Riley St Garage

Do you know what I didn't have access to when I lived up north????

RESTAURANTS

Well, we did have some but country town restaurants.

Do you know what I have access to now?

Every little purple dot on that map is a restaurant/cafe/bar. Look at it, just look. And that is just in the city. There are so many places to go and so many things to try. I could eat out every night for the rest of my life and not get to all of them. I, of course, have a list of must go to restaurants. I have been to a couple of them already. I have been to a lot of other amazing places too. I think I should take you with me too.

Riley St Garage is on my must go list. I'm not sure how or when I first heard of it but I knew that it was absolutely necessary that I go there. I've been to a number of restaurants on my own and, while wonderful, it just isn't the same as when you are sharing it with someone else. I decided to leave going to Riley St Garage until I had someone to go with me.The opportunity arose this past Saturday.

Did you know that Saturday was International Beard Day? Did you know there was an International Beard Day? No, neither did I until a few weeks ago when Riley St Garage posted about it on their instagram with details of an event they were having. It really was some perfect timing. I had a well-groomed friend coming from Melbourne that weekend, a "degustation" menu was in place and, well, it was Riley St Garage. It was a no-brainer that we were going to go there.

Saturday arrived and it was a beautiful day. I will offer a little advice, don't wear new shoes and walk from Central Station to the restaurant. My feet did not appreciate it. If I hadn't been wearing new shoes it would have been an easy gentle walk from the city to the restaurant. Quite often when you look at the map the two points look a rather long distance apart but when you have google maps actually work out the route for you most things are within easy walking distance of public transport. This is no exception in relation to the train. Plus, if you want there is a bus stop pretty much right outside the door!

As per usual we were early, me more so. There is a little cafe next door. Now when I say little, I mean really little. We did consider going there but there was no room inside and secondly I didn't really want to eat or drink anything prior to our coming lunch. We wandered a little but my feet hurt so we sat on a bench and talked.

I know, I know, I can hear you all saying "we don't care about that. tell us about the food". LOL

We were very warmly welcomed, I would love to say by who but...I didn't get names, I also didn't take photos of the set up inside....I'll do better. Everyone was very friendly and jovial. We started at the bar. The stools at the bar were comfortable and sturdy but I had a lot of trouble getting up there. LOL Platform heels next time I guess. A well set out bar and a nice little range of cocktails. I had a sinnaman which was described as an apple pie in a glass (I didn't take a photo, sorry). It was, it really did taste just like an apple pie. My friend asked our bartender to surprise him, I'm not a very good reveiwer, I don't remember what he got now.... looking at the menu I think it was the Tommy's Twisted. He was very happy with the choice.

We moved onto the table and off we went to our table and into an amazing degustation menu.

The oysters came served in a champagne box full of ice. I'll be honest, I'm not usually a fan of oysters. Usually quite happy for others to have my share but I was intrigued by the combination of flavours and wasn't going to miss out. I was very pleased that I did. It would have been very easy for one of the flavours to dominate the dish with either the smoke or the truffle taking over but I found that it was wonderfully balanced and they complimented each other perfectly. It was a wonderful start to the meal. 

 

The tacos were next out in a box filled with barley, another excellent presentation. I admit that I had not come across barley miso before. The crunch of the taco shells were perfect with the soft and buttery tuna. The miso was perfectly proportioned so that it coated but didn't smother the tuna nor soften the crunchy shells. The dabs of mayo on top completed the dish. I assume that the taco shells were some kind of rice paper. I really should have asked...

We were just finished with our tacos and the beef carpaccio was next to hit the table. I read the menu, we both read the menu, and I still ask my companion if it was parmesan, to which he agreed. It was not because the menu very clearly states salted ricotta....not a good foodie! LOL I'll also admit to another little d'oh moment with this dish in that there was some crunchy pieces in it and I asked "do you think this is fried garlic slices?" No that would be the horseradish. I've never had a carpaccio before. I've always been really hesitant of having raw beef but I did really enjoy it the beef was, like I said with the tuna, soft and buttery. I had always wondered how difficult it would be to eat it raw. I guess, like every other situation it depends on the cut and how you treat it to get the result you want. I wouldn't hesitate to try it again.

Can I just say how much I love burrata?  I do, I really do. It looks like it's firm like mozzarella but it is oozy inside. This one was perfect a little resistance when first cutting into it, with a spoon, but then so soft, silky and oozy inside. The pickled onion was a perfect accompaniment with the cheese. It had a vinegary flavour but it was not over-powering. The pistachios added a lovely crunch to the dish.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect with the corn dogs. I do love a good chorizo and this was a really good one. I'd never had a lamb chorizo before and I didn't really notice the lamb flavour in it. My mum would have I'm sure. She could tell if the meat grinder hadn't been cleaned completely after mincing the lamb before the beef, she really didn't like lamb. The chorizo was perfectly seasoned, a nice bite to it but nothing over powering. The batter coating it was perfectly cooked and an excellent batter to meat proportion. The pickle and sauce completed it nicely.

The lamb shoulder, truffle mash and broccolini all hit our table. The lamb was just melting off the bone. A spoon was all that was needed to break it apart. It was saucy and juicy the labne and little crunch bits or garlic were delicious with it. The truffle mash was absolutely to die for. I really could have just sat there with the spoon and eaten the whole dish. The truffle flavour was strong but not too strong. The actual mash was so creamy. I love creamy mash and, I'll be honest, is one of the few reason I keep my thermomix. The broccolini was perfectly cooked. The smokey charred flavour came through beautifully. The three components of the main course fitted together so perfectly.

After devouring all of that food we were grateful that they offered a bit of a break before the dessert. It was nice to sit with the flavours for a while and not have them rushed off your palate with a burst of sugar. A glass of wine, Sauvignon Blanc for me and Pinot Noir for him, had also been consumed during lunch. We just stayed with water for the rest of the meal. The dessert made an appearance flaming away (I really should have done a video), and we waited for it to die down. there was a beautiful crack on top when we broke into it. It looked like it was going to be really sweet and really heavy but it really wasn't either of those. Yes, it was sweet but not overpowering. It wasn't a huge rush of sugar into my system. The brownie was dense but not so dense that it weighed down in my stomach. I will admit that we didn't finish it. I'd had the perfect amount of food and any more really would have been too much so the last bit went begging.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Everyone was very friendly and the service was excellent. I can tick it off my go to list but will leave it on there as I'd really like to go to Riley St Garage again. 

June 2014 - Palace Eggs with Caramelised Onion

Okay, so leaving things to the last minute doesn't always work out. Although, strictly, I am actually making this post in time. It is just not exactly what I was planning but it is a recipe from the June delicious magazine so it does comply with my overarching theme. 

I had plans to make the Braised beef short ribs with silverbeet and haloumi crumbs. I mean how good does that sound? Pretty awesome if you ask me. I kept putting it off and putting it off. Busy with other stuff on this day or that day. So finally on Thursday I decided that I couldn't put it off any longer as end of month was fast approaching. On Friday after work I would grab the short ribs from the butcher and some silverbeet from the supermarket, I have everything else in the house. If I had gotten myself organised I would have had silverbeet in the garden but I didn't so I don't. However, not every thing went to plan. Instead of going to the supermarket and the butcher on Friday afternoon I had a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. What did I do you ask? Well, I somehow managed to fall down 2 stairs at work and wrench my ankle into a position it shouldn't have been in. My co-worker called the ambulance and they came, gave me morphine (yay for morphine!!) and off we went. Thankfully it isn't broken but I have been rather hobbled on a set of crutches, oh and my rolling office chair. That chair by the way is pretty awesome. It means that I don't have to use the crutches to go to the kitchen. Lol. Needless to say the dish did not happen. 

I was kind of resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to get anything made. I didn't feel much like eating. Plus I have been pretty fuzzy from the painkillers. There are other things in this issue that certainly did look promising. The Moroccan spiced lamb chops with moghrabieh and roasted beetroot sounds excellent. I don't have moghrabieh but do have some of the pearl couscous which could easily be substituted. However, the lamb is in the chest freezer which is tucked away in the corner of the laundry. I also know that the lamb is toward the bottom of the freezer since I had to clean out my fridge/freezer in a hurry a few weeks ago and everything just got dumped in there. I didn't fancy balancing on one leg digging around in the freezer for some lamb chops. 

Another dish that I am keen to try is another slow cooked meal, Pork cheek with celeriac puree. Beef cheek seems to have become the in thing to use I guess that pork cheek is probably going to be next on the hit list. I am pretty sure that my butcher wouldn't have any on hand so it is a meal that will involve a little planning. As I said, planning hasn't really been my forte lately. I will also have to buy a bottle of Pedro Ximenez for the recipe. I have a pretty good idea that isn't all that cheap. Although I do have a few other dishes that use it so I am sure that it wouldn't sit in the cupboard long. One day.

This morning I decided that I will not succumb. I will not let a month go by without a delicious magazine recipe. Okay, so I have also cut back the painkillers. Anyway I was looking through the issue for something that would be easy and I came across this recipe. It is really easy. Basically 2 kg of onions caramelised and then some allspice and cinnamon added. The onion is then placed in a dish and four eggs cracked into it and then cooked until the whites are firm. 

I cheated. I made a heap of caramelised onion a few weeks ago so I grabbed a packet of that out of the freezer and heated it up. I put them in a little pan that I found in a kitchenware store a while ago, cracked in the egg and I baked it in the oven at 160 C for 9 minutes. It was probably a minute too long as the yolk wasn't really runny anymore. I tend to forget that they continue to cook once out of the oven. It wasn't the best thing I have ever eaten but it was nice  and a bit unusual. It is supposed to be a breakfast meal but I had it for lunch. I think that it would be really good on a piece of toasted turkish bread (since it is a Turkish recipe). I won't be rushing to make it again but when I do cook up another lot of caramelised onions I might give it another shot. 

Good Taste - Sweet & Sour Eggs

Hmm, I was going to post a recipe from every Good Taste magazine since I started my subscription, you may have noticed that I haven't done that. I actually hadn't realised that I wasn't cooking from them until I was going through the stack of magazines building up on my coffee table. They are filled with good food and I have good intentions of making things but just never seem to get them made, exactly what I was doing with delicious magazine before I started my blog. I admit to being rather lazy with cooking lately or should I say that I have been making rather boring things, nothing worth photographing and blogging about. 

I have marked several things that I would like to make from this issue. The first is Cauliflower steaks with olive and herb salsa. The cauliflower is cut into thick slices, browned in a pan and then finished off in the oven. The salsa is made from green olives, oil, lemon juice, capers, parsley and oregano. I would make with kalamata olives but that is only because I really don't like green olives. I think this would be perfect with roast chicken. 

A nice quick lunch or dinner could be made from the Baked spinach & cheese mushrooms. They look to be quick, easy and tasty. They are a bit light on the vegetables, just the mushroom and spinach, so serving with salad or some extra veg would be a good idea. Another quick meal would be the African vegetable stew with sweet potato & peanuts, using curry powder and coconut milk for the flavour and creaminess. Again it is a bit light on the vegetables although it does include carrot, celery & spinach as well as the pumpkin. I am sure that I could pack a few extras in there. 

What I ended up making was the Sweet & sour eggs. I wasn't exactly sure about the combination but wow, it was so good. There was a nice hit of heat, I was a bit on the conservative side but could have added more, The sour of the tamarind and the sweet of the sugar were just perfect. Pairing all of that with fried eggs was fabulous. I made it for breakfast yesterday but I easily could have made it for lunch or dinner. I just had it on its own but if I was to have it for lunch or dinner it would probably need to be served with something else, I am not sure what that would be though. It might go well with some sort of rice thing. I will definitely be making these again. 

Sweet & Sour Eggs

125 ml peanut oil (I used grapeseed) 

6 eggs 

1 brown onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp sambal oelek

1/2 c water

1 tbsp brown sugar 

1 tsp tamarind puree

2 dried bay leaves 

White pepper 

Heat oil in wok. Crack in egg and fry until starting to brown and turn cooking for 30 sec, remove and cook remaining eggs. 

Add onion, cook stirring until colouring then add garlic and sambal and stir to combine. Add water, sugar, tamarind and bay leaves and boil. Return eggs to the wok and simmer until it starts to thicken. Season. 

Delicious May 2012 - Tuscan Bean Soup

Okay, so I know I had a little rant about this issue of delicious magazine a couple of posts ago. Seems a bit hypocritical to be posting another recipe out of it. However my views still stand on what I said. I actually made this the day after I made the gnocchi recipe. I was looking for something to make to have for lunches and this seemed like it would be very easy and with the addition of the beans nicely filling without been overly rich. 

While I was making it I found that it was a little bit bland. However I resisted the urge to spice it up a bit knowing that there was a spoon of pesto to be put in when serving. I used some of the leftover cashew & lemon pesto that I made for the gnocchi recipe. Although I did end up putting a bit too much in. It was fine though. 

This recipe is kind of dependant on sizes of your vegetables too. I had some rather large sticks of celery so I think I could have easily used just one as two was a bit much. I also thought that 1/4 of a cabbage was too much and my cabbage wasn't all that big. I ended up having to add two - three cups of extra stock. It is not a soup that can be left a with a little be less liquid and made a bit stew like as you can do with some meat soups. Probably some of the loss of flavour happened when I added the extra stock. Perhaps it would have been better if I added some extra tomatoes and some stock. Would stick to my instincts next time and add less veg if I think it is too much. 

The recipe is here on the UK Delicious magazine website. I will mention a few things. That recipe is double what wast in the Australian Delicious magazine. It also has smoked paprika, which would have been a really nice addition. All ingredients have been doubled with the exception of the cabbage which has been quadrupled. I have no idea why. I found 1/4 was too much. Unless they are talking about those little mini cabbages that you can get now. It doesn't say that though. Oh well, it was good none the less. 

Chicken Club with Avocado Mayonnaise, Roast Tomato and Bacon

Urgh, I am so tired. I just can't sleep. So I am here typing up some long over due posts. I made a very, very average birthday cake tonight. I feel really badly about it and wish that I could start over again but it is late and I don't have everything necessary start again nor do I have the time to do it. 

I simplified this recipe a bit. Instead of cooking chicken thighs for it I used some of the chicken from the warm poached chicken from my last post. I just gave it a quick go round in a fry pan to warm it up and brown it a bit. I also didn't make the mayonnaise from scratch. I just used some of Neil Perry's mayonnaise and added some mashed avocado. 

Chicken Club with Avocado Mayonnaise, Roast Tomato and Bacon

Ingredients:

• Chicken meat, left over from poached chicken
• 2 slices bread, per person (I used sourdough)
• Rocket
• Bacon, fried until crispy and drained
• Tomatoes, halved and roasted for 40 minutes in 180 C oven
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise mixed with 1/2 a mashed avocado

Method: 

• Tear chicken into chunks. 
• Heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and fry until warmed through and browned. 
• Spread bread with avocado mayonnaise top with rocket, chicken, bacon and tomatoes. 

Delicious: July 2011 - Pea, Ham & Lemon Soup

I really should be in bed at the moment but isn't it always the way when you think that you are going to get some early nights other things get in the way. I was ready to go to bed over an hour ago now but have had non-stop phone calls. Strange how the phone never rings when I am sitting up until all hours but when I think that I will get an early night it just doesn't stop. I really shouldn't be complaining though,  it is good to hear from people. 

There is some wonderful recipes in issue #106 of Delicious magazine. In fact I have made several of them already this month. I will be posting all the ones that I have made. There is even more that I would like to make. Jamie Oliver has a feature on doing a roast chicken and what you can make with the leftovers. There are some wonderful ideas especially the chicken & pumpkin salad. The pumpkin is roasted with ground coriander seeds & dried chilli. There are toasted chickpeas & pumpkin seeds along with left over chicken and stuffing with leaves. It would make a perfect lunch time meal. 

I am also keen to make Jill Dupleix's Hot & Sour Noodle Soup with Minced Chicken. It just sounds like I wonderful revitalising soup full of all those wonderful Thai ingredients. It should be easy to halve the recipe as it is probably one of those soups that wouldn't keep as well as some. What I would be really worried about is how well the prawns would reheat. Better just to reduce it then risk having rubbery reheated prawns. 

The first meal that I decided to make out of this issue was Matthew Evans' Pea, Ham & Lemon Soup. Matthew said 'that it would be brilliant to enliven pea & ham soup with lemon to make it lighter and brighter'. I am not really sure how much it lightened the soup up, perhaps I needed to add a bit more liquid to make a thinner soup. Although the lemony flavour did come through and it was very good. I had the ham bone left over from my ham at Christmas time still in the freezer so I used that in place of the ham hock. I did go to the trouble of making the ham stock first before making the soup and I do think that it did make a difference. Although the problem with using the ham bone was that it was too long for my stock pot and it was mid afternoon on a weekend when I started so couldn't take it down to my butcher to cut in half for me so I had to use my giant braising pan instead. There was some meat left on the bone (on purpose) but I also had a small chunk in the freezer that I cut up and put in the actual soup after making the stock. I would definitely go with using a hock next time. I did really enjoy this soup and it has made for good lunches with some in the freezer for a later date. The recipe claims to serve 8, I have at least 10 or 12 servings from it. 

Pea, Ham & Lemon Soup 

Ham Stock Ingredients: 

• 1 kg ham hock
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 onions, chopped 
• 2 carrots, chopped

Method: 

• Place all ingredients in a large stockpot with 4 L water and bring the the boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or until meat pulls away from bone easily. 
• Strain the stock, reserve the hock but discard the rest of the solids. 
• Shred meat discarding skin & bones, set meat aside. 

Soup Ingredients: 

• 40 g unsalted butter 
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped 
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped 
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c parsley chopped 
• 500 g split green peas 
• 1 lemon, sliced

Method: 

• Place onions, carrot & celery into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, alternatively very finely chop. 
• Heat butter in clean stockpot over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring until just starting to colour. 
• Add parsley & cook 1 minute. 
• Add peas and ham stock and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until peas fall apart. 
• Add shredded ham and lemon and simmer a few more minutes. 
• Taste and then season to taste with pepper. 

It was recommended to serve with crusty bread, I served mine with chilli & cheese cornbread muffins (recipe to come). 

Potato & Feta Pancakes

I love long weekends. That one extra day off gives me the opportunity to unwind just that little bit more. The unfortunate part is that you have to head back to work. It is unfortunate that work has to be part of life. Although I do think that I would go stir crazy if I didn't work but there are still times when I think how nice it would be if I didn't have to. I dutifully buy my lottery ticket each week. Although the chances of actually winning it are minuscule and winning a substantial amount of money is even less likely, still people do win and $2.15 a week is not going to break the bank. 

Another reason to love long weekends, well any weekend actually is that it gives me a chance to cook another of Bill's gorgeous breakfast recipes. This, however, ended up being lunch by the time I had decided what to make and actually got it made. I really enjoyed it though. I didn't have quite enough potatoes, not sure how I managed that, so I used some sweet potato as well. I had some dill in the fridge to use and I really like dill with potato so used that in place of the mint in the original recipe. I think next time I would add some grated parmesan to them. Since it was lunch time I served these with a salad of rocket, tomato & avocado. It was so good and I will definitely make these again. If for breakfast I would probably add a side of grilled or roasted tomato and sautéed mushrooms or some bacon. 

Potato & Feta Pancakes

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 kg potatoes, peeled and grated
• 1 small onion, grated
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil to fry

Method: 

• Combine grated potato & onion with a little bit of salt and drain in a colander for 20 minutes. 
• Squeeze out excess moisture. 
• Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine, your hands are best for this.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add tablespoons of mixture (depending on the size you like).  
• Squash a little to make flat pancakes.  Cook on both sides until golden brown.

Red Quinoa, Turtle Bean & Carrot Taco Bowl

On my recent holidays I was able to go to the physical stores of two of my favourite online places to buy food. Living in a smallish, rural town means that for a lot of recipes I want to make I either have to substitute or buy ingredients online. When it comes to perishable items substitution is, really, the only why to go but for non-perishables I have found a large number of Australian online stores from which to get my various needs wants. Two of my favourites are Essential Ingredients Online, which has physical stores in Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie, and Kombu Wholefoods, whose physical store is in Bellingen. After trawling these websites on countless numbers of occasions and having placed a number of orders I was pleased to be able to spend time in the actual stores. I wasn't disappointed with either of them and will make a point to head to both of them again any time I am in the area. 

Amongst the numerous items that I bought from the above stores were red quinoa and turtle beans (or black beans depending on where you live). I had a few ideas on what I wanted to do with them but also googled and food blog searched to see what I could make with them. I came up with a number of recipes for each separately but I decided to make something using both of them. I had a bit of a hankering for some tacos and remembering that when I was a kid mum used to make tacos with lentils and kidney beans I decided to see if I could make a taco filling using red quinoa and turtle beans. To add a bit of bulk to it I threw in some carrot, capsicum and as I had some mushrooms slowly dying a slow death in the crisper I chopped them and and threw them in too. I used some of my homemade taco seasoning, although you could use one of those packets from the supermarket, and canned tomatoes. It made an amazing filling. I felt so satisfied after eating the tacos. They really hit the spot so I think I will be making these regularly. The first night I used some warmed tortillas and just had soft tacos.  For lunch the next day I draped a tortilla over a mould and put it in the oven and formed a bowl. I really enjoyed it that way, kind of a combinations between a taco and nachos. I have also had some with some rice with a bit tomato juice added in when re-heating for a kind of faux chilli. 

Red Quinoa, Turtle Bean & Carrot Tacos 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 c dried black turtle beans (soaked for at least 6 hours)
• 1/2 c red quinoa (soaked for 30 minutes and drained thoroughly) 
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (any neutral oil will be fine)
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 medium carrots, grated 
• 1 capsicum, finely diced 
• 250 g mushrooms, finely diced 
• 1 packet taco seasoning, or homemade mix to taste (see recipe below) 
• 400 g can diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 can water 
• salt & pepper to taste

Method: 

• Drain beans and place in a saucepan with clean water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until they still have a bit of bite. Try not to cook until too soft as they will be cooking further later on. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened but not browned. Add garlic and cook for a further minute. 
• Add carrot, capsicum and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes then add quinoa and beans. 
• Add taco seasoning and stir to coat everything. 
• Add tomatoes & water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until liquid has been absorbed and quinoa and beans are cooked adding more water if necessary.
• Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with warmed tortillas, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, grated cheese, guacamole and sour cream (or yoghurt). 

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients: 

• 6 tsp Chilli Powder
• 5 tsp Paprika
• 4 ½ tsp Cumin
• 3 tsp Onion Powder
• 2 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

In storage container with tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Seal tightly. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months.  

Seven teaspoons of mix equal a pkg of purchased taco seasoning mix. (This will vary depending on the heat rating of you chilli powder so I suggest starting out with less and adding more if needed)

Fine Steak Sandwich with Garlic Crème

I went out for breakfast this morning at a local cafe. Just a simple breakfast of poached eggs on toast but it was wonderful not to have to make it myself. It was also good to have poached eggs. I have never had much luck doing poached eggs. I even tried those silicone poach pods and didn't have any luck with them either. I will have to try again though since there is a poached eggs with spinach recipe in Sydney Food but for now I was happy that someone else was making it for me. The leisurely breakfast was followed by a walk around the shops and then bought some lunch and went to the park for a bit of a picnic. I wasn't quite the picnic lunch that I had envisioned earlier in the week with this Beetroot and Feta Tart that I found over at nami-nami but it was still very good and nice and relaxing half day out.

So I am still catching up with recipes made a while ago. I really enjoyed these steak sandwiches, also called the Perfect Steak Sandwich. I could not find any nice ciabatta when I was shopping so used some bread that I already had and toasted it, although ciabatta would have been much nicer. I loved the balsamic caramelised onions, which are very easy to make. In fact I made extra so that I could use them with other things. They are particularly good on pizzas. The garlic crème, a mayonnaise flavoured with garlic and balsamic vinegar was very tasty, although it does not have a long shelf life. You could add some balsamic and roasted garlic to some store bought mayonnaise for something a bit longer lasting. Although the roasted garlic will have a milder flavour. Neil Perry's signature mayonnaise is a very good store bought one that has a similar consistency and taste to a homemade mayonnaise. I used grapeseed oil in place of the canola oil. I didn't have any rocket but did use some baby spinach leaves I had in the fridge. I got a piece of sirloin steak sliced fairly thinly from my wonderful local butcher, I managed to cook it probably a minute too long. It was a perfect lunch time meal or for a light main meal. 

Corn & Ginger Soup

I didn't manage to get my picnic in today but I did get a bunch of stuff done around the house. Plus I started to sort through my dvds, cds, books and previously unpacked boxes in preparation for a garage sale. It has been almost 2 years since I moved house. In my previous house I had so much stuff and oodles of storage. I am now in a slightly smaller house with little storage space. There is so much stuff that I just don't need or use so it is time for it to go. I have been saying that I would have a garage sale for about a year now but finally decided to do something about it. 

I remember a soup recipe in a Nigella book that she referred to as 'my body is a temple' soup although I don't remember now anything about the actual recipe. It was my first thought when I saw this recipe though. A very quick and simple recipe. Full of flavour and almost restorative. It was so easy to whip up for a quick lunch. I think this will end up being a regular in my house. 

Corn & Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely sliced 
• 2 cups corn kernels, cut from cobs (or frozen) 
• 4 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable)
• 1 tbsp shao hsing wine
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil, to serve

Method: 

• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add green onions and ginger, stir for 1 minute. 
• Add corn, stir for another minute (or longer if corn is still frozen).
• Pour in stock, bring to boil.
• Season with wine, salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce.
• Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with green onions and drizzle with sesame oil. 

Green Papaya Salad with Char-grilled Beef

I am off to my cousin's 18th birthday party tonight but I thought that I would just get a quick post in before I do.

I have found myself sitting around doing quite a bit of contemplating over the past couple of days. Some times that is not a good thing, other times it is great to consider all the options. My current contemplations have been of the not good kind. The kind where you doubt the decisions you are making, wondering what the hell you are doing and why you are doing it. Oh and the all time most useless contemplation of all...what is going on in someone else's head....sigh. It is not like you will ever be able to answer that last one with any sort of accuracy so why even start. I just can't seem to help it sometimes though. All I can do is try not to let the negativity get the better of me and just go with the flow.

There are a few recipes in Sydney Food that I was wondering if I would ever get the chance to make. There are a couple of seafood dishes that I am not sure of. I probably would be able to get everything but I just don't know what the quality of the ingredients will be like. I guess I will just have to wait and see, there is still plenty of time since it is only April. This Green Papaya Salad with Char-grilled Beef was one of those recipes that I really didn't think that I would get a chance to make. I had never seen green papaya (or paw paw) here before. I thought that if I did take a trip away somewhere I might be able to do it then, depending on where I was, but I really didn't think I would get it made and was already trying to figure out what sort of substitutions could be made. I was really surprised one day not so long ago when I walked into one of our local fruit and veg shops to find a variety of more unusual ingredients including about 4 green paw paws. There was a nice small one so I quickly changed my plans and grabbed it and then went across the street to my favourite butcher to get a lovely piece of sirloin to use. Oh, it was so worth making. I was so pleased with the result. There was a fabulous combination of flavours and it was so fresh. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as good the next day as leftovers, but I guess you can't have everything. I would definitely make this one again, I just hope that our fruit & veg shop with continue to get these ingredients in. 

Green Papaya Salad with Char-grilled Beef

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped 
• 1 tbsp palm sugar 
• 3 tbsp lime juice 
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1 1/2 c julienned green papaya
• 1/2 c julienned cucumber 
• 2 green onions, finely sliced 
• 1/4 c Thai basil leaves (I used a combination of lemon basil & sweet basil) 
• 1/4 c mint leaves 
• 1/4 c coriander leaves (I used parsley) 
• 2 sirloin steaks 
• peanut oil 
• cracked black pepper 

Method: 

• Combine garlic, chilli, palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce and stir until sugar has dissolved. 
• Add papaya, cucumber, green onions, basil, mint and coriander and toss to combine. 
• Oil steaks and season with pepper. 
• BBQ or grill until done to your liking then rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly. 
• Divide salad between serving plates and top with slices of beef.

Spicy Chicken Salad with Lime

Oh oh, it would appear that I had a little lapse in concentration for a couple of weeks there and forgot about posting. I kept meaning to come and post the new things that I was making but I just never seemed to get it done. I have been busy with a bit of a social life lately. **shock** So have not had as much time in the evenings to post. Still, it is no excuse for neglecting my little blog for so long.

This past weekend a friend and I took a little trip away for a few days. It was so good to get away from home even if  only for just a few days. I managed to go to the beach, do some shopping, have a pedicure and met some lovely new people. If you are ever in the mid-north NSW coast town of Coffs Harbour I would highly recommend paying a visit to Macauleys Restaurant. The meal was fantastic, the service wonderful and the atmosphere terrific. We ate off the wonderful menu for the most part except for the Five-spice duck breast and pomegranate salad I had for an entrée, which was a special. It was the best dish that I have had in a restaurant in a long time, such a simple dish too. The spiced duck breast was perfectly cooked and the simple salad of red onion, rocket and pomegranate arils was perfect. I will definitely be going back the next time I am in Coffs Harbour. 

This Spicy Chicken Salad with Lime was something that I made ages ago now but I have made it several times since then. It is simple and fresh and perfect for an easy lunch or a light dinner. I love the spiciness from the Szechuan peppercorns, although make sure to roast them off a bit before grinding to release their flavours. If you cannot find them they are available at many of the online spice stores, I buy from Herbies. I replace the coriander in the recipe with parsley but other than that it is made as per Bill's recipe. I managed to score a kilo of limes at the markets in Coffs Harbour so will more than likely make this again on the weekend for lunch. 

Spicy Chicken Salad with Lime

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• olive oil 
• sea salt 
• freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 cucumber, halved, de-seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped 
• 1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped 
• 1 tsp ground Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil 
• 3 tbsp lime juice 
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce 
• lime wedges 

Method: 

• Pre-heat oven to 200. Pre-heat frying pan over a high heat.
• Brush chicken with oil and season. 
• Sear breasts for 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. 
• Rest 20 minutes then slice or shred. 
• Combine chicken, cucumber, parsley and mint in a bowl. 
• Mix szechuan, fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and then pour over chicken etc. 
• Divide lettuce between 4 serving bowls and top with chicken mixture and green onions and serve with a lime wedge.

Delicious - March 2011 - Five-spice Chicken & Cucumber Banh Mi

Oh dear, I cannot believe how long it has been since I have updated my lovely little blog. Spend some time in the doldrums and the sprinkle liberally with spending time with a new friend and other things seem to fall by the way side. I have even been doing a lot of cooking. At least not stuff for my blog, to don't want to be blogging about spaghetti with grated parmesan, garlic olive oil and shredded basil... **oops** Oh and there have been plenty of sandwiches and a few convenience meals from the supermarket freezer section, none of which have been very nice. 


It hasn't all been bad though. This month's Delicious. magazine had some fantastic recipes in it. The first that I wanted to make was Rachel Allen's Slow-roasted Ginger & Citrus Shoulder of Pork. The recipe is a sweet citrusy marinade with ground star anise in there. It is marinaded overnight and then roasted for 12 hours. Instead of a bone-in shoulder, I used boneless and cooked for 10 hours. The flavour was fabulous but it was over cooked. Next time I would probably reduce the temperature further and probably reduce the cooking time a bit more. The crackling didn't crackly but I never seem to have any luck with crackling if the skin has been marinaded. It was find the way it was though. 


From this issue I also made David Prior's Five-spice Chicken & Cucumber Banh Mi. I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only thing I did differently was to marinade the chicken overnight, oh and I pan fried rather than grilled the chicken. This meal was so wonderful. Just perfect for a special lunch time meal. There was so much flavour in the chicken and it all combined perfectly. Don't skimp on the mayonnaise though. I used Neil Perry's mayo, my go to for bought mayonnaise now. I highly recommend this. It is easy to make. It is flavoursome just a little bit fancy. Oh and the left over chicken meat was fabulous in salads. 

Five-spice chicken & cucumber banh mi 

Serves 6

• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar 
• 3/4 cup (185ml) white vinegar 
• 3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks or grated 
• 900g skinless chicken thigh fillets 
• 1/2 cup (150g) whole-egg mayonnaise 
• 2 baguettes, cut into thirds, split 
• 2 long red chillies, seeds removed, cut into thin strips 
• 1 telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced into ribbons
• 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced 
• Baby rocket, or other salad greens

Marinade 

• 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce 
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 4 eschalots, finely chopped 
• 2 tbs fish sauce 
• 1 tbs caster sugar 
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp five-spice powder

Method: 

• Combine sugar, vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Add carrots and toss to coat. Stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain. 
• Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a large bow. Add chicken, turning to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours or overnight. 
• Preheat frying pan to medium-high. Remove chicken from marinade and pan-fry, in batches, for 6-8 minutes, turning, until cooked through. Slice on an angle and keep warm. 
• Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguettes, then fill with carrot, chilli, cucumber, chicken, onion and rocket. Serve immediately.

Bill's Ricotta and Tomato Tart

I woke up one morning 5 days ago with a large red mark on my face. It looked rather strange so I got squeezed in at the doctor. She wasn't really sure what it was but thought probably some kind of infection so put me on antibiotics. I ended up having to go home from work early that day. Luckily the next day was Wednesday and my day off work. I was okay in the morning but slept most of the afternoon away. I did manage to work the next day but it looked like it was spreading so I toddled off to the doctor again but she didn't want me to change anything but to come back the next day. By the end of the work day I was completely wrecked and my boss told me not to come in the next day. It was a relief not to have to get up and go to work yesterday. I went back to the doctor. Some of the redness had gone down and there was a clear lump so she thought that perhaps I had been bitten by a spider during the night. No change to the medication, just keep on with it and I should be okay. I, again, slept most of the afternoon away. It has been an unpleasant experience and I am still feeling pretty awful. I hope I am okay by Monday.

This is one of my catching up on things long past made. Part of what I love so much about this cook book is that it is divided up into breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although most of the lunch & dinner recipes can be flipped around easily. I was in the supermarket one day and came across a 1 kg package of fresh ricotta reduced in price and remembering Bill's fabulous looking Ricotta and Tomato Tart I decided to get it and make it. Bill gives a recipe for a rough puff pastry but being short of time and tired on the day I really didn't feel like making pastry so I used some frozen sheets of puff pastry. Since I was using these I decided that it was best to put it all in a pie dish rather than attempting a free-form pie. I really enjoyed this. It was a lot lighter than a traditional quiche but still substantial enough to make a main meal. It would be rather plain without the tomato, I think that the addition of some sautéed onion to the mix would make a real difference. I did actually use the rocket, I decided to put aside my normal aversion to it as I knew that the peppery taste would help. It was lovely hot for dinner but just as good cold for lunch the next day. This one will definitely be going into the rotation for lunches. 

Ricotta and Tomato Tart 

Ingredients 

• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, finely sliced
• 2 c ricotta
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 c cream
• 1/4 c finely grated Parmesan
• 1 c rocket, finely shredded

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 200 C. 
• Line greased pie dish with two sheets of thawed puff pastry, overlapping so completely cover the dish. 
• Mix together ricotta, eggs, cream, parmasean and season with salt and black pepper.
• Fold in the rocket and then spoon mixture into prepared pie shell. 
• Layer the thinly sliced tomatoes over the cheese mixture, overlapping them slightly. 
• Bake for 35-40 minutes (or until crust is golden and middle is set).
• Allow to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with a green salad.