Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese & Thyme Tart
Cold and wet day…perfect for cooking! Maggie, this is the most amazing pastry and so easy to work with…thanks for sharing!
One quanity of Maggie Beer’s Sour Cream Pastry
6 large onions, caramelised (cooked slowly in olive oil with salt & pepper for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until soft & browned)
3 large eggs
1 cup thickened cream
130gm Goats Cheese
Pepper
Thyme sprigs
Make pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and knead lightly. Roll out on a floured surface until large enough to fit a tart dish.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a tart dish and line with rolled out pastry. Remember pastry will shrink during baking. Dock pastry and refrigerate for another 20 minutes. Remove from fridge and blind bake pastry for 15 minutes. Remove beads and bake for a further 8 minutes, before removing from oven and setting aside to cool. Spread caramelised onion over the base of the tart.
Whisk together eggs, cream & pepper. Pour egg mixture into pastry shell. Top with crumbled goats cheese and sprigs of thyme.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Chive & Fontina Risotto Cakes
This is an Ina Garten recipe and so, so easy and very delicious !
- 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 1 1/2 cups cups grated italian Fontina cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
- olive oil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4 –inch) ice cream scoop or a large spoon.
Place on a sheet pan lined with baking paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.
Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried.
Serve warm with a fresh green salad.
Roast Chicken with Orange & Honey
1 large grain fed chicken
4 tbsp fresh orange juice, reserve remainder of orange
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp brandy
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
a pinch of salt
To make the marinade, mix together orange juice, honey, brandy, oregano, thyme and salt. Stuff the chicken with the remainder of the orange. Place chicken in a large snap seal bag and pour over the marinade. Place in fridge and marinate for 12 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and place in baking tray and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown and cooked through. Place chicken on serving plate and drizzle with cooking juices.
Pea, Asparagus, Mint & Persian Fetta Pasta
Today was a beautiful sunny day and reminded me that Spring is not far away. This is a deliciously fresh dish, and so quick and easy to make. I have a fantastic local fruit and veg shop ‘ The Golden Banana‘ that also stocks a great range of Italian produce. It was a visit there this morning, that inspired this recipe.
a handful of fresh peas, shelled
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
1 small bunch of mint, chopped
1 garlic clove – whole, peeled and bruised
250g pasta (I used Pastificio Venturino Torcinelle al Bronzo
Fetta cheese – ‘The Cheese Board’ cheese with dill and garlic)
a good splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese, shaved
salt & pepper
lemon to serve
Add pasta to boiling, salted water and cook for 7 minutes. Add peas and garlic clove and cook for 1 minute. Then add asparagus and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain pasta, peas & asparagus. Stir through olive oil and mint, and top with fetta. Serve with a wedge of fresh lemon and top with shaved parmesan and cracked pepper.
Slow Poached Five Spice Pork Belly
The flavours in this dish are beautiful! Remember to start cooking the day before it is needed. The recipe is by Anna Gare from the show, ‘Best in Australia‘.
1kg boned pork belly (ask for the thicker, meatier end)
2L chicken stock
4 oranges – juice of all and zest of one
1 dessertspoon fish sauce
1/2 cup Ketjap Manis*
1/4 cup rice wine
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 star anise
3 cardamon pods
1 cinnamon quill
1 chilli, sliced
1 dessertspoon sliced garlic
1 dessertspoon sliced ginger
Method
Place all poaching ingredients into a large heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Place pork in the pot, with liquid just covering. Put sheet of baking paper over top of pot and then cover with lid. Bake in oven at 160 degrees or simmer on top of stove for about 2 hours, until pork is tender. Remove pork from stock.
Put stock in the fridge overnight so the fat can solidify and be removed. Do this by placing belly on non-stick paper in pan, skin side down. Cover with more non-stick paper and gently weight and put in fridge overnight. This will help compact the pork for when you portion it.
The next day remove any fat from stock and reduce the stock to about 1/2 the liquid. Strain and reserve, as the stock becomes the sauce you serve over the pork. (Sometimes I add a little extra Ketjap Manis at this point if it needs a little more sweetness or salt.)
Cut pork into 5cm squares. Place skin side down in a lightly oiled pan on low to crisp up the skin. Then pop pork skin side up into a 200 degree oven to reheat. Serve with steamed rice and bok choy with a ladle of the reduced sauce.
* Ketjap Manis is an indonesian sweet soy sauce available from the Asian section of supermarkets
Warm Roasted Veggie Salad with Persian Beetroot Dressing
This dish was inspired by a visit to my local organic market this morning. The beautiful dressing is from a new supplier ‘McGraths‘. I think it is the perfect addition to this new salad!
6 small pieces of pumpkin, roasted
3 small carrots, sliced on an angle, roasted
2 cloves of garlic, roasted
1 spanish onion, cut into wedges and roasted
1 red capsicum, sliced and roasted
4 cherry tomatoes, halved and roasted
3 small beetroots, halved and roasted
1 cup assorted salad leaves
1/2 cup chick peas, drained
Binnorie Feta
McGrath’s Persian Beetroot Dressing
salt and pepper
Toasted Ciabatta, to serve
Arrange salad leaves on plate. Top leaves with pumpkin, carrot, roasted garlic, beetroot, chickpeas and tomatoes. Then add small pieces of feta and drizzle with Persian Beetroot dressing. Serve with warm toasted ciabatta.
Good Friday Salmon and Dill Patties
This dish has become a bit of a Good Friday ritual to me. So simple and so delicious! I love the hit of lemon and dill and the mayonnaise helps to make them very light.
1-2 cup of mashed potato
210g tin of red salmon, drained
2 tbsp mayonnise
2 green onions, sliced finely
rind of 1 lemon, grated finely
small handful of finely chopped dill
salt & pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
panko breadcrumbs
Mix together potato, salmon, mayonnaise, green onions, lemon rind, dill, salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 6 patties. Dip patties in egg mix. Roll in panko and place on a plate lined with baking paper and refrigerate patties for an hour. Heat oil over medium heat. Cook patties for approximately 5 minutes each side or until golden brown and a crisp crust has formed. Serve with mayonnaise, dill and a wedge of lemon.
Chilli Prawn Pasta
I bought this chilli pasta at Aldi’s. Such a quick and easy dish, very simple but very delicious!
500g chilli spaghetti pasta
40g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 -2 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
12 green prawns, shelled and de-veined with tails attached
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
handful of parsley
salt & pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat a large fry pan to high heat. Add oil and butter, stir until butter has melted. Stir in garlic and chilli and cook for a few minutes. Add prawns and lemon rind. Cook until prawns have slightly coloured, then turn. Squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. When prawns are cooked, add pasta to pan and stir through, mixing well to coat with flavoured oil and butter. Remove from heat and stir through parsley. Serve immediately.
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
2 bags of baby spinach, washed
2 garlic cloves, sliced
20g butter
splash olive oil
250g ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg grated
salt & pepper
handful of toasted pine nuts
zest of one lemon
1 jar good arrabbiata sauce
Pasta tubes
In a large pan heat butter and oil. When melted add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add spinach, pine nuts and salt & pepper. Grate in nutmeg and stir through. Cook until spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spoon ricotta, cheese and lemon rind into a food processor and season well. Blend until smooth. Grease a large ovenproof baking dish and cover the base with a thin layer of sauce. Spoon spinach mixture into a piping bag and fill pasta tubes. Place tubes in baking dish and cover with sauce and more parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Marinated Lamb Backstrap Salad
This is a light and delicious meal, low in carbs and full of flavour. Perfect for quick and easy lunch or dinner.
2 lamb backstraps
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sweet paprika
fresh or seeded coriander
1 glove of garlic, sliced
juice of one lemon or lime
salt
olive oil
Salad
Salad leaves
good olive oil
semi dried tomatoes
persian feta
grated parmesan cheese( optional)
salt & pepper
Pukara Estate caramelised Balsamic
Mix spices, oil and juice together and add backstraps. Marinate for 1 -4 hours turning once.
In a hot pan cook lamb on both sides to caramelise. Cook a few minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. Set aside to rest. Mix salad leaves with oil, salt & pepper. Add leaves to plate and top with parmesan, tomatoes and feta. Slice lamb on the diagonal and place on top on the salad. Add extra salt & pepper. Drizzle with caramelised balsamic. Serve immmediately.
Layered Pumpkin Pasta Bake
There’s nothing like comfort food…warming and comforting. I lighten this dish by serving it with a fresh salad, dressed simply with lemon and good olive oil. If you like a little spice use an arrabiata sauce instead of passata.
400g pumpkin, roasted until soft, left to cool
80g goat cheese, softened
grated nutmeg
2 amaretti biscuits, crushed
sage leaves
salt and pepper
fresh pasta sheets
parmesan, grated
1 bottle of tomato passata
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl mix together mashed pumpkin, goats cheese, nutmeg and salt & pepper until smooth. Chop some of the sage leaves very finely and add to the pumpkin. Stir in crushed amaretti biscuits. Cover the base of a small oven proof baking dish with a spoon or two of the tomato sauce, add a layer of pasta and cover with the pumpkin mix. Sprinkle with a layer of parmesan cheese and top with a couple of sage leaves. Add another layer of pasta and top with tomato sauce then spoon on more pumpkin and sprinkle with parmesan. Continue layering until all pumpkin is used. Top with pasta, cover with parmesan and a few sage leaves. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Grilled Haloumi and Rocket Salad
I shared this dish last night at a local restaurant for entree and it was delicious. I then called into the shops on the way home, so I could re-create it for dinner tonight. I added the walnuts for a bit of crunch. So easy, so tasty!
half a bag of rocket leaves
50g semi dried tomatoes
a few pieces of marinated artichokes
a handful of walnuts
drizzle of good olive oil
1 lemon cheek
180g piece of haloumi, grilled until soft & golden
salt & pepper
Place rocket on a large plate, top with semi dried tomatoes, artichokes and walnuts. Drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Top with grilled haloumi and add the lemon cheek to serve.
Quick and Easy Ginger Fried Rice
This is a quick and easy dish I do with left over boiled rice. Tastes so beautiful and fresh. You may wish to reduce the ginger if you are not a huge ginger fan.
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
peanut oil
1 red capsicum, cut into slices
4 green onions, cut on the diagonal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp kecap manis
sesame oil
2 cups boiled rice
a handful of coriander
Mix eggs with a splash of sesame oil and add to a hot non-stick fry pan. Cook quickly until almost cooked through. Set aside and cut into strips. In the same pan, heat some peanut oil over high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Stir in capsicum and onions, cook for a few minutes. Spoon in rice, a splash of sesame oil and kecap manis and stir well. Once heated through, turn off heat and add coriander. Serve immediately.
* Kecap manis is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce
Prawns in Puff Pastry with Champagne Sauce
This is quite rich, but lovely as an entree.
24 green prawns, peeled & de-veined with tails attached
2 sheets of puff pastry, cut into quarters
2 tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded & cut into small cubes
olive oil
Champagne Sauce
200ml Chicken or veggie stock
200ml Dry Sparkling wine or champagne
100ml cream
3 ecshallots, chopped finely
60g butter, cubed
cracked pepper
Dill, chopped
In a saucepan heat stock, wine, ecshallots & pepper, and reduce by half. Add cream and then reduce by a third. Cool slightly. Whisk in butter a few cubes at a time. Add dill and stir through.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place pastry into 8 muffin holes and blind bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside. In a fry-pan, over moderate to high heat, cook prawns in oil, turning after a few minutes. Place 3 prawns in each pastry case and spoon over tomato and champagne sauce. Top with more dill & serve immediately.
Mushroom and Leek Pasta
I used light Philly cooking cream (60% less fat than cream). It’s a perfect end to a busy day with a glass of New Zealand Sauv Blanc. I have recently discovered Matua Valley First Frost…25% less alcohol & calories, which also tastes like a good Sauv blanc.
2 leeks, finely sliced
200g mushrooms, sliced
20g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
salt & pepper
125mL Philadelphia cream cheese or sour cream
500g pasta, cooked
parmesan cheese, to top
Heat the butter and oil in a pan. Add the leeks, salt & pepper and cook over medium heat until leeks slightly caramelised. Stir in mushrooms and coat with butter and oil. Add the wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Spoon in the Philadelphia cream and pasta. Serve immediately topped with parmesan.
Zucchini Carbonara
Remember to add lots of cracked pepper to the zucchini while cooking. Seasoning this recipe well is the secret! If you are not cooking for vegetarians you can add chopped speck or pancetta to the pan with the zucchini & cook until crisp.
4 large zucchini
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
500g penne pasta or similar, cooked
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
splash of cream
salt & pepper
extra shaved parmesan, to serve
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut in half again. Next cut in diagonal slices about 1/2cm thick. Add zucchini to a hot pan with olive oil and cook over high heat, seasoning well until zucchini starts to brown and breaks down slightly. Add garlic and stir until cooked. In a small bowl add egg yolks, cream & parmesan and stir. Remove the zucchini pan from heat and add the pasta. Stir to combine & reduce the heat. When pan stops sizzling add the egg mix & stir through. Serve immediately topped with shaved parmesan.
Kumara, Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
On holidays at the beach & it’s overcast & windy…so I decided to cook this dish for my sister.
1 large kumara, boiled, mashed & seasoned & cooled
250g ricotta cheese
2 bags of washed spinach
20g butter
splash of olive oil
a few sprigs of thyme or chopped sage
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
grated lemon rind
parmesan cheese, grated
salt & pepper
Fresh pasta sheets, cut in half
Slow cooked Tomato sauce
In a pan over medium heat saute butter, oil, thyme (or sage) & garlic until fragrant. Add spinach & cook until slightly wilted. Grate in nutmeg & stir, remove from heat. Mix kumara with ricotta & stir well. Lay out pasta sheets, spoon on some of the spinach mixture at one end of the sheet. Top the spinach with the kumara & ricotta mix. Sprinkle the top with grated lemon rind & parmesan. Roll up the pasta into tubes, pushing mixture back into the ends if needed. Add the pasta tubes to a large greased lasagna dish with a spoonful or two of tomato sauce spread over base. Once you have a single layer of tubes, cover with more sauce & top with grated parmesan & cook for 30-40 minutes in a moderate oven.
Roasted Vegetable Stack
Inspired by a recent visit to one of our favourite dining places on the NSW North Coast – The Riverbank Cafe at Gladstone – I came home desperate to make my own veggie stack. This is what I came up with served with my usual slow cooked tomato sauce…
1 eggplant, sliced
1 small kumara, very thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, cut into long fat strips
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
a few semi dried tomatoes
1 slow cooked tomato (I cook these halved with oil in a very low oven for a couple of hours)
olive oil
salt & pepper
grated parmesan cheese
feta cheese
basil pesto
Char-grill all veggies after seasoning & tossing in oil. Start layering veggie in a bowl & sprinkle grated parmesan between each layer. Between a couple of layers add a spoon of pesto.
Top the stack with a slice of feta, then a slow cooked tomato half & more parmesan. Put in a medium oven to heat & slightly melt the feta. Spoon tomato sauce around the base of the stack & serve immediately.
Thai Style Prawns
Picked up these gorgeous fresh prawns from the Co-op at South West Rocks, in a little known but well loved village on the Mid North Coast of NSW.
1kg of green prawns, peeled & deveined but leave tails attached
1 bunch coriander
3 cloves garlic, chopped
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & finely chopped
1 stick of lemongrass, bruised & finely sliced
1 small red chilli, seeds removed & finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Mix oil, garlic, ginger, lemongrass & chilli in a dish. Chop the stems of the coriander very finely & add to the oil mix, pour over prawns & leave to marinate for several hour or overnight. In a fry pan over high heat cook the prawns for a couple of minutes on each side. Cook in several batches- do not overcrowd pan or prawns will stew instead of fry. Add prawns to serving plate with a wedge of lemon & top with chopped coriander leaves.
Barbecued Butterflied Scampi
This is one of my favourite BBQ dishes. If you can’t find scampi use large green prawns. So simple & so delicious…
24 scampi
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
ground pepper
coriander, finely chopped
Split the scampi lengthwise through the centre & devein. Arrange cut side up in a shallow dish. Mix oil, garlic, pepper & coriander together in a small bowl, stir well. Drizzle over scampi. Can be left for several hours to marinate. Preheat barbecue to high. Place scampi cut side up on hot plate & spoon over extra marinade. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until flesh turns white. Remove from heat & arrange on a large platter with wedges of lemon.
Zucchini Slice
Great for picnics & can be made as a vegetarian slice. I love to serve a salad with this slice dressed with Pukara Estate caramelised balsamic vinegar.
375g zucchini, grated
1 large onion, chopped
3 bacon rashers, chopped (veggie option replace with 2 grated carrots)
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a lamington tin. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl & mix well. Pour mixture into prepared tin & bake for 30 minutes or until well browned & the centre is set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
This was the first choice of everyone in our family for their birthday dinner when we were growing up.
2/3 cup carnation milk
650g minced meat
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt & pepper
Sauce
1 can tomato soup
2 tbsp brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp corn relish
Combine the meat ingredients in a large bowl & mix well. Form into balls using a little plain flour to shape. In a fry pan with a little oil, brown the meatballs in a pan until golden, remove from pan & place in casserole dish. Cook capsicum & celery over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour off oil & stir in remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over meatballs. Cover & bake for 45 minutes.
Glazed Meat Loaf
Everyone loves the glaze…I usually double the mix!
Meat Loaf
500g minced meat
2 rashers of bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt & pepper
1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 dessertspoon tomato sauce
1 dessertspoon prepared mustard
1 egg
1/2 cup carnation milk
Glaze
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 dessertspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Combine ingredients, stir well
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Mix all meat loaf ingredients in a bowl, press into greased & lined loaf tin. Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn out onto a lined baking tray & brush with prepared glaze, return to oven for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven & let stand for a few minutes before slicing.
Baked stuffed Mushrooms
This is also tasty served in small mushroom caps as finger food.
6 large mushrooms, storks removed
200g ricotta cheese
grated rind of one lemon
a small squeeze of lemon juice
small red chilli, seeds removed & finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
butter, melted
salt & pepper, season well
small handful of coriander, chopped finely
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place mushrooms top side down on lined backing tray & brush with melted butter. In a small mixing bowl place ricotta, rind & juice of lemon, salt & pepper, garlic, chilli & coriander & mix well. Spoon onto mushrooms & cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with extra grated lemon & a sprig of coriander.
Just Wanna Cook! 