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Glühwein

Glühwein in German, roughly translated as "glow-wine" in English or more readily referred to as mulled-wine, is a favourite in cold weather, and although it is only getting down to zero degrees Celsius here in Canberra right now, after too much surgery and being hospitalised with pneumonia last year, why take any chances I say. I enjoy Hemingway's work and recently I have delved into his cocktails and favourite recipes. From The Hemingway Cookbook, I found a recipe on p. 185 and thought I'd make this in a larger quantity, and add a few small changes. However, I doubt the authenticity of this recipe as it uses sugar: Hemingway was a diabetic and famously, his daiquiri recipe did not contain sugar. Anyway, this is how it panned out: Ingredients:

• Make a large cup of black tea (I used Twinings English Breakfast)


• Slice 1 small lemon (including peel) and add to saucepan (I used a home-grown lemon, otherwise organic fruit is always better)


• Add about 12 dried juniper berries, 1 stick cinnamon (broken in half), and about 12 cloves


• Add a good dash of sugar (I added a teaspoon of Harden's Own Honey, too)


• Add about half a bottle of Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan


2. Put the saucepan on a low heat (I used a diffuser) and warm gradually


3. Serve in a mug (use a tea strainer)

It probably needs a bit more alcohol - maybe a dash of gin in the glass just before serving?

Coq au Vin

Ingredients:

• 1 whole free-range chicken cut into about 18 pieces (I kept the spine and parson's nose - there was plenty of meat - and cut each breast into three parts).


• 12 French shallots (eschalots), peeled and whole


• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• 200g sliced venison pepperoni (I don't eat pork - used instead of speck)


• 1 stick celery, finely chopped


• 2 carrots, diced


• 1 carrot, sliced


• 1 parsnip, chopped


• 750ml red wine (I used Waterstone Bridge Cabernet Merlot 2011)


• 750ml home-made chicken stock (from one whole free range chicken in water on constant boil in the slow-cooker)


• 6 springs of thyme


• 6 bay leaves


• 400g button mushrooms


• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Method:

1. Rub the chicken in plain flour mixed with salt, pepper and piri piri. Brown the chicken using some olive oil on a medium heat to avoid burning the flour. I cook in batches in the 28cm Le Creuset and leave the cooked chicken in the upturned lid while I cook the rest.


2. Once the chicken is done, deglaze the pot with some of the wine, then cook the eschalots and garlic until soft.


3. Add the venison pepperoni, carrots, celery bay leaves and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes.


4. Add the sliced carrot and parsnip and fry off the tomato paste.


5. Add the red wine and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.


6. Add the chicken, bring back to a simmer, then cover and cook over a low heat for 40 minutes.


7. Remove the lid, add the mushrooms and bring to a medium heat and cook for a further 20 minutes to thicken the sauce and until the mushrooms are cooked.


8. Serve in a bowl with mashed potato in the centre.

Scones...

Finally, I baked something. Scones again. Here's the recipe exactly as I did it today. Seemed to hit the spot with everyone.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs (from our chooks)


• 4 tbps grape seed oil (from Costco)


• 2 cups Paul's organic un-homogenised milk


• 4 cups Coles unbleached white self-raising flour


• 1 tsp Saxa iodised salt


• 1 tbsp CSR caster sugar

Method:

1. Beat 1 egg, oil and milk.


2. Add flour, sugar and salt.


3. Then the usual. I use a large champagne glass to cut the scones out into a narrow but tall scone.


4. Use the other egg for the glaze.


5. Add cut-outs to  buttered (I used Lurpak) and floured (White Wings plain flour) tray in a 230 degrees oven for about 10-12 minutes.

We went to the Young (NSW) Cherry Festival and picked up some marmalade and lime chilli jam from Poppa's Fudge and Jam Factory on Lovell Street. It is one of the highlights of the trip to Young each year which will no doubt become an annual pilgrimage over time!

Spaghetti Carbonara: Not-so Italian Style

So I finished as much of my work as I could for the day, I was screaming hungry, and right in front of me was a big red book: The Silver Spoon (otherwise known as the bible of Italian cooking). I used it the other night to make a Bolognese sauce (ragù alla bolognese) and it asked for carrot and celery with no tomato other than some tomato purée and it was simply the best. Only then we used it in a chicken crêpe bechamel and I am still recovering from the experience. Nevertheless, I thought to myself, "I have a spicy Turkish sujuk... (I don't eat pork) and I have fresh eggs from the ladies this morning (my chooks) and I want spaghetti carbonara. I had the sujuk with eggs and spring onions on baguette for breakfast so it was only natural! I found this sujuk at the Shiraz International Supermarket on Josephson Street, Belconnen. They have some great products there so it is now a permanent part of the fortnightly shopping trip.


I digress. I grabbed the big red book and then I was into it!

The original recipe calls for pancetta and pecorino cheese - I had the sujuk and grabbed a tub of Bulgarian sheep's fetta as a sheep's milk-related alternative. I had parmesan of course! The original recipe is all available on page 357 of The Silver Spoon but here's my take and I like it!

Ingredients

• one clove of garlic roughly chopped


• 25g butter


• 40g parmesan cheese


• 40g Bulgarian fetta


• 100g spicy Turkish sujuk


• 2 of the freshest eggs available


• packet of organic spaghetti


• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter in your 28cm Le Creuset (!) pot while the water for the pasta is boiling in the 24cm Le Creuset (!) pot.


2. Add the sujuk and the garlic and simmer on low heat. The sujuk should get almost crispy and the garlic will go brown but you must throw the garlic away before adding the pasta.


3. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente then drain and add to the pot with the sujuk.


4. Beat the eggs and stir into the pasta. Add half of each of the cheeses and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.


5. Add the rest of the cheese and then eat.


6. Voilà

I am so happy with the recipes in this book - no fatty grossness but simple, honest, authentic flavours, albeit my substitution of key ingredients. Might be worth doing a Julie and Julia blog of every recipe in the book, but I think that would take me forever. Yet it would not be a waste of time!

Lazy Arabic-Style Pasta

Apparently this is a knock-up dish for when you don't really want to cook. My wife taught me how to do this, and it tastes great!

Ingredients:

• 500g minced beef


• 1 x packet of pasta


• a good handful of pine nuts


• 3 x cloves of garlic


• a bunch of parsley


• 600ml Greek-style yoghurt


• salt and pepper to taste


• a dash of olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta as per directions. Use a large pot that will accommodate the entire meal (i.e. mince and pasta).


2. Crush the garlic cloves and leave aside for later.


3. Roast a good handful of pine nuts by regularly moving them around on a dry, non-stick fry pan on a medium heat. Be careful not to burn them!


4. In a separate pot, cook the mince with a little olive oil and salt, on medium heat, stirring regularly until the mince is browned and the moisture has evaporated.


5. When the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the pine nuts. Keep handy for later. Stir the raw garlic through the warm pasta. Stir it through well.


6. Add about 600ml of yoghurt to the pasta (or as desired - the pasta soaks up a lot of yoghurt) and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.


7. Spread the meat and the pine nuts evenly over the top of the pasta.


8. Top with chopped parsley. Enjoy!


9. When the pasta is cooked, drain quickly (leaving a little moisture) and return it to the pot.

Crêpes

I find making these things finicky and annoying but it is time to get over it. This is the recipe my wife recounts from memory and I write it down here so I won't forget. Apparently it is based on Julia Childs' recipe. As follows:

Ingredients:

• I cup plain flour


• pinch of salt


• 3 eggs


• 2/3 cup milk


• 2/3 cup water


• 1 tablespoon butter

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt.


2. Crack in the three eggs.


3. Whisk the flour and eggs while adding the milk and then water. Whisk so as to prevent lumps forming in the batter.


4. Add the butter and whisk some more.


5. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


6. Cook on a crêpe pan.


7. Mess it up 50 times and hardly ever get it right. At least that's how I do it!

Brioche

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="390"] I can't believe I made it myself...[/caption]

My most favourite breakfast is brioche with some  good quality butter and jam, with a good, strong black coffee. After much moaning and not-wanting-to-even-try-I-am-so-tired-why-me, my wife finally convinced me to make brioche myself (she has made it successfully many times), using our bread machine to mix the dough. The trouble with doing this at home with high-quality ingredients is that everything we make at home now is so much better than anything available locally, so going out is often a major disappointment. Not only do we get "fatitude" from rude service people, but the food is expensive and often not very good. Now the only "fatitude" I'll be getting is from all the butter in my home-made brioche :)

Ingredients:

• 260ml milk


• 2 eggs


• 180g butter (melted)


• 600g unbleached white bread flour


• 1 1/2 tsp salt


• 80g caster sugar


• 2 1/2 tsp easy-blend dried yeast

Method:

1. Mix ingredients together into a soft, gooey dough.


2. Leave to rise for 1 1/12 hours in bowl.


3. Transfer to refrigerator overnight to continue rising (minimum 7 hours).


4. Take out dough in the morning and knead slightly with flour.


5. Divide roughly into 9 parts and form into balls using the palms of your hands.


6. Place in a round, spring-form cake tin with eight balls around the outside and one in the middle.


7. Cover loosely with cling wrap and place a tea towel over the top and leave to rise for 3 hours.


8. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 205 degrees Celsius.


9. Turn oven down to 190 degrees Celsius and bake for a further twenty minutes. It's a good idea to check with a bamboo skewer after the first ten minutes.


10. Let cool then eat!!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="390"] Oh brioche I love thee...[/caption]

Scones Recipe

I found this laying about and thought I better add it. Anyway, this seems to work just fine each time!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg


• 4 tbps vegetable oil


• 2 cups milk


• 4 cups self-raising flour


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Beat egg, oil and milk.


2. Add flour, sugar and salt.


3. Then the usual. I use a large champagne glass to cut them out into a narrow but tall scone.


4. A buttered and floured tray in a 230 degrees oven for about 10-12 minutes, egg glaze if you will...

Kangaroo or Goat Bourguignon

I've been experimenting with kangaroo (and today goat) to create an alternative to bœuf bourguignon. This is how I've been making it:

Ingredients:

• 500g kangaroo rump or diced goat


• Olive oil as required


• 1 stick celery (diced)


• 2 carrots (1 diced, the other sliced into rounds)


• About 10 eschalots (small shallot onions)


• About 6 cloves of garlic, chop half, just crush the others


• About 3 birds-eye chillies


• Fresh garden herbs (I used rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme today)


• 2 pontiac potatoes (more if you want to serve with mashed potatoes - I recently tried mashed yams successfully) chopped to bite size


• About 1 cup plain flour, slat and pepper and chilli (today I used smoked pimento powder with goat)


• About 250g button mushrooms


• About 500ml of a good red wine (today I used Sandalfords Shiraz 2011)


• Optional: chopped Swedes, turnips, or any other of your favourite root vegetables...

Method:

1. Prepare vegetables beforehand.


2. Add flour mix to a bowl and coat the meat generously in the flour mix.


3. On a medium heat, add a dash of olive oil to the pot then brown the meat in batches (resting the browned pieces in the upturned lid of the pot works best) so that the individual pieces are not touching. Turn the meat with tongs, and occasionally scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to prevent the flour from sticking and burning Leave aside once finished.


4. Add the eschalots then deglaze the pot with a splash of red wine. Add the celery, diced carrot, garlic, chillies and herbs, then a splash of water. Cook for about ten minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.


5. Return the browned meat to the pot, add the remaining vegetables (except the mushrooms).


6. Add about 500ml of the wine and a good dash of salt and pepper.


7. Bring to the boil, then cook for about 40 minutes on low heat - I use a diffuser. Scrape the bottom occasionally to prevent burning.


8. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, then cook for a further 20 minutes on low heat.


9. Check again for flavour (salt and pepper).


10. Serve in a bowl with a spoon and some crusty bread as a side, or add mashed potatoes to the bowl before adding the stew.

Ma3moul for Eid al-Adha

This was our first attempt at making Ma3moul for Eid al-Adha. We borrowed from this recipe [click here].

We only used the date filling on this occasion. We used a wooden mould for the shape and the pattern (pictured).

It is difficult to get the size right - the thinner biscuits tended to have too little filling. Further, the dough needs to be quite dry yet strong enough to seal in the filling. We were certainly not disappointed, but next time we might try this recipe and see how it works out [click here].

Chicken & Okra

This is my wife's recipe for a quick, easy, healthy meal:

Ingredients:

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless)


• 2 onions (feathered)


• 6 cloves garlic (bruised & roughly chopped)


• 2 tins canned Roma tomatoes


• 3 x 313g packets frozen baby okra


• a dash of crushed chilli


• salt & pepper to taste


• olive oil as required

Method:

1. In a large pot, fry onions and garlic until translucent


2. Add chicken and brown. Add chilli


3. Add tomatoes and salt & pepper


4. Add okra and allow to melt down into pot


5. Cook for about 20 minutes and serve with rice

Garlic, Chilli & Lime Dressing

I was craving garlic so much that I thought I'd knock up some mackerel fillets with an ensemble of vegetables, but I wanted to add some garlic to the mix. We happened to have a whole stack of limes, so after searching the Net for options, I put together the following mix and it seemed to work well as a dressing for the veges:

• 5 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of raw sugar
• Juice from three limes
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of white wine
• 7 tablespoons of water
• 1 red chilli chopped rough
• 5 garlic cloves bruised and then chopped rough

I put this all in a 500ml Pyrex measuring jug and used the whizzie stick on super-low speed to whiz it all up, and then let people spoon it over their veges. It was so good I'll do it again!

Scones - best recipe so far...

Ingredients:

500g baker's flour

80g butter (not melted, but at room temperature)

80g caster sugar

2 eggs for mix, 1 egg for wash

5 tablespoons baking powder

250ml full-cream milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.


2. Rub butter and flour.


3. Mix in sugar, 2 eggs and baking powder with wooden spoon.


4. Add half the milk and turn, then the other half (may not need all).


5. Flour on bench, turn twice, then roll twice, to about 1" thick.


6. Add egg wash, top only or scones will rise unevenly from run-off.


7. Oven for 15 minutes and Robert's your mother's brother...

Madras Beef Curry

 



Ingredients:

• 600g gravy beef (chopped into large chunks)


• 4 small onions (cut into 1.5cm squares)


• 4 medium potatoes (cut into large chunks)


• 12 cups beef stock


• 2 tablespoons tomato paste


• olive oil


• curry powder

To make the curry powder:

• 1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes


• 2 tablespoons ground coriander


• 1 tablespoon ground cumin


• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns


• 3 cloves garlic


• juice of 2 lemons


• 2 teaspoons minced ginger (from the jar)


• 3 bay leaves

Put all ingredients into a Magic Bullet and whizz. My wife trained the dogs to enjoy the sound (instead of cowering) by giving them treats every time we use the Magic Bullet, so I always have the treats ready or they go crazy with anticipation! Or you can use a mortar and pestle but if you do this skip the bay leaves.

Method:

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot and add onions. Cook until translucent but still firm. Put onions into a bowl for use a little later.


2. Add a splash of olive oil to the pot and add the beef. Brown the beef. Once the beef is brown, put it in a bowl for later.


3. Add a splash of olive oil to the pot and add the curry paste. Cook for one minute.


4. Add the beef, onions and potatoes to the curry paste and stir until all ingredients are covered with the paste.


5. Add the tomato paste and fry off.


6. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil.


7. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.


8. Serve with rice and condiments

Bad, bad, bad, BAD dessert recipe

[caption id="attachment_123" align="alignleft" width="300"] This is just wrong...[/caption]

This is one of those recipes that you shouldn't know about. But seeing I was craving one of the G-Spot's NASTY desserts, I thought this was OK!

Craving chocoloate cake, I found this recipe here and modified it as follows:

Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tbps plain flour

4 tbps caster sugar

2 tbps cocoa (I used drinking chocolate)

1 egg

3 tbps milk

3 tbps oil (I used peanut oil 'cause that was there)

Splash of vanilla extract (I used the good stuff!)

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at about 80% power for a typical Aussie nuker.

The cake might rise over the top of the mug, but it's nop big deal!

Allow to cool a little, and eat straight out of the cup!

Apple Pie

My wife called this attempt "Man Pie" because of the Planter's texture. But it was pretty bloody good :) I can't remember the details!



Here is the inside:

Tamarind & Orange Roast Duck with Warm Pear Salad

I'll add the details soon, but this is an adaption from a quite poorly recipe here: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2703/tamarind+orange+roast+duck+with+warm+pear+salad.

This recipe probably hasn't been tried before, but anyway, I'll write up how I approached this soon...

Chicken Fricassée*

This is tonight's Chicken Fricassée brought to you by Mick's Kitchen!

I know I've tried this before in the pressure cooker, but I wanted to try out my new cast-iron pot. I saw this recipe in a magazine and just had to give it a bash. I've adapted it to local conditions and available ingredients, but it genuinely rocks! This is now one of my most favourite Canberra winter recipes, especially on nights like tonight when the temperature will be dropping to -4°C!!

Ingredients:

• 50g unsalted butter


• 2 tbsp olive oil


• 1 leek, sliced


• Handful fresh sprigs thyme


• 3 bug handfuls of mushrooms, quartered


• 3 cloves garlic


• 1/4 cup Napoleon brandy


• 700g chicken thigh fillets, chopped


• 2 tbsp plain flour


• 3 cups chicken stock


• 2 big handfuls of baby Désirée potatoes, quartered


• 2 big handfuls of fresh green beans, cut off the stalk end and halve


• 1/2 cup Bulla thickened cooking light cream & 1 egg yolk


• Salt & pepper to taste (add while cooking is best)

Method:

1. In a cast-iron pot, gently heat half the butter and olive oil and then add the leek and thyme for about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 6 minutes. Add salt & pepper then add brandy and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer to a bowl.


2. Return pot to a high-heat and add the rest of the oil and butter. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until brown on all sides.  Add flour, salt & pepper and fry off the flour and cook while stirring for a further two minutes.


3. Add the chicken stock and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to a simmer and return the leek and mushroom mix. Add potatoes. Cover the pot and cook for 12 minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes - don't over-cook the beans!


4. Whisk the cream and egg yolk together. Remove the fricassé from heat and leave to stand for a few minutes. Stir through cream and yolk mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Adapted from Real Living magazine, May 2011, p. 133

Sauce for Mongolian Lamb

I know it's a bit of an Aussie Bob's recipe from the local Chinese restaurant, but I wanted to learn how to make the sauce at home. Thanks to this guy (see photo) at Tee's Trading, the Asian grocer in Belconnen Markets, I have since tried this simple mix and it is really good!

Ingredients:

1 x 350g  jar of Pun Chun Ground Bean sauce

1 x 360g jar of Pun Chun Hoi Sin sauce

1/2 jar (use empty jar from above) white caster sugar

1/2 jar Heinz Ketchup (tomato sauce)

Method:

1. Heat wok or saucepan, I added a little peanut oil.


2. Empty jars of Hoi Sin and Ground Bean sauce into pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.


3. Add sugar and tomato sauce and bring to the boil again. That's it!


4. Sit aside to cool and then store in the refrigerator.


5. When using the sauce, spoon it on as you would any other stir fry sauce. If you use greens that release a lot of water (such as bok choy), add a teaspoon of corn flour.