SALMON CHOWDER

In a large pan.....
Saute 1 strip of bacon  in 1/2 cup of ghee adding 1 and 1/2 cup of diced onion and saute until tender .
Add all of the following ingredients ....
1 cup of coca cola
1 and 1/2 cups of hot water
5 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of tabasco pepper sauce
1/4 of sugar 
2 large cans of whole tomatoes
2 skinless salmon fillets .
Bring this to a boil and reduce to a simmer
Add 5 cups of coarsely diced potatoes and continue to cook over a low heat for approximately 3 and 1/2  hours
The longer it cooks the better it is ..

I put this salmon chowder on last evening and let it slow cook on low all night and awoke to warm inviting aromas wafting through the house , this is amazing .
 

PORK BELLY 2 WAYS

On the last day of term  I took the cooking class to the butcher`s at Ritchies IGA in Churchill , Darren the resident butcher explained the different cuts of pork and showed us where they came from on a fresh carcass .
Darren sliced us pieces from the belly to take back to class to prepare  and cook .

My recipe for pork belly is very simple .....pat dry your peice of pork belly and score the skin with a sharp knife ..( get your butcher to do it ),then coat liberally salting well in between the cuts
Make sure your oven is hot   220deg C. Place the prepared belly in a baking tray that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil .Place in the oven , close the door and leave to cook ... the belly will colour and rise a little in height , and the rind will cracle .. about 40 minutes depending on size .

Lana's recipe for slow cooked pork belly......
Lightly spray a baking dish and place quarters of peeled onions on the base of the tray, along with sliced and peeled cloves of fresh garlic , bay leaves , whole cumin seeds and cracked black pepper.
Lana then rubs a light covering of oil over the rind , scoring the rind with a knife  ( have the butcher do this for you as you need a really sharp knife ), then she salts the rind and then liberally sprinkles a mixture of cumin seeds , crushed chilli , cardamom seeds , salt and cloves  ( ground finely in a processor ).
Place the pork belly over the garlic and onions in the baking pan .
Now the next step is really interesting .........
Pour milk in the pan  ( not over the pork ) and stop once the milk covers the  side of the pork and below the rind .

Place the pan in a preheated oven on 160 deg for 3 and 1/2 hours .
The skin will crispen , the pork will be tender and cook through and the milk mixture will soak up the flavours of the bay leaves , garlic and onions and will reduce and thicken to a very inviting sauce to serve with your pork ..

NO MORE PIES FOR ME

This is not about food ...it is all about my anger with the football club I have supported for many years ....
Collingwood Fooball Club ..The pies ...
But no more ....
The President of Collingwood Football Club...Eddie Mc Guire  disgusts me , he openly joked about drowning a woman commentator on air and two other commentators agreed to pay money to be part of this ....
What were they thinking ?
I have listened to the aired conversation ...it was sexist and totally insulting to women and children who are suffering at the hands of domestic violence .
The AFL are just as responsible ...today they fined the coach of North Melbourne $80,000 dollars because he criticised the umpires ....but the head of the AFL said no action would be taken against Eddie Mc Guire
No more black and white for me and I`ll be changing my number plates ...
No More Pies .

It`s been 3 weeks since  McGuire`s outburst at `blokey  pub humour `was aired on radio .
I love football and have followed the Collingwood football club for many years , and I want to continue to follow them but only from the grass root level . My number plates were a gift from my family so I can`t give them up .....but I will no longer finanacially support the Collingwood football club , memberships are being cancelled and that is proving difficult as I have to write a letter to the Collingwood board and explain my decision .....they have to approve my decision to give up my membership ...!
From now on I barrack for the pies but will never support them ..
 

CHURCHILL MEN`S SHED

The Churchill Men`s Shed made the Churchill Neighborhood Centre beautiful wooden cutting boards for the kitchen .
As a gesture of appreciation I  have made the 3 ingredient fruit cake ( mother`s day cake ) for the participants of the Churchill Men`s shed to enjoy for their afternoon tea .

The Churchill Men`s Shed is a place for men to spend time on their own or on community projects ,woodworking , furniture restoration , metal work .
It is a place where they can discuss issues or just sit and listen .The men`s shed is a great place to make new friends and share common interests .
Thank you once again for the cutting boards .


 

VEGETARIAN LASAGNE .....A WINTER WARMER

Spray your casserole dish ..Set aside .
Slice an eggplant ( length ways ) and layer the base of the dish with eggplant slices .
Season with dried Italian herbs , a sprinkle of nigella seeds ,
Slice up a zucchini .....place a layer of zucchini over the eggplant
Place balls of cherry bocconini cheese and level out this layer with the addition of sliced mushrooms
Season with fresh coriander .
At this stage crack 6 eggs over the mushrooms
Repeat the layering with the egg plant , zucchini and mushrooms seasoning with the Italian herbs and nigella seeds .
Finally top with grated cheese and a little cracked pepper and nigella seeds .
Bake in a moderate oven that has been preheated to 160 deg C for 40 minutes .

 

This vegetarian lasagne , is low in carbs , gluten free and can be enjoyed by those people who follow a paleo lifestyle .

 

 

 

YYNNFC PLAYER`S MEAL ...

Tonight the player`s are dining on deconstructed chicken pie .
Each plate will have a triangle made from a simple pastry made with coconut flour , rice bran oil , water and salt  , hand kneaded into a dough , rolled out into a circle .......filled with spinach and ricotta ....then fold the circle into triangular thirds ..( it works ).
Spray the pastry and bake in a hot oven till evenly coloured on both sides .


The chicken drummies were filled under the skin with a seasoned cream cheese ( garlic , chilli , sumac, cumin, cracked black pepper ), the skin seasoned with sumac  and oven baked .

So we have the chicken , the pastry ...now for the filling
Chicken pie , you have to have carrots , potato ,large chilli peppers .......  I`m adding wholemeal rye pasta as the thickener and brocolini chopped in pieces , plenty of minced garlic , thinly sliced cabbage all tempered with a balsamic cream .
Simmer gently until just under raw , then place in a large tray and oven bake on 150 deg C till the carrots and potatoes are tender .
To serve ...1 scoop of the winter vegies ( the filling ) on a plate then add  a pastry triangle and place a chicken drummie on top of the pastry .

Enjoy .