For A Change Try Sausage and Pasta - Another Kid Friendly Meal

The Kids were coming over and I remembered that, previously, I had made a Gordon Ramsay Pasta dish, using Sausage meat... so I looked it up in the cook book
Turns out, the recipe I was thinking of, was actually a rice dish
The kids wanted Pasta, so I devised this dish, inspired by Gordon (I feel I can call him Gordon)
It is so different from the original I think I can call this mine

2 tablespoons Olive oil
Onion peeled and chopped
Sea salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper
Red pepper chopped
Sausages from the famous Westmere Butcher
Beef, Garlic, Parsley and Parmesan, perfect
1 1/2 sausages per person will be enough

White wine to deglaze
2 cups chicken stock
Pasta, Farfalle, cooked to manufacturers instructions

2 medium fresh tomato chopped

1 head of Broccoli
Olive oil
2 cloves of Garlic peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 Lemon

Spring onions to garnish and or chives
Chopped parsley

Grated Parmesan
Method
Place olive oil into a pan, heat to medium heat
Add chopped onions
Saute till soft
Add chopped red pepper and sauté till soft
Season with S & P

Meanwhile remove sausage meat from skins and break up to resemble small meatballs

Add to pan, I actually used a second pan to brown the sausage, stop it from stewing
plus you get a better flavour

Add all the cooked sausage meat to the pan
Deglaze the sausage pan, with a slosh of white wine and tip into the main pan

Add chicken stock
Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 15 minutes

So the Broccoli
Cut into small florets
Blanch in salted water for about 3-4 minutes
Drain and put into ice water
This will stop it cooking and keep the nice green colour
Drain and out aside

In a large pan, add the olive oil
Throw in the chopped garlic
Season with salt and pepper and the lemon zest
Add the cooked broccoli
Toss well
Set aside

So, cook the pasta
I usually allow 100 gms per person

When it is just cooked
Drain
At this stage,
Add the broccoli and chopped tomato
to the sausage
Toss well
Add pasta
Mix well

Dish up and grate some Parmesan over the top
garnish with some chopped green onion tops or chives and a little chopped parsley

Loved by young and old
Very tasty

Christmas Appetisers - Feed The Drinkers - When Only White Bread will do

It's that wonderful time of the year again Christmas and it is usually full of good cheer
It is really important that you feed the drinkers
The best soaker upper, is of course...White bread
Of course offer lovely crisp vege and dips, also I do have some gluten free appetisers in another blog
Click here to view.

You can serve a cheese board with cherries, for those who are not eating bread, but for the majority,

How about these Little Chicken and Pistachio Sandwiches, and some Mushroom filled Patty Cases

I have stolen the Sandwich filling from my good friends Mary and Catherine
Probably a little different from theirs, but any way you do it,
Guaranteed Tasty!

So first buy some white sandwich sliced bread
Butter well

Filling
1 medium chicken breast poached and finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped gherkins
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix together well

Place filling on one slice of the bread
Cover with another buttered slice
flatten with your hand and cut off the crusts
Cut into triangles
Pop on a little plate
Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley

So for the Mushroom Savouries
I found these in one of my Cajun Cooking Bibles

Terry Thompson’s “Cajun-Creole Cooking”.
I have just checked out Amazon.com and you can buy Terry’s book from them.
It is a great addition to your Cookbook Library

First make the Patty Cases.
These are the best ones I have ever made.
You must use the (as we call it) "plastic" white sandwich bread.
You know that soft white bread that the food police say “DON’T EAT”…

I have to say when one has a hangover, a little sandwich made from this bread, maybe bacon and mashed egg, is just the ticket.

So cut the crusts off and roll the bread both ways

Butter the bread 
Cut out shapes with a pastry cutter.

I used these mini muffin tins. I got 2 rounds per slice of bread.

Butter the muffin tins and carefully press the bread rounds in.
Buttered side down
Bake 200C for 10 minutes. You can keep them in an airtight container for a few days or they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

 Mushroom Filling.
¼ cup unsalted butter
4 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
250 gm mushrooms finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
¾ cup cream
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
24 baked Patty Shells
Grated Parmesan Cheese.
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
Add green onions parsley and chives

Cook until wilted about 3 minutes
Add mushrooms
Cook 10 minutes, or until liquid evaporates.
Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir till blended
Cook 2 minutes stirring it will be dry be careful it doesn’t stick to pan.
Stir in cream, thyme cayenne freshly ground black pepper, salt and lemon juice.
Reduce heat to low cook 5 minutes or until thickened.

Preheat over to 175C
Place patty pans on baking tray and fill with cooled mixture.
Top with a little Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon butter
To add to the Christmas Theme, 
I topped them with a little slice of tomato and a little touch parsley

Bake about 10 minutes until mixture is bubbling

 I made the Mushroom Savouries for a drinks party yesterday and they were gone in minutes
BUT There is more
There was a lot of buttered scraps of bread left over and being a good Waste Not Want Not girl
I decided to make these into crisps to have with our pre-dinner wine
I sprinkled them with Dukkah which I had leftover from some yummy cheese balls I made last week
Then finely grated some Pecorino over the top

Bake at 190C for about 10 minutes, check after 8 to make sure they don't burn

On the left the breadcases about to be frozen for use next week
On the right the crisps
They all disappeared in one sitting
Very pleased with those

Kids Chicken and Potato Dinner - Nutella Dessert? Perfect

I’m always looking for recipes, that fill my Grandchildren with Joy.
They are good eaters and enjoy their food and like trying something new.
There is a couple of allergy issues but as the children grow, these are getting better.

Italian Food is away popular and also, the kind of food, I was brought up with.
Grandma style

This week,  I thought I would try a couple of new things
My friend Trish has a recipe for Potatoes that she used to use in her Restaurant and very popular it was too. Just toss your potatoes in French Onion Soup Mix and Cream
Yum. How easy is that?
Next I am not a Paleo person, it’s the restrictions that drive me crazy, nevertheless there are some ideas which are worth trying… have heard a bit about Cauliflower Rice
Why not try Broccoli Rice
Yes that was fun and they liked it.
Different

Next for the protein, Jamie Oliver in his one of 15 minute Meals, cooked, what he called Golden Chicken, so I borrowed that.

Back to The UK Super Chefs, Gordon Ramsay, in his Ultimate Home Cookery, produced a 3 Layer Sandwich Meringue Cake. He layered it with melted chocolate folded into whipped Cream

I made a couple of changes. Not just ordinary Melted Chocolate
But how about Nutella mixed into the cream
Terrific. show me a kid who doesn't like Nutella
So an excellent Menu all in all

Trish’s Potatoes

Take 4 large Potatoes peel and chopped into medium cubes
Bring to the boil in salted water and simmer till they are almost cooked
Drain and pop into a oven dish
1 packet of French Onion Soup Mix
200 ms cream

Sprinkle the potatoes with the soup mix,
Season with a little salt and pepper
Funnily enough the French Onion soup mix is not overly salty
so it needs some extra seasoning

Pour the cream over
Toss and pop into a Hot oven  200C and cook till cream is absorbed and potatoes are covered with the delicious creamy sauce

Broccoli Rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 heads Broccoli
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Splash of water
Zest of lemon
Large knob of butter

Place onion and whiz up in the food processor
Add to a medium hot pan contain the olive oil
Sauté gently

Cut the Broccoli into small florets
Don't throw away the stalk
Peel it, and save, my kids love to eat it raw
Back to the florets Put into the food processor and whiz till it turns into “Rice”

Add to the onions and toss
Splash in some water abut 3 tablespoons
Season, cover and cook for about 4 minutes
Grate in the zest of the lemon and add the butter
Ready to serve

Jamie’s Golden Chicken
2 Large Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons flour seasoned with salt and pepper
Olive oil

Take the Breast and open them out so they are flattened and even
Cut into serving size pieces

Mix the seasoned flour and rosemary together
Dip the chicken into the flour both sides
Place olive oil into medium to hot pan
Add chicken, only cook a couple of pieces at a time
After a minute, turn it over and continue turning every minute
till the chicken is cooked and golden
A total of 5-6 minutes

Remove and keep warm till needed while you cook the remainder
Serve
Voila
Tender Tasty Chicken on Broccoli Rice with Creamy Potatoes

So onto Gordon’s dessert
I bought some roasted hazel nuts and whizzed them up in the food processor
The Meringue
4 egg whites
225 gms caster sugar or Golden caster sugar
50 gms ground hazelnuts
For the Filling
2 large tablespoons Nutella
200 mls whipping cream

Pre heat the oven to 140 C
Beat the eggs white till they reach soft peaks
Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time
Beat until the meringue is nice and shiny
Gently fold in the ground hazelnuts

Line 3 baking sheets with baking paper
Mark out  a ring on each of approx 18cm
To keep them anchored, just place a little piece of the meringue mix under each corner
Spread the meringue equally over the 3 rings

Bake for 1 1/2 hours
When cooked, leave them in the oven with the door slightly ajar
till cooled
They are ready to go
They can be kept in an airtight container for a week if necessary

To  assemble
Pick out the best ring for the top
Lay one sheet on a plate
Cover with the filling

Top with another ring
More Filling
Last Ring and top with the remainder of the  Filling

Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving

What to do with the leftover yolks
Make a Chocolate Pudding of course
Thank you Martha Stewart
I am not normally a milk pudding sort of person, but even I like it

The kids loved it
Ingredients

    2/3 cup sugar
    1/4 cup cornstarch
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate pudding)
    2 1/2 cups milk
    4 large egg yolks
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. 
In a medium saucepan, off heat, 
whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. 
If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. 
Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) 
whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. 
Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until a skin appears

Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. 
The bubbles will incorporate and Voila Look at that
Rich Chocolate velvety pudding

Remove from heat; 
immediately pour through sieve into bowl. 
Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.

Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); 
chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. 
Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth; divide among four serving dishes.
Unfortunately I neglected to take a picture. Silly me
So you will have to use your imagination
Of course it needs a little whipped cream to cut the richness  

Colourful Pasta Salad - How can you resist this?

I'm still on the 'use up the food in your fridge' before you go shopping, kick
How about an Orzo Salad, packed full of flavour.
Colourful and a perfect light dinner. All the food groups covered.

Hot Smoked Salmon, Vege, Pasta and good Olive Oil, a touch of cider vinegar. 
Can't get much better than that.
It's really not a recipe, just some ideas
Use any amounts you like, it's up to you

In the fridge I found, mushrooms, half a red capsicum, some spring onions and parsley.
Perfect for marinated mushrooms, the start of my salad
Best to make this in advance, to get the flavours established

Slice up the vege
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss well in some French Dressing

Easiest French Dressing  
To make 300 mls
(I like to make it in a jar)
100 mls vinegar, I like to use Cider vinegar, it has a touch of sweetness
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Shake well to emulsify
Start adding 200 mls Olive oil
Keep stirring with a fork
Set aside, all ready

Next step, I fossicked around in the fridge and found
Some Hot Smoked Peri Peri Salmon, You could use a Tin of Tuna

Some cooked asparagus and radishes
Slice them up set aside
I had some Tomatoes which I chopped and seasoned with S & P

I cooked the Orzo as per the manufacturers instructions
Toss with a couple of tablespoons of French Dressing and set aside
1 cup uncooked pasta will feed 2

Now to assemble
Orzo, Marinated Mushrooms, Asparagus and radishes

Drizzle with some more French Dressing, to your own taste
Toss and add Smoked Salmon

Gently stir, Plate
and garnish with Chopped seasoned Tomatoes

All that colour has to be good for you

Cheap and Cheerful Meat Loaf - Kid Friendly Dinner

It’s Thursday at Grandma’s and I decided to cook from the freezer and the pantry
I had a packet of Lamb and Rosemary Sausages in there.
450 gms on special at $8.00, gluten free, but I have added breadcrumbs to the loaf so  that's not applicable

While Grandma gets dinner ready, the kids are swimming. Bit chilly for me, but they didn't care

I got out the Trusty Triple Tested Cookbook, to get some ideas, this is a perfect cookbook for old fashioned cooking, things kids and old people like.
There is a Glazed Meat Loaf recipe which I have adapted.
It actually called for mince but I used the sausages instead 
I’ve added some extra vege. Corn and spinach in fact.

So ingredients
450 gms sausage meat/or hamburger mince
1 small onion finely chopped
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped frozen and thawed spinach
1/2 cup frozen corn
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Glaze
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tsp golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Combine ingredients and mix well
Pack into a greased loaf tin and bake in 175C oven for 30 minutes
You can do this earlier in the day and glaze just before you are ready to eat

Turn onto baking sheet and pour glaze over
Return to over and bake for 15 minutes
Slice and I brushed the excess glaze on the cut slices, that goes down well with the kids.
Serve with yummy mashed potatoes and in this case a crunchy coleslaw
Cabbage, Capsicum, Cucumber, Spring Onions all tossed in Homemade Mayo

And for Dessert. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Pineapple, served with some whipped cream

Easy peasy, just melt the chocolate, either over a water bath, or in the Microwave
Make sure the fruit is well dried and then dip into warm chocolate
Leave to set on baking paper or foil.

Mince and Cheese Pie - A Old Fashioned Family Favourite

We were going out for a picnic, Daily outings for the beloved, these days
Thought I would swap the usual delicious fresh homemade sandwiches,
for Homemade Mince and Cheese Pies

For this dish I went back to the traditional Grandma’s (as in My Mum) tasty mince
None of your Italian herby, lots of vege, tomatoey Mince that you use for Lasagne, Spag Bol etc
No back to basics for this dish

1 large onion Chopped
600 gms mince
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Ground Black Pepper
4 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Beef Stock Cube dissolved in 2 cups hot water
Just enough to cover the mince2-3 tbs flour
3 tbs water enough to make a paste
Sauté the onions in  Olive Oil till soft but not brown
Add the mince and brown

Season with Ground black pepper
Add the Tomato Ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce
Stir well

Add beef stock so that the mince is just covered
Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes

Mix the flour and water together to make a thick slurry

Take mince off the heat
Stir in flour,
Back on the stove and cook gently
Just light simmer, till Mince is nice and thick
Continue gently cooking, stirring regularly to cook out the flour
Careful, it can catch at this stage

Remove and cool, ready to put in your pastry cases

I had some help in the kitchen today, from my Grand daughter Cleo
She was very helpful
She grated the cheese that goes on top of the mince

So to make the pies
I use the frozen puff pastry sheets
So easy and cheap too
You also need some grated cheese and egg wash, to help give the pies, a nice golden glaze
Egg wash easy, just beat an egg with a few drops of water

So Lightly grease the pie tins
Roll the pastry to make a bottom and top

After you have prepared the pastry in the tins
Let it sit in the fridge, for about 20 minutes
It needs to rest a little, after all you have been giving it a hard time
Take it out, prick the bottom with a fork

Fill the case with mince
Sprinkle with Grated cheese
Place the lid on top
Press down the sides and crimp
Make a little steam hole
Brush with egg wash

C for Cleo on top
Into 200C oven and bake for 20-30 minutes
Till golden and crisp

Lunch is served
Of course, can't waste the trimmings
The Queen of hearts, she made some tarts
Jam Tarts in fact

She kindly let Dale have one, she has demolished 4
The rest are going home with her