Food & Wine
Split Pea & Cumin Soup
Another of our subscriber’s favourites, Martyna’s Split Pea & Cumin Soup is both tasty and affordable.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil,
1 medium onion finely chopped,
1 ½ cup split pea washed,
4 cups water,
salt to taste,
1 large potato diced,
1 large carrot diced,
1 cup celery diced,
1 teaspoon cumin,
vegetable stock to taste.
Directions
Heat oil in pan, sauté onions until soft. Add split peas water & salt. Cover cook until peas are soft. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil, simmer until vegetables are tender.
Serve with fresh, crusty bread rolls.
Seniors discount at Sydney Harbour Marriott
Enjoy a 15% discount off the $37.00 regular lunch buffet price at Icons Brasserie, when you present your Seniors Card. And a further 20% off best rates if you decide to stay the night!
Located within the Sydney Harbour Marriott on Pitt Street at Circular Quay, Icons Brasserie is a relaxed, contemporary restaurant. Enjoy our renowned buffet lunch serving fresh king prawns, oysters, smoked salmon, seven hot dishes, a huge selection of salads and our live cooking station. And there’s no better way to finish than our sumptuous dessert buffet!
To compliment lunch, we also offer an ‘Australian Wine Buffet’ with a sample of red and white wine varieties by the glass as well as sparkling wines. The ‘Australian Wine Buffet’ allows you to match your preferred style of wine with your choice of food from the buffet. The wine buffet is an additional $19 per person. Buffet lunch available Monday to Friday and reservations are recommended.
Why not make a night of it with a Special Seniors Rate for accommodation - 20% off best available rate of the day.
Please call (02) 9259 7330 to make a reservation or for more information, visit Sydney Harbour Marriott.
Anne’s windy soup
Dedicated to Joan in Sydney, Anne’s Windy Soup will blow away those winter cobwebs!
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower
3 heads of broccoli
1 leek
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 large zucchini
1 large parsnip
1 litre of chicken stock
water
1 cup cream
1 dessertspoon basil pesto (or more, to taste)
Directions
Clean and slice leek, and saute in a tablespoon of olive oil, with
some crushed garlic and the basil pesto.
Chop other vegetables and add to leek, with 1 litre of chicken stock and sufficient water to cover. Simmer until vegetables are softened.
Blend the soup with a cup of cream.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with warm crusty bread and a glass of something special.
Chef Andreas’ Life Choices
Chef Andreas’ Life Choices:
Name: Andreas Donnerbauer
Born: Munich, Germany, 1971
Memories: Cooking with Mum & Nana for special occasions when I was a kid.
School: I was good at maths
Turning Point: In Year Nine we started our career planning and I was told that hospitality would also be an avenue which could be good for me…
What Happened Next: I went home and asked my mum about her advice and she told me all the good and the bad, as she and my grandmother had their own little deli (take away shop)
Next Steps: After training I was apprenticed to a Munich Restaurant called Kreitmair, Kerferloh.
Career Path: Sheraton Hotels in Munich and London, Hilton Munich, Robinson Club, Canary Islands and Apuglia in Italy, next stop Zurich. In 1997: I arrived in Australia with dive equipment, a suitcase and a laptop …
Big Break: Becoming Senior Sous Chef at the Four Seasons (Then called the Regent) Hotel, Sydney. I stayed with the Four Seasons group for seven years – including stints in the Caribbean and Hawaii.
Right Now: I have just been appointed Executive Chef at the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel in Circular Quay, where I am responsible for the day-to-day running of the whole kitchen operation which includes room service, banquets, conferences, and the Icons Brassiere.
How I will make my mark: These are early days, but I think it is time to reintroduce more “homestyle” food… this is what I think the customer enjoys most.
How I keep learning: I love reading the books of “elite” chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Marco Pierre White, Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay. When I came to Australia, I was inspired by chefs such as Serge Danserau, Kylie Kwong, Stefano Manfredi and Tetsuya Wakuda.
My Secret to successful cooking: Use fresh ingredients and keep it simple…
Andreas’ linguine
Andreas Donnerbauer, Executive Chef at the Sydney Harbour Marriott, has kindly agreed to share some of his favourite recipes with AboutSeniors subscribers. This week, we salivate over his delicious, but easy to prepare, Linguine with Vine Ripened Tomatoes
Linguine with Vine Ripened Tomatoes
(serves 4)
Ingredients
250g linguine
500g vine ripened tomatoes
80g onion, peeled
40g garlic, peeled
80g fresh basil
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
50ml extra virgin olive oil
125g butter
50g parmesan cheese
salt, white pepper
Directions
Cut tomatoes in chunky pieces and set aside.
Melt the butter and the extra virgin olive oil in a medium sized pot
Add onions and garlic and sweat until transparent. Add the tomatoes and herbs. Cover and turn heat down to a slow simmer.
Cook for 20 minutes, remove lid and let simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Season to taste and set aside until needed
Boil the linguine until “al dente”, which means the pasta should have a bit of bite.
Add the pasta into the sauce and stir. Serve in soup bowl and garnish with fresh basil leaf and shaved parmesan.
Enjoy with some fresh crusty bread, a glass of light pinot noir and lots of friends.
Spicy soup to share
Guaranteed to give you a warm glow during the cold winter months, Dianne and Bruce share with other AboutSeniors subscribers their recipe for spicy Curried Cauliflower Soup.
Ingredients
60 grams butter or margarine
½ large cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 green capsicum, chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1½teaspoons turmeric
Curry powder to taste
2½ cups chicken stock (625 mls)
1½ tablespoons flour
1 cup (250 mls) milk
1 cup yoghurt or light evaporated milk
chopped parsley
Directions
Heat butter or margarine in a saucepan.
Sauté the cauliflower, green pepper and onions for 5 minutes.
Add turmeric and curry powder and mix well, then add chicken stock.
Bring to boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, add flour to a little of the milk. Stir well, then add remaining milk.
Add milk and flour mixture to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in milk or yoghurt.
Reheat, but do not boil.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Kay’s family favourite
Baked Potato and Bacon Soup
8-9 servings
40 minutes
Ingredients
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup plain flour
4 cups milk
1 ½ cups full cream (mixed with extra milk)
1 ½ cups extra milk
1 teaspoon chilli paste
4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, cubed (include crunchy bits)
4 onions chopped
12 rashers bacon, cooked & crumbled OR
400g chopped bacon bits cooked
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a large soup pot or boiler, melt the butter.
2. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and cream
mixture, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Add potatoes (including the crunchy bits), onions and chilli;
bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted.
6. Serve immediately.
Super soups
Each week throughout June and July, we’ll be publishing a different soup recipe to warm you up in the winter months. This week, it’s a Fallick family favourite, David and Kaye’s curried parsnip soup.
David & Kaye’s Curried Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
1 kg of peeled & roughly chopped parsnips
I small carrot, also peeled & chopped
1 clove of garlic
3 small onions
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
2 oz butter
½ cup thickened cream
Salt & pepper
Chives to garnish
Method
Soften onions in butter, then add peeled & chopped parsnips and carrot and cook over low heat for five minutes, stirring gently.
Next add curry powder, stirring through, then chicken stock and simmer until vegetables are soft (about 15-20 minutes).
Puree in blender until smooth, return to saucepan and add more stock if too thick. Stir in ½ cup thickened cream, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with chopped chives, fresh bread and a cheeky glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (we like the Marlborough Catalina Sounds) if you desire…
Enjoy
Debbie’s Millionaire’s shortbread
Money’s tight and times are hard but that shouldn’t stop the odd little extravagance. Put a smile back on your face with this recipe for Debbie’s Millionaire’s shortbread also known as caramel slice.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Pastry Flour
1/2 cup flour, all-purpose
1/3 cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter, well-chilled, cut in small pieces
Caramel
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons corn syrup, light
1/4 cup heavy whipped cream
200 grams chocolate, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flours and sugar in processor.
Blend in butter using on/off turns until mixture is crumbly.
Pat into bottom of 8x8x2-inch baking pan.
Bake until shortbread just begins to color, 13 to 14 minutes.
Remove from oven.
For caramel:
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat.
Add sugar and corn syrup
Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar melts.
Increase heat to medium, stirring continuously to make a golden caramel
Cool 30 seconds; stir in cream (be careful; mixture may bubble).
Return pan to medium heat and stir for a short period of time.
Pour hot caramel over shortbread.
Cool to room temperature
Spread melted chocolate evenly over caramel.
Freeze until chocolate is firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in airtight container in cool place or refrigerate.
Healthy heart food
Enjoy this hearty beef and barley soup from Heart Food, the Healthy Heart Cookbook, and eat your way to a healthier lifestyle.
Heart Food, the Healthy Heart Cookbook by Veronica Cuskelly and Nicole Senior is approved by the Heart Research Institution; all recipes have full nutritional information.
Ingredients
1/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 large brown onion, chopped
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium swede, chopped
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons tomato paste, no added salt variety
4 cups water
200g lean roast beef, very thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups very finely shredded baby wombok cabbage
1 ½ tablespoons pure sesame oil
Method
Place barley and water in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 30 minutes or until tender and the liquid is almost absorbed.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy-based, large saucepan. Add garlic, onion and celery and cook, stirring. 2-3 minutes. Add the carrot swede and cook, stirring for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the water, cover and bring to the boil then, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked.
Stir in the barely and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir in the beef and cook – this will only take 1-2 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with cabbage and drizzle and sesame oil.
For a change, you can make it with chicken breast or lamb fillet, tasty!
Fran’s five minute fudge
Drew’s mum Fran shares her five minute fudge recipe with us, a recipe she’s enjoyed making, and eating, with her children.
2/3 cup of evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups minature marshmallows
1 ½ cups butterscotch chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Mix milk, sugar and in a heavy saucepan, over med-high heat and heat to boiling
2. Cook for five minutes, stirring constantly
3. Remove from heat and add other ingredients, stirring until
marshmallows are all melted
4. Pour into buttered 9” square pan, cool and cut into squres.
To make it even more decadent, you can dip in your favourite melted chocolate, yum!
David’s ANZAC biscuits
The ANZAC spirit is alive and well in the @boutSeniors office when David brings in another batch of his yummy ANZAC biscuits.
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
125 g (4 oz.) butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 150°C.
Mix rolled oats, sifted flour, sugar, salt and coconut in a bowl.
Combine butter and golden syrup over a gentle heat, stirring until melted.
Mix soda with boiling water, add to the melted butter mixture, then stir into dry ingredients.
Spoon dessertspoonfuls of mixture on to greased oven trays; allow room for biscuits to spread out as they cook.
Bake in 150°C for 20 minutes.
Cool on trays.
Makes approximately 36 biscuits.
Drew’s spicy calamari
Enjoy Drew’s spicy salt and pepper calamari as a snack with family or friends.
Ingredients
1 kilo fresh Australian calamari, skinned, gutted and cleaned - then cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup corn starch
3 teaspoons Vegeta stock powder
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder
Method
1) Heat oil in pan, enough to deep fry the calamari
2) Mix all the dry ingredients together
3) Evenly coat one piece of calamari in the mixture and fry. Try this piece for flavour and add more salt and pepper to dry mixture if needed.
4) Fry the remainder of the calamari
5) Serve on a bed of coriander, with mayonnaise on the side
Crack open a bottle of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy!
Betty’s relish
Betty shares her family recipe for tomato relish, she’s been making it for more than 50 years, and it goes with just about everything!
Ingredients
5½ kilograms of tomatoes (either green or ripe)
1 kilogram of brown onions
2 tablespoons of curry powder
3 tablespoons of dry mustard
1 kilogram of sugar
1 litre of vinegar
2 tablespoons of plain flour
Salt
Method
1. If using ripe tomatoes, pour boiling water over them, skin them. And chop into quarters. If using green tomatoes, just chop.
2. Place tomatoes in a plastic (not tin) dish, sprinkle with salt and then leave to stand overnight.
3. In the morning drain the liquid off the tomatoes.
4. Slice the onions and put tomatoes, onions, curry powder, dry mustard, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan on the stove.
5. Boil for 1½ hours, adding the plain flour mixed with water, and stirring after 1hour and 20mins.
6. After the 1 ½ hours is up remove from stove and use as desired!
Celtic feast
Whether you’re planning a St. Patrick’s Day bash of your own or just fancy trying some tasty Irish recipes, we’ve got plenty of mouth-watering dishes!
Tea-Time Snacks
Tea Bread
Ingredients
8 ounces raisins
8 ounces currants
8 ounces sultanas
6 ounces candied peel
8 ounces demerara sugar
8 fluid ounces hot brewed tea (such as Lapsang Souchong or Earl Grey tea)
1 large egg or
2 medium eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 lb self-raising flour
Directions
1. You will need two 1 lb (450 g) loaf tins (6 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches), the bases lined with greaseproof paper (parchment).
2. The evening before you want to bake these loaves, place all the fruits, including the candied peel, in a bowl, then
dissolve the sugar in the hot tea, pour this over the fruits, cover the bowl and leave it overnight.
3. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F/170°C.
4. Beat the egg and add the milk.
5. Add the beaten egg & milk mixture to the bowl containing the fruits. Then sift in the flour, and mix them together
well.
6. Now divide the mixture between the prepared loaf tins and bake them in the centre of the oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours,
or until they feel springy in the centre.
7. Then straight away, loosen them with a palette knife and turn them out on to a wire rack to cool.
8. Store in an airtight tin or cover with extra greaseproof paper and freeze. (For up to 3 months). These are great
sliced, toasted and served with butter as a tea-time snack
Lovely slathered in butter with a cuppa tea!!!
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
3.5 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint sour cream
2 eggs
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
3/4 cup raisins
Directions
1. Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl beat eggs and stir in sour cream.
3. Add the egg and sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon.
4. Batter will be very thick.
5. Add the raisins and caraway seeds and stir well with wooden spoon or knead in with your hands.
6. Place batter in a greased 9 inch springform pan.
7. Dust the top with enough flour so that you can pat the batter like a bread dough evenly in the pan without it sticking
to your hands.
8. With a knife make a shallow crisscross on the top.
9. Bake for 50 minutes in a preheated 350ºF oven.
Irish Brown Bread
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oats
3 cups low-fat buttermilk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
2. Slowly pour in the buttermilk, stirring until a sticky dough is formed.
3. Knead the dough for a few minutes until there are no bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Form into two rounds and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
6. Note: if the dough is too wet, add more flour.
7. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk.
8. It should be sticky and moist.
Starters
Smoked salmon and chive pancakes
A ‘prepare ahead starter’: the pancakes are served at room temperature.
Ingredients
THE DRESSING
• 2 tablespoons coarse grain mustard
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice of
THE PANCAKES
• 4 eggs , beaten
• 140 g plain flour
• 250 ml milk
• 4 chives , chopped
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• vegetable oil , to cook
TO SERVE
• mixed salad greens
• 12 slices smoked salmon , preferably wild Irish salmon
• 1 lemon , finely sliced
• chives
Directions
1. THE DRESSING: Place the wholegrain mustard in a bowl, using a whisk, slowly add the olive oil, then add a squeeze
of lemon and set aside.
2. THE PANCAKE MIXTURE: Mix together the eggs, flour, milk and chopped chives until smooth and season with salt and
freshly ground black pepper to taste. Heat a medium-sized non-stick pan over a high heat and using a piece of kitchen
paper wipe the pan with some vegetable oil. Pour a ladleful of the pancake batter into the pan and swirl to cover the
base. Cook for about 1 minute, then flip, cook for 30 seconds more, remove and place on greaseproof paper. Repeat until
you’ve made all six pancakes, then set aside.
3. TO SERVE: Arrange handfuls of salad leaves in piles on the side of each of six plates. Fold the pancakes into four and
sit next to the leaves. Loosely drape two slices of smoked salmon over the leaves and pancakes. Tuck two slices of
lemon and a few chives under the salmon, then drizzle the mustard dressing over everything and serve.
Notes for preparing this dish in advance: Make the pancakes the day before, stack them with a layer of greaseproof
paper between each one and refrigerate.
Irish Dublin Clam Soup
Traditionally this soup would be made with cockles or mussels, which can be substituted for clams if available.
Ingredients
3 dozen clams
1 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons sweet butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt
white pepper
chopped parsley
Directions
1. Scrub clams well; wash in cold running water to remove sand. Discard any clams with open or damaged shells.
2. Combine the water, onion, bay leaf, and parsley in large saucepan. Add clams; cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low;
cook 5 to 10 minutes or until shells open. Remove clams from shells; reserve. If desired, discard only top shells, then
place clams in soup bowl with bottom shell intact. Strain broth; RESERVE CLAM BROTH.
3. Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add flour; cook until bubbly. Add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add clam
broth; heat through.
4. Beat cream and egg yolk together; add some of hot soup to mixture. Beat well; add to saucepan. Cook over low heat,
stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in clams. Heat 1 to 2 minutes. Serve
immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Irish Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
1 1/4 lbs leeks
3 medium potatoes
3 sticks celery
2 large garlic cloves
4 tablespoons butter
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or light vegetable stock
salt and pepper
3 scallions, very finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped chervil (optional) or parsley (optional)
potato croutons (optional)
Directions
1. Peel and chop the potatoes into cubes. Finely chop the garlic, the cleaned leeks and the celery.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and gently cook about 10 minutes or so until the butter is
absorbed, but don’t allow to brown.
3. Add 3/4 of the stock and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Puree the soup in two batches in a blender and add the balance of the stock.
5. To serve, mix the croutons, scallions and parsley together and mound a large spoonful on top of each bowl.
Main Dishes
Hearty fish pie
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs flaked cooked scrod fish or cod or hake or smoked fish fillet
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon mild mustard
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup fish stock
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon mace
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
FOR THE PASTRY
• 1/2 cup hard margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 cups flour , sifted
Directions
Heat butter in saucepan, add onion and cook for three minutes. Stir in flour and mustard. Blend in milk and fish stock and stir until thickened. Add flaked fish, mushrooms, parsley, mace and chopped eggs to the sauce and blend. Place in 9 inch pie dish and cover with crust.
FOR THE CRUST: Place margarine, water and half the flour in mixing bowl and cream with fork until well mixed. Stir in remaining flour to make a firm dough. Place on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth. Roll into a circle, fold and cut several gashes in top. Unfold carefully over pie filling. Bake at 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
Salmon fillets marinated in Irish whiskey and honey
Ingredients
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
Directions
Mix together honey, vinegar, whiskey, thyme, lemon zest, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salmon and marinate 1 hour on the counter, or 4 hours refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Remove salmon from marinade and place on a rack over a roasting pan.
Grill or Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, basting once with the marinade or until golden and white juices are just beginning to appear.
Guinness & Honey Glazed Pork
Ingredients
300 ml Guinness stout
100 ml clear honey
250 g light muscavado sugar
2 kg boneless pork loin, skinless, ask your butcher for the thick end
white wine or champagne or water
3 sprigs flat leaf parsley
Directions
THE GLAZE: Put the Guinness, honey and sugar into a pan, and reduce by almost half to form a sweet, syrupy glaze, then allow to cool.
Heat the oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC/gas 6.
Season the pork with pepper and salt, if you want, place on a baking tray, and roast for 20 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 160ºC/fan 140ºC/gas 3. Remove the pork from the oven and brush all over with most of the glaze (reserving a few tablespoons), cook for a further 40-50 minutes, brushing and basting the pork as it cooks until it’s beautifully caramelised and glazed.
Remove the pork from the roasting tray and leave to rest.
Pour the remaining glaze into the roasting tray, then add the wine, Champagne or water. Place the pan on the heat and bring everything to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until you have a thick gravy.
Carve the pork into thin slices and place on top of the colconnan. Glaze with the Guinness syrup, drizzle a little on the plates and finish with a sprig of parsley.
Steak & Guinness pie
Ingredients
1 kg of steak
1 tablespoon cream flour
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon raisins
5x onions
300ml Guinness
8 slices bacon
3 oz lard
Directions
1. Make the pastry before you begin to make the casserole.
2. Now cut steak into bite sized cubes,
3. Put the steak into the flour and make sure it is all covered.
4. In a pan gently melt the lard, add the steak, bacon and cook until it starts to brown.
5. Peel and chop the onion and add to the pan.
6. Place steak, bacon and onion in a casserole dish.
7. Add the raisins and brown sugar,
8. Pour in the Guinness.
9. Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
10. Add more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick.
11. Line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust (bake it blind). Then add the Guinness and steak mixture.
12. Cover with a layer of pie crust, bake until finished about another 10 minutes.
Whiskey Baked Ham
Ingredients
4lbs (2 kg) ham
1 large onion, cut in half
2 carrots washed and scraped
2 small bayleaves
3-4 cloves
4 peppercorns
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 wine glass cider vinegar
Whiskey Glaze
5 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
6 level tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 level tablespoons colmans mustard
Directions
1. Place the ham, skin side down, in a large saucepan and cover completely with cold water.
2. Bring very slowly to the boil, discard the water and cover once again with fresh water.
3. Add the onion, carrots, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, sugar and vinegar. Bring back slowly to the boil and as soon as
boiling point is reached, reduce to simmering.
4. Cover and simmer until the ham is cooked.
5. Remove the ham from the water and leave to cool a little.
6. Strip the rind and score the fat in diamonds. Place a clove in each diamond and place the ham on a rack in a small roasting
tin.
7. Brush the ham all over with whiskey.
8. Mix the sugar, mustard and remaining whiskey together and spread on scored fat.
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes, basting twice or three times during cooking, until the glaze is golden
brown. Leave to relax for a while before carving.
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes per lb/450g
Oven temperature: Pre-heat to gas mark 6/400F/200C
Irish Stew
Ingredients
2 lbs boned lamb or boned beef, sliced, 1/4 inch slices (Lamb is traditional)
2 lbs peeled potatoes, thinly sliced (a mandolin slicer works best)
3 large onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper, each layer to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
13 ounces water
Directions
Trim the meat, leaving a little of the fat and slice.
Season the meat and veggies with salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of parsley and the thyme.
Layer the potatoes, meat and onions in a large casserole, starting and finishing with a layer of potatoes.
Add the water and cover tightly.
Cook in a preheated oven at 275 degrees for 2 1/2 hours, shake occasionally to prevent sticking, and check liquid now and then.
Do not add unless absolutely necessary.
The potatoes will thicken the finished stew so it should not be too runny.
Just before serving, remove lid and brown the top under a hot broiler and sprinkle with remaining parsley.
The potatoes on top should be nice and brown and crisp.
Busy day casserole
In a rush or just can’t be bothered spending time cooking dinner? Try this quick and easy recipe from the CWA’s Country Classics cookbook.
This casserole is so simple, even a man couldn’t mess it up!
500g lean mince
250g bacon pieces
1 onion, chopped
500g pasta twirls or small shells
1 x 420g can creamed corn
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
1 x 420g can tomato soup
1 tablespoon curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown the mince, bacon pieces and onion in a pan. Cook pasta as instructed on the packet, then rinse and drain. Mix together mince, pasta and all remaining ingredients. May be eaten straight away or put in a casserole dish and reheated when required.
Lisa’s Low-fat Coconut Fish Curry
Most of us love the creamy taste of a coconut based curry but could do without the fat content! Lisa shares with us her low-fat Coconut Fish Curry recipe.
This recipe serves four.
300g white fish, cut into medium sized cubes
1 red capsicums sliced
200g sugar snap peas
1 small red onion finely sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 tablespoon chopped lemon leaves
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
250ml low fat cocounut milk
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
Place white wine, ginger, lemon peel, lemon leaves and red curry paste in a pot and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 mins.
While simmering, whisk coconut milk and cornstarch in a blender until smooth. Spray frying pan with oil and heat. Fry onions and capsicum until tender.
Add coconut milk mixture and vegetables to pan and bring to the boil. Add fish and sugar snap peas and simmer until fish is cooked through.
Add fresh basil leaves and serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice – and perhaps a cheeky Sauvingnon Blanc – Cloudy Bay is a great shout!
Truffles for two
There’s nothing that says romance more than a homemade gift and if it involves chocolate and a little touch of rum, perfect! Enjoy Euan’s chocolate truffles.
These truffles are so quick and simple a child could make them, which is just as well, Euan’s only 7!
For the truffles you’ll need:
16 digestive biscuits
1 tin condensed milk
Rum to taste (optional)
5 heaped tablespoons drinking chocolate
Chocolate vermicelli to decorate
Truffle cases
Crush the digestive biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin until fine crumbs.
Place in bowl with condensed milk and mix well.
Add the rum if you wish.
Stir in the drinking chocolate and mix well, you may wish to use your hands for this.
Roll the mixture into small balls, roll in chocolate vermicelli and place in truffle cases.
Chill in fridge for 30 minutes and enjoy.
Lizzy’s Summer Soup
If you’re fed up with eating salads but are still looking for something light, tasty and good for you, Lizzy’s summer soup will have your taste buds tingling!
This recipe for creamy tomato and capsicum soup makes a large pot, perfect for freezing and using when you need it. Make’s it much more economical too!
You’ll need:
3 large red onions
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3lb tomatoes,
4-5 capsicums – any colour
3 sticks of celery
2 large carrots
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1.5 litres vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Cream to serve
Peel and chop the onions and fry in a large pot with the garlic.
Cut the tops off the tomatoes and quarter, chop the capsicums, celery sticks and carrots.
Once onions are transparent, add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once boiled add the tomatoes, celery, carrots and tomato puree and simmer until the skins pop off the tomatoes and the carrots and celery are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
At this point you can remove the tomato skins if you prefer but as the whole mixture is to be blended then there’s little point. Once blended, the soup can then be divided into equal portions and frozen.
Add cream when serving.
Drew’s Gai Lan
In an attempt to match Greg’s Snake Fang Salad, Drew, our webmaster, has shared a Cantonese favourite, Gai Lan, or Chinese Broccoli.
Ingredients:
10 ounces Chinese broccoli (gai lan)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Knob of ginger, sliced thinly
Sauce:
3 tablespoons chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Method:
Wash the Chinese broccoli. Cut off the ends if not already trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 inches long).
Blanch broccoli in a large saucepan, in just enough water to cover. Add the salt, baking soda and ginger. Bring to boil.
For sauce, combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, dry sherry and sugar. Bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn the heat down and keep warm while blanching the broccoli.
Cook for a few minutes, until the stalks are tender but slightly al dente. Rinse in cold running water. Drain.
Pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately, with steamed rice, and stir fried beef, chicken or pork.
Gary’s Yankee potato salad
After a childhood in Pennsylvania and post grad studies in California, Gary came to Australia a few decades ago to work in the resources industry. His accent has softened, but his Yankee Potato Salad retains its patriotic tang.
Ingredients
1.2kg thin-skinned red spuds (Pontiac or Desiree)
2–3 tbsp white wine vinegar
200g bacon bits
4 hard boiled eggs (2 chopped, 2 sliced)
Spring onion or handful of chives (chopped)
1 stick of celery (chopped)
1 dill pickle (chopped)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Juice of 2 lemons
Lots of good quality egg mayonnaise
Paprika
Method
Cover potatoes with cold, salted water and bring to the boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and cut into 2–3cm cubes while potatoes are still warm. Pour white wine vinegar over cubes, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together remainder of ingredients, except the sliced eggs.
Fold potatoes into dressing mix; chill in fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Before serving, dress with sliced eggs and sprinkle with paprika.
Authentic Thai dish
Thanks to Chef Kritsada Pruitthanplahul of Ying Thai 2 in Melbourne for this recipe for Pad Kaphrao – stir fry mince chicken with chilli and Thai basil.
Pad Kaphrao
Serves 2
Ingredients
300g chicken mince (or pork or beef)
7–10 chillies (or reduce as this makes for a spicy dish)
8 cloves garlic
50g long beans (optional)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (nam man hoi)
3 tablespoons bowl fresh basil, washed and chopped (chef Pruitthanplahul uses kaphrao, known as holy or sacred basil)
½–1 tablespoon fish sauce (nampla)
1 teaspoon sugar
250 mls chicken stock
vegetable oil
Method
Thoroughly pound hot chillies and garlic together in a mortar and pestle
Place oil in a wok over a medium heat and heat oil until hot. Sauté the pounded chilli until fragrant, add minced chicken and sauté until cooked through.
Season to taste with fish sauce and sugar, add chicken stock, basil leaves, stirring to combine.
Spoon onto a serving dish, garnish with red chilli and crisp basil leaves that have been fried in vegetable oil.
Enjoy with a glass of Australian Sauvignon Blanc.
Debbie’s quick chicken pasta
Pasta with chicken and pesto
For those days or nights you just want a quick but tasty meal, try this chicken pasta – the meal that doesn’t just make good cooking look easy but which is easy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g farafalle (bow) pasta
2 large chicken breasts
200g cherry tomatoes
For the pesto sauce
2 handfuls basil leaves
handful pine nuts
150ml Italian extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper
To serve
50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
While pasta is cooking, cut chicken into thin strips and lightly fry in olive oil.
Finely chop the basil and pine nuts and place in a bowl. Stir in extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and leave to stand for five minutes.
Chop cherry tomatoes in half and add to chicken for last minute of frying.
Drain pasta and toss well with chicken, tomatoes and pasta.
Serve straight away, scattered with grated Parmesan.
Betty’s rissoles
Some of the tastiest dishes are those born of frugality – a.k.a. the fine art of cooking leftovers. My mum’s rissoles are a case in point. Betty would cook roast lamb on Sunday, and Monday night we would enjoy her rissoles, with gravy, mashed potatoes and peas.
I’m not sure which we enjoyed more: the roast or the rissoles – and it doesn’t much matter, as long as I can remember the recipe!
Betty’s rissoles
Ingredients
Leftover roast lamb, minced finely
One onion, finely chopped or minced
1 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped or grated carrot
1 teaspoon mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Pepper & salt to taste
Handful of plain flour for coating and gravy
Beef stock for gravy
Method
Mix all ingredients together, and roll small handfuls of mixture in plain flour. Flatten, and cook in a saucepans with 1 tablespoon of hot oil, a batch at a time, until brown. Remove, add left over flour to remaining oil, brown, and add a mug of warm beef stock, stirring until thickened. Flavour with a dash of sherry, tomato sauce and more salt and pepper.
Serve with mash and peas, and a nice Coonawarra Shiraz – perhaps Angel’s Peak, an @boutSeniors special for less than $15 – click here to find out more.
Bubble and squeak
In Victorian times, bubble and squeak was a popular dish in English pubs. The name refers to the noise it makes when frying. It was served with cold roast meat, poultry or boiled beef and sprinkled with vinegar.
Ingredients
Six large potatoes
¼ cabbage
½ cup bacon, chopped
One large onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
One tbs olive oil
Chopped parsley
Method
Boil and mash the potatoes using butter or, if you are feeling indulgent, a little cream. Roughly chop the cabbage and boil in salted water until just cooked. Fry the chopped onions and bacon in the olive oil until brown and add to the mashed potatoes.
Drain the cabbage and add to the mashed potato, onion and bacon mix. You can also throw in any leftover vegetable that happens to be in the fridge.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley then form the mixture into patties or spread it over the frying pan until golden brown, and divide into wedges.
Serve with cold meats and tomato sauce or tomato relish. Easy!
Death by chocolate crackle
What a way to go! Can anyone, young or old, resist the crunch of this Australian classic? Make a batch one Sunday afternoon, share them with your family and enjoy the childlike fun of eating for pure pleasure.
Makes 24 servings
Ingredients
4 cups rice bubbles
1 cup icing sugar
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
2/3 cup sultanas
250 grams copha®, chopped
3 tbsp cocoa
Method
In a large bowl, mix the rice bubbles, icing sugar, cocoa and coconut
Slowly melt the copha in a saucepan over a low heat
Allow to cool slightly
Add to rice bubbles mixture, stirring until well combined
Spoon mixture into paper cupcake cases and refrigerate until firm.
Curried beef with rice
This week’s recipe comes from the book Delicious Entertaining by Peter Howard. It’s full of low GI, low fat, tasty food ideas which are suitable for type 2 Diabetics. And each recipe has detailed nutritional information to empower you to take a healthier path.
Serves 4
Energy (kJ) 2200 per serve
Ingredients
500g stewed beef
1 tablespoon light olive oil
100g onion, roughly chopped
120g celery, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons good Indian curry powder
2 cups salt-reduced beef stock
4 cups cooked basmati rice
1 large tomato, chopped, cooked and hot
Method
· First, make the beef curry. Ensure all fat is removed from the meat, then cut into even pieces – 2cm diced cubes.
· Heat oil and lightly brown the beef – remove from pan and keep warm. Add the onion and celery to the pot in which you cooked the beef. Stir over high heat for two minutes; stir in the curry powder and cook for another minute.
· Return the beef and coat with the curry/onion mixture. Pour in the stock and simmer, as slowly as possible, for 1–1.5 hours or until the beef is tender. Add tomato and more stock, if necessary, 20 minutes before end of cooking.
· Boil the basmati rice as per directions on the packet. It normally takes only eight to ten minutes.
· Serve the curry over the hot, cooked Basmati rice. Add a dollop of low-fat yogurt on top as an accompaniment.
Artichokes á la polita
This recipe (and information on the health benefits of the humble artichoke) comes to you with thanks to Matina from foodie buddies, the caterers who use organic, local and seasonal produce.
Artichokes are low in calories, fat free and contain vitamin C, folate and potassium. They are good for the liver, aiding detoxification and regeneration. Plus they reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, stimulating the gallbladder and helping the metabolism of fat. They are a natural diuretic, helping relieve water retention and high blood pressure. Their real health benefits, however, are in the phenolic compounds they contain. Polyphenols are compounds with strong anti-oxidant effects and inhibit the body’s production of enzymes, which allow arterial plaque (arteriosclerosis) to form.
Artichokes á la polita
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 large globe artichokes trimmed
6 small kipfler potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 bunch of baby carrots, scraped and trimmed
500 grams of broad beans, blanched in boiling water for 30 sec, then skins removed (fresh peas may be used instead, no need to blanch them first)
1 large brown onion finely diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
1 bunch dill finely chopped
3 spring onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups water or light chicken stock
grated zest(rind) of two lemons plus their juice
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Method
· Warm oil in a heavy based non-reactive pot. Sauté the brown onion, garlic, artichokes, potatoes, carrots and bay leaves for a few minutes
· Add wine and cook for a few more minutes until it evaporates by half.
· Mix corn flour with the water or stock and add to pot. The vegetables should be barely covered, if not add a little more liquid.
· Season with a little salt and pepper.
· Bring to a gentle simmer and cover the dish first with a dampened baking paper then with a lid. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has slightly thickened.
· About 10 minutes into the cooking time, add the broad beans (or peas), finely chopped spring onion, dill and lemon juice and rind. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Enjoy this dish on its own with a thick slice of sourdough bread or as an accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken – and a glass of Australian Shiraz.
For more information, contact Matina on email address
Janet’s cheese scones
This recipe was so popular when we first published it, we’ve decided to remind people once more of the delights of the simple and inexpensive cheese scone.
Ingredients
1.5 cups self-raising flour
Salt
Cayenne pepper
60g butter
200g coarsely grated tasty cheese
0.5 cup milk
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C. Place into a bowl 1.5 cups self-raising flour, a large pinch of salt and a good shake of cayenne pepper.
Stir with knife. Rub in 60g butter. Add 200g coarsely grated tasty cheese and mix well. Pour in enough milk (approximately 0.5 cup) and stir with knife until a slightly sticky dough is achieved. Use knife to cut off large lumps and place on greased tray. Bake to golden brown (about ten minutes). Serve immediately with butter and strong coffee, or a pot of Earl Grey tea.
One pot sausages
This easy recipe is a tempting winter treat, perfect for an evening in front of a camp fire, with some fresh bread and butter to soak up the sauce.
Cooking time: 20–25 minutes
Ingredients
1/3 kilo sausages
2 tbls oil
1 kilo white onions
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano
500g tin tomato soup
Method
Place sausages into frying pan and cover with water. Poach for five minutes. Remove and cool and cut into one inch pieces. Or use left over barbecued sausages.
Chop up onions roughly. Heat oil in frying pan and sauté onions on a medium heat. Add soy sauce, paprika, salt, oregano and tomato soup. Cook for a few minutes then add sausage pieces and cook for 10 minutes or to taste. Serve with multigrain bread and a rough red. Delicious!
Cheat’s lasagna
For those who feel it’s important to lighten up about cooking, which these days can tend to get a bit full of itself, here’s the most basic lasagna recipe @boutSeniors could find.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 kilo minced beef
Ground chillies
Salt and ground pepper
2 onions
1 medium sized green capsicum
1 bunch spring onions
1 clove garlic
½ carton sour cream
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tin tomato soup
½ packet of noodles
Grated cheese – try a mix of parmesan and mozzarella if you like
Method
Fry mince in oil until browned. Sprinkle with ground chillies, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and drain then fry onions then the rest of the vegetables again seasoning with ground chillies, salt and pepper. Return meat to pan and mix with vegetables. Add tomato sauce and soup and bring to boil. Allow to cool and fold in sour cream.
Boil noodles in hot water. Place layer of noodles in an oven dish, cover with meat sauce and grated cheese. Repeat the layering process – adding plenty of cheese on top. Cook in oven at medium heat (175°C) for 15–20 minutes.
Enjoy with a glass of dry red, and some fresh white bread to soak up the sauce.
Cheap and cheerful chicken soup
Chicken Soup or ‘Jewish Penicillin’ is perhaps the ultimate comfort food. It’s also one of the simplest ways to feel full and nourished.
Ingredients
3 chicken carcasses and 500g giblets including chicken feet
1 large onion, quartered
2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Parsley – stalks for soup, flowers for garnish
4 peppercorns or to taste
2 bay leaves
150g vermicelli rice noodles
Method
Put all ingredients except the vermicelli in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then skim to remove any scum from the surface. Simmer for two and a half hours and remove scum once or twice during that time.
When cooked, strain the broth and remove the fat floating on top with kitchen paper. Add vermicelli and simmer. The noodles should only take a minute or so to soften. Throw on some parsley, grab a good book or magazine and savour the simple life.
Kate’s mum’s roast lamb
Although Kate’s Mum is a great cook in all styles, there’s really nothing better than her roast lamb. Served with Reg’s roast potatoes, veggies and mint sauce, on a wintery day, or any other day, you can’t go past this classic.
Ingredients
1.5kg leg of lamb
Five cloves of garlic
Rosemary
Teaspoon of salt
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.
Cut four or five slits into the skin of the meat and insert a garlic clove and small cut of rosemary down into each so that the flavour soaks into the meat.
Rub the skin with salt. Cover with foil and place in the oven on a roasting rack (no oil necessary) for an hour or so, then take the meat out and rest it.
The secret to a good roast is timing, so resting the meat helps because you can put the lamb back in to re-heat and/or cook a bit more on a lower heat when the timing is right with your roast potatoes and other veggies.
It should take an hour and a half of cooking for a 1.5–2kg leg of lamb. When ready to put the lamb back in, turn the oven down, take the foil off the meat and finish cooking for another 15–30 minutes, depending on how big the leg is. But consider taking the meat out of the oven to rest again sooner rather than later so as not to overcook.
When out of the oven, cover the lamb with foil again to seal the juices, while you serve the veggies.
Reg’s Roast potatoes
6 potatoes
60 mls olive oil
half teaspoon salt
Cut potatoes into not-too-big chunks and blanche in boiling water for about 10 minutes so that they are softened but not falling apart. Completely cover the pieces with olive oil and salt by rolling them around in a mixing bowl before putting them into a baking tray on a high heat. Depending on how big the pieces are, they should take about 45 minutes to an hour to crisp up. Turn them after 20 minutes and again when they come out of the oven, to give them a slightly homey-style look, a bit rough around the edges.
Serve lamb and potatoes with broccoli or your choice of green vegetable, mint sauce and a glass of merlot.
Serves 4
David’s Anzac biscuits
The ANZAC spirit is alive and well in the @boutSeniors office when David brings in another batch of his yummy ANZAC biscuits.
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
125 g (4 oz.) butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
Pre-heat oven to 150°C. Mix rolled oats, sifted flour, sugar, salt and coconut in a bowl. Combine butter and golden syrup over a gentle heat, stirring until melted. Mix soda with boiling water, add to the melted butter mixture, then stir into dry ingredients. Spoon dessertspoonfuls of mixture on to greased oven trays; allow room for biscuits to spread out as they cook. Bake in 150°C for 20 minutes. Cool on trays. Makes approximately 36 biscuits.
Beer, damper and pan fried kangaroo!
This is the @boutSeniors version of a recipe we first discovered from the Kangeroo Industry Association of Australia website. It’s a delicious combination of all the Aussie staples – our national emblem, the kangaroo, beer and damper cooked in the camp fire.
Kangaroo with beer glaze and damper
Ingredients
Kangaroo fillets (one per person)
Plain flour for coating
Olive oil
Knob of butter
Cracked pepper
One can or stubbie of beer (not light)
Fresh herbs if available
Method
Light the campfire if weather conditions and local authorities permit.
Place a small dribble of olive oil and butter in pan and melt.
Add floured kangaroo fillets, crushed garlic and cracked pepper and sear on both sides for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm. Deglaze pan with beer, stir and allow to simmer until syrupy. Place fillets back in pan, snip fresh herbs such as chives or parsley over the top, and serve with Deirdre’s damper to mop up the sauce – oh, and another beer if that’s your preference. If not, a nice South Australian shiraz could be the go!
Deidre’s Damper
Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1tsp sugar
a handful of raisins if you like…
Method:
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and then add the sugar and enough of the milk to create dough. Shape into a flat ball and place on a greased and floured oven tray. Brush top with milk or beaten egg glaze if desired. If you’re a city slicker, bake in preheated oven at 210 Celcius for 25–30 minutes.
Nana’s Chocolate Ripple Cake
Ingredients
1 packet Arnott’s Chocolate Ripple Biscuits
300ml thickened cream
½ tsp vanilla essence
Making the Chocolate Ripple Cake
STEP 1: Whip 300ml thickened cream and ½ tsp of vanilla essence in a bowl until stiff
STEP 2: One by one, coat each side of each biscuit with the whipped cream mix and join the biscuits side by side as you move down the line until the whole packet forms a log
STEP 3: Smother the outsides with remaining cream mixture
STEP 4: Decorate with chopped nuts if desired
STEP 5: Place in freezer for 45 minutes, then keep in refrigerator
Serve with fresh berries and a glass of “sticky”
Nonna’s Gnocchi
Jade Creswell’s Nonna has been making this pasta for a long time. It’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and delicious served with bolognaise or sage and burnt butter sauce.
Ingredients
(SERVES 6)
6 (2.5kgs) large and fresh potatoes
1kg (net) plain flour
3–4 eggs
1/2 handful of salt
Equipment
large saucepan
potato press
flat trays
material to line the trays
Making the Gnocchi
STEP 1: wash the potatoes (do not peel) and boil in large saucepan until soft
STEP 2: peel potatoes while still hot/warm
STEP 3: cut potatoes into smaller pieces
STEP 4: add one cup of plain flour evenly to a table top. Do not add too much, otherwise it will make the mixture too dry. If needed, more can be added later. STEP 5: press potato pieces in the potato press, and spread evenly over the flour on the table top.
STEP 6: add another 1/2 cup of flour on top of the pressed potato. Again, do not add too much, otherwise it will make mixture too dry. If needed, more can be added to ensure the mixture is not too wet and not too dry.
STEP 7: add three eggs on top of the potato and flour. Egg quantity should be enough to act as a glue to the mixture, but not to make it too wet. If needed, add more eggs as required.
STEP 8: add 1/2 handful of salt and kneed ingredients very well with hands to ensure ingredients are well combined.
STEP 9: Line the trays with material to place the gnocchi pieces on, so as not to stick. Sprinkle table top with plain flour so gnocchi pieces do not stick. Not too much though, or gnocchi will become too dry.
STEP 10: take a handful of the gnocchi mixture from the large dough-ball and roll it on the table top to form a long snake. Make sure more flour is regularly added to the table as needed so the dough snake does not stick.
STEP 11: take knife and cut snake into bite-sized gnocchi pieces and line the trays with gnocchi ready for cooking.
STEP 12: continue steps 10 and 11 until all dough is gone.
Cooking the Gnocchi
STEP 1: cook in a large saucepan of boiling water. Take one tray at a time to boiling water, and very gently slide the gnocchi into the water on a piece of material tray liner. Once all pieces have been lowered into water, remove the material.
STEP 2: gnocchi will sink to the bottom when added to the water. Stir occasionally. When gnocchi is cooked, it will float to the surface.
STEP 3: when gnocchi is floating, remove from the water, drain and place in a bowl ready for sauce to be added and served.
STEP 4: some recommended sauces are sage and burnt butter, or traditional bolognaise.
Mediterranean treat
If you want to look after your health, it doesn’t mean you have to eat boring food. Try this Roasted Mediterranean Pizza from the hopewood@home cookbook. Hopewood health retreat sits in the tranquil foothills of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. Healthy eating is a way of life there – but even if you can’t make it to the retreat, you can treat yourself and your friends, family or loved one to some of their healthy and yummy food.
Roasted Mediterranean Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered (use tinned in water if no fresh available)
1 medium aubergine (eggplant), thinly sliced
2 red capsicums, sliced into strips
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ Spanish onion, chopped
1 cup olives, pitted
4–6 large garlic cloves unpeeled, crushed
1 handful baby spinach
1 small bunch of basil, torn finely
1 pizza base 30cm (ideally lavash bread)
100g light mozzarella cheese, grated
2 lumps of bocconcini, quartered
Method
Heat oven to 180˚C. Scatter the baby spinach onto a pizza or bread base.
Arrange aubergine, capsicum, onion, tomatoes, artichokes, garlic, spinach, bocconcini and olives. Add cheese to taste.
Bake in oven for approximately 15 minutes or until cheese is brown.
Garnish with freshly torn basil.
SJ’s Chocolate Mousse
If you’re thinking of cooking your Valentine a special meal – or any other loved one who matters – why not finish with a flourish and serve SJ’s fantastic Chocolate Mousse. Well-tested on her family and friends, this recipe is guaranteed to please.
Read more now – comfort food
Ingredients
250g Milk Chocolate
300ml Thickened Cream
3 eggs, separated
1 tbsp sugar
Extra cream
Crunchie chocolate bar
Method
- Break chocolate into pieces and place in a large microwave safe bowl. Cover and heat in microwave until chocolate is completely melted.
- In a separate bowl beat the egg whites only, adding the sugar gradually until mixture is glossy
- In a third bowl beat cream until it thickens.
- Mix thickened cream, and the egg mixture into the melted chocolate.
- Make sure the mixture is well combined before dividing between six serving bowls.
- Cover all serving bowls and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours, the longer the better.
- When ready to serve, whip extra cream and place a dollop onto each serving of mousse.
- Complete by smashing the Crunchie bar into reasonably small shards and sprinkle over the top of the dollop of cream on each serving of mousse.
- Enjoy!
Tessa’s Tarts
Read on and you’ll find the best recipe around for everyone’s Christmas favourite – the mince pie. Grab your apron, a glass of bubbly, put on your favourite Bing Crosby CD and get cooking.
Ingredients
Pastry
4oz butter
4oz sugar
1 egg
8oz flour
1tspn baking powder
Pinch salt
Filling
½ cup sultanas
½ cup chopped raisins
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup currants
¼ cup chopped prunes
¼ cup chopped cherries (glac é )
¼ cup chopped mixed peel
½ tspn mixed spice
½ tspn cinnamon
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup sherry (sweet)
½ tspn grated lemon rind
¼ cup lemon juice
1 small apple peeled & grated
Method
Pastry
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Beat well. Mix in sifted dry ingredients.
Knead well. Wrap in plastic and leave in fridge for one hour.
Filling
Bring all ingredients to boil. Simmer uncovered for five minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool.
Roll out pastry on floured board. Cut into rounds. Place into patty pans, fill with cooled filling. Decorate with preferred top, either enclose in pastry or cut out Christmas emblem star/holly leaf or lattice from pastry. Bake at 150 ° C for 10 minutes or until pale golden. Cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Everybody’s favourite hobby is to dine well. Here you’ll find practical and easy recipes plus links to foodie-related websites. Or read about the latest from the world of wine, then if you’re feeling thirsty, go to our wine search and buy a bottle or ten.
What’s Up Doc?
Rabbit is back in fashion, but for those who never lost the faith, this simple and tasty rabbit recipe is sure to satisfy. It comes courtesy of Queen Victoria Market: Histories, recipes, stories (see Bookshelf online) published by Wakefield Press, and Colleen Chitty of The Happy Tuna.
Fricassee of Rabbit
Ingredients
1 whole rabbit, jointed, trimmed into 68 pieces
1 tbsp vinegar
2 small onions, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
2 rashers bacon, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
water to cover
2 tbsp butter
50 g flour
1 cup milk
Directions
Soak the rabbit pieces in cold water and vinegar for half an hour. Rinse and place in pan with chopped onions, celery, carrots, potato, bacon, salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover. Simmer with lid on for one and half hours or until rabbit is tender. Remove rabbit pieces, reduce liquid stock by one third. Return rabbit pieces to pan.
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour, then blend in milk, add 1 cup of the liquid/stock from the rabbit and blend. Add to rabbit pan, stirring well to avoid lumps. Cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes. Serve hot with mashed pumpkin and peas and a glass of your favourite merlot.
Serves four
Betty’s Borscht
In Russia and Eastern Europe vodka is a staple but beetroot is an aphrodisiac! Try this recipe for borscht and wait for the result.
Ingredients
Butter for frying
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 large cooked beetroots sliced
1/2 small red cabbage, shredded
1 1/4 l. beef stock, skimmed of fat
1 X 15 ml. spoon tomato puree
1 X 15 ml. spoon malt vinegar
1 X 15 ml. spoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 X 150ml. cartons sour cream to finish
Directions
Melt a knob of butter in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the soup has a soft consistency. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.
An Oyster A Day…
Food as an Aphrodisiac: does it work? When lovers treat each other to a feast of oysters and figs, is it really going to make a difference in the bedroom?
Feeding your lover with your hands may enhance the sensual mood, but do certain foods act as an aphrodisiac? Will eating eel do the trick? And if you secretly crush some Rhino horn into your lover’s drink, will the hard work pay off?
According to a recent BBC report, no. Certain foods may put us in the mood through their smell, taste and appearance but they have absolutely no affect on our sexual desires. Suggestion can, however, be a powerful thing and we certainly know substances such as sugar and alcohol can have an immediate affect on our moods.
Despite the bad news, you may still like to try the Karma Sutra’s suggestion of a ram or goat testicle boiled in sweet milk, but stay away from Spanish Fly, which is toxic and can cause pain and inflammation, and lead to long term damage. For staying power in life and in bed, stick to a diet with plenty of fish and fresh vegetables. Good general health is one good way to ensure a spicy love life.
Find out more
Food Safety
Many people get sick each year from the food they eat. They often think they have the flu, but the real problem is food borne illness caused by bacteria in the food. The Australian Food Safety Campaign Group's education pages have some very useful Food Safety Tips to help prevent foodborne illness. Also the site's Food Safety Library has valuable guidance on food safety in the home, when shopping, when eating out and other situations. Don't get sick from mishandling food!
Go there
General Cooking Sites
- Ian Parmenter's ABC TV 'Consuming Passions'
Go there
- Meals For You. Large site with comprehensive information.
Go there
- Recipe Source is now the home of SOAR - The Searchable Online Archive of Recipes. With thousands of recipes.
Go there
- The Kitchen Link. Over 20,000 recipes, plus a listing of more than 10,000 food and cooking links.
Go there
- Simply Great Meals. Recipes, hints, help competitions and up to date information on what's new.
Go there
Healthy Eating
Check out the information on nutrition, fitness and healthy eating on our Health Page.
Go there
Wine
Information for wine buffs.
- Australian Capital Territory. Addresses and info on wineries of ACT and region, plus a map.
Go there - Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Wineries and cellar doors listed by region in the Hunter Valley, plus dining, accommodation, tours and more.
Go there - Tasmania. Lists vineyards and wineries.
Go there - Victoria. Details of all the wine regions in Victoria plus a glossary of wine making and information on grape varieties and wine styles. The site includes maps on how to get to each region.
Go there - Western Australia. WA wine regions and events plus information including grape varities and wine terms.
Go there
Wine News
Wines online
A new website has been established to automatically search large wine retailers to source the lowest priced wines available. Each year, approximately 13,000 Australian wines are released. Most retailers stock less than 1,000. This means that if you know what you are looking for, you may have to search half a dozen websites or stores just to find that wine. Then you need to search further to satisfy yourself that you are paying the best price. WineRobot has been developed by a company in Melbourne to speed up this process.
By searching a number of retailers at once, you can find those wines and compare prices. You can then click through to the retailer's website to complete the purchase. WineRobot maintains a database of wines from all the retailers and currently features wines from more than 1000 wineries around the country.
Click here to visit WineRobot.
Terrific Thai
Pretend you're in Thailand by cooking this classic Thai Green Chicken Curry, courtesy of Intrepid travel.
Ingredients :
1 cup sliced chicken breast
2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 cup sliced eggplant
2 green chillies (de-seeded, sliced lengthwise)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
20 basil leaves
Instructions :
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir fry the green curry paste for two minutes. Add chicken and fry until it is cooked. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add eggplant and green chillies. Season with fish sauce. Simmer for 10–15 minutes. Add basil leaves before serving with boiled rice.
Kate’s mum’s Apple Pie
When it comes to pleasing all ages, there's nothing like an apple pie. This family favourite recipe has put a smile on the faces of many generations.
Ingredients
Pastry
One and a half cups plain flour
100 grams butter
Approximately 1/2 cup cold water
Pinch of salt
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
Milk or egg
Filling
7 or 8 fresh Granny Smith apples
Water
Knob of butter
Ground nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
Sugar
Directions
Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Lightly mix in cold water (and/or a little lemon juice) a little at a time to form mixture into a firm dough. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Peel and slice seven or eight medium-sized apples. Pre-cook apples with a spoonful or two of water in a covered pan. Add a knob of butter and spices. After five minutes give the pan a shake so that the apples don't stick. As soon as the slices have softened, drain the fruit, put aside to cool and also put aside any juices.
Let pastry soften at room temperature a bit before rolling out dough into a circle a little larger than pie dish. Fit the dough into the pie dish and cut off excess dough on sides (use for decoration of pie if you want to). Prick the bottom.
Add cold fruit, sweetened to taste, to the pie dish and drape over a top crust, sealing the edges well.
Brush the top crust with milk, or a lightly beaten egg, and bake in a hot oven, 200°C, for the first 15 minutes, then lower to 180°C. At this point, you could brush the reserved apple juices over the top crust and add a sprinkle of sugar.
Continue baking for about another 20 minutes, until pastry is cooked through. Don't worry about the apples, they can cope with quite long cooking and the flavour improves.
Serve with double thickened cream (who cares about the waistline?), a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and an Australian Sauterre.
Kaye’s Shortcut Carbonara
Tried and tested for a decade or two, this is what you cook when you’ve forgotten to plan ahead. You arrive home, pour a glass of wine, and reach for the apron, then …
Serves 3-4
Sauté in heavy based saucepan using 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter:
- I leek, finely chopped
- 3 rashers bacon
- 1 piece garlic (with toothpick for later removal)
- Handful of finely chopped mushrooms
When ingredients are softened, add ¾ cup thickened cream, and ½ teaspoon of sambal oelek (crushed chilli), and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile cook 3 portions of fresh egg fettucine in boiling water until al dente. Drain, and toss through the creamy sauce (after removing garlic), adding ½ cup freshly chopped Italian parsley, and more pepper to taste.
Serve with coarsely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and wine of your choice.
Find wine specials here
Hewi Handles Hot Stuff
Iain Hewitson's Grilled chicken with sweet chilli sauce, or Kai Yaang, originally hails from Thailand's Phuket, but can be found in Hewi's book, Never trust a skinny cook.
Chilli tends to feature in almost every Thai recipe, though it is not a native of the country. It was introduced by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century but is now so ingrained that even a man who is faithful to his wife is said to eat his chilli paste from one bowl: ‘kin naam phrik thuay diaw'. And remember when using chillies avoid touching your eyes or other delicate parts of the body, as the volatile oils released can cause major irritation (particularly in the case of the eyes, where a major flood tends to occur as well as pain).
Ingredients and Method
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, smashed and finely sliced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 coriander roots, scraped & chopped
1 tsp sea salt
Pound above in a mortar (or blend in a processor).
2 tbsp (1 fl oz) Asian fish sauce
1 tsp shaved palm sugar
Add and pound above a little more to incorporate.
4 chicken breasts or 8 thighs, skin on
Smear above mix all over chicken and set aside for 15–20 minutes, then grill or barbecue over moderate heat.
4 chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp (1/2 fl oz) rice wine vinegar
1 heaped tsp shaved palm sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp (1 fl oz) Asian fish sauce
3 tbsp (11/2 fl oz) vegetable oil
juice of 2–3 limes
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
While the chicken is cooking, whisk above and taste for seasoning.
Serve chicken on plates garnished with coriander with bowls of sauce alongside.
Serves four
Dalai Dumplings
These momos, or dumplings, are a traditional Tibetan favourite. This recipe comes from Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and is found on asiarecipe.com
Ingredients
The filling
1 pound potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 onions, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, chopped
12 ounces grated cheese*
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Pinch of paprika Salt and pepper, to taste
*Consider substituting parmesan, asiago, or Sonoma dry jack for yak cheese
The dough
1 pound plain flour
1-3/4 to 2-1/3 cups water
The soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 vegetable stock cube
1-3/4 cups boiling water
Method
To make the filling, boil and mash the potatoes. Leave to cool. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onions for five minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook for five minutes or until soft. Leave to cool. When all the vegetables are cooled, mix with the grated cheese, chopped coriander, salt, and pepper
To make the dough, mix the flour with enough water to form a smooth dough. Briefly knead the dough until it is smooth. Roll out, but not too thinly. Cut into rounds with a two-inch pastry cutter. Taking each round, press the edges with your thumb and first two fingers, working around the circle. Doing this makes the edges a little thinner than the center so that when you fold the edges together and pleat them, they're not too thick and your momos will cook evenly.
On one side of the round, place a tablespoonful of the cooled vegetable mixture, then fold over and press the edges together, making sure they are well sealed. Alternatively, hold the round in one hand, and with your thumb and forefinger gather the edges into a pleat at the top and seal.
Fill a small steamer with water, first boiling the rack so the dumplings do not stick. If you don't have a metal steamer, a bamboo steamer sprayed with vegetable oil spray works well. Momos can also be fried on each side until they are golden brown.
Bring the water to a boil. Place the momos on the steamer rack, spacing them well apart as they will expand and stick together if they are too close. Steam for 20 minutes, or until they are firm and glossy. To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and cook till soft. Add the tomatoes and chopped coriander and cook for five minutes. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve in small bowls as an accompaniment to the dumplings.
In addition to the soup, you might want to try a Kathmandu-style momo dipping mixture of soy sauce combined with a little rice vinegar and chili-garlic sauce.
Brodo – Chicken and Beef Broth
Adam Pizzini is chef at Rinaldos the stunning new restaurant at Dal Zotto Estate Vineyard owned by his uncle and cousins in the stunning King Valley. Adam has kindly shared with us his flavoursome brodo.
Best enjoyed with a Pinot Grigio or Sangiovese from these Italian heritage winemakers.
Ingredients
1kg chicken carcasses, free of the majority of fat and skin
500g beef bones with as much meat on as possible. This meat is great sprinkled with salt and pepper and eaten hot out of the stock.
2 sticks of celery
1 medium carrot
1 medium brown onion
2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 pepper corns
Method
The quality of the brodo is in the attention it is given so if you follow these steps you should finish with a clear stock that is full of flavour and pleasant to the eye.
Place all ingredients in a large size pot, approximately 10 litres. Cover with cold water. Cold water is important. If the water is even slightly warm it will give the brodo an undesirable cloudy appearance.
Bring to the boil on high then turn down temperature to low. During this stage the brodo will form scum and fat from the bones will float to the top. It is very important to skim this from the top of the brodo as it will boil back into the brodo if not removed and will also make a cloudy stock.
Simmer
brodo for 3 hours. Strain through a fine sieve back into a pot and adjust seasoning with salt.
Brodo can be served with angle hair pasta, which is cooked in the
brodo , finished with a good parmesan cheese and fresh chopped chives or just by itself.
Brodo can be frozen and used at a later stage.
The Greek Doctor’s Souvlaki
This delicious dish tastes even better prepared on a barbecue.
Serves 4 
800g lean lamb, trimmed, from the leg
Bunch of bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Marinade
4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons dried or fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed,
Black pepper
Red pepper sauce 
6 red peppers (capsicums), halved and deseeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cold-pressed flaxseed oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano or spearmint
- Dice the lamb into 2.5cm pieces.
- Make the marinade: Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, garlic and pepper. Place the meat in a bowl, pour the marinade over and mix well so that all the pieces of meat are coated. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Preheat the oven to 220 ° C. Place the peppers in a roasting tin, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix well with your hands. Roast until the peppers begin to brown. Put the peppers into a plastic bag, seal and leave for about 10 minutes.
- Peel the peppers and put them into a blender or food processor with the remaining sauce ingredients. Blend
