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Raspberry and almond smoothie bowl – food is not art
I’ve seen some astonishingly pretty smoothie bowls online in the last few months, intricately and beautifully decorated with nuts, seeds, fruit and flowers. The smoothie takes but a moment to make, but I can’t imagine how long it must take to carefully and artfully place these toppings, to achieve the effect of an edible artwork. I am sure tweezers must often be involved. I even saw one where tiny cookie cutters were used to cut out banana shapes into stars and hearts. I like my food to look good, but I cannot imagine any person in the real world actually having time in the morning to create a smoothie bowl that is more art than food to be eaten. So as a small act of rebellion I created this smoothie bowl, which takes less than a minute to make, and I think looks pretty and delicious. No elder-flowers, no careful linear display of pepitas, granola and berries – just a sprinkling of chopped almonds and coconut and a few little raspberries on top. The almond butter adds beautiful flavour and the vanilla a delicate sweet perfume. It’s healthy and delicious, and certainly achievable before a busy day at work or play. Would love to see smoothie bowls you have made! Makes 1 serve, takes less than a minute to make 1 medium sized lady finger banana 1 cup frozen raspberries, with a few reserved for topping 1/2 cup milk (cows, soy, almond or whatever you have to hand) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract/vanilla paste 1 tablespoon almond butter A few dry roasted almonds, roughly chopped, and a little coconut In a blender combine all ingredients except for the almonds and coconut and blend until smooth. Pour into a shallow bowl and top with the almonds, coconut and reserved raspberries. Eat straight away.
Sunday morning avocado
Fantastic figs Orange oranges Triffic tomatoes Awesome avocadoes A lazy Sunday morning is not a regular feature of my week, but today was all that could be hoped for in that regard. After a gym workout I joined my husband and daughter at a local cafe for breakfast before discovering a treasure trove of new season fruits and vegetables at the Greengrocer’s Pantry next door. There was so much locally sourced produce it made my heart sing. I bought avocados and radishes, fresh Australian garlic and beetroots, and sweet strawberries, then came home to spend the rest of my morning cooking. We harvested rhubarb from the garden and a friend dropped by with a bag of cumquats to make marmalade. Domestic bliss for me, despite the excessive washing up! I made this avocado with soft feta on grainy bread for a mid-morning snack. The avocado was creamy and soft; the feta sharp and salty; and the bread chewy and delicious. For each person you’ll need: 1/2 a ripe avocado 1 tablespoon soft feta or goat’s cheese fresh chives salt and pepper 1 slice of grainy bread a squeeze of lemon juice Peel and de-seed the avocado. Slice thinly and squeeze over the lemon juice. Spread the cheese on the bread and top with the avocado. Sprinkle over the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat right away, relishing each mouthful. 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
Grilled peaches with thick yogurt and lime syrup
“you are ever the only one i want to give all the peaches in my heart to the only one by whom i want them bruised.” Sanober Khan A ripe peach, headily perfumed and heavy with sweet juice, is one of the delights of summer. I have been thinking over the last few days of friends in the United States who are experiencing the worst blizzard in many, many years, and the contrast between their world at the moment; blanketed in white, freezing cold, and resolutely indoors, and mine, which is blue-skied, hot and humid, and celebrating the outdoor life. This dish exemplifies that world, and I hope it brings a little sunshine to those who are huddled indoors today. It works beautifully as a dessert, or a brunch dish, but depends on having great peaches and good quality yoghurt. There is very little done to the ingredients, because they are so spectacular – just a little magic woven to bring them all together. In Australia, now is the time when peaches are at their absolute best, so a perfect time to make this little bowl of sunshine and light. Serves 4 4 large, beautifully ripe peaches 500 g thick Greek yoghurt (not the sweetened variety. Tang is required here to balance the lime syrup) 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 cup water 2/3 cup caster sugar 1 medium-sized lime 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and the seeds scraped out First make the lime syrup, In a small saucepan place the water, sugar, a few large pieces of lime zest (use a vegetable peeler to do this, but make sure there is no white pith on the zest – it is very bitter), and the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, and when it is at room temperature, remove the vanilla bean and add the juice of the lime. Set aside until ready to serve. You can do this a day ahead and store in the fridge until about an hour before needed. When ready to serve, carefully spoon the yoghurt into four lovely glasses. Halve the peaches and carefully remove the stones. In a medium sized, non-stick fry pan heat the butter until it begins to bubble. Place the peach halves, cut side down, in the pan and cook for about 3 -4 minutes on medium heat. Take off the heat and place on a dinner plate, cut side up, in a single layer, and pour over half the syrup. Carefully turn the peaches over and spoon the syrup that is in the plate over the peaches. Turn them over one more time and cut each peach half into three or 4 wedges. Top each glass with a few peach pieces and serve. Pass the remainder of the peaches around, along with the left-over syrup, so people can top up their glass with lime infused, peach wonderment.
Wilted greens on sourdough
I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green. Nathaniel Hawthorne A few weeks ago we planted some autumn greens in the vegetable patch. As winter has been very slow in coming in our part of the world, they have taken off and we have spinach and kale and rocket and a variety of lettuces and Chinese greens a-plenty. There is joy in seeing this abundance, that has had very little to do with me, except of providing a rich soil, and netting to keep possums and other intruders away. Water and sunshine have done all the work, and left me with the simple pleasure of the miracle of growing things. For lunch today I gathered a good handful of spinach and then foraged about for herbs – thyme, fennel fronds, parsley, baby nasturtium leaves and chives. I sauteed the spinach and herbs in a little butter and seasoned with pepper. A slice of toasted sourdough rubbed with a cut garlic clove was the base on which I laid the greens. A little finely grated pecorino was the final seasoning. It was deeply satisfying to make lunch from fresh produce from my own garden, and simply delicious. There is no need for a recipe for this dish – it’s just about some beautiful spinach and whatever herbs you have to hand, gently and quickly cooked in a little butter, with the best quality grainy sourdough bread you can find, an earthy and delicious lunch for one. You could add a poached egg or fresh curd cheese for a more filling meal, but I prefer the absolute simplicity of the greens on their own.
Lime cupcakes
I don’t drown my sorrows..I suffocate them with cupcakes. Anon. Everyone needs a no-fail, go-to, whip-it-up-in-a-flash cupcake recipe, and this is mine. It works every time and is soft and moist and delicious. The lime gives a refreshing tang to counter the sweetness of the cake and icing, and the almond meal has a nice undertone of nuttiness and richness. My daughter makes fabulous cupcakes and she is also an expert with a piping bag and palette knife to decorate, and she has tested this recipe many times. Her advice is to make sure that you cream the butter and sugar until it is very light and fluffy, and not to be impatient at this stage of the recipe; then you will get light-as-air cakes. Enjoy any time you need a sweet treat – not just to drown your sorrows! Makes 12 125g soft butter 180g raw caster sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla paste zest of 3 limes 185g self-raising flour 2 tablespoons almond meal 125ml milk Icing: 2 cups soft icing mixture 3 tablespoons butter juice of 1 lime, approximately Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a 12 hole muffin or cake tin with cake liners. In a medium sized bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well. Alternately add the flour and milk until well combined. Carefully spoon the mixture into the cake tin, filling each liner to about 2/3 capacity. There should be just enough mixture. Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes, or until lightly golden and an individual cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger. take the cakes out of the tin and cool on a cake tray until completely cold. meanwhile, in a small bowl beat together the icing ingredients, adding enough lime juice to get a smooth consistency. When the cakes are cold, ice and decorate them, unleashing all your creative impulses. I used thinly sliced lime zest, but you could use shave or toasted coconut, grated lime zest, sprinkles or sugar flowers, or whatever takes your fancy. The cakes will keep for 2 or 3 days if store din an airtight container. 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
Pistachio and walnut crumbly cake
I first had a ‘crumbly’ cake at an afternoon tea hosted by a friend whose brother lived in Norway, and she made a traditional Scandinavian cake that was not too sweet and had a unique slightly crumbly texture. I loved it and have been trying for some time to create my own version from that memory. Loosely based on a recipe I dug up from somewhere now long forgotten, scribbled and scrawled over, and liberally stained with spilled ingredients, here is the end result. It has aniseed undertones, a hint of saltiness, and richness from the pistachios and walnuts. It’s also super easy to make, and keeps well. I like to serve this cake with coffee for afternoon tea, but it is also really spectacular as a dessert when served with espresso syrup and burnt caramel ice cream. If you come from Brisbane as I do then Lick make the most awesomely delicious burnt caramel ice cream – with just the right edge of bitterness. And for espresso syrup I would suggest using this recipe – it is my favourite. Serves 12 Topping: 100g shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup plain flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 50g melted butter pinch salt Cake: 85 g shelled pistachios 1/2 cup walnuts 1 cup plain flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 star anise 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs 3 tablespoons olive oil 50 g butter, melted zest of 1 lemon Heat oven to 165 C. Lightly grease a 23 cm spring-form tin with a little butter and then line the base with baking paper. In a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients and set aside. In a pestle and mortar crush the star anise until it is quite finely ground. The smell should be heavenly (and so much better than using powdered spice). Combine the pistachios, walnuts, flour, sugar, star anise, salt and baking powder in a food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and process until combined. Spread into the base of the baking tin and then cover with the topping mixture, pressing down very lightly with your fingertips. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool before carefully removing the tin. Store in an airtight container. 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
Lemongrass beef
Such a simple recipe title, but this dish is packed with spicy flavours and interesting textures that make it a complex and satisfying dish to eat. Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients – it takes only about 20 minutes from start to finish to make. Serves 4 2 cloves garlic 1 stalk of lemongrass (white part only), sliced 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1 teaspoon sugar 300g beef mince 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil 200g rice vermicelli 1 large lime Dressing: 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 long red chilli, finely chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon water To serve: 100g bean sprouts 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves 1/2 cup mint leaves 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves In a pestle and mortar pound together the garlic, lemongrass, whole black peppercorns and sugar until they form a rough paste. In a medium sized glass bowl combine the spice mixture, the mince and the fish sauce and set aside. In another medium sized bowl pour boiling water over the rice vermicelli and leave to sit for 5 – 6 minutes, then drain in a colander. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Heat a medium sized frying pan over high heat. Add the oil and then fry the mince, breaking up any lumps as it cooks. It will take about 6 – 8 minutes to cook. Pour over the dressing and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve the beef and rice vermicelli with the sprouts and herbs, and wedges of lime on the side. Wine choice: I’d suggest a Gewurztraminer to drink with this dish, for its slightly sweet notes offset the spicy and peppery flavours in the beef. 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
Baked Italian meatballs
A prosaic title for what is a super dish, quick and easy, full of flavour, and pretty much loved by all (at least in my family). It’s so easy because the meatballs are simply prepared and then baked with a rich tomato sauce, with no need for cooking first. I like to make them on weeknights because they take only about 15 minutes to get into the oven, and then I can do other things while they are cooking. With pasta or garlic bread and a big salad, it makes a delicious dinner at the end of a busy day. Change the herbs to suit your taste and if you are really in a hurry, a good quality store-bought pasta sauce works very well instead of the home-made one. Never be concerned about taking short-cuts that don’t compromise a healthy dinner, but save you time, so you can spend more time with your family, and keep your stress levels down, especially if you are a working parent. margaretxx Meatballs: 500 g lean beef mince 1 slice of fresh bread, torn into small pieces 1 small onion, very finely diced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 1 egg salt and pepper 150 g fresh mozzarella, sliced extra basil for garnish Tomato sauce: 1 onion, finely diced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 small carrot, finely diced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 400g tin of chopped Italian tomatoes 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn into shreds Sea salt and black pepper In a medium sized sauce pan saute the onion, garlic and carrot in the olive oil until soft, about 5 – minutes. Add the oregano, brown sugar, vinegar and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves. Season well with the salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside while you make the meatballs. Preheat oven to 180 C. In a medium sized bowl combine all the meatball ingredients, except the mozzarella, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands and then form into 16 meatballs. Place into a ceramic baking dish that will hold them in a single layer, but not tightly packed. There needs to be room for the sauce to ooze around them. Pour over the sauce and cover with alfoil before baking in the oven for 45 minutes. Take off the foil and top with the cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is oozy, but not browning. Serve with spaghetti, or with chewy garlic bread and a green salad. If you have teen-aged boys as I do, they also make an amazing filling for a meatball sub (with extra cheese, of course).
Spiced lamb with cous cous and tzatziki
The perfect week night dinner, this lamb with cous cous and tzatziki is full of flavour, but only takes about 15 minutes to get onto the table. At our place Tuesday is a massive day, starting with band rehearsal at 7:30 am, school, afternoon music lessons, evening choir practice, a long day of lectures for the university students, and an always busy day at work for me. We heave a collective sigh of relief when we get to the end of it! I am loving cooking with lamb sirloin at the moment. It’s quite expensive, but there is no waste at all, and because it is lean, it’s a healthy, delicious and low fat choice of meat. 100 – 120 g per person is enough, unless you have growing, athletic teens in your household – we’ve all been conditioned to think that we need more meat than that for dinner, but we really don’t. You could also serve a big, crispy green salad with this meal. A glass of pinot would be a perfect accompanying wine, along with some Stan Getz for music. Serves 4 400-500 g lamb sirloin (this is probably 2 pieces) 2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tesapoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon smoked paprika olive oil Tzatziki (use this recipe or good quality store bought) and herby cous cous, to serve Before you start the lamb, prepare the cous cous and tzatziki and set to one side. Mix the spices, salt and pepper together in a small bowl, until well combined. Lay the lamb sirloin onto a piece of silicon paper and sprinkle the spices on both sides, patting onto the meat with your fingers, and making sure the whole surface is coated. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan until quite hot. Pan fry the lamb for 3 minutes per side, for medium, or to your liking. Take off the heat and rest for 3 minutes. Slice the lamb into 1/2 cm strips and then serve on top of the cous cous, with tzatziki on the side.
Pasta la vista, baby
Pasta is the meal of choice for all three of my kids if I ask them what they would like for dinner. I guess it’s the same for many households across the country – and it’s quick, easy to prepare, and, if not covered with a creamy sauce or loads of cheese, pretty healthy, too. This sort-of-sauce is a bit different from the usual bolognaise, tomato and basil, pesto or carbonara that we normally have. I wanted something with a real kick, and lots of texture and crunch, but which still allowed the pasta to be the star ingredient. It’s made of bacon, garlic, parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley and lots of dried chilli, pan fried until really crispy and tossed through the cooked pasta. It might seem very pared back for those who are used to lots of sauce with their pasta, but I love the way really good quality pasta tastes and it is so often lost when it is swimming in oceans of creamy sauce. So try this for something a bit different. Get the best quality pasta that you can afford and serve it with a peppery rocket salad like this one, and a glass of pinot gris for a satisfying dinner. And when people ask you what it is – use the accent. Serves 4 400g spaghetti (best quality that you can afford) 100g bacon, finely diced 1 handful fresh parsley 1 chewy bread roll 30g parmesan cheese 21/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon (or more if you like things really hot) dried chilli flakes 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/3 cup tomato passata Bring a large pot of water to the boil, season lightly with salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a food processor, process all the other ingredients, except for the olive oil, until they are finely chopped and well combined. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan and tumble in the breadcrumb mixture. Stir gently and cook until it is crispy and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, drain well and then toss through the breadcrumb mixture, the tomato passata and the last bit of the olive oil. Serve straight away.
Heritage tomatoes – no recipe required
Sometimes, the food we put on our table does not need to be cooked, or prepared in a special way, or even garnished. On its own it speaks to us; with beauty, astonishing flavour, and a certain joy that’s inherent with the feeding of the soul as well as the body. That’s how I felt when I came across these heritage tomatoes in my local fruit shop at Indooroopilly. The tomatoes are grown in Fassifern, about an hour from where I live, by a couple, Matt and Sarah Muller, who started growing them commercially about a year ago. They are so beautiful and the names entrancing – Green Zebra, Tigerella, Ida Gold, Black Cherry and the Mortgage Lifter, to name a few. All I did was to carefully wash them, put them in a bowl, and allow the family to eat them at will. The inside flesh was as much a revelation as their outside colour; rosy pink, bright green, shining yellow, deep purple and rich, dark red. I can’t think of any recipe that could have improved the experience we had when eating these tomatoes. If you live in south-east Queensland I encourage you to look for them. If not, perhaps your local Farmer’s Market might have a heritage tomato grower you can support. I know you will love them as much as we did. 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
Cranberry and pecan sugar cookies
It’s Mother’s Day here tomorrow and these cookies would be a gorgeous gift. So easy an under-ten year old could do a beautiful job. If you are a mum I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow. margaretxx Simple food Sweet and tender and crumbly, these sugar cookies are based on what I think is a traditional American recipe – although there seems to be an almost endless variety of sugar cookie recipes available, both in recipe books and online. It is hard to say for certain the true provenance, although I did read that the recipe can be traced back to the mid 1700s in Nazareth Pennsylvania where German Protestant settlers created a cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth Sugar Cookie and which is the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. But at their heart they all seem to be a rich, buttery biscuit, with either icing piped or sugar sprinkled on top. I wanted to try to develop a recipe based on this concept, because the other great thing about them is that the dough can be kept in the freezer and the cookies made… View original post 365 more words 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