QUOTABLE QUOTE

`HE WHO OPENS A SCHOOL DOOR , CLOSES A PRISON DOOR ...`
No body knows it all ...never stop learning , reading , practicing , sharing .... when you stop you create your own prison .
Boredom kills ......

BECHAMEL SAUCE

I am frequently asked for my béchamel recipe ......
Melt 8 tbs of ghee in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat .
Once melted add 1/2 cup of  plain flour and stir it into your butter until smooth .
You will need 4 cups of whole milk ..( and yes cold milk is fine as long as you add your milk slowly .)
Drizzle a small amount of milk at a time into the butter flour mix until the mixture is smooth , the mix has to be stirred constantly , once you have added half the milk you will find that you have a thick sauce or batter ...now you can start adding the milk a little quicker , just be sure to keep mixing .
Once all the milk ( 4 cups ) is added , add 1 tsp of table salt , 1 dsp of minced garlic and  ground nutmeg to taste along with a good sprinkle of cracked black pepper .
Bring the mix to a slow simmer and cook it for 10 minutes , stirring frequently .
Taste to adjust seasonings if needed .
 

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

This recipe makes about 2 cups of mayonnaise

Whisk 1 egg in a medium bowl , with 1 tbs of white basalmic vinegar and 1 tbs of Dijon mustard as well as 3/4 teaspoon of salt until the mixture is smooth ...almost fluffy .This sets the foundation for the mayonnaise .
Whisk for at least 1 minute before drizzling in a few drops of canola oil , whisking continually , build to a very slow but steady stream until all 1 and 1/2 cups of canola oil is incorporated .
The sauce will come together to make a stable emulsion .

SI STAVA MEGLIO QUANDA SI STAVA PEGGIO

`we were better off when  things were worse`.......
15TH  century Tuscan saying ....
My  dad grew all our vegetables and fruit and he had to work on the construction of the Hazelwood Power Station to keep the farm afloat , I remember a copper that was heated from below with wood to boil the water to clean the bed sheets every Sunday , I also remember tomatoes that were picked when ripe and full of flavour ....the Gravenstein apples so full of flavour and juice , it was on the family farm that I fell in love with the quince blossom , the fruit and the beautiful leaf of the quince tree.
Oh and the big fig tree that grew in front of the farm house , the big purple figs so fleshy and full of God`s nector ...I`ve never sickened of figs ...
The farm was hard work and proved harder when my dad Jackiw Grunberg was taken away to a psychiatric ward to have his post traumatic stress issues dealt with ....at this time his behaviour was  strange ...he wouldn't allow certain colours in the house , nor radios , we were living in a war zone .......all due to time he was interred in a prisoner of war camp .Many of the families from the Ukrane / Russian community that I knew in the Latrobe Valley  in the 60`suffered similar torments of war .......
Seriously a new generation of war savaged families are living the  traumas now in 2016 ....not much has changed ...except the tomatoes ,there is no commercially grown tomato that is bred for  flavour!

 

LEFT OVER DELIGHTS

OPTION 1
Open your fridge ... what`s left over , sitting on plates covered with cling wrap ?
Right now in my fridge there are a few slices of smoked salmon , there are always capsicums in my fridge , fennel bulb ( it is in season ), a drawer of part used cheeses , 1/4 jar of capers , left over coconut cream in a container
STUFFED CAPSICUM WITH FENNEL SLAW ....
Using the juice of a  beautiful fresh lemon ( they are in abundance at this time of the year ), whisk this together with the remnants of a can of coconut cream and chop up the fine fronds of the fennel and mix this all together .You have just made your dressing ...How easy and delicious .
Now thinly slice your fennel bulb , using a sharp knife slice the left over smoked salmon on the diagonal , depending on the cheese you have in the fridge ...either crumble it , shred it or grate it ..
It`s time to mix the dressing with all other ingredients ...set aside
So with the capsicum  using a circular cut  remove the core leaving the lid intact ..slice off the seeds .
Now you can fill your fresh capsicum with the salmon , fennel slaw .
I would serve this as a side ....Depending on the numbers you are serving , vary the colour of the capsicum...

OPTION 2
Prepare your fresh capsicum as above , but fill it with any left over main meal , lasagne and pasta are a great filling ...top with grated cheese and shaved parmesan for a crunchy top ....
Place the capsicum with the filling on an oven tray and spray with cooking oil ...and bake in a preheated oven on 160 deg C  for 30 minutes ....
If the topping darkens too quickly loosely lay a sheet of baking paper over the top of the capsicum ...

 

BEEF AND MUSHROOM STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Diced stewing steak , sliced field mushrooms , garlic cloves , onions and sliced fennel bulb
All in a slow cooker  and flavoured with a mix of oyster sauce , tamari , Chinese cooking wine and enough beef stock to cover the steak and mushroom mix .
Cover and cook till the meat is tender .
30 minutes before serving place dumplings in the cooker and heat through and serve with the beef and mushroom sauce .

DUMPLINGS .......
In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbs of yeast , 1 tsp of sugar , 30gm of plain flour and 3 tbs of warm water ....
Let stand for 30 minutes .
Now mix in an extra 305 gm of all purpose flour and 2 tbs of sugar along with 1/4 tsp of salt , 1 tbs ....of oil and another 125ml of warm water .
Knead the mixture until smooth and elastic
Roll the dough into a ball , cover with plastic wrap , leave stand for 3 hours .
Knock back the dough and spread it out on a floured bench ....Sprinkle  1/2 tsp baking powder evenly over the surface .
Knead for 5 minutes .
Divide the dough into 2 even portions , place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl .
Divide each half into 12 equal portions
Pull them out into rough circles if you are putting a filling in the centre of the dumpling , then shape into a ball around the filling otherwise just roll into ball shapes .
Place on squares of baking paper sprayed with cooking oil.
Repeat with the other 1/2 of the dough .
Then cover and let stand till doubled in size .
Now the dumplings are ready to be placed in the stew dish or placed in a steamer .however you choose to have dumplings I spray them lightly with cooking spray to stop them sticking together in the steamer or pot .
 

CELERIAC ......( CELERY ROOT.... POT ROASTED WITH OLIVES AND BUTTERMILK )

Any thing you can do with cauliflower you can do with celeriac ...
Celeriac is the gnarled odd shapen  root of celery , with a strong celery flavour .

Use small celeriac heads , unpeeled and trimmed ....Too big and they will not cook evenly .
This is a version of a recipe by Rene Redzepi .
 Heat a large pan and melt 5 tbs of ghee over a med heat
Add the celeriac heads , turning frequently until slightly coloured .
When the ghee starts to foam add a generous pinch of salt
Now add a bunch of rosemary sprigs , a bunch of thyme sprigs and a bunch  of sage sprigs ..
3 tbs of coffee and chicory essence
1 and 1/2 cups of water
Now cover your pan and place in a preheated on 160 deg C , for an hour or until the celeriac are very tender .
Now remove the sprigs of herbs and baste the celery roots with the buttery juices .
Remove the celery roots from the pan and slice in half through the stem .
Place a half on each plate
Meanwhile gently warm 1 cup of buttermilk  ( 1 cup of full cream milk plus 2 tbs of vinegar ) over alow heat ,
Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon , 2 tsp of oil and apinch of salt to make a loose sauce .
Garnish with olives , a drizzle of oil and squeeze a few more drops of lemon over each half .