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Cous cous with currants and coriander
This fresh and fruity cous cous is a winner at our place. It goes well with tagines, or as an accompaniment to grilled lamb or chicken. I also like to offer it as an alternative to potato salad at a barbeque. Miss Eleven even takes it for her school lunch. I have also recently found a corn based cous cous alternative which brought great joy into my coeliac son’s heart. Cous cous had not really been on our menu since he was diagnosed, but the corn version is delicious, although slightly different in flavour. Be bold with the coriander, as it is the ingredient that lifts this cous cous out of the ordinary. Serves 4 – 6 1 cup cous cous 1 1/2 cups boiling chicken or vegetable stock 1 teaspoon butter sea salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup currants 1/2 cup diced dried apricots 1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts 1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped Place the cous cous in a medium sized bowl with the butter, and pour over the stock. Cover with a plate and leave for about 5 minutes. Take off the cover, and fluff up the grains with a fork. Add the currants, apricots, pine nuts and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss through the coriander and turn into a serving platter. Drizzle over the fruity olive oil and serve. If you want to make this salad ahead of time, follow the recipe above but leave out the pine nuts until just before serving, as they tend to go soft and their subtle crunch is a great textural component of the cous cous. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Roasted balsamic onions
Onions are an integral part of my cooking, and their sweet, aromatic flavour adds depth and intensity to so many dishes. But in this dish they shine on their own. I saw something like this on Nigella Lawson’s Nigellisima Italian themed cooking show, and have been itching to make a version of my own ever since. We grow our own basil and at this time of year I have a ridiculous amount of this sweet, fragrant herb to use in my cooking. Even making pesto once a week does not keep on top of it, so any new recipe I can think of that uses basil is welcome. These onions are really delicious with grilled lamb or chicken and good crusty bread to soak up the juices. Serves 4 1 kg red onions, peeled and quartered 2 tablespoons olive oil sea salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar small bunch thyme good handful basil leaves Preheat oven to 180C. Place the onions in a roasting dish large enough to fit them in a single layer. Add the thyme (saving a few sprigs) and olive oil and toss to coat. Season well with salt and pepper and roast, uncovered for about 1 hour, turning occasionally, until the onions are soft and starting to blacken slightly at the edges. Pour over the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and then carefully stir through until well mixed. Place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Carefully pick out the thyme and let the onions cool a little, before piling into a serving bowl and scattering with the basil and the remaining thyme leaves. Serve straight away. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Creamy rice pudding – childhood revisited
Rice pudding is one of those comforting, nostalgic desserts that remind us of our mothers and home, particularly if our family is connected somewhere in the past to the United Kingdom. It’s perfectly suited to autumn, and the more hearty food of this season. I love it on its own, with just the subtle flavouring of vanilla, but it also shines with berries, or jewel-like pomegranate seeds, or sweetly poached apricots. It is not at all difficult to make, but it does require some time and devoted attention to make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan, or burn. I like to make it on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I am not in a hurry and the rest of the household is still sleeping, and then serve it gently warmed for dessert that night. No matter how much I make it always disappears, if not for dessert, sometime between dinner and the morning! Serves 4 150 g arborio rice 1 L full cream milk 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 50 g caster sugar Place the rice, milk and vanilla in a large saucepan and bring gently to the boil. Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until the milk is absorbed and the rice soft and squidgy. Stir every couple of minutes to make sure no rice sticks to the bottom of the pan. When the rice is done, then and only then, add the sugar and stir through. Remove the vanilla bean just before serving. Serve warm, with poached fruit or fresh pomegranate seeds and enjoy the appreciative silence that descends at the table as the pudding is eaten. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Warm bean salad with proscuitto and herbs
The flavours in this warm salad – garlic, basil, onion, proscuitto and a kiss of chilli are absolute winners with the creamy cannelini beans. With some simply grilled meat, a fresh green salad and jacket potatoes, you have a complete meal that’s delicious, healthy, and has a wonderful mix of contrasting textures and flavours. Serves 6 – 8 olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely 1 red onion, finely diced 1 long red chilli, finely sliced (leave the seeds in if you like it a bit hotter) 4 slices of proscuitto, chopped A handful of basil and flat leaf parsely, finely chopped 2 400g tins of cannelinin beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon grated parmesan Sea salt and black pepper Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, chilli and proscuitto until the onion is transparent and the proscuitto is slightly crisp. Add the beans and herbs and toss until warmed through. Season well with salt and pepper. Place onto a serving platter and sprinkle with the parmesan. Drizzle over a little extra olive oil and serve. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Rockmelon with prosciutto and thyme
Everyone from Jamie Oliver to Elizabeth Romer have rhapsodised about this simple Italian dish and with good reason. It tastes stunning and looks wonderful. You must, must, must, though, use rock melon when it is at its seasonal best, heavy and dripping with sweet juices. Getting the prosciutto sliced paper thin is also important for the best result. It takes no time at all to prepare and every mouthful will be worth it. It works for breakfast, brunch or as a salad with a summer meal. Enjoy! Serves 4 1/2 rock melon, peeled and sliced into wedges, or scooped out into rough balls. 8-12 slices of paper thin proscuitto A few sprigs of fresh thyme with flowers, if they are in season Best quality olive oil Put the melon on a large serving platter and then carefully place the proscuitto around it, twisting and curling it around the pieces of melon. You could also wrap larger slices of melon with a slice of proscuitto, which I think is the more traditinal mwthod. Scatter over a few sprigs of thyme and thyme flowers and then very carefully drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Cous cous with herbs and green chilli
I always say that cous cous is the working woman’s friend. It is so quick and simple to prepare. But, it needs a little bit of love and attention by adding flavour and texture or else it is beyond boring. This is a version I have recently started making, mainly because I grow my own herbs, so there is always something in the garden that will add the necessary bazinga. Serves 4 as an accompaniment 1 cup cous cous 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper About 1 cup of roughly chopped fresh herbs. Whatever you have around will most likely work. I always use flat leaf parsley and basil and then add chives and a little fresh thyme too. 1 or 2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped, depending on how hot you like things. Leave out the seeds for less heat. Put the cous cous in the bowl you want to serve it in. Pour on 1 cup of boiling water and cover the bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Use a fork to separate the grains and then add the herbs and chilli. Season well with salt and pepper and then drizzle over the olive oil and stir it through. That’s it. Done. Yummy. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Brownies to die for
I won’t say that these brownies are the best ever. I would never say that anyone’s brownies are the best ever. I think that the world has room enough for a truckload of spectacular brownies, and I’m writing as one who has tried a comprehensive range; nutty, chewy, studded with white chocolate, or milk chocolate, or both; my love of brownies encompasses them all. I will say though, that these brownies meet all my criteria for what makes this chocolate dessert truly divine. Intense and dark, gooey and oozy in the middle, and with chunks of liquid chocolate as a surprise in almost every mouthful. They are best eaten when still warm, with a spoonful of thick cream and an espresso on the side. Do not let a single guilty thought enter your mind. Just enjoy the moment and hit the gym tomorrow. Makes 16 brownies 200g butter 160g brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch sea salt 3 eggs 300g best quality dark chocolate – 200g melted and 100g chopped into bite-sized pieces 150g self-raising flour 1 tablespoon cocoa Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin. Preheat the oven to 150 C. Cream the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the melted chocolate and then the flour and cocoa. Pour the mixture into the tin and then stud evenly with the pieces of chocolate, pushing them almost all the way into the mixture. Place in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes, when the brownies will be just cooked in the middle. Resist the temptation to leave them in the oven longer. They will set a little more as they cool and the best brownies are gooey brownies. Cool slightly in the tin before cutting into 16 slices. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Butter beans with pine nuts and lemon
I was inspired to create this recipe to bring out the gorgeous flavours of butter beans by the bumper crop from my vegetable patch this year. Butter beans are similar to green beans and not to be confused with the equally delicious but quite different broad beans. They have a slightly sweeter flavour and I think their colour is wonderful. Serve them with any grilled meat or fish. Serves 6 as a side dish 500g butter beans (yellow string beans) 60g butter 60g pine nuts (about 1/3 cup) 1 lemon 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives Steam the beans in a steamer over boiling water until just tender. Menwhile, put the butter into a small saucepan over low heat. Let the butter bubble until it is lightly golden, but not burning. Take off the heat and add the pine nuts, swirling them around until they are well coated. Put the beans onto a serving dish and pour over the butter and pine nuts. Use a microplane or fine grater to grate the zest of the lemon over the beans. Squeeze over the juice of 1/2 of the lemon, sprinkle with chives and serve. Serves 6 as a side. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Blood orange punch
Summer is on its way in my part of the world, bringing with it warm days, still-cool evenings, and life bursting out in the vegetable patch. It’s the most marvellous time of year to be in the garden, where every small effort of planting and watering brings excellent returns at the table in the form of sweet salad leaves, fresh herbs and tiny new vegetables. I made a punch with blood orange juice and mint on the first really hot afternoon of the season last weekend. Blood oranges are only available for a short season and they have a distinctive flavour, like a normal orange but with a sweet and delicate twist, plus deep ruby flesh and juice. You could make this punch with normal orange juice, or even lime juice, but the colour of the blood orange juice has no substitute. Makes 1.5 litres 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/2 vanilla bean 1 1/2 cups blood orange juice (4-5 oranges) 1 L sparkling mineral water a handful of fresh mint leaves ice First make a sugar syrup. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean. Bring to the boil over a high heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and chill until you are ready to make the punch. Juice the oranges and combine with the juice, mineral water and mint leaves in a large jug filled with ice. Leave the vanilla bean in as it looks wonderful and continues to impart its deicate flavour and aroma. Serve immediately in tall glasses. Best drunk sitting in garden in the cool of the afternoon, with someone you love. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Black forest mousse
I have to thank my fifteen year old son for this recipe which he adapted from a 1970s chocolate mousse recipe that was dog-eared and smeared with chocolate stains from overuse. He added the cherries and their tartness is a perfect foil for the rich chocolate and cream. If it is summertime and cherries are plentiful where you live, why not poach them yourself – but make sure you use sour morello cherries for the best flavour. The better the quality of the chocolate you use the better the final result – and, of course, there is no other chocolate but dark chocolate. serves 6 500g pitted morello cherries, drained, syrup reserved 300ml thickened cream 50g-piece dark chocolate, shaved 200 g dark chocolate 300 ml cream 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon castor sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla First make the mousse. Melt 200g chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Use a medium low setting and stir after every minute as chocolate burns easily in the microwave. You could also melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pot of gently simmering water. Separate eggs. Mix egg yolks with sugar and vanilla and stir together. Mix with melted chocolate. Gently whip 300ml cream, add to chocolate mixture. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Put ¼ of the egg whites with chocolate mixture and combine, then add rest of egg white and fold through gently until completely mixed. Do not beat or over mix or the mousse will lose its airy texture. Chill for about 3 hours to let it set. In a separate bowl whip the remaining 300ml of cream to soft peaks. Layer the mousse, cream and cherries in individual glasses. Repeat so that there are two layers in each glass. Decorate with the 50g shaved chocolate on top, and a drizzle of cherry juice. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Gin and lemon jellies – for weddings, parties, anything
Every summer we buy a bottle of really good quality gin and enjoy a regular gin and tonic in the late afternoon as the heat of the day is starting to dissipate. Turning a G&T into a dessert has long been on my to-do list and after a trip to Wellington in late November where I picked up some gorgeous duty free gin, and some vintage beakers in a quirky antique store, the time was ripe to get the creative juices flowing, recipe-wise. These lemon and gin jellies are the result. Super easy, super quick and super impressive, they were an instant hit at our place. Don’t be put off by the leaf gelatine as it is really simple to use and readily available in any good deli. The jellies would be great for a summer dinner party dessert or anytime, really. Makes 8 serves 1/2 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup gin 3 leaves of gold strength gelatine Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for three minutes and then take off the heat. Fill a small bowl with cold water and put the gelatine leaves in to soak for a couple of minutes. Place the lemon juice, gin and sugar syrup in a jug. Lift the gelatine out of the water and squeeze out the excess water. Add to the gin mixture and whisk with a fork until the gelatine is dissolved. Pour into 8 shot glasses and refrigerate until set, which will take about three hours. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Tomato sauce, and leaving home
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. Denis Waitley Over the summer both of my boys have moved out of home and into the world of shared living. It’s a very quiet house without them, and I miss them, but I am enjoying seeing them over coffee, or for Sunday lunch, and watching them embrace the freedoms and responsibilities of young adulthood. They are both well equipped to manage, able to do household chores (after much training in their formative years!), and both good cooks; but I still get the occasional phone call looking for suggestions for dinner ideas. This tomato sauce is a killer recipe to have in the repertoire, because it works well on its own, but also can be the base for many delicious variations by adding other ingredients. It’s also inexpensive and can feed a hungry horde when tossed through some pasta and served with green salad and crunchy garlic bread. Makes about 2 cups 750 g ripe tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme black pepper With a sharp knife make two shallow cuts in one end of the tomatoes, making a cross. Put the tomatoes into a medium sized, heatproof bowl. Boil a jug of water and then pour over the tomatoes. Leave for 1 minute, and then take them out of the water, and peel away the skin, beginning from the cuts. It should slip off very easily. Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to a medium sized sauce pan with all the other ingredients, except the balsamic vinegar, and then add a good grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil over medium heat on the stove, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until thick and a bright red. Use a fork to fish out the thyme stalks and discard them. Add about 1 teaspoon of the balsamic vinegar and stir through. Serve with pasta, and shaved parmesan on top. This amount of sauce will accommodate 500 g pasta, in the Italian way, that is, a slick coating, not lots and lots of sauce. Here’s a few variations that I recommend: (other suggestions most welcome) add a handful of chopped smoked olives, a few capers and some freshly chopped red chilli pan fry a diced onion and a couple of pieces of prosciutto or bacon and add to the sauce just before serving stir through half a cup of shredded fresh basil leaves cook a bit longer until very thick and then use as a sauce for pizza add a handful of chopped smoked olives, a few capers and some freshly chopped red chilli pan fry a diced onion and a couple of pieces of prosciutto or bacon and add to the sauce just before serving stir through half a cup of shredded fresh basil leaves cook a bit longer until very thick and then use as a sauce for pizza
Pesto
My kids say that this pesto is the besto. From early October right through to the end of March where we live (in Queensland) my basil plants yield prolifically, so much so that I make pesto around once a week. Home made is so much better than even the best shop bought pesto and if you have a biggish pot and a warm sunny spot in your garden or patio you can grow your own basil and make pesto whenever the mood stikes. If you do grow your own basil, pick it in the morning before the leaves wilt with the heat and lose some of their plumpness and sweetness.This recipe makes enough pesto for around 500g pasta but there are so many great ways to use this simple, classic sauce. It will keep in the fridge, tighly sealed and covered with a thin film of olive oil for three or four days, if it lasts that long! Serves 4 3 cups fresh basil leaves 2/3 cup pine nuts 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the pine nuts on a tray and roast in the oven until lightly golden. Once the pine nuts have cooled, place them and all the other ingredients in a food processer and pulse them until and well combined but with a slightly chunky consistency. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation
Yoghurt cream with strawberries
Strawberry season has started early where I live and these beautiful, luscious, sweet and juicy strawberries were just begging to be eaten. I read in a wonderful book by one of my favourite authors, Helene Hanff, of 84 Charing Cross Road fame, a 19th century quote about strawberries – “Doubtless God could have made a better berry than the strawberry, and doubtless He did not”. When they are as perfect as the strawberries we ate yesterday I must agree. The yoghurt cream I topped them with is very versatile and works with any soft fruit, but is especially good with berries. It’s not sweet, as it is made with greek yoghurt, but the syrupy, slightly crunchy sugar topping is all that’s needed to satisfy. For the best effect make it a couple of hours before you want to eat it. Serves 6 300 ml thickened cream 1 cup thick greek yoghurt 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract 1/2 cup soft brown sugar 2 tablespoons demerrara sugar (raw sugar also works fine) 2 punnets of ripe berries (500 g) In a medium bowl whip the cream until soft peaks form, Stir in the greek yoghurt and vanilla and mix well. In pretty glasses or small glass bowls tumble in the berries, which have been cut into bite-sized pieces. Top with generous spoonfuls of the yoghurt cream and then distribute the brown sugar over the top. Finally, sprinkle over the demerrara sugar and then put in the fridge for a couple of hours. The brown sugar will become slightly syrupy and the demerrara sugar will retain a little crunch. Yum, yum. Posted by:mawarre I love to cook (and eat). Based in Brisbane, Australia, I write about the food I cook for my friends and family. Post navigation