Potato Cakes with Caraway Cheese

Potato Cakes

500g red potatoes (washed)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg
2 tbsp plain flour
salt to taste
Oil for frying

Caraway Cheese
Punnet of cottage cheese
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp caraway seeds
pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

To make the caraway cheese put the seeds and the salt in a pestle and mortar and grind a bit, seeds will hold their shape but a flavourous dust will grind off. Combine with the ccheese and milk. Stir and refridgerate.
Grate the potato and squeeze the water out of them with your hands into the sink.
Combine thouroughly with onion, egg, flour and salt.
Put into a seive and place on a bowl so that the mixture drips out as you make the patties.
In a not stick pan fry heaped dessert spoons of the mixture. Try not to make them to circular or they will not cook in the middle, so flattern them with a spoon. Dry on paper towl on a tray in a warm oven.

Brownies

200g softened butter
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C cocoa
3 eggs
1/2 C standard flour
150g roughly chopped white chocolate or 3/4 C roughly chopped walnuts or both

Beat butter, sugar and cocoa for 4-5 minutes until creamy
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
Stir in flour and chocolate/walnuts
Bake at 150 for 1 hour or until surface of the brownie appears almost cracked. The centre should appear almost uncooked. Cool in tin. Cut into squares.

Baked Couscous

12 smallish tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp thyme leaves
Oil
Salt and pepper
Combine above in baking dish and bake at 180 for 20 minutes.

Pour over 1 1/2 C couscous and 1 1/2 C vege stock. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Approx. 200g roughly chopped and wilted spinach or silverbeet.
1/3 C grated parmesan
1/3 C pinenuts
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the above over the couscous. Serve hot or cold.

Parsnip and Potato Gratin

Melted butter, for brushing
3/4 C cream
3/4 C milk
1 head garlic, halved
2 sprigs rosemary
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
sea salt and pepper
500g starchy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
500g parnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 C finely grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 180. Brush 1.75 litre-capacity ovenproof dish with melted butter. Set aside.
Place the cream, milk, garlic, rosemary, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heal and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Layer the potato and parsnip in the baking dish, sprinkling each layer with parmesan, salt and pepper. Strain the cream mixture over the parsnip and potato.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for a further 30-35 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Serves 4. 

Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

5 thick slices sourdough bread. Alternatively use combo of french stick and croissant.
300g rhubarb, chopped into pieces.
3/4 C caster sugar
Combine all in bowl. Put into baking dish or ramekins.

3 eggs
1 C cream
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Beat eggs and mix in the rest. Pour over rhubarb. Stand for 15 minutes. Dot top with 40g butter.

Cover with foil and bake at 160 for about 40 minutes or until custard is set.

Serves 4 generously.

Mentatz wannabe

Ingredients

Brown Rice - 1/2 cup per person

Two Leeks, sliced and seperated out of rings
Three Cloves of Garlic, crushed
2 Tbs Rice Vinager
2 Tbs Mirin
2 Tbs Seseme

Head of Brocalli cut into florets

Two Slabs of Tofu, cut into one inch cubes and coated in corn flour
Corn Flour, see above
Oil for Deep Frying, fill our smallest pot an inch deep

Capsican, slice in thin strips
Cabbage, slice in thin strips

Brown Sauce
Japanese Mayo
Sesame Dressing

Directions (In order of cooking)

1. Prepare ingredients so are ready to go
2. Start rice cooking
3. Steam brocolli (5-10 minutes)
4. Put oil on the back element and heat, using tongs add six peices of the tofu (it is important to add six so the oil rises up the side of the tofu. Cook tofu for about 4 minutes and then flip over each peice. Cook for a further 4 minutes. Take tofu out and put it on paper towl on a tray and put into a warm oven.
5. After the first batches of tofu, start on the leek dish by frying leeks in a frying pan for 5-10 minutes until soft. Add garlic and after 2 minutes add vinegar and mirin. fry for 2 more minutes and take off heat.
6. Combine all ingredients in bowls

delicious anzac an oldie but a goodie

Ingredients:

• 1 heaped cup of sifted flour
• 2 level teaspoons baking powder
• 1 small cup of sugar
• 1 heaped cup of coconut
• 1 heaped cup of rolled oats
• 4 oz/110 gm butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients well together. Put the butter, golden syrup and water into a saucepan to melt and then add to the mixture. Take spoon fulls of the mixture and roll into balls and press down on a cold greased tray. Bake at 350 F/180 C for 15 to 20 minutes (if you are using a fan-forced oven  then you will need to lower the temperature by up to 10 degrees centigrade and/or adjust the time). Leave to cool on a rack.

Vegetable Ramen Recipe

Vegetable Ramen Recipes Ingredients : 375g fresh ramen noodles 1 tbsp oil 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, crushed 150g oyster mushrooms, halved 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds 1 leek, white and light green part, halved lengthways and thinly sliced 100g snow peas, halved diagonally 100g fried tofu puffs, cut into matchsticks 1.25 liters vegetable stock 1 1/2 tbsp white miso paste 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp mirin 90g bean sprouts 1 tsp sesame oil 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 100g enoki mushrooms Method : Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, for 4 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the ginger, crushed garlic, oyster mushrooms, zucchini, leek, snow peas and tofu puffs, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the stock and 300ml water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Stir in the miso, soy sauce and mirin until heated through. Do not boil. Stir in the bean sprouts and sesame oil. Place the noodles in the bottom of six serving bowls, then pour in the soup. Garnish with the spring onion and enoki mushrooms. Ready to eat in 30 minutes Serves 4 - 6

Honey Cornbread Muffin

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey

• Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.
Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Creole Vegetable JambalayaRecipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups small diced onions
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 cups small diced bell peppers
• 2 cups small diced eggplant
• 2 cups small diced yellow squash
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cups long-grain rice
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup chopped green onions

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots, bell peppers, eggplant, squash, and garlic and saute until tender about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and cayenne. Add the bay leaves. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, stir and cover. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir during this cooking time. Remove from heat and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Add the green onions and mix.

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All Rights Reserved.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups small diced onions
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 cups small diced bell peppers
• 2 cups small diced eggplant
• 2 cups small diced yellow squash
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cups long-grain rice
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup chopped green onions

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots, bell peppers, eggplant, squash, and garlic and saute until tender about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and cayenne. Add the bay leaves. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, stir and cover. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir during this cooking time. Remove from heat and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Add the green onions and mix.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup Recipe

Miso Choice: This time around I used an organic white miso, but I'd encourage you to experiment with a range of misos.

3 ounces dried soba noodles
2 - 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste)
2 - 3 ounces firm tofu (2 handfuls), chopped into 1/3-inch cubes
a handful of watercress or spinach, well washed and stems trimmed
2 green onions, tops removed thinly sliced
a small handful of cilantro
a pinch of red pepper flakes

Cook the soba noodles in salted water, drain, run cold water over the noodles to stop them from cooking, shake off any excess water and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and remove from heat. Pour a bit of the hot water into a small bowl and whisk in the miso paste - so it thins out a bit (this step is to avoid clumping). Stir this back into the pot. Taste, and then add more (the same way) a bit at a time until it is to your liking. Also, some miso pastes are less-salty than others, so you may need to add a bit of salt here. Add the tofu, remove from the heat, and let it sit for just a minute or so.
Split the noodles between two (or three) bowls, and pour the miso broth and tofu over them. Add some watercress, green onions, cilantro, and red pepper flakes to each bowl and enjoy.

Spring Roll

Wintery Spring Rolls

Here's how this works. Each roll has a slather of ginger onion paste, a couple crunchy lettuce leaves, some mushrooms, tofu, and a bit of cilantro (or other herb of your choice - mint, basil). Roll tight, and you're set.

Ginger Onion Paste:

2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 red spring onions, finely sliced (or equiv. red onion / shallots)
3 tablespoons grated, peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
6 tablespoons sunflower oil

Brown Sugar Tofu & Mushrooms:

12 ounces extra firm tofu
3 medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 teaspoons natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
8 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean, sliced 1/4-inch thick

For spring roll assembly:

Ginger Onion Paste (above)
Brown Sugar Tofu & Mushrooms (above)
crisp, crunchy lettuce (baby gems / romaine)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro or other herbs, well washed / dried
~1 dozen rice paper wrappers

Make the ginger onion paste: Place the onions and ginger in a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle with the salt, and pound until the onions are quite bruised, but not paste-like. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot (hot enough that you could saute something in it). Add the onion mixture to the oil, remove from heat, and transfer to a jar to cool. I like to drain off (and save) most of the oil before using it here in the rolls, leaving just the paste.
Make the tofu & mushrooms: Pat the tofu dry, and cut into six equal slabs before arranging in a single layer on a rimmed plate. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle, sprinkle with the salt and sugar, and pound into a paste. Work the oil in, a bit at a time, until the ingredients are completely combined. Use your hands to slather and gently coat each piece of tofu, be quite thorough. Set aside, and leave the bowl dirty.
Cook the tofu in a single layer in a large skillet over medium-high heat until deeply golden on each side. I've found I don't need any addition oil here. Remove from the pan, and when cool enough to handle, slice into pencil-thick pieces, and salt to taste.
In the meantime, toss the mushrooms gently (but well), in the residual marinade left in the tofu bowl. Once the tofu is done, you can use the same tofu skillet to cook the mushrooms. Use high heat, and cook until the mushrooms release their water and take on a nice, dark color. Transfer to a bowl or platter, and season appropriately.
Assemble the spring rolls: In bowl of hot water, dip each rice paper wrapper for just 3 seconds. Resist over-soaking, even if the paper is a bit stiff it will continue to absorb water as you assemble the wrap. Place on a flat work surface and fold in half. Have a glance at the photos up above if you've never done this. You're going to want to keep all your ingredients crowded into 1/3 of the available surface of the wrapper at this point.
Put down a generous smear of ginger onion paste. Then a lettuce leaf, tofu, a few mushroom, cilantro. Then, tuck and roll. I like the open-sided rolls (above), but you can certainly make enclosed rolls by leaving the wrapper round, and folding in the edges mid-wrap.
Makes about a dozen rolls.

Prep time: 15 min - Cook time: 15 min

Caramelized Onion, Beetroot & Feta Tart

YUM YUM

Ingredients
250g short crust Pastry
Olive oil
100g feta cheese
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 red onions
2 small beetroot
100ml cream
1 free range egg
Salt & pepper for seasoning
Handful fresh rosemary

Method
Pre heat oven to 180C and butter and flour 8 small tart tins or one 24cm tart tin.
Roll pastry to fit tins, line the tins and allow to rest in the fridge 20 minutes while making the filling.
Slice the onions and either grate the beetroot or process into matchstick with a food processor.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the onions and beetroot to the frying pan and sauté until soft (approx 10 mins).
Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook for a further 10 minutes stirring every few minutes and then cool.
Spread the onions and beetroot over the pastry case.
Whisk the egg and cream together and season with salt and pepper.
Gentle pour the egg mixture into the tart cases.
Crumble the feta over the top of the onions.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the egg mix if firm.
Sprinkle with some fresh rosemary and serve warm or chilled.