HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX

40 CHOC CHIP MUFFINS , ICED AND DECORATED

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX GRIGOLIET.......Hope your class mates and basketball team enjoy sharing them with you ...

ANZAC DAY 2015 THE 100TH ANNIVERSAY OF THE LANDING OF AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS AT GALLIPOLI COVE TURKEY

Anzac Day 2015 marked  a special commemorative  day for Australians .
My  eldest son Marc Mersey was born on this day 39 years ago.
Anzac Day this year commemorated the  landing of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli Cove  . There were no victors just excess bloodshed and heartbreak and a loss of unfulfilled dreams and potential .
I went to the dawn service in Morwell , Victoria . Australia , with my neighbours Chris , Donna and Cheryl .

Chris lost his great  grandfather in Northern France in the first world war , Donna`s great ,great   grandfather served in the American civil war , fighting in 15 battles which included the battle at Gettysburg .
Cheryl has 3 children who have all served in the Australian armed  forces , her daughter is presently on maternity leave from the army .
My grandfather served with the legendary  2/24 th  in the siege of Tobruk , he was killed in action and his remains lie in the military graveyard  of Libya .
Anzac day is not a celebration , it is a remembrance of those who have gone before and those who are still serving our country.


 

COQ AU VIN

Heat 2 tbs of rice bran oil and 2 tbs of margarine together in a cast iron pot .
Saute 125gm of finely diced bacon together with 12  small whole  shallots washed and peeled .
Cook until the onions have lightly browned .
Add 24 chicken wingettes , 4 cloves of peeled and finely chopped garlic cloves and 18 cleaned button mushrooms .
Cook over a high heat till the wingettes have browned .
Remove the pot from the heat and pour off any excess oil .
Return the pot to the heat  and pour over 2 tbs of brandy, setting the mix alight .
Allow the flames to die down and then add 3 cups of a dry red wine .
Cover and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes .
Remove the chicken wingettes  from the sauce , cover and set aside.
Strain the sauce , retaining onions , garlic ,  bacon and mushrooms .
Pour the sauce back into the pot .
Place a buttered dough ball into the sauce over a low heat , whisk the butter dough into the sauce , cover until the sauce has thickened .
Return the chicken pieces , onions , garlic , bacon and mushrooms to the sauce ..heat right through on a low heat for 10 minutes .
Serve with hot steamed rice or mashed creamy potato and crusty baked bread .
 

BEEF RAGOUT

Here is a chance to make  use of  a studded onion.
Preheat your oven to 150deg C
Place 15 kg of trimmed gravy beef cut into cubes in a mixing bowl , seasoned with sea salt and 30gm of plain flour to coat the beef .
Cover and set aside.
Heat 2 tbs of rice bran oil in a cast iron pot  ( 2.5 litre ) and coat 4 bacon rashers that have been trimmed and chopped .
Heat for 4 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside .
Increase the heat of the pot and add the coated meat , cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously until browned .
Add the bacon pieces and 1 whole onion that has been studded with cloves .
Add 4 sliced cloves of garlic , 4 carrots cut into 8 chunks , 2 parsnips peeled and quartered , 1 leek cleaned and cut into thick slices .
Using a stick blender process 3 tbs of tomato paste , 4 ripe tomatoes peeled along with 1 and 1/2 cups of reserved stock from a previous dish .
Cover and oven bake for 2 hours. , the vegetables will be cooked and the meat very tender ..
Remove the studded onion and serve hot with steamed rice , cracked buckwheat , barley or lentils .
You may choose to go with tradition and serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes .
Garnish with fresh and torn sage leaves .

STUDDED ONION

What is a studded onion ?
An onion pierced with a skewer and studded with cloves , then added to stews , ragouts , casseroles during the cooking process and removed before serving .
Such a great idea it beats scouring through your mixture trying to scoop out cloves prior to serving .

GRILLED FISH........IKAN BAKAR

You can use any firm freshwater or sea fish ..
I have used barramundi and salmon , both work brilliantly with optimum flavour .
Make shallow cuts on both sides of the fish .
Rub 4 tbs of white wine vinegar over the fish , 3 tbs of minced garlic , and sprinkle with salt.
Leave sit for 25 minutes .
While fish is marinating  place 2 skinned  tomatoes , 2 red chillies sliced with seeds , 1 dsp of fish sauce  , 1 dsp of soy sauce and 1 small onion peeled and sliced .....in a processor .
Work until the mixture forms a sauce .
Place the sauce in a pan , heat through gently for 1 minute
Place the fish side by side in the pan on the sauce.
Grill the fish under a preheated grill , turning them over during the cooking .
Serve immediately with the sauce spooned over the cooked fish .
 

CHOCOLATE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

You will need 9 slices of thick white bread .
Remove the crusts  and cut each slice into 4 triangles .
Now place 150gm of 75% dark chocolate in a bowl with 425ml of thickened cream , 4 tbs of dark rum ,75gm of margarine and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon .
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and wait until  the mixture has completely dissolved and melted .
Remove the bowl from the heat and stir to combine set aside to cool slightly .
In a separate bowl whisk 3 eggs .
Pour the chocolate mixture over them and whisk thoroughly to combine .
Spoon about a 1 cm layer of chocolate into the base of a pudding dish .
Arrange 1/2 the triangles of bread  on top of the chocolate , in overlapping rows .
Pour half of the remaining chocolate mix over the triangles and repeat the process  finishing off with a layer of chocolate .
Press down on the bread and chocolate mix with a fork so that it gets covered evenly with the liquids as it cools .
Cover the dish with cling film and leave stand at room temp for 2 hours .
Then transfer to a refrigerator for 48 hours before cooking .
To cook preheat the oven to 190 deg C
Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 30 minutes .
The top will be crunchy and the middle soft and squidgy .

CARAMEL AND BUTTERSCOTH BRITTLE PULL APARTS .

Sift 3 cups of self raising flour with a pinch of salt into a bowl , add 1/2 cup of milk and mix in using a bread knife .
Add 60 gm of margarine and use your fingers to create a flaky mix .
Add another 3/4 of a cup of milk and continue to combine with a knife .
Once a dough is formed turn out on to a lightly floured bench and gently shape into an oblong pulling gently with your hands to shape .
Now mix together 4 tbs of margarine  with 5 tbs of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon .
Once mixed spread this over the dough .
Top with 50gm of chopped butterscotch lollies
4 tbs of chopped almonds ..
Now roll the dough lengthwise as for a swiss roll .
Cut the roll into 10  - 12 slices
Place cut side up , in a lightly greased round cake pan.
Bake for at 190 deg C for 30 minutes or until golden in colour .
Remove from cake pan , place on wire rack to cool slightly , then pull apart as required .
 

IS BRAISING THE SAME AS STEWING ?

No they are two different forms of cooking

BRAISING .......

To cook previously browned food in just enough liquid to cover it in a pan with a very tight fitting lid which reduces evaporation .
The cooking is very slow and the meat is usually placed on a mirepoix  ( a mixture of roughly cut vegetables  used as a bed on which to braise meats and flavour sauces , the vegetables are  often browned in the oven before use . ) of vegetables .
Braising is often finished off in the oven after the meat and liquid have been bought to the boil on top of the stove.

STEW .......
A stew is a mixture of meat  , usually cut into small pieces , cooked slowly with vegetables and liquid on top of the stove  until tender , which can take hours .
Stews are cooked in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid .
Fruits are cooked by this process until softened with an addition of a sweetening agent .




 

BEEF WITH MISO ...APRIL 21ST 2015

I used sliced beef for tonight`s tea .
Slice  500gm oyster blade steak into strips .
Place the strips into a bowl with 4 tbs of miso paste
2 tbs of soy sauce
1tsp of freshly sliced ginger
1 tbs of sugar ( stevia )
! green bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 small red chilli sliced with seeds
Mix all ingredients together and let marinate for 10 minutes .
Place in a fry pan over a high heat .
Add 2 tbs of vegetable oil along with the marinade  and meat .
Stir fry for about 4 minutes .
Serve hot with sprinkled sesame seeds .

SUGARS

Raw sugar ........is the residue left after sugarcane has been processed to remove molasses and refine the sugar crystals .

Brown sugar .....partially refined sugar with varying crystal sizes and varying amounts of entrapped molasses

Demerara  sugar ..a light brown sugar , produced from raw cane sugar

Muscovardo sugar ...a soft and sticky partially refined cane sugar with fine crystals .

Granulated sugar ,,,,,,standard white refined granules .

Caster sugar ....refined white sugar intermediate in size between granulated and icing sugar

Icing sugar ......very refined ground sugar



 

CNC COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 21ST APRIL

Wow how good was today ......?
In a word....... amazing .!
All those beautiful tarts .
There are so many lemon tarts , but this one works so easily and full of flavour .
Well done everyone .
And not a Thermomix in sight !

BRAISED BARRAMUNDI

Sunday night dinner at Castle Garden...

Place a fry pan over a medium heat
Add 1 tbs of rice bran oil
Then add 2 onions peeled and quartered 1 red capsicum sliced , 1 eggplant peeled an cubed
Cover and cook for 10 minutes .
Add 3 fillets of barramundi skin side down .
In a bowl I mixed 1 tbs of dry sherry, 2 tbs water , 3 tb s of soy sauce , 2 tbs of sugar / stevia  , 1 dsp of minced ginger .
Cover and cook for 10 minutes or till the fish flakes readily .
 Serve hot .
I chose to serve the barramundi over  a bed of black quinoa .

 

LET ME GIVE YOU A TIP ......OR TWO

Any good stew or ragout tastes better when it is a day or two old .. so prepare a day or two in advance .

To stop potatoes from sprouting put them in a brown paper bag with an apple .
Never store onions with potatoes , each gives off a gas that will cause the other to decay.


Toasting hazelnuts requires laying the hazelnuts on a baking tray in an oven set on 180deg C and toasting them till they are golden brown  ( about 8 mins ).
Wrap them in a clean tea towel and rub off their skins .

To prevent your pie crust from burning around the edges , loosely wrap a sheet of aluminium foil over the pastry for the first half of the bake , remove the aluminium sheet for the second half of cooking to allow the pastry to turn golden .

Tofu, beans , peas , yoghurts  are all good substitutes for meat and cheese in dishes if you are a vegetarian .

For a hotter curry or more intense flavour to any meat dish where chillies are required ,leave the seeds in the chilli.

Use a dough ball , ( made with 2 tbs of melted butter mixed with 2 tbs of plain flour and formed into a small dough ball )
to add to pan juices to get a rich thickened sauce .

If you avoid using cloves as they prove painful to find when serving a seasoned dish , pierce an onion with a skewer and then insert the number of cloves required in your savoury dish and place the studded onion in your dish , cook away and remove before serving .


If you are using a marinade on meat reserve a little to mix in with the water you are using to cook your rice to serve with your meat dish .

QUOTE OF THE DAY

`If you eat garlic you have 10 mothers `

QUICK AND EASY CHOCOLATE TARTLETS

Preheat your oven to 180deg C
Place 12 butternut or chocolate ripple biscuits over each hole of  a small holed muffin tray .
Place in the oven for 2 minutes.
Remove from the oven and gently press softened biscuits into the muffin mould to create a cup shape..
Allow to cool.
Remove from tray .
Repeat with remaining biscuits.
FILLING
Place 65 gm of butter , 80 ml of cream and 200gm of dark or milk chocolate  into a small saucepan .
Heat slowly , stirring constantly , till smooth and melted.
Remove and place in a bowl .
Allow to cool but not to set.
Fill biscuit cases with 1 tsp of chocolate filling .
Place in refrigerator to set  and ready to serve .

THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER AT CASTLE GARDEN ...GINGER CHICKEN

 I poached 2 chicken breast fillets enclosed in cling film ,
Let them cool slightly and shredded them with a fork.

I put red rice on to steam .

Place 3 tbs of ghee in a pan over a moderate heat
Add 2 tbs of minced chicken
2 cloves of garlic  sliced
4 spring onions sliced
Now add the  shredded chicken
Mix to combine .
Add 1 tbs of kaffir lime leaves  ( bottled ) and 1 tbs of juice .
1 dsp of sugar
1 tbs of fish sauce.
Cover the pan with baking paper and place in a slow oven ( 150 deg C )
When the rice is cooked serve on warmed serving plates over a bed of red rice .
This is a really tasty dish .
Enjoy.

 

EASY LEMON TART

Preheat your oven to 160 deg c ( fan forced )

Line a 20cm loose bottom fluted flan tin with one sheet of  frozen ready rolled shortcrust pastry .
Trim excess pastry and patch any tears in the pastry.

Line the pastry with a sheet of foil and fill with rice .
Place on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes .

Remove foil and rice , place the flan back in the oven and cook till the inner crust turns golden ...
Remove from oven , set aside to cool.

Now it is time to prepare your filling ....
In a bowl mix 1 tbs of cornflour with 2 tsp of water to  a smooth paste.Set aside.
Whisk 3 eggs with 1 cup of castor sugar ,1 tbs of  finely grated , 125ml of fresh lemon juice ..together till well combined .
Add the cornflour paste.
Now transfer this mixture to a small saucepan , add 60gm of margarine .
Continually stir with a wooden spoon over a medium heat until mixture thickens .

Spoon filling into pastry case .
Smooth top .
Refrigerate until needed .
Cut into wedges to serve .

Tuesday 21st April
We made this tart in cooking class today and we made our pastry ..... no premade anything in cooking class
PASTRY RECIPE
175 gm of plain flour sifted
75 gm of margarine
40 gm of icing sugar
Mixed together to form  a fine crumb mix .
Add 1 egg
Knead till mixture comes together .
Press the dough into the flan tin , over the base and up the sides evenly .
Prick the base with a fork .
Place in a oven for 10 minutes on 190 deg C.
Remove and cool .
We prepared filling as above .
This is a deliciously thick filling .

 

CHILLI SALSA CORN BREAD

Place these ingredients in the order as written below into bread making machine ....

190 ml of water
2 tbs of oil
2 and 1/2 tbs of canned cream corn
3 tbs of tomato and chilli salsa
1 tsp of salt
1 and 1/2 tbs of sugar
450gm of white bread flour
1 tsp of bread improver
125gm of polenta
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1 and 1/2 tbs of milk powder
1 and 1/4 tsp of dried yeast

Cook on the basic bread setting  / white setting

At the beep add 100gm of chopped bacon pieces.

BREAKFAST.......THURSDAY 16TH APRIL

1tbs of black olives
Handful of spinach leaves
2 tbs of crumbled feta
6 cherry tomatoes sliced
1/2 yellow capsicum sliced
1/2 small red onion sliced
300gm of creamed corn
Place all the ingredients in a small pan , warm through , you want to retain the crispness of the onion and capsicum , so heat over a low heat .
Place in a bowl and enjoy .
Now that's a healthy start to your day.

LUNCH WITH LINDA COOPER

Linda arrived for lunch sporting a new bobbed haircut  looking fantastic .It is always good to catch up with friends .
We started off with a cup of tea , while I placed two single serve salmon frittatas in the oven to bake.
Chilled Mateus Rose was offered with lunch in the dining room.
The salmon frittatas were served on wooden boards over a red quinoa wrap , with baked fennel and fruit chutney.
A simple spinach and pomegranate salad bowl was offered at the table .
We finished our lunch with coffee and over the kitchen bench we shared freshly made banana ice-cream .
Then off for a leisurely stroll through the gardens , Linda really enjoyed seeing the flowers of my very old and large Hoya plant.
I was surprised to hear that Linda had not eaten figs since she was a child , and it a real treat for me to pick fresh figs from the tree and send her home with sweet , succulent figs .
In the blink of an eye , it was time for Linda to head home , we had shared so much in 3 short hours .
Already looking forward to our next `catch up `.
Take Care . Bye .

USING POULTRY CARCASSES TO MAKE STOCK

Buy fresh chicken carcasses , I purchase mine from Manny`s Market and there is always a little meat left on the bones .
Use them as soon as possible , or place them in your freezer for use at a later date .
Do not let them dry up and become stale .
Avoid overcooking the carcasses as you will risk getting an unpleasant flavour of chicken bone .
Overcooking the carcass will also cause the stock to become cloudy.
I recommend the addition of onions , carrots , celery , leek and herbs in the pot along with the carcass.

PEARL BARLEY CREAM SOUP...........POMEGRANITE AND BARLEY SALAD

Into a large pot place 180 gm of pearl barley in 2 and 1/2 litres of chicken stock ( made from chicken carcasses ).
Add 4 carrots cut in chunks , 3 onions sliced into wedges , celery skinned and chopped .
Add 1 can of diced tomates.
Cover and cook over a slow heat for 2 hours .
Drain and retain liquid .
Process the celery , carrots and 1/2 the barley until smooth and stir back into stock .
Reheat and add 300 ml of cream and the juice of 1 lemon .
Season with salt and cracked black pepper.

What to do with the rest of the pearl barley ?
Let`s make a pearl barley salad .
Wash of the remaining pearl barley in a colander .
Drain
Place in a salad bowl.
Season with salt , cracked black pepper and nutmeg.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice .
Add cubes of cucumber and pomegranate pulp .

THERE`S BARLEY , POT BARLEY AND PEARL BARLEY

BARLEY......Is one of the oldest cultivated cereals , Hordeum vulgare , with a seed similar in size to rice.
Barley on its own is not suitable for bread making since it contains little gluten. Barley is sometimes used in soups , as an addition to the broth  , occasionally used to make meal or a flour and used in the fermentation process in the alcohol industry .

POT BARLEY ..... Has had the outer inedidle husk removed by a process of steaming and tumbling called pearling .

PEARL BARLEY .......Softens more quickly than pot barley as the pearling process is extended , removing the hull as well as the bran layer ..

 

AUSTRALIA COOKS

On the 9th March 2015 I submitted my own recipe to enter `Australia Cooks ` competition .
My recipe is called Sea Breeze and reflects the bounty and flavours of our shore lines that surround the Gippsland region.
The purpose of the competition was to  highlight the produce that is particular to our area and create a recipe to champion the ingredient.
It was a near impossible task to choose an ingredient or produce that represents my region....I live in the La Trobe Valley , which is in central Gippsland , we could be the food bowl for Australia .
Gippsland has it all...High country venison , kangaroo , the fertile lowlands with dairy farms , beef , sheep , pork , poultry ,orchards , vegetable farmers .
The red soils of Thorpdale and the potato farmers, beekeepers and honey producers .
The award winning cheese makers ..Jindivick , Maffra , Tarago .
The inland waterways , rugged shorelines and beautiful beaches all abound with beautiful fish and shelled seafood .
All of this is my country on a plate ..
How can I choose that which reflects the flavours , the ingredient that makes Gippsland shine .
To me it`s our seafood , which is caught in our waters and sold overseas , as residents of this land we can catch it ourselves  or  purchase it fresh from the boats ..our seafood reflects the diversity of the region and produce available throughout the greater Gippsland region.
My recipe showcases  local seafood enhanced with  fresh herbs and spices .
Today I found out my recipe won the right to be published in the cookbook `Australia Cook`s ` . I am thrilled and honoured .
Thank you ABC  radio 774 .
My recipe can be found on my blog ..SEA BREEZE , posted 9/3/2015 .

I NEED YOUR HELP......

I tried to make  lemon ice box pie ... my recipe doesn't work ...
My recipe is very old and it directs to use evaporated milk ... yet all the recipes on the net use condensed milk. ?
Was it originally made with evaporated milk ?
The recipe I have directs me to use 2 and 1/2 cups of evaporated milk that have been chilled till icicles are forming .
Then beaten till thickened , this is then folded into a 2 egg and castor sugar and lemon juice mix and folded into the beaten and stiffened egg whites.
I don`t think the quantities are correct and can you use evaporated milk ?
Does anyone know ?

SALATA DE VINETE

This is a Romanian recipe ....the flesh of baked aubergines , are finely chopped , seasoned and mixed with lemon juice and grated onion .
This is then placed in a blender with oil to form a puree which is served cold as an appetiser .

SALAT PO -KARABAKHSKY

This recipe is from the Caucasus   it is a salad made from finely sliced radishes , deseeded and peeled cucumber  and spring onions dressed with olive oil , lemon juice chopped fresh mint and served with a feta style cheese.


My version of the  RADISH SALAD
Slice 1 bunch of radishes into fine circles
Peel 1 small cucumber and slice finely
Mix radishes and cucumber with 3/4 cup of sour cream , the juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste .
Place in a salad bowl  serve with torn mint leaves .

SALADE NICOISE .... QUICK AND EASY

Drain and flake 220gm can of tuna in springwater  into a salad bowl
Cook and cool 375 gm of green beans .Place on top of tuna in the salad bowl .
Slice 4 tomatoes into segments and add to the bowl .
Cover with a layer of sliced cucumber .
Drizzle with your home made French dressing .
Top  with anchovy fillets in lattice fashion on top of the salad .
Place 1/2 a black olive inside each square .
Chill before serving with crusty buttered bread and a chilled dry white wine .
 

COLE SLAW

Shred 1 small firm savoy cabbage , removing any coarse stem.
Remove the stems from 3 red apples , do not peel , cut into cubes .
Add 1 cup of raisins that have been soaked in 1/2 cup of hot water for 10 minutes .
Drizzle over a dressing made from
6 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 tbs of orange juice
1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions
1 tbs of chopped olives
1 tbs of chopped parsley
1/2 tsp of dried mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste.

 

GREEK SALATA

Place 3 cups of shredded cabbage in a bowl with
1 whole beetroot cut into julienne strips
With 1 cup of cooked and cooled  green beans
Add 1 tbs of capers
1 tbs of chopped olives
Now drizzle the home made French dressing over the salad
Chill for 30 minutes before serving . 

FRENCH DRESSING

Place  .......
 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs of white wine vinegar
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp  of ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1 tbs of  chopped fresh herbs , marjoram , sage or basil .
........ together in a screw top jar and shake till all ingredients are evenly mixed.
Larger quantities can be made and kept in a screw top jar in the refrigerator  for a couple of weeks .
 

CURCHIL NEIGHBORHOOD COOKING CLASS RESUMES FOR TERM 2

WEEK 1
SPANISH PAELLA

WEEK 2
EASY LEMON TART

WEEK 3
PORK VINDALOO

WEEK 4
CHOCOLATE RICOTTA TART

WEEK 5
PESTO CHICKEN PARCELS

WEEK 6
DOUGHNUTS

WEEK 7
FISH CAKES

WEEK 8
BEEF OLIVES

WEEK 9
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

WEEK 10
SEA BREEZE

WEEK 11
GNOCHI...WITH A SUPRISE

THE OFFAL DEBATE CONTINUES

I respect all forms of life , it is something that was instilled in me fron an  early age .
Our supermarkets and butchers  offer us the consumer .... beautiful cuts of meat .
Steaks , roasting joints , chops , mince and fillets . These products  are a result of killing animals . Economies depend on the live food trade , Australians eat all forms of meat from slaughtered animals , so do I .
I also cook offal , beautiful , flavoursome cuts , from the same slaughtered animal ....the cuts that end up in the butchers buckets  that are made into mince  and resold as premium mince , regular mince , sausages ,   fillings for meat pies ,ingredients in  processed food  or sold off to  the factory for pet food . ( I have worked with a butcher ..all part of my learning )
I think it is a travesty to kill an animal for certain cuts and discard the bulk ....so people who use the `offal` make use of the `whole ` animal .
 P.S ..Do you like pork belly ?  It  is offal .
That which you call roast pork and also comes with rind is from a different  joint of the pig
And you thought you knew it all ...!

CHOCOLATE BREAD

Just in case you didn't get enough chocolate at Easter........

Into your bread machine place ...
310ml of water...
2 tbs of oil
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt
3 tbs of sugar
450gm of white bread flour
2 tbs of milk powder
1and 1/4 tsp of yeast

Add the following ingredients at the beep ......

3 tbs of nutella  ( chocolate spread )
60 gm of crumbled flake bars
100grm of mars bars cut into cubes .
3 tbs of chopped hazelnuts .
Cook on the basic bread setting or sweet bread setting .....
Read my preferred method of cooking ...below.

I have made this bread several times but the best results are achieved if you use your bread machine to knead the dough on the dough cycle .....It kneads for about 90 minutes.

remove the bread onto a lightly floured board .

Shape into square roughly 35cm X 35cm.

 

Spread the square with nutella .

The cut square into 2 , then cut each half onto 3 portions , you now have 6 portions .

Sprinkle each portion with flake chocolate and hazelnuts.

Top each portion with 4 slices of mars bar.

Roll each portion like a swiss roll

Place each portion side by side in a lightly greased loaf pan .

Cover with cling wrap and stand in warm place until dough doubles in size .

Brush with a little milk .

Bake in a well heated oven  at 190 deg C  for 35 minutes , or until golden brown  and cooked through .

 

3 BREAKFASTS......

MONDAY........6th April

Seafood salad on toast ( Easter leftovers )

TUESDAY....7th April

1 Chia wrap 

Spread one 1/2 the wrap with green tomato pickle

Heat your flat surfaced toast maker , and line the base with baking paper .

Cut a round of pecorino cheese and slice into 3

Place these over the pickles on the wrap

Peel and slice 1 firm pear , laying the slices on the cheese

A portion of left over tomato was sliced and added to the wrap . ( optional )

Fold the wrap in half .

Place on the heated toaster , cover the top of the wrap with a sheet of baking paper .

Close the lid without force

Remove when the wrap begins to colour and the cheese starts to ooze

Serve with a spoon of pickles .

A great combination of flavours that really work together .

 

Wednesday 8th April

Salted Porridge with Honey

1 cup of rolled oats  ( not quick oats or flavoured quick oats ).

Add the oats to 2 cups of water in a saucepan over moderate heat.

Stir constantly .

Remove once it thickens and pour into a bowl .

Add 2 tsp of salt , a drizzle of olive oil and 2 tbs of honey .

Stir to combine .

This was our staple winter breakfast during my childhood , back then we used butter in place of the oil .

IT`S ALREADY APRIL....

Easter has been and gone , I watched the lunar eclipse with Shaun and Dee , it was spectacular in a clear cloudless sky.
My son Shaun turned 37 and all this in the first 7 days of April .

What`s in season ?
Apples , lemons , sweet juicy table grapes , pears  ( and the wasps are loving them  ) ,mandarins , figs , limes .plums , quince , rhubarb ,almonds .
Beans , beetroot , broccoli , cabbage , capsicums , carrots b, celery , chillies , cucumbers , eggplants , fennel , onions , parsnips , peas , pumpkin , zucchini .
The rains are due today and soon there will be mushrooms aplenty rising from the warm ground .
If you grow your own vegetables and fruit ...food is plentiful.
The meals are full of goodness and simple to make .

MUSHROOM PAPPARDELLE

 You will need 400 gm of  fresh field mushrooms for this recipe .
Make your own pasta using 3 cups of flour to 4 eggs ... otherwise purchase some good dried egg pappardelle .
Bring a large pot with water to the boil .
Saute 1 sliced onion and   2  sliced cloves of garlic in a pan with a tbs of oil .
Add 1/2 a handful of finely chopped fresh sage .
It is now time to add the pasta to the boiling water .
Clean and finely slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan with the garlic , sage and onions .
Add 1 red chilli finely sliced with seeds
1 tbs of oil .
Drain the pasta and add   to the pan and toss to combine .
Season with cracked pepper .
Top with grated parmesan and a scant scatter of torn sage leaves .
Serve in warmed bowls .

 

EASTER LEFTOVERS .....Salmon Mousse

MONDAY  BREAKFAST

Seafood salad on toast seasoned with cracked black pepper

 

MONDAY LUNCH

 

Salmon Mousse

Spray a ramequin and line the base  with a sheet of cling film .

Hard boil 1 egg .

Thinly slice 3 gherkins in rounds and  place on top of  the cling film .

Dissolve 1 and 1/2 tbs of gelatine in a cup of hot water .

Stir in a cup of white wine  and 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of lemon juice .

Pour a little of this over the gherkins.

Refrigerate till set.

I`ve got about 400gm of salmon left from lunch yesterday , so I flake the salmon with a fork .

Chop up the hard boiled egg and 1 gherkin  and mix in with the  flaked salmon .

Pour over the remaining gelatine.

Scoop the mixture into the ramequin and refrigerate till set.

Serve with sliced cucumber and tomato wedges seasoned with cracked pepper.

 

 

MONDAY DINNER

 

The last of the salmon was wrapped in baking paper  heated in the toast maker ..

Served on a chia wrap with a spinach , pasta and tomato salad .

 

EASTER SUNDAY MENU AT CASTLE GARDEN

ENTREE
Lemon dressed prawns
Seafood salad

MAINS
Salmon baked with a Tuscan herbed crust
Pork belly with crackling
Succulent roast chicken
Whole pumpkin oven roasted
Twice cooked .....( steamed and deep fried )  potatoes
Garden fresh spinach , tomato , olive and feta salad .

DESSERT
Chocolate Mud and Strawberry Trifle in jars.

WINE
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Reisling  2013 .

 

HAPPY EASTER

 

( right to left ) Paul , Max and Dee in Castle Garden kitchen , out of  frame is Dale ,Shaun , Marc and Jack.

Boys rule this Easter .

Nicole is on night shift in Alice Springs , Ella is spending Easter  with her mum .

 

CHILLED COCONUT PRAWN SOUP

You will need 500 gm of  cleaned and cooked prawns  ( I keep the tails on ).
You will need to blend the following ingredients to a paste ...
1/2 cup of sliced spring onions
2 sliced garlic cloves
3 anchovy fillets 
1 tsp of sugar
1 dsp of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
4 coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of tabasco sauce ....in a food  processor .

Place 2 cups of coconut milk
1 and 1/2 cups of cream
Along with the paste
...in a saucepan .
Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add 500gm of prepared prawns
The grated rind of 1/2 lemon ..
Heat through .
Cool and chill well before serving in chilled soup bowls .





 

MUSHROOM LIVER PATE

Homemade pate is the best  and even better when it can be prepared a hours ahead of serving ..
This is  a terrific recipe .. it ticks all the boxes , easily prepared , fridge friendly ingredients and full of flavour.

You will need 125gm of chopped mushrooms
Saute  125gm of sliced mushrooms in 30 gm of butter till golden brown .
Drain off any excess liquid .
Add the mushrooms to  food processor along with
250gm of cream cheese
250gm of liverwurst
2 tbs of red wine vinegar .
Blitz to a smooth paste .
Divide mixture between individual terines .
Chill in refrigerator , till you are ready to serve .
Serve with savoury biscuits and crisp radishes ....

PINEAPPLE AND CUCUMBER SAMBAL

1 Fresh pineapple , ( if fresh pineappale is unavailable 1large tin of strained pineapple pieces ) .
2 small cucumbers cut into cubes the same size as the pineapple pieces.
Mix the pineapple and cucumber with 3/4 cup of roughly chopped walnuts
Make a dressing with 1/2 cup of cream , 1/4 cup of lemon juice , seasoned with salt and pepper .
Pour the dressing over the pineapple and cucumber mix .
Chill till ready to serve .