Minestrone - Slow Cooker

Minestrone Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

·         2 carrots, peeled, chopped

·         1 onion

·         1 desiree potato, peeled, chopped

·         1 zucchini

·         3 garlic cloves

·         ½ cup tomato paste

·         1 ½ cups passata (this is the difference maker!!!)

·         500ml chicken stock

·         410g can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained

·         1 tsp dried oregano

·         2 cups cooked small macaroni

·         Salt & freshly ground black pepper

·         Grated parmesan, to serve

Method

1.       Peel and dice the carrots, onion, zucchini and potato

2.       Peel and crush garlic

3.       Place in the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients, except the macaroni and parmesan, mix well.

4.       Place the bacon, carrots, celery, potato and garlic in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over high heat, uncovered, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

5.       Place lid on cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low

6.       About 30 mins before the end of the cooking time heat the cooked macaroni and add to the cooker.

7.       Replace the lid and cook for a further 30 mins

8.       Add salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with grated parmesan

Risotto Marinara

Serves 4

-          600g seafood/good quality marinara mix

-          500 gm Calasparra or Arborio rice

-          1.5 litres (6 cups) good quality fish stock

-          fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds and trimmings reserved separately

-          60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

-          Spanish onion, thinly sliced

-          garlic cloves, finely chopped

-          250 ml (1 cup) tomato passata

-          200 ml   dry white wine

-          200 gm mixed small tomatoes, halved

-          Finely  grated rind and juice of ½ a small lemon

-          To serve:  lemon wedges

1.       Heat oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat, add fennel bulb, onion, garlic, and sauté until tender (3-4 minutes).

2.       Add rice, stir to coat in oil, then add tomato passata, wine, tomato and 250ml stock and stir frequently until liquid is absorbed (5-6 minutes).

3.       Add enough stock to cover, stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed before adding more, until rice is al dente and liquid thickens to a brothy sauce (30-35 minutes; there may be a little stock remaining).

4.       Add seafood, stir until just cooked through (2-3 minutes), remove from heat.

5.       Stir in lemon rind and juice, scatter with reserved fennel fronds and serve hot with lemon wedges

Restaurant Review - Bistro Lilly, The Rocks

Bistro Lilly is in a great location has beautiful decor and mostly great food. I just wonder how long this restaurant will last with its current attitude that fellow eatability reviewers have also noticed. We left at 8:30pm on a Friday night and there were only two people left in the restaurant – says it all really.

We were a party of four. Yes, we had a voucher so you get what you pay for however the entrees were great and three of the four mains were great too. I had trout with sundried tomatoes that were inedible. I thought they had taken to them with a gas flame (but got more gas than flame due to the kerosene infusion) and my friend thought they would wood smoked them but burnt the wood and over smoked them. Tried to politely explain the taste to the waiter but he just snapped “that’s how they’re supposed to be”. I asked him to smell them but got an even snappier “that’s how they’re supposed to be”. I just smiled politely and said “never mind”. For the rest of the night we were treated like lepers.  When we left, we saw ourselves out. They really do not take feedback well.

 Last to mention, trying to make a booking to use our voucher was almost mission impossible. It was hard not to feel bitter about that when the busiest the restaurant got was four tables of diners. When we left, we had a 200m walk to the car. We could not help but notice every other restaurant we walked past in Kent St was packed. It is such a shame ... Bistro Lilly obviously does not realise what they could be if they practices customer service. I will say it again... we left at 8:30pm on a Friday night and there were only two people left in the restaurant – says it all.  Proof attached.

White bean soup with garlic crostini

 If you have time, you could make this soup with dried white beans instead of the canned ones; they’ll need to be soaked overnight and cooked for longer.

Serves 4

-          2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

-          Spanish onion, thinly sliced

-          garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 1 extra clove, halved, for rubbing

-          1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste

-          1.2 kg canned white beans, drained, rinsed

-          1 litre (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock

-          fresh bay leaves

-          1½ tbsp  red wine vinegar, or to taste

-          8 thick slices sourdough bread

-          To serve:  coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley and oregano

1.       Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic, stir occasionally until tender (4-5 minutes), add chilli, stir to combine. Add beans, stock and bay leaves, simmer for 15 minutes, then pulse with a hand-held blender until partially puréed. Add vinegar, season to taste and keep warm.

2.       Meanwhile, preheat a char-grill pan over high heat. Drizzle both sides of bread slices with a little olive oil, season to taste and char-grill, turning once, until toasted (1-2 minutes each side). Rub crostini with remaining garlic and place one slice in each serving bowl. Ladle over hot soup, scatter with herbs and serve with remaining crostini.

This recipe is from the May 2011 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/white-bean-soup-with-garlic-crostini.htm 

Toblerone Cheesecake

Serves 6

This recipe was inspired by the cookbook – Legless.

Ingredients – Base:

-          250g chocolate biscuits (I use tiny teddies)

Ingredients - Filling

-          125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water

-          1 tablespoon gelatine

-          180g sugar

-          I tablespoon lemon juice

-          250g cream cheese

-          300ml (1 ½ cups) cream

-          1 tbsp honey

-          1/4 cup Frangelico

-          3/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

-          Chocolate essence to taste

-          2 x 50g Toblerone chocolate bar

-          chocolate shavings

To make base:

-          Crush biscuits into vey fine pieces

-          Sprinkle into glasses

To make filling:

1.       Sprinkle half the gelatine quantity over half the boiling water quantity, stir until dissolved and leave to cool

2.       Place sugar and melon juice in a blender and mix lightly

3.       Add room temperate cream cheese and continue to blend

4.       Add frangelico and cream and blend until smooth and mixed well

5.       Split the mix in half

6.       Add the cooled gelatine mix to half the mix and blend.

7.       Divide the mixture (with the gelatine mix) onto the biscuit bases

8.       Refrigerate to set (90 mins)

9.       Crumble toblerone, forming a middle layer

10.   Sprinkle the remaining gelatine quantity over the remaining boiling water quantity, stir until dissolved and leave to cool

11.   Add the cooled gelatine mix to the remaining cheesecake mix.

12.   Divide the mixture into the glasses

13.   Refrigerate to set (2 hours)

14.   Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top

Casual Easter Menu - Frangelico Cheesecake

Serves 6

This recipe comes from my new cookbook – Legless. All I did differently is serve them in dessert glasses.

Ingredients – Base:

-          250g chocolate biscuits

-          125g butter

Ingredients - Filling

-          125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water

-          1 tablespoon gelatine

-          70g sugar

-          I tablespoon lemon juice

-          250g cream cheese

-          300ml (1 ½ cups) cream

-          3/4 cup Frangelico

-          Shredded Dark Chocolate to serve

To make base:

-          Crush biscuits into vey fine pieces

-          Melt butter and add to crushed biscuits, mix well and press into base

-          Refrigerate to set

To make filling:

1.       Sprinkle the gelatine over the boiling water, stir until dissolved and leave to cool

2.       Place sugar and melon juice in a blender and mix lightly

3.       Add room temperate cream cheese and continue to blend

4.       Add cooled gelatine mix, frangelico and cream and blend until smooth and mixed well

5.       Pour the mixture onto the biscuit base

6.       Refrigerate to set (allow 3 hours at least)

7.       Crumble chocolate on top

N.B

·         I also added a fine layer of strawberry jelly on top

·         Next time I will put the base through the middle, as we had to stab the glass to get it out. It stuck way too well to the bottom.

Casual Easter Menu - Rocky Road

Serving size: Serves 8 or more

Cooking time: Less than 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

400g Dark Chocloate

200g Milk Chcolate

3 large pieces Turkish delight chopped into small pieces

1 Cherry Ripe bars, chopped

½ bag marshmallows

1 scoop unsalted nuts of your choice (pistachio, roasted peanuts etc.)

METHOD

1.   Line a tray with baking paper.

2.   Combine and melt chocolate on low heat until smooth and runny.

3.   Mix cherry ripe, turkish delight, marshmallows and nuts into large bowl.

4.   Once chocolate has melted, mix quickly with other ingredients.

5.   Pour into prepared tray and place into fridge for approximately 20 minutes or until almost set.

6.   Remove from fridge and cut into desired pieces then return to fridge to set.

Easter inspirations...