Yummy Fruit Crumble

Serves 6
For the fruit
2 apricots, stoned and sliced
1 pear, cored and thickly sliced
1 punnet blackberries
1 punnet blueberries
1 punnet rasberries
1/2 apple, grated
5 Tb sugar
a good glub of balsamic vinegar

For the topping
170g/6 oz butter, chilled
225g/8 oz self-raising flour
70g sugar
a large pinch of salt
130ml buttermilk
a little extra sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
Put the fruit into a pan with the sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Put the pan over the heat and cook gently until the juices begin to run from the berries. Pour into an ovenproof dish (a big casserole type dish works well).
Meanwhile make the topping.
Rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar and salt, stir well, then add the buttermilk to form a loose, scone-type mixture.
Spoon this over the hot fruit (to get a cobbled effect, flick balls of dough randomly). Sprinkle with a little extra sugar and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with a big spoon of vanilla icecream.

Grublover comment
This recipe is great becuase it is very adaptable - you can use any fruit you have on hand - last time I made it I used apples, berries and rhubarb. Yum.
This recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s book ‘Happy days with the naked chef’.

Nigella’s Chocolate Malteser Cake

For the cake
150g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
3 eggs
175ml milk
15g butter
2 Tb horlicks (malt powder)
175g plain flour
25g cocoa, sieved
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing
250g icing sugar
1 tsp cocoa
45g horlicks (malt powder)
125g soft unsalted butter
2 Tb boiling water
2 x 37g packets maltesers

Take all of the ingredients out of the fridge so that they come to room temperature (though it’s not so crucial here because you’re heating the milk and butter and whisking the eggs). Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter and line two 20cm loose bottomed sandwich cake tins with baking paper.

Whisk together the sugar and eggs while you weigh out the other ingredients; I use a freestanding mixer for this.

Heat the milk, butter and horlicks powder in a saucepan until the butter melts, and it is hot but not boiling.

When the sugar and eggs are light and frothy, beat in the hot Horlicks mixture and then fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, by which time the cakes should have risen and will spring back when pressed gently. Let them cool on a rack for about 5-10 minutes and then turn out of their tins.

Once the cakes are cold, you can get on with the icing. I use a processor because it makes life easier: you don’t need to sieve the icing sugar.

Put the icing sugar, cocoa and Horlicks in the processor and blitz to remove lumps. Add the butter and process again. Stop, scrape down, and start again, pouring the boiling water down the funnel with the motor running until you have a smooth buttercream.

Sandwich the cold sponges with half of the buttercream, then ice the top with what is left, creating a swirly top rather than a smooth surface.

Stud the outside edge, about 1cm in, with a ring of Maltesers, or use them to decorate the top in any way you want.

Grublover comment
This cake is absolutely delicious and works every time. The mixture is really wet so don’t be alarmed or add more flour when you are pouring it into the tins.
I like to make this into mini cupcakes for birthdays. Cook them in muffin cases at 170C for about 10-15 minutes and decorate each cupcake with some icing and a malteser.
The recipe was taken from Nigella Lawson’s fabulous book ‘Feast’.

Maya Indian Restaurant…by Eve Clarkson

I have enjoyed many meals at the Maya restaurant over a number of years.
However tonight I was somewhat disappointed.

We arrived at the restaurant and were warmly greeted and well looked after.
I ordered a Spy Valley Pino Gris from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and was delighted with this wine. A friend brought along an Alexander Bridge Cab Merlot (2003) which was enjoyed by the red drinkers in the party.
Genny particularly liked the metal drinking vessels used for the water.

We were a party of 6 and 2 members were late. As we waited we ordered an entrée of Eggplant Pakoras - marinated eggplant fried in flour with a sweet and sour fennel and tamarind sauce, along with Chicken Tikka. This was the most delicious dish of the night. Chicken fillets marinated in paprika, garam masala and yoghurt, grilled in a tandoor oven. The yoghurt sauce was not needed as the meat stood alone.

Just as the entrée were served, our friends arrived. The staff were most accommodating. One of the party took it upon himself to order the rest of the meal:

Butter chicken
Lamb Rogan Josh
Palak Paneer
Plain Pulao (Basmati rice)
Plain Naan ad Garlic Naan

Andy who ordered the food, said that it was ‘well ordered’
Trevor said that the meal was nice
Anne had no comment
Lesley stated that it was exceptional with beautiful flavours
Genny said that it was delicious but lacked ‘punch

I think that the most important comments were the comments not made…

The price for 6 people (including 2 bottles of wine and corkage on 1 bottle) was $271. This calculates out at $45 per head.

In summary - disappointing in food terms with a lack of aromatic diversity I would like to have savoured, and as well it was expensive…has there been some changes sine I was there last??

Good points - great staff and excellent service, but let down by the chef.

Out of 10, I am sorry to say that I would only rate it tonight as a 6, but as this is one of my old favourites I will be back to try again.

Eve Clarkson

Jamie's Chicken Tikka Marsala

Serves 4







6 cloves garlic, peeled
7.5cm/3 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2-3 fresh red chillies, deseeded
olive oil
1 Tb mustard seeds
1 Tb parprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 Tb garam masala
200g natural yoghurt
4 medium chicken breasts, skinned and cut into large chunks
1 Tb butter
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 Tb tomato puree
small handful of cashews or almonds
sea salt
115ml double cream
handful of fresh coriander, chopped
juice of 1-2 limes

Grate garlic and ginger and put to one side in a bowl.
Chop chilli as finely as you can and mix them with the ginger and garlic.
Heat a good splash of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add them to the ginger and garlic mixture along with the parprika, cumin, ground coriander and 2 Tb of the garam masala.
Put half of this in a bowl, add the yoghurt and chicken, stir, leave to marinade for ½ hour or so.
Melt the butter in saucepan the mustard seeds were in and add the sliced onions and the remaining half of the spice mix.
Cook gently for 15 minutes or so without browning too much – it should start to smell fantastic!
Add the tomato puree, ground nuts, half a litre of water, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir well and simmer gently for a few minutes.
Let this sauce reduce until it thickens slightly and place to one side.
Put the marinated chicken on a hot griddle pan or bbq and sear until cooked through – you can also do this on a preheated grill if you like.
Warm the sauce, add the cream and the other Tb of garam masala. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary. As soon as it boils, take off the heat and add the grilled chicken.
Check the seasoning once more and serve sprinkled with the chopped coriander, and the lime juice.

Linguine alla carbonara di salsiccia

Serves 4







4 good quality organic italian sausages
4 slices of thickly cut pancetta, chopped
1 lb. dried linguine
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 and 1/2 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lemon
a sprig of flat leaf parsley, chopped
evoo
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

With a sharp knife, slit the sausage skins lengthwise and squeeze all the meat out. Using wet hands, roll little balls of sausage meat about the size of large marbles and place them to one side.

Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over, then add the pancetta and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until it’s golden.

While this is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the linguine and cook.

In a large bowl whip up the egg yolks, cream, half the parmesan, lemon zest and parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Immediately toss it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pot.
Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss everything together.
The egg will cook delicately from the heat of hte linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble.

The sauce should be smooth and silky.

If the pasta becomes a little sticky add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly.
Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan, season if necessary, drizzle with evoo and serve.
Eat immediately!

Grublover comment
This pasta is really rich and delicious. I is from jamie’s latest book ‘Jamie’s Italy. It’s really quick and easy to make and looks impressive.

Hollis’ Decadent Double Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup crushed chocolate biscuits (I use 1-1½ package Oreos, filling removed
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
3 x 250g package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
90g white chocolate, melted
90g semi-sweet chocolate, melted
2 tbsp (30mL) raspberry schnapps liqueur, optional

Ganache Glaze:
¾ cup (175mL) cream
180g semi-sweet chocolate

For crust, combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. (Then preheat oven to 220°C).

In food processor or with electric mixer, blend cream cheese with sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each. Add vanilla.

Remove half of batter to another bowl. Stir melted white chocolate and liqueur into this portion. To remaining batter, blend in melted semi-sweet chocolate.
Pour chocolate batter into crumb-lined pan; spread evenly.

Spoon white batter carefully on top, spread evenly. Bake at 220°C for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 120°C and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until centre of cake is just barely firm.

Remove from oven and run knife around sides. Let cool completely before removing from sides of pan.

To make the ganache, bring cream to a simmer over low heat in a small saucepan. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Spoon over cake. With metal spatula, spread to cover top, allowing some to run over edge to cover sides. Garnish as desired.

Grublover comment
Hollis says: I usually decorate it with marbled white chocolate or shards of chocolate or something similar. It looks really glam if you make those chocolate leaves out of white & dark chocolate..

Danny's Sunday Night Tuna Pasta

Serves 4 (or 2 with some leftover for monday’s lunch)








1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small chilli (adjust to taste)
1 large tin sirena tuna (best flavour: chilli in oil)
1/2 jar passata or 1 tin tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the pasta on to boil.
Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Don’t let the onions brown - cook them just before they are brown, that way you get a great tang.
Add the tuna and cook for 1 minute.
Pour the passata in and season to taste. Add about 1 Tbsp dried oregano.
Turn heat down and simmer until pasta is ready.
Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley (or some other herbs e.g. oregano) and some shaved parmesan.

Grublover comment
This is a delicious pasta and I am not even a huge tuna fan. Danny always makes it for me when I am tired and grumpy on a Sunday night after a big weekend and it always always hits the spot. It’s great becuase it’s quick and easy and you can have all the supplies on hand. Make sure you use a really good quality tuna - dan won’t use anything but sirena - otherwise the flavour is not right.
Bon appetit!

Jamie’s Best Aromatic Curry

2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
3 fresh green chiles, seeds removed and thinly sliced
A handful curry leaves, ripped into small pieces
2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
3 onions, peeled and chopped
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 or 2 wineglasses water (about 10 ounces)
14 fluid ounces (400 millilitre) can coconut milk
Salt

Fish version:
4 (8-ounce/225 gram) haddock fillets, skinned and pin-boned
1 knob (1 tablespoon) tamarind paste or 1 teaspoon tamarind syrup
A very large handful baby spinach, optional

Chicken version:
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2-inch (1 centimetre) strips
A few cashew nuts, toasted and crushed

Vegetarian version:
1 3/4 pounds (800 grams) mixed vegetables, chopped (potatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, spinach, chard, cauliflower, lentils, beans)

Heat the oil in a pan when hot add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the fenugreek, green chile, curry leaves, and ginger, stir and fry for a few minutes.
Using a food processor, chop the onion, add to pan, and continue to cook. When brown and soft, add the chili powder and turmeric.
Using the same food processor, blend the tomatoes and add to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, add 1 or 2 wineglasses of water and the coconut milk. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it has the consistency of thick heavy cream then season carefully with salt. Take this sauce as a base.
To make the fish curry, add the fish and tamarind to the sauce and simmer for about 6 minutes. Feel free to add some baby spinach at the end of the cooking time.
For the chicken version, stir-fry the chicken strips, and cashew nuts until lightly coloured, then add the sauce and simmer for ten minutes.
For the vegetarian version simply add all the vegetables to the sauce at the beginning when you add the onions. Continue to cook as normal and simmer until tender.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Grublover comment
This recipe is really fun to make and pretty easy. It takes a while the first time but it is really impressive. Serve with a nice salsa, some raita and some steamed rice. I like to steam my rice (use basmati for indian curries) with a pinch of saffron to give it extra flavour and that beautiful, rich saffron colour.

Georg Jensen Cutlery

Not for the short on change, this cutlery is an artform.

Beautiful to touch and hold and use, I thoroughly enjoyed licking the sauce off my fork at Jessica’s the other night.

The cutlery is beautifully weighted, heavy in your hand, making it a true pleasure to use.

Check out www.http://www.georgjensenstore.com

Chutney Mary’s Indian Restaurant…reviewed by Eve Clarkson

67 Rokeby Rd Subiaco 6008
(08) 9381 2099






We were looking for a good meal to share as we bade farewell to a fellow worker. Chutney Marys had it all.

The ambience is set as you approach the front door, with a carpet laid in the entrance. The atmosphere is vibrant, with large picture of India on the walls, painted in the intense warm colours of spices from the region. The staff quickly greeted us and showed us to our table. I started off with a delightful crisp Saint Clair 2006 Sauvignon Blanc a very good representative of this variety, a benchmark wine of the Marlborough region, New Zealand.

The forward planners of the group had studied the menu, available on the restaurants website. For the nine of us we selected 2 chicken dishes, 1 lamb, goat and prawn/scallop mains, as well as Saag Paneer (Indian cheese and spinac) and cuccmber raita. To accompany these we ardered some Saffron Basmati Puloo (yellow rice) and a selection
of 5 breads. The restaurant was busy, but the meals arrived in a timely manner.

Butter chicken, an old favourite did not let us down with its aromatic rich smokey flavoured sauce. Chicken Palak was again aromatic, with a bit of a bite to it. The Goat Curry, a house speciality was tender, still relatively mild, but with a more gamey flavour. The Gosht Saagwalla again had its own individual combination of spices, with the tenderest of meats. The Prawn and Scallop Molee Curry, from Kerala in the South of India would not have been a dish that I would have selected, but was surprisingly delicious. I look forward to experiencing more of these types of dishes when I visit the region this December. The Saag Paneer, Raita, rice and breads balanced the meal perfectly.

Comments from the crew :
MArgaret oh,oh,oh….she was speechless
Melissa fully..
Hils aromatic tasty food, with piquancy - thotoughly enjoyable
Vicky each dish had ist individual aroma and flavour
Viv bloody best Indian nosh

The cost - which included a great bottle of white, and some other wines by the glass - $22 per head.

Any complaints - we were sitting near the window, and the airconditioner blew directly onto the people sitting nearest to the corner, making them uncomfortably cold.

In summary - great night, superb food, attentive competent staff, good surroundings.
Will I go again? you bet.

Out of 10 I would rate it an 8

Eve Clarkson

Tim's Spicy Mutton Curry

1/2 kg mutton (or goat) cubed
1 tspn tumeric powder
1 tbspn ginger-garlic paste
1 cup oil
8 cloves
1 tspn coriander seeds
8 peppercorns
1 tspn poppy seeds
1 tspn aniseeds
1/2 coconut grated
3 tomatoes
1 cup coriander leaves
6 red chillies
2 large onions, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled, halved
Salt to taste

Marinate the meat pieces in salt, tumeric and ginger-garlic paste for 1 hour.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan. Add cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, aniseeds and red chillies. Brown the spices mixture.
Add onions and brown them.
Add coconut, tomatoes and brown.
Remove from stove and cool.
Grind to a paste. Keep aside.
In a pressure cooker, heat the remaining oil. Add meat and potatoes. Stir-fry until brown. Add the masala paste and salt. You may need to add water. Heat under pressure until meat is soft.
Remove from the cooker, Garnish with coriander leaves and yoghurt.
If you do not have a pressure cooker then cook the meat slowly for a long time in a big pot with the lid on.

Grublover comment
My good friend Tim made this for us last week at his goodbye dinner. It is absolutely delicious - the slow cooking makes all the flavours come alive, and the meat is tender and melts in your mouth. An absolute winner.
And while you’re at it, check out tims site Soup Toys: www.souptoys.com

the twisted fork

3 Glyde St Mosman Park 6012
(08) 9385 3854
Danny and I finally visited the Twisted Fork last night. It is a beautiful venue – small, intimate, low lighting; set in the quiet, almost spooky Glyde Street in Mosman Park. The specials were written in black pen on an old ornate mirror with a gold frame.

The food was fantastic – unfortunately we both ordered the lamb ($37) and so didn’t get to try much. The lamb was served as French cutlets stuffed with onions and herbs – it had a German flavour to it – that strong, almost mincey taste. It was tender, falling away from the bone as we devoured it. It was served with mushrooms, ‘poor mans’ potatoes, roasted capsicum, and a red wine jus. They had some very interesting things on the menu – pork trotter, steak tartare, violet crumble ice-cream, coffee panna cotta. I can imagine they would all be equally delicious and if I wasn’t so full I would have definitely hit the panna cotta.

Unfortunately the service was a bit average – there was only one man serving, and he just seemed too busy to give us any time.

$12 corkage for wine and quite pricey meals (around $30-35 for a main).
Not going to be this grublovers favourite restaurant, but it’s definitely worth a try. Although it is a bit on the pricey side, they were very generous serves, and it’s worth paying if it’s good. Check out Mosman Park video while you’re there if you’re into art-house or quirky films..

Funtastico

12 Rokeby Rd Subiaco 6008
(08) 9381 2688


We visited Funtastico last week on our lunch break after a grueling PLT exam.
I have always had a love/hate relationship with this restaurant. Hate the service, hate the characters, hate the acoustics…but love love love the food.

Funtastico is full of the sleaze of Subiaco and the attitudes in the staff reflect this. But I will continue to return as the food is just so good. Beautiful, traditional italian food, generous servings, nice wines. Leave with a full belly, one button less, and a big smile on your face.

One of my favourite dishes at Funtastico is the spaghetti alla marinara – it is baked in a cartouche (a bag made out of baking paper) which they bring to your table and slide the pasta out. This makes it really yum – the flavours all get richened and exaggerated.

This time I had the Spaghetti alla arrabiatta ($19) – it was cooked with pancetta and chili and was delicious. The pancetta had a richy, smokey flavour that penetrated the spaghetti. We also shared a pizza covered in hot sausage, mozzarella, olives and artichoke which was hot and crunchy and delicious (although I prefer a more modest pizza with only a couple of flavours where you can enjoy the dough).
My friends ordered the Risotto del Giorno (risotto of the day) which was a delicious, creamy risotto with a generous amount of prawns and mussels, finished with fresh spinach.

You won’t be disappointed with the food at Funtastico, but you may not be a fan of the service.

Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie

333 Rokeby Rd Subiaco 6008 (08) 9381 7968
26 Oxford Cl West Leederville 6007 (08) 9381 1235 http://www.chezjeanclaudepatisserie.com.au/


If you have not yet been to Jean Claude’s, do yourself a favour and go today. There is a line out the door all day long of people dying to get their hands on one of his sweet flakey pastrys, or mouth-watering baguettes. I had a chicken baguette for lunch the other day, took one bite, and had to sit down it was so good (not kidding!). Jean Claude’s cakes are also fantastic and great for a birthday or celebration.

German Love

Wow. This looks like a dream to me. German wurst wrapped in bacon, sizzling in the frypan.

The best place to go for german sausages is of course Elmars.
Elmars has three stores - one in Myaree, one in Mount Lawley on Beaufort Street, and Elmars in the Valley in the Swan Valley which is also a brewery.

Head down to the Mount Lawley store on Saturday morning for the sausage sizzle cooked by a vegetarian! haha - fantastic - you will get a bun, wurst, kraut and traditional german mustard. Leave with a big smile on your face. You may also get some taste testers inside.

The shop is full of german meats, cheeses, mustards, and other condiments. It is reasonably priced and of the highest quality. Well worth a visit.

A true grublover love.

Elmar’s Smallgoods
493 Beaufort St Mt Lawley 9328 4050
North Lake Shopping Centre, 67 North Lake Road Myaree (08) 9330 2304

Elmar’s in the Valley
8731 West Swan Rd Henley Brook 6055 (08) 9296 6354

http://www.elmars.com.au/

Nigella's Chocolate Loaf

Combine in food processor:
- 1 and 1/3 cup plain flour (200g)
- 1 and 1/3 cup sugar (275g)
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarb/baking soda
- 1/2 cup (good 50g) cocoa
- 6 oz soft unsalted butter 175g
- 1/3 cup (80ml) sour cream - makes sure you get tender crumb
- good splash vanilla
- 2 eggs

Mix in food processor
Add 1/2 cup water just off the boil and mix more
Give it a stir
Add 1 cup (175g) chocolate chips
Stir the chips into smooth batter
Put in loaf tin (2pound tin) line with foil and pour batter in
1 hour in 170 degree oven

Chocolate syrup
Fill pan with 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa
Whisk (don’t stir on the heat)
You want the syrup to bubble away until it is thickened

When cake is out puncture top of cake so syrup can come down.
Then drizzle with syrup.

Then top with shards of chocolate.

Tigerlils

437 Murray St, Perth(08) 9322 7377

Tigerlils is "restaurant" by day, and turns into a trendy bar at night. It’s really just the old Spirit Soundbar spruced up with some Chinese lanterns.I went for lunch last week with a few girls from work and was severely disappointed.I ordered the thai beef salad ($19). The girls ordered pad thai ($17) and a fish curry. The meals were bland and boring and I got violently ill that night from my meal. The whole salad tasted like it had been dumped on the plate out of a bowl in the fridge.Thumbs down. Don’t bother.

Claire's Favourite Orange and Poppyseed Cake

4 eggs
250g butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 jar of masterfoods poppyseed
1 teaspoon of bicar soda
1 cup sour cream
5 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time while still beating. Add poppy seed. Beat in soda and sour cream.
Fold in flour and vanilla.
Bake at 180C for 1 hour.
Dust with icing sugar when cool.

Grublover comment
This cake is delicious and pretty much a winner with everyone. Serve it with some thickened cream mmmmmm.
I love making these into little cupcakes - cook for about 20 minutes instead and turn the oven down to 170C
Orange: Instad of vanilla add rind of 2 oranges and juice of 1 orange - you may
need a little extra flour if mixture is too wet
Lemon: You could also make it a lemon and poppy seed cake as another alternative

Passionfruit Sponge

4 large eggs
170g caster sugar
½ tsp natural vanilla extract
60g cornflour
60g self-raising flour

passionfruit curd
3 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup passionfruit pulp (about 2 passionfruit)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
75g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
80g caster sugar

Passionfruit icing
125g icing sugar, sifted
20g unsalted butter, softened
2 tbs passionfruit pulp (about 1 passionfruitr)
1 cup pure thin cream, whipped, kept chilled

Put passionfruit curd ingredients in a heatproof bowl.
Sitr continuously over a pan of simmering water for 25-30 minutes until the curd is glossy, easily coats the back of a spoon, and holds a trail when you run a finger through I t. Strian and cool slightly, then refridgerate for 3 hours or until completely cold and thickened.

Preheat the oven to 180. Lightly grease two deep, round 20cm cake pans and line the bases with baking paper.

To make the sponge beat eggs, sugar and vanilla using beaters on high for 8-10 minutes until sugar has dissolved and mixture is pale and creamy. It should hold a ‘ribbon’ shape when drizzled from the beaters back into the bowl.
Sift the flour and cornflour together 3 times to ensure it is well aerated. Sift flours over the egg mixture and gently but quickly fold into the mixture until just combined. Don’t overmix or you will beat out the air.

Carefully divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake, without opening oven door, for 20 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and browned on top and have slightly shrunk away from t he edge of the pan.
Cool in pans on a wire rack for five minutes, then trurn out onto the rack to cool completely

To make the icing, combine icing sugar, butter and 1.5 Tb passionfruit pulp in an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. If needed, add remaining pulp, a teaspoon at a time, until the icing is of a smooth, flowing consistency.
Ice the bottom (flat side) of one cake with a palette knife or spatula – let it run down the sides a little if you like. Then leave it till it has set.
When ready to serve, spread the other sponge cake with the passionfruit curd, then top with the whipped cream. Place the iced cake on top and serve immediately.

Carrot Cake with Lime Marscapone Icing

Preparation 20 minutes, Cooking 60 minutes








280g butter, softened
1 and 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown soft sugar
5 large eggs, separated
juice and zest of 1 orange
1 and 1/4 cups SR flour, sifted
1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts, plus a handful for serving
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch ground cloves
a pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 carrots, peeled and coarsley grated

Lime mascapone icing
250g cream cheese
125g mascarpone
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
juice and zest of 2 limes
a handful of walnuts, chopped
a handful of chocolate coated brazil nuts, smashed or chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a 23cm square cake pan (see grublover comment)
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the egg-yolks one by one.
Add the orange juice and zest.
Stir in the sifted flour and baking poweder, and add the almonds, walnuts, spices and carrot.
Whisk the egg-whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then fold them into the cake mix.
Scoop mixture into the cake pan and bake for about 60 minutes until golden and risen.
Leave the cake to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a rack and leave until cool.

Lime Icing
When the cake is completely cool, make the icing by mixing all the ingredients.
Spread over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the walnuts and brazil nuts before serving.

Grublover comment
I don’t have a 23cm tin so I used a 20cm tin and had enough mixture leftover to make a small loaf cake as well - this is great if you need a cake for a party, and you can still leave some at home for a midnight snack!

Tips for making the Perfect Cake

Preheat: You must preheat your oven, and make sure it is completely heated when you put the cake in - otherwise it won’t cook properly.
Baking Paper: It is a good idea to line the tin with baking paper. Then spray some cooking spray around the tin. This will prevent your cake from sticking.

Choosing your Pan: It is really important to use the right sized pans for the cake. If you do not have the right pan you will need to adjust the cooking time. If you need a springform pan do not use a normal one because you will need a springform to get the cake out - this is often the case with cakes like cheesecakes.

Don't Overfill: Do not overfill the tin with cake mix - it will bubble over and not cook properly. If you have too much cake mix make some mini cupcakes.

Testing: To check if your cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake. It should come out clean. If your cake looks like it needs more cooking, but it’s getting too dark on the top, cover it with foil so the rest of it cooks without the top burning.

Overspill: Before you put the cake in the oven, put it on a tray covered in baking paper. That way if the cake mix bubbles over it won’t ruin your oven.

Piemaker!!!!!!!

The Sunbeam piemaker is my latest investment and worth every penny.
For just $40 it makes the simple art of making a pie even simpler.
You can just make your mixture, put it in the piemaker and you will have a pie in 5-8 minutes. It saves time in heating the oven, blind baking etc etc, especially important if you have a temperamental oven like me.
The pies are perfect every time - I like to cook them for a little longer so the pastry is really crunchy and golden brown.
You can also use the piemaker for leftovers - think spaghetti bolognese pies, curry pies, custard and apple pies…use your imagination - the possibilities are endless!
See my recipe for chicken and leek pies - I made these on the weekend and they were a big hit.

Chicken and leek pies

Makes 4 large pies, 8-10 small piemaker pies








6 chicken thighs (or 3 breasts) chopped into cubes
1 rasher bacon, thinly sliced (optional)
1 leek, cut in half longways, and then thinly sliced
450g mushrooms (100g shitake, 200g button, 150g swiss brown), sliced
1/3 cup plain flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sheets puff pastry
butter

Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Grease 4 x ovne proof ramekins.
Melt 1 Tb butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken and bacon for 5-10 minutes or until cook through.
Add leek and mushrooms to frying pan and cook, stirring often for 4 minutes.
Add flour slowly and cook for about 2 minutes (you must cook it for 2 minutes so the flour taste goes away), keep stirring.
Add wine and cook for 1 minute, keep stirring.
Add milk and cook until thick (around 2 minutes), still keep stirring.

Spoon the chicken mixture into the ramekins. Cut pastry discs 2cm larger than the ramekin from each pastry sheet.
Brush the rim of the ramekin with water and top with pastry disc. Press to secure. Brush pastry with egg wash.
Cook for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Grublover comment
You can also add some fresh thyme or marjoram for extra flavour.
It always creates a richer flavour if you use a variety of mushrooms, but my local supermarket only had button mushrooms, and it was still just as good.
I bought a Sunbeam piemaker and it is fantastic for this - you can just put the mixture straight into the piemaker and your pie will be ready in 2 minutes. It is also great for using up leftovers.

Spaghetti alla Norma

Serves 4

2 large firm aubergines
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a large bunch of fresh basil, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 teaspoon good herb or white wine vinegar
2 x 400g tins of good-quality chopped plum tomatoes, or 565ml/1 pint passata
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g dried spaghetti
150g salted ricotta, pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated

• optional: 1 dried red chilli, crumbled

First of all, get your nice firm aubergines and cut them into quarters lengthways. If they’ve got seedy fluffy centres, remove them and chuck them away. Then cut the aubergines across the length, into finger-sized pieces. Get a large non-stick pan nice and hot and add a little oil. Fry the aubergines in two batches, adding a little extra oil if you need to (but you don’t want to make it too greasy). Give the aubergines a toss so the oil coats every single piece and then sprinkle with some of the dried oregano – this will make them taste fantastic. Using a pair of tongs, turn the pieces of aubergine until golden on all sides. Don’t undercook them because this is where all the flavour comes from - they should be coloured all over. Once you’ve done the first batch, remove to a plate and do the same with the second batch.

When the aubergines are all cooked, add the first batch back to the pan – at this point I sometimes add a sneaky dried red chilli, but that’s my addiction coming through so feel free to ignore this! Turn the heat down to medium and add a little oil, the garlic and the basil stalks. Stir so everything gets evenly cooked, then add a swig of herb vinegar and the tins of tomatoes, which you can chop or whiz up so they’re not too chunky. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Tear up half the basil leaves, add to the sauce and toss around.

Cook your spaghetti, Get your spaghetti into a pan of salted boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. When it’s al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and put it back into the pan. Add the Norma sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water and toss together back on the heat. Taste the pasta and adjust the seasoning, then divide between your plates by twizzling the pasta into a ladle for each portion. Any sauce left in the pan can be spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves and crumble the ricotta over the top and drizzle with olive oil.

Grublover comment
At least one person ordered this everytime we dined in Sicily - it is their specialty or national dish and is absolutely delicious.
This recipe is another Jamie classic - you can see I am a big fan of his - his recipes are just always winners! This is from his book ‘Jamie’s Italy’.
For two of us I used 1.5 eggplants (I like extra because that is where all the flavour comes from), 1 jar of passata and 2 cloves garlic. I served it with Rigatoni which was delicious because it is such a robust pasta, perfect for this kind of chunky sauce.

Cooking Pasta

Cooking pasta sounds easy but it’s not easy to get it just right unless you know how. Follow these simple steps to perfect pasta.


Add the spaghetti to boiling salted water.
Do not add oil to the water - it is a myth that this stops it from sticking, and by adding oil you will make the pasta all slippery so the wonderful flavours of the sauce are not absorbed into the spaghetti or pasta.

The best way to avoid your pasta sticking is to cook it in a really big pot and stir it for at least the first minute, and then give it the occasional stir as it cooks.

Check on the pasta a couple of minutes before the required cooking time is up, and taste it to see if it is al dente.
Al dente means ‘to the tooth’ and so it should be a little firm to bite.

Fresh pasta (fettuccine, tagliatelle, lasagna) cooks quickly, 3-5 minutes.
Thin dry pasta (spaghettini, shells, rotini) cooks in 6-9 minutes.
Thick walled pasta (penne, ziti, spaghetti, tortiglioni, etc.) cooks in 12-15 minutes.

I like to use fresh pasta because it just tastes that much better, but dry pasta is still delicious.

Belissimo!

Spaghetti alla Vongole

Serves 4










200g Spaghetti (I like to use a linguine or a spaghetti - don’t use a larger one as they are delicate flavours)
500g vongole (clams) washed and cleaned
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
3 large red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 hot birds eye chilly (optional) crumbled
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Bottle of white wine 100 mls for the pot the rest for the chef
100 mls extra virgin olive oil

Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Place spaghetti in to cook (only as long as the directions 7 minute spaghetti is a good option)
In a hot pan add half the oil followed by the chilies and garlic cook till garlic is opaque (not brown) Add the clams and 100 mls of white wine. Once the clams are opened toss in parsley.
Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the clams toss with the remaining oil add a pinch of salt and serve.
Serve with the remaining wine.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and delicious dish and just happens to be my all time favourite. So simple yet so scrumptuous, I cannot avoid ordering it if I see it on a menu.

Dan's favourite herb mix

3 parts parsley
3 parts coriander
1 part chives
Chop until very fine (or put in the mixmaster if you are doing a large quantity)

Grublover comment
This herb mix is fantastic for all purposes. I tossed it through my scrambled eggs this morning, and Danny sprinkled it on his tomatoes. It would be great chopped a little rougher and thrown on a curry right before serving.

Jamie’s Penne with tomatoes, basil, olives and pecorino

750g pomodorino tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt and freshly . ground black pepper
good-quality balsamic vinegar
500g penne
200g black olives, stoned and halved
a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked
a chunk of pecorino cheese, to serve

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Throw the tomatoes into a large roasting tin, drizzle them with olive oil, season with some salt and pepper and pop them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Once they’re roasted, squash the tomatoes with a fork to get the juices going and drizzle over some balsamic vinegar.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and add the roasted tomato sauce and the olives. Tear over most of the basil leaves and toss everything together. Season and serve with the reserved basil leaves scattered over and some freshly grated pecorino.

Grublover comment
This is another Jamie Oliver classic. All of his recipes are so simple and so delicious and rely on having the freshest ingredients. Again, this dish can be modified to suit your tastes and stock on hand - swap the pecorino for another strong cheese like Parmesan; add some capers.

Jamie’s Oven-baked Rigatoni with Wild Boar Salami

a good glug of extra virgin olive oil
½ a wild boar salami, sliced (or use Napoli salami)
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
a large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g rigatoni
a ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and fry half the salami until quite crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion is soft. Add the balsamic vinegar, chopped tomatoes, crème fraîche and basil. Mix together, season to taste, and simmer for a few minutes.

Cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions until ‘al dente’. Drain, and drizzle over a little olive oil and seasoning. Tip into a baking dish and pour over the sauce.

Lay the mozzarella over the top with the rest of the salami. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden. Delicious.

Grublover comment
This is a great dish for when you’ve got mates coming round as it’s easy to make and looks fantastic. The wild boar salami tastes great, and as well as cooking with it you can use it in sandwiches.

Jessica Mary Anderson's German Potato Salad

2 large potatoes (or 4 smaller ones)
Spring onion (optional)
White Vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 rashers bacon - cut into strips
1 brown onion, sliced

Cut the potatoes into nice bite sized pieces and put in a pan of cold water. Put on the heat and cook until water is boiling. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook the onion and bacon in a pan until it is just browned.
Once it is browned add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar and a good splash of vinegar.
This becomes the sauce so don’t cook it down too much, just for about 30 seconds to take the edge off the vinegar.
Chop the spring onion and toss through at the end.
Delicious as a side with some nice red meat.

Grublover comment
This salad is so easy and delicious. I love it with a barbeque. Always a winner.

Chicken and pumpkin stir fry

Serves 4

2 Tb peanut oil
2 onions, sliced
2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 chicken breast fillets, sliced
600g pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tb fish sauce
1/4 cup small basil leaves

Heat the oil in a preheated fry pan or wok over medium to high heat.
Add the onions, chillies and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until browned.
Add the pumpkin and fish sauce, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is just soft.
Stir through the basil and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Grublover comment
This is taken from Donna Hay’s ‘Off the Shelf’. It is a great book full of recipes like these where you are likely to have the ingredients on hand.
We added about 1-2 cups of frozen peas right at the end and it was a great addition (but maybe cut the amount of pumpkin if you’re going to do this).

Cheesy Twists

This is a great recipe if you have leftover puff pastry and a lot of drunk friends at your house.

Time: 5 minutes
Cost: $2
Ingredients:
- Puff pastry
- Cheese: I like to use some grated parmesan and cheddar, but you can vary this. It is good to use strong cheeses.

Method:
1. Lay some baking paper on a tray
2. Heat oven to 200 degrees
3. Cut thawed pastry into thin strips, about as thick as one of your fingers
4. Twist each strip lengthways so it is like a spring
5. Sprinkle grated cheese over all of the spring
6. Put in the oven until all the cheese is melted and the spring of pastry is delicious and golden and crunchy
7. Don’t burn the roof of your mouth, try to share.

Ruocco’s Pizzeria and Restaurant

213 South Tce South Fremantle 6162
(08) 9335 6939

Have you ever left a restaurant and found yourself licking your fingers in the car ride home because the food was so good?

That is what I caught myself doing after dining at Ruocco’s Pizzeria and Restaurant.
The night started out with the typical Tuesday night dilemma. Tired, hungry, cold, and desperate for something warm and delicious to fill the void. Limited time to choose a restaurant before the man gets impatient and decides to throw it in.
Not willing to settle on an average bowl of pasta which I could cook better myself for a ridiculous $32 in the Claremont area, we headed south to the hidden gem of South Terrace, Fremantle. South Terrace is pocketed with casual, warm restaurants, full of people from all walks of life.

Ruocco’s epitomises the traditional family Italian restaurant. Kinda kitsch, walking in you are flooded with the warmth and smell of pizza cranking in the woodfired over; look around and see Frescos of the Amalfii coast, and homemade tiramisu and sticky pudding in the dessert cabinet.

The menu is simple which is what I love in an Italian restaurant. All the classics: pizza, pasta, carne. And the prices are very reasonable: average around $15 for a pasta or pizza, $19 for steak.

The food was sensational: unassuming, uncomplicated and simply delicious.
Had to wait for a while to order –service was slow, but Danny and I chatted and took in the warm, relaxed atmosphere while enjoying a glass of the Outboack Chase Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra in south Australia. Not bad for only $4.50 a glass

We started with some garlic bread ($3.50 for 4 slices).
Sometimes we get the bruschetta which is great - lots of galic, roughly chopped tomato, parsley. Drizzled with olive oil. Yum.
The mains arrived and were more than generous. I had a large chilli mussels ($13 small, $19 large), and Danny had the penne picante ($14). An entrée would have been ample for both.

The mussels were exactly what I was craving – tasty, traditional tomato sugo, freshened with some finely chopped parsley. Not trying to complicate things by adding too many ingredients. Just enjoying the taste of the local Fremantle mussels and the fresh tomato. The mussels were served with a crusty thin loaf don’t know what its called but it was warm and delicious.

The penne picante was fresh but a little overpowering with the sausage. It was demolished very quickly though and Dan sat and watched me as I ate every last mussel, savouring every mouthful.

No room for dessert we paid only $44.50 for this most enjoyable evening.

Of course, Ruocco’s is famous for its pizzas and I have tried the calzone on another occasion and it certainly lives up to the expectations. Very large, beautiful dough, full of meat. Yum!

Food: 3.5 stars
Wine: 2.5 stars
Service: 2 stars
Ambience: 3 stars
Price: 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars

Unfortunately since this review I have revisisted Ruocco’s and the chilli mussels were a little watery - I like it when they are served in a thick, rich tomato sugo. I will visit again soon and let you know if the good mussels are back..

Maya Indian Restaurant

75 -77 Market St Fremantle 6160
(08) 9335 2796
http://www.mayarestaurant.com.au/









The Maya is hands down my favourite restaurant in Perth. I have been there many times, with many different groups of people, and everyone has enjoyed the food immensely. I don’t think I have seen a single plate with food left on it after a meal at the Maya.

The Maya is found right at the beginning of the cappucino street in Fremantle at the end of Market Street. It is beautifully decorated, with my favourite area downstairs in the booths, and a great function area upstairs which is fun if you are dining in a larger group.

We always start with a tasting plate - which has some lamb kafta and the most delicious deep fried eggplant in a dark, sesame sauce. Love it.
After that we always get about 2 curries between 3. We never miss the butter chicken - Matt Milner’s personal favourite, and an absolute winner. The sauce is rich and buttery, the chicken perfectly delicate and falling apart in your mouth. We always make sure we get extra naan (I like plain, but the boys love the garlic) to mop up all the delicious sauces at the end.

The best thing about Maya is that when they rate a dish as ‘hot’ they are not kidding. There is nothing worse than being all amped for a spicy indian meal and getting mild, medium at best. The _ at the Maya is hot and goes down nicely with some raita (a yoghurt dip mixed with cucumber and mint).

We have never had room to try the desserts at the Maya, but I am sure they will not disappoint. Please comment if you have tried them.

The prices are a little more at Maya, but I have never heard a complaint after the amazing dining experience. It usually costs us about $70-80 for two curries, an entree, rice and naan. Dishes start at around $16.

The Maya is so famous for its tandoori chicken that the Prince ordered and had the chicken flown over for the celebration of his birthday (hence the title).
It has won many awards, and a restaurant in Northbridge has even named itself after the Maya (Maya Masala), and as a consequence the Maya has a disclaimer in its menu that it has absolutely no association with the Northbridge rip-off.
A great night out, not to be missed, will definitely be back.

Duende

662 Newcastle St Leederville 6007
(08) 9228 0123
http://www.duendetapasbar.com.au/

Duende is owned by the same people who own Balthazar but it has a much more casual feel. The sleek modern fit out is an interior design award winner.
The dishes at Duende are quite small, and served in a tapas style way.
To start we each ordered one of the tapas to share. This way you get a tiny flavour filled morsel of each one.

We ordered:
- char-grilled calamari tentacles with balsamic ($9)
- sweetcorn and manchego frittas, red pepper jam ($9)
- merguez sausage, caramelised onion ($9)
- buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato balsamic dressing ($15)
- fresh shucked oysters, jamon shallot dressing ($3.5 ea)

My favourite of these was the sausage - it was a lamb sausage flavoured with middle eastern spices served with a plum flavoured onion jam.
The caprese style dish had the softest, creamiest buffalo mozzarella which always tastes great with the sweetness of the balsamic and acidity of the tomato.

For racione (translates as ‘ration’) I ordered a slow roast lamb, romanesco sauce ($27). The sauce was a rich tomato, capsicum sauce. The lamb was very tender, just a little pink.
Daniel ordered the seared kingfish, with silverbeet and saffron potato ($26). The fish had a crispy skin and the mash was so soft and creamy.
Eve ordered the braised duck leg, with date lime chutney, and carrot salad ($25).

Winsome ordered the most amazing dish for her main. The petite washed rind fondue, puff pastry ($14). It was a piece of camembert which they cut the top off and put a small piece of a very strong italian cheese inside. This was then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
It was served with the top taken off to reveal a sort of mini fondue. The cheese inside was all melted and delicious and it was served with breadcrumbs to dip.

Dessert was equally as fantastic. Again we shared some homemade icecream ($4), the most scrumptuous poached pears and quince served with mascarpone and honeycomb ($14). The quince was lovely with the pears, adding just the right tartness against the sweet of the pears. It was really nice having mascarpone instead of icecream, much richer.
We also had Duende’s signature dish which is churros (doughnut things) that you dip into melted dark pedro ximinez chocolate ($14). Absolute decadence.

All in all a fantastic night, and a lovely experience to share and savour these tasty treats together.
The only thing that let Duende down tonight for me was the wine. I had a Shiraz from the Heathcote region and it was very soft, almost like a merlot. I prefer a Shiraz with more body, like those from the Coonawarra region. But the white was very nice.
Service was excellent, Food top notch. Quite expensive:
Entree: $8-$17
Mains: $18-$27 (Menu)
Dessert: $3.5-$14
but definitely worth paying for..
This grublover will be back.

Easy Beef and Bacon Burgers

Time: 10 minutes prep, 5 minutes cooking
Makes: 4 burgers








400g beef mince
1/2 a brown onion very finely chopped
2 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh soft bread crumbs
1 egg
fresh herbs - I used a handful of parsley and chives, but any herb will do. Oregano would be nice.
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
Combine mince, onion, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, egg, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Mix with hands until blended.
Shape into 4 burgers and coat lightly with the flour.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry those babies.
Fry, or grill the burgers for 7 to 10 minutes on each side, or until cooked to desired doneness. Serve in toasted buns.

Grublover comment
This recipe took me about 10 minutes to prepare, and all the ingredients are on-hand, or very cheap at the supermarket. I like to serve it with some mushrooms fried in some butter, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and some tomato sauce and mustard. YUM!

If you want to make them really really special, get some white castello cheese and take a small cube of it and squeeze it into the middle of the burger when you are making them. As it cooks the cheese melts and it is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any white castello on hand so I just added some cheddar and it worked just as well.

Jamie's Best Lamb Cutlets

Serves 4







12 lamb cutlets
a small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g mushrooms, brushed clean and torn
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon
2 handfuls of pinenuts
2 large handfuls of fresh basil
3-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Slap the cutlets with the heel of your hand to flatten them slightly. Then bash up your thyme in a pestle and mortar and add a little olive oil. Mix together, then rub the oil over the cutlets and season both sides of them. Put to one side.

Cook the mushrooms dry on the bars of your hot griddle pan. This is quite an unusual way to do it, but it gives you a nutty flavour that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Just grill them on both sides to mark them and put them into a large bowl.

Once the mushrooms are done you can put the lamb on the barbecue or griddle pan. If the cutlets are about 1.5cm/¾ inch thick, just give them 3 or 4 minutes on each side until they’re really golden. This should cook them medium. (To be honest, I’m really into rare lamb cutlets, so I cook for a little less time.)

When cooked, put the lamb cutlets into the bowl with the mushrooms and drizzle with a little olive oil. Tear over the parsley, in quite large pieces, and add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season lightly and toss around. Place to one side to rest, to allow all the lovely juices to get sucked up by the mushrooms.

Meanwhile you can make a really quick sauce. It looks a bit like pesto, but although it contains basil and pine nuts it has no similarity in flavour. In a pestle and mortar pound up the pine nuts until you have a mushy pulp – this will give the sauce a creamy flavour and texture. Remove the mixture to a bowl, then use the pestle and mortar to bash the basil up into a pulp. Add this to the pine nuts and loosen with extra virgin olive oil so that the sauce easily drops off the end of a spoon. Now you need to balance it with quite a lot of balsamic vinegar to give it a good zing, almost like a mint sauce, but add it to taste. Give the lamb and mushrooms a final toss. I like to serve this up on a big platter and let everyone help themselves. Have the sauce and a simple watercress salad on the side.

Grublover comment
This dish is fantastic and you can literally have it ready in just over 5 minutes. Use either wild mushrooms that are in season, like girolles, trompettes de la mort and pieds de mouton, or more readily available farmed mushrooms like field, chestnut or oyster, as these are really tasty when cooked properly. These lamb cutlets are best cooked on a hot barbecue with wood or charcoal, to give you a wonderful smoky flavour. Otherwise use a preheated ridged griddle pan.

Balinese Ginger Chicken

Serves 4








1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces - or use thigh fillets if you would prefer
1/2 cup honey
2 Tb garlic, crushed
1/2 cup grated ginger
1 red chilli, chopped, or to taste
1 stalk lemon grass, very finely chopped
1/2 cup light soy sauce

If you are using a whole chicken, slash each of the pieces through to the bone in the thickest places two or three times. This will allow the marinade to penetrate better and also allow the chicken to cook more quickly.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a baking dish, into which they most neatly fit.
Combine the rest of the ingredients for the marinade and pour this over the chicken pieces.
Using your hands, work the marinade into the chicken. Roast the chicken in a 200 degree oven until richly browned because of the honey.
OR you can barbeque the chicken, but watch the heat because of the honey.
Tonight I cooked the chicken in a wok - I let it marinate and then using tongs added the chicken to a hot wok. I boiled the marinade and drained it to serve as a sauce with the rice. Make sure you boil the marinade if you are using it to get rid of any bugs from the raw chicken.

Grublover comment
This dish is a simple, very typical Balinese family meal. Adjust the chilli level to your personal taste. With the ginger, use the paler, thin-skinned ginger because this is a sweeter, less hot flavour. I like to serve this with a green asian style salad and rice.

Mini Quiches

Makes 144

3 packets of shortcrust pastry
1 dozen eggs
600 mL whipping cream
1 bunch spring onion, finely sliced
1 packet of ham, finely sliced
Grated cheese

Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper.
Cut pastry into circles and place in well-greased muffin tins.
Sprinkle ham, cheese and spring onions into pastry.
Fill with egg mixture.
Cook at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Grublover comment
These are great because they are quick, easy and impressive. They are nice served hot or cold so you can make them on the day of a party and not worry about serving them hot.
Mix it up - other fillings include:
- smoked salmon and dill
- sun-dried tomatoes and basil

Osso Bucco Milanese

Serves 4

1 kg shin of veal sawn into pieces 2 inch thick (you can get osso bucco pieces from most good butchers)
125ml white wine
125ml stock
500g fresh tomatoes
parsley
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
butter

Brown veal in butter. Arrange in bottom of a pan tightly packed so marrow
wont fall out. Pour in white wine, cook for 10 minutes, then add tomatoes.
Let them reduce then add stock. Season, cook for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Prepare 1 handful of chopped parsley, 1 clove of garlic, and grated peel of lemon, sprinkle thickly over the veal just before serving.

Grublover comment
I just love osso bucco - it's one of those warm comforting foods that is good to eat when you need a big hug.
This dish is fabulous served with some risotto milanese, or risoni (pasta that looks like rice), or some mash. Yum!

Jamie’s Tender and Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes

Serves 4

4 chicken legs, jointed (I like to use marylands because then you get the fleshy bit and the leg. don’t use breast - it’s not strong enough)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved; and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered (2 punnets if just cherrys)
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
olive oil
1 x 410g tin of cannelini beans, drained

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (350 F).

Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, and chuck in your tomatoes, and drained beans.

Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil.

Mix around a bit, pushing the ingredients underneath and the skin facing upwards.
Place in the oven for 1.5 hours, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.
Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving.

Grulover comment
This is a fantastic recipe, taken from Jamie Oliver’s book, Jamie’s Dinners. It is so easy and great to make if you have guests because it is always a winner. It literally takes minutes to put together, but requires slow, gentle cooking.
If you prefer you can make it into a pasta dish - simply remove the meat from the bone and then toss it through a bowl of spaghetti.

Jamie’s Sausage and Super Mash with Onion Gravy

Serves 4

2 long, curled Cumberland sausages
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked
olive oil
bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
2kg potatoes, peeled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml milk
115g (4 oz) butter
4 Tb freshly grated horseradish (or jarred)
4 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced
5 Tb balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 beef or chicken stock cubes

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (400 F).
If you’re using traditional round cumberland sausage, tuck the garlic and most of the sage leaves between the layers of sausage. If you’re using normal sausages, untwist the links and squeeze the meat through, rolling them into a tight circle and pushing in the garlic and sage as you go.

Secure the sausages with a couple of skewers or some sharp rosemary stalks.
Place them on an oiled baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with rosemary leaves.

Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
Five minutes before the sausages are read, remove the baking tray from the oven, place the rest of the sage next to the sausages, drizzle with olive oil, then return the tray to the oven. The leaves will go lovely and crispy.

While the sausages are cooking, chop your potatoes into rough chunks and boil them in the salted water until cooked. Drain well, then return to the pan. Mash until smooth, adding the milk, 70g of butter, and the horseradish (use more if needed). Season well to taste, then put the lid on the pan and keep warm at the back of the stove.

Making the onion gravy is simple. Fry the onions, really slowly, in a little oil, covered, for about 15 minutes or until soft. Remove the lid, turn the heat up, and as soon as the onions become golden brown pour in the vinegar and boil until it almost disappears. Turn the heat down again, add the rest of the butter, crumble in the stock cubes and 565ml of water and stir well. Let this simmer until you have a nice gravy consistency.

To serve, dollop some oozy potatoes on the plate, chop up the sausages (discarding the skewers), put them alongside the mash and spoon over the onion gravy. Scatter with the crispy sage leaves. Proper comfort food!

Grulover comment
We made this dish for my dad on father’s day and he loved it! Big hit with the boys.

Jamie’s Chicken and Sweet Leek Pie with Flaky Pastry

Serves 4

olive oil
2 knobs of butter
1kg boned and skinned chicken legs, cut into pieces (I like to use thighs because it’s easier)
2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks of celery, finely sliced
a small handful of thyme, leaves picked
2 Tb flour
1 wineglass of white wine
285ml milk
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
255g good pork sausages
1 x 500g pack of puff pastry
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 220 (425 F).
Take a large casserole pot and add a lug of olive oil and your butter. Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery and thyme and cook slowly on the hob for 15 minutes.
Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, wineglass of water, and the milk.

Season with a little s+p and then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Stir it every so often so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it’s a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly (At this point you can let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to - it can also be eaten as a stew).

Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.

Roll out your pastry to about 0.5cm thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish.

Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges (there’s no need to do this, but I like to as it looks pretty). I use the back of a knife to lightly criss cross over the top - this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky.

Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until golden on top. Serve with sweetcorn and mash.

Pesto

Serves 4

1/2 a clove of garlic, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls of fresh basil, stalks and all
a handful of pine nuts, lightly toasted
a good handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese
evoo
optional: small squeeze of lemon juice

Pulse the garlic, basil, and a pinch of salt in a food processor.
Add a bit more garlic if you like, but I usually stick to 1/2 a clove.
Add the pine nuts and pulse again.
Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil - you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a twang, but it’s not essential.

Grublover comment
Pesto is so useful. You can rub it on roast chicken, spread it on toast, add it to mussels, or fish, or just toss it through some freshly cooked pasta.