SALMON FILLETS WITH A CAPER AND CORIANDER DRESSING

You need one salmon fillet ( 225 gm ) per person .
Rub some sesame oil into both sides of the salmon fillets .
Season with salt and cracked black pepper .
Heat a heavy based griddle pan until it is very hot  .
Place the salmon fillets , skin side down  and cook for 3 minutes each side .
Remove .
Place on a serving plate and pour over a dressing made from 2 tbs of roughly chopped fresh coriander and 2 tbs of capers  ( rinsed and patted dry ) , the zest and juice of 2 limes , 2 tbs of white wine vinegar , 1 dsp of minced garlic , 2 finely chopped spring onions ( green stalk ) , 1 dsp of wholegrain mustard and  3 tbs of peanut oil ....season with cracked pepper and salt .

RIB EYE STEAK WITH GREMOLATA

2 Small rib eye fillets , ideally grass fed ....sit at room temperature for 15 minutes .
Use apaper towelling to pat dry
Toss with some ghee and season with salt and cracked pepper ......

Prepare your gremolata  by mixing 3 tbs of melted ghee with 4 tbs of freshly chopped parsley , 2 dsp of minced garlic , 1 dsp of grated lemon zest . Season with salt .

Place 2 brocolini stalks in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes .

Fry your fillets in a hot heavy based pan over a high heat for 2- 4 minutes on each side to seal in juices .
When you see the sides starting to brown it`s time to turn the steaks over .

Remove the steaks from the pan and allow to rest in a warm spot for 7 minutes .
Serve with the gremolata  and brocolini .

 

PALAK PANEER

This week we are preparing palak paneer , it is an Indian / Pakistani dish of spinach and paneer cheese in an exotic mix of curry spices .
Firstly cut up the paneer into 2cm cubes  ( 400gm ) and place in a bowl with 1 tsp of cumin , turmeric ,  cinnamon , cardamom , cracked black pepper , ground ginger and 1/2 tsp of salt .
Make sure the cheese is well covered with the spices .
Set the bowl aside .

Now heat a pan over a medium heat with 3 tbs of ghee and add 2 tbs of minced garlic , 1 red onion finely sliced  cook through till aromatic  and softened .
Add the coated paneer to the pan and cook till the cheese colours golden .
Place the cooked paneer and onion mix back into the bowl and set aside .

In a saucepan place 320gm of spinach leaves .(.do not add water ) and let wilt over over a med heat .Strain off excess water .

To the pan add 110 gm of tinned tomatoes and 3  freshly peeled and sliced tomatoes , 110 gm of tinned coconut cream , and the wilted spinach leaves  ( 320 gm ) , stir till well combined .

Now remove the spinach mix to a processor and process till creamy .
Pour over the paneer and heat through over a gentle heat .

Can be served as a starter ,  a vegetarian mains  or a side served with grilled chicken strips .

 

2 YEARS ON .....SHANE MAXWELL

I always giggle at our shared `secrets ` doing the dishes you never finished .
Your crazy laugh and sense of humour
I don't miss playing your shit music even though you bought me a CD  which I can`t give away for 2 reasons , one being you gave it to me the other I don't  know anyone to give it to !
I remember Dale`s 18th ..when he never drank ...after the dinner Dale and his friend`s played Pictionary ......everyone else went to bed , but not you and I.....we sat and drank a bottle of whiskey we shared a great time  until you put your shit music on
I miss our dances .
I don't miss having to pick up your phone from various night spots in Traralgon on Monday`s .
I miss you .
Always loved .
Noelene x

CHOOSING A SIDE OF BEEF

My father Jackiw Grunberg knew as much about sustainability as anyone could , long before it became trendy and libraries of books were  published on the subject .
He could judge how old a beef cow or bull was by touching the cartilage , he was`nt a trained butcher but he grew and slaughtered all our meat for the table .
I watched and listened as he sliced the bled out carcasses explaining the fat deposits and marbling in the meat .
Thick streaks of fat in a side of beef indicates the animal has been feed fast and furious to fatten it up in a short amount of time .What you want to look for is a marbling effect throughout the meat ,, indicating the animal has been fed steadily and allowed to graze naturally .

FRESH PEAS FROM THE GARDEN

It is magic how you can snap a pea`s stem and pull the string to form the perfect seam that opens under your thumb nail to reval sweet, starchy peas in the crisp, watery and sweet pod .

CASTLE GARDEN COOKING CLASS

Welcome back ......
We prepared spanakopita burger and focaccia ....

FOCACCIA  
Preheat oven to 220 deg C
Microwave 1 &1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese with 2 tbs of cream cheese ...
 Stir in 3/4 cup of almond meal
1 lightly beaten egg
Tear off   a good sized piece of baking paper and lay it on the bench
Wet your hands and spread the dough thinly over the paper
Dock the dough with a fork to prevent bubbling . undocked it will puff up a little as a focaccia
Place the dough on the baking paper straight into the oven
Bake till lightly coloured on top .

Remove from oven , move quickly to  place filling on one side of the baked dough , fold over to encase and press the edges together to seal .

You can also use the baked dough as a base for a pizza

SPANAKOPITA BURGER

Place 300 gm of fresh spinach leaves in a saucepan over a low heat and leave to wilt , no need to add water as there is more than enough in the leaves ..
Once wilted drain off excess water , squeeze and  finely chop
Add 2 diced slices of  short bacon
Mash 250 gm of cream cheese and add to the spinach
2 tbs of chopped and diced onion
50 gm of parmesan cheese
2 tbs of chia seeds
2 tbs of minced garlic
2 lightly beaten eggs
Season to taste with a dash of tabasco or 1/2 tsp of sumac
Add cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste .
Add 1/3 cup of semolina .
Wrap in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator till ready to form into patties / burgers .
Cook in a pan with 3 tbs of ghee .

Prepare as burgers /. patties or as a filling for the focacchia , can even be used in ravioli

 

Next week we will be preparing Palak Paneer