SALMON CHOWDER

In a large pan.....
Saute 1 strip of bacon  in 1/2 cup of ghee adding 1 and 1/2 cup of diced onion and saute until tender .
Add all of the following ingredients ....
1 cup of coca cola
1 and 1/2 cups of hot water
5 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of tabasco pepper sauce
1/4 of sugar 
2 large cans of whole tomatoes
2 skinless salmon fillets .
Bring this to a boil and reduce to a simmer
Add 5 cups of coarsely diced potatoes and continue to cook over a low heat for approximately 3 and 1/2  hours
The longer it cooks the better it is ..

I put this salmon chowder on last evening and let it slow cook on low all night and awoke to warm inviting aromas wafting through the house , this is amazing .
 

FRESH CABBAGE SOUP ( V ) Svegii Stjii

Soups are a staple in the Russian cuisine ,fresh cabbage soup is vegetarian and a popular everyday soup .
Every family will have their own prized  variation of this recipe .

Melt 3 tbs of ghee in a large pan over a medium heat
Add 1 sliced onion and cook till the onion softens
Add 750 gm of shredded white cabbage , 1 grated carrot , 50gm of grated celeriac .
Cook through stirring often .5 mins .
Now add 2 bay leaves , 5 black peppercorns , 1 cup of vegetable stock .
Bring this to  the boil , reduce the heat , cover and simmer for 15 minutes ....stirring often .
Add another 5 and 1/4 cups of vegetable stocks ., 5 new potatoes diced in chunky pieces .
Simmer until the potatoes soften .
Now to highten the flavour of the soup ...heat 1 tbs of sunflower oil in a small pan and add 1 sliced  capsicum and 2 fresh  tomatoes (  skinned ), fry until the pepper has softened ..
Add the tomato and capsicum mix to the soup .
Simmer for 10 minutes and season with salt and cracked pepper to taste .
Sprinkle with chopped dill and top with crème fraiche .
Serve with rye bread .

Noelene`s adaption of this recipe ...
At the point of adding the tomatoes, capsicum and oil to a small pan  add 2 skinned kranskies diced into chunks , and continue to cook through till the capsicum has softened .

PORK BELLY 2 WAYS

On the last day of term  I took the cooking class to the butcher`s at Ritchies IGA in Churchill , Darren the resident butcher explained the different cuts of pork and showed us where they came from on a fresh carcass .
Darren sliced us pieces from the belly to take back to class to prepare  and cook .

My recipe for pork belly is very simple .....pat dry your peice of pork belly and score the skin with a sharp knife ..( get your butcher to do it ),then coat liberally salting well in between the cuts
Make sure your oven is hot   220deg C. Place the prepared belly in a baking tray that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil .Place in the oven , close the door and leave to cook ... the belly will colour and rise a little in height , and the rind will cracle .. about 40 minutes depending on size .

Lana's recipe for slow cooked pork belly......
Lightly spray a baking dish and place quarters of peeled onions on the base of the tray, along with sliced and peeled cloves of fresh garlic , bay leaves , whole cumin seeds and cracked black pepper.
Lana then rubs a light covering of oil over the rind , scoring the rind with a knife  ( have the butcher do this for you as you need a really sharp knife ), then she salts the rind and then liberally sprinkles a mixture of cumin seeds , crushed chilli , cardamom seeds , salt and cloves  ( ground finely in a processor ).
Place the pork belly over the garlic and onions in the baking pan .
Now the next step is really interesting .........
Pour milk in the pan  ( not over the pork ) and stop once the milk covers the  side of the pork and below the rind .

Place the pan in a preheated oven on 160 deg for 3 and 1/2 hours .
The skin will crispen , the pork will be tender and cook through and the milk mixture will soak up the flavours of the bay leaves , garlic and onions and will reduce and thicken to a very inviting sauce to serve with your pork ..

NO MORE PIES FOR ME

This is not about food ...it is all about my anger with the football club I have supported for many years ....
Collingwood Fooball Club ..The pies ...
But no more ....
The President of Collingwood Football Club...Eddie Mc Guire  disgusts me , he openly joked about drowning a woman commentator on air and two other commentators agreed to pay money to be part of this ....
What were they thinking ?
I have listened to the aired conversation ...it was sexist and totally insulting to women and children who are suffering at the hands of domestic violence .
The AFL are just as responsible ...today they fined the coach of North Melbourne $80,000 dollars because he criticised the umpires ....but the head of the AFL said no action would be taken against Eddie Mc Guire
No more black and white for me and I`ll be changing my number plates ...
No More Pies .

It`s been 3 weeks since  McGuire`s outburst at `blokey  pub humour `was aired on radio .
I love football and have followed the Collingwood football club for many years , and I want to continue to follow them but only from the grass root level . My number plates were a gift from my family so I can`t give them up .....but I will no longer finanacially support the Collingwood football club , memberships are being cancelled and that is proving difficult as I have to write a letter to the Collingwood board and explain my decision .....they have to approve my decision to give up my membership ...!
From now on I barrack for the pies but will never support them ..
 

CHURCHILL MEN`S SHED

The Churchill Men`s Shed made the Churchill Neighborhood Centre beautiful wooden cutting boards for the kitchen .
As a gesture of appreciation I  have made the 3 ingredient fruit cake ( mother`s day cake ) for the participants of the Churchill Men`s shed to enjoy for their afternoon tea .

The Churchill Men`s Shed is a place for men to spend time on their own or on community projects ,woodworking , furniture restoration , metal work .
It is a place where they can discuss issues or just sit and listen .The men`s shed is a great place to make new friends and share common interests .
Thank you once again for the cutting boards .


 

VEGETARIAN LASAGNE .....A WINTER WARMER

Spray your casserole dish ..Set aside .
Slice an eggplant ( length ways ) and layer the base of the dish with eggplant slices .
Season with dried Italian herbs , a sprinkle of nigella seeds ,
Slice up a zucchini .....place a layer of zucchini over the eggplant
Place balls of cherry bocconini cheese and level out this layer with the addition of sliced mushrooms
Season with fresh coriander .
At this stage crack 6 eggs over the mushrooms
Repeat the layering with the egg plant , zucchini and mushrooms seasoning with the Italian herbs and nigella seeds .
Finally top with grated cheese and a little cracked pepper and nigella seeds .
Bake in a moderate oven that has been preheated to 160 deg C for 40 minutes .

 

This vegetarian lasagne , is low in carbs , gluten free and can be enjoyed by those people who follow a paleo lifestyle .

 

 

 

YYNNFC PLAYER`S MEAL ...

Tonight the player`s are dining on deconstructed chicken pie .
Each plate will have a triangle made from a simple pastry made with coconut flour , rice bran oil , water and salt  , hand kneaded into a dough , rolled out into a circle .......filled with spinach and ricotta ....then fold the circle into triangular thirds ..( it works ).
Spray the pastry and bake in a hot oven till evenly coloured on both sides .


The chicken drummies were filled under the skin with a seasoned cream cheese ( garlic , chilli , sumac, cumin, cracked black pepper ), the skin seasoned with sumac  and oven baked .

So we have the chicken , the pastry ...now for the filling
Chicken pie , you have to have carrots , potato ,large chilli peppers .......  I`m adding wholemeal rye pasta as the thickener and brocolini chopped in pieces , plenty of minced garlic , thinly sliced cabbage all tempered with a balsamic cream .
Simmer gently until just under raw , then place in a large tray and oven bake on 150 deg C till the carrots and potatoes are tender .
To serve ...1 scoop of the winter vegies ( the filling ) on a plate then add  a pastry triangle and place a chicken drummie on top of the pastry .

Enjoy .
 

CASHEW SOUR CREAM

Soak I cup of raw cashews overnight in water
Drain
Add 2 tbs of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/4 cup of  water
1 tbs of apple cider vinegar .
Process till smooth and creamy ....
This is delicious served along side a warm curry , over baked fish or added to cauli mash , even great as a dip .

FISH AND CHIPS

Peel and slice a sweet potato and steam with chopped coriander and sliced fresh garlic until the sweet potato is tender .
Then add a 1/2 cup of roasted cashews to the steamed vegetables and process till the cashews are granulated .
Set aside .

I placed 2 salmon fillets on a baking tray skin side up , drizzled them with Greek salad dressing and baked in a preheated oven on 200 deg C  for 12 minutes until the skin becomes crspy and starts to curl at the edges .

Now that the salmon is cooked smear the sweet potato and cashew pesto over the salmon fillet , sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve with oven baked chips and a leafy salad mix .

 

CHORIZO AND BAKED BEANS

Place 3 cans of drained red kidney beans into a large bowl
With a sliced  red and green pepper ,
2 red onions sliced
1 tbs of minced garlic ,
1 cup of  soft brown sugar
1/2 cup of massaman curry paste
3/4 cup of coca cola (coke zero )
300 gm of sliced bacon pieces .
2 chorizo sausages , sliced lengthways and halved again

Place the bean mix into a casserole dish and place in a preheated oven on 160 deg C and bake uncovered for 2 hours .
The aroma filling my kitchen after only 20 minutes of baking is amazing .

A POT O` BLACK BEANS

This is one for the slow cooker , it takes about 13 hours to cook .
Before commencing you will need to buy a small piece of salt pork from the butchers or the deli section of  your supermarket and dried black bean ( I bought mine from Oasis ),  they are available in health food stores and possibly in the ever growing health food aisle in the supermarkets , this recipe also calls for whole dried chilli peppers.
You should have the other ingredients on hand in your pantry ... give the recipe a quick read through before you head off to the supermarket .

 

Now mix the black beans with 5 cups of water , 1 red onion diced , 5 dried chilli peppers and the salt pork cubed in a slow cooker and cook on low overnight .

 

Then tomorrow you add 3/4 cup of coca cola , 1 tbs of crushed chilli and 1 tbs of salt .......and cook on low in the slow cooker for 5 hours .

This is not for the faint hearted , very robust flavours .

SLOW COOKED BAKED BEANS

Heat your fry pan over a med to high heat .
Saute 2 cups  of bacon pieces  , 1 green capsicum diced and 1 red onion diced ...until the onion is tender .

Stir in 1 can of cannelloni beans ( drained ) , 3/4 cup of coca cola , 1/4 cup of brown sugar ,( 2 tbs of wholegrain mustard , 1/4 cup of  tomato sauce , 1 dsp of oyster sauce , 1dsp of brown vinegar ) or ( 1/4 cup of massaman paste )
Bring this mixture to a simmer .

Pour the mixture into a greased  casserole dish and top with a handful of chopped  bacon pieces.

Bake at 160 deg for 35 minutes in a preheated oven .

 

 

 

ATTICA RESTAURANT.......RIPPONLEA.

I was so fortunate to share the Attica experience with my son Paul and daughter Nicole .Paul had earlier been gifted with an Attica voucher for his birthday last September .
Attica , has a black décor , apart from lighting .... this is really clever ..you get the impression your table  is  the only one there ...The service was amazing ... the food reflected the texture of the land .
Ben Shewry  was responsible for the 2013 Masterchef  championship recipe ...~The Plight Of The Bees ~
The ultimate fine dining experience ......
12 servings of entrée
4 Main courses
4 dessserts ..
Thank you Paul ...x

EASY PAELLA

It`s winter what`s better than a warm spicy easy paella .
Place 6 large  chicken drumsticks in a large oven pan along with 4 sliced chorizos ( I always remove the casing before slicing ) and 4 tbs of ghee .
Place the tray in a hot oven and heat till the drumsticks and sausages lightly brown ...
Remove from the pan from the oven and add 2 cans of diced tomatoes , 1 cup of uncooked brown rice , 1 green capsicum cut into thin slices , 2 red onions sliced thinly
Add 4 garlic cloves sliced thinly or 3 tbs of crushed garlic , 1 dsp of crushed chilli ( for a little more heat finely slice 3 small chilli peppers ), 250 ml of lemonade
Season with salt and pepper .
Transfer everything to a large open frypan or a stove top wok pan .
Bring to the boil , then reduce heat to a simmer , stir occasionally until the chicken  and rice are tender and the liquid is absorbed ...usually around  20 minutes .....then add 1/2 cup of frozen peas ...till heated through .
Open your wine and char your sourdough ...Scoop top and enjoy.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

Use 4 skinned chicken breasts ,halved .
Place each piece between sheets of baking paper and flatten with a mallet into 4 x 6 inch fillets .
Sprinkle with salt .
Place a slice of Swiss cheese and sliced ham on each fillet.
Roll up and tie with string near each end .
In a large fry pan melt 3 tbs of ghee over a medium heat .
Brown the chicken rolls lightly on all sides and place them in an oblong baking dish .
Reusing the fry pan sauté 300gm of sliced mushrooms , adding more butter if needed .
In a separate bowl combine 1 can of mushroom soup with 300ml of lemonade .
Spoon the soup mixture over the chicken .
Top with the mushrooms .
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg C for  1 hour.
Steam together 1 cup of long grain brown rice with 1/2 cup of wild rice in 3 cups of water .
Serve the chicken rolls on a bed of rice , spoon the mushrooms and sauce on top and garnish with slivered almonds .

COOKING CLASS EXCURSION TO OASIS BAKERY , NORTH RD MURRUMBEENA .

Tuesday cooking class travelled to Oasis bakery in Murrumbeena on Tuesday.
The ladies all enjoyed the experience , Oasis bakery is far more than a Middle Eastern  bakery offering great coffee , sweet and savoury pastries .  It is also a supermarket /warehouse of fresh

and frozen products , nuts, syrups , grains , breads and best of all an amazing range of every conceivable spice available ...I was able to purchase Yakon syrup for my son Dale , seriously Oasis has everything !
We had a ball .

oasisbakery.com.au

info@oasisbakery.com.au

 

CURRY , LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

Lentils are on trend this season .
I have had so many requests for a lentil soup , so here it is .
Enjoy.
Heat 2 tb s of rice bran oil in a saucepan over a medium heat .
Add 2 red onions finely chopped , cook till the onion has softened .
Then add
1 tbs of minced garlic
1 tbs of minced garlic
! tbs of curry powder
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 can of coconut milk
2 tbs of fish sauce
2 tbs of lime juice ..
750gm of sweet potato peeled and chopped .
Bring this mixture to a simmer and continue till the sweet potato is tender .
Remove from the heat and process till smooth .
Drain 2  400gm cans of lentils and stir through the sweet potato soup .
Bring slowly back to the heat and until the lentils are warmed through .
Top with coriander and serve with a side of crusty bread .

CAPONATA WITH BLACK SEED ,PULLED PORK, RED & BROWN RICE ...Thursday Night Payer`s meal.....YYNFNC

 

 

 

 

 

At this point I added a little shredded cheese to each slice of  baked egg plant and then a mix of baked fresh vegies

 

Topping with fresh mozzarella ......

 Red and  brown rice  will  be served along with black seed and pulled roast pork ...