Christmas Cheer

Christmas is a time for eating way too much, but I wouldn't have it any other way! There are lots of traditions in my family and my husband's family, so we do tend to eat the same things every year. I love this and for me, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without roast turkey, glazed ham, pudding and brandy custard.

Both of our families have European heritage, so we celebrate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My family are interstate, so one year we celebrate with my family, the other year with my husband's family. This year we are staying in Melbourne, which means I can be a bit more creative with what I make to eat.

This year, we have decided to do a roast duck and a roast turkey on Christmas Eve. The duck was our idea as we eat it quite a bit and love the richness of the meat.  Orange and duck are a match made in heaven, so an orange sauce just had to be made to go with the bird. Duck a l'orange is a bit retro and a bit old fashioned, but I love the flavour. A few years ago I came across a recipe for a simple version of the sauce using fresh orange and marmalade. It gives a beautifully citrus flavour, but also some sweetness and a little bitterness.  Perfect to foil the richness of the duck.  Normally I would make the sauce and simmer the already cooked duck breasts in the sauce for a few minutes to take on some of it's flavour. To serve with the roast, I'm just going to put the sauce in a jug on the side, so people can help themselves.

I have also made this sauce to have with pork fillet, and it is delicious. It would go nicely with some chicken too.

Easy Orange Sauce For Duck

2 oranges

4 Tbs honey

4 Tbs red wine vinegar

4 shallots, finely diced

4 Tbs orange marmalade

400ml chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Zest the oranges into long strips and place in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 3 minutes. Drain.

Cut the ends off the oranges, stand on the end and then using a sharp knife, remove the skin and pith from the fruit.

Cut the orange segments between the membrane to separate them and reserve in a bowl. 

Squeeze any extra juices from the orange into the same bowl.

Heat the honey in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the vinegar, shallots, marmalade, chicken stock, reserved orange juice and zest and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until reduced slightly.

Add the orange segments to the sauce and season to taste.

Remove from the heat, cool slightly, then pour into a jug to serve.

If you are making the sauce just before you serve the duck, add any meat juices from carving to add some extra richness of flavour.

Caramel Ice Cream With Speculaas and Fruit

Dessert on Christmas Eve is not set and depends on who has been allocated to make it and what the weather is looking like. Tomorrow night isn't going to be that warm, but when I saw the recipe for this ice cream cake, I just knew that I had to make it.

My Kitchen Stories is a foodie blog that I've been following for a while now, with a collection of amazing recipes. Tania wrote about this caramel ice cream cake a few weeks ago and how easy it was to make without needing an ice cream machine. Not having an ice cream machine, I thought this would be perfect. My husband's family are Dutch, so the flavours were just right. Please check out My Kitchen Stories for some fantastic recipes and wonderful foodie photos.

I made my caramel by boiling a tin of condensed milk for 3 hours, but for an even easier version, you could buy a tin of caramel from the shop.

I am going to serve my version topped with fresh cherries, strawberries and blueberries, with a crumbling of speculaas biscuits on top. I can't wait to try it! From the taste of the mixture when I licked the bowl, this is definitely going to become a regular in our house.


1 tin of caramel condensed milk
400ml thickened cream
150g speculaas biscuits, crushed into chunks

Beat caramel and cream in an electric mixer on medium speed until thick and creamy.
Gently stir through biscuit pieces.
Pour the mixture into a lined springform tin and smooth the surface.
Freeze overnight.
Carefully remove from the tin and place on a serving plate.
Decorate with fresh berries or other fruit, extra speculaas biscuit pieces and whipped cream, if desired.

Cherry Ice Cream

On Christmas Day this year, we have been asked to bring trifle and ice cream. I am not playing around with the trifle, so it is just going to be layers of sponge roll, jelly and poached fresh cherries and strawberries with custard and a topping of toasted flaked almonds.

The ice cream however, is where I can get a bit creative.  Cherries are so beautiful around Christmas time and so nothing could be better than fresh cherry ice cream. I have made this recipe before and it is so easy, especially when you don't have an ice cream machine. It really is like a frozen meringue with cherry pieces throughout. Light and delicious!

300g fresh cherries
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 egg whites

Pit cherries and roughly chop.
Place in a container and freeze overnight.
Place cherries in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk and beat on medium for a few minutes to break up the chunks.
Add the sugar and egg whites and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until doubled in volume and meringue looking.
Spoon into a a freezer proof container and freeze overnight.

This ice cream can be served straight from the freezer as it doesn't set particularly hard. Make sure you keep it in the freezer on a hot day, so it doesn't melt.

Freshly made, it would also be great as a mousse filling for brandy snap baskets or mini tarts. You could also serve it as an alternative to cream on fruit salad or even very decadent pancakes.

Christmas Cake (without the yucky bits!)

Like a lot of kids, I never really enjoyed Christmas cake and Christmas pudding because of those pesky glace cherries and mixed peel. I still don't really like them and will avoid them if possible in cakes, biscuits or hot cross buns. Why ruin an otherwise good cake with something horrible!

My lovely Mum knew I hated the cherries and mixed peel, so her and my Grandma would make a 'golden fruit cake' at Christmas time, which was just for me (or so I liked to think). This cake was light in colour and rather than all the heavy currants, sultanas, raisins and glace cherries of a regular fruit cake, it contained only a mix of glace apricots, pineapple and pear. It was delicious!

As an adult, my tastes have changed a bit and I now don't mind a heavy fruit cake, but I still prefer Grandma's recipe. I have been making the same cake for years now and decided that I would make a few changes to it this year and see how it went.

This years recipe contains a lot less fruit, so it's more cakey and less dense. It probably won't keep quite as long as traditional fruit cake, but time will tell. Usually the cake is eaten before it has a chance to go stale anyway!

I've also added some dried cranberries for a bit of Christmas colour and some glace ginger, which I love in a fruit cake. It adds an unusual hot, gingery, sweet flavour, which I associate with Christmas. As well as flour, this also contains some almond meal, which gives a nice moistness to the cake too. To top it off, chopped roasted almonds give a bit of crunch. You could equally use toasted macadamias for an Australian twist.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do. I still think of my Grandma when I eat a slice with a cup of tea.

Golden Fruit Cake

250g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup dried figs, chopped
1/4 cup glace ginger, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup plain flour
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Grease and line either a 20cm round or square cake tin with 2 layers of baking paper, extending 5cm above the rim.
Soak raisins, currants and cranberries in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain. Add ginger and fig to the other fruits.
Cream butter and sugar in a bowl of a mixer and add vanilla essence.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Fold in almond meal, sifted flour and milk until combined.
Stir in reserved fruits and almonds.
Pour mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for about 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. If it starts to brown too much on top, cover with a piece of foil.
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.
Slice into small pieces and dust with icing sugar to serve.

To store, keep the cake wrapped in a layer of baking paper, then foil, then cling wrap. That will keep it moist and stop it from going stale.

Christmas And Sparkling Shiraz

I love Christmas in Australia, when the weather is hot and all those beautiful cherries, mangoes and other summer fruits come into abundance. I love the fresh herbs and ruby red tomatoes growing in the garden. I love the tradition of still having roast turkey and ham on Christmas Day and of eating way too much. I love the very Australian drink of Sparkling Shiraz to have with my lunch on Christmas Day.

Sparkling Shiraz is as Australian as thongs and laminations, Vegemite and pavlova. It is a wonderful drink and the sweetness and bubbly berry-ness goes perfectly with so many foods. Turkey, ham and duck are great matches. If you've never tried it, make sure you track one down.

Tonight we are having a Grant Burge Sparkling Shiraz Cabernet as the December wine from The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society Wine Club.  I have had plenty of Grant Burge wines in the past, but never the Sparkling Shiraz, so I was really looking forward to this one.

Grant Burge is a winery from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, which has been producing table and sparkling wines since 1855. Located 80km north of Adelaide, the Barossa is a beautiful area of rolling hills, vineyards, fine food and wine. The winery produces a number of different levels of wine, with Barossa reds being a favourite. White wines also feature highly, particularly those with fruit from the neighbouring Eden Valley.

Given that we'll be having plenty of turkey next week, tonight I thought I'd match the sparkling Shiraz with some great Australian lamb.  Red wine and red meat always go well together, so why not add a bit of sweetness and a few bubbles!

I was given a bunch of some beautiful fresh mint from a friend's garden the other day and decided that mint, lamb and sparkling shiraz would be the perfect combination.

With amazing fresh herbs, truss Roma tomatoes and asparagus, I have put together a simple but amazing salad to showcase all of those beautiful flavours. Part Greek, part Middle Eastern, part Australian, it is a wonderful blend of amazing food and cultures.

The Grant Burge Sparkling Shiraz was inky black in colour with plenty of spice and blackberry flavours. There was also some plum and cherry notes too. The sweetness and berry-ness matched perfectly with the lamb, complementing the crisp nutty coating. Nuts and berries go well together, don't they?  I was worried that the salty feta and olives would be a bit overpowering, but because the feta was nice and creamy, it all balanced out. Sweet tomato, fresh mint and peppery rocket were the perfect combination of flavours.

I'd definitely recommend this wine, especially on Christmas Day. Even on Christmas Eve, New Years Eve or any time you want something a little bit different and a little bit fancy. To be drunk with a full meal, some prosciutto and fresh bread, strong cheeses or just on its own. Perfect.

Nut And Seed Crusted Lamb

1 lamb backstrap, cleaned of fat and sinews
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted
1 tsp lemon myrtle flakes
A good grinding of salt and pepper

Combine sesame seeds, almonds, lemon myrtle, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle.
Gently crush the almonds and combine all the flavours.
Generously sprinkle the lamb all over with the seed and nut mixture.

Heat a fry pan on medium high heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.
Depending on the size of your lamb and your frypan, you may need to cut the fillet in half.
Cook on one side until the coating is golden and the lamb sealed. Turn over and cook the other side.
You still want the lamb to be a little pink in the middle.
Set aside to rest in a warm place, covered with foil.

Tomato and Asparagus Salad

3 truss Roma tomatoes, quartered
Half a bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
A handful of rocket leaves
50g feta, cut into cubes
A handful of black olives
A handful of fresh mint leaves, torn
Extra virgin olive oil
Verjuice

Pour boiling water over the asparagus in a heatproof bowl and leave for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
Place asparagus, tomato, rocket, feta, olives and mint in a salad bowl or on a platter.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and and a dash of verjuice to taste and gently combine.

Rocket Pesto

Our vegie garden is coming along nicely at the moment, but the thing that just grows and grows is rocket.  There is so much there and no sooner than you pick some to use in a salad, it's back again! There have been plenty of rocket, pear and parmesan salads in the eat quaff laugh household of late!

I decided that the only way to use up a whole lot of the rocket was to make a pesto. Pesto is generally made from basil, but you can really make it using any herb or leafy green. Coriander pesto with a bit of chilli is one of my favourites.

This time, I used rocket and toasted cashews, along with the regular garlic, parmesan and oil. Our rocket is quite peppery, so I didn't need to add any pepper, but if you're using younger shop bought leaves, you might want to add a bit. Instead of lemon juice, I used some verjuice. It adds a similar acidity, without being too strong.

The batch of rocket pesto that I made was more than enough for a couple of meals. If I had been organised, I would have sterilised some jars to store it in, so that it would keep for a bit longer. If you do this, make sure you cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil, so that it doesn't oxidise. You'll still need to keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks, but it does store for longer. Alternatively you can actually freeze pesto pretty well. Great when you want a simple pasta dish but don't have the time to be making the sauce from scratch.

Given that I had so much pesto, I managed to get two meals out of it, with a little bit left over. The first dish was a side to go with some ocean trout. I roasted some home grown 'cranberry red' potatoes and then tossed the pesto through them while they were hot. They were delicious!

The second meal was a simple pesto pasta, with a slight twist. Before tossing the pesto through the cooked pasta, I fried up a sliced chorizo until crispy and added that to the mix, with a dash of the pasta cooking water to loosen. The smoky paprika in the chorizo was great with the peppery rocket. Sprinkled with some extra grated parmesan, it made a simple dinner a little bit more special.

You could really get creative with pesto and use it for so much more than just a pasta sauce. Marinate chicken with it, spread it on toasted sourdough and top with goats cheese or feta, mix it with ricotta and use as a stuffing for rolled chicken or pork. You are only limited by your imagination!

Rocket Pesto

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely chopped

4 large handfuls of rocket leaves

3/4 cup cashew nuts

1 Tbs oil

2 Tbs verjuice

Salt to taste

Start by toasting the cashews. You can either do this in the oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes or until browned or in a dry frypan. Allow to cool.

Place garlic, cashews, parmesan and rocket in a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped. Slowly add the oil and verjuice and blitz again until it's the desired consistency. I like my pesto to still be a bit chunky, but you might prefer it smoother.

Add salt if you need it and adjust the flavours with extra rocket, oil or verjuice as needed.

And To Drink...

This Plantagenet Omrah Rose from Great Southern in Western Australia was a lovely drop. There was plenty of red berry and plummy flavours with a bit of sweetness, but essentially a dry finish. It matched perfectly with the rich ocean trout and pesto potatoes, but also with the pasta with chorizo. The saltiness and spice in the chorizo and the peppery pesto were complemented by the slight sweetness of the wine. While the weather wasn't particularly warm the night we had this wine, to me, Rose is always great on a hot day when you want something with a bit of body, but also nice and refreshing.

I'll definitely be looking out for this Rose again, and other wines made by Plantagenet. Western Australia, particularly Great Southern, produce some wonderful red and white wines. Now to get over there to try some!

Another Way With Tuna

It seems that I've been cooking a lot of tuna lately! I love how versatile it is and how you really can substitute it for a meaty dish. Last week I shared with you a baked tuna, today it's something a bit more simple.

Tuna steaks don't take long to cook, so are perfect for a midweek meal when you want something quick and easy. They cook faster than a regular steak, particularly because you want the middle to still be rare. Just make sure you don't over cook them. You only want half a centimetre at most cooked on each side. Any more than this and the fish will be dry and horrible. If you don't like tuna, or can't get it from your fish shop, you can substitute with any other sort of fish. Preferably use a firm fleshed fish, if you can.

Teamed with a sweet carrot puree and some wilted greens, you have a very colourful dish! I added some chopped roasted beetroot to my greens because I had some left over, but you could also use dried cranberries too. They both add a bit of sweetness to the greens, which can be bitter, depending on which sort you use. The red and green also look lovely, so if the weather isn't particularly warm for Christmas, it could be a good vegie choice!

The carrot puree can be made in advance and then just heated in a saucepan or the microwave when you're ready to eat. It doesn't take very long, but tastes great and looks lovely in a coloured bowl on the table.

There has been much Christmas cheer of late in the eat quaff laugh household, so no wine for us to go with the tuna tonight. If you are looking for a tipple, try a Riesling or unwooded Chardonnay. You want something light and fresh that is still nice and fruity, but not overpowering. Given that the tuna is quite meaty, a wine with a bit of complexity and depth would be perfect. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that matches!

Tuna Steaks With Carrot Puree and Mixed Greens

2 tuna steaks, about 1.5cm thick

Salt and pepper to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

4 carrots

50g Persian feta, marinated in oil

2 Tbs natural yoghurt

A bunch of mixed greens (rainbow chard, silver beet, spinach etc)

Chopped left over roasted beetroot or a handful of dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

For the carrot puree -

Peel and trim the carrots and chop coarsely.

Cook in the microwave or in a saucepan of water on the stove until soft. Drain and cool slightly.

Transfer to a food processor and whiz with the feta, yoghurt and enough of the marinating oil to make a thick consistency. Season to taste.

For the greens -

Wash and coarsely chop your selection of leafy greens. Remove any really thick bits of stalk which might be a bit woody.

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of the feta oil and cook the greens until they begin to wilt. 

Throw in the beetroot or cranberries to warm through and season to taste.

Add an extra drizzle of the oil to serve, if you like.

For the tuna -

Cover the tuna steaks on both sides with a grinding of salt and a very generous covering of ground black pepper.

Heat  a frying pan over high heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Sear the tuna for about a minute on each side. You want about 0.5cm of cooked fish on either side, with the middle nice and pink.

To serve, place a creative blob of the carrot puree on the plate and then the tuna on top. Decoratively place the greens on top of the tuna. Enjoy!

Beetroot Baked Eggs

I love it when a completely random combination of what's left over in the fridge actually works!

This week I was left to my own devices while my husband was out at Christmas drinks. I figured it was a good opportunity to use up the bits and pieces that were in the fridge and try to create something delicious.

I loved baked eggs and they often feature on our weekend breakfast menu or on weeknights when you want something quick, easy and filling.

This beetroot baked eggs was delicious and only took a total of about 20 minutes to make and cook. It was perfect on a cool night, when I wanted something hearty and filling but without too much fuss or effort.

This recipe only used a few ingredients and not a lot of skill. The sweet, earthy flavour of the beetroot was beautiful with the creamy feta and the runny eggs yolks mixed through. The extra dash of pomegranate molasses added some syrupy sweetness. I did mean to top it all with a few pieces of smoked salmon, but completely forgot! They would have been great too. You could equally add some prosciutto or crispy bacon at the last minute as well.

I made only enough for one serve, so you just need to double or triple it for more people.

Beetroot Baked Eggs

1 beetroot

2 tsp pomegranate molasses, or to taste

A knob of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

50g of creamy feta, chopped

A handful of parsley, chopped

Smoked salmon, prosciutto or crispy bacon (optional)

Toast to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Chop the stalk of the beetroot and peel.
Grate the beetroot and place in a saucepan with the butter, pomegranate molasses, a dash of water and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the beetroot has softened and some of the liquid has evaporated. Make sure there is still some liquid left so it's not too dry.
Tip the beetroot mixture into an oven proof ramekin or small dish and make two indents for the eggs.
Crack an egg into each hole, place the dish on a baking tray and cover with foil.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the white is set and the yolks are still runny.
In the last few minutes, throw the feta on top of the dish to warm it up a bit.
Take the dish out of the oven, sprinkle with the parsley and an extra bit of cracked black pepper. If you are using smoked salmon or prosciutto, add that to the top now.
Serve with hot buttered toast.

Baked Tuna

I think I've told you before that we are trying to eat more fish in the eat quaff laugh household. Personally, I would eat salmon every day, but the man of the house isn't such a fan and would prefer to have anything but.

Tuna is another fish that we do have quite often and it seems to keep everyone happy. Seared on the outside so that the middle is still pink, it is great crusted with cracked black pepper or sesame seeds. Rather than cooking the tuna like a steak, this dish quickly sears the outside and then bakes it in the oven. Because you use a big piece of fillet, rather than individual slices, it tends not to dry out and you get all the amazing fishy flavours melding with the sauce ingredients. Just ask your friendly fishmonger for  a large piece of fillet, if they don't have any on display.

When you feel like seafood, but want something quite hearty and filling, then this is your meal. This time around I have used red wine, but I've also made it with white wine and it's equally as good. It really depends what you have on hand, what's open at the time or what you feel like drinking! Being so versatile, you can really make more or less the same recipe into different tasting meals. When the weather is cold, serve with mash and some green beans or asparagus, when it's warmer, maybe some fresh crusty bread and a rocket salad. Just make sure you don't waste all those delicious juices!

 

Baked Tuna

 

600g piece of tuna fillet, preferably all one thickness
A drizzle of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 French radishes, finely chopped
2 tsp small capers
500g fresh tomato, coarsely chopped
200ml red wine
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
A handful of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Season tuna all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over high heat and sear the fish on all sides until golden.
Remove from the frying pan while you make the sauce.
In an ovenproof pot with a lid, heat another drizzle of oil and gently fry garlic, shallot and radish until softened.
Add the capers, tomato, wine and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the tomato starts to break down. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the tuna in the middle of the sauce, cover with a lid and bake for 5 minutes.

Take the pot out of the oven, carefully turn the tuna over, re-cover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. You want the centre of the tuna to still be pink and moist.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes to finish cooking.
Place the tuna on a serving plate and spoon the tomato and juices over the top.
Sprinkle with the chopped mint and serve.

 

 

And To Drink...

This dish really goes against the 'white wine goes with fish' principle, due to the tuna fillet being so meaty. You could serve it with the red wine you cooked with, a white wine, or something in between!
We decided to have ours with a Rose, as there wasn't any of the cooking wine left! It was the remains of a bottle we'd had the night before.

The 2012 Lethbridge Rose was actually perfect with the fish. It had a little bit of sweetness, but was heavy enough to balance the meatiness of the tuna and the acidity of the tomatoes and capers. There were plenty of red berry flavours and a little bit of spinciness. On a warm night, having a chilled wine was perfect.

Lethbridge Wines are located in Lethbridge, which is 30km northwest of Geelong. We have gone down there for the last two years at vintag,e in February or March, to pick the grapes on their Friends Pick days. It's a lot of fun (and not too much hard work) and it's very satisfying to know that you've helped in the making of their wines. We've even had the chance to stomp the grapes in the barrels. It was very messy, but we loved it, especially the kids!

Please check out their wines, if you can. The premium reds and whites (named after the winemakers children) are wonderful.

November Wine Club - Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon

I told you about The Fabulous Ladies Wine Society last month when I wrote about their online wine club I was taking part in. One of the wines for November is the 2011 Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon.  To match this beautiful wine, I decided to make a delicious meal to go with it. Roasted eye fillet with a beetroot and vincotto salad was on the menu!

Kangarilla Road is a McLaren Vale winery established in 1997. Located less than an hour out of Adelaide, in South Australia, their cellar door is easy to pop in to. They use biodynamic and organic winemaking styles, using grapes from their 30 acre property in the rolling hills of the McLaren Ranges. Having a Meditteranean climate they tend to make full flavoured red wines with a couple of whites and a rose too.

I was lucky enough to visit Kangarilla Road a couple of years ago and managed to try one or two (or three or four...) of their wines. I loved the Zinfandel and Sangiovese. If you ever happen to be in the area, they are definitely worth a visit.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon was a delight. Being quite a young wine, I expected it to be a bit rough around the edges and heavy with tannin, but it was exactly the opposite. It was very smooth with dark plum and berry flavours and a touch of vanilla from the French oak barrels. It also had quite an earthy taste to it, which perfectly matched the earthiness and sweetness of the beetroot. The crunchy, roasted macadamias had a great texture and also brought out the vanilla and spice. Matched with the roasted eye fillet as well as the salad, the wine was given much more depth of flavour.

While this wine was perfect with the steak and salad, it would also have been wonderful to drink on it's own or with a cheese platter with some dried fruit and nuts. Maybe next time we'll just have a bottle on a Sunday afternoon with some nibbles!

Beetroot And Vincotto Salad 

 

2 large beetroots, stalks trimmed
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, halved
A large handful of rocket leaves, chopped into large pieces
80g Danish feta, cut into small pieces
1 Tbs vincotto
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Peel beetroots and cut into large pieces.
Place on a baking tray, spray with oil spray and toss to coat.
Roast for approx 30 mins or until cooked. This time will depend on how big your pieces are.
Remove the beetroot from the oven and cool to room temperature.
While the beetroots are roasting, place macadamias on a small baking tray and roast for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Keep an eye on them as they burn very quickly.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
When ready to serve, toss beetroot, rocket, nuts and feta with combined extra virgin olive oil and vincotto. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Roasted Eye Fillet

 

500g eye fillet, all in one piece
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Trim any sinew from the beef so that you have a nice even cut of meat.
Season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a good drizzle of oil in a frying pan on high heat.
Sear the beef on all side for a minute or so, until browned evenly.
Transfer the beef to a baking tray and roast for 15 mins, or until cooked to your liking. 15 mins will give you medium rare, which is how we like it.
Allow the meat to rest in a warm place, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before you carve it, otherwise you'll loose all the wonderful juices.
Carve meat into two large pieces and serve with the salad and mustard or chutney of your choice.

Using My Fresh Vegetables

Last week I wrote about the great delivery of fruit and vegetables that I received from Kelly Bros. This week I thought I'd share with you a couple of the meals that I've made using this beautiful fresh produce.

The first thing I made was a simple, but very tasty, san choy bau using the iceberg lettuce and spring onions. A perfect Friday night dinner when all you want after work is something that you can whip up in no time. I very rarely buy iceberg lettuce, favouring mixed leaves or baby cos, even though I do love that crispy crunch you get from freshly washed leaves. Whenever I do have iceberg lettuce, it really makes me think of wrapping up a flavoursome mince filling and enjoying a light summer meal. My version of san choy bau really was easy and I cooked it up in the time it took my husband to read the kids their bed time stories and put them to sleep!

When you cook up the filling, make sure you evaporate as much of the sauces as possible. You don't want too much liquid or it will leak out all over the place when you're eating! It's still best to have a napkin on hand to catch all those juices. Alter the flavours to suit your taste, add some chilli if you like. It may not be authentic, but damn it tastes good.

San Choy Bau

500g pork mince

3 mushrooms, diced

4 spring onions, washed, trimmed and cut into thin rounds

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced into rounds, white part only

1 1/2 Tbs hoisin sauce

A few drops of sesame oil

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp oyster sauce

A handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Iceberg lettuce leaves, torn into cups

Heat a wok on moderate heat and stir fry the mince, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and mushrooms until cooked and the meat and mushrooms release their juices.

Stir in the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce and reduce the juices until the mixture is reasonably dry.

Stir through the few drops of sesame oil, or to taste.

At the last minute, stir through the mint and spring onions, keeping them fresh.

Serve the mince mixture in lettuce cups. 

Over summer, when we have lots of tomatoes and parsley in the garden, I love to make big bowls of tabouli. I love this as a meal in itself, served with some fresh Turkish bread and a dollop of natural yoghurt. It's also great as a salad to take to BBQ's or to just have with grilled chicken or fish. We had ours with some simple grilled chicken and a yoghurt, mint and sumac sauce.

As an alternative to the regular style of tabouli, which uses cracked wheat or burghul, I decided to use Quinoa. It's an equally easy grain to use and bulks out the salad much the same way as burghul. Great for those looking to cut out or reduce the wheat products in their diet. Also, being lazy, I had quinoa in the cupboard and couldn't be bothered heading out to the shops again to buy some burghul!

Tabouli really does need the freshest vegetables and herbs to make it shine. Make sure your tomatoes are red and full of flavour and the herbs are freshly picked and fragrant. I also added a radish to mine, as I had a bunch from my delivery and thought I'd make it slightly different. Add the lemon juice to your taste and make sure you season well to bring out the flavours of the vegetables.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup quinoa

2 vine ripenend tomatoes, diced

1 lebanese cucumber, seeds removed and diced

3 spring onions, washed, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

1 French radish, finely chopped

A bunch of parsley, chopped

A large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sumac

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, approx 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and allow to cool until room temperature.

Combine tomato, cucumber, spring onion, radish, parsley, mint and quinoa in a bowl. Stir gently to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sumac.

Pour over the lemon juice and oil to make a dressing. You want enough to make the salad moist, but not too wet.

Kelly Bros Fresh Produce

I love to cook with fresh produce and nothing beats picking some herbs or vegies out of the garden to use for lunch or dinner. Obviously you can't grow everything and that's where having a good relationship with your local fruit shop is so important. They will know where the food you are eating comes from and ensure that it is fresh. The problem with buying fruit and veg from the supermarket is that some of it can be up to a year old and kept in cold storage. Not really what you want, when so much of the nutritional quality is lost.

There are times, however when you might be super busy with work and other events and getting to the shops can be a bit difficult. Fresh food delivery services are just what you need when life gets hectic, to make sure that you still have plenty of fresh, healthy food to add to your pantry staples.

I was lucky enough to try the Kelly Bros fruit and veg delivery this morning. We were given a $28 box for two people, and what value for money and beautiful produce we received! Certainly more than enough for two. The other options are the medium box for three people at $38 or the large box for four people at $45.

Our box was waiting out the front this morning at 7am and I couldn't wait to open it up and see what we got. The stunning array of fruit and veg included bananas, nectarines, apples, potatoes, kale, radishes, baby carrots, zucchini, parsley, spring onion, iceberg lettuce, truss tomatoes and salad onions.

Everything was in great condition and super fresh. Now the only thing to decide is what to cook with it all!

Tonight we had some of the zucchini, chargrilled in a salad with rocket from the garden and parmesan cheese. Tomorrow night I'm thinking of making san choy bau, and using crisy iceberg lettuce cups to wrap up the tasty pork and spring onion filling. I think a tabouli might be on the menu in the next few days too.

Any other suggestions for my vegies would be much appreciated.   I'm going to have to do some research on the radishes, because I've never really been much of a fan. Maybe I'll be converted!

Kelly Bros - Farm to You are a family business who have been farming fresh produce for 150 years. They have access to 2000 acres of market gardens in Yarrawonga on the Murray and near Cranbourne, on the outskirts of Melbourne. All produce is picked, packed and delivered within 36 hours, so you know that what you receive is of the highest quality. Being seasonal, you will only receive what's currently growing and not something that has been imported from elsewhere.

Delivery occurs on Monday and Thursday and usually happens between 2am and 7am, so when you wake up and step outside on your delivery day, a box of goodness and sunshine will be waiting. You don't need to worry about produce sitting in the sun all day and becoming ruined. You can also choose to have deliveries weekly, fortnightly or just as a once off, so no need to worry about getting roped into something you don't really want.

I would definitely use this service again, particularly when I'm busy and just don't have the time or energy to trek to the shops with the kids in tow. Such beautiful produce and great service, it really is a wonderful option.


This blog post was not sponsored in any way by Kelly Bros, but is of my own opinion.

Stuffed Mushrooms a Winner!

There has been some serious eating and drinking going on in the eat quaff laugh household recently and it doesn't look like settling down any time soon!  A charity dinner tomorrow night, a dinner party on Saturday, plus another one next week, it's going to be a busy lead up to Christmas.

After a weekend away to celebrate my nephews first birthday, catching up with family and friends who I haven't seen in a while, eating and drinking lots of fancy meals, it's time for something a bit healthier.

After being exhausted following the busy weekend and flying solo with the kids, I knew that something simple was going to be needed for dinner. I had a few bits and pieces left over in the fridge, but after a quick dash to the shops, decided a vego meal was in order.

Stuffed mushrooms are such an easy meal, whether it be for lunch or dinner, and you can more or less fill them with anything you like. It's a great way to use up those little bits and pieces that are in the fridge or cupboard as you want the flavours to all meld together to create something yummy.

I picked up a couple of big swiss brown mushrooms and some sweet corn that was on special from the fruit and veg shop to create the base for this meal. With some stale bread, a piece of feta, tomatoes and fresh herbs, I quickly whipped up something delicious. Even though this was a last minute meal, it will become a regular in our house, especially when we need a night off from heavy, rich food.

To go with the mushies, I wanted a nice fresh salad, and that's where the corn came into it. I love the combination of corn and feta and have made this salad many times before. What made tonight's version a little bit more special was the dressing. Given to me by my Mother in Law after a trip to Tasmania, this Ashbolt dressing was divine.  Made with extra virgin olive oil, elderflower concentrate, vinegar and mustard, it was a little bit different to your standard dressing. With a bit of sweetness and a bit of acidity, it was the perfect match to the sweet corn. Definitely one worth looking out for, as it was beautiful!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2 large swiss brown or portabello mushrooms
1 slice of slightly stale bread, cut into small cubes
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
A handful of baby spinach leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil


Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare the mushrooms by cutting away the stalk at the base to make a nice cup for holding the filling.
Place mushrooms on a lightly greased oven tray and drizzle with a little oil.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften and release their juices.
While the mushies are cooking, prepare the filling.

Finely chop the mushroom stalks and combine in a bowl with the chopped bread, tomatoes, garlic, spinach and a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Take the mushrooms out of the oven and carefully pile the filling into them. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the bread cubes are crusty.
Serve with the corn and feta salad.

Corn And Feta Salad

4 cobs of corn, husk and silks removed
100g feta, cut into cubes
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Ashbolt salad dressing, or dressing of your choice

Wash corn cobs to remove any grit and remaining silks, then boil in a saucepan of salted water for about 4 minutes, or until the kernels are plumped and soft.
Drain and allow to cool.
When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife.
Place the kernals in a bowl with the chopped feta and parsley, and combine.
Dress the salad with your favourite dressing and serve.

A Quick and Tasty Dinner

At this time of year, when things start to get really busy, it's nice to have a fall-back dinner option which is quick, tasty and healthy. If you're out for drinks, dinner or lunche a couple of times a week, all you need is something easy and tasty to satisfy you.

A while back I wrote about the amazing Lemongrass Paste made by Under The Pickle Tree, which we picked up at the Coburg Farmer's Market. Well, tonight I'm using the same paste, but making a different dish. Tonight we're having fish, rather than chicken.

When cooking with fish in a stir fry or curry, you really need to use a firm fleshed white fish that has a mild flavour. You don't want the flesh falling apart as you cook it and you want a mild taste so that the fishiness doesn't overpower the other flavours in your dish. The snapper that I picked up at the local fish shop today was perfect. Dense and meaty with a sweet, but mild taste, it was perfect to suck up all the flavours in the paste.

With a staple paste like this lemongrass one in the fridge or the cupboard, you should never have nothing to cook. All you need is some meat, fish or prawns, mixed vegies and either noodles or rice and you have a simple midweek dinner. Nothing could be easier!

Lemongrass Fish with Noodles

400g firm fleshed white fish
1 packet of fresh noodles (approx 200g)
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red capsicum, cut into thin slices
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut into 3cm lengths
1 1/2 Tbs Under The Pickle Tree Lemongrass Paste
A drizzle of oil
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Prepare the fish by removing any skin and bones and then cutting in to bite size chunks.
Prepare all the vegies and have them ready to go.
Soak noodles in warm water for five minutes to soften, then drain well.
Heat a wok on medium high heat and add oil.
Add the fish and lemongrass paste and cook together until the fish is beginning to become opaque, but not completely cooked. Remove from the wok to a bowl and set aside.
Heat another drizzle of oil, then cook the onion and carrot together until starting to soften. Add a dash of water and cover with the lid to let it steam for a few minutes.
Add the capsicum and asparagus and cook until all the vegetables are cooked to your liking. You want a bit of crunch, so don't overdo them.
Throw the noodles in and stir them around until they soften a bit more.
Add the other 1/2 Tbs of lemongrass paste to give the noodles and veg more flavour.
When that's all mixed in, return the fish and it paste and juices to the pan and gently heat through to finish cooking the fish.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh coriander over the top.

Simply divine!

Just Stuff It!!

We've had a few big and fancy dinners over the last couple of weeks and have probably drunk too much over the Spring Racing Carnival, so it's time to settle down and have something simple and slightly healthier.

Just because something is simple and healthy, doesn't mean that it has to taste bland and boring! We try to do a vego meal at least once a week, so I thought that tonight would be perfect for that. After a great lamb Rogan Josh and roast pork with crispy crackling on the weekend, something lighter was definitely in order! Thanks to my beautiful husband for his weekend cooking adventures when I was at a course for the two days.

I have made stuffed capsicums in the past and shared one of my recipes with you a while ago. On that occasion, I stuffed them with a mixture of goat mince, onion, garlic and herbs. This time, to make a vegetarian version, I've stuffed them with chickpeas, feta, onion, garlic, spinach and fresh oregano.  The filling has enough substance to make them hearty, without being too dense. When roasted, the capsicums give off their beautiful sweetness and the juices mix in with the filling.

Top it all with a blob of Greek yoghurt, a sprinkling of sumac and a light salad, and you have the perfect dinner. I decided to go with rocket, roasted tomato and toasted pinenut. Other roasted vegies that you cook at the same time would be perfect too. You could also make this as a weekend lunch when you don't want anything too difficult or heavy. 

I chose medium sized red capsicums, but depending on how hungry you are, you could choose larger ones. If you wanted, you could even use the little baby ones in red, yellow or green to make pretty appetisers for a party. With Christmas coming up, the colour scheme would be perfect for a festive get together!

Depending on the size of your capsicums, you'll probably have some of the filling left over. Heat it up in a pan or the microwave and serve it with a dollop of yoghurt and some fresh crusty bread for lunch.

Vegetarian Stuffed Roasted Capsicums

2 medium red capsicums
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of fresh oregano, chopped
A handful of fresh spinach, chopped
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp sumac, plus extra for sprinkling
100g feta, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil spray
Greek yoghurt and salad to serve

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
To prepare the capsicum, cut the tops off them so you have a base with a lid. Remove the membrane and seeds from the inside.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion until starting to soften.
Add the garlic for another minute until it becomes fragrant.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the chickpeas, oregano, spinach, feta, sumac and salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the feta is salty, so you might not need much salt.
Fill the capsicums with the chickpea mixture until it reaches the top. Pack it in so it's quite firmly filled as it will shrink down during cooking.
Place the capsicums and lids on a baking tray and spray with the oil spray.
Bake for about 30 mins, or until the capsicums are softened and slightly charred. You might need to take the lids out of the oven before the bases to stop them burning.

To serve, place a capsicum on a plate, dollop Greek yoghurt on the top, sprinkle with sumac and replace the lid.
Serve with a simple salad.