Stuffed Vine Leaves #2

As I am still looking for a stuffed vine leaf recipe that I really enjoy, I thought about mixing 2 recipes together to see what it tasted like. These ones I quite enjoyed.

- 1 cup cooked brown rice- 3 tablespoons olive oil                

- 300g lamb mince

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 1 clove minced garlic

- 1 teaspoon beef stock powder

- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

- 1 teaspoon dried mint

- 2-3 cups beef stock 

- 1 jar vine leaves

1. Heat oil in a pan and add meat, garlic and cinnamon and cook until meat is all brown. 

2. Add the stock powder, rice, tomato paste, parsley, and mint and mix well.

3. Roll the mixture tightly into rinsed leaves.

4. Line the bottom of a sauce pan with 2 layers of unstuffed leaves and layer the stuffed leaves on top. 

5. Pour the stock over the tops of the leaves and add water if needed to cover the tops. Place something heavy on top to keep the leaves down.

6. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes until leaves are tender.

Red chicken curry

The day after I made this, I was watching The Cook and the Chef and the chef said he likes to used coconut "cream" for hot curries. So next time, as much as I enjoy the heat of this dish, I might try it with the cream.

- 3 medium size chicken breasts, diced
- 3 medium potatoes, diced

- 1 red capsicum, sliced                          
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 cup boiled, then mashed pumpkin
- 2 large tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt

1. Cook chicken until golden and set aside.

2. In the same pan, add onion and fry for 2 minutes or until lightly coloured.

3. Add garlic, ginger, curry paste, curry powder, tomato paste, pepper,salt, pumpkin and the bay leaf. Then add the milk and water and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the cooked chicken and potato. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and sauce is slightly thickened. 

Lamb stuffed zucchini

Years ago, the first time I tried to make stuffed zucchini, i tried scooping out the insides with a spoon. As you could probably imagine, this was unsuccessful and pretty tiring on the arms. After watching on You Tube  how they're normally done, I finally found the instrument people normally use for only $3.50! 

- 6 large white zucchinis, washed

- 1 cup uncooked rice

- 300g lamb mince

- 2 cloves minced garlic                   

- 1 teaspoon mixed spice

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon dried mint

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 2 cups beef stock

- 2 cups water

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Cook rice until tender.

2. While rice is cooking, prepare zucchinis by washing well and scooping out the insides. 

3. Once rice is cooked, mix in the mince, garlic, spices, mint and butter in a bowl.

4. Stuff the mixture into the hollowed out zucchinis (don't be shy and under stuff them)

5. Place zucchinis in a large pot, cover with beef stock, water, and lemon juice and cook until zucchinis are tender. Around 1 hour. 

6. Serve with Koosa soup, or by themselves. 

Koosa soup

Years ago, one of my friends' mum made stuffed zucchini and the most delicious white soup to go with it. I still don't know how she made it, but this one reminds me so much of it. Still doesn't taste the same though.

- 4 medium zucchini                        
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 5 cups of milk
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 cup cream

1. Scrub zucchini and remove ends. Cook in boiling water until tender. Remove and chop thoroughly, reserving the cooking water. Saute the onion in butter until transparent.

2. Blend 1 cup of the reserved water with the cornflour until smooth, add to the onion. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring. Add zucchini, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Before serving, whisk in cream. Don't boil it or  it will curdle!

sweet and sour pork

- 1/2 kg pork loin, sliced into chunks
- 1 small can pineapple chunks          
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 red capsicums, sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 tablespoons cornflour
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves minced garlic

1. In a pot, boil pork in 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until tender, then drain. (keep the pork stock for later.)

2. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour and the soy sauce then coat the pork with it.

3. Fry the pork in a pan until golden. Set aside.

4. Dissolve the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornflour in 1/2 cup of the pork stock and set aside.

5. Saute the garlic and onion in the oil, then add the capsicum, pineapple chunks (including the juice), tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the dissolved cornflour stock. Stir until thickens.

6. Serve with rice.

Oysters Kilpatrick

I don't normally like to eat to eat seafood, but this day, decided to give oysters a go. I liked it for a second, but remembered what I was eating. Next thing, it's in the sink.

- 4 oysters                                              
- 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce              
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 4 teaspoons bacon

1. Open the oysters if they're not already.

2. Put the butter and sauce in a pan, heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling slightly.

3. Put opened oysters in an oven proof dish, and pour the sauce over them.

4. Sprinkle bacon over the top.

5. sprinkle pepper over the oysters.

6. Put oysters under a medium - hot grill for 3-4 minutes.  

Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel

This was the first time I attempted to cook pork, and I was hoping the crackling would work as my mum absolutely loves it. Unfortunately it did not work. Maybe I didn't rub the "salt" in properly, but it all crumbled up. So maybe next time, it would be an idea maybe just to use plain salt.

- 1 kg pork belly, skin scored              
- 2 bulbs of fennel, cut into sixths              
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- 1 cup white wine

1. Preheat your oven to its maximum temperature.

2. In a large roasting tin, toss the fennel pieces and whole garlic cloves, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sea salt, lots of pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

3. With a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds and 1 tablespoon of the sea salt to a powder. Dry the pork belly thoroughly and then rub the skin of the pork belly with this powder. Place the pork belly on top of the fennel in the roasting tin, skin side up. Place it into the preheated oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees celcius.

4. After slow roasting for 1 hour, take the roasting tin out and drain any fat that has accumulated. Pour the wine, taking care not to splash the skin of the pork belly. Return to the oven. After another hour, take the pan out and remove the fennel and keep warm. Return the pan to the oven. Add more wine or water if it looks like the pan is drying out. After a final hour, remove the pan from the oven. If the skin doesn't look crackly enough, increase the heat of the oven and place the skin close to the heat element, checking frequently. Let the pork belly rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving. 

Fasolada

As the cold wet season is approaching, it is great weather to try new soups.

This recipe required  me to use a can of haricot beans. As i couldn't find them in the supermarket, I used a can of  Fagioli beans instead. 

- 1 can fagioli beans

- 1 large onion, finely chopped

- 2 carrots, diced

- 2 tablespoons finely sliced celery leaves

- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

- 150ml tomato juice

- 150ml olive oil

- salt and pepper

1. Drain and wash the beans well. 

2. Add beans to a deep pan and cover them with boiling water (about 2 fingers above the surface of the beans).

3. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour or more. (until the beans are tender)

I felt like this soup was missing something. I added more salt, but that didn't help, so I added a little bit of dried  mint, and it worked in quite well. 

Lemon Cream Veal

- 500g veal steak
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons dry sherry        
- 4 tablespoons oil
- salt and pepper
- flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- chopped shallot tops
- 60g almond meal
- 90g + butter
- 1 tablespoon oil extra
- 1/2 cup cream

1. Combine lemon juice, sherry, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add veal and mix well. Stand for 2 hours.

2. Drain veal and reserve marinade. Coat veal in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. dip in beaten eggs, then coat in combined crumbs, rind, parsley, shallots and almond meal, pressing firmly.

3. Heat butter and extra oil in a large fry pan. Cook veal on both sides until golden and cooked through. Remove and keep warm.

4. Add reserved marinade to butter mixture in pan. Bring to the boil and season. Remove from heat. Stir in cream and parsley. Serve with sauce. 

Carrot Walnut Cake

- 2 cups self raising flour

- 1 teaspoon mixed spice                
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 cups grated carrot (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten


1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Prepare a round cake tin.

2. Sift flour, spice and cinnamon in a bowl. Add sugar, carrot, walnuts, oil and eggs. Stir to combine.

3. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Fudgy Chocolate Guinness Cake

- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1cup sugar
- 7 tablespoons cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder        
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup guinness
- 1/2 cup strong coffee
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Prepare a round cake tin.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

3. In a measuring cup, mix the guinness, coffee, water, vanilla and vinegar together. Stir this into the flour mixture, then add the oil. Combine until you have a smooth batter.

4. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 35 minutes. 

Lebanese Bread Salad

- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 bunch mint, finely chopped

- 1 bunch radishes, diced                    
- 3 cucumbers, seeds removed, diced
- 5 tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
- 2 red capsicums, diced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- Lebanese bread to serve

1. Chop up all vegetables and mint and parsley and toss altogether.

2. Make dressing by combining lemon juice and olive together in a small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with Lebanese bread that has been fried crisp. 

Italian Goulash

- 1 teaspoon olive oil

- 1 lb beef mince            
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups of roasted tomato, onion, and garlic marinara (I used the brand Dolmio)
- 12 oz macaroni, cooked
- fresh basil, sliced thinly

1. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add mince, capsicum, garlic, then season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add marinara, stir until mixed thoroughly. Simmer for 1-2 hours so the flavours combine.

2. Combine the cooked macaroni with the sauce, add the basil and mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

spiced beans

- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

- 4 cloves garlic, crushed              
- 1 medium onion, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 kg green beans, trimmed
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
- 3 cups water

1. Heat oil in a fry pan and add the cumin seeds, stirring often for 1 minute until fragrant.

2. Add the garlic and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring often, until soft and lightly browned.

3. Add the tomato paste and paprika, cook stirring occasionally, until tomato paste is lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes,chickpeas, and 3 cups of water, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook partially covered, stirring occasionally until very tender, about 1 hour. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to let the flavours infuse. 

Lentils, macaroni and rice

- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 cup macaroni

- 1 cup long grain rice                
- 1  cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 3 mint leaves
- 1  teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste

1. Cook the lentils in 3 cups of  boiling water with a teaspoon of salt until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Cook the rice in boiling water, drain and allow it to cool.

4. Heat oil in a fry pan and add the onion and garlic and sautee until tender. Stir in tomato puree, cinnamon, sugar and salt as required. Add the mint and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Mix together with the lentils, macaroni, chickpeas and rice.  

cauliflower soup

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 medium onion, diced small              
- 3 carrots, diced small
- 3 stalks celery, diced small
- 1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 litre chicken stock
- sour cream to serve with it

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until tender. Turn the heat to low and add the cauliflower and parsley. Stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes.

2. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat  and allow to simmer until the cauliflower is completely tender.

3. Stir the soup as it simmers and thickens and blend it until smooth. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. 

Pineapple cashew quinoa

- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

- 1/4 cup water                                        
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3/4 cup salted cashews, toasted
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1can pineapple with the juice reserved

1.  Bring the water, soy sauce, and 1 cup of the reserved pineapple juice to the boil. Add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

2. Add the oil to a fry pan. Add the carrots, capsicum, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Add the pineapple chunks and heat through.

3. Add the quinoa and cashews and stir to combine.