Marinated mushrooms with lemon and thyme

I think I've said before that I was a latecomer to the wonders of mushrooms. Now I just can't get enough of them, and eat them at least once every day. Usually for breakfast, sliced or chopped into chunks, sautéed with a bit of butter, sometimes with rosemary or thyme, and served with an egg, or some haloumi, or bacon, or a combo of.

They are insanely healthy for you [maybe a bit less so with the addition of butter - never margarine] which as far as I'm concerned is just a huge bonus!

Marinated mushies, with lemon and thyme

This very simple marinated mushroom dish is always a winner. Great to serve with anti-pasto platters, or just with a couple of cheeses. Mum introduced me to these many years ago, but for reasons I can't work out, I don't make them all that often. Silly me.

What you need:
400g teeny tiny baby button mushrooms [the smaller the better]
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice [or white wine vinegar - I love LiraH vinegars, but had run out]
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 tsp salt [I like the Maldon seasalt or the pink Murray salt flakes for this]
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
4-5 stalks of Italian parsley, leaves only
zest of 1 lemon
whole chilli [cut into big chunks, seeded if you don't like it too hot, optional]

All squashed into one of mum's beautiful old preserving jars. 

What you do:

• Give the mushrooms a good wipe or a quick wash to get rid of any dirt and grit. 
• Pop the mushrooms into a glass jar with a lid - squash them all in if you need to!
• In a measuring cup [or a small bowl with a lip], mix together all the other ingredients. Taste and add extra lemon, salt, pepper if needed. 
• Pour over the mushrooms in the jar. Pop the lid on and swirl the jar around until the mushrooms are all coated in the mix. 

Tipping these upside down wasn't my smartest move as the lid wasn't sealed!

• Leave on the bench to marinate for at least 24 hours. Give the jar a good swirl every few hours or when you walk past. 
• After 24 hours the liquid will start to come out of the mushrooms, adding to the marinade. After about 36 hours your mushrooms will have shrunk. Pop it all in the fridge and eat as desired! 

This is after about 36 hours - see how much the liquid has increased?

The mushrooms are best if brought to room temperature before serving.

Have you made marinated mushrooms? What flavours do you add?

Chocolate decadence - Valentine's Day

I’ve never really been the hearts and flowers type, and I'm not all that into Valentine's Day [due mainly to that ghastly boyfriend who dumped me on 13 February many years ago, but then expected to get back together on the 15th! Um, NO!] 

However, I do love the occasional excuse to have a decadent dessert - and what better excuse than Valentine’s Day. 

This is really easy to make and the cake part of the recipe can be made a few days - or even weeks - earlier and kept in the fridge or freezer. I actually think it tastes even better 2-3 days after it’s been made. The best bit about the cake is it’s versatility - it’s perfect for morning tea, a quick after-school treat, or as a dessert for a dinner party. Oh, and it’s also gluten free.

And if it looks familiar, it's virtually the same recipe as the one for my gluten free chocolate cherry cake [nothing like recycling!], but tarted up for Valentines Day. If you're into that sort of thing.

What you need:
250g dark chocolate,broken into pieces (I prefer dark chocolate that has 70% cocoa solids)
250g almond meal
200g caster sugar
150g butter, softened
6 eggs (ideally 59g - if they are smaller use 7 eggs)
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water
Cream to serve
Raspberries (fresh or frozen) to serve
Icing sugar* (to serve)

What you do:

1. Turn the oven on to 180c.
2. Line the baking tray with baking paper
3. Place the chocolate pieces in the food processor and whizz until they resemble big crumbs of chocolate (if you don’t have a food processor, place the chocolate in a freezer or zip lock bag and seal, place the bag between 2 tea-towels and bash with a rolling pin or a meat mallet until its crushed). Set aside.
4. Place the sugar, butter, eggs, cocoa and baking powder into the mixing bowl and mix with the electric beaters or a wooden spoon until smooth. Mix in the coffee mixture.
5. Add the chocolate and almond meal and mix well - it might be easier to mix this with the wooden spoon.
6. Pour the cake mix into the baking tray, smooth it over with a knife.
7. Bake on the middle tray of the oven for 30-45 minutes (check it at 30 minutes - you want the centre to be soft to touch but not too gooey).

Leave to cool in the baking tray for 15 minutes then move it to cook on the wire rack.

To assemble dessert
Once the cake is cool, remove it from the wire rack and place it on a flat surface. Cut out heart shaped pieces with the cookie cutter and carefully transfer 1 heart to each plate. You should get 6 hearts out of a cake this size. 

This cake is best served at room temperature or slightly warmed. Serve with raspberries and cream. Dust with icing sugar.

WARNING! This cake is very rich and is easily enough to share. It IS Valentine’s Day after all!
* if you are serving this to someone who requires gluten free, make sure you get pure icing sugar, NOT icing mixture

What to do with leftover cake
All those leftover bits of cake (around the heart cut-outs) are great for dessert or snacks. Serve warmed with ice-cream or cream or thick yogurt. Or just eat them on their own! The cake should keep for 3 months in an airtight container in the freezer or a week in the fridge.

In my Thermomix: Beetroot and mint pesto

This is one of the best things I have made with beetroot. Ever.

I was a late convert to the wonders of beetroot. Largely because all I knew for many years was the beetroot in a can. With that overly vinegary tartness. Which my tastebuds definitely didn't like [and still don't].

There was also a memorable experience with borscht when I was about 15. Not memorable in a good way I should hasten to add.

And then there was the first time I decided had fresh beetroot in a veggie juice. I was new to veggie juicing but had heard beetroot was healthy. I was determined to give it a go. Clearly it hadn't been cleaned properly as that juice tasted unpleasantly of dirt. Needless to say it was a long time before I tried again.

I can't remember when I did - probably when I started getting loads of freshly grown beetroot in my CSA box from Food Connect. For many weeks they fed the compost worms. Then I decided to experiment. With dips and with roasting mostly. Now I seek it out and buy and eat it all the time. I'm even growing it in my veggie garden! YUM.

And now my beetroot loving-ness has been turned on its head. Again. Thanks to Mel from Vanilla Zulu cooking school.

I met Mel at a workshop on social media that I spoke at about 18 months ago. We had stayed in touch, but sporadically. She was busy setting up her cooking school. I was busy dealing with some of life's unexpected dramas, and going back to uni. We reconnected recently thanks to twitter. Man I love twitter.

Anyway, I digress.

I caught up with Mel for a coffee and she invited hubby and I to one of her cooking classes. She made a simple beetroot pesto. It was quick, it was easy, it was a flavour sensation!

I had to make it.

This is my version. For the Thermomix, but just as easy in a food processor.

Beetroot and mint pesto

Beetroot mint pesto
by Mel Kettle

What you need:
2 decent sized beetroot, scrubbed and peeled, chopped into quarters
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1/3 cup of pine nuts [you could also use cashews]
1 generous handful of mint, leaves only
1/3 cup good olive oil
bit of salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
This is the super-easy Thermomix bit.

Chuck everything into the Thermomix bowl. Whizz on speed 7 for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl, whizz again for another 30 seconds or until smooth.

Serve and eat.

Roast beef with beetroot pesto

Mel served hers smeared over roast beef which was amazing [her version had cumin, not mint]. I think it would also be beautiful with roast lamb. Or just on crackers or beautiful sourdough which is how I've been eating it.

What is your favourite pesto? Do you experiment with flavours, or do you stick to the tried and true basil and pine nut version?

In my thermomix: gluten free chocolate cherry cake

Those who know me well know that I often rave about my thermomix. It was a 40th birthday pressie fairly recently (well, maybe not that recently...) and while I don't use it as much as many owners, I can't imagine my kitchen without it. 

My favourite recipe in the basic cookbook that comes with it is easily the Torta Caprese or flourless almond cake. I've made it countless times and it has always been a huge hit. Most people are shocked when they realise it's gluten free as it is ridiculously moist and bursting with flavour. It's also incredibly simple, quick to prepare, and could easily be made by those of you unfortunate enough not to have a thermi. I've made it as is in the book, as well as adding orange zest, various liquors, and extra whole almonds to give it a different texture. 

I mixed it up again when I made it on the weekend as I was very kindly given a massive box of beautiful cherries by Cherry Growers Australia and Brisbane Produce Markets. I am a bit surprised that I had some left for baking, as cherries are amongst my favourite fruits, but even I can't eat 2kg of them on my own. Although I tried hard!

What you need

250g dark chocolate, chopped (I always use a good quality 70% chocolate)

250g almonds

200g sugar (I use raw and blitz it a bit, but you could use castor too)

150g butter at room temperature

6 eggs (59g)

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp cocoa

300g cherries, pitted and cut in half (this allows for a few to be eaten) 

What you do 

• Preheat oven to 180c
• Grease a 20-22cm tin and line with baking paper
• Pop the chocolate into the thermi bowl and chop for 5-10 seconds on speed 8. Set aside in a separate bowl
• Put the almonds into the thermi bowl and chop for about 10 seconds on speed 6. Add to the bowl with the chocolate
• Place remaining ingredients into the thermi bowl and mix for 20 seconds on speed 7
• Add chocolate and almonds and mix for about 30 seconds on speed 6 until it has all come together
• Pour half the mixture into the prepared tin, sprinkle half the cherries on top
• Pour over the other half of the mixture and top with the remaining cherries 
• Bake for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Check at the hour mark. You want it to be not fully cooked, so it has a lovely fudgy centre.
• Once cooked, cool in the tin, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. Try not to be tempted to cut it before it is completely cool. 
• Serve with more fresh cherries, cream or ice-cream

If you don't have a thermomix, you can easily make it using another type of mixer. Either hand grate the chocolate, or blitz it in a food processor, buy almond meal, use caster sugar and mix the rest as per the order in the directions above. 

Actually, if you don't have a thermomix, just go and get one. Or at least start saving!

What's your favourite ingredient to add to a chocolate cake recipe?

Disclaimer: The cherries (and a fabulous easy to re-use box and bag) were gifted to me by Cherry Growers Australia and Brisbane Produce Markets. Thank you. 

Mmmmm soup. [post sponsored by La Zuppa]

I've been a bit AWOL lately due to the juggle of work, uni and OUR KITCHEN RENO!! Yes, the Kitchen Reno [the uppercase IS deliberate :) ] is now about 98% finished! But more about that in another post. When it's 100% completed and I've packed away all the bench clutter.

Bench top clutter. And a sneak peek of colours :)

Some of you know that for a few days of this reno we had to live in our basement as most of the timber floors that cover all of our upstairs had to be re-polished. Talk about a major PITA. But so worth it.

So for 5 days we lived on food that could be cooked in the microwave or in a toaster [silly me forgot to take the thermomix downstairs...]. Let me tell you how sick I am of BBQ chicken and toast.

What I'm not sick of however, is soup. Especially as it's now getting colder. And I am SO GRATEFUL to the beautiful people at La Zuppa who sent me a big box of microwavable soup, which arrived a few days before our basement foray. Talk about perfect timing!

Those of you who know me, know how much I generally loathe pre-packaged foods. For so many reasons, but mainly the preservatives and additives they contain [and the resultant, horrifying effect they have on my mood and general mental state :( ]. So when I was asked to trial La Zuppa my first instinct was to say "no way Jose". Until they told me their soup doesn't contain any additives. They are also gluten free, diary free, 99% fat free and most are under 150 calories per serve.  I thought I would give them a go.

They are ridiculously easy to heat up [2 minutes in the microwave] as they come in their own bowl that you cook and eat out of [although I do prefer mine transferred to a bowl once cooked...]. Perfect for work or for those quick meals when it's cold and you're starving! Or for when you are living out of your basement during a Kitchen Reno!

To heat: remove lid, peel off the foil, replace lid, zap for 2 minutes. EASY!

It comes in 10 flavours - my favourite was chicken and corn.

What is your favourite soup? Enter the La Zuppa facebook competition [closing 31 July 2012], tell them your favourite soup flavour and you could win a trip to Italy's spectacular Amalfi Coast to hone your culinary skills at the La Cucina Del Gusto cooking school. Or you could win one of the weekly cash prizes.

And don't forget to let me know your favourite flavour too!

P.S. The pics were taken on our new benchtops - the colour is shitake. Of course!

Summer salad days - with quinoa

Salads as a child tended to be the fairly dull wedges of iceberg lettuce, chunks of tomato and cucumber, with the occasional addition of some crisp green capsicum, slivers of red onion and a sprinkling of sprouts. Generally splashed with some vinaigrette. Vastly different from today. In fact, the only time I bought iceberg lettuce in recent years was when dad come for a visit as it was the only lettuce he liked. Having said that, the old iceberg is pretty good when drowned in a blue cheese dressing. Dad's favourite.

But I digress.

I was asked yesterday for some salad ideas that are more substantial than just a green salad. Two of my favourite ingredients for a salad are couscous and quinoa. And I generally use them interchangeably.

Quinoa salad

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is the seed of a pseudocereal (which means it comes from a broadleaf plant rather than a grass, which most grains come from) that originated in South America. It's gluten free, and it is a complete protein source as it has a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a great alternative for coeliacs and vegetarians/vegans. It also tastes great - slightly nutty - and is delicious used as an alternative to oats in porridge or rice in creamed rice (yuk!) or as a savoury dish.

Quinoa is cooked in a similar fashion to rice - using the absorption method

Cooked quinoa has a white edge around it with a translucent centre

This salad is pretty simple, and can be either an accompaniment to meat or fish or a meal on its own.

What you need:

1 cup raw quinoa
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of pepita seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped basil and/or Italian parsley (about a bunch)
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
1/2 bunch of asparagus, woody ends removed, cut into thirds
1 piece of preserved lemon, finely chopped (optional)
juice of a lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil
cracked black pepper

What to do:

1. Cook the quinoa according to directions on the packet. Once cooked, put it into a large bowl to cool
2. Dry-fry the pepita and sunflower seeds - I just do this on the stove in a fry pan with no oil. It takes about 2 minutes, but be careful to watch them so they don't burn
3. Steam the asparagus - I do it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. 
4. Once the quinoa has cooled slightly, add all the other ingredients and mix together. 
5. Serve as part of a meal - I love it with BBQ chicken or lamb. 

This makes enough for 4 people as a meal or about 8 as a side. It tastes even better the next day. 

Beautiful orange balsamic (left) and blood orange olive oil (right)

Options:

I have made it before using leftover roast veggies (pumpkin, fennel and beetroot are particularly good), adding some fetta or goats cheese and olives, using flavoured olive oils (my current favourite is a beautiful blood orange oil I bought from the Black Pearl Epicure warehouse sale) or flavoured vinegars (again, a gorgeous bright orange balsamic vinegar also from Black Pearl). 

While I have listed this as a summer salad, it's also great in winter. 

What are your favourite summer salads?

Maple crunchola breakfast

It's no secret that breakfast is my absolutely all time favourite meal. Especially when bacon is involved. Sadly though, my body rebels when I eat bacon every day. I know. I don't know why either. Pesky extra kilos. Grrr.

So in my attempt to shed a bit of bacon-induced flab and to get a few more nuts, seeds and grains into my bod, I'm eating this a couple of times a week for my break-the-fast meal.

mmmm breakfast mmmm

I first had a version of this when hubby and I had a romantic weekend at Coolum about 4 years ago. We stayed at The Dome House, an absolutely sensational B&B near the base of Mt Coolum. We had a few gorgeous weekends here, and Di and Pete were fabulous hosts. Sadly (for us, not for them) they packed up a couple of years ago to go travelling, so The Dome House no longer operates as a B&B.

But I digress.

Breakfast each morning was a total smorgasbord of delight. The type I always say I'll make at home on a Sunday but never do. This however, I have made many times. And it's always a winner.

I've always thought this was gluten free, but was horrified to read that the packets of a few ingredients "may contain gluten" when I made it recently. I can only assume that is from processing on machines that have wheat through them. Luckily I'm not a coeliac, although I have fed it to a few who are. SORRY if you had any horrible side effects...

In this version I used:

• 2 cups puffed corn
• 2 cups puffed kamut
• 1 cup puffed millet (this was a new addition this time - DELISH!)
• 1 cup rice flakes
• 1 cup pepita seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cups macademia nuts (or any mixed and unsalted nuts)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup (none of that fake horrible kind! And definitely NOT the sugar free kind! ICK. WHO buys that? and why.......)

Preheat oven to 180c.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, adding the maple syrup last, mix well.

all in the bowl

and now with the maple syrup...

Spread out on a baking tray (I use the grill tray as it's a bit deeper and can hold the whole amount) covered with a silicon mat or baking paper. Bake for 5 minutes, give it a stir, bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

after baking

The baking makes all the ingredients lovely and crunchy.

Store in an airtight container for up at a month. If it lasts that long.

Variations:
I have used all sorts of nuts in this, and I normally use at least 2 types - other favourites are pecans, unsalted cashews and almonds.

I have also used rice puffs or any other type of puffed cereal. And if you don't have maple syrup or it's too exxy, use honey instead. Or golden syrup.

For breakfast I have it on top of plain yogurt (my current favourite is Tamar Valley - have you had it? Just sensational!) with a bit of fruit - berries, mango, banana or whatever you like that is in season. It is soooo good! While I normally have a larger serving than the one pictured above, you don't need a lot of the crunchola to get the flavour and texture.

What is your favourite breakfast that doesn't involve bacon?

Cookbook review: South East Asian Food

They say never judge a book by its cover, and I really, really try not to. But for this book make an exception. Please. The cover is absolutely stunning. As everyone who has seen this book on my dining table has commented. The recipes throughout are equally gorgeous.

Other than the cover, a couple of things struck me about this book. There are no pictures. Rare in cookbooks in Australia these days. PLEASE don't let that put you off! And as I looked through it, seeking a couple of vegetarian dishes to cook for my photographer friend Jen (who took these stunning photos), I discovered that there aren't any. BUT don't let that stop you from enjoying this book either!

So many of the mouth-watering pastes and sauces can just as easily be used with veggies. Such as the couple I made. But more about those soon.

Rosemary Brissenden {read here for an interview} originally wrote this book over 50 years ago, when it was the among the first to discuss and characterise food from South East Asia. Additions to this edition - which has been completely rewritten - are sections on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Countries that were less than accessible in the 1960s and 70s! Rosemary's background in international relations is apparent as each section includes a fascinating overview of the cultural and historical context of food in these countries.

While there are many books around with 30-minute Asian dinners, this book is not one of them. There are no "short-cuts" to be had with pre-made spices or sauces. All these are made from scratch, mostly with a trusty mortar and pestle {although I did cheat with one of them and used my thermomix to grind the spices}. Which means you also need to have a bit of time. And plan ahead.

Some of the spices used - ginger, garlic {grown outside Brisbane}, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cumin, chilli, fennel

The three recipes I made were all from the Malaysia and Singapore section:

• Dry chicken curry
• Tandoori chicken {Malaysian Indian} 
• Cucumber raita {Malaysian Indian}

Tandoori chicken is a favourite in this house. Usually courtesy of Patak's. But not any more! The flavours of each of the spices in this dish - coriander seed, cumin seed, chillis, garlic, ginger - were all so subtle yet blended to give a zing you just don't get with a pre-made paste.

Tandoori chicken with rice

The second dish, Dry Chicken Curry, was even more powerful on the tastebuds. The cardamom and cinnamon flavours lingered throughout our house for hours, creating a warming, Christmassy feel {which was a bit odd for an overly hot day in early Spring!}.

To make the Dry Chicken Curry:

• 1 chicken, skin removed, cut into curry pieces {I cheated a bit here and used 1kg of thigh cutlets}
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 brown onion, finely sliced
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 cup water
• 2 small potatoes, quartered
• salt to taste

Paste spices

• 2 tbs ground coriander
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1/2 tsp ground chillies (or more to taste)
• 3 cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2.5cm piece of ginger, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 6 shallots, sliced

Quite cleverly I didn't clearly read the recipe before I shopped, so I didn't have any curry leaves {and sadly neither did the curry tree in the back yard} and I forgot to buy shallots {I used a small brown onion instead}.

To make the spice paste, grind the dry spices to a powder in a mortar or a food processor {I used my trusty thermomix}. Add the garlic, ginger, shallots {onion...} and mash to a paste. Mix with the chicken pieces, cover bowl, pop in the fridge and let it marinate for 2 hours.

This was my tandoori paste before adding yogurt. Looks good doesn't it!

Once marinated, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and curry leaves until the onion is golden. Add the chicken and all the spice paste and fry until fragrant {the fragrance will hit  you immediately! So fry for 5-6 minutes, making sure each piece of chicken browns all over}.

Add water, salt, potatoes and cook until chicken is tender, potatoes cooked, and gravy is almost dry. Stir well and serve with rice and cucumber raita.

What I loved about this curry is that it would be equally good with a firm white fish or pork or a big mound of veggies.

Dry chicken curry - sooooo good.....

There are so many mouth-watering recipes in this book. Especially in the Vietnamese section. And the Thai section. And the Cambodian section. Oh you know. The whole book!

What is your favourite South East Asian recipe? And cookbook?

Two big thank yous:

1. Jen Dainer, who took all these gorgeous photos - check her out at Industrial Arc Photography
2. Hardie Grant - who sent me a copy of this stunning book. 

THANK YOU!!!

Bone suckin' good!

OMG this stuff is AMAZING. A massive thanks to Black Pearl Epicure who invited me to trial a new product (new to them that is!) and if I liked it, would I blog it. LIKE it - I LOVE it!

IT is an American product called Bone Suckin' Sauce. Now, I hear what you are saying. It's American. It will be full of ghastly high fructose corn syrup {a scourge of waaaay too many foods}. Well, no, it's not! I know! Quel surprise! {oops wrong country. Really meant to say "holy smokes Batman!"}.

AND there are no preservatives and it is gluten free. Win all around.

There are loads of ways you could use this sauce - I kept it simple, and just used it to marinate some chicken drumsticks, so I could get the full and unadulterated flavour. Sooo simple. The 10yo stepson {readers will be aware of his pickiness when it comes to so many foods} LOVED it. And has requested it again and again.

So, what I did was this:

I scored {actually, I forgot, but you should score} the chicken drumsticks, placed them in a bowl, then added about 1/3 jar of the sauce. Rub the sauce over the chicken pieces making sure the sauce gets into the scored bits.

Cover the bowl and pop it into the fridge for 3-4 hours {I didn't actually do this bit either - it was Friday night, we were hungry, it was getting late, I was a bit disorganised - we've all been there!}.

Preheat your oven to 180c, then pop the chicken pieces onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, turning the drumsticks every 15 minutes or so.

You can see here there are only 7 drumsticks. That was perhaps my biggest mistake with this dish. I should have cooked 70. Or at least 17. They were bone suckin'ly good.

I served them with roast potato pieces and a simple salad. Delicious.

There is also a hot version of the Bone Suckin' Sauce. We haven't tried that yet - will do so soon. I've also made this using chicken thigh fillets that I cooked on the BBQ instead of in the oven. They took about 15 minutes on the BBQ.

Home made baked beans

OK. It's confession time. I've never liked baked beans. There. I've said it. Ick. No, double ick. Which was unfortunate growing up because they were loved by a particular member who used to "encourage" me to try them in the belief that sooner or later my tastes would change.

Well, the good news is that my tastebuds now DO love baked beans, but only the homemade variety, not the ones out of a can. Sorry Mr Heinz.

The first time I tried proper baked beans was when I lived in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada {I won't be surprised if you haven't heard of Brandon - it's a small city in the middle of Canada. Freezing in winter, very hot in summer. I loved it.}. I was there on a Rotary Exchange after high school, and one of my host mums {moms} was from Quebec where baked beans are revered.

I'm sure you can imagine my "delight" when I came home from school one afternoon to be excitedly told by my host sisters that we were having baked beans for dinner.  All I could think of was "gee, yum" {insert appropriate sarcasm levels}.

Well, I was SO WRONG. They were AMAZING. Made from scratch {soaked, cooked beans and all} and baked for at least 8 hours in the oven.

My baked beans recipe below is quite a bit spicier than I remember Odette's being. I also cheated and used tinned beans, and cooked them on the stove top rather than in the oven - it was a hot day in February rather than the -30c it was in Brandon! So it took about 2 hours not 8.

Simmering on the stove - I used a flattish casserole dish

What you need:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and chopped into smallish pieces
• 150g bacon, rind and fat removed, diced {or chopped into smallish pieces as per my description above when my brain forgot the word I was looking for...!}
• 3 tins cannellini beans
• 1 tin crushed or chopped tomatoes
• 1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce, chopped finely {optional, but try and find them as they add a gorgeous smokey heat to the dish}
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbs golden syrup
• 2 tbs tomato sauce {ketchup}
• 1 tbs Worcester sauce
• salt and pepper

What you do:

• In a large frypan or casserole dish heat the oil {using a medium heat}, then add the onion and bacon. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 5-6 minutes, until cooked
• Add all the other ingredients {in the order listed above} and stir gently. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat all the way down to low so the mixture is simmering slowly. 
• Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring every 15-30 minutes. If it looks like it is drying out, add some water. 
• My favourite serving option is to have it with a poached egg for breakfast. You could also serve it with crusty bread or a salad. 

If you are a vegetarian or don't eat pork products, just leave out the bacon. And if you require gluten free, just make sure the bacon and the sauces comply.

Makes enough for a crowd. Or breakfast everyday for a bit over a week. The next batch I'll be portioning and freezing.

With the perfect poached egg on top - a completely sensational breakfast that keeps me full for ages!

I'll be making these again this week, as the aforementioned family member is coming for a visit. Let's hope he loves this version as much as I do.

WIN Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies {SPONSORED}

Did you know that about 1 in 100 Australian's have coeliac disease? And, staggeringly, 75% of people don't know that they have it! {or 157,000 of us - sheesh!}

What is coeliac disease I hear you ask - well, it's an auto-immune disease (simply, the body attacks itself - ick!). Coeliacs need to avoid gluten - a protein that is in heaps of foods including wheat, rye, barley and oats. Basically their bodies don't like these foods.

Imagine how hard it would be if you couldn't eat any of those foods! I know that I am just very grateful for my not-so-serious wheat and dairy intolerances.

But I draw this to your attention for 2 reasons. First, next week (13-20 March) is Coeliac Awareness Week.

And second {and MOST importantly}, my friend Melinda - from Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies - has launched a new iPhone app to help all of you who have friends who are coeliac {or have other food allergies}. YAY I hear you say! A simple solution for those of us who scratch our heads and wonder what to cook when entertaining our food-allergy-prone friends.

You can download the Allergy Free Entertaining app for the low, low price of $5.99 OR you can WIN a copy by entering the competition below.

But if this all sounds too hard, you can also buy one of Melinda's delicious sweet or savoury pre-mixes. Now, you mostly know that I'm not a fan of the pre-mix, but when Melinda gave me a few samples, I had to try them {actually, I delegated the cooking bit!}. My coeliac cousin was visiting, spied the pretty pink boxes, and whipped up the Sweet Caramel Cakes and the Lemon Curd Delights. In about 2 minutes flat. For afternoon tea. Her verdict - quick, easy and so, so delicious. 

Melinda's savoury range - the pepper and chive crackers are my favourite!

YUM! Home-baked Melinda's goodies. 

So, down to business. The competition. Tell me in 25 words or less what your biggest challenge is when cooking for people with food allergies or intolerances.

The best answer will win a $100 worth of Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies. The next 4 top answers will win a free download of the Allergy Free Entertaining App.

Competition closes on Thursday 31 March 2011. ENTER NOW!

Read the fine print. 

PS Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you if you want to enter the comp {so I can contact you if you win!} - either link to your website or email me mel AT melkettle.com.au 

Little chocolate delights

It's been ages since I blogged and I have so many things to talk about!

Not least is the dreaded 12 week body transformation challenge that I'm undertaking with Michelle Bridges - and what seems like half of Australia. It's a GREAT program, but I'm really struggling with the food side as I have realised I eat out SOOOO much! Plus it's hard for a foodie to sacrifice delicious food. Having said all that, I'm sloooowly losing weight. So yay me!

While I've never had a big sweet tooth, I do love a bit of chocolate most days - particularly around 3pm when I'm starting to fade.

These little chocolate delights are perfect for that fixing that sweet need. And they are SO simple. And under 60 calories each (which is VERY important when you're trying to eat only 1200 calories a day).

So, how do you make these I hear you ask. Easy-peasy.

200g dark chocolate - I use 70% either Lindt or Club
60g chopped pecans (about 1/2 cup)
60 g craisins

Line a baking tray with Glad Bake or some other silicone paper.

Melt the dark chocolate (I do it in the microwave, but you could also use a double boiler). Mix in the chopped pecans and craisins and stir well.

Drop teaspoon sized amounts of the mix onto the silicone paper. Place tray in the fridge to set (takes about 30 minutes).

Makes 30. Try not to eat them all at once :)

You can easily substitute other nuts for the pecans, or chopped up dried apricot/peaches/dates for the craisins.

What's your favourite way of eating chocolate - when you just need a little treat?

Figs are my food porn

I've long eaten - and loved - dried figs, since first being given them in my lunchbox as a child. However I'm a recent convert to the beauty and lusciousness of the fresh fig. I discovered this love when my brother cooked this recipe as part of my birthday lunch earlier this year. Of course, the addition of blue cheese was a definite winner for me :).

The following week I was overjoyed to discover fresh figs in my Food Connect fruit and veggie box, so of course I had to repeat this recipe!

6 figs
100 grams blue brie, or other soft blue cheese
6 pieces of prosciutto

Cut the figs across the top into quarters, but don’t cut all the way through. Cut the blue cheese into 6 pieces and gently put 1 piece into each of the cut figs. Wrap each fig with a slice of prosciutto and hold together with a toothpick.

Bake in the oven at 200c for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the proscuitto crisp.

Eat and enjoy! And yes, I have been known to lick the plate to get every morsel!

PS I've just gobbled 4 fresh figs - which prompted this blog entry - and they were GORGEOUS!

PPS The dodgy photo was taken on my blackberry as I couldn't find my camera and wasn't prepared to wait to eat these delectible morsels!

Hummos

I think one of my favourite dips would have to be hummos, and this is largely for the flavour of the chickpeas, which are one of my favourite legumes. And which I definitely don't eat enough of. Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, are fairly high in fibre and low in fat.

This recipe is very simple and quick to make - but it helps to have a food processor or a blender.

2 cups chickpeas - I used a 375g packed of dry chickpeas, which I soaked overnight, cooked for about 30 minutes, drained and cooled - you can also used 1-2 tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil - about 1/3 to 1/2 cup
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup tahini
2 tsp ground cumin
very small amount of cayenne pepper
juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)

Place everything in the bowl of a food processor and mix until the desired consistency - I like mine a little chunky. Add extra lemon, tahini, olive oil, cumin, cayenne to taste.

Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of paprika.

Hummos goes with so many other dishes - it's delicious:

• as a dip with crackers, pita triangles or raw veggies (such as carrot, broccoli, celery, red pepper)
• spread on bread or toast as a butter and/or mayo substitute
• with roast lamb or chicken on the side
• drizzled over a salad (add extra lemon juice and olive oil to get to a drizzling consistency) as a dressing
• with Lebanese bread or wraps and salad.

What's your favourite way to eat hummos?

BBQ Salmon - a Good Friday feast!

I had been wanting to cook a whole salmon on the BBQ for quite a while and decided that Good Friday would be the way to go! We had a friend coming for a late afternoon BBQ, and knowing how much she loves salmon, thought she would be a good guinea pig!

So on Thursday morning I wandered down to Super Butcher at Eagle Farm (yes, they now sell fish - I was intrigued - I thought I'd give it a go as their meat has always been top quality). A 4.5kg salmon later, I was home.

As I quickly realised I had overestimated how many people 4.5kg of salmon would feed, I invited a few others for our Good Friday feast! Yes, it's very convenient my brother and his family live nearby - and that they are all salmon lovers!

What do to with it was the next challenge. I decided simple would be key.

I (well, hubby) had to de-head Mr Salmon as it was too big for the biggest serving platter I had. A quick rinse later, and he was ready to be stuffed with fresh lemon (from the backyard tree), fresh dill and Italian parsley. I also put lemon, dill and parsley under and on top of the salmon so the flavours would be absorbed through. A bit of pepper, salt and olive oil and it was ready. As I was cooking on the BBQ I wanted it to be well wrapped - I used a layer of non-stick baking paper, then a layer of alfoil.

I preheated the BBQ to about 180c, put the salmon on an upturned roasting tray (so it was a few cm away from the heat), turned off the middle two burners, and closed the hood. Approximately 1 hour later it was cooked.

I served the salmon with baked potatoes and a couple of easy salads. And of course a few bottles of white wine.

Chickpea Salad
I absolutely LOVE chickpeas - and most legumes - and am determined to eat more of them. This seemed like a good excuse!

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
1 red pepper, washed and chopped
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
150-200g cherry tomatoes
100g baby spinach leaves

Mix all together. Add a splash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and some cracked pepper to taste. Mix well.

Broadbean, rocket and feta salad
I had a packet of broadbeans in the freezer that I bought to make a feta and broadbean dip. However, as another friend was bringing nibbles, I thought I'd use those ingredients in a salad instead. My sister-in-law Emma gave me the inspiration for this, as she makes practically the same salad but with peas (which I think came from a Jamie Oliver book originally). Anyway, it tasted pretty good, and I'll now be adding broadbeans to a lot more salads! Even though I underestimated the time it would take to peel them - talk about fiddly!

2 cups of frozen broadbeans, cooked according to packet and peeled
100g rocket (arugula)
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Place all in a bowl, add a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, cracked black pepper, and toss to combine.

The whole meal was delicious - but as we didn't even manage to eat half the salmon, I'm looking for some creative solutions for what to do with the rest of it!