Tag Archives: quick

Chicken and Squid with Rice Noodles

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This recipe is based on one by Neil Perry. The original recipe only had half a cup of chicken stock. I added extra liquid to make it more of a soupy stir-fry. I also added a touch of sugar  – as per my grandmother’s rule of always adding some sugar to anything savoury and some salt to anything sweet – and some ginger.

It’s a delicious, light and easily-digested supper which takes no time at all to make. If you don’t like squid (which I bought in Woolies) just increase the chicken.

Chicken and Squid with Rice Noodles2 Tbs oil
3 boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (or 2 breasts)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 beaten egg
250-300g fresh rice noodles (I used 220g pack of Kan Tong Shelf Fresh)
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 squid tube, cut into thin rings
1 bunch Chinese greens e.g. Bok Choy, washed and thickly sliced
2 cups beansprouts
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
To serve:
¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal

Heat oil in a wok and stir fry chicken for 3-4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add garlic and cook for a minute, stirring, then add the egg. Continue to stir-fry as you add the noodles, soy sauce and chicken stock. Return chicken to the pan with squid, ginger and greens and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes or so. Don’t overcook or the squid will be tough. Add sugar, season to taste and at the last minute add the beansprouts, plus a little more water if necessary. Serve in shallow bowls garnished with the peanuts and spring onions.

Serves 4

Seafood Mornay

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When I was at school in England we made Russian Fish Pies in cookery classes. Steamed white fish, chopped hard boiled eggs and parsley were mixed with a thick white sauce, encased in puff pastry and baked. At the time I thought it was delicious, but I now realise that the fish was over-cooked.

This recipe for Seafood Mornay uses raw seafood mixed into a thick sauce flavoured with cheese and sherry. Either top it with grated cheese and breadcrumbs or make it into pies. Both are delicious – the latter a bit more filling, but not too bad as they only have pastry on the top, not underneath. Either way the seafood is cooked al dente, the way it should be.

Seafood Mornay500g firm white fish fillets, no skin or bones
500g salmon fillets, no skin or bones
500g peeled raw peeled prawns
3 Tbs breadcrumbs (about one slice of bread whizzed in food processor)
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs parsley
Sauce:
60g butter
60g plain flour (about 2 very heaped Tbs)
1½ cups milk
½ cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbs sherry
150g Gruyere cheese, grated (you can substitute cheddar or Ementhal)

Cut fish into cubes about 2-3 cm square then place with prawns in a colander to drain while you make the sauce. Melt butter, add flour, cook for a minute then gradually add sherry, milk and cream. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheese. Season generously because the seafood hasn’t been seasoned. Remove from heat as soon as cheese melts. The sauce will be very thick, but the fish will create juices as it cooks, especially if it’s been frozen, so you need a thick sauce to counteract this. If it seems unmanageably thick add a dash more milk. Mix sauce with seafood and place in one large buttered ovenproof shallow dish or 8-10 individual dishes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Mix Parmesan, breadcrumbs and parsley and sprinkle over. Mornays can be refrigerated, covered for up to 24 hrs or frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw before cooking.

Bake for 30-40 mins until golden brown all over and bubbly. Serve as a main dish with a green vegetable such as beans or snow peas and rice or new potatoes.

Serves 8-10

Seafood Pies

Seafood mixture (see above)photo
1 egg, beaten
Sour Cream pastry:
250g plain flour
125g butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbs cold water
1 tsp salt

Place flour in food processor, add cold butter cut into pieces and process until fine crumbs. Add sour cream and salt and start motor again. Gradually add water through the chute with motor running. As soon as pastry forms a ball tip out and pat into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Divide fish mixture amongst 8-10 buttered dishes, such as soufflé dishes shown in photo which have a one cup (250ml) capacity. Fill almost level with the top. Roll out pastry on a floured surface and cut circles the diameter of dishes plus 2-3cm. Dampen edges of dishes, place pastry circles on top and press pastry on to seal. Cut a hole for steam to escape. Brush with beaten egg then bake for 30-40 mins or until golden brown and bubbling through the steam vent.

Makes 8-10 pies

Amy’s Tasty Salad

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My daughter-in-law Amy created this tasty salad. I’ve added the rosemary and semi-dried or sun-dried tomatoes, which are both optional additions. It makes a perfect weekend lunch with some crusty bread and maybe a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Preserved lemons are a Middle Eastern ingredient which you can buy in specialty shops. They are quite easy to make and I will post the recipe in due course.

Amy's Tasty SaladAbout 4 cups 2cm square pumpkin cubes
1 red capsicum (pepper) cut into 2-3cm cubes
1 can chick peas, rinsed and well-drained
Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-6 cups rocket, washed and dried
Balsamic vinegar
½ small red onion, finely sliced
1-2 Tbs preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp discarded, finely chopped
200g feta cheese, cut into 1.5cm cubes
½ cup semi-dried or sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced (optional)
3 Tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 200°C. In a bowl mix pumpkin, capsicum and rosemary. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season to taste. Spread out on an oven tray lined with baking paper (to save on washing up!) and bake for 15-20 mins or until vegetables are tender and starting to blacken a bit at the edges. Add chick peas to oven tray for the last few minutes of cooking and stir to coat with oil.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Dress rocket with oil and vinegar and arrange on a serving platter or 4 individual plates. Top with the roasted pumpkin mixture, red onion, preserved lemon, feta, dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with a little more oil and serve.

Serves 4

Rum and Raisin Cake

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When we were growing up my brother, sister and I spent many happy summer holidays on a dairy farm on the moors of County Durham in the far north of England, not far from Barnard Castle. Hill House was run by my Dad’s Uncle Hector and Auntie Vina, their youngest son Ian and his wife Mary. Sometimes we went with my parents, other times we travelled the 300 miles on our own by train and Mary would meet us in Darlington. Ian’s brothers and sisters all had farms and we spent time with all of the rellies. Dent Gate farm had a stream with trout in it. If we were patient we could catch them by tickling them. Don’t believe me? Well neither does Matthew, but it’s true!

Cakes were a staple part of a farmer’s diet back then. They were served with morning tea at eleven and afternoon tea was a proper sit down affair back then. On Sundays they really went to town. The first time I saw the table groaning under the weight of a huge selection of cakes, sweet pastries, cold meats, chutneys, jellies, trifles and fruit salad, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Down south where I came from we were lucky if we had one home-made cake to choose from!

One day a week was set aside for baking in the temperamental wood-fired Aga stove. You couldn’t adjust the temperature and had to cook according to how hot the oven was that day. On windy days the oven would be hot and we would make blackberry and apple pies, using wild blackberries we had collected ourselves. If there was no wind the oven would be cooler and we made fruit cakes.

When I won first prize for a two egg sponge in the Butterknowle annual show I was tickled pink – but it was all thanks to Auntie Vina’s foolproof recipe. She had a huge influence on my love of cooking, teaching me all the basic skills and recipes for cakes and pastries. This Rum and Raisin cake is adapted from one of her recipes. I’ve added the cottage cheese and a bit more rum.

I never let the lack of an ingredient stop me making something, so you will see I’ve listed some substitutions below.

Ian and Mary have retired and in the family tradition Hill House is now being run by their son Jonathon and his wife Fay. It’s no longer a dairy farm as they lost all their cattle in the Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001 and had to start over again.

Rum and Raisin Cake1½ cups raisins
½ cup dark rum
125g butter, at room temp
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
300g cottage cheese or ricotta
¾ cup ground almonds
1¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted
Icing sugar

Soak raisins in rum several hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a cake tin with baking paper. I used a 22cm (9″) square tin, but a round one will do. In food processor or in a bowl with electric beaters mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, milk and cottage cheese and mix well, stopping to scrape down the sides halfway. Add ground almonds and self-raising flour. Stop and scrape down, add raisins and rum and mix just enough to incorporate as you don’t want to chop the raisins. Scrape into tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40-60 mins or until evenly browned, firm to touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool then tip out, remove paper, dust with icing sugar and cut into squares or rectangles to serve.

Makes about 20 pieces

Note: you can make your own ground nuts in the food processor.

Substitutions: brandy instead of rum, sultanas or other dried fruit instead of raisins, white sugar instead of brown, ground hazelnuts or walnuts instead of almonds.

Instant Pavlova

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We were staying with our daughter and son-in-law in Newcastle last year when they hosted an Australia Day party for about 30 friends plus kids. We ran out of time to make the desserts and bought a couple of pavlovas from Woolworths supermarket. I always make my own and was quite impressed with these bought ones which were moist and marshmallowy in the middle and crunchy on the outside. Not as good as a home-made one, which has more crunchy bits, but not bad. Once you’ve added the whipped cream and fresh berries they’re pretty good as an instant dessert.

When I was shopping for the Easter weekend Woolies had their large pavlovas, which they say serve 20, for half the normal price. So I bought one. Then I started to wonder how to make it look more home-made.

The answer is to use a stacking ring and cut circles from the pavlova. Top with the cream and fruit and voilà – an elegant dessert in no time at all. If you don’t use it all, the rest of the pavlova will keep for several days, so you can cut more circles and serve it again. If you think the pavlova circles are too big, cut them in half horizontally, then you will get twice as many smaller servings.

If you don’t have stacking rings you can make one by cutting the top and bottom off an empty metal can with a suitable diameter. If it’s deep enough top the pavlova with the cream and fruit before removing the ring, as I did for this photo, which results in a neater finish.

I doubt if anywhere other than Australia and New Zealand sells pavlovas in their supermarkets, so I’m afraid this blog post won’t help people living in other parts of the world!

Instant Pavlova1 bought pavlova
Cream, whipped until thick
Fresh berries or passion fruit pulp

Spray the inside of a stacking ring lightly with some vegetable oil, to make removal easier, then cut circles from the pavlova. If the ring is deep enough, top with cream and fruit, if not do it afterwards. If liked drizzle some raspberry coulis around the plate.

Thai Chicken Soup

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When we go to Europe to visit friends and family we usually spend a week in Thailand on the way home. All that galloping around seeing people and having a good time, not to mention all that eating, is exhausting. Breaking the journey allows us to adjust to most of the time difference and arrive feeling refreshed. We love the Thai people, the food and the wonderfully therapeutic massages.

This soup is quite filling, so it’s a main-course or lunch time kind of soup rather than a starter. On the table in less than half an hour, it’s full of delicious contrasting flavours and textures.

Thai Chicken Soup1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs curry paste (preferably Thai Green or Red, but any will do)
About 400g raw chicken meat (breasts or thighs) finely sliced
1 tin coconut milk (400ml)
1 litre water and 1 chicken stock cube (or use homemade chicken stock)
2-3 heaped tsp grated ginger
2 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced (optional)
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbs palm sugar or brown sugar
2 Tbs Fish Sauce
Juice one lime or ½ large lemon
200g quick cooking Chinese noodles (see note)
2-3 thinly sliced spring onions – white and some of the green part
1 cup beansprouts
½ cup fresh, roughly chopped, coriander
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and cook onion until soft but not brown, stirring often. Add curry paste and chicken and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients down as far as the lime or lemon juice. Simmer for a few minutes until chicken is cooked. Add salt to taste, then turn off the heat and add the noodles and spring onions. Cover and leave to stand 2-3 minutes. Place a small handful of beansprouts in 4 large soup bowls. Ladle soup on top and garnish with coriander.

Serves 4

Note: any quick-cook noodles will do, including individual packs of instant noodles.

After Eight Parfaits

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These little frozen parfaits in shot glasses are perfect to serve after a heavy meal, when no-one feels like eating a large or heavy dessert. I’ve had this recipe for over 20 years. Sometimes I forget about it and don’t make them for a few years, but whenever I do they go down well.

A bottle of mint oil lasts for years. I’ve had mine so long I can’t remember where I bought it. In Canberra you can buy it at The Essential Ingredient in Kingston.

After Eight Parfaits1 cup water
2 Tbs sugar
200g good quality dark chocolate, broken into squares
4 egg yolks
2-3 drops mint oil or essence, to taste
1 Tbs brandy (optional)
250ml cream
Mint chocolates to decorate

Boil sugar and water for 3 minutes. Process in food processor with dark chocolate until smooth. Press down on food processor so it doesn’t splash out. Add egg yolks and blend 15 secs. Add mint essence, brandy and cream and blend 10 secs. Pour into a jug then into 8-10 shot glasses and freeze overnight or until firm.

To serve, decorate each parfait with a mint chocolate. In the photo I used a mint chocolate bar which was green in the middle, roughly chopped. Alternatively use a fresh mint leaf. Remove from freezer 20-30 minutes before serving, so they are not rock hard.

Serves 8-10

Note: you can make this without a food processor. Just add chocolate to sugar syrup, stir to dissolve, then mix in remaining ingredients.

Bircher Muesli

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In about 1900 a Swiss doctor named Maximilian Bircher-Benner developed a healthy, easily-digested dish for the patients in his hospital.

Bircher Muesli soon became a light evening meal or breakfast dish throughout Switzerland and northern Germany. In the latter half of the 20th century muesli spread to the rest of the Western world and became a commercial product.

Bircher Muesli makes a nice change from the toasted granola-style ones you buy or make yourself. You can always add some crunch via the toppings.

Bircher Muesli1 cup porridge oats (not the quick-cook variety)
1 cup plain yoghurt
½ cup milk
2 eating apples, cored and grated, including skin
Toppings:
Extra milk
Sliced banana
Fresh berries
Plain yoghurt
Honey to drizzle
Dried fruit, nuts, coconut

Mix oats with yoghurt, milk and grated apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with extra milk and a selection of toppings. Keeps in the fridge for two days.

Note:  I like the fact that this muesli is all ready to serve in the morning, when I have less time to spare for things like grating. However, if preferred, soak oats with yoghurt and milk and add grated apple when serving. Some recipes use fruit juice instead of milk, but I prefer milk.

Bailey’s Tiramisu with Berries

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Tiramisu is an Italian dessert consisting of sponge fingers (lady fingers or Savoiardi), egg yolks, mascarpone and a liqueur or fortified wine, traditionally Marsala. There are countless variations on this theme. This version uses egg whites instead of yolks, honey instead of sugar and Bailey’s Irish Cream instead of Marsala.

Bailey's Tiramisu with Berries2 Tbs instant coffee powder & ½ cup boiling water
Or ½ cup strong espresso coffee
2 Tbs Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur
8 Savoiardi sponge fingers
250g mascarpone, at room temp
1 Tbs runny honey
2 Tbs Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur, extra
2 egg whites
Cocoa powder for dusting
Fresh berries to serve

Mix coffee with boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add Baileys. Break each sponge finger into three and add to coffee mixture, stirring to coat. Place 4 pieces of sponge finger in each of six Martini glasses. Divide any remaining coffee mixture among the glasses, pushing down to squash the sponge fingers a bit. Place mascarpone in a mixing bowl. Add honey then Baileys and mix well. In another bowl whip egg whites till soft peaks with electric beaters. Mix into mascarpone, then divide mixture among the six glasses. Chill several hours. Dust with cocoa through a sieve. Serve with berries on the side.

Serves 6

Smoked Trout Pâté

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A dip or pâté is nice to serve when friends come round for a drink or as a prelude to an informal lunch.

Most supermarkets carry a wide range of options, but something home-made is tastier, cheaper and you know exactly what’s in it. I was looking at a commercial crab dip in the supermarket the other day and was amazed to see that the crab content was only 17%. This recipe came from my mother-in-law and contains at least 50% smoked trout. It’s a real winner.

Last winter we planted a native Australian citrus shrub from Queensland called a Finger Lime. When Matthew reads this he will say “get your pronouns right”, so okay he planted the Finger Lime. The fruit is made up of tiny balls of lime juice, a bit like a pomegranate only smaller. Ours hasn’t produced any fruit yet but when it does I am looking forward to folding some little citrus balls into this pâté.

Smoked Trout Pâté

1 whole smoked trout (about 350g)
250g Philadelphia-style cream cheese (at room temp)
¼-½ cup cream or sour cream
Grated rind and juice of one small lemon or half a large one (see note)
salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Remove meat from trout, discarding skin and bones. Flake into chunks with fingers checking carefully for bones. With electric beaters or by hand beat cream cheese until smooth then gradually beat in enough cream to make it light and fluffy. Add lemon juice, rind, salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper. Gently but thoroughly mix in the smoked trout. Pile roughly into serving dish, sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper and chill. Serve with crusty bread, toast or crackers as an appetizer. Can be refrigerated for up to a week and frozen for up to a month. For a low-carb option serve with vegetable sticks.

For a cocktail party: make toast triangles (four per slice of bread, crusts removed), and put some paté on each. Garnish with a tiny triangle cut from a thin slice of fresh lime with the skin left on. One slice will cut into many pieces. Top with a piece of dill.

Note: you can grate the rind or remove it with a vegetable peeler, then chop finely – this results in chunkier bits of rind which I prefer.

Variation: Smoked Salmon Pâté: use smoked salmon instead of trout.