Curryed Lamb Burgers.

First things first. Gota answer the comments from my last post. 1: Yes the pictures I post are most of the time just one serving. I make the servings so big because: From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, I work, Damn hard. I have a family to support, and I don't want to let them down by not working as hard as I can all of the time. As such, I burn a huge amount of energy through out the course of the day. Hence the wopping plate fulls. Cool. 2: Yes you can come over for dinner next time I make that meal. I promise you a, 'Bloody wicked mate', dinner.

As for the curryed lamb burrgers. Let get it on. (Iron chef).

Ingredents:

500g minced lamb.

1 small brown onion. vrey finely chopped.

2 cloves garlic. Minced.

1/2 tblspoon cummin seeds.

3 cloves.

3 cardomon pods.

1/2 tbl spoon tumeric.

1/2 tbl spoon paprika.

1&1/2 tbl spoons of fresh choped parsley.

1/2 tbl spoon salt. Same peper.

Method:

Pound all the spices to a powder. Add this to the other ingredents. Combine well and form into patties. Cook on a medium hot plate.

Serving:

Look. What you serve'em with is up to. In the pix they got grilled vegies. I like beer for this one. Ta...

Succulent Lamb Balls. (Curryed).

Curry rocks.

These recipes are complicated., But with a wow factor of warp 10. I just have to share it with you. Try this:

Ingredents: Lamb Balls:

500g minced lamb.

200g standard sausage mince.

1 brown onion. Very finely diced.

Several sprigs of parsley.

Pepper.

1 tbl spoon. Harrisa curry spices.

Ingredents: Curry Sauce:

1/2 tea spoon tumeric.

4 cloves.

5 green cardomon pods.

1 tbl spoon of cummin seeds.

1/2 tbl spoon of black mustard seeds.
6 dryed red chillis.

1/2 tea spoon of pepper.

1/2 tea spoon of salt.

4 cloves of garlic.

1 brown onion. Finely choped.

450g diced tomatoes.

Olive oil.

Method:Balls:

Combine all ingerdents. Roll into little balls and fry off in a little oil. Set aside.

Method: Curry:

Combine all ingredents, bar the tomato and onions. In a mortar, pound the shit out of the spices with a little oil, untill they are a nice paste.

Fry off the onion in the same pot as the balls. Deglase the base. When onions are about done, add some extra mustard and cummin seeds. When they start to crackle and pop, add the paste. Move constantly. As you do this, lean over the pot and wait untill the aromatic oils are released. This should only take a few seconds. As this happens, tip in the tomatoes, deglase the pot for the final time. Top up with half a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Now add the lamb balls. Return to a simmer and cook for at least 1 & 1/2 hours.

Serving:

Ladle out the sauce and meat balls onto a furrowed bed of rice. Also, make a yogart sauce with finley diced cucummber, minced garlic, crached pepper, mint, and raw sugar. Drink a dark ale.....

Skewerd Cow Yum Yums!

This one it kinda like my last posting in it's construction , just different. Cow not chook here...

Ingredents:

Small Rump steak.

1 rasher of middle bacon.

1 medium flat mushroom.

Spring onions

Seed mustard.

Horse radish.

Peper.

Method:

Pound the shit out of the beef so as to end up with a nice thin, elongated steak. Spread a small amount of mustard and horse radish over the top, along with a generous cracking of peper. Slice the mushroom an place in the middle of the steak, along with the spring onions. Trim the rind from a rasher of bacon. Lift up the meat, place it over bacon. Roll the whole thing up. Impale it on a meatal skewer.

Cook it on a hot BBQ plate untill the bacon is well browned off on boath sides. Transfer to the bakeing tray and give it about 15-20 minutes. Remove and rest for a few minutes before serving.

Serving:

I think a red. Not to fancey. But if you have to, a dark ale, (Wich is what I drank) will do fine.

Skewer Yum Yums!

Tonight I've got stuffed thy fillet of chook filled with asparagus garlic and curry spices. BBQed with a bacon wraping.... Shit yeah.

Ingredence:

2 free range thy fillets of chicken. Skin off.

4 Slim asparagus spears.

2 rashers of middle bacon. Eye removed.

2 cloves of garlic. Finley choped.

1 tea spoon of curry spices. See 'High Speed Chick Pea' posting for ingredents.

Method:

Lay out the fillets. Across the length of the fillet, place the asparagus. (Snap the ends of first and discard. Then snap em in half. This should be a good size.) Sprinkle the garlic over the top aswell as the spices. Place the fillet in line and over the top of a bacon rasher. Useing the bacon as a wrap, roll up the fillet. Skewer and repeat for remaining ingredents.

Place skewers onto a medium hot BBQ grill. With the cover on, grill for about 5 minutes. Turn over and give it another five minutes. Move to the roasting tray, and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Remove, but only rest for about 2 minutes befor serving.

Serving:

For the pictured meal, I used a bed of cous cous with parsley. You could probably use what ever you wan't. I liked to drink a clean ale with this meal. This is a beverage non descript meal. But a bloody good one... Enjoy.

Blogs Revisited!

Kon ban wa blog viewers. From time to time. I try cooking things that I have cooked before. The reasons why are: Can I cook it the same again? Can I tweak it with subtle changes to the ingredents that will make it better? Can I make subtle changes to the ingredents so as to change the flavor, thus creating a new dish? With the same ingredents, can I alter the method so as to present it in a different style? Can any of the above questions teach me anything new about the combinations of ingredents and/or methods that that I have used before?

In essence my core cullanary values are:

Can I do it again?

Can I make it better?

Can I make it different?

Can it look different but taste the same?

Have I learned anything?

Every time you cook. Try to make something youv'ed never made before. If you do this as often as you can, you'll learn a shit load, and end up a way better cook.

As for the pix pictured:

The egg and bacon pie needs tomato on the botton as well as the top. Plus, sprinkle parsley all over just before it goes in the oven.

The lasagne needs to be cooked for about 20 minutes longer than stated in the original posting. Also, try useing a little less topping. I feel this will better balance the flavor.

Finelly. In my last posting I talked about shooting kangaroos. To all of the offended peoples. My apologies. Here is the same meal useing T-bone steak.

Roo-n-Mash

G-day. Tonight it's full blooded Aussie. Grilled kangaroo on potato mash, with mushroom sauce.

These days, you should be able to buy good quality kangaroo at your locall supermarket. I would go so far as to recommend it as a good substitute for beef. The flesh is some what more lean than beef. As it is not farmed, all kangaroo can be considered organic. When cooked, it will grey more than a cow, but will retain more flavor. The only real down side to roo is. If you don't seal it on a red hot pan, It will loose all of it's moisture. To let roo dry out when not sealed properly. Well you might as well eat my work boots. It's that bad.

If like me, you went down the back paddok to waste a fresh one. Use something with a bit of stopping power. 303, .22 magnum with hollow or star point. Anything .45, of even 50cal. All bored weapons with these numbers should bring down a large roo with one chest shot. In saying that. Steer clear of the big males. They are a bit tough.

Also, if your out roo shootn. I feel it is your duty as an Australian to kill atleast 60 rabbits, 14 foxes, 6 cats, 4 pigs, 2 goats, and a deer. All of these can be eaten. Foxes and cats however, taste like shit.

Ingredents:

250g (Per serve). Kangarook, rump steak.

2 large flat mushrooms.

4 large potatoes for mash.

1/4 cup plain flour.

2 tbl spoons butter.

Fresh choped parsley.

Fresh choped spring onions.

1/2 cup milk.

Salt & pepper.

Method:

Cook and mash the spuds. Heat a bbq hot plate to smokeing hot. Add the spring onions and parsley with a knob of butter to the mash. Pound it to a,.. Mash.

On your ultra hot hot plate, cook the roo. Test for doneness with the finger method.

Now make a roue with the mushroom.

Plate up...

Serving:

Make a stack of mash. Lay the steak on top. Drizzle roue over the lot. Done.

Drink with either a deep red or a rich larger.

Thanks for reading.........Hope you cook it.

Chermoula Grilled Chicken

Good look chook ya?

A post or so ago, I was asked to give a few more recipes for hot summer nights.... This is a north African corssing into spanish and middle eastern dish that is perfect for hot dry weather.

The spices involved are highly open to interperatation. However, I would strongly suggest that Papreka is left in. As I feel it is central to this dish. As for the rest. Couc cous, or rice, capsicum, or mushroom. It's all up to you. For this posting I will list the ingerdents used in the pictured dish.

Ingredents:

2 Free range chicken brest fillets. Skin off.

6 cloves of garlic. Finley choped.

1 heaped tea spoon of cummin seeds.

1 table spoom of papreka. (Smoked).

1/4 tea spoon of tumeric.

1/2 tea spoon of raw or palm sugar.

1/4 cup of fine choped spring onions.

1/4 cup of fine choped parsley. (Fresh).

1/4 cup of fine choped corriander. (Fresh).

1/4 cup of olive oil.

1 tea spoon of pepper. (Fresh cracked).

1/2 red capsicum.

1/2 green capsicum.

3/4 cup of uncooked cous cous.

extra parsley.

Small knob of butter.

Method:

Slice tops of brest to alow flavor to penitrate. Pound to a paste all the ingredents, bar the cous cous, capsicum, extra parsley, and butter.

Marinate the chook in the paste for about 30 minutes. Slice the capsicum into strips. Seal the chicken on a medium hot grill plate. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the capsicum. Keep the capsicum moveing every few minutes. Turn the chook one more time. Use the finger method to tell doneness. Just befor this happens. Prepear the cous cous with the extra parsley, and butter.

Serving:

Make a bed of cous cous on a large plate, place the capsicum in a florett over the top. Then the chicken over the top of it all.

Red wine, or a full bodied beer will suffice. what ever you feel like.

Pork on fork.

Sup Blog Blog?

A few people have beem asking me about the loin pork steaks I cooked. (Although, none of the comments reflected this. Hint, hint). Anyway. For this one I took the same cut of meat and served with a very different flavor. Also the salad was rearranged. Simmilar style but revised ingredence to balance out the meal. Check it y'all.

Ingredents: Pork:

Trimed loin of pork 200g per steak.

1/2 cup soy sauce.

1/4 cup ketchapmannis.

3x3x5cm peice of ginger. Finley choped.

6 cloves of garlic. Finley choped.

1 chlli. Finley choped. (Optional).

2 tea spoons of palm sugar.

1/2 cup of fresh corriander. Choped.

Ingrenents:Salad:

1/2 cucummber. Cut on lenght then sliced.

1 carrot. Cut on lenght then sliced.

1 tomato. Equator cut then quartered.

1/2 cup of whole skinned water chestnuts.

Small bunch of fresh choped corriander.

Simple vinagrett. To taste.

Extra corriander. (Looks good).

Method:

Combine all steak ingredents. Allow to marinate f0r about 15 minutes. Don't over do this marinade. It's a full on sub-whooffer master blaster. 15 minutes tops, OK, Good. Lets move on.

As for the salad. Combine the listed ingredents in a salad bowl. Tip in enough dressing to coat the lot, what you want is a nice glisten. Cook the pork on a moderate hot plate. Use the finger method to tell doneness. Dont have the plate to hot, that will burn the soy marinade. Don't have the plate to cold, that will boil off any avalible moisture. If you have a grill plate, even better. Not that it will do a better job. It just looks cool.

Serving:

If you can slap it on a plate so it looks good. Your a better chef than I. Apart from that. Make sure the meat has had a chance to rest befor sreving. (Helps no end). Guzzle something like a mahogany porter with this one. (If you are a moron, and you don't know what a mahogany porter is. I'm talking about beer. Got it? Good).

What to do with a shit load of herbs?

Chomp- Blog. Yum Yum.

In my last posting I talked up growing your own herbs. At this time of year they grow so fast, it's sometimes difficult to know what to do with them all. The above pictured casserolle uses an absolute shit load.

Look, straight up. If you don't have access to lots of fresh herbs don't attempt this one. For one. Dryed herbs suck, and you'll need bucket loads to get the flavor right in this meal. Secondly, to buy the herbs required for this dish fresh. Well, you'd have to bre a dickhead! So, if you got your shit together and are plucking your herbs fresh, Lets rock.

Ingredents:

6 Forquarter lamb chops.

1 large brown onion.

6 cloves of garlic.

4 large carrots.

1lt of beef stock.

5 medium potatoes for mash.

3 tbl spoons fresh choped tyme.

2 & 1/2 tbl spoons of fresh choped rosemary.

1/2 tbl spoon of fresh choped marjoram.

1/2 tbl spoon of fresh choped parsley.

2 tbl spoons of fresh choped of spring onions.

1/2 tbl spoon of fresh cracked pepper.

1/2 tbl spoon of quality salt flakes.

Flour to thicken.

Olive oil.

Method:

In a large heavy based oven proof pot, gently fry off the lamb in a little oil untill just cooked, remove. Deglasse the pot with the finely choped onion and sliced carrot. Add the finly chopped garlic, keep it moveing for about 45 seconds befor addind a dusting of flour. Mix in the flour and add the beef stock, finnish the deglasse, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer. After about 15 minutes of reduction, cover and place into a preheated oven at 190c for about 2 & 1/2 hours.

As it comes time to get the pot out of the oven. Smash the spuds adding the parsley and spring onions, a little bit of butter wont hurt em either.

Method:

Make a bed of mash heap some up the side, ladle some sauce from the casserole on top, then some meat and more sauce..... Yum.

Herb-O-Matic

Herb superb!!!

So often I crap on about the importance of fresh herbs. Yes, dryed herbs are avalible at the supermarket. Even so called fresh herbs can now be bought in the fruit and veg department.

What is shown in the above photo, would cost about $50 to buy. Only a moron would pay that price for something thats a few days old, and is doused in chemicals. I got these herbs for free! Super fresh. Guess how? They were grown in my sisters back yard. They were given no special treatment. They just grew. No fuss. No bother. Very little space, and no pesticides needed. But the best bit of all, just open the back door, pick what you need, enjoy the freshest herbs possible, for free.

Now I've said my peice. It's your turn. Get up tomorrow morning, go to the markets or where ever. Buy all the herb seedlings that you normally use in day to day cooking. Bung em in the garden, or in a pot if your like me. Give it a month, and with regular watering you can enjoy the wonderful flavors of fresh herbs yourself. Free and organicly good ofcourse.

Pictured:

Sage.

Tyme.

rosemary.

Marjoram.

Thanks sis for all the goodness...

Loin-o-pork. Carrot-o-cucummber.

What up 'Blogtastic'?

Summer slamed into me like a freight train. I can't stand heat!

The suffering of summer does have a few good bits. I get to do all the summery cooking. This one I banged out in no time flat. If your not quick with a blade you might want to use a machine for the julienne. Cost $4 per serve.

Ingredents:

Extra trim loin of pork.

1 large carrot.

1 cucummber.

3 small pickled cucummbers.

8 small grape tomatoes.

Basic vinagrett.

Method:

Finely julienne the carrot and cucummber. Cut in half the tomatoes, cut pickled cucummbers length ways then into slices. Toss the lot with some dressing in a non reactive bowl. Fin.

Tie off the loin then cut into thick steakes. Cook these on a very hot BBQ plate. Seal boath ends, then lower the heat and cook untill doneness is reached. Use the thunb and finger method for this.

Serving:

Place the rested steak on top of a stack of salad. Enjoy.

Beverage:

A full bodied fruity white should suffice.

Lamb Burger / Potato Salad!

Lamb Burgers! The recipe that I'm posting here are a huge hit with friends and familiy. Give em a burl and I promise you'll never look back. 'Bloody beautiful'....

Potato Salad. Every body knows potato salad. A real Aussie BBQ tradition. I've had a few shit ones in my time... This one, far from it. This is the best potato salad recipe I have ever tasted. Recipe complements of my wife. Thanks babe.... Here goes:

Ingredents:

Lamb burgers:

500g Lamb mince.

1 Brown onion.

100g Australian Fetta.

Zest and juce of 1 lemon.

1/2 tbl spoon dryed oregano.

Small handful of fresh mint.

4 cloves garlic.

1 tbl spoon bread crumbs.

Salt & pepper.

Salad:

500g Waxy potatoes.

2 Boiled free range eggs.

3 diced sweet pickled cuccumbers.

2tbl spoons whole egg mayonase.

1tbl spoon sour cream.

Basic salad vinagrett.

Kabana; Optional.

Method:

Burgers:

Combine all ingredents evenly. Form into patties. Set aside.

Salad:

Peel and cut the potatoes into even bite sized peices. Boil untill they are about 3/4 cooked. Drain and pour over a good amount of the salad dressing. Allow to marinate for upto one hour. Add the Quatered egg, cucummber, mayonase, sour cream. Very gently combine.

Beverage:

Wine or beer? I was hard pressed it call this one. I'll leave it up to you... Enjoy..

Ginger Beef Fryed Rice

Fried rice has been eaten by Aussies of decades. Yet so few of us have cooked it for ourselves at home. Why?
That authentic take away flavor is not hard to acheve. (Minus the MSG). Asian-Austrialianized flavors are actually very simple. If you can grasp the basic principles of cooking a stir fry, fryed rice is dead easy. First though, allow me to impart a few simple rules for all of us who are not wok masters.....

Use only a high carbon steel wok in the traditional concave shape.

Get your self a mega heavy duty gas burner. (Wok burner, 20,000 btu.)

Stay away from Teflon, or hard anodized woks. They just can't take the heat.

Season your wok with sesame oil. This will make it non stick, naturaly.

Get your self the right tools for the job. Wooden spatular that has been mated to the wok.

Your wok can never be to big.

Don't be afraid to give your wok hell. Carbon steel woks love to be heated to melting point!

Don't be afraid of fire. When your wok is really hot you will get flames leaping out as you cook. (Guests think this is cool, plus they will think the food tastes better. True.)

The final and by far most importaint rule is. 'Hot woks cook quick. Over cooked stir fry tastes like boiled cabbage!!!

Ingredents:

500g sirloin beef.

1 Chorizo sausage.

1/2 cup spring onion choped.

1&1/2 cups sliced bok choy.

3x3x5cm peice of ginger finley choped.

3 cloves of garlic.

4 tbl spoon of soy sauce.

1 tbl spoon of fish sauce.

Peper to taste.

Sesame oil to cook with.

Method:

Marinate the sliced beef and sausage with the ginger, garlic, soy, fish sauce, peper, and a few splashes of sesame oil.

Give it about 20 minutes.

While that is going on. Cook some long-grain rice. 1 dry cup should be good.

Heat your wok to smokeing hot. Add beef and saugsage in batches untill cooked. Remove, reheat wok, add all other ingredents. Stir fry for about 30 seconds. Combine with rice and reseved beef. Add the rest of the marinade and cooking juces. Toss through and serve....

Don't serve wine. Give beer for best results.

Lasagne Maxed Out!

Lasagne, doesn't sound like you spell it. But who doesn't love it. Variations abound. Tonight I cooked this one..... Holey crap! Vain, yes. Delicious, you beter beleve it.

Ingredents:
Fresh pasta sheets. Enough for about 6 layers. (Check older posts for recipe).
1kg Beef mince.
700g tin of chopped tomatoes.
1 large onion.
600g Grilled veges. See recent post.
400g Rocotta.
150g Fetta.
4 cloves garlic.
1 Egg.
Salt, pepper.
Method:
Gently fry the onions, when they are nearly done add the garlic. After another minute. Bring up the heat. Chuck in the beef. Cook it off. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Roughly chop the grilled veg, bung em in. Allow to reduce. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 200c.
In a large bakeing dish layer a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Now on top of that, layer some fresh pasta. Repeat, adding some cheese if you like. When you have allmost filled the bakeing dish. Mash together the Fetta and Recotta, add an egg aswell, plus a splash of milk. Pour this over the top. For good looks sprinkle on some smoked paprika.
Jam it in the oven for about 50 minutes.
Serveing:
As this dish contains all the ingredents of the food pryimid, almost in the right order. I feel I can say; Nothing else needs to be added to this to make it a meal.
Beverage:
Red wine. Full stop.

Rosemary Beef Pie. (Or not).

Wow. After my modem caught fire. After I could not blog to the world. It occurred to me that I was addicted to blogging. Or at least I was addicted to telling the world what I had cooked for dinner. In any case. Even if my modem exploded. That doesn't mean my kitchen did...... I cooked this meal for a great friend of mine. (What up Gerard)? Rosemary and beef are a match made in heaven. To infuse them boath in a casserole come pie, well, it's truley very special.... Cook this one on a cold rainy night.

Ingredents:

750g Osso Bucco.

1 large onion.

4 Small carrots.

1/2 cup of peas.

2 cups of red wine.

1/4 cup of flour.

salt/ peper.

1 heaped tbl spoon of fresh rosemary.

1 heaped tbl spoon of freash tyme.

6 cloves of garlic.

Beef stock.

Method:

In a large heavy based pot. Brown off the osso bucco with a little olive oil. Add the diced onion, brown it off. When this is done, add the carrots, (diced), allong with the flour. Sweat this for about 2 minutes on low heat. Pour in the wine, bring this to a rolling boil. after about 4 minutes, add the stock. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Stir occasionally. After about 30 minutes, remove the lid, start to reduce. At this time start some potatoes for mash. As you finnish the mash, the casserolle should be thickening up nicely. In an oven heated to 200c. Place some squares of puff pastery that have been brushed with olive oil on a bakeing tray. Cook them untill they are puffed and golden brown.

Serving:

Lay down a bed of mash. Spoon a generous amount of the beef filling over the top. On top of the lot, wack on the pastery square. take a step back, admire.... Well done!

Beverage:

Wine or beer.... Wine is and ingredent. So wine should be drunk with this meal. But beer... Beer matches beef and rosemary, to a tea. (Larger, or Stout). Its up to you.

Mo Mo. Bang Bang.

Holy crap. While transmographying my dilitham matrix. The modem exploded.. Finally, after much delay, the warp-drive is back up and running, so.... Full ahead 'Blogtastic'.

Tonight, I give to you 'BBQ combination skewers'.

Combination, because the combined ingredents work well and have a great flavor. Again, this one is soooo piss easy. Just use fresh herbs, and quality olive oil. You can't go wrong...... The listed ingredents serves 2.

Ingredents:

4 skin off free range chicken thy fillets.

2 baby zuccinis.

1 golden capsicum.

1 red capsicum.

2 Chorizo, (Spanish) sausages.

Zest & juice of 1 lemmon.

1 tea spoon fresh tyme. (Chopped).

1 tea spoon fresh rosemary. (Chopped).

1 tea spoon quality salt flakes.

1/2 tea spoon of fresh cracked pepper.

100ml of quality olive oil.

Method:

Create a marinade with the tyme, rosemary, lemmon, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cut the other ingredents into chunks. toss them all into the marinade. Allow to infuse for about 1 hour. Spear the lot onto skewers.

Char over a medium hot grill. Brush some of the marinade on if you want.

Serving:

Jazz em up abit. Wrap them as you would a sovlaki. Or eat them with a green salad. I've even used them in a bolognase sause, brilliant flavor addition there.... Or just eat them on there own.

Beverage:

Basic Tuscan flavors like this can work with either red or white wines. I'll leave that decision up to you. But no beer for this one please.

High Speed Chick Pea

Everning blog hoggers. A while ago I was asked about vegaterian meals. I braged abit about how good I thought I was with non meat meals... But I never realy dilivered... Untill tonight.......

'Chick Pea Curry'

Not only is this dish meat exempt.. It's vegan aswell. To top it off, the whole thing can be made for about $6 (Serves 2). Plus, if your realy hot shit in the kitchen. (Like me. Ha Ha). This curry can be on the table in 36 minutes.... Beat that!

Ingredents:

1 Tin of chick peas. (440g).

1 Tin of whole peeled tomatoes. (440g).

1 Brown onion. Diced.

1/4 cup of fresh corriander.

2 small waxy potatoes. Cubed. 2x2cm.

2 tbl spoons cummin seeds.

1/2 tbl spoon tumeric.

1/2 tbl spoon paprika.

2 cloves of garlic.

1 dryed red chilli.

1 tbl spoon fresh parsley.

1 tea spoon salt.

Pepper.

Method:

In a motor and pestle, crush to a fine paste the, cummin, tumeric, paprika, garlic, chilli, parsley, salt, and a few cracks of pepper. A little amount of oil might help to combine it all.

Bung the onions and spuds in a medium sized heavy based pot. Brown em for a couple of minutes. Keep them moveing so the potato doesn't stick to the bottom. It's now time to add the curry paste. It's critical that you have the tomatoes ready to go, cause the paste only has to fry gently for about 30 seconds before the flavor is ruined. So do that. Fry the curry paste gently for 1/2 a minute then add the tomatoes. Try to deglaze (scrape off the bottom) the pan. Bring to a simmer, stir often. After about 10 minutes add the chick peas. Resume simmer. Start the rice. (Long grain, or Basmati). Make a yougart sauce with a fine julienne of cucummber and a little sugar. Reserve some of the julienned cucummber for a garnish.

When the rice is cooked. Plate up with the yougart sauce on the side. Add the extra cucummber as a garnish.

Beverage:

Curry is beer only food. If you or your guests ask of wine. Explain that only morons would ask for wine when served curry...

Carbo na na ra ra.

Saliva- Maximus.. Tonights feeding is a classic Italian, and an Australian favorite. Penne Carbonarra. Simple, cheap, quick, delicious.
As allways the freshest of ingredents is a must. This time I will overlook the fact that next to no one has a penne attachment for there pasta machine. So for once I am allowing the use of store bought pasta.

But don't skimp on the eggs. They have to be so fresh, that they are still warm from the chooks bum. On that note. Pick the parsley just befor you use it, it's central to the flavor in this dish.

Ingredents:

6 Rashers of middle bacon.

1 large brown onion.

2 Cloves of garlic

3 Egg yokes.

1/2 cup of cream.

Parsley.

Pepper.

Knob of butter.

250g Dryed penne pasta.

Method:

Cook the pasta so as it is ready when the bacon has cooked.

Roughly chop the bacon. Fry this very slowly with a knob of butter. After about 3 minutes, add the onion. Chop the onion in half at the equator, then into quarters at the poles. Now beat together the egg yokes and cream. Chop the parsley. Throw in the finely choped garlic give it a quick stir. Now add the well drained pasta, egg cream sauce, and parsley. Toss through, and serve promptly.....

Beverage no brainer is a lightly chilled Chardonay....

What The Duck Is That?

Happy blogs everyone. Tonight we are haveing 'Wild Duck Risotto with Sage'. Getting straight to the point. If your duck is not wild, or the sage is not fresh. To put it simplely. Don't even bother with this meal. I know.... Your thinking: "Get over yourself". Perhaps I should do that. In the mean time... . Because of the minamilist disign of the flavors in this dish, the themed ingredents in use here. (Duck & Sage) Need to be boath fresh and Earthy in flavor in order to prop up the remainder of meal.

Apart from all that... I was tossing bits of bread in to the fish pond for about a week befor I gave up and went down to the local park. I asked a few little kiddes to chuck some bread in the lake. In no time flat I had bagged 3 nice ones with the trusty 410 leaver action. Well I got 4 actually, but I let the first one get a bit to close. The poor thing turned into a cloud of feathers, and a bit of fish food....Sorry Little duck.

Heres how I cooked em...

Ingredents:

1 Large, or 2 small wild ducks.

400g of arborio rice.

1 large brown onion.

2 cloves of garlic.

4 small carrots.

1/2 cup green peas.

1 lt of chicken stock.

1-1/2 cups of white wine.

olive oil.

Peper.

Method:

In a kettle BBQ. (Webber) roast the ducks with a tray of water on the lower shelf. Up the ducks bums, add a lump of ginger and a few cloves of garlic. Rub the skin with olive oil. In a Kettle BBQ with about 20 heat beads added. (200c) Give it about 50 minutes per kilo. When cooked remove and let stand. Allow yourself time to reflect on how clever you are.

Dice the onion and carrot. Saute in a heavy based pot with a little olive oil. After a few minutes add the rice and finley choped garlic. With another dash of oil fry this off slowly for a minute or so. Now, add 5 good glugs of wine. (2 cups) If you don't know what a glug is. Stir in so as to stop the fry and commence a rapid boil. When the liquid has mostly been absorbed, start adding the stock alittle at a time untill the rice is cooked. Kill the heat. Chuck in the peas and choped sage. Mix in. Put the lid on and keep warm.

Strip the roasted meat from your ducks. Cut it into bite sized peices, add this to the risotto. Now its ready to serve....

As for what to drink; I feel this dish falls in to my favourite catagory. In so much as either beer or wine works here. But selection of style is importaint. A light white resotto like this one would be an obvious canderdate for a crisp dry white wine...But! Wild duck is a dark and robust meat with a strong flavor. So one could argue that a full bodied red was in order. Allso! Sage... The use of a liberal amount of fresh sage gives the whole thing a somewhat English flavor. This is where I would suggest beer. A dark boc to work with the duck. Mmmm.... Can't you just taste it.... What ever.
Moastly. I just wan't to thank my mum. She was the one who first cooked this for me. This posting is more or less her recipe.... Thanks

Cannaloni-Can'taloni

Thanks for haveing a look. Tonight we have an Italian classic: Canneloni.
Canneloni, from the Italian word 'canna' meaning tube, or a hollow reed. Is literally is pasta rolled around a filling, then baked.

There are as many varients to this dish as there are Italian mamas. The following is an interpretation of my own:

Ingredents:

500g minced lamb.

1 onion.

2 cloves of garlic.

300g Ricotta cheese.

500g silverbeet. (stems removed).

1lt of crushed tomatoes.

8 sheets, about 250g of fresh made pasta sheets.

Salt & pepper.

Method:

In a large heavy based pot fry off the onions, add the lamb, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes then add the chopped silverbeet. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stir every few minutes until the silverbeet had wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the riccota. Set aside.

In a large baking dish spread out a thin layer of crushed tomatoes. This will stop the canneloni from sticking to the bottom when they cook. Lay a sheet of pasta on a flat surface. Place the filling in the center, and spread out lengthways. Roll up the sheet to form a tube. Place in the baking dish and repeat until the dish has been filled. Pour the rest of the tomatoes over the top and crack some pepper over the top. Place on the top shelf of your preheated oven at 200c for about 45 minutes. Importantly, on the next shelf down place a tray. This will not only catch any drips. But the tray will also act as a sheild to protect the bottom of the baking dish from the direct heat of the oven. This will help prevent sticking.

Serve garnished with parsley. Wash it down with a big bodied red.

Lamb Chop-Chop!

Smashing Spring/Summer meal this one.
This meal is at it's best when you are getting the first tomatoes of summer, and the last lamb of spring. Seasonal crossover. Plus, it is dead easy to make, and costs bugger all. Here goes:

Ingredients:

Lamb chops. (loin, or rump).

Capsicum.

Tomatoes.

Avocado.

Parsley.

Lemon juice.

Olive oil.

Pepper & Salt.

Method:

Slice the capsicum and arange on a plate. Do the same with the tomato, and Avocado. How you do this is up to you. Just try to make it look nice. Finely chop the parsely and sprinkle over the top. To finish squeeze some lemon juice over the top, and drizzle some very high quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top. Voila.

As for the lamb. Cook it as you would cook beef on a BBQ. Use the finger method to test for doneness. Don't over cook the lamb. Nice and rare.

Place the lamb on top of the salad and serve.

Consume with either red or white, so long as it's not too robust.

Bacon & Egg Pie. (In Beta)

Everning bloggers. You may have noticed that I've changed the layout of my blog some what. (Upgraded to Beta). This meanes that I can customize my blog somewhat. Soooo. If you, the Blogtastic wants change. Leave a comment and tell me how, or what I should do..

Normally I try to post recipes that can be cooked quickly. (Like after work, which is what I do). This one needs about 1 hour and 45 minutes. So get home early, or eat late...

Bacon & egg pie is a real good looker. A great family dish. Heres how I did it:

Ingredents:

8 Fresh free range eggs.

8 peices of middle bacon.

1 onion.

2 Chorizo sausages.

Chedder cheese.

Bocconcinne.

Peper

Short crust pastery.

2 large ripe tomatoes.

Method:

In a large heavy based pan. Fry of the roughly choped bacon, onion, and sausage. Remove from heat and allow to cool abit. While that is happerning. Brush a generous amount of olive oil into a deep flan dish that has a press out base. Line the dish with a large sheet of pastery. Press it to the sides but leave the corrners hanging over the edge. As a bottom layer, add a few slices of chedder. Crack the eggs into the filling. Stir em up a bit, and slap the lot into the pie dish. Press a small hand full of Bocconchine into the top at random. Now thickly slice the tomato and layer it over the top. Crack pepper over it. Fold over the sides to form a rough cover. Brush the exposed pastery with olive oil and slap it in the preheated oven. Bake at 230c for about 20 minutes. Then turn down to 200c and cook untill set and risen. (About 45 minutes).

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before pressing out of the dish. Serve it at the table. A green salad will go well on the side. As will a gentle Merlot.

Sesame Beef with Snow Peas.

So what your beef? Wow thats lame. For the fam tonight I cooked a sesame beef stir fry. It was simple, and cheap. The whole thing cost me less than $2 per serve. (6 or more). Here's how:
Ingredents:
200g Soba noodles. (Thin wheat noodle).
1kg peice of rump beef steak.
About 20 snow peas.
1 onion.
1 large carrot.
6x2x2 cm peice of fresh ginger.
4 cloves of garlic.
1 tbl spoon of sesame seeds.
Oyster sauce.
Sesame oil.
Peper.
Method:
You can prep the vegtables how ever you want. Just make sure they are all about the same size. Here I cut into even strips. (Julienne). Finely chop the ginger and garlic. While the meat is resting, cook the noodles. Drain, rince, and set aside.
Cook the beef according to the method discribed in the 'High Steaks' posting in this blog. Once rested cut into thin strips. Set aside.
Useing a very powerful burner heat your wok to very hot. Splash in some seseme oil. Toss in the onion, stir fry for about 45 seconds. Add the carrot and cook for about 30 seconds stiring constantly. Now add the snow peas, ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds, along with a further splash of sesame oil. Fry for another 30 seconds. Pour in the strips of beef along with any juices from resting. At the same time add the noodles and a few splashes of oyster sause. Toss the whole lot through with a little more oil, and several cracks of peper.
Eat with a clear light bodied ale.


Agian I feel compelled to repeat myself by saying:
"This dish has few ingredients. Together they will combine in a beautiful way. Don't be tempted to go over board with the oyster sauce, or any other ingredient. the key to this dish is a fine balence of all the flavors. Allso, remember that all the flavors should distinguished from one another aswell. I know that sounds a bit contradictory.
In essence. Simple flavors are a sum of parts, yet each, parts of a whole flavor".

Thanks for being a part of my blog.............

The Final Squid.

Sorry to drag out a meal. Trust me though, it was worth the wait. Today for lunch I cooked a meal for my dad. This is one of the all time greatest things that I have ever cooked! Simple tastes, clasic ingredents, comming together in taste bud nirvana. This was so good that after I ate it, I actually felt like I had added years to my life. I was left on a high!!! If you cook this. (It's piss easy). You'll be bowled over by how good it is. A simple dish that will leave anyone that you have cooked it for thinking. You are a high class chef!
Ingredents:
Fresh squid ink pasta. (Linguene, angel hair). 400g.
400g fresh bambino octopus.
300g fresh Austrailan prawns.
6 cloves of garlic.
2 small. (Hot). Fresh red chillis.
Salt/peper.
Olive oil. (very high quality).
Method:
Finely chop the garlic and chilli. Add to the octopus and prawns, with several good splashes of olive oil. Crack in about 5 full turns of pepper, and 3 pinches of salt flakes.
Prepare the pot for the pasta with atleast 3 liters of water with a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil. Mean while preheat a BBQ hot plate to quite hot.
Plunge in the pasta, and return to the boil as soon as possible. Cook untill al-dente. While that is all happerning. Flash fry off the sea food in the olive oil, garlic, and chilli marinade. Give it about 2 minutes, then toss thruogh the drained pasta.
Slap it all on a plate. If you like you can add a squeeze of lemmon juice, along with a thick peice of sour doe bread.
Beverage:
For this exquisite meal, a crisp dry white is a must.


Please try not to fall over with the multiple oral orgasm you'll have after takeing the first bite....

Tomatos, Pasley, Chic Peas, Salt, Peper, Oil.

Look. I've been craping on about how good a vegetarian chef I am. So what do I do? Come up with a piss easy salad. Thats what!
Ingredients:
Check out photo.
Method:
I say this all the time: Simple dishes need the very best of ingerdients.
Pick your tomatoes in the late afternoon, so as they are soffened and warmed by the sun.
Use only the best olive oils. What you want is a good pepery flavor, with distinct yet balanced skin and flesh components.
Hand harvested evaporated salt flakes are a must. My personal favorets are 'Murry river Pink flakes', and 'Piramid hill arteseian flakes'. Ofcourse the more popular, 'Muldern', and 'Celtic' salts are also aceptable.
Don't even think of buying anything but organic chik peas. All the others are pumped up with chemicals that will make you grow another head.

Anyway. Chop up the tomatoes as you see fit and bung em in a bowl with all the other stuff. For the photo I added some bambino bocconchine.

Squid Ink Rethink

Yo mo veg-o no no. Last posting I said that I was going to cook a veg only meal. However: My eldest son bought his friend home from school. He, (Friend) went out of his way to explain to me that his most favorite meal of all time is shepards pie. How could I disapoint?
I promise, very soon, I will post a vegetarian dish.

For now, I'll talk about today.
I wondered over to a great little shop in the east end of town. Yarra Valley Pasta. Hard to beleve I've never been to one of the best ingredent supply stores in town... I got to talking to the seinior pasta chef. (G-day Mic) We ranted and raved about food stuffs for hours. After some haggleing we decided on a straight out swap. I'll bring back some of my beer, in the mean time he sent me home with some pasta that he whiped up right in front of me. Plus a recipe that was his mothers, mothers, mothers. Squid Ink angel hair with garlic, chilli, and octopus. Apparently once I make this meal with his pasta, I'll be inclined to bring back more beer than I otherwise would have.... What ever...

P.S You my have noticed that there is a photo of lamb chops pomy style. Nothing to do with this post. I just cooked it. Thats all.

Vego-Tango

In the comments section in mt last posting I was asked wether I could provide a recipe for meat haters. Holey crap. I've got non meat, and vegan dishes comming out of my Kombi van. In saying that, some of the meals that I have posted can easaly be converted to herbivore format. Lamb Somosa, my last posting for example, peice of piss. Just swap the lamb with a 440g tin of chic peas.
Spag bog. Ommit the beef. simple.
Pumkin tarts. (Of Erin). Swap the bacon with red capsicum.
Baked mushroom trout. Get trout out.

Tonight however..... Before I looked at the comments I had every intention of posting a meat factor 10 meal. Seed Mustard Beef Burggers. With minted salmi and bacon potatoes. Wicked. But packed full of meat.

Inspite of all my meatyness. I feel compelled to obey the whims of the blogtastic fantastic and create a unique vegatarian meal. As such you'll have to wait untill tomorrow night.....
Hang in there. I know you can make it.... Later: B

What up Bloggers? Thanks for the comments left at my last post. The blogerverse has spoken. If Somosa is what the people want. Somosa is what they will get!
Ingredence: (Curry)
500g minced lamb.
1 onion. (Diced).
100g Peas.
440g tin of crushed tomatoes.
2 cloves of garlic. (Finely chopped).
2 tsp of cummin seeds.
8 cloves.
4 Cardomon pods.
1 tsp Tumeric.
1-1/2 tsp Poppy seeds.
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper.
2 small red chillis. (Finely choped).
2 tsp salt flakes.
6 sheets Puff pastery. (Supermarket bought. Spank me).
Method:
Useing a morter and pestal, crush to a powder the cummin, cloves, cardomon, and poppy seeds. Add the pepper, salt, garlic, chillis, and tumeric. Crush to a paste. If the mixture is a little dry add some gee.
In a slow deep, thick based pot fry the onion in a little gee untill translucent. Increase heat to maximum and add the lamb. When the lanb is almost cooked, add the paste. Fry for about 10 seconds stiring flat out. (Don't let the curry paste burn, if you do the whole thing is fucked. But if you don't fry off the spices, the aromatic oils won't be released. The whole thing will taste as if you used one of those horrible supermarket bought curry pastes). Next chuck in the tomatoes. Stir through, makeing sure to scrape off anything that is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return to a simmer. Reduce to a thick sauce. Add peas. Remove from heat.
Cut pastery into two even rectangles. On each peice place some curry and fold into a triangle. (If you are unsure how to do this. Just ask!) Repeat untill you run out of pastery or filling.
Brush the somosas libraly with olive oil. Place on a bakeing tray and cook at 220c for about 20 mins, or untill golden brown.
Method: (Rice)
Cook rice according to the absorbtion method. When you add the water include a sprinkle of tumeric, and cummin seeds.
Serving:
Drizzled over the top, I can recommend a sauce of minnted yougart with a little lemmon juce, crack a good ammount of pepper in aswell. As for a beverage. I can only recommend beer. It's traditional. A spicey ale like Little Creatures would be just about perfect.

Bocconcini Bolognaise Lamb Somosa, with a beer.

Sorry that I took so long since my last post. Lets just say I've been a blue arsed fly. But.... I did take the time to get a shot or more off. (Images for you to see). As a record of what I've been cooking ....
Tonight I have two meals on offer..
Bocconcini Bolognaise!...Fettucine.
Lamb Samosa. Cummin Rice.
All I want is like a kinda vote thingy. Witch ever gets the most comments. ( Good or bad). Thats the recipe I will post.

Open Souvlaki

Hello Bloggers.
This recipe is inspired by one of the best things to come from Greece in the last 1000 years. Souvlaki. Thanks Greece. I hope my interpretation doesn't offend any one.
Ingredients:
Burger:
500g of minced lamb.
1 small brown onion.
4 cloves of garlic.
Juce of 1/2 a lemmon.
1 tbl spoon bread crumbs.
1 heaped table spoon of dryed origano.
100g block of Greek feta.
Peper/salt.
Garlic Sauce:
1 cup of yogart.
2 cloves of garlic.
Juce of 1/2 a lemmon.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Parsley.
Method: (Prepare)
Burggers.
Chop the onion and garlic finely. Cut the Fetta into 0.5 cm cubes.
Add all the ingredients into a non reactive pan and mix well.
Form into patties about 10cm across, and 2-3cm thick.
Sauce:
Vert finely chop the garlic and add it to the yougart along with the lemmon juice, parsely, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Method: (Cooking)
Cook the patties on a smokeing hot BBQ plate with a little olive oil added to prevent sticking. Try to char boath sides of the burgger but don't go so far as to burn it. Cook untill just firm. Serve promptly.
Serving:
Serve alongside a simple salad of rocket, grape tomatoes, and a little extra choped fetta. Drizzle a generous amount of the sauce over boath the burggers and the salad. Sprinkle alittle more parsley over the top.
Enjoy this meal with a crip white. But something like a good Merlot will also work.

Chauvinist Post.

Last posting, (Sheppards Pie). There was a comment left. Well writen, upfront, concise, well maybe. Missing the point, ignorant, uninformed, totally.
Look, I understand that some of the things contained within this blog, could sound a bit blokey. I am a man after all.
Yes alot of the recipes listed here are disigned to be conusumed with beer. That is because the place of origin for most of these meals, beer was fermented, not wine.
Take Sheppards pie for example. As an old English meal. Do you think that after a hard day tending her/his flock, they would return home and drink wine? Ofcourse not. Tending flock was not a job for lords & ladies. It was done by commoners. The 'average' person as it were.
Beer was either made at home, or was bought locally. Grapes don't grow in well in England. But the Poms make a cracking beer, and have done for millennia.
If I'm makeing a pasta meal, I look straight for a matching wine. Thats because traditionally, it's whats generally done.
However, in the future I will endeavour to provide a more balanced reprisentation of beverages.
As for repermanding me over the use of the frase 'Common Mans'. If your ill informed opinion leads you to beleve that I must be a chauvinist beer swilling pig. Grow up!

Sheperds Pie

Sheperds pie is a traditional English dish that consists of a filling, (various styles). Allways topped with mashed potato. Because of the ancient nature of this style of pie, countless methods exsist, but some standards prevale. This is an adaption of a handed down version of an old family recipe. Thanks Shaneen, a favorate winter treat....

Ingredients:
1kg lean organic beef mince.
2 large brown onions.
3 large carrots.
1&1/2 cups of fresh green peas.
Worcesturshire sauce.
Tomato sauce.
Peper.
1&1/2kg potatos. (Dutch Cream).
2 knobs of butter.
Method:
Roughly dice the onions, and fry off in a large thick based pot, untill they are semi transperent and begining to turn translucent. Energize to a fast pan and add some olive oil and the minced beef. Fry off untill allmost cooked. Now add the grated carrot and stir continuously so as to sweat off the liquid. Give it about 5 minutes on max heat, now add a splash of tomato sauce, and 2 of Worcesturshire sauce. Chuck in the peas. Remove from heat....
While all this is going on. Peel and boil the spuds untill soft.
Mash the potatoes roughly with the butter.
Tip the pie filling into a casserolle dish. Flaten out the filling, then place the mash on top in an even layer. Score the mash with a fork so as to roughen the surface.
Bake the pie at 220c for 20 minutes. Oven grill on high untill the topping has turned golden brown and crispy.
Serving:
All I do here is plonk some on a plate, and squirt on a bit extra tamato sauce and worst sauce, a good crack of pepper helps no end.
This dish is a common mans meal. Consume with a Bitter larger. Don't fuck it up with a wine...... Thanks for giving it a go.... I know you'll love it...

Mushroom Trout

Trout season is in full swing. If you are skillful enough to catch your own, you will never be able to go back to farm rased fish. Trout you catch yourself are from clear, cold, fast flowing waters. At dusk and dawn they dine on insects, sometimes snaching frogs, crayfish, and smaller trout. They have a clean pinkish flesh, firm in texture, with a delicate flavor and aroma. Farm rased fish on the other hand. Are raised in sediment loaded nitrate rich water. (Mud) As such, in comparison to wild trout, they taste like dirt. Even the flesh has a brown colour. To add insult to injury, they are sustaind on pallet foods containing homones and groath stimulants..... In summary. Catch your own.
By now you should be fishing trout out of the creek by the bucket full. Next step is to gather some feld mushrooms along the way. Wild mushrooms have a flavor 1oo times more intence than the supermarket version. The consept of this dish is wild trout flavored with feld mushroom. This dish will not work with store bought ingredents! Your guests will be bowled over with the huge mushroom tastes, and unfogettable trout flavors. Plus you get the kudos of telling everyone you were out catching there meal this morning...
Ingredents:
1 fresh caught wild trout. (400-600g).
2 feild mushrooms. (About 6cm across).
Preserved lemmon.
Chives.
Peper.
Butter.
Garlic.
Method:
Scale and gut the trout. In the cavity, insert the mushrooms, lemmons (Flesh removed), and the chives. Poke in a small knob of butter, and crack some peper in for good measure.
In a slow non stick pan, place the trout with another knob or two of butter and a few sliced cloves of garlic. With the lid on, fry gently for about 6 minutes on one side. Turn over and give it 6 minutes more on the otherside. It's cooked when the eyes turn white.
Serving:
Serve on a bed of furroed sliverbeet with some extra butter tosed through just before serving. Lay trout over the top and poor on the pan juces..... A thick peice of crusty bread to soak up all the liquor wont go amiss either., As for a beverage to acompany this dish. Beer, don't go for wine, it doesn't work with wine. I suggest a bitter larger in a pint glass. When the meal is over and your on your second pint, I like a good sharp chedder, on a cracker or two.
Note:
When collecting wild mushrooms, take care. Some very innocent looking fungi can be deadly if eaten... If your even slightly unsure don't pick it. The best bet is to ask some one you has experence in such matters, best of all is to ask someone who has picked mushrooms in that area before.