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By Susan, on April 29th, 2010  I love slow cooking, the way it transforms tough cuts of meat into luscious, tender chunks in just a few hours is amazing – comfort food at it’s finest! I had never cooked Oxtail before this dish, but had heard good things about it from all who had tried it. It is a very rich meat, a real meat-a-holics fare and matched so well with the soft, light gnocchi. Gnocchi is surprisingly easy to make, if you have made your own pasta from scratch before then it’s a walk in the park by comparison.
Oxtail Gnocchi
A Jamie Oliver recipe
Ingredients
- 2kg (4.5lb) oxtails
- Plain flour, season to dust
- 1 each carrot, onion, celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 leek finely chopped (white part only)
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 50g streaky bacon, roughly chopped
- 750ml (1 bottle) dry red wine
- 2x 400g (14oz) cans top-quality roma tomatoes
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1tbs fennel seeds, ground
- 1tbs black peppercorns, ground
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 700ml (24fl oz) top quality beef stock
- knob (20g) of unsalted butter
- Small bunch of sage, leaves picked
- Grated parmesan, to serve
Gnocchi
- 6 (about 1.2kg/2.6 lb) desiree potatoes
- 1-2 handfuls (1/2 – 1 cup) of OO flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 large egg yolk
Method
- Preheat oven to 170C (340f). Heat a large flame proof casserole over medium-high heat. Dust oxtail in flour and brown in a little oil. Remove from casserole, add vegetables, garlic & bacon to casserole & cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until soft.
- Return oxtail to casserole, then add wine, tomatoes, zest, spices, herbs, stock and if needed, some water to make sure the oxtail is covered.
- Season well and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook in oven for 5 hours until the meat falls away from the bone.
- Meanwhile, for gnocchi, bake potatoes in the oven with oxtail for 1 1/2 hours. While still quite hot, hold potatoes with an oven glove and scoop flesh into a bowl.
- Mash it well, preferably with a potato ricer, and mix with flour, yolk, salt and pepper to form a soft dough. Lightly flour a work surface and your hands. Roll dough into a long sausage about 2-3cm thick, cut into 2cm pieces and squeeze lightly to shape into pillows. Place gnocchi on a floured tray and set aside.
- Pull oxtail meat away from the bones, then discard bones and rosemary. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until thick.
- Heat butter in a frypan and fry your sage until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
- Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water, in batches, for 2 minutes or until they float.
- Transfer to oxtail pan, toss with parmesan, then serve with sage and more parmesan.
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By Susan, on April 28th, 2010 As part of my marshmallow phase, pineapple marshmallows was my latest experiment. There is so much variety to be explored with marshmallows, you can make them any fruity flavour and even have a go at chocolate or coffee among other tastes. What about ginger beer marshmallows or orange blossom? I put these pineapple marshmallows in a bunch of Rocky Road I made on the weekend and they were d’lish!
Pineapple Marshmallows
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Strawberry Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 28 grams of powdered gelatine
- 1 cup of store bought pineapple juice
- 3/4 cups of water
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 1/4 cups of light corn syrup or glucose syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup of Icing sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup of corn flour sifted
- Desiccated coconut (optional)
- Good quality dark eating chocolate melted (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.
- Place the pineapple juice in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatine over to soften.
- Put the sugar, corn syrup, 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.
- Pour mixture into the foil-lined baking dish and smooth with an oiled spatula so that the top is level (it won’t completely fill the pan). 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.
- If using, dip marshmallows in melted chocolate and allow to set.
Marshmallows will keep for several weeks at room temp in an air-tight container – but I can guarantee they won’t last that long 
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By Susan, on April 27th, 2010 This is my husbands all time favourite pizza. I first made it when his vegetarian Aunty and Cousin were visiting from Scotland, admittedly I was in a bit of a panic as to what to make, being at the time, a self confessed meat-a-holic with no meal being complete without beef, chicken, pork or lamb!  Finally I found this recipe and gave it a go – I was shocked! The pizza had so much flavour, yet where was the meat? I never thought vegetarian could be this tasty and afterwards I was left feeling light yet fulfilled.
These days I am proud to say we are primarily (but not exclusively) vegetarian eaters. I have become addicted to how good I feel after every vegetarian meal – I hadn’t realised how heavy and stodgy meat can be.
Roasted Vegetable & Feta Pizza
Recipe adapted from taste.com.au & allrecipes.com
Makes 3 pizzas
Ingredients
For the Bread Machine Pizza Dough
- 1 1/4 cups luke warm water
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered milk
For the Roasted Vegetable Topping
- 1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 red and 1 yellow capsicum, cut into 1.5cm pieces
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 small zucchini, sliced
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 large fat-free pizza bases
- Tomato pizza sauce or passata
- 200g (1/2 lb) low-fat feta, crumbled
- 4 – 6 tbs of fresh, finely chopped mixed herbs such as: parsley, chives, basil, sage etc.
Method
- Place all the ingredients for the dough in the pan of a bread machine, in the order listed above (or as suggested by the manufacturer) and select the dough cycle.
- Meanwhile prepare the topping: preheat oven to 180°C (350f). In a large bowl toss the pumpkin, capsicum, onion and zucchini with oil, then season and place on 2 large baking trays (to fit vegetables in a single layer).
- Roast for 10 minutes, then remove zucchini and place in a large bowl. Return trays to the oven for 10 more minutes or until pumpkin is tender and capsicums are a little charred at the edges. Add to zucchini, then set aside.
- Increase oven temperature to 200°C (400f). Divide the finished pizza dough into 3 and roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour 3 baking trays and place 1 rolled out base on each tray.
- Spread pizza sauce on bases and top with roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with feta and mixed herbs and bake for 15-20 minutes until feta is golden.
- Slice each pizza into 6 and serve.
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By Susan, on April 26th, 2010 Another fabulous recipe from my family recipe source. I first tried this dip several years ago and it instantly became my favorite and still holds the number one position. It’s tasty, addictive and I guarantee you’ll have cravings for it and find yourself making it more and more.
Salmon Lawn
Recipe from my Mum-In-Law
Makes 1 very large dip or 2 smaller dips
Ingredients
- 185g (6.5oz) can red salmon, drained very well
- 250g (8.8oz) Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 chopped spring onions (scallions)
- Handful of grated cheese
- Tabasco sauce (optional)
- 1 small bottle of taco sauce
- 1 large bunch of parsley, very finely chopped
Method
- Mold the cream cheese into a flat round disc (I like to divide the cream cheese in 2 and make 2 smaller individual dips).
- Splash a few drops of Tabasco sauce over the cream cheese disc (if using).
- In a small bowl, mix together the salmon, cheese and spring onion; then mold over the cream cheese.
- Pour the taco sauce over the top of the salmon mixture.
- Entirely cover the mound with the finely chopped parsley and serve with your choice of savory cracker, corn chip etc.
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By Susan, on April 23rd, 2010 Are you a baked or non-baked cheesecake fan? A good baked New York Cheesecake is probably still my all time favorite, but I must say, I do like the non baked variety too. Non-baked recipes seem to be a bit harder to come by compared to their baked companion. Most of my books and magazines all contain the baked versions and I do feel like a bit of a cheat when I make the non-baked kind…… so I just mix and pour and that is it? Something inside me feels it just isn’t right, must be my inner baker  Nevertheless a good cheesecake is still a good cheesecake.
Mango Orange Liqueur Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Website
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweet biscuit crumbs
- 60g butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 500g (1.1025 lbs) block Cream Cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau liqueur (Optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
- 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
- 1/2 cup cream, lightly whipped
- 425g (15oz) can of mango slices
- 2 gold strength gelatin leaves
Method
- Line the base and sides of a 20cm (8inches) round spring form pan.
- Combine biscuit crumbs, butter and cocoa. Press into base of the spring form pan; chill.
- Drain the mango slices, reserving the syrup. Place the syrup in a bowl and puree the mango slices. Put 3/4 cup of pureed mango aside for the cheesecake and place the remaining puree in the bowl with the reserved syrup.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Add orange juice, Cointreau, gelatine mixture and rind and beat until just combined. Fold in 3/4 cup mango puree and cream, stir until combined; chill.
- Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl of water for 5 minutes then squeeze out excess liquid and add to the reserved syrup and puree (I also added a couple of drops of red food colouring to get more orange colour) pour over the cheesecake layer and chill. Alternatively, you could make up a packet of mango or orange flavoured jelly and use 1/2 – 1 cup.
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By Susan, on April 21st, 2010 Who doesn’t love cake? Believe it or not I didn’t like cake for the first 20 years of my life… I look back on those times with a sadness for all the cake I missed out on! LOL! Fruity flavoured cakes are my favorite these days: banana, apple, pear, orange….. Pineapple was on the menu today and it was delightful, so delightful I didn’t get a chance to take a pic of it sliced I’m looking forward to trying beetroot and zucchini in future cakes.
Pineapple Cake with Malibu Cream
Recipe from Australian Women’s Weekly ‘Cakes, Biscuits & slices’
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 450g (16oz) can crushed pineapple in syrup
- 125g (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour, sifted
- 6 egg whites
- 1/2 cup caster sugar, extra
- 2tsp icing sugar
For the Malibu cream
- 300ml thickened cream
- 1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 1tbs Malibu rum
Method
- Toast the coconut in a medium frying pan over medium to high heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes or until browned lightly. Remove from pan; cool.
- Drain the pineapple over a small bowl; reserve 1/2 cup of the syrup, discard remainder.
- Preheat oven to 180c (350f). Grease 2 deep 20cm round spring form tins; line sides and bases with baking paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in sifted flour, pineapple, then reserved syrup. Divide mixture between tins, bake 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form; gradually add extra caster sugar, beating until sugar dissolves between additions. Fold in toasted coconut.
- Remove cakes form oven; working quickly; divide coconut mixture over cakes in tins, using a spatula to spread evenly so tops are completely covered. Bake about 30 minutes. Stand cakes in tins 5 minutes; using small knife, carefully loosen meringue from baking paper around insides of tin. Release sides of tins; cool.
- Meanwhile, beat ingredients for Malibu cream in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Please one cake on serving plate; spread with cream. Top with remaining cake; dust with sifted icing sugar.
I bought a couple more Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks, there are some scrumptious looking cookies, cakes and macaroons I’m just dying to try; monte carlos, wagon wheels, kingstons, mint slices… I was actually rather surprised at the amount of recipes they had for store bought cookies.
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By Susan, on April 19th, 2010 This slice can be dairy free providing you use dairy free chocolate. It can be difficult catering for food intolerances at times and I always keep an eye out for good recipes. This is a very nice and easy chocolate-coconut slice
Choc-Cherry Macaroon Slice
Recipe from Womens Weekly
Makes 16
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 100g (3.5 oz) dark eating chocolate, grated coarsley
- 1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
- 1 1/3 cups of shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup red glacé cherries
- 50g (1.8 oz) dark eating chocolate, melted
Method
- Preheat oven to 150c (300f) and line a 19cm x 29cm (7.5inch x 11.5inch) slice pan with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric beater until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions.
- Fold in the grated chocolate, flour, coconut and cherries.
- Spread the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool in pan.
- Drizzle the cooled slice with the melted chocolate and refrigerate until set before cutting.
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By Susan, on April 16th, 2010 If I had to sum up the food memory of my childhood in one dish, this would be it. It is probably the signature dish of the Philippines, with everyone having their own slightly different version. A very simple combination comprising mainly of soy sauce and vinegar, but surprisingly delicious. I have eaten quite a lot of Adobo in my life and I may be biased but I do think my Mum’s recipe is the best Asian cooking is slightly different to European cooking in that recipes are taught and handed down from person to person and retained in memory, it can almost be called ‘instinctive’ cooking. My mum doesn’t have a written recipe that she follows, she just knows it. This made for a fun time on the phone when I called her earlier in the week to get her adobo recipe. I have learnt to cook by following recipes and learning the different techniques and was keen for all the step by step details. We soon sorted it all out and I was one step closer to being transported back to my childhood.
Adobo
Recipe from My Mum
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken plus 2 extra drumsticks
- 1 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 onions, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 – 3 medium potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- Steamed rice to serve
Method
- Combine all the ingredients except for the chicken and potatoes in a large pot.
- Cut the chicken into pieces and place in the pot with the sauce. I divided the chicken into: drumsticks, thighs, removed the wings and cut each into 2 pieces, cut the breasts down the middle and then cut each breast into thirds. I removed all the skin from the chicken for a healthier version.
- Put the lid on the pot and place in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate.
- Once marinated, add the potatoes to the pot and cook on high heat until boiling.
- Reduce heat, bringing the liquid to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the sauce has been reduced down to 1/3 or until slightly thickened. (You shouldn’t have much sauce left)
- Serve with Steamed rice.
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