Lemon Slice

Posted on 3 February 2016 by Linda Peek

Having offered to take a dessert to a family picnic for more than twenty people I decided that a slice, which could be cut into 20 or 30 squares, was the answer.

For some time I’ve been wanting to create a lemon version of Galaktoboureku, the traditional Greek Custard Slice. I thought I would make a lemon-flavoured custard instead of the usual vanilla one, sandwich it between layers of crispy fillo pastry and drizzle it with lemon syrup, rather than a plain syrup which the Greek version uses.

Well here is the result. Matthew enjoyed the leftovers which I called Lemon Slice for his benefit. Any mention of custard would have put him off. For a smaller version just halve the recipe and make it in a standard 22cm cake tin.

125g butter, melted
About half a packet of Fillo pastry, thawed if frozen (about 16 sheets)
2½ cups milk
2 cups cream
1 cup sugar
1¼ cups (200g) semolina
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups Lemon Curd (preferably home-made)
Syrup:
Juice of 1 large or 2 smaller lemons
¾ cup sugar
To serve:
Whipped or pouring cream (optional)

Line a buttered 20x30cm roasting pan or deep baking tin with about 8 layers of fillo pastry, brushing each sheet with melted butter and cutting or overlapping the sheets as necessary. If the pan is non-stick you don’t need to line it with baking paper, but if in doubt you’re better off doing so.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat milk, cream and sugar until simmering point, then add semolina and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add lemon curd and beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Cover with another 8 layers or so of fillo pastry, brushing each one with melted butter.

Bake for 45 mins or until set and lightly golden. Meanwhile heat lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer the syrup for a minute then cool a bit.

Remove slice from the oven and drizzle the warm lemon syrup evenly over the top. Cool then cut into squares. Serve warm or cold, with or without whipped cream or pouring cream.

Cuts into about 20 or more small squares

Lobster Mango and Avocado Salad

Posted on 27 January 2016 by Linda Peek

After caviar and truffles, lobster is near the top of the list of luxury food items which are expensive, so we don’t eat them very often.

I was in Costco recently looking for something special to serve over the holiday period. They had imported American lobster tails for about $45/kg and as a friend had told me they were very good I bought four, which worked out at about $15 each. Peanuts compared with what you pay for lobster in a restaurant.

If you’re substituting Australian crayfish tails, which are smaller, you will need four.

We ate the first two hot with chive butter, but concluded that the best way to enjoy lobster is cold. So with the second two lobster tails I created this very simple salad which we ate as a main course. Mangoes are in season at the moment and the result was delicious.

2 lobster tails, in shell, each weighing 250-300g (or 4 crayfish tails)
6 cups salad greens, washed and spun dry
3 Tbs salad dressing
1 mango, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum (pepper) de-seeded and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
Seafood Dressing:
2 Tbs mayonnaise (preferably home-made)
2 Tbs sour cream
1 Tbs tomato ketchup
Juice half a lemon or lime
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Thaw lobster tails if frozen then cook them in boiling salted water for 8-10 mins or until shells are red and flesh is white and opaque. Plunge into iced water and when cool drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Remove shells and slice flesh into medallions.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and add red capsicum slices and a sprinkle of salt. Fry for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and starting to char on the edges. Cool.

For Seafood Dressing, mix all ingredients together.

If using large lettuce leaves tear them into smaller pieces. In a bowl mix salad greens with salad dressing and arrange on two serving dishes. Divide mango and avocado between the two plates. Top with the lobster, spoon over some seafood dressing, then garnish with the spring onion and a few pieces of red capsicum. There will be capsicum left over for another use. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter

Notes: instead of using red capsicum, garnish salad with dry pink peppercorns or salmon caviar, available from specialty shops. Instead of lobster use large cooked and peeled prawns or crab meat.

Chicken and Leek Gratin

Posted on 20 January 2016 by Linda Peek

My friend Franca raved about this Chicken and Leek Gratin by Annabel Langbein so I couldn’t wait to try it. It lived up to its reputation and got a big tick firstly because it’s delicious and secondly because it’s quick to make.

Creamed Leeks:
2-4 leeks, depending on size
3 Tbs butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup cream
Chicken layer:
8-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
Crust:
2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs (left quite chunky)
2-4 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped parsley
3 anchovies
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Grated rind 1 lemon
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
50g butter

Wash, trim and chop the leeks, using all the white and a bit of the green part . Heat butter in a medium frying pan and cook leeks for 5-10 mins or until softened. Add the cream and season to taste. Spread leeks over the base of a buttered ovenproof lasagne-type dish.

For the chicken layer, if liked cut each chicken piece in two then mix with remaining ingredients and arrange over the leeks.

For the crust, make the crumbs first in a food process then add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times to chop and combine, but don’t over-do it. Spread over the chicken.

Recipe can be made ahead to this stage and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours, covered or out of the fridge for an hour or two. Allow to come to room temperature.

Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 50-60 minutes or until nicely browned and chicken is tender when pierced with a skewer.

Serves 6-8

Wilted Silverbeet with Chickpeas, Chorizo and Potatoes

Posted on 23 December 2015 by Linda Peek

When Woolies have chorizo sausages on special – sometimes even half price – I buy a few and stick them in the freezer.

They make a quick week-night dinner threaded onto skewers with chunks of chicken or in a pasta dish. And this quick and easy combo, adapted from a recipe by Matt Preston, can be on the table in no time. If you’ve forgotten to take them out of the freezer chorizo sausages thaw quite quickly.

Most kids love the chorizo and it’s a good way to get them to eat some greens!

600g potatoes
4 Tbs olive oil
300g chorizo sliced or cubed
1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 bunch silverbeet or spinach, washed and roughly chopped
½ cup dry sherry
80g Spanish manchego (sheep’s cheese) crumbled
3 Tbs blanched almonds, lightly toasted
Lemon wedges to serve

Peel potatoes and cut into 2-3cm chunks. Cook in boiling salted water for 10 mins or until just cooked then drain. Meanwhile heat 2 Tbs of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the chickpeas until browned and crispy. Tip out and mix with the cumin paprika, cayenne and salt.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, then the chorizo and potatoes. Cook, stirring, for 10 mins or until potatoes are browned and crispy. Add the silverbeet or spinach and sherry to the pan and continue to cook, stirring, for 1-2 mins or until wilted. Return the chickpeas to the pan and lastly mix in the cheese.

Garnish with the almonds and serve with the lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Notes: I didn’t use the silverbeet stalks, which the original recipe used, only the leaves, but you can use both. I didn’t have any manchego cheese and used grated Parmesan instead. You could also use some crumbled feta.

Pan Fried Salmon with Spicy Cauliflower “Rice”

Posted on 9 December 2015 by Linda Peek

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.

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

Millefoglie di Melanzane

Posted on 4 November 2015 by Linda Peek

We recently spent a week in Sicily where we hired a car and drove from Palermo to Patti, Taormina, Syracuse and back to Palermo. We spent a couple of days in each of these cities, soaking up the history and visiting some amazing churches and ancient monuments in the area. I won’t go into details of where to stay and what to do – there’s plenty of information on Trip Advisor and we found most of our accommodation on Airbnb.

Lots of windy roads and a few crazy drivers made the driving something of a challenge. The weather was considerably hotter than we had expected for mid-September, so we avoided sight-seeing in the middle of the day. Nonetheless we had a great time and would definitely recommend a trip to this part of Italy.

On the whole, the food in Sicily is good, especially if you’re a fan of pizzas and pasta. Finding good places to eat other dishes was more of a challenge. Everything we ordered which involved eggplants (aubergines) was delicious – stuffed eggplant, capponata (an Italian version of ratatouille with eggplant as the main ingredient) and eggplant fritters to name a few.

Our favourite city was Syracuse, especially the old city located on the island of Ortigia. Our favourite restaurant in Syracuse was Notre Dame where we ate outside enjoying the balmy evening weather. This bistro is run by an enthusiastic young couple and serves an interesting menu including this delectable Millefoglie di Melanzane – a layered Eggplant Terrine. It was so good we went back twice and on the second occasion the chef gave me the recipe.

Canola or a mild-flavoured olive oil
2 large eggplants or 3 smaller ones
400g red capsicum (peppers)
2 eggs
2 sheets gelatine, soaked in water or 3 tsp powdered gelatine
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut capsicum into quarters and remove stalks and seeds. Cook in boiling, salted water for 15-20 mins or until soft. While still hot place them in a food processor with the eggs, gelatine, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

Meanwhile slice eggplants thinly lengthwise, discarding the first cut which is just skin. Heat some oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggplant slices, about 3 at a time, until golden brown and cooked on both sides. Add more oil as required. Drain on paper towels.

Choose a silicone loaf pan which doesn’t need to be lined, or line a metal one with non-stick baking paper. Starting and ending with a layer of eggplant slices, layer the eggplant and red capsicum puree in the loaf pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Using a serrated knife, cut terrine into 4-6 thick slices and serve with some lightly dressed rocket leaves.

Serves 4-6

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Posted on 21 October 2015 by Linda Peek

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.

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

Posted on 14 October 2015 by Linda Peek

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.

1 kg lean chicken thigh meat
Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs oil
2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbs 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.

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

Serves 6

Caramelised Eggplants with Miso & Tahini

Posted on 26 August 2015 by Linda Peek

This recipe came from iamafoodblog.com and was recommended by son David. Eggplants are one of our favourite vegetables so I immediately added two eggplants to my shopping list. The rest of the ingredients are ones I have in the pantry.

David added the final drizzle of tahini and described the dish as “num nums” which, according to the Slang Dictionary, is Australian slang for tasty food. It has always been a favourite adjective in our family when we’re talking about food, which we do quite a lot.

Miso paste is sold in Asian shops and some supermarkets. It keeps in the fridge for quite a while and is useful in Japanese-style marinades, adding both flavour and texture. Try spreading a little on salmon fillets before you cook them.

2 eggplants (aubergines)
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs mirin or rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs sake or dry sherry
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs Shiro miso (white miso paste)
To serve:
Toasted sesame seeds
Spring onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
Tahini paste (optional)

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and brush cut sides with sesame oil. Place cut sides down on the baking paper and bake for 15-20 mins or until quite soft when squeezed. Time will vary according to size of eggplants.

Meanwhile place mirin or rice wine vinegar and sake or sherry in a small saucepan. Turn on the heat and add the sugar and miso paste, stirring to combine. Simmer for a few mins then turn off.

When eggplants are done remove from the oven and switch on the grill. Divide miso mixture between the cut surfaces of the eggplants then grill for 1-2 mins or until caramelised. Be careful they don’t burn.

Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds, spring onions and a drizzle of well-stirred tahini paste.

Serves 2-4

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

Posted on 19 August 2015 by Linda Peek

You have to add quite a bit of sugar to rhubarb to make it palatable. But a friend told me recently that she cooks it with a little salt instead of sugar and eats it with Greek yoghurt.

So as we had rhubarb in the garden I decided to experiment. I mixed all the rhubarb pieces with a little melted butter (or you could use olive oil) then rolled half in some raw sugar and arranged them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. I then added a little salt to the remaining rhubarb, mixed it well and arranged the sticks on the other half of the baking sheet. I baked them in a hot oven for about 15 mins or until they were “al dente”.

The sweet ones were, as you would expect, quite sweet and delicious served with meringues and whipped cream. Interestingly the salty ones were not unsweet – the salt having brought out the natural sweetness of the fruit. Serve for breakfast or dessert with thick Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey if you need more sweetness. They would also go well as a garnish for duck. chicken or pork.

My third experiment was to cook the rhubarb with some fruit cordial such as Ribena – an idea I read somewhere once and filed away in my head. The result was a delicious ruby red compote. Rhubarb and strawberries go well together, so I used the compote to make a tasty variation on a traditional rhubarb crumble.

500g rhubarb
½ cup blackcurrant or raspberry cordial (see note)
1 punnet strawberries
125g butter
4 Tbs brown sugar
4 Tbs self-raising flour
4 Tbs rolled oats
4 Tbs slivered or flaked almonds
1 tsp vanilla essence

Wash and trim rhubarb and cut into 2- 3cm lengths. Place in a bowl, add the cordial and mix. Cover and microwave for 5 mins or until cooked but not mushy. Meanwhile wash and hull strawberries and cut them into quarters. Grease a small round or oblong pudding dish. Mix strawberries with rhubarb and spread over base. Melt butter then mix in sugar, flour, oats, nuts and vanilla. Spoon evenly over the fruit, using a fork to close any gaps and give an even covering. Can be made ahead to this stage.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, cream or labneh flavoured with a little icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence.