Welcome



These are tried, tested and much loved recipes. Our families and friends are always unselfish and devote themselves to taste-testing these delicious creations and demand them repeatedly time and time again.

Our aim is to share with you our favourite meals and the little tricks and tips we have learnt along the way.
Time is precious.
Food is expensive.

Both are resources too valuable to waste.

We want to share recipes that deliver delicious, nourishing meals - making the most of your time and ingredients.

Life is way too short for bland, disappointing food.
So ... Feed your inner cook - and Enjoy!

Thursday 30 August 2012

Angels and Devils on Horseback

                               
These tasty little morsels will astound your guests.......         
  • Bacon rashers ( or prosciutto if you want to be more up to date)
  • 1 grated granny smith apple
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 3/4 grated ceddar cheese
  • 1 free range egg
  • pepper
  • enough fresh breadcrumbs to bind the mixture

Cut bacon rashers in half. Combine breadcrumbs with apple, chives, cheese, lightly beaten egg and pepper, mix well.
Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into sausage shapes about 4cm long, wrap in a piece of bacon and secure with toothpick. Place on wire rack over baking dish and bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
E mangia!

Cutlets

Thursday 23 August 2012

I Can't believe it's Corned Beef! - My Posh Spiced Corned Beef.





Posh spiced Corned Beef

If the words ‘Corned Beef’ remind you of pink slices of meat served with white parsley sauce, then you are in for a flavour surprise! I found this recipe in the Courier Mail newspaper. At first it seems to involve a lot of hours but mostly it is allowing the beef to simmer happily - so it is my kind of cooking!

I thought this would be a really handy recipe for nights when you want to serve a hot roast style dinner, but due to time constraints, worry the meat might not be cooked through.  This is perfect as the corned beef is pre-cooked during the simmering stage and you just need to heat it through and baste regularly to achieve a rich glaze that doubles as the sauce.  Maybe this could be served instead of traditional baked ham for those awkward years when Christmas falls mid-working week. The rich orange-cloves sauce gives it that hint of Christmas spice!

I would suggest a dash of pre-dinner planning though. 
Do steps 1, 2 and the Sauce Preparation the day before - so all that’s left is baking the beef and cooking the accompanying vegetables, salads etc. 

Preparation: 20 minutes then 2 hours soaking. Followed by 1 hour simmering. So allow 3 and a half hours.
Final Cooking: 10 minutes preparation for final cooking then 1 hour in oven.

Ingredients to simmer the Beef.  Spices are a guide, if you are not a Fan of Cloves - only use a few.
1.5 kg to 1.7 kg piece of Corned silverside – not too fatty
2 medium carrots – chopped
2 stalks celery – chopped and include the leaves (whole) if you like
1 onion – chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon honey
20 (6 + 14 for later) whole cloves – depends on your taste preference – I use more as I love the flavour
Water for simmering

Ingredients for the Sauce.  Below are measurements for one batch of the basting / sauce.

I would recommend preparing a second batch to simmer/reduce on the stove as certain diners in my family drizzled it over their beef and potatoes and still went back for seconds – yummy sauce!

100 ml - freshly squeezed orange juice or good quality commercial brand.  Needs a fresh flavour
100g    -  brown sugar
2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard.   Recipe called for 1 tablespoon, but too strong for me.
1 to 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.    Start with less; adjust to your taste during basting.

Step 1.

            You need a deep ‘stockpot’ type of pan with a lid (clear - toughened glass lid if possible) for step 1. 
            The same pan and lid will be re-used for step 2.
Rinse your piece of Corned Silverside under the tap.
Place the meat in the pan and fill with fresh cool water to cover the meat.  Cover pan with lid.
Allow to soak (no heating) for 2 hours.  This helps reduce the saltiness. 
Remove meat and allow to drain. Empty pan and rinse the pan ready to re-use for Step 2.

Step 2.
Place meat, carrots, celery, onion, cinnamon, honey and 6 of the cloves in the pan. (more if wanted)
Add fresh cool water so the meat is covered by the liquid.  The meat may rise to the top, so at this stage I put an old bread and butter size crockery plate on top of the meat to keep it under the water.  Again, this depends on your preference. 
Bring to gentle boil then reduce to simmer. Lid on. I like to use a toughened glass lid to easily check the beef is always covered by the cooking liquid. If needed, top up with more water to keep covered during simmer.
Simmer for 2 hours.
Then remove the beef from pan, allow to cool then wrap in alfoil or similar and refrigerate overnight.

Step 3  -   Sauce preparation
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl / jug. This will be the basting sauce for the meat.

If you are preparing a second batch to simmer/reduce on the stove, you will need a second helping of the listed ingredients to place in a saucepan, and then simmer them on the stove until reduced to a thick sauce.

Step 4  -  Baking the Corned Beef with Basting Sauce.
Remove the meat from fridge preferably 30 min – 1 hour prior to baking, so meat is not 'fridge cold' when placed in the oven.
Preheat oven to 180 C. 
Stud the piece of meat with the 14 remaining cloves.  (or a few more / less - if you like)
Place the meat in a roasting pan, a bit bigger than the meat allowing for the sauce as well.
Cover the meat with the sauce and place the pan in the oven.  Cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Regularly baste the meat (every 10 mins) with the pan juices to develop the rich sticky glaze.
Remove from oven. Rest in a warm place for 5 minutes (the meat, I mean!). 
Slice and serve with the saved pan sauce and if desired, stove-simmered sauce.
Serve with whatever you prefer – roasted potatoes, pumpkin or steamed potatoes and vegies. 
Or salads. Everything will taste delicious and I would be surprised if any sauce was left over!

Enjoy!         Colleen

Monday 6 August 2012

Chilli Con Carne – Quick, quick, slow


Chilli Con Carne 
– Quick, quick, slow                      
Make it quick for a hearty one pot dinner  
or 
Simmer slowly to fully develop the rich flavours
Inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe adding
Ideas from other wonderful cookbooks
Serves 6           
(prep time: 10 minutes.  
Cooking:   20 minutes for quick.     1 hour for slow)
2 onions               – finely chopped                  1 x 400g tin Chickpeas               – drained and rinsed well
2 cloves garlic     -  finely chopped                 1 x 400g tin Red Kidney Beans  - drained and rinsed well
2 carrots              -  quartered and sliced        2 x 400g tins Chopped Tomatoes  (maybe a tin of water*)
2 sticks celery     -  sliced                                  500g lean mince
2 red capsicums -  sliced and diced                1 small bunch coriander, or at least a few leaves parsley
Olive oil –   (Australian)                                  ½  tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (dash more if you like)
Spices  - 1 heaped teaspoon each of              Frozen peas, and/or corn kernels
-        Chilli powder                                           
-        Ground cumin                         Serve with:         
-        Ground coriander                            Basmati rice
-        Ground cinnamon                             Greek yoghurt with shredded coriander
-        Smoky paprika                                  Guacamole – mashed avocado & lime juice
Adjust spice measurements to your taste                Lime - sliced
Salt and Pepper to your taste.                                                      

Method:
In a wide stove-top pan (preferably at least 7 cm deep)
Heat a splash of olive oil then add onion and garlic, stirring til soft.
Add the spices, a little salt and pepper and heat til fragrant and onions are golden.
Stir in the carrots, celery, capsicums on a medium heat
Then the mince – using a wooden spoon to break up any lumps and brown the meat well.
Add the chickpeas and red kidney beans and stir well
Then add both the chopped tomatoes.
Simmer on a low-medium heat – a gentle bubbling simmer

If you are making this for a quick dinner  –   simmer without a lid  and   do NOT  add any extra liquid.

*If slow cooked - put the lid on slightly askew, add an extra tin of water* into the mix and stir gently

When it starts to thicken slightly, add the frozen peas and corn and finely chopped coriander stalks
Add the balsamic vinegar and stir in well.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.               Chilli Con Carne should be thick but not dried out.

Top with coriander leaves.  Ladle into bowls and serve with the prepared yoghurt, limes and guacamole.

Enjoy!   Colleen