WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA

Blend 2 cups chopped watermelon
1 cup of orange juice ,
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs of stevia  ( alternatively 1 tbs of castor sugar ) ..until smooth  .
Serve with crushed ice.
 

RAW RAINBOW CAKE

This cake is full of zinc , iron and antioxidants .
There is no cooking involved .
First you need to soak 2 dried figs and 4 pitted dates in water overnight  or alternatively let them soak for a minimum of 5 hours .
Now decide on the shape of the cake you want , I used a 23cm round loose base pan , it was too big , next time I am going to use a smaller cake pan .
First off we start with the purple layer.
 Blend together a good handful of blueberries , 3 cups of almond meal ,and the 2 figs that have been soaking , add 1/3rd of  a cup of the water that you soaked the figs and dates in, and 1/3 cup of  a cup of coconut oil.
When combined press this into the base of your cake pan , smooth the top and edges best you can .
Place this in the freezer for 20 minutes , it needs to be firm to hold its shape as you add the other layers.
Now prepare the batter for the other layers.
Blend together 4 cups of almond meal , 2 cups of  granulated nuts . the 4 dates that have been soaking , 2/3rds of a cup of coconut oil., 1 tin of coconut cream .
Once combined , divide the batter into 3 portions .
To make the green layer , add 3 drops of green imitation food colouring .(.the colouring  is optional ), and  1 avocado, mix to combine .
Now layer this over the firm purple base , and place back in the freezer .
To make the pink layer , add 1 small grated fresh beetroot to one of the batter portions . Stir through .
Add this on top of the green layer once it has firmed in the freezer.
Now prepare the 3rd batter portion , simply add 1 dsp of turmeric  and 1 tbs of honey  ( the honey is optional ) and mix to combine .
Repeat the layering process ,freezing between each layer .
Remove the cake from the pan and place in the fridge to soften just before serving .

Scatter with sliced glace cherries to serve. (Optional )

This was my first attempt ...the layers are difficult to smooth but next time I will know what to expect and using a slightly smaller pan would make the layers thicker and visually more attractive .In my favour the flavours are true and it is most suitable for vegans and seriously health conscious  people .
The raw cake is gluten free and suitable for diabetics .

TUESDAY COOKING CLASS ...2ND JUNE 2015

On Tuesday 2nd June ...Choux Pastry.. Noelene `s Cooking Class .
We will be making choux pastry ........The secret to great choux pastry is ..................BEAT WELL .
Choux pastry ( pate a choux ) is a cooked dough , which makes it unique in the pastry world .
It is believed that a 16th century chef working for Catherine de Medici , the Italian born French queen , created it and then some 200 years later the celebrated pastry  chef Antonin Careme  made the éclair and croquembouche .
Choux pastry has no leavender ( yeast or rising agent ) , but rises by steam that forms when it is in the oven .
Though it is not a difficult pastry to make there are some rules that must be observed .
All ingredients must be weighed correctly .
Eggs need to be added gradually  and beaten well.
There can be no opening of the oven door , you must not let the steam escape .
Choux pastry is used for eclairs , profiteroles ,gougerers , paris brest ,beignets , and fritters .
When I was growing up profiteroles were called cream puffs ....

Preheat ovens to 180deg C

CHOUX PASTRY ......

Exact measurements please ...

1 cup of water
85gm of  margarine
140gm of all purpose flour .
2tbs castor sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
4 eggs

1 bottle of cream

Bring butter and water to the boil .
Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pot .
Now transfer to a bowl and using your electric hand mixer beat for 1 minute and allow to cool.
In a separate bowl beat your eggs together .
When the pastry has cooled slightly add 1/2 the egg mixture and beat till well combined .It will initially look as though the egg has separated from the mixture ....BUT  KEEP BEATING TILL SMOOTH .
Then add remaining egg mixture and beat till mixture is smooth and well combined .
Spoon mixture into a piping bag .
Pipe 12  x 12 cm lengths onto a sprayed baking tray , allow room to spread .
Bake for 20 -25 minutes or until puffed and golden .
Allow to cool completely .
FILLING
Beat cream with 2 tbs of castor sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence , till firm peaks form .
Use a small sharp knife  cut eclairs  in 1/2 lengthways and fill with whipped cream .
Use a heaped spoon of  the cream to fill 1 side of the éclair
CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1 cup of icing sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa
1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
2 tbs of milk .

Dip the top of the eclairs in the chocolate glaze
Refrigerate until just set .

Unfilled éclair cases can be frozen or stored for a few hours in an airtight container .
Best eaten on the day they are made.

OUCH THAT HURT....

 Yep the juices were hot .

5 days later ..a course of anti biotics and a tetnus shot .

 

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 26TH MAY

Today we made aloo chops .
Everyone got right in to it and the community kitchen was full of flavour .
The  cooking class accessed the community garden and made use of the fresh herbs .
It was great to witness the interaction and the community of the  table  while everyone worked on preparing their aloo chops .
I really enjoy the classes , the enthusiasm  and the commitment  to cooking .
We share so much in 2 hours .
Next week were are going French and making eclairs from scratch .
 

WELL DONE IRELAND

Well done Ireland .
You voted with your heart .
You recognise same sex  marriage .
You win , you all win .
Australia has a long way to go .
Australia the lucky country is Australia the  selfish country .
Abbott the PM of Australia has to go and don`t forget I never voted for him .
Noelene Marchwicki .

CONIGLIO AL VINO .......RABBIT IN WINE

Preheat your oven to 180deg C.
Cut 1 rabbit into 4 pieces , wash and pat dry the pieces  with paper towelling .
Dust the rabbit pieces in flour and season lightly with salt .
Set aside .
For this preparation I used a cast iron oven pot with a lid .
Saute 3 sliced onions , 4 fat peeled and sliced garlic cloves , in 1/2 a cup of rice bran  oil on top of the stove .
Add 150 grams of diced pancetta and 1 sliced long green chilli  along with the rabbit pieces .
Brown the rabbit and throw in 2 bay leaves and a fresh sprig of thyme .
All that is to be done is pour in 3 cups of a full bodied red wine to the pot .
Now cover with the lid and place in the preheated  oven  for 2 hours  in which time the rabbit should be tender .
Check  on the sauce during the cook time to make sure its not too dry in which case add a cup of clear stock to the pot .
Serve with polenta or wild rice .
Enjoy .
 

ALOO CHOPS

Bring 1 kg of potatoes to the boil, cook and then mash them with a little milk, set them aside.
Heat 3 tbs of rice bran oil in a frying pan .
Add 1 large onion finely chopped as well as a dsp of minced ginger , fry theses together till they are golden .
Then add 1 dsp of ground  coriander and 250 gm of minced beef and fry until browned .
Add 1 tbs of raisins  and salt to taste .
Simmer for 20 minutes until the meat is cooked .
Spoon out any fat in the pan .
Now finely chop a handful of fresh coriander leaves and stir them into the cooked mince , then leave to cool.
Divided the mashed potatoes into 8 portions .
With well floured hands , flatten a portion on one palm and place 3 tsp of the meat mixture in the centre and fold the potato over it .
Form into a round patty shape .
Dip the chops lightly in flour and shallow fry in hot oil until crisp and golden .
Turn  carefully to brown the other side .

AN INTERESTING WEEK AHEAD .......

The annual handover dinner for the Masonic Lodge ........
Roasted pumpkin Soup
Coq au vin
Lemon tart with cream

Meals On The Run .........
Pork buns
Korean dumplings
Pesto and  parmesan arancini balls
Lamb shank ragout

Cooking Classes ...
Aloo chops

Castle Garden Dinners .........
Prawns with zucchini
Stir fried roo with mushroom
Dry cooked pork
Salmon curry with tomatoes
Chicken oboro. ( Asian spelling )
Lamb curry
Chilli roo and basil
 

MARROWS, PUMPKINS, TOMATO SEEDS and SPINACH

Fresh from a Churchill garden in exchange for cuttings of pineapple salvia , Vietnamese mint , Thai basil , sage and rosemary.
Straight from  Castle garden`s

 

 

 The tomato seeds have been collected and dried throughout the year and in a weeks time  ( the start of June ) I will layout the seed sheets with a light covering of soil in plastic trays in the hot house , and will await the rising of the new seedlings .

 

The spinach cut fresh this morning to be used in orders to be filled today

 

WHAT TO DO WITH A RUSTED OUT TRAILER

The tyres were flat , rust was gauging holes in the thin depleted layers of steel .
The question was what to do with it ?
Too big to  be transported and  long past  being able to be pulled by a car .
With help I relocated the trailer and had the driver use his wood skills to divide the trailer into a pond for gold fish and a patch to grow strawberries under cover out in the garden .

CASTLE GARDEN MAY 2015

 

 

Trellis posts have been placed around  one of the  garden rooms , and will be supporting passionfruit and kiwi fruit vines.

When  plants need replacing  I am replanting with edible plants and trees.

 

 

 

HELLO SHELLEY GILES ...

Shelley..
I know you are in China , but Anita keeps asking me to ask you for the red velvet cupcake recipe ......please ?
Hope you are enjoying your Chinese adventure ..
See you soon
Noelene

 

BHUNA GHOSHT

 

Slice 750 gm of pork fillet , prick the slices with a fork .

 

Mix together in a bowl 2 tbs of coriander seeds , 1 tsp of cracked black pepper ,1 tbs of paprika  and a pinch of salt .

Rub this mixture into the slices of pork fillet .

Let stand for 1 hour .

Prepare your grain , I used brown rice .

Now it is time to heat your pan and 4 tbs of rice bran oil .

Add the meat and fry quickly on both sides

Lower the heat and saute for 5 minutes or until the pork slices are cooked through .

Stir continually to prevent burning .

Serve over your chosen grain and sprinkle with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon .

COOKING CLASS .....Banana and chocolate glazed doughnut cake

 

Preheat oven to 160 deg C fan forced .

Grease a ring pan or a 12 hole doughnut pan with cooking spray.

 

In a bowl sift together ...1 cup of all purpose flour , 1/4 cup of cocoa powder  , 1/2 tsp baking powder , 1/2 cup of castor sugar , a pinch of salt .

In another bowl whisk together b1/2 cup of milk @ room temp , 1 really ripe banana mashed , 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil., 1 tsp of vanilla essence .

Make a well in the flour mix  and pour in the wet ingredients , using a wooden spoon to mix well .

Spoon batter into the doughnut circles ( 2/3rds full )  or carefully spoon into the circle tin .

Bake for about 12 minutes .

Let the doughnuts / cake cool slightly in the pans , then turn out .

 

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Sift 1 cup of icing sugar with 1/4 cup of cocoa .

Mix with 2 tbs of milk stir to combine .

(add a little more milk if too thick )

Optional .......sprinkle with crushed nuts or coloured sprinkles .

 

 

Churchill Neighbourhood Centre Cooking Class ... DOUGHNUTS .

We had so much fun making doughnuts . They are so easy .
There are dozens of recipes for doughnuts .
Doughnut balls , doughnuts with holes , some with fillings , glaze , doughnut cakes and muffins .
We made chocolate and banana doughnut muffins and cake with a shiny chocolate glaze , and used a traditional German recipe to make jam doughnuts .A version of the berliner also called bismarck and krapfen .

JAM DOUGHNUTS

 

Combine 3/4 of a cup of lukewarm milk with a pinch of castor sugar in a medium bowl .
Sprinkle over 3 tsp of yeast .
Set aside for 6 minutes until foamy .
Then stir in a 1/4 cup of superfine castor sugar  and 3 egg yolks .
Mix until well combined .

In a large bowl mix 2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour with a tsp of salt .
Use your fingertips to rub in 100gm of margarine  until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs .
Now add the milk mixture .
Use a flat bladed knife to stir until a coarse dough begins to form .
Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 6 minutes .
You will achieve a smooth , elastic dough .
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl , turning the dough to coat in oil .
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to sit in a draught free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size .

Knock the dough back and turn out on to a lightly floured bench .
Divide the dough in to 12 equal portions .
Roll the dough in a ball shape and slightly flatten .
Place on a lightly greased tray allowing room for the dough to spread . Cover with a tea towel .
Set aside for 50 minutes until risen .

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan to about 150deg C. ( rice bran oil )
Cook the doughnuts in batches for about 8 minutes , turning once during cooking .
Cook until  golden in colour .
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towelling .

Inject the jam with a plastic syringe or piping bag , fitted with a plain nozzle .
Push the nozzle into the side of the doughnut and squeeze a little jam into each .
Roll the doughnuts in a little extra sugar .


 

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY JACK MERSEY.......17TH MAY 2015

Your cake awaits ......

 

Hugs and kisses on your very special day ...

 

Nana  and Popppy

Aunty Nicole

Your Uncles , Dale , Marc and Paul

Your Cousin Ella

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY JACK.

XXX

PORK VINDALOO ( Castle Garden tea 12th May )

I  bought a pork fillet  ( 600 gm ) and sliced it .
I had no time to marinate ....follow my instructions and this will give you a beautiful vindaloo in no time at all.
Place in a bowl 2 tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of ground warm mustard powder
2 tbs of ground coriander
1 tbs of minced garlic
1 tbs of minced ginger
Now mix all these ingredients with 1/2 cup of malt vinegar ......and make a paste .
Now coat your sliced pork fillet with the paste ...Set aside
Place 4 tbs of rice bran oil into your pan , warm through
Add 2 large red onions peeled and sliced to the pan .
Cook through till the onion is softened and aromatic .
Add the paste covered pork and cook till the pork is cooked through ...
I served it over a bed of red quinoa .
I had no time to marinate ......and it was beautiful , tender and full of flavour .

HOT SOUR SALMON CURRY....Castle Garden Tea 13 th May

 

Dry the fish fillets and rub them with a mix of a pinch of salt with a dsp of turmeric . Set aside .

 

 

Process 2 small red chillies with seeds and 2 green chillies seeds included , 1 dsp of minced garlic  and  1 dsp of minced ginger , to a paste . Set aside .

 

Heat 4 tbs of rice bran oil in a pan .

Add 1 sachet of shrimp paste  and 2 red onions peeled and sliced , 1 dsp of tamarind paste  and a pinch of sugar .

cook till the onion is softened and the mix is aromatic .

 

Add the paste to the pan and mix ,stir consistently till  bubbling .

Then add the salmon skin side down and cook for 4 minutes , turn once scooping some of the paste over the sskin side of the salmon .

Cook for 4 minutes . let rest for 2 minutes and serve over a bed of grain , I used freekeh .

 

 

 

AMOTIK...Castle Garden tea 12 th May

Tonight I served AMOTIK.
My mood was terrible , it had just been one of those days
 Being at home in my kitchen was restorative and I needed to cook and let go of my anger , as nothing was going to fix the dent  in the bumper bar of my car , other than an  expensive replacement .
I placed a cup of black quinoa  in the steamer
4 tbs of rice bran oil in the pan and heated it over a med heat .
I added 2 sliced red onions
1 tbs of minced garlic
4 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tbs of tamarind paste
I mixed the ingredients thoroughly and then added 4 fillets of barramundi  along with 1 tbs of  vinegar .
Let this simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes turning the fillets once .
Taking care not to overcook.
I served the fillets over the black quinoa and drizzled the fillets with the pan juices .
Tea was great but I`m still angry about the bumper bar !
 

HAPPY MOTHER`S DAY

I spent Mother`s Day with 2 of my son`s Dale and Paul .
Nicole called from work in Alice Springs , Shaun `face timed `me and I got to see my beautiful grandsons Max and Jack and spoke to Shaun and Dee .
Dale and Paul booked us in for lunch at Gastronomy Restaurant , Church St Morwell.
It was beautiful.

Soup ...
Cream of roast pumpkin soup
Potato and parsnip soup

Entrée......
Crumbed cheese filled croquettes on a Caesar salad
Salmon tart

Mains......
Pesto filled chicken parcel
Crumbed fish on a bed of potato mash .

Dessert......
Berries served with a granita and pavlova stack.
Pear tarts served with a date ice cream ..

We chose a Taylor`s  Promised Land Riesling   to accompany the meal....

Great company , good food  and wine .
Spending time  with family ....
Thank you Paul and Dale  ....

Mum xx

TIRAMISU ( Italian .. pick me up )

Traditionally made with sponge fingers dipped in coffee and a spirit or liqueur and then layered with a caramel egg yolk , sugar and mascarpone cheese layered and sprinkled with chopped chocolate and finished with chopped nuts , then refrigerated..
The real tiramisu has nothing in common with the commercial  offerings  for sale in the refrigerated section of your supermarkets .

This is my recipe for Tiramisu ....

I used 6 medium jars with lids for my tiramisu .

You will need a packet of chocolate ripple biscuits , roughly broken into pieces and placed in a bowl .
Make 3/4 cup of black coffee and mix 150 gm of chocolate syrup with the hot black coffee.
Place a 1kg tub of natural yoghurt on the bench .

To prepare the caramel ....
Place 12 pitted dates and 180 ml of maple syrup in a processor , process till smooth .
Add 2 tbs of water and mix till well combined.

To construct  the tiramisu ....
Sprinkle some of the biscuit pieces on the base of your jars .
Spoon in a layer of yogurt .
Then a drizzle of the choc coffee syrup .
Followed by a layer of the caramel .
Repeat the process till you  reach the top of your serving jars ...
Finishing with yoghurt and a crumble of biscuits .
Refrigerate for 2 hours before service .



 

THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT

I have missed blogging , but there has been and is so much going on .
The cooking classes are so much  fun . A lovely lady here on a visit  from Serbia attended all my classes for the duration of her stay, .I was honoured when she told me how much she enjoyed the classes.
The family who employ me as a cook are really enjoying my approach to food , ' the family ' went on vacation around the same time I visited Nicole in Alice Springs , on their return from vacation they said they  now understand what it means to live the food through the produce available and they attributed this gift of looking at food from another angle to my approach to food ...That was a massive compliment as 'the family' spent time in the Margaret River  region of Western Australia .
Meals on the run for busy household`s and  weekend occasions where I cook for special occasions in other people`s  homes are keeping me away from blogging , the classes , the  preparation and teaching also need time ... I`m not complaining or ignoring my blog  I`m  just time deficient   but love living my dream  as much as I love  my sons ,daughter  and grandchildren .


 

STRAWBERRY DESSERT SOUP

You will need 5 punnets of strawberries for this dessert .
Set aside I punnet of the strawberries to use later .

Place the other 4 punnets of strawberries in a food processor with 90 gm of castor sugar .
Process until smooth .
Now heat 90 ml of dessert wine in a small saucepan , then add it to the puree and add the pulp of 3 passionfruit and blitz for a few seconds .
Slice up the strawberries   that you set aside earlier , add 2 ripe peaches that have been peeled  and cubed along with another 2 punnets of raspberries .
Transfer the puree from the processor to serving bowls and place a heaped scoop of the whole  fruit mix in the centre of the bowls .
Cover and keep refrigerated till you are ready to serve .
Serve in the chilled bowls and scatter with small mint leaves .

 

A MASH IS A MASH

PEA MASH
Ingredients
500gm of frozen peas cooked through , then processed with 1/3 cup of natural yoghurt , 1/4 cup of  chopped green onions , till you have a chunky mash .

CANOLA  OIL POTATO MASH
Ingredients
500gm of desiree potatoes  cooked and mashed with  canola oil along with a little of the cooking water and seasoned with coarsely ground black pepper .

CHAMP
Ingredients
500gm of desiree potatoes cooked and mashed with 1 dsp canola oil and a little water reserved from cooking , plus stir in  1/2 bunch of spring onions both white and green parts chopped .

KUMARA MASH
Ingredients
500gm of kumara  ( sweet potatoes ) peeled and cooked , 1 dsp of canola oil , 2 large garlic cloves that have been sautéed along with 1 red hot small chilli finely chopped

 

NOELENE`S BIRTHDAY CAKE

Thank you Laufa .......

My birthday cake is beautiful ..

ROAST APPLES WITH HONEY AND PASSIONFRUIT

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C .
Spray an ovenproof dish with cooking spray .
Peel 1/3 from the top of  4 pink lady apples .
Place the apples in the dish .
In a separate pan warm 1 tbs of honey  mixed with 3/4 of a cup of unsweetened apple juice .
Pour the honey and apple juice mix over the apples and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender .
Baste the apples with the juice while cooking .
Remove from the oven when the apples are tender .
Sprinkle the cooked apples with a tbs of castor sugar .
Now preheat the grill and grill the top of the apples till they are golden in colour .
Serve the apples on heated plates , spooning over passionfruit pulp and the cooking juices .
Roasted apples go well with custard or yoghurt .

ROO , LENTIL AND SPINACH CANNELLONNI

1   kg of roo mince mixed in a bowl with 1 tbs of minced garlic , 1 dsp of fish sauce , 1 tbs  of soy sauce , 1 tbs of  honey ,
1 dsp of kebbiah , 1 heaped tsp of cinnamon  use a wooden spoon to mix well.
Add 3 eggs lightly beaten ....  mix well to combine .
Strain one 420gm can of lentils and stir into the  mince .
Chop 250 gm of spinach leaves and add to the mix .
Make sure the mix is thoroughly combined .
Now add 4 tbs of corn flour .

Fill your cannelloni tubes with the mix .
Lay the tubes side by side in square  casserole or pan that has been coated with cooking spray .
I sprayed the top of the filled tubes before slicing over an  onion , then sprinkling fresh oregano over the onion and finishing off by pouring 2 cans of diced tomatoes and grated parmesan .
Place the tray in the preheated oven  ( 200deg C ) for 35 minutes .
A simple meal , quickly prepared and healthy to boot.

DONAUWELLE CAKE

A light , airy black and white cake that is filled with morello cherries and topped with a sweet buttercream