Experimental Wednesdays: Butterscotch Self Saucing Pudding (Gluten Free)

I made this luscious pudding for afternoon tea last week when my friend, and fellow blogger, Anna and her son came for a play date. Anna can’t eat gluten either and she can be quite ‘funny’ about the gluten free flours she has tasted in the past, commenting that many of them have a strange smell or aftertaste. She was blown away by this “warming, rich, comforting…” (can’t remember any other adjectives she used) dessert and rated it 10 out of 10!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (190g) self-raising flour (I used Orgran gluten free self raising flour)
• 100g butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (125ml) milk, plus a generous dash if you are making gluten free
• 4 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon (gluten free) cornflour
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) boiling water
• Double cream or ice cream, to serve

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 1.5 litre (6 cup) ovenproof dish. Combine 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and all of the flour in a bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and 2 tablespoons of the golden syrup and stir until combined. Spoon into greased dish.Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and cornflour. Sprinkle over the pudding mixture.Combine boiling water with the remaining 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. Pour over the top of the pudding mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve with double cream or ice cream.

Food Boys Love To Eat: Punjabi Cabbage

I was a little surprised when my son requested I make this very, very healthy dish. I hadn’t made it for ages and he missed it. This recipe is from a brilliant book called A Little Taste of India.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons oil1 onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, chopped (OR add ground ginger later—this is the cheaper option)

2 green chillies, seeded and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 cups finely sliced cabbage

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 TBSP unsalted butter

METHOD:

Put the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli in a food processor and chop until fine but not a paste. This can also be done by hand. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the onion mixture until soft but not brown. Add the cumin seeds and turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, stirring thoroughly until all the cabbage is covered in the yellow paste. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper. Stir to coat the cabbage well, then cook for ten minutes, with the lid of the saucepan on, stirring occasionally, until soft. If the cabbage becomes too dry add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the butter and add salt to taste.

Experimental Wednesdays: Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup

I found this recipe in an ABC Delicious cook book and was curious. If I’d stuck to the recipe it would have been a little bit bland but I didn’t stick to the recipe. My house mate liked the outcome. However, next time, I would make it with pumpkin or sweet potato. Wasn’t impressed with the carrot flavour.

INGREDIENTS:

20 g butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, washed and chopped

1 tablespoon good curry paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/3 cup of passata

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

5 carrots, chopped

1 cup red lentils

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, I use Massel brand, which is vegetarian

1 cup coconut milk + extra to serve with a swirl!

Lime juice to taste

2 tablespoons peanut oil

12 (or more) fresh curry leaves

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

Pappadams to serve

METHOD:

Place the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and leek, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the curry paste and cumin, then cook, stirring until fragrant.. Add garlic, tomato passata, tomato paste, carrots, lentils and stock, then season. Cover and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the carrot is tender. Remove the soup from the heat and blend until smooth.

Add the coconut milk and lime juice and gently reheat over a low heat.

Meanwhile, place the peanut oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves in a small fry-pan until the mustard seeds pop and the curry leaves toast. Use this mix as a garnish, along with a swirl of coconut milk, in each bowl. Serve with the pappadams.

Beautiful Eggplant Curry

Ingredients

Serves: 4 

• 2 large eggplants
• vegetable oil to coat the eggplant
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2cm cube of ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nigella (black onion seeds)
• More oil to fry the spices
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 (400g) can of tomatoes (or use same amount of peeled fresh tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

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Directions

Preparation:10min  ›  Cook:30min  ›  Ready in:40min

1. Cut the eggplants into wedges about 5 cm long, arrange them on a baking tray, which has been covered with baking paper, and brush the wedges with oil. Bake them in a medium oven for 20 minutes, turn them over, brush them again and bake until beginning to brown. When baked set them aside while you make the sauce.
2. Finely chop the garlic and ginger together.
3. Heat oil in a pan and when it’s hot add in the nigella and fennel seeds. After a few seconds they will begin to pop.
4. Add the garlic/ginger and fry for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. simmer until it forms a thick tomato paste.
5. Add the sliced, fried eggplant to the pan and heat gently for 5 minutes.

Experimental Wednesdays: Mushroom Fricassee on Purely Evil Polenta

 

 

I made this on Wednesday because I had polenta in my pantry and I thought it was about time to try and make it interesting, after many attempts with bland results. And I discovered the secret to making it delicious! Make it evil. Add all sorts of bad stuff like butter and cheese, and I promise you will love it. I took one bite and my eyes slowly closed (stereo-typed, but true) in pure bliss. This dish is restaurant quality and yet it is so simple.

INGREDIENTS FOR PURELY EVIL POLENTA:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 chicken stock cube

Polenta

Big knob of butter

Big handful of grated parmesan

METHOD:

Bring the water, milk and chicken stock cube to the boil. Slowly drizzle in the polenta and stir until the mixture just begins to thicken. Continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Add the butter and parmesan and stir until melted and smooth.

MUSHROOM FRICASSEE INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 handfuls of sliced button mushrooms

1/2 cup of red wine

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Salt and white pepper to season

METHOD:

Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until just translucent. Add the mushrooms and thyme and continue to saute until the mushrooms diminish to about half their original volume. You may need to add more olive oil. Add the wine and simmer until reduced. Season with salt and white pepper.

Experimental Wednesdays: Caramel Popcorn

One of my all time favourite things is Caramel Popcorn but I never thought I could make it as I have never really ventured into the world of candy making. This recipe was ridiculously easy, though, and the result was mouth-wateringly delicious. Now we just need a great movie…

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup uncooked popcorn
125 g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup liquid glucose (glucose syrup, available from most supermarkets)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
METHOD:

Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernals. Set aside. You should have approx 7-10 cups of popped popcorn. Place one or two baking trays on your bench top. Line them with baking paper. You will spread the hot caramel coated popcorn onto these later. Use the largest saucepan you can find. Add the butter, brown sugar and syrup. Over heat, bring to the boil and boil for approx 4-5 minutes. Stir fairly constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Add the bicarb soda and the vanilla essence. Add the popped corn, stirring thoroughly to cover the popcorn evenly. Work quickly. Spread the popcorn over the baking dishes. Break up clumps of popcorn with a wooden spoon. After about a minute the popcorn should be cool enough to handle carefully. Break it into smaller sized pieces. Cool and store in an airtight container. Will keep for about a week.

Daniel loved this recipe and said it was better tasting than the commercial brands of caramel popcorn.

UPDATE (A note from the original cook): I made these on a wet and very humid day and the popcorn was ‘sticky’. I haven’t had this problem before and have made this popcorn recipe a dozen times. Placed in a baking dish and heated at 120°C for about 20 minutes. Stirring every 5 minutes or so. Really took away the stickiness and made the popcorn crunchy.

http://australian.food.com/recipe/caramel-popcorn-no-bake-yummo-254103

 

 

Creamy Lemon Pepper Mashed Potato

INGREDIENTS:

5 medium Carisma* potatoes, peeled and chopped in quarters

Big pot of boiling water, enough to cover potatoes

1/4 cup of buttermilk

2 tablespoons of butter (No nonsense substitutes please!)

Enough full cream milk to make mash smooth and creamy

Zest of half a medium lemon

Cracked black pepper

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Boil the potatoes in the water until floury starch gathers on the edge of your pot. Drain the boiling water away. Add the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, pepper and salt to taste. Mash, stir, mash. Add dribbles of milk. Mash until your potato looks like cream. Mmmm. Delicious.

 

 

* Carisma is a newly released low carb potato stocked in Coles supermarkets in Australia, but any floury potato would work in this recipe.

 

Experimental Wednesdays: Chicken Cacciatore

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 brown onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped finely
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 gluten free chicken stock cubes
• Half a bottle of red wine
• 2 400g can chopped, peeled tomatoes
• 140g (3/4 cup) seeded kalamata olives
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1kg (about 8) chicken thigh fillets, chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Creamy Lemon Pepper Mashed Potato, to serve (This delicious recipe will follow soon!)

METHOD:

In a large saucepan, fry the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the oil until softened. Add the chicken stock cubes and fry for a further minute. Add the tomatoes, red wine, kalamata olives and parsley and simmer until thickened but not dry. Add the chicken fillets and cover the saucepan for at least 8 minutes or until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Creamy Lemon Pepper Mashed Potato.

My dad gave this dish 7 1/2 out of 10, Demitri, 7 1/2 out of 10. Daniel gave it 8 out of 10. I give it 8 out of 10. It was yummy and the potato was really awesome too.

Experimental Wednesdays: Vegetable and Lentil Soup (5 Days Late!)

Weirdly, I didn’t notice this recipe was nearly exactly the Greek Lentil Soup my ex-husband used to make, until I began to cook it. So I thought I would change a few little things to make it mine. That sounds a little odd, right? Because it is only food? But little things tend to bring back big memories. So I hope you adore MY Vegetable and Lentil Soup recipe. It rocks.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 2 vegetable stock cubes (I use Massel brand stock cubes because they are gluten free)
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 cups of water
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained
• 400g can white beans, drained

METHOD:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and begin to fry off all the ingredients up to and including the 2 stock cubes. Fry for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables collapse. Add the parsley and then the two cups of water and the tin of diced tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the vegetables have broken up. Blend until smooth. Bring back to a simmer and add the lentils and beans. Cook to warm the pulses through. I garnished this delicious soup with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Hearty and satisfying, this is sure to become a new winter staple in our household.

Food Boys Love To Eat: Breakfast Rolls

My guys eyes lit up yesterday when I cooled their breakfast. This is simply fried bacon, fried egg, synthetic, McDonald’s-ish cheese, and BBQ sauce on a crusty white bread roll. I then squashed the whole concoction in a sandwich toaster. They were very happy.