Pomegranate sorbet

This sorbet was made with pomegranate juice, sugar, lime juice and a bit of vodka. Just yum and very refreshing!

I used an ice cream machine (Zazz product testing!) to get the sorbet started and then when it was slushy put it back in the freezer to make sorbet. I believe that because of the vodka you can actually make this without an ice cream machine - put the mixture into the freezer and after an hour rake through the mix with a fork. Re-freeze and serve later.

Beef Stir-fry on a bed of lettuce leaves

Cheat's beef stir-fry: start with chevapcici sausages, mash it up and brown the meat. Add garlic and ginger, and when fragrant add grated carrot and water chestnuts. Flavour with vegetarian oyster sauce and a small amount of stock. At the end stir in snow peas and coriander leaves.

Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Bolognese with Giant Penne

A classic bolognese - sauted onion, garlic, minced beef, oregano and
s&p -topped with canned tomatoes, tomato paste and a little red wine
and allowed to simmer gently for about an hour.

Served over giant floppy penne. It would have been better if it could
simmer for 2-3 hours, but still very delicious.

Homemade Hamburger

A quick and tasty dinner.

Beef mince spiced up with a little cumin, paprika, cayenne, s&p,
tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and mustard and bound with egg and
breadcrumbs. Formed into patties and BBQ'd.

Served with pineapple, beetroot, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and all
the sauces on multigrain buns.

You'll have to imagine how good it looked - I forgot to take a photo...

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

A classic risotto made with the very special 'acquerello' aged
carnaroli rice.

Rehydrated porcini mushrooms, chopped and stirred through softened
onions - rice added along with s&p and a splash of vermouth, then
ladle by ladle the porcini water, stock and lots and lots of stirring.

Finished with sauted mushrooms, fresh spinach stirred through and
allowed to wilt.

Topped parmesan, a side of fresh spinach and a flourish of truffle oil.

A truly decadent dinner - a fitting way to use such posh rice, which
was the perfect balence between soft and firm.

Baked Bream on Potatoes and Fennel

Thinly sliced potatoes, fennel and lemons mixed with bay leaves, s&p,
evo and half a glass if white wine - baked in a hot oven for 1 hour
(stiring occasionally)

When everything is cooked, the potatoes are starting to colour and the
juice almost completely evaporated, top with thin fillets of fish
(bream in this case, but could have been snapper or barramundi) and
return to the oven for a final 10-15 mins.

Served with a rocket and orange salad dressed with sherry vinegar and
evo oil.

BBQ Veal Cutlet

Veal cutlet is one of my favorite cuts of meat - a great foil for
flavour, really tender yet still very 'meaty'.

Marinated in whatever came to hand (tomato paste, balsamic, soy,
Woostershire, paprika, chilli, cumin, dried oregano and evo oil) and
then grilled on the bbq till medium rare.

Served with steamed pumpkin dusted with salt, pepper and garam masala
and a crunchy cos, avocado and cherry tomato salad.

Fish goujons and matchstick fries

Potatoes cut into matchstick fries then baked in a hot oven (220 C) for 45 mins. Flathead fish goujons marinated in buttermilk and crumbed, and also baked in the same hot oven (but for only 15 - 20 minutes).

Made too much fish, but fortunately the goujons still taste great cold the next day!

Hoisin Chicken Stirfry

Noodlebox at home.

Chicken marinated in soy and corn starch, fried off till coloured then
removed.

Finely sliced onions, ginger, carrot, brocolli, capsicum and snow peas
stir fried in order. Chicken returned to the pan and cooked through.

Tossed through with blanched hokkien noodles, sambal olec, hoisin, soy
sauce, sesame oil and spring onions.

Greek Mezze

Greek inspired mezze, most fresh from the deli but with a couple of
tricked up things.

Best were baked zucchini and ricotta frittas (patties made from
drained grated zucchini mixed with ricotta, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon
zest, garlic, cinnamon, S&P)

Other treats were orange, fennel and olive salad, grilled artichokes,
white anchovies, roasted cherry tomatoes, dolmades, tzadziki, stuffed
mini red peppers, saganaki and toasted Turkish bread.

Stuffed valentines

Roasted red peppers stuffed with rice flavoured with sauted onions,
carrot, celery, toasted pinenuts, parsley and red peppers seasoned
with cinnamon cumin cayen salt and pepper. Served with a squeeze of
fresh lemon.

This was a messy dish given a picnic blanket and a lack of cutlery-
very yummy!

X Zoë

Meatballs and Brown Rice

Cheat's meatballs - bought cevapcici (skinless sausages) rolled into
mini meatballs.

Browned off and then simmered in a simple tomato sauce (sauted onion
and garlic, oregano, passata and a little red wine, simmered and then
pureed)

Served over brown rice.

Lamb, Prune & Date Tagine

A super sweet tagine, served with couscous and green beans.

Made with cubes of lamb, sauted with onion, ginger powder and cinnamon
sticks and then topped with prune water* and simmered until tender.

In the last 15 minutes, add whole pitted prunes and sliced dates. The
sauce will thicken considerably and develop a brilliant sheen.

* Prune water is made by soaking 250g of prunes in a litre of warm
water for about 20 mins (remove prunes before using)

King of Sanwiches

So this isn't really cooking, but I did decide what went into the
sandwich, so it kinda counts

Tandoori Chicken and Fresh Pickles

Quick and fresh...

Chicken marinated in tandoori paste and purée silken tofu (I couldn't
find any soy yoghurt) then baked in a very hot oven.

Served with a salad of freshly pickled cucumber (dressed with salt,
sugar, sambal olec, corriander and white vinegar) and white rice.

Mini Canneloni with Rocket and Pear Salad

Blanched tubes filled with the classic spinach and ricotta (with a
little nutmeg and lemon zest) covered with a simple tomato sauce and
baked till bubbling.

Served with rocket and pear dressed with balsamic and ovo oil.

"I loved it, ****" Nat

Failed Goulash

I thought I was being so clever making a goulash before work and
setting the oven to turn itself off.

unfortunately I seemed to underestimate the temperature of the oven :(

Will have to try again soon...