Beef and Mushroom Casserole

I don't eat red meat so I can say how this tastes - my husband was happy with it though. I actually did this in the slow cooker and would do it again as an easy winter dish for my husband but I wouldn't do it for guests as it wouldn't have a 'wow' factor.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 500g diced beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 500ml pack Campbell’s Real Stock - Beef
• 2 tsp cornflour

Method

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Serves 4

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over high heat. Cook beef, in batches, until browned. Remove set aside.
2. Add onion & garlic, cook for 2 mins. Add mushrooms & beef to pan. Cook for 3 mins until mushrooms have softened.
3. Add carrots, herbs, tomato paste & 1 ½ cups stock. Bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat & cook for 35 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. In a jug or bowl, combine remaining ½ cup stock with cornflour until smooth. Stir into beef mixture.
5. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened. Serve with mash & steamed green beans.

Fish and Mushroom Curry

Ingredients

·         275 ml Coconut milk

·         Curry Paste of your choice (I used Massaman)

·         Vegetable stock paste

·         2 thick pieces of fish (I used salmon) cut into pieces

·         1 red capsicum, sliced

·         2 lge handfuls Baby spinach

·         400g mushrooms

·         4 shallots, finely chopped

·         Corriander

Method

1.       Heat a deep, large frying pan over high heat. Add a little oil and all the mushrooms. Cook till softened and transfer to a bowl

2.       Seal the fish on all sides

3.       Reduce heat and add the coconut milk (at most it should be lightly bubbling)

4.       Stir in curry paste to taste (I used 2 tbsp)

5.       Add vegetable paste to balance the flavour (I used 1 tbsp)

6.       After fish is almost cooked, (about 5 mins) add mushrooms, baby spinach, shallots and capsicum. Cover and check after 5 minutes. It is ready if the capsicum has softened. If not cover and cook in sets of 2 mins till the capsicum is cooked.

7.       Scatter coriander over

8.       Service with rice

Greek Fish Stew

What a great easy winter recipe!

Ingredients

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red potato, diced

4 celery stalks, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 can whole tomatoes in juice

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 cup green beans, chopped

500ml veggie or fish stock 

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper, ground

1 zucchinis, sliced into half-moons

2 cups baby spinach leaves

200g white, skinless fish fillets, cut into 3cm pieces

1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

2 tbsp feta, crumbled

Method

In a soup pot heat the oil then add the carrots, zucchinis, onions, potato, celery, garlic, tomatoes and stock. Sauté gently until veggies soften. Next add the cabbage, beans, stock and bring to the boil then drop to a simmer for 10 min. Now add the spinach and cook for another 10 minutes. Now add the fish and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer 3 minutes or until fish turns opaque. Lastly, sprinkle over the feta and dill.           

Source: http://www.goodchefbadchef.com.au/recipes/39

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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...

Hallelujah a meal that takes 10 to prep and 10 to cook! The perfect weeknight meal. The recipes meant to be for 4 but 2 of us at all of it! Also, I subbed chili jam for sweet chili sauce and you do need to season well with sea salt which the recipe doesn't mention. 

Simple Thai fish cakes

For a no-fuss taste of Asia, Donna Hay's fish cakes are hard to beat

Ingredients

For the fish cakes

• 500g firm white fish fillets, skin off
• 2 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp chilli jam
• small handful coriander leaves
• 1 egg white
• vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• lime wedges, to serve

For the cucumber and lime salad

• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
• 3 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced lengthways with a vegetable peeler
• small handful mint leaves
• small handful coriander leaves

Method

• 1. Place the fish, ginger, chilli jam, coriander and eggwhite in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. With slightly wet hands shape the mixture into 12 flat cakes. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1cm of oil and cook the fish cakes, in batches, for 3–4 minutes each side or until cooked through.
• 2. To make the cucumber and lime salad, place the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the cucumber, mint and coriander and toss to coat. Serve with the fish cakes and lime wedges.

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Lindt Cafe Darling Harbour

It would have been wrong, so wrong to not pop in when I saw I was walking past the Lindt cafe. I bought 2 chocolates and a macaroon. The chocolates were delicious - in surprised they didn't have the signature Lindt taste? The macaroons are a very heavy and large macaroon but I won't deny it hit the spot!

Thai chicken green curry with rice

Sent from the Yahoo!7 My Kitchen Rules App. Get it for your iPhone now!

The following recipe is direct off the My Kitchen Rules App and you'll notice I decided to do chicken instead of lamb.

Here are my tips for doing this recipe ... and it turns out wonderful!

- Don't stress if you can't get galangal. Use ginger.

- Scrap the 2 tsp salt

Thai lamb green curry with rice

Ingredients
Extra shredded kaffir lime leaves, to garnish

Steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges, to serve

Curry Paste
1 tsp shrimp paste 
2 black peppercorns 
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2cm piece galangal, finely grated 
2 tsp salt
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
4 small green Thai chillies, finely chopped
4 small red Thai chillies, finely chopped
5 coriander roots, chopped

2 eschallots, chopped

Curry
375ml can coconut cream 
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp grated palm sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
400g lamb back strap, cut into 4cm pieces
4 baby eggplant (Lebanese), cut into 1cm slices
100g green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves

Method

1. To make curry paste, wrap shrimp paste in foil. Dry-fry foil package in a small frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute each side (this will bring out flavour of shrimp paste). Remove and cool package.

2. Add peppercorns and seeds to same pan. Dry-fry for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Cool. Grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Remove and set aside.

3. Place galangal and salt in a pestle and mortar and pound until soft. Add lemongrass and pound until soft. Continue adding garlic, chillies, coriander roots, eschallots, toasted spices and shrimp paste, one ingredient at a time, pounding to combine and soften after each addition.

4. To make curry, bring 125ml of the coconut cream to a boil in a medium saucepan or wok. It will begin to separate (a term known as 'cracking') – with the oil rising to the top and some of the water/milk evaporating. Add 3 tablespoons of the curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Stir in fish sauce, palm sugar, lime leaves and remaining coconut milk. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in eggplant and green beans. Stir in lamb. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lamb is cooked to your liking (lamb backstrap can easily overcook, so be sure to watch it). Stir in basil.

5. Garnish curry with extra lime leaves. Serve with rice and lime wedges.

Notes
Tips:

- If your coconut cream has additives or stabilizers, the oil may not separate (crack) from the milk/water (it is the oily part you want, in which to cook your paste). If this is the case, cook the curry paste off in a little peanut oil before adding the coconut cream.
- To use lemongrass, trim away bulbous root end and peel away tough outer leaves. Trim away yellow-green top stalk (you can freeze this to use later to infuse syrups, teas, soups or custards). Thinly slice remaining tender white-green stalk (if stalk is a little tough, you can lightly crush it with a pestle or rolling pin before slicing).
- If you are time poor, you can use a mini processor to make the paste, instead of a pestle and mortar.
- To present the rice, we placed it inside a small greased bowl, then inverted the bowl onto the serving plate.
- This is an authentically spicy Thai green curry. Reduce the chillies if you prefer less heat.
- Curry paste can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

- If available, try using Thai eggplant. They are small, round and available from Asian grocers.

Recipe by David and Scott

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Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles

               

Serves 4.

-          200g dried thick rice noodles

-           2 tablespoons peanut oil

-           2 onions, sliced into wedges

-           ¼ cup (55g) white sugar

-           4 chicken breast fillets, sliced

-           1 red capsicum, sliced

-           ¾ cup (115g) unsalted roasted cashews

-          4 tablespoons fish sauce

-          4 tablespoons soy sauce

-          3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

-          4 tablespoons lemon juice

-           ¼ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves

1.         Place the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2.         Heat a wok or deep frying pan over high heat.

3.         Add the oil, onion, chilli and sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4.         Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until the chicken is golden. Add the capsicum, cashews, fish sauce, soy, lemon juice, onion mixture and noodles to the pan. Cook, stirring, for a further 4 minutes or until heated through.

5.         Sprinkle with coriander.

6.         Serve.

This is a Donna Hay recipe that I’ve tweaked a little http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/chilli-cashew-chicken-noodles

Recipe - Walnut Cake

Serves 8

For the cake

• 250g fine semolina
• 200gm (2 cups) walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 150g (1 cup) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 250 grams of unsalted, softened butter
• 250gm caster sugar
• zest of ½ an orange
• 6 eggs, separated

For the sugar syrup

• 2 cups of caster sugar
• 2 cinnamon quills
• 5 cloves
• I piece of lemon rind, removed with a peeler.

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
2. Combine the semolina, walnuts, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside
3. Cream the sugar, orange and butter in a mixer until it becomes nice and light.
4. Fold in semolina mixture, then yolks, set aside
5. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form, and then fold them into the semolina mixture in three batches.
6. Place the mixture into a 24cm square cake tin buttered and lined with baking paper
7. Bake until cake is cooked through and springs back when lightly pressed (30-35 mins)
8. Whilst the cake is cooking prepare your sugar syrup by boiling all the ingredients in 500ml water. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer till reduced by half (20-25 mins) until we have a nice thick syrup.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 mins. Pour the sugar syrup over the cake, stand to soak in (15 minutes), remove from tin, cool to room temperature..
10. Cut the walnut cake into diamond shapes and serve with double cream

Im also keen to try this version: http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/karydopita-walnut-cake