using this as a base: recipe 1 and then the following 2 3 4 5 for inspiration. I enjoyed recipe 1's simpleness. Time was short and i was hungry so off we go.
Ingredients
4 Lamb chops, trimmed deboned and diced (save bones save some fat (dice finely))
2 sebago potatoes (fist size, diced chunky)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
5-6 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic (crushed and divided into 2, gives flavour hit)
1 whole onion peeled
750ml reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon italian herbs (when i say teaspoon i mean a good sprinkle)
3 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (when i say 3 teaspoons i mean a very generous portion)
A HEAP of dried parsley
1 teaspoon tarragon (same as italian herb)
1 egg
flour and water
Worthy additions that i did not have around
# 3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed and thinly sliced (had no leeks but
# 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
# bacon or pork belly slices
Cooking Directions
1. Prepare and combine all ingredients in pot. Add water to cover all ingredients.
A smarter way would be to leave the potatoes out and add them in about 45 minutes into cooking time. However sebago potatoes seem to do well in soups. While cooked all the way through they maintain their shape and texture. The potatoes are somewhat the highlight of this soup. If more care was made in the prepartion of the lamb through seasoning and flavouring, the lamb would have been more prominent.
2. Taste and season
3. Simmer for 1.5hrs on low heat
4. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of flour into water and add to soup in portions. Give time for soup to get thick before the next portion.
5. Repeat step 4 until desired thickness is reached. I do not like it too thick. Watery but not too watery =) I know that doesnt help, do it to your liking.
6. Scramble an egg and add to it, mix through. Why? chinese chefs do it, i like the way it looks.
7. Serve with cracked pepper.
Apparently its super yum as acclaimed by my french roommate, "best soup he's ever had". I think thats A BIT exaggerated, probably qualify that with "... that was not bought at a restaurant". I found it very enjoyable. The more then usual pepper and celery seem to make it very wintery and well the potatoes were very very good. Sebago all the way. Oh also diced up little bits of lamb fat or garlic give surprising boosts to the profile
A surprising success! I'd improve it with leeks, thyme, bacon and less lazy lamb preparation.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
it's 11 and im hungry
chilli and garlic spaghetti with tomatoes
ahhh very aromatic and yummy. Simple and satisfying, perfect for when your hungry and stuck for ideas. No meat means no defrosting =P
Only try this if you know the tomatoes you have are fresh and awesome in flavour. Wont work otherwise.
1. Prepare onions (as fine as you can), garlic (sliced to thin strands), chilli (i used 1, wasnt enough fire) and diced tomatoes.
2. Start pasta going (use plenty of salt in the water)
3. Use a bit of oil and fry up the garlic and chilli on medium heat. Wait till garlics are very brown.
4. Throw in finely diced onions and a little bit of oil. Brown.
5. Add a few dashes of paprika to colour, maybe a little cayene pepper.
6. Mix and take off heat. By now the pasta is done, drain and throw into the onions.
7. Mix thoroughly and add generous amounts of fragrant quality olive oil.
8. chuck in diced tomatoes, swirl around a little to absorb the residual heat.
9. Serve with a good load of cracked pepper. If done right, the spaghetti will be salty enough and no extra is required.
u can't go wrong with this one. =P
ahhh very aromatic and yummy. Simple and satisfying, perfect for when your hungry and stuck for ideas. No meat means no defrosting =P
Only try this if you know the tomatoes you have are fresh and awesome in flavour. Wont work otherwise.
1. Prepare onions (as fine as you can), garlic (sliced to thin strands), chilli (i used 1, wasnt enough fire) and diced tomatoes.
2. Start pasta going (use plenty of salt in the water)
3. Use a bit of oil and fry up the garlic and chilli on medium heat. Wait till garlics are very brown.
4. Throw in finely diced onions and a little bit of oil. Brown.
5. Add a few dashes of paprika to colour, maybe a little cayene pepper.
6. Mix and take off heat. By now the pasta is done, drain and throw into the onions.
7. Mix thoroughly and add generous amounts of fragrant quality olive oil.
8. chuck in diced tomatoes, swirl around a little to absorb the residual heat.
9. Serve with a good load of cracked pepper. If done right, the spaghetti will be salty enough and no extra is required.
u can't go wrong with this one. =P
Monday, November 26, 2007
mango chicken
so it's been a while, it's not that i havent been cooking. Well perhaps slightly but nothing interesting of late besides my attempt at lamb shanks.
so mangos are in season right now, prices are still slightly inflated. Got myself a box of pretty sweet mangoes for $16 for 12. They were very ripe and sweet if not slightly bruised. Bowen mangoes seem to be the thing up here, feel firm smells sweet $3 for 2 (exxy).
so mango chicken as inspired by:
http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s703970.htm
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/mangochicken.htm
They take a somewhat thai approach, unfortunately i dont have fish sauce or lime juice so I took it another way. The second recipe looks very interesting though.
Mango Sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 knob of ginger
2 chillis (one sliced one crushed)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1.5 teaspoons kecap mecap
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sake
1.5 diced mango (Save 1/2 mango for step 5)
some shallots or leeks
1. Process
2. Place on heat and simmer with leeks or shallots
3. Remember to taste and adjust (lime or pineapple juice, fish sauce are good additions that i didnt have around)
4. Take off heat and wait till almost serving time.
5. Add chunked mango, continue to simmer for 2 minutes
Fried Chicken:
2 chicken Maryland
Small amount of flour/corn starch
1. Heat work with 0.5cm of oil (or more)
2. Classic chinese preparation. Use chicken maryland or chicken thigh and chop chunkly, bones and skins are good.
3. Douse with sake.
4. Salt and pepper generously
5. Toss with flour
6. Fry a few at a time, to make sure oil stays hot
7. Once they are done put to side to cool
8. when rice is ready, heat oil and refry all pieces together
9. Throw into mango sauce and toss. Serve with rice
done
(was a little 2 sweet, use less mangoes next time)
so mangos are in season right now, prices are still slightly inflated. Got myself a box of pretty sweet mangoes for $16 for 12. They were very ripe and sweet if not slightly bruised. Bowen mangoes seem to be the thing up here, feel firm smells sweet $3 for 2 (exxy).
so mango chicken as inspired by:
http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s703970.htm
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/mangochicken.htm
They take a somewhat thai approach, unfortunately i dont have fish sauce or lime juice so I took it another way. The second recipe looks very interesting though.
Mango Sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 knob of ginger
2 chillis (one sliced one crushed)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1.5 teaspoons kecap mecap
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sake
1.5 diced mango (Save 1/2 mango for step 5)
some shallots or leeks
1. Process
2. Place on heat and simmer with leeks or shallots
3. Remember to taste and adjust (lime or pineapple juice, fish sauce are good additions that i didnt have around)
4. Take off heat and wait till almost serving time.
5. Add chunked mango, continue to simmer for 2 minutes
Fried Chicken:
2 chicken Maryland
Small amount of flour/corn starch
1. Heat work with 0.5cm of oil (or more)
2. Classic chinese preparation. Use chicken maryland or chicken thigh and chop chunkly, bones and skins are good.
3. Douse with sake.
4. Salt and pepper generously
5. Toss with flour
6. Fry a few at a time, to make sure oil stays hot
7. Once they are done put to side to cool
8. when rice is ready, heat oil and refry all pieces together
9. Throw into mango sauce and toss. Serve with rice
done
(was a little 2 sweet, use less mangoes next time)
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Lunch Planning
So now that i'm back.. its back to the grind. In efforts to cut expenses and increase my "range" i figured i actually need to plan ahead of what i'm gonna cook during the week, particularly lunch. Too often i get lazy and just buy my lunch. It's not that big a deal but its a way to save a few bucks here and there and have fun at the same time. I remember this really good sandwiches i had with andrew in sydney for $7.95 down in this little corner shop, somewhere near circular quay.
If i could make something like tht for lunch.. i wouldnt be complaining. The sandwiches were a cut above the rest because of the meats they prepared + a good dressing on teh salad in the sandwich. There must have been other details which i've left out which i'll have to steal next time i'm down in sydney..
but yes for the week..WRAPS
Mon - raw salmon + strawberries + rocket/salad/smoked cheese (yeah i knew weird.. but... mmm)
Tues - skirt steak with garlic/coriander/parsley + capsicum + rocket/salad/smoked cheese
Wed - fried potato + pork mince (with cumin + coriander + cayenne pepper + oregano) + rocket/salad/smoked cheese + dice tomato salsa + smoked cheese
Thur - salmon in miso + shallots + rocket/salad + jap mayo
Fri - spicy chicken + shallots + coriander + fried eggplant + rocket/salad
done. now, when will i get time to cook it? =P
If i could make something like tht for lunch.. i wouldnt be complaining. The sandwiches were a cut above the rest because of the meats they prepared + a good dressing on teh salad in the sandwich. There must have been other details which i've left out which i'll have to steal next time i'm down in sydney..
but yes for the week..WRAPS
Mon - raw salmon + strawberries + rocket/salad/smoked cheese (yeah i knew weird.. but... mmm)
Tues - skirt steak with garlic/coriander/parsley + capsicum + rocket/salad/smoked cheese
Wed - fried potato + pork mince (with cumin + coriander + cayenne pepper + oregano) + rocket/salad/smoked cheese + dice tomato salsa + smoked cheese
Thur - salmon in miso + shallots + rocket/salad + jap mayo
Fri - spicy chicken + shallots + coriander + fried eggplant + rocket/salad
done. now, when will i get time to cook it? =P
Thursday, August 9, 2007
brocolli + bacon pasta sauce
So to continue my experiments with pasta sauce, i created another cream based sauce. These are slowly becoming one of my regular recipes as cream sauces require comparatively must less maintenance and cooking time.
Ingredients
1 Stalk of broccoli
3 Rashes of bacon
50-100g of mince meat
1/2 onion diced
1 stalk of leek finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
Double cream
(Serves 3 perhaps or 4)
Cheese of choice (mozzarella, goats cheese, if you like that sorta thing)
Method
1. Start up boiling water and add salt. Cut up broccoli bits and place into the boiling water. The broccoli should get fairly soft.
2. Meanwhile dice the onions leek and garlic.
3. Start up a pan on medium heat, add oil and fry up the garlic first then to that add the onions and leek. Cook until soft. Place the bacon and mince in and cook on high heat until the bacon bits are quite crisp.
The following steps in unnecessary but probably would speed things up. After your down with the leeks and onions, take them out of the pan and put aside. Now fry up the bacon and meat, then add the leeks and onions back in. (that should be faster, but more work)
4. While the pan is going, your broccoli should be ready. Drain water away and blend the broccoli until its quite fine, but not complete mush.
5. Once the bacon bits are as you like it, chuck on the broccoli (slowly, as your stalk of broccoli might somehow be twice the size of the one i used). So add slowly to the mixture until its quite green. Basically you don't want it to be so much broccoli that there isn't enough bacon and mince to go around.
6. Add cream until its reaches a gluggy consistency, then add a little water until it's just slightly more watery then the consistency you would expect for a pasta sauce. Add a chicken stock cube (i think if you want you could add lemon or a little vinegar at this point) mix and taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
7. Simmer. As a last step add a loose handful of cheese in. Not too much or it will make the sauce all gluggy.
Done =D
Id recommend starting the pasta (spaghetti is good for this sauce) right after the brocolli is done. If your feeling lazy you could probalby reuse the water from teh brocolli to do the pasta =P
Ingredients
1 Stalk of broccoli
3 Rashes of bacon
50-100g of mince meat
1/2 onion diced
1 stalk of leek finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
Double cream
(Serves 3 perhaps or 4)
Cheese of choice (mozzarella, goats cheese, if you like that sorta thing)
Method
1. Start up boiling water and add salt. Cut up broccoli bits and place into the boiling water. The broccoli should get fairly soft.
2. Meanwhile dice the onions leek and garlic.
3. Start up a pan on medium heat, add oil and fry up the garlic first then to that add the onions and leek. Cook until soft. Place the bacon and mince in and cook on high heat until the bacon bits are quite crisp.
The following steps in unnecessary but probably would speed things up. After your down with the leeks and onions, take them out of the pan and put aside. Now fry up the bacon and meat, then add the leeks and onions back in. (that should be faster, but more work)
4. While the pan is going, your broccoli should be ready. Drain water away and blend the broccoli until its quite fine, but not complete mush.
5. Once the bacon bits are as you like it, chuck on the broccoli (slowly, as your stalk of broccoli might somehow be twice the size of the one i used). So add slowly to the mixture until its quite green. Basically you don't want it to be so much broccoli that there isn't enough bacon and mince to go around.
6. Add cream until its reaches a gluggy consistency, then add a little water until it's just slightly more watery then the consistency you would expect for a pasta sauce. Add a chicken stock cube (i think if you want you could add lemon or a little vinegar at this point) mix and taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
7. Simmer. As a last step add a loose handful of cheese in. Not too much or it will make the sauce all gluggy.
Done =D
Id recommend starting the pasta (spaghetti is good for this sauce) right after the brocolli is done. If your feeling lazy you could probalby reuse the water from teh brocolli to do the pasta =P
Monday, August 6, 2007
Gordon Ramsay's scrambled eggs
Soemthing i saw on tv a while ago which i filed away for when one day i actually would wake up early enough to cook myself a hot breakfast. Since ive started polyphasic sleep i've tended to be quite hungry so a big breakfast is extremely satisfying, after soldiering through the midnight munchies.
Ingredients
1/2 onion
chunk of butter
3 eggs
2 dollops of cream
2 rashes of bacon
1. Preparing the egg mixture. Very uncomplicated, combine eggs cream and mix. Add a bit of salt and pepper to the mixture to taste.
You realised you just tasted raw eggs and cream, which is kinda gross. I actually dont add to taste, i add cos everyone does, and Gordon did as well.
2. Get two pans, one on high heat and one on medium heat. Throw the bacon bits on high heat with no oil (bacon makes its own greasy oil). Throw in butter and onions onto medium pan.
3. Onions should be "sweating" and not browning. After they've "sweated" for a while (3 minutes) Throw in the egg mixture and put the heat down a little. Gordon didn't do this, but who doesnt like onions?
4. Apparenlty Gordon reckons scrambled eggs is all about texture so whats important is to control the heat of the pan to make sure the eggs dont cook too quickly and get too solid. BLAH BLAH
I dont have "mhad fire skills", i just tend to mix vigourously while taking the pot on and off the pan in imitation of Gordon. I compensate for my lack of skills with throwing in a good load of parsley and a little bit of mint. I believe chives would be pretty good to, if you had it around.
Just keep mixing it until it gets to slightly less then the texture u want. Gordon reckons it'll cook a little as it sits, although generally it doesnt sit long enough over here for that to happen i think.
5. Bacon is probably done before the eggs unless you turned the heat down to try and get them both to finish at the same time. I suggest that you do that, just so you dont have cold bacon to go with your warm eggs.
7. Plate it (cracked pepper) and eat it, and goto work. Probably could go the extra mile and get bread, rub garlic on it, butter and toast it, without increasing your cooking time. Unfortunately we dont keep bread around the house.
I think i manage to do the whole thing in around 18 minutes, and ate it in around 2 =)
Ingredients
1/2 onion
chunk of butter
3 eggs
2 dollops of cream
2 rashes of bacon
1. Preparing the egg mixture. Very uncomplicated, combine eggs cream and mix. Add a bit of salt and pepper to the mixture to taste.
You realised you just tasted raw eggs and cream, which is kinda gross. I actually dont add to taste, i add cos everyone does, and Gordon did as well.
2. Get two pans, one on high heat and one on medium heat. Throw the bacon bits on high heat with no oil (bacon makes its own greasy oil). Throw in butter and onions onto medium pan.
3. Onions should be "sweating" and not browning. After they've "sweated" for a while (3 minutes) Throw in the egg mixture and put the heat down a little. Gordon didn't do this, but who doesnt like onions?
4. Apparenlty Gordon reckons scrambled eggs is all about texture so whats important is to control the heat of the pan to make sure the eggs dont cook too quickly and get too solid. BLAH BLAH
I dont have "mhad fire skills", i just tend to mix vigourously while taking the pot on and off the pan in imitation of Gordon. I compensate for my lack of skills with throwing in a good load of parsley and a little bit of mint. I believe chives would be pretty good to, if you had it around.
Just keep mixing it until it gets to slightly less then the texture u want. Gordon reckons it'll cook a little as it sits, although generally it doesnt sit long enough over here for that to happen i think.
5. Bacon is probably done before the eggs unless you turned the heat down to try and get them both to finish at the same time. I suggest that you do that, just so you dont have cold bacon to go with your warm eggs.
7. Plate it (cracked pepper) and eat it, and goto work. Probably could go the extra mile and get bread, rub garlic on it, butter and toast it, without increasing your cooking time. Unfortunately we dont keep bread around the house.
I think i manage to do the whole thing in around 18 minutes, and ate it in around 2 =)
Monday, July 9, 2007
steaks and sides
Carrots + corn + cheese
This somehow just worked, i klinda pulled it outta my arse, but who knew carrots could taste this good. I decided to slow cook the carrots to make it really sweet and carrotty. To do this, i used a good scoop of butter and carrot slices on a low heat with the lid on.
The carrot seemed to steam + fry slightly in the heat. after about 20 minutes they were pretty soft, sweet and yummy =) To taste i added Herbs de Provence, a collection of herbs from France.
To add to this, corn from a can and a good chuck on herbed goats cheese. Sweated this a bit more till the cheese melted and voila =D a great side to any steak. yeah for carrots.
Steaks
$20/kg Eye fillet sliced thickly. I took a lot of care to make sure i was going to do this right, so after lots of internet research here is the steps i used.
1. Let steaks come to room temperature
2. Pepper steak, do not salt. Apparently salt draws moisture out of the steaks.
3. Preheat the pan to a high temperature
4. Sear the steak on one half of the pan for 30 seconds, salt generously.
5. Then switch to the other side of the pan. This makes sure teh other side of the pan is hot.
6. Now stick it in an oven/broiler at 160 for about 5 minutes to get a nice steak.
7. Make sure you check after about 4 minutes to makes sure the steak is to your liking, then guage how long to leave it. The timing changes due to thickness and how you like your steak.
There are two ways for this, ure four fingers can be used to determine the wellness of a steak. Put your finger to your thumb and then press down on the fleshy part of your palm, this corresponds to how your steak should feel as you press it. Goes, rare (pointer finger) to well done (pinky). Another way (from iron chef) is earlobe, cheek, tip of nose and i forget the last one. Who wants steaks well done anyway? =)
So yes, thats my steak experience. For a $6 (350g) peice of meat, it required a lot of careful work but it was well, well worth it. Soft and juicy, same went for the carrots =)
sorry no pictures, but well.. use ure imagination.
This somehow just worked, i klinda pulled it outta my arse, but who knew carrots could taste this good. I decided to slow cook the carrots to make it really sweet and carrotty. To do this, i used a good scoop of butter and carrot slices on a low heat with the lid on.
The carrot seemed to steam + fry slightly in the heat. after about 20 minutes they were pretty soft, sweet and yummy =) To taste i added Herbs de Provence, a collection of herbs from France.
To add to this, corn from a can and a good chuck on herbed goats cheese. Sweated this a bit more till the cheese melted and voila =D a great side to any steak. yeah for carrots.
Steaks
$20/kg Eye fillet sliced thickly. I took a lot of care to make sure i was going to do this right, so after lots of internet research here is the steps i used.
1. Let steaks come to room temperature
2. Pepper steak, do not salt. Apparently salt draws moisture out of the steaks.
3. Preheat the pan to a high temperature
4. Sear the steak on one half of the pan for 30 seconds, salt generously.
5. Then switch to the other side of the pan. This makes sure teh other side of the pan is hot.
6. Now stick it in an oven/broiler at 160 for about 5 minutes to get a nice steak.
7. Make sure you check after about 4 minutes to makes sure the steak is to your liking, then guage how long to leave it. The timing changes due to thickness and how you like your steak.
There are two ways for this, ure four fingers can be used to determine the wellness of a steak. Put your finger to your thumb and then press down on the fleshy part of your palm, this corresponds to how your steak should feel as you press it. Goes, rare (pointer finger) to well done (pinky). Another way (from iron chef) is earlobe, cheek, tip of nose and i forget the last one. Who wants steaks well done anyway? =)
So yes, thats my steak experience. For a $6 (350g) peice of meat, it required a lot of careful work but it was well, well worth it. Soft and juicy, same went for the carrots =)
sorry no pictures, but well.. use ure imagination.
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