Presto Pasta Night #52

Get ready with the streamers and toot those horns - Presto Pasta Night turns 1! This makes the fifty-second time pasta lovers have banded together to celebrate that most humble ingredient and every week Ruth has lovingly collated the posts to form a mouth-watering display.

This week I'll be using this - Spaghetti alla Chitarra

it is a square cut spaghetti and it's made on a special device called the Chitarra. As these are an egg noodle and will cook in less than 5 minutes I'll be teaming them with another quick cooking ingredient - vongole

Vongole is the name given to a small clam, though these are much larger than the vongole I've seen in Italy.

Naturally enough, there's only one dish I could make - Spaghetti alle Vongole!

Spaghetti alle Vongole
[Serves 2]

spaghetti alla chitarra
500 grams Vongole, cleaned
1 red onion, sliced finely
3 garlic cloves, sliced finely
1 long red chilli, sliced finely
4 tomatoes, roughly diced
fresh parsley, chopped

Make the sauce:

Heat some olive oil and a knob of butter in a large pan (it needs to be big enough to hold the vongole and the pasta when it is cooked) and when the butter has melted add the onion, garlic and chilli - cook slowly over a very low heat as you don't want the colour the ingredients, you just want their flavours to infuse into the oil/butter mix.

When the mixture has softened add the diced tomatoes - continue to cook over a low heat until the tomatoes break down.

You can make the sauce up to this stage in advance.

Assemble the dish:

You need to time the dish so that the vongole will have opened up by the time the pasta has cooked. The vongole are only going to take a minute or so to open - actual time will depend on their size.

Turn up the heat on the sauce so that it is simmering and then add the vongole - toss them through the mixture and place a lid on the pan. The lid will help trap the steam and this aids in their opening. Keep jiggling the pot to allow for an even distribution of heat.

When you see that the clams have opened, add the cooked, drained pasta and a handful of parsley and mix it through.

Serve immediately with an extra sprinkling of parsley and a grinding of black pepper.

Pasta

Mixed Tomato Salad

Andrew is back hosting this edition of Waiter, There's something in My... and selected the theme of Seasonal Salad.

Since in this part of the world we're still in summer I'm taking my inspiration from this colourful basket of tomatoes fresh from the farmers market

I don't remember all the names of the different varieties I've got here but the most striking surely is this - the Green Zebra tomato.

My philosophy with produce as good as this is to just keep it simple - the different varieties will provide all the interest you need and I'll just be adding fresh basil and a basic vinaigrette made with lemon-infused olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Mixed Tomato Salad

variety of tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
lemon-infused olive oil
extra virgin olive oil
white wine vinegar
freshly ground sea salt flakes
freshly ground pepper

Besides using the various varieties of tomatoes, I also cut each variety a little differently according to their size, taste and texture to provide another point of interest.

Make the vinaigrette:
I normally use a ratio of 4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar - in this case I am using 3 parts extra virgin olive oil, 1 part lemon-infused olive oil and 1 part white wine vinegar. I whisk them together with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the salad:
Place the tomatoes into a bowl and sprinkle over with ripped basil leaves and a little of the vinaigrette. Toss gently to amalgamate and then arrange on your serving platter.

Finish with a little ground pepper and salt if desired and a garnish of basil leaves.

The many colours of summer in an alluring salad that just bursts with freshness.

The Potato

Alex from Eating Leeds announced she was celebrating the International Year of the Potato with a blog event, I knew I just had to take part - especially since my photo of the kipfler potato is actually part of official website.

So when it came to choosing a potato to use I couldn't really go past the kipfler

Kipflers are a waxy potato that are best used in salads or roasts - for this event I've gone for the salad route.

One of my all time favourite potato salads is a super simple parsley potato salad so using that as my inspiration, rather than make a parsley vinaigrette, I've made a parsley pesto and incorporated some crispy slices of chorizo to add some bite to dish.

Kipfler Potato Salad with Parsley Pesto and Chorizo

kipfler potatoes, boiled/steamed until just tender
chorizo, sliced and cooked until crisp
Parsley Pesto
1 garlic clove
sea salt
20 grams parsley leaves
lemon zest
pinenuts
blanched almonds
freshly ground pepper
finely grated parmesan cheese
olive oil

Make the Parsley Pesto:

As I've said before, I prefer to make pesto using a mortar and pestle but you can use a food processor - it's your choice. If you don't like raw garlic, then replace it with some slow roasted garlic.

Pound the garlic clove and lemon zest with a little sea salt until it becomes a smooth paste and then add the parsley leaves, continue working to break down the leaves.

Add the pinenuts and almonds (you can just use pinenuts if you prefer) and work the mixture until it resembles a thick paste - drizzle in the oil a little at a time as you continue to pound the mixture, breaking any large pieces of nuts.

Finally sprinkle in a few tablespoons of parmesan - taste and then adjust the seasoning. Add enough olive oil to make a spreadable paste.

This can be stored in the fridge under a layer of oil to stop the pesto from oxidising.

Assemble the salad:

Peel the kipflers when still hot and slice along the vertical to form long pieces.

Place them in a bowl and add some of the pesto - tossing well.

Sprinkle in half of the chorizo slices and toss briefly before tumbling the potatoes into your serving dish.

Top with the remaining chorizo slices and serve at once.

This salad is best served warm and naturally enough, you can leave out the chorizo if so desired.

potato

Weekend Cookbook Challenge #25

Ani from Food Chickie is hosting this edition of Weekend Cookbook Challenge and has us seeking out the domestic goddess within - the theme for this month is Nigella Lawson.

Considering the number of cookbooks I have, I surprisingly only have one Nigella book - Nigella Bites. Searching its pages I came upon the perfect recipe that I just had to make. When you think Nigella, there really isn't anything more "Nigella" then her cupcakes and no that has no alternative meaning.

Like most of her recipes these are incredibly simple to make and taste pretty good too. You can dress them up for more special occasions or just enjoy them as is - a satisfying taste of vanilla flecked through the delicate cake.

Cupcakes
[Makes about 15]

125 grams self-raising flour

125 grams soft unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

125 grams caster sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

milk

Place the flour, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. Add just enough milk, a tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth soft batter.

This mixture rises alot so you'll only need to fill the cases to less than half way.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Let them cool before icing.

Nigella gives a couple of suggestions on icing and rather than use a food dye to tint my icing I've used this - powdered Raspberries.

I've simply mixed pure icing sugar with a little of the powdered raspberries and added just enough water to form a smooth spreadable paste. The powder adds colour and also gives it a delicious raspberry taste.

In case you somehow manage not to eat them all at once, they do keep quite well for a few days.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge

Weekend Herb Blogging #121

Lia from Swirling Notions is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have something that's very colourful

Fresh from the farmers' market there was no way I could just walk past these multi-coloured carrots and not get myself a bunch or two.

Though they may look a bit odd to our modern eyes, it wasn't always that way. Purple and Red are the original carrot colours, the orange not taking hold until the 16th century when the Dutch created a carrot in honour of their royal family, the House of Orange.

We all know that orange carrots due to the presence of beta carotene makes them an excellent source of Vitamin A but what about the other colours?

The white carrots are pigment free so apart from the innate healthy properties associated with vegetables they don't have any other properties.

Yellow carrots have Lutene which help to keep your eyes healthy - it is also thought to help in the prevention of some forms of cancer and hardening of the arteries.

Red carrots contain Lycopene - it's useful in the fight against heart disease.

Purple carrots are a bit unusual as you'll see because they are orange on the inside and the skin colour comes from Anthocyanics, a type of antioxidant.

With all these good elements contained within their colourful package, the last thing I want to do is boil the goodness out of them. So for this weeks recipe, I'm simply going to roast them in the oven.

Oven-roasted Carrots

assorted carrots
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
garlic cloves
orange-infused olive oil, optional

Wash the carrots well and trim the tops. I've only peeled those that had blemishes. I've also cut the larger ones in half lengthways to even out the size and make sure they will all cook in roughly the same amount of time.

Drizzle them in a little olive oil, then grind over with salt and pepper - toss them well and then lay them out on a lined tray. Stud unpeeled garlic cloves amongst the carrots - these will caramelise in their skins as the carrots cook.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F until slightly softened - turn them after 20 minutes to make sure they cook evenly. I like to keep a bit of a bite to the carrots but you if you like them softer, just cook them for longer.

You can serve them straight from the oven but I like to add an extra touch - a light drizzle of orange-infused Olive oil just lifts the flavour and adds an appealing citrus note.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Sugar High Friday #40

For this edition of Sugar High Friday hosted by Rachel from Vampituity, we've been asked to indulge our sweet cravings for a cause (you'll find more details of this at the end of the post) - in fact the theme is to "cook up a pie that evokes personal dreams".

There is a pie that with just its name has me dreaming of Italy and reminiscing of my time spent there. Torta della Nonna was something I first tasted in Florence and from the very first bite, it was love. Served still warm from the oven, the combination of buttery pasta frolla and lemony semolina and ricotta filling proved utterly irresistible.

Having scoured many sources to find the secret to the filling I think I've found something that comes close to those I've had - it is based on Ursula Ferrigno's Grandmothers Pie from her book La Dolce Vita.

Torta della Nonna (Grandmothers's Pie)
[Makes one 20cm/8inch Pie]

Pasta Frolla or you can use your favourite shortcrust pastry
Filling:
1 cup/250mls milk
100 grams semolina
1 lemon, zested and juiced
300 grams ricotta
2 eggs
100 grams caster sugar

Make the Filling:
Heat the milk in a saucepan until just warm - rain in the semolina, stirring as you do to stop any lumps forming. Add the lemon zest and continue to stir until the mixture thickens and comes away from the side of the pan. Take it off the heat to cool.

Push the ricotta through a fine sieve - this just helps to lighten the mixture. Place the sieved ricotta into a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and cooled semolina mixture and using an electric mixer, beat until thoroughly mixed.

Prepare the pastry case:
Divide the dough into two - 2/3rds for the base and 1/3rd to form the top.

Roll the larger piece out to line the base and sides of a loose-bottomed 20cm/8inch round sandwich pan. Make sure the pastry overhangs the lip to make joining the top easier.

Pour the prepared filling into the case, smoothing it out to level the surface. It will rise when it cooks so don't worry if it doesn't reach the top of your pie case.

Roll the smaller piece of pastry to form a circle a little larger than the tin.

Brush the lip with a little milk before placing the pastry top - press down to make sure the dough sticks and then trim to size.

Lightly brush the top with the milk and a sprinkle of caster sugar.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing it to a wire rack.

Generously dust it with icing sugar.

While it's wonderful cold, I heartily recommend eating it warm.

The combination of lemon and semolina gives the filling a lovely lemon colour to it - the ricotta makes it wonderfully creamy without being heavy - you'll certainly be lining up for seconds!

Sound delicious?
Make a contribution to a non-profit helping to transform the world of food through pie- Pie Ranch.
Please specify "Pie Ranch/Green Oaks Fund” in the "Designation" field of the online donation form (Pie Ranch is fiscally sponsored by the Rudolph Steiner Foundation) at: http://tinyurl.com/3bmn4c


Sugar High Friday

Presto Pasta Night #51

For this weeks Presto Pasta Night I'm trying a different type of pasta

These are Wholemeal Spelt Pappardelle - using spelt imparts a nutty flavour to these wide pasta strips.

Using this type of pasta does make the dish more filling so rather than use a heavy sauce which it can handle I went for a lighter approach.

At the market I found some lovely fresh calamari and from there the dish evolved - a slowly simmered infusion of garlic, ginger and chilli would form the base of the sauce. At the last moment, finely diced tomatoes and parsley are added as well the seared calamari and then it's all tossed through the pappardelle.

Wholemeal Spelt Pappardelle with Calamari
[Serves 2]

Wholemeal Spelt Pappardelle
1 calamari tube
garlic, finely sliced
ginger, finely sliced
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
3 tomatoes, finely diced
fresh parsley, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare the Calamari:
Slice the Calamari tube along its length to create one flat piece and then on the inside, create a crisscross pattern on the flesh making sure you don't cut all the way through.

Slice this into finger sized strips - toss in a little olive oil and some finely diced chilli and allow to infuse.

Make the sauce:
Over a very low heat, add some olive oil and a good knob of butter to a pan and allow to slowly melt. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and being careful not to allow the mix to colour, cook it for about 10 minutes. You should end up with a lovely aromatic base. You can make the base up to this stage ahead of time. Just bring it back up to temperature as you are cooking the calamari.

Cook the calamari:
The calamari should be cooked around the time the pasta is just about cooked.

Season them with freshly ground salt and pepper and cook them quickly in a very hot pan so they sear rather than sweat - you could do this over a grill as well.

Due to the criss-cross pattern the calamari develops a rather attractive curl as they cook.

Complete the dish:
Add the finely diced tomato and parsley to the base - stir them through to mix and then add the just seared calamari and drained pasta. Season well with salt and freshly ground white pepper, give it another toss through and then it's ready to serve.

This would work equally well with prawns and scallops or you could leave out the fish altogether and replace it with a good grating of pecorino or parmesan.

Pasta

No Croutons Required

No Croutons Required is a new blog event focused on celebrating soups and salads and for the first edition the theme selected by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen is Vegetarian Soup.

I do quite like serving soups as "sips" especially during summer when you don't really want to face a full bowl.
To keep it seasonal I'm using fresh asparagus and potato to help with consistency. Rather than using vegetable stock or water, I've used milk - this helps give the finished soup and luxuriously creamy texture without using any cream.

I've also stayed away from adding too many extraneous ingredients as I just want to focus on the flavour of the produce - it is just simply seasoned with salt and white pepper.

As a final touch, a stick/immersion blender is used to foam up the soup resulting in a lovely light texture.

Asparagus and Potato Soup

200 grams Asparagus, cut into pieces
100 grams Potato, cut into small dice
milk
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper

Place the asparagus pieces and potato in a small pot and pour in enough milk to cover the ingredients.

Gently simmer until the asparagus and potato are soft - remove from the heat and blend until to smooth - taste and then season with salt and white pepper.

If you want an ultra smooth result, strain the soup through a fine sieve.

Add a little more milk to slacken then mixture and then place it back on the heat to warm to serving temperature.

Just before serving, use the stick blender to fluff up the soup and then pour into small glasses.

Soup

Cheese: Red Hill

If you are a fan of washed rind as I am, then you'll be most interested in this next cheese.

Cheese Maker: Red Hill Cheese
Cheese: Bushranger Gold
Location: 81 William Road (Off Arthurs Seat Road), Red Hill
Cellar Door: Open daily Noon-5pm (except Christmas, Boxing Day & Good Friday)

Bushranger Gold is a washed rind, goat cheese and that warning sticker is really unnecessary as your nose will immediately tell you that is one of those delightfully stinky cheeses. While taking these photos, even through the wrapper those heady mushroom scents kept wafting up to tease me.

Bushranger Gold is described as

A wild washed-rind goat-milk cheese with a delectable, complex cauliflower flavour, lingering on the palate. Mild when young; sticky and pungent with an explosive flavour when fully mature.

It is also made using vegetarian rennet.

I must include a caveat that the "best by date" for this particular cheese is March 15th - so at this early stage of maturation, the flavours are all very mild. It will be very interesting to compare another specimen closer to its best by date.

I would imagine that the interior would become a bit more runnier along with an intesification of flavours and aroma. Currently the skin is highly edible and though the interior is firm, it still is quite creamy in the mouth.

Paalo thought this had similar characteristics to a Taleggio and can vouch for its delectability.

If you are unsure of washed rinds then this would be a really good place to start and perhaps built up to a more matured version.

Other Red Hill Cheese:
Red Hill Indulgence
Red Hill Sorrento Picnic


Cheese

Weekend Herb Blogging #120

Erin from The Skinny Gourmet is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and I have one of the more deliriously delicious fruits on offer, Mango

The cultivation and use of mango spans over 6000 years and is a native plant of India and South-east Asia. It belongs to the same family as pistachios and poison ivy.

Vitamins A, B5, B6, C, E and K, Folate, Niacin, Riboflavin and Thiamine as well as Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous, Potassium, and Selenium. Just from its colour alone you can see that it is high in Beta-Carotene. It also has enzymes that help with digestion and the health of your intestinal system.

As a nod its rich tradition in Indian cuisine and its benefit as an aid to digestion, I'll be using mango to make my version of a Mango Lassi - it may not be traditional but it still tastes good.

Mango Lassi

1 mango
1 cup yoghurt
handful ice cubes
fresh mint leaves

I should make mention of the yoghurt I've used in this Lassi

It's a bit unusual - this is Shaw River Buffalo Yoghurt and it is produced here in Victoria from a herd of Italian Buffalo that are also used for the production of buffalo mozzarella. The yoghurt has a pure white colour with a gentle tang - it is also enriched with acidophilus and bifidus cultures.

To make the Lassi:

Slice the mango into two halves as close as you can to the pit. Scoop the flesh from each cheek using a spoon. Cut the flesh away from the pit and then remove it from the skin.

Place all the mango flesh into a blender along with the yoghurt and generous handful of ice and fresh mint leaves.

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Serve immediately.

You don't need the excuse of a hot curry to enjoy this drink - it's also good to have with breakfast.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Presto Pasta Night #50

It just seems like yesterday that Ruth came up with the whole concept of Presto Pasta Night and here we are celebrating the 50th edition and in two weeks time it will be its first anniversary. It certainly has been a showcase for the versatility of pasta.

This week I have some fresh angel hair pasta

With its finer cut, this pasta really cooks in a flash so I thought my recipe should also very quick to put together.

I've whipped up a tarragon-parsley pesto - I've used parsley as I find tarragon can be a bit too overpowering and parsley lightens the taste of tarragon and adds a freshness to the dish. I've also used a mix of pinenuts and blanched almonds to give it a bit more character.

I'll be using this pesto to compliment some beautiful Hervey Bay Scallops - these will be quickly seared at the last moment and tossed through the dressed pasta.

Once again, as I am using seafood, the pesto won't contain any cheese.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tarragon-Parsley Pesto and Seared Scallops

fresh angel hair pasta
fresh scallops

Tarragon-Parsley Pesto:
fresh tarragon leaves
fresh parsley leaves
1 garlic clove
sea salt flakes
pinenuts
blanched almonds
extra virgin olive oil

Make the Pesto:

I like to use a mortar and pestle rather than a processor - it's virtually just as quick but gives a much nicer texture to pesto - you can get a sense of the different elements rather than it being a textureless paste.

Place the garlic clove and a little sea salt flakes into your pestle and begin pounding it - when it has become a smooth paste add the parsley and tarragon leaves. Continue working to break down the leaves.

Next add the pinenuts and almonds and when you have a thick paste add the oil, a little at a time. Continue to break down any larger pieces of nuts.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.

If you aren't going to use it straight away, store it in the fridge - make sure you add a little extra oil over the top to stop the pesto from oxidising.

Prepare the scallops:

Drizzle a little olive oil in a dish and add the scallops, turning them to coat. Season with a grinding of sea salt and white pepper.

I cooked the scallops just before I drain the pasta - searing them in a hot pan for about 30 seconds each side.

Assemble the dish:

Toss the barely drained hot pasta through the pesto - mixing well to combine and then drop in the scallops. Gently toss them through and then serve.

Pasta

Cheese: Meredith Dairy

Meredith Dairy is a sheep and goat farm situated in South-western Victoria that has been producing cheese since the early 90's. Their aim is to produce "farmhouse" style cheese using both French techniques and cultures.

Cheese: Meredith Dairy Woodburne
Cheese Maker: Meredith Dairy
Location: Camerons Road, Meredith 

Woodburne is made in a French farmhouse style (Camembert) - it is a white mould, surface ripened cheese. It is sold at between 2 and 4 weeks of age and reaches full maturation at 8 weeks. You'll find that as it matures the flavours will develop and the interior will break down into that gorgeous runny ooze that is so loved.

With this particular cheese you can see the cheese closed to the rind has begun to break down - this is still 2 weeks away from reaching full ripeness. It also hasn't been out of the fridge for too long so you will see, as it comes up to room temperature that it will tend to become runnier.

There is a lovely sweet creaminess to the cheese with an appealing bite found in the rind.

I sourced this cheese from Leo's in Kew but I've also read that Meredith Dairy can be found in the US - it is available by special order.

Cheese

Mixology Monday XXIV

The theme of this edition of Mixology Monday, hosted by Jimmy's Cocktail Hour is Variations. Jimmy has asked us to "present your variation of a classic recipe, or compare several variations of the same recipe."

I've decided to play around with the classic "Cosmopolitan". While it may have be uber-chic at the turn of this century as we near the end of the "noughties" a modern approach is needed. While the colour of the drink has always been appealing, the choice of cranberry juice left people like Paalo who is allergic to cranberries, unable to experience it.

To replace cranberry juice I've chosen a fruit that couldn't be more popular these days, pomegranate

To complete the variation I've also added a little orange flower water - pomegranate and orange flower water are often used together in cooking.

With this version it isn't just cosmopolitan, it's universal!

Universal
(Makes 1)

30mls lemon vodka
15mls cointreau
45mls pomegranate juice
dash orange flower water
ice

• Place the ice in a shaker along with the rest of the ingredients.

• Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Mixology Monday

Weekend Herb Blogging #119

Ulrike from Kuchenlatein is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I managed to find a rather new vegetable in these parts - Jicama

Jicama is also known as Yam Bean, Mexican Turnip or Mexican Potato and they are now being grown in Tasmania.

The taste can be described as a cross between apple, radish and water chestnut and it has a slightly fermented apple scent. Though it looks like a root vegetable it is classed as a legume as it grows on a vine.

It can be eaten raw and is prized for its crisp, clean taste - it also remains crisp if cooked. When choosing Jicama it is best to look for firm, dry specimens.

Jicama contains Vitamins A, B6, C and E, Folate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid and Riboflavin along with Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium and Zinc. It is also low in Sodium and high in Fibre.

Since this is a brand new ingredient for me I decided I wanted to make something that wouldn't hide the flavour of the Jicama and something light and fresh for summer. So I've come up with a really simple salad of jicama, apple, plum and refreshing mint dressed with citrus notes in the form of lime juice and orange-infused Olive oil.

Jicama Salad

1 Jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 Granny smith apples, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 Plums, cut into matchsticks
mint leaves, sliced finely
lime juice
Orange-infused Olive Oil

Place the Jicama, Apple and Plums into a bowl along with a generous amount of shredded mint. Toss and then season with a dressing made of lime juice and orange-infused olive oil.

If you can't find orange-infused olive oil then add a little orange juice and a good fruity olive oil.

Place the salad onto a serving plate and then add a little more shredded mint leaves.

This makes a great companion to grilled prawns and scallops - the crispness of the salad combined with the slight tartness of the plums and dressing work well to balance out the sweet notes of seafood.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Presto Pasta Night #49

It has been a while since I last posted something for Ruth's wonderful Presto Pasta Night and it's not due to not eating pasta, I just haven't made it at the right time.

Today that changes and I have some fresh parsley linguine to use

Linguine are very similar to fettuccine - they are both a square cut, flat and narrow noodle with linguine being the smaller of the two.

As it is Lent and some still stick to the no meat on Fridays mantra during this period, I'll be making a "lent friendly" pasta with the help of these fabulous raw Queensland Black Tiger Prawns.

It was most fortunate indeed to find them in their raw form, as it happened it was a mix up in the order and the fishmonger ended up with raw rather than cooked. Personally, I think it's a most fortuitous error.

Underneath their shells you find they look like this

the white flesh looks like it was stained with squid ink. When cooked these black markings turn a vibrant colour as you'll see.

Parsley Linguine with Prawns

(Serves 2)

Parsley Linguine

8 Raw Queensland Tiger Prawns or equivalent
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced (add more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced (add more or less to taste)
1 yellow zucchini, peeled to form ribbons
oyster mushrooms
fresh baby spinach leaves
fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare the Prawns
Set 2 prawns aside - I will cook these whole and present them on top of the dishes.
Peel the remaining prawns, remove the intestinal tract and then cut into good sized pieces.
Set this aside in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the sauce.

Make the Sauce:
In a deep pan heat a little olive oil and butter over a medium heat. When the butter has melted add the oyster mushrooms and sauté them quickly until they begin to brown and release some of their excess moisture. I'm doing this now as I want to retain that sautéed flavour and their slightly firmer texture - I'll be adding them back right at the end. Doing it this way you avoid them becoming too soft and mushy.

Set these sautéed mushrooms aside and continue with the sauce in the same pan.

Add the onions, garlic and chilli and sauté them slowly to allow the flavours to develop and mingle with pan juices. When the onion begins to colour you can then add the zucchini ribbons - I'm using yellow zucchini to provide a different colour element to the dish.

The zucchini ribbons will break down a little as they cook - I find adding zucchini whether grated or in ribbons gives the sauce a wonderfully creamy texture and it makes adding cream unnecessary.

While the zucchini are cooking, you will need to sear the two whole prawns over a high heat until just cooked

By the time the zucchini has gotten a little colour and softened, your pasta should be just about ready - turn the heat up and add the prawn pieces. Keep stirring to ensure they are evenly cooked - you'll notice they will almost immediately turn that pink-orange colour, when they do they are done. Add back the mushrooms, along with the baby spinach leaves and a small handful of fresh basil leaves. Keep tossing to allow the spinach to just wilt - taste and then season with salt and pepper if desired.

Remove from the heat and add the drained cooked linguine - stir until the sauce is evenly distributed and then serve. Adorn each plate with a seared whole prawn.

As this is a seafood based pasta, no cheese is added.

Fresh and colourful, how could you not enjoy it?

Pasta

Stuffed Sardines

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent and coincides with an increased consumption of fish. So for this Ash Wednesday I've finally found a good excuse to make a recipe from February's Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine. The recipe is for stuffed sardines and it comes from Rosa Mitchell of Journal Canteen here in Melbourne. I love sardines and am always on the lookout for different ways of serving them.

The sardines I use are from Western Australia and are by far the best I've had - they also helpfully come filleted which makes this recipe a breeze to make.

Don't be fooled by the simple stuffing, the end result is so good you'd wish you made double! Even if you think you don't like sardines, just give this recipe a go, you might find yourself converted to their pleasures.

Stuffed Sardines
[Serves 2]

8 sardine fillets
plain flour, for dusting
Parsley Stuffing:
70 grams bread, roughly torn
large handful flat leaf parsley leaves
20 grams grated Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Make the stuffing:
Place the bread and parsley into the bowl of a processor and pulse until finely chopped, add the grated Parmesan and process again until just combined.

Tip out into a bowl, add the egg and mix until well combined. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Prepare Sardines:
Check the spine of you filleted sardine and make sure that it is free of bones - sometimes the dorsal fin can be a bit bony so you might have to remove it.

Match the fillets into equal sized pairs - this just makes for a neater final product.

Divide the stuffing into four and then press each portion onto one half of your sardine pairs. Top with the other sardine. You can now set these aside in the fridge to cook later.

When you are ready to cook the sardines, dust each lightly in a little plain flour.

To Cook:

Heat a little oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat and when the butter has melted add the stuffed sardines. Cook until the skin is golden and then turn over and repeat the process. They should take no more than a few minutes to cook.

Season with a grinding of salt and black pepper and serve immediately.

What I found most surprising about this dish is just how much of an impact the stuffing makes. Some people don't like sardines because they have quite a strong flavour but in this dish, the stuffing has just softened the flavour a little and you almost taste a certain sweetness in the flesh of the sardine.

This is a dish I am so happy to have made and it will certainly be reappearing in the future.

Sardines

Crêpes for Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is that one day in the year when you can happily feast on pancakes and the like without any guilt. This year I've decided to make Crêpes rather the usual offerings. As I am not French I've brought in the big guns in the form of Monsieur Michel Roux and his book Eggs to help me with this endeavour - if his recipe doesn't work there's always Monsieur Bocuse*!

Crêpes
[Makes 6]

60 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons icing sugar
200mls milk, approx
50mls cream
1 egg
pinch salt

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl along with just a pinch of salt. Add the egg and whisk in a little of the milk to create a smooth paste - continue whisking as you add the cream and enough of the rest of the milk to form a runny batter. The actually amount of milk needed depends on the flour.

Cover and let this rest for a few hours.

When it comes time to cook the crêpes you can add a little flavouring to the batter, such as vanilla essence, lemon zest etc.

Each crepe used about a quarter of a cup of batter - it's important to have a well buttered (or oiled) hot pan and that the batter is thin enough to just form a skin over the surface of the pan. When you see the edges crisp and curl and the surface looks dry, flip the crêpe over and briefly cook to seal the surface.

Set the cooked crêpe aside and continue with the rest of the batter - separate the crêpes with greaseproof paper.

I've served these crêpes filled with stewed plums and topped with a small scoop of my favourite Milk Ice cream.

Eat warm before the ice cream melts!

*the recipe worked perfectly - Monsieur Bocuse was not required!

Crêpes

Mango Friands

Friands have a special place in Australian café culture - we may have ditched the daggy cupcakes for muffins but nowadays, you wouldn't want to be seen without this trendy little cake perched beside your skinny decaf soy latte.

The history of Friands is a little sketchy as they almost appear to have come from nowhere but they have won our hearts. They seem to be based on a French cake called Financier.

It's easy to understand their appeal - they are made from a mix that includes, butter, icing sugar, almond meal and egg whites which results in this moist and chewy bite that although light, still has substance to it.

Most recipes will include a little flour but for this recipe I've incorporated a flour I recently discovered - Coconut Flour. The best bit is that the friand, using this flour, is now Gluten Free!

When you first open the packet there is such an overpowering scent of coconut - it is delightful. It is slightly off white as you can see and much finer ground then almond meal. There is a coconut taste to the flour but I wouldn't recommend it be eaten raw.

The fruit I've chosen to add to these friands is mango - I think coconut and mango and flavours that really work well together and this would an excellent way to showcase that relationship.

Mango Friands
[Makes 20 small Friands]

220 grams butter, melted and cooled
250 grams pure icing sugar, sifted
55 grams coconut flour, sifted
150 grams almond meal, sifted
6 egg whites
250 grams diced fresh mango

Whip the egg whites until fluffy but not not yet reaching soft peak stage - we aren't making a souffle - you want them aerated but still a bit sloppy.

Place the icing sugar, coconut flour and almond meal into a bowl and stir well to amalgamate. Pour in the cooled, melted butter and mix well and then tip in the egg whites and fold them through. It's not necessary to be too precious about this stage.

Finally sprinkle over the diced mango and fold through again.

Divide the mixture into your friand cases, if using or you could use a muffin tin. The friands I've made are a lot lower, probably half the height than the ones you see in the store - only because of the friand cases I used. I actually prefer this lower height as it makes them bite sized.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for about 15-25 minutes or until cooked through. Naturally larger friands will take longer.

Let them cool in the tray.

Be warned, they are extremely addictive!

Friands

Weekend Herb Blogging #118

Claudia from Fool for Food is the host of this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and I thought it was a good time for play around with Dill

This is a herb that, much like coriander, some people love and some people hate - its aniseed flavour the point of angst. It certainly couldn't be its appearance - its lush green colouring combined with its delicate feathery fronds are certainly attractive.

Of all the foods I think dill combines best with fish so I really couldn't go past making Gravlax.

In this case I'll be using a local product, Tasmanian Ocean Trout instead of the usual Atlantic Salmon.

Appearance wise it is hard to tell them apart.

The cure I'm using is based on a beetroot cure I made a while back and although you won't get any dramatic colour shift with this, what you will get is a wonderfully flavoured and textured piece of ocean trout.

Gravlax

1 piece Tasmanian ocean trout tail (about 250 grams)
25 grams salt flakes
25 grams sugar
1 tablespoon lemon vodka
lemon verbena leaves
25 grams finely chopped dill
finely chopped dill, extra

Place the salt, sugar and dill into a bowl and stir well - stir in the vodka to create a sticky paste.

Place a large sheet of plastic wrap onto a board and place some of the cure onto the centre of the wrap, shape it roughly into the size of the fillet. Place the fillet, skin side down onto the cure and then top with the remaning mixture - make sure it is totally covered.

Arrange the verbena leaves along the top of the fillet and then seal well with the excess wrap.

Place this parcel into a container that is just large enough to hold the fillet and then top this with weights - I just used milk cartons.

Let this cure in the fridge for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, remove the fish from the cure - wash it in cold water and then dry on paper towels.

Sprinkle the fillet with chopped dill - it is now ready to be finely sliced.

Weekend Herb Blogging