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By Susan, on December 30th, 2010  I made this for the first time almost 5 years ago now. My Mum-In-Law had just bought a pasta maker and we were both keen to try it out. At the time it felt like we were in the kitchen for hours! I had never spent so much time before cooking one dish! When I came to making it the second time round I couldn’t figure out what I was on about. Sure, it takes some time to make your own pasta but compared to some of the other food adventures I have been on in recent times it pales in comparison.
This is a great dish for a special dinner. Homemade fresh pasta is truly something else and it is sure to impress any guest. I love the combination of flavors, they compliment each other so well and the pumpkin sauce is a little different to the traditional tomato. The leftovers are always fabulous too, my husband and I were fighting over them the next day!
Herb Filled Ravioli
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 6tbs olive oil
- 600g (20 oz) plain flour
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 4tbs parmesan cheese, grated
- 4tsp fresh chives, chopped
- 2tsp continental parsley, chopped
- 4tsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2tsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten, extra
Method
- Place 6 beaten eggs, oil and flour in the bowl of a bread machine and select the pasta cycle. When the cycle is finished, knead for a couple of minutes or until smooth then cover with plastic wrap and leave for 30 minutes.
(If you do not have a bread machine: Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Gradually mix in the eggs and oil. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 minutes, or until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 30 minutes.)
- To make the filling: mix the ricotta, parmesan and herbs together in a small bowl and season well.
- Divide the dough into eight portions and shape each into a log. Keeping the unworked portions covered, take one portion and flatten it with one or two rolls of a rolling pin. With your pasta machine rollers set to the widest setting, crank the dough through two or three times. Fold into thirds, turn the dough by 90 degrees and feed it through again. If the dough feels sticky, flour it lightly each time it is rolled. Reduce the width of the rollers by one setting and pass the dough through without folding it. Repeat, setting the rollers one notch closer each time until you have reached a thickness of 2mm (1/6 inch). Roll another sheet slightly larger than the first.
- Spread the smaller sheet out onto a work surface. Spoon 1tsp of the filling at 5cm (2 inch) intervals. Brush the beaten egg between the filling along the cutting lines. Place the larger sheet on top. Press the two sheets together along the cutting edge line. Cut the ravioli with a pastry wheel or knife. Transfer to a lightly floured baking tray. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (Can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days)
- Cook the ravioli in a large pan of salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes and serve with the creamy pumpkin sauce.
Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5kg (3lb) butternut pumpkin, cut into 3-5 (1-2 inch) cubes
- 1L (1/4 gallon) chicken stock
- 3tbs olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 2 tsp cumin, ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1tsp paprika, ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Method
- Place pumpkin in a pot with the chicken stock and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft enough to mash.
- Heat the oil in a large fry pan and cook onions, garlic and celery until cooked and lightly browned.
- Add spices and cook for a further 2 minutes or until aromatic.
- Cool the pumpkin mixture slightly and place in a food processor or blender. Add onion mixture and process until smooth. Add cream and season to taste.
- Pour over cooked ravioli and sprinkle with parsley and pinenuts.
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By Susan, on December 30th, 2010 The crazy season is almost finished with New Years Eve tomorrow and what better way the celebrate the New Year by trying a New Pizza!
Thank you to all who participated in the Crust Competition. Crust have some awesome pizzas! Try them for yourself and click here to find your closest Crust location or to order the Chicago Deep Dish pizza online www.crust.com.au.
The Winners:
Cate
Vonnie
Keppers
Anna Johnston
Lilian
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By Susan, on December 25th, 2010 Ahhh… Christmas has come and gone in a whirlwind once more and now we’re all left scrubbing our pots and pans with completely satisfied stomachs.
I was up early and enjoyed a festive morning of cooking for the big event ‘Christmas Day Lunch’. With just 5 of us, it was a small do at my place but of course there was enough food to feed twice as many (so no need to worry about cooking on Boxing day). My Dad holds the title of ‘expert ham picker’ and certainly didn’t disappoint! We all raved how it was the best Ham we’d eaten in recent memory and with a traditional pineapple glaze to top it off we found ourselves going back for seconds and thirds.
So what was on the menu?
The Lunch:
- Baked Ham with Pineapple Glaze
- Potato Bake
- Stuffed Baked Onions
- Roast Sweet Potato, Carrot and Brussel Sprouts
- Bread rolls
- Gravy
- Beef Croquettes
The Sweets:
- Gingerbread House
- Orange Cake with Orange Buttercream Frosting and Candied Orange Slices
- Cherry Coconut Bon Bons
- Rocky Road complete with Rocky Road Christmas Tree
- Cranberry Pistachio Slice
 Baked Ham with Pineapple Glaze  Stuffed Baked Onions  Potato Bake  Gingerbread House  Orange Cake with Orange Frosting and Candied Orange  Rocky Road and Pistachio Cranberry Slice  Cherry Coconut Bon Bons Did you like this? Please share it:
By Susan, on December 20th, 2010 If you have never tried a sausage roll before, I recommend trying this recipe. I don’t recall coming across them in the US during my various trips to their wonderful shores. Essential they are what they called: a sausage rolled up in a puff pastry coating. Every bakery selling pies in Australia (and that is most of them) has these little beauties sitting right next to them. They are a fabulous party food: just make them finger sized and you have enough to feed an army of kids for your next children’s birthday. Don’t get me wrong though, they are always a hit with the big kids too!
Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls
Recipe adapted from Bourke St Bakery
Makes 10 sausage rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 80g sliced pancetta, chopped
- 450g pork meat or mince
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 sheets of ready rolled puff pastry
- Dried bread crumbs, to sprinkle
Method
- If using pork meat, roughly chop pork into chunks then place in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the meat is of a mince consistency, place in a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 200c (400f) and line a cookie tray with baking paper. Toast spices in a dry frypan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pound the spices in a mortar and pestle until finely ground. Set aside. Return pan to medium heat. Cook onion and pancetta for 5 minutes or until onion softens, stirring. Add spices, then cool.
- Add onion mixture to a large bowl with pork, crumbs, parsley, zest and 1 egg. Season and mix well, then refrigerate until needed.
- Cut the pastry sheets in half length ways. Shape pork into 5 sausages, about 3cm (1 1/2 inch) wide and the same length of the pastry sheets. Place 1 sausage on each pastry rectangle, then roll up to enclose. Turn rolls seamside down, brush with egg and sprinkle with the dried breadcrumbs. Cut each sausage roll in half, place on the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked. Serve with tomato chutney or tomato sauce (ketchup).
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By Susan, on December 16th, 2010 This is a pizza on steroids! I was asked to review Crust’s newest addition to their menu: the ‘Chicago Deep Dish’ pizza $16AUD. I am a mad pizza lover and thought I knew all there was to know about this doughy delight. Whilst I was trying to co-ordinate this review, I was baffled by the name ‘Chicago deep dish pizza’ when it was being flung to and fro via email. How different could this pizza really be? I mean, what is left to explore in the world of pizza right? C’mon people – It’s a flat disc of dough with stuff on top! After some quick investigating on Google and good ole’ Wikipedia I was quickly eating my words. The images of the Chicago Deep dish pizzas looked like no other pizza I’d ever seen, they looked incredible! I was becoming more and more eager to try this Chicago Deep Dish for myself.
The Chicago deep dish pizza originated in (you guessed it) Chicago! It was first thought to have been conceived by Ike Sewell or one of his chefs in a restaurant known as Pizzeria Uno sometime during or soon after World War II. It has been a hit in Chicago ever since and has finally made it all the way to our shores here in Australia. I must say, I was quite impressed that someone at Crust has been innovative enough to add this pizza to their menu. I think it is a fabulous change and a must try for any self confessed pizza lover.
So what are the differences between this Chicago deep dish pizza and the thick based pan pizza? Well first of all, it looks rather different in appearance, the deep dish has a crust that continues vertically up the sides which gives the pizza an almost pie or quiche appearance and secondly the base of the Chicago deep dish isn’t actually thick, the pizzas from Crust have a wonderful thin crisp texture. The toppings are pilled in the soft doughy shell and baked as normal.
I tried both of the varieties they offer ‘Italian Sausage’ and ‘Vegetarian Antipasto’. I thought Italian Sausage would have been my favourite of the two without question as I have never been a huge antipasto fan, so I surprised myself when my preference well and truly leaned towards Antipasto. I found both pizzas to be refreshingly light compared to what I have come to expect from the usual gourmet pizzas on offer in the market. The Antipasto didn’t even leave me with a hint of greasiness, it was so good I could have sworn I had made it myself. 
Crust is a Gourmet Pizza chain with store locations all around Australia and more on the way. I dropped in to the Hamilton store owned and operated by ex-pro basketball player Sam Mackinnon.
Click here to find your closest Crust location or to order the Chicago Deep Dish pizza online www.crust.com.au.
Thanks to Crust I have 5x Chicago Deep Dish pizza vouchers to give away so you too can try this ‘pizza on steroids’ for yourself, simply leave a comment and tell me which pizza you would like to try the most from the entire Crust pizza range and why. You can enter once a day. Click here to view their extensive menu.
Competition closes 10.00pm AEST Wednesday 29/12/2010 winners will be announced online and will be notified by email. This competition is open to all Australian residents and is made possible thanks so Crust and Keep Left PR.
Crust have some awesome pizzas available like: Mexican with a refired bean base or Veggie Mousakka with a béchamel sauce base! They also cater for Gluten Free.
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By Susan, on December 16th, 2010 I love this dip but I’m often disappointed by the store bought varieties. Come to think of it, just because it is homemade doesn’t necessarily mean it will be fabulous either. Hummus comprises only a few basic ingredients but get the quantities wrong and you could have a dip disaster on your hands.
This recipe worked perfectly for me. You can adjust the thickness of the Hummus by how much or how little chickpea liquid you add so I recommend adding a little at a time until you get the texture you like. I personally like a thick Hummus and IF you have any leftovers it is just fabulous on sandwiches!
Hummus
Print or download recipe here
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned chickpeas drained (reserve liquid)
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1tbs olive oil
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1tsp parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you would like your hummus to be thinner add a little of the reserved chickpea liquid and blend further. Continue until your desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer dip to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
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By Susan, on December 11th, 2010 Have you noticed I’ve been just a little candy obsessed recently? It amazes me sometimes just how versatile sugar can be. With a little sugar, water and a couple of little additions you can have so many different types of candy. Boil it and you get toffee, add bi-carb soda and you get Honeycomb also known as Sponge Candy in the US, whip it to death and you get Marshmallow and then there’s fairy floss and caramel just to name a few. It is a real art this candy making sugar stuff….. how did all those talented people find all these diverse ways of cooking this sickly sweet ingredient.
I love the endless possibilities which the world of marshmallow holds. I have made vanilla, berry, pineapple and now passionfruit has been mastered. These marshmallows have a very strong flavour, there is no denying they are passion fruit and the pink and yellow swirls of colour fit this flavour perfectly! I used Queen Natural Colours Pink and Yellow for the vibrant colours, they are all natural and contain no artificial colours or preservatives so are completely kid friendly!
So what flavour’s next? …… mango, guava, pear, apple, coconut, chocolate – all great possibilities! I guess I’ll just have to wait and see which way the wind blows.
For more details on Queen Natural Colours visit the Queen website.
Passionfruit Marshmallow
Print or download recipe here
Ingredients
- 28 grams of powdered gelatine
- 1/2 cup of strained passionfruit juice (see note)
- 1/4 tsp of orange blossom water
- 1 1/4 cups of water
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 1/4 cups of light corn syrup or glucose syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Queen Natural Pink Food Colouring
- Queen Natural Yellow Food Colouring
- 1/4 cup of Icing sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup of corn flour sifted
- Desiccated coconut (optional)
Method
- Line the base and sides of a large baking dish with aluminium foil and coat the foil with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. If you have a mixer, fit it with the whisk attachment.
- Mix the berry puree, orange blossom water and 1/2 cup water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatine over to soften.
- Put the sugar, corn syrup, remaining 3/4 cup water and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until it reaches the soft-ball stage 118 – 120C (234-240 F).
- With an electric hand beater or mixer at full speed, pour all of the hot syrup slowly down the side of the bowl. Be careful as the mixture is very liquid and hot at this point and some may splash out of the bowl – use a splash guard if you have one. Whip until the mixture is very fluffy and stiff, about 15-20 minutes with an electric hand beater or 8-10 minutes with an electric stand mixer.
- Divine the mixture in 2. Colour one half yellow and the other pink.
- Spoon mixture into the foil-lined baking dish, alternating between yellow and pink then swirl a knife around the dish to mix the colours then smooth with an oiled spatula so that the top is level. Allow the mixture to sit, uncovered at room temp for 10 to 12 hours to set.
- Mix the icing sugar and corn flour in a bowl (or desiccated coconut if using) and sprinkle generously over the rested marshmallow slab removing any excess. Turn it out onto a cutting board, peel off the foil and dust with more sugar& flour mixture or desiccated coconut. Slice with a thin-bladed oiled knife or oiled cookie cutters. Dip all cut edges in sugar & flour mixture or desiccated coconut and shake off excess.
Marshmallows will keep for several weeks at room temp in an air-tight container – but I can guarantee they won’t last that long 
Note: For the passionfruit juice, place fresh passion fruit seeds in a sieve and push seeds around the sieve with the back of a spoon to get as much of the juice as possible. You will probably need approx 10 – 15 passionfruits to get 1/2 cup of juice.
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By Susan, on December 8th, 2010 This dish was made due to a request by my Dad. Over the years he has quietly reminisced a food memory from long ago, he was a young man when he was first introduced to lamb shanks in a plum sauce and has been thinking and talking about them ever since.
My Dad isn’t much of a cook so he never had the urge to try and replicate this fond dish himsielf but as I am a mad food enthusiast, I was all too keen to take up the challenge. I must say the plum sauce was a nice change from the usual tomato based lamb shank recipe and the sweetness of the plums coupled with the contrast of fresh rosemary added a whole extra dimension to the flavour complexity of the dish. I served the shanks simply with just a side of creamy mashed potato – it just didn’t need anything else.
The sauce was so good I have frozen the leftovers and plan to use it as a meat marinade for my next BBQ…… plum sauce pork chops??? Yes Please!
Lamb Shanks in Succulent Plum Sauce
Print or download recipe here
Serves 4 – 8 depending on if you want 1 or 2 lamb shanks per person
Ingredients
- 2tbs plain flour
- 8 lamb shanks
- 4tbs olive oil
- 2 brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
- 1tbs fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2tbs worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup plum jam
- 1kg whole canned plums including can juices
- 2 heaped tablespoons corn flour
- mashes potato to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 200c (400f). Place flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, add lamb shanks and toss to coat. Heat 2tbs oil in a large frypan over high heat. Cook shanks, turning, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
- Reduce heat to medium-high. Heat remaining oil in frypan. Add onion, rosemary and thyme. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add wine. Simmer for 1 minute. Stir in stock, worcestershire sauce, jam and canned plums with juices. Season with pepper. Bring to the boil then add to casserole dish with the lamb shanks. Cover and transfer to oven.
- Bake for 2 hours. Remove lid and baste shanks. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until meat is tender and falling from the bone.
- Take casserole dish out of oven, remove the lamb shanks and transfer the plum sauce to a large heavy-based pot bring the sauce to boil and reduce down to half the volume. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole dish and cover to keep warm.
- Place the corn flour in a small bowl and add enough water to make a smooth paste. Add to the boiling plum sauce continue cooking for a few more minutes until sauce has thickened, return the thickened sauce to the casserole dish with the lamb shanks. Serve with mashed potato.
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