Tag Archives: family

Pan Fried Salmon with Spicy Cauliflower “Rice”

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When you’ve been cooking as long as I have it’s not often you come across a technique you’ve never seen before. Cooking is a bit like fashion. Old recipes and ingredients are revived and tweaked, but there’s very little that’s totally new.

So as I was flicking through an old Delicious magazine recently and saw a recipe for making cauliflower into rice I thought, now that’s interesting, I wonder if it works? Well it does.

Here the rice is flavoured with coconut milk and cashew nuts and served with pan-fried salmon. But once you have the basic idea of blitzing raw cauliflower in the food processor to make rice you can use different liquids and flavourings and serve it with any meat, fish or even eggs. I know I’ll be trying all sorts of variations. Great for anyone trying to cut down on carbs.

Pan Fried Salmon with Spicy Cauliflower "Rice"2 Tbs coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 cauliflower roughly chopped
1 tsp each ground cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes
400ml can coconut milk
½ cup water
¾ cup roasted cashews
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 x 180g salmon fillets with skin on
1½ Tbs brown mustard seeds (sold in Asian supermarkets)
1 Tbs whole coriander seeds
Juice 1 orange
To garnish:
1 long green chilli, seeded and thinly sliced (can substitute a red chilli)
Coriander leaves

Melt 2 tsp coconut oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add onion and cinnamon and cook, stirring for 3 mins or until golden. Whiz cauliflower in food processor until finely chopped like rice – watch carefully as you don’t want to over-process it. Add to pan with the cumin, turmeric and dried chilli. Cook, stirring for 3 mins then add coconut milk, cashews and water.  Season to taste, then  partially cover and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or until thick. If not thickened when cooked remove lid and cook a bit more to reduce the liquid.

Melt 2 tsp coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Season salmon then cook, skin-side down, for 4 mins or until skin is crisp. Turn and cook for a further 3 mins or until just cooked. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

To the pan where you cooked the salmon add the remaining 1 Tbs coconut oil and when hot add mustard and coriander seeds and cook for a minute or until they start popping. Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice.

Divide the cauliflower rice among 4 plates. Top with the salmon, spoon over the coriander seed oil. Garnish with the green chilli and coriander leaves.

Serves 4

Lamb with Dried Apricots & Chick Peas

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This Moroccan-style casserole makes a delicious mid-week family dinner.

If you have more time to cook at the weekend, it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and the flavour actually improves with keeping. Or you can double the recipe and freeze half.

If you don’t have any ground cloves just leave them out. The preserved lemon gives a very distinct flavour and is worth getting. You can buy them in specialty shops or make your own from this recipe for preserved Kumquats – just use lemons instead. They keep for months, even years, without refrigeration.

Couscous is a quick and easy accompaniment to serve with this casserole. Place a cup of dry couscous in a bowl and add a cup of boiling water or stock. Stir then cover and leave for 2-3 minutes to swell up. Fluff up with a fork, season to taste and voila, it’s ready to serve.

Lamb with Dried Apricots & Chick Peas2 Tbs oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500-600g lean lamb cut into 2-3cm cubes
½ tsp each ground cumin, coriander and mixed spice
¼ tsp each ground nutmeg, cloves and chilli or cayenne pepper
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can chick peas, drained
1 cup beef stock or water and 1 stock cube
½ cup dried apricots, cut in half if large
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs preserved lemon rind, chopped (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve:
Couscous, cooked
Fresh coriander, chopped
2 Tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan or a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 2-3 mins until softening but not brown. Add the meat and continue to cook over moderately high heat until the meat has browned. Add all the spices and continue to cook, stirring, for 1-2 mins. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste. Simmer for 15-30 mins or until meat is tender, adding a little water if necessary. Serve with couscous and garnished with the coriander and pine nuts.

Serves 4

Variations: use raisins, dates, prunes or figs instead of apricots. Use parsley instead of coriander, toasted slivered almonds instead of pine nuts and serve with rice or mashed potatoes instead of couscous.

Gluten-free Christmas Pudding

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Christmas puddings keep for months and improve with age, so I usually make them in October or November. One for the family and a couple of smaller ones to give to friends. I collect pudding bowls in second hand stores for this purpose.

In cooler climates you can store them in the pantry, but in Australia I prefer to keep them in a second fridge we have in the garage. Sometimes I make two large puddings and keep one to serve at a “Christmas in July” dinner party. And if that doesn’t happen the second pudding will still be delicious the following Christmas, more than 12 months after it was made!

I decided to adapt my traditional recipe to make it gluten-free. Still perfectly nice for everyone, but suitable for a growing percentage of the population who don’t tolerate gluten. A food processor makes quick work of the breadcrumbs, grated apple, chopped figs and pureed orange. Some people don’t like mixed peel and glacé cherries, so I have included substitutions for these.

The number of puddings you end up with from this recipe depends on the size of the bowls – two big ones, or one big one and two small ones, or four small ones. This year I doubled this recipe and ended up with 8 puddings of various sizes as you can see in the photo.

Gluten-free Christmas Pudding150g currants
200g dried figs, stalks removed then chopped
200g sultanas
200g raisins
60g dried mixed peel or dried apricots, chopped
60g glace cherries or dried sour cherries
60g blanched slivered almonds (or walnuts or macadamias)
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored & grated
½ tsp salt
1 tsp each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
350g gluten-free bread made into crumbs in food processor
4 eggs, beaten
150-200g dark brown sugar
½ cup brandy or rum
1 cup gluten-free beer or sherry
1 Tbs black treacle
250g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 orange, blitzed in food processor, skin and all
Brandy Butter to serve

Place all the ingredients in a very large bowl and mix well. Choose 2 to 4 pudding bowls, depending on size, grease lightly then fill with pudding mixture. They don’t rise much so bowls can be filled almost to the top.

Cover puddings with buttered baking paper, butter side down, and tie down with string. Steam puddings (see below) for about 5 hours or until evenly browned. Cool then cover with a fresh piece of baking paper or wrap in foil and store in the fridge.

Steaming the puddings: If you have a very large stock-making saucepan you can steam two puddings at the same time, one on top of the other. Place a metal trivet or an upturned saucer in the bottom of the pan, then the first pudding, then an upturned side plate and then the second pudding. Pour hot water in to come halfway up the bottom pudding. Hopefully everything fits and you can put the lid on. If not use two pans, or make half the recipe and just one pudding. Turn on the heat and let the water simmer for 5 hours, topping up from time to time as necessary.

The other way to steam puddings is in the oven. Choose a deep roasting pan into which the puddings all fit. Pre-heat oven to 150°C. Place bowls in roasting pan. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the bowls. Cover the entire roasting pan with foil and crimp it under to seal. You may need two pieces if it’s not very wide. Place in the oven for 5 hours. Check after 2  hours and top up the water as necessary.

To serve, steam puddings again for 2-3 hours and serve with Brandy Butter.

Makes 2-4 puddings

Spinach and Roast Pumpkin Risotto

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Even when the fridge is looking pretty empty you can usually find enough ingredients to make a risotto. An onion, Arborio rice, Parmesan cheese and olive oil are essential. Then you just need one or two ingredients to be the focus of the dish.

In this recipe, istead of pumpkin and spinach try mushrooms, asparagus or zucchini (courgettes). You can also add a few prawns or some sliced chorizo, fried when you cook the onion. Optional additions include chopped fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, a pinch of saffron. Use your imagination.Spinach and Roast Pumpkin Risotto

3 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 clover garlic, crushed
2 cups Arborio rice
500g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm dice
1 cup white wine
About 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water and stock cube
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4-6 cups baby spinach
To serve:
Extra virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbs pine nuts, toasted

Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Mix pumpkin cubes with 1 Tbs of the oil then spread over a shallow cookie tray – lined with baking paper if you want to save the washing up – and bake for 20-30 mins or until browned and cooked.

Meanwhile in a large heavy-based saucepan heat the remaining 2 Tbs oil and gently cook onion and garlic, stirring often, for 3-5 mins or until soft but not brown. Add rice and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Gradually add wine, stock (or water and stock cube), allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Stir frequently and keep adding liquid until rice is al dente and rice is very moist but not soupy. Add the roasted pumpkin, baby spinach and season to taste.

Serve drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and topped with grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

Serves 4

Variations: use rocket instead of spinach

Strawberry Panna Cotta

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When I was growing up in Kent – otherwise known as the garden of England – we ate everything in season. In early June the local strawberries were ready and there were a few places where you could pick your own. They were cheap and plentiful, so we ate big bowls full, with a dollop of double cream and a sprinkling of sugar, just to add a little crunch. Now, thanks to imports from warmer climes you can buy strawberries pretty much all year round wherever you live in the world. But they never taste the same as when you pick your own and eat them the same day.

Like bacon and eggs, strawberries and cream is a marriage made in heaven. As I was looking for something to serve at a dinner party recently I came across this beautiful dessert on a site called Home Cooking Adventure.

You can make them the day before, so they’re perfect for entertaining.

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta:
400ml milk
400ml cream
½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 Tbs gelatine
4 Tbs water
Strawberry Sauce:
750g strawberries
2-3 Tbs sugar, to taste
2 Tbs water

Place milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile place gelatine and water in a small bowl then zap in the microwave briefly to dissolve. Mix gelatine mixture and vanilla into cream then cool a bit and divide among 8 attractive glasses such as Martini glasses. Chill overnight.

Save four nice strawberries then wash and hull the rest. Cut into four and place in a saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Blend until smooth in a blender, then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Chill overnight.

To serve, divide strawberry sauce among the 8 glasses. Top each with half a strawberry.

Serves 8

Variations: use raspberries instead of strawberries.

Quick Chicken Satay

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Everyone loves chicken satay and this recipe can be made in no time with ingredients you probably have in the pantry. It’s easy to halve for two or three people.

The first time I made this the washer upper complained that the frying pan was very difficult to clean, because of the honey. A week or so later I was chatting to a friend about the virtues of using non-stick baking paper to line an oven tray when you’re baking salmon or chicken, so there’s nothing to wash up. My friend said this trick also works when you’re cooking something in a frying pan.

So I tried it and it works. Just cut a circle of non-stick baking paper to fit the base of the pan and cook the satays on top. It doesn’t affect how they brown and the pan is so much easier to clean. No complaints from the washer upper this time.

DSCF11481 kg lean chicken thigh meat
Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs oil
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp honey
½ tsp salt
Sauce:
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1/3 cup tinned coconut milk (shake can first)
To serve:
Steamed rice
Lime or lemon wedges
Sliced red or white onion and cucumber

Cut chicken thigh into cubes. Mix marinade ingredients and add chicken. Leave to marinate for at least half an hour. Meanwhile, soak 16-20 short wooden bamboo skewers in warm water.

Thread chicken cubes onto skewers. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle pan and cook satays for a minute or two on all four sides, until cooked through and browned. Alternatively, cook the satays under a grill, on a barbecue or in an air fryer, turning once during cooking time.

Meanwhile mix all ingredients for sauce. Serve satays with the sauce, steamed rice, sliced onion, cucumber and lemon wedges.

Serves 6

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

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We were staying with Catherine in Newcastle for a few days when she said “Oh by the way, we’re invited to a BBQ lunch tomorrow and we’re taking a dessert. What shall we make?”

We found cream cheese, cream and 2 punnets of raspberries in the fridge and a few other ingredients in the pantry. The result was this delicious no-bake cheesecake which was popular with the adults and kids alike.

Make this the day before serving.

IMG_0695300g white chocolate
500g Philadelphia-style cream cheese (at room temp)
300ml thick cream
3 Tbs caster sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
½ cup red jam (preferably raspberry)
About 12 sweet biscuits or sponge fingers
To serve:
1-2 cups fresh raspberries
Honey to drizzle

Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. In another bowl, with electric beaters, beat cream cheese, cream and sugar until smooth. Add melted chocolate and mix well.

Line a loaf tin with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang. With a fork, mash 1 cup raspberries with the jam on a plate. Spread half the cream cheese mixture in the loaf tin. Spread the berry mixture over the top. Then spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the jam mixture. Arrange a single layer of biscuits or sponge fingers over the surface, pushing them in slightly – this will be the base. Rectangular or square ones are easier than round ones. Bring excess plastic wrap over the top to cover, then refrigerate overnight.

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

To serve, tip cheesecake onto serving plate and remove plastic. Arrange raspberries over the top and drizzle with honey.

Serves 12

Variation: use strawberries instead of raspberries

Three Easy Chicken recipes made in a Slow Cooker

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I found a recipe online for a really easy chicken recipe made in a slow cooker. Basically you cut up some boned and skinned chicken thighs, put them in the slow cooker with a few other ingredients, cover and cook on high for five hours. And that’s it.

So following this basic idea I developed three variations. Perfect for busy people – this one’s for you Fiona.

Three Easy Chicken recipes made in a Slow CookerSweet and Sour Chicken
1kg chicken thigh meat, trimmed and cut into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes
2 cups tomato passata or sauce for pasta
1 can pineapple cubes, drained
2 tsp sugar
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs grated or finely chopped ginger
1 red capsicum (pepper) cut into 1 inch (2 cm) squares
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Satay Chicken
1kg chicken thigh meat, trimmed and cut into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes
½ cup peanut butter
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can coconut milk
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken stock cube
Fresh chilli, finely chopped, to taste (optional)
Juice of half a lemon or one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Mexican Chicken
1kg chicken thigh meat, trimmed and cut into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes
1 jar Mexican salsa
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh chopped chilli, to taste (optional)
Juice of half a lemon or one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes
Thinly sliced spring onions for the Sweet and Sour – serve with rice
Chopped peanuts and coriander for the Satay – serve with rice
Diced avocado & red onion, grated cheddar for the Mexican – serve with wraps or tortillas

To serve
Steamed rice, wraps or tacos

Place chicken and chosen sauce ingredients in slow cooker, stir. Cover and cook on High for about five hours, stirring once or twice during cooking time. Check seasoning.

Serve with steamed rice or tacos or wraps.

Serves 4-6

Barramundi with Romesco Sauce & Sweet Potatoes

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Romesco Sauce goes well with pan fried fish, chicken, roast lamb or beef, or in sandwiches, as a change from mustard or mayonnaise. It’s quick and easy to make, keeps in the fridge for up to a week and can be frozen.

Here I served it with pan-fried barramundi fillets, cooked until the skin was nice and crispy and mashed sweet potatoes. A delicious flavour combination.

Romesco Sauce:
1 large roasted red pepper from a jar (about six large pieces)
1 garlic clove, crushedBarramundi with Romesco Sauce & Sweet Potatoes
½ cup slivered/flaked almonds or pine nuts
¼ cup tomato paste
2 Tbs chopped parsley
2 Tbs sherry or red wine vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Other ingredients:
1 large or two smaller sweet potatoes
25g butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces Barramundi (about 180g each), skin on
2 Tbs olive oil
Parsley leaves to garnish

Sauce: Place all ingredients except oil, salt and pepper in food processor and process briefly until chopped. Scrape down the sides then with the motor running slowly add the oil and process till chunky-smooth. Season to taste.

Peel sweet potato, cut into chunks, place in a saucepan with some salt. Cover with boiling water then simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain and mash with butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Place olive oil in a non-stick medium sized frying pan. Pat fish fillets dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place fish in the cold frying pan, skin side down, then turn on the heat and cook for 4 mins or until skin is crispy. Turn fish over and cook for 2-3 mins on the other side or until cooked through. Serve fish on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes, topped with a dollop of Romesco sauce and garnished with parsley.

Keep any leftover sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

Serves 4

Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme

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I’m always looking for new recipes which use pearl barley – a much under-used grain in my opinion. Basically you can use it in any recipe which calls for rice – it just takes longer to cook. This recipe is slightly adapted from one which appeared recently in Delicious magazine.

4 Tbs olive oil
500g white or brown mushrooms, wiped and quartered
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1¼ cups pearl barleyDSCF1115
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
1 cup white wine
4 cups (1 Litre) chicken or veg stock (or water and cubes)
Extra water if necessary
2-3 cups baby rocket leaves washed and dried
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To garnish:
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, extra
Extra Virgin olive oil
2 Tbs chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

In a large heavy-bottomed pan heat 2 Tbs of oil and fry mushrooms for 4 mins or until browned. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 2 Tbs oil and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add barley, mustard, thyme and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add wine and stock, bring to the boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 40 mins or until barley is tender. Add more water, a little at a time, if necessary – I didn’t need any extra.

When barley is cooked the liquid should have all been absorbed. Season to taste then mix in the cooked mushrooms, rocket and parmesan cheese. Serve garnished with the extra parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and the chopped nuts.

Serves 4