Green Curry Crab Noodles with Sprout & Coconut Salad This is definite Em s signature dish. A little fusiony (I am aware that is not a word but I just made it one) and with the ever present crunchy Asian style salad on top. You may be getting sick of this style of dish but personally, I never will. It was almost like eating a creamy pasta with the slippery fettuccine-like rice noodles, coated in a fresh and zesty, made-from-scratch green curry sauce. It was really quick and tasted so much better than the jar variety. Making the paste from scratch also allows you to control the chilli content as sometimes the green variety can be rather lip swelling (in my Son s experience). Crab can also be a little expensive but a little goes a really long way and no fear, you do not have to pick the crab meat from the crab. Your fishmonger sells it in a handy tub! I really loved this dish.
If you can t get crab or don t like it, this would be really nice with chopped prawns, about 200-300gm of prawn meat ought to do it. Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 15 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Serves 4 (perfect for a wee dinner party) 220gm tub of crab claw meat (available at most seafood shops) 400gm tin of coconut cream Juice of 1 lime 2 tbs of fish sauce 1 level tbs of palm or slightly less of brown sugar 4 serves of flat rice stick noodles 150gm of snow peas, strings removed and julienned (sliced thinly top to bottom) For the Curry Paste: 2 garlic cloves 3 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped 1 stalk of lemon grass, finely chopped
2 spring onions, roughly chopped 4 Kaffir lime leaves 3 long green chillies, roughly chopped (I removed the seeds but optional) 1 bunch of coriander roots and stems, very well washed to get rid of any grit 1 tsp of dried shrimp paste 2 tbs of fish sauce 1 tsp of palm or brown sugar For the Crunchy Topper: 1 cup of bean sprouts A handful of snow pea sprouts, bottoms trimmed and discarded 2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal 1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes Place all the ingredients for the curry paste in the food processor and pulse until you have a nice fine paste. Reserve half for this dish and freeze the rest for later use. Place the bean sprouts, snow pea sprouts and spring onions in a small bowl and cover with iced water. Drain just before serving and toss through the toasted coconut.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 6-8 minutes. Drain and run under hot water to rinse. Heat a wok or large pot and add a little oil. Fry the curry paste for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the coconut cream, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes before adding the crab and snow peas, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the drained noodles. Toss well to combine. Divide the crab curry between four serving bowls and place a nice pile of the crunchy salad on top to serve. Chicken, Preserved Lemon & Green Olive Meatballs with Fetta, Mint & Pistachio Crumble
I will admit, I am a huge fan of a meatball. There is something so satisfying about biting into these little morsels that can be flavoured with pretty much anything. I am also a lover of bowl/fork food. One pot wonders that are packed full of flavour and are extremely lenient on the purse strings. I am sure it stems from our days when my husband was a full time Uni student and we had two little mouths to feed. Back in the day it was the stock standard meatball, today they are taken to new heights with the exotic flavours of Morocco and an exciting topping that exceeded all our expectations. Really yum. Prep time: 30 minutes $$ Medium Budget Cooking time: 25 Minutes Serves 4-5
500gm of chicken mince 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced 2 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded and skins finely chopped 10 pitted sicilian olives, finely chopped 1/4 cup of raisins 1 tsp of ground cumin 1 tsp of ground coriander 1/2 tsp of paprika 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes (optional if you are making them for little people) 1/2-1 cup of breadcrumbs (use half at first and if the mixture is still quite sticky add a little at a time) 1 egg Finely chopped stems of 1 bunch of coriander Cracked black pepper Cous cous or rice to serve For the Sauce: Olive oil for frying 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 brown onion, halved and sliced 1 tsp of ground cumin 1 tsp of ground coriander 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 cup of chicken stock 400gm tin of diced tomatoes 2 tbs of tomato paste 1 tsp of sugar Sea salt and pepper 1 cup of chopped coriander leaves For the Crumble: 100gm of fetta, crumbled 1/4 cup of pistachios, roasted in a dry pan and chopped roughly 2 tbs of chopped fresh mint Heat a large heavy based pan and add a little oil. Fry the onion until soft and then add the garlic. Fry for a further minute before sprinkling over the spices. Stir for approximately 1 minute and then add the lemon rind and juice. Scrape the bottom of the pan to lift the spices before pouring in the stock, tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with
salt, pepper and sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce to a simmer while you make the meatballs. Place the chicken, garlic, preserved lemon, chopped olives, raisins, spices, coriander stems, breadcrumbs, egg and ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to combine the mixture. When combined, wet your hands and roll golf ball sized meatballs, adding them to the sauce as you go. When you have finished, gently spoon sauce over them and place a lid on. Cook for 15 minutes, turning the meatballs once until they are cooked all the way through. I usually test one by cutting it in half, part of the privilege of being the cook is that you then get to eat that meatball. Place the crumble ingredients in a small bowl and toss gently with your fingers to combine. To serve, divide cous cous between 4 serving bowls. Top with the meatballs and sauce and sprinkle over the crumble. Enjoy
Beef Brisket & Porcini Lasagne I have been meaning to do something with the fabulous cut of beef brisket for quite a while. Why? Cheap, full of flavour and just like the Pulled Pork Lasagne on the website, it is largely a set and forget type meal. Bung it in the slow cooker in the morning, come home to a house where the smell makes you drool as you enter the door and all you have to do is make a béchamel, pull the beef apart and assemble the lasagne. Brilliant! Your kids will also love you for this one and if they don t like mushrooms, don t tell them they are in it and believe me, they will never know. Forgive the photo, it is really hard to photograph lasagne fresh from the oven. I do pride myself on the fact that every photo you see on this website is of the meal I am about to heartily tuck into. No food styling here, just the real deal!
Prep time: 40 Minutes on low $ Low Budget Cooking time: 8 Hours Serves 8 large Em style portions (control not my strong suit but you can freeze the leftovers for another meal :0) Olive oil for frying 1.2kg of beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat but leave some for flavour 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1 large brown onion, diced 20gm of dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes 2 large portobello mushrooms, diced 1/2 bunch of thyme, tied with string 1.5 cups of red wine 700ml of tomato pasta 1/2 cup of tomato paste 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp of sugar Sea salt and cracked pepper 1 1/2 packets of Latina fresh lasagne sheets (freeze the leftover in a ziplock bag for next time)
1 cup of tasty cheese 1/2 cup of grated parmesan 1 tsp of paprika for dusting A sprinkle of dried oregano for garnish For the Béchamel: 80gm of butter 1/2 a cup of plain flour 4 cups of milk 1/2 tsp of grated nutmeg (fresh is best but dried will do) 1/2 a cup of freshly grated parmesan Sea salt and black pepper Once the porcini s have soaked for 15 minutes, drain them and set aside the liquid for later use. Finely chop the porcini and set aside. Heat a large heavy based frypan. Rub the brisket with a little oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place it in the pan and allow to caramelise for 4 minutes either side or until golden. Remove from the pan and place it in the slow cooker. Set the temp to high, just to get it going and then turn to low when you add the sauce.
In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed and lightly fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic, mushrooms and porcini along with the bundle of thyme (yes, throw the whole lot in) and continue to fry until the mushrooms are softening. Pour in the wine and allow to reduce for 3-4 minutes before adding the passata, 1 cup of the porcini liquid, balsamic vinegar and the tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes. Give the sauce another stir and then pour it over the top of the brisket in the slow cooker. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the sauce, this helps to keep the moisture in. Pop the lid on and leave for 8 hours. I you are home, give it an occasional stir but if not just make sure the brisket is fully immersed in the sauce. To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a large saucepan. While the butter is melting, season with salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, sprinkle over the flour. Mix well with a whisk and allow the mixture to cook for a minute or two, before adding the milk a little at a time and continuing to whisk. The mixture will thicken very quickly so keep whisking to avoid lumps. When all the milk is added to the mixture, allow it to come up to a simmer before adding the parmesan. Stir right into the corner of the pan until the cheese has melted and set aside. To pull the beef apart, remove the beef (leaving the sauce behind) from the slow cooker and place it in a shallow baking dish. Remove the thyme sprigs too and discard. All of the leaves will be left behind in the sauce. Use a couple of forks to pull the pork apart into nice mouth manageable chunks so that it is lovely and stringy. It should literally fall apart. Once shredded, return the beef to the sauce in the
slow cooker and stir well to combine. Pre heat the oven to 180. To assemble the lasagne, coat the bottom of a large lasagne dish with a little olive oil. Lay the lasagne sheets on the bottom in a single layer (I cut my sheets to fit so there are no gaps) and top with a third of the beef mixture, spread out evenly. Top with more lasagne sheets and spread over a third of the bechamel. Top with lasagne and repeat the process two more times so the top layer is bechamel. Sprinkle over the cheeses, a light smattering of paprika and a sprinkle of oregano and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Remove the lasagne from the oven and allow it to rest for approximately 5-10 minutes (cover with a piece of foil if you wish). Allowing it to rest makes it a lot easier to serve. Divide the lasagne into 8 generous portions and serve with a crisp green salad. You can also do the beef in the oven, same process but in a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid. Pop the oven on about 150 C a cook for 41/2-5 hours, stirring and turning the beef periodically. The brisket is ready when it literally falls apart.
Pork, Pancetta & Sage Pot Pies with Parsnip Topper Well this is an extremely exciting moment for me. Recipe Number 400!! That is a whole lot of foodie love, a hell of a lot of eating, cooking, writing, insomnia and a lot of blood, burns, sweat & tears. There have been a few failures along the way and I have to say that since the start of this food obsession of mine, my skills in the kitchen have improved somewhat and I can happily say that the successes far outweigh the failures. So happy to be able to share this moment with you and I have realised my main goal for this website is to get people cooking healthy, interesting food. We are blessed my friends, with an abundance of fresh produce, a melting pot of cultures and the ability to be able to source recipes and ingredients from around the globe with a few clicks on a keyboard. I am right now thanking my lucky stars!
So..onto recipe number 400 (I get all tingly just writing that). Slow cooked pork, pancetta and sage in a rich, white wine laced gravy. Fabulous. Topped with a creamy parsnip mash. Fabulouser (I just made up that word). The ingredient that really made this dish (in my eyes) is the little pieces of apple that gave the dish the perfect balance. Prep time: 30 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Cooking time: 3 Hours Serves 4 800gm of pork scotch fillet, cut into 2.5cm pieces 8 slices of flat pancetta, chopped 1/2 a bunch of sage, stems removed and chopped finely 1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped 1 large brown onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced 11/2 tbs of plain flour 1 cup of dry white wine 11/2 cups of chicken stock 1 tbs of good quality balsamic vinegar Sea salt and cracked black pepper For the Parsnip Mash:
2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into large chunks 2 medium cream delight potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks 40gm of butter 100ml of pure cream Sea salt and pepper 1 tbs of chopped fresh sage 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top Heat a large heavy based pan and add a little oil. Brown the pork in batches, on all sides until golden and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, fry the pancetta until golden. Remove from the pan and then fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and sage leaves, fry for a couple of minutes and then add the chopped apple. Stir to combine and then return the pork and pancetta to the pan. Sprinkle over the flour and allow the flour to cook for a minute or so in the pan juices. Don t worry if the bottom of the pan is brown and caramelised. Add the wine, balsamic and stock and use a wooden spoon to lift all of that goodness from the bottom. Season with a little salt and a good sprinkling of pepper and stir on a low heat until the sauce starts to thicken and simmer. Place a tight fitting lid on and cook for 11/2 hours (still on a low heat), stirring occasionally. Lift the lid from the pan and allow the sauce to reduce for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 C Place the parsnips and potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Pop a lid on and bring to the boil for 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and roughly mash with a potato masher before using a wooden spoon to beat in the butter, cream and sage. Season well with salt and pepper. Use a large pie dish or 4 small individual pie dishes. Place the pork mixture in the bottom of the dish/dishes and then top with the creamy mash. Use a fork to spread the mash to the edges and top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden. Allow the pies to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating as they will be piping hot. Serve with steamed greens. Seared Salmon with Ginger Rice & Peanut Lime Leaf Dressing
I knew exactly how I wanted this dish to taste. Fresh and light but with a dressing that packed a punch. A punch it did. Gorgeous pan seared salmon on fragrant rice with a dressing that took just minutes to make this dish was so easy and had every element that great Asian food delivers. Hot, sour, sweet, salty, crunch. Perfection on a plate.. Prep time: 25 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Cooking time: 20 Minutes Serves 4 Peanut oil for frying (vegetable will also do) 4 x 200gm salmon fillets, skinned and boned
1 cup of jasmine rice 11/2 cups of water A sprinkle of sea salt 1 tsp of grated ginger 2 spring onions, the white part finely sliced (up to abut the half way point) green part reserved for garnish 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped 1 long red chilli, roughly chopped (remove the seeds if preferred but a little heat really makes the dish) 1.5 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped 4 sprigs of coriander, roughly chopped 2 sprigs of mint, leaves removed & stalks discarded 4 Kaffir lime leaves, rolled together and roughly sliced Juice of 2 limes 2 tbs of fish sauce 2 tbs of rice wine vinegar 11/2 tbs of caster sugar 1/2 a cup of granulated peanuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden Steamed baby bok choy to serve Place the garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, lime leaves & mint in a small processor or blender and blitz until you have a dry pesto like consistency.
Place the fish sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar and caster sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add the asian aromatics from the processor and stir to combine. Have a little taste and adjust any seasoning to your liking. It should be hot, salty, sweet & sour. Set aside. Slice the leftover green part of the spring onions very finely from top to bottom and place in a bowl of iced water. They will go curly and make a lovely garnish. Place the rice, water and ginger in a saucepan and add a good pinch of sea salt. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on. Simmer for 12 minutes and then remove from the heat. Quickly remove the lid and pop in the sliced spring onions, place the lid back on and allow to rest for 5 minutes. The spring onions will wilt and be just cooked so you won t have that raw onion flavour. Heat a griddle or fry pan to nice and hot. Drizzle a little peanut oil over the salmon fillets and massage the oil into the fish. Cook on a high heat for approximately 4 minutes on each side until golden for medium. Just leave the fish in the pan longer if you like it well done. Stir the spring onions through the rice with a fork and fluff the rice. Divide the rice between four serving plates, placing the rice on one side of the plate. Lay the steamed Baby Bok Choy along side the rice and then place a piece of salmon on each plate diagonally over the rice and greens.
Spoon over the dressing and sprinkle over the roasted peanuts. Drain the green onions and place a lovely little pile on top and serve.