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Monday, 24 December 2012

Rock Lobster!!


So it's Christmas time again, and one popular dish 
here in Australia is seafood. I am not a fan of seafood, but  I decided to try a lobster. I was hoping that it was going to taste a little more like crab, but I found it tasted more like a prawn.   

I was shocked at the amount of meat you get out
of a lobster... Worth the money. Maybe if I actually
tried the lobster in a proper dish, not just tasting it
by itself, I might like it. 

I had absolutely no idea how to  crack the lobster,
so I checked on YouTube. I will post the video further down. It's a really easy helpful video. Once you know what to do, it's quite easy... you break the tail off and peel the shell off and break the legs off and get the meat out of them (see video below)
my $30 lobster



a close up of its face

They are sharp

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Jamie Oliver

After letting my mum and dad know that I want to work through a cook book (like in the movie Julie and Julia), Santa Clause decided to come seven days early to me, leaving me two Jamie Oliver cookbooks. One is his 15 minute meals, and the other is a limited addition guide to make you a better cook. Flicking through the pages of both, instead of working from one cookbook, I decided to work through part of each. There's some things in both I just know neither myself, my mum or dad would eat. eg. chicken livers. Don't get me wrong, I would taste them, but I'm not sure if I could handle eating them, knowing what it is, and I wouldn't want the dish to go to waste.
Some of the foods I can't wait to try! Like his Greek chicken with herby vegetable cous cous and tzatziki. It was only a couple of nights ago I asked my dad if he ever tried tzatziki. It looks quite fresh if you ask me.
There's blackened chicken with San Fran quinoa salad, where to be honest, it was the word quinoa that got my attention. One day looking through the health aisle in Woolworths, I noticed the bags of quinoa and decided to try it out. I love it, and apparently it's really good for your stomach too.
Then there's spiced chicken with bacon, asparagus and spinach lentils. Two of my newest foods I like... asparagus and lentils. I used to only taste the canned asparagus, which I did not like one bit, but the fresh stuff, wow. It's good.
Grilled steak with ratatouille and saffron rice. Since the movie Ratatouille came out, I've always wondered what it was. Guess I'm going to find out.
For so many years, my mum has wanted to try fresh salmon. We have heard it tastes beautiful, and now I have recipes and instructions on how to cook it.
In case you haven't realized yet, I'm pretty excited to try some of his recipes. They look so yummy.


Thursday, 13 December 2012

Chicken Tikka Masala

I remember making a chicken tikka when I was in school, but I can't remember there being a sauce. I thought I'd try this one, with a tomato, yoghurt and milk base. Was quite nice. I had to cut down on the chilli though, because my mum doesn't handle it much.

- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 small red onion                                
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 200g yoghurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon tumeric
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli
- salt to taste
- 1/2 kg chicken tenderloins

1. Heat the oil in a frypan. Cook the onion until golden. Cook the chicken.

2. Add the ginger, cumin, garam masala, tumeric, chilli, and salt for 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and milk. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 15 minutes.

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

Za'atar Bread

Since I was little, I remember I've always loved what the man in the shop told me was called oregano bread. I would buy it from the Turkish kebab place. A few years ago, I borrowed a cookbook on Middle Eastern cooking from my local library and found out the proper name was "Za'atar". I have just recently "refound" the recipe I wrote down to make it. I find it tastes just like the one I would buy from the shops.



- 1/4 cup sumac
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds      
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons marjoram
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt

the main ingredients
I use this bread as a quick way to a satisfying snack instead  of making my own bread

Combine all your ingredients together and spread a little bit of olive oil on your bread. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of the herb mixture evenly on the oiled bread and grill until the edges of the bread start browning.






Shrimp Salsa

Why do people always think here in Australia, we say "throw another shrimp on the barbie". We hardly do... I'd rather say "throw another snag or steak on the barbie" One thing I absolutely can't stand the taste of is prawns/shrimps. I was going to learn to peel a prawn the night I made this, but freaked out when I picked it up. Thank goodness for my mummy. She had to peel my prawns for me. I will learn how to do it one day though. Cracking the tail and head off, shelling it, and pulling the pooh line out. I didn't taste this dish once I made it, but it was a hit with my mum and dad.



- 2 cups cooked, peeled shrimp/prawn, diced
- 2 tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- juice of 2 limes (this time I only paid $8/kg, unlike the last time I needed limes I paid $20/kg)



Combine all the ingredients together in a glass or porcelain bowl and let it to sit 5 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.  

Julie and Julia


































http://youtu.be/ozRK7VXQl-k  --> this link will take you to watch the trailer.


Ok, so tonight one of my good friends popped in to watch a new dvd he bought with me. He knows how I love cooking, so he thought I would enjoy it. Boy was he right. The movie is Julie and Julia.  The movie is about a woman who has an unpleasant job and To do something she enjoys, she decides to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in one year and decides to write a blog to motivate herself and document her progress.

Watching this movie, it got me thinking. It got me thinking that I would like a challenge that required me to work through a cookbook. Only thing is I'm undecided weather to find an old second hand cookbook (which I really want to buy one day), or to buy a cookbook of a certain cook. As there's so many cooks and chefs out there, I would have to learn about a few. I have a couple in mind, and hopefully the one I decide to follow has a book out. 




 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This was the first time I tasted the Cajun spice. I must admit I do really enjoy it. 

- some fettucine 
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 
- garlic powder   
-  1 tablesoon olive oil
- 1 medium red capsicum, sliced
- 1 medium green capsicum, sliced
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- pepper
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- salt to taste


1. Prepare all your vegetables and in a small blender make a sauce by combining milk, flour and the cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

2. cook pasta according to the packet directions.

3. Heat oil in a large frypan and cook chicken until it is cooked through.

4. Add all the prepared vegetables except for the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Add the mushrooms and season with the salt and pepper to taste. 

6. Add the chicken broth and the cheese mixture and stir for 2 minutes.

7. Add the chicken and pasta and combine well. 

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I found this recipe to have a bit too much tomato sauce in it for my liking. I am not a lover of tomato sauce. I also think it could've been cooked a little longer as my zucchini were still a little bit too hard.

- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots                
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup diced green capsicum
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- 1 teaspoon cumin
-1 teaspoon garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1  1/2 cups tomato sauce


1. To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, saute the garlic. Add the cumin, broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside to use.

2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius. Cut the zucchini lengthways and scoop out the inside. Cut this into small pieces and cook in boiling water for 1 minute.

3. Heat the oil and saute the onion, garlic, and capsicum for 2-3 minutes. Add the boiled zucchini and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano, water and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes. Add the shredded chicken and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Place 1/4 cup of the sauce that you set aside from step 1 on the bottom  of  a baking dish. Place the zucchini halves with the hollowed out sides face up. Stuff the hollows with the chicken mixture and press firmly. Top each with grated cheese and the remaining sauce.

5. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes until the cheese melts. 

Taro Cake

Making this cake, I  got excited because at the end of last year I tasted a taro cake from Parramatta. I've been feeling like some for a few months, and finding a recipe for one I thought my craving would be cured. I was dissapointed with the end result. It was like something was missing, so maybe a little bit of vanilla should be added. 

Taro
*egg yolk mixture:
- 6 egg yolks
- 150g mashed taro
- 150g evaporated milk                             
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 60ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon taro paste *see note #1*
- purple food colouring
- 50g caster sugar
- 180g cake flour *see note #2*

*Egg white mixture:
- 6 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar  
- 100g caster sugar


1. Mix all the egg yolk mixture ingredients together until smooth.

2. Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar and gradually add the sugar, until stiff peaks form. 

3. Fold the stiff egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

4. Bake in a pre heated oven of 170 degrees celcius for 45 minutes. 

NOTES:

#1: To make taro paste, mash a little bit of taro up and add a tiny splash of olive oil and a pinch of    sugar and mix well.


#2: Cake flour is not available in Australia, so I looked it up on Google. It said that a lot of people use self raising flour in its place, but it isn't right. To make cake flour, you have to mix cornflour and plain flour together... 1 part cornflour to 3 parts plain flour. So for this recipe, 180g of cake flour would be 60g cornflour and 120g plain flour.