Cheesy Feet

Nigella made hers (& therefore named hers) using Feet cutters.  I used a Crocodile cutter and a Kangaroo one I have.  They are so easy to make and very tasty indeed.  (Monet loves them!)  I will be making batches more in times to come...

*Taken from Nigella Lawson's 'Feast', pg 253, published 2004*

Ingredients

100gm Cheddar cheese, grated

25gm soft butter

50gm plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Method

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200C.

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the dough comes together.  Just be patient; it will happen, I promise you.  Form into a fat disc, wrap in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floury surface to roughly 3mm in thickness, and cut out your feet with your cutters.  You can keep re-rolling this dough and cutting out feet until it is all used up.

Put them on to a lined baking tray sheet and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes (depending on size).  The biscuits will continue to crisp up as they cool on a rack, so take them out when they're still a little soft in the middle.

Scotch Beef Carbonnade

This was quite a hearty meal and was quite rich tasting.  It said to make the Garlic and Herb Croutons to serve with it, but I had some Garlic Focaccia and served it with that instead.  Not needed to be served with a side dish, just a bowl of this was fine.  (Though you do need bread or croutons etc.,)

*Taken from 'Hello' Magazine, Middle East edition*

Ingredients

700g lean Scotch Beef braising steak, cut into 1cm cubes

50g flour, seasoned with black pepper

1 tbs olive oil

2 onions, peeled and sliced

1 glove garlic, crushed

1 tbs tomato puree (I used tomato paste)

1 tsp English Mustard

300ml stock

1 tsp brown sugar

1 bouquet garni

Freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

For the garlic and herb croutons

25g butter

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 French Stick, sliced into 8 even chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.  Toss the beef in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess.  Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole, add the beef and cook to brown all over.  Add the onions and crushed garlic to the casserole and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.  Cover, transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Just before it is ready to serve, make the croutons.  Mix the butter together with the garlic and parsley.

Lightly toast one side of the sliced bread, then spread the garlic and parsley mixture on the other side and toast until golden.

Serve the carbonnade piled into warm bowls with two croutons on the side.

Serves 4

Bacon and Herb Muffins

*I know*  It has been ages.....

Here is a recipe for some savoury-type muffins.  You could really put anything in them but these were nice, warm with a spread of butter on them.  Mmmm....  I had no fresh herbs so used dried instead and no Parmesan here either.  I used English Tasty Cheddar.  Okey dokey?

*Taken from Women's Weekly 'COOK' published 2006, pg 509*

Ingredients

6 Bacon rashes (420g), rind removed, chopped finely

3 cups (450g) SR Flour

60g butter, chopped coarsely

1 tbs coarsely chopped fresh basil

2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh chives

2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh oregano

3/4 cup (60g) finely grated Parmesan 

2 eggs

1 cup (250ml) milk

Method

Preheat oven to moderately hot (200C/180C fan-forced).  Grease 12-hole muffin pan.

Cook bacon in heated lightly oiled small frying pan, stirring until crisp.  Drain on absorbent paper; cool 10 minutes.

Sift flour into large bowl; rub in butter.  Stir in bacon, herbs and cheese, then combined eggs and milk.

Spoon mixture into holes.  Bake, uncovered 20 minutes.  (I cooked for 30 mins).  Turn onto wire rack to cool.

Makes 12

Fragrant Chicken Curry

I'm always on the lookout for a good chicken curry recipe.  I found this tucked away in my cupboard, photocopied from some book.  (I think it might have come from a BBC 101 Recipes type book, but I am unsure which one..)  

It was super easy to make and the result was delicious.  Very tasty indeed.  Just the right amount of heat for my liking.  Instead of chicken breasts I used chicken thighs and I also halved the recipe.  I served it with poppadums and steamed jasmine rice.  It is also very low in fat (something like 4 grams)

Ingredients

3 onions, quartered

4 fat garlic cloves

5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

3 tbs moglai (medium) curry powder

1 tsp tumeric

2 tsp paprika

2 fresh red chillies, seeded & roughly chopped

40g fresh coriander

1 chicken stock cube

6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 x 410g cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed

natural low-fat yoghurt, naan bread or poppadums to serve

Method

Tip the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground spices, chillies and half the coriander into a food processor.  Add 1 tsp salt to blend to a puree (you may need to do this in 2 batches).  Tip the mixture into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  

Crumble in the stock cube, pour in 750ml boiling water and return to the boil.  Add the chicken, stir, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Chop the remaining coriander, then stir all but 2 tbs into the curry with the chickpeas.  Heat through.  Serve topped with the reserved coriander and the natural yoghurt, with naan bread or poppadums on the side.

Serves 8 

Sausage and Egg Salad with Anchovy Dressing

A bit of a bizarre salad, but really tasty, great flavours and easy too. What a combination hey? Kind of like a 'throw-it-together' meal... I used Beef and Cracked Pepper flavoured sausages.

*Taken from Murdoch Books, 'Tossed', published 2006*

Ingredients
4 eggs
250g green beans, trimmed and halved
2 tbs olive oil
4 good-quality sausages, cut into 1cm slices
2 thick slices crusty white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1cm cubes
200g mixed salad leaves
150g roasted red capsicum, sliced

Anchovy Dressing Ingredients
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 tbs shredded basil leaves

Method
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, add the eggs and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggs and beans under cold water, draining the beans well. Crack the egg shells slightly and leave to cool in cold water.

Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a frying pan. Add the sausage slices and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked, turning once. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.

put the frying pan back over medium heat and add the remaining oil. When the oil is hot, add the bread cubes and fry, turning now and then, for about 2 minutes, or until golden on all sides.

Put all the anchovy dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Mash the anchovies well, mix thoroughly, then season with black pepper and set aside.

Once the eggs have cooled, peel them and then cut them into quarters. Put the sausages, beans, salad leaves and capsicum in a serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss gently. Top with the eggs and croutons and serve.

Serves 4

Roast Beef and Spinach Salad with Horseradish Cream

This was very nice indeed. I cooked the beef and onion on the BBQ. It was tasty and filling and made a perfect warm spring Sunday dinner for Lyndon and I. The leftovers have gone to work with Lyndon...

*Taken from the Murdoch publication 'Tossed'*

Ingredients
Horseradish cream
125g (1/2 cup) thick plain yoghurt
1 tbs creamed horseradish

2 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs cream

2 garlic cloves, crushed

a few drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste

for the salad

200g green beans, trimmed

500g rump steak

1 red onion, halved

1 tbs olive oil

100g baby English spinach leaves

50g picked watercress leaves
200g semi-dried (sun-blushed) tomatoes

Method

To make the horseradish cream, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl, with a little black pepper to taste. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil, add the beans and blanch for 4 minutes, or until tender. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again.

Meanwhile, preheat a griller or barbecue hotplate to high. Brush the steak and onion halves with the oil. Cook the steak for 2 minutes on each side, or until seared but still rare, then remove from the heat, cover with foil and leave for 5 minutes. (Cook the beef a little longer if you prefer it medium or well done.) While the steak is resting, cook the onion 2-3 minutes on each side, or until charred.

Toss the spinach, watercress, tomato and beans in a large salad bowl. Slice the beef thinly across the grain, then layer over the salad. Thinly slice the grilled onion, add to the salad and drizzle with the dressing. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and serve.

Serves 4

Pesto Corn Hotcakes with Salsa

These were pretty nice, especially if they were served as an entree. A serve of 2 hotcakes is plenty (we had 4 each). Instead of the salsa these could be served with a couple of rashes of bacon I think and could be served for Brunch. I thought the salsa was a little over powering.

*Taken from 'New Idea' magazine*

Ingredients
for the Hotcakes
125g can corn kernels, drained
125g can creamed corn
3 eggs, separated
1/3 cup milk
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 tbs basil pesto
Fresh Basil leaves to garnish

for the Avocado and Bacon Salsa
3 bacon rashes, finely sliced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 avocado, finely diced
1/4 cup basil leaves, finely shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Method
To make salsa, heat a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Cool for 10 minutes. Combine bacon, onion, tomato, avocado and basil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make hotcakes, combine corn kernels, creamed corn, egg yolks and milk in a medium bowl. Stir in flour and pesto until combined.

Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric beater until firm peaks form. Fold half the whites into corn mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly spray with cooking oil. Cook three hotcakes at a time. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of corn mixture into pan. Cook for about 2 minutes. When bubbles appear, turn hotcakes over and cook for another 2 minutes, or until lightly browned underneath. Remove and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm hotcakes topped with avocado and bacon salsa. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Serves 4

Roasted Vegetable and Gruyere Pasties

I couldn't find celeriac anywhere so I used some sweet potato instead. I also couldn't find Gruyere cheese (! I know!!) so I used some good old tasty. No jap pumpkin here either, so I used Kent (which I prefer anyway!) I don't own a food processor, so I used my mix master on extra low speed, using dough hooks, to mix the pastry together. But after all that, it was pretty simple really.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients
Pastry
3 1/3 cups (500g) plain flour
1/2 tsp table salt
3 tbs olive oil
1 cup (250mls) cold water

Filling
3x2 cm slices jap pumpkin, cut into 1 cm pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
1/2 celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
70ml extra virgin olive oil
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
5 golden shallots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tsp ground fennel
5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped
150g grated Gruyere
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g ricotta
1 extra egg, beaten with 1 tbs olive oil
sesame seeds (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 165C. For the pastry, combine flour and salt in a food processor and, with motor running, drizzle in olive oil. Add water and pulse until mixture just comes together. Knead gently on a lightly floured work surface, then wrap in plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

To make the filling, combine the pumpkin, carrot, potato, parsnip and celeriac, in a large baking dish. Add 50 mls of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Turn off oven and leave vegetables inside for 1 hour (they should shrink and intensify in flavour).

Heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over low-heat. Add shallots, garlic and leek and cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft and caramelised. Stir in ground fennel and parsley. Add roasted vegetables and stir gently to combine. Stir in Gruyere and beaten egg. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Preheat oven to 200C. Divide pastry into 4 pieces, making 2 slightly larger than the others. Roll the 2 larger pieces on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm-thick ovals. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on each, leaving a 2 cm border. Scatter ricotta over vegetables. Roll remaining pastry into 2 thin ovals and cover vegetables. Press and twist edges of pastry to seal and glaze tops by brushing with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using, and salt and pepper. Place pasties on a large baking tray lined with baking powder. Bake for 25-30 mins or until cooked and golden. Remove from oven and leave for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 2 large pasties.

Serves 6-8 as a light lunch

Tuna Fritters with Whipped Fetta

These would have to be the tastiest tuna fritters I have ever tasted. Repeat. Ever tasted. They were delicious and if Lyndon liked them, well, that is really saying something. I think it is the combination of Tabasco sauce and lemon zest which really 'lift' them. Very simple to make with cheap ingredients. Try them.

Since I don't own a food processor, I used my Bamix with the 'mincer' attachment. I also find it better to place the uncooked fritters in the fridge to 'set' for at least 20 minutes before frying.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients

100 g fetta

100 g ricotta

50 ml pouring cream

185 g canned tuna in springwater, drained

2 tsp lemon zest

2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 splashes Tabasco sauce

2 eggs

250 g potatoes, cooked and mashed

3 spring onions, sliced

3 cups (210 g) fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup (75 g) plain flour

olive oil, for frying

lemon wedges, to serve

watercress sprigs, to serve (optional)

Method

To make the whipped fetta, place fetta, ricotta and cream in a food processor with 3-4 tbs water and blend until smooth and light.

To make the fritters, place the tuna in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add lemon zest, parsley, Tabasco sauce and 1 egg and process. Add potatoes and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in spring onions and 3 tbs of the breadcrumbs. Use your hands to shape mixture into small fritters about 6cm in diameter.

Beat remaining egg. Dip fritters in flour to coat. Dip into beaten egg, then in remaining breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry fritters for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked, then drain on kitchen paper. Serve with whipped fetta, lemon wedges and watercress if desired.

Chorizo, Rocket & Red Onion Salad

This salad was delicious!!! I should have made more!!

*Taken from 'Super Food Ideas' magazine*

Ingredients

1/4 cup pine nuts

500g chorizo sausages, sliced

2 red onions, cut into thin wedges

1 tbs thyme leaves

100g baby rocket (I used baby rocket & baby spinach)

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Method

Place pine nuts in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan, for 5 minutes or until light golden. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Cook chorizo, in two batches, for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until light golden. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add onion and thyme to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until onion begins to caramelise.

Add onion mixture, chorizo, rocket and vinegar to pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Spoon salad onto plates and serve.

Serves 4

Chow-Mein-Style Beef with Cabbage, Peas and Vermicelli

I like a good chow-mein. It warms the soul. This recipe was a little different from what I was used from and a hell of a lot more spicy, but still delicious. I recommend only a quick dash of chilli powder (if any), I think I put too much in it for my liking but I coped. Lyndon is a fan of hot and spicy food so he thought it was really good, even if he usually doesn't like Chow-Mein.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where the Heart is'*

Ingredients
3 tbs olive oil
400g beef mince
2 pinches Chinese five-spice powder
2 pinches chilli powder (optional)
1 large brown onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
50g fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cabbage, finely sliced
1 1/2 tbs oyster sauce
100ml tamari* (I used 30ml normal soy sauce)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
3 green chillies, sliced
100g vermicelli (thin rice noodles) cooked in boiling water for 1 1/2 mins
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Heat oil in a large wok over very high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring to break up, for 3-5 minutes or until well browned. Sprinkle in five-spice powder and chilli powder if using.

Add onion, garlic and ginger and stir. Add sliced cabbage and 125ml hot water and stir again. Stir in oyster sauce, tamari and sesame oil. Add peas, spring onions, chillies and noodles. Stir, then, if needed, add a splash more hot water. Check seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 4

I actually cooked mine in my French Chasseur dish instead of a wok. I kept it at a low heat after doing all the above steps and added a bit more water and a handful of rice. It was pretty spicy before I did all that and I wanted Monet to be able to eat it without her telling me it was "too spicy".

*Tamari is a naturally fermented soy sauce made from soybeans and without any wheat. It is usually darked in colour than the more common soy sauce

Pizza Dough

I'm always on the lookout for a 'good', authentic, tasty, pizza dough recipe. I think I may have found it... Karen Martini is the actual owner/chef of St. Kilda's (in Melbourne), Mr. Wolf, re known for its pizzas.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients
400g unbleached plain flour

100g fine semolina

2 tsp table salt

1 1/2 cups (375ml) warm water

3 tbs olive oil

2 tsp (7g) dried yeast

Method

Combine flour, semolina and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with dough hook attached. Mix water, oil and yeast in a small bowl and stir to dissolve yeast. Pour water mixture into flour and mix at low speed until combined. Mix on medium (to high) speed for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, but still quite wet and sticky.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic film and rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

The dough can be used at once or stored, covered, in the fridge overnight.

Makes 4 pizza bases.

To use, preheat oven to 250 Degrees Celsius. Lightly brush a large pizza tray with oil and dust with semolina. Roll pizza dough out on a lightly floured surface and transfer to the pizza tray. Top. Bake for 10-15 minutes....

Salmon and Dill Potato Patties

I make these when there isn't much in the cupboard. I substitute the fresh dill for dried... Try these in a burger bun with mayonnaise. Mmmm....

*Taken from 'Fast Food', a Murdoch book*

Ingredients

400g potatoes, suitable for boiling, cubed

1/4 cup mayonnaise

425g can salmon, drained, bones removed

1 tbs chopped fresh dill

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 egg

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup oil

Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool.

Transfer the potato to a large bowl, then mash roughly with the back of a spoon, leaving some large chunks. Stir in the salmon, dill and spring onion and season. Mix in the egg and mayonnaise. Divide the mixture into eight portions, forming palm-size patties. Press lightly into the breadcrumbs to coat.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the patties, turning, for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with mayonnaise and rocket leaves.

Serves 4

Zucchini Slice

A great way to use up excess zucchinis! And very easy, as you will read...

*Taken from All-Time Favourites from the Australian Woman's Weekly'*

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 medium (480g) zucchini, coarsely grated
3 bacon rashes, finely chopped (I used ham today!)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Oil 19cm x 29cm rectangular slice pan.

Heat oil in small pan, cook onion, stirring until soft. Combine onion with remaining ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pan; bake in moderate oven about 35 minutes or until firm.

Serves 4 to 6.