Buckwheat Soba Satay with Chilli Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Ingredients:
Small head of broccoli
Small head of cauliflower
Chilli powder
Olive Oil
1 packet of buckwheat soba noodles
Satay sauce:
Crunchy peanut butter (half a cup to a cup worth)
2 small hot red chillies, finely chopped
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
Lots of garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Generous pour of soy sauce
Several tablespoons of brown sugar
Spring onions

Method:
Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets, and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle liberally with chilli powder and olive oil and toss until all florets are coated. Place in hot oven to roast until getting brown and cripsy (25-35 minutes).

Prepare the soba according the the instructions on the packet (ie boil in water, and drain).

To make satay, in a medium sized saucepan brown onions in olive oil, add chillies and garlic. Then add peanut butter and lower heat. Once peanut butter is runny, add soy and lemon juice and stir through. If getting too thick add some water. Add brown sugar. Taste (this is the best bit). Adjust to your liking by adding more sugar, lemon juice, soy, or peanut butter as required.

Place roasted vegies on noodles, and dole the satay over the lot, and stir through (gently so as not to break the noodles too much). Sprinkle with finely chopped spring onions.

NB This satay sauce is fantastically delicious, and can be used for many other purposes, including marinade for shish kebabs, and as a dipping sauce for rice paper rolls. Yum.

Pink and Green Salad

Ingredients:

Peas
Fresh Mint (lots)
Fetta
Beetroot

Cook the peas and allow to cool (soak them in iced water if you need to speed this process up). Roughly chop the mint and fetta, and peel and grate the raw beetroot. Throw all the ingredients in a large bowl, and toss. The beetroot will stain the fetta a hot pink colour almost immediately.

Dress with raspberry vinaigrette and olive oil.


NB Peas can be substituted for other lovely green vegies such as green beans, or broad beans. All other ingredients remain absolutely essential.

Penne Puttanesca

This is a slight variation on the classic. I find capers too salty on top of everything else, and opt to add capsicum instead.
 
Ingredients:
packet of penne pasta
1 capsicum, finely sliced
generous handful of kalamata olives
6 anchovy fillets
tin of crushed tomatoes
lots of garlic
lots of finely chopped continental parsley
slug of olive oil
salt and cracked pepper
parmasen to serve

Bring pasta water to the boil. While it's heating, fry up the garlic and anchovies in olive oil, add capsicum and olives and fry on high heat for a minute, then add tinned tomatoes and half the parsley and the salt and pepper, and simmer. Add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and then add to sauce and stir through. Top with parmasen and devour with a glass of delicious red wine.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
chicken fillet, sliced (can also be made with fish, seafood, or just vegies)
some vegies (broccoli, carrot, bok choy or mushrooms are all good)
packet of rice vermicelli noodles
500 ml of stock
splash of rice wine vinegar
splash of fish sauce
cinnamon stick
lemon grass (or a few strips of lemon rind)
star anise
chilli
ginger
coriander and spring onion

Utensils: bamboo steamer (cheap cheap cheap from asian supermarkets)

Place the stock, fish sauce, vinegar and spices in a wok on a high heat. Once hot add vermicelli. Place steamer on the wok with chicken and cover.  Leave on high heat about 5 mins, then add vegies. Steam another minute or two.

Pluck out spices from the liquid, and pour the soup and noodles into a bowl, and serve with chicken and vegies on top. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and spring onion.

Serves two.

* This recipe is delicious in its vegetarian incarnation, and is MOST delicious with jumbo prawns.

Yo Yos

 
Ingredients:

• 6 oz (170g) plain flour
• 2 oz (60g) sugar
• 6 oz (170g) butter
• 2 oz (60g) custard powder

Lemon icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• Small knob butter
• 1 lemon

In a mixer,  blend all the ingredients. It will first become a series of crumbs, keep going until it forms a smooth, glossy, yellow dough.

Get your yo yo sculpting implements. Using a teaspoon, scoop into small balls, roll between your hands and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Indent the biscuit tops with a fork.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 160 degrees.

Mix the icing ingredients, adding more sugar until a stiff icing is formed.

Once biscuits are cooled, glue together with the icing. As good as your Nanna makes!

Tuna Patties

(makes about 15 medium size patties)

Ingredients

425g can Tuna
5 spring onions – finely sliced
½ cup finely sliced eschallots (French shallots) or brown onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
6 medium potatoes
1 large egg, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

1.       Wash and peel the potatoes. Quarter and add to a pan of boiling water and bring back to the boil. Cover and simmer gently until just tender (8-10 minutes). Drain and mash coarsely and add to a large bowl.

2.       Add the tuna, herbs and onions to the potatoes and mix by hand until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.       Make a well in the centre of the mix and add the beaten egg, then mix until combined.

4.       Form into patties about 50mm in diameter and 15mm deep and arrange on a dinner plates – about 8 to a plate

5.       Microwave each plate on high – uncovered – for 5 minutes. This will set the patties. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before finishing the cooking.

Finishing ingredients
1 egg, beaten
Cornflour, seasoned with a sprinkling of sumac, chilli, salt and pepper
½ cup sunflower oil for shallow frying                                                 

Dip the patties in the egg wash and then lightly coat with cornflour. shallow fry in hot sunflower oil until golden. Drain the patties on paper towels.

Serve with a tossed salad, peas and lashings of Worcestershire sauce.

Spanakopita (spinach pastries)

• Wash bunch of spinach thoroughly (soaking it in water to eliminate the sand)
  
• Chop the spinach very finely & sprinkle it with salt
  
• Once the salt has extracted some of the moisture, squeeze the spinach dry with fists
  
• Chop up fresh spring onions finely & add them to the spinach
  
• Crush in mild Greek fetta (or ricotta) cheese - several handfuls
  
• Mix in 2-3 eggs
  
• Add salt & pepper

• Layer filo pastry in a greased pan, brushing every 3^rd sheet with olive oil
  
• After ~ 8 sheets (or until sufficient), place the filling on the pastry without placing olive oil on that top layer
  
• Finally repeat a mirrored layers of pastry on top of the filling
  
• Cook in 180 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown