Tuna and tomato pasta sauce

Now I understand that you will call into question my frequent comment that, “this tastes so good blah blah blah…”’ but maybe, just maybe it’s true!

This pasta sauce is a variation to the old bolognese sauce with a much quicker preparation time using canned tuna and fresh ingredients.  I think the one ingredient that makes this sauce taste so good is the coarsely cut garlic.  I have never had much luck frying garlic, I like to throw it in when all the other ingredients are simmering so the garlic loses its edge and blends delicate flavour throughout the sauce without overcooking or frying in oil.

If you have children looking for a meal to cook, then this is a simple meal that will provide them with a strong sense of accomplishment because it is easy to make and tastes really good!

Like everything you cook, fresh ingredients are a must.

Ing.

1 x onion, finely diced

a tablespoon olive oil

200g canned tuna in oil, the Italian ones tend to be solid piece as opposed to flakes

3 x sprigs spring onion

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes (or three fresh tomatoes instead)

3 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped   

a handful of chopped fresh Continental Parsley

a tablespoon of tomato paste

a teaspoon of Massell powdered chicken stock

Murray River Pink Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Start by heating the pasta water onto the stove.  Place the pasta into the water when it boils.  Once the pasta is ready, the sauce will be ready.  Timing is everything!

Into a medium heated frypan, fry the onion in the olive oil.  After a minute, add your can(s) of tuna, ensuring to add all the oil in the can.  Mix it up and let it cook for another minute.  Add your tomatoes, spring onion, tomato paste and Massell chicken stock.  Let it settle.  Now add the garlic, Murray River Pink Salt and pepper to taste.  Add your Continental parsley and turn down the heat to low and let it simmer.

Make sure to serve your pasta sauce with freshly grated Grana Padano cheese!

There will be no leftovers, so if you’re into making several meals at one time, make a bigger batch!

Enjoy!

Brendan

Pasta al forno (Italian style oven baked pasta)

The wintery weather prompted me to make a lasagne, but when I arrived home I was asked to substitute the lasagne sheets with macaroni.  Go figure!

My lasagne was instantly converted into ‘pasta al forno’. The method is largely the same but instead of layering the pasta sheets and sauce, the (semi cooked) macaroni is placed at the bottom of the oven dish and the meat is placed atop, covered by a decent layer of nutmeg spiced béchamel sauce.

It is enough to make you over hungry!  A large baking dish will provide several meals, unless the first sitting does as it is expected and the whole lot goes!

Ing.

500g macaroni, I used San Remo

Sauce

1kg premium mince beef

1 tablespoon of olive oil (I used Cobram, but they are all good)

3 tins chopped tomatoes (Annalisa Italian are the best)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 sprigs spring onion, chopped.

3 tablespoons tomato paste (Leggo’s)

1 handful of freshly chopped Continental parsley

1 heaped teaspoon Massel chicken stock

A good pinch of Murray River Pink Salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cups boiling water

2 eggs, beaten, for use later.

Béchamel sauce

60gms butter

1 cup plain flour

3 cups milk

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan (I always use Grana Padano)

Murray River Pink Salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

A sprinkle of ground nutmeg or mace

Method

Preheat oven to 175C.

In a large pot, on medium heat, heat your onion in olive oil until gently golden.  Add the mincemeat and try to break it up. A whisk breaks it beautifully.  Let it cook with the lid on until it colours up and then remove the lid and let the liquid cook off.  The drier it is the more absorbent it will be when you add the other things.

Now add the three tins chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste.  Mix it up and let it cook. Add the parsley, spring onion, garlic, salt, pepper, boiling water (4 cups) and Massel chicken stock.  Bring it to the boil, stirring occasionally.  When it boils, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and put the lid on.  Let it cook for about 30 mins or longer of you have time.  The longer it cooks the better it will be.

Your pasta water should be already heating on the stove.  Once the water boils, add a teaspoon of Murray River Pink salt.  Add your macaroni and let it cook for about four minutes. Once it is semi-cooked, drain the water and set the macaroni aside to cool.

Bechamel sauce

There are two rules to making béchamel sauce. 

Rule No. 1 Do not stop stirring!

Rule No. 2 If you stop stirring, refer to rule No. 1 

To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter on medium heat in a medium sized saucepan.  Once melted, slowly add and stir in the cup of flour.  A whisk works very well here too.  It will start to get lumpy.  Now add a cup of milk. Stir it about constantly trying to break up the lumps.  Add another cup of milk, stir…, now add the third cup of milk and stir…

Once the lumps break down, add your two cups of cheeses, Murray River Pink salt, freshly ground pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Stir, stir, stir.   

When the sauce is thick, but not heavy, turn it off and cover with a lid.  If it gets too thick it will want to become ‘bread like’ and that is not what we are looking for!

Assembly

In your baking dish place a thin layer of the meat sauce.  Now mix the two beaten eggs with the mass of macaroni and layer it all on the bottom of the dish.  Flatten it as much as you can.  Ensure that there will be room for the meat sauce and the béchamel sauce on top, with enough clearance for a piece of foil not to stick to the sauce. 

Once flattened, pour the meat sauce all over the macaroni and press it in.  Now pour, from the saucepan, the béchamel sauce over the meat sauce.  Using a fork, spread it evenly across the entire dish.  If you want, sprinkle some cheese lightly over the sauce.

Cover with foil.  If the sauce is too high and risks sticking to the foil, stand several, snapped to length, wooden or bamboo skewers upright in the dish, just high enough to hold the foil above the sauce.

Place into the oven and cook at 175C for about 40 mins.  Then remove the foil, turn the heat down to 150C and cook for an additional 10 mins so the top browns up a little.

Let it cool before you slice it up into 12 pieces.  The longer it cools the better the piece formation will be.  The first piece is the hardest to remove cleanly!  Otherwise no one should care about the presentation as it won’t last long enough to be admired!

Enjoy.  This is great for the adults and the kids.

Kind regards,

Brendan

Japanese Gyoza

OK foodies, apparently my menu has consisted of food from the 1970’s, so I have had to lift my game and bring the menu forward 50 years.  Welcome to 2020!

Japanese Gyozas are fantastic.  The kids will love them!  So will the adults…

Gyoza 

500g minced pork

Gyoza wrappers (from the dairy case)

2 cups shredded Wombok (chinses cabbage)

3 cloves minced garlic

3 sprigs chopped spring onion

1 carrot, finely chopped

½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger

chopped chives (if you like)

2 tablespoons Hoi Sin sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

a pinch of salt and pepper

Dipping sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Blend all the gyoza ingredients.  Place a teaspoon of the mixture onto a gyoza wrap.

Using your hands and little water, gently fold the front side of the wrapper into the pattern as seen in the photo.  This excellent YouTube video will assist:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uzGezdkuso

To cook, heat a pan on the stovetop.  Warm a tablespoon of sesame oil and pan fry the gyoza on the base only.  When golden brown, add two tablespoons of water and quickly place a sealed lid over the pan so the water is trapped and it steams the rest of the dumplings.

After a couple of minutes, check to ensure they are internally cooked.

Make sure to use the fantastic dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Home Made Sausage Rolls

Hi Foodies, now these sausage rolls are ‘easy peasy lemon squeezy’ to make.  They taste so good.  Everything tastes so good… 

This is my daughter’s recipe.  She made them, I ate them.  They were very good!

Ing. 

500g premium mince meat

500g pork or sausage mince

4 sheets frozen puff pastry (Borgs is working well right now)

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs one for sausage mixture, the other for coating the rolls before they cook)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

5cm fresh ginger, finely chopped (makes a difference!)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds for topping

Method

Preheat oven to 200c fan forced

Thaw the puff pastry on the bench.

In a bowl, mix the mince meats, bread crumbs, carrot, onion, ginger, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and one egg.  Mix it thoroughly using your hands until the mixture is consistent.

Cut the pastry sheets in half.  Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and place the mixture onto each sheet and roll into a roll.  Seal the edges.

Gently cut the rolls into the sausage roll pieces by gently sawing, not pressing with your knife.

Place the rolls seam side down onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Whisk the remaining egg and brush it over the rolls.  Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

Bake for 18-20 mins or until the pastry is golden.

Now eat! 

Pizza Romana MMXX

You can’t go to Italy, so bring Italy to you!

Italian pizza is not like Australian pizza, which the Italians call ‘Pizza Americana’.

A traditional pizza from Roma or Napoli has a base of chopped tomato and ‘placings’ of Mozzarella or Bocconcini cheese and other things like artichoke hearts etc.   

Tonight, I made Pizza Romana.  The basil (the undisputed King or Queen of herbs) is added after the pizza leaves the oven, not before.  I have taken a few photos to show the process and I took a photo of every pizza, including the vegan version, so you can make this at home.

Ing.

Base

550gm ‘Tipo 00’ white flour, 440gm for the base, the rest to sprinkle

310ml warm water

2 teaspoons dry yeast (I use Lowan dry yeast because it always works)

2 tablespoons olive oil

A sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt

Top

2 x 440ml cans of diced tomatoes

A tub of bocconcini or fresh balled Mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Murray River Pink salt

A splash of olive oil

Method

In a bowl mix the 440gm flour, yeast, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Add the 310ml warm water (not hot, not cold). I usually fill a jug with 250ml boiling water and top up to 310ml with 60mls cold water.  Stir it all up until it is well mixed.  Then tip it ono the bench and start to knead.  Knead, knead, knead until you don’t need to knead anymore!

Place your dough into the same bowl you used to mix the dough, pour on a little olive oil and seal the bowl with Glad Wrap and place somewhere warm for 20-30 mins whilst it rises.  May your dough rise!

Preheat the oven to 240c.

When the dough is done, place it onto the bench and punch it, then knead it again for a few minutes until you have an excellent, soft, elastic dough.  Roll it into a thick roll and slice it into however many even pieces you want to make that number of pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball and then press it into a pancake on a dusted bench.  Keep pressing it with your hands, flipping it occasionally until the desired pizza size is reached.  I made six pizzas from 440mg flour.  They were each about 250ml in diameter.

Sprinkle the base with flour, particularly at the edges to get the rustic look.  If it looks good, it is good.  Presentation is everything!

Pour on your diced tomato directly from the can, the puree is also wanted.  Now add your bocconcini or Mozzarella in clumps, sprinkle a little Murray River Pink salt and a drizzle of olive oil.  Place into the oven.  Bake for about 10 mins or until the edges reach the right colour.

When the pizza leaves the oven it will be extremely hot.   Add your basil, take a photo for Brendan and eat it!

You can do this.  Be a superstar in your kitchen!

Enjoy.

Yes, cheesecake, again

It’s time for kids to make you a cheesecake. 

A note to the children, there is a requirement to melt butter on a hot stove.  This is a task that must be undertaken with adult assistance.

You should know that I love cheesecake.  It is so good it is so easy to make. 

2 x 250g packets of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

250g Arnott’s Marie biscuits

50gm melted butter

600ml Bulla thickened cream (2 x 300ml tasks)

1/3 cup caster sugar

Freshly grated lemon rind and a squeeze of lemon or lime

1 teaspoon Gelatine dissolved in a splash of hot water

4 drops Vanilla Essence

Ground nutmeg

Crush your Arnott's Marie biscuits. I place them into a plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin. Melt 50 gms of butter and then pour the hot molten butter into a bowl with the crushed biscuits and mix well together with a spoon. Your high side tin is, of course, already prepared and lined with greaseproof paper or foil.

Tip your biscuit and butter mix into the tin, mould the sides up using a well-shaped glass. Make sure your base is firm and there are no holes or thin spots.

Meanwhile, using a mixer, mix two packets of Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature) with 300ml Bulla Thickened cream, 1/3 cup castor sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence. In a separate cup, dissolve a teaspoon of gelatine in a splash of hot water. When dissolved, add it into the mixer. Feel free to add some lemon or lime rind at this time if you want to flavour it up.  Also squeeze a little of the juice of the lemon or lime into the mix.

When it is well mixed without any 'unmixed' cream cheese, which tends to happen, pour it into the biscuit base lined tin and smooth it over using a fork. Lick the fork, it saves on cleaning.

Wash your mixing bowl, beat the remaining 300ml (of your 600ml btle of cream). Add a few drops of vanilla essence (and a dash of icing sugar if you want to sweeten it). Once firmly whipped place it over your cream base and again smooth it over with fork. Lick the fork.

Sprinkle with ground nutmeg. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Now eat.

Enjoy!

Giant Sausage Roll!

This is a sausage roll for the whole family.  It requires a longer cooking time than the smaller sausage rolls and can be served in slices.  Tomato sauce is necessary!

School holidays may mean that you have extra helpers who will love to eat this, so they should love to assist you to make it as well!

Ing

1 or 2 sheets thawed puff pastry

1 onion, finely chopped

1 kg premium mince meat

1 or 2 carrots, finely grated

A handful of Continental parsley

3 cloves garlic

Mushrooms (if you choose)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Massel powdered Chicken stock

Cracked or freshly ground pepper

Murray River Pink salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 225c.

In a small bowl, beat the two eggs.  Put a little of the egg mixture aside to be used to coat the roll before it is placed in the oven.  The rest of the egg mixture can be placed into the mix. 

In a bowl, mix, by hand, the onion, mince meat, eggs, grated carrot, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and Massel chicken stock.  If using mushrooms, slice them into long strips and add them also. 

Lay your thawed pastry sheet on the bench.  Place a very large amount of meat on the pastry, shape and round the meat over.  Gently pull the pastry sheet towards you over the meat.  Now pull the other side over the meat.  Seal the two pastry ends together by pressing the pastry together.

Slowly roll the sausage roll over so the seam is on the bottom.  Place the roll onto a baking tray with baking paper so the roll doesn’t stick to the oven tray.  Using a small sharp knife, slice the pastry on the top of the giant sausage roll in straight parallel lines.  Paint the separated egg mix all over the sausage roll.   

Bake at 225c for 45 mins or until the pastry turns a golden-brown cooked colour.  Then it is ready.

If you have spare meat mix, which you should, make a second giant sausage roll that can be used for lunches, another dinner or an afternoon snack.

Enjoy.

Choc Ripple Cake Challenge– this is for the kids on school holidays

So easy to make, no heating required, a great starter for kids to make their first cake.  Such a sense of pride and accomplishment will present itself after this cake is made.  It is not just for the kids, Choc Ripple cakes are terrific to eat!

Ingredients

1 x 250g packet of Arnott’s choc Ripple biscuits

600ml Bulla thickened cream

4 drops Vanilla Essence

1 teaspoon caster or icing sugar

To garnish: pistachio nuts and fresh strawberries               

In an electric mixer, or by hand, beat all the cream with the teaspoon of sugar and the four drops of vanilla essence until a firm consistency is achieved.

Half the whipped cream into two sections.  We will use one half now and the other half after the cake is removed from the refrigerator, usually overnight.

Lay a 900mm sheet of aluminium foil flat on the benchtop.  Smear some cream in a straight line on the foil where you want your cake to be assembled.

In your hand, take a Choc Ripple biscuit and spread some cream onto one side, a little thicker than the biscuit.  Take another biscuit and press it onto the creamed side of the first biscuit to make a cream and biscuit sandwich.   Now put these two joined biscuits onto the foil. This is the start of your cake assembly.

Progressively add more biscuits and cream until you have a long complete cake. Use the cream now to spread over the cake until it is completely covered in cream.  Gently wrap the foil over the sides and ends.  Place it into the refrigerator.  It needs to stay there for at least six hours.  I just leave it overnight.  Place it alongside the second bowl of cream so it stays fresh until you are ready to use it.

The next day, gently unwrap the foil and place your semi-finished cake onto the dish you want to use to serve or present it.  Take the second bowl of cream and gently cover the entire cake with the fresh whipped cream.  Grate some pistachio nuts and chop some strawberries.  It is ready to eat!

Post a picture of your cake on Facebook.

Katsudon

Japanese pork schnitzel in egg and sauce

Some dishes are winners, some are not.  This one is!

Japanese Kastudon is easy to make and tastes absolutely fabulous.  You might consider it a variation of schnitzel.  It tastes great, the kids will love it (and love to help you make it) and in the unlikely event there are leftovers, they can be the next day’s school lunch!  

Ing.

Four tenderised pork chops/steaks, fat trimmed

Panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs) – at Maxi Foods

Plain flour

4 eggs

1 onion, finely sliced

Olive oil for pan prying

1 teaspoon Massel powdered chicken stock (in 1/2 cup hot water)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Mirin (Japanese rice wine) – Maxi Foods

Murray River pink salt

2 cups of Jasmine rice for serving.

Method

Trim and tenderise the pork chops.  Prepare a three-bowl run of plain flour, one beaten egg and the panko.  Dip the pork into the plain flour and coat both sides, then the egg mixture and then the panko crumbs (add a sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt to the Panko). 

Your frypan needs to be fairly hot before you add the oil.  Add some olive oil and pan fry the crumbed pork until it is the right ‘cooked’ colour.  Turn over to cook both sides.  You may need to add more oil as the cooking continues.

Remove from the pan and slice the schnitzels into broad strips. Set aside.

Back to the same frypan, gently cook your finely sliced onion until it is caramelised.  In a separate jug, beat the other three eggs and set aside.  In another jug, prepare your sauce of the ½ cup chicken stock, soy sauce and mirin.

When the onion is ready, place the sliced schnitzels atop the onion, pour over the egg mixture and then pour over the sauce.  Let it cook in the egg and sauce mixture for about two mins or until the egg is cooked.  This may be best achieved in two batches, depending on the size of the frypan to fit all four schnitzels.

Serve on a bed of hot rice. 

Delicious!

Enjoy.

Homemade Pasta – Fettuccini Pesto

As the pasta making machine was engaged, I decided to make a delicious fettuccini with pesto sauce.  One of the wonderful attributes to this type of cooking is that the ingredients you use are all selected and cooked by you.  You know everything that is in your food.

The pasta was pretty simple, 3 eggs, 300gms flour and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  That’s it!  The method is on the website or Facebook under ‘Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli’.

Ingredients:

Pasta

3 eggs

300gms ‘Tipo 00’ flour (available at Maxi)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Pesto

1 cup of fresh basil leaves

300gms roasted pine nuts

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (I used Grana Padano)

½ cup olive oil

To make the pesto sauce, blend all the ingredients in a blender.  That’s it!

The pasta will cook in about 3 minutes.

Mix and eat.  This meal is delicious and so easy to make.

Remember to sprinkle lots of grated parmesan on top.

Enjoy.

Meatballs with Mace

Given the climate, meatballs were necessary!  But you don’t need colder weather to make meatballs. They should be made regularly! 

 I changed my previous recipe just a little and wanted to let you know because the result was quite amazing.  I simply substituted nutmeg for a teaspoon of ground Mace.  What is Mace?  If you missed the Mace post, you can read it here on the website:    

 https://maxifoods.net.au/kitchen/what-is-mace

The recipe otherwise has not changed, copies below, but in line with my recent requests, I now attach an ingredient list.  Yipee!

Sauce:

1 sliced onion

4 cans of chopped tomatoes (or a kilo of fresh tomatoes with the seeds removed)

Half a large jar of Leggo’s tomato paste

A handful of parsley

Cracked or ground pepper

Murray River pink salt

A teaspoon of Massel powdered chicken stock

A cup or two of hot water

1 qtr teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of Ground Mace 

Meatballs:

750g – 1kg premium mince

I onion, diced

A handful of Continental Parsley

Half a cup of grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese

Half a cup of breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of Massel powdered chicken stock

Cracked or freshly ground pepper

Murray River Pink salt

This recipe comes in two parts. The sauce in which the raw meatballs are cooked must be prepared before the meatballs are prepared so they are ready to be cooked as they are rolled. 

Sauce: brown an onion, sliced into rings. Once brown, add four cans of diced tomatoes and half a large jar of Leggo's Tomato Paste. Add a hand full of chopped Continental parsley, cracked pepper, a pinch of marine or Murray River Salt, a teaspoon of Massel chicken stock and the 'Secret ingredient' a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon (now use GROUND MACE instead of the nutmeg). Mix it all together and bring it up to temperature whilst preparing the meat balls. Leave to simmer once boiled.  Add some hot water to give it enough volume to hold the meatballs

Meatballs: in a large bowl, hand mix the premium mince, a well diced onion, a hand full of Continental parsley, a breadcrumbs, (I like the Anchor brand), two eggs, half a cup of grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of cracked pepper, a good pinch of Murray River Salt, a teaspoon of Massel chicken stock and the quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and another teaspoon of GROUND MACE.  Once mixed, roll your balls into whatever size you choose.

Gently place them into the now simmering sauce. Do not stir the pot as they will break! If you need room in the pot, shake the pot so they all fit under the sauce. Let them cook for about 20 mins. They are ready to serve. They can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

For the pasta I used imported Italian ‘Orecchiette’, which translates to '‘little ears’

This is a 'starter' recipe for the kids to get involved in cooking!

Make a large batch so you can eat them over several days.  They get better each day!

The Brendan Burger

Tonight was burger night. A self-serve, create your own burger from the usual ingredients.

I made six big meatballs from 750g premium beef mince, one chopped onion, a handful of breadcrumbs and one egg. Cracked pepper and Murray River pink salt of course.

The balls were flattened and pan fried in olive oil for about 5 mins. Meanwhile the Tip Top burger buns were split into two (a top and a bottom) and gently toasted in the oven grill.

Once the burgers were cooked I used the same pan to cook six fried eggs, not flipped, and laid a piece of melting cheese on the egg before they were removed. Too easy!

Brendan's Construction: buttered bread base, chopped iceberg lettuce, meat burger, tomato sauce, egg and cheese, then the top bun.

I had a can of beetroot and pineapple rings awaiting opening, but it's not summer, so they stayed in the can for another day.

I took one bite and said 'good burger'!

Easy to make at home, kids love them and they are healthy! All the food groups are represented: protein, carbohydrates, sugar, a little fat and a lot of flavour!

Make them on the weekend. Get the kids involved. The sooner your children learn to cook, the sooner you can handball the task!

Stay well, stay safe.

Kind regards,
Brendan Blake

Six large meatballs

750g premium beef mince, one onion, breadcrumbs and one egg. Salt and pepper of course.

Minced Pork and blistered beans

Tonight’s minced pork dish is made in two parts, the beans and the pork.  Both have to be cooked on high heat.  The beans have to burn and blister and the pork has to be dry fried so it accepts the sauce.  At the end they are all added together to make very memorable dish.

Both pans should have a sesame oil base as opposed to the regular olive oil.  Gently pan fry the spring onion, garlic and minced ginger.  I grated my fresh ginger using a zester over the pan.  Once they are nicely cooked, add your minced pork and turn the heat up high. 

 Whilst the pork is cooking add your fresh beans to a different pan and turn up high.

Now make your sauce.  ¼ cup chicken stock, (I used the powdered Massel chicken stock with hot water) a tbspn of Hoi Sin sauce, a tbspn of cornflour (I didn’t have any so I used plain flour), a tbspn of white wine vinegar, a tbspn of soy sauce, a tbpsn of Chinese cooking wine, if you have some and a tbspn of Oyster sauce.  The recipe required a tbspn of sugar, but I skipped that.  Stir it all up and when the pork is brown or charred, add the sauce to the hot pan.  It will thicken quickly so give it a good toss around and remove it from the heat before it dries out.

At this late stage I added a chopped fresh chilli, not to everyone’s delight, but it looked good!

Pour the minced pork over the beans and eat.  I served it over Jasmine rice, with Brussel sprouts and oven baked sweet potato.  This dish is a real crowd pleaser!

Chicken Schnitzels

Tonight I made real Chicken Schnitzels. Everybody's favourite!

You can easily slice four chicken schnitzels from each chicken breast. Tenderise the slices lightly with a tenderising hammer and put the schnitzels aside. In mixing bowl mix two cups of bread crumbs, a small handful of freshly chopped continental parsley, half a cup of freshly grated Grana Padano parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of Massel chicken stock powder, grated lemon rind and pepper and salt.

Heat your shallow pan on medium heat without adding oil at this stage. Coat your fillets with plain flour then coat them with a mixture of a beaten egg with a dash of water (to thin it a little). Coat the fillet in the bread crumb mixture. Now add olive oil to your heated fry pan and let it get hot.

Lightly pan fry them until golden in colour and then flip them to fry the other side.

Delicious! Easy! Memorable!

Total time: about 20 mins.

Vegan Paella

By request I made a Vegan Paella tonight.

It was not a traditional Paella, but it was just as good! Over medium heat, in a deep frypan, brown a diced onion in olive oil. When browned, add two cups of arborio rice, this is a firmer and larger grain rice which is traditionally used in paella and Italian risotto.

Once the rice has absorbed the oil and the flavours in the pan add a cup of hot water which has been mixed with a teaspoon of Tumeric Powder and a teaspoon of Massel Vegetable stock or Vegeta. Add the raw kernels of one cob of corn, half a sliced red capsicum and freshly chopped continental (or flat leaf) parsley.

I was supposed to add green peas but I forgot to buy some! As the water is absorbed into the rice you will need to continue to add more. Add hot water in one cup increments until the paella rice is soft.

Add salt and freshly ground pepper of course. Lift and toss it as it cooks. Serve it in the pan.

Very easy to make.

Delicious!

Everyone loves Pizza

The base is the most important thing.

Preheat the oven to 230C. "00" type flour (very important) measure 440gms of flour. Add two teaspoons of Lowan dry yeast, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil and 310ml warm water. Mix in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Once mixed, tip the dough onto the bench and knead until smooth!

Place the dough into a bowl lightly covered in olive oil and cover with clear film. Place into a warm place and let it rest for 30 mins whilst it doubles in size. If the added water is too hot or too cold the dough will not rise.

Once risen, punch the dough, knead it again for two mins and cut it into four equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and press the base out with your fingers. Flip the dough several times and keep pressing until your base is thinly stretched, the right size and full of 'finger marks' to hold the sauce!

The tomato base is a 50/50 mix of 'Pomodoro Passato' (puree) and Leggo's tomato paste. Spread evenly leaving a 10mm edge.

The pizza mix cheese goes on next. Cheese placed below your ingredients will melt. Cheese on top of your ingredients will harden.

Add your favourite toppings, lightly pour a good coating of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 mins or until the edges start to brown.

Easy! Delicious!

Spanish Quesadillas

I had never made Spanish Quesadillas before, but how difficult could they be?

I love them enough to know what's in them, so without looking at a recipe, I had a go. Result: Excellent! Finely dice and pan-fry a red Spanish onion in olive oil, once browned add a finely diced chicken breast fillet (or not if you prefer a vegetarian option). In a separate bowl, mash a ripe avocado and dice a ripe red tomato. Once the onion and chicken have browned, add them to the avocado, tomato and a hand full of mozzarella or other melting type cheese.

Add coarsely cracked pepper and salt. Mix it all together. This is your filling. In large a dry flat skillet on low heat, gently warm a circular wrap bread for about ten seconds on each side. Remove from heat and fill half the circle of the bread with the filling about 2cms high.

Fold the other half of the bread over the filling so your Quesadilla is a semi-circle shape. Pan-fry the quesadilla in the same skillet on low heat, dry, (no oil) for about one minute.

Flip it carefully and dry fry the other side for about the same time. Cut and eat. Delicious!

Everybody loves Meatballs!

The large increase in mince meat purchases has prompted me to provide you my Meatballs recipe. This recipe comes in two parts. The sauce in which the raw meatballs are cooked must be prepared before the meatballs are prepared so they are ready to be cooked as they are rolled.

Sauce: brown an onion, sliced into rings. Once brown, add four cans of diced tomatoes and half a large jar of Leggo's Tomato Paste. Add a hand full of chopped Continental parsley, cracked pepper, a pinch of marine or Murray River Salt, a teaspoon of Massel chicken stock and the 'Secret ingredient' a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon (don't tell anyone). Mix it all together and bring it up to temperature whilst preparing the meat balls. Simmer once boiled.

Meatballs: mix a large packet of premium mince, a well diced onion, a hand full of Continental parsley, a cup of breadcrumbs, (I like the Anchor brand), two eggs, a cup of grated Grana Padano parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of cracked pepper, a pinch of marine or Murray River Salt, a teaspoon of Massel chicken stock and the quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon. Once mixed, roll your balls into what ever size you choose.

Gently place them into the now simmering sauce. Do not stir the pot as they will break! If you need room in the pot, shake the pot so they all fit under the sauce. Let them cook for about 20 mins. They are ready to serve. They can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

This is a 'starter' recipe for the kids to get involved in cooking!

Meat Pies

Tonight I made 12 meat pies. No frills, just home made meat pies. Suggest this would be a great starter recipe for the kids to start their love for cooking!

Preheat your oven to 225C

Brown a large diced onion (or two small onions) in olive oil. Add your diced Gravy Beef and start to brown. Add your premium mince meat, cracked pepper, Murray River Pink Salt, a teaspoon of powdered Massel chicken stock and a handful of chopped Continental parsley. Let it cook, stirring regularly. Add a cup of water. Let it all cook for about 30 mins as the liquid boils off. We want the liquid to boil off. Add 200ml of Beerenberg Worcestershire sauce (from the German Village of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills) and the same amount of tomato sauce. These two ingredients really flavour the meat so the drier the meat when these two sauces are added, the more they will absorb.

Two types of pastry are required. Shortcrust pastry for the base and puff pastry for the lid. Thawed Pampas Pastry sheets have been my pastry sheets of choice for years. I highly recommend them. They will thaw on the bench top in minutes. Quarter cut each sheet to provide four smaller squares per sheet. Lay the Shortcrust pastry on your pie tin. Add the meat pie filling. Add it hot. The pie filling will cause the pastry to sink into the tray and provide the perfect pie dish shape. Make sure every pie gets a mix of mince and gravy beef. Good chunky meat pies are best!

Once filled, lay your puff pastry on top and gently break away the edges to leave what appears to be an uncooked pie! Prick the top with a fork to allow the heat to flow. Crack and beat and egg and brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. Add cracked pepper if you choose. I put cracked pepper on four only.

Place into the oven for about 20 mins or until the pastry is golden and shiny. Allow to cool before removing the pies from your pie dish.

These pies do not need tomato sauce because they are so good as they are, but you may be forgiven if you cover them with tomato sauce!

15 minute Special Fried Rice

Tonight I made a quick 15 minute fried rice. The key to making this dish quickly is to prepare your rice primarily and separately, then add it to your finely diced and now cooked other ingredients and simply add soy sauce and toss.

I made this tonight in two batches as the volume of rice was greater than the fry pan I used to prepare the other items. You can add whatever ingredients you want. I always believe food should be colourful when using fresh ingredients so the items I placed into the fried rice represent loads of colour and life.

The basic rule to cooking rice is: one cup of rice to two cups of water, then boil (uncovered) until cooked. I tend to add water as it cooks, but I also like to drain off excess water so the gluginess goes way with the excess water. It also leaves a wonderfully moist rice once drained.

While your rice is cooking, in olive oil, pan fry your thinly sliced bacon and crack an egg into a hot pan. Let the bacon cook and stir the egg so it breaks into smaller pieces. Then add all your finely diced vegetables, all at once. I used onion, spring onion, carrot, red capsicum, Continental parsley and a single clove of garlic. Add cracked pepper, a couple of pinches of Murray River Salt and a teaspoon of Massell Chicken stock powder. Spread the veggies out in the pan. Stir them in with the bacon and egg. Let it all cook for about 4-5 minutes. As the vegetables are in small pieces, they cook quickly! Add a splash of olive oil if it is drying up.

By about now your rice should be ready. Add your drained, cooked rice. Mix it in. Splash in a tablespoon of soy sauce, or more or less to your taste. Toss it all for about a minute or until everything is mixed.

Now eat!