Vegetable Strudel

Next time that I make this recipe, I am going to try it with just puff pastry. I found the amount of butter between the layers if pastry became a little sickening. Also, before I tasted this, I wasn't sure of the eggplant as I know I don't like the taste (or texture, I'm not sure which), but it worked perfectly in this strudel.

- 12 English spinach leaves
- 12 tablespoons olive oil                        
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 red capsicum, sliced
- 1 green capsicum, sliced
- 2 zucchinis, sliced
- 2 small Lebanese eggplants, sliced
- 6 sheets filo pastry
- 40g butter, melted
- 20g finely sliced basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 210 degrees celcius and brush an oven tray with melted butter or oil.

2. Heat the oil in a fry pan, add all the vegetables and cook until they've softened. Cool.

3. Brush 1 sheet of filo pastry with melted butter, then put another sheet on top. Continue until you have used up all the 6 sheets.

4. Place the spinach leaves, cooled vegetable mix, basil and cheese along one side of the pastry, leaving a 2cm border. Roll up tightly.

5. Place the strudel seam side down on the oven tray and brush with melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.  

Viennese Cookies

- 100g unsalted butter, softened                 

- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain flour
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
- 30g unsalted butter, extra

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg yolks and vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl and add the flour. Using a knife, mix until the ingredients are just combined and the mixture is smooth.

3. Make flat rounds of the mixture with your hands and place on the prepared tray.

4. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely.

5. Place the chocolate and extra butter in a heatproof bowl and melt them together. Dip one end of the cooled biscuits in the chocolate mixture and let set.

yoghurt cake with syrup

- 185g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 5 eggs, separated                                   
- 1 cup greek style yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bi carb soda

SYRUP:
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cm strip of lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and prepare a cake tin.

2. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg yolks gradually. Stir in the yoghurt, lemon zest, baking powder and bi carb soda.

3. Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form, and fold into the cake mixture.

4. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.

5. FOR THE SYRUP:
Place the sugar and cinnamon stick in a saucepan along with 3/4 cup of water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the zest and juice, then reduce the heat and simmer 5-6 minutes. Strain.

6. Pour syrup over cooled cake.

zesty olive oil cake

- 2 eggs                              

- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a cake tin.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with the electric mixers until well combined. Add the zests, then stir in the oil.

3. Stir in the sifted flour alternately with the milk and juice. Pour into the prepared tin.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Thai Style Fried Rice

- 2 tablespoons oil                             

- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 100g green beans, sliced
- 1 small red capsicum, sliced
- 90g mushrooms, halved
- 2 1/2 cups coked jasmine rice
- 1 teaspoon grated palm sugar
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 10g basil, shredded

1. Heat frypan and the oil. Add the garlic and shallots and fry for 3 minutes, or until fragrant.

2. Add the beans, mushroom and capsicum and stir fry until soft. Stir through the cooked rice and heat through.

3. Dissolve the palm sugar in the soy sauce and pour over the rice. Stir through basil.
 

Creamy Boscaiola

- 500g fettuccine                              
- 1 tablespoon oil                      
- 6 bacon slices
- 200g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups pouring cream
- 2 shallots, sliced

1. Cook the pasta according to packet.

2. In a frypan, heat the oil and add the bacon and mushrooms, cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until golden.

3. Stir in the cream and bring to the boil. Cook over high heat for 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the shallots and toss in the pasta.

Tagliatelle with Veal Wine and Cream

- 500g veal, sliced                                                

- plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 60g butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons beef or chicken stock
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- 600g tagliatelle

1. Cook pasta according to the packet.

2. Coat veal in the flour and melt the butter in a frypan. Add the veal and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the onion to the pan and stir until golden. Add the wine and cook rapidly to reduce the liquid. Add the stock and cream and season to taste. Reduce the sauce again and toss through the veal and pasta.

Lamb with Hokkein noodles and sour sauce

This recipe calls for lamb backstrap, and I absolutely adore this cut of meat. It is so tender and it tastes like beef.

450g hokkein noodles
2 tablespoons oil                                
375g lamb backstap, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
75g shallots, sliced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
125g snow peas, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
15g grated palm sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Prepare noodles to packet.

2. Heat the oil in a fry pan and fry the lamb backstrap. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the shallots, ginger and garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Add the stock, palm sugar and lime juice, toss to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the noodles and meat and heat through.

 

Tagliatelle with salmon and creamy dill dressing

I am not a fan of seafood, and I could not eat this dish as it has salmon in it. But, according to the person who ate this dish, she said it was delicious.

350g tagliatelle
3 tablespoons olive oil                  
7oz skinned and boned salmon fillet
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups cream
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. cook pasta according to the packet. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a fry pan, cook the salmon for 2 minutes on each side and remove. Cut into chunks.

3. In the same pan, add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds, add the cream, dill and mustard powder and bring it to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until sauce thickens.

4. Add the salmon, lemon juice and pasta and gently toss together.  

Pistachio Friands

This was my first attempt at making friands. I had no idea what to expect or what they're supposed to taste like, and do you think I could find a proper friand tin? NOPE. So instead I just used a small muffin tin.


1 1/3 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup plain flour                         
1 cup ground pistachio nuts
160g melted unsalted butter
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
1.2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius, and grease small muffin holes (or a proper friand tin)

2. Combine the icing sugar with the flour and ground pistachios. Add the melted butter, vanilla and the egg whites, and stir with a metal spoon, until just combined.

3. Spoon the mixture into prepared tin.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool.

5. Meanwhile, put the sugar and 1/4 of water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped pistachios.

6. Working quickly, spoon hot sugar mixture over the top if the cooled cakes and sprinkle with extra icing sugar.

Devil's Food Cake

This cake is so moist, and quite easy to make. As with most of the cake recipes I try, I had to leave it in the oven longer than the time it said.

1 1/3 cups plain flour                          

2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
125g unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and grease and line a round cake tin.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa and bi-carb soda into a large bowl. Add the sugar. Combine the buttermilk, eggs and butter, and pour into the dry ingredients. Beat using electric beaters until there are no lumps.

3. Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.  

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake

The first time I tasted quinoa, I wasn't really a fan. Honestly, I don't I cooked it long enough, making it feel like I was eating half cooked rice, which as you could imagine, wasn't very pleasant. So, I found, to cook quinoa, all it is is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. Bring it to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. This recipe calls for cooked quinoa.

 

 

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup of your favourite pasta sauce
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, divided
• 1 cup tomatoes, halved
• 6 leaves of basil cut into ribbons
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius/.

 

2. Heat tomato sauce and tomato paste over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream, parmesan, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa.

 

3. Fold in half of the mozzarella and half of the tomatoes, then chop 6 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire quinoa mixture into the dish. Top with shredded mozzarella and the remaining tomatoes.

 

4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.