Shaped Breadbaking Day #6

Zorra from 1x umrühren bitte is the creator of the monthly Breadbaking day event, and the theme for this month chosen by Sweet Sins, is shaped bread, so I'm submitting Pane Siciliano from Peter Reinhart's book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

This is one of the best tasting breads I've ever made, on par with the Pugliese, and I think it's the high percentage of durum flour that gives it such a unique and beautiful flavour.

The loaves take 3 days to make unfortunately, but they are well worth the effort. Some say that the last overnight retardation in the fridge after they are shaped, is not necessary, but why settle for less flavour?

Shaping loaves can be quite difficult, and lots of practice is sometimes required, however shaping Pane Siciliano is so easy. Divide the dough into three pieces and shape each piece as you would a batard. Then coil each end simultaneously, but in the opposite direction, toward the centre to make an "S" shape. Much easier than trying to say "pane siciliano" after a couple of glasses of wine!

I'd run out of sesame seeds for these loaves and only had nigella seeds to sprinkle on top, which were not as complimentary to the bread as the sesame seeds are.

The bread is chewy, the crust has a slight crunch, and it's superb with a soft cheese such as brie or camembert.

Pane Siciliano recipe can be found here at Google Books.

Fig frenzied filcher

Yesterday, I have to admit it, I was a very bad, bad person.

It all started whilst having a coffee at a little country cafe, under the shade of a massive fig tree. The figs were fresh, abundant and sadly just outer skins as the birds love them so much. I had a sudden craving for fresh figs. Sadly the owner of the cafe didn't offer me any, and the coffee was only so so. On leaving though, there was a yellow plum tree, groaning with ripe juicy plums, and just at the right height for me to sneakily pick one. That'll teach the cafe owner a lesson for not offering me some figs. I'll just nick a plum instead to make up for it. Trying to be discrete as possible, I quickly picked a plum, and bit into it nonchalantly, only to have another plum fall onto my head. So much for being discrete and unnoticeable. Unfortunately my husband noticed, and said it served me right for stealing.

Those figs were the foremost thing in my mind. Meanwhile, we came upon Harry's Vege Patch. I met Harry three years ago on a flight home from Athens to Melbourne. Harry is Italian, and even though he lives in Melbourne, he has a patch of ground "up the bush", as we call it, to plant his veges, escape from the city, and make a couple of dollars on the side as well. It was a nice opportunity to catch up with Harry again and buy some of his potatoes ("good for gnocchi" he informed me), some peaches and some nectarines. Then onto a berry farm where I purchased 2 kgs of frozen raspberries. I was about 3 weeks too early for the Autumn crop, but I can still put the frozen berries to good use. Ice cream comes to mind.

Heading closer to home, I couldn't get off the subject of figs. I was obsessed with the fact that amongst my booty of fruit and veg, there was not one fig. That is, until my husband took a slight detour, pulled the car into what looked like a bus depot (being Sunday luckily it was closed) and said "There". I couldn't believe my eyes. A massive fig tree groaning under the weight of ripe figs. I was out of that car in half a second returning back only to scrounge for a bag or receptacle of some sort, and proceeded to behave like a frenzied female fig filcher.

Now you're probably thinking this woman is a total thief, as well as a lunatic. I must defend myself here, Your Honour, and state that I never had to climb a fence, use bolt cutters or force entry of any sort. It was broad daylight, I wasn't wearing a balaclava and the tree was just there. I did however attract a toot from a passerby; I'm not sure if it was a gesture of country friendliness or he was tooting because I was stealing. And I did feel quite guilty, but not for long.

Especially when the figs were served with prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh rocket (aragula) from the garden, and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Teamed with dukhah crusted BBQ lamb and a glass of prosecco, that guilt I was feeling earlier went straight out of the window.



Fresh Fig and Prosciutto Salad

8 ripe figs (don't refrigerate them)
1 bunch of rocket
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Balsamic vinegar
Squeeze of lemon juice
8 slices of prosciutto
freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, to serve

Cut the figs in half and then toss with rocket in a bowl. Dress with a vinaigrette of 3-4 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar. Add lemon juice to taste. Divide evenly among 4 plates, then drape over two slices of prosciutto. Top with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately.

Slice of heaven

Round #17 of Hay Hay it's Donna Day closes today, with Joey from 80 breakfasts choosing the theme of pizza. My family thanks you, Joey. They rarely have pizza for a Saturday lunch, and if they do, it's normally left overs from Friday night, a la cardboard.

Pizza's are a passion of mine. I'm forever searching for that elusive crust, that OMG crust, that crust that is forever memorable. Well today I think I found just that crust. I normally like to rest the dough overnight in the fridge for a flavour boost, but this crust doesn't need that, plus I wasn't that organised. More importantly, the preparation time needs to be minimal, considering the record time in which the final product is demolished, I mean devoured.

Here is my take on a Pizza Margherita, named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, and is supposed to have all of the colours of the Italian flag. Bit like the Caprese salad...hmmm Caprese Pizza maybe?


Pizza Dough

1 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup (8 oz) water at room temperature
1 3/4 cup (14 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface and peel
1 cup (8 oz) cake flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

I just plonk all of the ingredients into my KitchenAid and mix for about 7-8 minutes.
Turn dough out into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
I never roll the dough, I just poke my fingers gently into it until it reaches the desired shape.
Heat oven to 450 degrees F or as hot as it will go.

Topping

4 large, ripe and juicy tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Bocconcini (or you could use sliced mozarella)
Grated parmesan
Extra olive oil for drizzling
Basil leaves

Finely chop the tomatoes, add garlic and a drizzle of olive oil, and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain tomatoes, add to pizza dough, add sliced bocconcini or mozarella, grate parmesan cheese over the top and cook in oven until crust is browned on the bottom, and cheese is bubbly.
Place basil chiffonade on top and drizzle with more olive oil.

Slice and enjoy

And have a great Australian Day to all the Aussies out there!

Spicy tomato jam

Want to start your day with a bit of zing? Try this jam for breakfast...yes, that's right, breakfast. It teams beautifully with parmesan toast and bacon. Over the summer holiday break, I had the daunting task of cooking breakfast for 7 people all at once. Trying to co-ordinate 14 eggs with 14 slices of toast was not my idea of fun. So I cheated by dipping the bread into beaten eggs mixed with cream, chopped chives and parmesan, and doing a french style toast with bacon and tomato jam on the side. Impressive and oh so tasty.

This is so good, I had to make another batch this week, and it's a great way of using up the influx of tomatoes that summer time brings.

Tomato Jam (makes 4 cups)
1 kg tomatoes
I onion, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 cups (440 g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
2 cups (500 ml) tomato juice
1/2 cup finely chopped basil or flat leafed parsley leaves

Method
Cut a small cross in the base of each tomato. Place tomatoes in a large heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Leave for 30 seconds, drain and remove skins.
Place tomatoes in a food processor and pulse to crush, but do not puree.
Transfer tomato mixture to large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until thickened.
Add the onion, chilli and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the lemon juice and tomato juice, and bring to a simmer.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes or until thickened.
Skim foam from surface and discard.
Cool slightly, stir in the basil or parsley, then chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, before using. Season to taste.


Anna from Anna's Cool Finds is hosting Kalyn's Kitchen Weekend Herb Blogging this week. Have a look at her impressive list of entries that she has submitted to this great event since it started.

Rémy does ratatouille

I'd love to have Rémy living in my hair, just to guide me through some difficult culinary moments, but as I have a severe aversion to rodents of any sort, I'll have to rely on my favourite Australian "cook", Maggie Beer. If you haven't seen the movie Ratatouille, it's a must see for any foodie out there. I laughed, I nearly cried, but mostly I envied Linguine for having such a valuable teacher by his side. My kids thought I'd really lost it this time, watching a kids movie. But hey, I loved Shrek too, so no big deal.

Maggie's version of ratatouille is modeled on the traditional French style of slow cooking, until all of the vegetable flavours meld together until they have lost most of their shape, developing luscious juices. Served as a side with roast lamb (which I'm having tonight), it's Maggie's way of sitting down with friends to enjoy a summer evening, without having to rush around in the kitchen. Now that's my kind of Sunday night.

Ratatouille

3 eggplants cut into 3 cm cubes

Salt

½ cup olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 red peppers, seeded and cut into cubes

6 small or 3 large zucchini, cut into 3 cm cubes

A few coriander seeds, crushed

4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped parsley, or torn basil

METHOD

Place eggplant on a tray and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cover with foil and press lightly with weights for an hour. Wipe off moisture with a paper towel or clean tea towel, and drain juices.

Heat oil in an enamelled cast-iron casserole in which the finished dish can be served, and sauté onion until limp and golden. Add garlic, red pepper and eggplant, then cover the casserole and cook gently on stovetop for 40 minutes. Add zucchini, coriander seeds, tomato and a grinding of black pepper and cook for a further 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley or basil and adjust seasoning. Serve either hot, warm or cold.

Kalyn, from Kalyn's Kitchen has nominated Rinku from Cooking in Westchester to be the host for this weekend's event.

Mon dieu, Écouter..Say no more

Pomegranate, feta, cucumber and mint salad

There are exactly 840 seeds in a pomegranate. I didn't know that, which probably explains why it took me nearly a whole morning to extract each jewel separately and eat them one by one when I was a small child. We had a pomegranate tree growing near our front gate, where I would sit for hours patiently waiting for my older brother and sister to come home from school, just so they could "play schools" with me, much to their protests. Red stained fingers, mouth and clothing were part of my everyday appearance back then. And unbelievably, I never had a pomegranate again, that is until last night. The Persian fruit has now come back into vogue, after all of these years, probably due to the newfound health benefits of the juice, with the same antioxidant benefits as red wine, assisting in curbing the progression of fatty deposits on the artery walls.

In my planting frenzy in late spring, for some reason I felt that I needed to plant 3 cucumber seedlings. I have no idea why I did such a stupid thing, because now, along with the zucchinis, I have more than I can possibly use. As much as I love fresh, crunchy cucumbers, you can only eat so many. I have the liberty of picking them when they are small, because there will always be at least another dozen ready the next day.

So a Middle Eastern themed salad is created - pomegranates originating from Persia, creamy Persian feta and beautiful purple/red sumac.


Pomegranate, feta, cucumber and mint salad

2 pomegranates

200g feta (Persian if you can find it)

2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced small

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped

2 tsp sumac (optional) - a middle eastern spice which imparts a tangy citrus flavour

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp extra-virgin

olive oil

Salt

Method

Break open pomegranates and remove seeds. Crumble feta into largish pieces. Combine seeds, feta, cucumbers, onion and herbs in a large bowl.

To serve

When ready to serve add the sumac, vinegar, oil and salt and toss to combine. Best served cold.

If anyone has any tips on how to get pomegranate juice stains out of a white blouse, I'd be grateful to hear from you. Seems I have done a full life circle again!

Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging is kindly hosted this week by Vani from Batasari. Check out her blog for some great Indian dishes.

The new year brings....ZUCCHINI'S

Phew! What a hectic holiday break. And of course I never did get around to doing everything I wanted to, like culling my magazine collection, *cleaning out the pantry, having a weedless garden and learning to take photos on my new DSLR (thank you Santa!!). However, it was a great family time, even catching up with my brother, who "dropped in" unexpectedly from Western Australia, so lots of yarns, drinks, sightseeing, lunches, dinners etc were enjoyed. I haven't even cooked a meal for nearly a week! And whilst I've been out and about socializing, the zucchini's have been having a lovely time multiplying and multiplying and multiplying. I shouldn't complain though, as I expected them to do so in this 40 degree heatwave we've been enduring, but it's a sure fire way of making your neighbours avoid sticking their heads over the fence for a chat whilst you're harvesting zucchinis. They're strangely nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately there are bazillions of recipes in ways to use zucchini, but as I'm at the burnt out stage (read that as holiday lazy), a simple zucchini slice to send with my brother on his trip across the Nullaboor desert was all I could manage today.

The oils in my pantry ranged from EVOO through to advocado, herbed flavoured, peanut...but not one drop of vegetable oil. I did, however have a bottle of Carotino Oil , made from red palm and canola oil, lodged at the back of the shelf, which I forgot that I had (*that happens a lot with my pantry items). It's full of Omega 3 fats, lots of vitamins and is a beautiful colour. Just perfect to jazz up a plain old zucchini slice, and good for you too.

Zucchini Slice (from Delicious Magazine)

Ingredients (serves 15)

• 5 eggs
• 150g (1 cup) self-raising flour, sifted
• 375g zucchini, grated
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 200g rindless bacon, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil - (or Carotino Oil)
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 30 x 20cm lamington pan.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add the flour and beat until smooth, then add zucchini, onion, bacon, cheese and oil and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Hopefully, Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen has utilised her well deserved rest better than I have, as she's launching and hosting the first Weekend Herb Blogging event for 2008. Her roundups are always a pleasure to read and enjoy.

The Best of 2007

Decisions, decisions....especially at this time of year when my brain is fogged trying to decide what perfect gifts to give, along comes Zorra and Sandra with a fabulous event, inviting one and all to submit a mind blowing recipe that moved the world for them in 2007. You know, that OMG reaction?

Whilst not every thing I prepared this year was in that "incredible" category, most of it was good, even stuff that was on the more risky side, like Tamarillo chutney or Chickpea Fritters. New tastes and textures crossed our tongues on numerous occasions in the past year, things I would never have even dreamed of cooking a couple of years ago, thanks to the myriad of fabulous food blogs that abound the www.

One of the most "Googled hits" I have received this year was for the great Aussie Meat Pie, which was posted as "4 & 20 Blackbirds baked in a Pie". I'd like to think that the number of searches for this phrase was the world craving for an Aussie Pie, but maybe there are just a lot of people who don't know the words to the nursery rhyme. When I first made these pies, they definitely were a gustatory joy. I now make them on a regular basis to load into the freezer for the quick winter lunch, and even though they're still fabulous, I had to really fight the demons in my head and opt for this recipe instead.


The Chervil and Egg Custard Tart with Tomato and Capsicum Salsa was chosen probably due to it's versatility (and of course flavour). It can be served with a green salad for a light lunch, or sliced into bite sized fingers to have with drinks. Any left over custard can be used to fill mini quiche shells as well.


With only two sleeps to go, I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and hope to be back in the New Year.

Yuletide Greetings

I'm obsessed (apparently). Even my Christmas cards this year has a food theme!

I wish everyone a very happy, safe and joyous Christmas.

Bountiful backyard - natures gifts

My garden is a jungle! Long awaited summer herbs and vegetables, bursting with freshness, ready for the taking. I love nothing more than "harvesting my crop" each day. These are just a few examples of my outdoor greengrocery.

Summer's first tomatoes....even if they are only baby ones.

Romas to roast

Big reds to just eat, dripping in olive oil

Chillies to spice up our lives

Frilly basil to go with everything

Zucchini to overrun both the garden and my kitchen bench

Beautiful flowers to stuff

This dish called for 4 herbs that were readily available in my garden; parsley, oregano, thyme and bay leaves. I have a bay tree sitting patiently in a pot waiting for it's final resting place, which I have yet to decide on. The recipe is one from Rachel Ray, who unless you have pay TV in Australia, has not adorned our commercial screens as yet, not to my knowledge anyway.


Rachael's Chimichurri Chicken Bites

1 rounded tablespoon sweet paprika
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls
3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 small white onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 splashes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds chicken tenders

Preheat a grill pan over high heat.

In a food processor combine paprika, parsley, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, onion, garlic and cayenne. Finely chop the mixture by pulsing.

Heat oil in a small pan over medium low heat. When oil is warm, stir herb and garlic mixture into oil and heat 3 to 5 minutes, then remove from heat. The oil will become infused with the flavor of the herbs and garlic. Transfer to a bowl and stir in vinegar and salt. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Cut chicken tenders into thirds and place in a shallow dish. Wash hands.

Spoon half of your chimichurri over the chicken and coat completely and evenly. Using tongs, transfer the bites to the hot grill and cook 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Transfer bites to a serving plate. Serve with party picks and reserved chimichurri sauce for dipping.

Marinating in the rich herbal olive oil

Family comment was "this chimchiminy chicken is fantastic". I'm sure Mary Poppins would agree also.

This is my entry for the last Weekend Herb Blogging event for 2007, and is kindly hosted by Astrid of Paulchen's Food Blog.

A High Noted Dish

Summer has arrived, and with a vengeance. The days leading up to 1st December have been record breaking, scorchingly hot temperatures, so not much has been happening in my kitchen as far as innovative meals are concerned. A steak on the barbie with potatoes and a tossed salad has been pretty much my limit in the past couple of weeks. Not only has it been too hot to eat outside, but our outside guests this year are in plague proportions. I'm talking flies....sticky, baby bush flies that are so persistent and thick, one could easily inhale half a dozen whilst trying to eat. The drought has been blamed for the extreme numbers of flies this year, because the dung beetle numbers are down, so the breeding cycle for these pests have been given a free run this year. And when you think of where most of the breeding is occurring, i.e. animal excretion, swallowing the odd one just about makes you retch.

So after that little biology lesson, and my annoyance at not being able to enjoy summer meals outside, I've decided to stick to inside meals this week, and pray that the important dung beetle starts to populate again.....soon....very soon.

This is an Italian sounding dish, very apt since Simona from Briciole is hosting Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging, however it is an American dish named after a famous opera singer, Luisa Tetrazzini, who thrilled Americans at the turn of the last century with her wonderful voice.

There are many differing versions of this recipe, but I chose one from The Food Network by Giada De Laurentiis, a chef you either love or hate. It's really an operatic version of chicken and mushroom pasta.
Chicken Tetrazzini
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Stuffed to the eyeballs

Capsicums, bell peppers, pimientos all mean the same, depending upon which part of the world you hail from. My mother always called them "peppers", and grew the common green bell pepper every summer. I often wondered why they were called that, because they weren't hot at all. But as they are closely related to the chilli, something I'd never even tasted as a child, the penny finally dropped. Our ignorance of other cultures cuisine in those times has thankfully now gone.

The amazing varieties that are available today is a far cry from the days of just green peppers. Now we can enjoy all different colours, shapes, sizes and variations of flavours.


Developed in Japan , these little capsicums measure 8cm in diameter and 3-4cm deep. They are ideal for stuffing, so let your imagination run wild. Unfortunately they have a high seed content, so if you opt to char the skins whilst the capsicums are whole, as I foolishly did, be prepared for a fiddly seed removal, as the fruit (yes, capsicums are a fruit) loses it's rigidity, and tears very easily. You could remove the seeds first, then blacken the skins, a method that I will definitely try next time.

The red capsicums are sweeter than the green, due to the higher sugar content. They are full of vitamin C and beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A, and gives the fruit it's beautiful red colour.

After a day of visiting wineries, a cheese factory, and 2 olive groves, an antipasto platter was the order for dinner. Along with that, I baked a prosciutto loaf of bread to have with these Stuffed Baby Capsicums.


Ingredients

8 baby capsicums
2 small shallots, finely diced
I small italian sausage, skin removed
2 cloves garlic
Italian herbs
(I opted for fresh from the garden choosing oregano, parsley and basil)
I cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese


Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Chargrill or roast the baby capsicums lightly sprayed with extra virgin olive oil (or deseed first) until skins are blackened. Place in a freezer bag for a few minutes, to enable easier removal of the skins.

Gently fry the shallots, garlic and sausage in olive oil. If using dried italian herbs, they can go into the pan at this stage. Fry until the onions have softened.

Remove to a bowl and add cheeses to the hot onion mixture. If using fresh herbs, add these now.

Peel and deseed the capsicums. Be gentle here as they are soft and hard to handle.

Place in a gratin dish or small baking pan, and fill the hollowed capsicums with the stuffing mixture.

Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Serve as a side for main meals or as part of an antipasto platter.




Fellow Aussie, Truffle, from What's on my Plate is the host of Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging
an event I try not to miss each week.

Party Season

Some may think of this time of year as the "festive season" or even the "silly season", but this is party time for me, enjoying copious drinks and more importantly, finger food.

These marinated baby bocconcini with proscuitto "sticks" are so simple, no cooking required, just a bit time consuming to put together.

These guys are off to Weekend Herb Blogging, the weekly event originating at Kalyn's Kitchen, and kindly hosted this week by Vanessa at What Geeks Eat (great name BTW).

The basil in my garden is starting to really get going now after some long awaited warm weather, and even more long awaited for rain.

MARINATED BABY BOCCONCINI WITH PROSCUITO

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh long green chilli, seeded, chopped ( I didn't have any fresh chilli's so used a tsp of sambal olek)
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• salt
• 440g baby bocconcini (milk cherries)
• 10 slices (150g) thin prosciutto
• 1 bunch fresh basil

NOTE: This recipe makes 40 baby bocconcini and is best made close to serving.

METHOD

Combine the garlic, chilli, oil and salt to taste in a medium bowl; add the baby bocconcini and mix well. Stand for 30 minutes.

Halve the prosciutto slices crossways, then halve again lengthways.

Drain the bocconcini from the marinade; reserve marinade. Wrap a piece of prosciutto and a basil leaf around each bocconcini; secure with a toothpick.

Serve drizzled with reserved marinade.

Not suitable to freeze.

Recipe from The Australian Womens Weekly Christmas and Holiday Entertaining

Hay Hay it's Donna Day Terrines

Tammy, from Running With Tweezers is the host for this month's HHDD, an event born over at Winosandfoodies, and she has chosen terrines. Tammy is an old hand at hosting this event, as she has won it three times now! Her recipes are absolutely stunning.

My first instinct, when I read what the theme is going to be, was to phone Mum and ask her how she used to make brawn, but suddenly I had a nightmare-ish image return to me from my childhood, of a plate in the fridge, sporting an hideous cow's tongue being squashed under a brick. Big, purple and full of pimples.....just revolting. I protested, saying "who knows where THAT'S been?". After that discovery, I never ate brawn again, even though I must admit that it was delicious. I think that was the very moment I vowed I would never eat offal of any sort.

So, being the considerate person I am, I decided not to put my own family through such a scary ordeal, and I've turned my thoughts to Christmas instead.

Christmas in Australia has turned from the traditional roast turkey to seafoods and BBQ's. Because our weather on the 25th December can be extremely hot, who wants to spend all morning over a hot stove and oven? Then again, I can recently recall that we had to light a fire one year, whilst bushfires were raging around the country. Nothing is predictable for Christmas Day.


This terrine is called a festive terrine, adapted from Delicious magazine, December 2005. It's an ideal alternative to a hot plum pudding, without forsaking the traditional dish completely. As nobody in this house is a big fan of glace cherries, I substituted dried strawberries and blueberries.

Ingredients (serves 10)

• 180g caster sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 900ml thickened cream
• 200g Christmas pudding, crumbled
• 1/2 cup dried strawberries
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
• Silver cachous, to serve

Method

1. Line a 1.5-litre terrine with plastic wrap, leaving some overhanging to cover top.
2. Place sugar in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons cold water over low heat. Stir, with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook for 5 minutes, without stirring, but brushing down sides of pan occasionally with a damp pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals forming. Be careful the syrup doesn't darken. Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until doubled in volume. Beating continuously, slowly add sugar syrup and continue to beat until cool.
4. Lightly whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold half the whipped cream with the crumbled pudding and half with the egg mixture. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold the two whipped-cream mixtures together with the strawberries, blueberries and pistachios. Spread the mixture into the terrine mould, pressing down well, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight.
5. When ready to serve, remove the terrine, invert onto a platter and top with silver cachous.

Notes & tips

• Begin this recipe the day before.

Greek Chicken

This dish is going to be my new weeknight standby, when I don't feel like using heaps of dishes and pots in the preparation. You just throw everything in a roasting dish and forget about it for 45 minutes or so. It's a very forgiving recipe, as you could add or exclude any number of ingredients.

I think next time I'll increase the amount of oregano slightly, and perhaps throw in a preserved lemon or two. It's not Greek unless it has a hint of lemon, I say.

The recipe calls for thighs on the bone, but I only had skinless fillets. No black olives on hand, so green olives instead, a jar of roasted red capsicum, and I didn't have any chat potatoes so I used peeled potatoes cut into fairly large chunks. See how forgiving this is?

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 750g chat or kipfler potatoes, skin on, cut into medium pieces
• 8 small chicken thighs on the bone, skin on
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 Spanish onions, quartered
• 1 red capsicum, cut into strips
• 1 yellow capsicum, cut into strips
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 40ml (2 tbs) olive oil
• 1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 12 black olives
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
• 1 cup crumbled fetta, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Cook potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. Pat dry the chicken, place in a large baking dish and toss in the paprika.
4. Add the onion, capsicum, garlic and potatoes. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with oregano and season well. Bake for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes and olives, basting chicken with the juices, and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve with parsley and feta.

This weeks host of Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging event is The Expatriate Chef from The Expatriate's Kitchen, who needs congratulating for coming in 4th for the Weblog Awards. Check our her great blog.