This turned out soooooo good a few nights ago that I just had to share it all of you. It's fairly simple and oh so tasty.
What you need:
1 kilo of scrubbed, de-bearded mussels in their shell --I used New Zealand green-lipped
1 small onion, fine chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 cup of white wine --I used chardonnay
1/2 cup (or so) of water
1/2 cup of cream
What you do:
Put the onion and butter in a wok or a wide frypan. Saute for a few mins and then add the garlic. Cook for a minute or two, while stirring regularly. Add the white wine and the water, bring it up to a simmer and then add the mussels. Put on the lid.
Once the mussels have opened, remove them from the sauce and continue to simmer till the sauce is reduced by half. While the sauce is reducing, remove the steamed mussels from their shells --obviously, discard any that didn't open.
Once the sauce is reduced, put the mussel meat and the cream into the sauce. Cook till it's hot (should only take a minute or two) and then serve it up! I served this over some jasmine rice, but there is a lot that can be done with this for serving so use your imagination.
Oh, keep the shells. They are great for serving seafood type hors-dourves (how the heck is that spelled?) on. And they also make great spoons if you are having a south-pacific style feast.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wholewheat Seed Bread with Chia, Sunflower & Pepita
This is quite possibly the healthiest bread you'll ever make or eat. I'm not kidding! It is also very easy to make.
Have any of you heard of chia seeds? No, not those silly chia pets, sheesh. To find out just how healthy chia seeds are for you, I'd suggest letting Ma Google lead the way. I throw a handful of chia seeds in all my curries now, btw.
Back to the recipe. Easy, very easy.
Just start with my standard, easy, white bread recipe.
Instead of 4 cups of unbleached bakers flour, use 2 cups of the bakers flour and 2 cups of wholewheat flour (called wholemeal flour down here in Oz). So that means half white, half whole wheat flours.
When you add the dry stuff (sugar, seasalt, yeast, etc) you also add 1 TBSP chia seeds, 2 TBSP shelled sunflower seeds, and 3 TBSP pepitas.
Pepitas are raw, shelled, pumpkin seeds.
Then just follow along with the rest of the how-to and then you'll be eating some very healthy and TASTY bread.
Have any of you heard of chia seeds? No, not those silly chia pets, sheesh. To find out just how healthy chia seeds are for you, I'd suggest letting Ma Google lead the way. I throw a handful of chia seeds in all my curries now, btw.
Back to the recipe. Easy, very easy.
Just start with my standard, easy, white bread recipe.
Instead of 4 cups of unbleached bakers flour, use 2 cups of the bakers flour and 2 cups of wholewheat flour (called wholemeal flour down here in Oz). So that means half white, half whole wheat flours.
When you add the dry stuff (sugar, seasalt, yeast, etc) you also add 1 TBSP chia seeds, 2 TBSP shelled sunflower seeds, and 3 TBSP pepitas.
Pepitas are raw, shelled, pumpkin seeds.
Then just follow along with the rest of the how-to and then you'll be eating some very healthy and TASTY bread.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Today I am making...
Jellied Ox Tongue!
I'll be taking pictures throughout the process for you, no worries. And then I'll put up the "how to" post in 2 days as it has to set in the fridge overnight to jelliefy.
This should be seriously tasty and I'll have a serious amount of it. And I have plans for all of it too! See, I won't be pickling or heavily seasoning the ox tongue so that when I need some beef for a stir fry or whatever, I can just slice off a hunk of the jellied tongue.
Ingenious, eh?
Dinner tonight will be homemade deep pan pizza with shredded pork and whatnot for toppings. But you probably don't want to hear about that...
Anyways, stay tuned in a couple of days for the process of jellying ox tongue!
*Update*
It appears I have a corned ox tongue to begin with. That's fine, it's just an old fashioned way of curing meat with salt. It also means the "sweetbreads" will probably have been removed, along with the little bones at the base of the tongue.
I'll be taking pictures throughout the process for you, no worries. And then I'll put up the "how to" post in 2 days as it has to set in the fridge overnight to jelliefy.
This should be seriously tasty and I'll have a serious amount of it. And I have plans for all of it too! See, I won't be pickling or heavily seasoning the ox tongue so that when I need some beef for a stir fry or whatever, I can just slice off a hunk of the jellied tongue.
Ingenious, eh?
Dinner tonight will be homemade deep pan pizza with shredded pork and whatnot for toppings. But you probably don't want to hear about that...
Anyways, stay tuned in a couple of days for the process of jellying ox tongue!
*Update*
It appears I have a corned ox tongue to begin with. That's fine, it's just an old fashioned way of curing meat with salt. It also means the "sweetbreads" will probably have been removed, along with the little bones at the base of the tongue.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Easy Cheesy Tuna & Potato Bake
Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. How can I be putting up a recipe about such a simple, mundane (but tasty) casserole? The answer is simple: mine is better than any type of tuna n spud baked casserole you've ever had.
Yes, this is better than your mother's. Ummmmmm, sorry mum...
It also takes a wee bit more cooking than a "traditional" bake.
What you need:
5 large spuds; scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
2 cans of chunky tuna in oil
high quality cheddar cheese
Old Bay seasoning --the real kind with NO preservatives
Simple list, eh? The key is in the cooking of the spuds (that'd be potatoes for those of you knot in the know) of course.
What you due:
Put the diced spuds and 1 tsp of old bay into a large steel wok. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring/tossing regularly. Once the spuds are seared nicely but still not totally cooked, add the oil from both cans of tuna. Yes, you read that right! Stir to de-glaze the wok of all the yummy seasoned potato brownings, and simmer till most of the liquid is gone.
Into a roasting pan add half of the almost-cooked spuds. Use a fork to break apart the chunky tuna and spread it over the potato. Shred a good amount of cheddar cheese over the tuna and then sprinkle a tsp of Old Bay. Spread the other half of the spuds over the top and add some more grated cheese. Pour the wok juices over the top. Cover and bake till the cheese is melted through.
This is, um, DARNED tasty! Simple, easy and very good. And I'm sure you can think of many things veggie-wise to add to the roasting pan such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin, green beans, peas, eggplant, whatever.
Yes, this is better than your mother's. Ummmmmm, sorry mum...
It also takes a wee bit more cooking than a "traditional" bake.
What you need:
5 large spuds; scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
2 cans of chunky tuna in oil
high quality cheddar cheese
Old Bay seasoning --the real kind with NO preservatives
Simple list, eh? The key is in the cooking of the spuds (that'd be potatoes for those of you knot in the know) of course.
What you due:
Put the diced spuds and 1 tsp of old bay into a large steel wok. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring/tossing regularly. Once the spuds are seared nicely but still not totally cooked, add the oil from both cans of tuna. Yes, you read that right! Stir to de-glaze the wok of all the yummy seasoned potato brownings, and simmer till most of the liquid is gone.
Into a roasting pan add half of the almost-cooked spuds. Use a fork to break apart the chunky tuna and spread it over the potato. Shred a good amount of cheddar cheese over the tuna and then sprinkle a tsp of Old Bay. Spread the other half of the spuds over the top and add some more grated cheese. Pour the wok juices over the top. Cover and bake till the cheese is melted through.
This is, um, DARNED tasty! Simple, easy and very good. And I'm sure you can think of many things veggie-wise to add to the roasting pan such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin, green beans, peas, eggplant, whatever.
Cheesy Tuna & Potato Bake
Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. How can I be putting up a recipe about such a simple, mundane (but tasty) casserole? The answer is simple: mine is better than any type of tuna n spud baked casserole you've ever had.
Yes, this is better than your mother's. Ummmmmm, sorry mum...
It also takes a wee bit more cooking than a "traditional" bake.
What you need:
5 large spuds; scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
2 cans of chunky tuna in oil
high quality cheddar cheese
Old Bay seasoning --the real kind with NO preservatives
Simple list, eh? The key is in the cooking of the spuds (that'd be potatoes for those of you knot in the know) of course.
What you due:
Put the diced spuds and 1 tsp of old bay into a large steel wok. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring/tossing regularly. Once the spuds are seared nicely but still not totally cooked, add the oil from both cans of tuna. Yes, you read that right! Stir to de-glaze the wok of all the yummy seasoned potato brownings, and simmer till most of the liquid is gone.
Into a roasting pan add half of the almost-cooked spuds. Use a fork to break apart the chunky tuna and spread it over the potato. Shred a good amount of cheddar cheese over the tuna and then sprinkle a tsp of Old Bay. Spread the other half of the spuds over the top and add some more grated cheese. Pour the wok juices over the top. Cover and bake till the cheese is melted through.
This is, um, DARNED tasty! Simple, easy and very good. And I'm sure you can think of many things veggie-wise to add to the roasting pan such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin, whatever.
Yes, this is better than your mother's. Ummmmmm, sorry mum...
It also takes a wee bit more cooking than a "traditional" bake.
What you need:
5 large spuds; scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
2 cans of chunky tuna in oil
high quality cheddar cheese
Old Bay seasoning --the real kind with NO preservatives
Simple list, eh? The key is in the cooking of the spuds (that'd be potatoes for those of you knot in the know) of course.
What you due:
Put the diced spuds and 1 tsp of old bay into a large steel wok. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring/tossing regularly. Once the spuds are seared nicely but still not totally cooked, add the oil from both cans of tuna. Yes, you read that right! Stir to de-glaze the wok of all the yummy seasoned potato brownings, and simmer till most of the liquid is gone.
Into a roasting pan add half of the almost-cooked spuds. Use a fork to break apart the chunky tuna and spread it over the potato. Shred a good amount of cheddar cheese over the tuna and then sprinkle a tsp of Old Bay. Spread the other half of the spuds over the top and add some more grated cheese. Pour the wok juices over the top. Cover and bake till the cheese is melted through.
This is, um, DARNED tasty! Simple, easy and very good. And I'm sure you can think of many things veggie-wise to add to the roasting pan such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin, whatever.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Squid Chili
The other day I actually got to make a dinner JUST FOR ME! Ahhhhhhhh, bliss. Of course I had to make other stuff for the rest of the clan. Why? Well, firstly, I thought B.I.L. would be heading out to teach before dinner so I hadn't planned anything for him --turned out that not only would he be around for dinner but that I would also have to give him a ride to the U. And M.I.L. is having teeth probs so it was going to be something soft yet tasty for her. Wifey-Poo had some tummy probs so she was wanting something very mild and light.
Needless to say, I ended up making four completely different main courses. But the one I had was THE BEST! Mine was the chilli, of course.
Normally if I'm going to make chilli then I'll get the beans soaking the night before. I did not have that luxury this time so it meant extra cooking time for the beans, but that's ok since I can do loads around the house and grounds while the beans simmer, no worries.
So, here is what I did for my Squid Chilli!
To a large pot, I added the following:
150 gm dried berlotti beans
8 dried curry leaves
1/2 an onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
sprinkle of sea salt
lots of water
I put it on to boil and boiled till almost no liquid left, added a few more cups of water and boiled it down again till the beans were soft.
Into a hot, oiled wok I added the following:
1 squid tube --cleaned, sliced into rings, and blanched*
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp chilli paste (use the kind that's at least 90% thai chillis)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp dried basil
sprinkle of sea salt
*if you blanch the squid rings after cleaning and slicing then you can use them in any sauces and any cooking length without them going "tough" or "chewy".
I seared all that in the wok for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring/tossing regularly. I deglazed the wok with 2 glasses of shiraz and cooked it down till there was only a bit of liquid left.
The contents of the wok were then added to the pot with the cooked beans (and all that other stuff). One can of peeled roma tomatoes was added along with 2 tsp of chilli powder.
Simmered down till it was thick but not sticking and then served up! I did grate some fresh onion and cheddar cheese over the top of my bowl and I used some of my wholemeal flatbread as scoopers.
This was darned good! No reason why this can't be done for pretty much any type of meat you want to use in the chilli. Ground roo (kangaroo) instead of the squid would be particularly nice I think, as would moose.
Needless to say, I ended up making four completely different main courses. But the one I had was THE BEST! Mine was the chilli, of course.
Normally if I'm going to make chilli then I'll get the beans soaking the night before. I did not have that luxury this time so it meant extra cooking time for the beans, but that's ok since I can do loads around the house and grounds while the beans simmer, no worries.
So, here is what I did for my Squid Chilli!
To a large pot, I added the following:
150 gm dried berlotti beans
8 dried curry leaves
1/2 an onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
sprinkle of sea salt
lots of water
I put it on to boil and boiled till almost no liquid left, added a few more cups of water and boiled it down again till the beans were soft.
Into a hot, oiled wok I added the following:
1 squid tube --cleaned, sliced into rings, and blanched*
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp chilli paste (use the kind that's at least 90% thai chillis)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp dried basil
sprinkle of sea salt
*if you blanch the squid rings after cleaning and slicing then you can use them in any sauces and any cooking length without them going "tough" or "chewy".
I seared all that in the wok for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring/tossing regularly. I deglazed the wok with 2 glasses of shiraz and cooked it down till there was only a bit of liquid left.
The contents of the wok were then added to the pot with the cooked beans (and all that other stuff). One can of peeled roma tomatoes was added along with 2 tsp of chilli powder.
Simmered down till it was thick but not sticking and then served up! I did grate some fresh onion and cheddar cheese over the top of my bowl and I used some of my wholemeal flatbread as scoopers.
This was darned good! No reason why this can't be done for pretty much any type of meat you want to use in the chilli. Ground roo (kangaroo) instead of the squid would be particularly nice I think, as would moose.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sloooooooow Gravy
Now I can whip up a quick gravy for mashed spuds or whatnot in about 30 seconds. It's so simple I'm not even going to go into the making thereof.
This gravy IS NOT like that.
This gravy is the main course for my extra special biscuits n gravy dinner that everyone down here loves. There are 2 keys to making this dinner... An awesomely good biscuit recipe (which I have) and the makings (and 8 hours) to make the gravy.
Yes, this gravy takes 8 hours. Most of that is "resting" time and some simmering time so it's not like you are going to slave over the stovetop all 8 hours. I usually do about 5 mins on my way through for each step.
You don't get an ingredient list since this changes depending on just what sort of meats and pan juices I have lying around. In fact, I think I'll just tell you what I did.
Here's what I did:
Half a can of mushrooms plus one glass of port wine went into the food processor and it was processed. That was put into a large saucepan along with 1/2 a minced onion, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a sprinkle of sea salt. I simmered it till no liquid was left. Saucepan was de-glazed with 2 glasses of chardonnay and then simmered till almost no liquid was left. 3 glasses of shiraz were then added and it was simmered till the liquid was reduced by half.
It was then left to sit for 3 hours. I do believe I had a swim in the pool and then a nap during those 3 hours.
3 thick slices of a small, cooked, beef topside roast were diced along with the other half of the onion. It was all added to a wok along with 2 more crushed garlic cloves, sprinkle of sea salt and ground black pepper. That was dry seared in the hot wok for a minute or two, then deglazed with 1 glass of shiraz and 1 glass of chardonnay, and then simmered till the liquid was reduced by half.
That then sat for an hour.
Everything was combined into the large saucepan and roasting pan juices from a corned silverside and a beef topside roast were added --about two cups total. Plus 2 cups of water.
Whisked and heated, then checked for seasonings --nothing more was needed! Brought up to a boil and thickened with cornstarch/cornflour (in Aus it's called cornflour, in the US it's called cornstarch --same thing and it comes from WHEAT, not CORN) and then massive amounts of it were ladled over fresh, hot, flaky biscuits.
Very tasty, clean bowls all around!
This gravy IS NOT like that.
This gravy is the main course for my extra special biscuits n gravy dinner that everyone down here loves. There are 2 keys to making this dinner... An awesomely good biscuit recipe (which I have) and the makings (and 8 hours) to make the gravy.
Yes, this gravy takes 8 hours. Most of that is "resting" time and some simmering time so it's not like you are going to slave over the stovetop all 8 hours. I usually do about 5 mins on my way through for each step.
You don't get an ingredient list since this changes depending on just what sort of meats and pan juices I have lying around. In fact, I think I'll just tell you what I did.
Here's what I did:
Half a can of mushrooms plus one glass of port wine went into the food processor and it was processed. That was put into a large saucepan along with 1/2 a minced onion, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a sprinkle of sea salt. I simmered it till no liquid was left. Saucepan was de-glazed with 2 glasses of chardonnay and then simmered till almost no liquid was left. 3 glasses of shiraz were then added and it was simmered till the liquid was reduced by half.
It was then left to sit for 3 hours. I do believe I had a swim in the pool and then a nap during those 3 hours.
3 thick slices of a small, cooked, beef topside roast were diced along with the other half of the onion. It was all added to a wok along with 2 more crushed garlic cloves, sprinkle of sea salt and ground black pepper. That was dry seared in the hot wok for a minute or two, then deglazed with 1 glass of shiraz and 1 glass of chardonnay, and then simmered till the liquid was reduced by half.
That then sat for an hour.
Everything was combined into the large saucepan and roasting pan juices from a corned silverside and a beef topside roast were added --about two cups total. Plus 2 cups of water.
Whisked and heated, then checked for seasonings --nothing more was needed! Brought up to a boil and thickened with cornstarch/cornflour (in Aus it's called cornflour, in the US it's called cornstarch --same thing and it comes from WHEAT, not CORN) and then massive amounts of it were ladled over fresh, hot, flaky biscuits.
Very tasty, clean bowls all around!
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