What's Cooking in Frankston

Shortbread Christmas tree

2011-12-08T21:08:00.001+10:00

I used a cookie tree making kit from Kmart to put this together. It had 5 different sized Star cookie cutters and a dowel and a base and a hole cutter in the box.

The shortbread recipe from the side of the McKenzies rice flour box is nice and firm and it holds its shape when cooked, here it is.

Traditional Shortbread Recipe

225g plain flour
115g rice flour
115g caster sugar
225g butter (at room temperature)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cut up the butter into slices, put into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sift the flours over the butter, add the caster sugar and the vanilla essence.

Rub the butter into the sugar and flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and pliable. Form into a

Cut the dough in half. roll each portion out to a depth of approx 10 - 12mm. Use shape cutters to cut out the desired shape. Place carefully on a cookie sheet leaving room for expansion. Prick patterns into the dough with a fork if desired.

Bake for 20 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the shape, in a cool oven, 155-160 degrees for fan forced, slightly warmer for conventional ovens. Cool on trays fro 5-10 mins them move to a wire cooling rack. Store when completely at room temperature.

Shepherds Pie

2010-08-10T19:38:00.001+10:00

Shepherds Pie

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
500 g minced meat
1 large Onion grated
1 large carrot grated
2 tsp Garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Gravy mix (Gravox or similar)
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1 chicken stock cube
1 cup water

Topping

1 kg Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
50 g Butter or Margarine
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender while making the meat filling.
Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat until browned. Stir the onions, carrot and garlic in as well. Mix the gravy powder into the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and herbs then pour over the meat mixture, stir well, add the water and chicken stock cube, stirring constantly, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Drain the potatoes when they are soft enough to mash. Mash them well with the butter or margarine, salt and pepper and olive oil, and about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning.
Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Sprinkle some extra grated Parmesan cheese over the potato. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

Tangy Lentil Soup with Silverbeet & Zucchini

2010-06-16T22:12:00.001+10:00

This is a delicious Lebanese version of a popular Middle Eastern brown lentil soup to serve as a main meal that even kids will love! Great for making ahead as the flavour continues to improve. Freeze leftovers in meal sized glass containers for an easy lunch.

Ingredients

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
500 g brown lentils, picked over for stones, washed, drained
1 tsp salt
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 cm cubes (350 g)
1 bunch silverbeet, base trimmed, washed and shredded into 1 cm strips (600 g)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons

Method

Warm oil in very deep soup pot (e.g. 8 litres capacity) and sauté onions until soft.
Add lentils, salt and 2 litres of water, cover with lid, and bring to the boil. Turn down heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add potato cubes and continue cooking for approximately 10 minutes.
Add zucchini, silverbeet, garlic, pepper and 1 extra litre of boiling water and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until the green vegetables just start to soften.
Stir in coriander and lemon juice and serve in bowls. Three ladles per bowl provides for a main meal serving. Serve with bread, if desired.

Serves 8

Morning Snack

2010-03-16T11:13:00.002+10:00

On our morning walk we stopped at MDonalds. I had a Mango Smoothie from the Cafe.

When I came home I looked up the nutrition information on it. Boy o'boy, and it was 4.5 ww points. I didn't think it would be so high. I know not to have another, I would have been better off with a juice or a skinny latte with an apple. Or even better still take a snack with me, something like 8 nuts in my pocket which is only 0.5 points.

Chick Pea Tagine

2010-03-16T07:51:00.003+10:00

I made this dish for dinner last night. I am following a w.watch.ers diet plan and I wanted a dinner with low points. I wanted to use rice but I didn't want to have the fat of a risotto, so I decided to use the Tagine.

I am not expert at using the Tagine yet, it is supposed to be a slow cooker but I am finding that everything cooks quite quickly. Maybe I will have to use a very low heat. I am also finding that the liquid content needs to be low as it bubble out from under the "lid" if there is too much. I am still experimenting.

Consider making a yoghurt sauce to serve in future as it was a little dry. It would then bump up the points a little, but considering that I had yoghurt for sweets (with rock melon), I could have halved my dessert serve and used the other half in the sauce.

Serves 2 each serve is 4.5 ww points, it is 1 serve each of protein and cereal and 3 serves of vegetables

1 cup drained canned chickpeas

240g gold sweet potato

240g kent pumpkin

1/2 cup arborio rice

1 onion cut into quarters

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp stock powder

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

2 small red chillies

1/4 red capsicum

2 stalks celery

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups water

Heat the tagine base over a low heat, lightly spray the base with an olive oil spray. Add the onion to the tagine to saute, then add the rice so that it toasts a little. Pour over half the water, it will steam and bubble, so be careful.

Add the spices and stock powder. Next add the chick peas, chillies, garlic, celery and capsicum, stir to combine. Push the chunks of pumpkin and sweet potato into the rice then pour our 1 tbsp lemon juice and the remaining water.

Cover the tagine with the lid and place into a moderately warm oven for 40minutes to finish cooking. Season to taste with the remaining lemon juice and freshly ground salt and pepper.

Serve with a large fresh salad of cucumber, snow peas and greens.

Banana Ginger Muffins

2010-03-14T10:17:00.003+10:00

I have been given some news this week, I have diabetes. In order to manage it correctly I will have to make some changes. This involves some learning about the right foods to eat. Also I will have to exercise at the right times. I need to develop regular meal times and incorporate regular snacks also. Here is a recipe that I found at the American Diabetes Association website, the page was titled Breakfast On the Go. It seems that the americans are keen on the exchanges program, I don't know a lot about it but I will keep researching.

Makes 1 dozen/ serving size: 1 muffin

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour (use some whole wheat if deisred)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 bananas, mashed
2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger (or use 1 tsp. ground)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix well, but gently. Do not overbeat.
Pour the batter into 12 sprayed non-stick muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes until center comes out clean and the muffins are lightly brown. Remove the muffins from the oven and cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool them completely.

Exchanges: 2 starch

Calories: 156
Calories from fat: 29
Total fat: 3 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 18 mg
Sodium: 83 mg
Carbohydrate: 28 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 5 g

Roasted Tomato and Onion Tarts

2009-02-07T12:45:00.002+10:00

Tart Shells
250g cream cheese at room temperature
350g butter or margarine softened
400g plain flour
Blend the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the flour untill just blended. Chill for about 1 hour. shape into 36 balls. press into the base of muffin pans to make a shallow shell. Bake for 10-15 mins before filling and baking for a further 10 mins.
Roast Tomato and Onion Filling
36 small Roma tomatos
15 small/medium onions
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese combined with
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Slice the tomatos lengthwise and place on a baking paper lined baking tray. Peel the onions and cut into wedges, toss the wedges in a small amount of olive oil to lightly coat, brush the remaining oil over the cut surfaces of the tomato. Sprinkle the cut surface of the tomato with the sugar, then the salt and then the pepper. Bake the tomatos slowly in a cool oven for approximately 1 hour, then add the onions to the baking tray and bake for a further hour.
To assemble the tarts, brush the inside of each tart with the Dijon mustard, sprinkle with a small amount of the cheese blend. Evenly distribute the roasted tomato and onion into the cases and sprinkle the remaining cheese, before baking for the last 10mins. Sprinkle fresh chopped oregano leaves over the warm tarts prior to serving. Serve with eggs bacon, baked beans and sausages for a hearty breakfast. Serves 36

Crispy Potato Wedges

2009-02-03T16:26:00.000+10:00

A tasty way to stretch a budget!
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp each of basil, thyme, oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
4 to 6 potatoes cut in wedges (into 4 or 6 wedges per potato)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Mix Oil and seasonings together
Roll potato wedges in mixture
Lay flat in ungreased baking sheet
Bake at 210*C for 15min
Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 15min
Serve hot!
Tasty Tip: wedges go really well with sour cream or mashed avocado

From the Community Kitchens website: www.communitykitchens.org.au

Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and Fennel

2008-11-12T16:44:00.002+10:00

1.4kg hot Italian sausage links (Chorizo)
3 (500g) packages rigatoni or macaroni pasta
3 (700ml) jars tomato puree or italian cooking sauce
3 bulbs fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 roasted red capsicums, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Fry the sausages in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the skillet, cool slightly and slice into rounds. Add the garlic, fennel and onion to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then add the roasted capsicum, basil, sliced sausage and pasta sauce. Heat through over low heat until warmed.
Combine the pasta with the sauce and vegetables in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the mozzarella, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses over the top. Garnish with a few fennel leaves left from the bulb. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove the aluminum foil. Set the oven to broil, and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is browned.

Morrocan Lamb Shanks

2008-11-11T20:17:00.005+10:00

2kg lamb shanks
2tbsp Ras el Hanout spice blend
2 onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1cm freshly grated ginger
1 lemon, zested
2cups chicken stock
1tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp honey

Drizzle a little olive oil over the lamb shanks, rub the Ras el Hanout all over the shanks, leave them to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the shanks 2 at a time, and brown well. Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining lamb. Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and ginger; continue cooking for an additional couple of minutes.
Place the vegetables in the bottom of a casserole dish that has a well fitting lid and stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, tomato paste, and honey. Put the lamb on top of the vegetables, turning them to ensure they are covered in the sauce. Cover the casserole, Place in a hot oven for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate and simmer for around 2 hours.
Serve with Couscous.

Spicy Couscous with Dates

2008-11-11T20:07:00.002+10:00

15 ml olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 whole star anise pods
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1/4 tsp powdered chilli
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
15 ml lemon juice
8g chopped dates
1tsp ground cinnamon
175 g uncooked couscous
1 vegetable stock cube in 350ml of hot water

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion until tender. Season with anise pods and salt. Mix in garlic, red bell pepper, dried hot red peppers, and black pepper. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
Stir mushrooms and lemon juice into the vegetable mixture. Mix in dates and cinnamon, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Place couscous in a medium saucepan, and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until all moisture has been absorbed.
Fluff couscous with a fork, mix into the vegetables, and serve.

Rogan Josh, Lamb Shanks in the Slow Cooker

2008-11-10T20:19:00.002+10:00

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 chicken stock cubes
4 whole cardamom pods, broken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
ground nutmeg to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn flour
1/4 cup water
1 large onion, cut into wedges
3 lamb shanks
1 carrot, diced
2 potatoes, diced

Stir the sour cream and all-purpose flour together in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water to make a paste.
Combine the chili powder, coriander, ginger, stock cubes, cardamom, tomatoes, water, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Slowly add the cornstarch paste to the tomato mixture, stirring constantly; simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream and flour mixture.
Arrange the onions across the bottom of a slow cooker, lay the shanks on top of the onions and pour the prepared tomato mixture over the meat. Place the carrots and potatoes on top of the sauce.
Cover and cook in the slow cooker on High for 8 hours.

Pisang Goreng (Indonesian Banana Fritters)

2008-11-10T20:01:00.001+10:00

780g plain flour
125g white sugar sugar
2tsp vanilla essence
600 ml milk
5 eggs
140 g butter, melted
3 kg ripe bananas, sliced
oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and vanilla powder. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg, melted butter and rum flavoring. Mix until smooth. Fold in banana slices until evenly coated.
Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Drop banana mixture by tablespoon into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bananas from oil, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Karahi Chicken (Hot and Spicy Chicken Curry)

2008-10-25T21:35:00.004+10:00

1.5kg chicken pieces
3 onions, chopped
1½ tsp ginger & garlic paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 whole chillis
1 tsp coriander seeds
10g garam masala
3 bay leaves
100ml Oil
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
Heat oil in a pan and add oil, bay leaves, red chillies, coriander seeds, garam masala and roast till they splutter. Add the onions and sauté for sometime till it browns. Add the ginger, garlic paste and fry till the oil floats on top. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and cook for some time.
Now add the chicken and stir a little, then add some water for cooking.
When cooked remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried Kashmiri red chillies.

Kesari

2008-10-25T21:03:00.004+10:00

250 gms sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Suji or semolina
3/4 cup Ghee
1 tsp water
1 tsp Kesari powder or yellow color
a handful Cashews and raisins
Heat the ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside. Fry the semolina in the ghee till it turns brown.
Add the kesari powder to the 2 cups water and add to the semolina. Keep stirring so that no lumps are formed. Then add the condensed milk and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Put on a greased plate and when cooled cut into the desired shapes.
Serve garnished with the roasted cashews and raisins.

Coconut Laddoos

2008-10-25T20:59:00.002+10:00

400 gms sweetened Condensed milk
4 cups desiccated Grated coconut
Take some 50 Gms of the grated coconut and keep aside. Add the remaining coconut to the condensed milk and cook on slow fire. Gently mix till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Cool and roll into small laddoos with greased palms. Roll the laddoos in the coconut powder set aside and serve.
This makes around 20 medium sized laddoos.

Mattar Pulao (Green Pea Pulao)

2008-10-25T20:28:00.003+10:00

500 gms Basmati Rice, washed & soaked for 1/2 an hour
1 Onion, sliced
2 cups green peas, parboiled
170g Ghee
1 Bay leaf
8 Peepercorns
3in Cinnamon stick
2 Cardamom pods
8 Cloves
50g Cashews
100g Raisins
Salt to taste
Fry the onions in a pan with the ghee till brown. Fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
Add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and cardamoms and fry for a minute. Then add the rice and fry on low heat so that the rice grains are coated with the ghee. Add the green peas and fry for another 3 minutes.
Add salt and cover the rice with double its amount of boiling water. Bring to a boil and then simmer till the water is absorbed.
Garnish with the fried cashews and raisins and serve hot.

Tandoori Chicken

2008-10-25T11:50:00.002+10:00

1 cup thick, plain yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2cm piece ginger, peeled, grated
1 tblspn lemon juice
1 tbspn olive oil
1 tspn garam masala
1 tspn ground coriander
1/2 tspn chilli powder
1/2 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn salt
6 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
cooked rice and lemon wedges, to serve

Combine yoghurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, oil, spices and salt in a large ceramic bowl. Cut 2 slits in top of each chicken thigh, making sure not to cut all the way through. Add chicken to yoghurt mixture and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease and line a large baking dish. Place chicken in dish and roast for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with rice and lemon.

Kachumbar

2008-10-24T15:59:00.000+10:00

2 medium-sized onions chopped very fine
3 tomatoes chopped very fine
1 large cucumber chopped very fine
2 green chillies chopped very fine
1/2 bunch coriander leaves chopped very fine
Juice of 1 lemon / 2 limes
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Mix all the vegetables together in a large salad bowl and chill.
In a small bottle (must have a tighly-fitting cover), mix the lime/lemon juice, oil, salt, sugar and chilli powder. Put the lid on and shake the bottle well to mix all the ingredients in it and dissolve the sugar.
Pour the dressing over the salad just before you are ready to eat. Mix well and serve.

Rajma (Red Kidney Bean Curry)

2008-10-24T15:55:00.001+10:00

This dish is extremely popular not just in North India but elsewhere as well. Serve Rajma with plain boiled rice, Kachumbar salad and your favorite pickle.

2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed under running water
2 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium-sized onions chopped fine
2"piece of ginger jullinned
6 cloves of garlic minced
2 large tomatoes chopped into 1" cubes
2 fresh green chillies chopped fine
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
A pinch of asafetida
Chopped coriander to garnish

Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sizzling, add the onion and fry till soft. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the green chillies, tomatoes, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam marsala powders and fry till the oil separates from the masala.
Add the red kidney beans, 4 cups of warm water, asafetida, salt to taste and cook till beans are very soft (aproximately 10 minutes). Mash some of the beans roughly (this thickens the gravy).
Garnish with corainder and serve piping hot with plain boiled rice and Kachumber salad and a pickle of your choice.

Three Bean Salad

2008-10-13T17:15:00.003+10:00

This simple and delicious recipe was given to us by one of the WFD participants.
3 cans of three bean mix, drained
1 can of sweet corn kernels, drained
1 red capsicum sliced finely
2 onions sliced finely
2 tbspn olive oil
2 tbspn white vinegar
Mix all the vegetables together. Pour the oil over the vegetables, pour over the vinegar too. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until required to serve. Serves 30

Potato Pancakes

2008-10-13T16:57:00.003+10:00

2 eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with a poached egg and sliced tomato, or with sour cream and applesauce, or with a snag and a chop at your next barbeque.

American Pancakes

2008-10-13T16:48:00.002+10:00

From Happy Days with the Naked Chef
These American pancakes are great! Instead of being thin and silky like French crêpes, they are wonderfully fluffy and thick and can be made to perfection straight away. Simple, simple, simple – my Jools goes mad for them.

3 large eggs
115g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
140ml milk
a pinch of salt
First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter – it is now ready to use.
Heat a good non-stick pan on a medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. At this point sprinkle your chosen flavouring (see below) on to the uncooked side before loosening with a spatula and flipping the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.
You can make these pancakes large or small, to your liking. You can serve them simply doused in maple syrup and even with some butter or crème fraîche. Or if you choose to sprinkle with a flavouring, try one of these...fresh corn from the cob, crispy bacon or pancetta, blueberries, banana, stewed apple,
grated chocolate, anything else you can imagine...PS Blueberry pancakes are great but you must try the corn pancakes. On one condition – you must use fresh corn. To do this, remove the outer leaves and carefully run a knife down the cob – this will loosen all the lovely pieces of corn – and sprinkle these raw over your pancake, before flipping it in the pan. I like to have some grilled bacon over my corn pancakes, drizzled with a little maple syrup. This sounds bloody horrid but it honestly tastes great!

Chicken & Broccoli Pancakes

2008-10-13T16:45:00.003+10:00

¾ cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten
300 ml low-fat milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup (150 g) frozen peas
150 g frozen broccoli florets
25 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
¼ cup plain flour
300 ml low-fat milk
250 g skinless roast chicken meat, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons finely grated mature cheddar or parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 190°C. First make the batter. Sift the flour into a bowl, add the egg and a pinch of salt, then gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter. (This can be done in a blender or food processor.) Transfer to a jug.
Heat a frying pan, preferably non-stick, and brush lightly with a little oil. Pour one-eighth of the batter into the pan and quickly swirl to coat the bottom. Cook for 1–2 minutes until set, then flip over and cook the other side. Remove and place on paper towel. Repeat to make eight pancakes, greasing the pan with oil as necessary. Stack the pancakes, interleaved with paper towel or baking paper. (The pancakes can be frozen.)
To make the filling, cook the peas and broccoli in a saucepan of boiling water, or in the microwave, following the packet instructions. Drain, then roughly chop the broccoli. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, still stirring, then simmer for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, broccoli and tarragon and season.
Spoon some filling onto the centre of each pancake, spreading it out a little, then roll up to enclose the filling. Arrange the filled pancakes, in a single layer, in a lightly greased, shallow oblong ovenproof dish, such as a lasagna dish, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Broccoli Salad

2008-09-28T18:12:00.004+10:00

4 cups washed and blanched broccoli florets
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp minced onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Combine broccoli with peanuts, raisins and minced onion.
Thirty minutes before serving, combine mayonnaise, sugar and wine vinegar.
Pour over broccoli mixture and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Banana Cake of All Banana Cakes

2008-09-28T17:50:00.003+10:00

100g olive oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
Grease and flour a 20cm springform tin and preheat oven to moderate 180C.
Prepare the crumble topping.
In a separate bowl combine olive oil and sugar then beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
Sift all dry ingredients together and add to mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk.
Pour into the prepared springform pan and spin to evenly distribute the mixture. This eliminates a cake being higher on on side than the other. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cake mixture and press it down lightly.
Bake for 45 mins or until cake is cooked through.
Allow to cool before removing from tin.
Crumble topping
35g butter, melted
3 tbsp walnuts, chopped
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix butter into dry ingredients until well combined. Sprinkle mixture over cake before baking, and press lightly into cake batter.

Bacon and Tomato Soup

2008-09-22T18:38:00.003+10:00

2kg fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced.
1kg ham hock
3 litres water
3 litres beef stock
1.5 cups soup mix with barley
3 tablespoons pepper steak mix
Peel the tomatoes by scalding them in a shallow pot of boiling water, it needs to be just deep enough to immerse them. Leave them to simmer for 1 minute then take them from the water with a slotted spoon. Peel them carefully as they will be hot. Use a small sharp knife to break the skins and then the skins should just peel away.
Put the ham hock in the water and bring the water to the boil. Add the soup mix to the boiling water. Add the peeled and diced tomatoes. Add the stock or the stock cubes and boiling water. Add the pepper steak mix. Allow to simmer for another 60 minutes. Remove the ham hock and cut the meat into small pieces, return the meat to the soup. Discard the bones and fat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve.

Coconut and Chocolate Balls

2008-09-22T18:03:00.002+10:00

1 packet of Arrowroot Biscuits
400g tin of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of cocoa
2 x 1/2 cup of coconut (desiccated)
Crush arrowroot biscuits by either rolling pin or food processor.
Add ½ cup of coconut and cocoa. Stir to mix well.
Add the sweetened condensed milk slowly while turning mixture to ensure the mixture is evenly combined. Using your hand pick up one teaspoon full at a time, squeeze it together then roll it into a ball.
Roll the ball in the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut.
Place balls on a tray to set in the fridge. Store in an airtight container in the fridge once set.
Keep refrigerated for up to 1-2 weeks

Scalloped Potato

2008-09-13T18:46:00.003+10:00

4kg washed potato, sliced in 5mm slices, with the skins on
8 onions, sliced
3 vegetable stock cubes, in 1 cup of hot water
3 pre-prepared sauce sachets, creamy style
2 cups milk
250g cheese
In a large bain marie dish, place the sliced potatoes in 2 layers then cover with half the onions. Pour over the vegetable stock and the milk. Evenly drizzle half of the pre-prepared sauce over the onions. Layer the remaining potatoes over the onions, there should be about another 2 layers. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top of the potatoes. Spread the other half of the onions on top and cover with the cheese. Cover the top with baking paper and then seal the dish with foil.
Bake in a moderately hot oven for 1 hour then uncover and bake for a further 30mins.

Custard Rasin Rice

2008-09-09T09:44:00.003+10:00

1/2 cup rice
3 cups milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Cinnamon or nutmeg

Mix rice with 2 cups milk in a saucepan. Cook until tender.
Add raisins and butter to cooked rice.
Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and remaining milk. Stir into hot rice mixture.
Pour into greased 2 litre baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Set in pan and fill pan half full of warm water.
Bake in 350 oven for about 30 minutes until set.
6 servings.

Curried Sausages

2008-09-09T09:26:00.003+10:00

Serves 8

1kg Sausages
2 onions
3 potatoes
200g green beans
3 carrots
2 cups water
1tbsp curry powder
1tbsp cumin
1tbsp ginger
1tsp corriander
4 cloves garlic minced
1 green chilli
1/2 cup red lentils
1 cup SPC Plum sauce (it comes in a jar)

Put sausages into a pot of cold water. Bring them to the boil slowly. Take the pot off the stove immediately when the sausages have come to the boil. Let the sausages cool just enough to handle, remove skins while still soft and hot. Cut the sausages into pieces.
In a large pot brown the onions in a little oil. Add the curry powder and the other spices, cook until fragrant, stirring.
Add the water, lentils, plum sauce and the vegetables. Bring the pot to the boil. Add the sausages and reduce heat so that the pot simmers for 20minutes until the vegetables are soft and the lentils have cooked down. Thicken with a little arrowroot or cornflour slurry, alternatively use gravy powder to thicken.
Serve with rice.

Dried Fruit Pudding Cake

2008-09-02T22:10:00.004+10:00

This recipe is from the Pauls website, I hope to give it a go soon as we have almost all of these ingredients on hand.
Serves 12
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped dried fruit
2 green apples (300g), unpeeled, chopped
250g light cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 cups plain flour, sifted with
1 teaspoon cinamon
1/4 cup combined shredded coconut, rolled oats and sunflower seeds
30g unsalted butter, melted

Combine bicarbonate of soda and water and pour over fruits.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and eggs until combined and smooth.
Mix in milk, flour and fruit.
Pour into a lined 23cm springform pan.
Bake at 170°C for 20 minutes.
Top with coconut mixture and butter.
Bake for further 60-65 minutes.
Serve with custard.

Spanish Flan

2008-09-02T21:23:00.001+10:00

200 g white sugar
3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
15 ml vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

Menu Friday 5th September

2008-09-02T20:57:00.004+10:00

Vegetable Curry with Lentils
Pork Spare Ribs
Crumbed Chicken
Pasta Bake
Vegetable Lasagna
Vegie Pies
Cauliflower & Broccoli in cheese sauce
Garlic Bread
Rice
Corn Chowder

Menu Thursday 4th September

2008-09-02T20:49:00.006+10:00

Sausages & Eggs
Quiche Lorraine
Ravioli in Rich Tomato Sauce
Veggie Pies
Mediterranean Fish
Coleslaw
Rice
Beef Tomato & Lentil Soup
Tapioca Pudding
Blueberry & Apple Pies

Menu Wednesday 3rd September

2008-09-02T20:42:00.004+10:00

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Bake
Tandoori Turkey Drumsticks
Crumbed Fish
Pumpkin Frittata
Mixed Vegetables
Potato & Leek Soup
Potato Salad
Rice
Steamed Pork Dumplings
Pies & Pasties
Chocolate Cake

Apple Crumble

2008-09-02T08:55:00.002+10:00

This is the same basic recipe as the Fruit Crumble posted on this Blog the only difference being that it is in a large domestic size. This sweet is my son Daniels all time favourite thing to eat. It is a recipe that I was given by the director of a child care centre that Daniel used to attend. It was a recipe that her family always enjoyed. I have since added the muesli and the sultanas. You can leave them out if you like.
Serves 10-12

2 cups flour
3 large tbsp butter/margarine
1 cup muesli
2/3 cup dessicated coconut
1.3 cups sugar
1.5kg apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar, extra
1/2 cup sultanas

To make the crumble. Rub butter into the flour untill it resembles fine breadcrumbs, stir through the muesli, coconut and sugar, one at a time.
Place the apples in the bottom of the baking dish Sprinkle the extra sugar over the apples. Sprinkle the sultanas over the apple. Combine them into the apples.
Gently top the apple with the crumble mixture. Smooth off gently. Bake at 200degrees Celsius for 15-20 mins. The top will not become very browned as the butter is blended only with the flour.

Spaghetti Bolognaise

2008-09-02T08:34:00.003+10:00

Everyone has a favorite way of making Bolognaise Suace and this is my favourite way at present. I love the flavours of cumin and ground oregano. A jar of prepared spaghetti sauce mix is a tasty, easy and fast way to go, they are just a bit too expensive for me. We made this Sauce in Community Kitchens on 2/9/08 and teamed it with another of my favourite recipes which is Apple Crumble.

1kg minced beef
2 onions, diced
2x700ml Italian cooking sauce
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Bonox
4 large cloves garlic
2tsp cumin
1 tbsp ground oregano
vegetables as desired, i.e capsicum, zucchini, celery

Brown the onions, add the mince to the onions and brown that too. Stir while cooking.
Pour the Italian cooking sauce over the meat, add the tomato paste. Stir well to combine
Add the vegetables, stock, and herbs.
Simmer for appromimately 15-30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
Sauce will have a better flavour if it rests for 24 hours.
If the sauce is required for Lasagna, add extra fluid such as 2x cans peeled tomatos, added at the same stage as the tomato paste.
Serve with pasta. and Parmesan cheese sprinkled over.

Rice Pudding

2008-08-25T21:17:00.002+10:00

7 litres milk
7 cups short grain rice
5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
8 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar:
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
In a large rice cooker combine the milk, rice, sugar, nutmeg and lemon zest. Set onto cook, stirring occasionally.
Leave in the rice cooker on keep warm function, covered, until rice is tender and mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the eggs and leave on "keep warm" for another 15 minutes longer.
Stir in vanilla extract. Place in a large serving dish and chill prior to serving. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before serving.

Crazy Lasagna

2008-08-25T20:03:00.002+10:00

1kg tomatoes, cut into quarters
1kg eggplants diced (1/2-inch)
1kg zucchini, (about 3), sliced in 1/2-inch rounds
500g portobello mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 red peppers, cut into chunks
4 large onions, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 heads garlic
1kg pound broken up lasagna noodles, or papardelle
1 litre tomato sauce
500g ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon oregano
500g mozzarella, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons grated parmisan
Arrange tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onions on baking sheets lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut 1/4 off top of garlic and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast vegetables and garlic in preheated 400°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook noodles in lots of boiling, salted water. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.
In a very large bowl, combine noodles with vegetables. Squeeze garlic out of the shell into mixture. Add tomato sauce, ricotta, basil, oregano, and mozzarella. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Transfer mixture to a large casserole and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes.
Makes 20 servings

Menu Thursday 28th August

2008-08-25T20:02:00.008+10:00

Fettuchine Carbonara
Curried Sausages
Spinach Quiche
Hot Buttered Tiny Taters
Mixed Vegetables
Tempura Barramundi
Rice
Coleslaw
Hot Pies etc
Curry Sticks
Pumpkin Soup
Hot Scrolls & Custard

Menu Friday 29th August

2008-08-25T20:02:00.007+10:00

Crazy Lasagna
Chicken and Prawn Honey Soy Stir Fry
Hot Rolls with Roast Turkey & Gravy
Hot Buttered Tiny Taters
Roast Pumpkin
Rice
Curry Puffs and Croquettes
Hot Pies & asst Pastry
Potato & Leek soup
Waldorf Coleslaw
Tossed Lettuce Salad
Chocolate Cake, Fruit & Custard

Menu Wednesday 27th August

2008-08-25T19:34:00.005+10:00

Spaghetti Bolognaise
Southern BBQ Turkey drums
Lemonny Snapper Fillets with Tomato
Spring rolls
Corn on the Cob
Hot Buttered Tiny Taters
Rice
Assorted Pies
Pumpkin Soup
Coleslaw
Cheesecake cups

Cottage Pie

2008-08-25T19:13:00.002+10:00

2.5kg minced beef
3kg potatoes peeled
6 onions
10 garlic cloves
8 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnip, peeled and diced
8 celery sticks, diced
2 capsicum, diced
2 cans sweet corn
2 cans green peas
3 cups frozen green beans
Cottage Pie recipe base x5

Cut the potatoes for boiling, put into hot water and boil for 10mins. Remove potatoes from the heat and strain the water off. Add 1/2 cup of butter or margarine and 3/4 cup milk. Mash well and season to taste.
Meanwhile brown the onions and raw vegetables in a medium sized pot. Brown the mince beef in a separate large pot. Add the vegetables and beef together with the cottage pie recipe base. Simmer for 10minutes, add the frozen and the canned vegetables. Check consistency of the gravy, thicken if required with a cornflour slurry.
Place the meat mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish. Place spoonfuls of the potato mixture on top of the meat until the surface is fully covered. Gently level off the potato top then trace the tines of a fork over the surface to create a ribbed effect. Spray the potato top lightly with cooking oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for 45mins if the contents go into the oven while still hot. Bake for 1hr 15 mins if they go in cold.

Zucchini & Pumpkin Bread

2008-08-25T18:41:00.004+10:00

6 zucchini, medium sized, grated
1.5 kg pumpkin, small diced and roasted
4 onions, diced
250g semi dried tomatoes, drained & finely chopped
4 cups cooked rice
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
450g self raising flour
1 dozen eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup vegetable oil
500g feta cheese, crumbled
In a saucepan brown the onions. Squeeze any excess liquid from the zucchini. In a large bowl combine the cooled pumpkin, squeezed zucchini, browned onions, diced tomatoes, cooked rice, grated cheese and seasonings. Stir until just combined. Sprinkle the flour over and gently combine. Fold the beaten eggs into the mixture then stir in the feta cheese.
Line the holes of muffin trays with baking paper. Evenly divide the mixture amongst the muffin holes. Makes approx 40 individual serves using muffin holes with capacity of 1/3 cup.
Alternatively bake this recipe in a large shallow tray.

Lemon Cheesecake

2008-08-25T13:14:00.005+10:00

This recipe is being "cooked" at our community Kitchens session on 16th August. I am looking forward to the results. This is my very favorite cheesecake recipe. When my mum makes this cheesecake it is always lighter and fluffier than mine. I have added the extra step that she does. She always beats the sweetened condensed milk seperately. I haven't seen that step in any other recipes. I am doing it mums way now.
250g "Nice" biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
25o grams reduced-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons lemon (and lime) zest, finely grated
400g can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon (and lime) juice
2 teaspoons gelatin, can be be omitted if using full fat cream cheese
Lightly grease a 20-cm round nonstick spring form pan.
Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan, remove from the heat then add the crushed biscuits stir well to combine. Press crumbs into the base of the pan, smoothing with the back of a spoon or a straight sided and flat bottomed drinking glass. Refrigerate while making the filling. Use the freezer to bring the temperature down quickly on hot days or if you are short on time.
Put 1.5 tablespoons hot water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over. Stand the bowl in a saucepan with about 1–2 cm hot water, and place over low heat for 1 minute until gelatin has softened. Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk gelatin, using a fork, to dissolve. Set aside to cool slightly. Using electric beaters, beat the cream cheese and dissolved gelatin with the lemon (and lime) zest until combined. Using clean electric beaters and a clean bowl, beat the sweetened condensed milk until light and fluffy. Have the biscuit base ready for the filling before you go to the next step. Beat the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese together, continuing to beat until smooth for approximately 5 minutes. Gradually pour in the juice at the end. The mixture will thicken very quickly.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the base and refrigerate overnight or until set.
Serve with fresh fruit topping, i.e passion fruit pulp, kiwi fruit or strawberries. You can set jelly over the fruit if you like.

Honey Soy Fish

2008-08-20T19:50:00.003+10:00

Firm white-fleshed fish fillets
Marinade:
2 tablespoons thick soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
5cm piece ginger, peeled, grated

Make marinade, combine all ingredients in a jug. Mix well.
Place fish in a single layer into a ceramic dish. Pour over marinade. Turn to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 1 hour, if time permits.
For oven baking; place fillets in a baking dish and bake for 20mins. Add extra marinade then grill to brown the tops before serving.
or Microwave cooking: cut 4 large sheets of baking paper. Place fish onto baking paper. Drizzle each fillet with 1 tablespoon of marinade. Wrap each piece of fish up in baking paper to form 4 secure parcels. Place fish parcels onto a microwave-safe plate in a single layer. Cook on MEDIUM (50%) power for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork.
Arrange fish on rice and serve with bok choy

Mediterranean Fish

2008-08-17T21:59:00.003+10:00

fish fillets, in serving sizes, rinsed and patted dry
fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and fresh pepper
8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 onions, cut into pieces
4 cups baby spinach leaves
8 plum or Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
A sprinkle of dried red chilli flakes, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fillets. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, onion, baby spinach and tomatoes. Add the balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped herbs, red pepper flakes and toss to mix. Drizzle with enough extra virgin olive oil to moisten it all. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Spoon the spinach-tomato mixture on top of the fish. Drizzle on any remaining olive oil left in the bowl.
Seal the baking dish with foil. Place into a preheated oven and cook until the fish is done- about 20 minutes or so- depending on the thickness of the fillet. The fish should flake easily with a fork, and appear opaque. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Crumb Topped Baked Fish Fillets

2008-08-17T21:47:00.002+10:00

1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. tarragon, dill or thyme
1/2 tsp. onion salt
Dash nutmeg
1 lb. fish fillets
Salt & pepper
2/3 c. dry bread crumbs

Mix butter, parsley and spices. Season fish with salt and pepper.
Place fish fillets in greased baking dish. Pour 1/2 butter mixture over fish and mix the remaining butter with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the fish.
Bake in preheated 175 C oven for 15 minutes or until done.

Menu Friday 22nd August

2008-08-15T19:04:00.004+10:00

Hot Roast Pork Rolls with Apple Sauce
Mediterranean Fish
Ham Pasta Bake
Shepherds Pie
Boiled Tiny Taters
Rice
Coleslaw
Savory Pastries
Chicken Soup

Menu Thursday 21st August

2008-08-15T18:57:00.005+10:00

Sausage Risotto
Raviolli in Rich Tomato Sauce
Quiche Lorraine
Honey Soy Fish
Boiled Tiny Taters
Mixed vegetables
Bacon & Mushroom Soup
Lemon Tart

Menu Wednesday 20th August

2008-08-15T18:53:00.005+10:00

Crumb Topped Fish with Lemon Wedges
Southern BBQ Turkey Drums
Pork Coconut Curry
Boiled Tiny Taters
Waldorf Coleslaw
Mixed Green Vegetables
Rice
Savoury Pastries
Greek Lentil Soup
Bread Pudding

Easy Lemon Tart

2008-08-15T18:01:00.003+10:00

This recipe was posted on the Community Kitchens website, the contributor had this to say about the tart,
"Delicous no-pastry lemon tart, we didn't use too much lemon because of varied tastes, but you may like to be a bit more generous with the rind, and get a stronger lemon flavour."

4 eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup castor sugar
125 grams melted butter (good quality marg is fine to use)
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Grease a straight sided 25cm pie dish.
Preheat oven to moderate, (175 to 180, gas)
Whisk eggs in a bowl, gradually whisk in sifted flour, and remaining ingredients, until well combined.
Whisk in melted butter last of all.
Pour mixture into pie dish.
Bake approximately 45 minutes (depending on your oven) till golden on top, and set.
It will set further once starting to cool down.
Serve warm or cold, dusted with sifted icing sugar - and cream, if feeling a bit decadent......

Greek Lentil Soup

2008-08-15T16:08:00.004+10:00

2 cups brown lentils
4 sticks celery, diced finely
4 carrots, peeled and diced
4 onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp tomato paste
5 litres water
3 tbsp sweet paprika
1/3 cup olive oil

Bring the water to the boil, add the lentils. Allow to boil for approximately 20mins.
In a smaller separate saucepan saute the sweet paprika in some of the olive oil until it starts to change colour. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute for a little longer.
Add the sauteed vegetables to the boiling lentils. Add the carrot and celery to the lentils.
Season the soup with salt, pepper and the remaining olive oil. Taste then adjust the seasonings.
Simmer the soup until all the vegetables are very soft, approximately a further 30mins.
Serve

Stuffed Capsicum

2008-08-15T15:50:00.003+10:00

16 capsicum
3kg beef mince
2x cans peeled diced tomatoes
4 sticks celery diced
4 onions diced
6 cloves garlic minced
6 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups rice
1 litre water
Cut the tops off the capsicum so that the tops can be used as lids to put back on top of the stuffed capsicum for cooking. Remove the seeds and membranes from the inside of the capsicum "pots and lids". Trim stalks on the "lids". Arrange the capsicum in a baking tray.
Precook the mince by steaming it over boiling water, set to the side while the fat drains off the cooked meat. In a large pot saute the celery, onion and garlic. Add the coked mince, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, water and rice. Bring this to the boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Add spices and seasonings. Taste and adjust seasoning. Allow the meat to simmer for about 15minutes.
Spoon the prepared mince into the capsicum "pots" and replace the "lids". Pour any remaining juices and meat along with 1 cup of hot water into the bottom of the baking dish, to prevent the capsicum pots from burning. Bake for 45 minutes in a Moderately hot oven. Serve 1/2 capsicum with rice and salad. Serves 32.

Quick Quiche Lorraine

2008-08-13T22:37:00.004+10:00

We have cooked this Quiche 3 times. It has been great each time. The last time we cooked it , we used Spinach instead of ham, we didn't do the tomato either. It was still great. I recommend this recipe. It cuts into 20 serves per dish, so it goes a long way too.
1kg diced ham
250 g finely chopped onion
50g butter
2 dozen eggs, beaten
360g all-purpose flour
2tsp salt
2lt milk
700g shredded cheddar cheese
sliced tomato to finish

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease 2 mid-sized Bain Marie dishes.
Place ham and onion in a skillet with the butter. Cook over medium high heat until the ham is browned and the onions clear. Set aside to drain on paper towel.
Line bottom of the baking dishes with 3/4 of the cheese and all of the ham and onions. Combine eggs, salt, flour and milk; whisk together until smooth; slowly pour into baking dishes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the eggs. Gently place the slices of tomato so they are floating on top of the egg.
Bake for 1hour 15 minutes, until set. Check for doneness after 40 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly the oven temperature will need to be reduced to 160 degrees C.
Serve hot or cold. Serves 40

Menu Friday 15th August

2008-08-11T21:24:00.004+10:00

Stuffed Capsicum
Curry Pumpkin and Lentils
Hot Turkey & Cranberry rolls
Potato & Leek Fritatta
Raviolli in Rich Tomato Sauce
Coleslaw & Lettuce
Pies & Pasties
Rice

Menu Thursday 14th August

2008-08-11T21:22:00.005+10:00

Sausages & Eggs
Boiled Tiny Taters, seasoned
Carbonara Fettucine
Fish Primavera
Mixed Vegetable Bake
Quiche
Coleslaw
Tossed Salad
Beef and Lentil Soup
Finger Food
Pies & Pasties
Rice

Menu Wednesday 13th August

2008-08-11T21:19:00.005+10:00

Spagetti Bolognaise
Pumpkin & Spinach Fritatta
Southern BBQ Turkey Drumsticks
Hot Sliced Ham on Cabbage Casserole
Boiled Tiny Taters with Parsley Butter
Dim Sum
Pies & Pasties
Fresh Apples

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

2008-08-11T20:39:00.003+10:00

This recipe was the one we cooked at the community Kitchens group on 12th August. It was really tasty. We usually make adjustments to our recipes to improve them but not on this one. It was good how it was. We doubled the recipe and had 16 serves. Also, I forgot to put the sour cream in, so we had it on the side, it was great. A side salad would have been a great addition to the pasta bake.
500g rotini pasta, uncooked
30 g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
pinch chipotle chile powder (optional)
250 g Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 onion, finely diced
500 g ground chicken
230 g sour cream (optional)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside until needed.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1/2 the broccoli; toss and cook just until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle broccoli with flour, and cook 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Pour in the milk, and stir to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper powder, if desired. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer mixture until sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in half the cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
Heat the remaining olive oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, ground chicken, and remaining broccoli. Cook and stir until chicken is evenly browned and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and cook until liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes.
Preheat grill to High. Lightly grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
Toss the pasta with the broccoli sauce until evenly blended. Stir in the sour cream, if desired. Stir the broccoli sauce mixture into the chicken mixture. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Cook under preheated griller until cheese melts and browns around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, oven bake 10-15mins.

Kugel

2008-08-11T20:23:00.000+10:00

910 g egg noodles
225 g butter, softened
10 eggs
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together in a bowl, cooked egg noodles, butter and eggs. Stir until all is blended; season as desired. Pour in 2 9x9 inch baking pans. Bake for one hour.

Pumpkin and Spinach Frittata

2008-08-11T20:19:00.003+10:00

1kg pumpkin
1 large onion, finely chopped
30 g butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch ground white pepper
300g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 eggs
180 ml milk
185 g farmer's cheese or ricotta cheese
pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat a large baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds; cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Peel slices, and place pumpkin slices into a large bowl. Toss with onion and melted butter, and season with salt and white pepper. Arrange in prepared baking dish.
Bake pumpkin in preheated oven for 30 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with milk, spiach and cheese; pour mixture over pumpkin in baking dish, sprinkle pine nuts over. Tuck spinach, pine nuts and ricotta into cracks between the pumpkin using a small knife. Continue baking for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Potato and Spinach Frittata; substitute potato where the recipe calls for pumpkin. Substitute peas where the recipe calls for pine nuts.

Pumpkin Curry with Lentils and Apple

2008-08-11T18:37:00.001+10:00

200 g red lentils
200 g brown lentils
2lt water
1 g turmeric
1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
pinch ground cloves
230 g peeled, cubed (1-inch), seeded pumpkin
2 potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
100 g packed fresh spinach, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored and diced
Place the red and brown lentils in a pan with the water and turmeric. Cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Mix in the curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cloves. Add the cooked lentils, reserved cooking liquid, pumpkin, potatoes, and carrots. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the spinach and apple. Cook until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Old Testament Bible Cake

2008-08-08T18:33:00.002+10:00

10oz. 1 Kings 4:22, flour.
8oz. Juges 5:25, butter.
8oz. Jeremiah 6:20, brown sugar.
8oz. Samuel 30:12, raisins.
4oz. (2 ground and 2 split) Numbers 17:8, almonds.
1 tbsp. 1 Samuel 14:25, honey or syrup.
2 tbsp. Judges 4:19, milk
1 tsp. Amos 4:5, baking powder.
A pinch of Leviticus 2:13, salt
3 Jeremiah 17:11 eggs.
2 level tsp. 2 Chronicles 9:9, ground spice.
Sieve flour, salt and ground spice, add 2oz. of ground almonds.
Cream together butter and sugar and beat eggs in mixture one at a time.
Add honey or syrup, milk and rasins.
Add flour, salt and spice. Put into a round cake tin 8" diameter or 7" square tin line with double thickness of greasproof paper.
Sprinkle split or flaked almonds on top of cake.
Bake 1.75 - 2 hours. 350f.. 180c.. gas mark 4.
Recipe by Firefighter: Neil Sanderson...Cumbria Fire Service, England UK (Retired Firefighter)
This is the website http://www.firehousechef.com/1edition/

Brownies

2008-08-08T18:25:00.002+10:00

2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Oil
1/4 cup Water
6Tbsp Cocoa
4 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cup Flour
1tsp Salt
Mix the first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan over med heat stiring until it forms a paste like texture. (don't let this get to hot or you will have to let it cool before adding the eggs.)
Take pan off the heat and add the eggs and vanilla.
Add the flour and salt and mix well. You can add chopped walnuts or pecans and white or milk chocolate chips at this stage. Other alternatives are M&M's or chopped up bits of Snickers bars, you would be best to put them on after you have put the brownie mix in the pan, you can then push them into the mix with the end of a wooden spoon.
Pour into a greased and lined 9 x 12 baking tray and cook at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Don't over cook.
Take out of the oven when a tooth pick comes out of the center clean. Leave to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then cut into squares before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Carbonara Pasta

2008-08-08T17:11:00.001+10:00

3 cups uncooked tube pasta
6 bacon strips, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels. In the drippings, saute garlic until tender. Add the milk, cream cheese and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and bacon; heat through. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

Community Market @ Frankston North

2008-08-06T22:04:00.000+10:00

The Fresh Start Community Co-op Ltd is running a twice-weekly market that supplies good quality & reasonably priced fresh fruits and vegetables. The market is being launched this Friday 8 August.
Market Locations are:
Aldercourt Primary School (Silver Avenue)
Friday 2.30-4.30pm
Mahogany Neighbourhood Centre (Annexe/Pines Patches Garden)
Saturday 9-11am
This Community Renewal Project is currently seeking people to register as members of the co-op that will run this enterprise on behalf of the community. Co-op members will need to volunteer 3 hours per year of their time for the co-op.
This may include:
Volunteering to assist in running the markets,
Doing administrative tasks, or
Home deliveries
The co-op annual membership fee is $10.00.
Benefits include 5% discount on purchases
Free recipes & cooking demonstrations
Social opportunities
Volunteering opportunities
Strengthening community relationships
... and Knowing that you are helping your community!
Any profits generated from the co-op will be returned to local organisations and projects e.g. schools & sporting clubs.

Baked Courgettes & Aubergine

2008-08-06T21:30:00.000+10:00

3kg zucchini cut into rounds then halved
1kg tomato diced
1kg eggplant diced
1kg corn cobs cut into 1cm sections
1/4 cup olive oil
Prepare the eggplant; dice the eggplant and place into a large colander sprinkling salt over each piece. Set the colander to drain the salted eggplant over a dish for 30 mins. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly before using.
Drizzle some oil over the base of a baking dish. Place the corn cobs, zucchini, eggplant and tomato into the baking dish. Drizzle with a little more oil. Cover the entire dish with a sprinkle of pepper, homemade breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Bake for 30-40mins in a moderate oven.

Menu Friday 8th August

2008-08-06T19:11:00.000+10:00

Raviolli in Rich Tomato Sauce
Colcannon
Hot Ham'n'Cheese Rolls
Fish Primavera
Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream & Coleslaw
Mini Quiche
Pies & Pasties

Menu Thursday 7th August

2008-08-06T19:08:00.001+10:00

Hot Sliced Ham on Cabbage Casserole
Pork Milanese
Sailors Pie
Southern BBQ Turkey Mini Drums
Baked Courgettes & Aubergine
Pumpkin Soup with Home-made Croutons
Rice
Pies and Pasties

Menu Wednesday 6th Aug

2008-08-06T19:05:00.000+10:00

Ham Pasta Bake
Chicken a'la King
Calmari Stir Fry
Vegetable Tagine
Lemon Couscous
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Rice
Pies and Sausage Rolls

Lemon Couscous

2008-08-06T17:54:00.000+10:00

1kg Couscous
3 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Put the dry couscous into a heatproof bowl or pot.
Pour over the boiling water.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Fluff with a fork and put into the hot bain marie to keep warm.
Serve as a side dish with Vegetable Tagine.

Mashed Potato

2008-08-06T17:22:00.000+10:00

Firstly remove any shoots from the potatoes.
Wash potatoes and peel them
Cut the potatoes into pieces and put them into a pot of boiling water
Bring the pot to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Using a colander, drain off and discard the water and return the potatoes to the pot.
Add milk to the pot and put back onto the heat until it boils.
Add butter to the potato and mash well. (Remove the pot from the heat to mash)

Mashed potato can be seasoned with many things for a flavour change, try....
Fresh herbs like Parsley or Basil; they give a wonderful aroma and they taste great.
Finely chopped Onion or Spring Onion, or Ham/Bacon, or Garlic and Olive Oil.
Or combinations of the above.

Ham Pasta Bake

2008-08-06T17:09:00.000+10:00

6 cups Ham, cubed
8 cups frozen peas & corn
4 onions finely chopped
2kg uncooked pasta
2 tsp salt
350g cheese grated, divided in two
200g butter
200g flour
2.5 litres milk
4 tbsp stock powder (chicken)
2 tbsp hot mustard
1 tbsp nutmeg
1/2 tbsp pepper
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. In a separate pot melt the butter, add the flour and mix well over the heat, cook until the mixture goes mostly white and foamy. While stirring, add the milk by degrees (500ml at a time). Continue to stir constantly until the white sauce comes to the boil. Add the chicken stock, nutmeg and mustard.
Cook the peas corn and onion in the microwave untill completely hot. In a baking dish put 3/4 of the cooked pasta, all the cubed ham, the cooked vegetables and half the grated cheese. Spread the white sauce over evenly. Spread the remaining pasta over the white sauce. Cover the pasta with the second half of the grated cheese. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg. Bake on med-high for 20-25minutes till golden and bubbly.

Gwens Secret Fried Rice Recipe

2008-08-05T19:50:00.001+10:00

Gwen is one of our Community Kitchens participant. She says that she always cooks this dish for family gatherings and parties, she says there is never-ever any leftovers and she always gets compliments. We all agreed that it is very yummy. It worked well as a main dish because it is loaded with meat and eggs. It is the best fried rice I have ever eaten!
Serves 15
8 cups Rice, steamed
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 chicken thigh fillets
500g bacon pieces
250g bean shoots
2 small cans prawns
8 spring onions
4 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Using the rice steamer, cook the rick as per the instructions. When cooked transfer the rice to 2 large baking dishes. While waiting for the rice to cook, prepare the other ingredients.
Beat the eggs together with milk. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan. when the frypan is hot pour in the eggs. Stir the eggs often and break them up as you go, so they form in small lumps. Set the eggs aside. Clean the pan.
Dice the chicken in very small pieces. Stir fry the chicken with a little extra olive oil.
Dice the bacon and add to the pan with the chicken. Stir fry to combine and to prevent burning.
Open the cans of prawns and drain them, discard the liquid. Add the prawns to the chicken and bacon. Add the bean shoots, spring onions and garlic to the pan, stir fry untill all ingredients are combined and hot.
Divide the contents of the pan, half going into each of the two baking dishes with the hot rice. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil over each dish. With a large spoon fold the ingredients together to ensure that everything is well combined.
Place both dishes into the oven at 180deg Celsius. Bake for 10 mins uncovered, turn the Fried Rice at least once during that time, to ensure that there are no dried out bits. If serving time is delayed the baking dishes will need to be covered with foil, as the rice will dry out quickly in the oven.
Serve.

Calamari Stir Fry

2008-08-05T18:05:00.000+10:00

1.5kg calamari pieces (pineapple cut)
Peanut oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
6 onions, diced
1kg Broccoli, cut into small florets
6 sticks of celery, cut on the diagonal
8 large carrots, cut into thin sticks
1 each green and red capsicums diced
250g bean shoots
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Sauce
2tbsp cup fish sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tbs white sugar
1/4 cup cornflour
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white vinegar

Wash and steam rice.
Mix all sauce ingredients together and heat on stove top
Heat wok or fry pan until hot. Add a drizzle of peanut oil, stir fry onion and garlic and vegetables until fragrant. Stir fry vegetables in a few batches and keep warm in the oven while the remaining vegetables are done. Add a little more oil to the wok with each batch. Vegetables need to be cooked untill they are hot all the way through, but still crisp.
Stir fry the calamari in batches adding each batch to the vegetables. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the vegetables and calamari, stir to coat and combine. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice.

Southern BBQ Turkey Mini Drums

2008-08-05T09:31:00.000+10:00

6kg Small Turkey Drumsticks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups mango chutney
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp hot english mustard

Parboil the wings and drumsticks for 30 minutes.
Preheat the grill.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add oil and sauté onions about 2 minutes. Reduce heat. Add sugar, continue to cook and stir on medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add all other ingredients. Reserve half of the sauce.
Brush the drained turkey pieces with sauce.
Grill the wings and drumsticks on a lightly oiled grill about 5 inches from the heat. Brush often during the cooking process and grill about 15 minutes on each side.
Continue to grill until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the wing and 175 degrees F in the thickest part of the drumstick.
Serve with reserved sauce.

Vegetable tagine with lemon couscous

2008-08-04T22:35:00.000+10:00

8 cups soaked chickpeas (start with 3cups dry chickpeas)
1 tub tomato paste
3 litres water
4 x 425g cans diced tomatoes
3.6kg pumpkin, cut into medium sized chunks
2.7kg zucchini or yellow patty-pan squash in chunks
400g green beans, trimmed, halved
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
18 cloves garlic, crushed
4 onions chopped finely
Spices:
4 tablespoon coriander seeds
4 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 tablespoon caraway seeds
4 tablespoons sweet paprika
4 tablespoons ground ginger
Using mortar and pestle, crush seeds to a fine powder. Sift into small bowl; discard husks.
In a large pot bring the water to the boil with the chickpeas, tomato paste and undrained tomatoes.
Heat oil in a frypan; cook garlic and onion, stirring, until onion softens. Add crushed spices and powdered spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add this to the water chickpeas and tomatoes. Add the pumpkin when the water is boiling; return to the boil . Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Stir in squash and beans; simmer, covered for about 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
Serve with Lemon Couscous.

Eggplant, Zucchini and Sweet Red Capsicum Stew

2008-08-04T22:32:00.000+10:00

"Makes a great veggie main meal!"
1 eggplant, cut into 2.5cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion chopped chunky
5 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
100 g Basmati rice (Substitute: arborio rice, can of lentils)
1 zucchini, cut into 1cm cubes
150g fresh mushrooms, sliced
(Substitute: button squash)
1 large red capsicum, chopped chunky
(Substitute: Green capsicum, olives)
3 fresh tomatoes, diced (Substitute: 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1 cup Marsala wine (Substitute: stock)
1.5 cups water (Substitute: stock)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp ground oregano (Substitute: Basil)
15 g chopped fresh parsley (Substitute: corriander)
Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10mins then rinse eggplant and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot, saute onion and until transparent, add rinsed eggplant and saute until slightly browned. Stir in tomatoes, wine/stock/water, rice, zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle liberally with fresh parsley to garnish. Serve with couscous, rice or pasta.

Philly 3-Step Fruit Topped Cheesecake

2008-08-04T22:31:00.000+10:00

500g Philly Cream Cheese,
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs
biscuit crumb crust 9", prepared
2 cups sliced assorted fresh fruit
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350, 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Top with fruit. 8-10 servings.

Chocolate Trifle

2008-08-04T22:28:00.000+10:00

600g package fudge Brownie mix
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee with 1 teaspoon sugar
3x 125g package Chocolate instant pudding Mix
600ml cream whipped
6x 45g English Toffee-flavored candy bars, Crushed
Prepare the fudge brownie mix according to package directions, and bake. Once cooked prick top of warm brownies at 1 inch intervals using a fork, drizzle with sugared coffee. Let cool and crumble into chunks. Prepare chocolate instant pudding mix according to package directions, omitting chilling. Place one-third of crumbled brownies in bottom of a 3.5 litre trifle dish. Top with one-third each of pudding, whipped cream, and crushed candy bars. Repeat layers twice with remaining ingredients, ending with crushed candy bars. If you want you can add walnuts (crushed) to top with candy bars.
Cover: and chill 8 hours. Makes 16 to 18 servings. Use a clear bowl so you can see the layers.

Fruit Crumble

2008-08-04T22:26:00.000+10:00

(Enough crumble to cover 3 medium dishes)
Serves 30-36
6 cups flour
8 large tbsp butter/margarine
4 cups muesli
2 cups dessicated coconut
4 cups sugar
6 large cans of fruit
1.5 cups sultanas
To make the crumble. Rub butter into the flour untill it resembles fine breadcrumbs stir through the other ingredients, one at a time.
Prepare the fruit. Break fruit into smaller pieces, using a gloved hand, squeeze the fruit. Mix the sultanas into the fruit.
Top the fruit with the crumble mixture. Bake at 200degrees Celsius for 25-30 mins.

Bread Pudding

2008-08-04T22:25:00.001+10:00

This "oldie but a goodie" has been tweaked every which way to suit whoever is doing the cooking. The good news is that you cant really go wrong with this old fashioned sweet. The recipe is very forgiving, you can substitute as much as you like. The only rule is that you keep the egg to milk ratio right and make sure all the bread is wet before baking. Some variations could be, fruit bread instead of white bread. Dried apricots instead of the rasins, or canned fancy fruits like berries could be used. Cooked at the community Kitchens on 12th August, gave about 18 serves. I am not quite sure, we had so much I gave half of it away.
1x 600g loaf of day old (or older bread) Bread, diced large.
4 Cups of Milk
4 Eggs, beaten
1tsp vanilla essence
1 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Cup raisins or sultanas
I small can fruit or fruit puree, or 1/2 cup jam.
Pre-Heat the Oven to 350F (180C, Gas Mark 4).
Butter an ovenproof dish. Combine the Eggs, vanilla, sugar and half the milk. Put the diced bread into the baking dish and pour the other half of the milk evenly over the bread, sprinkle the rasins or sultanas. Let the bread stand for 5 minutes then pour over evenly the egg, vanilla, sugar and milk mixture. Sprinkle over some extra sugar mixed with the cinnamon.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until almost set in the center.
Serve with hot custard.

Crispy Gooseberry Pudding Recipe

2008-08-04T22:23:00.000+10:00

25g Suet
100g Brown Sugar
75g Fresh Breadcrumbs
3 Level Tablespoons Custard Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Pint (500ml) Milk
1 x 1 1/4 Lb (100g) Cooked or Can of Gooseberries
Heat the oven Mark 7 or 450F or 230C and grease a 1 1/2 pint (750ml) pie dish.
Chop the suet and mix with the brown sugar and the breadcrumbs. Line the pie dish with most of this mixture. Mix the custard powder and sugar smoothly with a little of the milk. Heat the rest of the milk and add to the mixed custard powder stirring as you do so. Return to the saucepan and bring to the boil stirring all the time. Add the drained gooseberries to the custard and turn into the prepared dish. Top with the remaining breadcrumb mixture and bake for 30 minutes in the middle of the oven. Serve hot.
NB: Instead of gooseberries, plums or two sliced bananas can be used.

Vegetable Soup

2008-08-04T22:21:00.000+10:00

This was the first recipe cooked in the first session of the City Life Community Kitchens. It is a very tasty recipe. It is hearty and filling, everyone was surprised how much flavour it had.
2 onions peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and grated
3 sticks of celery chopped
½ swede peeled and grated
1 parsnip peeled and grated
1 sweet potato peeled and diced
1 zucchini
1 can of corn kernels
1 can of Borlotti beans
½ cup red lentils
1½ cups of dry wholemeal pasta
2 litres vegetable stock
2 litres water
3 tbsp olive oil
Oregano ground
Parsley
In a large stockpot heat the vegetable stock. In a separate pan heat the oil. Saute the onions and celery and carrots, when tender add them to the stock.
Bring the soup to the boil, begin to add the other ingredients one at a time,making sure the soup continues to keep boiling.
Firstly add the lentils and beans.
Then add the hard vegetables such as the sweet potato and swede.
Lastly add the zuchinni and corn kernels.
Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Stir frequently while simmering, cook for 30mins.
Add pasta and simmer for another 10minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
Serve with chunky homemade croutons.

Bacon and Mushroom Soup

2008-08-04T22:19:00.000+10:00

This recipe was a big hit with the males in our Community Kitchens Group. It has a big meat and potatoes taste and its a bit creamy. Opinions were divided which soup was better, this one or the vegetable soup that we made on the same day. Julia McCartan said she would post this one on the Community Kitchens website. Check out the other recipes on there. The link is on my page.
4 medium red potatoes
2 onions diced
350g fresh mushrooms
8 rashers bacon cooked then diced
3 tablespoons Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp chilli powder
2 cups milk
1.5lt water
½ teaspoon sugar
2 Creamy Bacon and Mushroom flavour base
Additional 4 cups water
Cut peeled potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Boil water in a stockpot. Add potatoes, cook until tender. Drain, but save the liquid. Set potatoes aside. Cook bacon in the stockpot, using just a little oil to stop it sticking. Remove it to cool. When cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces.
Finely chop onion. Re-heat oil and bacon drippings in the pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the pot. Stir frequently, cook until tender but not brown. Remove the cooked onion and garlic from the pot and set aside. Saute the sliced mushrooms in the pot then return the onions and garlic.
Gradually add cooked potatoes back to the stockpot. Add the flavour base to saucepan then the reserved cooking liquid from the potatoes and the additional water. Add the milk, sugar, chilli powder and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Add bacon. Simmer for thirty minutes over very low heat.
Stir frequently.

Pumpkin Soup

2008-08-04T22:17:00.000+10:00

This soup was made at Community Kitchens on 5th August. One of our participants rated this soup 20 out of 10. You cant ask better than that. The croutons are worthwhile making too, the recipe is below and they are much more fun than toast.
Knob of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil
1kg butternut (squash) pumpkin, or jap or kent varieties.
3 potatoes chopped
1 onion diced
2 stock cubes (vegetable or chicken)
1.5 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or minced well
1 litre of water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Handful of fresh coriander leaves to serve (optional)
.... or fresh parsley chopped finely to serve
dollop of cream to serve (optional)
sprinkle of nutmeg to serve
chunky homemade parmesan croutons

Peel the pumpkin with a potato peeler or small knife. Chop into 2cm cubes. Chop the potatoes into similar cubes, it's up to you whether you peel them first or not. Peel & chop the onion. Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan. Then fry it gently in the pan, with the lid on, until it starts to soften. Check and stir to make sure it doesn't brown. Add the potatoes to the onions and stir to coat well with the oil. Add the pumpkin. Stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. When the potato has started to soften add the water to the pan crumble the stock cube into the water. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, simmer gently until all the vegetables are soft - about 15 minutes. You might need to add more water. Add just enough to cover the vegetables, or the soup will be too runny. Use a stick blender to liquidise the soup or mash it very well then strain through a mesh sieve (retaining the liquid), push the solids through the sieve with the back of a spoon, stir, then serve. When serving place a dollop of cream in the centre of each bowl, sprinkle with nutmeg. Garnish each bowl with chunky homemade croutons and a pinch of fresh coriander or parsley.

To make chunky homemade croutons, cut an old unsliced loaf of bread into inch thick slices and cut again into cubes an inch wide and deep. Put the bread into a baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some dry grated parmesan cheese. Bake croutons at 200deg Celsius for 10 mins stirring once during that time. Serve on top of homemade soup.

Macaroni Cheese

2008-08-04T22:15:00.000+10:00

6 oz (150g) Macaroni
2 Tomatoes
Cheese Sauce
Grated Chedder, Parmesan or Gruyere
For the Cheese Sauce:
1 oz (25g) Plain Flour
1 oz (25g) Butter
1/2 pint (300ml) Milk
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon Mustard or a dusting of Cayenne Pepper
1 oz (25g) or more of Grated Chedder, Parmesan or Gruyere
Cook the Macaroni in boiling water and make the cheese sauce (see below). Chop one Tomato finely and add it to the Sauce. Transfer to a casserole dish. Stir in the cooked Macaroni. Slice the other Tomato and lay slices on the top. Sprinkle with Grated Cheese and cook in the oven at 350F / 180C / Mark 4 until the top is brown. Serves 2.
To make the Cheese Sauce: Melt the Butter in a saucepan and stir in the Flour. Remove from the heat and add the Milk by degrees, stirring constantly. Add the Mustard or Cayenne and the Grated Cheese and blend well. Return to the heat and allow to thicken.

Sailors Pie

2008-08-04T22:13:00.000+10:00

3 cups diced carrot
3 cups diced zucchini
3kg seafood (Scallops, fish, frawns, Calamari)
1 cup plain flour
1.5 litres milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup stock
1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons margarine, melted
mashed potato "pie shell"
Prepare the pie shell, peel and boil potato pieces untill tender. Drain off the water and discard. Add milk to the pot and put back onto the heat until it boils. Add butter to the potato and mash well. Remove the pot from the heat to mash. Put mash into the required baking dish and spread on the sides and base. Mark the surface of the mash with the tines of a fork. Bake for 20 mins in a fairly hot oven before filling with Seafood mixture.
Steam carrots, covered, 2 minutes. Add zucchini, and steam, covered, 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Set vegetables aside.
Pat seafood dry with paper towels, and set aside.
Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add scallops; cover and cook 5 minutes or until scallops are done, stirring occasionally. Stir in carrot, zucchini, sherry, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes, uncovered, or until thoroughly heated.
Spoon mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and margarine; stir well. Sprinkle over scallop mixture. Broil 2 minutes or until golden. Serve over rice.

Greek Croustade

2008-08-04T22:12:00.000+10:00

1/2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. plain flour
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon, crushed
pinch pepper
1/2 cup. milk
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup. crumbled feta cheese
10 sheets phyllo dough
1/3 c. melted butter
For filling, cook spinach according to directions; drain well, with hands press out excess liquid. Cook onion in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in flour, tarragon, and pepper. Add milk, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir about half of mixture into eggs; return all to saucepan. Stir in spinach and cheeses. Set aside. Unfold phyllo dough; remove one sheet. Cover remaining phyllo dough with damp towel while working. Brush the one phyllo dough sheet lightly with some of the 1/2 cup butter. Place one end of the folded sheet in the center of a 12-14 inch pizza pan, extending the other end over the side of the pan. Repeat this with phyllo and butter and arrange strips in spoke fashion evenly around the pan. Spread the filling in an 8-inch circle in the center of phyllo dough. Starting with the last phyllo strip, lift the extended end and twist it and then coil it to center so spinach mixture (it will look like a rosette). Lightly press it down. Repeat this all the way around. Drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake in a degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve warm and cut like a pizza wedge.

Capsicums and Mushrooms

2008-08-04T22:10:00.000+10:00

The following ingredients are for one pizza,
Tomato pizza base sauce
6 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 small capsicum sliced and cut into smaller pieces
4 mushrooms sliced and cut into smaller pieces
5 black olives stoned and cut into quarters
1 teaspoon or more oregano
Preheat the oven to 255° Celsius.
Grease a rectangular 15 " X 11" baking sheet or a standard 14" pizza pan with olive oil, flatten the dough using your fingers or a rolling pin. Spread a single serve of pizza base sauce on the pizza dough.
Top with sliced mushrooms diced capsicum and olive pieces. Sprinkle with cheese.Bake 15-20 minutes, or until topping and crust are lightly browned.

Hawaiian Pizza

2008-08-04T22:09:00.000+10:00

The following ingredients are for one pizza
Tomato pizza base sauce
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 can sliced pineapple
3/4 cup. diced bacon
1/2 sm. green capsicum cut into rings
Preheat the oven to 255°Celsius.
Grease a rectangular 15 " X 11" baking sheet or a standard 14" pizza pan with olive oil, flatten the dough using your fingers or a rolling pin.
Spread a single serve of pizza base sauce on the pizza dough. Top with pineapple, bacon and green pepper rings. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until topping and crust are lightly browned.

Marinara Pizza

2008-08-04T22:07:00.000+10:00

The following ingredients are for one pizza
5 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. dry oregano
fresh basil leaves (optional)
Preheat the oven to 255° Celsius.
Grease a rectangular 15 " X 11" baking sheet or a standard 14" pizza pan with olive oil, flatten the dough using your fingers or a rolling pin. An Italian pizza crust should be nice and thin. Spread a double serve of pizza base sauce on the pizza dough.
Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes until almost cooked, remove from the oven to add ingredients. Sprinkle the pizza with the garlic and the oregano. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to keep the garlic soft. Cook the pizza for another 5 minutes but be careful not to burn the garlic, otherwise it will taste bitter.
Serve with fresh basil leaves on top (optional).

Tomato Pizza Base Sauce

2008-08-04T22:06:00.000+10:00

will cover 2 Pizzas or 1 Marinara Pizza
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine the tomatoes with all other ingrediedients
Spread the sauce over the uncooked pizza base.
Top as required.

Pizza Dough

2008-08-04T22:05:00.000+10:00

(makes 3-4 medium size pizza bases)
4 cups unbleached bread flour
1.75 cups water (approximately)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast (or 1 cup of leaven for sour dough)
Mix flour, yeast and salt in a suitable bowl. Add the water gradually and mix with a strong spoon. Increase or decrease the water according to desired dough consistency.Knead the dough, then cover it and let it rise until double in size.
Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces (about the size of a tennis ball). Shape the pieces into balls, place them on a floured board, cover them and let them rest for a few minutes.
Roll out the pieces on a floured board to a thickness of about 5mm and place them onto greased pizza trays. Cover them and let them rest for a few minutes before adding the toppings.

Corrie Hotpot

2008-08-04T22:03:00.000+10:00

(From the ABC TV Show Corination Street)
1½ lbs. lamb neck meat - cubed
1½ lbs. potatoes, leave skin on and slice thinly
1 large onion, chopped
1¼ cup stock or water
3 oz butter or cooking oil or bacon fat – or 1 ½ oz each butter and oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 325 F. Sear meat on all sides over high heat in butter, oil or butter/oil combination, reduce heat to medium and cook until evenly browned. When browned put meat in deep oven-proof casserole. In same pan, sauté onions in pan juices, adding more butter, oil or fat if needed. When they begin to turn brown, sprinkle with flour. Stir until roux begins to brown, stir in a little stock or water – stir quickly to avoid lumps. Stirring constantly, add remaining liquid and bring to a simmer. Add Worcestershire and season to taste. Pour onions and liquid over meat, mix well and add bay leaf. Layer potatoes over meat, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Cover and cook in oven for two hours, 1/2 hour uncovered. Note - brush potatoes with butter or oil if they appear dry

Ham Pasta Bake

2008-08-04T22:00:00.000+10:00

6 cups Ham, cubed
8 cups frozen peas & corn
4 onions finely chopped
2kg uncooked pasta
2 tsp salt
350g cheese grated, divided in two
200g butter
200g flour
2.5 litres milk
4 tbsp stock powder (chicken)
2 tbsp hot mustard
1 tbsp nutmeg
1/2 tbsp pepper
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. In a separate pot melt the butter, add the flour and mix well over the heat, cook until the mixture goes mostly white and foamy. While stirring, add the milk by degrees (500ml at a time). Continue to stir constantly until the white sauce comes to the boil. Add the chicken stock, nutmeg and mustard.
Cook the peas corn and onion in the microwave untill completely hot. Combine the vegetables and white sauce, add the cubed ham and half the grated cheese.
In a baking dish put 3/4 of the cooked pasta. Spread the ham mixture over the pasta evenly. Spread the remaining pasta over the ham. Cover the pasta with the second half of the grated cheese. Sprinkle with a little extra nutmeg.
Bake on med-high for 20-25minutes.

Hot Ham 'n' Cheese

2008-08-04T21:58:00.000+10:00

250 g butter or margarine, softened
150 g horseradish mustard
100 g finely chopped onion
30 g poppy seeds
8 french sticks or 40 dinner rolls
40 slices fully cooked ham
40 slices Swiss cheese
In a bowl, combine the butter, mustard, onion and poppy seeds. Spread over cut sides of buns. Layer ham and cheese on bottom halves; replace tops. Wrap each sandwich in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Southwest Chicken

2008-08-04T21:56:00.000+10:00

Southwest Chicken "Chicken breasts with black beans, corn, chile peppers, tomatoes. Low-fat, easy and quick. Serve over hot cooked rice."
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 onion
1 can peeled diced tomatoes (Substitute: Medium Salsa (omit Green Chilli))
1 green chilli pepper (Substitute: Green capsicum)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (Substitute: red kidney beans)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (Substitute: Frozen corn)
1tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder (Substitute: Paprika)
2 cloves garlic
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute onions, remove them from the pan. Brown chicken breasts on both sides.
Return onions to the pan, then add tomatoes with green chilli, beans, corn, garlic and spices. Reduce heat and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Serve with rice. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley

Chicken a la King

2008-08-04T21:55:00.000+10:00

3lb (1.35kg) Chicken, cooked
4 oz (100g) Mushrooms, sliced
1 Green Pepper, de-seeded & sliced
2 oz (50g) Butter
1 dessertspoon Plain Flour
1 pint (600ml) Chicken Stock
1/4 pint (150ml) Cream
Remove the flesh from the carcass of the cooked Chicken. Cut into large chunks. Fry the Mushrooms and Green Pepper in the Butter until soft. Stir in the Flour and Stock. Bring to the boil. Add the Chicken and cook until the Chicken is hot. Add the Cream. Serve with Boiled Rice. Serves 4.