Rissoles

These were a bit of a hit last weekend ... thought I would share my secret (there will be the death consequence of course)

1.5kg lean beef mince

1 onion finely chopped

1 packet French onion soup

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

1 tablespoon HP (brown) sauce

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 carrot, grated. 

3 tablespoons plain flour. 

3 tablespoons quick cooking oats. 

--- Mix all together.

--- Shape into patties (about 10cm diameter)

--- Refridgerate for about an hour or more, covered with plastic wrap. 

--- Heat the BBQ to HIGH until smoking. 

--- Place the rissoles on BBQ then turn to the lowest heat setting. (This is how all BBQs should be cooked)

--- Cook slowly and surely to ensure some great BBQ flavours develop. 

--- Serve as you like. 

NB: As a 'dinner' meal serve with a rich brown, onion and mushroom gravy with a great dash of red wine, stirred with a faggot of rosemary. 

-- Serve on Mash with vegies of choice - great with carrot, parsnip, peas, corn, broccoli etc. 

Have fun :) 

Harira (Lamb, Lentil and Chickpea Soup)

Harira is the traditional meal eaten to break the fast during Ramadan; it is usually served with dates, figs and special sweets called chabakiya. A Moroccan proverb says that if someone tells you the Harira is cold, tell him to put his hand in it.

Broth:
500g of lamb cut in large pieces
1 small onion, minced
1/4 head of cabbage cut in largish pieces
1 C chickpeas soaked overnight (or from a can)
1/3 C lentils
1.5 Litres water
60 mL olive oil
4 tabs fresh parsley, minced
6-7 strands of saffron (soaked in a few tablespoons of hot water)
1/2 - 1 t pepper
2/3 teaspoons ginger
1 cube of chicken bouillon
salt
1/2 lemon

Cook the lentils in slated water, when soft drain the water, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them.
Cook the rest of the ingredients, in a soup pot over a low heat for 50- 60 minutes until the chickpeas and meat is cooked.

Additional ingredients:
60g rice
60g angel hair pasta, broken up
800g crushed tinned tomatoes
3 Tabs flour
4 Tablespoons fresh coriander, minced
salt

Method
Add the tomatoes to the broth and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the flour with a little water to form a paste, add to the soup, and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Bring the soup to a boil, add the pasta, rice, coriander and salt, simmer for a further 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils, cook for further 5 minutes.

Chocolate Self- Saucing Pudding

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 155g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 80g butter, melted, cooled
• 125 mL milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• thick cream and berries, to serve

• Sauce

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
• 320mL boiling water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8-cup capacity ovenproof baking dish. Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.
2. Combine butter, milk and egg in a jug. Slowly add to flour mixture, whisking until well combined and smooth. Spoon into baking dish. Smooth top.
3. Make sauce: Sprinkle combined sugar and cocoa over pudding.
4. Slowly pour boiling water over the back of a large metal spoon to cover pudding. Place dish onto a baking tray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until pudding bounces back when pressed gently in centre. Serve hot with cream and berries.

Golden Syrup Dumplings

Ohh how much I do love these Australian gems.

Ingredients (serves 4)

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
60g unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1-2 tbs milk, to beat
Thick cream, to serve

Syrup
30g butter
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
4 tbs golden syrup
1 small lemon, juiced
250mL Water

Method
Sift flour into a bowl.
Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Beat egg with a little milk and pour into flour mixture.
Combine to form a dough, then divide into small balls.

To make the syrup;
Combine the ingredients together with 1 cup of water in a pan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
Carefully add dough balls to syrup and boil for 20 minutes.
Serve with syrup and cream.

How to Make a Snow Cone in London at 11:45PM

Vanilla Slices (snot Blocks)

Really need to try this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 sheets (25cm x 25cm) ready rolled frozen puff pastry, thawed
• Melted butter, to grease
• 750ml (3 cups) milk
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) thickened cream
• 8 egg yolks
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
• 35g (1/4 cup) cornflour
• 50g butter, chopped
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 230g (1 1/2 cups) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbs canned passionfruit in syrup (John West brand)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place 1 pastry sheet onto each lined tray. Bake in preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 20 minutes or until pastry puffs and browns. Remove from the oven. Cover pastry with a clean tea towel and use your hands to gently push the pastry down to flatten. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
2. Brush 23cm (base measurement) square slab pan with butter to lightly grease. Line base and sides with foil. Place 1 pastry sheet, flat-side down, in base of prepared pan.
3. Meanwhile, heat milk and cream in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until mixture just comes to the boil. Combine egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour in a heatproof bowl. Whisk until thick and pale. Gradually stir hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Place in a clean saucepan over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until custard comes to the boil and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla essence until combined. Pour over pastry and place remaining pastry flat-side (unpressed side) up on top. Place in fridge for 1 hour or until custard sets.
4. Place icing sugar and passionfruit in large bowl and stir until smooth and glossy. Turn slice out onto a large chopping board and remove the foil. Spread icing over the top of the slice with the back of a spoon. Set aside for 20 minutes or until icing is set. Use a serrated knife to cut the vanilla slice into 16 pieces.

Large Anzac Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 125g butter, chopped
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in oats, coconut and sugar.
2. Place butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Combine bicarbonate of soda and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Stir into golden syrup mixture (mixture might become frothy). Add immediately to flour mixture and stir until well combined.
3. Roll mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, into balls. Place 4 biscuits on each baking tray. Flatten to about 12cm (diameter) round, allowing room for biscuits to spread. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, swapping trays after 10 minutes, or until biscuits are golden. Allow biscuits to cool completely on trays. Serve.

Golden Syrup Dumplings

Australia Day is coming up, next Monday ... it's time to dig out all of those favourite recipes from the great land from down under.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
    * 150g self-raising flour
    * 60g unsalted butter, cubed
    * 1 egg
    * 1-2 tbs milk, to beat
    * Thick cream, to serve
   
      Syrup
    * 30g butter
    * 220g caster sugar
    * 4 tbs golden syrup
    * 1 small lemon, juiced

Method
   1.  Sift flour into a bowl, then rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
        Beat egg with a little milk and pour into flour mixture. Combine to form a dough, then
        divide into small balls.
   2. To make the syrup, combine the ingredients together with 1 cup of water in a pan
        and bring to the boil over medium heat. Carefully add dough balls to syrup and boil
        for 20 minutes.
   3. Serve with syrup and cream.

Honeyed Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 small leeks , sliced
* 800g carrots , roughly chopped
* 2 tsp clear honey
* small pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 vegetable stock cubes + 1.5 litre water
* soured cream or yogurt , to serve

Method:
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leeks to the pan,
then cook for 3 mins until starting to soften. Add the carrots, honey, chilli (if using)
and bay leaf, then cook for 2 mins.
2. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins. Blend the soup in
batches, return to a clean pan, then season to taste. When ready to serve, bring
back to a simmer, then ladle into mugs. Add a swirl of soured cream or yogurt and
serve with garlic bread bacon butties.

YUM YUM
ps .. try maple syrup in the place of the honey & drizzle a little on the bacon!!!!

Fusili with Tomato, Pancetta, Salami, Olive & Chilli Sauce.

It's Sunday night, Harry and I have just come home from a nice walk around the Wadden Ponds where he played with other puppies, ducks, geese and water fowl. There is a Madeira cake in the oven and it's time to finish the food in the fridge ... Here goes ...

200g lardons (pancetta)
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
6 slices of salami, finely stripped
3 whole cloves (the spice)
2 bay leaves
12 Kalamata olives,pitted, halved
850g crushed Italian tomatoes
pinch chili
pinch oregano
1 ham stock cube (any will do, I guess)
1 tbs red wine
1 tsp cracked pepper
Parsley, good handful, finely chopped.
Pasta of your choice -- but short pasta is best sch as fusili.

1. Fry the lardons, garlic and spring onions together just until the lardons change colour.
2. ADD all ingredients except parsley.
3. Bring to the boil, reduce and simmer for 40 minutes with lid on. OR Bring to pressure in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. The sauce should still be quite watery.
4. Boil your pasta up and cook until just under al dente. Drain.
5. ADD pasta to sauce and finish cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Finally, STIR through the parsley, serve, sprinkled with Parmesan.

ENJOY

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs:
350g premium lean minced beef
150g minced pork
1 egg
100mL milk
60g bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 onion, really finely chopped.
Pinch cinnamon & nutmeg

Sauce:
2 Tbs oil (left over from cooking meatballs is great)
2 Tbs plain flour (or sauce flour)
3-4 Tbs red wine
250mL beef stock (250mL water & 1 beef oxo stock cube)
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
pinch chilli powder or paprika.
Salt & Pepper

2 Tbs sour cream (or creme fraiche)
2 Tbs parsley, finely chopped.

METHOD:

1. Mix all ingredients together for the meatballs until thoroughly combined.
2. Form into small balls, by rolling in the palms of your hands which were moistened before hand.
3. In a medium-hot saucepan, heat up 50mL olive oil and fry the meatballs, in batches until brown on one side, turn and brown the other. Continue until all meat has been used up.
4. Drain meatballs on absorbent kitchen towel.
5. Drain all the oil except 2 tablespoons worth (40mL)

Sauce:

1. In the frypan, to the oil, add the flour and stir through, cook for 1 minute over a medium heat, make sure you pick up all the juices and crusties from the meatballs, this gives the full flavour. Take off the heat.
2. Having combined the wine and beef stock, gradually add to the flour mixture and mix to a smooth paste, then add all the liquid.
3. ADD all other ingredients except sour cream and parsley.
4. Return to the heat and heat, stirring constantly over medium until it comes to the boil and thickens.
5. ADD meatballs to heat through, simmer gently for another 5-10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking.
6. Before serving, stir through sour cream.
7. Serve with a creamy mash & steamed vegies and lots of chopped parsley sprinkled on top.