A Girl that loves to Cook

Tropea

2009-07-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

Tropea, located on the coast of Calabria, Italy, is the birth place of my dad. I first went to Tropea when I was 16 and fell in love with the enchanted little town. To the left is a picture of the famous church, which was actually once surrounded entirely by water. Above is a pic of old tropea, stunning homes built directly on the cliff. The town is a famous bathing place, situated on a reef, in the gulf of St. Euphemia connected with the mainland by a narrow strip in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Many small towns around Tropea produce a particular quality of red onion (picture above). In Italy these onions are so famous that cipolla di Tropea ("Tropea onion" or "Tropea's onion") has become an Italian synonym for all red onions today. They are super sweet to eat.

Vic Market

2009-07-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

Victoria Market has to be one of my favourite places to shop for food. It is so inspirational and absolutley loaded with beautiful fresh produce. The market is vibrant and has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. The historic site has been with Melbournians for 130 years. The Market is probably best known for its huge variety of fresh produce. Almost 50% of the Market area is dedicated to the sale of fresh produce, including fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, chicken, seafood and delicatessen products. If you get a chance, book in for a market tour. I recently did this at the market and loved it :)

Homemade Big Mac Sauce

2009-04-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

I found the following recipe whilst browsing through recipes on the net. I came across a 'Secret Recipe' website, with all sorts of recips for popular take away dishes and sauces, that one can make at home. I am a sucker for Big Mac Sauce, so when I get a chance I will make the following:

Big Mac Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of French dressing
4 teaspoons of sweet pickle relish1 tablespoon finely minced white onion
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Method:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
Place sauce in a container / jar and store in fridge for 3 hours.
Stir the sauce a couple of times as it chills.

Has anyone made their own Big Mac Suace at home? I would love to hear from you :)

My Cook Books

2009-04-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed with pretty recipe books as you can see. I read them over and over again. At the moment I am reading Lygon Street, which is more like the history of Lygon street and talks about all of the cultures that now have become the face of Lygon Street, and the many changes that Lygon Street has had over the years. There are also some recipes, which have been submitted by restaurant owners from Lygon Street. I have always loved Giorgio Locatelli, I watch his TV show every Sunday on Foxtel, and his book is amazing. The Cook's Book is a book that I haven't really gotten into yet, it's really big and full of knowledge and technique - I will get into this book soon. I am a sucker for the good old Women's Weekly Cook Books, and have also recently been given 'Kitchen' as a bday gift, so now I have Cook, Best 1,000 recipes and Kitchen! As for magazines I have subscribed to Delicious, and look forward to receiving it in the mail on a monthly basis :)

Grilled zucchini with pumpkin and couscous

2009-02-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have never really been a couscous fan - I guess I can say this as I have never really been introduced to it through my experience with food growing up in an Italian family. However, it was not until recently out at an italian restaurant that I had learnt that Couscous is used within Sicilian cooking - which makes sense, as it was introduced by visitors to the italian island from both Africa and eastern Europeon countries.

Trying to cook healthier meals lately, I came across a recipe for couscous with grilled zucchini and pumpkin in the Women's Weekly 1,000 best ever recipe cookbook. The recipe contains lots of spices, and I will definately be making this dish in the future, in fact it has become one of my quick mid-week regular meals, as the left overs are perfect for lunch the next day :)

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous

1 cup boiling water

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 clove garlic

1 small red onion

2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 small red capsicum, chopped finely

300g piece pumpkin, chopped finely

4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 medium zucchini or 2 large zucchini, halved lengthways

Lemon Yoghurt:

1 cup greek style yoghurt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:

1. Make yoghurt

2. Combine couscous with the water and juice in a large heatproof bowl, cover, stand for about 5 minutes or until water is absorbed, fluffing with fork occassionaly.

3. Heat oil in large saucepan; cook nuts, stirring, until lightly browned. Add garlic, onion and spices; cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add capsicum and pumpkin; cook, stirring, until pumpkin is tender. Stir in couscous and parsley.
4. Meanwhile, cook zucchini on heated grill plate until just tender (or BBQ)

4. Serve zucchini topped with couscous and drizzled with yoghurt.

5. Enjoy!

Over the top organisation

2009-01-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

I guess one may say that I am a little over the top with a few things in my life, and food presentation is one of them. I need to be organised when preparing my ingredients, to the point that sometimes the ingredients look more presentable then the finished product! I guess I'm more at ease, relaxed with my cooking when I have all of my ingredients prepared in my little glass bowls that I picked up at a Brunswick hospitality supplier. It is much more of a joy to then throw my prepared ingredients together into a sizzling wok and cook up a quick stir fry or in this case, a Thai noodle salad.

Nigella's Peas with buttery lettuce

2009-01-12T03:36:00.000-08:00

I can't get enough of Nigella at the moment. Well, I guess you could say I am a little obsessed with her and going through a real Nigella stage. It's funny because I've been watching her shows for a while now (so addicted to the food channel), and I never really have taken an interest in her. However, I have now literally fallen in love with her cooking, and find her shows highly entertaining. I love how she is 'not proper' in her cooking, and defeats all culinary terms one would learn through cookery and hospitality school. I love how she admits to use 'instant mashed potatoes' (although I'm not sure if I'm quite game enough to use this yet), and I love mostly how her meals are quick and tasty.

Of most recent, well the past two days, I have made Nigella's Lettuce and Peas, and let me tell you that they are to die for. Yes, peas, so tasty and delicate with finely shredded wilted lettuce. Pic's coming soon, but for now, here's the winning recipe:
Peas with buttery lettuce

In a pot add a drop of olive oil with one teaspoon unsalted butter
Add four spring onions
Add any soft lettuce finely shredded and tumble onto butter and oil
Stir lettuce and spring onions, wait for the lettuce to wilt
Add frozen baby peas
Add one cup (depending on how many peas) of hot chicken stock
Allow to cook with lid on (low heat) for 20 min or until really soft
Enjoy!

Fried rice

2009-01-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here is the recipe for my fried rice pictured below:

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 cup long grain white rice
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 bacon rashers, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2 shallots, trimmed, finely sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra to serve

Method
Cook the rice in a large saucepan of boiling water for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
Using a whisk, lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Heat oil in non-stick wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add eggs. Swirl over base to form an omelette. Cook 2 minutes. Turn over. Cook 2 minutes until set. Transfer to a chopping board. Set aside to cool slightly. Cut into short strips.
Add bacon to wok. Cook 4 minutes until light golden. Add carrot. Stir fry 1 minute. Add shallots, peas and rice. Cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes. Add egg and soy sauce. Stir until heated through. Serve immediately, with extra soy.

Enjoy!

super quick meals

2009-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Easy Peasy Beef Kebabs with vegetables and a very quick fried rice. Pictured in the wok is a chicken a red capsicum stir-fry that also takes hardley any time to whip up. I love quick cooking - especially with recipes like a yummy fried rice that can be taken for lunch to work the next day.

Hummingbird Cake

2008-10-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird cake is a favourite of mine. It's most and luscious, and perfect for afternoon tea. Hummingbird cake was created in the American south, where ladies lunches and afternoon teas were once a way of life. The cake will keep for several days in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

450g can crushed pineapples in syrup

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grund ginger

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup mashed banana

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting:

40g butter, softened

150 g packaged cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 and grease a 23 cm cake pan

2. Drain pinapple and extract syrup, keep 1/4 cup syrup aside. Also, roughly mash some pineapple, about 1/4 cup.

3. Sift flours, spices and sugar in a bowl.

4. Stir in 1/4 cup syrup, cocunut, banana, egg and oil and pour in pan.

5. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 min.

6. Stand cake for about 5 min then turn onto a wire rack.

7. Make cheese frosting (I combine them into a small blender and mix them together)

6. Spread cake with frosting (make sure it's cold so it doesnt melt!)

Pic's coming soon!

Abbotsford Market

2008-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

It was a nice sunny day on Saturday in Melbourne. I love September Spring days in Melbourne. We decided to head down to the Abbotsford Convent Slow Food Market. For all you fellow Melbournians, you would agree with me that the Convent is so pretty and the gardens are superb. After having a stroll around the market, we found ourselves a little hungry. 'Lentil as Anything' is situated within the convent. The concept itself of this eatery is entirely different to anywhere that I have eaten before. You basically pay what you think the meal was worth. So, you order, eat, and then leave money in the honesty box! The place itself supports refugees. The food consists of mainly Indian and African cuisine. For the first time I tried African Dhal (yummy), and I also had Indian Dhal, rice and salad. The Abbortsford Slow Food Market is on once a month.

strawberry and ricotta muffins

2008-10-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

These muffins are soooooo yummy! Had some fresh ricotta in the fridge, and have been wanting to use ricotta in a sweet / baking dish for a while now. Found this recipe on Taste, I dusted the muffins with icing sugar once they were baked. These muffins are perfect for an afternoon tea with the girls :)

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
375g (21/2 cups) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
2 eggs
60g (3 tbs) unsalted butter, melted
250ml (1 cup) milk
1 cup full-fat ricotta
250g punnet strawberries, washed, hulled, quartered

icing sugar, to sprinkle

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with 12 muffin cases.
Sift the flour and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir to combine.
Place the eggs, butter and milk in a jug and whisk to combine. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir three-quarters of the ricotta and strawberries into the mixture. Place heaped tablespoons in each muffin case.
Top each muffin with pieces of remaining strawberries and a little of the remaining ricotta.
Sprinkle top of each muffin with demerara sugar. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Some of my favourite ingredients!

2008-10-13T04:58:00.000-07:00

Just took some random pics of ingredients that I use often! My pantry is always stocked with these ingredients - most of them are essential to many of my dishes. It also helps when I'm not really prepared and have to come up with something straight away. I use Sesame oil in most of my Asian dishes - just a few drops gives it that nice taste. I always use it within my spring rolls. Balsamic Vinegar is a god send. I absolutley love it - in salads, as a mariande for chargrilled veggies.... yummy. Soy Sauce, well what can I say - this is definatly an essential ingredient. Bail paste for when I can't make my own pesto, seasoning, salt and pepper.....

Michelle's Thai Fish Cakes

2008-06-08T02:39:00.000-07:00

I've always liked Thai Fish Cakes, but it was not until last week that I had actually made them for the first time myself. Well, I guess you can say that I was forced in a way to learn how to make them, as I ran a practical class for Year 10 Food Tech, and we were making Thai Fish Cakes. So, as usual, just as with everything else, I found myself in the kitchen in my house, adding a few different ingredients, and coming up with my own version. I replaced the fish fillets with salmon.

Michelle's Thai Salmon Cakes

1 piece Salmon fillet (about 200 grams - roughly chopped / shredded)
Fresh coriander (about 2 tablespoons) finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 carrot, grated
1/2 red onion, finely diced
3 spring onions, roughly chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup self-raising flour
Small amount of peanut oil to shallow fry salmon cakes.
Sweet Chili Sauce (to serve)

Put salmon in a large bowl. Add grated carrot, diced onion, spring onions, coriander and eggs. Mix through lightly. Add self-raising flour and fresh coriander and ginger and mix through lightly. Heat up oil in pan, spoon mixture into small patties and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Nasi Goreng

2008-06-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling guilty - I have not added anything to my blog for a while now, although I have been experimenting heaps in the kitchen both at home and at work. Tonight for dinner I made Nasi Goreng, along with a garlic soy chicken bake - which was a little dry for my liking, I must remember to always use chicken thigh fillets rather than chicken breast when baking chicken in the oven. As for the Nasi Goreng, it came out nice, a smoked taste through the rice. Promise to add pics soon!

Nasi Goreng (Serves 4)
2 ½ cups short grain white rice
1/3 cup oil2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (blachan)
2 teaspoons sugar
300g rump steak, finely shredded
250g raw prawn meat or small green prawns
1 cup peas
3 shallots finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

I cooked my rice in my rice cooker this morning and then placed the rice in a tray into my fridge for about 8 hours.

Heat the wok or large heavy based pan until very hot, add a little of the oil. Pour in a third of the beaten egg and turn the wok to spread the egg widely over the base of the wok. Cook until firm underneath, then carefully flip, cook for 30 seconds and remove. Repeat with remaining egg. When omelettes are cool, stack and roll, then cut into fine strips, set aside.
Reheat wok, add a little of the oil. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until onion is transparent, add shrimp paste and sugar cook 30 seconds. Add the steak stir-fry for 1 minute or until it just changes colour. Add the prawns and cook 30 seconds.
Add the rice and shallots to the wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce. Toss the omelette strips through the rice. Serve topped with cucumber slices and Prawn crackers.

Oven-baked risotto with italian sausages

2008-03-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

After the heat wave in Melbourne it's great to have a much cooler day today. And along with the cooler weather, comes indulgent foods like beautiful soups and rustic risotto's. I say rustic because I like the 'not so perfect' look of a dish, the sort of dish that your nonna may have served up 40 years ago in the village in Italy! As I love to make risotto's, I thought it was about time to try a risotto with some sort of meat. I love veggies in my risotto; leeks, roasted pumpkin, asparagus..... I also love sundried tomatoes. I came across a recepe in 'COOK' for an oven-baked risotto with italian sausage. So here it is:

1 litre chicken stock
4 spicy italian-style sausages
1 tablespoon oil
40 g butter
2 large brown onions, chopped coarsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup semi-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan - but I like to use Parmagianno Romano

1. Preheat oven to 180
2. Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
3. Heat large frypan and cook sauages until browned all over. I removed them and sliced them thinly, then fried them again for a few minutes to cook the meat through. Then remove and set aside.
4. Heat oil and butter in same dish; cook onion and garlic until soft. Add arborio rice and wine, cook on low heat, stirring, for about one minute.
5. In a baking dish (I use the corningware bakeware) put in rice mixture from pan, stock, cooked sausages and tomato. Cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring halfway through cooking.
5. Stir in cheese and fresh basil

Picture coming!

Risotto tips

2008-03-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

When aiming for that perfect creamy risotto, there are a couple of things to consider. Firstly, I make sure that my stock is kept warm and close at hand on the stove. I always use a good-quality risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli. One thing that is totally wrong when making risotto's is to use short-grain rice, it will never have the same creaminess or texture as arborio. I always use onion as a base to the risotto. I dice it up really finely and then slightly caramelize the onion, sometimes also adding either a leek (cut finely) or some shallots. I then add some dry white wine, and cook off the wine. After a few minutes I add my arborio rice, followed by adding some stock, stirring, add more stock, stirring..... About half way through my risotto cooking - say after about 8 minutes, I add my ingredient to texture and add flavour and interest to my dish, and this is where you can be creative. Sometimes I add some slow roasted pumpkin, or if you're making a seafood risotto some prawns and scallops. You can really add whatever your heart desires. I then add some more stock and continue to stir and cook risotto. I've never actually taken the exact time to make a risotto, but guessing I'd say about 18/20 minutes. Depending on what risotto I have made I will also stir through some parmagiano regiano cheese at the end - however this is a big no no if I am making a seafood risotto. The I serve up the risotto :) I will post some pics soon when I make my next risotto :)

Fried Risotto Balls

2008-03-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

I make these when I have left over risotto. Usually the risotto is from the night before, and by sitting in the fride for 24 hours the arborio rice has set together and can easily be formed into risotto balls with boccocini cheese in the middle. If you're having people over, they make a really nice finger food snack, just make sure to make them a little smaller. If you are making smaller finger food size risotto balls, I find that there's no need for there to be any boccocini cheese in the middle. I make these up with whatever risotto I have left oever, whether it's sundried tomato or pumpkin and leek :)

Serving size: Serves 4Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS

250g leftover risotto
Grated Parmesan, to taste
Bread Crumbs
Salt and pepper
Boccocini, cut into small cubes
flour
Egg wash
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

METHOD

In a large bowl mix risotto, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Roll into balls, press small piece of boccocini into the centre.Roll balls in flour, followed by egg wash then bread crumbs.Heat oil in wok till 180°C, fry risotto balls till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

Oven Baked Fat Chips with Rosemary Salt - Jamie Oliver

2008-03-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe in Jamie Oliver's Italy cook book. I've made these chips a few times. They're a good companion dish, especially when making homemade burgers. If I want to organise myself a day or so before a meal, I make the Rosemary and lemon paste and top it up with a little olive oil, put it in a glass bottle and store it in the fridge :)

Ingredients:
2 lb. large potatoes, cut into large chips 1 cm (½ inch)
Olive oil
1 bulb of garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
3 sprig fresh rosemary
Zest of 1 lemon
sea salt

Directions: Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat it to 230 degrees C.
Parboil the potato chips, skin on, for about 10 minutes in boiling salted water.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, smash the garlic and chuck in the cloves, then add the potato chips.

Toss in the oil and season with pepper. Bake on the preheated tray for 15/20 minutes until crispy and golden.

Remove the leaves from the rosemary and put in the mortar with the lemon zest and salt.

Bash up to make a green paste, adding more salt if it is too wet. Push through a sieve, and sprinkle on the chips to serve.

Serves 4.

My thoughts on Olive Oil

2008-03-17T02:17:00.000-07:00

Olive Oil in Italian in known as 'Olio d'oliva', and some people refer it as 'Liquid gold'. In places like Italy, Olive Oil is considered something you buy from a reliable source, someone that you know, and mostly locals. I guess this has been a tradition for hundreds of years. I also think that people have a sense of comfortableness when purchasing olive oil from the local supplier, and in some cases a sense of pride. As I think about my Italian heritage, I think about the pride that people have in their cooking, and in particular, the pride that they have when they can cook with products from their own town, it just makes their food 'taste better'!
I find olive oil quite amazing. It's been around since 5,000 BC, first in ancient Greece and then in countries like Israel and Egypt, and then eventually in Italy by the eight century BC. It was the Romans that planted olive trees everywhere throughout their empire. It's so evident today, when you drive through all the towns in Italy, olive trees everywhere. In particular, I remember driving through Soriano up to a small town where my mother comes from, Dasa'. I was surrounded by olive trees, so green, so lush, and so much character. Mum tells me about the days when she was younger and the town's people would pick the olives and would press them to make oil, then marinate them in flavours known to the Mediterranean. It was simple food, food for farmers and townspeople. Simple food that today massive corporations have made billions out of, simple food it was once - but now so 'gourmet' to foodies all over the world. And it's really been just over the last twenty years or so that everyone outside of the Mediterranean countries started talking about the health-giving properties in olive oil. It's now known that good extra-virgin olive oil is very rich in antioxidants that can help fight bad cholesterol, and help prevent heart attacks and cancer. And believe it or not that many years ago champion athletes at the Olympic Games were presented with olive oil instead of medals! That's how precious olive oil has been considered!

Red Lentil Soup

2008-03-16T01:17:00.000-07:00

I love lentils, especially in soups. I found a really simple and yummy recipe from 'Marie Clare - Kitchen' cook book. I made the soup last week. To give the soup that special kick, at the end you add some cooked coriander and red onion, something new to me, and I must say that I do like the taste of fried coriander in the soup, so yummy :)

Red Lentil Soup - Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Cracked black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup red lentils
1 litre vegetable stock
2 red onions, finely sliced
1 bunch (90 grams) coriander

Method
Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add diced onion, ginger and pepper. Cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the carrot, lentils and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add red onion. Wash coriander, and finely chop coriander, including roots, setting aside the top leafy bits for the garnish. Add the chopped coriander roots and stems to the red onion in fry pan and continue to cook, until the onion has caramelized.

To serve, ladle the soup into four soup bowls, garnish with a sprinkling of coriander leaves, then top with a spoonful of the caramelized onion. Yummy!

Pet Hates

2008-03-16T00:44:00.000-07:00

OK OK, for those that personally know me, you would be aware that I absolutely can't stand bad coffee - in particular cafes that serve up skinny milk when you have requested full cream milk. I mean, what's the deal? It's really not that hard - skinny or full cream - two complete different milks that the end result is completely different. If you're anything like me, when you order a full cream coffee, it is absolutely devastating when you take you first sip of the desperately required coffee and you all you taste is the bitter taste of skinny milk. For some reason it happens all the time to me, and that's why it's turned into one of my greatest hates.

So hot in Melbourne today

2008-03-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

What a day to start my own food blog - I guess the heat wave has enabled me to finally try and understand how to actually run my own blog - something that I've wanted to do for a while now. Don't let me start on the heat - I'm really tired from it now, it's so hot and dry outside. I've positioned myself in my dining room underneath the air-conditioner set on max, inspired to search food website and plan what I'm going to cook when the weather cool's down a little.