HARD BOILED EGGS.

Would'nt you love hard boiled eggs that popped easily from their shells, well they will as long you put them in cold water first, which no one does these days. I also want to share with you, that if you turn the boiling water off and leave the eggs in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, the yolks stay yellow instead of turning that greyish green shade. Treasured advice that a dear lady named Jessie Mersey shared with me, many years ago.

WHAT IS IN A NAME?

KOFTA.....Middle Eastern in origin...spiced minced meat mixed with spices and formed around skwers, brushed with oil and grilled. A typical mix might contain double minced lamb, chopped onion, chopped parsley, ground all spice, fenugreek, red pepper, chilli and salt. KOFTU, KOFTE.....South Asian in origin...finely groung meat blended with finely chopped aromatics, seasonings and herbs bound with egg and formed into balls. Sometimes dried fruit is incorporated. SEAFOOD CHOWDER......American..The name for fish soups based on a mixture of fish stock and milk with sweated vegetables and pieces of fish, occasionally thickened with cornflour. BOUILLABISSE ......French....A Mediterranean soup made with firm white fish and shellfish, tomatoes, herbs, saffron and olive oil. RAVIOLI.....Is the fillingin between 2 round discs of pasta, ravioli is not the shape. AGNOLOTTI../..PAZLACHE ..It is a half moon shape, made with a folded pasta disc. Traditionally filled with mince lamb and sauteed in butter mixed with boiled rice or spinach, cheese and seasonings, can also be tossed in pan juices.

LAMB KOFTA

What is a kofta? It is of Middle eastern origin. Cylinders of spiced minced meat shaped around skewers, brushed with oil and and grilled. Ingredients...250 gm of lamb mince, ( you can use either beef or pork mince as an alternative), 75 gm of crumbled feta cheese, 1/4 small onion, finely chopped, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 dsp of fresh chopped mint, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 dsp of chopped fresh parsley, 1 tsp of paprika flakes, 1/2 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of minced ginger, 1 tsp of cracked blacl pepper, 8 - 10 metal skewers. Place all the above ingredients into large bowl. Mix to combine. Divide the mince mixture into 4cm x 8cm long sausages. Thread one sausage onto each skewer. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Heat your griller on high, add the koftas and reduce the heat to medium. Cook , turning occasionally until cooked through, about 12 minutes. transfer to a large serving dish, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. I serve the koftas with steamed carrot sticks, zucchini batons, olives and cubed cheese. Delicious.

BOILED FRUIT LOAF.

Ingredients.....1/2 cup of chopped dates, 1/2 cup of sultanas, 1/2 cup of cold black tea, 1/2 cup of firmly packed soft brown sugar, 2 tbs of butter/ marg, 1 tsp of finely grated citrus rind, 1 egg, well beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1 tsp of ground mace, 1/2 tsp of bicarb of soda. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a large loaf pan (20cm x 10cm / 8" x 4"). Place the dates, sultanas,tea, sugar and butter/ marg in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for exactly 5 minutes, then set aside until cold. Then stir in the citrus rind, egg and vanilla extract. Mix together the flour, bi carb of soda and spice. Stir the two mixtures together, thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve sliced and buttered.

ZUCCHINI FRIES.

I love zucchinis and excited to share this recipe with you. Ingredients......1 tsp of Italian herb mix, 1 and 1/2 tbs of plain flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 90 gm of breadcrumbs, 2 egg whites, 2 zucchinis. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a bowl, mix together the Italian herbs, flour and salt. In a separate bowl place the breadcrumbs. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the egg whites to frothy / soft peaks. Trim the ends of the zucchinis. Slice the zucchinis in quarters lengthwise and then half crosswise. Dunk each zucchinistick into the flour mix, then dip into the egg white finishiing off with a coating of breadcrumbs. Repeat this process with remaining zucchini fries. Place the coated zucchini on the baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes, turning after once, until golden and crisy. Enjoy.

SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTY MEAL.

Ingredients....skinless chicken thighes, halved lengthwise and sliced, frozen winter vegetable mix, frozen chips, a mix of honey, soy and garlic to marinade. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Mix the honey, soy and garlic in a bowl and brush over the chicken thighs. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and place on the chips and slices of the chicken thigh. Place the frozen winter vegetable mix in the top of your steamer pot and steam until tender. Sprinkle the vegetables with dried onion and garlic flakes. Cook the chicken and chips in the preheated oven until the chicken strips and chips are cooked through. Spoon the steamed winter vegetable mix around the chips and chicken to serve. Perfect meal to eat while watching the Saturday evening footy. Which by the way Collingwood won !!

MARSHMALLOW SKEWERS WITH CHOCOLATE FONDUE.

Ingredients......400 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, 250 ml of thickened cream, 280 gm of pink / white marshmallows, wooden skewers / toothpicks. First, soak the wooden skewers in boiling water for 30 minutes before using as this prevents the wood from splintering. Melt the chocolate and cream together in a small saucepan over a low heat. pour the melted chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Place the marshmallows on the ends of the skewers / toothpicks. Now all you have to do is dip them in the melted chocolate mixture and enjoy.