Potato & Roasted Fennel Soup

Give this soup a try, by roasting the fennel and including prosciutto it gives a great depth of flavour.

Ingredients

2 large fennel bulbs
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon extra
1 leek, pale section only, thinly sliced
6 slices prosciutto thinly sliced into strips
4 cups of chicken stock
500 grams of potatoes, peeled and chopped into quarters
snipped chives or fennel fronds to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Place fennel and garlic on a baking tray, drizzle over half of the oil and toss to coat.
Bake for 25 minutes until fennel is tender.
Heat remaining oil in a saucepan and cook the leek and half of the prosciutto for 5 minutes until the leek has softened. Add stock, 2 cups of water, potatoes, fennel and garlic.
Increase heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, until potato is tender.
Using a stick blender to create required consistency, Tip: I take out a cup of the liquid before blending and only adding sufficient to achieve required thickness.
Fry remaining prosciutto.
Ladle soup into gorgeous bowls like mine created by ceramic artist Kim Aitken and top with crunchy prosciutto and chives or fennel fronds.

Mamma Marmalade

Anzac Biscuits - for a time to remember and reflect.

My version of the Anzac Biscuit combines Australian cooking tradition with ideas from New Zealander Annabel Langbein. When you return from the Dawn Service and have a cuppa with an Anzac Biscuit on April 25, remember these sweet versions were not the biscuits designed to last in transit that our Soldiers ate.  Over time, cooks have enhanced the humble biscuit  - but the core ingredients remain – Rolled Oats, flour, sugar and golden syrup or treacle and most importantly, thoughts of home.

My belief is that Anzac Day is not about celebration. It is a time to remember those who fought for our country.  On April 25 we reflect on their sacrifice and give thanks for our freedom.  Memories of visiting memorials, especially those in small Australian towns, and also of my travels to Gallipoli and the memorials to those who fought and suffered on both sides of the conflict will remain with me always. 

Lest We Forget.

Preparation:   15 minutes (allow additional time needed if soaking raisins)

Baking:             15 minutes – approx.   Will depend on your oven

Line 3 flat biscuit trays.  Makes about 36 small or 20 larger biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup Rolled Oats

1 cup Plain Flour - sifted

1 cup Desiccated Coconut

1 cup Brown Sugar

Pinch each of cinnamon and cloves

½ cup raisins          OPTION:   soaked overnight in ½ tablespoon rum

½ cup slivered almonds

2 tablespoons golden syrup  OR   treacle – which will give a slighter darker, less ‘sweet’ taste.

125 gram butter – melted

2 tablespoon water

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

Method

Preheat oven to 160 oC.     Prepare 3 biscuit trays.

Using a large bowl, combine oats, flour, coconut, sugar, spices, nuts and raisins.

TIP: (when the Baking powder is added to butter mix later on, it will froth up a little  - so use a saucepan with enough room for this to double in size for a minute or so)

In the separate saucepan gently heat the butter, water and golden syrup.

Add the Baking powder to the melted butter mixture.  Stir a little.

Add immediately to the prepared dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine.

Roll into small balls -  bit smaller than an apricot – and place on prepared trays. 

3 trays should have 12 ball on each, well separated.

Using the back of a fork, gently flatten for a cooked ‘crispier’ more traditional result  OR  just flatten slightly to achieve biscuits that will be a little softer and chewier after baking .

You could vary between trays if you like.  I prefer the flatter crisp traditional biscuit.

Bake until golden.  Approx  15 minutes.  If not golden you may need to rotate trays in your oven.

Should not take more than 18 minutes.   TIP: The biscuits will then harden during cooling .

Remove from oven and cool on trays on raised racks.    NB biscuits harden on cooling.

Once cooled down, remove from tray and allow to rest on cake rack to ensure base is dried off.

Store in an airtight container.  Biscuits should keep for approx. 1 week.

                                             Enjoy.  Colleen

Rocky Road – My Rapturous but ‘Rugly’ (Really Ugly) Decadent Rocky Road

Festive seasons are the perfect time to share family favourites. My 'Rugly Road'  is a family and friends festive essential. 

It is impossible to hide this temptation successfully in the fridge as it seems to disappear although ‘no-one’  at my house ever admits to sneaking a piece.  So enjoy -  before it vanishes!

The ingredients are just a guide. 

If you don’t like dark chocolate then use milk chocolate, although it is worth buying a good brand as it will affect the flavour – an extra $ spent on the ingredients really makes a difference to the overall taste.  Regarding the nuts – if you have your favourites mix and match or add a little more – just be sure to use unsalted nuts. Ditto with the other ingredients – the chocolate is just meant to thickly coat the ingredients and adhere them into a delicious treat as it cools.

Turkish Delight – oh yes. I mean the good deli stuff – shake off the icing sugar (I save this to use in desserts later on).  I regard this as the star of my Rugly Road.  My absolute addiction is the pistachio and rosewater variety – never as good as in Istanbul, but close.

Preparation:   This is enough for a heatproof rectangular dish  approx. 25cm x 18 cm  or you could use a couple of small loaf tins.  Line well with nonstick paper.

Ingredients

350 g marshmallows – cut in half only if using very large ones. They shrink a little when the warm chocolate coats them

Small handful coconut flakes – toasted.

¼ cup dry roasted almonds – halved

¼ cup pecan pieces

½ cup (70g) shelled pistachios - roasted

¼  - 1/3 cup raw macadamias – lightly toasted

400 g Turkish Delight  - proper Turkish Delight (I like the pistachio and rosewater) – chopped

1/3 - ½ cup dried cranberries – craisins 

and / or a few semi dried wild figs halved

and / or a few golden sultanas

a few glacé  red cherries – halved.  Look for natural glacé cherries, no artificial sweeteners.

400 g good chocolate – I often use 200g milk and 200g 70% dark chocolate – melted.  See below.

Edible rose petals and some shaved chocolate to decorate top.

Method

Dry roast coconut on low in a wide frypan – stir regularly.  Only needs a couple of minutes. Do not burn. Remove from pan. Allow to cool

Repeat for the nuts. Dry roast until just toasted.  Remove and allow to cool.

Prepare pans with non-stick paper.

In large bowl – mix all ingredients except the chocolate together. Combine well so they are ready  - soon you will add in the chocolate which is prepared as below.

Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl, allow to cool slightly.  

I use the microwave, lowest temperature setting and set for 30 seconds, stir, then repeat and repeat until almost melted. Then for 10 seconds etc until gently melted.  Never allow moisture or water to touch the chocolate or it will go grainy. Be careful not to melt for too long or it will start to burn.

Stir and fold into dry ingredients so all ingredients are well distributed.

Pour gently into pans and smooth top. Don’t pour too thick or it will be too hard to cut later.

About 2 – 3 cm thick is quite enough.

Decorate with the edible rose petals and shaved chocolate. Push in very gently to adhere to top.

Refrigerate minimum 3 hours.  Cut into serving pieces. I cut it into bite size pieces when it has chilled.  Use a strong knife and dip knife in hot water, wipe, then slice to make cutting easier.

                                                            Enjoy!  Colleen

Vegetable and Creamy Ricotta Lasagne

Meat-free  - and a flexible recipe that works either as tonight’s dinner (with great leftovers!) or - can be prepared in advance for entertaining and is easily portable for times when you need to bring ‘something’.  The flavours mean this dish works perfectly as the main course -  but it can also be used as a side accompaniment to many meat dishes, especially with an Italian flavour base.

No Béchamel Sauce needed – the creaminess comes from the ricotta. Measurements for this lasagne dish are a guide only and will depend on the size dish you wish to serve.  The choice of vegies is up to you -  If you are not a fan of sweet potato leave it out and add more pumpkin – easy.

Because this uses fresh lasagne sheets it requires less cooking and not as much liquid as when you use the dried sheets.  My tip is to have some saved pumpkin and sweet potato that has been roasted from an earlier meal on standby in the fridge (so handy for so many weekday meals).

Serves:              4 – 6 depending on the size of your baking dish.

Preparation:    30 - 45 minutes

Baking Time:   30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients – please note these are approx. amount for baking dish 30 cm x 25cm x6 cm deep

If you find you have bits left over - just make up a second smaller dish with the odds and ends and bake ready for lunch during the week.

2 medium eggplants – cut into 1 cm discs then lightly brushed with a little olive oil

1 butternut pumpkin – cut into ¼ chunk then peel and cut into thin slices

1 sweet potato – peeled and cut into thin slices

Olive Oil - to coat the baking dish and prepare vegetables

Baby spinach leaves – approx. 350 – 500 gram

Mushrooms – Portabello or Swiss Browns preferably.  About 4 – 5 handfuls

½ red capsicum – finely diced

1 red chilli – deseeded and finely diced  - leave out if you are not a Chilli fan

2 cloves garlic – crushed - optional

Lots of fresh basil leaves – approx. 1 cup or a bit more

Herbs – about a tablespoon -  your choice of chopped up  - small sprig rosemary, oregano,  thyme leaves, parsley

Pepper to taste

1 large tin crushed tomatoes – approx. 800 gram

2 tablespoons red wine  (optional)

300 – 400 gram fresh Ricotta.  Best from a deli or supermarket deli.  Not the tub.

A small amount crumbled fetta – Optional.  Adds a deeper, saltier tang.

Fresh lasagne sheets.  The supermarket refrigerated brand is fine

Grated mozzarella cheese – enough to sprinkle over top

A little freshly grated parmesan cheese – just to sprinkle over the top

A few extra herbs chopped to sprinkle over the top

Method

Preheat oven to 180 o C

There are a couple of ways of doing this lasagne –

If you precook/steam/grill most of your vegies it cuts down on baking time.

If using from raw, remember they will give off moisture during baking and require longer to cook.

The precook method.  

Steam the sweet potato and pumpkin. Drain off some of the moisture but allow it to be moist.

Lightly grill eggplant rounds and allow to rest whilst preparing rest of veg.

Gently fry off the capsicum, chilli, garlic, mushrooms and add spinach at the end.  Retain the juices as they are packed with flavour.

Mix the tomatoes, herbs and red wine.

Assemble your lasagne.

Don’t worry too much about the sequence of layers – you just need some layers of veg, lasagne sheets and then enough tomato mix to moisten and then cover with crumbled ricotta to give a creamy layer. Always finish with enough tomato mix to ensure the top is moist and then cover with the remaining ricotta and finally sprinkle over the mozzarella and parmesan which will give a golden cheesy crust to the entire dish.

Place a layer of fresh lasagne sheets in the base of well oiled dish.

Cover with a layer of some of the eggplant

Spread over with some of the sweet potato / pumpkin

A layer of basil leaves

Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets

Spoon over enough tomato mix to cover

Crumble over some of the ricotta and a little fetta

Spread with a little of the mushroom, spinach mix and basil leaves

Another lasagne sheet layer

More tomato mix and ricotta crumbled over

Another layer of eggplant then More pumpkin, more mushrooms then

Final layer of Lasagne sheets

Now gently push down to remove air and ensure all layers are bathed in tomato.

Cover with Tomato mix and ricotta cheese.

Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella then parmesan and herbs.

Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes if vegies have been precooked.  Or about 40 minutes if raw.

Lasagne is cooked when golden, hot and you can insert a knife and there is no resistance from raw veggies.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting – will be easier to serve.

If you find the top is starting to brown too quickly cover loosely with some gladbake and alfoil.

If top is not golden enough after dish has been cooked pop it under the grill and crisp up.  Stay with your grill!!

Serve with your choice of green salad or green vegetables.

                                                         Enjoy!   Colleen

Easy as Chocolate Cake

I thank Annabel Langbein for this absolutely fail safe, easy and yummy Chocolate Cake.
And to think you make it in one bowl - a food processor!


Ingredients

3 cups Self Raising flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder (use the best you can afford)
2 teaspoons sifted baking powder
200g softened butter
1 cup of milk or natural yoghurt
3 large eggs
1 cup boiling hot coffee

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Grease the sides and line the base with baking paper of either 1 x 30cm round cake tin or 2 x 20cm.
Place all of the above ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and mix until all ingredients are combined and the butter is incorporated.
Pour into tin/s.
Bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted, comes out clean.
Cool in the tin.

Smoother with chocolate ganache (coming to the blog shortly)

This cake freezes well, (before icing) or you can make into cup cakes.

Give it a try you won't be disappointed.

Mamma Marmalade

Bunya Nut Pesto

 

 

 

Ingredients

100 grams Bunya Nuts (boiled)
1 bunch of basil
50 grams parmesan cheese grated
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
250 mls macadamia oil or other neutral oil

Method

Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor and then with the motor running add the oil until all is combined.

Easy as!

Mamma Marmalade

Bunya Nuts

What to do with an abundance of Bunya Nuts - this bush tucker is a little tricky to get to the edible nut.  This blog will outline how to harvest and cook the nut ready to use in other recipes.

The large cone falls from the Bunya Tree in late December to mid January.  Most common regions are South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales of Australia.
The edible nut is encased in a segmented section of the cone.

Once separated the nut can be roasted over an open fire or boiled for 20 minutes you will need to cut the shell to reveal the actual nut inside.





The nut still encased in an outer shell ready to roast or boil

The final product the Bunya nut ready to use.

 

 

Mamma Marmalade

 

Mushroom Spinach Pie

It was tricky to take an enticing photo of a spinach lentil pie -  but   -  

I urge you to try this ‘almost vegetarian’ meal – even Wilbur said ‘I was surprised I really liked it!’ - high praise indeed -  as it only has a couple of bacon rashers added – otherwise veg and lentils in all their glory!

Inspiration comes from a Nigel Slater recipe (love his recipes) but as I haven’t foraged for mushrooms in an English forest I needed to include a few extra bits and pieces to amp up the flavour of my shop bought mushies.

Preparation and stove top cooking:  20 - 30 minutes

Baking:  15 – 20 minutes

Serves:  4 – 5   (makes great leftovers!)

Ingredients

500 gram spinach – remove tough stalk and chop roughly or use baby spinach leaves

2 onions – chopped

2 rashers of bacon – rind and excess fat removed – then dice the bacon meat.

2 carrots – diced

2 sticks of celery – diced

2 cloves garlic – crushed

3 bay leaves

½ - 1 red chilli  - finely shredded.  Leave out or increase depending on your preference

500 gram mushrooms – sliced.  Try to use mixture of some Swiss Brown and some regular if possible.

Option: 2 dried porcini mushrooms – soak in a little warm water –then chop - use the soaking water too.

4 – 6 sprigs of thyme – strip leaves from stems

400 gram tin of brown lentils – rinsed well and drained

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

200 ml salt reduced vegetable stock

2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Topping – Mashed potatoes  or    Mashed Sweet Potato

1 kg large potatoes cooked and mashed with a splash of warm milk and a knob of butter

Option: you could use sweet potato and a couple of carrots mashed together instead

Option:  10 – 20 gram finely grated Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle on top before baking.

Method

Preheat oven to 200 oC.  Prepare a deep baking dish approx. 24 x 18 cm

Make your mash topping in a separate pan whilst the spinach/mushrooms are cooking

On the stove top:  In a large wide pan – wilt spinach, drain well to remove excess water.  Set aside.

Return pan to heat and add the onions and bacon.  Should not need any extra fat but if necessary add a small splash of Olive Oil. Cook until golden and tender.

Stir through the carrot, celery, chilli, garlic and bay leaves. 

Add mushrooms – they will shrink down (and chopped porcini if using) Stir gently until a meaty brown.

Pour in the stock, lentils, Worcestershire Sauce and thyme leaves.

Simmer gently for 10 minutes until liquid reduces and thickens.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Mix through the drained spinach leaves and combine.  Turn off stove.  Remove bay leaves.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and dollop with the mash topping. 

Sprinkle over the grated parmesan if using.

Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until topping is crusty golden.

                              Enjoy!  Colleen

Farro and Mushroom Risotto

Another recipe inspiration from Nigella who can make every ingredient tantalizing.  This risotto is so 'mushroomy' delicious and filling you will forget there is no meat included.

Nigella stresses the use of Pearled Farro (Farro Perlato) which means it has been husked.  Regular Farro (unhusked) would require much longer to soften. 

The cooking time might initially seem lengthy, but you cook, walk away, come back, stir  - so it is good as it does not command constant surveillance. I hope you enjoy this hearty ‘risotto’, to which I have added a few of my own favourite ingredients.

Preparation:  5 minutes

Cooking, checking, cooking:  40 minutes

Serves    5 - 6   (maybe with a little for lunch the next day if you are lucky)

Ingredients

100 gram dried porcini – soaked for 5 minutes in 125 ml just boiled water

2 – 3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Leek – trim and wash well to remove any grit between layers. Halved and finely sliced.

Or   if none available - you could use a very finely sliced white onion

500 gram Pearled Farro

60 ml (3 tablespoon) Marsala

1 ¼ cups (1.25 litres) Vegetable Stock – or you could use Chicken Stock.  Just be sure it is Salt-Reduced

250 gram Swiss Brown Mushrooms or Portobello - sliced.  Regular supermarket cap mushrooms are okay in a pinch -  but will have much less ‘mushroomy’ flavour

Leaves from a Few sprigs of thyme and   ½ sprig rosemary – chop the rosemary leaves a little

½ red chilli – finely sliced.  Leave out or increase to 1 chilli depending on your preference

1 clove garlic – peeled and grated

6 leaves of kale. Destalked and chopped roughly

3 Tablespoons Ricotta  (fresh ricotta is preferred as it is firmer than the tub brands)

Small pinch ground white pepper

3 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Finely Chopped Italian parsley to scatter over before serving

Method

Use a wide heavy base pan with a lid.            Plus you will need a 2^nd medium size frypan later.

Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and stir the sliced leeks through.  Cook over a medium heat until leeks are soft (approx. 5 minutes)

Drain the porcini and reserve the soaking liquid. (have a quick check there is no grit in the porcini or liquid before adding to the ‘risotto’ )

Add the porcini to the leeks and stir through using the spoon to break up some of the larger pieces of porcini.

Add the Farro and stir through to combine.  Pour in the reserved liquid and Marsala and bring to gentle bubble.

Pour in the stock, stir well, bring to boil, cover with lid and reduce to simmer for approx. 30 minutes – or until Farro is soft and liquid absorbed.

When the Farro has been simmering for about 15 - 20 minutes:  Heat 1 tablespoon Olive Oil in the 2^nd pan and add the sliced mushrooms, garlic, herbs and chilli. Stir and cook for  5 – 10 minutes until mushrooms are golden and soft.  

Toss into the Farro and stir the mushrooms through. 

(TIP: If the  Faro has been cooking for 30 minutes and not soft or if more liquid is needed just add a trickle of boiling water, stir and re-cover with lid until cooked).  

Use the mushroom pan to wilt the Kale until cooked but still retains a little crunch.  This will not take long.  Add to the Farro mushroom mixture.

When Farro cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the ricotta and Parmesan.

Taste and season with a little white pepper if you desire.

Sprinkle the chopped Parsley over the ‘Farro risotto’.

Spoon into bowls to serve.

If you have very very hungry folks to feed, you could serve with slices of crusty bread but I find this is quite hearty and filling on its own.

                                                      Enjoy!  Colleen

Tomato Basil Chicken Bake

Sometimes we need a meal that almost cooks itself.  Jamie Oliver comes to the rescue with a Chicken Bake full of flavour and little fuss. This is my take on his recipe – and easy to adapt to your preferences.  Served with some pasta or crusty bread and a salad it will satisfy 4 hungry diners!

Serves 4

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking:   1 hour

Ingredients

8 - 10 chicken drumsticks (depends on size) – remove some of the visible fat

2 onions – peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic – crushed

2 potatoes – cubed

2 anchovy fillets – if you don’t like anchovy replace with a little shake of salt

½ red chilli – finely sliced.  Depending on your preference increase to 1 or leave out.

1 tin cannellini beans – drained and rinsed

Few slices of semi dried tomatoes – finely sliced (optional)

1 tin Cherry Tomatoes in tomato juice – use the juice and tomatoes

½ tin crushed tomatoes 

1 punnet Cherry tomatoes – leave whole

Leaves from 2 small stalks of fresh thyme

Bunch fresh Basil – pick the leaves and finely chop some of the stems.  Most of the basil goes in at the start, then about ¼ after cooking.  Reserve a few small leaves for garnish.

Splash of Olive Oil

Splash of Dry Sherry – maybe 20 ml

Few black olives – optional

Freshly ground black pepper

A Little grated parmesan cheese – optional to scatter over when served

Reserve some of the small basil leaves to scatter over when finished

Method

Preheat oven to 200 oC

Place chicken, onion, garlic, potato, anchovy, chilli, beans, tomatoes – dried, tinned (including the juice) and fresh cherry tomatoes in an oven roasting pan along with the thyme leaves, basil stems and most (3/4) of the basil leaves.

Toss to mix.  Add a little olive oil, the sherry and pepper to taste.  Combine and stir well.

Cook for 1 hour, stirring after half an hour.  If using, add the olives in the last 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, toss in the final ¼ of the basil leaves.

Serve scattered with optional parmesan and small basil leaves.

Can be served with pasta or  crusty bread  and salad.

                              Enjoy! Colleen

Bundy Fruit Cakes for Baked Relief's Love to the West

If you live around Brisbane you might have heard about Digella's campaign to bake either a Fruit Cake or Anzac Biscuits for transport and distribution over the weekend to farming families doing it tough - to show support for our Aussie Farmers this Valentine's Day.

It's not too late to whip up a batch of Anzac biscuits - so check out the her website or FaceBook for a collection spot near you.
https://www.facebook.com/bakedrelief

http://www.digella.blogspot.com.au/

I used my "Christmas Cake - Nearly as Good as Nan's" which includes a decent drop of Queensland's Bundaberg Rum

http://feedyourinnercook.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/christmas-cake-nearly-as-good-as-nans.html

made sure I used Australian ingredients (apart from the spices) and made 6 cakes that I packed snugly in cute boxes with a tea-towel, a personal note and some Bushell's tea - all tied up with string for their long journey to a farming community.  Hope they pass muster!

Update:  Digella has announced they are doing another collection in early March so check out FaceBook and send some love to the west!

Guard dog on cake duty! (This was her photo-bomb moment!)

                         

                                                                                                       Cheers!   Colleen 

Little Lamb Persian Meatloaves with mint and almonds

I love Belinda Jeffery’s user-friendly recipes - when I read them I feel she is in the kitchen suggesting how to make appealing flavoursome meals. Her instructions are so easy to read and always result in something delicious.

I have adjusted Belinda Jeffery’s Lamb original meatloaf recipe to create smaller faster-cooking mini meatloaves. The spices work so well with the fresh mint and almonds. Any left overs (!) they are perfect for lunch the next day – either sliced up with salad or part of a very filling sandwich.

Makes 8 mini loaves.  I allow 1 each for regular appetites and 2 for a Wilbur sized hunger.

Preparation:  Sauce:       20 minutes including cooking time

Cooling time for sauce:   30 minutes

Preparation:  Meatloaf:     5 minutes

Oven Cooking time:        30 minutes

Ingredients

50 gram Toasted slivered Almonds or pinenuts   (TIP: toast these first before starting recipe)

1 tablespoon Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 large onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped or fresh grated ginger

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1/3  cup Tomato paste

2 teaspoons sea salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon ground coriander

Shake ground pepper

2 teaspoons dried mint

Sliced Red Chilli –  none, ¼ or whole - depends on how much you like

½ cup golden sultanas

½ cup Honey

¼ cup white Wine vinegar 

500 gram Lamb Mince

Handful each of chopped parsley and chopped Mint

1 – 1 ½ cups fresh white breadcrumbs   TIP: fresh breadcrumbs make the meatloaf lighter in texture

1 egg – beaten

Topping

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

100 gram slivered almonds or pinenuts – do NOT toast first

Method

First lightly toast your nuts in a large dry pan. Set aside to cool.

Re-use the pan, heat olive oil and add onion to gently fry to soften.

After 5 minutes, add the garlic and ginger. Stir regularly.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, spices, sultanas, honey and vinegar. Bring to boil, then simmer for 5 – 10 minutes until mixture is thick and rich.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 180 oC.  

Prepare and line a shallow oven tray.

Prepare the topping by mixing the honey and juice. Reserve. Keep nuts separate at this stage.

To the tomato mix, add the minced lamb, nuts, fresh mint, parsley, 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs – combine well.

Mix the beaten egg through the mixture.

If it feels too wet, gradually add a little more of the reserved breadcrumbs until mix can be shaped into soft log shapes. Divide the mix for 8 mini loaves – TIPS and HINTS:  it is important to shape them gently without compressing the mix too harshly. Compressed meat will cook in an undesirable hard textured loaf.

Place the loaves on the tray and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove loaves from oven and brush some of the honey/juice mix over each loaf.

Scatter nuts on top and gently press so they adhere.  Lightly dab the nuts with the remaining juice.

Don’t worry if you don’t do the final brush – it will still cook okay.

Return the loaves to the oven for a final 10 minutes.  Depending on your oven you may want to increase to 200 oC for final browning.  Check after 5 minutes they are browning not burning on top.

When cooked, remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with your choice of green salad or vegetables.

                        Enjoy!  Colleen

Aussie Damper with Lemon Myrtle Tea

On Australia Day it is our family's tradition to make a big campfire and  cook damper in a camp oven.  Washed down with a refreshing cup of lemon myrtle tea.    But if you don't have a fire close by you can pop it in your electric or gas oven.

Ingredients

3 cups (450 grams) self raising flour
Pinch of salt
80 grams chilled cubed butter
3/4 cup water


Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Line a backing tray with baking paper.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
With fingertips rub the butter into the flour until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
Add the water to the flour mixture using a knife in a cutting motion.
Use your hands to bring the mixture together then turn out onto a floured surface and gently knead for a minute or two.
Shape into a disk and place on the prepared tray.
Using a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour mark 8 wedges on the top of your damper.
Dust with a little extra flour and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through and sounds hollow if tapped on the base.

Lemon myrtle tea

Combine a dozen lemon myrtle leaves (see photo above) in a china tea pot pour in boiling water.
Let steep then serve.



Mamma Marmalade