Spinach and leek frittata

Serves 4

1 x 3 second spray olive oil spray
250g baby spinach leaves
1 leek, thinly sliced
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp cornflour
100 ml skim milk
2 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 20cm square non-stick cake tin with oil. Line base with baking paper.

Cook spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, or until just wilted. Drain and squeeze out any excess water. Allow to cool, then roughly chop.

Cook leek for 3 minutes in same cooking water. Drain and allow to dry. Scatter spinach and leek into bottom of tin.

Beat eggs with cornflour and milk. Season well with salt and pepper.

Pour this mixture over vegetables, pressing down with back of a fork. Scatter over cheese and bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out. Serve warm, cut into wedges with a green salad.

Grublover comment
This is a great basic recipe which you can change depending on what's in season and what you love to eat - I like to add mushrooms, red capsicum and fresh parsley.
It's also a great recipe for work lunches.

Apricots Kastellorizo

Gisèle invented this recipe while on holiday in Kazi. Apricots stewed with honey, flavoured with a little ouzo and served on Greek style yoghurt.

Doesn't it look delicious!

Middle Eastern Lamb on Chickpea and Tomato Salad

Serves 4

4 x 150g lamb backstrap fillets
2 cups low fat Natural Yoghurt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 green capsicum, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
1/4 cup oil-free Italian Salad Dressing
1 clove garlic, crushed

Marinate lamb fillets in a combination of 1 cup yoghurt, 1 tsp cumin and coriander for minimum of 1 hour.

Combine chickpeas, capsicum, tomatoes, onion, mint and dressing in a bowl.

Stir together 1 cup yoghurt, garlic and 1 tsp cumin in a bowl.

Pan-fry lamb fillets in a non-stick pan over medium heat or until cooked through.

Place salad onto four serving plates and top with sliced lamb fillets. Finish with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

Grublover comment
This is similar to Jess' moroccan chicken and is equally simple and delicious, but uses one of my favourite meats, the lovely lamb.

You could also try serving this dish with couscous - see Jess' Cheat Moroccan Chicken.

Jess’ Cheat Moroccan Chicken

This is Jess...but not the moroccan chicken

Serves 4

Masterfoods spice mix
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
chilli flakes (optional)
cumin (optional)
2 tsp olive oil
4 chicken thighs
2 cups low-fat natural yoghurt to serve

Couscous
2 cups couscous
1/2 cup sultanas
5 spring onions, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
30 pistachios or other nuts (pine nuts are good)
1 capsicum, chopped
coriander to serve

Mix the spice mix with the lemon juice, garlic, chilli flakes, cumin and oil.

Coat the chicken in it and marinate for as long as you can.

Cook the chicken: barbeque or bake in the oven for 30 minutes (baste regularly with the sauce if baking.

Mix some cumin, cumin seeds, lemon juice and garlic into the yoghurt. Set aside and when ready, serve with the chicken.

For the cous cous, pour the boiling stock over the couscous and let rest. Fluff with a fork and stir through the capsicum, spring onion, nuts, sultanas and herbs.

Garnish with coriander and serve with some couscous and a dollop of yoghurt.

Grublover comment
Make a big serve and it is good for lunch the next day cold. I also like pouring the juices from chicken the pan over my couscous.

You could also serve this dish with the chick pea salad in the recipe for Middle-Eastern Lamb!

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.

Grublover 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.

Chicken and date tagine

Serves 4

8 skinless chicken thighs
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
300 mL chicken stock, cube or concentrate
400g tin cherry tomatoes (can use tinned plum tomatoes if not available)
1 cinnamon stick
8 Medjool dates , halved
coriander leaves from a large bunch
SPICE PASTE
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
thumb sized piece root ginger, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp mild chilli powder
coriander roots, from a large bunch
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tb olive oil

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put all the spice paste ingredients in a small food processor with 2 tbsp olive oil and whizz to a paste.

Brown the chicken thighs all over in a tagine or large, wide pan. Remove from pan.

Add the spice paste and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add the squash, onion, stock, tomatoes and cinnamon and stir. Sit the chicken on top (push down a bit into the sauce).

Cook uncovered in the oven for 1 hour - the chicken should be browned and cooked and the sauce reduced.

Add the dates for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Scatter with coriander and serve with couscous.

Grublover comment
This is a simple and delicious meal with a moroccan feel. It is great to cook when you have guests as you can have a drink with your friends while the oven does the work for you!

Chinese chicken noodle soup

Serves 2
Cooking time: 10 minutes

600 ml chicken stock , cube or concentrate
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
50g fine egg noodles
100g shiitake mushrooms, halved
2 cooked chicken breast, skinless and shredded
50g young leaf spinach
1 red chilli, deseeded and shredded

Heat the stock, soy sauce and sesame oil in a saucepan and cook the noodles and mushrooms in the stock for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and spinach and heat through for a few more minutes.

Ladle the broth into bowls, scatter with chilli and serve.

Grublover comment
Feel free to experiment with this dish - add any green vegetables like french beans, pak choi, bean sprouts or soy bean sprouts. I would also recommend adding a handful of chopped spring onions and some coriander. Or you can try adding half a teaspoon of chinese 5 spice and soy sauce to taste.

Mustard-stuffed chicken

Serves 4

125g ball reduced fat mozzarella , torn into small pieces
50g strong reduced fat cheddar, grated
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
8 lean middle bacon rashers

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C.

Mix the cheeses and mustard together.

Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff with the mustard mixture.

Wrap each stuffed chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers - not too tightly, but enough to hold the chicken together.

Season, place on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins.

Sticky Chicken Drumsticks #2

Serves 4

4 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp finely-grated fresh root ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
zest 1 lime
8 skinless chicken drumsticks

Mix together the chilli sauce, ginger, soy sauce and lime zest. Pour over the chicken drumsticks and leave to marinate for as long as you can (put them in the fridge if marinating for any longer than 30 mins).

Place the drumsticks in a shallow baking tray, shaking off any excess marinade.

Roast for 20 mins, then pour over the leftover marinade and cook for 5 mins more until sticky and browned.

Serve with steamed rice and asian greens.

Lemon-spiced chicken with chickpeas

Serves 4

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion , halved and thinly sliced
4 skinless chicken breasts , cut into chunks
1 cinnamon stick , broken in half
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
zest and juice 1 lemon
400g can chickpeas , drained
200ml chicken stock
250g bag spinach

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onion gently for 5 mins.

Turn up the heat and add the chicken, frying for about 3 mins until golden.

Stir in the spices and lemon zest, fry for 1 more min, then tip in the chickpeas and stock. Put the lid on and simmer for 5 mins.

Season to taste, then tip in spinach and re-cover. Leave to wilt for 2 mins, then stir through.

Squeeze over the lemon juice just before serving.

Shredded thai chicken salad

Serves 2

4 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 limes , juiced
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 small red onion , halved and finely sliced
2 cooked skinless chicken breasts , shredded
½ small white cabbage , shredded
2 large carrot , shredded
2 red chillies , shredded
a small bunch mint , roughly chopped

Combine the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar then put in a bowl with the onions.

Toss and leave for 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Serves 4

400g Spaghetti
1 x 400g can whole tomatoes (With Juices, Roughly Chopped)
4 Fillets Anchovies (Roughly Chopped)
1 tablespoon Capers
12 Black Olives (Pitted)
2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60ml)
Fresh Flat Parsley Leaf (Finely Chopped)
Salt & Pepper (Fresh Or Dried To Season)

While your spaghetti cooks in salted boiling water, prepare your sauce.

Heat up some olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add garlic and chili peppers. When garlic is golden, add anchovies, olives and capers.

Let cook for a few seconds before pouring tomatoes into the pan. Cook for approximately five minutes.

About a minute and a half before the al dente stage, drain the spaghetti and add it to the saucepan, allowing it to finish cooking in the sauce.

Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Grublover comment
When trying to cut down your fat you don't have to cut pasta altogether - simply choose tomato rather than creamy based sauces. This is one of my favourites and is bursting with flavour. If you are dining out order an entree size instead of a main - it is usually almost as large as a main anyway, and will be more than enough.

Sticky sweet sesame drumsticks

Serves 4

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
8 skinless chicken drumsticks
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Mix together soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and ginger in a gallon zip lock bag.

Add chicken drumsticks, squeeze out air, and seal the bag. Turn chicken to coat and let marinate for 2-24 hours in refridgerator.

Preheat oven to 400. Line roasting pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Spread sesame seeds on plate.

Remove chicken from marinade. Discard leftover marinade. Dip each drumstick in the sesame seeds to coat on one side.

Place seeded-side up in the roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Grublover comment
A sticky sweet drumstick. Serve with white rice and mixed vegetables.

This recipe is from the weight watchers booklet "five & under" (I got some surprisingly good recipes from these books when I was on a health kick).

Sticky chicken stir-fry with sesame seeds

Serves 2

1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
Egg noodles (2 cups cooked)
1 tsp sunflower oil
2 chicken breasts , sliced into strips
3 large carrots , cut into matchsticks
1 chopped garlic clove
1 one inch knob ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp clear honey
juice 2 limes
3 tbsp sesame seeds , toasted
small bunch coriander , roughly chopped

Rub Chinese 5 Spice into the chicken and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to pack instructions, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large wok, add the chicken, then stir-fry over a high heat for a few mins. Tip in the carrot sticks, then continue stir-frying for about 4 mins until the chicken is cooked and starting to brown.

Add garlic and a ginger and stir fry for another minute or 2.

Quickly stir in the honey and lime juice, bubble for 30 secs, then add the sesame seeds and cooked noodles. (It's easier to use tongs at this stage to mix everything together.) Warm everything through briefly, then tear coriander over the top to serve.

Recipe by Good Food.

Steak & chickpea salad with harissa yogurt dressing

Serves 2

400g tin chickpeas
½ red onion , sliced
100g cherry tomatoes , halved
a small bunch flat-leaf parsley , chopped
about 200g sirloin steak , trimmed of all fat
150ml natural yogurt
2 tbsp harissa
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon

Toss together the chickpeas, red onion, tomatoes and parsley. Season the steak well and cook for 1.5 minutes each side then rest for 5 minutes.

Mix the yoghurt with the harissa, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Slice the steak, toss with the chickpeas and serve drizzled with the yoghurt.

Grublover comment
This is a delicious and easy weeknight meal, ready in 15 minutes. It is low in fat and low gi. Recipe from olive magazine.

How to Cook Low Fat

This whole site is about still enjoying cooking and enjoying food while being health conscious. It is possible to cook without using a pound of butter and a carton of cream! Believe me coming from a Greek background this was difficult for me to accept at first too, but food can still be just as delicious when it is good for you).

Tips to help you cook your favourite dishes "low fat":

1. Invest in a good, non-stick frypan and use a teaspoon of olive oil or a quick spray of cooking spray to brown or stir-fry meat or veges.

2. Grill, char-grill or barbeque meat, chicken and fish instead of frying them.

3. Trim the fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry - or buy lean cuts of meat in the first place. Look for French trimmed lamb cutlets instead of lamb chops; or the Healthy beef mince instead of hamburger mince.

4. Make use of herbs, spices, vegetables, garlic, ginger, lemon and lime juice - these ingredients all add a lot of depth and flavour to your food, and it is these sort of things that are actually missing from low fat food which makes it taste like cardboard.

5. Dry fry mince or cubed meat in a non-stick frypan. Then drain off the fat before adding other ingredients.

6. In asian curries (e.g. my favourite thai red curry), use low fat coconut milk instead of the regular kind. Avoid coconut cream as this is much higher in fat and tastes the same.

7. Flavour salads with no oil dressings - use ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar and garlic.

8. Look for low-fat options for dairy - swap regular milk for skim milk; swap your cheeses, yoghurt, and sour cream for low-fat options. It will reduce your fat dramatically without compromising flavour.

9. Try new recipes and have fun! This way you can still enjoy cooking and devouring your favourite foods, rather than cutting them out altogether.

Spanakopita aka spinach pie

Serves 8

2 bunches (about 1.5 kg) spinach or silverbeet, trimmed and washed thoroughly
200g light fetta cheese, crumbled (can substitute for extra ricotta, or a light cottage cheese if desired)
250g light ricotta cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped dill
3 tablespoons chopped mint
4 thick shallots, sliced
20 sheets filo pastry
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm baking dish.

Place spinach in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with water and cover with plastic. Cook in the microwave for 10 minutes or until wilted (alternatively blanch in a pot of boiling water, or steam in a steamer). Cool slightly before squeezing out excess water and chopping roughly.

Combine spinach with remaining ingredients (except for filo and oil). Season well.

Place half the filo sheets in the bottom of the prepared pan, spraying with olive oil spray well in between. Place spinach mixture on top. Top with remaining filo.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Grublover comment
I have been making a big spinach pie each week and eating it for lunches. It is healthy, delicious and much more interesting than a sandwich. Best of all, you are less likely to get those nagging mid afternoon cravings where you head out for some chocolate.
The herbs are really important as they give it some extra flavour. Feel free to add more, or substitute for other herbs if you wish.

Berry Easy Tart

1/2 cup butter
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups sliced strawberries or frozen berries (raspberries work well)

Topping
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp light sour cream
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 200C.

Mix butter, flour, sugar and 1 egg yolk in bowl.

When the mixture forms a ball, press into a 20cm tart tin. Line it with baking paper for easy removal. Spread the berries over the dough.

For the topping combine the yolk with sour cream and sift in the flour and sugar.

Drizzle around berries.

Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temp to 180c and bake a further 30 minutes. Watch the oven temp plus the time in the oven as can be over-cooked. Serve with sour cream and extra berries.

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl.

Cook asparagus until crunchy. Cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Grublover comment
This salad is, as the name suggests, sensational. You can have it as a snack, for lunch or serve it with some nice roast meat for a dinner that will surely impress.

Stir fried Chicken with Basil

Serves 4

4 chicken thighs, cut into cubes
2 Tb vege oil
2 Tb ginger, finely chopped
2-3 chillies
1 Tb garlic, crushed
2 Tb palm sugar, grated or sliced up if hard
2 Tb fish sauce
big handful basil leaves, Thai or common, roughly shredded
coriander leaves
extra sliced chilli for garnish
steamed rice

Heat a wok to very hot and then add the oil.

Add the ginger, chllies and garlic and cook for just a few seconds - do not burn these or your dish will be ruined.

Add the chicken and stir fry that until it is just cooked and coloured. You may need to do this in two lots if you don’t have good heat as you don’t want it to stew.
Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce and cook until the whole lot looks sticky.

Stir through the basil leaves and serve garnished with the coriander leaves and extra chilli.

Serve with the steamed rice.

Grublover comment
This is another really easy, healthy weeknight dinner for which I usually have all the supplies on hand.  It is especially nice in the summertime when we have an abundance of fresh basil in the backyard.

Wrap it up at Lunch

Tuna, spinach and capsicum (Serves 1)
Spread a soft flour tortilla with 2 tbs of low-fat cottage cheese. Scatter a handful of baby spinach leaves onto it, then tear up half a roasted red capsicum and arrange it on top (you can use capsicum from a jar, packed in brine). Add 50g drained cannellini beans and 50g drained, flaked tuna (packed in brine or spring water). Sprinkle with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, then roll up tightly. Slice in half, and serve.

Hot chilli chicken wraps (Serves 2)
For two people, chop 1 skinless chicken breast into chunks. Roll the pieces in 1 tsp mixed dried herbs and 1 tsp mild chilli powder. Stir-fry in 1 tsp vegetable oil with 4 chopped spring onions and 1 sliced green capsicum. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add 2 chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Use the mixture to fill two tortillas then roll them up tightly.

Tortilla pizza (Serves 1)
A fast food favourite for kids that you'll enjoy too. Preheat a medium-hot grill. Place a tortilla onto a baking tray and spread with 1 tbs of tomato puree. Sprinkle 1 tsp Italian mixed dried herbs and 25g grated low-fat cheddar cheese. Top with a thinly sliced tomato and cook under the grill for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve at once.

Quesadillas with pineapple salsa (Serves 2)
For 2 people, you'll need 2 tortillas and 50g grated low-fat cheddar cheese. Start by preparing the salsa. Chop 2 pineapple rings (canned in natural juice), ½ small red onion and ¼ cucumber. Add 1 tbs chopped fresh coriander or parsley and stir to combine. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tortilla. Scatter with half of the cheese and half of the salsa. Cook for a few moments until the cheese starts to melt, then fold in half and serve. Repeat with the second tortilla.

Smoked salmon and ricotta bites (Serves 2)
For two people, spread 4 tbs low-fat ricotta cheese over 1 soft flour tortilla. Arrange 75g sliced smoked salmon on top, then add a few rocket leaves. Roll up tightly, then wrap in cling film and chill until ready to serve. Unwrap, cut into thin slices and serve with wedges of lemon.

Hommus and salad-packed wrap (Serves 1)
Shred a few crisp lettuce leaves and mix them with a handful of bean sprouts, 1 small grated carrot, some chopped cucumber, chopped tomato and a chopped spring onion. Spread 1 soft flour tortilla with 2 tbs reduced-fat hommus, pile the salad on top, season with salt and pepper, then roll up tightly. Slice in half and serve.

Roasted lamb rack with mash

Serves 4

1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, crushed
12 small lean lamb loin chop or cutlet, (2 x 6 cutlet racks of lamb)
1/2 whole stock cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup (125ml) hot water
400 g parsnip, peeled, cut into chunks
400 g potato, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp cumin seed
400 g fresh green beans, ends trimmed, steamed

Combine oil, lemon rind, thyme and garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place lamb racks in a non-stick baking tray and spoon over marinade. Massage marinade into meat using clean hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 210°C. Place lamb in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place parsnips and potatoes in a medium saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain well and return to same saucepan. Use a potato masher or hand-held wand blender to mash or process vegetables until smooth. Add milk and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Continue to mash for a further minute or until well combined.

Transfer lamb to a chopping board and set aside. Meanwhile, add stock to baking tray and place over high heat. Bring liquid to the boil, scraping pan as you are doing it. Cook for 5 minutes or until you have a sauce consistency. Carve lamb racks into 3 cutlets per person and serve with mash and beans.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and easy weeknight meal that is low in fat and high in flavour.

WW Points
7 points per serve.

Nasi Love

On a recent trip to Bali I discovered the joys of Nasi Campur. ..

Nasi campur (mixed rice) is the most basic dish in Indo. That together with nasi goreng (fried rice) are the 2 meals most commonly consumed - Indonesians will typically have these dishes for both lunch and dinner, and probably a cigarette and a coffee for breakfast.

Nasi campur is a portion of steamed white rice (nasi putih) together with an assortment of other items, which can be wide ranging depending on who’s cooking. Its guaranteed that no 2 places will serve the exact same nasi campur. This dish has been around for a long time because it enables people to use left overs and small amounts of the more expensive items.

Around Kuta/Seminyak are a wealth of small warungs serving nasi campur. Some are oriented towards tourists / expats, other towards locals. It is pretty easy to tell which is which based on price (2500RP for locals compared to 25,000RP for tourists).

My very favourite Nasi Campur was at Made’s Warung (the original Made’s is in Kuta, and the new Made’s is in Seminyak). Made’s does an awesome campur for 15,000rp. Items found in nasi campur include tofu (tahu) tempe, chicken (ayam), beef (sapi), fish (ikan), peanuts (kacang), together with a wide selction of cooked vegetables including kangkung, the stringy green plant sometimes cooked with garlic and chili. A dollop of hot sambal might be added to the side of the plate, so treat any red sauce with care.

My favourite dish was the 1/2 nasi campur, 1/2 gado gado served at Made’s. It is 35,000RP (around $4) and is making my mouth water thinking about it. Under the low lighting of the beautiful balinese style courtyard at new Made’s you can’t really see what you are eating, but just devour this plate of yummy yummy flavours.

I would love to learn how to make it.

Jess’ Cheat Moroccan Chicken

buy the masterfoods moroccan spice mix, mix it with a heap of lemon and garlic and a bit of oil

coat the chicken it and marinate for as long as you can. i like to add chilli flakes as well, and extra cumin. anything in the cupboard that goes is good to add in fact.

cook the chicken: barbeque, fry in a pan, or bake in the oven for 30 minutes (baste regularly with the sauceif baking)

get some natural yogurt, mix it with cumin, cumin seeds, lemon and garlic, maybe a little oil too. set aside and when ready, serve with the chicken.

for the cous cous, cook as per the packet, then add cut up a capsicum, spring onion, coriander, handfuls of currants, pistachios, (maybe even pine nuts or almonds). and there is the dinner. garnish with coriander too. make a big serve and it is good for lunch the next day cold. i also like pouring the juices from chicken the pan over my couscous.

Grublover comment
This recipe is from my dear friend Jess, and I agree with her comment that it is “pretty damn fine”.

Gnocchi

I have always been a big fan of gnocchi. That texture yum yum yum.

Check out this post at The Age

I’ll keep you posted when I try this out.

Potato and Pea Curry

Serves 4-6

3 Tb corn or peanut oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole, dried, hot red chillies
generous pinch of asafetida
450g boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 /4 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp sugar
285g frozen peas, defrosted
1.5 tsp salt
3 medium tomatoes, grated on the coarse side of the grater

Pour the oil into a medium, lidded pan and set over a medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chillies and asafetida.
As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, add the potatoes.
Stir and fry until the potatoes brown a little.

Now add the cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, tumeric and sugar.

Stir once or twice and put in the peas. Stir a few times, then add 250ml water and 1 tsp salt.

Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15 minutes.
Stir in the grated tomatoes and remaining salt.
Simmer gently, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.

Grublover comment
Jess, Eve and I made this the other day but 10x the recipe for a party. It was a great success and tasted delicious but it was a bit watery - I would suggest adding 1/4 cup water and see how it goes, then add more if needed. It is not a dry curry, but you don’t want it to be watery either.

One dish chicken korma and rice

Serves 4

Prep and cook time 30 mins

2 tablespoons Korma Curry paste (I used Pataks - Korma Curry Paste - Coconut and Coriander, Mild - from Woolies)
800g Chicken thigh fillets (cut into 2cm pieces)
1 cup (200g) white calrose medium grain rice
1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken stock
100g baby spinach leaves
Heat sauce in medium saucepan. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add chicken and brown.
Add rice and stock - bring to boil.
Reduce and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes (keep an eye on it to make sure that rice cooks before all the liquid evaporates). Remove from heat and stir well. Cover dish and stand for 5 minutes.
Add spinach and stir to combine. Add pepper to taste and serve with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!!

Recipe contributed by Nicole Stallard.

Stir-fried Chicken with Basil

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 Tb vege oil
2 Tb ginger, finely chopped
2-3 chillies
1 Tb garlic, crushed
2 Tb palm sugar, grated or sliced up if hard
2 Tb fish sauce
big handful basil leaves, Thai or common, roughly shredded
coriander leaves
extra sliced chilli for garnish
steamed rice

Heat a wok to very hot and then add the oil.

Add the ginger, chllies and garlic and cook for just a few seconds - do not burn these or your dish will be ruined.

Add the chicken and stir fry that until it is just cooked and coloured. You may need to do this in two lots if you don’t have good heat as you don’t want it to stew.
Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce and cook until the whole lot looks sticky.
Stir through the basil leaves and serve garnished with the coriander leaves and extra chilli.

Serve with the steamed rice.

Recipe by Margaret Johnson.

Funny Cartoons by Minties Man

I love this guys cartoons. They always make me laugh.

Make your own choc bombs!

Makes 6
100g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
40g copha
1 tub of good-quality vanilla ice-cream
100g Maltesers
100g Jaffas
3 x 30g Cadbury Flake bars, halved
6 waffle cones

Place the chocolate and copha in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Meanwhile, place the Maltesers in a sealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to pound and crush lightly. Transfer to a serving bowl. Repeat with the Jaffas. Place the Flake in another serving bowl.

Scoop the ice-cream into the waffle cones. To serve, push a piece of Flake into the ice-cream. Dip the ice-cream into the chocolate mixture and quickly sprinkle Malteser or Jaffa over the top.

Recipe from taste.com.au

Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake

Base
250g Arnott’s Nice biscuits (or digestives)
120g butter, melted

Filling
375g cream cheese, softened
82g (1/3 cup plus 1 tsp) caster sugar
3 large eggs (min weight 59g)
185g white chocolate, melted
225g (3/4 cup plus 2 Tb) sour cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (1/2 tsp natural vanilla essence)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius (If you have a fan-forced oven preheat to 145 degrees Celcius).

Line the base of a 20cm or 21cm springform cake pan with baking paper. Grease or line the sides.

Finely crush biscuits in a blender/food processor. Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter and firmly press mixture into the base and sides of the prepared tin. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Using a food processor or electric mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you are mixing. When mixture is smooth, beat in eggs one at a time.

Quickly stir sour cream into melted white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add to cream cheese mixture along with the vanilla. Beat until ingredients are combined.

Pour filling over biscuit base and bake for about one hour. Leave cheesecake at room temperature for one hour then cover and refigerate for several hours, or until cold and set.

When ready to serve cut with a hot, dry knife. Enjoy!

Grublover comment:
This white chocolate cheesecake has a creamy, smooth consistency. Because it is so rich it is nice to serve with a fruit coulis and ice cream.
To make a white chocolate and rasberry cheesecake, pour half of the filling over the base, sprinkle with 150g of rasberries, then pour the remaining filling over the rasberries and bake.

Nanaimo Bars…recipe by Hollis

Base:
1/2 cup (115g) butter
5 Tbsp (40g) cocoa
1/4 cup (60g) white sugar
1 egg
2 cups Granita/Digestive biscuit crumbs (1 package biscuits)


Filling:
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup (115g) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
3 heaped Tbsp custard powder

Topping:
100-150g good quality dark chocolate
1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (eg peanut oil)

Melt together butter, cocoa and sugar over low heat. Stir until smooth.
Break in egg and stir well.
Remove from heat and add biscuit crumbs.
Mix well, press into lightly greased pan and chill.

For filling, cream butter, then gradually add icing sugar, milk and custard powder. Spread filling on top of base and chill.

Melt chocolate with butter and oil and pour on top, carefully spread to edges and smooth. Bang the pan against the counter a few times to get a nice smooth surface. Refridgerate. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Three-Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Serves 4-6

1 Tbspn olive oil
25g unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ butternut pumpkin (450g) peeled, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 Tbspn brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 2 lightly beaten egg to brush
100ml pure (thin) cream
120g gruyere, grated
2 Tbsn grated parmesan
Fried sage leaves to serve

Pastry
2 cups (300g) plain flour
30 g cheddar grated
150g chilled unsalted butter, chopped

Pastry: place flour, cheddar and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 1/3 cup (80ml) chilled water and process until mixture comes together to form a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil and butter in a large frypan over low heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the pumpkin and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add ½ cup (125ml) water and bring to a simmer. Cover, return to low heat and cook for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. Stir in the sugar and balsamic vinegar, then allow to cool. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured board to a 30cm disc and place on prepared tray. Place the cooled pumpkin mixture in a large bowl. Add the eggs and cream, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in half the gruyere, then sprinkle the remaining gruyere over the pastry, leaving a 2cm border. Fill the centre of the pastry with the pumpkin mixture, then fold over the 2cm border and roughly pleat. Brush the pastry edge with the beaten egg and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Serve the pie warm, garnished with fried sage leaves.

Recipe by Genni Wilson

Balthazar…review by Matt Milner

6 The Esplanade
Perth 6000 WA
Phone: (08) 9421 1206
European and Modern Australian
Signature dish: Aged beef fillet


A favourite with the corporate-set and undoubtedly one of the most talked about fine-dining spots in Perth, I ventured to Balthazar with lofty expectations. I was not disappointed! It turned out to be one of the most memorable dining experiences I have had in a long time.

The restaurant is located at the bottom floor of the Lawson Apartments in the heart of the city. The building is a lovely example of art-deco, and this theme is continued inside the restaurant. Upon entering, you can decide to have a pre-dinner drink at the wine bar, however we skipped this and went straight to our table (very comfortable seating)

The menu is well-rounded and follows a distinctively European/Modern Australian theme.

For entrees, the 5 of us shared a tasting plate, which was memorable. It included prawns, pork sausage, and a tomato and eggplant tart -all of which were immaculately presented and tasted phenomenal.
Then came the biggest challenge of the evening: what wine to select. Balthazar has forged its reputation on it’s incredible wine list. It is extensive to say the least - and is regarded as one of the finest in Perth. After flicking through the list (it is about 50 pages long), we settled on a Sem Sav Blanc from WA, and a Pinot Noir from SA. (A word of warning: whilst the wine list is amazing, so are the prices. The cheapest bottles start at about $50 and go up to the $1000’s).

Choosing a main course was almost as challenging as the wine selection, however I settled on a simple grilled fillet of Barramundi with a balsamic sauce infused with tomato and bacon, and creamy mashed-potato. It was extremely tasty and satisfying. The fish was fresh, delicate, perfectly cooked, and flavoursome, and the sauce was perfectly balanced. The mash was delicious, had a great texture, and wasn’t too stodgy.

After a few more more glasses of wine and numerous gin&tonics, everyone felt dessert was an essential way to end the meal. I ordered the chocolate pudding infused with cherries - it was a good choice. It was rich, warm, and decadent. I almost ordered seconds, but thought about the dire consequences it would have for my already expanding waist-line (and my ever-shrinking wallet).

My dinner buddies shared my opinion on the standard of the food. A couple of them had the pork-belly, which they told me was flavoursome, generous, and overall an excellent dish.

The service is also of a high-standard. The staff are attentive and keen to share their extensive knowledge of the menu and wine-list, yet they are still unobtrusive and discrete.

After a few more (quite a few more) gin&tonics, we got the bill, which was not as scary as I had envisaged. If you take away the exorbitant cost of the wine, the food is very reasonably priced for a restaurant of this quality and calibre.

It felt strange leaving a restaurant without being able to criticise it in some way, shape, or form. But we all left feeling very satisfied and reveled in the fact that we had found a restaurant that had all the ingredients: atmosphere, location, great service, great wine, and outstanding food.

Entree: $15-$27
Mains: $23-$36
Dessert: $14

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl first, cook asparagus until crunchy, cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl first, cook asparagus until crunchy, cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Sweet Potato Thai Green Curry Pastry Puffs…recipe by Jill Anderson

1 small red onion
Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons Thai Green Curry paste
1 large diced sweet potato
Coconut milk or coconut cream
6 sheets Puff pastry - each sheet cut into 9 squares

Egg wash - 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water

Yoghurt Mint Dip
Plain Greek Yoghurt
1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
black pepper
a large bunch of fresh mint leaves finely chopped

Dice a small red onion and fry in a small amount of olive oil.
Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of Thai green Curry Paste (start with 1 tablespoon and add more depending on how hot you like it)

Add a large diced sweet potato. Coat and fry gently for a few minutes to absorb flavours.

Add enough coconut milk or coconut cream to cook the potatoes until soft, then mash gently with a fork.

Add about 1 teaspoon of cooled mixture to the centre of each pastry square.
Fold into triangles, fork the edges and coat in egg wash.

Bake in fan forced oven 180 C, or normal oven 200 C until golden brown.

Serve warm with Yoghurt Mint Dip.
Plain Greek Yoghurt, 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon, black pepper and a large bunch of fresh mint leaves finely chopped.

Could also be good with a Chilli sauce, fresh lime juice and chopped fresh coriander dip!

Enjoy - and we’ll come to help you eat them!

Aubergine Gourmet Foods on South Terrace…review by Jessica Anderson

231 South Tce
South Fremantle 6162 WA
Phone: (08) 9335 2115
Chef: Paul Watters

I awoke nice and early on sunday (after a massive night out) to head out for breakfast and found myself in Fremantle at 12pm. I was starving and looking to assuage my hangover. I’m not 100% sure if it was the fact that I was willing to eat anything or that the food was fabulous but Aubergine’s in South Tce hit the spot for me that morning (ah, midday). I was lucky to jag an outdoor table and placed an order for their breakfast sandwich while my boyfriend had the eggs florentine. I love a place that does all day breakfast and despise those that stop the morning ritual at 11am.

The breakfast sandwich was huge and gave me the option to eat with my hands “sandwich style” or with a knife and fork. I chose to eat with my hands and went for it. A large square of turkish bread that was not too doughy (and therefore the perfect vessel) carried bacon, egg, spinach, cheese, roasted tomatoes and some delightfully tasty relish with onions. I think I ate the whole thing in under 10 minutes, maybe less. My boyfriend’s eggs florentine looked good but unfortunately he wasn’t willing to share that morning, even though I gave him some of my bacon. I can however tell you, that his physical improvement between arriving and leaving was such that the food must have been the perfect hangover cure as well as a damn fine meal.

I was really impressed with the coffee and the service. The two waitresses that served me were both genuinely pleasing and warm. The one with the short hair really went out of her way to make sure some other customers could fit their party on an outside table. The coffee came out quickly, hot and was not bitter to taste. My boyfriend’s flat white was not too frothy either, which is how a FLAT white should be. We also got a juice, and out of the array of ingredients to choose from, the combo of apple, pineapple, orange and ginger really hit the spot. The juice was cool and not overly packed with ice.

I really enjoyed the experience at Aubergines, however I do recommend sitting outside as it can get very noisy inside and has terrible acoustics. I did have an average meal there when I ordered fruit toast about a month ago but this new experience has put it back in my good books. It also has the great Freo vibe without the hoons driving their cars past you and it is free and easier to find a parking spot. I am really looking forward to seeing this part of Fremantle grow as the Seaview Pub and other little cafes start to open up and improve.
I give it a 7 out of 10!!

Mon-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat-Sun 7am-5pm
Mains: $3.50-$16.50
Dessert: $3.50-$4.50
Payment accepted: Cash Only

Beef Vindaloo…recipe by Eve Clarkson

½ kg meat – pork, beef or chicken
Turmeric
Vinegar
Salt
Curry Leaves
2 small red onions, sliced
2 tomatoes (roma), chopped
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
Small handful of curry leaves

Masala
1 Tbsp garlic
1 Tbsp ginger
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp black mustard seeds, heaped
½ tsp pepper (white is preferable to black)
5 cloves
1½ tsp cinnamon sticks
10 dried red chillies (15 is usual)
1 Tbsp white sultanas, heaped

1. Marinate meat in turmeric, vinegar, salt and curry leaves for 1 hr
2. Grind masala ingredients together
3. Heat sunflower oil in pot
4. Add onions, fry until light brown
5. Add masala, lower the heat and cook for 3 mins
6. Add the curry leaves
7. Cook until the water evaporates and the masala is dried out
8. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the water evaporates
9. Add the meat and cook until tender

Grublover comment
Eve says: Please put this recipe up on Grublove. I have just made it and it is fantastic. I did it with Pork but I think it is better than beef.

Lamb Shank Stifado…recipe by Jessica Anderson

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 can whole tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
3 large cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 lamb shanks
1 pound sml onions
2 pounds sml red potatoes
1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 175 C. Melt sugar in pot over moderate heat, don’t stir. When melted, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar becomes a deep caramel (5 minutes).
Carefully add the vinegar (it will bubble, so don’t burn yourself) and stir until caramel is dissolved.

Add tomatoes, wine, rosemary, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to the boil.

Add shanks, cover, take to the over.

Braise, turning shanks occassionally, until tender (~2 hours, but i sometimes leave them in for ages as the flavour just develops).

Meanwhile, cook onions in saucepan of water. Cool then peel. Quarter the potatoes, steam in water. Heat oil in skillet over moderate heat, add garlic and cook until golden. Add potatoes with salt and pepper, increase heat and stir til golden. Then add the potatoes and onions to the shanks.

Extra notes: When you take the shanks out of the oven, skim the fat off the top (this is easier if left to cool as will harden). If you make it a day ahead it will be really tasty but you would do the onions and potatoes on the day. I sometimes add 2-3 cans of tomatoes as Aussie shanks are bigger and the sauce mix doesn’t cover them fully. This recipe doubles nicely.

Sea Garden, Prevelly...review by Jessica Anderson

103 Mitchell Dr
Prevelly 6285 WA
Phone: (08) 9757 3074





It was with a mild sense of delight when I discovered that the surf was crap and the sea was windy as I therefore knew I could indulge in my boyfriend’s company all morning. We headed to Sea Garden in Prevelly for some late coffees and were so seduced by the menu that we decided to place a bigger order.

We decided to share the poached eggs with spinach and feta to accompany our flat whites and cappucinos. I am a serious lover of eating breakfast at cafes, I love the newspaper getting in the way and the fact that I don’t have to do small talk. The Sea Garden has the perfect ambiance for my favourite indulgence. We sat outside, under the peppermint trees with the sun on our backs and a view to the roaring ocean. The food came out in 10 minutes after we ordered.

Firstly, the coffee was strong and smooth. I am regarded as a coffee snob amongst most of my friends and this cafe did not disappoint me.

But to the food …. it was the most delicious breakfast i have eaten in a long time. the eggs were poached perfectly with the whites firm and the orange middle (I kid you not, the centres were bright orange) a perfect runny mess. the feta was a great salty substitute for the usual bacon, and the small amount of grated fresh beetroot took the texture of the meal to a new dimension. the chef had also roasted a small half tomato, wilted the spinach under the warm eggs, lightly buttered the ciabatta toast and wasn’t overly generous on the hollandaise, so the meal was balanced perfectly. The only criticism is that the hollandaise sauce didn’t appear to be “real”, possibly out of a jar.

My boyfriend, who frequents most of Margaret River’s eateries, regards this cafe as a bit “hit and miss” but this Saturday morning it hit it and it hit it hard! I was so impressed that I am excited about my next meal there and cant wait to try something else on the menu. I’d easily give the whole experience a 7 out of 10! (the waitress was pretty cute too).

Open daily 8am - 9pm
Entree: $7-$19
Mains: $18.50-$29
Dessert: $8.50-$14
Licensed. Wine is not available by the glass. BYO (wine only) $5 corkage per person.

Jill’s Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Tart

Shortcrust pastry (you can make this yourself of use the frozen stuff)
5-6 brown onions
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
thyme
1 packet goats cheese
3 eggs
small packet whipping cream

Press shortcrust pastry into tart tin and blind bake.
Fry onions in 1 Tb olive oil until they start sticking. Add balsamic vinegar and thyme and cook a little more.
Pour onions over tart base.
Crumble goats cheese over the top (ok to have big clumps).
Whisk up eggs and cream until combined and pour over the top.
Season and bake until ready (around 10-15 minutes).

Grublover comment
Jill made this for us while celebrating Jessie’s graduation in gtown. It is a really simple recipe that always works and always tastes delicious. Serve with a fresh, crisp salad of rocket and balsamic. Great for entertaining because it is equally nice cold.

Brownie Pudding Recipe…recipe contributed by Hollis

1 cup plain flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons peanut oil/salad oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 and 3/4 cup hot water

Sift together first 5 ingredients.
Add milk, oil and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Stir in nuts.
Pour into a greased 8×8x2 inch baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Grublover comment
Hollis said: I made this recipe last night. It is really really easy & quick. And it’s great because if you have walnuts in the freezer, you don’t really need any other special ingredients. It’s great with vanilla icecream It ends up being a brownie on top with liquid chocolate sauce underneath. That’s why you want to serve it hot with ice-cream!

Tuxedo Strawberries?

While hunting for valentine’s day ideas I came across these little fellas.

If you ask me they are really creepy - and I began to discover whole communities dedicated to these headless groomsmen…

Osteria dei Sapori

151 Broadway
Nedlands 6009 WA
Phone: (08) 9386 4243
Open: Lunch Monday - Friday; Dinner Monday - Saturday



Do yourself a favour and visit Osteria dei Sapori.

It boasts delicious, generous serves of traditional Italian food.

Excellent service - italian waiters full of life, paying attention to every last detail. They will even clap and sing to you if it is your birthday!!

Very reasonable prices.

Last time I had:
- Antipasto plate - Osteria is famous for this
- the pasta dei giorno - Ox Tail Ragu with tagliatelle - absolutely delicious homemade pasta with the best meaty ragu
- Profiteroles
- Panna cotta with strawberry sauce

There was not a snip of food left on any plate.

Entree: $15-$19
Mains: $16-$35
Dessert: $7.50
Payment accepted: MasterCard, Visa and American Express

Licensed. Wine is available by the glass.

Peanut Butter Cup Slice…recipe by Nigella Lawson

Makes approximately 48.

for the base:
50g dark muscovado sugar
200g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter
200g smooth peanut butter

for the topping:
200g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 x 23cm square brownie tin, lined with Glad Bake

Stir all the ingredients for the base together until smooth. Wooden spoon works great.
You will find that some of the dark muscovado sugar stays in rubbly, though very small, lumps, but don’t worry about that. Press the sandy mixture into the lined brownie tin and make the surface as even as possible.

To make the topping, melt the chocolates and butter together (in a microwave for ease, for a minute or two on medium) and spread on the base. Put the tin in the fridge to set. When the chocolate has hardened, cut into small squares – because, more-ish as it undeniably is, it is also very rich.

Grublover comment
This recipe is dedicated to my good pal Kelly Gillespie who introduced me to the mouth-watering, moreish Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. It is really simple to make and is as close as you can get to the real thing. The best thing is you don’t have to cook - great because my oven is out of action. Enjoy Kel!

Nougat a la Eve

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 4 hours refrigeration
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serve: 1kg

500g sugar
250ml liquid glucose
175g honey (preferably blossom honey)
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g unsalted butter, softened
60g almonds, unblanched and toasted
100g glace cherries (not imitation)

1. Grease a 28 x 18cm baking dish and line with baking paper. Place the sugar, glucose, honey, 60ml water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook at a rolling boil for 8 minutes, or until the mixture forms a hard ball when tested in a small amount of water, or reaches 122C on a sugar thermometer.

Note: The correct temperature is very important, otherwise the mixture will not set properly.

2. Beat the egg whites in a bowl with electric beaters until stiff peaks form. Slowly pour a quarter of the syrup onto the egg whites in a thin stream and beat for up to 5 minutes, or until the mixture holds its shape. Place the remaining syrup over the heat and cook for 2 minutes (watch that it doesn’t burn), or until a small amount forms brittle threads when dropped in cold water, or reaches 157C on a sugar thermometer. Pour slowly onto the meringue mixture with the beaters running and beat until the mixture is very thick.

3 Add the vanilla and butter and beat for another 5 minutes. Stir in the almonds and cherries using a metal spoon. Turn the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with a palate knife. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firm.

Turn out onto a large chopping board and with a very sharp knife cut into 4 x 2cm pieces. Wrap each piece in cellophane and store in the refrigerator.

Source: The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook (Murdoch Books) Cookbook (Murdoch Books)
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/better-homes-gardens/306/nougat-recipe/

The Berry Farm…review by Winsome Stavrianou

We spent two weeks in the Margaret River region of WA in November. The scenery was breathtaking, all the vines were covered with green leaves, the grass was green and the rivers were full. Pleasantly the weather was warming up. We were on the mission for a perfect lunch. We tried quite a few of the wineries and similar throughout the two weeks. The standout lunch was at the Berry Farm.

The Berry Farm is located about half an hour away from Margaret River Township. The drive takes you through lovely rural country, littered with animals and vineyards. My first impression of the Berry Farm was not fantastic. It was not well signposted, and there was construction work happening near the car park. However, as we approached the little cottage that is now the restaurant we forgot all about these little glitches. We chose to sit outside, with the cute little blue wrens and other birds.
We ordered the two pies, one each, as recommended by the owner/chef. He couldn’t chose a favourite, and between us neither could we. We ordered a beef pie with red wine sauce and a venison pie with port sauce. The pies were delicious, golden flaky pastry encrusting beautifully tender meat and sauce. The meat was real, and great big chunks of it. The pies also came with a simple salad, which was refreshing and all that was necessary. Having said that, the garlic bread we ordered complimented the pies perfectly. We could have done without the garlic bread, as we actually struggled to finish the pies after eating so much delicious garlicky bread. However our puppy, Honey, managed to help us out with that one.

Also on the menu were delicious looking scones served with jam and cream, and other lighter lunches.

Another pro of this restaurant is the friendly staff. We had puppy in tow for the duration of our trip down south. We found it difficult in some places to take us with her. Despite finding outside tables, many restaurants didn’t like her being there. In contrast the people at the Berry Farm welcomed her, and even asked where they could get one like her.

I would recommend the Berry Farm to anyone travelling to the Margaret River region as we thoroughly enjoyed it. We can’t wait to try the jams and sauces next time we get there, as after eating such a fantastic lunch we were too full to try anything more.

Winsome Stavrianou

Moist Pear Cake…recipe by Dana Kelly

In the base of 8 inch tin, 3 large pears, ripe, quarterd and cored.
Pour over 2 oz of melted butter.

4 eggs
1/4 cup fine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup flour 1/3 cup SR flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
50 gram melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup syrup
1/2 cup milk, or less as required

Melt butter and syrup, leave to cool (add some milk)
Sift flour, bicarb, spices, pinch of salt, leave.
Combine eggs sugar, vanilla in heat proof bowl, place over saucepan gentle simmer water (make sure does water does not touch bowl).
Beat 6-7 mins elec beater, or til pale & thick, until double in bulk approx.

Remove from heat, continue to beat for 3 mins.
Use large metal spoon, gently fold into flour mix.

Then mix in butter mix gently.

Pour over pears in tin. Bake for 180C (350F) for 25-30 mins (but can take longer).

Leave to cool in tin for 15 mins before turing out onto rack.

Dana Kelly

5 tips every serious home cook must know…Gordon Ramsay

We can’t all afford foie gras, caviar and truffles, but that shouldn’t stop us thinking like a three Michelin star chef. To introduce his new book, Gordon Ramsay discloses the recipes that made his reputation – and reveals the five tips that every serious home cook should know.

1 Timing
So many people misunderstand timing. They think it’s about everything coming together at the same moment. They’ll think, the chicken will be ready at 1pm, so I’ll put the potatoes on at 20 to, the carrots at 10 to and the peas at 5 to. Then, disaster – they’re trying to carve the chicken, mash the potatoes and drain the veg all at the same time. I wouldn’t even try that with a brigade of 15 chefs. No, what a professional chef means by timing is getting everything prepared as far ahead as possible, so that two thirds of the work has already been done and you’re just bringing together the elements for the grand finale. That means having the meat ready up to half an hour before and parboiling your vegetables and refreshing them in cold water, ready to be warmed through in a pan with a splash of olive oil. It means frying your mushrooms in olive oil and reheating them in butter. And it means turning the final stages of cooking into an assembly line, which is much easier to control than starting everything from scratch and cooking it right through. Less stress, better results.

2 Seasoning
Salt and pepper are the building blocks of any kitchen. It’s the first thing I teach my new chefs – to season with confidence and, where necessary, subtlety. Too many people wait until the end to season their dishes. That way your taste buds just get clobbered with uncooked salt or pepper. Better to add it at the beginning of cooking so the raw taste can be cooked out and it has time to enhance the flavour of your ingredients. And keep tasting, all the way through cooking, to see how the flavours evolve. Finally, don’t limit yourself: salt and pepper are only the beginning of the story. We always season fish or seafood with a squeeze of lemon or lime at the end and, increasingly, we’ll use whole bunches of herbs to infuse a soup or cream sauce, or add cloves, vanilla or cinnamon to a fish stock. Be bold. Be adventurous.

3 Cooking fish
Given how popular sushi has become, I’m amazed at how squeamish people are about eating their fish anything other than nuked. Believe me, if the inside is a bright white, the outside will be dried out and woolly. No, you want the inside of your fish slightly translucent, like the inside of an oyster shell. Start with a medium-hot pan, add two parts olive oil and put in your seasoned fillet of fish, skin-side down. Don’t worry about it sticking – once it has caramelised, the fillet will release itself. Prodding and poking will just make it fall apart. Once it is 80 per cent cooked, gently turn it over, add one part butter and keep basting it. Add the butter too early and you’ll end up with a blackened pan – and burnt-tasting fish. Finally, allow the fish to relax, during which time it will continue to cook. Like vegetables, it can be held for five minutes, and then flashed in a 200C/Gas 6 oven with a little stock to warm it through.

4 Cooking meat
The secret of cooking meat is in the resting. I find it so dispiriting when I cut into a steak and watch all the juices leak out on to the plate because it hasn’t had time to relax and reabsorb all that goodness. Start with your meat at room temperature – if you take it straight from the fridge, the outside will be burnt before the centre has had time to heat up. And remember, 85 per cent of the cooking is done in the pan, the remaining 15 per cent as it rests. For a rare fillet steak, for example, give it two and a half minutes on each side and let it rest in its own juices for three. Then, just before serving, roll it in its juices again before flashing it through a hot oven. A final word about duck: of all meats, it goes cold the quickest because it is so lean, so don’t slice a breast into more than three or four slices or it will discolour and turn an unappetising brown colour.

5 Perfect custard
It’s worth perfecting your egg-custard recipe as it is the base for so many things, from ice-cream to crème patisserie. Follow these three golden rules and you won’t go wrong. First, always use fresh vanilla pods – the difference between those tiny seeds and vanilla extract is like night and day. Second, when you bring your milk and cream to the boil, take it off the heat the moment it starts to boil; even another 30 seconds will completely change the consistency. And finally, don’t add the sugar to the egg yolks until the last second and you are ready to whisk it, otherwise the sugar will dissolve into the egg and lose the strength to make the custard thicken as you need it to.