Melbourne Delectable

Cookbook Challenge - Rice - Haitian Chicken with Pumpkin Rice

2010-03-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

I didn't even get to my cookbooks for inspiration this week- I was watching Carribean Food Made Easy on the Lifestyle Channel and loved the look of this - and now I think I've stumbled across a dish that may become a firm family favourite- its certainly the best roast cook I've ever made! You take a luscious free range chicken and do a delicious lime tangy bread crumb stuffing, but that goes under the skin- the cavity is filled with tomatoes, keeping the whole fabulously moist and a little cayenne on the outside for extra tang. Levi Roots then flambes the final product in rum- I skipped that bit- felt a bit extravagant for a Sunday night roast, could be a cool dinner party trick though...

We used tomatoes we got from the Collingwood Farmers Market last weekend- check out the colour- and the flavour was divine! We've saved some seeds- hope we can get these up next year!

The rice in the dish is certainly not the main attraction. It goes well with the tangy and tasty chicken, but is a tiny bit bland- don't think I would make it again.

I will definitely do the chook again- and give it old fashioned trimmings- roast potatoes, pumpkin and some nice greens.

Ingredients
For the roast chicken and gravy

1 x 1.6kg/3½lb whole chicken

15g/½oz butter

2 tsp cayenne pepper

350ml/12fl oz chicken stock

4 tbsp rum

For the bread stuffing

50g/1¾oz butter

½ onion, finely chopped

2 spring onions, trimmed, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

large pinch freshly grated nutmeg

3 slices white bread, crusts removed, made into breadcrumbs ( I used 2 slices of Auction Rooms sour dough bread and left the crusts on and just gave them a whizz- delicious)

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

1 lime, zest and juice

2 tbsp rum

2 tsp brown sugar

For the tomato and plantain stuffing

15g/½oz butter

2 very ripe plantains, peeled and sliced - (I couldn't get these so didn't use- absolutely optional)

2 ripe plum tomatoes, cut into quarters

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pumpkin rice

550ml/1 pint cold water

400g/14oz pumpkin flesh, chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

450g/1lb basmati rice, rinsed and drained twice to remove excess starch

15g/½oz butter

Method
1. Gently ease the skin around the neck and breast of the chicken away from the meat using your fingers, reaching as far down the legs as possible. Set aside.

2. For the bread stuffing, heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.

3. Add the spring onions and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until softened.

4. Add the nutmeg and breadcrumbs and continue to fry until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden-brown.

5. Add the thyme leaves, lime zest and juice, rum and sugar and stir well until combined. When the ingredients have warmed through and the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

6. When the bread stuffing mixture is cool enough to handle, push small handfuls of it under the loosened skin of the chicken, until all of the bread stuffing mixture has been used up. Tuck any loose neck skin into the cavity of the bird. Set aside.

7. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

8. Meanwhile, for the tomato and plantain stuffing, melt the butter in a separate frying pan over a medium heat. Add the plantain and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until tender.

9. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce has thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 10. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the tomato and plantain stuffing.

11. For the roast chicken, smear the butter over the skin of the stuffed chicken and sprinkle over the cayenne pepper. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

12. Place the chicken into a large roasting tin, then transfer to the oven and roast for 1½-1¾ hours, or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the chicken where the thigh meets the body.

13. Meanwhile, for the pumpkin rice, bring the water, pumpkin, two sprigs of thyme and salt to the boil in a large, covered pan, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender.

14. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, then mash the pumpkin and cooking liquid together using a potato masher, until the pumpkin breaks down. (NB: The mixture does not have to be mashed until smooth.)

15. Add the rice to the pan with the pumpkin mixture in it and stir. The liquid should cover the rice by 2-2½cm/1-1¼in, so add more water as necessary.

16. Add the butter and stir until melted, then cover the pan with the lid and return the mixture to the boil. When the mixture is boiling, immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 18-20 minutes, without removing the lid, until the bottom of the rice has browned slightly and all of the rice is tender.

17. When the rice is cooked, add the remaining sprig of thyme, then turn off the heat and leave the pan on the residual heat for a further 3-4 minutes.

18. When the chicken has cooked through, transfer it to a warm plate and cover with aluminium foil.

19. For the gravy, add the chicken stock to the juices that collected in the roasting tray and bring to the boil, scraping up any browned bits up from the bottom of the tray using a wooden spoon. Simmer the gravy until it has thickened, then sieve, reserving the liquid.

20. Heat the rum in a frying pan over a high heat, then remove from the heat and set alight using a match. Allow the flames to flare up, then die down. (NB: keep flammable objects away from the flame.) Pour the rum over the roast chicken.

21. To serve, carve the roast chicken and divide it among six serving plates. Place a portion of the tomato and plantain stuffing on top of each serving. Spoon the pumpkin rice alongside. Drizzle over the gravy.

Enjoy!

Gluhwein Jam

2010-03-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

This was a total CWA moment for me...entering my jam in a competition- no matter how small. I had a kilo of plums from our last trip to the Yarra Valley and found this lovely recipe on taste.com.au for a jam with lots of spices and soem red wine. I added some peaches and cherries to the mix- and this jam reminds me so much of Gluhwein, that that's what I've decided to call it.

I had some trouble with setting, so had to add in the juice of another lemon and cooked the actual lemon with it for about half an hour over the times stated below. It's turned out very yummy (passed the husband test) and looks beautiful in the Quattro Stagione jars I bought- fingers crossed I win the Langham Masterclass tickets now.

The Recipe
Makes 7 cups
Ingredients
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp anise seeds
6 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 dried bay leaves, crumbled
2 cups dry red wine
1.25kg white sugar
1 kg plums , quartered, stoned
700g peaches stoned and chopped
300g pitted cherries
(or instead of mixing, just use 2 kg of plums as per the original recipe)
1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

Method
Place spices, bay leaves, wine and 1 cup sugar in a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to cool. When cool, strain though a sieve over a bowl.
Return strained syrup to pan with 1 cup water and plums. Bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low-medium heat for 35 minutes.
Uncover pan. Add lemon juice and remaining sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, skimming any scum from top, for 45-50 minutes or until jam jells when tested. To test, place a small spoonful on a chilled saucer then return to freezer for 1 minute. Run your finger through chilled jam; it should be the consistency of honey and wrinkle slightly when pushed. Once at this stage, pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

Cooking Challenge: Noodles

2010-03-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

Delicious Laksa
Sorry everyone, this blog post comes without photos- once this dish was ready to eat, there was no stopping for photographs, we just gobbled it up- truly delicious.
Laksa is definitely my favourite noodle dish- it would be a strong contender for my favourite food full stop. So I am very happy to have this recipe to make my own!
This recipe comes from the book "Spicery" by Ian and Elizabeth Hemphill. You may know Herbie's spices- Sydney based spice merchants who stand for great quality spices and often have hard to get spices unavailable elsewhere- well this is their book.
Each chapter is devoted to a different spice and outlines a bit about the plant it comes from and it's history and traditional uses as well as how to prepare, store and use and then around 3 recipes for each spice.
The Laksa recipe is in the Galangal chapter where I learned, for example, that in the Orient, powdered galangal was once used as snuff- so reknowned is it for its perk-me up qualities (maybe that's why I love a laksa as a hangover cure!).
The recipe for the laksa powder makes plenty for at least 3 laksa meals (each being for 2). Once the powder is made, throwing the soup together is super quick and there is no reason you couldn't make this after work.
The base of the laksa powder is a madras curry powder- also delicious- easy to cook up with meat, veges and a tin of tomatoes.

Madra Curry Powder
15 tsp ground coriander
6 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground yellow mustard seed
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tsp ground cinammon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground green cardamon seed
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Laksa Spice Mix
12 tsp Madras curry powder
3 tsp ground fennel seed
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground galangal
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sugar

(Both these mixes store well in an air tight jar)

Laksa (for 2)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
6 tsp Laksa Spice Mix
1/2 chopped onion
750ml chicken stock
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
400ml coconut cream
250 g chicken (or tofu or seafood), sliced
100g bean sprouts
200g hokkein noodles (cooked and drained)- warmed
1/2 tbsp. Vietnamese mint leaves
1/2 tbsp coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the Laksa Spice Mix.
Add the onion and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the stock and shrimp paste and bring to the boil.
Add coconut cream and chicken and simmer genly for 10 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked)
Prepare two bowls with half the noodles and bean sprouts.
Divide the soup between the two bowls and top with the mint and coriander.

Enjoy, I thought this was a great recipe!

Melbourne Preserves competition

2010-03-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

I shouldn't be putting this up, as it will no doubt diminish my chances of winning, but thought there might be some interest out there...Aesop's Fitzroy store have gone all CWA and are having a competition for Langham Melbourne Masterclass tickets for the best fruit preserves- I love it, though a shame I'm not that good at making jam.

I'm going to give it a crack- I've bought a kilo of plums, now just need a good recipe.

Here the details from their email:
"PRESERVED FRUIT FOR RESERVED TICKETS
We have four single-day tickets to Langham Melbourne Masterclass at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and would like to offer these to our customers.To secure a ticket, deliver a jar of your best homemade fruit preserve to Aesop Fitzroy by Tuesday 16 March and our jury of experts will sample your wares. Please be sure to label your jar, including all ingredients and your contact details.We will notify winners by Wednesday 17 March. Masterclasses are held on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March. Each Masterclass consists of four sessions with some of Melbourne's best chefs. Further details can be found here.All fruit preserves are to be brought to:Aesop Fitzroy242 Gertrude Street Fitzroy 3065Tel: +61 3 9419 8356Open: Monday 11am - 5pm; Tuesday to Friday 10am - 6pm; Saturday 9am - 6pm; Sunday 11am - 5pm"

Good luck!

Pluots and other organic goodness

2010-03-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my muffin post, we were up in Marysville for a bike ride and went to Alexandra, and just on the outskirts of town, there was an amazing shop advertising PLUOTS- which are a cross of plums and apricots. No idea what the place is called, but if you're up that way, they have a small but fabulous range of organic veges (the tomatoes we bought were divine) and stone fruit with pluots, but also a few different plum varieties. If you're up that way, be sure and call in.

And if you're not leaving town this weekend, try the Veg Out Community Market

Where: Chaucer Street , St Kilda (just behind Acland St and Luna Park ) Melways ref 2P B9
Time: 8.30 am – 1.00 pm.

Wondering if anyone's tried the North Melbourne Farmers Market- have seen the sign, but not quite made it there yet...

Black Forest Muffins

2010-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

The Cookbook Challenge: Muffins

Who knew muffins had this much oil in them? I've never been a huge muffin fan, but will certainly be wary of their oily goodness in future! Very keen to see if anyone has some low fat muffins that still work.

Enough with complaining- on to the muffins- that actually tasted really good and were lovely and light and fluffy. I made these for my bookclub girls and at the end, they were all gone- surely a good sign!

My recipe was based on the rhubarb muffins recipe in Stephanie Alexander's book "The Cook's Companion" which is an absolute stalwart at our house. I don't think I've ever made a dud out of it.

I just substituted the 2/3 cup of rhubarb for plums- as I bought some beautiful plums at a plum farm up near Alexandria last weekend (if you're driving up there, stop in - beautiful plums and other organic produce). Then I added in some grated dark chocolate to give it a little Black Forest feel.
This recipe is also incredibly simple- you could whip it up in a jiffy for unexpected guests!

It worked well- the basic recipe is nice and light and you could substitute in any fruit you have on hand.

Ingredients

220g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

125g sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup of chopped plums (or rhubarb)

2 tbs chopped dark chocolate (optional

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease 12 muffin tins with oil.

Sift flour and baking powder and stir in sugar.

Mix milk, egg and oil together.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and beat in the liquid.

Mix in the plums and chocolate.

Spoon into muffin tins until 2/3 full and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

If you like this, you might also want to try my plum and ricotta crumble cakes http://mymelbournerestaurants.blogspot.com/2009/06/bake-club-plum-and-ricotta-crumble.html

Cookbook Challenge - Love

2010-02-14T02:05:00.001-08:00

For this weeks challenge, everything revolved around Rusty. My first dish was a Black Sticky Rice Pudding, cause he loves it. My second was a Black Forest cake because, well I love him and its favourite cake.

Both dishes were delicious and we ate the whole cake with the help of only one other person. The Black Sticky Rice keeps well in the fridge and we had it for desert a few nights running.

Sticky Rice is from my new Food Safari book- which is brilliant- I've already made a few things out of it. What I quite like about this book is that it seems to often be a bit loose with times and quantities- so it leaves a bit to the imagination. The recipe is wonderfully simple, though grating fresh coconut is a bit of a messy business and involved a whole new kitchen arsenal of a hammer and a screwdriver.

The Black Forest Cake recipe is from Gordon Ramsays Cooking for Friends which I borrowed from a friend. Although this is a rather complicated recipe, it is one of the simplest for Black Forest Cake that I've seen. The only thing I would change about the recipe would be to use normal fresh whipped cream instead of double cream to make it a little bit lighter and fluffier. My other recommendation would be to sprinkle the cherry juice generously to make this moist as!

Black Forest Cake

For the chocolate sponge:
125g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
5 large eggs, separated
200g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 tbsp cooled espresso or strong coffee
100g dark chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa solids), melted in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water
For the filling and topping:
500g ripe cherries
60g caster sugar
75ml kirsch or cherry brandy
550ml double cream
1-2 tbsp icing sugar, to taste
4-5 tbsp good-quality cherry compote
Grated chocolate, to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 150ºC

Butter, line and butter again the base and sides of a 23cm cake tin. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and set aside.
In a large grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks using an electric beater. Beat the butter and sugar in another mixing bowl until pale and light.

Beat in the yolks one at a time, then fold the espresso through, followed by the melted chocolate.
In several batches, fold the sifted flour mixture and the beaten egg whites alternately into the butter mixture. Spread the combined batter over the base of the prepared tin and level with a spatula.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake emerges clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then turn out on to a wire rack. Peel off the baking parchment.
Remove the stems and pit three-quarters of the cherries, leaving the stems on the remaining cherries to garnish. Put all the cherries, the sugar and kirsch in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the cherries are just soft, giving them an occasional stir. Tip the cherries and kirsch syrup into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, whisk the cream and icing sugar into soft peaks.
Using a long, sharp knife, halve the cake horizontally. Drizzle each half with the kirsch syrup from the cherries to moisten. Place the bottom half on a cake stand and spread over half the whipped cream. Arrange the stemmed and pitted cherries over the cream, then spoon over a layer of cherry compote. Top with the upper half of the cake. Spread the remaining cream on top.

Sprinkle over a little grated chocolate, then garnish with the whole stemmed cherries.

Sticky Rice
Ingredients2 cups black sticky rice (soaked overnight)

5 cups water (this was probably a little too much water, next time I'll try with 3 or 4 cups)

2 cups sugar

Sweet Coconut Cream

1 cup coconut cream

2 tsp rice flour

½ tsp salt
Pinch of sugar

Caramelised Coconut

2 cups grated coconut

1 cup brown sugar

Preparation

Wash the black sticky rice. Combine in a saucepan with water. Place over medium heat and boil until the rice is cooked through and split. Add the sugar, continue boiling until sugar dissolves.

Sweet Coconut Cream: Mix the coconut cream, rice flour, salt and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat until boiling. Remove from heat.

Caramelised Coconut: Mix the grated coconut and brown sugar in a saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat.

To serve: spoon the black sticky rice into the serving bowl and top with some sweet coconut cream and caramelised coconut.

Cookbook chellenge - Egg

2010-02-14T01:46:00.000-08:00

Cookbook Challenge: Egg

AVGOLEMONO SOUP WITH SPICED VEAL MEATBALLS AND RICE

From tapas to Meze is one of my favourite cookbooks- I've had it for ages, and it was very handy back in my vegetarian days, as it has quite a few good vego recipes that are quick and easy. Covering the mediterranean from Europe to the middle east, it also has fantastic variety.

Avgolemono is a recipe I've been meaning to make for a while. Avgo means egg, and lemon lemon in Greek- and this combination with a chicken stock and some light veal meatballs struck me as a nice combination for a summer meal.

This made a fantastic weekday meal as well as I made the chicken stock(a couple of chicken carcasses from the Vic markets, an onion, a carrot, some celery and water) and the meatballs on the weekend - they kept well in the fridge and were simple to make up on a weeknight.

Now the trick to this soup apparently is not to have the eggs curdle. This was not the case with my soup and the eggs curdled- oh well- it was still a lovely weekday meal and I would definitely make it again.

AVGOLEMONO SOUP WITH SPICED VEAL MEATBALLS AND RICE

1/2 pound ground veal

1 clove garlic minced

1/3 cup grated yellow onion

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons minced fresh mint

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup dry whole-wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

9 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup long-grain white rice

2 eggs

Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Chopped fresh mint

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C

In bowl, mix veal, garlic, onion, lemon zest, mint, parsley and egg yolk.

Add bread crumbs and milk, and season with salt and pepper.

Mix well. Form into 3/4-inch meatballs. Place on an oiled baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes.

Bring stock to boil in soup pot.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add rice, salt and pepper.

Simmer slowly 10 minutes.

Add meatballs and continue to simmer until rice is cooked, 10 minutes.

Beat eggs and juice of 1 lemon in bowl until light and frothy.

Add 1 small ladle boiling broth to egg mixture and beat vigorously.

Continue to add broth a ladle at a time, beating after each addition, until you have added 5 or 6 ladlefuls.

Pour mixture back into soup pot.

Taste and add additional lemon juice, salt and pepper, if needed.

Garnish with parsley and mint and serve immediately.

Do not reheat this soup to boiling point or it will curdle.

Servings: 6

Dumpling Love

2010-02-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

I love Gingerboy.
I love dumplings.

These two things are coming together in a dumpling cooking class at Gingerboy with the Age Young Chef of the Year 2009 - Chris Donnellan.

Apparently Chris "will be sharing his secrets and techniques into dumpling making. There are two classes being held on Saturday June 12th, 2010. First class: 8.30am - 10.30amSecond class: 11.15am - 1.15pmCost: $125.00 per person"
I understand the 11.15 class is sold out.
Apparently the class will run for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then you will be able to sit down and eat the dumplings you have just made with a glass of champagne.
They will be making 3 different types of dumplings for the class
prawn and ginger dumplings
pork, garlic chive and chilli dumplings
steamed apple and vanilla dumplings with sweetened coconut cream

Please email georgia@gingerboy.com.au for more information or bookings

Its a long way off, but should be awesome!!

Cookbook Challenge: Mixed

2010-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

With the heat on the weekend, the only mixed up for consideration was a mixed drink! As suggested in my last entry, I am also going to raid some old Gourmet Travellers for recipes in the challenge- and I had one all lined up from the January Issue: Raspberry and Lemon Iced Tea.

This recipe was easy to make and absolutely delicious- 100% endorsed by my bookclub girls who sat out the 38 degree afternoon on Sunday with the help of this little refresher. I didn't take a pic of the finished product unfortunately, but it was perfectly colour matched to the rose we were drinking- absolutely beautiful.

300 gm white sugar
200 gm frozen raspberries
2 tsp loose leaf black tea (I used orange pekoe- perfect light flavour for an iced tea!)
4 lemons, juice only
To serve:
ice, mint leaves, lemon slices and soda water

Combine sugar and raspberries in a heatproof bowl, stir to combine, and cover with foil. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and cook until syrupy (2 hours). Strain through a fine sieve into a large jug (discard solids) and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine tea and 1 litre boiling water in a separate heatproof jug and cool. Strain through a fine sieve into raspberry mixture, add lemon juice and refrigerate in bottles until chilled.
To serve, fill glasses with ice, add lemon and raspberry tea to taste, top up with soda water, add mint and lemon slices and serve.

So easy! And so yummy!

Enjoy!

Añada

2010-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Añada was recommended to us sometime ago by a waitress at the Panama Dining Room- who seeing how much we love the PDR pork belly, suggested we might like Anada's. Well she was right, we loved the Añada pork belly, meaty, sweet and with a crisp lining of crackling, on a bed of smoky eggplant. But that wasn't all we liked.

Food is served tapas style- they have a broad range of tapas and "raciones- larger dishes also designed to share. If choosing is too hard, they also have 2 Banquets and chef does the choosing for you. The couple next to us were doing the banquet and the dishes were a great selection (and included the pork belly!)

We had a 4 different tapas and 4 Raciones to share- every dish was a delight!

Pork empanadilla- crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a deliciously Asian feel to the flavours

Manchego and quince- which essentially is what it is- but was served at a perfect room temperatures that gave the flavours full flight

Roasted quail was crispy and served on a bed of the most divine tabbouleh I have ever tasted- using more grain than herb and incorporating pomeranate seeds for quick bursts of tart flavour.

Moving on to the raciones, as well as the pork belly, we had the vine wrapped sardine- a crumbling delight of flavours with pistachios in the sauce- divine- this happened to come out with the heirloom tomato salad whose sweetness and basil flavours complemented the sardine beautifully.

Our absolute favourite though was the Crispy Goat- it was indeed very crispy with the strong goaty flavour really coming through and served on a lovely rustic hommos.

For desert, we shared Lavender Curd and honeyed figs- the lavender curd was different to anything I've tried before- perfect for anyone who doesn't like deserts too sweet, it had the delicate flavour of lavender and was served with perfectly ripe figs drizzled in honey- divine!

Coffee was great as well. Fantastic wine list with lots of Spanish and Portugese wines to try- we enjoyed a Crawford River rose with dinner. I then had a tempranillo- which was, like all their reds according the menu, served at 15%- the perfect temperature for a warm Melbourne evening!

I loved the buzz of it- the place was packed and it is not the biggest space. It would have been nicer though to have had the opportunity to spread out just a little more perhaps. The wait staff were efficient, friendly but not too in your face.

Value wise, to my mind its more of a special occasion budget- for the 2 of us including wine, coffee and desert, we paid just over $140.

Anada do 2 sittings a night 6pm and 8.30pm- bookings highly recommended!

Añada has certainly gone into my Top 5 favourites in Melbourne!

Añada
(03) 9415 6101

197 Gertrude St

Fitzroy, 3065

http://www.anada.com.au/

The Cool Cooking Challenge

2010-01-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Cooking Challenge:

Cool - yummy gazpacho

Initially we thought that the "Cool" challenge was perfectly time- the 40 degree days of last week were perfect inspiration for a cooling meal- and the family picnic planned for Saturday was the perfect opportunity to serve up some cool dishes.

Well, as it so often does, Melbourne turned the cool itself and our picnic was held ona 23 degree day with intermittent rain- despite this, we soldiered on and had a lovely day...my cool recipes went down a treat!

Again, I used Charmaine Solomon- I just love her recipes- and actually doing this challenge, I'm realising I don't have that many cookbooks- I may have to buy some more to add variety- or start using my Gourmet Travellers for the challenge- hope nobody minds!

Anyway, the dishes I selected were a gazpacho and a strawberry soup.

Both these dishes demand the best and tastiest ingredients, but if you choose good strawberries and good tomatoes, you will be richly rewarded, both recipes are delicious!

Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 kg ripe tomatoes

2 green cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 green and 1 red capsicum, finely chopped

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 cup fine white breadcrumbs made from crusty bread

3 cups cold water

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp sugar

3 hard-boiled eggs

olive oil spray to fry croutons

1 cup finely diced bread

Put aside 1 cup of the tomatoes diced, 1 cup of cucumber and half the chopped onion and capsicum for garnish.

Peel, seed and chop the remaining tomatoes. Combine in a food processor with the remaining cucumber, capsicum onions plus the garlic and the breadcrumbs and process till smooth.

Turn into a bowl and mix in the water, vinegar, olive oil and seasonings. Taste the mixture and add sugar if necessary.

Dice the eggs and put in another garnish bowl.

Use some olive oil spray in a pan, and lightly fry the diced bread until golden (we used a mix of white and black rye bread to add interest) and put in a bowl. Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve soup with all the different garnishes.

Christmas Cooking

2010-01-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

The Cookbook Challenge Week 6

Christmas

This year, we volunteered to cook Christmas lunch for Rusty's family- 13 people, no pressure... With Rusty's mum doing the pudd, we could concentrate on entrees and mains- plus something to nibble between present opening and lunch proper. We were so lucky with the weather- at around 22 degrees it was perfect for a hot lunch with all the trimmings.

The cool thing was cooking it in my sister-in-laws kitchen- its large with a gigantic stove- an absolute dream/ fantasy for us!

The menu

Nibble: blue cheese and onion tart

Entree: Vitello Tonnato

Main: Roast Pork Belly, Baked Ham, Roasted Vegetables and Potato and Onion Croquettes with Pear and Fennel Mustard

The onion tart is the cookbook challenge piece for this week- all the other recipes were either made up, or sourced off the internet.

The critical part was getting the right ingredients and letting them do the talking. Saturday prior to Christmas was the Lancefield Farmers Markets- here we sourced the lovely vegetables from local suppliers. We also bought the cheese for the tart from Goldfields Farmhouse who sell at the markets - their delicious Welshman's Reef - a delicate mild blue stilton style cheese- we bought one block foreating and one for the tart - YUM! (Check them out at alot of the regional farmers markets, on their website http://www.goldfieldsfarmhouse.com.au/ or apparently at Provincial Fine Food Store & Café, 16 Grantham St., Brunswick West.

Luckily Rusty was able to take the 23rd off- and used this opportunity to get down to the Queen Vic markes before the mayhem to source the meat and some extra veg for the meal.

And a personal highlight for us were the roasted beetroots - the beets for which were harvested from our garden on the 24th.

Onion and Blue Cheese Tart

This was perfect for Christmas- as it virtually makes itself while you're preparing everything else (like peeling potatoes for 13 people!) and is a real crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

3 sheets of ready-prepared puff pastry

filling

2 tbsp olive oil

4 brown onions, sliced

1 tsp grated lemon rind

200g soft bitey blue cheese

85g small olives

2 tbsp fresh thyme

black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Grease the baking tray and place the pastry on the tray to fit

To make the filling, caramelse the onions in the oil with the grated lemons- for a minimum of 20 mins over low - medium heat- I left mine on for an hour- they were so sweet!

Allow onions to cool.

Sprinkle the tart with the bue cheese.

Top with onions, olives, thyme and pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

For the ham, Rusty used Stephanie Alexander's recipe off the Epicure website

Stephanie Alexander's Glaze for a baked ham

grated zest and juice of 1 orange

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup brown sugarcloves

1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking dish with foil. Mix zest, juice, mustard and sugar in a bowl. Remove skin (rind) from ham and score fat in a diamond pattern. Press a clove into the middle of each diamond

Spread half the glaze over ham. Place ham in baking dish and pour in wine to prevent ham sticking. Bake for about 40 minutes, basting once or twice with the rest of the glaze, until a rich shiny colour.

It was Rusty's touch to use a rosemary twig as the basting brush. Looked particularly cool!

The Vitello Tonnato recipe was courtesy of the Italian Made website (italianmade.com)

2 lbs. butt tenderloin

3 cups white wine

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

1 small onion

2 cloves

7 oz. tuna in oil

6 anchovy fillets

2 egg yolks, hard-boiled

2 lemons

1 squeezed

1 thinly sliced

2 cup oil

2 tbs. capers

1 tbs. white vinegar

Let the meat marinate in the wine, celery, carrot, chopped onion and cloves for one day. Remove the meat from the marinade, wrap and tie tightly in a cheesecloth and place in an oval pan just large enough to hold it together. Put back in the marinade and cook slowly for about one hour. Remove from heat and let the meat cool in its cooking juice.
De-grease and filter the cooking liquid. Blend the liquid in a food mill with the tuna, anchovies, 1 tbs. capers and egg yolks. Dilute the sauce with lemon juice, and vinegar, and whisk in the oil in a steady stream till you get a velvety sauce similar to mayonnaise. Slice the veal and arrange in a serving platter in the following manner: Spread a few tablespoons of the sauce on the platter. Add the veal a layer at a time, with sauce covering each layer. Sprinkle capers over and decorate the rim of the platter with the sliced lemon. Serve.

Delicious Lemon and Vanilla Jam

2009-12-02T17:35:00.001-08:00

I absolutely loved the look of Chit Chat Chomps Lemon and Vanilla Jam from week 1 of the cooking challenge, so gave it a go myself on the weekend. Its deliciously tart, with additional depth of flavour through the vanilla. An absolute hit- and perfect as a small Christmas gift for friends and family!

Chit Chat Chomp's post with Lemon and Vanilla Jam

Gateway to India

2009-11-29T17:43:00.000-08:00

Week 2

Theme: Indian

Cookbooks Used: Madhur Jaffry Indian Cookery &

Charmaine Solomon Complete Vegetarian

I love cooking and eating Indian food, so this week was an absolute pleasure. The only thing I don’t like about Indian food is that it is not always particularly photogenic- I find it so hard to photograph and make it look appetizing…so looking forward to seeing everyone else’s pics.
Anyway, again I made 3 dishes from the theme.
Pork Vindaloo - Goan Style Hot and Sour Pork (Madhur Jaffrey)
Sweet Corn and Potatoes with Mustard Seeds and Mint (Madhur Jaffrey)
Eggplant Pickle (Charmaine Solomon )

Sweet Corn and Potatoes with Mustard Seeds and Mint
Of the 3 recipes, this is my favourite. Made it on a Friday night after a couple of drinks at work- it was quick, easy and satisfyingly carb rich with delicious fresh flavours. And it is pretty healthy too. If you’re on a diet, apparently you can substitute water for the coconut milk.

Serves 2 as a main meal
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
150g potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
200g ripe tomatoes, cut into fine dice
4 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
3 tbs mint , finely chopped
1 fresh hot green chilli, finely chopped (I left the seeds in, but if you want it milder, take them out)
Fresh corn kernels measured to the 450 ml level in a measuring jug (you could use frozen to be even quicker)
85ml coconut milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin seeds

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in mustard seeds and cumin seeds, as soon as they start to pop, add garlic and potatoes. Stir and fry until potatoes are lightly browned.
Add the tomoatoes, fresh coriander and mint and green chilli. Stir and fry for another couple of minutes.

Put in the sweet corn and stir. Add the coconut milk, salt, cayenne and lemon juice. Stir and bring to a simmer.
Cover and turn heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes- or until the corn is cooked.
Uncover, add some black pepper and the ground cumin.
Stir through, check for seasoning and serve.

Pork Vindaloo - Goan Style Hot and Sour Pork

Serves 6

2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 dried hot red chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom seeds
Cinnamon stick
1 ½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
5 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
10 tbsp vegetable oil
200g peeled and sliced onions
900g boneless pork, from the shoulder, cubed into 2.5cm cubes
2.5 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped
Whole head of garlic with the cloves separated and peeled
1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric

Grind the cumin seeds, red chillies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard and fenugreek seeds in a coffee grinder- put in a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan and put on medium heat. Fry the onions till brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and put them into the container of an electric blender with 2 – 3 tbs water. Puree. Add the pureed onion to the ground spices (This is the vindaloo paste- it can be frozen at this point if you want to make it ahead of time).
Use a blender to puree the ginger and garlic- again adding a couple of tbs of water.
Heat the pan again to medium heat and brown the pork in batches. Remove all the pork. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the pan, fry off the paste for a minute or two, then add the coriander and turmeric. Stir.
Add the meat with any juice that has accumulated and the vindaloo paste as well as 250ml water.
Bring to the boil and the lower heat to gently simmer for an hour- stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Serve with rice and raita (I used just plain greek yoghurt- as this dish is pretty hot, depending on the chillies you are using).

Eggplant Pickle

I made this to give friends and family, this made 2 nice medium size jars, with half a one left over that I’ll use myself. This would be delicious served with curries, but would also be nice to spice up a ham or cheese sandwich.

1 kg eggplants
12 dried red chillies
4 tsp chopped garlic
3 tsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ cups oil
3 tsp salt
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup vinegar
2 tsp. garam masala

Wash eggplants and slice crossways. If eggplants are very large, you can also cube them.
Soak chillies in hot water for 5 minutes.
In a blender, combine chillies, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds and some of the chilli water and puree. Combine with the turmeric.

Heat the oil and fry the blended mixture for a few minutes, then add the eggplant. Cover and cook on low heat till the eggplant is soft, stirring now and then.
Add salt, vinegar, sugar, and simmer till thick, stirring to prevent burning. Stir in garam masala, remove from heat and bottle.

If you like these, here are another couple of recipes you might like:

Eggplant and Beetroot Curry

Rogan Josh

VERY SPECIAL Roast Lamb

Baked beef and Yoghurt

Finally...Vue de Monde

2009-11-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Spoiler alert: this entry does not have a happy ending : (

Finally got my wish to eat at Vue de Monde- its been on the list for a while...and got to eat at the Chef's table- a wonderful vantage point to sit and watch the theater of the kitchen.

With one of our hosts running late, we were quite spoiled, with a number of Amuse Bouche- including the perfect 62 degree egg- it really was perfect. I adore tarragon and the little bit of tarragon cream was a delight and they served up the crispiest breadcrumbs (yes everyone has been laughing at me for raving about bread crumbs- it has that Emperor's New Clothes feel to it somehow).

The deconstructed sorbet was lovely food theatre and has had us talking for days about how passe or not this style of interactive food is...

My entree was TRUITE ET MOUSSE DE SAUMON FUMÉ
(Rainbow trout, smoked salmon mousse). The trout was perfectly cooked, the salmon mousse perfectly cooked- the topping of lemon, baby basil and caviar creating variety and delight.

But sadly, this is where the story ends. Due to a commitment at 3 and the lateness of one of our group, I had to leave after entree, so no main or desert...wwaaaaghhhhhhh!

I must go again- the food really was divine, and for anyone who is interested, I think the weekday lunch special is absolutely worth the money (lunch time only, Tuesday to Friday with a selection of signature dishes to choose from. Two courses for $55 or three courses for $70, includes a matching glass of wine and side dishes for the table).

BTW For anyone doing the cooking challenge, its a week late, but these chocolate orange custards would have been perfect for citrus week!

http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/the-menu_recipes-detail.aspx?view=23

Citrus-Fest

2009-11-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

Week 1
Theme: Citrus
Cookbook Used: Marie Clair Flavours

Author: Donna Hay

Well, the citrus cooking challenge turned into an absolute citrus-fest. I turned to one of my favourite cookbooks, Marie Claire Flavours. It seemed the obvious choice as it has a chapter titled lemon + lime. Problem was deciding on one recipe. I solved that problem by making three.

Roast lamb with preserved lemon (served with Sicilian Broad Beans)
Fresh salmon and lime cakes (served with fresh beans and lemony onions)
Spaghetti with lime and rocket

All three were delicious, and as with most of the Marie Claire Flavours recipes, all three are easy and quick to prepare.

My favourite were the salmon cakes, so let me start there. They combine the lovely flavour of kaffir lime leaves in the cakes themselves and tart and tangy lime juice in the dipping sauce.
Fresh salmon and lime cakes

Serves 4 (or in our case 2 for dinner with enough cakes left over to combine with a quick salad for lunch the next day)
500g salmon fillet, skin removed
1 egg white
3 tablespoons rice flour
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1 tablespoon grated ginger
(recipe calls for 1 tsp wasabi paste- I left this out as Rusty and I both hate wasabi)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Oil to shallow fry

Lime dipping sauce
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar

Remove any bones from the salmon and chop into 5mm dice. Combine with the egg white, rice flour, lime leaves, ginger, (wasabi), and parsley
Heat oil over medium heat. Place 2 tbsp of the mixture into the hot oil, flatten out and cook till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm while you cook the rest.
For the dipping sauce, combine the ingredients and stir till the sugar is dissolved.
I served this with fresh beans and lemony onions. Soaking red onions in lemon juice overnight changes their flavour and texture- making them mild and delicious. So combine 1 sliced red onion with lemon juice, pop in the fridge over night and use to spice up steamed vegetables or with simple salads. (Courtesy of Taking Tea in the Medina, by Julie le Clerc).

Spaghetti with Lime and Rocket
So simple and quick, this was the perfect worknight meal. Rusty was pretty skeptical about pasta and rocket (he thought it sounded as exciting as lettuce soup)- but succumbed to the great combination of flavours.
Serves 2
250g spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
Lime rind from 1 lime
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed
6 slices of prosciutto, chopped
100g rocket, torn
3 tbs lime juice
80 g soft feta marinated in feta (I used Persian Feta from the supermarket)

Cook the spaghetti as per the pack instructions and drain.
While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Lightly sauté the lime rind, garlic, chilli and capers- for around 1 minute or until aromatic
Add the prosciutto and cook for another couple of minutes- till the prosciutto is nice and crispy.
Add the spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat and heat through.
To serve, toss through the rocket and lime juice and pile into serving bowls. Top them with feta and some of the marinating oil and cracked pepper.

The lamb doesn’t really count, as I made this on the Sunday night before the challenge started (through winter we have a roast every Sunday night, and though its getting a bit warm, we just can’t break the habit). This was delicious (though I overcooked the lamb a bit!). Lamb was sourced from Vic markets (as was the salmon above) and was tender and tasty!

Roast Lamb with Preserved Lemon
1 leg of lamb – about 1½ kilo (recipe recommends tunnel boned- I didn’t get this, but inserted a slit down the bone with a big sharp knife for the stuffing)
1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon
¼ cup fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves sliced
½ tablespoon cracked pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°.
Trim the lamb of any excess fat
Combine the preserved lemon, oregano, garlic, pepper and oil in a bowl.
Stuff the cavity of the lamb with the filling.
If using a tunneled leg, tie together with kitchen twine and place on a rack in a baking dish.
Bake for 45 minutes for a quite rare roast, or longer until cooked to your liking.

Serve with mashed potatoes and minted peas.
Or with Sicilian broadbeans as I did. At the Vic markets last weekend, I saw broad beans for only $3.99 a kilo so I grabbed a kilo to make this- an old favourite I sourced off the internet ages ago.

Sicilian Broad Beans
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
350 g broad beans (about 1 kilo still in the bean)
350 g fresh peas
4 small artichoke hearts, cooked, quartered and marinated (I use the ones from the jar)
4 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to season
Pinch grated nutmeg
10 leaves fresh mint

Sauté onion till transparent
Add all other ingredients except the mint.
Simmer gently for 30 minutes
Stir in the mint and cook for 5 more minutes

Bake Club - Sticky Orange and Vanilla Upside-down Cake

2009-10-21T18:57:00.001-07:00

For some reason this cake makes me think of Vincent Van Gogh. A perfect autumn treat!

4 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup self raising flour

150g unsalted butter, melted

1 cup almond meal

Sticky orange topping

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup water

1 vanilla bean, split

2 oranges, very thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 16 degrees

To make the sticky topping, dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan, add the vanilla bean and the oranges and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract for about 10 minutes or until its thick and pale and has tripled in volume. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold through. Fold through the butter and the almond meal.

Pour the orange mixture into the cake tin. Then pour the dough on top.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Turn out onto a platter to serve.

(Recipe courtesy of Donna Hay)

Hens Love Art

2009-10-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest, hens nights are usually fairly embarrassing affairs, there's always the mandatory tiaras, naked man/ men and someone on board with a slight compulsion to public exhibitionism.

This weekend a girlfriend celebrated her hens with all the mandatory bits, but ringfenced in a safe environment - it made for a really interesting (and fun) night- instead of male strippers, we did a life drawing class.

After a lovely dinner at Blue Chillies and a few wines under our belts, 16 of us trooped on down to Hens Love Art on Smith Street for our 9pm class.

The space is amazing- large and spacious. You can self cater, so we took a few bottles along and cupcakes.

Once we were settled in, we were taken into the art space, where 16 easels and a podium awaited. We were joined by our art teacher, a lovely lady who gave us some basic techniques and pointers and then off we went. With cool music pumping and plenty of breaks to have a look at everyone's work, the two hours there was an absolute giggle!

Definitely recommended for something a little more tasteful- and when you finish, you're in the heart of Fitzroy, so there's still plenty of opportunities for further mayhem at your feet!

Hens Love Art
Address: Smith St, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
Phone number: 0414 339 792
URL: http://www.hensloveart.com.au/

Social Roasting Company

2009-10-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

A cafe with a conscience where the coffee is divine- SRC on Racecourse Road is my new absolute favourite for a quick pick me up on a Saturday morning or a relaxed Sunday breakfast.

With 100% ethically sourced coffee and an employment philosophy that favours the longterm unemployed, this could all be a bit worthy. But its not.

They keep the funky space refreshed with different art and you have a choice between regular tables, a communal table, the bar facing the street for some people watching, or tables outside. The coffee is seriously good. And the cafe style food is fresh and delicious.

We've only breakfasted there- baked eggs were great, wtih nice gooey insides, fruit toast good- lots of newspapers and a superfriendly vibe.

Definitely recommended for a coffee, brunch or breakfast if you're in the Flemington area!

Social Roasting Company

307 Racecourse Road

FlemingtonVictoria 3031

Phone: +61 3 9372 3288

Putting on a Vietnamese spread

2009-08-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

The hardest thing about putting on a Vietnamese spread for some friends last week, was picking what to make- I ended up with 5 dishes- after Rusty insisted I cull a couple- given the tightness of timing on the day, I have to say it was a good call, and I don't think anyone was hungry...

Most are from the Red Lantern cook book, the calamari is an adaptation of something we made at the Red Bridge cooking school in Hoi an and the desert is an old Gourmet Traveller favourite, with Red Lantern ice cream...

So the menu:

Entree

Mussels with Lemongrass, chilli and garlic

and Lemongrass Calamari

Main

Braised Duck with ginger and spring onions

and Chargrilled Sirloin on a green pawpaw salad

Desert

Banana Split with homemade coconut and banana icecream

And my new favourite apperitif- Cosmopolitan Champagne Cocktail

So it was a pretty hectic day- after getting back from the Footscray markets, I spent most of the morning making the chicken stock, the icecream and getting the beef, duck and calamari into marinades. Had a break in the afternoon and then got on to cleaning the mussels and doing the other prep. I got so confused about when what how, I scribbled down a running sheet - which Rusty found highly amusing- but it got me through...

Now, the recipes:

Cosmopolitan Champagne Cocktail (makes 6)

Boil 250 ml cranberry juice uncovered for 10 minutes. Cool. Combine with 2tbsp of cointreau and 2 tbsp lime juice in a jug.

Take 6 glasses, each with a sugar cube + 1/6 of the cranberry concoction and fill with bubbly.

Lemongrass Calamari

1 kg calamari

4 lemongrass stalks

4 shallots

2 clove garlic

1 chilli

tsp pepper

tsp salt

tsp sugar

2 tsp vegetable oil

Peel lemongrass and cut finely. Chop the shallots and garlc and chilli. Put all ingredients in a mortar and grind to a paste.

Clean calamari and score.

Smear the paste over the calamari and place in a container and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Place on the barbecue and grill till golden brown.

Serve with lime dipping sauce and fish dipping sauce

Lime: tsp salt, tsp pepper, tsp sugar + juice of one lime mixed together

Fish: Fish Dipping sauce.
Combine 3tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar and 125 ml water and 2 tbsp sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well and cook until just below boiling point, then allow to cool. To serve, finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and 1 birds eye chilli and stir through with 2 tbsp lime juice (makes 250 ml.)

Mussels with Lemongrass, chilli and garlic

500g mussels
250 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp oil
2 lemon grass stems, white only finely chopped
½ onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
Birds eye chilli, sliced
Tbsp oyster sauce
Tbsp fish sauce
Tsp corn flour
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Handful fresh coriander
½ lemon

Scrub and debeard mussels, then set aside. In a wok, over high heat, add the chicken stock and mussels, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels open (discard any that don’t open). Strain the mussels, but keep the liquid for later.
Put the wok back on medium heat, add the oil and gently fry the lemon grass, onion, garlic and chilli. Once golden, add the mussels and increase the heat. Toss through the oyster sauce and fish sauce, then add 125 ml of the reserved cooking liquid.

Mix the cornflour with tbsp of water and toss it through the mussels to thicken up the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and serve, garnished with coriander and lemon.

Chargrilled Beef on pawpaw salad

2 x 250 g sirloin steaks
2 handfuls shredded green pawpaw
Small handful mixed Vietnamese herbs (perilla, Vietnamese mint and basil)
Tbsp fried Asian shallots
Tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and drained
3 tbsp Fish Dipping Sauce

Marinade
2 tsp pickled chilli
2 crushed garlic cloves
2cm piece of ginger, minced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp vegetable oil
Pinch salt

Mix all the marinade ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.
Add the steaks and marinade a minimum of 2 hours in the fridge.
Chargrill the steaks over medium high heat to your preference, then rest the steaks for 5 minutes. Reheat the steaks on the chargrill, then cut into thin slices.
Serve with a salad of green pawpaw, mixed herbs, shallots, shrimp and dressed with dipping sauce.

Braised Duck with Ginger and Spring Onion (Vit Tiem Gung Hanh)

I was a bit sceptical about this recipe- boiled duck?! But the sauce reduces down to a gooey deliciousness that is brilliant served with jasmine rice.

6 duck leg quarters
6 spring onions – white part bashed, green part finely sliced
3 garlic cloves
3 tbsp. minced ginger
125 ml fish sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp caster sugar
Litre of vegetable oil
2 litres of chicken stock

Wash duck leg, pat dry with paper towel. Trim and discard excess fat. Add the white part of the spring onion, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar to a large bowl and mix well to dissolve sugar.
Cut the legs in half through the knee joint and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours.
Remove from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and dry the duck with a paper towel.
Heat the oil in a wok and deep fry the duck pieces for 3 – 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from oil, place in a single layer in a saucepan. Add the reserved marinade and cover with stock by 2cm.
Bring to the boil, skim off impurities and excess oil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer.
Cook for 1 hour.
Garnish with sliced spring onion greens and serve with jasmine rice.

Chicken Stock
Crush 6 garlic cloves in a mortor. Clean a whole chicken under water- place chicken in saucepan with 6 litres of water and bring to the boil. Skim for 10 minutes to remove impurities, then add garlic + 8 spring onions and a 4cm piece of ginger sliced up. Cook for 2 hours.

Each individual recipe is really easy to make- typical Vietnamese- just simple fresh ingredients- it lets the food speak for itself- so go ahead and try.

Enjoy!

Set to impress

2009-08-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

As a Sydney expat who has lived in Melbourne for 3 years now, I think I am qualified to say that Sydney people love Melbourne. Most of them, not enough to actually leave the harbour city- but since the day we announced we were going to move, we've been regaled with comments about how fabulous Melbourne is. Especially the food. And the fact that true gems are hidden in Melbourne, not lit up in neon.

So when we have visitors from Sydney, as we did this weekend, I feel a strange responsibility to my adopted hometown to show it in its best light. So choosing a restaurant for a Saturday night "double date" should be hard right- well no, its not- because I've got the Panama Dining Room- and it has never let me down.

So on Saturday night, we set off in a cab bound for Smith Street, with Sydney friends in tow. Stepping out across from the inauspicious entrance and going up the stairs, we all marvel at how Melbourne's delights are hidden in such a curious way.

Every time I step into the dining room - a turn of the century furrier's warehouse, with enourmous semi-circular gabled windows along two walls with a great view- I like to reimagine it as my apartment- an open plan kitchen where the bar is- I'd probably leave the pool table where it is...well anyway, its a fabulous space, and usually full enough to generate a pleasing buzz. The kind of buzz that makes you feel like you're part of the city...

But the best part is the food- and Saturday did not disappoint.

The highlight was definitely Frizz's perfectly cooked pork- that thin line of perfect golden crackling skin, but the rest of us did alright with succulent, moist rabbit loins succulent and chicken pie- all exquisitely cooked and flavoured.

Deserts were great- I shared a lemon custard with citrus salad with Rusty- tart and creamy, the custard was perfect. The Frizz and FC had chocolate mousse- an absolute delight...

Another highlight (sorry, it felt like just one after the other!) was definitely the cheese plate- we decided we would each pick one- and each of us wanted a different cheese, so we just got all 4- served at room temperature they were absolutely divine!

Commencing the evening with brilliantly mixed cocktails (I had a gimlet, the boys had martinis of various complexions) and complemented by an extensive winelist and a sommelier who knows his wine and food, the overall culinary experience can hardly be faulted.

For anyone into detail, here the cheeses we enjoyed with their descriptions from the Panama website.
GABRIEL COULET ROQUEFORT This blue made from raw ewe’s milk is matured in caves in Southern France. This artisan cheese has a strong salty flavour yet is rich and creamy
BRILLAT-SAVARIN A rich cow’s milk cheese from Normandy in France. Made with whole milk and enriched with extra cream. It has a dense creamy texture similar to that of ice cream.
SEVRE & BELLE CAPRIFEUILLE This log shaped goats cheese is ripened using a geotrichum mould giving it a slightly yeasty flavour. Typical of cheeses from the region of Poitou-Charentes in central France.
LE NAPOLEON A rare hand made single dairy ewe's milk cheese from the Central Pyrenees. Slow ripened in cold humid conditions it develops a condensed nutty texture and rounded caramel flavour.

THE PANAMA DINING ROOM AND BAR
Level 3/231 Smith St, Fitzroy Phone: (03) 9417 7663
http://thepanama.com.au/

Hot and Sour Soup

2009-06-13T17:54:00.001-07:00

This is my most favourite meal in the world. I haven't made it for ages...and it is truly wonderful, such a lovely combination of flavours!

I was inspired to make it again when I picked up some shinoji mushrooms at the markets for $1.50- oyster mushrooms are great, but substitute with any kind of mushrooms you can get.

I usually make my own vege stock to start. Just your usual stock- but add in some coriander roots to give it a little bit of zing.

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 2
Ingredients
Nam Prik Pow
4 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp shallots
3 large red chillis deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

3 cups vege stock
1tsp nam prik pow
2.5 cm lemongrass, sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves roughly torn
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
60 g oyster mushrooms
2 – 3 small red chillies, slightly crushed
Coriander leaves to garnish

Nam Prik Pow – fry all ingredients except sugar and salt in the oil till golden brown. Pound all ingredients together in a mortar and pestle.
Bring stock to the boil and stir in Nam Prik Pow. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring well until the mushrooms are just cooked.
Pour into serving bowls and garnish with coriander.

Different Strokes

2009-06-13T17:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had decided to make one of my absolute favourite dishes ever - a beautiful curry using beetroot and eggplant. Rusty was less than excited. After announcing my plans and getting a less than thrilled response, I asked how he would rate this dish in terms of anticipation. 2/10. I was devestated. I guess its easy to accept that blokes don't want to watch chick flicks, or spend hours looking for shoes, but I still take it personally when my bloke doesn't get excited about the same food I do. After eating it, he gave it an 8/10 (I think if he was being honest that would have been maybe a 6 1/2 or 7)- so there was peace in the household. But for me, this dish is an absolute 10/10- I just love it!

I've been trying to think of other dishes that divide the genders- would love to hear your stories...

Beetroot and Eggplant Curry

2 red onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
3-4 hot chillies (fresh or dried)
1 lemongrass stalk
1 dsp cumin seeds
1 dsp coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 tbsp sunflower oil
450 g beetroot, peeled and cubed
5 baby eggplants, quartered (or one normal eggplant)
200ml stock
300 ml coconut milk
Salt and pepper
125 g cashew nuts
Fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Process the onions, garlic, chillies and lemon grass to a smooth paste either in a food processor or using a wand.
Dry roast the cumin, coriander and fennel for a few minutes and grind to a powder.
Heat the oil, when hot, add the onion paste and cook briskly for a few minutes, then add the spices, stirring continuously. When the spices and paste are nicely combined, add in the beetroot and eggplant and fry for a further couple of minutes- stirring constantly.
Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the veges are nice and soft.
Add the coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, dry roast the cashews to golden brown.
Serve with rice and garnished with coriander and cashews

Bake Club- Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes

2009-06-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Bake Club. The first rule of Bake Club is you do not talk about Bake Club.

The second rule of Bake Club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT BAKE CLUB.

OK Bake Club isn't quite like that, but talk about pressure.

The real second rule of bake club is that you can't wimp out and just buy something- you have to bake it. Two people per week for about 20 people. And this week was my first week.

The standards are pretty high, but I was happy with my performance- got a good response.

It's a recipe I've done a few times from the April Gourmet Traveller.

Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes

Preheat the oven to 180°
Ingredients (makes 12)
Directions
90g butter
225g caster sugar
Finely grated rind of ½ orange
2 eggs
50 ml milk
100g plain flour
80g hazelnut meal
1tsp baking powder

350g ricotta
1 egg yolk
2 blood plums, thinly sliced
20g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Beat 80g butter, 165 g sugar and orange rind in a mixer until pale and creamy (3-4 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Scrape down sides and add milk and beat to combine.
Stir in flour, hazelnut meal and baking powder. Spoon into 12 buttered cupcake moulds. Smooth tops and set aside.
Process ricotta, the egg yolk and 40g sugar in a food processor until smooth and divide among the moulds. Top with plum slices (or any other fruit).
Combine chopped nuts, remaining butter and sugar in a small bowl, rub together with your fingers, then scatter over plums.
Bake until risen and golden.

Zucchini Flowers fresh from the market

2009-05-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

A step too far outside my comfort zone- bitter melon

2009-05-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

There are not alot of things I don't enjoy eating- brussel sprouts are about all I can think of. And in recent history, or since I've meet Rusty, I can honestly say I've only cooked one thing that was inedible (100 Year Eggs - gross!). Well now, make that two things.

We were at the Footscray markets last week, and I love to try out things I don't know, this time I think though I took that step too far out of my comfort zone. I think I've found another ingredient I don't like - bitter melon.

Its such a shame, cause everything around the bitter melon was delicious and I thought I was onto a really cool, quick to prepare and healthy weekday meal. And apparently bitter melon is amazingly good for you and can help with everything from diabetes to psoriasis.

The recipe I used comes from a fantastic book called "Secrets of the Red Lantern- stories and Vietnamese recipes from the heart" by Pauline Nguyen. If you've ever been to Sydney's successful Red Lantern restaurant on Crown Street in Surrey Hills, you'll know why the book is so awesome- Pauline is the chef, Luke Nguyen's sister.

Every other dish I've made out of this book has been delicious- so its not the recipe, but the overwhelming bitterness of the bitter melon. What I did think I might try is the same recipe but replacing the melon with choko or capsicum...any other ideas of what to replace it with would be very welcome!

But here's the recipe just in case for anyone who does like this rather unusual vegetable.

Ingredients

50g glass noodles

50g dried blck fungus, sliced

150g minced pork

4 spring onions, sliced- just the white section

3 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 egg

2 bitter melons

1.5 litres chicken stock

green parts of the spring onions

tbsp chopped coriander

Soak the nookles and fungus separately in boiling water for 10 mnutes. Strain, then dry. Roughly chop the noodles into 4cm pieces and mix up with the fungus, pork, white parts of the spring onions, 1 tbsp of the fish sauce, sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt, half the pepper and the egg.

Cut the ends off the bitter melons, then cut into 2cm slices. Remove the seeds and white flesh. Wash in cold water and pat dry. Lay the discs flat and fill with the pork mixture.

Put the chicken stock in a large saucepan with the remaining fish sauce and salt and bring to the boil. Add the stuffed melon, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the greens of the spring onions, coriander and remaining pepper.

Cirque du Soleil

2009-05-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

This post is totally off topic, but I just have to say, I thought I'd hate it, but actually loved it! OK, I laughed at alot of it, but man that trampolining thing looked like so much fun!
There was so much cheesiness- mainly in costuming and music (the medieval Bonnie Tyler look-alike and her side-kick cruising around singing mashed arias was priceless) and their attempt at appealing to female sexuality (well, I think that's what it was) - a woman and a ridulously buff bloke on ribbons looking longingly at each other and swinging around in the air - had me in stitches.
But yeah, you did have to marvel at their physical ability (although the bird who stands on one hand was pretty dull after the first 25 seconds of ooh aah) and I love the energy and showmanship of the whole thing.
Most of the buzz around the office this morning ( a bunch of us from work went along) was about the size of the juggler's package and how many seconds prior to the rest of his body this particular part of his anatomy hit the floor when he did the splits.
So from me, an 8/10 for an evening out- kept me super amused- in one way or another- for the whole night.

Dancing Dog Cafe in Footscray

2009-05-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the Dancing Dog cafe is a little haven for a perfect coffee in Footscray.

The Dancing Dog is open 7 days a week, 8am - 4pm, 9am Sundays.
42a Albert Street Footscray

Moussaka

2009-05-17T04:15:00.000-07:00

What a winter classic- perfect for cooler nights. And if you replace all the tbsps of oil and replace with a spray, not even that bad for you.

2 eggplants, 1cm slices
3 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
50g plain flour
250ml milk
50g parmesan
1 egg yolk
nutmeg
2 brown onions
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin
1 cinnamon quill
4 tomatoes- roughly chopped
1tbsp tomato paste
500g lamb mince
1 l. chicken stock
Zest of ½ an orange

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and brown the eggplant. Set aside.
To prepare the white sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add in the flour and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until thick.
Stir in parmesan and egg yolk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Sautee onions and garlic in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cinnamon. Cook for another 3 minutes, then add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste
Brown the mince in the last tbsp of oil. Once cooked, drain off fat.
Add the lamb mince to the tomatoes, and add stock and orange zest.
Simmer for an hour.
Remove cinnamon.
Starting with about a third of the lamb mix, layer it with eggplants, finishing with the mince.
Top with white sauce.
Bake for 20 minutes

Eight hour pork

2009-05-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

My favourite cupcake baker at work was telling me last week about a pork roast she did- that she kept in the oven for 7 hours. Mmmm- sounded so delicious.

Wandering around the Footscray markets and wondering what to cook for some family we had coming over Saturday night, Rusty picked up a beautiful shoulder of pork- it was still before lunchtime and so we decided we would take Cupcake on and try our own version- 8 hour pork.

And the experiment paid off- the meat was so tender and served up with some lovely gravy and bread dumplings and red cabbage, we would have eaten a kilo each ourselves, had we not had people coming round.

Smashed Pav for dessert- all in all a perfect dinner! And yes, my diet is totally ruined- but it was so worth it : )

8 hour Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder
3 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 Tbsp dried marjoram
500ml of wheat beer
1 brown onion
Preheat oven to maximum heat.
Score the skin on the pork
Rub down the pork shoulder generously with caraway and marjoram
Lay pork skin down in a baking dish for 20 mins.
Remove from oven, flip so the pork is skin side up, add the beer, reduce the oven heat to 140 degrees and let it cook in the oven for 8 hours.
Remove pork, wrap in foil. Pour pan juices into a saucepan.
Sautee a finely chopped onion in a little bit of butter. Then add a tsp of corn flour and slowly add the pan juices to make your gravy.

Bavarian Bread Dumplings
Ingredients:
10 slices stale bread (we used some stale Phillippas multigrain)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
3 slices bacon -- diced
1 small onion -- chopped
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon marjoram
2 eggs

Preparation:
Cut bread or rolls, with crusts, into small pieces, put in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Pour lukewarm milk over bread and let soak for an hour. If there is excess milk in bowl at that time, pour it off. Fry bacon in skillet with chopped onion until bacon is almost crisp and onion is soft and golden. Toss in parsley and marjoram and saute 3 or 4 minutes. Add bacon, onion and herbs to bread mixture. Mix eggs in thoroughly. If dumpling batter is too soft to form, add breadcrumbs, a tablespoon at a time, until batter is firm enough. With wet hands or two wet tablespoons, form a test dumpling. Drop into boiling salted water and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes.

Starting the journey

2009-05-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well yes, following on from the Easter break (a four day period in which I ate my own bodyweight in both cheese and bacon) I realised that my metabolism was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with my fastpaced gourmet lifestyle. And I was at least 5kg over what I consider my ideal weight. So I've had to put the brakes on, and joined Wieghtwatchers - OMG- shock horror!
This last 2 weeks in food hasn't been easy.
Week 1 I was on a roll and managed to save up enough points for a bottle of wine over the weekend.
Week 2 - and its still fun- appeals to my analytical side to trade off food and exercise.
Toughest challenge was facing down a lemon meringue pie at a work lunch this week- the pie won, and the points mounted- so unlike last week, I don't have a hell of alot left for alcohol this weekend- a major concern as hubby's black sheep sister is in town this weekend and the temptation will be great.
Not really sure that I am being as innovative as I could with healthy and cheap (in a points sense) meals- my lunch just now was called a Tuscan Bean salad- which sounds posh, but was really half a tin of cannellini, a little tin of tuna, half a red onion and some sage and parsley with no fat dressing- pretty uninspiring really- and the rest of the week has been Country Ladle soups (except for the Lemon Meringue Pie incident of course)- I need to get more creative!

Finding juniper berries in Melbourne

2009-05-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks goodness for IT crashes- our computers came crashing down today, so we all got an early mark- if you can call 9.30 am an early mark- I didn't even make it to the office. I had some kitchen tasks to take care of that I hadn't managed on the weekends, so had a lovely day of it.

Thank goodness too for Basfoods in Brunswick- if there is any food of the continental persuasion that you can't find, head to 423 Victoria Street Brunswick, cause you'll more than likely find it there. Its like a Bunnings with continental food- a big warehouse style environment with simple interior and what I consider cheap prices. They have nuts and dried fruits, beans and pulses, a fantastic range of spices, loads of pickles and conserves, olives, sauces and cheeses.

I was after juniper berries and lima beans today. Even my little Indian spice store on Nicholson Street didn't have the juniper berries- and I had thought they have everything- the lady was very apologetic, I think she thought she had everything too!

The juniper berries were for the first red cabbage I've made in ages- and it was delicious!

Sweet and sour and delicious, I adapted this recipe from the German magazine "Essen und Trinken"- if you can be bothered tracking down some juniper berries, try this good German home food cooking!

Red Cabbage with Cranberries

Ingredients

1/2 red onion (chopped)

1 small red cabbage (quartered, core removed and sliced, not too finely)

2 dsp oil

3 tsp sugar

4 dsp red wine vinegar

100ml orange juice

100ml vege stock

bay leaf

3 juniper berries

50 blackcurrant jelly

2 tsp cornflour

handful dried cranberries (or 100g frozen cranberries)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and cabbage lightly sautee. Add the sugar and let it caramelise a bit.

Add vinegar, orange juice and stock. Season with salt, the bay leaf and juniper berries. Let it simmer with the lid on for an hour, season again with salt and then add the blackcurrant jelly.

Put the cornflour in some water and stir till smooth. Add in to the cabbage, then add cranberries.

Simmer for 15 minutes stirring regularly.

Preparation time 10 - 15 minutes. Cooking time 90 minutes.

Enjoy with any pork dish, even just a simple pork chop, or with beef- as we did tonight with super-slow-cooked beef, mash and some beetroots.

Healthy freekah salad a la Cumulus

2009-04-20T02:32:00.000-07:00

I went to Cumulus Inc http://www.cumulusinc.com.au/ in the city for the first time a few weeks ago- have to say, the food didn't knock my socks off and the tapas style way of serving made for an overly long lunch and a nagging feeling of not being quite full (I know- I should just get with the programme- this is the way its done in Melbourne these days!).

One course that I really loved was a Cracked Wheat and Freekah Salad. Lo and behold, in this month's Gourmet Traveller, a reader has asked for the recipe and it is there for all to see.

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/cracked-wheat-and-freekah-salad-with-barberry-dressing.htm

Now I had a first crack at making the recipe as per the mag, and it was delicious, but I was a little put off by all the butter that goes in. So tonight I had a crack at it without the butter- and hip-hip hurray- it still tastes great and alot less fat.

So if you want to make a healthier version, just leave out all the butter. And to save some time, just cook the Cracked Wheat and freekah together- I can't really see any reason to cook them separately. Not on a weeknight anyway- and not when hubby does the washing up.

Great combination of sour and salty flavours and without all that butter really healthy. Probably took around an hour to make- and we ate it served with some lamb chops - yum- and there's enough left for lunch tomorrow.

I sent the recipe to one of the girls I was lunching with, who also loved the salad- and she hasn't made it yet, cause she is daunted by the ingredients- so here some hints on the ingredients.

The freekah (which I had never heard of before) was available in the healthfood section of our local Coles- so imagine would be available in most large supermarkets, or even health food stores (apparently its amazingly good for you!).

The labne and barberries (neither of which I'd heard of before) are really worth seeking out. A good middle Eastern food store should stock them- I got mine at a little store on Sydney Road up near the A1 bakery (always worth a visit).

The barberries are deliciously tart and I can imagine using them in any recipe you might otherwise use cranberries- they are apparently a staple of Persian cooking and once rehydrated (just soak 10 minutes in water) can be used to spice up couscous or crush them dried to rub into chicken before baking. Here's what they look like dry.

Labne is a cheese made from yoghurt- convenient to buy, but if you were really keen, you could try and make your own- would be quite a feeling- to make your own cheese! Found a recipe here- you'd just leave out the herbs on this one http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/2006/09/making-labne.html

However you choose to make this salad, I'm sure it will be delish- I certainly love it!

My Melbourne Restaurant Wishlist

2009-04-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

These are the 3 restaurants at the absolute top of my wishlist at the moment- places I've never been but really want to try- based on hype and hearsay

Rumi - http://www.rumi.com.au/
Mutti - Just read about it in Epicure on April 14 - a new Germa restaurant on Elgin Street Carlton. Thomas Stocklinger (ex-Fenix) is Austrian and will be cooking up a rustic storm
Helenic Republic - http://www.hellenicrepublic.com.au/

Keen to hear what's heading up everyone else's wishlist at present!

Meadowbank Estate

2009-04-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

OK,

Meadowbank Estate in Cambridge Tasmania is not a secret or insider tip- its probably just about the opposite of secret as everyone we mentioned our impending Tassie trip to, insisted we visit this winery- and I am so glad we followed their advice! This place is absolutely divine!

Bearing in mind that popularity, it would be a good idea to book ahead- we were lucky that they could squeeze us in for lunch with only a 30 minute wait (perfect for some tasting!)- I would hate to think we might have missed it.

Set amongst vines with lovely water views (though in Tasmania just about everything seems to look out over the water!), this was the perfect spot for a late summer lunch. The staff were amazing- not only their efforts to accomodate a late lunch party of 8 on Easter Sunday but their knowledge of the food and ingredients as well as the wine was indeed impressive- both our waiters were mainland expats and absolutely in line with what you would expect in more upmarket Melbourne or Sydney restaurants, but with a more relaxed air.

See Rita's Bite for more raves about the staff: http://pc-rita.blogspot.com/2008/10/meadowbank-revisited.html

Now I'm not usually a fan of the tapas style eating- multiple entree sized, try different things out concept- I usually prefer to have a substantial main and go for it- but glad this place did this, we tried out a number of dishes and they had one thing in common- amazing produce (pretty much a given on the island) and simplicity of presentation and flavours- nothing felt overly elaborated.

Smoked trout fritter, garlic aoli

Smoked hock terrine, cornichons, toasted brioche

Rich flavours of the hock in the lightest of light environs- an absolute delight!

Sugar cured ocean trout, potato pancake, crispy bacon, horseradish cream

Breast of honey smoked duck, figs, walnuts, wild rocquette (to share)

The sweetness of the honey smoking and figs complemented the duck so well- perfectly cooked!

Chargrilled tuna, skordalia, grapes, capers, pine nuts, white anchovies
A perfectly cooked piece of tuna- the skordalia was brilliant (must get a recipe for that!).

I'm not going to attempt to describe the wines- as I am anything but an expert on wine, but their 2005 Pinot took my fancy (http://www.meadowbankwines.com.au/popups/wines/pinotnoir.htm)- some of our party really enjoyed the unwooded chardonnay http://www.meadowbankwines.com.au/popups/wines/chardonnay.htm.

But make your own call on the wines.

Meadowbank Vineyard

699 Richmond Road

CAMBRIDGE TAS 7170
T: +61 3 62484484

And for a really comprehensive list of Tassie restaurants check out Rita's bites http://pc-rita.blogspot.com/2006/04/restaurant-reviews.html

The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy

2009-03-09T02:03:00.000-07:00

The Standard Hotel

293 Fitzroy Street
Fitzroy 3065
(03) 9419 4793

Its funny how you don't think to write about the places you spend the most time in, well I don't anyway- and now its time to pay tribute to one of my favouritest places in Melbourne to hang out, eat, drink- The Standard Hotel.

From the outside, unassuming to say the least, it offers fantastic food at pub prices and has what I believe to be one of the best beer gardens in Melbourne. Its a great place for a Sunday lunch, a group gathering (our bookclub Christmas party here was a roaring success!) or in winter their trivia nights are a great laugh. But the food- its just fantastic.

A great permanent menu, with the usual burgers, steak sandwiches, bangers and mash (mmm wih rosemary and lamb) but also vegetarian enchiladas, kangaroo steaks or dips and nibblies for a snack. But add to that their range of seasonal specials, and you just never get bored. Yesterday, on the specials board were chili quail, stuffed figs- awewome seasonal food.

The emphasis seems to be on fresh produce and simple flavours- always a hit.

Check it out, enjoy an afternoon in the garden. And try one of their good range of on tap beers or wines (my prsonal fave is the Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc).

Why oh why are there no good breakfast joints at Southbank

2009-01-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

We are in such a bind- invited to brekkie, thinking about where to go nearby and between the three of us can't agree...someone doesn't like the toast at Bond Store, I don't like the atmoshphere at the Blue Train, and last time I lost my glasses there, the kiwi waitress at Fabric is so unfriendly, don't want to see her sourpuss face first thing in the morning.
So we will have to travel...Sweethearts I guess it is...

Rhubarb crumble

2009-01-04T23:02:00.000-08:00

Made with fresh rhubarb from Fiona's garden, this was a delightful tug of war between sweet and tart flavours with the coconut giving it a lovely summer feel.

Made this a couple of days later with blueberries instead of rhubarb (adding a touch of cinnamon as well as vanilla to the fruit mix)- also divine!

Ingredients
12 rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 4cm pieces
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp caster sugar extra
1/4 cup plain flour
50 g cold butter, chopped
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Mix rhubarb, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and spoon into a smallish ovenproof dish
Mix the extra sugar and flour together
Using your fingers, mix in the butter
Add the coconut and almonds to the crumble mix and spoon onto the rhubarb mix.
Bake for 40 minutes
Serve with ice cream or cream.

Eurodore Port Melbourne

2008-11-30T01:57:00.000-08:00

Eurodore is amazing- their selection of cheese and delicacies is definitely worth a look if you're in the area, but unfortunately my breakfast choice this morning was a real flop. Zucchini fritters- they were doughy and not cooked well enough. Just not up to scratch. Accompanying salmon was great though- so I didn't have to starve!

I had to suffer through food envy as hubby's scrambled eggs were divine with crispy fat slices of bacon. And our friend from Perth's porridge with rhubarb and pistachios were wonderful.

A brilliant spot to sit outside nd enjoy the brekky, just avoid the fritters!

http://www.eurodore.com/

271 Bay Street Port Melbourne

03 9646 3499

Open 8am - 7pm every day

Hubby's Beef Wellington

2008-11-18T02:55:00.000-08:00

This was divine. Something a bit different for a Sunday roast.

You take 2 pieces of good scotch fillet.

Season and seal in the pan.

Pan fry mushrooms and thyme.

Top the scotch fillet with duck pate, your mushrooms and a fresh sprig of thyme.

Wrap it up in puff pastry.

Brush the top with egg yolk

Bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

Serve with mash and veges.

Worst Mojito ever

2008-11-18T02:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, now I've experienced the worst Mojito ever. At the Fitzroy Spanish Festival. Disappointment!

What's really bad is I can't remember the name of the bar to warn people. A pub on the corner of Johnston and Brunswick- actually really good fun- full as you'd expect at festival time- great music, good mixed crowd.

But the mojito was made with dark rum, a slice of lime- not big chunks- and the most pathetic sprig of mint you've ever seen. And sugar syrup, instead of raw sugar. Undrinkable and most definitively the worst mojito I've ever tasted.

Understandable if they'd have had 20 cocktails on the list, but for the Spanish festival, they had a total of 4 cocktails on offer. Pathetic!

In will find out what the place was called to name and shame!

Breakfast at Sweethearts

2008-11-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

263 Coventry StSouth Melbourne, VIC 3205(03) 9690 6752

Don't expect to just walk in off the street- you know the breakfast has to be good where you have to book a table! We were lucky this Sunday and got an outside table with no booking - made my day thats for sure!
Their selection of slightly unusual breakies are brilliant- I had the Mexican eggs- 2 perfectly poached eggs on toasted muffins, with delicious chilli beans, sausage and avocado. To soak up some of the egg I got one of thier roesti as well- mmm deep fried, potato obviously shredded on the premises- these are not even vaguely related to those deepfried hashbrowns most places now seem to rely on. Divine!
My niece had the Mediteranean- eggs on polenta with pesto- slightly imaginative, but not too 0ut there and absolutely delicious!
Coffee is great and the service was really pleasant.
I love this joint!

Smashed Pav

2008-03-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Again, awe and wonder as Looby threw this one together. So simple, but so delish!

For 7 people

1 small meringue base per person

2 packs muscarpone

1 pack creme fraiche

fresh fruit- blueberries, strawberries and passionfruit (whatever really)

Optional- dark chocolate

Throw it all together and smash it!

Deconstructed Nicoise

2008-03-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just watched in awe as Looby constructed this magnificent deconstruction- the flavours were amazing!

Ingredients

Tuna steaks - bbq-ed with olive oil, salt and pepper

new potatoes

beans

olives

soft boiled eggs

anchovy mayonnaise

Una's

2008-03-24T21:52:00.001-07:00

Well I felt really let down by this Sydney institution- everything was oily, nothing was particularly tasty, and I like roesti crispy- not just ginormous- a real disappointment! OK if your filthily hungover I guess, but if you just want to eat, pretty dull.
And if you don't like stuffing yourself stupid, consider the kids portion schnitzels- plenty for any whale...
372 New South Head RdDouble Bay 2028 NSW
Phone: (02) 9327 7287

Lemon Meringue Pie

2008-03-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

This was my favourite as a kid- and though this recipe is a bit of a hodge podge of different ones, it sure is delicious (and not that hard to make)

Lemon Meringue Pie
Pastry
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup icing sugar
150g butter chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. water
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Filling
2 lemons
¾ cup caster sugar
½ cup cornflour
Cup water
3 egg yolks

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/3 cup caster sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Sift icing sugar and flour together.
Add butter- rub in with your fingers till the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs
Add yolk, water and vanilla. Mix lightly. Pastry should form a ball
Wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, to fit a 25cm flan tin. Ease pastry into tin, then trim edges.
Blind bake for 10 – 15 mins in a 200 degree oven.
Allow pastry to cool
Turn oven down to 180 degrees
Finely grate the rind of 1 lemon. Juice lemons- you need ½ cup. Combine the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan and gradually stir in the lemon juice and water until smooth. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon rind and egg yolks, and mix quickly to combine. Allow to cool.
To make the meringue, use clean and dry electric beaters to whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking each addition till glossy.
Spread the lemon base in the pie base, the top with meringue.
Bake for 10 mins or until brown.
Set aside for at least 30 minutes to cool.

Spice I Am

2008-03-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret any more, but this place has to be the best Thai food outside Thailand. Hot as hell, fresh flavours beautifully combined. The queues say it all- ten out of ten for this hot spot.

Try the green pawpaw salad- guaranteed the best you've ever eaten.

Hubby loves the crispy pork belly...mmmm....crispy!

A recent trip to Sydney confirmed standards have not fallen!

90 Wentworth Ave.Surry Hills Sydney 2010

Beetroot curry with onions

2008-03-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

I am obsessed with beetroot- I just love it. I know that's not the case for everyone- but if you like beetroot and like curries- you'll luuuurve this! Could be an accompaniment to another dish (we had it with the Spicy Baked Beef)- or could be good just with rice (I'm having it that way for lunch today!). Pretty spicy, so you might want to add a dab of yoghurt/ raita.

Serves 3

Ingredients

350g raw beetroot (weight without stems and leaves)

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 small onion peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tsp plain flour

1/2 tsp cayenne

225 g (8 oz) tomatoes finely chopped

1 tsp salt

300 ml water

Peel the beetroot and cut into even wedges

Heat the oil in a medium sized pan. When hot add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 5 seconds.

Add the garlic, stir and fry until it turns golden.

Add the onions and stir and fry for a minute.

Add the flour and cayenne- stir and fry for a minute.

Now pop the beetroot in with the tomatoes, salt and water.

Bring to a simmer.

Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove lid, turn heat up to medium and cook uncovered for 7 minutes- the sauce should be thickening up nicely by then.

This dish can be made ahead of time and reheated.

Beef baked with yoghurt and black pepper

2008-03-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well the Indian tour is over as of last night- we watched the final game with yet another meal courtesy of my Indian week- this baked beef with the wonderful beetroot recipe that I'll post separately. We were happy to see India win- Australia have been such bad sports this season...and of course this series of meals has put us in a distinctly subcontinental frame of mind.

PS I know my food styling skills need alot of work- this definitely tastes better than my crummy photo would have you believe!

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 tbsp of vegetable oil

900g stewing beef cubed

2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 tsp of cayenne

1tbs of paprika

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

300ml natural yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F/ gas 4)

Put the oil in a flameproof casserole-type pan (preferably one with a lid) and set over medium - high heat.

Brown the meat in batches. Put the brown meat in a separate bowl

Put onions and garlic in the same pan and turn the heat down to medium. Stir and fry this mixture till it has browned.

Return the meat to the pan.

Add the ginger, cayenne, paprika, salt and black pepper- give it a quick stir to coat the meat and onions nicely with the spices.

Add the yoghurt. Bring to a simmer.

Cover tightly with foil and then the lid and bake in the oven for 90 minutes.

Stir gently and serve.

This is quite a dry dish, so goes well with a saucy vegetable dish (was great with the Beetroot with Onions) or nice moist rice. A dab of yoghurt works well- if you're feeling like it, whip up a quick Raita.

My first Rogan Josh

2008-03-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make this as it's one of my favourite dishes at Indian restaurants. Again armed with the Madhur Jaffrey classic "Indian Cooking" I had a go and was surprised how simple this was. The only messy bit (assuming you get your butcher to cube the lamb) was making the paste.

Rogan Josh
Serves 4
Ingredients
5 cm (2 inches) knob of ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tbsp + 300 (10 fl oz) water
10 tbsp vegetable oil
900g cubed lamb

10 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
10 peppercorns
2.5 cm (inch) cinnamon stick

200g onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp. paprika
¼ to 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (depending how hot you like it- I use a full tsp)
1 ¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp natural yoghurt
¼ tsp garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper

Use a barmix to blend the ginger garlic and 4 tbsps of water into a smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over medium-high heat.
Brown the meat in batches and set aside.
Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the oil and stir.
Add the onions- stir fry for around 5 minutes or until the onions are a medium brown colour.
Put in the garlic-ginger paste and stir for 30 secs.
Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt. Stir and fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the meat with all the juices, mix well so its coated with the paste in the pan. Now add in 1 tbsp of yoghurt- mix well- and gradually add the rest of the yoghurt. Stir and fry for around 3 minutes.
Now add 300 ml water- bring to the boil, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for an hour- stirring every 10 minutes.
If there is still liquid left after an hour, turn to high and boil off as desired- the sauce should be nice and thick.
Spoon off the fat.
Sprinkle with garam masala and black pepper and mix them in before serving.
Ideal with rice.

Food social networking site- Group Recipes

2008-02-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness,

now there's social networking for foodies:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/

You can set up your own page, add all your recipes with pictures and look at other people. Recipes are easy to search- but I guess it would just take time to work out which users you could trust! Mostly populated by Anericans by the look- and no offense, but I find my tastebuds are different to US ones and I have had some disappointments from American recipes in the past.
Anyway, a curiosity if nothing else!
Their blurb:

Create your own food page
Have "Roger" the Recipe Robot (aka Food Prediction Algorithm) learn about your tastes and predict recipes you will like or dislike
Show off your personal creations and get feedback as well as honors
Meet other foodies (aka food lovers) and see what kind of foods they are into
Share & Discover great places to eat in your home town
Stem the flow of boredom by using the "Recipe Stumbler" to explore recipes related to your favorite foods. (This is a great feature if you're stuck in the office all day and need to waste as much time as possible.)
Explore food by taste, mood, photo, ingredients, uniqueness, rating, and your compatibility
Organize your recipe collection with the Recipe Manager
Join/Create a Group of like-minded foodies
Experiment and collaborate on a dish with other members

Potatoes with ginger and garlic

2008-02-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Potatoes crusted with a delicious, spicy garlic and ginger paste. Really yummy! The potatoes I used were a little starchy, so they fell apart a bit when I was trying to fry them- if I were to make it again I would definitely try and get a low starch potato (red-skinned ideal) so it holds together a bit more.
You'll need a large non-stick or cast iron frying pan

Ingredients
650g potatoes
Piece of fresh ginger around 5 x 2.5 x 5 cm- peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Boil the potatoes in their jackets. Drain and let them cool completely.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2.5cm dice.
Put the ginger, garlic, water, turmeric, salt and cayenne into a blender (or use a barmix) and blend until you have a paste.

Put the oil in a large frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the fennel seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds. Now put in the ginger-garlic paste. Stir and fry for 2 minutes.
Put in the potatoes. Stir and fry over medium-high heat for 5 - 7 minutes or until the potatoes have a nice golden-brown crust on them.

Green beans with ginger and green coriander- courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey

2008-02-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

These are deliciously fresh and tangy! As a side dish to any roast meat would be great. Once you've cut the beans and ginger very easy to throw together.

Ingredients
550 g fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm pieces
2.5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
1 fresh green hot chilli, finely chopped
4 tsp lemon juice
150 ml chicken stock
5 - 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

Put the oil in a large frying pan or wok and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the first seeds begin to pop put in the ginger strips. Stir and fry until the ginger starts to brown, a matter of a few seconds.
Put in the green beans and toss once or twice.
Now add the cumin, turmeric, salt and green chilli.
Add the lemon juice and stock. Stir and bring to a simmer.
Cover, turn heat down to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the beans are almost tender. Add the fresh coriander, toss and cover again for a minute. Uncover, toss and boil away all liquid at a higher heat.

Shahjahani Leg of Lamb

2008-02-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law's birthday. 8 mouths to feed. She sort of suggested she might like a curry. What would you do? I raced to the library and got out Madhur Jaffrey's classic "Indian Cookery" and jumped to her suggested menu page. When I saw this leg of lamb recipe I knew this was it- just had to get the lamb from our fantastic halal butcher and start marinating on the Thursday night. But was definitely worth it- it was absolutely delicious! And to accompany it, potatoes, rice and beans (all recipes listed separately- to ease filing issues). Broke all my rules in terms of prep time - that was ok though cause it was a Saturday and I had all afternoon to cook and really enjoyed it! The one ingredient I couldn't get at Coles was the white poppy seeds. Have found a great indian store though at 7 Nicholson Street, East Brunswick- Arora- and if there's something he doesn't have, I'd be surprised- one of those wonderful treasure trove stores- everything you need for Indian cooking- so we swung by there Saturday morning and grabbed the poppy seeds.

Served 8 comfortably
Shahjahani Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
Leg of lamb- around 2.5kg
900 g natural yoghurt
1/2 medium sized onion peeled and coursely chopped
300 g onions peeled and cut in fine rings
5 tbsp peeled coarsely chopped garlic
18cm piece of ginger, coarsely chopped
5 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp garam masala
blanched slivered almonds filled up to the 300 ml mark on a measuring jug (bless Madhur- an odd way of measuring- darn I should have weighed them after- but was about 2 of the packs you buy in the supermarket)
12 dried figs
vegetable oil
6 tbs of white poppy seeds

2 nights prior (or one night will do apparently)
Remove all the fell (parchment like outer skin) and fat from the lamb. Jab it all over with a sharp knife.

Put all the yoghurt in a big bowl or deep tray (big enough to hold your lamb leg). Take around 4 tbsp of the yoghurt and put in the blender, the chopped 1/2 onion, the garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne and garam masala. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Pour the contents into the bowl of yoghurt and mix well. Put the leg of lamb into the yoghurt and rub the marinade into the meat. Cover well and refrigerate for 24 - 48 hours.

31/2 hours prior to serving
Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Take a heavy roasting tin. Put the lamb at the centre and pour the marinade on and around it. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and put in the oven. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
While the lamb bakes, set a cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot put in the almonds- stir around until they have roasted lightly. Now grind them in a clean coffee-grinder or other spice-grinder. Add the almonds to the lamb sauce after 1 1/2 hours and mix well. Scatter the figs around the leg. Cover again, put the lamb back in the oven and bake for another 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
While the lamb is baking fry the onions. Line a plate with kitchen paper and fry onions in the oil until they start to brown around the edges. Let oil drain on the plate.
Roast the poppy seeds in a heavy based frying pan- aim is for it to be a couple of shades darker. Remove the seeds and allow to cool. Grind as finely as possible in a coffee or spice grinder.
When the lamb is tender, crumble the onions and add them as well as the ground poppy seeds to the lamb sauce. Mix gently. Spoon some of this sauce over the lamb and put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

To serve, I scooped out most of the (divine!) sauce and served separately with the lamb and figs on a plate for the lamb to be carved. Carve the meat at the table.

Coconut and chilli chicken rice paper rolls

2008-02-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

These were absolutley divine- and making rice paper rolls for the first time, I thought it would be tricky- but was pretty easy, low mess and low fuss. I did take longer than my 1/2 hour mid week rule- it was really worth it though and I'll definitely be making these again! Hubby just wanted to drink the leftover sauce- was pretty yum!
The idea of poaching chicken in coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice is pretty transferable- would work nicely using a poached fillet on a bed of rice or green vegetables for example...

Coconut and Chilli chicken rice paper rolls
400 g can coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 small red chilli, chopped
2 small red chillis, seeded and finely sliced
2 chicken breast fillets
rice paper rounds
1 cup vietnamese mint (I have some in the garden- it is as mad as European mint and has virtually taken over the whole patch!)
1 green onion
2 cups bean sprouts
(+ I added vermicelli noodles- made the rolls easier to roll and made the rolls more filling, but not in Donna's original recipe)

Combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and chopped chilli in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, add the chicken and cover with a tight fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from the pan, reserving the coconut sauce.
Allow the chicken to cool slightly and then shred. Set aside.
Soften a rice paper round in warm water for 30 seconds. Place on a dry clean cloth. Top with mint, green onion, shredded chicken, bean sprouts and sliced chilli. Fold over each end and then roll to enclose the filling (the rice paper rolls I used had a really easy to follow diagram on them). Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Slice rice paper rolls in half and serve with coconut sauce.

Chicken and caramelised balsamic tomatoes

2008-02-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

This recipe came just at the right time in our lives- faced with a glut of cherry tomatoes in the back garden, this recipe makes sweet delicious use of them! Hubby had this one night after his running club- so was happy with something pretty light- maybe would want to add in something else on a normal night.
Definitely abides by the half hour rule for a mid-week meal and is an absolute breeze to throw together!

Serves 2
Chicken with caramelised balsamic tomatoes
2 chicken breast fillets
olive oil, for brushing
sea salt and cracked black pepper
250 g. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
basil leaves to serve
extra olive oil for drizzling

Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook chicken 4 - 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add tomatoes and the vinegar to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes are caramelised. To serve, slice the chicken, combine with the caramelised tomatoes, sprinkle with the basil and drizzle with olive oil.

Peanut beef with bok choy and beans

2008-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yum- sauce is really like a satay sauce and just spunks up the simple steaks. Fulfilled my half hour rule- so definitely a good mid-week starter! Satisifying enough for hubby's hunger (think peanuts help)

Serves 4
Peanut beef with bok choy and beans
4 sirloin steaks
vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 bunches bok choy, quartered and blanched
200g green beans, trimmed and blanched

Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Brush the steaks with vegetable oil and cook for 4 - 5 minutes on each side for medium, or until cooked to your liking. Set aside and keep warm. Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, peanut butter, coconut milk and soy sauce and cook for 1 minute or until warmed through. Slice the steaks, serve with the bok choy and beans and spoon over the peanut sauce.

Mint and Apple Lamb with crunchy salad- Donna Hay

2008-02-24T15:05:00.001-08:00

This literally took 20 minutes to prepare- so definitely a hit in terms of prep- a mid-week winner!
I really liked the taste and combination of textures- loved the fresh, crunchy salad and really liked the slightly sweet sauce for the lamb. Hubby was left a little dissatisfied by the salad I think- but good food for the health/ weight conscious. And for everyone else, maybe just do some mash on the side...
Mint and Apple Lamb with crunchy salad- Donna Hay
For 4
8 lamb cutlets
olive oil
1 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped mint leaves
sea salt and cracked pepper
150g snow peas- trimmed and blanched (we actually used raw)
1 bunch radishes, finely sliced
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely sliced

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Brush the lamb chops with oliive oil and cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium. Place the apple juice, mint, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Slowly add the apple mixture to the pan and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until slightly reduced.
Thinly slice the snow peas and place in a bowl with the radish and celery and toss to combine. Spoon over the apple and mint sauce and serve the crunchy salad with the lamb cutlets.

Big Food Week

2008-02-24T15:00:00.001-08:00

Well, its the end of a big food week- with lots of focus on what we're eating. The week of Donna Hay recipes every evening delivered some winners and the Indian Feast for the family was definitely a winner- though not something you'd want to do every day! This week our only goal is to eat all the meat in our freezer- so we're going to be improvising around those all week- starting off with a bolognese that I made last night (how much frozen mince can one freezer take!). But I'll comment on each of the last week's meals separately...

Smoky Grilled Pork with Barbecued Corn Salad

2008-02-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

I love to cook, but let's face it, during the week after work, I don't really have that much time. So I'm trying out some recipes that talk half an hour or less, are healthy and hopefully delicious. This week I've picked 5 recipes from the latest Donna Hay (feb/ March 2008) that are quick to test as potential mid-week favourites.
First cab of the rank was this smoky grilled pork. And yes it was quick, yes its healthy and it is truly delicious. I like the salad very much and this would make just a great salad on its own- the salad leftovers were delicious in my work lunchbox the next day!
Serves 4 (recommendation- halve the meat if cooking for 2 and use the leftover salad for lunches)

Ingredients
4 x 100g thin pork steaks (I used pork cutlets and worked out fine)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons oregano leaves (yum, fresh from the garden!)
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
4 corn cobs
4 tomatoes (our neighbours have given us fresh ones- delish!)
2 bunches of rocket
1/4 cup of red vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil for the salad

Place the pork, paprika, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Set aside.
Heat a large char-grill pan (or use the barbecue) over high heat. Char-grill or barbecue the corn for 10 - 12 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked. Allow to cool and strip the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.
Char-grill the pork until cooked through. Slice the pork into strips (or if using cutlets as I did, just set on top of the salad to serve)
Mix the corn, tomato and rocket. Combine the red wine vinegar and extra olive oil and spoon over to serve.

One other thought- the salad would be nice with some chilli in it if you like it a bit spicy. Also, you could as well boil the corn- may be easier.

Best-ever lasagne

2008-02-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

On cool nights, one of hubby's favourite meals is lasagne. So I am always on the search for the best-ever recipe for it. So of course when I saw in Neil Perry's new book "Good Food" a recipe for "Best-ever lasagne", I just had to try it.
My verdict- very yummy- though not quite best ever- deliciously tomatoey though. The bechamel didn't work- maybe because I used skim milk- so I made it with an alternative recipe (though have written down Neil's original instructions). Kids would definitely love it. And my father in law thought the next day leftovers were delicious- so smiles all round.
I used de cecco Lasagne which doesn't need to be precooked- was easy and yummy.
Didn't use as much mozzarella as he prescribes- just seemed over the top.
My fabulous Italian deli on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds minced the veal and pork on the spot for me from lovely lean cuts- so the meat was top class.
So give it a go...

Serves 6
Ingredients
9 lasagne sheets
500g fresh mozzarella- torn
100g freshly grated parmesan

meat sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion- finely chopped
6 garlic cloves - finely chopped
300g (10 1/2 ounces) pork mince
300g (10 1/2 ounces) veal mince
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
pinch of cster sugar
700ml (24 fl. oz.) tomato passata
400g (14 oz) tinned diced tomatoes
1 large handful basil leaves

bechamel sauce
50g ( 1 3/4 oz) unsalted butter
2 tbsp. plain flour
600ml (21 fl oz) milk
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Take a 23 x 29 x 7 cm lasagne dish.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (375 degrees F/ Gas 5)

For the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add both of the meats and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon for about 4 minutes, or until the meat loses its raw colour but has not browned. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then pour in the vinegar and stir occasionally till it has almost evaporated.
Add the sugar and passata and diced tomatoes and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until it reduces and has started to thicken slightly. Season. Stir through the basil leaves and set the sauce aside.
To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the flour to the butter and stir constantly over the heat, for 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the milk all at once, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps. Return the pan to the heat and continue to whisk constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
To asemble, spread one quarter of the meat sauce at the bottom of the lasagne dish. Place 3 of the lasagne sheets over the sauce. Spread another quarter of the sauce over the lasagne, followed by 1/3 of the mozarella. Continue to layer the lasagne sheets, sauce and mozarella two more times. Pour the bechamel over the final layer of mozzarella, then sprinkle evenly with the parmesan.
Cook the lasagne for 30 minutes, or until the cheese has browned and the sauce is bubbling. Remove the lasagne from the oven and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with a simple salad.
Enjoy!

Libertine North Melbourne

2008-02-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Libertine
500 Victoria StreetNorth Melbourne, VIC 3051Phone: +613 9329 5228info@libertinedining.com.au

Now good French restaurants are hard to come by and I have to say, our experience at Libertine was a bit hit and miss. Unfortunately for me, hubby had the hits and I dudded out with the misses.

But before we move on to food- the place itself. Pretty straighty-180 dining room style- elegant and nothing flashy or showy (a good thing). Service was very friendly, though of the two waiters serving, only one seemed genuinely enthusiastic and knowledgable about the food.
So the food...our overall opinion was that they had tried hard, with a bit of a pedestrian result.
Hubby started with a entree (I was saving up for desert) of Terrine du jour, mini brioche & relishes ($17.50)- as I recall it was goose. Very nice, delicate flavours.
For our main course, we had the duck a l'orange for two (sorry childhood memory of French restaurants means I just love this dish) and the duck was dry- one of the drumsticks was actually burnt and the sauce was a bit scant. Really disappointing- I'd so been looking forward to it. Poor hubby as it means he missed out on the pork belly he thought sounded more interesting.
But my most major disappointment was in the deserts...if a French place gets everything wrong, the desert should deliver redemption.
But not in my case- I had the Rhubarb millefeuille ($13.50) and it was quite bizarre- rhubarb was baked- so really dry and still with fibers a bit intact, and it wasn't a pastry but those little lattice biscuits. Dry dry dry. And served with lemon sorbet- found that odd as the tart of the rhubarb plus the tart of the sorbet just was not a good combination- would have preferred something creamier instead of the sorbet. But Cam's Souffle au chocolat ($13.50) was delicious- everything you would want- rich chocolate flavour but light as a feather.

And the wine list is great too. Just don't order the duck!

2008-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

Madame Brussels and Gingerboy

2008-01-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

How wonderful to combine these two delightful venues in one evening- and that's just what we did on Friday night- a steaming (37 degree!) Melbourne day, the outdoor terrace at Madame Brussels was perfect as the sun went down (ok it was nice in the air conditioned interior too- but no space!).
For those of you unfamiliar with Madame Brussels, it is on the 3rd Floor at 59-63 Bourke St, Melbourne (Phone 03 9662 2775). Inside, you are welcomed by a garden path leading through astro-turf to the bar- wait staff in attendance in tennis outfits and a groovy, sometimes eccentric crowd. The deck is less spiffy- however plenty of chairs and a good view out across the city compensate for that (we also love the free pink blankies in winter and the fans handed out in summer). A proliferation of pink drinks provide plenty of variety- from a simple rose to their spectacular punches (we had campari and gin...mmmm...) or cocktails- both served in jugs (how practical!). Also available are a good range of beers and other wines.
Food is available- splendid sandwiches or cupcakes complement the ambience- but there are more mainstream options like turkish dips and bread.
What I love is the vibe- we were there on a Friday night and the buzz is contagious- strongly recommended!!
Bar rating: 4 stars - love the individuality, the drinks, the friendly staff and the terrace ambience!

Hungry after a few drinks, we found it convenient to go across the street for a quick (and the service is very quick!) meal at Gingerboy. We were lucky to get one of the tables near the bar- which suited us fine- but if you want to sit down- you really need to book ahead!
Gingerboy has been open over a year now and still people are undecided- overrated and overpiced- or a great restaurant. Supposedly inspired by the hawkers of Malaysia and Thailand, the prices bear no relation to those humble providores- however the flavours are almost as good. It is definitely a pricy feed for two- if you want to come out feeling satisfied...but for the odd treat- I really think it's worth it.
I really like the ambience- kitchen half open to the bar- a thousand stars glittering above- though apparently some larger people have issues with the rather narrow perspex chairs.
We also like bar staff who not only have a great range of cocktails, but will mix up anything you want without rolling their eyes is a bonus.
So the food: starting with pork dumplings and deep fried chicken- the flavours were great- quite deep and intense (unlike the lighter flavours I prefer of lime, chili, coriander). The duck curry as main was also deep and intense in flavour- no lightness- but delicious if that's what you're after.
Desert? Yes a banan fritter with star anise ice cream- pretty simple stuff, but did not disappoint- absolutely delicious!!
Also highly recommended- if you're not too worried about what a dinner might cost.
I'm taking off half a star for the price- so only 3 stars from me.

Madame Brussels
Level 3, 59-63 Bourke St, Melbourne
Phone 03 9662 2775

Ginger Boy
27-29 Crossley Street, Melbourne
Phone 03 9662 4200