Cooking with Dee

Beef and Black Bean Chilli

2008-06-25T03:03:23Z

I have no idea what an authentic chilli is like, but I do know it is the subect of considerable debate among foodie types. This is my version, not the least bit authentic, but lovely flavours and not too much heat (you could up the chilli powder if you prefer, I have to take a 10 year old into account when I am cooking).

Serves 6 (or 4 big serves if you're really hungry)

1 cup dry black beans, soaked overnight and then cooked in water for about 40 minutes
300-400g lean beef mince
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin (get it in bulk from an Indian grocer, way cheaper and more flavour)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder*
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Fry onion in some olive oil until softened. Add garlic, mince, cumin and chilli powder and brown the mince, breaking up lumps as you go.

Once mince has browned, add tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, cooked black beans, thyme and oregano. Stir while bringing to the boil and simmer, covered, for about 60-90 minutes until it's rich and thick. If it doesn't thicken enough to your liking, try taking the lid off for the last 20 minutes or so.

Add kidney beans and heat through again. Serve with corn chips. Also good in tacos.

* I have gathered from watching a million American cooking shows that chilli powder in the US is something different to here. Ours is just ground chilli, and as a consequence, it's REALLY hot. I believe the American version is some kind of spice mix with cumin and other things already in it. I could be wrong, though.

Brownies, Chewy Anzac Biscuits, Anzac Slice, Sponge Cake

2008-04-27T06:09:30Z

Well, it's been a while. And now it's time for a multitude of recipes because I have been baking up a storm. The people I work with have been benefiting from it, since I don't like having all that stuff around the house. Just a wee piece for me. Maybe two...

First of all, the best brownies I have ever tasted. Now, brownies are like chilli (for which I also have a recipe and will be posting later) - everyone has their own version and everyone thinks their version is the best. Let me tell you, mine is the best (it's not mine, really - I got it from some magazine). When I took them to work, everyone went insane over them.

The recipe says that it makes 16, but I usually cut them into teeny pieces of 24, since they are so rich. I guess it's just a slab, you could cut as many or as few as you like.

200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
200g butter, chopped
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
180g good quality white chocolate, chopped (I use good quality choc bits - I can't be arsed cutting up two lots of chocolate, it wrecks my knives)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease and line a 3cm deep, 16.5cm x 26cm slab pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

2. Combine dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon until almost melted. Stir until smooth (you might need a whisk at this point).

3. Add cocoa and sugar to warm chocolate mixture. Stir until cocoa dissolves. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Add flours, stir until just combined. Fold in white chocolate and walnuts. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes* or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging. Cool completely in pan before cutting into pieces.

*My oven sucks and it usually takes about 45-50 mins. Keep an eye on it - you don't want it all over-cooked and hard.

It was Anzac Day last week. I told Ben that I was making Anzac biscuits and he replied, "That's unusually patriotic of you." It is true that I don't generally give a rat's about "Days", but it's a good excuse to do some baking so what the hell. Lots of people like crunchy Anzac bikkies, but I prefer mine chewy.

Biscuits

Makes about 24

1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 cup (90g) rolled oats
1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut
3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar
125g butter
2 tbs golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar.

Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart. Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.

Slice

Makes 20-ish

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
125g butter
2 tbs golden syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease an 18cm x 28cm slice pan. In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, coconut and sifted flours.

Heat butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan on low for 1-2 minutes, until butter is melted and mixture is well-combined.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add butter mixture and combine well. Press firmly into prepared pan using base of a glass. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Despite the fact that I cook a lot, and I'm pretty brave about trying new recipes, I had never made a sponge before, and I was well scared of them, I can tell you. But Lily wanted one for her birthday, so I bit the bullet and gave it a go. The first step was to find the right recipe, because I find a lot of sponges to be too "eggy". Also, I don't have two round cake tins the same size, so this making-two-and-sandwiching-them-together palaver was out the window. Finally I found just what I was looking for in that Australian cook's bible The Cook's Companion. Since I have not yet managed to convince Ben that spending $700 on a KitchenAid Mixer is a great idea, it was pretty time-consuming standing there doing the egg whites with a little handheld Sunbeam electric beater (probably took me close to 15 minutes), but it was worth it. This cake was lovely. Lil said it was better than her Grandma's (she may have been lying to spare my feelings), and Ben was impressed as well. It's very light and airy, and perfect for when you feel like something sweet but not heavy, or when you're out to impress visitors. The recipe here uses passionfruit filling or something, but I just filled it with jam and whipped cream and topped it with a dusting of sifted icing sugar. Simple but perfect.

(I am posting it verbatim in case I muck up and miss some vital thing.)

The recipe for this exquisitely airy cake was given to me by a friend who knew I was desperate to find the secret of the feather-light passionfruit sponge cake I could buy at seaside towns. She was sure she had the secret, and after making this recipe I think she might be right. It is absolutely essential to use a tin of the correct size. Do not be a disbeliever when you see the small amount of mixture that goes into the tin. I was, and had cake mix all over my oven. As it rises in such a spectacular manner I have given quantities for 1 cake only. So that there is a perfect balance between filling and cake I prefer to split and fill 1 cake rather than make 2. However, the recipe can easily be doubled if you prefer.

60g cornflour
2 teaspoons custard powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup castor sugar
firmly whipped cream

Preheat oven to 170C. Butter a 20cm x 5cm deep round cake tin and line it with baking paper. Sift dry ingredients, except sugar, twice. Beat egg whites and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and meringue-like.

Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Fold in dry ingredients gently but thoroughly.

Spoon mixture into tine and place in middle of oven. Bake for 18-20 mintues or until cake feels springy when touched lightly in centre. Remove and cool for a minute on a wire rack, away from draughts, then slip cake out of tin and peel off paper. Invert cake on a clean tea towel and cool completely, then split and sandwich with cream.

Passionfruit Icing

pulp of passionfruit
firmly whipped cream
pure icing sugar, sifted

To make the 'icing', mix passionfruit pulp with a small amount of cream. Sweeten to taste with icing sugar and spread over top of sponge.

Things on sticks.

2007-11-29T11:14:14Z

I don't know about you, but when the sun starts beating down, it's time to get the barbecue out and start eating things on sticks. What is it about being on a stick that makes things taste better (not everything, though, don't let the health gurus fool you - tofu and pineapple on sticks still just tastes like tofu and pineapple)? And what could be easier? Chop up some kind of meat, soak it in some mixed-up stuff, chuck it on the grill for a few minutes and then scoff. Perfect!

All of these serve 4-6 people, depending on how big your appetite is and what you're serving it with.

Lamb Souvlaki

1 kg lean, boneless lamb (I use backstraps), cut into cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
juice and zest of 2 good size lemons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and oregano. Add lamb, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least several hours, stirring every hour or two to make sure it's all mixed through.

Thread onto skewers and grill on the barbecue until done to your liking. Rest for a few minutes and then serve with tzatziki made from a cup of plain yoghurt, one seeded and finely chopped Lebanese cucumber, and one crushed clove of garlic. We usually do a sort of Greek salad to go with it - mixed salad leaves, sliced Lebanese cucumber, sliced olives (you're supposed to use black but I hate them, so I use lemon and pepper flavoured ones that I buy every week at the market), finely sliced red onion or red shallots, and some crumbled feta cheese. Mix up a vinaigrette with some extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, a crushed clove of garlic and a tablespoon or so of finely chopped oregano and throw it over the salad. Beautiful. Don't breathe on anyone, though.

Citrus Chicken

1 kg chicken breast fillets cut into cubes, or tenderloins
2/3 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup orange juice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small red or green chilli, seeded and finely chopped (green ones are usually milder)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix together lemon juice, orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, chilli and olive oil. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge at least several hours (or overnight), stirring occasionally.

Thread chicken onto skewers and grill on the barbecue until cooked to your liking. Rest for a few minutes and then serve with a salad.

Herbed Chicken Kebabs

1 kg chicken breast fillets cut into cubes, or tenderloins
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh marjoram
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (Masterfoods does one)
2 tablespoons chicken stock

Thread the chicken onto skewers. Combine chives, oregano, marjoram, garlic, seasoning and stock in a shallow dish, add chicken. Cover, refrigerate at least three hours. Grill on the barbecue until cooked to your liking. Rest for a few minutes and serve with a rice or potato salad.

I got this last one from petalmcmako and it's one of our favourites. Even Lily loves it, though I did have to halve the amount of pepper (the recipe says 1 tsp, I use 1/2) to make it easier for her to eat.

Sweet Chilli and Black Pepper Chicken

1 kg chicken breast, cut into cubes, or chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Marinate chicken for several hours in the mixture of chilli sauce, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and pepper, covered and refrigerated. Thread onto skewers and cook on the barbecue to your liking. Rest and serve with a green salad and probably some beer, since it has quite a kick to it.

Oaty Choc-Chip Cookies

2007-05-20T07:16:05Z

This is a recipe from delicious magazine. We've been baking a lot lately, both because it's more fun for Lily to learn to cook making things she actually enjoys eating, and she needs lunchbox snacks anyway. These are really yum, though I did have to use almonds because I couldn't find roasted hazelnuts (what kind of nut shop doesn't have hazelnuts?).

125g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups (110g) rolled oats
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150g roasted hazelnuts, peeled and chopped

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

Using an electric beater, beat butter, sugars and vanilla until pale and thick. Beat in egg until just combined. Using a wooden spoon, fold in oats.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda and 1/2 tsp salt over the mixture, then fold in. When almost incorporated, fold in the chocolate and hazelnuts. Using an icecream scoop, scoop balls of dough (about 1 heaped tablespoon) onto the prepared tray 4cm apart. Flatten slightly, then bake for about 10 minutes until golden. The cookies will feel soft, but will crisp as they cool.

*I forgot to put the salt in, but it doesn't seem to have damaged them any - they're pretty damn good.

Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake

2007-05-18T11:17:12Z

I saw this on Huey's Cooking Adventures yesterday and I was curious to try it. Apparently it's from Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking. It's very rich, but really good. I cheated a bit and used cheapo Cadbury Bournville Cocoa and normal caster sugar, as my local supermarket didn't have either Dutch cocoa or golden caster sugar and I couldn't be bothered trekking around to find them.

250g unsalted butter
300ml Coca Cola
250g self-raising flour
6 heaped tablespoons Dutch cocoa
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
280g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
100ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
extra melted butter for greasing pan
400g icing sugar (I actually used 300g, and it was fine and made way too much icing)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees (celsius). Slowly melt 200g butter and 250ml Coca Cola in a saucepan over low heat.

Sift flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, and bicarb into a bowl. Add golden caster sugar and stir until well combined.

Combine eggs, milk and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add to the dry ingredients little by little, alternating with the Coke and butter mixture and stirring between each addition.

Brush a springform pan with melted butter and pour in the cake mixture. Cook in the oven for about 40 mins on the middle shelf, or until a skewer comes out clean. Put on a rack for 10 mins. Remove the sides and allow to cool on the base.

To make the icing, slowly melt remaining butter, cocoa and Coca Cola in a saucepan, then mix with the icing sugar until well combined. Pour the icing over the cake and smooth the top.

P.S. You can't taste the Coke at all.

A different carrot and lentil soup.

2007-04-22T03:52:00Z

This spicy carrot and lentil soup has been on regular rotation in our house since the first time I made it, and everyone else I've made it for has loved it as well. But I have found a new one which is also rather nice. We had this for lunch today with a warmed wholemeal pita bread, and I'll definitely be having it again. Soon. Maybe later this afternoon. Maybe now. It's from David Herbert, who writes a food column in The Age Weekend Magazine.

THE PERFECT SPICED RED LENTIL SOUP

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and a knob of butter in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add 1 peeled and chopped brown onion and 500g chopped carrots and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Add 2 cloves of peeled, crushed garlic and cook for an extra minute. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon chilli powder and cook for a further minute. Add 125g red lentils.

Pour in 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer, partially covered, for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Cool a little, then puree soup in batches in a blender or with a hand-held liquidizer until smooth.

Return to the pan, season to taste, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Gently reheat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander (if you like it) before serving.

Serves 4.

Warm Potato Salad with Dill, Capers and Mustard

2007-04-09T06:40:13Z

This was a favourite of the Lilster's this weekend, so much so that she asked for it to go into the regular rotation. It has a lovely, tangy dressing, and it's a nice change from the more traditional creamy potato salads. I think it's one of Karen Martini's.

8 desiree potatoes
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3 eschalots, peeled and finely sliced
3 tablespoons baby capers, drained
2 sprigs dill, chopped
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cut unpeeled potatoes into 2cm thick slices. Boil or steam until tender (I have taken to steaming potatoes lately - I find boiled ones can get gluggy). Drain well. Combine oil, mustards, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, and eschalots in a bowl, then stir through potatoes. Add capers, dill and parsley and toss gently to combine. Serve warm.

Hot Cross Buns

2007-04-09T06:32:56Z

We made these on Friday to warm up for breakfast on Saturday morning. The recipe says to use currants, but I didn't have any so I used sultanas instead. I didn't bother with the crosses or the sticky glaze either. They were delicious even so.

4 cups (600g) plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
60g butter, softened
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
1/2 cup (80g) currants (or sultanas)
1/2 cup (125ml) warm water
1 cup (250ml) lukewarm milk, plus extra to glaze
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup (50g) self raising flour

Sticky Glaze

2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon gelatin

1. Sift plain flour, mixed spice, and 1 teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Rub in butter using fingertips, just until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, yeast and sultanas or currants.

2. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients. Stir in warm water, milk and egg, gradually incorporating flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a lightly flourd surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Shape gently into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Turn over once so top of dough is greased.

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Set aside to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until doubled in size. (I turned the oven on and left it sitting on the open door.)

4. Lightly grease a baking tray. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat out to 3cm thick. Cut into 14 pieces and gently shape each into a ball, keeping the top smooth as you shape. Place on prepared tray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes, until doubled again.

5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, or 180 degrees if fan-forced. Brush buns with a little extra milk or a beaten egg. Combine self-raising flour and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Spoon into a plastic bag, snip corner off and pipe crosses onto buns.

6. Bake buns for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Meanwhile, to make Sticky Glaze, stir together warm water, sugar and gelatin, until sugar dissolves. Brush hot buns with glaze and stand near open, turned-off oven for a few minutes, until glaze dries. Serve warm or toasted.

Garlic and Parmesan Bread

2006-12-26T05:09:50Z

So easy, but it's the best garlic bread you'll have in your life. Be warned - as tempting as it is, don't try to scoff too much of it. It's very rich and you'll feel very ill.

It's from a Donna Hay magazine, and all you do is get a nice crusty loaf of bread - a sourdough, panna di casa, ciabatta, etc., and cut it into slices about 1cm thick.

Melt 125g butter in a saucepan with 2 or 3 crushed garlic cloves and season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan and a tablespoon or two of finely chopped fresh basil. The cheese will melt a bit and go gluggy, but that's okay. Paint each slice with the mixture on both sides - don't be stingy! - and form it back into a loaf on a big piece of foil. Wrap it all up tightly in the foil and then bake in a pre-heated hot oven (about 200 degrees) for 25-30 mins. I usually open the foil up for the last 5 minutes to crisp it up a bit.

Fudge Cookies and Chocolate Crackle-Top Biscuits

2006-12-19T10:20:26Z

The Lilster decided to make biscuits (that's cookies for you foreigners) to give as gifts to her family this year. It was a lot more expensive and time-consuming than I had anticipated, but she really went all out, with hand-painted containers, little cellophane bags, and a selection of biscuits. I'm sure the oldies will love it.

These two recipes which came from this fab new website were our two favourites, particularly the fudge cookies, which are TO. DIE. FOR. I am considering making some more for when yagyob comes to visit this weekend - I'll have to see if I can summon up the energy. objet_a ate all the others. :-(

Fudge Cookies

125g butter, chopped
200g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons self-raising flour
100g white chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until melted and smooth. Stir cocoa into warm mixture. Cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in eggs and sugar. Sift flours over mixture. Stir to combine. Fold in white chocolate and coconut. Roll heaped tablespoonfuls into balls. Place on trays, allowing room to spread.

Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are a little cracked. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: Consistency can vary due to the cocoa content of the chocolate used (the higher the content, the softer the dough). You might need to refrigerate mixture in step 3 before you can roll into balls.

Chocolate Crackle-Top Biscuits

50g butter, chopped
100g good quality dark chocolate
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2/3 cup pure icing sugar

Place butter and 50g chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until melted and smooth.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg and brown sugar in a small bowl on high speed until thick. Stir in chocolate mixture.

Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Mix well.

Chop remaining chocolate into small pieces. Stir into dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Roll in icing sugar to coat. Place biscuits on trays, allowing room to spread.

Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until firm. Stand on trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve.

Not Really Butter Chicken

2006-11-12T03:18:53Z

This is a recipe from one of the Symply Too Good To Be True books. The author calls it butter chicken, but it's not. For a start, there's no butter in it. It's just a generic low-fat chicken curry, but it's rather nice, and a popular dish in our house. Her version has her ubiquitous jars of garlic and ginger (shudder), so I've tinkered with it slightly. I also like to add some vegetables - finely sliced capsicum or whole baby beans at the start after softening the onion. I also usually put some peas in with the rice as well just to up the veggie content a wee bit more.

800g skinless chicken breasts
cooking spray (I usually use a tablespoon of oil - it just cooks better and chicken tends to stick to pans with spray)
1 medium onion, diced (I generally cut it in half and slice it finely - I like the large pieces)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small knob (heh, she said knob!) of ginger, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp chilli powder (more if you like it spicy)
2 tsp chicken stock powder
4 tbs tomato paste
3 tsp cornflour
1 x 375 ml can evaporated light milk

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Coat a large non-stick frypan with cooking spray (or use some cooking oil), heat and add onion, cooking until it softens a little. (If you're adding extra vegetables add them here with the chicken.) Add garlic, ginger and chicken pieces and cook, stirring, until chicken is almost cooked through.

Add all the spices and the stock powder. Stir well and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir through well. Though the original recipe doesn't do it, I like to add about 1/3 cup of water here and let it stew for a couple of minutes, just to make sure the chicken really is cooked.

Blend cornflour with milk and add to pan, stirring continuously until boiled and sauce has thickened. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 6 (apparently, though we usually get 4 big serves out of it).

Mince and Pea Curry

2006-09-24T00:36:03Z

This is almost not even a recipe - it's so basic - but really good when you want something healthy and filling and you can't be bothered arsing about too much. It takes about 15 minutes - put your rice on and by the time that's ready, you're done.

You could probably put lots of other vegetables in it too - carrots would be good, finely chopped and added with the onion. I think finely shredded cabbage would be nice too. I might try that next time.

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons madras curry paste (I used Patak's, which has quite a kick to it, so if you're cooking for kids or you don't like things too spicy, I'd use 1 tablespoon instead of 2)
600g lean mince beef
400g can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.

2. Add beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Add undrained tomatoes and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in peas and cook for 1 minute or until peas are cooked through.

Serve with basmati rice. Serves 4.

EDIT: I made it again tonight using only a tablespoon of curry paste and it was still pretty spicy - too much for the Lilster, even though she liked the taste. If heat isn't your thing, I'd recommend a milder curry paste. I shall try that myself next time and report back.

Kheema Matar (not mine) and Lemon Parmesan Dressing

2006-09-18T22:28:55Z

Firstly, I must plug a recipe for Kheema Matar, posted some time back in cooking. We have it every couple of weeks, and it's a definite favourite of the household. When Lily's eating as well, I don't put any chillis in at all - just a pinch (about 1/4 tsp) of cayenne, which adds plenty of heat for her little taste buds. It is quite spicy, so if you're not big on heat, I'd definitely recommend it that way. We have it with basmati rice and usually use minced beef rather than lamb.

Last weekend I made a Caesar Salad, and decided to try a dressing from my current favourite cooking person, Chef At Home. I think in hindsight I would only use one lemon rather than two - though it is supposed to be a lemony dressing, in a Caesar there are a lot of other strong flavours that need to come through as well. That's my only quibble though, other than that it was lovely. You could use it on any salad really, but not while you're dieting!

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 2 lemons (I'd use one if making it again)
a few dashes of worcestershire sauce
a heaping teaspoonful of Dijon mustard
half a cup or so of good, strong, freshly-grated parmesan
a few cloves of chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Whiz everything up in a blender or a food processor.

Even if you don't like them (and I don't), a few anchovies adds a really good kick. You can't taste the fish - just the nice saltiness. I think I used about four small ones. The other thing I added - as recommended by the chef - was a spoonful of bacon fat. I just drained off the fat when I cooked the bacon for the salad.

With regards to the garlic, the chef also recommended rather than using raw cloves, roasting an entire head and then squeezing it into the other ingredients once it had cooled enough to handle. The flavour was great, and if you have the time and the inclination, it is well worth arsing about with. You have to pick all the skins out, though.

This is a dressing best made a couple of hours ahead. When I first made it, it was nice but unspectacular. After two hours in the fridge, it was magic.

Sticky Baked Sausages

2006-07-24T08:47:26Z

This is the greatest comfort food ever. We don't have them often, but when we do it's a damn-the-health-food day and we go all out with creamy mashed potatoes or thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream. The good thing is you can use those low-fat sausages that taste awful if you barbecue them, because they're smothered in sauce anyway. But even then, this is not a meal for the diet-conscious.

There isn't really a recipe as such. The base of the sauce is tomato sauce and barbecue sauce - a good load of each. Ohhhh, let's say 1/3 cup of each for argument's sake. Then you just add whatever other meat-suitable sauces you have in the house. I usually throw in a good dollop or HP, steak sauce, mild chilli sauce and a good splash of Worcestershire. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar and mix it well.

Lay the sausages in a baking dish, and with a sharp knife split the skins down the centre. This allows the sauce to seep in and really flavour them. Spread the sauce all over, making sure they're well-covered. Don't skimp.

Bake at 190c for about an hour. Serve with above-mentioned potatoes, and maybe some green beans or peas.

NOTE: I highly recommend using a disposable baking container for this recipe (sadly, I never remember to). The sauce does tend to bake on and it's a bastard to clean.

Porcupine Casserole

2006-06-14T11:20:55Z

I could have sworn I had posted this one already, but apparently I haven't. We had it tonight and I have to say, it's great comfort food. The original recipe is nice, but a tad bland, so I have tweaked it a bit. We usually have it with rice, but it's also nice with pasta or mashed potato or some steamed green vegetables.

Serves 4

Sauce

1 can tomato soup
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed (I use 2 - you can never have too much garlic!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (yes, it has to be dried - the fresh stuff doesn't work here)
1 or 2 teaspoons beef stock powder (I have a high tolerance for salt, so I use 2)
1 cup of water

Meatballs
500g lean beef mince
1/3 cup basmati rice
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon beef stock powder
1 egg

Preheat oven to 190c.

To make the meatballs, get some gloves on and squoosh all that stuff together. You should get about 12 meatballs out of it. The original recipe doesn't, but I like to brown them for a couple of minutes in a frypan before I put them in the casserole dish. It just adds a bit more flavour.

To make the sauce, saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes in a frypan until onion softens - I do this just to take away that "raw" flavour, but if you're lazy you can skip it. Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour over the meatballs in the casserole dish. Cover and cook for an hour, stirring once half-way through.

Chocolate Chip Biscuits

2006-06-13T11:20:29Z

I had some cooking chocolate pieces in a container taking up space in my teeny tiny freezer, so I suggested to Lily that we make some chocolate chip biscuits. She was all for it, of course.

This recipe is from my current favourite book, The Cook's Companion. They were delicious.

I am never making them again.

125g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
120g roasted nuts (I used a mix of walnuts and pecans), chopped
170g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
110g softened unsalted butter
1/3 cup castor sugar
1/3 cup raw or brown sugar
1 egg

Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Add nuts and chocolate. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add egg, then fold in chocolate and flour mixture.

Form into 2 logs about 4cm in diameter and wrap tightly in cling wrap. Chill for 1 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 175c and line a baking tray with baking paper. Unwrap logs and cut into 1.5cm thick slices. Place on baking tray, allowing room for spreading, and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Uncooked mixture can be frozen for up to a month once rolled. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing to bake.

Baked Rice Pudding

2006-06-10T23:57:38Z

I discovered in conversation with Lily the other day that she has never had rice pudding, and since I've never made one, I decided to give it a go. My main problem was finding a basic recipe - all of my recipe books had arty-farty versions and I just wanted a really simple one. Something I could mix up, throw in the oven, and forget about until it was cooked. None of this bloody water-bath crap and stirring in a figure-8 halfway through. petalmcmako sent me the Margaret Fulton one, which was 4 tablespoons of rice to 3.5 cups of milk. That seemed a weird ratio to me - I was after pudding, not milky soup with rice. I went to the library and found one of those daggy old lady recipe books that had one with a similar ratio, so I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a go. If it doesn't work, I've wasted about $2 worth of rice and milk.

It was GORGEOUS. No amount of cajoling could tempt Ben to have any - he seems to have some strange aversion to baked rice, so Lily and I ate the whole lot (it didn't make a huge amount, but definitely more than 2 serves...lol) and WE ENJOYED EVERY BITE OF IT.

50g short grain rice
600ml full-fat milk
25g granulated sugar
freshly grated nutmeg
a knob of butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the rice in a flameproof dish (I don't have one so I just did this bit in a saucepan and then poured it into a casserole dish before adding the nutmeg and butter), and stir in the milk, sugar and vanilla. Bring to the boil, stirring.

Dust with nutmeg and dot with butter. Transfer to a preheated 150c oven and cook for 2 hours or until tender, creamy and golden brown on top.

NOTE: Don't be tempted to use reduced-fat milk. You need the full-fat to help it set.

Thai Chicken Sausage Rolls

2006-06-10T10:02:50Z

Two posts! So, guess what I've been doing all afternoon...

I made these today for a baby shower tomorrow. They're great made the day before - you just whack them in the oven at 180c for about 10 minutes to reheat them. Now we just have to get through the night without scoffing them all.

Makes 24

200g chicken breast fillet, roughly chopped
150g mild pancetta, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 spring onions, chopped
2 tbs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1-2 bird's eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped (I usually only use one)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 egg
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk
2 tbs sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 180c. Put the chicken, pancetta, garlic, spring onion, coriander leaves, fish sauce, chilli, whole egg and ginger in a food process and blend until combined.

Cut pastry in half and spread mixture evenly down lengths of the halves. Brush the edge with a litte water and fold over, pressing down a little to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into six even pieces. Brush the tops with a little beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Kashmiri Butter Chicken

2006-06-10T09:37:54Z

I made Kashmiri Butter Chicken for dinner tonight, from a recipe I cut out of a magazine a few weeks ago. It's not difficult, but pretty fiddly. However, it was worth it - the taste was divine, and everyone wolfed it down.

Serves 4

1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5 cm piece of ginger, grated, plus 5 cm piece of ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional - I didn't put it in since I was feeding a kid with it)
2 tsp paprika
2 tbs sunflower or canola oil
1.5kg whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (I actually used about 800g chicken breast, cut into about four or five pieces each, because I don't like chicken on the bone)
40g unsalted butter
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs raw sugar
1 tsp salt
150 ml thickened cream
1/4 cup coriander leaves, to serve

Kashmiri garam masala

1 and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
3/4 tsp cardamom seeds (not pods)
1/4 tsp nigella seeds (also called kolonji or black onion seeds)
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 cm piece of cinnamon quill
4 cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the garam masala, heat a heavy-based frypan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add all the spices except the nutmeg. Shake spices around in the pan for a few seconds until they darken slightly and become aromatic. Tip into a spice grinder or a mortar and grind to a fine powder. Stir in the nutmeg. (Any leftover garam masala will keep, sealed in a small glass jar, for up to 2 months.)

Place the onion, garlic, grated ginger, lemon juice, chilli powder (if using), and paprika in a food processor with 1 teaspoon of the garam masala and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Blend to form a paste, adding a tablespoon or two of water if necessary.

Heat remaining oil in a large, deep frypan or flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, in batches if necessary, and fry until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add butter and spice paste to pan and fry over low heat for 3-4 minutes until paste starts to separate from oil.

Place tomato paste in a bowl and mix with sugar, salt and 1 cup of water. Add to pan, stir and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir finely sliced ginger and cream into sauce and return chicken to the pan, turning pieces to coat in sauce. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Uncover and add 1 extra teaspoon of garam masala, stirring to blend. Sprinkle butter chicken with coriander leaves and serve with naan bread and basmati rice.

Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup

2006-06-08T08:46:18Z

Apologies to those who are over the soup posts, but I'm making a different one each night at the moment to narrow down some favourites, and I keep getting impressed by how good some of these are!

I was really iffy about this one. It has milk in it, which I generally dislike in soups, it smelled weird while I was making it, and there was SO much carrot in it I thought that would completely dominate. But it was a pleasant surprise to find that it is lovely. It tastes a little like a dhal.

Serves 4

2 teaspoons cumin seeds
pinch dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
600g carrots, washed, peeled and coarsely grated
140g split red lentils
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
125ml milk

Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for about 30 seconds or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas (they kind of smell burnt, so don't panic). Scoop out about half the seeds with a spoon and set aside.

Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils have swollen and softened.

Allow to cool enough to blend, reheat gently and season to taste. Serve with a small dollop of plain yoghurt and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted spices.

Zucchini and Potato Soup

2006-06-07T10:49:19Z

This is another one from The Cook's Companion, and it's almost not a recipe at all. So basic, but really nice. Even Lily likes this one.

Chop one zucchini and one potato per person (I used medium-sized of both). Put in a saucepan and add one cup of chicken stock per person. Bring to the boil and simmer until potato tender - about 15-20 minutes. Cool long enough to blend, reheat gently and season with salt and pepper. Done.

Curried Parsnip Soup and Corn, Cheese and Bacon Muffins

2006-06-06T08:15:02Z

We just had some soup that I made from The Cook's Companion. Stephanie Alexander uses curry paste, but I didn't have any, so I used a teaspoon of curry powder instead. The good one you get at Asian shops, not that turmeric-based supermarket stuff. It was rather delicious!

Curried Parsnip Soup

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
20g clarified butter (if using normal butter, add a wee bit of olive oil to enable higher heat without burning)
2 or 3 curry leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon good quality Indian curry paste (or powder, as I used)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly chopped coriander leaves

Melt the butter and sweat the parsnip, onion, mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves and curry paste/powder in a saucepan on a medium heat for five minutes (watch it doesn't catch and burn).

Add water to cover and simmer until parsnip is quite tender, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool enough to process in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and gently reheat. Serve sprinkled with coriander leaves.

***************

This is one of the recipes from Lily's Women's Weekly Kids Cooking. She hasn't been eating much lately since she's been unwell, and I thought freezing some savoury muffins might be a good idea for her breakfasts - they can just be zapped in the microwave. Now I just have to keep Ben away from them.

Corn, Cheese and Bacon Muffins

1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup milk
3 bacon rashers, rind removed and finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 cups SR flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
310g can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
125g can creamed corn
100g butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten lightly
50g piece of cheddar or tasty cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated cheddar or tasty cheese

Preheat oven to moderately hot. Oil 12 hole 1/3 cup muffin pan. Mix polenta and milk in a small bowl, cover; stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon, stirring, in heated small non-stick fry pan for 2 minutes. Add onion to pan, cook, stirring for another 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat, cool bacon mixture for about 5 minutes.

Sift flour and sugar into a large bowl. Stir in corn kernels, creamed corn, and bacon mixture. Add melted butter, eggs and polenta mixture. Mix muffin batter only until just combined. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the batter into each hole of prepared muffin pan. Cut 50g piece of cheese into 12 equal pieces; place 1 piece in the centre of each muffin pan hole. Divide remaining batter among muffin pan holes; sprinkly grated cheese over each.

Bake uncovered in moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes or until muffins are well-risen. Turn muffins onto wire rack. Serve warm.

Pies! Healthy pies!

2006-05-12T09:43:33Z

I saw this in a Weight Watchers magazine a few weeks ago, and gave it a go today after the kid decided she wanted me to make a pie. Basically, you just spoon your favourite home-made bolognaise sauce into a 1-cup ramekin (make sure the sauce is hot, you won't be able to leave it in the oven too long or the pastry will burn). Then you get 4 half sheets of pastry for each ramekin, spray some olive oil between each sheet, stack them on top of each other and scrunch them up and put them on top of the sauce in the ramekins, making sure you cover the top completely. Bake in a pre-heated 180c oven for about 15 minutes, and serve with vegetables or salad. Yum!

Apologies for the crappy quality - I'd never post these in cooking or I'd get snarked quick-smart!

500g very lean beef mince
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, or as much as you like
1/2 tsp minced chilli or one finely chopped fresh chilli (optional, but if you use it, remove seeds and membranes so the heat doesn't overpower it. You just want it to have a kick)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
1 250g packet frozen spinach, thawed (you could use fresh of course, but I'm too lazy)
1 grated carrot
1 grated zucchini

Brown the mince in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and remove from pan. Spray the bottom with some olive oil spray and throw in the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens. Add the garlic and chilli and stir for a minute or so, taking care it doesn't burn. Add meat back to the pot, then add tomatoes, stock, spinach, carrot and zucchini. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce to very low heat and allow to simmer for about 30 - 45 minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: You may need to add a little extra stock if it starts to dry out, but if you're doing it for the pies, you would want it pretty thick.

Note2: If you like, replace some of the stock with red wine, which adds a nice rich flavour.

Note3: If it were up to me, I'd throw some finely chopped mushrooms in as well, but unfortunately, the other household members won't eat them.

We made three pies, and had about half the bolognaise sauce leftover. Just freeze whatever's left for spaghetti.

Lentil Vegetable Pasta Bake

2006-05-07T04:34:04Z

I was just going to make a basic vegetable sauce to have with pasta for lunch, but since I am always on the lookout for ways to use up the ton of lentils I currently have in the house, I had an idea for incorporating those as well. It turned out really nice - the lentils give it a strange but not unpleasant texture, and if you don't go crazy with the cheese you could still pass it off as pretty healthy.

First I chopped up a brown onion fairly finely, and sauteed that in a bit of olive oil with a finely chopped red chilli and 2 crushed cloves of garlic. Then I added one each of a finely chopped green capsicum and zucchini and cooked that for a few minutes.

Next I threw in some red wine - I didn't measure, but it was probably a bit over half a cup, a can of chopped tomatoes, a cup of beef stock and half a cup of red lentils. I brought that to the boil and then reduced to a simmer for a little over 20 minutes, stirring frequently. I added a dash of water at one point as it seemed to be reducing before the lentils were cooked properly - maybe 1/4 cup or so.

While that was doing its thing I cooked about 200g dry pasta spirals, then when the tomato/lentil mixture was cooked I mixed the two together, let it all cool for about five minutes, then stirred in a big handful of reduced-fat grated tasty cheese. I poured it all into a baking dish and sprinkled the top with a bit more tasty cheese mixed with a small handful of grated parmesan.

Into a pre-heated moderate oven for about 25 minutes and done!

Serves 4.

Pasta, Corn and Capsicum Bake (low fat)

2006-04-27T10:01:01Z

Since this is a normally a work day for me I'd planned on a basic pasta-and-jar-of-sauce combo slathered in parmesan tonight. But staying home sick left me bored and with a lot of time on my hands so I perused all of my "yet to try" recipes to see what I had ingredients for in the house, and found this one.

We had it with home-made potato wedges (oh, eliper, I am SO in love with the egg-white thing!) and it was lovely. I'm going to try the leftovers cold for lunch tomorrow.

Serves 4

1 cup dried macaroni
4-6 spring onions, depending on thickness, finely sliced
310g can corn kernels, drained
1 red capsicum, seeded and finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup fat-reduced evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed grated fat-reduced tasty cheese (I probably used closer to a cup, I loves my cheese!)
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 190c. Lightly spray a 5-6 cup baking dish with olive oil spray.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water as directed on packet. Drain and leave aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs and evaporated milk, stir in onion, tasty cheese, corn and capsicum. Add pasta and mix well. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until set and golden.