Monday Suppers - Only On A Sunday

At the organic market on Sunday morning I overheard my husband inviting my Mum to dinner as apparently he was making Bouillabaisse. This was the first I had heard of Nathan's dinner party plans. I even had to ask what Bouillabaisse was - it is a traditional Provençal fish stew for those ignorants like me. I felt tired already and it was only 9am.

The Bouillabaisse!

We decided to also make another dish to accompany the stew, as my Dad is not a big fan of either fish or stew and so the two combined wouldn't make an appetizing meal for him. We settled on a deep fried whole snapper with Sichuan pepper. We have done this dish before and it has been added to the list of approved fish dishes for my Dad. We also thought the kids would like the crispy texture of the snapper (sans Sichuan pepper).

The snapper recipe comes from Kylie Kwong. Ironically, I wrote down this recipe whilst watching a random cooking show in Los Angeles back in 2006. We have made this recipe a few times, always to much acclaim.

Deep Fried Whole Snapper with Sichuan Pepper and Salt

The ingredients:

1 x 850g whole snapper, cleaned and scaled*

Plain flour (we used cornflour as Mum is Gluten Intolerant)

Coriander

Shallots, split lengthways and sliced on the diagonal

3-4 chillies, bruised and cut down the middle but not completely in half

Whole Sichuan pepper corns

Sea Salt, 3 x the amount of Pepper

Lemons, quartered

1 litre of oil

*It is crucial to stress to the buyer-of-the-snapper, to not decline the fish mongers offers to clean, gut and scale the fish.

The recipe:

To make the Sichuan pepper:
Add the pepper corns and salt to a pan and dry cook until fragrant and smoking. Place on a plate to cool before grinding with a mortar and pestle.

To cook the fish:
Pat the fish dry with paper towel and place on chopping board. With a sharp knife, make four diagonal slits into one side of the fish. Turn fish and repeat on the other side. Coat the fish in the flour, dusting off the excess.

Heat oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly and a coriander leaf sizzles when dropped in. Carefully lower fish into the wok head first, so it is completely covered by the oil. Add chillies to the oil. Fry the fish for 3 minutes, then carefully turn fish and fry for a further 3 minutes or until fish is lightly browned and just cooked through or the flesh is white through to the bone. If the flesh is still translucent, cook the fish for another minute or so. 

Carefully remove snapper and place on paper towel to drain. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with Sichuan pepper and salt, garnish with coriander and shallots. Serve with lemon wedges.

The result:
A shockingly bad photo of the end product - apologies. The fish tasted much better.
Crispy. Punchy. Flaky fish. Everyone loved it. We cooked 2 snapper, which everyone thought was too much but it all went. The kids loved it and devoured their plates. Even Dad had a generous helping.

The Bouillabaisse was amazing too. I just cannot comment at all about how it was made or what was in it. Maybe Nathan will have to write a guest post for me with the details...?

We also made an asian-style salad - again I cannot comment on how it was made - Nathan and Mum conferred to make this little gem materialize. Also delicious!

AND! Mum brought around some of my sisters dessert creation - Triple Chocolate Cheesecake with raspberries. Divine! Heart stopping! She should really be a chef!! (Again a shocking photo sorry - I was really off my A-Game in terms of photography on Sunday. I am putting it down to anxiety about large woks of hot oil and small children in close proximity).

What are some of your favourite fish recipes?

Monday Suppers

When I was working in Surry Hills fresh out of university, my husband and I would eat a muffin and a coffee at Bills on Crown Street nearly every morning. Bill Granger's muffins are AMAZING. And no doubt they were responsible for some post-honeymoon-pounds being gained by both of us. As good as those muffins were, we would sometimes really splurge and skip the muffin and have the scrambled eggs, or the ricotta hotcakes, or best of all, the sweetcorn fritters instead.

Heaven.

Given how much I loved those fritters I am amazed it has taken me 7 years since first tasting them to try to make them myself. It wasn't until my Mum told me they had eaten corn balls (a rainy Sunday family facourite) recently, and that my sister had cooked up some sweetcorn fritters on another occasion, that I thought I had better give these a try.

They were so easy! AND they were a hit with the kids - which given the wars waged at the dinner table of late was a huge relief! I was also thrilled to find another meal which serves everyone - not having to make 2 completely separate meals is a win!

Bill's Sweetcorn Fritters with Avocado Salsa

The ingredients:
525g corn kernels cut from 3 large corn (or tinned)
1 small red onion
2 eggs
15g coriander leaves
1/2 red capsicum*
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
EVOO & Butter for frying

For the Avocado Salsa:
2 ripe avocados, diced
15g coriander leaves
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs finely chopped spring onions
1 tomato, chopped
1 dash of tabasco sauce, optional (we didn't add this)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Baby Spinach**

*This was an addition suggested by my sister. I didn't add this into the kids fritters, mainly because my sister didn't suggest it before I made theirs. But I will be adding it next time for them.
** This was my addition to make the meal go a little further and add some more greenery to our diet. It worked great.
***I didn't serve the avocado salsa to the boys - but instead they had some plain avocado and diced tomato on the side - tomato is not a favourite of either of my boys, but I am slowly wearing them down on their resistance (with a little help from their tomato-loving-cousin).

The recipe:
Preheat the oven to 120C.
Place 2 cups of the corn, onion, eggs, coriander, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper (and capsicum if using) in a food processor and process until combined. Place in a large bowl and add remaining corn, stir to combine.

Heat a knob of butter and tablespoon of EVOO in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.
Drop 2 tablespoons of mixture per fritter into the pan and cook in batches of 3 for 1-2 minutes each side.

Drain on paper towels and keep warm  in the oven whilst making the rest of the fritters and avocado salsa.

For the avocado salsa, place all ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine.
Serve the fritters with salsa on top and some fresh baby spinach leaves.

The result:
Divine. Crispy on the outside with soft sweetcorn and coriander in the center. The avocado salsa adds a delicious creamy texture and who doesn't love coriander?! (Well I was shocked recently to learn one of our friends actually hates coriander - I guess we will not cook these for him).

Do you have a menu item from a favourite restaurant you are dying to cook at home?

Monday Suppers

As part of the beautiful High Tea party my husband threw for my birthday last week, he made his own gravadlax. This is a recipe he has done a few times and it was one of my most anticipated itemso n the High Tea menu. Everyone paid him high compliments. At the morning tea we ate gravadlax rolled up with creme fraiche and chives. Delicious. But my absolute favourite way to eat Nathan's gravadlax is with pickled cucumbers and potato pancakes. This we enjoyed the night after my birthday. It is a simple dish, but takes some forethought as the salmon must cure for four days. Nathan's Gravadlax recipe comes from "Falling Cloudberries" by Tessa Kiros and is a recipe from her Finnish Grandfather.

Potato Pancakes with Gravadlax and Dill Cucumbers
The ingredients:
Gravadlax:
300g Caster Sugar
200g Coarse Salt
150g Dill, chopped
2 Whole Fillets of Salmon, skin on, cleaned and boned

Dill Cucumbers:
1 Cucumber
1 Tbs Chopped Dill
100ml White Wine Ve=inegar
2 Heaped Tbs Caster Sugar
1 Tsp Salt

Chopped Dill, to serve
Finnish Mustard or Creme Fraiche, to serve

Potato Pancakes:
500g Potatoes, peeled and halved
125ml Pouring Cream
50g Plain Flour, sifted
A Little Grated Nutmeg
3 Eggs, separated
Butter, for shallow-frying
Olive Oil, for shallow-frying

The recipe:
Gravadlax:
Combine the sugar, salt, dill and a few good grindings of black pepper in a bowl. Put a large piece of foil on the work surface and place a third of the mixture. Put one salmon fillet, skin side down, on top of the sugar-salt mix, then top with another third of the mixture. Top with the other salmon fillet, skin side up, and cover with the remaining mixture. Pat down so it is all covered and wrap in foil to seal the salmon. Keep it in a container in the fridge for four days, turning it every day.

To serve the gravadlax, remove the foil and scrape off as much of the sugar and salt mixture as possible. Slice the salmon very thinly, horizontally, and scatter with more fresh dill.

Cucumbers:
Cut the cucumber into very thin slices. Layer them into a bowl, sprinkling the dill between layers. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring to dissolve. Pour this over the cucumbers to cover it. Keep in the fridge for at least a few hours, and up to a week, before serving.

Potato Pancakes:
Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes in salted water until they are soft. Pass them through a food mill and then stir in cream. Add the flour, nutmeg and some pepper and mix through well. Leave to cool a little.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks and whisk into cooled potatoes. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold those into the potato batter. Add a little more salt if necessary.

Melt a little butter and olive oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, drop in spoonfuls fo the batter. Cooker for 1-2 minutes until golden on the underside, then flip them swiftly over. Cook until golden, then lift out and keep warm in the oven. Add more butter and olive oil to the pan when necessary and cook the rest of the pancakes.

Serve warm with gravadlax, dill cucumbers and a dollop of creme fraiche.

The result:
Soft, fluffy pancakes; fresh, moist salmon and crunchy cucumbers. Its a colourful and vibrant plate, and so satisfying! A little slice of Finland right here in suburban Sydney.

Do you have a favourite recipe from a far off culture?

Monday Suppers

Well it wasn't Monday. But the cooking did begin on a Monday. The eating happened on a Tuesday. To tell the truth since the arrival of Baby No. 3, and especially since the beginning of school holidays, the days all blur into one. It's hard to keep track of where we are in the week.

We have not had to cook almost at all since we brought Kyah home. We have been blessed with an army of dinner angels who have brought dinner to our door almost every other day for 3 weeks! What a blessing in the early days of having a newborn in the house.

Nonetheless, last night we had a delicious 2 course meal cooked by my hubby. First course was an Asian style pumpkin and coconut soup.

The ingredients:
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock (we used homemade vegetable stock)
1tbsp fish sauce
4 kaffir lime leaves
1.5kg pumpkin, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups (310ml) coconut milk
1/2 cup coriander leaves
lime wedges and chopped chives, to serve
finely sliced long red chill, to serve

The recipe:
Place a large pot over medium heat with stock, fish sauce, lime leaves and pumpkin, bring to the boil and cook until pumpkin is tender (8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and discard the lime leaves. lLace pumpkin mixture in the blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan over medium heat, add coconut milk and heat, without boiling, for 3 minutes or until soup is heated through. Divide soup between bowls, top with coriander and serve with lime wedges, chives and chilli.
Can freeze soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

The result:
Delicious! Surprising flavours, light and fresh. Yet so comforting as the colder lights start to roll in with autumn. We both thought the soup would be better if it was thicker, and discussed cooking the pumpkin mixture for longer at a simmer before adding the coconut milk to thicken the soup. We will try this next time.

The second course was steak and salad. We don't often have steak and so this seemed like a real treat. We used a new marinade recipe from allrecipes.com and the result was great.

The Best Steak Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar*
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic**
salt and pepper to taste

* After reading the reviews of this marinade we cut down the balsamic vinegar by about quarter.
** Approximately 2 cloves garlic
Marinate steaks for at least 2 hours.

The result:
A delicious steak that even the kids loved! Win!!

So, what did you eat for dinner?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday Suppers - On a Wednesday

Well it wasn't a Monday but we still had an awesome dinner last night! All thanks to our lovely veggie patch! Nathan picked four delicious jalapeno peppers from the veggie patch this week and has been waiting to make jalapeno poppers ever since we had some late last year at Mex&Co in Manly.

So on the menu last night was Jalapeno Poppers, Corn and Black Bean Salsa, and Burritos with garden fresh tomatoes! Delicious! The boys may not be the biggest fans of eating tomato, but they sure do love being able to pick them from our garden!!

Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients:
45g Cream cheese
30g Shredded cheese
1-2g Bacon bits
40g Jalapeno peppers, deseeded and halved
30mL Milk
15g Flour
15g Bread crumbs
250mL Oil for frying

The Recipe:
In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Spoon this mixture into the jalapeno pepper halves.

Put the milk and flour into two separate small bowls. Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes.

Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 180 degrees C. Deep fry the coated jalapenos 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Nathan decided to serve a lemon aioli alongside the poppers and that was just perfect!

The Result:
Amazing - spicy, but creamy, with crispy bacon and crumbs, and a good amount of lingering heat!

The only down side? We only had 4 halves each!

The Corn and Black Bean Salsa is a favourite of ours, having made it for the Margarita & Taco Fiesta in January and several times before and since. It is crunchy, with some spice and citrus and general deliciousness!

So, what did you eat for dinner last night?

Monday Suppers

Now whether it was because he was feeling the pressure to create another great meal following from last weeks Monday Suppers or whether he was just feeling inspired on a Monday after going to the growers market on Sunday, my hubby cooked up another delicious meal when he got home last night.

We have been loving the tomatoes at the moment, so sweet and juicy and relatively cheap. We have been making relish almost weekly - both with red and green tomatoes. Yum! And our families have been the happy and eager recipients of these little jars of tomato deliciousness.

In the grocery bag this week were once again lots of tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, and bok choy. On the menu was tomato gazpacho and bok choy salad. 

Tomato Gazpacho
The ingredients:
500 g tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, halved & deseeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 red chilli
1 red capsicum, halved & deseeded
1/2 spanish onion
30 mL sherry or red wine vinegar
50 mL extra virgin olive oil
15 basil leaves
Salt & pepper

The recipe:
Roughly chop all the vegetables and hers.
Place in a blender with the oil and puree.
Pass through a sieve for a refined soup or else leave it a bit chunky if you prefer.
Add in the vinegar and S&P to taste.
Refridgerate until ready to serve, drizzle with a touch of olive oil and thinly slices basil leaves when serving.
(We also added a dollop of sour cream to our bowls - creamy and delicious!)

Bok Choy Salad - a recipe handed down to me from my mum and always a favourite.
The Ingredients:
3 raw bok choy, washed & chopped
3 shallots, sliced
Bean sprouts
Snow Peas or green beans
Roasted pine nuts or almonds

For the Dressing:
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/4 cup White vinegar
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Light olive oil

The recipe:
Heat the sugar and vinegar until just dissolved.
Mix soy and oil, then add to the vinegar.
Cool in the fridge until ready to serve salad.
Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl, top with dressing (you will not need all of it, but keep the rest in the fridge to use on other salads)
(This salad also works great with raw cabbage).

The result:
It was a perfect meal for another warm summers night, especially after a large and delicious lunch at the CBD Hotel together on a rare day when my sister-in-law was minding the kids for a few hours. Lunch date with my hubby, followed by this delicious meal - a perfect Monday!

And after all that cooking for dinner, my hubby turned around and made some more green tomato relish! Yum!

So what did you eat for dinner on Monday?

Monday Suppers

Sometimes dinner just works. And looks and tastes pretty awesome. Sometimes it doesn't (and who blogs about those nights...?). Tonight, dinner was a win.

With a fridge full of zucchini, due to unintentional over-purchasing at the growers market on Sunday, we needed to try a couple of new recipes to use them up whilst they were still lovely and fresh and crisp.

Monday nights are the only night I routinely find myself making the same dish every week. Smoked salmon pasta. It's simple; involves 4 ingredients; and is a guaranteed favourite with my kids. I can also add in whatever veggies I have on hand - baby spinach, frozen peas, green beans.

Whilst the kids are always the recipient of this Monday might staple, it doesn't always extend as far as our meal. Tonight we definitely needed something to compliment it. And zucchini was the ingredient for inspiration.

I made a Zucchini and Ricotta Tart - it only involved 5 ingredients, it took 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook. Win! I had seen this tart on Pinterest a few weeks ago and wanted to try it.

The ingredients:
Puff pastry
1/2 cup Ricotta
1/2 Lemon - zest and juice
1/2 Onion or Asian style shallot
1 Zucchini

The recipe:
Score the pastry sheet around the edges to creat a 2 cm border. Prick the pastry inside this border.

Mix ricotta, lemon, onion and salt and pepper to taste

Spread over pastry inside of border.

Use a peeler to slice thin strips of zucchini and lay these on top of the ricotta in a lattice pattern. If you want, brush pastry edges with an egg wash.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 200C.

The result:
Delicious!

I should have overlapped the zucchini slices a little as they shrank a little in the oven, but still scrumptious.

Nathan made a Zucchini salad with chill, lemon and EVOO inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe. He omitted the mint (because we didn't have any), and added rocket and fetta. Again the result was delicious!

With an additional side of soy marinated char-grilled mushrooms, our dinner was a four-course tasting banquet of delicious seasonal veggies and scrumptious pasta. Perfect for a lazy Monday night.

What did you eat for dinner tonight?