PIMENTO AND PORK

There are no sickly sweet flavours that usually accompany pork chops ...... are no apples , honey or maple syrup .
You will need 4 thick  pork loin chops .
In a medium bowl mix together 1 tbs of ground paprika
3 tbs of minced garlic
2 tbs of olive oil .
Rub this mixture into both sides of the pork chops .
Now pour over 500ml of white wine .
Cover the bowl with cling wrap .
Place in refrigerator for 2 days .
When you are ready to cook , strain the marinade and reserve .
Place the pork chops under or on a really hot grill , cooking for about 5 minutes each side .
Pour the marinade into a small pan and stir over heat until thickened .
For my son Dale , I will serve the  pork chops over rice .
 Marc , Shaun, Paul , Nicole and myself , will have ours  served on a sweet potato mash with the marinade poured over top .

BEEF BOUILLON WITH GINGER

Seriously Australia has been  and is still suffering from  the flu  epidemic ....
Friends of mine have been off sick from work a week at a time ....
Throw the following ingredients  into a large pot .
1 kg  of sliced marrow bones
3 litres of water
Add salt and bring to the boil .
Add 2 onions thinly sliced .....
3 tbs of minced ginger
Simmer  until the onions have dissolved .
Continue to simmer  for an hour OR until the onion has dissolved .
I have never suffered from the flu ....

POLPETTONE

This is an Italian meat loaf ........but it's not what you think ....
Preheat your oven to 160 deg C
Hard boil 4 eggs ... set aside .
Mix 500 gm of pork mince with 500 gm of veal mince in a large bowl ...
Add 4 lightly beaten eggs
1 diced onion
4  tbs of minced garlic
1 handful of fresh  chopped parsley ...
Season with cracked pepper and salt to taste .
Mix together to combine
Lay half the mixture in a loaf pan .
Roughly chop the boiled eggs .
You will need to add 100 gm of bacon pieces to the chopped eggs
Now lay this mixture over top of the meat mixture in the pan .
Cover with the other half of the meat mixture .
Place the loaf pan in a baking tray and fill with enough boiling water till it reaches halfway up the side of the loaf pan .
Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours serve hot with a cauliflower mash .
Just as good sliced and eaten cold .

 

WHOLE TROUT AND SALAD

Whole smoked trout ....placed on sliced lemon and topped with slices of onion....
Then wrapped in baking paper and held in place with foil wrap.
Place fish on a baking tray and leave sit in the refrigerator for 3 hours prior to warming through .
To prepare the trout salad , place 2 cups of wild rice in your steamer with 4 cups of water .
Slice 4 medium sized cooked beetroots and place in a large bowl with 10 small sweet gherkins halved and sliced .
2 onions thinly sliced
1 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
1 large raw green apple , cored and chopped.
Season with 1tsp of cracked pepper
In a separate small bowl mix together 5 tbs of apple cider vinegar in 1 and 1/2 tbs of castor sugar or stevia ( sugar substitute )
Stir through the salad , cover and place in refrigerator till the rice and trout are cooked .

When the rice is cooked , stir through the salad mix , and divide between serving plates .
Remove the trout from the oven , and place a  whole trout or slices of trout over the salad on the warmed plates .

 

SO DISAPPOINTING

It is so disappointing when specialised shop owners .......in this case a speciality shop pertaining to cooking gadgets ....have no idea how to use the gadgets  they have  for sale ........

BUYER BEWARE`!!!

Just want to make 2 wrongs right .........

1. Nut loaf roll pans .....sit VERTICALLY in the oven .

2. Cake  flour is definately not self raising flour ....cake flour should have a protein reading of 6 (look at purchasing gluten free plain flour )..plain flour has a reading of 11 .......if all you have is plain flour ...then take out 2 level tbs of flour per cup of flour required ...

KIDNEY BEAN SOUP

Soak 300gm of kidney beans overnight in a bowl of water .
Next day drain .
Now place the beans in a large saucepan ( nor alternatively use your slow cooker ) with 1100ml of water .
Add 1 smoked ham hock .
6 whole peppercorns
6 whole cloves
1 onion , peeled and sliced .
Bring this to boiling point and then let simmer for 3 hours .
Then you remove the bone and meat .
Process the soup till pureed .
Add 1/4 cup of castor sugar
4 tbs of malt vinegar . ( more or less according to your guests taste )
 OPTIONAL...Remove the meat from the bone and stir through the soup .
Discard bone .
Serve with very hot toasted bread cubes ....
BREAD CUBES
Melt 2 tbs of butter / marg and 1 tbs of castor sugar in a skillet .
Remove the crusts from 4 slices of bread and cut into cubes .
Add the bread cubes to the pan and stir till lightly browned .

 

 

A DANISH WEST INDIAN CURRY DISH

You will need 1 kg of lean pork , sliced in 1 inch cubes .
Dredge the pork cubes in flour seasoned with cumin and turmeric .

Then brown in a pan with some rice bran oil over a medium heat .
Now add 2 peeled and chopped onions , 1 chopped green pepper , 4 tomatoes peeled and chopped
Allow to simmer for 5 minutes .

Transfer to a heavy based saucepan .
Add 2 cups of water , season with salt and pepper , 1 and 1/2 tbs of curry powder , a pinch of cayenne pepper .

Simmer under cover for 90 minutes .
Serve over steamed mixed grains , rice or mashed potatoes .

THE MENU FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE MANOR

ENREE
Schwabisches Fleisch

MAIN
Whole trout with a quinoa salad

DESSERT
Chia slice .

POTATO DUMPLINGS ......KLOESSE

Boil 9 medium peeled potatoes strain then press through a ricer .
Let stand to cool a little .
Now place in a bowl with 3 beaten eggs ,1 tsp of salt  1 cup of flour , 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and 2/3 of a cup of breadcrumbs
Mix thoroughly and form into balls . ( add more crumbs if the mixture is a little loose )
Partly fill a medium saucepan with water and 1/2tsp of salt , bring to boiling point .
Drop potato balls into the rapidly boiling water .
The potato balls will come to the surface , at this point insert a skewer which will come out clean if the balls are done .
Melt 500gm of butter in a skillet with one 1 tbs of chopped onion  1 tbs of minced garlic , 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of chopped parsley  cook over a low heat till onion is tender .
Place the potato balls in the skillet with the prepared dressing .
Serve with sauer braten or in any good gravy based dish .

STRAWBERRY AND CHEESECAKE SLICE

This so easy , come on ...give it a go .
You will need one packet of your favourite sweet biscuit  ( 250 gm )
Place 250gm of cream cheese in your mixer along with 250 gm of marg/ butter and 1 cup of castor sugar ....
Beat until the sugar is well incorporated and dissolved .
Then in a cup place 2 tsp of powdered gelatine with 2 tbs of boiling water , stir until dissolved .
Now add to the cheese mix and continue to beat until well combined .
Open the biscuits and place a single layer on a baking paper lined tray .
Place a good dob of the cheese mix on the biscuit base and then repeat with another biscuit  layer.
depending on your choice of biscuit , you can do a third layer ( optional ).
Then place a dob of the cheese mix on top and then finish with a strawberry .
All you do now is place in the refrigerator to set , about 4 hours.
A great dessert or a treat with coffee .

 

MARBLED CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BROWNIE

Preheat your oven to 160deg C.
Grease and line a 28x18 cm pan
Place 175gm of butter/ marg in the bowl of your electric mixer with 3 tbs of cacoa
Add 200gm of coconut sugar and and beat until light and fluffy .
Gradually add 2 lightly eaten eggs .
Then add 125 gm of plain flour .
Continue to mix  and pour into the prepared pan .
For the cheesecake mix ......
Using the electric mixer
Beat together 250gm of ricotta cheese , 40 gm of coconut sugar ,and 1 lightly beaten egg .
Continue to mix until the sugar has dissolved
Now drop teaspoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the chocolate mixture .
Use a palette knife to swirl the two mixtures together lightly .
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until just firm to touch
Cool in the tin , then cut into squares .
Enjoy ..........

 

 

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD

To make the shortbread .....Lightly grease a 18cm /7" square loose based pan.Preheat your oven o 160 deg C .
Put 75gm of plain flour in a processor along with 50gm of marg /butter and process until the mixture looks like fine readcrumbs .
Add 25 gm of castor sugar and mix to a dough .
Press the dough into the prepared pan , into an even layer .
Bake in the preheated oven until pale and golden approx 20 min
Leave to cool .
To make the caramel , put a 395 gm can condensed milk a small saucepan along with 50gm of marg /butter and 25 gm of castor sugar , stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves .
Then continue to simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens .
Pour the mixture over the shortbread and leave set for 3 hours .
Melt 300 gm of Lindt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over a med heat  then pour the melted chocolate over the set caramel .
Leave to set and serve cut into slices .

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 19TH SEPT

END OF TERM ....
MYSTERY BOX CHALLENGE
Everyone was sent a list of ingredients to bring to class ...
The ingredients were different .
The 3 different  recipes I had prepared during the last week were randomly handed out ....
Then everyone selected the ingredients they needed for the recipes in front of them .
So the fun began .......
Heather  and Kate made the creamy apple tart ....
Ty and Meagan prepared Chocolate oat slice
Robyn , Brett and Trevor made a 'yummo' chocolate cheesecake ..
I was a great effort and the results were amazing ..
Well done to everyone .
Robyn bought along some of her homemade sauce which we enjoyed with crackers and cheese over a coffee , she also shared her homemade chocolate slice which was delicious .
We all enjoyed hearing about Robyn's weekend trip to Costco .
Enjoy the break and we will start next term with a pate in the lead up to Christmas.

CREAMY APPLE TART

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
In a large bowl combine 250gm of crushed plain biscuits with 125 gm of melted marg / butter .
Press this evenly over the base and sides of a 23 cm flan pan .
Set aside in the refrigerator .

In a separate bowl combine 1 can of sweetened condensed milk ( 395 gm ) with 2 lightly beaten eggs ,410gm of pie apple , 1 tsp of lemon zest , 2 tbs of lemon juice and 40 gm of desiccated coconut ..
Mix these altogether and spoon onto the biscuit base .
Bake for 15 minutes .
Remove from oven and then sprinkle the surface with shredded coconut and place back in oven for a further 10 minutes ...
Let cool , then place in refrigerator to cool through , slice and serve with cream ....
Recipe from "100 years of sweet baking memories "

MINESTRONE

Black beans soaked for 12 hours .
Kumato tomatoes peeled and chopped ,
Italian stock base
Chopped Thai basil .
Fresh corn kernals off the cob  ( ate 2 before the 3rd one made it to the pot )
4 onions peeled and sliced .
3 tbs of minced garlic .
1 cup of wild rice
Handful of fresh parsley and coriander finely chopped .

Look at this and it hasn`t even started to cook .
In place of potato I added sliced okra .
This will be slow cooked for 12 hours ....and I`m already waiting .
12 hours later .........
I left the uncooked , prepared minestrone sit in the refrigerator  overnight ....
This morning I added 4 slices of bacon finely chopped and an 500gm of whole baby beans , cracked pepper and salt to taste .

Just need to slice the turmeric bread ...a meal that is healthy , tasty and filling ......or serve with a crusty bread .

 

KUMATO.........TOMATOES

I`m one happy person .... kumato tomatoes are back in the fruit and vegetable sections of the supermarkets .
Kumato are hot house grown with an authentic sweet tomato flavour ...they are the best .

 

BANOFFEE TART

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C.
Place 185 gm of plain flour in a processor with 1 tbs of icing sugar and 125 gm of butter .
Process until crumbly .
Then add 1 egg yolk and 2 tbs of cold water .
Process until the ingredients come together .
Transfer to a lightly floured bench and knead the dough till smooth .
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes .
Grease the tart pans or pan , break the dough in to pieces and ease into pans .
Trim edges and dock with a fork .
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes .
Place the pans or pan on an oven tray and bake until golden .
Remove from oven and cool .
FILLING
Combine 395gm of sweetened condensed milk with 100gm of butter and 110 gm of firmly packed brown sugar in a medium sized saucepan .
Cook over a medium heat , stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened and caramel coloured .
Pour into pastry shell / shells .
Top with sliced bananas that have been drizzled with lemon juice .
Serve with whipped cream ..

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINING AT THE MANOR

ENTREE
Herring ceviche

SOUP
Chicken Laksa

MAINS
Beef cheeks with baked beetroot and hommus..

Delicious !! 

TUESDAY COOKING CLASS 12TH SEPT ...

Tuesday we will be preparing a strawberry slice .
This slice is prepared with a biscuit base and a drizzle of pomegranate syrup ..
The topping is a mix of cheeses and gelatine with fresh strawberries ......
Sounds easy but so much could go wrong if you don't follow basic rules of cooking ...nothing to do with the recipe !
As well the class will also take home perfectly made yo yo`s ...following a simple recipe .
You have to love Tuesday `s........
See you all tomorrow ...
Noelene Marchwicki

YOGHURT ICING RECIPE

Place 1/4 cup of thick Greek yoghurt  ( the yoghurt needs to have been strained for 8 hours in the refrigerator .... discard the liquid ) with 1 tsp of vanilla extract .
Then stir in 3 and 1/2 cups of icing sugar , ( 1/2 a cup at a time ) till you get a thick spreadable consistency .
TIP : You can use a flavoured Greek yoghurt and follow the steps above .

FIG AND GINGER LOAF

Cut up 1 cup of dried figs ,pace them in a bowl with 1 cup of cold water and 1tsp of bi carbonate of soda and leave soak overnight .
Next day preheat your oven to 160 deg C .
Spray your roll pan and line with baking paper .
Now place the figs and liquid in a medium saucepan and add 1 cup of brown sugar ( firmly packed ) with 2 oz of margarine /butter .
Sir all together over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved , then add 1 tbs of minced ginger .
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool .
When cooled add 2 cups of self raising flour into the fig mixture .
Add 1lightly beaten egg .
Now spoon the mixture into the greased roll pan , ( fill half way only )
Enclose the mixture with the lid .
Stand the roll pan up in the oven ( vertically ).
Bake in the oven for 60 minutes
Test with a skewer before turning off the oven , if not completely cooked pop back in oven with lid on for a further 10minutes .
Place the roll pan on a wire cooling rack remove lids and let cool before removing from pan ..
delicious .!!

 

TURMERIC AND SEED BREAD

The kitchen smells so good , my first loaf for the day ...Sunday morning doesn`t get better than this .

KONJIFRUIT / SUMO FRUIT

I love it already because it is seedless , sweet and  a little tart ,similar to a tangerine.
The sinews are tougher than an imperial mandarin , with a thicker skin
The konji fruit / sumo fruit are Australian grown .

IT PAYS TO SHOP AROUND

Dialanoccasion has a number of in house catering events coming up ..
So today I invited Laufa to join me on the price check round ......
As always the price varies ....but this is ridiculous ...!!!
My blog is not to name and shame but simply to encourage you to compare prices .....on one cut of meat today ..the prices varied from $9.00 kg  to $17 kg ..and ballooning out at $20.00 kg ....The cut of meat I requested ...is a cut of meat similar to brisket .......the success of this cut of meat relies on the cooking process ....not the cut ......the piece requested is lean at best .
By the way I  saw you could purchase the par cooked packaged version of the cut meat I was
price checking .....for my clients this was an expensive and taste poor outcome .
Best advice I can share with you .......shop around before  you buy !!!!!

CARROT HALWA

A halwa is a type of pudding made with vegetables , lentils , nuts and fruit .
It is cooked with sugar and ghee to a sticky consistency...
My recipe is a mix of a an Iranian recipe called halvaye shir and halwa .

Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a large frypan .
Add 1/2 kg of grated carrots and cook for 10 minutes .
Add 1 dsp of ground cardamom along with 500 ml of milk .
Stir continuously .
Bring to a gentle boil and then let simmer until the liquid is absorbed / evaporated .
Stir through 1 can 400gm of red lentils  ( drained and washed )
Slowly add 395 gm of sweetened condensed milk .
Continue to stir till  the mix has thickened ....be patient this takes time .
Now stir through 1 tbs of rose water , along with 35 gm of slivered almonds and 35 gm of chopped cashews .
Serve in 6 small ramequins ( 1 cup capacity ), top with pistachios .
Serve warm or chilled .
 

COPHA CAKE

You will need 230gm of coffee biscuits for this log , which need to be softened , best placed in a biscuit tin with the lid ajar for 12 hours ...that is called softened by exposure .

Mix 230 gm of soft icing sugar with 1 tbs of cocoa .
Add 1 beaten egg and 1 tsp of vanilla extract .
Heat 85gm of copha just to melt ..do not boil .
Spray a piece of baking paper with cooking oil .
Now arrange 4 biscuits end to end on the baking paper .
Spread a layer of the copha mixture over the biscuits .
Repeat this process till you have 5 or 6 layers in total .
Spread the remaining copha mixture over the top and sides .
Place in the refrigerator till set .
Remove and allow to stand at room temp to slice .

BAKED JAM ROLL

Preheat your oven to 180deg C.
Spray  a rectangular pan approx. 25 cm x 16cm .
Sift 1 cup of self raising flour and a pinch of salt into a medium bowl .
Add 1 tbs of butter and 1 dsp of milk .
Mix to a dough .
Shape dough into a rectangle and spread with jam of your choice , this roll is also nice spread with lemon curd .
Roll up and place in the prepared pan /dish . Set aside .
In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup of castor sugar , 1 tbs of margarine / butter and 1 cup of boiling water and continue to stir over a low heat till the sugar is dissolved .
Now pour the water over the rolled dough and bake for 30 minutes in a well preheated oven .
Serve with cream ...

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 5TH SEPT .......GUMBO .

 Creole cookery , centred on New Orleans in the USA, is a blend of Spanish , French , Indian and African influences .
A gumbo is a soup stew which uses okra for flavouring and thickening .
The word gumbo comes from an African word for okra .
A gumbo can be made with a combination of chicken , pork , ham , seafood or with just one of the ingredients , but it always have the typical satin smooth texture which okra`s jelly like juice provides .
Tuesday we will be preparing chicken and sausage gumbo .
1. Slice your kransky sausages into rounds then halve them.
2. Place your 8 chicken pieces in a saucepan with 3 tbs of lard and brown both sides , then remove and rest on paper towelling .
3.Reuse the pot with the drippings , peel and slice 2 onions and place them in the pot with the sliced and halved kransky`s along with 3 cups of sliced okra .
4. Stir till onions are tender .
5. Now add 1 can of diced tomatoes ( 400gm )
1 bay leaf
A pinch of cayenne
1 tsp of  Cajen / Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1 dsp of hot sauce
2 tbs of crushed garlic
1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
3 cups of stock .
6. Stir till combined.
7. Place chicken pieces in the bowl of your slow cooker and pour over the wet mixture .
8. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF
9.Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low for 5 hours .

CHICKEN FEET

The feet of chickens are not usually sold with the carcass`s.
The feet are blanched , descaled and used to add flavour and gelatine to stocks and sauces .

OKRA...

.
Okra is a seed pod of the plant , Abelmoschus esculentus, which is used when young as a vegetable .
When the pod matures it is dried and powdered and used as a flavouring .
Okra is 5 to 10 cm long , green with deep ridges and full of seeds .The seeds release a gelatinous material when cooked .
In the Middle East great care is taken not to cut the pod as the gelatinous material is not popular , and the pods are treated with lemon juice and salt prior to cooking .