Stuffed Roast Chicken

Deboned whole chicken stuffed with couscous.

Deboning a whole chicken isn't quite as hard as you'd expect, it is a
little fiddley, and takes some time - but it is certainly worth it.

I took out all the bones except the legs and wings (so it still
resembles a chicken) then stuffed it with couscous and tied it back
into shape with twine.

The couscous stuffing was sauteed onion, garlic, diced chorizo, flaked
almonds, preserved lemon, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and fresh
corriander, stirred through 3/4 cooked couscous.

The beauty of this dish is the couscous soaking up all juices that
come out of the chicken - making it delicious and moist.

And of course, since there are no bones, carving is a breeze...

Tortilla Espagnol

The classic Spanish tapa.

Thin slices of potato are traditionally softened in a moderate deep
fryer but for to make it a little healthier I put the slices in a deep
oven pan and covered them with oil and water (10/90) and then roasted
gently until soft, but not coloured.

The slices are then drained, mixed with eggs and salt, then pour into
a hot frypan (preferably small with high sides) then turn the heat
down and cook slowly until 90% set.

Place a plate ontop and flip confidently to turn the tortilla out,
then slide it back into the pan and tuck under the edges to give the
sides a rounded look. Cook until it is completely set.

Serve warm or cold with fresh bread.

Fish Curry

Based on the 'Meen Mollie' from the Cook and the Chef, a spicy tangy
fish curry which is incredibly morish.

The fish (in this case grouper) is cubed, then marinated for an hour
in a mixture of lime juice, chili and pepper - it is then pan fried
until seared, and then set aside.

The curry is the usual suspects of spices, curry powder, ginger,
garlic, onion, tumeric, lots of fresh & dried chili and garam masala -
fried till fragrant, then softened with fresh tomato.

The liquid is about 50/50 tamarind water and coconut milk which gives
a great balance of sour tang and creaminess. (note: if you added a
little water/stock here you'd have a great soup)

The fish is then placed in the curry sauce and cooked through while
the sauce is reducing.

Served over rice with a side of steamed Chinese brocolli and garnished
with coriander, tomato and a splash of coconut milk.

Chickpea Bake, Zaalook & Roasted Carrots

A vegetarian moroccan spread inspired by Moroccan Soup Bar.

The centerpiece is of course the chickpea bake, which interestingly
enough is not baked at all.

It is a layered dish starting with oven warmed crunchy dried pita,
then boiling hot drained chickpeas, then a thick layer of yoghurt
mixed with a little tahini, fresh garlic and salt.

The dish's crowning glory is slivered almonds toasted in nut brown
butter poured over the yoghurt and sprinkled with paprika and parsley.

Served with Zaalook, an eggplant relish made by sauteing onion and
garlic, with cubes of salted eggplant, drained peeled tomatoes,
generous amounts of cumin and paprika and S&P until the eggplant
colapses.

Also served with roasted carrots in a sauce of evo, lemon juice,
honey, ground ginger, paprika, cumin and s&p, finished with toasted
pinenuts and parsley.

Mongolian Beef

Based on a Kylie Kwong recipe from her book Simple Chinese Cooking -
nothing like the mongolian beef you get from a dodgy Chinese take-away.

A couple of interesting tricks, the first is using minced beef, making
it much lighter. The second is salting the cabbage for about 15 mins
(then rinsing & draining)

The first step is to marinate the mince with garlic, ginger, soy, shao
hsing wine and sesame oil for about 30 mins.

The sauce for the stir-fry is 2 parts shao hsing, 2 hoisin, 1 (veg)
oyster sauce, 0.5 vinegar, 0.5 sesame oil, 0.5 sambal olec, 1 corn
starch.

Once you have the sauce, and very finely sliced carrot, capsicum and
salted shreadded cabbage ready - stir fry the meat in batches.

Then add the carrot and capsicum, and allow to soften for a minute,
then add the sauce and cabbage and fry for another minute until the
sauce has thickened.

Served over rice with a bean shoot* 'salad'.

* blanched shoots, dressed with 2 parts soy, 0.5 sugar, 0.5 sesame, 1
(hot) oil, finished with spring onions.

Irish Stew with Mash & Sprouts

An incredibly rich stew full of booze and baby vegies.

Chunks of beef floured lightly, then browned in hot oil. Combined with
generous amounts of baby carrots, whole shallots and peeled dutch
cream potatoes.

The liquid is where it really differs from most stews, using both red
wine and guiness (about 40/40%) and the a little stock (20%) - the
depth of flavour this adds is brilliant.

Finally s&p and a bouquet garni of parsley, bay and thyme are added,
And the stew simmered for 3-4 hours (using whole vegies really
increases their cooking time).

Served with mashed potatoes and blanched brussel sprouts with balsamic
and seeded mustard.

Minestrone w/ Garlic Bread

Hearty & warming - full of little goodies.

Sauteed onion, garlic, carrot and celery until softened, then add
60/40 stock and canned tomato and s&p and simmer for 30 mins.

Add a handfull of raw pasta and a big handfull of shredded cabbage and
simmer until the pasta is cooked, then add beans (berlotti or
canneloni) and heat through.

Served with garlic bread* - lightly toasted sourdough spread with
garlic & parsley butter, then grilled till crispy.

* caution - highly addictive!

Lemon Tuna Risotto

I love risotto! So many variations, so easy to make, and always
delicious.

This one is with carnaroli (my fav risotto rice) with sauteed onion,
garlic, very finely diced celery and a good pinch of salt.

Continously stirred with one ladle at a time of 70/30 hot stock and
white wine for about 25mins.

Finished by stirring through lemon zest, chunks of tuna, and lots of
freshly grated parmesan.

Pho Ga

A warming Vietnamese Chicken Pho (pron. 'fir') - a brilliant soup
which is both exotic & surprisingly homely.

The base is a rich chicken stock made from simmering pre-blanched
chicken frames (brought to boil in cold water, then drained and
rinsed), corriander roots, blackened onion & ginger (BBQ'd till
black , then peeled), rock sugar, star anise, fish sauce, salt and
corriander seeds for a couple of hours.

Chicken breasts are then poached in the broth, then sliced and placed
in a big bowl over a generous serve of rice noodles, and topped with
the boiling hot broth

Garnished with chilli, mint, Thai basil, corriander, bean sprouts,
spring onion and a wedge of lime.

Slurpingly good.

Burger with Onion Jam and Polenta Jenga

The onion jam wad the star of the show, slow cooked with balsamic
vinegar, sugar, salt and a little water for about an hour.

Served with beef burgers (mince spec'd up with mustard, ketchup,
paprika, cumin, egg and breadcrumbs) and fresh rocket.

Finished with a side of polenta chips (firm polenta, cut into fat
chips, sprayed with oil and grilled in the oven)