Monday, December 7, 2009
Silly Season
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
From the vintage kitchen
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Me, a knitter?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Hospital Food
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Another tart
Friday, November 20, 2009
Frangipane jam drops
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Pretty patty cakes
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Super energy slice
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A stylish tart
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!!!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Broad bean & bacon tart
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rolled chicken with craisins
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Birthday cake
Thursday, October 15, 2009
When a man loves a burger...
Friday, October 9, 2009
A carnivore's dream
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friends and baked salmon
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Another wedding
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sausage rolls
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Dinner with Maggie Beer
Friday, August 28, 2009
Minestrone: the right kind of soup
One thing I can’t do is leftover soup. Don’t ask me why. Perhaps it’s the fact that a lot of soups sort of congeal into a slippery, stodgy looking, unattractive mass when refrigerated. Perhaps it’s the sight of waterlogged pieces of veg or meat floating like so many corpses in cold broth that turns me off. (Not that I've ever actually seen a floating corpse, but I watch a lot of Midsommer Murders.) I suppose it’s a question for the ages and best left alone, lest I turn anyone else off.
I think the one exception for me is a decent minestrone. Not any old minestrone, but one that I know the providence of. Seriously. The issue for me is that so many versions of minestrone seem to contain too many indiscernible ingredients tied together by mushy shell pasta and labelled ‘minestrone’ as if that’s meant to comfort and convince. I won’t touch it with a ten foot barge pole. Or soup spoon for that matter.
Minestrone should have a clean, strong, wholesome feel about it. It should be hearty and satisfying. It shouldn’t be strewn with random vegetable matter, but with carefully combined ingredients. The pasta should go in at the end, having been par-cooked and drained. If meat is included, it should not be great, soaking, sinewy chunks. Minestrone should be able to count as a meal all on its own and able to stand up for itself the next day. But for that to happen, you need a solid recipe. Here’s mine, based on years of contemplation.
Ingredients
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup potato, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
2/3 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup red capsicum, diced
1 x 400g tin kidney beans
1 x 400g tomatoes (crushed or chopped)
1 raw chorizo, diced (optional)
1 sprig thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
enough beef or vegetable stock to cover ingredients
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup small shell pasta, par cooked and drained
This is completely simple. Lightly brown the onion, garlic and chorizo together in a large pot. Throw in all the other ingredients and cover with stock. Let it simmer gently until the veg starts becoming tender but not soggy. Once the soup is cooked, add the pasta. The pasta will soak up the juices and flavours and soften so you don't need it to be too soft to start with.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A bit of a tart...
Place half the butter in a fry pan and soften the potatoes for about five minutes at a low temperature. Add the rest of the butter and the leek and cook for ten minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.
Lightly beat the eggs, and then add the cream, milk, parsley and cheese.
Oil four 10cm (diametre) tart tins, quarter the sheet of pastry and gently ease each one into a tin. Cut the excess pastry away. Prick the bottom of each with a fork.
Spoon a quarter of the potato and leek into each tin, spreading it out evenly. Then spoon in the egg mix over the top. Tap the tins to settle the mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180º C. Serve with tomato relish, salad and a glass of white wine.