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?

High Tea Birthday

For my birthday we hosted our families at a lovely morning tea. I had envisaged a relaxed and beautiful morning chatting with family over tea and scones. I envisaged the guests arriving to find a table filled with flowers, beautiful bone china tea cups, piping hot pots of tea brewing and dessert towers filled with mouth-watering delicacies.

That wasn't quite what the guests arrived to...

The table was partially set with flowers and tea cups and looked stunning.

However, the towers were empty and the kitchen was a war zone. The baby was screaming, the 2 year old was sheepishly hiding after tipping an entire tea pot of flowers and water all over the freshly laid children's table and having earlier broken a porcelain tea spoon, and the 4 year old was sulking about having to clean up the playroom for our guests. I hadn't brushed my hair, cleaned my teeth or managed to put on any jewelry.

Thankfully the guests flew into action upon arrival. G-G nursed the screaming baby and put her to sleep (the magic touch). Pop finished grilling the vegetables for the sandwiches. Nan and the Aunts stacked the dessert towers with the aforementioned delicacies (most of which they had craftily created themselves) warmed quiches and helped make the sandwiches. Someone put on the kettle and made tea. The cousins distracted the children and ran outside to play. Phew!

The table was set and we finally sat down for the most decadent High Tea! It was exactly what I had envisaged...

I loved picking the different camellia's from my garden for the table decorations and used old tea tins (now residing in the children's play kitchen) as vases. I used these tins as vases when I hosted a High Tea for my sister's baby shower over a year ago and got many compliments, so I recycled the idea. I discovered I have 6 different varieties and colours of camellia in my front garden - white, blush pink, light pink, dark pink, fuchsia, and fuschia with white spots! I am loving my winter garden. We even used the children's play teapot for a vase on the children's table.

My Mother-In-Law has a beautiful eclectic collection of fine china tea cups which looked beautiful on the table,  along with some of my sister and mine Limoges Legle tea cups, and my Grandmothers bone china teapot.

The children's table was set with the Royal Dalton cups and plates which my boys received for their Christenings and 1st Birthdays. The children all enjoyed baby-chino's, quiches, gravadlax, chocolate waffer sticks, macaroons and meringues. Not to forget the gingerbread men the boys made with their Dad the morning of (these may, or may not, have been the reason for much of the chaos when everyone arrived...).

All up it was a beautiful day. We stuffed ourselves silly and loved every moment.

So what was on the menu?

A lot of the above was made by my talented mother, sisters and mother-in-law. My husband made the house-cured gravadlax, and my creation was the sandwich.

Char-Grilled Vegetable Ciabatta with Marinated Goat Cheese and Avocado.

The ingredients:
3 Zucchini, sliced thinly
1 Jap Pumpkin, deseeded and sliced thinly
4 Red Capsicum, deseeded and sliced
3 Avocados
Goat Cheese (we used a marinated peppered balls goat cheese which was marinated in lemon and pepper).
Sourdough Ciabatta Load

The recipe:
Toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay on grill of BBQ. Turn after several minutes and grill for a further 3 minutes.
Slice ciabatta thinly, spread goat cheese on one slice and avocado on another.
Layer vegetables on top of goat cheese and top avocado slice. Slice in half.
Makes 14 half sandwiches.

The result:
Delicious, fresh and creamy.

I wish I had a photo to show how gorgeous these sandwiches looked but alas I do not - they were eaten too quickly! (Saved by my sister who snapped this photo).

Tune back in for my husbands Gravadlax recipe in a couple of days.

Do you enjoy entertaining? Are you ever prepared when people begin arriving?

Happy Birthday Pop!

It is cake making time! Pop's birthday in addition to minding my nephew for a few hours created the perfect excuse for some cake making. Being that we have a "gluten-intolerant" family member I am constantly on the lookout for recipes which accommodate everyone's dietary requirements. So when my Norwegian/Los Angeleno friend posted a photo of a pavlova cake she had made it ticked all the boxes - though it is ironic that I received a Norwegian recipe for an Australian cake. Thankfully the recipe came in both Norwegian and English.

What fun we all had making Pop's birthday cake - and eating it!

 

Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream and Raspberries
The ingredients:
4 egg whites (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar as that was all I had)
1 tsp cornflour (the gluten-free variety)
1 tsp vanilla extract
255g mascarpone 
3/4 cup double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (I used a vanilla bean and 1 tsp extra icing sugar)
285g fresh raspberries

The recipe:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. 
Draw a 22cm circle on a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed, add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture resembles glossy shaving foam (We used the Kitchenaid for this step - so easy! I love my Kitchenaid).
Whisk in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract together.
Line a baking tray with the marked baking paper.
Spoon the meringue inside the circle making a slight dip in the centre of the meringue so that the outside edge is higher than the centre.
Bake for 1 hour. 
Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside to cool with the door just ajar.

Whisk the mascarpone with a wooden spoon until soft.
Whip the cream with 1 tbsp of icing sugar until soft peaks form.
Mix cream with the mascarpone, a little at the time.
Add the rest of the icing sugar and the vanilla.
Taste to see if you need more sugar.
Spoon cream onto the top of the cooled pavlova.

Use a fork to lightly mash half of the raspberries and pour over the cream topped pavlova.
Scatter the other half as garnish on top of the pavlova.

The result:
Gorgeous. Delicious. Decadent. I may have overwhipped the cream and I fear it was more butter-like than was desirable, but it was still delicious.

Happy Birthday Pop!

Do you have any favourite recipes that cater for certain dietary requirements?

All Things Apple, Part III

With all the choices we were confronted with when making the Spiced Apple Pie last week we decided to also make an Apple-Raspberry Pie. The raspberries have been amazing latterly and raspberries are one of my boys favourite treats - I just wish they were as cheap here as they used to be in the USA! In Australia raspberries have become a special treat versus an everyday snack that the boys became accustomed to in the USA. This recipe for Apple-Raspberry Pie came from Martha Stewart and once again she didn't disappoint.

The ingredients:
1250g assorted baking apples, (we used Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced
170g fresh or partially thawed frozen raspberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain flour, plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

The recipe:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Stir apples, raspberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. (I actually forgot the flour which made the filling have more juices and more runny but still delicious. It did mean it was possible for me to serve some of the filling to my gluten-free-mother baked in a ramekin sans pie crust which mum loved).

Fill your pie crust with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with you remaining pie dough either as a slab or as a lattice (we created a lattice effect this time for something different).

Refrigerate for 20 minutes (we skipped this step as we had guests arriving and were running out if time).

Whisk egg yolk and cream in a bowl; brush over top crust. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Place foil on rack below to catch juices. Tent pie with foil if browning too quickly. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 4 hours (up to overnight).

We served it immediately with ice cream. For my mum's gluten-free version I also added some caramel sauce I had left over from making the Mini Apple Charlottes. Since mum has to miss out on the delicious pastry I felt a little caramel sauce would help compensate.

The result:
Amazing and sweet. A little runny due to the forgotten flour so the pie didn't really hold its shape when cut and served. The raspberries complimented the apples beautifully, adding a delicate berry flavour.

I think I enjoyed this pie more than the Spiced Apple Pie, and my Mum said she preferred this gluten-free version to the gluten-free Mini Apple Charlotte I made for her last week. I thought my husband would have preferred the Spiced Apple Pie but even he says the raspberries added an amazing flavour and this was his favourite pie. He just wants to make it with a full pastry top rather than the lattice. I agree that more of the delicious crunchy pie crust will never disappoint!

I was once again surprised by how quick and easy this pie was. The filling took only minutes to prepare and since we had the crust in the fridge from the day before it was just a matter of rolling it out and filling it. Apple pie is my new favourite dessert to make when having guests. We shared this pie with my aunt and cousins for afternoon tea on Friday and then with my parents for morning tea on Saturday. Everyone loved it. It was a sure winner!

How do you feel about adding berries or other fruits to an apple pie? Do you prefer a more traditional pie with only apple and some spices?

All Things Apple, Part II

After our adventures apple picking last weekend, the first thing we wanted to make with all our delicious apples was apple pie! We didn't have a recipe of our own and so we began searching through the many many cookbooks on our shelves, and of course we perused google to find some suggestions. We really didn't want to buy a pre-made frozen pie crust, since we felt that apples this good deserved a homemade variety. But there were literally 100's of recipes, all with slightly different variations on how to make the perfect pie crust. It seems that every cook has their own favourite - all butter, part butter part shortening, vegetable oil, almond flour, plain flour...you get the point. However, more than deciding on the ingredients to use, I found that most recipes called for a food processor - something I lack. I did find one blogger who espoused to make a great pie crust dough using the kitchenaid - perfect.   

The ingredients:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
225g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon unseasoned bread crumbs

The recipe:
Place butter and flour into the mixer bowl and place the bowl into the refrigerator. Combine the water, vinegar, and salt and place that in the refrigerator, leaving both for several minutes. Affix the bowl to the mixer, mix for 30 seconds on lowest speed. Then slowly add the cold water/ vinegar, and mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic and press down into discs. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to two days. 

Take the dough out of the fridge, and place on a well floured surface. Roll out from the center, turning the dough as you go. Roll the dough out so that it’s circular and big enough to spread over your dish. Fold your crust into quarters,

Butter your pie dish and sprinkle the bottom with the tablespoon of breadcrumbs. Place the corner in the center of the pie dish, and then unfold the crust. Press out any air bubbles, and fold over the top of the crust if there is extra. Patch any holes with excessive pieces of hanging dough. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. If you haven’t yet prepared your filling, refrigerate the crust while you do. Roll out the second crust. Put the filling into the shell, and then either:

1. lay the crust over the filling in the same method as you transported the first crust. Brush the edges with an egg wash and press the edges together, shaping it with your fingers. Cut four holes in the top of the crust.
or
2. cut the second crust into 1-inch strips. Arrange one set of strips going in one direction, then another set in the other direction. Brush edges with an egg wash and press the crust together at the edge, and shape with your fingers.

The results:

Super easy! I was scared of making pie crust - this has changed my opinion completely! And it was a very yummy crisp crust!! Iactually made the dough in the 20 minutes between the boys lunch and Kyah needing a feed. It was perfect timing. I love my kitchenaid!!

Our next challenge was deciding on the filling - traditional apple pie, spiced, apple pie, apple and raspberry...the list goes on. We decided on a Martha Stewart recipe for spiced apple pie - she is yet to disappoint me with her recipes.

The ingredients:
1.8kg Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

The recipe:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, with racks in middle and lower positions. 

Toss together apples, lemon zest and juice, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Place filling in piecrust, mounding it in the center. Dot with butter. 

To make egg wash, whisk together egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Lightly brush edge of piecrust with egg wash. Place pastry top on pie. Lightly brush entire top of pie with egg wash. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar. Refrigerate pie for 1 hour.

Place a foil-lined baking sheet on lower oven rack to catch any juices. Place pie on middle rack, and bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 190 degrees, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour 10 minutes more. Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

The result:
Delicious. Amazing. Tasty. Lightly spiced. Moist. So yummy to dig into a warm apple pie on a cold crisp autumn day.

One of the funnest aspects of making apple pie - using the apple peeler & decorer! The kids love eating apple they get to twirl through the peeler and see it come out like a "snake". The best way to get kids to eat more apples!

Do you have a favourite Apple Pie recipe? Please share it with us - we have a lot more apples to use up!

All Things Apple

A couple of years ago in New York we took a friend from Switzerland and her son apple picking inthe farmlands in New Jersey. We had such a wonderful day, Noah thought picking and eating apples directly from the tree was wonderful. Even better were the raspberries directly from the bush! Ever since I have wanted to do it again.

Last weekend we drove up to the Blue Mountains and went apple picking in Bilpin, "home of the mountain apple". I was so excited to discover that it took us under 2 hours to drive there - perfect for timing driving between feeds for Kyah, and just about the boys car tolerance limit.

My research had presented us with a couple of options for picking our own apples and we decided to pick at the Bilpin Springs Orchard on the Bells Line Of Road. It was beautiful. The boys grandparents and cousins met us there and everyone had a great time. What is not to love about eating apples, crisp and fresh from the tree?! It was hard trying to stop the boys from picking (& eating) the apples, and so we have come home with almost 20 kg of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples! Hence there are going to be a few posts in the coming weeks about recipes where apples are the star!

When we arrived home from the Blue Mountains on Sunday afternoon we went to the grandparents house to pick up our share of the apples they had brought home for us on Saturday whilst we continued to explore the Blue Mountains. We ended up staying at their house for dinner and of course, apples were included.

On the menu was steak, sausages and apple salad with prosciutto. Yum! A great casual Sunday family meal.

The ingredients:
85g prosciutto
2 small apples (we used the pink ladies for this recipe)
2 cups mixed greens (I actually used more like 3-4 handfuls)
100g walnuts (this wasn't in the recipe but we added them for extra crunch)
2 tsp pure maple syrup
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)

The recipe:
In a dry non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, saute prosciutto until it becomes crispy and curls around the edges (3-5 minutes). Set aside.
Toss the apples, greens and walnuts in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the syrup, vinegar and oil. Drizzle over the apples and greens (less is more as this is quite sweet). Toss to coat.
Add the prosciutto and toss gently.

The result:
Delicious. Crisp. Fresh. This salad was great paired with the steak (seasoned with The Best Steak Marinade) and sausages, perfect for the unusually warm April evening that will no doubt be one of the last flashes of summer we see.

I had promised the kids apples for dinner and they were both pretty happy to see their plates of sausage and apples. My youngest was unexpectedly eager to eat our salad as well, though I soon realised it was just the crispy prosciutto he was after!

We are busy eating and cooking all the apples. On the menu are apple pie, mini apple charlottes, apple pancakes, pork with apple sauce and much more. So stay tuned for more yummy apple recipes!

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?

Margarita & Taco Fiesta

What better way to celebrate the New Year and my hubby's birthday than with a margarita & taco fiesta. Sombrero's, taco's, limes, margarita's, Ole!

It was another occasion of cooking for several days beforehand, buying too many sombrero's, juicing what felt like 100's of limes, and feeling pretty shattered by the time the party came around. Hello being pregnant in summer!

So what was on the menu?

It was decadent and delicious - even if I do say so myself! It was definately a feast if not a fiesta and I think everyone enjoyed the margarita's, swimming in the pool and chill-axing on New Years Day.

So, what were the superstars of the day? The goat cheese and roasted pepper quesadilla's, the chipotle pulled pork and the the desserts. Martha Stewart came to the rescue when hubby said he wanted a chocolate cake whilst we were at the supermarket shopping for all our supplies - I had planned on making my tried and true Scandinavian almond cake with cream and berries. So I googled and chose the Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cake from Baked Bakery in NYC as it was described as satisfying "every chocolate lovers appetite". It took me a good 3-4 hours to make, set back my other food preparations a fair way, and was responsible for some swollen cankles. But it was well worth it!

My sister-in-law made the amazing Death by Chocolate dessert which comes from Symon's Suppers TV Show. It was rich, decadent and delicious. Jess substituted Heath Bars for Crunchie Bars and omitted the wafers. I think I could feel my arteries clog up a little as I ate it and it is best served in small portions! Amazing!!

The goats cheese and roasted peppers quesadillas came from my hubby's "Authentic Recipes from Santa Fe" cookbook and are pretty straight forward to make. Simply scrumptious!

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
250g grated monterey Jack cheese (I used Coon tasty cheese)
200g crumbled goat cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted & cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted & cut into thin strips
1 or 2 New Mexican green chiles, roasted & peeled, deseeded & cut into thin strips (I substituted large green chillies)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil or oregano (I forgot about this ingredient)

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Sprinkle tortillas with jack cheese and 1 tablespoon of goat cheese.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook until just golden. Add the bell peppers and the chile. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide among tortillas and top with additional goat cheese.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Cut into 4 pieces, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve warm.

Hubby was responsible for the chipotle pulled pork, and that remains his secret. I was in bed the night before the party when he began making and cooking that little beauty. It involved a pork shoulder, lots of marinating ingredients and a lot of slow cooking. It was divine!!

Happy Birthday Nathan!!