ATLANTIC SALMON IN THE MANOR SAUCE

Tonight at The Manor I will serve Atlantic salmon fillets in Manor sauce .
I used Atlantic salmon  fillets with the skin on .
The success of this dish is the sauce .
THE SAUCE
I finely sliced 2 medium onions and 2 tbs of minced garlic and added them to a pan with a drizzle of rice bran oil and cooked them over a low heat till the  onions were soft .
I then added 1 can ( 170 gm ) of tomato paste , 1 tbs of sriracha sauce .Take the time to mix this thoroughly , stirring continuously slowly add 1 cup of dry white wine ( Riesling ) and 1/4cup of a good  quality brandy .
Stir through cracked black pepper and salt to taste .
At this point the sauce is bitter , give it time to soften .
I then added the Atlantic salmon fillets to the sauce  turning to make sure of a good coating to each side .
Finally I added chilli flavoured anchovies to the sauce and let the fillets marinate in the sauce in the refrigerator for 4 hours .
Preheat your oven to 20deg C and cook the  sauce and fillet mixture for 15 minutes .
I will serve this dish with a mix of brown and black rice blended in with freekah.

CREAMY CHICKEN WITH MIXED WHOLEGRAIN PASTA

The pasta used was a mix of chick peas, red lentil , fava bean and pulse .
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil , add 300gm of  the pasta , and bring back to the boil .
Cook until tender but still firm to the bite ( el dente ).
Meanwhile , heat a little sesame oil in a large pan add 500 gm of sliced chicken tenderloins and cook over a medium heat (about 2 minutes on each side ).
Pour over 5 tbs of white wine and continue to cook until all the wine has evaporated .
Drain the pasta .
Add 150 gm of frozen peas , 300ml of sour cream and the pasta to the fry pan , 400 gm of diced tomatoes ( 1 can ),2 tbs of minced garlic  and 1/2 tsp of sriracha  stir well , cover and simmer for 3 minutes .
Garnish the chicken and pasta mixture with fresh parsley .
Serve  immmediately in warmed bowls .

 I wrapped the leftover creamy chicken and pasta in puff pastry sheets and will be serving them with oven baked chips .

CURRY CRUSTED TUNA STEAKS

On Sunday I prepared curry crusted tuna steaks .
First I prepared a nut and spice blend  ( dukkah ) of sesame seeds , ground coriander , sumac , ground fennel , dried lemon , basil and ground almond .
I mixed this with Greek pot set  yoghurt and added minced garlic , minced ginger , cumin powder , turmeric  powder , ground coriander , paprika , green chilli and cracked black pepper .
The tuna steaks were patted dry with paper towelling  coated both sides with the mixture and let marinate  covered in the refrigerator for 4 hours

I preheated the oven 180 deg C  and placed the coated tuna steaks on a baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes .
The curry crusted tuna steaks were served on brown rice and buckwheat with oven roasted tomatoes on the vine .
The entree was a capsicum filled with a chilli four bean mix .

TUNA & RED PEPPER PIE

I make a lot of pies , they are a great way to make use of leftovers , but you can make great fillings from scratch and be really creative ......here is one of my favourites .
HELPFUL HINTS
I use a short pastry for the base of the pie and a puff pastry for the pie lid /top . Once the pie maker machine has been sprayed with cooking oil and then sprinkle lightly with fine polenta , this encourages a crisp base and prevents sogginess .

TUNA & RED PEPPER PIE .
This is so delicious  and simple .
Spread the short pastry ( base )with ready made tomato pizza sauce
Drain and flake 400gm  tin of tuna in oil .
You will also need a jar of chargrilled red capsicums in oil , drained and sliced .
Mix the tuna and capsicum together  ( gently ) and add 100gm of black olives ,stoned and sliced .
Season to taste with dill , sal and pepper .
Preheat and prepare your pie maker .
Fill the pastry base as required and spread the puff pastry  ( lid /top ) with tomato pizza sauce .
Lightly sprinkle the pie top with polenta .
Repeat the above process with remaining ingredients and pastry .
Cook as per pie maker directions .

OLIVE JAM ICE-CREAM .

On Masterchef Australia 2020 , one of the challenges was to create an ice cream using a savoury ingredient .
I love creative cooking and this is what I came up with .....Olive Jam Ice Cream .
Firstly ,I prepared the olive jam .....I drained a 430 gm jar of sliced black olives  and placed the olive slices in my processor along with 100 gm of date paste I processed the 2 ingredients together and tasted the sweetness of the flavour , it was nearly there , I added another 50 gm of date paste and processed again .. the taste was amazing , but it needed a salt hit .... thats when I went and looked imploringly at my well stocked pantry ..... and I found it , a jar of  date and tahini sauce ..I added 50 gm of the sauce . Processed the sauce through and .... it was perfect ...
Now for the ice cream ....
 Put 1 egg and 1 cup of evaporated milk , 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tbs of vanilla extract in your mixer and blend on a medium speed until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved .I then transferred this mix to my ice cream machine .......
Add the date and olive mixture to the ice cream machine half way through the mixing ....
Then freeze as per your machines instructions .... This is delicious .!!!

LAMINGTON DONUTS

Just waiting for the icing to set on the lamington donuts .
First I made a batch of cake donuts , by creaming together 80 gm of butter with 110 gm of castor sugar in the bowl of your electric mixture until pale and fluffy .
Then add 1 lightly beaten egg ,1 egg yolk and 1 tsp vanilla extract  along with 185ml of milk , mix until just combined .( over mixing the dough will cause it to become tough .)
Lightly flour your work bench .
Turn out the dough and knead with lightly floured hands until the dough becomes smooth .
Now using a floured rolling pin , gently roll out dough to 1/2 inch ( 1 cm ) thickness .
Use a floured 3 and 1/4 inch ( 8 cm ) cookie cutter , cut out rounds from the dough .
Re roll any cut off dough and make more rounds until you have 12 .
Now use a 1 and 1/4 inch ( 3 cm ) cookie cutter to cut holes from the centre of each larger circle .
 Now you can either deep fry or bake and then coat in cinnamon sugar .
Now bring these to room temperature a prepare the icing .
Place 50 gm of butter in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of boiling water, 2 tbs of cocoa powder .
Stirring continuously with a fork add 300gm of icing sugar .
Now use a long pronged fork to hold the donuts and dip each one in the icing mixture and then roll in in the desiccated coconut .
Leave the donuts to set .

NUTMEG CAKE / MUFFINS

Going through an old paperback recipe book a yellowing piece of white paper fell from the book ....
this recipe is just lovely .
NUTMEG CAKE
This is exactly how it was written down ..
1. Cup of SR flour
1.Cup of plain flour
125gm of butter
2.Cups of sugar ( brown )
2. Teas of nutmeg
1. Cup of milk with 1. Teas carb soda ( in milk )
1.Egg
Put half the dry mixture in 1. Slab tin.
Mix rest of the mixture with milk and soda and egg
Pour on the dry mixture .
Put pecan nuts on top .
Cook for 1 hour on 350 deg
Sprinkle with icing sugar when cooked
What a find , absolutely delicious .!!

BATTER RECIPE

ANOTHER LITTLE TREASURE I FOUND IN AN OLD RECIPE BOOK .

MIX 1 CUP OF PLAIN FLOUR WITH  1/2 TSP OF BI CARBONATE OF SODA 

AND ADD....

(1 PART OF VINEGAR TO 3 PARTS OF WATER IS A RATIO IN MEASUREMENT .)
50 ML OF  VINEGAR TO 150ML OF WATER .
2 DROPS OF YELLOW FOOD COLOURING 

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C

Pat dry 1 good sized chicken and rub it all over inside and out with salt and pepper .

Place 1 cup of mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix in 1 tbs of Cajun spice and 1 dsp of sriracha sauce 

Now massage this mixture all over the chicken  including the cavity .
I used an oven chicken stand and filled the liquid vessel with beer , if you dont have this stand simply use an open can of beer (1/2 full ) and lower the chicken over the can or the stand .
Place the chicken stand or the chicken on the beer tin on a baking tray and into the oven .
Bake for 60 minutes after  30 minutes add the  seasoned potatoes and or pumpkin to the baking tray  to bake in the tray juices .
Let the chicken rest for 5minutes before carving and serve along side lime wedges .

RECIPE 2

 

BEER CAN CHICKEN

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C

Line a roasting pan with baking paper

Place 1 sea salt flakes in a bowl with 1 tsp of ground coriander , add 90 gm of orange marmalade and 2 tbs of warm water .

Stir to combine .

Pour in 1/2 cup of beer .

Place the open can  with remaining beer , upright in the lined roasting pan .

Lower the chicken onto the can .

Roast for 20 minutes .

Remove from the oven and pour the marmalade mixture over the chicken .

Place back in the oven and continue to roast for 45 minutes , basting occasionally .

Cover with foil if the chicken starts to over brown .

Remove the can to slice and serve .

ROASTED TOMATO RICOTTA LASAGNE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Place 1 kg of tomatoes , sliced in half lengthways ( cut side up )on an oven tray .
Cook in the preheated oven  for about 30 minutes or until soft .
Place 300 gm of spinach leaves in an oiled pan and allow to completely wilt over a medium heat .
Remove the spinach to a bowl and set aside .
Melt 50 gm of butter in the pan and add 1/4 cup of plain flour , stirring to combine ..
Now gradually add 2 x 375 gm cans of Carnation evaporated milk , stirring over the heat til the sauce thickens and comes to a simmer .
Stir in the spinach , 1cup of mozzarella cheese  and 500 gm of ricotta cheese .I also added 1 cup of sliced black olives and 200 gm of bacon pieces .
Season with cracked black pepper and salt .
Spray a rectangular 8 cup ovenproof dish with cooking spray and spoon in half the sauce .
I used instant lasagne sheets and arranged a single layer over the sauce .
Follow with a layer of tomatoes , repeat the process of layering with the remaining ingredients .
Cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and set .
Allow to stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving .
Serve with garlic bread and salad leaves.

ROASTED AND STUFFED PORK BELLY

MADRAS PORK CURRY

Heat 1 tbs of rice bran oil in a large pan  and add 750 gm of diced pork in batches ,cook until well browned , remove and set aside .
Cook 1 medium onion , thickly sliced with 2 tbs of minced garlic until the onion has softened .
Now add 1 dsp of ground cumin , 1 tbs of ground coriander , 1 tsp of garam masala , 1/2 tsp of chilli powder , 1 cinnamon stick .
Continue to cook , stirring until fragrant .
Now place the browned pork in your slow cooker and add 1 x 400 gm tin of diced tomatoes , the spiced onion mix , and 1 cup of beef stock nd 1 cup of coconut cream .....
Mix thoroughly adding 1/2 cup of chopped fresh coriander .
Now bring your slow cooker to a simmer and then continue to cook for an hour on high .
Garnish with fresh parsley or coriander and serve with a whole grain .

SPICY BEEF STEW

Coat 1 kg of cubed chuck steak in 1/4 cup of plain flour .
Shake away excess flour .
Heat 3 tbs of rice bran oil in a large pan and add beef in batches .
Cook until well browned all over , remove from pan and set aside .
Add 2 large onions that have been coarsely chopped and 3 tbs of minced garlic  to the pan and cook till onions have softened .
Return the beef to the pan along with 1 dsp of paprika , 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper , 1/2 cup of red wine and 1 litre of beef stock .
Add 1 dsp of grated lemon rind and 1/2 cup of  chopped fresh coriander .
Bring the beef mixture to a boil and then transfer to your slow cooker and bring to a simmer and then continue to cook for 90 minutes .
Serve over cooked egg noodles and sliced spring onions .