Hmmmmmmm look at this! One of my favourite dishes, made by my cutie hubby for my birthday. I have been waiting for him to make me this dish for a really long time. I tried to get the recipe off him so I could post it on my blog, but he refused... not sure whether (a) he wants to keep it a mystery; or (b) he actually has no idea how much of any of the ingredients he uses; or (c) he's just too lazy. Probably a combination of all the above I reckon!
Anyway, one day I will spy on him in the kitchen and put together the recipe for this blog! But for now, all I know is that he uses arborio rice, chicken broth, chicken breast, mushrooms, canned diced tomatoes (lots!), tomato paste and tasty cheese.
Well, as long as he continues to make this for me, maybe I don't really need to discover the recipe so soon.... :)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Chicken & Sun-dried Tomato Risotto - secret recipe (for now!)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hell's Kitchen on Tuesdays 9.30pm!
Alright, fine. So this is no recipe, but I have to rave about the new season of Hell's Kitchen that is showing on Channel 7 on Tuesday nights. (I am sure it is considered an old season in most other countries, but TV shows are REALLY slow to air down under).
People either love or hate Gordan Ramsay. I'm not sure whether I should be embarrassed to admit that I really do love him. He is such a jerk sometimes but just so incredibly funny and entertaining! And at the end of the day, he makes amazing food and he respects people that are good chefs. Just some of the outrageous things he managed to do last night:
- made all the contestants take the previous night's garbage out of the dumpster and sort them by hand
- told a customer he was working with a kitchen full of muppets
- asked a contestant why he didn't just become a hairdresser because he had no skills in the kitchen
- vetoed the elimination nomination process he created himself, and picked his own choice to kick off the show
If you haven't watched the show before, you have to try it and tell me what you think!
Ramsey is scheduled to come to Sydney in July, and of course, charging an arm and a leg to see him at the food and wine show. No doubt the tickets will sell like hotcakes.
People either love or hate Gordan Ramsay. I'm not sure whether I should be embarrassed to admit that I really do love him. He is such a jerk sometimes but just so incredibly funny and entertaining! And at the end of the day, he makes amazing food and he respects people that are good chefs. Just some of the outrageous things he managed to do last night:
- call a contestant a mop head repeatedly
- told a contestant he needs to lose weight
- made all the contestants take the previous night's garbage out of the dumpster and sort them by hand
- told a customer he was working with a kitchen full of muppets
- asked a contestant why he didn't just become a hairdresser because he had no skills in the kitchen
- vetoed the elimination nomination process he created himself, and picked his own choice to kick off the show
If you haven't watched the show before, you have to try it and tell me what you think!
Ramsey is scheduled to come to Sydney in July, and of course, charging an arm and a leg to see him at the food and wine show. No doubt the tickets will sell like hotcakes.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Breakfast Parfait
Another Donna Hay recipe I found online. I enjoyed her spaghetti bolognese recipe so I figured I'd give another one a go. This is basically homemade raspberry yogurt with muesli. It's lovely because it doesn't taste annoying sweet like the store bought yogurts out there, yet tasty, textured and full of healthy ingredients. I'm thinking this would also be good with a muffin on the side.
Ingredients
1⅔ cups (250g) frozen raspberries500g thick natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon icing (confectioner's) sugar
1 cup (130g) toasted muesli (I used rolled oats in mind because I didn't have any muesli)
⅓ cup (80ml) honey
frozen raspberries, extra, to serve
Method
Lightly crush the raspberries with a fork, fold through the yoghurt and icing sugar. Divide the muesli between 4 glasses. Top each with 1 tablespoon of honey. To serve, spoon over the yoghurt mixture, top with the extra raspberries and spoon over remaining honey.
Serves 4.
Grilled Lamb with Lebanese salad and tzatziki
By far the yummiest thing I have made to date!! Love this recipe... my hubby and I used to travel an hour west to have good Lebanese food, and after I made this dish, my hubby is so happy that he doesn't see a need for us to travel out again. The lamb is so juicy and goes perfectly with the tzatziki and Lebanese salad.
Ingredients - tzatziki
1 large Lebanese cucumber, coarsely grated and squeezed to remove juice
1 cup thick natural Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients - lamb and lamb marinade
8-12 French or trimmed lamb cutlets
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients - sides
Salad: 4 tomatoes thinly sliced and 2 red onions, very thinly sliced
Salad dressing: 2tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp mint, and salt & pepper to taste
grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread
lemon wedges, to serve
Method
1. To make tzatziki, place cucumber, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Season tzatziki with salt to taste just before serving.
2. Combine oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large shallow dish. Brush lamb cutlets with cumin mixture. Place cutlets in a shallow ceramic dish, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer if time permits).
3. To make the dressing to be poured over the side salad, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, coriander, mint, salt & pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Place lamb cutlets in a preheated 180 degrees celcius oven and bake for 15 minutes each side. When I took the lamb cutlets out of the oven, I also seared the surfaces of the lamb cutlets in a hot oiled pan to get the nice grilled look and taste.
4. Arrange lamb cutlets on serving plates. Arrange sliced tomatoes and red onions on plates and drizzle dressing on top. Serve with tzatziki, lemon wedges and grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread.
Serves 4.
Ingredients - tzatziki
1 large Lebanese cucumber, coarsely grated and squeezed to remove juice
1 cup thick natural Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients - lamb and lamb marinade
8-12 French or trimmed lamb cutlets
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients - sides
Salad: 4 tomatoes thinly sliced and 2 red onions, very thinly sliced
Salad dressing: 2tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp mint, and salt & pepper to taste
grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread
lemon wedges, to serve
Method
1. To make tzatziki, place cucumber, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Season tzatziki with salt to taste just before serving.
2. Combine oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large shallow dish. Brush lamb cutlets with cumin mixture. Place cutlets in a shallow ceramic dish, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer if time permits).
3. To make the dressing to be poured over the side salad, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, coriander, mint, salt & pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Place lamb cutlets in a preheated 180 degrees celcius oven and bake for 15 minutes each side. When I took the lamb cutlets out of the oven, I also seared the surfaces of the lamb cutlets in a hot oiled pan to get the nice grilled look and taste.
4. Arrange lamb cutlets on serving plates. Arrange sliced tomatoes and red onions on plates and drizzle dressing on top. Serve with tzatziki, lemon wedges and grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread.
Serves 4.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette
My friend Trisha asked me to post my recipe for the lemon vinaigrette used for my salad in the March 24 entry, so here it is! What I want to emphasise is that I think salad dressings are very personal. Some people like it more tangy, some like it sweeter, and some like a fairly neutral taste. So the portions below are just a guide. Feel free to modify the portions to your liking!
Sorry I do not have a photo of this one, but I will try to upload it the next time I make the dressing!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Method
1. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, making certain the sugar is dissolved.
2. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Shake or stir just before serving.
Serves 2.
Sorry I do not have a photo of this one, but I will try to upload it the next time I make the dressing!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Method
1. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, making certain the sugar is dissolved.
2. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Shake or stir just before serving.
Serves 2.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Favorite Sauces & Seasoning
I am officially on a holiday from cooking for 2 weeks. My hubby is away on business and for some reason, cooking just isn't so much fun for 1 as it is when you're cooking for 2. So instead of a new dish, I thought I would share some of my fave sauces and seasonings that I use in my cooking.
I'm always curious to know what others use but too embarrassed to poke around in their kitchen! As you can see from my dishes, I like to cook simple meals using simple ingredients, and the sauces and seasonings are no exception. I don't think you need to get all these fancy schmancy sauces to make your food taste great. Just a little love will do :)
So below are some faves that I use in a lot of my cooking:
From the top, left to right:
Product: Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce
What I use it for: Asian cooking and marinades
Why I love it: Great all round soy sauce, tastes great, and fantastic value for money (I bought this large bottle at Flemington for only $1.80!)
Product: Moro Extra Light Olive Oil
What I use it for: Everything!
Why I love it: Good for general cooking, great value for money, and produced and packed in Spain
Product: Berri Lemon & Lime Squeeze
What I use it for: Marinades, salad dressings, pasta sauces
Why I love it: I try to use juice from fresh lemon and lime where possible, but these taste no different and last a lot longer when kept in the fridge.
Product: Leggo's Tomato Paste
What I use it for: Pasta sauce, pizza sauce, risotto
Why I love it: This is the only tomato paste I ever use. It is great quality and such an essential part of many Italian dishes I make.
Product: Praise Extra Virgin Olive Oil French Vinaigrette
What I use it for: salads
Why I love it: I like light tasting salad dressings (so that I can still taste the veggies!) I was so happy to discover this one. Everything else I have used before is usually too heavy or too tangy for my taste.
Product: Always Fresh Sundried Tomatoes in Canola Oil
What I use it for: risotto, pasta, salads
Why I love it: True to its brand name, it is always fresh!! Kept in a jar and can last in the fridge for a long time. If I ever want a little kick in my dish, I just reach for the jar!
Product: Masterfoods Smokey BBQ Marinade
What I use it for: ribs and chicken wings
Why I love it: When I don't have time to make my own marinade, I always go with this marinade. Sometimes it tastes even better than the marinades I make! Great with most meats.
Product: Dried herbs & spices from Molly MacKenzie Food Products
What I use it for: many different dishes, depending on which herb or spice
Why I love it: Ever tired of having to throw away half a container of dried herbs because the expiry date has passed? It happens to me all the time! What I like about this product, compared to other brands like McCormick's, is they seem to last whole lot longer. It's probably a little more expensive, but it's worth it because you don't waste half of it. For example, I bought these ones in early 2008 and they last until 2011 or 2012!
I'm always curious to know what others use but too embarrassed to poke around in their kitchen! As you can see from my dishes, I like to cook simple meals using simple ingredients, and the sauces and seasonings are no exception. I don't think you need to get all these fancy schmancy sauces to make your food taste great. Just a little love will do :)
So below are some faves that I use in a lot of my cooking:
From the top, left to right:
Product: Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce
What I use it for: Asian cooking and marinades
Why I love it: Great all round soy sauce, tastes great, and fantastic value for money (I bought this large bottle at Flemington for only $1.80!)
Product: Moro Extra Light Olive Oil
What I use it for: Everything!
Why I love it: Good for general cooking, great value for money, and produced and packed in Spain
Product: Berri Lemon & Lime Squeeze
What I use it for: Marinades, salad dressings, pasta sauces
Why I love it: I try to use juice from fresh lemon and lime where possible, but these taste no different and last a lot longer when kept in the fridge.
Product: Leggo's Tomato Paste
What I use it for: Pasta sauce, pizza sauce, risotto
Why I love it: This is the only tomato paste I ever use. It is great quality and such an essential part of many Italian dishes I make.
Product: Praise Extra Virgin Olive Oil French Vinaigrette
What I use it for: salads
Why I love it: I like light tasting salad dressings (so that I can still taste the veggies!) I was so happy to discover this one. Everything else I have used before is usually too heavy or too tangy for my taste.
Product: Always Fresh Sundried Tomatoes in Canola Oil
What I use it for: risotto, pasta, salads
Why I love it: True to its brand name, it is always fresh!! Kept in a jar and can last in the fridge for a long time. If I ever want a little kick in my dish, I just reach for the jar!
Product: Masterfoods Smokey BBQ Marinade
What I use it for: ribs and chicken wings
Why I love it: When I don't have time to make my own marinade, I always go with this marinade. Sometimes it tastes even better than the marinades I make! Great with most meats.
Product: Dried herbs & spices from Molly MacKenzie Food Products
What I use it for: many different dishes, depending on which herb or spice
Why I love it: Ever tired of having to throw away half a container of dried herbs because the expiry date has passed? It happens to me all the time! What I like about this product, compared to other brands like McCormick's, is they seem to last whole lot longer. It's probably a little more expensive, but it's worth it because you don't waste half of it. For example, I bought these ones in early 2008 and they last until 2011 or 2012!
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