OSSO BUCCO

As soon as the words osso bucco are spoken , people reply in terms of it being so hard to make .
The truth is ....it is a full flavoured , easily prepared ,slow cooked meal .
Osso bucco is Italian and it is the knuckle or shin of veal cut in steaks across the bone sautéed on the bone and then slow cooked with garlic , onions , grated lemon rind , tomatoes , celery and carrots .
Served with spaghetti , rice or well mashed potatoes ..
Bulk packs of osso bucco can be purchased from Tasman Meats ,Traralgon.

Preheat oven to 160 deg C
Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a frypan over a medium heat .
Add 2 onions peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks trimmed and chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 tbs of minced garlic .
Cook the veggies through till just tender .
Remove from pan and set aside .
Add an extra 2 tbs of ghee to the pan and place over a low heat .
Now it is time to season 1/4 cup of plain flour with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of cracked black pepper in a medium bowl
Coat both sides of the  Osso bucco steaks in the seasoned flour.
Shake off excess flour .
Brown both sides of the osso bucco in the pan over a medium heat .
Transfer  each osso bucco steak to the bowl of your slow cooker  spoon over the veggies .
Deglaze your pan with 250ml of white wine  mixed with 250ml of beef stock .
Stir in all the juices and bits from the pan and add a 400gm can of diced tomatoes and the finely chopped lemon rind from 1small lemon , simmer and bring to the boil
Pour this over the meat and vegetables in the slow cooker .
Cover and cook for 4 and 1/2 hours on high or 8 hours on low , until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens .
A great winters night meal .

BEEF , MUSHROOM AND GUINESS PIE

My son Paul Mersey makes a beef , mushroom and guiness pie . I use my pie maker to make 8 small pies .
Paul was good enough to share his recipe with me
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C .
To make the filling , melt 1 tbs of butter in a pan and add 1 peeled and chopped onion , 1 tbs of minced garlic , cook over a medium heat till the onion is tender , then add 120gm s of sliced mushrooms and cook through about 5 minutes .
Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside .
Now add to the same pan 500gm of cubed and trimmed chuck beef with another tbs of butter .
Saute the beef for 7 minutes or until browned .
Return the onions and mushrooms to the pan with the beef .
Season with salt and cracked black pepper and add 200 ml of beef stock , 200ml of guiness stout and 2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce .
Cover the pan and place in the oven on a preheated temp of 180deg C for 60 minutes or till the meat is tender .
For the pies ....I use a pie maker ....
I always use short pastry for the pie base  and puff pastry for the pie topping .
Brush with a lightly beaten egg mixed with a dsp of water ... bake in the oven until the pastry is golden brown or follow pie making machine instructions
Thank you Paul for the flavoursome pie recipe ....
Mum x

BAMI......SHAUN MERSEY YEAR 9 COOKING CLASS 1994 KURNAI COLLEGE , CHURCHILL.

When  a my youngest son Dale Murphy was born I started to document the main meal of the day that I prepared .
Today looking back over the budget menus that fed  my young family and myself ,I found the menus my second son Shaun Mersey made in his year 9 and 10 cooking classes at Kurnai College , Churchill.
Let me share an Indonesian dish he prepared in year 9 which  became a staple at dinner time in our house in Churinga Drive , Churchill.
Remember it was 1994 .........( this supposedly served 4 ?)
Cook one packet of 3 minute instant noodles according to directions .
Strain and set aside .
Dice 1 carrot , 1 celery stick , 1 onion  , 1 garlic clove .
Chop 1 whole bacon rasher and shred  2 cabbage leaves .
In a separate bowl lightly beat 1 egg with 1 tsp of water .
Lightly brush a small pan with oil and heat over a med heat and quickly scramble the egg , remove from heat and set aside .
In the same pan add the chopped onion and bacon till coloured and crispy , remove and set aside .
Now add the garlic and fry over a medium heat for 45 seconds , then add 100gm of mince , the carrots and shredded
cabbage , saute till tender then add the egg , bacon and onion .
Serve over noodles.
# For a filling meal for 4 double the ingredients #
Thanks for the memories Shaun .
Mum x

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“ Once the toothpaste is out of the tube , it’s awfully hard to to get it back in “
R.R Halderman ...on the Watergate Affair .

DEVILLED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Tonight in the Valley there  will be kitchens full of hearty aromas and fall off the fork lamb ready to be served with whatever the cook chooses to serve it with .
I will be preparing this meal for Wednesday Night dining @ The Manor .
DEVILLED SHOULDER OF LAMB ...
1. Season your  deboned shoulder of lamb with salt and cracked pepper , inside and out .
2. Wash the lamb shoulder with apple cider vinegar inside and it .
3.Using a small bowl,place 3 tbs of breadcrumbs , 1 medium onion peeled and sliced 1 tbs of fresh mint ( I am using a combination of fresh mint , Thai basil and Vietnamese mint ...from my garden )
4. Now add a good drop of sharp chutney ( I used my egg plant relish with a good swig of sriracha )
And the chopped rind of 1/2 lemon ( better still if you have your own preserved lemons from Christmas ).1 tbs of minced garlic .
5.Stir in 1 lightly beaten egg and 2 tbs of milk to bind .
6.Mix to combine thoroughly .
7. Now stuff the lamb shoulder and roll up and secure with string .
8. Sprinkle all over the top with sumac .
9. Place in your slow cooker with 4 tbs of ghee .
10. Cook on high for 4 hours and let the aromas fill your kitchen ...
11. Serve with really well mashed potatoes, creamy cauliflower mash or even better a white bean mash , with broccolini.
12 .Now enjoy.....with a good red wine .

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 15TH MAY.

This Tuesday we will be preparing devilled shoulder of lamb  and a Viennese loaf ...
You will need to bring your jar of ghee .
Slow cooker.
1 egg
1 onion
A deboned shoulder of lamb ......let your butcher know how many people you are cooking for , he will cut to the required size .
See you tomorrow
Noelene Marchwicki 

LEMON DELICIOUS

Preheat your oven to 180deg C
Cream together 60 gm ( 2tbs ) of margarine with 3/4cup of castor sugar , until thick and creamy .
Add 2 egg yolks ( lightly beaten ) along with the finely cut rind and juice of 1 lemon .
Slowly add 1/4 cup of S.R flour and a pinch of salt .
Now beat in 1 cup of milk .
In a separate clean , dry bowl beat the 2 egg whites till stiff
Fold the egg whites into the batter .
The batter will be very loose ...it’s supposed to be .
Pour the batter into an between 4 greased ovenproof ramequins and bake in your preheated oven for 35 minutes .
Enjoy hot or cold with thickened cream and or ice cream .