POTATO AND CARAWAY SEED BREAD

Preheat your oven to 200deg C.

Grease 2 large oven trays ..set aside

Place 700gm of peeled and chopped potatoes in a saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil over a med to high heat , reduce heat and simmer till cooked through ( about 20 minutes ).
Drain and place in a processor till you get a smooth puree . You need 500gm of pureed potato.
Transfer to a large bowl and rub in 1 kg of 000 flour  with your hands until well combined
Stir in 2 tsp of dried yeast and 1 tbs of salt and 2 and 1/2 cups of warm water .
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2 minutes .
Rest for 10 minutes . repeat this process 3 more times ..the resting time is crucial to the success of the bread .
The dough will be very sticky so make sure you have a bowl of water close by to wet your hands .
Place your dough in a warm place to prove for 20 minutes or until it has doubled in size .
Using your fist gently knock back the dough .
Halve the dough and shape in to circular loaves .
Place each loaf on the prepared trays .
Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes .
Brush loaf tops with water and sprinkle with salt and caraway seeds
Slash dough tops with a sharp knife and bake for 35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped .
Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes .

QUENELLES OF FLATHEAD WITH A SAFFRON SAUCE

Place your food processor bowl and blade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill .

Separate 3 eggs  and place 3 egg whites and 1 tsp of salt in the chilled bowl along with 200gm of skinned flathead .

Process until well combined .

Turn your processor down to slow and add 1/2 cup of cream , continue to process till well combined and smooth .

 Place in a bowl , cover and refrigerate .

Now line a baking tray with baking paper .

Shape the fish mixture into quenelles ( small oval shapes ) , place the quenelles onto the baking tray and refrigerate until ready to  cook

 

To prepare the sauce , place 1 and 1/4 cups of fish stock ,with 1/2 cup of Chinese cooking wine and 1/2 cup of cream .
Bring this to the boil over a med heat and simmer for 8 minutes , by this time the sauce will have reduced by half .
Add a pinch of saffron powder and 1/2 cup of fresh sage ( torn ).
Reduce heat to low and let simmer allowing flavours to infuse for 6 minutes .
Using a deep frypan add 1and 1/4 cups of fish stock and 2 cups of water over a med heat , when the stock starts to  simmer gently slide the baking paper with the quenelles on into the simmering stock .
After 10 seconds remove the baking paper .
Cook for 5 minutes or until the quenelles turn white and cook through .
Carefully remove the quenelles with a slotted spoon and place on serving plates .
Spoon over the sauce and sprinkle with crushed black pepper .

A RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE MADE WITH QUINOA FLOUR AND ALMOND MEAL .

Ok turn your oven and preheat it to 160 deg C.
Then grease a round 20cm spring form pan  with cooking spray and line with baking paper .
Place 180 gm of good quality dark chocolate ( I always use Lindt dark chocolate .. 90% cacoa , it is a little more expensive ...but it is worth the end result ) in a medium saucepan with 125 gm of marg / butter , heat over a low heat till both are melted , stirring occasionally .
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then stir in 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract , 3/4 of  brown sugar ,1/2 cup of sifted quinoa flour, 1/3 cup of almond meal and 1 tbs of sifted cacoa powder .
Stir well to combine .
Now you need 4 eggs and separate them .
Add the egg yolks one at a time , stirring well after each addition .
In a separate bowl use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites till stiff , then fold  the egg whites into the chocolate  batter .
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan , cook in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until just firm .
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan  .
 

SLOW COOKED QUINCES

I love the look , the shape and texture of the quince leaf but it is the fruit that is the hero to many sweet and savoury dish .I want to share with you how to slow cook quinces .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Using a deep oven proof  saucepan place 6 cups of water with t5he juice of 2 lemons ( good sized lemons ) and 4 cups of white sugar  now place over heat and bring to a constant simmer stirring till thickened .
Now the amounts I have used will cook 4 quinces ....
Brush fluff from each quince and add them to the syrup .
Make sure the quinces are fully submerged weigh them down with a heat proof plate .
Now place a lid on the saucepan and into the preheated oven  and bake for 3 hours .
The quinces will turn a rich red colour .
Remove from syrup , slice into wedges and serve as a side to a tart , part of a fruit crumble or to accompany a roasted joint of beef .

COCONUT BREAD

I have been learning about  flours over the past 20 weeks ..flour isn`t all about ground dried starchy tubers of wheat .There is a  plethora of flours made from finely ground cereal grains and dried pulses that are gluten free, a good source of fibre and protein .
I want to share what I`ve discovered about using different flours ....

COCONUT BREAD .......
Preheat your oven to 175 deg C.
Prepare a loaf tin ( small one ) with cooking spray .
In a large bowl place 1/2 cup of coconut flour along with the zest of 1 lemon , 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut and 1 tsp of ground ginger .
In a separate bowl lightly beat together 3 eggs adding 1 cup of natural yoghurt and 1/4 cup of golden syrup .Mix these together and then add to the flour bowl .
Once combined add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of bi carbonate of soda ..
Make sure the mixture is well combined .
Now gently fold in 1/2 cup of frozen  blueberries .
Spoon into the prepared pan , bake in prepared pan for 35 minutes at this point cover with baking paper and bake for another 10 minutes .
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack .

YALLOURN , YALLOURN NORTH FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB PLAYER`S MEALS

Tonight the players will be dining on
1. Tumeric Chicken and a hot Tabouleh ( also known as  tabouleh , tabbuli ) ,
2.Chilli con carne served with spiced brown rice .
3. Flat bread made with ground flax seed flour ....
This is a sport club  ( football / netball )....I want to give the players protein and no cane sugar..
There will be no processed food ...served .
You are what you eat .
 

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER MASH AND FRANKFURTS .

I`m so tired , life is really busy .
Tonight I `m hungry and  need something tasty , good for me and quickly prepared .
I made creamy cauli mash , with steamed French beans and frankfurts served with cane free sugar tomato sauce .
A low carb meal  that just hits the spot .
Yummo...