In my kitchen February 2015

Lots of lovely things have been happening in my kitchen since my first instalment of In my kitchen hosted by Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.  

I thought I'd just share a little about my eating style.

I'm not vegetarian or vegan but I really love exploring healthy alternatives to processed food and minimising how much meat I eat.  I thrill at cooking from scratch and using as much of our own produce and if I can organic products, but it's not always that easy living on a budget!

So here we go....

Our home grown purple garlic 

We found this shoulder of pork which was a bit on the fatty side so I slow cooked it in the oven for 7 hours on a rack so all the fat could render out...it was absolutely fall off the bone lip smackingly delicious!

This was my first attempt at making bap rolls and they were a hit and easy as you just put everything in the mixer using a dough hook.  Perfect carrier for the pork let me tell you.

My little lady and I had some cooking fun over the school holidays.  This dough can be found here.

My spin on pesto minus any parmesan...this one is kale, spinach, mint, basil, parsley, garlic, smidge of chilli, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice - all picked fresh from the garden - ah-mazing!

I made cauliflower bread that I used this recipe here as a base.  I changed the recipe a bit and chose to keep them flavour less, so no onion, garlic, nuts  or spinach.  I also added chia seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.  They were pretty good, I toasted them in the toaster the next day and used them just like toast.

These eggplants became chips doused with salt and chilli & smeared with coconut oil.

I've been eating more fish and seafood and this medley of gummy shark, calamari, prawns, greens, herbs and chilli wrapped in foil with a smidge of coconut oil is rock'n' roll.

A visit to my favourite little nook in Melbourne's block arcade Gewurzhaus herb and spice market.  I got whole white peppercorns which can be hard to find and this gorgeous treat of vintage merlot salt which is just darling!  I've been using it on baked fish, chicken, slices of tomatoes & fresh basil - anything really!!

Thanks to Tania from the cooks pyjamas for the idea of making my own granola.  I also got inspiration from another friends recipe she found on this great website.  I made around 500g for a few dollars - a paleo muesli I saw at the health food shop the other day was $25 for 500g!!! WT...

And lastly in my kitchen are 2 chicken ornaments, 

 a milk jug and napkin holder, 

  to further celebrate getting my own real live little ladies which you can read about here.

So that's me for this month.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  There are so many of us on this little adventure to see everyone's kitchen, but if you leave me a comment I will be sure to come and take a peep into yours.

Ciao, Jan x

a porky kitchen experiment

So, whats under the foil?

I had roasted a leg of pork and as it sat resting all snug in its foiled bed, I had a brain wave.  Why not make a potato bake with a porky top? So that's just what I did.

I always roast my pork or any meats for that matter like this over a rack with water to collect the juices from the meat.  This is what I used to add to the 'bake' once I sliced up the spuddies and layered them up with salt & pepper, thyme, little dots of butter and then added the slices of pork and crackling on top, with some fresh sage leaves, with the stock half way up the dish.  I then let the oven work its magic for an hour and 20 minutes.  The first hour it was covered in foil then the foil taken off to brown the meat and crack that crackle a bit more.

Verdict? It was a revelation! Makes a damn fine change to 'normal' roast I can tell you! We teamed ours with some freshly podded broad beans sauted in pork fat, skimmed off the stock, wicked but so tasty!! Everything in moderation and all that jazz....

Do you have a re-creation experimental recipe that you love to make?  I'm so guilty of it, but thats just the thing that I love about cooking, throw in a bit of this and a touch of that and you can't go wrong if you use fresh good quality ingredients that work together.  

Ciao, Jan

Roast Pork Sliders

We love roast pork in our house, you can read a bit more about the love affair here.  Saturday night we had these awesome roast pork sliders, which is just a flash word for a small hamburger.  Let me tell you the pile didn't last long!

Roast pork sliders
Bap rolls, allow 1-2 per person ok maybe 3
1 roasted leg of pork, with crackle of course
gravy made from the pan juices, I did use some gravox and the juices
Carve the pork with the crackle still on. for extra crackly crackle, whack the roast under the grill for 3-5 minutes.  Place 2 slices in each roll and a good drizzle of gravy and eat without delay.

I roast my meat over a wire rack with water in it so I can collect all the lovely juices and fat. I also use a meat thermometer for obvious reasons, it just takes all the guess work out of it. I pop the jug of juices into the freezer for half an hour or so and when the fat has nicely settled to the top and is rather firm, I scoop the fat off and save it to bake my roasted vegies in next time, use some of the juice to make gravy or freeze any left over for a rainy day. Perfect to add to a slow cooker meat dish.  The fat will keep for ages, I keep it in the fridge but I remember as a kid my nan had a dripping bowl in the cupboard and she would just top it up after each roast...I must ask her if she ever emptied it or if it ever goes bad.  Anyway, its a great use of one piece of meat.  We got 6 sliders, 4 serves of roast pork & vegies the night after, fat for the fridge which would equate to 50mls of oil I'd guess, and around 500mls of stock for another recipe.  Talk about run a $12 roast through its paces!

I've got a bit of a challenge coming up for October so stay tuned!

And here is a few pictures of happenings in our garden from yesterday, I love spring, everything is happening out there in the garden and the fruits of hubbies labour are so sweet.

   

This is my lemon tree above, I'm SO excited to see little babies forming, 7yrs of persistence I hope is finally paying off, please!!

The most beautiful oregano

tomatoes on the go

a new chilli for the collection

lovely lettuces

Ciao, Jan

Soup Nazi

etsy,com

I’m on a bit of a soup roll at the moment, I love them this time of year especially so I wanted to share this ripper with you.  I love the Soup Nazi off Seinfeld,   it puts a smile on my face whenever I think about these episodes. “No soup for you….2 weeks!” Oh to have that power.  So any way, this recipe is one of my all-time favourite soups.   I first had it made for me by some dear friends nearly 20 years ago. The real reason I bring up Seinfeld is they both love the show too, but it was this recipe that I wish to thank them for, it changed the way I thought of soups forever.  I’m happiest when my freezer is brimming with soup all in nice portions for my lunches in the winter time. At the moment I have pumpkin soup, pearl barley and veg, Puy lentil and spinach, jerusalem artichoke and this cockle warming Pea and Ham.

Pea and Ham Soup

1 ham hock

2 -3 stalks of celery, finely diced

2-3 carrots, finely diced

1 zucchini finely diced

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 pkt of split peas, green or yellow

Water  and /or some chicken stock to cover 

Saute onion and garlic until soft, add all ingredients and simmer for hours!! I do mine in the slow cooker these days and let it go all day. 

You can use your little barmix whizzer to blitz up the vegies before you cook them so they disintegrate into the soup, more for my childs sake and they break down into the soup giving it more body and saves that step at the end, I did it with just chopped vegies. Once it is ready just remove the hock and discard the skin, any fat and chop the meat up into nice bite sized pieces. 

This delicious hearty soup is great the next day, with a poached egg on top or with crusty bread or with the cheesy verstion of the no knead bread.  I added grated vintage cheddar to the final gentle knead and then sprinkled some on top. It really is easier than making toast this bread. I started it in the morning and let it prove near the heater as its so cold here at the moment, 6 hours later I baked it, I was so impressed with the 'holyness' of the bread!
Unfortunately my 'normal' companion, my laptop, has died a quiet death and I can't access my photos, luckily I drafted this post days ago.  I'm hoping it will be fixed and back to me in no time as it really is my lifeline!!

Creamy carbonara

Have you ever had 'real' carbonara? Not the ones with scrambled egg or ones heavy with cream, a traditional one? You are in for a treat, a simple one at that.  There have been many a carbonara crime committed but I'm here to lay down the law on how it is done.

I had some leftover spaghetti from meatballs the night before which spurred on this dish. Add a finely chopped onion, a minced clove of garlic or two, 1/2 a cup of finely grated parmesan, a few rashers of bacon (pancetta ideally), chopped parsley, al dente spaghetti (around 2 cups worth) and 3 free range egg yolks and you are on your way to pasta heaven.

Once the garlic, onion and bacon have been gently fried in some evoo, toss through the cold pasta or if you are cooking from scratch the hot pasta and add some extra water, say around 1/2 a cup. Don't be shy to use the water the pasta has been boiled in, it will contain some of the pasta starch to help the emulsion.  Turn the heat up high and keep tossing until most of the water has evaporated.  Crack in lots of black pepper, I mean around 20 or so turns of the pepper mill and add the parsley.

Then, the crucial point, take the fry pan OFF the heat and add your egg yolks & parmesan and mix well.  There will be enough residual heat in the pan to cook the eggs but not create a scrambled mess.  Dish up without delay.  It is silky and velvety without being heavy like its cream based brothers, and as this served 2 greedy people, it isn't too bad on the hips but you will feel like you have had a wicked treat.

Super duper Sausage Rolls

Puff pastry, such a wonderful thing isn't it. Can make a boring old thing into a pie or roll delight.  But making it from scratch can be challenging and labour intensive.  I need to run my freezer supply down and try some of this Careme Pastry which is a family run company in the Barossa Valley that uses all local ingredients, using traditional French techniques, do any of you use it? I can't wait to get some.

I've been making sausage rolls for the freezer for those nights when you get home late and need something quick and easy. Pair it up with some defrosted soup and you are on a winner.  I love adding a fair bit of extra vegies to them too, and served with my don't tell them its not pumpkin soup pumpkin soup, you'll be filling the kiddo's with loads of vegies, but that can be our little secret.  

I tend to use a mixture of beef, pork and veal but you could also make them with chicken mince. Try and buy good quality mince, lean is even better, I avoid sausage mince at all costs as I hate to think what has been blended up to make that hideous looking stuff. For an extra easy version, use a good quality sausage, like a pork Cumberland (Aldi do some rippers), and wrap them skin and all in the puff pastry and you will be in sausage roll virtuous heaven.

Sausage Rolls

1 kg mince - I tend to use a mixture of beef and pork or veal but could also make with chicken mince

3/4 cup or so  of half breadcrumbs and half cous cous(I use wholemeal) or just all breadcrumbs

squirt of tomato sauce or chilli sauce or bbq/hp sauce

1 egg

2 carrots 

1 zucchini 

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

handful of parsley

2 rashers of bacon, excess fat removed

s & p, be generous

4-6 sheets of puff pastry, I like to use one with less fat 

1/2 milk for brushing and sealing your rolls

Take puff pastry out of freezer to defrost.  Should only take a few minutes if you seperate them.  In a large bowl put mince, breadcrumbs/cous cous and eggs.  Blitz all the vegies and bacon in the food processor, such a time saver.

 Mix all ingredients really well.  Make the sausage rolls what ever size you want, but I normally get 2 rolls per sheet.  Brush the edges with milk before sealing.  

I re-roll them in the film that is between the frozen pastry sheets and freeze them in freezer bags.  

You can cook them and then freeze but definately a better result freezing in the raw.    When using frozen ones, defrost and then brush with milk and top them with sesame seeds or paprika or poppyseeds or cayenne pepper for a chilli hit.  Bake at 200c until golden brown, approx 20 mins. 

 I love them with my homemade chutney, but you will have to wait until summer to get that recipe....maybe.

Ciao, Jan

Go Pies!

This wintery weather is making me crave lots of yummy things. And there is just something cheeky and yummy about a pie, especially a mini pie, it means you can eat more than one as they are small and delicate, right?

I made these over the weekend with cries of 'more, more' from the family, but beware they are quiet full on with over an egg a piece, but just try stopping at two!  I like vegetarian options and had a zucchini to use up so made some grilled zucchini and feta pies just for me, and they were a yummo.
If you don't have puff pastry, you can make these with slices of bread, crusts off, cut with a pastry cutter into a round shape and roll out with a rolling pin and use as pastry.

Great to make if you have a lot of people coming for breakfast or with soup on a rainy Sunday night for dinner like we did.  I can tell you now, they didn't make breakfast the next day.

mini egg and bacon pies ~ makes 8

1 egg 

1/2 cup sour cream
dash of milk

salt & pepper
4 rashers of bacon, keep eye whole but chop up ends

8 eggs, one for each pie

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and each sheet cut into 4

Preheat oven to 200c. Spray your 12 whole muffin tray with cooking spray. Place pastry into holes, overlapping at corners if needed. In a pan fry the bacon, I used a grill pan which gave it a nice chargrilled look.  Cut the eye's in half.  Mix together the sour cream, 1 egg, salt & pepper and a dash of milk in a jug for easy pouring.  (you can make these without the sourcream mixture) Evenly put the chopped bacon in the bottom of the pastry cases.  Add a dollop of sourcream mix, not too much, maybe a tablespoons worth.  Crack a whole egg into each pastry case. Put the eye bacon around the egg in a circle. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place in oven for 15 minutes or so. Make sure there is still a wobble in the egg, you want it to be still a little runny. Or if you want a hard egg, leave for a little longer.  Allow to cool for a minute in tray then onto a wire rack. 

For the zucchini & fetta ones ~ Slice zucchini into angled rounds and fry in grill pan with salt & pepper and thyme.  Place a few strips in each pastry case and pour sourcream mixture half way and add some crumbled feta and a strip or two more of zucchini.  Place in oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a minute in the tray then onto a wire rack. Serve with a sprig of mint on top and homemade chutney.

These pies are so simple.  A sin really.  You could make these with anything you have in the cupboars or fridge; grilled vegies & olives, bacon,egg & sundried tomato, salmon & avocado, tuna & corn, cooked leftover potato, spinach & parmesan, roasted mushroom & feta....I could go on and on....let your imagination run wild really, but add some herbs too.

I made this take on tomato and onion pie my nan makes a few nights ago. I had a few ingredients I needed to use up; some tomatoes, the butt of the bread I made on the weekend, and half a red onion.

After a trip to the garden, I found some herbs, mint, oregano & thyme, and some spinach and beetroot leaves.  I popped it in layers with the bread made into crumbs with some garlic infused olive oil drizzle over it, s & p and a few dobs of butter....delicious!

above is the first layer, then put spinach & beetroot leaves,
then more tomatoes then bread crumbs & herbs

Bake in the oven at 200c for 35-40minutes, is a great side dish to your Sunday roast too.  I had it the next day for lunch tossed through some penne pasta which was tasty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just an update on the decluttering challenge. Sadly, a house was badly damaged by fire in our local community last Friday and our school put a call out yesterday for groceries and linen.  So I've parted with 6 towels, 4 tea towels  a few face washers, a single bed woolen underlay and a few bags of groceries from my stockpile which I had grown these past few months.  What a blessing to have them on hand to give away. My heart goes out to this family of 5 children and made the giving of my things an easy decision, the attachment went straight away.  If you live in my area and have anything worthwhile to donate to this family, please private message me through my link to 'a gluttonous wife' on facebook and I will make sure it gets to them.  

How are you going with your decluttering?

Ciao, Jan

Hail Caesar

Hands up if you don't own a salad spinner? Don't even know what it is? This is disastrous you know, go out immediately and get one, your salads will thank you and so will your hip pocket as your lettuces and herbs will last so much longer if you use one. They get so much excess water out of your greens which will keep them for days longer in your crisper.

Cos lettuce from the garden

So now we are over that hurdle, Caesar salad, one of my favourites but it can be done so terribly that I rarely order it out due to being constantly disappointed....over cooked black hard boiled egg, watery under cooked poached egg, no egg, too much dressing, watery dressing, no dressing, soggy croutons, packet pre-grated parmesan cheese that isn't really parmesan cheese, grated cheddar cheese, dried out bacon, cheap anchovies are some of the crimes committed against poor old Caesar.  I'm here to share with you my tasty version.

So you all know how to poach an egg from my older post "the quickest dinner for one". But you can do 4 minute soft boiled eggs (eggs in cold water, into a pot, once reaches boil time 4 mins and then cool under cold water to stop cooking). Pop your oven on to 200c while you are at it too. You can poach the eggs in advance if it helps during the dinner frenzy, just gently put them on kitchen paper and set aside in the fridge until you need them, and you can get everything else prepared before hand too, just don't, and I mean really don't put the dressing anywhere near the lettuce until you are about to eat it, no limp Caesars wanted.  The other ingredients you will need for 4 people is:

1 good sized cos lettuce or maybe 2 if you are serving this salad in a large bowl communal style

2 rashers of bacon, cut into slices

4 poached eggs

2 tbspns best foods mayonnaise (The BEST mayo!!) or whole egg mayonnaise 

1-2 tbspns lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

1 large good quality anchovy fillet like Delicius, finely chopped, and some for the table

Sea salt & pepper, lots of cracked pepper

3-4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

2 slices of ciabatta bread or sour dough, cut into cubes, leave the crusts on

1 clove of garlic slice in half
1/2 cup or so of peeled/shaved parmesan, using your veggie peeler

Place bread in a bowl and drizzle with a little evoo, sea salt and pepper.  When the oven is hot, put the bacon onto a tray and put in the oven, 10 mins later add the bread cubes, keep an eye on them so they don't burn, around 7-10 minutes.  Shaking them every few minutes to get evenly browned.

In a jar large enough to take 1 cup of liquid, put in mayonnaise, lemon juice, S & P, parsley and anchovy and give a really good shake, check for tartness and seasoning, may need more lemon or mayonnaise.  If you are watching your calories substitute low fat sour cream for all or half the mayonnaise, but hold back on as much lemon juice.  Try and avoid low fat mayo's, they really are nasty, better to use less of a better quality whole egg one than more of  a crap, over processed, tasteless low fat one.

Take bacon and croutons out of oven and allow to cool.
Take any tough stalky centres out of the cos leaf and wash, spin thoroughly in your new lettuce spinner.  Slice the leaves into 1 cm strips.

In a large bowl place the cos, bacon, croutons, half the parmesan and just before serving add some of the dressing, around 3 tbspns, and gently toss until all is nicely coated but not dripping in dressing, you may need more or less.

We use Millel parmesan blocks to support hubbies work and its yummy too

If serving out on 4 plates, evenly distribute the salad, top with poached egg, and garnish with parmesan shavings, cracked pepper on the egg.  Make sure you can see some croutons and bacon just so its appealing to the eye. I'm not a mad anchovy person so I always put the anchovy jar on the table for people to help themselves.  This is also great served in a large bowl on the table, just slice the eggs in half.  You can also take this to a dinner party or bbq but assemble it there, you won't be sorry for the hassell.  Hail Caesar!!

 We had roasted chicken drummies and spuddies with ours, delicious!!! And can I just add for the the record, our 6 yr old ate 3 anchovies!!! Her dad is way chuffed.

If you give it a go or want any other tips let me know, I love getting your comments.

Ciao, Jan