Need to Get Healthy Again….

Salsa

I had a severe meat overdose last week.

Firstly, I made a beef stir-fry which lasted me for two evening meals – no particular recipe, just chucked in some marinated beef strips plus whatever veggies I had and a few sauces. It was good.

Secondly, I tried the Indian cafe at the end of my street, for the first time (even though it’s been there for over 2 years….) on Friday night – I bought takeaway lamb saagwala, rice, naan bread and vegetable pakoras. Apart from the pakoras, which were delicious, the rest was awful – undercooked, tough lamb with no flavour, and too-chewy naan bread. The service was also very poor – 25 minutes to get a takeaway order when there was only one order before me and one table of 6 in the actual restaurant. Plus, the girl taking the orders stopped halfway through an order to take an obviously personal phone call, which she then proceeded to take outside to carry on in private! I won’t be going back there again. Shame, as it is so close to home and they home-deliver for free if I really can’t be bothered walking 100 metres haha.

Thirdly, on Saturday, I decided to cook lamb shanks in a cook-in-the-bag thingy, with roasted veg. This was quite lovely – I don’t use a lot of pre-prepared foodstuffs, but I like the convenience of these flavour sachet/bag things for an easy, family-style meal occasionally. I had, however, eaten the leftover lamb saagwala, on a roll at lunchtime (because despite its lack of flavour excitement, I do hate to waste food, especially when an animal has died to provide it), plus I had a slice of roast beef on my crumpet for breakfast, so the whole day was very meat-intense, which is not like me.

And finally, on Sunday I went to “high tea” at a posh hotel in the afternoon. I deliberately ate nothing but a crumpet early in the morning, to build up a good appetite. I will write about my total pig-out separately, but suffice it to say, I did not need dinner that night and in fact felt quite disgustingly bloated and huge afterwards. Not only that, but the skirt I wore to the high tea was tight and it is usually quite a loose fitting one, so that means I still haven’t physically gotten over my excess of cheese and pastry whilst in the UK!

Time has come for some detoxifying……for me that means not eating meat for a while – not that I will ever completely be a vegetarian, as I do love a good curry, roast or  meat stir-fry. But I know my body, and I do just feel a lot healthier when I stick to veg & fish/seafood. I’d like to say I would give up alcohol to detox, but hmmmmm that will never happen. I have to have something to keep me sane….

I’m really big on mushrooms at the moment, so this is what I had last night – I simply placed 200 gms (9) cup mushrooms (stalks cut off then finely chopped) in a baking dish and topped with 100 gms crumbled feta, the chopped mushroom stalks, 50 gms pitted kalamata olives, cracked pepper and some fresh basil leaves. Baked it for 30 minutes at 160C and served with a freshly made salsa – in this case I used the kernels from 1 corn cob (I don’t bother blanching it, just slice it off raw – yummo), 1 red onion (finely chopped), 1 tomato (finely chopped), 1 avocado (chopped), a pinch of salt, cracked pepper and a splash of lime juice.

Mushrooms, Feta, Olives

This was a delicious and healthy comfort food – filling and “meaty” tasting thanks to the mushrooms, but without the blurrrrggggghhh feeling of eating too much meat in one hit.

This mushroom idea actually works well as a side dish, rather than the main meal that I made of it. I made this quantity just for me – it was too much of course, but bearing in mind that mushrooms shrivel a lot when they cook, you would need to increase the quantities if you wanted this to be a main dish for a few people or a side dish for a large group.

Mushrooms + Salsa = Yum

Happy Fooding!

Let’s Get Mediterranean….

Oven bags are fabulous!!! Years ago I only ever used them to cook a great big roast in, and only then for the meat part – mainly to stop the oven getting splattered with fat.  Now, however, I’m using them more and more, for vegies as well as meat – I just love throwing random food bits and spices in a bag and seeing what comes out. I find them so convenient for a “one pot” meal, especially when it is too hot to muck about with complicated dishes, or it’s a week night, when let’s face it most of us can’t be bothered spending too much time in the kitchen.

I find that I still always cook a “normal” serving size for a meal, as I like leftovers, either for lunch or dinner. Once a week I work a 12 hour day and have to take my evening meal as well as lunch, so a small amount of a leftover meat dish I find perfect for that.

This chicken meal is a great example of oven bags really coming into their own, as the chicken stays locked in the steamy juices and doesn’t dry out. There is no need to even add any liquid to the bag, as the meat juices create enough of a sauce to keep things cooking quite nicely.

Mediterranean Chicken Bake

6 chicken thigh fillets (skinless)

2 wedges preserved lemon, chopped

180 gms pitted olives of your choice (I got a mixed serve from the local deli)

2 tbsp honey

3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

6 new potatoes

cracked pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a large oven bag. Close the bag and gently toss it all around so that everything mixes together.

Place on a baking tray and cook at 180C (160C for fan forced) for 45 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable of your choice, and a glass of white wine!

Serves 3

Happy Fooding!

Swanning Around….

This week I went out to the Swan Valley. This is an area only 20 minutes North of where I live, (I’m 5 minutes from the Perth city centre) – very quickly you get out of the suburbs and into “country”, and the Swan Valley is a lovely area for visiting wineries, restaurants, cafes and little side-of-the-road places selling all sorts of gourmet delights – chocolate, honey, coffee, lavender, nougat etc.

I try to get out to this area as often as I can, especially when the weather is great, as there are so many terrific places to sit out in the sunshine having an icy cold beer or glass of champers with friends.

This week I had lunch at The Cheese Barrel, a new restaurant that only opened its doors last September and which I had heard good things about. They are mostly open during the day only, although they do have the occasional theme night ie Spanish cheese/tapas night.

You can choose a ‘regional tasting plate’ for 2, from Australia, France, Spain or Italy, OR you can select individual cheeses and add your own choice of condiments/sides – olives, crackers, figs, fruit bread etc.

We went for the French tasting plate (pictured above), plus we added a Tasmanian cheddar (the tiny wedge you can see in the background!). The cheeses were all brands or types I hadn’t tried before, and were all delicious. The portions were not large, and to be honest I think this was quite an expensive lunch for the serving size. For us it was a comfortable amount for 2 girls for lunch, but someone like my 21 y.o. son (a 6′ tall streak with hollow legs!) could have eaten this platter by himself without a problem and still wanted more!

The wine list was from the adjacent Olive Farm Wines, and I had a glass of the Shimmer sparkling, which was quite young and fruity tasting and went with the cheese very well. The platter came with tasting notes and recommended wines, but I just always reckon champagne is good with everything!

The cheeses are available to buy – which we did! Quite pricey, but good for a special occasion.

I like this place, and I like to support local industry, but considering the value for money I think there are better options around in this area – a nice lunch for something different though.

Happy Summer Fooding!

Barley Bliss

For my birthday recently (these birthdays seem to come around with increasing frequency, which I am not very keen about!), I received a wonderful new cookbook, The Food Clock. I’ve already tried a couple of recipes and will be trying many more as this book is mouthwateringly tempting. As well as recipes, there is a kind of storyline woven through the book, so it’s a very interesting book, and the food is arranged by season of the year, rather than dish categories.

This barley dish is so delicious and SO simple. The book says it serves 4 but I find that it is only enough for 2 as a main dish, or 4 if it was served as a side dish or as part of many offerings. It is quite spicy from the chilli flakes, enough to pack a bit of a punch but not blow your head off. You could leave those out I supposed but it would not be the same, as the chilli blends with the olives and fresh dill to give a really great flavour. I love fresh dill – I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea as it has a distinctly strong flavour, but it works really well with this combination of ingredients.

I increased the cooking time by an extra 10 minutes as the barley wasn’t quite cooked enough/liquid absorbed, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly as stated in the book.

This is perfect warming food for eating in a bowl in front of the TV on a cosy night in.

Pearl Barley in Tomato, Olives & Chilli

200 gms (1 cup) pearl barley

500 mls (2 cups) chicken stock (I use Massel which is a vegetarian one that is also gluten-free and contains no MSG)

300 mls tomato juice

100 gms pitted black or kalamata olives, diced

100 gms pitted green olives, diced

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 handful of dill, chopped

Combine the barley, stock and tomato juice in a large saucepan and set over moderate heat. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid is completely absorbed and the barley is tender, then serve.

Happy Fooding!

Fabulous Foccacia

Here is how I make a great foccacia bread, to serve as a warm nibble before a bbq.

I use regular white bread ingredients and the dough setting on my bread machine. When the dough is ready, I place it on a floured board, cut it into two pieces and roll each out to a pizza tray sized circle.

I place one circle on to a greased pizza tray (line with baking paper works even better), then top this with a heap of grated tasty cheese (or use mozzarella) and some dried or fresh basil. I place the other circle of dough evenly over the top, and set it aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes until it has puffed up again.

I sprinkle the top with a bit of water and a dusting of polenta, and press semi-dried tomatoes and olives into the dough at random intervals.

Bake for about 25 minutes at 190C, covered with foil for the first 15 minutes, and there you have it – delicious, hot yummy pieces of bread to pass around and eat with your friends before dinner.

Happy Fooding!

Not-So-Greek Tagine!

I’ve been away for a couple of days, as we had a long weekend here in Perth.  Back to the real world of study now, although I still feel like I’m swaying, from being on a boat for 2 nights!

This very yummy tagine is from a Greek cookbook and was originally made with lamb; however, when I was living in Suriname a few years ago there was no lamb to be had – the very wet, tropical and humid climate just doesn’t lend itself to sheep breeding.  A fellow Aussie expat living in the same compound, did once manage to obtain a supposed leg of lamb pre-ordered through some her local housekeeper – for about $80!  Having shared the then roasted meat amongst a few families one evening, we came to the conclusion it was probably a very pathetic, stringy goat, and we would not go looking for lamb any more!

SO, I made the “lamb tagine” with beef instead, and liked it so much I’ve been making it with beef ever since – and with a few changes to the original.  Delicious served with raita or plain yoghurt, naan bread and rice or couscous.

Beef Tagine

1.5 kg chuck or stewing steak, cut into 2.5cm cubes

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

extra 1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

600ml beef stock

splash of red wine

2 tbsp lime pickle OR 1/4 of a preserved lemon

425 gm can chickpeas, drained

1 cup green olives (pitted)

chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Combine the garlic, olive oil, cumin, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt & pepper.  Add to the beef in a non-metallic bowl and mix well to coat.  Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Heat the extra olive oil in a flameproof casserole; brown the beef in batches over high heat then remove from pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Return meat to the pan and add beef stock.  Stir well, cover and place in an oven preheated to 180C.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours, then add the pickle (or preserved lemon), chickpeas and olives. Return to oven, uncovered, and cook for a further 45 minutes.  Serve topped with fresh coriander leaves.

Serves 6.

If you wish, you can cook this completely on the stovetop – instead of placing in the oven, just simmer on low heat for the same times as given above.  And you could of course place it in a crockpot after adding the stock as well – I haven’t done this, but would guess that 8 hours on Low setting would be fine, adding the chickpeas etc after say 6 hours. If you do try it this way, please let me know how you go.

Happy Fooding!

Olive Tapenade #2 (Green)

I love olives, and the flavours of a good quality extra-virgin olive oil mixed with olives, capers and garlic are hard to beat.  As with my Kalamata olive tapenade recipe, use the best olives you can find. Buy them whole and pit them yourself. Delicious!

Green Olive Tapenade

1 1/4 cups green olives, pitted

1 tbsp capers, drained

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (at the moment I’m loving the full bodied flavour of Jingilli Grove cold-pressed EVOO)

cracked pepper, to taste

1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Combine olives, capers and garlic in food processor, and chop finely.  With motor running, gradually add lemon juice, olive oil and pepper, and process until well blended/smooth. Add coriander and process for a few more seconds.

Tapenades are best left for 24 hours in the fridge in order to allow the flavours to fully develop.  Then serve at room temperature with your favourite crackers, or small squares of very fresh bread. Mmmmmmm…

And in case you were wondering, yes I did make the lace mat underneath the dish, and the tiny stumpwork acorns in the background were stitched by my very talented mum!

Happy Fooding!

Olive Tapenade #1

I grew up not liking olives, at all.  It wasn’t that I didn’t actually like the taste, but because Katydid (my mum!) didn’t like them, we just never had them in the house and I was too scared to try them when I was out!  I even used to pick them off pizzas.  It was not until I was offered some kalamatas at my first visit to my then mother-in-law’s house, nearly 10 years ago, that I tried them to be polite, and was immediately hooked.

I love all kinds of olives, but kalamatas are my favourite variety, especially for just picking at from a dish, or baking with feta & herbs. Yum.

There are many, many tapenade recipes out there; this is my kalamata version.  I also have a yummy green olive tapenade recipe, which I shall share with you later. Be creative with your uses for dips and spreads – tapenade makes a wonderful sandwich spread and is great for breakfast on toast.

Always use a good quality, locally produced extra-virgin olive oil – it makes a huge difference to the flavour, as the oil is a large component of any tapenade. Don’t use the mass-produced imported ones – you really will notice the difference if you use a small, boutique oil.  Plus you should support the local olive industry.

As far as olives go, you can use ones from a jar if you have to, but you will get better quality ones if you buy them loose them from a reputable deli counter.  And go for the whole ones, then pit them yourself using an olive pitter (a wonderful invention!) – flavour is lost already from the ones you buy pitted, that have been sitting in the deli for goodness knows how long.

As with most things, using fresh is best – ie freshly squeezed lemon juice, homemade breadcrumbs…..I do get lazy about these things sometimes though, so LJ out of a bottle and bought breadcrumbs are okay here if that’s all you have access to.

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp capers, drained

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

cracked pepper, to taste

In a food processor, combine olives, capers, olive oil, thyme, garlic and lemon juice.  Process until mixture is finely chopped.

Add breadcrumbs and cracked pepper, and process until blended.

You can serve this straight away; however, I find it is best if you make it 1-2 days before and allow the flavours to really develop. Take out of the fridge for an hour or so before you serve, as it is best eaten at room temperature.  The tapenade will keep for a week in the fridge (if it lasts that long!) and also freezes well.

Happy Fooding!