Sicillian Caponata (stew)

1 large eggplant diced
3 celery stalks with leaves diced
1 red onion diced up
10 capers (bottled ones drained)
1 tablespoon of sugar
20 green olives sliced
boiling water (a cup on hand for adding while cooking)
50g (2 tablespoons) of concentrate tomato paste



Place celery and onion in a boiling pot of salted water and blanch for five minutes. Drain and then place in a large frypan with olive oil with the diced eggplant.  Heat on medium heat stirring with wooden spoon.  Add capers, olives, sugar and tomato paste.  Add a little boiling water as you cook to make the mix moist.  Stir well cover and cook for around 25 minutes or so removing lid towards the end of the cooking.

Season with salt and pepper and serve either cold as an antipasto or warm with red meat, chicken or pasta as a sauce (i used this as a sauce for spaghetti)

Baked Potato

Potato washed and cut halfway down diagonally
Little water to steam in microwave for however long your microwave cooks potatoes with lid on ( i used a glass pyrex dish with a lid)

When ready place in a bowl with foil underneath and add your toppings.

Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese grated
Lurpak butter
Spring onions (not dark part) diced up
Tomato with basil leaves (fresh) chopped up
Sour cream with chives
grated carrot
Steamed broccoli
a little egg beaten

Then place the potato with the foil into the oven on a tray and leave the foil open a little and cook for around 10 minutes on 180 degrees celcius.

Delicious meal which the kids will love !

Potato and leek soup

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

1 white part of leek cut finely
3 medium potatoes peeled and diced finely
1/4 white onion finely chopped
1 stalk of celery cut finely
1 small clove of garlic diced finely
2-3 large cups of chicken stock
cream to serve
chives chopped finely to serve
approx 50 g butter

Place butter into large saucepan and add the onion, leek, celery and garlic.  Heat on low heat for around 15 minutes stirring with wooden spoon. Make sure not to brown.  Then add the potatoes and the stock and bring to boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cover for around 20 minutes.   Let it cool a little to blend with a hand blender or a food processor and return to saucepan.

Bring the heat up again and stir in the cream.  Alternatively you can add a swirl of cream when serving.

Top with fresh chopped chives from the garden.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Can be served hot or chilled.

Amazing!

Red lentil, celery and taleggio soup

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves 4 - 6

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 cup of red lentils
2 litres boiled water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 stalks of celery cut finely
3 carrots peeled and chopped
60g taleggio cheese cut into small squares (approx 6 squares per bowl)
1/3 cup of fresh chives chopped fine

Heat oil in saucepan and place onion into pan.  Cook slightly but do not brown.  Then add lentils with boiled water and vegetable stock cube.   Add the celery and carrot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for around an hour.

Turn heat off and use a hand blender or any mixer to blend soup to a puree.

Then heat up again but not until boiling point.  Place a large soup ladle into the soup and place into individual bowls.  Then add the cheese and chives into the centre of each bowl.

Thanks to my local deli cleos  for great advice on the type of cheese to use. Normally a blue cheese is used with lentil soups but this was a great choice as it was not stringy it was smooth and a little salty but perfect!

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Amazing!

Note:  as an alternative for kids i made pasta chicken noodle soup with fresh chicken stock and ladled one ladle of this lentil soup into their chicken soup so they could at least get a little extra flavour!

Gherkin and radish salad

Easy gherkin and radish salad is some cos lettuce base, radish thin sliced, sweet gherkins thin lengthway sliced, sprouts and cherry tomatoes!and add a little olive oil and salt if preferred then eat! Enjoy :)

Red Lentil and Vegetable soup (easy)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes with preparation
Serves approx 2 large bowls or four small

1/2 cup red lentils
4 - 5 cups of boiling water (small saucepan just below the top)
2 massell chicken stock cubes
1 carrot diced
1 celery stick diced
A few tiny florets of broccoli
Handful of diced pumpkin
1 small sprinkle of chopped chives
1 small sprinkle of cumin spice
1 teaspoon of butter (lurpak)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of grana padano


Place all in your saucepan and boil for around 20 minutes and taste to test salt and pepper additions.


Top with grana padano cheese.

Serve with crusty bread or some corn thins with butter

Vegetable soup

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour - 2 hours simmering

Classic home made with lots of flavour! Kids loved this one


2 garlic cloves crushed slightly
olive oil
6 rounds of white end of leek chopped
500ml quality vegetable stock and 200ml water
1 potatoes peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1/4 pumpkin peeled and diced
1 zuccini diced
2 sticks celery diced
1 small amount of chilli for taste (fresh preferred around 2 little chopped pieces)
shake of oregano
1 tablespoon of quality butter (lurpak type)


Place the leek,garlic and oil in large soup pot and cook slightly then add the stock and water.  Add all the vegetables and herbs etc.  Keep water covering all the ingredients.  Cook low heat simmering for approx 1 1/2 to 2 hours .  Cool slightly and use a hand blender if you have one to break the soup down slightly so it has a little fine bit of fine vegetable as well if you like.

Can be served next day and will actually taste even better.  Enjoy with crusty bread or even some sausages to accompany it.

Vegetable Korma

Serves: 4 approx

you can omit whatever ingredients you do not like (example my friend dislikes garlic,onion so he has his own in separate casserole dish)

1 clove of garlic whole
1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
1 large tablespoon of korma paste
1 diced small eggplant
1 small red pepper diced
1 small cauliflower florets and stalk cut up into chunks
1/4 small pumpkin diced
2 small potatoes diced
coriander if you like (i only used for garnish)
1 x 150ml tin approx of coconut milk
500ml of organic vegetable stock
fresh black pepper


Prepare the garlic and onion into a casserole dish and place korma paste.  Cook until onion clear and then place all other ingredients all into pot.  If preparing without onion and garlic omit these items at the first stage and add the korma paste and everything together.

Cook a little on stove top for a moment and blend ingredients then place into an oven for approx 2 hours stirring occasionally with casserole lid on.

Serve with some rosemary flat bread or bread you desire. Or with rice (cook 10 minutes in saucepan).

To make the rosemary flat breads i used pizza flour and warm water mixed in with a little olive oil , rosemary from garden chopped finely then add a little salt and a pinch of baking powder. 

Use a rolling pin and place on board and flatten down very thin.  When ready to serve the Korma you heat these breads up in a hot fry pan with a little oil.  Serve with Korma.

Vegetable Stirfry with Mushrooms, snowpeas, baby buk choy and leek

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes with a hot fry pan

Olive oil for the fry pan

250g mushrooms

1 baby buk choy leaves

100g snow peas ends cut off

4 finely cut rounds of the white end of a leek

salt and pepper to taste

Very easy to make as a meal or side dish.  This has amazing flavour.  The freshness of ingredients is what makes this dish special.

Place the leek in some oil in a fry pan big enough to fit all ingredients.  Then add as leek cooks the rest of the ingredients and cook with a reasonable amount of heat until mushrooms start to slightly brown.

If you like this with meat serve with chicken tenderloins crumbed or even some lamb cutlets.

Enjoy.

Easy Roasted Vegetables

Easy Roasted Vegetables

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 min (approx) microwave, 25 minutes in oven at 180 degrees celsius

Use vegetables you prefer but i have used the following:

1 zucchini

1 large potato

2 brussell sprouts

two twigs of fresh rosemary

a shake of good quality olive oil

salt and pepper to your preferred taste

This is great for fussy eaters if they do not normally eat their vegetables. Its very tasty with the fresh garden herb rosemary and a splash of a good quality olive oil.  I prefer to use Cobram Estate extra virgin olive oil (Australian made).

Peel potato and cut up the various vegetables into pieces.  Place in a microwave pyrex with a tablespoon of water then place lid on and cook as per your microwave instructions for fresh vegetables.   

When ready take the vegetables out of pyrex and place into a cast iron oven baker.  Then sprinkle your olive oil and fresh rosemary over the vegetables.  Cook in oven for approx 25 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.

The vegetables can be served with other side dish ideas in my listing.  This meal the kids wanted to eat little ravioli (Latina), little pies and home style chips (side dish listing see for more).

Spicy and Sweet Pumpkin Soup

  Spicy and Sweet Pumpkin Soup (with lamb sandwiches)

Serves : 6 small bowls

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: Oven baking 20 mins and stovetop cooking 20 mins

1kg size pumpkin

2 cloves of garlic or 2 teaspoons of crushed jar garlic

8 small curls of butter or you can use olive oil to splash

1 small teaspoon of ground cumin

4 cups of fresh chicken stock (see receipe on my list) or vegetable stock (vegetarians)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cream for serving if desired

Nutmeg for serving if desired

Cut up the pumpkin into small edged pieces and lay into the bottom of a large oven baker.  Sprinkle with butter curls and dollop the garlic pieces across.  Bake for approx 20 mins (180 degress celcius) and occasionally turn the pieces so they dont start to burn. 

While this is cooking in oven prepare the chicken stock on the stovetop in a saucepan large enough to later add pumpkin.

Add the salt and pepper and cumin to the stock and check taste to how you prefer. 

Then when the pumpkin is soft and ready to mash take from oven baker and place into another large bowl and mash up.  Add this to the stock mix and cook slowly for approx 10 minutes stirring with wooden spoon occasionally.

Serve with some sandwiches or crusty bread for a winter lunch.

Sandwiches are lamb, avocado, lettuce and maasdam cheese.

Baked polenta with three cheeses

Baked polenta with three cheeses



Preparation Time: 30 minutes to make the polenta. 2 hours to cool the polenta (so able to cut) or make day earlier and refrigerate.

It will take only 10 minutes to assemble

Baking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

250g of Polenta

6 cups of Water (1.5 litres) little more if too dry

50g butter

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 bottle of tomato puree (mine had basil included)

thyme leaves 1 teaspoon

1 cup of fontina cheese grated

1 cup of grana padano

8 tablespoons of marscapone cheese

Boil the water in a large heavy based saucepan and add the salt.  Add polenta slowly whisking gently.  Reduce heat immediately so water is just simmering.  Stir to break up any large lumps appearing.  Once you have stirred the beginning you can let the polenta slowly bubble stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking to pan.  Add the butter and stir through after approx 25 minutes.

Pour the polenta into a shallow casserole or baking dish approx 5 cm deep.  Leave to cool completely.

Once cooled preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius fanforced.  Turn the polenta out onto a board and slice it horizontally in two.  Pour half of your tomato puree into the empty dish base.  Place the bottom slice of polenta on top of the sauce and season with the thyme. Scatter some fontina cheese and marscapone cheese over the polenta with tablespoon.  Sprinkle with half the grana padano.

Place the other layer of polenta on the top and pour over remaining sauce.  Then sprinkle the remaining grana padano on top and some thyme leaves.  Bake for approx 30 minutes and then let sit for an additional 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Potato croquettes with Almond coating

Potato croquettes with almond coating

Cooking time: 3 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves approx: 8 people

4 large peeled potatoes 

45g unsalted butter

2 egg yolks (open one now and the other if you need it)

1 pinch of nutmeg

oil for deep frying ( i used olive oil australian good quality)

also for coating you will need:

100g plain flour in one bowl

2 eggs lightly beaten in their own bowl

100g almond meal and 50g of almond slithered incorporated in a bowl

Using a potato microwave dish such as a pyrex with a lid, peel the potatoes and make some incisions into the potatoes for cooking in the microwave.  Add a little water so it doesn't dry out too much. Cook as per microwave instructions for peeled potatoes. 

  Mash up the potatoes and add the butter, one of the egg yolks, nutmeg and a little salt and pepper to taste. Only add the second egg yolk if the consistency is still dry otherwise only one needs to be used.

In a frypan setup approx 1 cm of olive oil on low heat for preparation.

Take a handful of potato and roll into a ball then flatten down into a log shape.  Roll this into the flour, then the egg briskly and then into the almond mixture.   Place into frypan oil.  Repeat until you have a few sizzling in the oil. Cook til just lightly brown or how you prefer.

I am not a vegetarian so i served mine with frenched lamb cutlets and other vegetables.

Delightful!!! ...... mmmmmmm

Asparagus and Mushroom Crepes

This would feed 8 people approx.  You can make it to however many you require. eg. 4 people halve amount.

Basic Crepe Receipe for our filling:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Process the flour, butter, sugar, eggs and salt in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk 1/3 cup at a time, until the batter is a liquid consistency. Set batter aside for 20 minutes.

Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm. It makes approx 8 depending on size you prefer to make.

Filling:

400g Sliced button mushrooms

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves

3 Bunches of asparagus , trimmed and sliced lengthways very thin cut

the crepes ready to fill

400g round brie cheese cut thinly into pieces

Melt the butter into a large fry pan over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for around 2 min.  Add the asparagus and cook for around 5 minutes or until its tender. Transfer to plate and set aside.

Wipe your pan clean with paper towel and add one of the crepes to the pan and cook for 1 min to heat, flip it over and place two pieces of the brie in the centre.  Top wiht some of the mushroom and asparagus mix and cook for a further 2 min.

Roll up the crepe and repeat with the remaining crepes and mushroom and asparagus mix.  

Serve with a mixed green salad.

TASTY!