Chicken Vegie Wellington

This one is super easy!
Serves 2 -4

Ingredients
Chicken Tenderloins (500g)
One red capsicum (sliced into strips)
1 packet Tasmanian Feta (cubed)
I bunch English Spinach (washed and remove stalks)
200g Swiss Brown mushrooms (optional - chopped into quarters)
1 packet puff pastry - 2 sheets

Method
* Lightly fry the tenderloins till browned, but not cooked through. Fry in butter.
* Set chicken aside to cool.
* Line puff pastry with Spinach, leaving a 1-2cm border.
* Layer on the chicken, feta, capsicum and/or mushroom.
* grab 2 opposite sides of the pastry and fold up and press together. Then fold it over so you have a roll with a line down the middle.
* press each end together with its partner using a fork, then fold it again and fork it again : )
* Brush with egg yolk and place in pre-heated oven (180 deg C/ 160 deg C fan forced).
* Cook for 1/2 hour.
* Cut in half to Serve.

NB: It is probably best if you also make a sage crepes to line the base of the roll, as that will absorb the excess moisture and keep the pastry crispy. Just use any crepe recipe and add shredded fresh sage (not too much!).

Broccolini, Bacon and Lemon Pasta

We used plain old Broccoli for this photographed. It was also a tad overcooked (thanks hubby!) so was mushy.
DON'T overcook it!

Serves 4
Ingredients
400g Rigatoni (ridged tube shaped pasta)
2 bunches of Broccolini (400g), trimmed and sliced
1/4 cup olive oil (good quality)
4-6 rashers of bacon, remove rind, chopped.
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon of lemon zest (or zest of one lemon)
1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan (I use Romano instead). Get proper parmesan from a deli.
Sea Salt
Method
* Place large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Once rolling boil is achieved, add pasta.
* 1 minutes before pasta is cooked (refer to the packet you bought), add the Broccolini. Cook for further one minute. Drain and keep warm - in the large saucepan.
* Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in frypan. Add bacon and cook for 3-5 minutes or until crispy.
* Add garlic and lemon zest and cook for one minute or until fragrant.
* Add to pasta and stir through, adding remaining oil and sea salt to taste.
* Add parmesan andtoss to combine.

Pasta/Lasagna and Bechamel Sauces - Our Old Family Recipe

Pasta/Lasagna Sauce

Ingredients
700g Mince (pork and veal mix 50/50 ratio)
2 Bottles of Passata(fill each 1/2 again with water) nb: each bottle is 680g
2 teaspoons sugar
1 chicken stock cube
2 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of ground chilli
1 branch of Basil
1 large brown onion

Method
- Chop onion finely and cook until translucent.
- Add in mince and brown it off.
- Add in 2 bottles of passata, filling each half again with water to "rinse" out the bottle into the sauce.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground chilli (nb: this doesnt affect the taste, it is purely to retain the bright red colour - if you want spicy, add more chilli)
- Add 2 teaspoons of sugar.

- Crumble 1 chicken stock cube in.
- Add garlic (optional)
- Let simmer for at least 1/2 hour.
- Taste. Add salt/pepper to taste.
- Add in whole (washed) branch of Basil. Remove before serving.

NB:
- Sauce can be simmered for longer for a thicker sauce.
- The longer this is cooked, the better it can taste.
- This recipe freezes well, for up to 3 months.
- Recipe can be made without meat for Vegetarians.
- Use only jars/bottles of Italian crushed tomatoes, or home made.
- Do not use any other sort of mince. Pork/Veal mix or nothing!


Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup butter
2.5 cups milk (Must be whole milk)
Salt - to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method
- Fry the flour in butter (at moderate heat) - Roux method.
- Heat milk in a microwave until warm.
- Add milk a little bit at a time, making sure to remove any lumps.
- Keep stirring while sauce cooks and thickens.
- Sprinkle nutmeg over the top and stir in.

NB:
- If Storing or not using immediately, wrap with clingfilm right down onto the surface of the sauce.
- I strongly recommend pouring/using this sauce while it is warm and still relatively runny.
- In lasagne, sprinkle very lightly with cheese (parmesan) during construction.

Spicy Potato and Leek Soup with Caramelised garlic and lemon myrtle

Spicy Potato and Leek Soup with caramelised garlic and lemon myrtle

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic (peeled and left whole)
2 medium onions (peeled and left whole)
3 red/purple sweet potatoes
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 pint cream (570ml)
Spice Mix – TOASTED TOGETHER (cummin, marsala, curry and cardamon)Ground Cummin 2 tsp
Garam Marsala 2tsp
Curry Powder 1tsp
Cardamon 1tsp

Chicken/Vegetable Stock
Brown Sugar
Lemon Myrtle 1tsp
1 bunch coriander (root and leaves)
1 or 2 Leeks
2 royal blue potatoes

Method
Caramelise onions with garlic, butter and brown sugar.
Add peeled chopped sweet potato, royal blue potato, carrot, celery and toasted spices.
Add cream, stock, coriander and lemon myrtle.
Simmer until all is tender, then puree.
Slice leek and add to soup.
Simmer again for 10 minutes and serve hot with crème fraiche and toasted leek (green part of stalk) as garnish (shred).

Lemon Slice - Totally Yummy!

Lemon Slice (this is a large slice recipe, so mixture can be halved)

INGREDIENTS

Base
2 x 250 gms milk arrowroot biscuits (I Substitute Digestives - plain)
2 cups coconut
2 grated lemon rinds
250 gms butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk (395ml)

Icing
6 cups sifted icing sugar
60gms butter
12 tbs lemon juice (or juice of nearly 2 lemons)


METHOD

Base
•Crush biscuits (I do this in the blender).
•Combine biscuit crumbs, coconut and lemon rind in large bowl.
•Melt butter in saucepan. Add condensed milk. Stir over low heat until combined.
•Pour over crumb mixture.
•Mix well.
•Press firmly into greaseproof paper lined slice tin (1 large slice tin or 2 small slice tins).
•Refrigerate until hard.

Icing
•Combine all ingredients until smooth.
•Spread over base.
•Sprinkle with coconut then set in fridge.
•Cut into small squares or fingers.

Chocolate fudge slice with pecans

Choc Fudge Slice

Ingredients

Base
200g plain choc biscuits (finely crushed)
60g melted butter

Fudge Topping
395g sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
125g butter, chopped
100g milk chocolate, chopped (only as good as the chocolate you use)
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped


Method

Base
•Lightly grease an 18x28cm slice tin, line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above tin edge.
•Combine biscuits and butter in a bowl until well blended.
•Press firmly into base of slice tin and set aside in fridge to chill.

Fudge Topping
•Combine condensed milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan.
•Stir over a medium heat until melted and combined.
•Bring to boil then cook, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes until thick and golden.
•Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until melted.
•Pour over biscuit base.
•Sprinkle with pecans.
•Chill, covered, until firm.
•Using a hot knife, cut into small squares.
•Store in an airtight container in the fridge.


Alternate versions
For the biscuit base, you can use choc mint or choc mandarin biscuits – whatever you feel like : )

Passata

Okay, thought I had better find a passata recipe for the upcoming pasta sauce recipe. I usually get my passata from an old italian lady, or I buy the Cirio brand of passata (at any good continental deli).

This is for the tomato farm at wits end : )

I found 2 recipes which together look to make an authentic passata, lol. Have written it out below ... I should note that one recipe says to remove seeds, the other says to leave them. I will leave it up to your own judgement.
oO, and of course, Roma tomatoes are the best for passata : )

PASSATA
Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time over 2 hours

NB: Any optional ingredients that you wish to add (ie vegetables, chilli) must be added AFTER the tomatoes have broken down.
You will need storage jars (glass cranberry juice bottles are best) and sterilised preserving equipment.

Ingredients
at least 1kg fresh tomatoes (less is likely to burn)
2 medium brown onions
olive oil
basil - about 5 large leaves, shredded

Method
1. Wash the tomatoes well in cold water. Cut them in half and remove the white piece in the centre and the seeds; squeeze out any excess water.

2. Remove any hard areas around the tops and stalks of the tomatoes.
Put them into a large casserole dish or stockpot, uncovered, and place them over a medium heat for 1½-2 hours until soft and broken down into a mushy pulp. Stir occasionally.

**3. Meanwhile, sterilise the jars and lids in a dishwasher or by washing them in very hot soapy water.

4. At the end of the cooking time, pass the pulp through a sieve to extract the skins and some seeds.

**5. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring for 8 minutes or until onion is translucent but not brown.

6. Add Purée + Basil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

7. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

8. Using a funnel, pour the passata into the jars leaving a gap of about 2cm/1in at the top.

9. Replace the lids and place into a large preserving pan topped up with water. Make sure the water covers the tops of the jars. Boil for about 20 minutes. You will see the lids become slightly indented at the tops. This is because a vacuum has now been made between the tomatoes and the lid (process is called pasteurisation).

10. Remove the jars from the heat and leave in the water until cool before storing in a dark cupboard.


NB:Passata will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Brown bottles (king brownies to thee Aussies) are the best for storing passata, but you can just put a black stocking over a clear glass bottle (as attractive as it looks).

Chocolate Crunch Slice

Okay, thought I'd get on the bandwagon and post up a recipe a week ...

here is my first contribution .... It looks more complicated than it is ... Im just an asshole when it comes to giving instruction : )

Chocolate Crunch Slice

Ingredients
200g Butter, melted (you must use butter, do not substitute for margarine or oil)
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (firmly packed measurement)
1 + 1/4 Cups Plain Flour
3/4 Cup Dessicated Coconut
2 Cups Cornflakes (you can substitute Rice Bubble/Weetbix or other plain flavour cereal)
2 Heaped Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla essence

Method- Preheat oven to 180 deg (160 deg fan forced)
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure to rub out any large clumps of flour/sugar/coconut.
- Add melted butter and vanilla and mix well (by hand) until it is all a lovely brown colour.
- Press into a greased swiss roll/slice tin (not tool large a tin).
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Set on wire rack (in slice tin still) and make the ganache topping.
- Pour topping on while slice is still warm.
- Put into fridge to set for one hour (may require longer, just depends).
- Cut into fingers/squares when set and remove from tin : )

Chocolate Ganache Icing

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons of Thickened Cream
2 Tablespoons of Icing Sugar
200-300grams of decent quality Chocolate (break it up into individual squares)

Method- Heat cream and icing sugar in either a water bath (glass or metal bowl on top of a saucepan with water on stove top) or straight on stovetop at a very low heat (DO NOT BOIL).
- Mix together well, crushing out any lumps from the icing sugar.
- Start adding the chocolate squares, stirring as you go ... once all added, just keep stirring until you have a nice thick, smooth and glossy chocolate sauce (make sure there are no lumps of chocolate).
- Pour over the slice and smooth out evenly to edges.
- Set aside to cool.

NB: for a harder icing, use more chocolate and less cream, eg. 350g choc and 2 tablespoons cream.
NB: Use only metal and glass when working with chocolate and make sure no water comes into contact with it.