Mango Chutney Day

I am having a big mango chutney day here today. I am using the recipe on this blog, a half a recipe as my pot is too small. I have enough mangoes to make 2 more pots but don't have enough jars yet!
I also modified that recipe for the thermomix and made two small batches that made two jars each, which would be good if there are not too many to share with. It is also so easy in the thermomix, not such a drama!I seem to have a following with the chutney though, and give most of it away, so will make at least one more batch and maybe let the rest of the mountain of mangoes ripen for puree and smoothies. They are commons though so will need to see what the taste and texture is like first.

Still playing with Thelma

Well on day two of Thelma's arrival, I made a home made version of my breakfast favourite at the moment. I have been having those sachets of porridge, the Hi fibre one. I can't always get it and it is 50 cents a serve which is silly as oats are so cheap.

After working out by the ingredients label that each one is 7% oats, 15% linseeds, 10% oat bran fibre, with the other 5% sugar and additives, I figured I could do better. So I added 75g oats, 15g linseeds, and 5g sugar. Didn't have oat bran in the house, so will try that later. Whizzed it up a bit too much probably, next time I will do the ingredients separately to get finer linseeds, and less fine oats. Anyway it cooked up in the microwave ok just needed 30 seconds longer. Tasted similar, not quite the same considering no falvenoids and whatever else they use. I don't think it tasted as sweet either maybe the sugars they use are more concentrated. Anyway I will keep making it.

Dave is still away so I am only cooking for myself. Mushrooms, swiss browns were cheap today, so I made the mushroom risotto in the cookbook that came with the machine. It made heaps so I will halve it next time I think. Also it said 2 to 3 tablespoons vegie stock concentrate, I used 2 but for our tastes I will use 3 next time. I was cautious with that as it is so salty. The risotto was yummy, and there is tons leftover so will turn that into arancini balls.

Meet Thelma, my maid of all work

Today I brought home a new addition to my kitchen. A thermomix that I have been coveting for over a year now. I have been trying to talk myself out of investing in one. I failed. I am glad. Thelma is awesome.
So today I got it home and unpacked by 4pm.
I made a smoothie with a frozen banana and about a cup of frozen raspberries and a cup of soy milk, it was so thick I had to eat it with a spoon. Yum.
For dinner I made a soup with cauliflower, carrot, onion, and some blue brie that was mouldering in the fridge. Very yum.

Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup
1 onion cut in quarters
1 carrot cut in 1 inch chunks
20g butter
half a small cauliflower (about 300g)
500g water
1tbs Vegie stock concentrate
about 60 to 90 g blue brie (or whatever cheese you have)

Add carrot and onion to bowl, speed 7 for 3 seconds.
Scrape sides then add butter, cook 3 minutes at Varooma temp speed 1.
Add cauliflower, chop speed 7 for 15 seconds.
Add water and stock, cook 20 minutes 100degrees at speed 1.
When cooked, blend for 1 minute at speed 9 building up gradually to top speed so you don't get a geyser!
Pour into a bowl and grind some black pepper over it.
makes three good servings.
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Walnut Cake

I have had the pleasure of meeting some lovely women who spend the winter up here in one of our local caravan parks. They come to our patchwork group and are totally addicted to patchwork as we are. Yesterday we went to the caravan park to sit by the pool overlooking the golf course and the sea on a beautiful day and knit/sew/chat. It was great. I made this walnut cake as Pearl has to eat gluten free. So this recipe is for her.

350g toasted walnuts (I gave them 6 minutes at 200C on a baking tray single layer)
5 eggs, separated
1 cup caster sugar (though I used regular home brand)
1 teaspoon almond essence (I used vanilla)
icing sugar to dust (be careful of this if you are gluten free, it often contains wheaten cornflour)

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line  a springform pan with baking paper. Process the nuts into fine crumbs. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl till pale and creamy.  Fold in the essence and nuts until combined. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites in 2 batches into the walnut mixture till just combined. Put in the pan and bake for 25 minutes. Turn the oven off and cool in the oven with the door ajar for 1 hour, I propped it open a bit with a soup ladle! Remove from the tin, dust with sifted icing sugar and serve in wedges with a dollop of cream!

I think you could use other nuts as well, be brave, experiment!

Vale Sara Douglass

Author Sara Douglass passed away from ovarian cancer on September 27th. Sara shared a recipe withme in a forum conversation online a few years ago, which I published on here under Sara Douglass's Lamb shanks. She was a generous person and a fabulous author.
Vile cancer.

Backpacker Stew

Or perhaps you prefer them roasted??? Stew is nicer...

I made a stew the other week that was a big hit with our packpackers. So I made it again to recall what I did, and wrote it down. This is it. Just a simple one.

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot finely diced

1 stick celery finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500 to 600g backpackers, oops, I mean, stewing beef

2 beef OXO cubes

2 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups water

1 generous tablespoon mango chutney or some other sweet vinegary spicy stuff, like sweet chilli sauce, branston pickle or HP fruity sauce etc.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

In a heatproof casserole, Dutch Oven type pot, like My Precious, heat 2 tablespoons oil, then gently fry the onion, carrot and celery, stirring all the time, for 8 minutes or so, till the onion is meltingly soft and sweetened off. Don't skimp this bit, it is an important flavour creator and the secret to converting onion haters. Like Adam.

Then add the arlic and fry another minute, then add the meat and brown it all over, stirring all the while.

Add the OXO cubes and the flour, stir together for a minute. It will go kind of gluggy looking, this is ok.

Then add the water and stirring all the while, bring to a simmer and it will thicken up a bit. Once there, add a large cubed potato, some mushrooms or some other wintry vegetables, what ever rocks your boat. I just used mushroom and potato. Chuck in the chutney now.

Then pop it in the oven for 2 hours.

Serve with rice for Adam and Mash for Anna. Double mash for KISA and me.

Old Fashioned Porridge

The weather is getting colder and it is time to make porridge again. I love my porridge the way Mum used to make it. Old fashioned oats soaked overnight and cooked with salt.
Yum Yum.
But because it is a pain to make each day like that for just one..me, I make enough for 4 and dish it up into bowls. Eat one and cover and pop the others in the fridge. A minute in the microwave next day and its just like new. With 2 teaspoons psyllium husks and 2 prunes, cos I am getting old. Sigh. And 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and milk. Yum Yum. My dietician says I can only have 1/2 cup porridge, so I use a dessert bowl. It looks better and it is all about tricking your brain.

And here is the recipe.

1 cup oats. The big ones not the minute ones. Old fashioned oats.
3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon cooking salt.

Put in a saucepan the night before, cover and leave till morning.

Stir then pop on a low heat till bubbling. Simmer for a few minutes.

Eat.

If no one to share with put rest in bowls for tomorrow.

Mushroom Soup

This is soooo good. It is a recipe for Swiss Brown Mushroom Soup from April's SFI magazine. But try getting swiss brown mushies here! I used some on special regular mushies, $2 a kilo use today or else mushies. Otherwise they are $12 a kilo and thats too dear for soup. Enjoy. 2 tablespoons oil 20g butter 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 400 g mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 1/2 cups chicken stock 300ml pure cream Heat the oil and butter in large saucepan or My Precious over a medium heat. Cook onion, stirring for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and just starting to leave yummy caramel bits on the bottom. Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook and stir for 5 to 7 minutes until mushrooms are just tender. Add wine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wine is almost gone, then add stock. Cover, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then blend till smooth with a stick blender. Add the cream, and stirring occasionally, cook till heated through but not boiling. Ladle into bowls and slurp away!

Chorizo and Spinach Macaroni Cheese

This recipe was in March 11 Recipes+ magazine. Was a big hit and is great for the lunch box stash in the freezer. Where most of the extra serves from these recipes end up! 2 cups spiral pasta (the recipe says 375g elbow macaroni but I don't like too much pasta. You may feel differently) 2 teaspoons oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic (Yeah right! at least 3) 2 chorizo sausages, sliced up (we only had one left - these have a powerful flavour so one is ok too) 250g packet frozen chopped spinach, thawed. 340g tub fresh bechemal sauce (or you could make your own about 2 cups worth) 3/4 cup cream 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard 1 cup grated pizza cheese (or regular, don't make a special trip unless you want too) Cook pasta till tender, drain and return to pan. Heat oil in medium fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic cook stirring for 3 minutes or so till softened. Add chorizo, cook 2 to 3 minutes till crisping up. Add spinach, stir till liquid evaporates. Add sauce, cream and mustard, bring to boil, simmer 1 minute. Add haldf the cheese and the sauce mixture to the pasta. Spoon into a pyrex dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Pop under a preheated grill till bubbly. Stand 5 minutes then serve with a nice leafy salad.

Caramel Pecan Slice

A few weeks ago, I bought a tray of slice from a cake stall raising money for Relay For Life. It was so good, that I went searching online for a similar recipe. This is pretty close. 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed in. 1 1/2 cups plain flour 1 cup dessicated coconut 125g butter, melted 395g can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 cup golden syrup 20g butter, melted 3/4 cup chopped pecan nuts 200g dark chocolate Combine sugar, coconut and flour in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir till well combined. Press the mixture into a greased and papered slice pan. Mix the condensed milk, golden syrup and melted butter in a bowl then pour over the base. Cook in a moderate (180 C) oven for 20 to 30 minutes till top is golden and starting to bubble. Easy to over cook be careful. Let it cool in the pan a little. Sprinkle the nuts over the top and press gently into caramel. Leave till cold. Melt chocolate in the microwave for a minute or two, stir gently then spread over the top. Pop in the fridge till set. Rich but good.

Blogger formatting issues

Apologies, I have typed up 4 recipes to post over the next few days and I assure you I have formatted them like I usually do. Then once I post them, blogger just mooshes them into one big paragraph. I go back and edit them.. then once I hit publish, it does it again. Very frustrating. I am hoping they fix it before the next recipe is scheduled to post tomorrow. Meanwhile bear with me and I will get it fixed..eventually!

Garlic Prawn Pasta

This is adapted from a recipe from Thats Life reader recipes sent in by a Kellie Merritt in the ACT. WAs a big hit with the man, who loves garlic prawns in any format. 600g raw green prawns, peeled and the shells reserved (heads too). 1 cup white wine 50g butter 4 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 300ml cooking cream 2 tablespoon fresh chives (I used parsley as it grows outside) 400g pasta, cooked and drained. (Kelli says spagettini, I use whatever is in the cupboard) Place the prawn shells, the wine and a cup of water into a saucepan over a medium high heat and cook till liquid reduces by half. Strain and resrve the liquid. Chuck the shells, I don't expect you do eat them. Or the heads. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, over medium high heat. Add garlic and prawn meat and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add mustard, cream and the reserved prawn liquid and cook 2 minutes. Stir through hebs and pasta and toss to combine. Serve in bowls with fresh parmesan. Too easy and so quick. Thanks Kelli!

French Onion Soup

The other day we went to the local markets and picked up a big bag of onions for 2 dollars. KISA thought French Onion Soup would be a good idea, I so I found this recipe at Taste.com.au. It looked simple enough, just needed time. So I got out My Precious and the mandolin and got started. It was sublime. It takes ages to do the onions but worth every second for the flavour. No wonder onions are my favourite vegetable. Yes, they truly are.

Here Tis,

Serves 6. (Yeah right!) Try 4

60g butter

2 tablespoons oil

1kg brown onions, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin, saves time and tears and fingertips)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons plain flour

4 cups beef stock (I used a 1 litre tetra pak of beef stock, continental I think)

Heat butter and oil in a heavy based saucepan or dutch oven over a medium low heat till sizzling. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt.

Cook uncovered, stirring often for 45 to 50 minutes until onions are very soft. Don't let them catch. This is the PIA bit. But they taste bloody fantastic just as is by the time they are done.

Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring a lot for 10 minutes until onions caramelise. Again watch they don't catch, they will be a lovely brown colour by now.

Add flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add stock and 2 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes to combine flavours.

This is supposed to be served with slices of baguette with melted swiss cheese on top. I just made a toasted cheese sandwich and we had it on the side.

SO. SO. GOOD!

Nigella's Salad dressing

I saw this on Nigella the other week. This is very yummy, I tried it out and we both liked it. I used Tasmanian Leatherwood honey which has a strong flavour, I would suggest a milder one though.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt
125 ml oil
Shake up in a bottle to emulsify, spoon onto salad.

Would like to try this with pure maple syrup too, let me know if you do!

Chicken and Corn Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 tbs oil
few drops sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cups chicken stock (home made best)
2 tsp Massel Chicken Stock powder
1 440g tin creamed corn
1 slab 2 minute noodles
chicken meat, cooked leftovers, maybe 2 cups worth, 1/2 BBQ chicken or 4 drumsticks etc

Fry onion and garlic in oils for 5 minutes or so, add stock, bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add corn and chicken and noodles, simmer 5 minutes.
This is very hearty and will feed 4 generously.

If you like you can use the 2 minute noodle flavourings instead of the Massell stock powder. I have unflavoured noodles on hand usually. If you don't have much chicken, drizzle a couple of beaten eggs into the hot soup will stirring, to boost the protein.

Mongolian Lamb

This one is for KISA's sister. I am sending her a few packet mixes of this stuff as she likes it. But they won't last long and this recipe is the one we use now and tastes just as good.

So D, hope you like it. Get your resident chef to make it for you.

500g lamb strips
2 onions, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced

Marinade:
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon crushed garlic

Sauce:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablesoon chilli sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 teaspoon chopped or crushed ginger

Combine the marinade ingredients, add lamb, mix, and allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours.
Like any stir fry, prepare all your ingredients and have them ready to go on the bench before you start.
Heat a wok or fry pan, add a couple tablespoons of oil, and fry the onions and red pepper.
Add meat and stir fry till just done.
Add sauce ingredients and warm through.
Serve over rice or noodles.

LLandrindod Chicken

So called because I made this up here in Llandrindod Wells.

2 small onions, chopped
4 rashers bacon, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
6 or 7 mushrooms, sliced
1 tbs oil
6 chicken thigh fillets, diced
1/2 cup white wine Caroline left on the bench
2 cups chicken stock (OXO)
2 tbs flour
150 ml single cream
Fry onions, bacon, mushrooms and pepper in oil till soft and tender. Add the chicken and brown with the veges and bacon. Add the wine and the chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Mix the flour with some water to make a smooth paste and add to the chicken stirring in quickly till it thickends the sauce. Add cream and keep warm. Serve with mashed potato, or mix with cooked pasta, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in the oven. I would use maybe 3 cups raw pasta boiled and a good cup of grated cheese.

Cauliflower and Bacon Soup

1 tbs oil

2 small onions, chopped

4 rashers bacon, chopped

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock (OXO)

300ml of single cream



Fry the onions and bacon in the oil till soft and bacon is cooked. Add the cauliflower and the wine, stir a little then add the stock, cover and cook till cauliflower is soft.Blend soup using a stick blender or a food processor, add cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you leave out the bacon it has a lovely creamy texture. You could add fried bacon after blending.

Sara Douglass's Lamb Shanks

I used to hang out on a forum online a few years ago and one of the other posters was Sara Douglass, famous Australian author. She is into domesticity and cooking too. Anyway we were all exchanging crock pot recipes and she posted this one. I have made it a couple of times and adapted it a bit to reduce the grease factor. There is a very similar one at Taste.com.au so not sure which one came first. But since I originally got it from Sara I am sticking to the above title. I have tweaked it a bit and this is the final version.

Start the day before you want to eat this, unless your arteries need clogging up.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 or 5 or 6 lamb shanks, frenched (this means they have cut off the knobby end bone and it helps them fit in the dish better. Coles sell them frenched. Some lamb shanks look like they came off a dinosaur, so choose smallish ones. One per person is plenty usually, depends on how many you are feeding)
about 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock, home made is best but bought ok, low salt though.
1 cup of red wine, drinkable stuff
1 jar of cranberry sauce, whole berry
3 or 4 rosemary sprigs, leave whole so you can fish them out later
1 to 2 tablespoons garlic butter, I use the bought stuff, you could just use regular butter and crushed garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons flour or more depending on how much juice you end up with

Heat a frypan, add the oil, and brown off the shanks about 3 to 4 minutes each side, turning till brown all round. Place in a big casserole dish. Mix together the stock, red wine and cranberry sauce and pour over shanks. Bake, covered in oven at 180 C for an hour and a half.

Remove from oven, remove shanks to a plate and cover with cling film and put in the fridge. Pour sauce into another container and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Next day, peel off the layer of fat from the sauce. It should look like white chocolate. Discard this, because that's where the resemblance ends, and fish out the rosemary stalks. Microwave the bowl till the jelly like sauce has warmed up and it is liquidy again. Measure the sauce, it should be around 3 cups or so. (I have a big pryrex measuring jug which I use instead of the bowl, they are worth every cent)

In a saucepan, melt the garlic butter and add flour and cook for about a minute. I allow about a level tablespoon of flour per cup of sauce maximum for a thick sauce, maybe err a little on the less side, since it will be cooked for another hour yet. Pour in the warmed sauce and whisk till it comes to a boil and thickens.

Put the shanks back in the (now clean of course) casserole dish aand pour over the thickened sauce. Put in a 150C oven for an hour maybe an hour and a half but watch for over browning. The meat should be just about falling off the bone and fork tender.

Serve over mashed potato with a green veg. This is just yummy.
You could also do this in a slow cooker. I have also done the first stage in a pressure cooker.

Soo -Uunn

This little tutorial is in honour of my brother in law P and his 50th birthday. Happy Birthday for yesterday!! In honour of his birthday, I made him a favourite from the past, that my former mother in law taught me over 30 years ago to make even though I never made it quite the same as her. Now she doesn't cook any more, I recently relearnt how to make it the last time I visited her in Brisbane. So yesterday, I cooked it for P and I hope he likes it. This recipe is Dedicated to Lorna.


First up, the list of ingredients.
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons crushed garlic. At least 8 cloves I would say.
slice belecan about 2'' x 1" x 1/4"
100 ml of oil
2 kg lovely legs (you can use any pieces you like or a cut up chicken, I prefer the no skin ones to reduce fat, but the fat does add to the flavour. Tough choice, flavour versus heart..hmmmm. I want P to stick around, so no fat here)
About 5 cups chicken stock
about 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar. taste test.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 packed dried soy bean curd (sounds yummy doesn't it?)
1/2 packet dried black fungus(sounds even yummier!)
50g packet dried rice vermicilli
A close up of the stuff you get from the asian grocery. This is belecan, this is essential. It comes in a block like cheese. There the similarity ends. Warning: This stuff stinks so you need to keep it in a jar in the fridge a screw top glass one at the back of the fridge. It never goes off and if it did it would be impossible to tell. Don't be put off, it imparts a wonderful flavour when fried up.
Before you do anything, boil the jug and set the dried stuff to soak. Here is from left to right, the bean curd, fungus, and noodles.

This is the dried bean curd as it comes from the shop. It seems like some sort of dried tofu and takes on the flavour it is cooked with. I love it.

This is the rice vermicilli. You can get this in woolies.

This is the dried black fungus. In love this stuff too, doesn't taste good till it is in this dish. It also takes flavour as well as adds. The dish is not the same without it.

Ok now for the method. It is pretty easy really once you have the ingredients and you will need a big pot.

Heat the oil and fry up the onion, garlic ginger and belacan till the onion is soft and the belacan is evenly distributed and the whole lot should be a yukky grey colour. Then dump in the chicken pieces.

Stir around till the chicken pieces have browned.

Then add the stock, sugar, soy sauce and simmer for about an hour till the chicken is tender.

Then drain the soy bean curd, fungus and noodles and add to the pot. Simmer for another few minutes. Test for sugar and salt. Add more soy sauce for salt. Not too much as you don't want to too dark.

Serve with rice. It makes a great soup. as well...