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate bits
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Add vanilla and egg and stir to combine.
Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.
Fold through chocolate chips.
Place spoonfuls of cookie mixture on a greased and lined baking tray, allowing room for spreading.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until they turn pale gold.
Allow to cook on the tray for 5 minutes before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool.
Makes 16.
(I tend to make smaller cookies and get at least 25 from a single batch)
Bills Sydney Food, Bill Granger, Page 111
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| YUM! |
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