Nut Case

Looking for a sweet treat that won't break the calorie budget? This toffee, macadamia Phyllo tart is the answer. You can vary the sweetness to your taste and by spraying the Phyllo pastry with olive oil you cut down on calories.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Organic/Free Range Eggs

8 Teaspoon brown sugar

4 Tablespoons honey

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

Chopped macadamia nuts or pecans (as many as you need to place in the base of the tart)

Olive Oil spray

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Combine all ingredients apart from nuts in a medium bowl.

Mix well.

Lay one sheet of Phyllo on a clean surface, lightly spray with olive oil spray, repeat with 3 more layers of Phyllo spraying in between each one and layering on top of the previous sheet.

Cut stack in half lengthways and then cut into 4 cross ways. Depends how big the muffin tin is.

Place each stack into greased muffin tin.

Place chopped nuts in the base of each and then pour in sufficient caramel mixture to cover nuts and come 3/4 way to the top of the Phyllo nest.

Bake in the oven for approx. 15 minutes, until Phyllo is golden and nut mixture bubbling.

Remove and cool.

Serve with ice cream or cream.

Mamma Marmalade

Note: You can use premade tart shells.

Tray bake Harissa Bolognese

I was sceptical at first of the claim by Yotam Ottolenghi that your could make Bolognese without browning off the meat in a fry pan but not only was I enlightened but the result was spectacular. Now we have another delicious offering for those large family/friend gatherings other than boring old Lasagne.

Ingredients

700g beef mince (not diet needs some fat)
450g pork mince
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup harissa paste
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1/3 cup olive oil
60g finely grated parmesan
60g finely grated Pecorino Romano
1 carrot peeled, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 large roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken stock
100ml double cream
225g dried manicotti or cannelloni tubes, roughly chopped in half crosswise.
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 245 degrees Celsius (pretty hot).
Place the beef mince, pork mince, tomato paste, harissa, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and ground coriander in a large roasting pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and 2/3rds of the parmesan and pecorino cheese, freshly ground pepper and 1 3/4 teaspoon salt flakes.

Combine carrot, onion, tomato and garlic in a food processor and whiz to finely chopped. Add this to the beef mixture and stir to combine.
Place in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or until browned on the top and sizzling.

Reduce oven temperature to 190 degrees Celsius.

Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart thoroughly, stirring into the liquid that has been produced.
Pour in chicken stock and cram on top of the meat mixture.
Stir in the dried pasta into the sauce until thoroughly coated, you need all the pasta wet so it doesn't burn.  Push as much under the surface as you can (you won't be able to submerge it all).

Bake in the oven, stirring halfway through the cooking time of 25 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Remove pasta bake from the oven, stir in the parsley and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Drizzle with a tablespoon of oil.

Bake for a further 8 minutes or until the top is crisp and brown.

Set aside for 10 minutes and then serve.

Yum Yum

Mamma Marmalade

Simple Slow Cooked Beef Tomato Ragù

Perhaps a Stew that takes 4 hours to cook may not seem simple but most of the cooking is done in the oven and the result is meltingly tender meat matched perfectly with the intense richness of an aromatic mushroomy tomato sauce.

Like most slow cooked meals, it tastes even better reheated the next day.  For a change when serving the leftovers - Instead of accompanying with pasta, try thick slices of toasted sourdough.  Either way it will taste delicious, fill the house with tempting aromas and satisfy winter cravings.

Preparation     15 minutes

Cooking            30 minutes on stovetop then 3 ½ to 4 hours cooking in the oven.

Serves               6 – 8                 Served with pasta.

Ingredients

1.2  kilogram Beef Chuck Steak. Remove some of the thick fat then cut meat into 3 cm cubes.

 

HINT: After the large pieces of fat are trimmed off you should have about 800 – 900 gram meat.  Some fat will remain marbling the meat but I feel better removing the chunky fat.  (Don’t tell Nana).

Plain flour – for dusting – seasoned with a little salt and pepper. A few tablespoons at least.

1 – 2 tablespoons Australian Olive Oil

2 brown onions – chopped

2 cloves garlic – chopped

2 stalks celery – sliced

2 carrots – peeled and diced

Fresh thyme – 4 stalks

Rosemary – 1 stalk

800 gram tin Crushed Tomatoes

1 ½ cup Beef Stock – Salt reduced

½ - 1 cup water

a little less than ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar – to your taste. You may like to use the full ¼ cup.

Splash Worcestershire Sauce

Maybe:  may need a handful of red lentils in last half hour if stew has not thickened.

250 gram mushrooms – sliced

½ bunch of Kale – trimmed from tough stalks then roughly chopped

Pepper and Salt – to taste

Parsley – finely chopped for garnish

Pasta to accompany (chunky type like rigatoni or penne)

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C

Place the seasoned flour into a large plastic bag.

Add the beef in batches.  Gently shake to dust with the flour.  Shake off the excess and set aside.

Use a heavy ovenproof casserole lidded pot.

Place the casserole pot on the stovetop.  Heat the pot then add the oil.

In batches, quickly brown the meat. Remove then reserve in a bowl until completed.

HINT: if you brown too much meat at once, it turns into a gloopy soggy mass. It is better to cook this amount of meat in 3 or 4 batches so you have more control over the browning.

Reduce heat, add a dash more oil and brown the onions then add garlic, celery and carrots.

Stir until softened slightly.

Mix in the stock, tomatoes and ½ cup of the water along with the thyme and rosemary stalks.

HINT: Be sure to loosen and stir in any caramelised bits off the base of pan when you start to add the stock.

HINT – count the number of stalks to make it easy to remove at end of cooking.

Mix through the Vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes stirring well.

Return the beef (and meat juices) to the pot. Mix well through.

Taste and add a little extra Balsamic it you like.

Bring to gentle boil. Stir well then remove from stovetop heat.  Cover with lid.

Place pot into warmed oven. 

Cook for 3 hours.

Then check the stew. If it is too dry add some more water.  If too sloppy, add a handful of red lentils.  

HINT:  a tight fitting lid keeps the moisture in but a looser lid will allow gradual steam loss resulting in a drier stew at this stage.

Add the sliced mushrooms and return to oven for 30 minutes.

Check again to ensure sauce is thick and lush.  Taste and adjust Pepper and Salt to your taste.

Add the chopped kale and return to oven for 10 minutes.  The meat should be meltingly tender and falling apart.

Before serving, remove the thyme and rosemary stalks.  Stir through the chopped parsley, reserving some for garnish.

Serve with cooked pasta – use a hearty style like rigatoni or penne.

You can mix the pasta through or serve the pasta topped with a generous spoonful of ragù.

Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and the remaining parsley.

                                         Enjoy!    Colleen