Sunday, January 27, 2008

I survived!!!

Yes, I have gazed into the maw of the monster known as "Holiday Feast" and have come out unscathed. Won't mention anything about those extra pounds that came along with me...

I've also just noticed that Rachel wants to know about Miti.

Miti is a fairly simple coconut cream sauce that originated in Fiji. Since it uses chilli, onions, and lemons I'm assuming that it is not a "traditional" recipe, but one that evolved after the Europeans "discovered" the South Pacific and brought some non-native foods with them. Either way, it's darned tasty.

Before you make Miti, you have to make Lolo. There are many different ways to make Lolo, I'll describe some of them in reverse order of ease. Oh, Lolo is the Fijian word for coconut cream. Oh, when you cook with coconut cream, don't bring it to a rolling boil: lots of protein in it so it curdles and separates easily.

Lolo method 1, very traditional.

What you need:
One coconut
1/2 cup water

What you do:
Grate the flesh of the coconut, but don't forget to de-husk it first! Add the water, then strain it through a muslin cloth or cheesecloth. Wring/squeeze it out well so you get all the cream out.


Lolo method #2, not traditional

What you need:
1 cup of dessicated coconut (most stores carry this)
1/2 cup boiling water

What you do:
Pour the boiling water into the bowl with the dessicated coconut. Let it sit for a few hours, then squeeze and wring it through muslin or cheesecloth.


Lolo method #3, cheating

What you need:
cash

What you do:
Go to a grocery store and use the above cash to buy a can of coconut cream.


Note, method #3 should only be used if you're in a bit of a rush. Method #2 is the easiest, just make sure you start the dried coconut soaking in plenty of time.


On to the Miti!

What you need:
1/2 cup Lolo (see above)
juice from a lemon (you can't use my lemon tree, BTW)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 small thai chilli, finely minced
1 small onion, minced

What you do:
Chuck it all into a bowl, whisk it together and call it done! Obviously, the longer it sits on the counter, the stronger the flavour will be.



Bonus stuff!!!!

Thick Miti dip

What you need:
One cup Miti
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp minced spring onion greens (or garlic greens)

What you do:
Mix the cornflour with 1/4 cup of the Miti and the salt. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the Miti and bring it to a simmer so that it thickens, but don't let it boil or it'll separate.

Let it cool, then mix in the onion or garlic greens. Chill it for a bit, then use it as you would any kind of dip for chips, crackers, veggies, or whatnot.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

THE Holiday Feast Down Unda

I'm a little late getting this years holiday feast typed in. In fact, we've already started on it --3 days ago! Some of you may notice it's a wee bit similar to last years feast; that's cus we've got many favorite recipes. Also, I've some new ones, and some that are just too darned expensive.

This is in NO particular order, but it'll feed four adults for two weeks. Oh, we're having a pool party and barbeque on the 28th, so the 4 or 5 kilos of snags are for the sausage sizzle.

Unless otherwise noted, everything is homemade by yours truly, or adapted (by yours truly) from recipe book --of which I have LOTS.

If'n any of you'd like a recipe for any of the following, just let me know via a comment, no worries.



Highland oat cakes

Shortbread

Peanut butter cheesecake with hot fudge sauce

Polynesian pork spare ribs

Pineapple pie

Cinnamon raisin bread

Polynesian ham

Pineapple sherbet

Chocolate mint ice cream with choc chips

Banana jam

Pineapple-Coconut pie

Miti (it's a dip)

Charlotte rouse

Banana leaf wrapped pork roast

Roast chook (at least 2 of em)

Candied yams

3 apricot cobblers (had one of em last night)

3 kinds of stuffing

4 types of gravy

3 types of salsa

Guacamole

5 kilos of sausages (for the bbq pool party)

2 kilos onions (for the above sausages)

Herbed spuds on the grill

My special homemade Dolmades

Waldorf salad

Tzatziki dip

One of my special sushi platters

Maple syrup candied pork roast

Corn chips and potato chips fresh made

Green beans and red capsicums with bacon and peanut sauce

Champagne with strawberries

Buttered roasted pumpkin pieces

2 cases beer

2 casks red wine

1 cask white wine

spicy marinated onions

Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice (mum-in-law has requested my special margaritas)

1 bottle brandy

1 bottle Father O'Learys Irish Cream

1.5 liters bourbon and coke

1 bottle dry cider

1 bottle sweet cider

Hot fudge sauce

Fudge brownies

Mince pies (lots)

Banana tarts

1 homemade bottle of chilli pepper and honey mead (I'll be the only one having that)


I think that should pretty much cover it. Remember, if you want a specific recipe then just ask.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Chilli Marinated Onions

I figured that pretty much everyone is posting their Holiday recipes that I should do something, well.... different.

It's not that I don't like all the "traditional" holiday foods, it's just that I usually take the road less travelled.

Ok, here we go:

Dave's Own Chilli Marinated Onions

What you need:

1 large onion (white or brown)
1 tbsp dried chilli flakes (or more)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp dried tarragon

What you due:

Thin slice the onion as thin as you can. If you use a food processer it only takes 10 secs. Mix everything else in a bowl and whisk the heck out of it for 15 to 20 secs. Toss in the onion slices and stir so that all the onion is covered.

Let it sit for 2 to 3 hours.

Then, remove the onion from the marinade and fry it in a wok for a minute or two. You want the onion to just START to turn translucent, but still be crunchy. Remove from heat, let cool.

Put the semi-fried onion back in the marinade for a few more hours.

Use as needed! I find it's good with kalamata olives, as an addition to a salad, or just eating by itself (kinda like kimchi in that respect).

Use more or less chilli flakes depending on your heat tolerance.

Oh, almost forgot: Don't eat lots of this if you plan on snuggling with your wife or hubby that night... Just sayin'.

Monday, December 10, 2007

In Honour of My Back

I was going to type in the entire holiday menu this weekend... however I really can't sit at the computer for any length of time, so I'll give you one of the drink recipes my MIL has demanded that I make over the holidays.

Yes, it's a liquid pain killer known as booze! Margaritas to be specific. Now, I've yet to find any Mexican restaurant down here that can make good margaritas (or good mexican food for that matter). One place made theirs with LEMON juice instead of lime juice --blech!

Here's my Margarita recipe:

What you need:
1 bottle of tequila
1 bottle of triple sec (white curacao)
salt
lime juice
some ice cubes

What you do:
Mix tequila and triple sec half and half in a jug; add some lime juice till it's a very light green (you won't need much, 1/4 to 1/2 cup if you're doing the entire bottles all at once).
Salt the rim of a glass --wet the rim then swirl the rim of the overturned glass in a saucer of salt till you have the amount of salt you want.
Put a few ice cubes in the glass (AFTER you've turned the glass right side up), and then pour in the margarita mix to the top.

Drink up and be merry :)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

Yes, I can hear you now, "dave, why don't I just go out and BUY some chocolate mint ice cream?"

The answer is, "If you're reading a food blog, then you probably want a recipe for something to make yourself --cus it's fun to play in the kitchen! Besides, who wants to eat all that preservative laden gunk anyways?"

This recipe was originally for Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips. However, I just happen to have a chocolate mint plant growing outside the window overlooking the pool patio, so I'll be making it with chocolate mint leaves instead of the boring ole regular mint leaves.

In case you didn't know, mint is very very easy to grow down here, and if you aren't careful it'll take over a big patch of your garden (not that that's ever happened to ME, of course). Oh yeah, caterpillars LOVE it.

I'll even make this as an actual recipe type thingy with amounts and weights and all that stuff. See, I normally don't measure things (hence my not being able to read a kitchen scale properly) when I'm cooking cus I'm good at eye-balling amounts (years of lab work --don't ask), but when making ice cream you really need the proper amounts to get it to freeze properly.

Oh, you can make this even without an ice cream maker! Just chuck the finished bowl in the freezer and give it a stir every 10 to 15 mins or so (it will take hours!). But it's much easier with an ice cream maker so go and get yourself one.

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

What you need:

for the ice cream:
1/2 cup of finely chopped FRESH chocolate mint leaves
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup full cream milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
a few drops of green food colouring
1/4 cup small chocolate chips

and for the garnish:
1/2 cup freshly whipped whipping cream
a few tbsp of shaved dark chocolate
a few fresh mint leaves


What you do:

Add the cream, milk and chopped chocolate mint leaves to a saucepan. Bring to a boil (while stirring --don't wanna scald it). Remove from the heat and cover it. Let it stand for 15 to 30 mins or until it's as minty tasting as you'd like.

While it's standing, whisk the egg yolks and sugar till good and fluffy (use an electric mixer, unless you have hand and forearm strength like me!).

Strain the chopped mint leaves from the first mixture, then add that to the egg mix while whisking.

Take the bowl with all the stuff in it and float it in a big pot of simmering hot water. Whisk it for 5 to 10 mins (the mix will thicken as you do this).

Take the bowl out of the hot water, add a few drops of green food colouring till it's as green as you want.

Pour it into your ice cream maker. Once it starts to freeze and thicken, then add the chocolate chips (should be after 
5 to 7 mins). About a half hour later: Poof! Chocolate Mint Ice Cream.

For serving, top it with the freshly whipped cream, the shaved chocolate and a few chocolate mint leaves to make it look cool.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

I Dare Ya

Well, the title of this is called Dingo Dave's Delightfully Daring Delicacies after all...

Mushroom Caps Stuffed With Vindaloo Eggs!

Oh, come on now... please keep reading. They are very very very tasty. But first: A word (or two or three) about chilli (chili) peppers.

I know a heckuva lot about chillis, as they are some of my most favorite foods --however I've married into a family of folks who think a pinch of black pepper in a gallon of soup is hot so I've had to "tone down" the spicy-ness just a wee bit.

Jalapenos??? Criminy, I can eat 'em whole. Tabasco Sauce: wussy stuff, that is. Thai chilli peppers? Now we're gettin' there. I can eat them whole too. Haberno? Damned hot, they are! Make very good sauces and spreads; had a bite of one once... good thing the sour cream was handy. Of course, you've all heard of the chilli recently bred in India that has over 1,000,000 scoville heat units (a weenie jalapeno is around 4,000) and the name translates to Death Chilli or Poison Chilli. The fumes off that sucker will blister bare skin!!!! Ummmm, I'll pass on it. Just for reference, it's almost as hot as that pepper spray stuff that wards bears away.

We all know that chilli peppers are native to South America, but they've been brought all over the world in the last 500 years. Asians love 'em, as so do Indians (you know, the folks that live in India?) and they've really worked on perfecting them suckers.

Where does this lead to vindaloo???? Well, vindaloo paste was a Portuguese invention (remember, they went all over the world too --long story) that was brought to India. It's classified as a curry, but it's really not. It's also bloody-well HOT! I think it's the tamarind in the paste that sets off the chilli heat, and the fact that Indians (folks from India) really know how to breed HOT chillis.

So when I mention that this dish only needs 1 tsp of vindaloo paste (the authentic stuff), please keep in mind that I'm NOT a wuss when it comes to spicy foods, it's just that real vindaloo paste from India (the country where Indians are from) is darned hot.

Remember: spicy food keeps you cool in hot weather! Why? Cus it dilates your capillaries so your periferal (peripheral) circulation increases so that your body blows off heat. Of course, the standard solution from white faces when going to a hot climate is just to turn on the A/C and hide indoors (I don't advocate this approach even though I've been known to do that once in a while --my other solution is to go jump in the pool).

Alrighty, rant over; here's the recipe:


Mushroom Caps Stuffed With Vindaloo Eggs

What you knead:

16 good sized (as opposed to bad sized) mushroom caps (twist the stalk to remove it, don't just pull)
olive oil
couple tsp of dried tarragon
5 eggs
1 tsp (or two) of authentic vindaloo paste
some sour cream (about 1/2 cup)

What you due:

Rinse the shrooms (you've already de-stalked them), then toss em in a bowl with some olive oil and dried tarragon. Toss well to coat them all; set aside.

Beat the eggs (use a whisk, duh). Add the vindaloo paste and beat again. Cook the eggs (I use a wok with a bit of olive oil in it) and toss and turn while cooking --it'll only take a minute.

Put the marinated shroom caps on a baking tray and stuff em with the cooked eggs --go ahead and pack the eggs down well, it's fun and makes cool bubbly noises!

Bake in a medium-hot pre-heated oven for 10-15 mins. Plate them up, and plop a dollop of sour cream on the top of each.

They really are yummy, trust me.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Chocolate Waffles

I've already posted Dingo Dave's Extra Special Beer Batter Waffles on my other site, so instead of just copying that over to here, 
I thought I'd give you a different waffle recipe.
Seeing how the festive season is upon us (Help! Get it off!) I thought I'd post something rather sweet.


Chocolate Waffles (yummy):

What you knead:

2 beaten eggs (don't hurt em to badly)
6 tbsp of raw sugar (don't like cooked sugar)
3/4 cup of milk (that's 187.5 mils)
1/2 tsp vanilla (fake is way ok)
1/2 cup chocolate sauce (if you don't know how to make your own, the just buy the store stuff)
4 tbsp of melted butter (don't use margarine)
1 and a half cups of cake flour
3 tsp baking powdaire
1/2 tsp salt (heck, gotta have sodium chloride)
1/2 cup of small chocolate chips


What you due:

Put the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk the heck out of it till the sugar is dissolved.

Pour chocolate sauce into the bowl with the melted butter, stir well, let it cool, and then add to the above bowl (you let the butter cool so the eggs don't cook, but it should still be warm enough to be liquidy).

Toss the dry stuff into a large bowl and mix it. Then pour the liquid bowl into the dry bowl while stirring. Stir till it's smooth. Add the choc chips, stir again.

Nextly: put ladle fulls into your waffle iron (that means cook it, silly).

Scrump-delly-isctious!