Souvlaki

When I was a student in Melbourne, one of my favourite foods was Souvlaki. There were plenty of greek cafes dotted around Melbourne and I was partial to the souvlaki where the meat was in cubes and grilled on a hot plate rather than the kebab kind where it was sliced off a spit.

When we visited the Gold Coast late last year, I was quite disappointed to find that Souvlaki wasn't as readily available as it was in Melbourne. However, I was really thrilled to be able to find a shop selling souvlaki and to introduce my children to it. They really loved it and I decided I would need to try and make it one day.
One of the things that has stopped my from making Souvlaki is that we dont seem to have souvlaki bread available her in KL. The use of pita bread was never a consideration as the pita we get is somehow to thick. Of late however, I have noticed that the Mission brand has different types of breads - Pita, Naan and also Wraps. The wraps look like kind of a thinner version of a souvlaki bread and so I reckoned I would try it out. In my minds eye, I would use lamb chunks for the meat, make a yoghurt garlic sauce and throw in a bunch of chopped tomatoes and lettuce all wrapped up with the flatbread.

Goulash

One of my Christmas presents last year from The Lovely Wife and the kids was a Le Creuset oval pot. Le Creuset is super expensive in this part of the world and for a long time, both TLW and I have gazed longingly at the Le Creuset displays in the shops.

I used the Le Creuset immediately on Christmas Day 2014 for a casserole and found that leaving meat to slow cook in the oven delivered super soft, tender and tasty meat. So when we were shopping for groceries, I saw some nice cuts of beef and I suggested that I would make Goulash.


"Will it be nice Dads" piped up my princess. "What exactly is goulash?"

I explained that Goulash was a meat stew, generally using beef or lamb in a tomato based sauce with loads of paprika for flavour. The kids had seen a shop in Publika, one of the nearby shopping centres, that served Goulash and they made a reference to that, asking if mine would be better.

"I really dont know coz we haven't tried their Goulash have we?"

The kids proceeded to 'interrogate' me further on when I had last made Goulash, was it nice, if I really knew how to make it, was it nice, why hadn't I made it for them before, was it nice....

Sloppy Funny Nachos

Nacho's are a firm favourite in my household. Not only are they loved by The Lovely Wife, but the kids really enjoy their nachos too. I've made nachos but this time I thought I'd do something a little different. The excuse to do it different really came about because there was a few items in the fridge that needed to be used up!

There was a slab of minced beef and a bag of mushrooms. We all know that mushrooms dont last that long and so I figured I'd better use them up especially since mushies are so expensive! There was also some leftover tomato paste that The Lovely Wife had used for something or other and a large bag of corn chips in the pantry. With all those ingredients at hand, I asked my kids if they would like some 'funny' Nachos for dinner.





My little princess looked at me with wide eyes and asked what 'funny' nachos were. I explained that they were nachos, but just not the nachos that she would usually get in shops and neither the ones that Daddy usually made.

"Will they taste nice?" She asked me.

I put my hands on my hips and stared her down. She laughed, then rolling her eyes she smiled cheekily and said. "Daddy is making it so it must be nice."

My son piped up in his all knowing manner. "Correct! That's the correct answer!"

I smiled back at them and went to give them a hug. "We'll see," I said. "Let me make them first, then we'll see what they taste like."

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 tsp oregano
3 bay leaves
200g Minced Beef
200g button mushrooms - sliced thinly
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
3 slices Cheddar Cheese
Salt
1 large packet corn chips
Method
Sautee the garlic and oregano together with bay leaves. Add in the mince and cook well. Season with salt. Add in the mushrooms and cook till tender. Add in the tomato paste and mix well. If too thick, add in a little water. Simmer until nicely cooked. Place mixture in a small loaf pan, packing down well. Top with Cheese slices and bake at 190C for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
Serve over a bed of corn chips.

How did it taste? Well, kind of like a cheesy beef chilli but without the beans. Kind of like a sloppy joe as well. Regardless what it tasted like, it was good. Darn good.

The kids couldn't stop eating it and to be honest, neither could I. After devouring the whole pack of chips together with the whole loaf of meat, both kids sat back in a mix of contentment and sheer over stuffing. As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words...



Really tasty, really easy, lots of fun and a great way to please the kids!

Stuffed Peppers with Spiced Beef

In my previous two posts, I talked about Dinner for the Girls where some of The Lovely Wife's friends came over. This is the last post about that and I feature the Stuffed Peppers that I made.

I've made stuffed peppers before and even posted about it. Usually, I slice the capsicum into quarters and then stuff them but this time I decided to stuff them whole.

I found some lovely 'mini' capsicums at the market and I lobbed of their heads before stuffing them. I realised that the bottoms of the capsicums weren't flat so I would need to stand them in something. I used my muffin pan!

After stuffing them, I place the 'heads' back on top, fastened them together with a toothpick and then baked them.

This is what I did:

Stuffed Peppers with Spiced Beef
Ingredients
12 small capsicums
1 medium onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped
2 tsp oregano
4 red chillis - sliced
500g minced beef
2 slices whole meal bread
3 handfuls sunflower seeds
4-5 Tbsps Tomato Paste
Method
Cut of tops of capsicum and place in a muffin pan or similar container
Sautee onion, garlic and oregano till fragrant. Add in chiilis then then beef and cook well. Make breadcrumbs by whizzing the bread in a food processor. Set aside. Add the tomato paste to the beef and season with salt and pepper. Lightly fry the breadcrumbs and sunflower seeds till crispy and quickly stir into the beef mixture. Spoon into the capsicums and cover with tops. Fasten with a toothpick and bake in a preheated 200C oven for about 20mins or till capsicum is tender.

When it was time to serve the stuffed capsicums, I realised that they woulnd't stand on their own either, so I place each pepper into cupcake moulds.


I actually wanted to use Pine Nuts instead of sunflower seeds but pine nuts are just so blasted expensive in this part of the world.

The Stuffed Peppers turned out really delicious and they looked very colourful too! Next time I do this, I might toast the breadcrumbs and then sprinkle them on top before capping the peppers to get a 'crusty' layer on top. Nonetheless, the addition of breadcrumbs into the meat helped hold the meat together and it didnt all collapse when it was cut into.





This could even work as a main meal if you use large peppers. I will definitely make these again. I think stuffing whole peppers look a lot better, taste a lot better and are easier to do as well!

Home Made Burgers are the best!

I love my burgers. In fact, although I have to admit to liking the fast food variety at McDonalds and Burger King (Hungry Jacks to the Aussies), nothing quite beats the burgers that I used to enjoy at Deli's and even some Milk Bars as a student in Melbourne. You could have your burger 'custom made' there with just what you wanted. My favourite of course was a 'Burger with the Lot' which simply meant that it was a burger with Everything piled on - bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese and sometimes even an egg! Happy Days indeed!!

I like my burgers thick and meaty too and so just the other day, when we were planning what to make for dinner, I suggested home made burgers.


The Lovely Wife and my princess thought this was a brilliant idea although, not surprisingly, my son wasn't too keen. This is simply because he doesn't particularly like bread. He will eat it, of course, but for some reason doesn't really quite like it - unless it is toasted with jam or butter and sugar.




As I have matured (read - grown older) I am not too fond of cheese in my burgers. I still love bacon in it though and so I bought some bacon together with lettuce and tomatoes. And of course the minced beef! I also used lots of tomato sauce and mustard - you got to have mustard in a burger!

This is what I did to make the patties.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic-chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
black pepper
1 kg mince beef
2 tbsp tomato sauce
splash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt


Method
Sautee the onions, garlic, oregano, basil and black pepper. Add into the mince and mix well together with the tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and let stand for a little while.
Make the meat into patties either with your hands or use a burger shaper. I have a Tupperware burger shaper and that explains why my burgers are so nicely shaped!
Place on a baking tray and bake in a 180C oven for about 20 mins. This helps the burgers keep their shape. Continue cooking the burgers in a skillet till done to your taste. I like my burgers Well Done.

To add to the fun, I laid all the ingredients out and let The Lovely Wife and kids assemble their own burgers. I learnt that my little princess takes after me and absolutely enjoys bacon!

I assemble my burgers by starting of with a layer of lettuce on the bun, then some slices of tomato followed by the beef patty. More lettuce goes over the patty and then comes the bacon. Finally, I spread liberal amounts of tomato sauce and mustard over the bacon and cover it with the top half of the bun.



I have to say the Home made burgers are not only tastier but more importantly, you know exactly what is going into it. And that makes that taste even better!!

Fond Memories of Corned Beef and Cabbage

When I was young, I used to read the comic strip 'Bringing up Father' in the newspapers and used to get a kick out of Jiggs asking his wife Maggie to make Corned Beef and Cabbage. I used to think that was such a strange combination.

My Mom used to serve us corned beef too. She would buy the canned variety (Libby's) and then fry the corned beef. She would always break up the corned beef and then give it a good stir fry till it was a little crispy on the outside but still soft inside. This was a great dish when we were hungry or she needed to whip up a quick meal.


Since Mom always broke up the corned beef, I never realised till much later that corned beef is supposed to be eaten in slices and not broken up. But hey, who ever said there were any rules when it came to food!



When I was a student in Melbourne, Corned Beef was again always stocked in our pantry. That was the first time that my housemates and I actually made Corned Beef and Cabbage. We enjoyed it like that but as always, decided to Asian-ise it by making it Indian style! We'd mash up the corned beef, add lots of curry powder and chilli powder, fry it till it was cooked then add the cabbage and give it a good stir fry too. Libby's Corned Beef soon became a staple for us and we'd have it at least once a week. It was cheap and eaten with rice was simply delightful.

I was reminiscing with the Lovely Wife recently about how my housemates and I used to enjoy our food although on a tight budget and she decided she would make Corned Beef and Cabbage - minus the curry and chilli powder though!



All she did was to fry some onions and garlic, fried the corned beef, added in the cabbage and voila! Corned Beef and Cabbage. A very simple meal and so, so delicious eaten with rice.

Like it? As a matter of fact, I LOVE IT!

Lasagne Emilia-Romagna

It's the end of the month and that can only mean one thing - Daring Bakers Time!

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Okay, so fresh from hosting the DB challenge in February, I have a new found respect for all those hosting DB Challenges and from the very outset, I want to thank the hosts for their hard work in hosting this challenge!

I have to admit that when I saw this challenge, I wasn’t particularly excited nor was I really all that keen to do the challenge. This in no way reflects on the hosts but rather reflects on me, the lack of time I’ve had in March and well, a myriad of other reasons.


You see, the only time I have for making DB challenges are my weekends. With one week off in March for School holidays, we wanted to take the kids somewhere - so there went one weekend. Two other weekends were no goes either so that only left the weekend of 21/22 March.

I was really tempted to skip this challenge. The more I thought about skipping it though, the more I felt I really shouldn’t. After all, the only DB challenge I’ve missed since joining was the Pizza challenge and to miss the second Italian food challenge would just go against my Italian Blood – okay, so I lie. There’s nothing Italian about me – unless of course you count that lovely Italian girl – Oh Wait, this isn’t a Bond post!

Now, the human mind is a strange thing. The minute I decided that I Would do this challenge, was the minute that I started to get excited about it. I mean, home made pasta? That was certainly a challenge and certainly something exciting. I couldn’t understand why I thought it wasn’t exciting to begin with.

I had decided straight off that I would use my own meat sauce recipe and since the béchamel recipe provided is almost like the one I use, I decided to follow that one. So all that was left was to make the pasta sheets.

Making the pasta wasn’t really all that difficult, at least not as difficult as I thought it might be. I had to use a little bit more flour as I think my spinach maybe had a bit more water in it. Kneading the dough was hard work but it finally all came together rather nicely. I also have to admit that I didn't read the instructions in as much detail as I normally do so I blanched the spinach first before chopping and that would probably also explain why more flour was needed. That probably wasn't such a bad idea as it ensured that the spinach was cooked.

I don't have a pasta machine so my arms had a great workout rolling the pasta sheets out. Again, I had to use quite a bit of flour on my countertop to stop the pasta from sticking and that explains the white powdered stuff on the sheets. I do think I managed to get the pasta fairly thin, although maybe not as thin as it should have been? I made the sheets rather large though...



Here it is drying out a little on the back of my dining chairs lined with tea towels. The Lovely Wife thought it was quite an impressive sight seeing the pasta draped that way!

Assembling the lasagne was probably the hardest part as I realised I would first have to half each sheet and than cook each sheet separately and then assemble it as I went along. I didnt have a skimmer either so I had to resort to using one of my flat ladles and then scooping it out of the boiling water and into another pot of cold water, then assembling it as I went along. All good fun really but tiring nonetheless.

It was also at this point that I realised I had forgotten the Cheese. Yes! Altogether now, WHERES The Cheese??!! For those that don't get the joke, its an old Aussie TV Advert that used to run in the late 80's (my uni days) starring Peter Russel Clarke. But I digress once again.

Anyway. I wouldn't have used the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as it is too expensive here but I would definitely have gotten a nice block of cheese at the very least. But we all know I forgot, so once again, everybody shout - WERE'S the Cheese??!!

Well, I used about 5 slices of processed cheddar... (hangs head in shame) - but it still turned out pretty darned good!!

As instructed, I tried to go with the "Mere films of béchamel sauce and meat ragu coat the sheerest spinach pasta" and so I stinged on the meat sauce whereas I normally like lots of meat. I had to make a double measure of beachamel sauce though as there just didnt seem to be enough bechamel to go around. I used about 6 sheets for my Lasagne and bear in mind that I made two medium sized lasagne dishes and one oval dish full of Lasagne! So yes, quite a lot!



Into the oven went the three dishes of Lasagne, all covered with foil. I went to have a shower, feeling rather pleased with myself at my pasta making and thinking up Italian names to call myself in my make believe Italian restaurant in Emilia-Romagna. Incidentally, when I first saw the recipe, I though Emilia-Romagna was a person. Now I know that it is a region in Italy - an administrative region of Northern Italy to be precise. It comprises the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna and the capital is Bologna. This is where Bolognese sauce comes from too!

See? You just learn so much from being a member of the Daring Bakers. Application forms located on the fourth table from the left. No, not that one, the other one, the table without the Lasagne on it!



The Lovely Wife and Kids had gone out for a while as I slaved in the kitchen and as they came pounding back into house, they declared they were starving and asked if dinner was ready. I told them they would have to wait a little while and I guess the wait was worth it as the kids and The Lovely Wife all enjoyed this challenge immensely. One lasagne dish together with the oval dish were polished off at one sitting! My son declared that he liked the green pasta and especially the creamy bit on top.


I really, seriously have to say that I am sooo glad that I did do this challenge! Making the pasta was a lot of work, sure, but it was so rewarding. It was such an amazing feeling being able to make my own lasagne sheets and the taste of the finished product was simply wonderful. I was surprised that with 6 sheets of Lasagne, the finished product seemed to meld together and it was only the layers of meat that could actually be seen clearly. The Lasagne tasted better the next day after being in the fridge overnight too.

All in all a highly satsfying and succesful challenge. I'm very tempted to go get my own pasta machine now as I am seriously contemplating making my own pasta from now on....



For the Meat Sauce:
300g minced beef
4 cloves garlic - chopped
1 large onion - chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
4 large tomatoes - quartered
1 large carrots - diced
1 small can tomato puree
Salt
Black Pepper
[I usually add in mushrooms and capsicum but left them out this time]

Method
Sautee Bay Leaves, Oregano, Basil, Pepper, Onion and Garlic till fragrant. Add the minced meat and continue cooking till meat is well cooked. Add fresh tomatoes and continue cooking till tomatoes are soft. Add in Carrots. Mix well
Add salt to taste. Add in the tomato puree and Capsicum. Cover and Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add some water if sauce is too dry.


And for the recipe from the Challenge:
#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

#2 Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Chilli con Carne and more Lavash

You know, I've always thought it strange that Chilli is a meat dish coz over here, when we say chilli, we mean the hot, spicy, burn your mouth off chilli pepper that is actually the fruit of plants from the genus capsicum. I did study Agricultural Science in secondary school so I do know what I'm talking about. (couldn't resist showing off... sorry!).

Anyway, back to Chilli con Carne. Apparently, the name comes from the Spanish Chile con Carne which means Peppers with Meat. If I was naming it, I'd have named it Meat with Peppers coz there's more meat in it than peppers right? Right?? RIGHT????

Anyway, I've always loved this dish. Heck, anything with minced beef in it has got to be good, especially when you add in tomatoes, beans and a little bit of spice! I made two measures of Lavash to go with this Chilli while the Chilli itself was made by The Lovely Wife. After my Bond story, I think she had the urge to play Tiffany Case, to my Bond...


We've both wanted to make Chilli con Carne for the longest time but she beat me to it. Her Chilli is based on the recipe from the Usbourne Little Children's Cookbook - one that we bought the kids to use but it looks like the parents are using it too!! She also had a look at a Chilli Recipe used by Chef Wan as well. This is what she did:

1 Onion
2 gloves garlic
500g minced beef
3 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can red kidney beans - strained
1 can stewed tomaotes
2 fresh tomatoes - chopped
t Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp brown sugar
Oregano
Basil
Black Pepper
Salt

Method
Dice onions and garlic and fry gently until tender. Add in the beef and cook until nicely browned. Stir in the chilli powder, curry powder and cumin and then add the strained kidney beans. Add in the tomatoes, sugar and herbs and black pepper and mix well. Allow to simmer until thick, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.



The Chilli was really tasty and it went really, really well with the Lavash as an appetiser. We also served it with some corn chips. But I suppose the burninq question is, How did Bond like it??

Bond wiped the sides of his lips with the napkin. Gazing deeply into Tiffany's eyes, he let his gaze fall to her bosom and then down to her long legs. He let out a deep sigh before he stood up.

"Well, I hate to eat and run Tiffany, but duty calls you know." said Bond...

More Necessity, More Invention - or how to Wing It!

Without a doubt, pasta is one of the best thing to make when tummies are rumbling and the grocery provisions are sparse. Personally, I prefer making pasta when I have ALL my required ingredients rather than having to wing it. But really, what can you do when your doe eyed children ask you to make Pasta and you haven't got the requisite ingredients and its too late to go to the store coz they are just too darned hungry?

That seems to happen fairly often in my house! I guess the kids just love pasta. After all, what kid doesn't - not to mention adults! I love my pasta too, so maybe that's where my kids get it from.

Anyway, the decision to have pasta had been made by the kids and no amount of alternative suggestions seemed to work. They wanted their pasta. Worse, they wanted a meat sauce pasta and as luck would have it - there were no tomatoes in the house!! Never mind, I thought, lets check the fridge and see what we have.

Ahhh... Celery! That's always good. One carrot, also good. Tomato sauce - no, no that's not so good - Tomato Paste yes but not Tomato Sauce. Well, mince, carrot and celery would make for a pretty decent pasta. (Regular readers of this blog would know that I LOVE mushrooms in my pasta sauce and the absence of which means the pasta sauce is somehow incomplete).

But what to do for a sauce? I tossed up with making a creamy meat sauce but wasn't quite sure how it would go with loads of mince. The fridge was still open and my beady little eyes spied the bottle of prune juice! Aha! That would do the trick!




So what I did was to first fry the meat, celery and carrots. Then I made a roux (flour cooked in butter) and then added some milk and the prune juice to it. This made a lovely meaty sauce that was very hearty and tasty.

This is what I did:

1 carrot
1 celery
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp oregano
350g Minced Beef
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
300 ml milk
100 ml prune juice
Salt
Pepper

Method
Chop the carrot, celery and garlic. Fry the garlic and then add in the beef and cook well. Add in the carrots and celery and cook till tender. In a separate sauce pan make the roux by melting the butter and then adding the flour. Cook well and then pour in the milk mixing well till smooht. Bring to the boil and then add in the prune juice and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce into the beef mix and allow to simmer.




I served this with Penne and the kids were delighted at how good the pasta tasted and how fast I was able to whip it up!

I've also sent this in as an entry for Presto Pasta Nights which has a brand new home now Head on over there to see the other amazing entries and to get more information on how to enter yourself!

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While Mummy is away, Daddy will Play... Scotch Eggs

This is the second of 3 parts of How I played while the Lovely Wife was away. Played in the kitchen that is - cooking up a storm for my kids!

We had decided earlier in the morning that I would make them Scotch Eggs. Both the kids love eggs, especially hard boiled eggs. They also love their meatballs so it seemed like a perfect idea to combine the two!

Traditionally, a Scotch Egg is a hard-boiled egg that is wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. They are also usually eaten cold and often with salad and pickles. Contrary to popular belief, Scotch Eggs have nothing to do with the Scottish and was actually created in a London food shop way back in 1738.


The version I made didn't have Sausage meat in it, wasn't coated in breadcrumbs nor was it deep fried. It certainly wasn't eaten cold either!! I had a lot of meat left over after wrapping the hard boiled eggs so I made meatballs.

This is what I did:

Ingredients
4 eggs
500g Mince Beef
2 slices wholemeal bread
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Method
Boil the eggs until hard boiled. Let them cool then shell them and set aside.
Cut crust off break and soak in milk until soft. Mash the bread up till it forms a paste and then mix it together with the mince. Season with salt and pepper and add in the tomato sauce. Mix well.
Flatten some of the mince in your hand and then place the egg on top of the flattened piece. Slowly mould the meat around the egg. Use some water to smoothen out the meat over the egg if needed.
Place the meat covered eggs on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 mins in a 190C preheated oven.


I served these with garlic mushrooms and while the kids had theirs with rice, toghether with mustard and more tomato sauce. I ate mine with some French Bread.



All in all a very tasty and satisfying meal! Stay tuned for the last installment of While Mummy is away...

Black Pepper Beef - A Malaysian Favourite

Black Pepper Beef is a favourite dish that you find in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia. A lot of the Chinese food over here is different from what you would typically find elsewhere, primarily because it has been influence by the local spices as well as the different cultures found in Malaysia. Many restaurants serve a variant of Black Pepper Beef using Venison or even Ostrich Meat.

This dish is a perennial favourite whenever we eat out at Chinese Restuarants - especially with the kids. The only problem with eating out at these restuarants is, more often than not, a lot of MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate - a taste enhancer) is added. Although the food is delicious, it kind of leaves a dry feeling in your mouth and well, anything that acts as a food enhancer cant be very good for you can it!


I didn't buy a whole lot of beef as I actually had something else in mind to make which I just didnt have the time to do. So in order to make sure that the beef was used fresh, I decided on Black Pepper Beef. This is what I did.

250g beef sirloin or other lean cut
1 inch ginger
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dark soy sauce
Loads of black pepper

Method
Slice the beef into thin strips.Chop the garlic and slice the ginger into thin strips. Sautee the ginger and garlic and then add in lots and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Add the beef and cook well before adding the dark soy sauce and a little bit of water. Allow to simmer till meat is nice and tender. Garnish with chopped red chillies.

I must say it turned out very well inded! I served it on a bed of lettuce, much like how they do it in the restaurants. Everyone loved it, especially the kids, so I guess this will become yet another favourite at home!

The secret is in the dough...

Pizza! Who doesn't love it? I've always been a great fan of pizza and the lovely wife and kids are no different. We can polish off two large Pizza's and still be a little hungry (read greedy!) I've made pizza at home before, but I've always used the ready made, frozen crust you get at the supermarket.

Just yesterday, I had to see to a few household fixits while the lovely wife took the kids for their immunisation shots. Just before leaving for the doctors, as we were discussing food plans, she said she felt like some homemade Pizza for dinner. She asked what ingredients I needed and I told her. As an afterthought, I added that I would try and make the Pizza dough myself for a change. She didn't seem too convinced though.



The reason why I wanted to try my own Pizza dough was simply because I have overcome my fear of baking bread. This is in a way thanks to my blog buddy - Breadchick who dared us all with the French Bread on last months Daring Bakers Challenge. I think I did a pretty decent job on that and I figured that if I can make French Bread, then a Pizza dough shouldn't be a problem. Also, Breadchick has often expounded the virtues of home made bread and I also had to push my boundaries didn't I! So thanks Breadchick for pushing me and for allowing me more belief in my breadmaking skills.

Both the Lovely Wife and I prefer a thin crust to a thick crust although whenever we order Pizza takeout, we normally go for thick crust. Simple economies of scale as a Thick Crust feeds more mouths...!

So anyway, I prepared myself for my Pizza Endeavour by surfing the web for Pizza Dough recipes. I found a few but I liked the one from Video Jug - complete with a video showing you how its done.

I doubled the recipe and substituted Instant Yeast for the Dried Yeast. I also dumped everything into my Kenwood and let the dough hook do its magic. I added a little flour as I now had a 'gut feel' as to what sort of texture to expect!

This is the recipe as I made it.

12oz Plain Flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Instant Yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
240 ml Warm Water
Polenta/Corn Meal for dusting

Method
Sift flour. Make a well in the flour and add in the salt, yeast, sugar and Olive Oil. Then add in the warm water. Mix well. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until a smooth, soft ball is formed. Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with a cloth. Leave to rise for about 2 hours. Dough will double in size. Cut dough into two and sprinkle with a little flour. Dust your rolling surface with a little flour as well. Roll out one piece of dough into a rough circle. Dust a pizza tray or circular tray with polenta (to prevent dough from sticking) and then press the dough to form a neat circle. Cover with your choice of Pizza Toppings and bake in a preheated 230C oven for about 20 minutes.




To get a thin dough, after rolling into a kind of circle shape, I let the dough hang from my fingers while slowly turning it - kind of like letting gravity stretch it out! When it was almost able to fit into the round Pizza tray, I spread out the edges and then patted it out onto the tray.



I only had one Pizza tray so what I did for the rest of the dough was to roll it out and then put a 9" round baking pan over the dough. I then cut around it to get a nice round Pizza shape! I baked the dough on Polenta dusted Cookie trays.

The measurement above gave me one 12" Pizza and two 9" pizzas. The Pizza dough turned out much, much better than I expected and the Lovely Wife was pleasantly surprised. She had expected my attempt at Pizza dough to be thick and chewy - sort of like the Foccacia that I had made before - and that was the reason for her reluctance to let me try to make my own dough. I was rather smug, I must admit! Okay, Okay... Very, Very Smug, actually!!!


For topping, I used a combination of Minced Beef, some Salami that I cut into strips, Cheese, Loads of Mushrooms and some capsicum. I also made my own sauce by frying lots of chopped garlic with basil, black pepper and oregano. Then I added some tomatoes and continued frying till a nice paste was formed. Add a little water and a whole can of tomato paste and I had this lovely Pizza sauce.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed my homemade dough and had their fill of pizza. I must say that it was very satisfying to be able to make my own pizza dough. Even more satisfying was how much the kids and lovely wife enjoyed the Pizza! I think we ALL overstuffed our faces...




As my son finished off his third Large slice of pizza, he commented with the trademark waving of his arms in the air.

"Okay! No need to order Domino's Pizza anymore, we can just have Dharm-ino's Pizza!"

Now I've always known that my son has inherited my sense of humour but even I was surprised at this gem!

Cultural Exchange, Satay and Honesty

I've mentioned in a previous post that one of the things I love about food blogging is getting to learn about other cuisines, ingredients and cultures. Just as I learn, I also like to share. So in carrying on with the theme of Cultural Exchange, I'm going to share with you one of Malaysia's best known foods. When it comes to food, Malaysia is a 'food paradise'. All of you Malaysian's that are reading this would probably agree that there is nothing quite so special or delicious than Satay! Any visit to Malaysia would be incomplete without partaking of our delicious Satay. So what exactly is Satay??



Satay could probably be classified as Malaysia's National Dish although it would be a tough fight with Nasi Lemak. Basically, Satay is pieces of marinated meat, skewered on a thin bamboo stick and then barbecued (or grilled - depending which part of the world you come from) over burning charcoal. The grilled meat is then served with Kuah Kacang - a piquant peanut sauce, fresh cucumber and onion slices as well as Ketupat or Nasi Himpit (compressed rice).



Satay can be found at most food stalls that abound throughout the country. Most commonly, Satay is available as Chicken Satay, Beef Satay and sometimes Mutton Satay.


The picture above shows Beef and Chicken Satay with the Beef being the darker colour, of course.

There are some shops or food stalls that serve Tripe satay as well. Supposedly, the best Satay is in a small town called Kajang.

The difference between a great Satay and a good Satay often lies in the Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce). Sometimes the sauce is a bit sweetish and sometimes it is a little too piquant. There is no such thing as a Bad Satay because.. well Satay can never be bad - always either Great or just plain Good. That's Satay for you!



Just last weekend, we were wondering what to do for dinner. The kids were in their 'I dont know' mode while The Lovely Wife suggested buying back some stall food and in particular some Satay. The kids seemed happy with that as we all love Satay. My son in particular loves the Ketupat with Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce).

When we got home, I casually remarked to my wife to please use a nice plate to lay out the Satay while I went to get my camera. My son, on overhearing me say I was going to get the camera, immediately objected.

Michael: "Daddy, I hope your not taking pictures for your blog! "

Me: "I am Mike. Why not? "

Michael:" Thats cheating, Dads! You didn't make the Satay!! "

I couldn't help laughing and I explained to him that I wasn't going to cheat but there was nothing wrong with posting about Satay just to share with everyone else - as long as I didn't claim to have made it. But I'm glad he knows the importance of honesty!

Some people like to eat the Satay with just a touch of sauce. Others, like me, like to have lots and lots of peanut sauce with their Satay. However you eat it though, Satay is truly a most delightful and wonderful dish!

Beef Kheema

This is one of my all time favourite dishes and also one that has a long history to it. Mum used to make her own version of this when I was younger and she called it a Minced Meat curry. She used to make it with minced beef and diced potatoes and we would all enjoy eating it with rice. The next day, we'd fill slices of bread with the leftover mince curry and polish it off!

Needless to say, when I went off to Uni, this was one of the dishes that I would often cook. I changed the recipe somewhat and added tomatoes as well as frozen mixed vegetables to it whilst omitting potatoes. I used to love this dish so much that almost everytime it was my turn to cook, I would cook this. As a result, my flatmates used to call me the "Mince Meat Man" although they used to enjoy this dish as much as I did!

I remember when I was in my Final year. It was just before mid term exams which meant that we were smack in the middle of Winter with cold, wet nights. We were all busy studying through the night and at about two in the morning, my flatmate walked into my room and annnounced that he was 'feeling hungry' and asked if I was too. We considered driving down to the local 24hr food outlet but decided that we wanted something hot and spicy; something that would 'comfort' us at this late hour when our minds were numb with too much studying. I suggested making some Kheema and my flatmates eyes lit up. He cooked up a large amount of rice while I quickly whipped up my Kheema. We sat in front of the gas fireplace and delighted in the steaming hot rice and spicy hot Kheema. Truly comfort food indeed!


The beauty of this dish is that it is an all-in-one dish with meat and vegetables in it. It's also extremely versatile in that you can eat it with rice, bread or even noodles. In fact, often times, we would eat the leftovers with instant noodles for a quick snack or even a meal the next day.

Kheema is really the Hindi word for Minced Meat but has also become the generic term for a Minced Meat Curry. This is my recipe:

600g Mince Beef or Mutton
300g frozen Mixed Vegetables (Pees, Carrots, Corn)
2 medium-sized Red Capsicums
4 Large Tomatoes - quartered
1 Large Onion
3-4 cloves garlic
a little ginger, chopped finely
6 Cloves
2 - 3 Tbsp Curry Powder
¾ Tbsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
cooking oil
Salt to taste


Method
Slice onion into thin slices and chop garlic and ginger. Dice Capsicum and thaw frozen vegetables. Lightly fry onions with garlic, ginger, black pepper and cloves until onions are soft.
Add in Curry powder and Chilli powder and fry till fragrant. Be careful not to burn the mix.
Add in tomatoes and mix well. Add in a little water if needed.


Continue cooking till a nice paste is formed.
Add in Mince and cook well.


Add in Capsicum and frozen vegetables
Continue cooking, stirring frequently. Add a cup of water and cover pan. Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes then remove cover, mix well and cook till most of the water is evaporated.



Coincidentally, the topic of the Monthly Mingle this month, hosted by my friend Meeta over at Whats for Lunch Honey is on Comfort Food. Although Kheema is great with plain white rice, it TRULY becomes Comfort Food when served with Yellow Rice or what I call Fools Saffron Rice.

Saffron Rice or Yellow rice is traditionally served instead of white rice for festivals or special occasions. Somehow, the food seems to take on an expensive and exotic twist when Yellow Rice is served.

I call this Fools Saffron Rice because it is an easy way of making fabulous, tasty, yellow rice in a rice cooker that can easily pass off for Saffron Rice – fooling most people!!

3 Cups Rice
4 ½ Cups Water
1-2 Tbsp Butter
2 handfuls Raisins and/or cashew nuts(optional)
6 cloves
2 tsp Turmeric powder


Method

Wash the rice well and place into the rice cooker.
Add the water, butter, cloves, turmeric powder and raisins/nuts (if using)
Mix lightly then turn on the rice cooker.
When rice is cooked, quickly stir the cooked rice to ensure all ingredients are mixed well.



Although I prefer Minced Beef, this dish is just as lovely made with Minced Lamb or even Minced Chicken! (I think my US friends would call Minced Meat as Ground Meat!)

I hope you all like this dish as much as I do!