New York Strip with mushroom sauce

It has been a while since I cooked a big juicy steak for the family dinner. There's no reason for it other than I just kind of forgot about it.

How do you forget about steak?

To tell the truth I forget about a lot of different flavours and meals this time of year, it's what ever is leftover in the fridge, or I double up on what I am cooking for a function. October through to December it is pretty much 15 minute meals in our house!

I was at work yesterday when a colleague came in with a bottle of Shiraz and started telling us about how good it was, and how it is on sale....and did we want to buy a case?.... Of course a tasting was in order before buying anything and seeing how it was after 12pm all was OK. The wine was very quaffable and moreish so I put in my order for a case on the spot. I was also lucky enough to be the only one not working a dinner party that night (I had a canape drop off- yippee!). So I was the lucky one who took the bottle of red home to drink with.....STEAK!

See how my brain works?  Anyway, off to the butcher I went and picked out some fabulous New York strip steaks for tea.
If your buying a good quality steak you really want to taste the meat so I don't over do all the trimmings. A simple potato mash (I leave the skin on which drives Nic a little mad!), steamed beans tossed with a hint of olive oil and lemon juice and a delicious mushroom sauce.

The boys thought I was trying to burn the house down when I showed them what happens when you add brandy to the sauteing mushrooms...

-'You shouldn't do that mum, you could burn the house down!' says Max with a serious look on his face while Alex looked on horrified.

Thankfully I managed to keep everything under control and we sat down to a forgotten family favourite of steak and mash that tasted wonderful, especially when served with a smooth bottle of Shiraz.

Drunken Chicken- family favourite

Ouch! I was just looking at my stats and realised September didn't even get a look in!!
I feel guilty and sad that I haven't been able to keep up with my blogging and, as I scroll through my favourite bloggers work and see they are in top form as always I wonder if this is the month I stop for good?

Before I make such a big decision like that, I just want to share with you a recipe I have been really enjoying this past month. It is from one of my favourite cookbooks 'Cocina de la familia' by Marilyn Tausend with Miguel Ravago.
This was a fabulous buy and am pleased to say I have used many recipes from it over the years- I highly recommend it to everyone.
The recipe I want to share with you is the drunken chicken recipe. When I first made it I followed the recipe to the T and it was wonderful. Since then I have added extra bits and pieces or had to make do with what was in the cupboards, but, whatever I do I always get the big thumbs up from my boys- it's a family favourite. I have cooked if for quite a few people and always get the same reaction "delicious!"

So, to redeem myself I hope you will try this one on family and friends and see if you agree with me. I couldn't help but serve it with fresh corn smothered in butter and some black beans, however, I have served it with beans, broccoli, rice pilaf, potatoes.....the list goes on!

Enjoy!

 Drunken chicken (Pollo Borracho)

2 Tablespoons oil

3 chicken breasts and 2 thighs (or 4 breasts) skin on, cut into 3 pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

 1 tin whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 cup of beer (I tend to take a good swig and then use the rest)

preferably an amber ale

2 sprigs of oregano

3 pickled jalapenos, sliced

2 tablespoons vinegar from the chilies

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Use a cast iron pot with a lid or a good quality pot with a lid.

Warm oil in the pot on med-high heat, season the chicken with salt and pepper then saute the chicken pieces until browned (you will need to do in batches).

Once the chicken browns, remove to a tray and set aside.

Add the onion to the still hot pot and cook until quite soft and brown (about 4 min).

Add garlic and tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return chicken (skin side up) back to the pot with onions and tomato, lower the heat to medium and add beer, oregano, jalapenos, their vinegar, salt and pepper.

Stir to combine then leave, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve it with fresh oregano and avocado for best results.

Lamb shanks or chops?

Winter is trying very hard to settle into Sydney and I have fallen victim to the cool winds blowing in off the harbour, thinking I'd better start cooking heartier family meals. The boys are in full swing with their Aussie rules football (also a winter sport) which means they are all ways starving hungry after training and always wanting something more than what is on offer.

The boots were kicked off in the hall last week and the cries of 'whats for dinner mum?' started and quickly followed by....'Is that smell for us or your customers??'.

 I have been doing a few dinner parties of late, filling the house up with slow braising pork, marinated lamb shoulder and a few other yummy, intoxicating smells. I was happy to report the lamb shanks ticking away were in fact for the family and will be ready shortly. (I could of said they will be ready in 10 seconds and that still would of been a long wait for them).

 Max's routine of waiting for dinner after footy training or in general usually consists of him curling up on his favourite chair (always the rattiest one in the house) and reading a book while looking very pained that no food had entered his mouth the second he walked in the house. Alex on the other hand takes himself off into the land of make believe and drama where all thought of food goes out the window until he starts to feel a bit light headed.
Tonight's dinner was no exception. Max set the table and was quizzing me about lamb shanks and had he ever had them before? what do they look like and are they beef?? What? Beef! Lamb boy, LAMB!

While Max was giggling at his mistake I started the reminder calls to Alex "Alex, dinners just about ready.......Alex come and wash your hands.....Alex, dinner......DINNER IS READY NOW!'
When I am just about to loose it Alex strolls out dressed for dinner.........

'Smells good mum', he says '...but it's going to be a bit hard to eat, can I have a straw?'

I mean what do you say to that? 

Max is already a third of the way into his lamb shank when he starts telling me it is the best thing he has ever eaten, Alex on the other hand is staring at his plate thinking a bowl of soup would be more convenient for him in his outfit.

Starving or not Max, Nic and I licked our dishes clean and were really satisfied with our wintery lamb shanks. Alex on the other hand ate all the mash potato and beans then declared "Yeah well, I'm not really a good lamb eater- I prefer meat I can pick up on a stick, you know, like a chop or something".

Would that be a lamb chop Alex??

Easter lamb with yummy greens

In our house, it really doesn't feel like Easter unless we have lamb and go camping. Sadly last years camping trip ended at 1am Easter Sunday with us packing up the boys and our drenched tent, then driving through the night back to Sydney.

Even though it has rained every Easter since we have been back in Australia we still love packing up the tent, esky and loads of food to go and hang out in the bush or by the ocean somewhere and just enjoy our beautiful country. This year is a little different.

We threw our sodden tent in the bin when we arrived home from last years camping trip because it was the second year it let us down and we haven't gotten around to buying another one.
At first I was really devistated we were staying in Sydney but then I remembered the coast is but an hour away and we can still relax and enjoy the weekend and maybe I might be able to whip up a batch of hot cross buns tomorrow?

Anyway enough about that!

I got a bit ahead of myself last week and bought a beautiful leg of lamb at my new favourite butcher down in Glebe- Glenmore Meats. It was the second time I'd visited and picked up a 2.2kg leg of lamb for $20!! It was a bargin and tasted fantastic.

I love lamb on the BBQ, the smokey flavour mixed with my favourite herbs and spices rubbed all over it (dried thyme, cracked pepper, cumin, smoked paprika and salt) then spike the leg with big pieces of garlic- YUM!
Once the BBQ is at medium temp place the leg in a tray that is heavly layered with thickly sliced onion and eggplant, pop the leg on top then lower the lid on the BBQ and cook for about 2 hours depending on the size of leg and your barbie.

To serve the leg I whipped up some very simple beans and asparagus cooked with one roughly diced tomato and a squeeze of lemon (and yes, that is half a lemon in the with the beans, gives it more of a citrus flavour), salt and pepper. A very light and easy side dish that compliments the lamb beautifully and if you have any left over they go really well on an antipasto platter.

I think my kids are spoilt

That's right, I think I have gone to far in the world of food when it comes to my kids.
Starting out as a parent, you hope your child is going to be a good eater and not be to fussy; When they are toddlers you pray they at least try what is on their plate instead of saying no to everything; When they are school age, you hope they are eating some sort of vegetable(s) and able to eat a family meal with you without world war three breaking out before even trying your latest creation.

The other night I had some extra portions of eye fillet left over from a function I was doing, so I decided to bring them home for dinner as a bit of a treat. I don't know about you, but we very rarely eat eye fillet steak and I think it was the first time I had offered it to the boys.
To make it a super yummy dinner I decided to go all out and make a mushroom and red wine reduction (sauce), creamy mash potatoes and zucchini fritters (I'll blog these later).
My sauce was looking fabulous, the potatoes had a good stick of butter folded in and the steak was cooked to perfection. I was thinking to myself 'This is a winner for sure'.

After pouring a glass of red for Nic and I, I placed the meal in front of my family and waited for the oohs and ahhh's.....and I waited.
Nic of course was pretty excited to be getting such a delicious meal- that was to be expected. What I wasn't ready for however, was the 'Oh mum what is THIS!?' 'I don't want it and what is that disgusting red stuff on top?' (thanks Alex!)

EXCUSE ME?????

"THIS IS EYE FILLET BOYS....EYE FILLET STEAK!! It doesn't get much better than this in the world of succulent, delicious, melt in the mouth steak"

After picking myself back up from the floor and tasting the meal just to make sure it was OK, I asked them what they thought of it after they had tried it?

'It's ok' (mind you Max didn't leave anything behind!)

Yeah well you know what else is OK- the fact that I am not waisting anymore eye fillet on these two boys until they actually understand what a luxury they have before them. To say I was traumatised from this event is an understatement.

It is all well and good to get your kids eating well but seriously, I think I missed a step somewhere that teaches them about appreciating fantastic produce so I am going back to the drawing board and god help any of their girlfriends who want to cook for them one day!

Lamb Tagine

It was a cooking frenzy last weekend. I somehow managed to wrangle a full day off on Sunday and where do you think I spend most of my day? (bar the morning watching Max play football)- in the kitchen!

I know I cook for a living and spend a crazy amount of time around food every other day, but when I manage to have a spare few hours of peace and quiet I love to cook healthy and delicious meals for my family. Like any other parent I prefer the quick 30 minute meals on weeknights I mean let's face it, there is just too much going on to give the evening meal lots of attention when you've just come back from swimming, footy training or whatever else you have going on!
 However, a spare weekend and I can think of nothing more fabulous than making yummy food and sitting down to eat a leisurely meal with a glass of wine and that is exactly what I did on Sunday evening!

I bought a tagine a few months ago. I have always wanted one but never got around to actually buying one for myself. I was given a clay pot a few years ago (that could be around ten years I'm thinking) and used it just like a tagine with wonderful results. However, the day it got smashed on the kitchen tiles was a very sad day indeed and also time for me to upgrade to a bigger version with a little more room as we didn't have kids when I was given the clay pot.

The fact that I can cook a whole meal in one dish is a total winner in my books. Right from searing the meat and sauteing the vegetables and finishing the dish off with slow cooking Israeli couscous (the nice big round balls).

Seeing as I photographed the cooking process I thought I'd explain as you looked....something new for me.

OK so I bought about a kilo of diced lamb from my butcher and seasoned the meat with salt and pepper before I began searing the meat. Once the tagine was hot I did the meat in 3 batches to make sure I got good colouring and did not to stew the meat.

Once the meat is all seared I then added chopped veggies but to my surprise (I simply forgot to cut them) I didn't have any onion? I decided to proceed without it. I sauteed off about a cup of diced eggplant, diced green capsicum, bunch of Tuscan cabbage which they have at Harris Farm, 3 large smashed garlic cloves and last but not least a whole lemon cut in half, squeezed and then left in the dish.

When I could smell the aroma of the vegetables, I tossed the seared lamb pieces back into the tagine and stirred it around. I then added a large fresh tomato, diced and a good splash of white wine.

The juices of the meat were also added so there were a lot of yummy flavours that needed to be slowly cooked. This is when I brought it to the boil, skimmed the top of the braise, put the lid on and placed it on a smaller burner, turned the gas down to low and forgot about it for a bit over an hour. (This is when I snuck off to my room with a tim tam, cuppa tea and my book!)

After about an hour maybe even an hour and a half lift the lid and test the meat. If it is feeling like it is almost pulling apart but not quite then it's time to add your couscous. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup over the lamb then gently fold through and place the lid back on and leave it alone again for twenty minutes.

Once the couscous absorbs the excess liquid, turn off the heat and stir once then place the lid back on and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. You may need to add about 1/2 cup of extra water if you like it a little wetter but it is up to your tastes....I added the water!

The boys ate there's as is and loved it, however, for Nic and I, I added fresh coriander and chili flakes which married beautifully with the rich flavours of the tagine. 

So if you'd like to learn how to make this dish along with say some pita bread, and a few extra yummy and healthy dishes maybe you should pop on over to my website camillabaker, book a class and meet me in the kitchen!

A lamb burger to sink your teeth into

I went to pick the boys up from school today and I was greeted with sniffles, red noses and turned down mouths and yet they seemed perfectly happy. Max is just like his dad, even when he looks like death he never complains about it and just keeps on going. It was only when he told me he was cold that I took notice.
This is the boy who wears shorts and a t-shirt 365 days a year, I mean he was still wearing shorts in November in Chicago!

With that said I packed them off home, cancelled swim lessons and asked the boys what they felt like for dinner (maybe that sounds odd but I knew Max would be thinking of the closest meal time).

BURGERS was the reply I got from both boys and I could of almost sworn it was rehearsed!?

Luckily I picked up some lamb patties at the butcher the other day, so I went to work building MY ultimate lamb burger.

Before I popped the lamb burgers on the grill, I minced a clove of garlic added it to some natural yogurt, finely chopped coriander and added lots of cracked pepper with a hint of salt, stirred it together then left it to meld while I got the rest of the ingredients together which consisted of:
-avocado slices
-tomato slices
-kalamata olives, pip removed and ripped in half
-Persian feta (so good!)
-red oak lettuce leaves
-country grain buns

OK I was ready! Once the lamb was cooked a lovely medium rare, I started stacking and salivating.

With the first bite I was hooked and the way Max gulped his down he must of thought the same. Nic was also loving it, however, he thought it needed a slice of beetroot.
I disagreed and told him when he makes them I'd be happy to try it. Alex said they were yummy.....then decided he didn't like the lettuce (ice burg only apparently) then there was something wrong with the olives....then it was terrible that his brother said something awful to him (nothing was actually said, just the throws of being a bit under the weather I think?).
When dinner was all finished and all that was left on his plate was the lettuce, Alex comes over to me and looks me in the eye and tells me dinner wasn't really very nice. This was when I said 'time for bed!'


Besides my 5 year old opinion I declare lamb burgers a fast, healthy and superb dinner of the fast food variety!

Pulled pork from the neck of the beast

I was at the butcher the other day asking for something inspiring. The lovely Aaron just looked at me, muttered something about indecisive cougars and told me to just pick something.

'What did you say? back up the truck my friend, you called me a what??!'

After a tongue lashing from me and stating a few facts (being number one that I am NOT yet in my forties so out of cougar range and secondly happily married so strike two buddy boy!).
Aaron is a lovable 20 something lad with a devilish twinkle in his eye; a tongue lashing from a regular is just what he needs, mind you I have got to find a way to stop him calling me mum in front of other customers...he's ageing me terribly with the locals!

I walked away that day with a lovely piece of pork neck so I forgave Aaron and promised to make something delicious that he may taste if he stops calling me mum!

 Pork neck isn't really a popular piece of meat; maybe it is the name that puts people off or the fact that it isn't a common cut used in recipes. It is a pity because it is a beautiful, flavoursome cut perfect for pulled pork or cut into steaks and BBQed! The piece I had was frozen, reserved for mincing which is the norm.

Of course I really wanted to do BBQ pulled pork, however, when the day finally came for me to start cooking I was short of hickory chips for the BBQ and time- I am always short on time! With this thought in mind I decided to dust off my slow cooker once more and put it to use.
This recipe was made up with two different ideas in my head. I was still wanting to BBQ the slab of meat because I wanted that lovely smoky flavour but I also had a lot of fennel seeds in my pantry and love the combination of pork and fennel. Finally I decided to combine ideas I picked up from other bloggers and see how that turned out.
Most rubs I looked at had brown sugar in them which is totally fine but the problem I had was I knew I wanted to sear off the piece of pork before adding it to the slow cooker and if I rubbed in the brown sugar it would of burnt before I could get a nice colouring on the meat. In the recipe you will see I added the sugar at the end as this dish really needs the depth of sweetness to really pull it together.

Slow cookers are perfect for slabs of meat (I have never been a fan of cooking smaller cuts in the slow cooker as I find it overcooks the meat and it has a funny after taste to it). Arriving home after a big day out to a fantastic smell of braising meat is pure heaven!

What's even better is pulling the pork apart while still warm then reducing the sauce slightly (with added sugar) before pouring the juices all over the meat and having heavenly soft tacos for lunch the following day. Especially since we spent the morning at the footy field watching Max's team play a great game of football on a sunny winter's morning here in Sydney.

OK so I didn't quite manage to make the BBQ version, however, if you're after a delicious braised pork dish and don't have hours to hang about the house- pull out the slow cooker!

Braised pork neck
1 kg piece of pork neck (your local butcher should have this cut, however, it maybe in the freezer so just ask)
3 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt flakes
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
For the dry rub: place whole peppercorns and fennel seeds into a mortar and pound into a powder or pop in a spice grinder to blend.
Add remaining spices together then pour on to your piece of meat and rub it into the flesh and fatty bits until evenly coated.
Leave outside on the kitchen bench for 1 hour.

For the braising liquid:

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup red wine (I used Shiraz)

1 tin whole peeled tomatoes (strained)

1 cup chicken stock

2 large cloves garlic, smashed

1/3 cup brown sugar

Putting it all together:
Turn on your slow cooker to HIGH and add bay leaves, wine, tomatoes, stock and garlic and leave to warm.
Heat up a frying pan to sear the pork neck. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt and rub in 2 tablespoons of rice bran oil then sear until all sides are nicely browned.
Place pork neck into your slow cooker, pop the lid on and leave for 5 hours.

After you've gone out for a lovely day, come home lift off the lid, gently pull out the piece of pork neck and it should look like the picture below.

While it is still hot, get two forks and begin pulling the meat apart. While you are doing this, add the brown sugar to your sauce and put in on a medium heat to simmer for about 5 minutes or until it slightly thickens. Strain the juices over your pulled pork while it is still hot and cool the meat in the sauce for best results.

Mini beef and basil meatballs

It was swimming night tonight for my boys. It used to be a half hour of sitting pool side breathing in heavy chlorinated air while watching the boys swim laps of the pool but then somehow that changed.

Somewhere along the path I must of had a conversation with the head swim teacher about Max's advancement. I think in this little chat, I wasn't really listening.......or it was never mentioned (?) that the next level up for Max was squad and that is another 30 minutes of poolside fun. For the past 3 terms, I have had to coax Max into returning to the pool. It's not that he doesn't like the water, he just isn't really into the lessons (surprise, surprise). In all honesty I wanted the boys to be able to swim confidently so I didn't have to freak out or go into panic attacks every time we were around water and that was it. Squad didn't enter my mind.

I am happy to say in Max's case, I have accomplished this with hours of poolside waiting (Alex is still in the throws). I was not, however, really ready or prepared to sit poolside for an hour of more laps! Call me a bad mum, I don't care, but an hour of sitting, waiting and getting a little dizzy on chlorine fumes isn't high on my agenda and apparently Max's either. As we were driving home tonight while I was wondering what to cook for dinner Max interrupted my thoughts with,

"Mum, do I have to do squad next term? It's a bit boring.....it's just not really my thing"

Music to my ears! I held back my excitement and did my usual "....are you sure? you might really enjoy it next term?"

His answer was short and to the point, it was the first time I was happy to hear a sullen "NO" come out of his mouth. Of course as soon as we pull into the garage, my smile fades and I am bombarded with the crys of:
"What's for dinner?"
"I'm soooo hungry, when am I going to eat dinner (whimper, whimper)"
"Where's dad? why isn't he cooking dinner....mummmm what can we eat???"

This is when I run a bath and make them wash their hair. Apparently this is a torturous request I ask of the boys, so they sit in their quietly hoping I'll forget they are there. Little do they know I do it simply for some piece and quiet while I make dinner.

I had some pasta in the fridge but wasn't sure what to put with it.  I picked up the remaining beef mince I had left after making pasties for the weekend and thought I'd be pushing it to feed the four of us. I searched a little more then had an idea. Running with the thought of mini meat balls I pulled out a bunch of basil, spring onions and started chopping.

I was delighted with the end result. The cherry tomatoes were a great base to compliment the fresh flavours of spring onion and basil packed into the meatballs. Sweet little tomatoes simmering with garlic...what could be yummier?

These would be great on their own as a pre dinner, mezze plate bite or as I did, mixed with ravioli or any type of pasta. Actually, if there were any left over I'm sure the boys would of loved them for lunch in a wrap smothered with hummus and lettuce.

Hair was washed (you know I had to use the mummy voice and my eagle eye to get that done), bowls were licked and bellies were full all round.
A great idea if you have a little less meat than you would really like. Making the meatballs smaller, makes it look bigger and appeals to big and little mouths- defiantly worth a try, just don't expect leftovers!



Beef and basil meatballs
1-2 tablespoons Rice Bran oil (or vegetable)
400g - 500g beef mince
2 large spring onions, chopped finely
6-8 basil leaves, chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
2 punnets cherry tomoates
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
5cm piece of parmesan rind

In a medium bowl mix together beef, spring onions, chopped basil, garam masala and salt and pepper.
When very well combined, roll into teaspoon sized balls and put to one side.
Make sure your tomatoes are cut in half and the garlic is sliced before starting to cook
Heat a large frying pan on high heat. When hot, add oil, swirl around the pan quickly then drop in meat balls and brown.
When brown on one side, turn and brown the other. Make sure you do not cook all the way through (see picture to the right).
Remove balls from the frying pan and leave to rest.
Place frying pan back on the heat and toss in chopped tomatoes with a good pinch of salt.
Saute for 2 minutes then add the garlic slices and saute for a further few minutes.
Pop in your parmesan rind then place meat balls back in.
Turn heat to a low simmer, place a lid on and cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove lid, give the pan a little shake to loosen the sauce and cook for a further 5-8 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve with pasta or cool and serve as you would like with shaved parmesan cheese.

Moroccan leg of lamb

The time has come people, when I am sick to death of the same old same old. Monday came around just as fast as last Sunday, I looked back on the week and thought to myself- nothing made that week a great week. We didn't do anything that stood out....come to think about it, we haven't done anything in the past 4 months that has been fun, engaging or memorable.

Last night Nic and I threw a dinner party. I was reminded of just how therapeutic it is for adults to come together over good food and wine and let their hair down. I feel revived (if not a little foggy this morning..) and most importantly happy that I have touched base with a few of the great people I know.
Dinner parties don't have to be a full on affair. I wanted to relax and enjoy my friends, so I decided to go with a leg of lamb on the barbie and a few other bits and bobs.

A little while ago I bought a Middle Eastern cookbook called A Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden. She is a fantastic food writer, her book was first published in 1968 and I bought my copy for $1.70 on the Internet. When it arrive it was as I hoped, the pages stained yellow from age, recipes short and simple yet enticing, however, my favourite part about the book is her style of writing. Unlike cookbooks of today where they get down to the business of glossy pictures and bold recipes and not much more, this book is filled with antidotes of the writers history with dishes not to mention the funny little quirky poems relating to food and culture. That's right, it is a cookbook that is a great read too! I mean when was the last time you read a cookbook that was filled with riddles?

"....Beaded, her head is high and she sleeps in a shawl. Guess who she is.
Answer: A corn cob..."

I love it!

OK so I am sure you now understand why I threw a Middle Eastern dinner party,  not only is the food delicious, tasty and easy to prepare but my new/old book provided entertainment too.... how many modern day cookbooks do the same?

My marinade for the lamb is a combination of a few recipes in the meat chapter of this book. I picked out the flavours I thought sounded delicious and then put them together as I saw fit. The end result was a yummy one which also gave me time to sit and relax with friends while the lamb looked after itself.

I served the lamb with Israeli couscous tossed through roasted pine nuts, currants, Italian parsley and mint. A very quick and easy side dish to put together. I cooked some of the long flat Italian beans in a tajine which complimented the lamb and couscous beautifully. The beauty of this side, is it can be made the day before and then simply reheated.

Lamb marinade
3 large cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried oregano
zest of one lemon
In a mortar, grind the above ingredients into a paste.
Add
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoon olive oil
Grind remaining ingredients together (or place in a blender) until you have a thick paste. See below.

Once you have your paste, rub down your leg of lamb with paper towel then stab it randomly with a sharp knife to make incisions throughout the leg. 

With your fingers, begin filling the holes with your marinade then rub the remaining all over the lab joint back to front, top to bottom.

Leave for at least 4 hours before popping on the BBQ.

Just before BBQing, rub in a good handful of salt and pepper all over the joint.

Nic works his magic....again

My sister rang me the other day. We don't talk much toward the end of the months because it's the busiest time for her at work...she practically lives there until months end is finished (some accounting term I have gotten use too over the years).

I have to say I haven't called her in a few weeks myself due to a couple of massive weeks at work. You know that feeling of - please, just let me make it through to the end of the week before falling apart, please!
 Well that is how I have felt. I even rang my mum and asked if she would fly up to help me cook for a few days. Sadly the airlines of today love to make up these ridiculous price tags for last minute bookings- I was back to praying.

I am happy to say I have finally managed a day off, and on Mother's Day never the less!

Anyway, back to my phone call with Tarsh. She was telling me The D-man was as fabulous as ever. She was oozing happiness when she told me he sent her a beautiful bunch of flowers yesterday to cheer her up after a massive week at work.
Wow! I said, young love doesn't it rock! The next sentence to come out of my mouth was, 'I can't remember the last time Nic sent/gave me flowers'.......I guess that is what happens 10 years on? and then I stopped myself and remembered the past week.
 It was in the middle of the week. I'd risen at 5am to get morning tea out for 100 people, plus the rest of my bookings for that day. I didn't manage to finish everything before I picked the boys up from school, so I dashed out grabbed them and had them come back to work with me while I tied up a few loose ends (something they loathe more and more these days).
 I finally finished up at around 4.30 and remembered Max had footy practice at 5pm. we made a mad dash for home, I threw a packet of rice crackers and a mandarin at the boys before jumping back into the car and heading out to football training where I spent the next hour on the phone with last minute clients trying to book in for the following day (I mean seriously, you know the meeting is going to happen so WHY leave your catering to the last second??)

We finally arrive home at 6.30pm and I'm trying to think about dinner, yet all I can think of is how sore my feet were and wondering if I have enough food to feed all these extra clients (a bad habit of mine, I fine it hard to say no!).
As I put the key into the door, I notice the smell of lamb cooking from the hallway was in fact coming from our apartment. Could this be true? Nic was already home?
It was music to my ears and heaven to my nose. Nic ordered us to the table, he had made a fabulous dinner of grilled lamb chops and a delicious Greek salad with pan fried haloumi instead of feta- I was in heaven!

I am so happy for my sister to have The D-man to spoil her and treat her as she deserves, I have never seen her happier. I however, really don't need flowers as much as I think I do- after all I have a husband who knows just when to have dinner on the table, pour me a glass of wine and listen to my endless conversations about flour less chocolate cakes; why do I have to make a billion sandwiches and when can I retire??
I think my Mother's Day came early this year and that was perfect for me.

Roast pork at its best

With the Easter break all over and our guests back home, I believe I am getting some sort of normality back into my daily grind. I have just been flicking through my recent pictures of past meals and wondered where to start? Should I post about the wacky tuna and sausage dinner I made....no, not first up you might think I totally lost the plot so I'll save that one for later.
I was leaning toward the dinner I made on Friday but then I have a few from when my friends were here that I must get down before I forget what I actually did!

I think it is fair to say that most people from my generation grew up with meat and three veg as the standard evening meal. When you read about this staple it is usually in the the negative. People talk of how boring their family meals were....their mum (or sometimes dads but let's not forget this was in the 80s!) used to boil the crap out of the veggies and ditto with the meat.
It's about now when you'd expect me to have a story up my sleeve about one of these kind of meals when I was a kid, alas, it will not happen. Don't get me wrong, I also grew up with meat and three veg, but I also grew up with a mum who LOVED cooking. If there was a cookery book to read, she would have read it. When we moved from Darwin to Tasmania mum had enough cookbooks and knowledge to start a restaurant and that is exactly what she did, but that is another story entirely.

I have to say, I continue this theme today in my family meals, however, I try to make at least one part of the meal a little interesting. It's not hard to slather a beautiful piece of meat in a marinade before popping it into the oven or Weber, you've just got to a) remember to do it and b) have an idea of what will make that piece of  meat taste awesome to the whole family.

Because I love my butchers and trust them explicitly, I never have to worry about the meat being too tough, old or butchered badly and this is a huge plus in the meat world. Many a time I have sent meat back to the butchers from kitchens I have worked in as a chef because the cut of meat was butchered badly or they sent me mutton instead of lamb (trust me, you don't want to be on the end of that phone call when I have had 2-3 complaints from customers about the lamb being tough!) so having a good supplier is a big tick in my books.

I am still madly in love with my BBQ, so of course I was going to put my rolled pork roast on to cook, and I wanted to maximise the flavours of the Baby Q and the marinade- smoky and charred!
As usual I want a no fuss family dinner, so while the roast was coming to room temperature (always the best thing to do when cooking meat, to get the best possible flavour and have it cooked perfectly). I pulled out my mortar and pestle and started pounding together the garlic and basil. For those of you who own a thermomix, you can make this even easier by adding all the ingredients to your thermo and blitzing it for 10 seconds (that's for you Lisa!).

Once you have your marinade pounded, you cut slits into the top of your pork roll, breaking through the skin and piercing the flesh underneath. I make about 4 deep slits on top and then about two underneath.
Before you rub the marinade on, grab a good handful of sea salt and rub it into the meat. Pork can take a lot of salt and it also helps to make the skin crackle.
Once the salt is rubbed in, then start slathering on your marinade, stuffing it in the slits and everywhere else.
From memory, I think it is 20 minutes per 500g of meat? Gosh, I'm not 100% as I usually eyeball it. Anyway after 40 minutes, you can stick a knife in the the middle of your pork roast and then feel the tip to see if the blade is warm. When it is ready, cover the roast in foil and rest in a warm place while you get your veggies on.

When I know where my pork has come from I always like to cook it a little pink. Before living in the States I would never of done this, I thought it was wrong. Working at the fabulous restaurant Campagnola, where we use to have our own pig farmer bring us organic meat, I learnt that you can cook pork as you do lamb for a beautiful, sweet and succulent flavour.

OK, the meat's rested, asparagus and corn blanched and smothered in butter and lemon juice and the mash potato is already to go, my delicious, no fuss family meal is ready and gets devoured in minutes. This is a classic family meal but with a bit of extra flavours thrown in, it really does make it a memorable meal to revisit.

Basil, mustard and honey marinade
1/2 bunch of basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 heaped tablespoon seeded mustard
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Place basil leaves, garlic cloves (peeled) and olive oil in a motor and crush until in a paste.
A hand blender will also do the job.
Once a paste has formed, add honey, mustard and pepper then stir to combine.
Set aside until needed.

Pasta pie by my mother-in-law

Nic has been off across the other side of the world this week while the boys and I were lucky enough to have Pam, Nic's mum offer to help us with the day to day runnings of our family. Nic was giving papers on 16th Century Italians in Montreal, the jist of the paper I believe was about a donkey!?

 I know, some people have all the fun jobs!

With my leg still in the boot and the boys still wanting to eat (funny that), it was Pam who came to the rescue and did 99% of the cooking this week. I guess this is why I have been a little vacant in the bloggers sphere.....that and some ridiculously early morning starts that I don't wish to remember!!

My favourite dish of Pam's was a pork fillet cooked on the barbie, however, today's blog I will turn to the boys favourite meal of the week and also our dinner tonight seeing as she made enough for two dinners. Tonight also being Nic's first dinner back in the country. Does this make me a bad wife, leaving his first home cooked meal to his mum to make for him instead of his wife?

Pam gave me this recipe a few years ago. She plucked it out of one of her favourite magazines and told me it was a must for a growing family and I agree whole heartily. I was teaching a class when she served this to the boys last night (funnily enough it was a vegetarian class). I am not surprised they are in fits of excitement, the meal is a lasagna made with spaghetti instead of lasagna sheets. It is reheating while I type and I am salivating!

If you need any more convincing this is a kids favourtite- when I pulled it from the fridge to bring to room temp, the boys just got back from their swimming lessons. When they rounded the courner into the kitchen Alex pumps the air with his fist and says "yeah, yeah I LOVE this mum, you should learn to make it"
Learn I will Alex, but for now, lets all enjoy Grammies leftovers; thanks for a great week Pam!


Pastitso (macaroni and meat pie)
 Serves 6-8

500g long macaroni (or spaghetti)
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper
3 eggs- lightly beaten.

Meat sauce
1 large onion
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tbsp butter
750 g (1 1/2 lbs) ground beef
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup stock
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp sugar
s and p

Cream sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 egg lightly beaten

Cook macaroni until just tender. Drain. Pour melted butter over it in pan plus other ingredients except eggs. Add them when cool. Toss
 Cook meat sauce for 20 mins
 Make cream sauce.
 Add 1/2 cup of this sauce to meat sauce.
 Assemble in buttered oven dish (13 by 9 by3 ins).
Place half macaroni on base. Top with meat sauce. Cover with rest of macaroni. Pour over cream sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 50 min until golden.
Rest for 10 min.

My meat man is 9 today!

I can hardly believe 9 years ago I was sitting up in bed at 8.30am feeling hungrier than I'd ever felt before. I remember thinking to myself 'Where are the lunch people???'
 Those dry cheese sandwiches a nurse dropped in my lap just after giving birth really didn't enter my stomach, instead they simply attached to the walls of my mouth and slowly turned into a paste with what little saliva I had before I swallowed. My stomach was demanding real food!

 When I was finally wheeled into a room and my squawking baby delivered to me, I couldn't quite believe what was happening. I knew the past 7 hours was hard work and a bit of a blur but it wasn't a baby I wanted to hold- it was a piece of steak, preferably smothered in mustard!

As I sit here 9 years on, I can laugh at myself because the little baby they laid in my arms instead of serving me a yummy t-bone steak would of been thinking exactly the same thing.
What I didn't realise at the time was the baby in front of me would turn into an eating machine and loves nothing better than a juicy t-bone to gnaw on.

We have been on quite a food journey thus far so I shouldn't of been surprised when Max approached me the day before his birthday party and told me what he wanted for a cake- a lemon butter cake with lemon curd in the middle and if I wouldn't mind also making some of that yummy chocolate ganache to go in the centre of the cake. Then he added, dad can make a Transformer symbol out of butter cream icing and that should do it- thanks!

I of course thanked him for giving me sooo much notice and asked him when did he think I was going to 'whip up'  chocolate ganache when it was already 8pm the night before his party as I was just starting on the cake. To this he responded "well OK, leave out the ganache but I still want mini burgers, sausage rolls and meat pies for my party tomorrow!"

You see people, I must of passed on a mental meat gene to Max nine years ago. Instead of oohing and arhhing over my beautiful new born baby I was obsessed with t-bone steak.

The past 5 birthdays after I get Max's food list (yes that is correct, I have been given a verbal/written list of food items he would like to eat on his birthday since he turned 4), I have to wonder if I really did mess with his head in our first hours with each other? If I had a craving for chocolate cake, do you think he would have a sweet tooth instead of a meat tooth?

Whatever the case, my first born is 9 years old today and I am happy to be serving his favourite meal of pork ribs. The day he informs me he is turning vegetarian will be the day I know he's found the beauty in girls but until then- ribs it is!

Martini-induced dinner

Friday afternoon is a time I really enjoy. It doesn't matter if I have to work the weekend because Friday night is all mine.  I get to sit back, relax and let my darling hubby make me one of his fabulous dry martinis -if I wasn't such a guzzler I'd have taken a photo of it beforehand.....maybe next time, or the time after that?

With blue cheese and crackers on the balcony, martini and scotch in hand, Nic and I unwind from the week. The pure luxury of having the evening to ourselves without sporting events to drop the kids at, teaching nights or last minute catering deliveries to attend to is fabulous.  Friday is, 99% of the time, our night.
I'm not to sure if it's a sign of age or I'm just not able to drink the way I use to but I have to admit I get a little warm and fuzzy on the tail end of my martini. My mind and body let go of the week and I kinda get a little chatty and silly and all I can say to that is THANK GOD. Because for the rest of the week it's GO, GO- run here there and everywhere and the fun is totally sucked from my week, so, I enjoy my 'letting go' served with two green olives!

We'd made dinner early for the boys as they were starving and wanted to go off and play Harry Potter for the early evening, so we made the most of it and relaxed. In fact we relaxed so much we didn't realise how late it was. Nic rushed the boys into bed while I started dinner.

Something yummy and fast was in order as I was starving and feeling a bit tipsy. I think this meal took me about 15 minutes to pull together (just about as long as potatoes take to boil). While the steaks were cooking I really needed a sauce and I happened to be in luck. A few days earlier I'd roasted a chicken for another meal and for some reason I decided to save the juices and fat of the chicken and store it in the fridge. This is VERY unusual for me. I am always trying to find healthy alternatives to fat....not this time!
I scooped off a little of the lard and sauteed some onions in it before adding sliced mushrooms and garlic. The smell was intoxicating and I could help myself so I added a little more lard then quickly tossed the rest in the bin so I wouldn't be tempted any more (note to self- martini is evil to my butt). Anyway BEFORE  I threw the fat away I pulled out the chicken jelly that had formed under the fat and added this to my mushroom sauce. Best idea ever!!! In about 5 minutes I had a divine, rich and succulent mushroom sauce that just oozed flavour (and fat). Quick as a flash I chopped up some parsley to throw in to stop the guilt creeping in, I guess I could of had another martini but then I would of be on the floor and faster than Nic could say 'goodnight and sleep tight' to the boys!

For someone in a relaxed state of mind I was mightily impressed with this quick and totally delicious dinner. Fat is bad, fat is evil but chicken lard in a mushroom sauce is nothing but pure heaven!
I think my thighs are telling me Nic needs to cook this Friday night however.

Early Thanksgiving

Last Friday was the day we celebrated a favourite, adopted holiday of ours- Thanksgiving.
 Our first year back in Australia we didn't do anything. That is not to say we didn't want to, it's just
a) we didn't really know anyone and
b) Our house wasn't exactly the most inviting place. Our dining room was the size of a shoe box and the kitchen wasn't much better.
We decided somethings were better left as memories and toasted all our Thanksgiving memories with a beer and a bag of chips.

This year however was slightly different. Nic and I mentioned to friends (yes, we seemed to have made a few in the past year!) how we loved the American celebration of Thanksgiving and to our surprise we heard echoes of excitement . We compared drools when it came to pecan pies and stuffing so we put it out there to a few people and asked if they would like to join us in the turkey feast? To our excitement we had a few takers so the turkey was booked, brined and slowly cooked last Friday.
The day was set as close to the real Thanksgiving as possible, however, this being November I am booked out at the cooking school with dinners and classes so a week beforehand was as close as I could get!

Sadly we don't know any American folk here, however we have the pleasure of being friends with a wonderful Canadian man who was more than happy to come to dinner. John did educate us in the Thanksgiving celebrations held in Canada- after discussing why they celebrate it in Cananda we decided to forget about it and drink more wine! A great friend of mine, Catherine (a.k.a Schkinny) also jumped at the chance to chow down on turkey, stuffing and pecan pie, after all her twin sister is over in NY waiting her turn to be invited to someones house, living in hope of some turkey. Sadly I didn't give enough notice for other guests, so it was up to the four of us (plus the kids) to get the "meat sweats" and make our American friends proud.

The last time I cooked a whole turkey I brined it, so I followed suit again and wasn't disapointed. The white and dark meat was juicy and succulent while the stuffing was cooked to perfection. I choose to pop the stuffing in my bird and I have to say, it tastes fantastic every time so why have the choice? I say stuff that bird people!!

Perfect roast potatoes were served (soft and fluffy on the inside, while the outside was a golden crunch). Green beans were sauteed in butter with almonds and then finished with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt and pepper just before serving.

Our last vegetable was roasted pumpkin that I lightly drizzled in agave syrup just before removing from the oven to give that a natural sweetness which complimented the Italian sausage, walnut and cranberry stuffing. Seriously, after all that food dessert just seems like a joke.....alas when I popped the pecan pie on the table everyone had their forks at the ready and all said yes to servings of double cream.

I am feeling full again just typing this! As you can see by the photos, we had a wonderful feast with wonderful friends. Nic and I are so happy we finally got to enjoy one of our favourite holidays again with new friends and memories of old, wonderful friends we hope to share another Thanksgiving with one day in the not to distant future.

Pork ribs- Family favourite

Do I really have to write anything?
 The kids faces say it all really. I could of put chopped liver and raw onion in the salad and I don't think they would of even noticed, just as long as there were enough ribs to go round!

 I can't say enough about how delicious pork ribs are (American style that is, you have to have American style here in Australia otherwise you automatically get Chinese style ribs and they are soooo different). American style have chunks of meat on the bone, you can pick them up like a lamb chop and gnaw until you have sucked that little beauty dry! Chinese style are more like short ribs, they have a lot more fat, you can't pick them up like a chop and the knuckle bone gets a bit chewy after a while but when cooked right, they are also to die for.

I think the reason I love American ribs so much is the fact they are so easy to prepare as a family meal, not to mention there a kick arse crowd pleaser every single time......With the left over sauce I treated the guys at work to ribs for lunch the following day and they were in heaven. As one of my friends said "these are the best meat sweats I've had in ages"- love it!

Ok, so ribs in the oven, happy days, cooking away while I make a yummy shaved fennel and broad (fava) bean salad with a few chunks of cucumber for crunch. Once you peel the beans, it's pretty much 1,2,3 and into the salad bowl. I gave the salad a light lemon dressing, I thought the tang of lemon would go great with the ribs not to mention the oven roasted chips.
All my dressings are the standard measurement of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil and added to it I always smash a garlic clove to slowly release the oils into my vinagrette, add a pinch of salt and pepper then shake and leave to infuse.

I have never seen Alex eat so may ribs in all my life, I think he must of been on a growth spurt or eating for all the days he missed last week when he was sick.
 I did think on my feet however and only let him eat his second lot of ribs if he ate some salad first...this stratigy worked wonders and I don't think he even knew he was eating fennel, or at least he did make his usual noises of  'what is this stuff you are trying to make me eat?'
As for Max....well he was in a meat heaven, we didn't hear much from him.

Spring lamb for dinner

I was walking through the fruit and veg shop the other day and put a container of marjoram in my trolley instead of oregano. They do look very similar at a glance and I have to confess I never buy marjoram. I have a problem with the after taste and the bitterness that creeps up on you. Anyway, once I was home it was to late to exchange so I decided to give it one last go.
I love fresh oregano with lamb; a little part of me wishes I grew up on a Greek Island helping Nonna in the kitchen.
In my twenties I toured around Turkey and then Island hopped over to Crete with my last 50 pounds in my pocket. My friend Sophie was a dreamer and insisted we would have a fabulous summer in Greece instead of flying back to wet old London. It was kinda hard to argue the point with the sun shining, a cool drink in my hand and over looking the blue stretch of ocean with Greece just over the horizon.

 Once caution was thrown to the wind and we boarded the ferry, it would be 3 glorious months of summer for the two of us. I have to say, that 50 pounds went a long way, however, my days spent walking along the beaches, scooting up to remote bakery's because we were told they make unbelievable spanakopita, and watching old fisherman smash freshly caught octopus on the jetty 100 times to tenderise it, were coming to an end.
 For us to stay and eat our weight in Greek salads, gyros, lamb and anything else we could afford Soph and I needed a job. My first thought was to scout around the kitchens, but I soon got told women don't work in the kitchens (young women that is) and that we should go and see the man up the street. Well the man (and yes his name was George) owned a club and needed English speaking servers so thus began our life as a server/bar attendant in a club called the Cinema club. I can tell you one thing, I would of preferred the kitchens any old day, however, Sophie was made of the job!

Right, bit if a side track but right back to our spring lamb.......My favourite way to eat lamb is as a chop. They are tender, juicy and succulent. I always do a very basic marinade of smashed garlic, lemon rind, black pepper and fresh oregano with a good drizzle of olive oil. Left to infuse, I find these flavours really compliment the lamb and allow me to make a yummy side dish bursting with flavour. If we had managed to buy a grill yet, then I would of been in complete lamb heaven, however that is a Christmas gift Nic and I are giving each other this year so I need to be patient for a few more months...or should I say weeks!

I served our lamb chops with wholemeal couscous flavoured with orange and lemon rind then complimented it with brocollini and asparagus, steamed and lightly tossed in aioli. For us, a perfect way to welcome spring into our home.
You might be wondering about all the garlic? we have been all suffering the dreaded colds and fevers here so I thought we needed a good dose of natural love.

I didn't really set out to write about 90% of what I have down, but that's OK. I will tell you however that the marjoram wasn't so bad after all and that I could very well finish the remaining leaves off in another dish during the week, so here's to revisiting old dislikes and having a pleasant surprise.