MANOR MENU :MEZZE : 20/1/2020

A friend and work colleague , shared a meal at The Manor on Wednesday .
Linda shared her Xmas holiday story .... as she , her partner and beautiful dog Forrest had to be  evacuated by ship as  the fires burnt  through their holiday destination of Mallacoota...
We are talking about thousands of holiday makers .
The rest is history as the fires raged through Eastern Gippsland .
I actually know the fear Linda spoke of ......as my family lived through the horrors of Black Saturday  we were told to evacuate , but my husband Ken  and I , along with my sons Shaun , his wife Dee,
 Paul, Dale and my sons ‘friend Brandon Mahoney ...assisting us and our neighbours ..thy continued  putting out spot fires caused by floating sparks and we worked well into the night as the wind changed .
Fire doesn’t discriminate..... as neighbours lost their lives ...Fire is fierce and unforgiving .
THE MANOR ... 20/1 20..( 1 cancellation )
...MEZZE MENU.
1. PULLED CHICKEN AND AVOCADO RICE PAPER ROLS
2. BEETROOT AND SWEET POTATO ROLLS
3. STUFFED COURGETTES
4. NO FISH , FISH
5.PUMPKIN CHIPS
6.TOMATO , SPINACH AND HONEY SALAD WITH CRACKED PEPPER .
DESSERT ...
I gave my guest a bowl to go and pick her own strawberries ...
WINE .. SPARKLING SHIAZ

SPICED WHOLE GRAPES

This is delicious , great with grills , any baked or roasted meat , poultry , fish and sensational with warm curries .
Wash 1kg of grapes and remove stalks ...set aside .
Place1 packet of lemon or lime jelly crystals into a medium saucepan and add 500ml of apple cider vinegar , 1 dsp of mustard seeds , 1 dsp of minced ginger 1 tbs of ground all spice and 2 bay leaves .
Slowly bring the mix to the boil , then simmer gently , uncovered for 15 minutes , stirring occasionally.
Remove bay leaves .
Now add 1 tbs of lemon juice and the grapes .
Bring to the boil again and simmer for 5 minutes giving the mixture a stir at intervals , to prevent a skin forming on top .
Spoon into jars and add a small wedge of Kumato tomato  and seal.
Use within 4 weeks .

MACARONI WITH SOUR CREAM AND OREGANO

Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C.
Cook and drain 250gm of elbow macaroni .
Combine 250 gm sour cream and 4 lightly beaten egg yolks , season with salt and cracked pepper , 2 tbs of freshly chopped oregano or 1 tbs of dried oregano, 1 dsp of minced garlic  and 2 tbs of pitted and sliced black olives ....
Now whip 4 egg whites still soft peaks form , fold into mixture .
Bake in a greased ovenproof dish in a preheated oven for 30 minutes .
The mixture should not be dry and slightly wobbly in the centre.
Open the oven door and let sit for 10minutes , before serving .

ESCARGOT

' Our' common brown snails "Helix aspera' are fine to eat .
It is thought they were bought to Australia by the French in the 1850's and are now a garden pest everywhere .
So when you are collecting snails to prepare escargot for your special entrée , make sure they come a pesticide free garden .
In France snails are a delicacy, 6 per person as an entrée, but as I said earlier be very careful never to use snails that have eaten bait .
Catch your snails early in the morning , while the dew is still on them .
Soak them in cold salty water for 2 hours , until all matter is spewed out .
Rinse well in cold water and remove from shells .
Clean the shells for serving and set aside .
Marinate the snails for 8 hours in a red wine ,garlic , chilli , ginger and tomato sauce .
Lightly fry in parsley butter until tender .
Serve in shells on a bed of rice and chopped green capsicum .
 

CHICKEN AND PARSLEY CASSEROLE

This recipe is for Debbie and the team in endoscopy at LaTrobe Regional Hospital ,Traralgon Preheat your oven to 180 deg C .
I use  skinless , chicken thigh fillets (   About 2 kg ?)
Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with an Italian herb mix
Seal the fillets on each side in a pan drizzled with rice bran oil over a medium heat .
Remove and set aside .
Hard boil 4-6 eggs.. peel and quarter .
Roughly chop a handful of fresh flat parsley .
Peel and slice 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic... mix together .
Now make a sauce .....place 3 cups of  chicken stock in  a medium saucepan and add 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tbs of ground  sumac  over a low heat , once the butter has melted stir / whisk in 5 tbs of plain flour , stir until slightly thickened .
Ok , using a large ovenproof dish , place a layer of chicken fillets and  hard boiled eggs scatter with some of the chopped parsley , some of the sliced onion and garlic , a sprinkle of grated cheese and smoked paprika .
Pour over half the sauce .
Repeat the process till all the chicken and ingredients are used .
Top with grated cheese and a sprinkle of smoked paprika .
Bake in a well heated oven for 1 hour .
Delicious .
I served this tonight with a green leaf and tomato salad drizzled with honey .
Enjoy .

SALMON AND MARJORAM PIE

BREADCRUMB BASE .......
Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C
Toss 3 cups of soft breadcrumbs into 3 tbs of melted butter /marg, until well coated .
Press the crumb mixture firmly into the base and sides of an ovenproof pie dish .
Bake in your preheated oven or 10 minutes or until golden brown .
FILLING.......
Make a white sauce by melting 3 bs of butter / marg in a saucepan
Blend in 3 tbs of plain flour
Add 3 cups of milk
Season with cracked pepper and salt to taste .
Heat over a low heat and continue to stir till thickened .
Add the juice of 1 lemon , 1x 440 gm can of flaked salmon ( drained ).
1 x 440 gm can of asparagus cuts ( drained ).
6 x hard boiled eggs ( sliced )
1 tbs of dried marjoram
1 tbs of  dried parsley .
Now pour this mixture into the prepared rumb base .
In a separate bowl mix together 1 cup of soft bread crumbs , with 1 tbs of melted butter and 2 tbs of grated cheese
Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the filling
Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and the cheese has melted .

BREAD ......SWEET AND SPICY ,

This is a really good fruit bread ...

Preheat your oven to 189/deg C

I used a bread machine to do the kneading .....and used a baking pan with the machine formed dough to bake for 2 and a bit hours ....

This is delicious ..... if you are into making bread OR not ....give this recipe a try....

Place in the bowl of your bread machine 

300ml of like warm milk 

1 dsp of dried yeast

1. Tbs of raw sugar

1 lightly beaten egg 

225 gm of wholemeal flour 

1 tsp of sumac 

1. Tbs of chine 5 star blend 

Add 1and 1/2half cups of mixed grains ( quinoa ; millet , oats ) and granulated nuts .

Now set your bread machine and let knead on the appropriate setting ....when the machine beeps  .... add 1 cup of  sultanas or mixed fruit .

When the kneading is done , turn out on to a lightly floured bench .

Shape into a log shape , an place in a sprayed log pan ...score the surface of the dough into vertical lines with a sharp knife

Place in a well heated oven and bake till bread has risen with a crusty covering......and sounds empty when tapped ...around 60 minutes ...