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

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.

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.

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.