Hanging and meringuing

Yes I'm aware meringuing is not a word, but those sweet, soft, chewy, crumbly treats best sum up today. A planned picnic in the park with a few girlfriends signaled the right circumstance for me to take up my wooden spoon and get baking. Like the food bloggers picnic I thought I'd strike a balance, choosing to bring both a sweet and savoury dish. However, my criteria for today was to whip up something impressive, yet crowd friendly, and enjoyable for devouring on a humid high twenties day. After a little deliberation I settled on Bocconcini Tomato Skewers over Salmon Blini for the savoury course. Upon a quick flick through my Australian Women's Weekly macaroons & biscuits cookbook i settled on making lemon meringue kisses. I do want to attempt making macaroons and I believe getting savvy with meringues could be a good step to mastering those magnificent morsels adored by many. Both recipes were super easy and straight forward. My tips are get the eggs to room temperature for lovely meringues and really beat them until the peaks form. I use a hand beater and it only took me five minutes whereas the recipe says it will take about 15 with an electric mixer. 

Tomato Bocconcini Skewers

Ingredients:

• small whole bocconcini or larger ones sliced into quarters
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chives
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• cherry tomators
• basil leaves

Method: 

1. Place Bocconcini in a medium sized bowl
2. Finely chop the herbs
3. Add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper to the bocconcini and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight if possible
4. Half the cherry tomatoes, then place on half of each on a toothpick. Thread on a basil leaf, then bocconcini, then another basil leaf, then another bocconcini, then another basil leaf, followed by the other half of the cherry tomato. Repeat this for the remaining skewers

PS. I dare you to prevent yourself from gobbling the bocconcini as you assemble this kicking kebabs :P

Lemon Meringue Kisses

 

Ingredients

Lemon curd

• 90g unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Meringues

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 

 

Method 

1. Chop the butter and lightly beat the egg
2. Combine the ingredients in a small heatproof bowl.
3. Stir over a small saucepan of simmering water for about 10 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
4. Refrigerate the lemon curd for three hours or overnight
5. Preheat oven to 120 degrees celsius. Grease the oven trays and line them with baking paper. 
6. Beat the ingredients with an electric or hand mixer for 5-15 minutes (depending on when the sugar is dissolved and soft peaks form.
7. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or tool with a 2cm fluted tube; pipe 4cm stars on trays 2cm apart. 
8. Bake meringues for 40 minutes to an hour until they appear to have formed a skin on the outside or in my case begin to turn golden.
9. Cool on trays
10. When cool, sandwich meringues with lemon curd

Jess' magnificent fruit platter

Our picnic also featured taramasalata & hommus dips (I wanted to make my own but didn't leave time), avocado, pita bread, soft chewy chocolate brownies, red rock deli and doritos chips and of course a magnificent choc-a-bloc fruit platter (pictured above that was assembled by Jess). With our picnic mats poised underneath a shady tree we sumpted on our banquet, drinking Becks beers, Spanish Cava (sparkling wine) and Strawberries & Cream iced tea.

How lovely

x

TAKE ONE: Family Cooking Challenge - Paella

"Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love."
Craig Claiborne, Kitchen Primer

Once upon a time my interaction in the kitchen was manifested in three ways: eating, snacking and baking. Watching with a greedy curiosity I'd wait as her mother or father toiled away over a hot stove, jousted away with appliances, poking, stirring, prodding and boiling all kinds of tasty things. When the table was set and the dishes were placed in front of her hungry eyes, I'd voraciously devour the contents of her dish. In between times I can still to this day be spotted perusing the cupboards and fridge, searching high and low to gather foods for snacking. Sneakily she'd poke her hands into the pantry, scan the shelves and investigate the drawers, all in search of some tucker to tide her over til her next meal. Sometimes, when the house is quiet and empty except for myself, the cat and the dog, I'd fill the rooms with the warmth and sweet smell of cakes, cookies or muffins rising in the oven. Baking in the heat of a Bossa Nova Beat, I'd whip up mouth-watering treats, always savouring the moment when she could lick the spoon and bowl clean. 

Now, that i'm getting older, having turned twenty this year, I believe it's time I stepped up my kitchen interaction to another level. So for my third decade of life on this planet I've decided to gain some cooking skills by designating myself as weekly guest chef in the family kitchen. I mean one day I'm gonna move out and come dinner time I can't just be all like "hey so options, I've got toast, or take-away'. That's why each week I will be selecting a recipe from our exhaustive amount of recipe books and food magazines and cooking til my heart's content to get my family fed.

This week chicken, pasta and prawns were requested. Taking these wants into consideration and after much deliberation I decided to go with Paella, because I love Spanish food and it's got Chorizo. I mean c'mon big chunky chorizo, juicy prawns, succulent chicken, veggies and crunchy rice, it's just such a delightful combination.

I chose a recipe called 'Easy Paella', from the cookbook Valli Little's Delicious Cookbook, 'Five of the Best', because I knew I wouldn't have loads of time to prepare it after work. 

Easy Paella

Serves 4-6 (Depending on how hungry, or greedy you are)

Ingredients

• 1tbsp (20ml olive oil)
• 500g chicken breast fillets (preferably with skin), cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 chorizo sausage, chopped
• 1 cup (200g) basmati rice
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 x 425g can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 red capsicum, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
• 250g cooked prawns, peeled
• 1 x 425g can cannelini beans, rinsed, drained
• 100g baby green beans, topped, blanched and rinsed
• 2tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. I suggest preparing the beans first because this is the step I didn't achieve too well. You can find an excellent illustrated guide for blanching here.
2. Also, for the garlic, I have a super neat way of peeling the skin off. I always pop the cloves into the microwave on medium for about 5 seconds. Presto! The skin just falls away :) plus warm garlic is a heavenly aroma!
3. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the chicken pieces in batches for 3-4 minutes, turning until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside to drain on paper towels.
4. Add the onion and chorizo to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until the chorizo begins to crisp. 
5. Add the rice and tumeric and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then add the drained chopped tomatoes, capsicum, garlic, chilli and stock.
   Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Return the chicken to the pan with the prawns, cannelini beans and green beans. Toss and heat through for 1 minute.
7. Stir in the coriander and serve immediately with the lemon wedges as a garnish 
8. Que aproveche! :) - Which is Spanish for 'Enjoy your food!'

Paella on a plate

I leave you with a Bossa Nova classic. Stan Getz & Astrud Gilbert's 'The Girl from Impanema', is one of my favourite songs, especially when getting busy in the kitchen. The song written in 1962 was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a grammy for record of the year in 1965. According to myth it was inspired by Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto (now Helô Pinheiro), a fifteen-year-old girl living in Montenegro Street of the fashionable Impanema district of Rio de Janeiro, , Brazil. Daily, she would stroll past the popular Veloso bar-café on her way to the beach, attracting the attention of regulars Jobim and Moraes. This song intrigues me endlessly with it's juxtaposition of sad lyrics about unrequited desire and sexy, saxophone. 

Enjoy!

Mama Mia

Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you

My mum arrived home from an overseas trip on Monday night but I was out pub crawling in the Balmain Rozelle precinct that evening so I didn't get any quality time til Tuesday. When Tuesday rolled around I wandered home like a school boy from his books. After a series of cuddles and a good run down on her trip to Tasmania I of course popped the big question, "Muuum what's for dinner?". An awesome answer excited my ears and satisfied my stomach, "Minestrone soup". Oh boy!

As a general rule I hate winter. We're like polar opposites. I'm fire, it means ice. Except in Australia we barely even get any ice, so it's not even a proper winter! I'd like winter if it mean snow so we could all build snowmen, igloos, have snowball fights and have a kickass ski season. But instead this nation is mostly reliant on a few snowmakers down south and the rest of the time hangs with bated breath for that elusively timed extremely cold temperature and a bit of precipitation to create some sleet we might hope to make some dodgy snow cones out of.


I love summer. The exfoiliating sand in between my toes, in my scalp, in just about everywhere. I love the smell of salt on my skin, on my hands, on the chips, everything wet, then crusty, golden sky, scenery, skin. Making a mess of the cold creamy ice cream dripping everywhere and removing the mess when shelling juicy fresh prawns. The endless days and unforgettable nights of love and laughter with friends and family.

But when it comes to Winter, what saves it for me is food. And a lot of credit for that goes to my mum. Winter means comfort. Lazing in bed til well after 11, late breakfasts that become brunch, early dinners and plenty of movies before sleeping like a log in that ever loving doona. Lazing in front of the heater reading a book for hours until it's finished. Then moving onto the next one.
Winter means comfort food. Stews, ragus, pastabakes, slow roasted meat and vegetables. Beautiful red wine to warm the heart and soul. But nothing epitomizes comfort and love more than soup and pudding. So mum's menu tonight did wonders for a harsh critic of the coldest season.

Minestrone Soup

Mmm minestrone. Possibly my favourite winter soup. Chock a block with goodness in the form of veggies and garlic this is one soup that is great for chasing away those winter blues.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1.3kg smoked ham hock, chopped
• 2x400g chicken or beef stock
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup small pasta such as risoni
• 300g broccoli, chopped
• 400g cannelini beans, drained
• Cracked black pepper and sea salt
• ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsely
• Parmesan cheese
• Pesto

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add onions, garlic and carrots, cook for 5 minutes
3. Remove the skin and visible fat from the ham hock and add to the pan with the tomatoes, stock and water, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes
4. Remove the ham bone and dice meat off the bone
5. Add the ham, pasta, broccoli, beans, pepper and salt to the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Stir through the parsley and serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, some pesto and crusty bread.

Maple Syrup and Pecan Steamed Puddings

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from the July 2010 edition of the ABC’s Delicious Magazine. Jamie’s style of taking lovely fresh ingredients and using simple processes to create something special is just a delightful way of fuss free cooking. The result was a yummy moist, sweet pudding with loads of pecan chunks to munch on. Plus an added bonus of a ramekin perfect for scraping up the tasty buttery nut residue.

Serves 6
Ingredients

• 100g pecan nuts (can use other nuts if desired)
• 175g plain flour
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 75g vegetable suet
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 large free-range or organic egg
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• 150ml milk
• 2/3 cup (165ml maple syrup), plus extra warmed syrup to serve
• Cream or custard to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C
2. Grease six small heatproof teacups (or ramekins) well with butter.
3. Place the pecans in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and bash the nuts with a rolling pin. You want to end up with a mixture of chunky and fine bits of pecan. Dust the inside of cups/ramekins with the bashed up nuts tipping excess into a large bowl.
4. Empty the leftover nuts from the bags into the bowl too, then add flour, sugar, suet, soda, egg, vanilla seeds, milk and ½ cup (80ml) syrup. Mix well.
5. Pour some of the remaining syrup into the bottom of each teacup/ramekin and pour some mixture on top. You want your ramekins to be about three quarters full.
6. Place cups/ramekins in a large, deep roasting tray. Fill tray with boiling water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the cups/ramekins.
7. Carefully place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until cakes are golden and cooked through.
8. Stand for a couple of minutes before turning them out. Serve with custard or cream and a drizzle of warm maple syrup.

The lovely pudding with a macchiato :) perfect afternoon tea or dessert fare for a chilly home day.

A