Chewy Oat & Choc Cookies

125g butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup choc bits

1 cup self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Combine butter, vanilla and sugar in a bowl.

Add coconut, oats, chocolate and sifted flour, mix until well combined.

Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls.

Place onto a greased oven tray about 5 cm apart. Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake for about 8 minues or until golden brown.

Caramel Slice

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

150g butter melted

395g can sweetened Condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter, extra

1 cup milk or dark chocolate melts, melted

Preheat oven to 180ºc and line an 18cm x 28cm tin with baking paper.

Mix the flour, sugar, coconut and butter together in a bowl.

Press into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Combine the condensed milk, golden syrup and extra butter in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until almost boiling.

Reduce to a low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour caramel over base and bake a further 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Spead the Caramel Slice with the melted chocolate, refrigerate until set.

Serve cut into pieces.

Recipe from Maggie’s Table

Fig & Walnut Meringue

180 g walnuts

330 g dried figs

6 free-range egg whites

250 g soft dark-brown sugar

Mascarpone

Slices of candied or fresh lime (optional)

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Roast the walnuts on a baking tray for about 5 minutes, shaking the trays to prevent the nuts from burning. If they are not fresh season’s, rub the walnuts in a clean tea towel to remove the bitter skins, then sieve away the skins. Allow to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180C.

Line and grease a 24 cm springform cake tin.

Remove the hard stem from each fig, then chop the figs into small pieces (this should give you 1and 1?2 cups).

Toss the walnuts and fig pieces together.

Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a bowl with an electric mixer.

Slowly add the soft dark-brown sugar in heaped tablespoons until incorporated and the resultant meringue is thick and stiff. Mix a spoonful of the meringue through the figs and walnuts. Tip this back into the meringue and fold it through.

Spoon the meringue mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45–50 minutes; until the tart pulls away from the sides and feels ‘set’ on top.

Allow to cool and serve with a good dollop of mascarpone. Candied or even fresh lime is a wonderful accompaniment to this tart – decorate the edge of the tart with a ring of fine, fine slices of the lime. The tart is meant to be sticky and soft and will be rustic in appearance, so don’t fret if it falls apart as you serve it.

BURNT! I think we put the grill on…

Dumplings and Rice Cakes in Chili Sauce (my favourite)

Fried Chicken with Corn & Chili, Mushroom Hot Pot, and Noodles with Black Bean

So many condiments!

13a Victoria St

Melbourne

9639 1747

Risotto with Chicken & Brussel Sprout

Serves 4-6

1.1L stock (chicken or vegetable)

2 tablespoons olive oil

A knob of butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

400g risotto rice

500ml dry white wine

1/2 half a cup of peas (frozen or fresh)

salt and pepper

70g butter

115g grated parmezan cheese

2 large? handfuls of brussel sprouts, shredded

1 tablespoon butter

2 pieces of chicken breast

Heat the stock and keep it simmering hot on the stove.

Put the olive oil and butter into a separate pan, add the onion and garlic, and cook very slowly for about 15 minute without colouring.

Add the rice and turn up the heat. The rice will begin to lightly fry, so continue to stir it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent.

Add the wine and keep stirring.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock.

Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook to quickly on the outside.

Continue adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 20 minutes but always varies so taste the rice to check if its cooked. If not, continue adding the stock until the rice is soft but still has a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully and if you run out of stock just add some boiling water.

When the rice is almost cooked, put a fry pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil and fry the chicken. In another fry pan place the butter and fry the brussel sprouts.

Remove the risotto from the heat when cooked and add the butter, parmezan and the (frozen) peas. Stir well.

Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes.

Add the sliced chicken and brussel sprouts.

Divide between plates and eat as soon as possible.

A thing of beauty. Honestly, the most satisfaction you’ll get out of anything this simple. Try it.

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4

800g whole peeled canned tomatoes

70 grams unsalted butter (I used salted and still added salt but it’s probably better to err on the side of caution)

1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved

Salt to taste

Place the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.

Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes.

Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

These meatballs were awesome. They may very well be the best, really light and soft – adding ricotta is a genius idea. They were really fresh tasting as well. I used pork and veal, but you can use whatever you like.

Meatballs

Serves 4

via Totally Addicted To Taste

185 ml Olive Oil

1 Onion, finely chopped or grated

100g Pine Nuts

3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

40g Parsley, chopped

Small handful of thyme

55g fresh or dried breadcrumbs

300g Ricotta

40g Parmesan cheese

Zest of a lemon

1 Free Range Egg

250g Mince Pork

250g Mince Veal

Heat half of the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and pine nuts until onion is soft and the pine nuts are light golden brown.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a few minutes more – making sure you don’t overcook the pine nuts.

Place the parsley, breadcrumbs, ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and egg in a bowl and add the mince.

Add the cooled onion and pine nuts, season with salt and pepper and mix briefly until all of the ingredients are combined. Test for seasoning by frying one small meatball and tasting for flavour. Leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins. This will help the meatballs hold their shape whilst cooking.

To make the meatballs, roll about 50g of mixture into a ball about the size of a golf ball. At this point you could put on your water for your pasta – to get it boiling.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the meatballs until golden brown on both sides. You will probably need to cook these in a couple of batches to avoid overcrowding the frying pan. Once browned on both sides, remove the meatballs from the pan. Don’t worry about cooking them through – we’ll do this later. By just searing them each side for some colour and texture, you will keep the meatballs moist inside.

Put the pasta on to boil.

Place the meatballs into the pan, sitting in the tomato sauce. Place a lid over the top and simmer for 10 mins. Give the pan a little gentle shake every so often, just to make sure that the sauce or the meatballs haven’t stuck to the bottom, as this will cause them to burn. You want the sauce to be on a gentle simmer.

Drain the pasta, divide between bowls, top with a few meatballs, sauce and parmazan.

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I don’t really even like shortbread, but I needed something sweet and they looked easy and I had all the ingredients. Just make sure the butter is really well mixed in or they will melt.

Shortbread with Jam

1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cornflour
1 ½ cups plain flour
a pinch of salt
Raspberry (or any) jam
Icing sugar for dusting

Beat the sugar & butter together in a bowl until just combined.

Add the vanilla extract, sifted flours & salt & mix until a dough forms.

Mould into a log 6cm in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

Remove the dough from the fridge & cut into 7mm slices, then cut shapes.

Reroll the excess dough & repeat the process until all the dough is used up.

Place the {insert shape} on a greased & lined baking tray & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Spread half the biscuits with jam, top with remaining biscuits & dust with icing sugar.

I used spinach because what the hell is sorrel? But really just because they don’t sell it at the supermarket. Also mint and parsley, which was nice. Canned beans? Yes, because I’m not that organised. Just rinse them and make sure they’re really dry before frying to ensure they crisp up nicely.

Cannellini beans with Spinach & Feta

via David Lebovitz

Pasta with Lentils

via Crap Kraft Dinner

‘Les Parapluies de Cherbourg’ and dessert. Life is sweet.

Puffed Apple Pancake

via Bill Granger Holiday

Serves 4-6

50g Butter

4 Green apples, peeled cored and cut into eighths

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 Cup plain flour

A pinch of salt

1 Teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon sugar

4 Eggs

3/4 Cup of milk

Plain yoghurt, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Melt the butter in a 25cm frying pan with an ovenproof handle.

Add the apples and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the brown sugar, vanila and lemon juice and cook, shaking the pan occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.

Mix the flour, salt, lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and slowly add the eggs and milk, whisking lightly to combine.

Pour the batter evenly over the apples.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until puffed and golden.

Serve immediately with yoghurt.

A fairly de-puffed pancake as we didn’t eat it immediately.

Please don’t follow this recipe religiously, I really have know idea how much of anything I used. DO NOT TRUST ME. The most important thing is only add the amount of mayonnaise you like.

Chili Slaw

1/2 head purple or green (or both) cabbage, shredded

1 carrots, grated

A handful coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

Chili, julienned

A handful of green onions, finely sliced

1 cup (or so) mayonnaise

2 limes, squeezed

1/4 teaspoon salt

200g feta, crumbled  (I like Bulgarian)

Throw the cabbage, carrots, coriander, chilli and green onions in a bowl.

Mix the mayonnaise, lime juice and salt together.

Add the mayonnaise mixture to the vegetables. Mix well.

Crumble the feta over the slaw and serve. Can be mixed an hour or so before serving.

Leftovers