So after the vego phase: a super posh Sausage Roll!

So, it seems I scared a few of you, particularly with yesterday's Tofu & Brussell sprout post. Don't worry - I am still a big carnivore! And besides, the Tofu/Brussell sprout combo was awesome - make it, try it, and then mock (if you must).

So this is one of my all time favourite sausage roll recipes. They are relatively quick to make, and always go down an absolute treat. I've served them warm at home, or taken them cold on picnics. Either way they are fantastic!

This recipe is from the Australian Gourmet Traveller's website, which is unquestionably one of the free best foodie / recipe websites going, especially if you're looking for something a little bit special. Don't forget that the Ultimate Tomato Sauce is makes a fantastic accompaniment to these sossie rolls!

Here's a tip: Unbaked sausage rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen at 200C for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Lamb & Harissa Sausage Rolls
1 kg minced lamb (I've used all sorts of mince combos: 50/50 pork lamb works very well too)

1 onion, finely grated (I'm lazy, so I just chop it very small)

80 gm (½ cup) pine nuts

75 gm (¼ cup) harissa

50 gm currants

2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 kg puff pastry

1 egg, lightly whisked

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 200'c. In a large bowl, combine the mince, onion, pine nuts, harissa, currants, parsley & cumin & season to taste.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 3mm-thick rectangle. You can either pipe the lamb mix using a icing bag (with no nozzle), or you can use your hands, like I do! Avoid the temptation to put too much - it has to roll shut!

Carefully roll over. 

Brush eggwash (the one egg, lightly whisked) along both edges of the pastry & press to seal. Brush entire sausage rolls with eggwash & scatter with sesame seeds. Trim along length of pastry and repeat with remaining mixture and pastry.

Place on a baking paper lined tray, and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. You can either bake them in one long piece (as I did), or chop them up into smaller portions. The baking time will be the same. Serve with the Ultimate Tomato Sauce.

The Ultimate Tomato Sauce

Hola!

This Tomato Sauce is incredibly simple to make, and absolutely fantastic. The flavours in it are amazing!

The recipe is from what is hands down the best cooking/foodie magazine there is: 'Cuisine', which is actually a kiwi publication. It is absolutely fantastic. This was in their Christmas edition, and it was served on top of slow cooked Salmon (posting soon - soooo yummy). When I read through the ingredients however, it occurred to me that it would also work very well with the Lamb & Harissa Sausage Rolls. It Does! Lamb, Salmon: this works with anything!

Spiced Tomato Sauce

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 small red chilli, seeded & finely diced

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to taste

1) In a medium pan heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add  the garlic & the chilli, gently frying until fragrant. Add the cumin & the coriander & cook for a further minute.

2) Add the canned tomatoes & tomato paste, mix together well, then cook for 20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Season to taste. This sauce is great warm or cold, and could be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for around 5 days.

2) Add the tin of tomatoes, and stir for minute or so, then add the tomato paste. Make sure you incorporate it well.

3) Keep stirring occasionally until the sauce has begun to thicken a little.

4) Remove from the heat. This is good warm or cold, and can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to one week.

Meatless Monday!

Brussel Sprouts & Tofu

So, I appreciate that this combo might be many people's idea of hell. Though I've always been a sprout fan (well, post-primary school anyways)  I've long had a hatred of tofu. My flatmate cooks it all the time, and I've been sampling some along the way, and its actually not all bad. Provided whatever it is marinated in is good!

I have posted before about the fabulous Ottolenghi cookbook my gorgeous friend sent me from London. I was lucky enough to visit the actual Ottolenghi cafe in Notting Hill when I was there a few weeks ago, it is beyond fabulous. The head chef there has a column in the Guardian, one of my favourite newspapers. His stuff is wonderful, simple, but packed full of flavour. 

This dish far, far outdid my expectations -- it really was fantastic, so delicious, easy, healthy - just everything you could hope for in a meal. Bon Apetit!

PS - apologies for lack of pics, a girlfriend had stopped by & I was so busy chatting I didn't remember to take any photos until it was on the table. 

150g firm tofu
2 tbsp chilli sauce 

*I didn't have any (I don't think you're meant to use the sweet chilli stuff), so used 1 tsp of chilli in its place.
1½ tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
500g brussels sprouts
180ml sunflower oil

*I used peanut oil, as I had very little sunflower oil
Salt
100g spring onion, sliced
½ small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
120g shiitake mushrooms, halved
15g picked coriander leaves
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk together the chilli sauce (or powder - you could probably use a few dashed of tabasco too if you fancied), soy sauce, two tablespoons of the sesame oil, vinegar and syrup. Cut the tofu block into 0.5cm thick slices and then each slice into two squarish pieces. Gently lay in the marinade and set aside.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each lengthways into three thick slices. Take a large, nonstick pan, and heat up four tablespoons of whichever oil you're using. Add half the sprouts and a little salt, and cook on high heat for two minutes. Don't stir much - you want them almost to burn in a few places and cook through but remain crunchy. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the sprouts.

Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan, heat up and sauté the onion, chilli and mushrooms for a minute or two. Transfer to the sprout bowl.

Leave the pan on high heat and, using a pair of tongs, lift half the tofu from the marinade and gently lay in the pan (be very careful: the oil may spit, and far), space apart, in one layer. Lower the heat to medium and cook for two minutes on each side until nicely caramelised. Transfer to the sprout bowl and repeat with the rest of the tofu.

Once all the tofu is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and return all the cooked ingredients to it. Add the tofu marinade and half the coriander. Toss together and allow to cool slightly in the pan. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in the remaining sesame oil (extra, if you like) and serve warm, not hot, garnished with sesame seeds and the rest of the coriander.

I served this on top of some streamed brown rice. Delicious!

Its getting cold . . . . must be Curry Time!

In foodie terms, winter is my favourite time of year. You get to bake pies, make stews, roast roasts, and make curries. I know you can do it at any other time of year too . . . . it just feels better in winter!

One curry I have always had an aversion to is the seafood variety. The idea of curry & seafood was on the same page as pizza & seafood to me. But then one night recently, at an Indian restaurant with friends, someone ordered the Southern Indian Prawn curry. It was so good! So, so good! I am so glad I tried it!

So, after a little google-ing, I found this recipe by Jamie Oliver, and it is exactly what you would expect from him: simple, and delicious! Tip - ensure you have everything cut up in advance, as you need to add things quickly.

And no, this isn't outrageously hot: it has a nice warmth too it, and would only taste 'too hot' to someone who had refused to try chili ever before in their lives . . . . in which case, why are you friends with them?

Jamie Oliver's Keralan Fish Curry

• peanut oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 20 curry leaves
• Chopped coriander
• 6 shallots, finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 x 2.5cm piece of ginger, finely sliced
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 750g firm white fish cut into chunks
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

Firstly,  heat a lug of groundnut oil in a large pan and fry the mustard seeds with the curry leaves till the seeds start to pop. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, till softened. 

Mix together the chilli powder and turmeric with a splash of water, no more than a quarter of a cup's worth, and then stir into the pan. Fry for a minute, then add the fish, coconut milk and tomatoes. Season w/ S&P.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked and sauce reduced. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander, with rice (I used brown b/c I prefer it - basmati is also perfect).

Hot Cross Buns!

I just LOVE Hot Cross Buns!! But it's funny how conditioned we become to only eating certain things at certain times - I never make them at any other time of year. They are, in my kind, firmly an 'Easter Only' treat.

This is from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2, which you will recognize as a firm favourite of mine! Yes, these are a little bit of work, but trust me, it is worth it!

Ingredients
Buns
2 Tablespoons dried yeast
¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar
1½ cups (375ml) warm milk
4¼ cups (635g) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
50g butter, melted
1 egg
¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar, extra
1½ cups (240g) sultanas
⅓ cup (55g) candied mixed peel, optional
Crosses
½ cup (75g) plain (all-purpose) flour
⅓ cup (80ml) water
Glaze
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
¼ cup (60ml) water




Combine the yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Don't be tempted to speed this up! Any yeast that you have left over should be stored in the freezer.

Combine the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, butter, egg, extra sugar, sultanas, mixed peel and yeast mixture in a large bowl. Mix with a butter knife until a sticky dough forms. . . . . or just use your hands like I do!

Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5–10 minutes or
until it feels smooth and  elastic when pressed.

Place in an oiled bowl (I use vegetable oil, any would do, though I wouldn't recommend olive oil), cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place for 30–40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Lightly knead the dough again, divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place in a 23cm-square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 25–30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF).

To make the crosses, combine the flour and water to make a smooth paste. Place in a piping bag, or if you're like me & can't find one, drape some cling film in a tall glass, and snip the corner!

Pipe crosses onto the buns. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until well browned and springy to touch.

To make the glaze, combine the sugar, gelatine and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes or until dissolved. I didn't have any gelatine, and it didn't make much of a difference. Just be sure that both the glaze & the buns are still warm when you lacquer them (using a pastry brush) Makes 12.

Serve warm, with butter! Enjoy!!

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Hello!

I made this for lunch on the weekend, and it was very quick, and so, so simple. It is from one of my favourite cookbooks by Rick Stein 'Far Eastern Odyssey'.

As I've mentioned before, he is one of my favourite sources for fabulous, easy to make recipes.

The only cooking involved in this is the chicken, and even that is just for 20 minutes.

The rest of it is a matter of slicing, dicing & mixing together.

I appreciate you may not have all of the ingredients in your pantry, e.g. rice vinegar. Just use any white vinegar (regular white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or even verjuice) as a substitute. Everything else is pretty standard pantry items I think.

Chinese leaf, I have no idea what that is, but if you have a good Asian grocer nearby you could probably get it. Per the cookbook's suggestion, I just used regular white cabbage, and this was delicious.

Serves 4

Chicken Salad w/ Chinese Cabbage, bean sprouts & mint

For the Salad
750g chicken thighs or breasts
100g shallots (aka baby onions or eshallots), very thinly sliced
400g Chinese Leaf, core removed, or white cabbage, finely shredded
100g bean sprouts
1 large carrot, grated (or thinly sliced)
1 big handful each of coriander & mint, roughly chopped
40g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

For the Dressing
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp very finely chopped garlic
2 red bird's eye chillies, finely chopped

1) Put the chicken into a saucepan w/ 1 teaspoon of salt & just enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil, lower the heat & simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool in the liquid, before breaking the flesh into long strips. I just used my fingers to pull it apart. You can keep the cooking water for stock, or just discard it.

2) Put the sliced shallots into a large bowl, toss w/ 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a dash of the lime juice, and leave to soften for 30 minutes.

3) In a bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients.

4) Add the chicken to the bowl w/ the shallots, and add the Chinese leaf / cabbage, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, herbs & most of the peanuts. Pour over the dressing, season w/ black pepper & toss together well.

5) Serve up, sprinkling the remaining peanuts on top.

Glazed Nectarine or Roasted Strawberry Tart Anyone?

Hello!

I'm back! I have been cooking alot lately, but the competing demands of work & trying to get enough sleep have seen my blogging capacity severely curtailed!

But now I'm back! With a tart couple of wonderful tarts to boot!

Mascapone is actually a type of cheese; kind of a sweet cross between cream cheese & ricotta. Have a tub of it in the fridge and you can have a pretty fabulous dessert ready to roll in just a few minutes.

I didn't follow a recipe for the below, I  just kind of made it up. You could use any combination of fruit, fresh or cooked, that you fancy.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Tart

If you haven't tried the combination of strawberries & balsamic vinegar you are missing out. It may sound a little odd, but they really bring out the sweetness in each other .

1) quantity shortcrust pastry, blind baked & cooled. Or just buy a shell from the supermarket!
2) 2 punnets of strawberries, hulled, and sliced if you like (I just took the tops of b/c I like the way they looked in the tart)
3) 2 tubs of mascpapone (250g I think it comes in)
4) 3 tbs pouring or thick cream (if you have it)
5) 1 tsp vanilla essence
6) 1 tbs + a bit more of balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180'c. Take a baking dish put the strawberries in, and then drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Mix well with your hands. I then stood the strawberries 'up' in the pan (as they appear in the photo of the tart). That way if any of them stuck to the bottom, it wouldn't be obvious in the presentation.

Roast the strawberries for 15-20 mins, but no longer. You want them to be warm, but no-where near mushy.

In another bowl, combine the mascapone, the cream if using, and the vanilla, and gently combine together.

Use to line the base of the tart shell, then top with the strawberries. Serve!

Glazed Nectarine Tart

Everything is the same as it is for the strawberry tart recipe (above), you just substitute 8 nectarines (sliced in the thickest slices you can manage).

Press the flesh into a saucer of caster sugar, so it has a coating of sugar.

Pop into an oven-proof frying pan, and grill, sugar side down, over medium high heat for around 5 minutes until the sugar (combined with the fruit's natural juices) starts to caramelise on the top.

Then put the whole pan into the oven (preheated to 180'c) for 20 minutes or so.

Spread the mascapone mix over the base of the tart (as per the strawberry recipe), and then scatter the nectarines on top.