Paella the kids love

How can you not love a good paella?
Easy to whip up, full of yummy seafood, chorizo and spice not to mention it's excellent for filling my growing boys hollow legs!

I sometimes forget how simple and quick it is to cook a paella at home, and then once I make it I vow to do it at least once a month.......OK this doesn't happen but seriously it should. I mean, my youngest hates risotto. Won't eat it and curls his lip up at the sight of it, however, when I made a beautiful big pan of paella the other night bursting with mussels, pippis, prawns, chorizo and chicken- he was the fist to dig in!

I have a feeling it had something to do with the fun shellfish aspect of a paella. It's interesting to look at, you can pick up pieces of shellfish in your fingers and then eat a spicy piece of sausage with rice afterwards.....what's not to like about that?

 But then again, I wonder if it was the promise of double choc ice cream that really sealed the deal?

I like to think it really was the seafood but photos do speak a thousand words...right?

Burramundi with Asian flavours

I've been meaning to blog about this meal I made last week. I can still remember the lovely textures and flavours it produced.  I had recently bought Kylie Kwong's  recipe book Simple Chinese Cooking. I love her food, restaurant and t.v stints so I thought I should also own one of her books.

The pictures are beautiful, enticing and vibrant and I was determined to make one of the dishes. Nic came home from work with fresh barramundi and that's when I started flicking through the pages. I finally settled on a steamed fish dish that sounded perfect for the family, however as I went through my fridge and pantry I discovered...
a) I don't have a steamer at home anymore (took it to work, just like everything else I have in the kitchen!)
b) I only had half the ingredients.

I decided to use the pictures in the book for ideas and then create something with my limited supply. I had decided to pan sear the fish and then spoon over a similar ginger and Chinese sherry sauce that Kwong was talking about in her fish recipe- I was getting excited. I'd chopped up the vegetables, pounded my ginger and coriander root; added the sherry, fish sauce etc... when I suddenly remembered I had a packet of Japanese panko bread crumbs in the cupboard. I could taste the dish before I'd made it. Soft, steamed rice with barramundi coated in a light layer of crisp bread crumbs soaking up a the rich Chinese sauce- yumm!
Our fish supper was a success, a beautiful blend of textures and flavours. It was one of those occasions when the table was quiet and all you could hear were the clicking of chopsticks and forks.
 When I eventually get my steamer back I'm going to following Kwong's recipe and see how far off I really was, however the next recipe I will be following in her book is the crispy-skin runny eggs with sweet and sour sauce......the photo is to die for!

Lentils we love

I think by now it is clear my eldest son is not ever going to be a vegetarian. And I think after reading my blogs for a while, readers have come to realize I am as stubborn as a mule when it comes to feeding the family good, tasty food even if that does include the odd meat free variety. I put up with the moody pouts, whining and dry reaches from the boys, as I live in hope that one day they will see I was only trying to develop their taste buds and introduce them to flavours of the world.

So after having said all of this, you will note my surprise and shock when Max scooped up his last spoonful of lentils on this nights dinner and stated
"FINISHED!.....hey, can you believe I finished before ALL of you AND it was vegetarian!!?"
He was right, I was lost in quiet high fives with myself while grinning at him and patting myself on the back. That fact that he went on saying it was pretty good, actually (yes, he really talks like this, bless!) made my day.

Lentils are fabulous and super good for you, and the fact that the kids will devour them with the help of a few chapatis is all good in my books.
Ever since travelling to Turkey in my early twenties where I was introduced to a delicious lentil soup served with natural yogurt, fresh lemon juice and chili flakes I have been hooked on this combination ever since.
 I pulled my fridge apart to see what I could add to my lentil dish. The pumpkin was on its last legs and I thought it would be a great way to thicken my broth and add a bit of depth to the dish. As you can see it is a simple, quick recipe to whip up; perfect for dinner on the fly.
I even took the leftovers to work for lunch the following day and fed them to my business partner and barista. Lisa wanted the recipe as she is always looking for recipes that are gluten free and filling, while Brett informed me the following day, he had loads of energy for his squash game that evening and now wanted to eat lentils before each game.......loving the lentils!

Lentil curry (but not really hot, just yummy....)
2 cups green lentils, pre soaked*
2 cups hot water
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons salt

Strain lentils from soaking water then combine with the above ingredients in a medium saucepan.
Place them on the stove and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.
Once boiling add-
1 cup green capsicum, diced
11/2 cups pumpkin, diced
Bring to the boil again, stir then reduce to a medium low heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1 tablespoon oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground

Heat a separate saucepan on medium heat.
Add oil and add onions, stir to combine and leave for 1-2 minutes.
Add ginger, garlic and saute on low for 3 minutes.
Add remaining spices, stir to combine and cook for a further 3 minutes on low heat.

Once your lentils are soft on the inside, add your onions and stir to combine.
Leave to let the flavours meld together for a few minutes then serve with rice, chapatis, a drop of natural yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a few chili flakes.
If I had some fresh herbs I would of added them also, alas I didn't and still thought it was really yummy.

*I soaked mine the night before as they need at least 12 hours of down time

Two yummy dinners unblogged

I promised myself I would start week 4 of my family meals on time and on target. I got myself to the computer on Monday afternoon of week 4 and realised I haven't given my beef and coriander bake from Thursday night and the grilled fish with lemon and pea risotto from Friday, a mention at all!

With that said I am going to start week 4 tomorrow (surprise, surprise!). I am actually going to print my original beef and cilantro recipe (hoping) people who can easily acquire New Mexican chilies will make this dish because I remember it tasting, so  so delicious when it was made with all the original ingredients. Don't get me wrong, it was very yummy not to mention easy when I made it without the chilies, but I kept on wanting that delicious smoky flavour you get when you cook with the New Mexican chillies.

Friday nights Grilled fish and risotto wasn't exactly 100% 'sticking to the schedule'. Fish was on the menu but instead of risotto it was meant to be with polenta chips. The old story of 'I looked in the cupboards and they were bare....' was the case when I went in search of polenta (kinda forgot to buy it!). So being a quick thinker I swapped week fives -fish kebobs with pea and lemon risotto with week fours -grilled fish and polenta chips... no worries.
I didn't make the kebobs, I was in the mood for grilling so we'll do the kebabs with the polenta and really confuse ourselves.
End result was......
a) really yummy
b) really easy and great for a Friday night.
 We could pop open a bottle of wine,(stir the risotto) have a chat about the day (stir the risotto) and slowly bring the meal together while the boys played with lego and kept themselves amused.
 I love Fridays!
So there you have it, the week started with a detox and ended with two really yummy family meals that got everyone in the family excited. The boys even made the comment that 'dinners are yummier lately..' ..'but why don't we have mac and cheese anymore?' (that is what the weekends are for when mum and dad get to have date night!).

Beef and Salsa Bake with Cilantro

This meal is short on preparation time though needs the hours to cook. I advise you to make the main meal ahead of time on the weekend or during the day if time permits. Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze until needed- then it really is a 20 minute meal when time matters. The chilies used have no heat, only flavor so they are perfect for your toddlers pallet.

FOLLOW THIS ORDER

 Soak chilies 

Make salsa

 Make beef

Boil potatoes 

Make salad

Salsa

2 New Mexico Chilies 

1 garlic clove

1/2tsp salt

1c fresh tomatoes, diced 

1Tbsp lime juice

1.Heat a small fry pan on HIGH heat for 1 minute. Add chilies and turn to color for about 2-3 minutes. Once skin is dark and ‘puffed’ remove. Place in a small container and pour boiling water over chilies- soak for at least 30 minutes. You will need to put a weight on the chilies to stop from floating.

2. Once soft, remove from water, discard seeds and stem then place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse for 40 seconds, until well combined.

3. Leave to one side until needed

Beef

1Tbsp olive oil 

1.5lb sirloin tip steak, 11/2” cubes

 1tsp salt and pinch pepper

 2Tbsp tomato paste

 3 shallots, sliced

 2 carrots, halved lengthways, sliced 1/4-inch pieces 

2 celery sticks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 

1c green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces, top and tailed 

2c chicken stock

 1c salsa

 1/2c cilantro leaves

 1 avocado, peeled

1.Preheat oven to 450. In a 3QT lasagna dish place- oil, steak cubes, shallots, salt, pepper and tomato paste, mix to coat steak cubes. Place in the oven for 20 minutes uncovered to brown.

2.Remove from the oven and add remaining vegetables and stock. Mix to combine making sure the meat is just covered with liquid. Reduce oven temperature to 350, cover and bake for a further 50 minutes. 3.Remove from the oven. Add salsa, stir to combine, recover and place back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.

4. Just before serving add cilantro. Serve with sliced avocado on the side or mixed in with beef.

Potatoes

1lb new potatoes

1tsp salt

Place potatoes in a saucepan and fill to cover with COLD water. Add salt and put on to boil-uncovered. Once boiling let them coo for 5 minutes, remove from the heat, strain and serve.

Cucumber salad

 1 lg cucumber, peeled and seeded

 2Tbsp lime juice 

1/4tsp salt 

1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Place all ingredients into a serving bowl, toss to combine well and serve with beef and potatoes

Ethiopian Chicken

I have been a bit behind in my blogs and I do apolagise. There seems to be an awful lot going on these days and sometimes I wonder how I can fit it all in. I usually look at other blogs and read about so many other

peoples cooking/life experiences but lately I haven't even had time to look at my favorites which I am not to happy about. How do bloggers do it? How do they continually keep their blog updated on a daily schedule, fit everything else into the day and then proceed to blog about the most fantastic meal they happened to whip up in the dinner hour- I don't know?

What I do know is I am trying to keep pace but am slipping! I feel like I haven't cooked an exciting meal in weeks and now I am going to blog about a meal Nic cooked about three days ago when mum was still here because-

a) it was dam fine and

b) it is from my most favorite cooking magazine- Saveur.

As most of you know my hubby is non to shabby in the kitchen. He likes to read a few cookbooks and then try out his version of the recipe at hand. When the April '08 issue of Saveur came out it was the beginning of his best chicken dish yet!

Nic first cooked this for me in April of '08 and I nearly fell off my chair. The flavour was intense, heart warming and I remember feeling duped when I licked my plate clean and there was nothing left but bones sucked dry.

I suggested to Nic he should make it for mum when she was over and he was happy to oblige. The real name for this killer dish is Doro Wot. The only time Nic wasn't really happy with his end result was of course when mum was here. Due to my heavy use of paprika there wasn't as much in the jar as he thought so the above dish was lacking it's usual deep potent redness. I thought the flavour was still wonderful and when you blend in the hard boiled egg with the chicken and sauce you really do feel like you are eating in someone else's home (another reason why I love Saveur so much).

I would love to re write this recipe for you, however when I flip to the page it is filled with handwritten notes in Nic's handwriting and if you have ever had the pleasure of reading Nic's handwriting you'd know it is a no go zone unless you have studied ancient scripts! I will however advise you to find a copy of Saveurs no: 110 issue, flip to page 76 and give it a go. The recipe is not hard and you will be over joyed with the results I promise.

What to do with the leftover roast?

Roast chicken is one of the leftovers my boys will eat. I could lay out a whole chook, tell them it had been roasted a week before and they would happily devour it, but leftover veggies? Not a chance in hell!

I on the other hand will happily eat soft, cold, roasted pumpkin; I've been known to spread it on rolls instead of butter which brings cries of despair from Max & Alex.

I had a plan for the leftovers and one that I knew would work- risotto!

Risotto is the best way to disguise soft roasted vegetables enabling me to slip in the fennel they did not eat the night before because it looked "disgusting".

I make pumpkin risotto quite often so it didn't raise any red flags for the boys when I placed a big steaming bowl of orange risotto in front of them, I even got a 'this is good mum, did you put sugar in?'

Sugar indeed! That is what you get when you pop in the leftover fennel you boys didn't eat last night if you really must know (and no I didn't say that out loud, I just smiled and told them to eat up).

If I had a $1 for every time the kids told me they hated something and would NEVER eat it I'd be awash with gold coins! The fact that they didn't ask if fennel was in the risotto meant that I didn't have to lie to them so everyone wins and I don't have a fridge full of small containers growing mould on them because I'm the only one who will polish them off. Now I just need to find something lurking in there for tomorrow nights tea.

Jambalaya

When I live outside Australia one of my favorite quests is to discover as much food info I can about the country I live in and taste as many excellent examples of the area as possible. Once I have fallen for a certain flavour I usually eat it in anyway, shape or form I can get it and then try to master it myself. For example, when travelling through Spain (especially in the Valencia area) I ate my weight and a bit more in paella. While in Morocco I couldn't get enough couscous peppers and chicken; in Greece it was feta, olives and dacos; in Turkey lentil soup with lemon juice, chilli flakes and yogurt.... you see what I mean.

When living in the States my whole family relished in 101 ways to cook ribs and only one way to eat them and yes it did involve picking them up with your hands and getting dirty- something my newly married friend Sara would be very disturbed at; seriously I have never seen anyone eat a chicken wing with a knife and fork until Chicago but that is a whole other story. We discovered our favorite pancakes were fried banana with real maple syrup, and couldn't get enough of jalapenos, tortillas, guacamole and anything else Mexican (if you have ever eaten Mexican in Australia you'd know what I am talking about!). Because Chicago is such a melting pot of society, when you live there you are spoilt for cuisine and culture and that is just the way I like it.

One of the many places we didn't get to visit during the 6 years we lived in America was New Orleans and that is something I regret and will rectify with my next visit without a doubt. We were fortunate enough to have a very good friend of ours who spent a lot of his time there and loves anything to do with the place so through Aaron's stories and more importantly his food we got a sneak peak into this fantastic food culture.

We would see Aaron in the local park and he would causally mention how he was grilling prawn s for dinner or he had just finished making a pot of gumbo and just waiting for the black beans to cook down. I would spend the rest of my park time willing him to invite me for dinner and I have to say after 5 years of Oohing and Aarrhing I DID get invites and they were and still are memorable dinners.

When we arrived back in Oz I was dying to make some American flavours for friends and family (as you do when you come back from any trip abroad) and also to see if we had similar ingredients over here. One of the dishes I have made is Jambalaya; there are many different varieties as it is a classic New Orleans dish so I hit the shops in Sydney and began my search for ingredients and I am happy to say I didn't have to go far and wide, I managed to find everything I needed at the local Woollies.

Jambalaya is a one pot dish so very appealing to families, it is full of rice, chicken, pork, sausage, veggies and flavour so again another reason to whip it up for friends and family (especially the meat lovers you know). The only advise I will offer is to have ALL your ingredients ready to go BEFORE you start cooking, this way the recipe is really very easy to make and very easy to follow. Right now is the perfect weather for a big ol' pot of jambalaya so don't hold back, give it a go and entice your taste buds to a tiny bit of Americas fabulous cuisine as it is so under rated here in Australia- you don't know what your missing out on!.

Camilla's Jambalaya

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

300g lean pork cut into 3cm cubes (I used a pork rib, minus bone)

2 ½ cups chopped onion

1 cup green capsicum, chopped

¾ cup thinly sliced scallion tops (the green bits)

3-4 sprigs lemon thyme

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 cup smoked sausage, 1cm slices (I used 2 Otto Würth kransky sausages)

3 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon chilli, ground

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground

2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups long grain rice

3 cups water

Method

Wash chicken with cold water then pat dry with paper towel.

Heat a heavy bottom 6 litre saucepan on high and add oil.

Brown chicken pieces making sure to brown all over for optimal flavour. Once pieces are browned place them on a plate until all done.

Once chicken is all browned and removed, add pork, onion, capsicum, scallion, lemon thyme, garlic and parsley.

Stir to combine and brown, reduce temperature slightly and cook for 15 minutes stirring regularly.

After 15 minutes add sausage, salt, chilli, paprika, cloves, and bay leaves, cook and stir for a further 5 minutes.

Add browned chicken, rice and water then mix gently to combine.

Turn up the heat and bring back to a boil- stir then cover with a lid and turn the temperature back down to LOW and cook for 40 minutes.

Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, once ready let sit for a few minutes off the heat then serve straight away.

Serves

6

Rice Pudding

I entered a new (for me) realm of the food world the other week. I was asked to come up with some recipes for a slow cooker aka crock pot. Of course I knew about them I just hadn't ever been introduced to them until now. Growing up in the N.T (Darwin for all you non Australian readers) the last thing you wanted for dinner was a warm stew/casserole waiting for you on the counter or rice pudding for that matter. As far as I was concerned rice was for sopping up your curry sauce, for smearing with peanut sauce or using the leftovers for fried rice.

  I decided to treat the slow cooker as an oven , I could do that- no worries. The thing about an oven is you can have it on, know it is on and never have to look inside it until your alarm goes off or your nose detects an aroma- sometimes good sometimes bad, (like the time I burnt 150 biscuits in one go when I was a first year apprentice-that was bad!). 

I tried very hard to follow all the crock pot directions I read about in books and on the internet- DON'T LIFT THE LID, LEAVE IT ALONE!!

I couldn't do it, as much as I tried, every time I walked into the kitchen there it was sitting there. I mean I was trained to taste food at all stages of cooking. Add a little seasoning here, put some acid in there but never was I ever told to just leave it alone for 9 hours and 'she'll be apples'. For my first recipe it was a long 4 hours to wait!

I read a few rice pudding recipes and never being a fan of the stuff I thought they all sounded yucky. When I told Nic I was thinking of making rice pudding his eyes lit up and walked with a swing in is stride so with that reaction I was going to try extra hard to make it yummy. In the end I decided to treat it like making ice cream. Make a custard and add the flavour to the warm milk. As pastry chef at Campagnola while I was pregnant with Alex I taught myself patience with custards, panna cotta's and meringues. Before this I thought desserts quite tedious and avoided them like the plague (only because my success rate was dismal). Anyhow to cut a long winded story short, when I took the lid off the rice for the third time lets say 20 minutes before it was ready I thought I had it all wrong. It smelt great but the rice was no where near soft. I decided to leave it and see it through till the end. To my absolute delight and shock the rice transformed in those 20 minutes and when I left it for a further 15 minutes the liquid thickened and it actually looked good enough to try.

 I was hooked! It was rich and creamy, a lovely subtle flavour of lemon and vanilla to keep you eating. The rice was soft yet had a little bite to it. Nic agreed and proceeded to eat a hefty serving. Sadly I can't say the same for the boys (they must have my underdeveloped gene for  rice pudding) they wouldn't even try it, Max thought the whole concept 'dumb' "why would I eat sweet rice when I can have ice-cream?' I decided I wouldn't force it upon them but thank god my friend Megan came around with her two year old and he thought it wonderful- I sent her home with the leftovers!

Vietnamese Sausages

When I was at the butchers the other day I noticed a sign 'Vietnamese sausages'. They looked fabulous raw- pink pork mince flecked with red, white and green bits so I decided to buy a few to try. It was Nic's night to cook while my sister and I kicked back on the couch and caught up with all the happenings of the past few years, sipping a lovely glass of Pikes Riesling (hard life I know!).

 Nic decided to stir fry the sausages with beans, capsicum (peppers) onion, ginger, fish sauce and lemon juice. I have to say the smells coming from the kitchen were fantastic. A mixture of lemon, jasmine (from the rice), cilantro and onion were tantalizing our senses and making our mouths water. When we finally sat down to enjoy the feast- about 30 minutes later, we were all in heaven. With my first bite of sausage came a delicious taste of lemon grass and chilli, followed by the crunch of the vegetables and the aroma of Jasmine rice. I was in heaven and the best part about it was I didn't have to cook!

 I do have to say Nic is very handy in the kitchen but we really can't take any credit away from the actual sausage. They were light, fresh and pumped with flavours of Thailand. It was all agreed we will defiantly have to have a supply of these in the freezer kept on standby for many more quick and tasty meals. The boys however complained they didn't look like sausages (Nic cut them into one inch pieces) and 'why can't we have tomato sauce (ketchup) with them?' Once Max bit into them he was sold, Alex was to preoccupied with the fact he had capsicum (peppers) on his plate to even notice the sausages. In the end he ate everything except the onion and peppers stating he was 'to full' to eat any more!

 I am looking forward to playing around with these little beauties. Why stop at a stir fry, there are patties to be made, even burgers or salads. After all there is always more than one way to skin a sausage!

Pumpkin Risotto

One of the veggies I really missed while living abroad were 'jap' pumpkins (squash for our American friends). They have the most beautiful color and texture. When making  soups, muffins or in this case risotto you are in for a treat. The natural sweetness pops out in a flavor burst. The closest squash in the States would have to be an acorn or Del-acarda squash. If you got a butternut squash in prime season, bursting with flavor then it would almost be in the same running.

Simply roasted with a squirt of olive oil, some sea salt and cracked pepper this pumpkin turns any meal into a flavor treat, be it in a warm salad or a side with  roast chicken.

For last nights dinner I made pumpkin risotto. I am getting really fed up with my lack of cooking equipment and electric stove so I decided to make something that only used two pans and with the range turned on HIGH, knew wouldn't fail me. Seriously a wok on electric just doesn't work!

When I make risotto at home I tend to cheat due to the fact I have more than one thing to do around dinner time. I wish I could give you measurements of liquid to rice but I am a guest-a-meter at home and never measure, so if you feel you need the guidelines, just look up any risotto recipe and use the relevant measures or check on the back of the packet.

I put the stock on to boil (chicken) and then peel and cut the pumpkin into half inch cubes in a rough dice. Throw the pieces of pumpkin into the stock and simmer for a few minutes to soften. Once stock has boiled and pumpkin is a little soft turn the heat right down low.

In a large fry pan saute some diced onion and garlic in butter(make the onion about half the size of the squash or small if you can). Once sauteed add the rice, put in some salt and pepper then heat the rice up without any stock, stirring constantly. If you have your rice and stock HOT then it is faster to cook the risotto. 

After a few minutes of stirring the rice, pour in enough stock to cover rice, be careful as the stock will bubble a lot. Give it a stir to ensure even cooking and then leave it to cook, stirring every few minutes so it doesn't stick. When your rice has absorbed 80% of the stock continue to add more so it covers the rice, you might have to flip some of your pumpkin dice into the pan and break it up with the back of the spoon when cooking with the rice. The photo above is how your rice should look.

While your rice is cooking, grate a handful of parmesan cheese and chop up a handful of parsley to throw in while you rest the rice. 

OK, so all your stock is in the fry pan along with your pumpkin, the rice looks fat yet a little liquidy- all good. Taste a piece of rice, if it is soft with a slight 'bite' to it then it is ready to rest.

 Remove from the heat, squeeze half a lemon over risotto (really adds another dimension to the dish) put grated parmesan and parsley on top and then leave to rest for 3-4 minutes. (so pour yourself a glass of wine, set the table what ever). Give your risotto one more stir to combine all ingredients and then pile onto a plate or bowl. If your looking for a meat hit as well, grilled panchetta works a treat on top or crispy bacon.

Limited pots and pans

The sun is shining, kookaburras laughing and cicadas humming outside. Seriously, I haven't seen this much Aussie wildlife around since I was a kid living in Darwin! 

West Ryde has a lot of bush areas and plenty of wildlife thriving much to our delight.

 One aspect of Sydney living that I am not to fond of however is the large presence of electric cooking ranges. We tried to get a house with gas but they were few and far between so I am now trying to wrap my head around electric....I am sure there are 'fans' out there but I am not one of them. 

  Here we are in our house with a big back yard (boys totally ecstatic about that!), electric cooking and our friends camping gear to survive on until god knows when. I have to start coming up with meals that are versatile, yummy and limited to a large fry pan and medium sized pot. Pasta is always a favorite in our family as is a good stir fry, (something I am trying to perfect on an electric top) but the other night I was in the mood for something a little more Mediterranean. There was some leftover rice in the fridge sitting right next a jar of olives and I thought I could make something starting with those ingredients.

 Because the rice was already cooked the whole meal only took about 30 minutes and really only about ten minutes of 'work' time, the rest was the simmering time. If you don't have pre-cooked rice you can use couscous, or cook some more rice and fold it through just before you serve the dish or keep it on side if you prefer it all separate.

Before I begin, I make sure all my ingredients are cut and ready to go. This speeds up the cooking process. Put your piles of vegetables onto a large dinner plate and then scrape them off into the pan as you need them.

Chicken bean and olive one pan wonder

5-6 Chicken thighs cut into medium strips

1 medium onion, roughly diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup green beans cut into 1 inch pieces

1Tbsp tomato paste

1 can whole tomatoes roughly chopped (keeping about half of the liquid for cooking)

1/3 cup calamarta olives (squash slightly to release flavour)

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup water

2 cups cooked rice

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper while fry pan is getting very hot, then brown off chicken strips.

2. Turn heat to medium hot and add onion, garlic and beans to chicken, saute for 3-4 minutes until onion is softened. Add tomato paste and stir through, cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add chopped tomatoes about half the juice from the can, olives, vinegar and water. Reduce the heat to low so the pan is simmering, stirring occasionally. Once sauce thickens (about 7-8 minutes) add cooked rice to cover sauce. (this acts as a 'lid', the steam will help to heat the rice and also adds a starch to your meal).

4. After about 3-5 minutes fold the rice through your chicken and sauce. Remove from the heat, portion out the kids meal then for added flavour you can mix in chopped basil leaves or a hint of chili for the grown ups.

Max and Alex love this dish, it fills them up and they love finding the olives throughout the dish, they are like a 'bonus' treat- gotta love that!

Chicken wings

The other day at work I was boning out some chickens for roasting. We usually make stock from the carcass and throw the wings away, or pop them in the wood oven for a 'kitchen snack'. Right now all the guys are going through a fat stage (??) and are all on diets, so I decided I'd take the wings home for dinner the following evening. The next morning I dropped both boys at school and felt like experimenting so I decide to bone out the wings and stuff them (anything to get out of mopping the floors!). Half an hour went by and I had only boned out 10 wings- it takes longer than I think, knowing I had to pick up Alex in 20 minutes I decide to marinate the rest of the wings and figure out the 'stuffing' later.

OK people, if there is one marinade you try this year let it be this one. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing, just throwing spices and herbs together when I saw them. I have to say this marinate was -DIVINE!! The kids devoured there's in a matter of seconds (I can't say the same for the broccoli) and asked for seconds- there wasn't any sadly.

Chicken marinade

I am sorry I didn't measure anything this time around but when I make them again I'll pay more attention to measurements. In the mean time if you feel like giving it a go, do as I did:

In a mortar and pestle add about one inch of roughly chopped peeled ginger, two cloves of garlic, about 1 and a bit teaspoons of whole black pepper corns (have to be the whole pepper corn for full flavor) a good splash of fish sauce, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, a hand full of cilantro (coriander) leaves and stems chopped up and 1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.

When you have all these ingredients in the mortar begin crushing and pounding them until the pepper corns are all broken up, the leaves and stems of the cilantro (coriander) are bruised and mashed and it all looks to be a rough paste- you can try doing it in a small blender also.

Pour the paste onto the wings and rub with your fingers to get good coverage. Place covered wings back in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours (up to a day) then preheat your oven to 500 (220) and lay them on a tray. Place them in the oven for 6 or so minutes, turn to brown evenly. Once done (approx 10-15 minutes) serve with plain rice and stir-fry veggies- I did broccoli, onion and peppers in oyster sauce.

 For the 'stuffed' wings I grabbed a hand full of pork mince, chopped two little HOT chile's into thin slices, minced one garlic clove, added a whoosh of fish sauce and cut up one green onion (spring onion), finished with seasoning and then stuffed the wings. 

To cook them I had the oven on 500 (to cook the other wings). I heated up some vegetable oil in the wok- about 1/2 an inch. Lightly coated the stuffed wings in corn starch and then quickly fried the skin. Once brown I placed the wings on a tray and finished them in the oven for 5-7 minutes. 

We didn't give these to the kids because they were loaded with chile's and I have to say they were more than happy with the marinated ones. The kick of the chili and texture of the pork made these little beauties finger lickin' good. 

I don't know when I am going to bone out chicken wings again (if ever??) but I do know I will make the marinade over and over...

Let me know if you give it a go, I am still thinking about the flavor this morning!

Dinner on the fly.....

It's Pre-school open day/evening tonight. Of course it is a rush to get out the door, have the boys fed and bathed all to be on time (first meeting I should be on time- right?) for Alex's first schooling experience. 

There was left over bacon and spinach risotto in the fridge from Grammie Pam and Nic's dinner last night. (I swiped a piece of the boys favorite pork lasagna from work the night before which they think is a huge treat). After rolling the risotto mix into tablespoon sized balls, and then shallow frying in olive oil for 5-8 minutes-I served them with a green bean and cucumber salad dressed in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. The crisp outside of the rice balls entice the boys while the soft creamy inner texture seals the deal (I bet they don't even find the spinach).

 I have an hour to go, Max devoured his in under 5 minutes while Alex is dragging (i think he found some spinach!). However I feel confidant we'll make the 6.30 start- I don't dare take them out after 6 with empty stomachs!

Sour kids

Be it, lemons, olives, pickles, feta etc whenever I put one or two of these ingredients in the boys food it is almost a give in they will eat the arugula, spinach or tomato it is paired with (sometimes through gritted teeth)

 Max HATES peas but loves bacon and lemon. Alex pretends to hate peas to show his 'brotherly love' but truly HATES salad. My compromise was this-

I wanted the preserved lemon and pea risotto with crisp panchetta for dinner, knowing the boys would make every face in the world when the green peas came into sight. I wanted the cucumber salad on the side also. To get what I wanted the boys risotto got made into half a dozen mini balls, dusted in corn starch and then lightly pan fried (changing the green peas to brown crisp bits). The cucumber salad was drenched in lemon and olive oil with the crisp panchetta crumbled on top.

 We all sat at the dinner table and everyone is happy until a pea is spotted of course! Still finishing the meal sounded like a better option for Max than going to bed on a half empty stomach. A few tweaks made my life so much smoother in the kitchen and we all enjoyed the delicious flavors of salty/sour. 

Just before bed the boys did ask- 'could we PLEASE have pizza tomorrow night?' I figure they sat threw my dinner request I am sure I can whip up a delicious pizza, after all Jamie Oliver's basic bread recipe has NEVER failed me yet!