All posts tagged: Recipes

Fake it ’til you make it

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Is it possible to crave something you’ve never had before? I think so. I often read about foods on the internet and then I want them. I want them bad. Lobster rolls are associated with the lobster state of Maine in the U.S. and in New England and the Canadian Maritimes, some McDonald’s offer lobster rolls as a seasonal menu item. They call it the McLobster! We don’t get loster rolls here in New Zealand. I guess it’s because we don’t have lobster here, but we have plenty of things that could substitute. Crayfish would be the most obvious choice. Crab could also work if we were a nation that gobbled up crab. I was craving a lobster roll, but being on a budget – crayfish can be $100kg – I considered making it with surimi instead. At $8kg, surimi is not going to break the bank. Surimi is pretty forgiving too so you can make the mix ahead of time, refrigerate it and eat it over a few days. I’d never do that with fresh seafood though. …

The only way to eat leeks

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I always write down my recipes after I’ve cooked them. It’s just the way I work. I guess I like freestyling more than I like following recipes. This time around, it was a little different. I had some time on my hands so I typed up this recipe based on ingredients I knew we had, and then followed the recipe. I have made only 1 alteration to this recipe after cooking it. The leek soaked up a lot of stock so next time I would use 2 cups instead of 1 so there can be more of this lovely sauce. After tasting this, you too will believe this is the only way to eat leeks. My husband has decided he loves leeks too after eating this. Creamy Braised Leeks with Broadbean and Chorizo Ingredients 1 leek A knob of butter A splash of white wine or cooking wine 1 cup chicken stock 2 cups chicken stock 4 chorizo sausages (or other spicy sausage) 2 handfuls of broadbeans A splash of cream A sprinkling of herbs, salt, …

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast…Wrapped in Bacon

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This is one of those dishes I made up a long time ago by putting together a whole lot of delcious ingredients and hoping for the best. I mean, bacon, chicken, mushroom, garlic, cream…how could this possibly go bad? I used to make this without bacon or capers, so you can use these or leave out. This recipe is enough for 2 servings. What I like about this dish is that you can prep for it before guests arrive, then pop it in the oven when they get to your house. Then it’s only 30 minutes until dinner and you can entertain rather than fluffing around in the kitchen. Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast…Wrapped in Bacon Ingredients 1 large chicken breast 2 pieces of streaky bacon 2 brown mushrooms 2 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon herbs 1/4 cup of cream 1 teaspoon of capers salt pepper Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C. Slice the mushrooms, finely chop the garlic and put into a bowl. Add the capers, breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, pepper and cream. The mixture …

Magical Elixir

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I was recently watching Nici Wicke’s World Kitchen, specifically the Hong Kong episode. I was born in Hong Kong and it will always have a special place in my heart. In this episode, while sipping on snake soup, Nici and her Hong Kong guide Denny, talk about soup. In Western society, soup is often eaten when we are sick. Chicken soup is consciously or subconciously considered to a magical elixir that will cure what ails you. Soup is nourishing and easy to digest. In Chinese society, a nourishing soup is served with dinner to prevent sickness. Take a magical elixir every day for good health. How cool is that? I grew up with soup as a course before dinner. Chinese soup is a savoury broth and light enough to have before every meal. Meats like pork or chicken are boiled with various dried roots, vegetables, dried fruits and even nuts. It’s an important aspect of every Chinese dinner. We were often encouraged to have a second bowl of soup after our meal too. I serve soup …

Almost Fish and Chips

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Lemon pepper fish with potatoes dauphinoise, salad with lemon ginger dressing. Lemon pepper fish came out of a box. Potatoes Dauphinoise Ingredients 3 potatoes 3 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon dried herbs (optional) Half a cup of cream Plenty of salt and pepper 1 tablespoon oil Preparation Preheat oven to 175°C. Peel potatoes and slice into 2mm thick rounds. Peel and finely chop garlic. Coat the bottom of an oven proof dish with oil. Arrange 1 layer of sliced potato on the bottom of the dish. Drizzle with a cream and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of dried herbs. Repeat last 2 steps finishing with a layer of potato. Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes. Divide into desired portions and serve. Lemon Ginger Dressing Ingredients Juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup oil 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon minced ginger Pinch of Salt Ground Pepper 1 teaspoon sugar Preparation Whisk all ingredients together. Can be refrigerated, just give the dressing a whisk/shake before serving.

Naked Little Dumplings

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I had all the ingredients for dumplings but I didn’t really feel like wrapping them. So I made these naked dumplings instead. What makes these different to meatballs? Well, they have pork, prawns, ginger and shitakke mushrooms in them, so they’re dumplings! Naked Little Dumplings Ingredients 200grams pork mince 100grams raw, frozen, shelled prawns 4 dried shitakke mushrooms 1 spring onion 1 teaspoon salt Ground black pepper 1 tablespoon applesauce 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 egg, beaten 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce oil Serve with rice, vegetables and coconut cream. Preparation of naked dumplings Thaw prawns in water and chop each prawn into 3 pieces. Boil mushrooms for a minute and drain. Cut off the hard stem and chop the mushrooms finely. Add all the ingredients except for the oil to a mixing bowl and mix, mix, mix. Add a little oil to a non stick frying pan. Using wet hands, measure out a tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball. Add to the frying pan. Repeat until the mixture is all used up (about …

Seafood roundup

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I would love to live in a tiny fishing village for a while and buy fresh seafood from the fishermen as they come in from sea. Here is a collection of seafood plates I’ve whipped so far this year: What do you do when you haven’t been shopping in a while and only have cheese, potatoes, peas…and then find half a bag of prawns in the freezer? You make cheesy potato gratin with pea puree and sweet chili prawn skewers of course! Mussels in coconut cream and sweet chili sauce. Feeds 2 hungry adults for less than $5! Add a $10 bottle of red and you’ve got yourself a date 🙂 One day I’ll figure a way to avoid photographing the steam coming off hot food…without having to wait for dinner to grow cold. Creamy prawns with rice and green salad and beetroot. Easy and decadent. Saute half a diced onion and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic in some butter. When those are cooked, add enough prawns for 2 and cook until just done. …

Chicken dinner roundup

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Chicken. It can be versatile. It can be boring. I often cook chicken at home, but hardly every order chicken when I dine out. Here is a selection of home cooked chicken dinners from the last few months. Ginger roast chicken drums, mustard potato and ginger coleslaw. Easy, yummy noms. Can you tell I like purple food? Breaded chicken stuffed with camembert, tomatoes and lettuce from the garden, onion garlic rice. Spicy chicken with black beans and baked tortilla chips. Hearty fare! Sour cream would have made this OMG but all we had was cheese. Chicken breast stuffed with fresh mango, spices, onion and garlic. Mushrooms cooked in leftover mango stuffing. Shackin up with buttery brussels sprouts, broccoli and mash. Chicken salad with baked cheesey cauli for dinner. In New Zealand, chicken salad doesn’t have anything to do with sandwiches or mayonnaise. I’m loving this Mexican spice mix I got from Taste and Gregg’s cooking demo a few weeks ago. Great for adding some kick to meats but mild enough not to overpower the natural …

Bangers and Mash

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With lamb sausages, champs, peas and red cabbage. Champs Ingredients 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped Splash of milk 1 stalk of spring onion, sliced finely Knob of butter Salt Pepper 1 egg Preparation Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain potatoes. Heat milk, butter and spring onions gently in a small pot until the butter has melted. Mash the potatoes with a pinch of salt. With a spoon, quickly stir in the egg and then the warmed milk mixture. Serve immediately.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

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I ate Hainaese Chicken Rice a lot as a kid and I often crave it. The chicken is smooth and silky and the rice is fragrant and full of flavour and you get a bowl of comforting broth to sip on with your meal. Because it is not fast food (slow, slow food) not many restaurants offer it. I roughly followed this recipe that I found online. I couldn’t bear for the water to get cold (scared that the chicken wouldn’t get cooked enough) so I turned it up to a simmer at about the half way mark and then back off. I used chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken. Hainanese Chicken Rice Ingredients Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken, trimmed of excess fat Several cloves smashed garlic, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic Several slices fresh ginger, plus 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1/2 cup peanut oil, or neutral oil, like corn or canola 3 shallots, roughly chopped, or a small onion 2 cups long-grain rice 1/2 cup minced scallions …

I love Nosh and Lamb Shanks

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Nosh Food Market opened up this year within walking distance of our house. The time it takes to walk from my house to Nosh and back home, including shopping is exactly 1 hour. I adore Nosh, it’s like my happy place. The staff are knowledgeable and seem genuinely happy to be there. Anything on special at Nosh is better quality and cheaper than the supermarket giants. I’m glad I have a restriction on how much I can buy at Nosh or I’d be spending all my wages there. Anything that I can’t carry in my shopping bag doesn’t get to come home with me. Nosh always seem to have lamb shanks on special and they also have great recipes for their products on their website. This dish is an adaptation of the Lamb Shanks with Parsnip recipe from their website . Lamb Shanks with Chorizo and Beetroot Ingredients 2 lamb shanks Flour Oil 2 beetroot (peeled and cut into wedges) 1 red onion (chopped) 1 mexican chorizo (cut into bite sized pieces) 3 garlic cloves (chopped) …

Quiche pies!

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I make quiche pies about once a fortnight. They can be eaten hot or cold and are wonderful for breakfast, picnics, lunch, snacks or with a salad as a meal. I always change up the ingredients depending on what we have in the fridge. The ingredients I reckon you must have are puff pastry, egg and cheese, the rest you can be creative on. They keep fine for about 3 days…Maybe longer, but never had a chance to find out! Quiche pies Makes 12 Ingredients 3 sheets of puff pastry 6 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk 1 spring onion (scallion) finely sliced 6 sundried tomatoes 4 mushrooms sliced thinly Half an onion sliced thinly Cheese – 12 bite size pieces A bit of butter, melted A bit of oil A bit of salt A bit of pepper Preparation Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) Optional: Fry mushrooms and onion in a little oil until they soften. Remove from heat and set aside. Brush butter onto a muffin tin. Cut each sheet of pastry into …

Cottage Pie Dreams & Shepherd’s Pie Potatoes

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I had a dream last night about cottage pie where the top was thinly sliced potato instead of the usual mash. So I had to make it for dinner. I guess some people have dreams and go on and become prophets. I have dreams and go on to eat dinner. I figured 3 layers of potato and 3 layers of cheese would be enough to do my dream justice. Layer of meat and vegies. Layer of potato, layer of mild cheese, layer of potato, layer of havarti, layer potato, layer of mature cheddar. Baked to golden. Nom. Sunday night dinner: Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes Do you know the difference between a Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie? Shepherd’s has lamb, Cottage has beef. These baked potatoes are great portable food. Maybe for a party or a picnic and I can testify that these are good eaten cold too. I used sausages, but you could use mince also. Ingredients 4 medium potatoes 2 lamb sausages or about 150grams mince 2 mushrooms, sliced 2 tablespoons diced onion 2 …

3 Course Dinner

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Who said you need an occasion to make 3 courses? Starter: Calamari salad with avocado and lemon mayo. Squid is pretty damn cheap. I got a kilo of frozen squid for $11. The squid you see on these 2 plates cost about $1. Not bad! Squid rings Ingredients Half a squid tube per person (or 1-1.5 whole tubes for a main) Salt Pepper 1 tbspn flour Paprika Oil for frying Ok, I’m terrible with measurements. I don’t measure and neither should you! Learn what feels right. Taste your food and remember for next time. Preparation Clean squid tubes and dry with paper towels/napkins. Put in a shallow bowl and paprika, salt and pepper generously. Add about a tablespoon of flour for each tube. Mix well and refridgerate until needed. Heat about 4cm of oil in a small pot. Carefully lower the squid rings with tongs. They are done after about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd them. Batches are a good idea! I’ve read that you should drain/dry on paper towels, but there was …

Flounder baked in foil

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This plate of food cost about $4 in groceries. Thanks to all this talk of flounder (you know who you are) I’ve been craving flounder hard out. I’ve never cooked whole fish in my life, only fillets so I decided that flounder was a good place to start. I had to serve these in the foil because our plates were too small for the fish without the foil. What does it mean when you need bigger plates? Baked Flounder Ingredients 1 Flounder per person (gutted and scaled*) 1 clove of garlic A smear of chilli sauce or half a red chilli Splash of soy sauce 1 tablespoon of oil Salt Black Pepper 2 Kaffir lime leaves Ginger – cut into 5 matchstick size pieces A lime  Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash the flounder and slice a large X on both sides of the fish with a sharp knife. Tear off a piece of foil large enough to fit the fish on and to wrap up. Lay this on a large shallow roasting dish. Lay …

Strawberry Pastries

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Easy summer goodness. Did you ever notice that strawberries look like hearts? Make this for your Valentine why don’t ya? Strawberry Pastries with Butterscotch Sauce (for two) Butterscotch sauce ingredients 4 teaspoons sugar 4 teaspoons water 4 tablespoons palm sugar 4 tablespoons butter A dash of milk Preparation In a small saucepan, simmer 4 teaspoons of sugar with 4 teaspoons of water. Add more water if it looks like it will burn. Stir for a few minutes until thick. Add palm sugar and stir until dissoved. Stir in butter and milk. I promise you this stuff is hot. DO NOT blow on the spoon and then lick the sauce. It will burn you. Molten sugar is hot like lava from the pits of hell. Trust me! I know! Strawberry Pastries ingredients 1 sheet of puff pastry A small punnet of strawberries (we ate some of the punnet already) Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut a square sheet of puff pastry in half and put each half onto a grease baking sheet. Wash and remove tops of strawberries. …