RECIPE: BEEF, POTATO AND ROSEMARY BRAISE

Okay, so I have been a little slack…..agreed. I think I am going through ‘blog fatigue’ - I saw this phrase coined somewhere on the net; apologies for the plagiarism…..but it is an apt phrase!!!

Also, I am still feeling so tired that I do not have the energy to take pictures, load them and type up recipes. Oh well, I guess I am just going to have to take it easy and only do a posting or two each week. So if I go AWOL again……you know blog fatigue has taken over…..again.

Not only this, I have a new toy and hobby at the moment too. Converting my old vinyls and songs into high quality cds and also restoring old bollywood vinyl covers and movie posters with the aid of ‘adobe photoshop’. I just love the art and to date, I have collected nearly 2000 pieces. But it is a slow and painstaking process. I MAY put up my pictures on my blog…..but I don’t know if that infringes copyright laws!!!!

Anyway, talking about pictures, here’s a ‘not very good attempt’ at taking them. Actually, it is because I forgot to take a picture of it served up nicely in a casserole. Don’t let my half hearted effort put you off. This is one easy and yummy dish, perfect for the cold winters. I got this off the Sunday Telegraph magazine and it is by Donna Hay. Enjoy.


Ingredients

2 tbsp veg oil
2 tbsp plain flour
1 kg chopped beef chuck steaks
1 brown onion – chopped
4 cloves garlic – chopped
2 carrots – chopped
2 celery sticks – chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup dry red wine
1 ½ cups beef stock
400 g can dice tomatoes
4 Sebago potatoes – peeled and sliced (see my GLOSSARY post on POTATOES)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Place the flour and steak in a large bowl and toss to caoat, shaking off any excess flour. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat and cook the steak, in batches for 3 to 4 mins or until browned. Set aside.

Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and rosemary to the pan and cook, stirring for 8 to 10 mins until brown.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and wine and cook for 2 mins. Add the beef, stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 mins. Add in the potatoes and seasoning and simmer for a further 45 mins.

Check seasoning, remove from from heat and serve hot with fresh crusty bread.

Note: If there are leftovers, remove any leftover potatoes from the stew and freeze the stew for future. Serve with mash potatoes.

RECIPE: BBQ GARLIC ROASTED CHICKEN

Trust me, once you have eaten a roast cooked on heat beads or coals, any other roast would not taste the same again. I admit there is a bit more preparation involved in getting the oven ready to fire and you may be exposed to the elements being outside to cook the roast…… but the end results are so much more satisfying.

Note: This was cooked on a Weber® Compact Kettle BBQ. You can get the Weber® Compact Kettle BBQ which uses heat beads or charcoal for around $199. It comes with a 5 Year Limited Warranty.


Ingredients – serves 6

1 large (1.5kg) fresh chicken (free range chicken would be better)
1 whole garlic bulb (use Australian or French grown garlic if possible – it tastes so much nicer) – cut into wedges (see my GLOSSARY post on GARLIC)
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil
Butter
6 to 8 potatoes - peeled and halved
1 bunch baby carrots/1/2 kg carrots – tops removed (if using normal carrots, quartered)
6 small/medium brown onions (optional) – peeled and left whole
1 quantity of BREAD CRUMB STUFFING (click on link)

Method:

Prepare your Weber® Kettle BBQ according to instructions.
Trim the chicken of any excess fat, tuck wings tips under chicken.

Carefully lift the skin from under the breast area and put dollops of butter under the skin. You may omit this step if you want to cut down on fat.

Now rub the chicken cavity with some olive oil and pepper and stuff with the BREAD CRUMB STUFFING (see recipe HERE). Secure with the cavity with toothpick.

Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and olive oil. Make slits all the chicken and insert the garlic cloves.

Bind the legs with kitchen string and tuck the wings into the leg joints to secure.

Using a fork, lightly make some grooves on the potatoes. Lightly rub with olive oil and salt and place in a.

Place the baby carrots (and onions) in another disposable aluminium roasting pan and drizzle some olive oil over. Set aside.

Carefully place the potatoes in the bottom middle part of the BBQ, next to the coals. Put the wire rack in place.


Place the chicken, breast side up, in the middle of the BBQ rack, directly above the potatoes and NOT above the coals. Cook for approximately 1h 20m to 1h 30m or until juices run clear.

After about 45 mins of cooking, place the carrots next to the potatoes. Continue roasting.

When the chicken is done, remove the chicken from the BBQ, cover with foil and keep warm in a low preheated oven. Lift the BBQ wire rack and carefully remove the potatoes and carrots. Replace the rack and put the potatoes and carrots on the wire rack to brown off the vegetables, if it isn’t already cooked. Roast until done.

During this time, make your GRAVY and CHEESE SAUCE and prepare other vegetables you may want to accompany your roast such as cauliflower or peas.

To serve, remove the stuffing from the chicken cavity, carve the chicken, and arrange on plates with the roasted vegetables and bits of stuffing and serve with GRAVY and CHEESE SAUCE.

RECIPE: AUSTRALIAN MEAT PIE/BEEF PIE

An iconic Australian fare and a family favourite, courtesy of Mr G. It's footy season right now ... in other words, time to bring out the meat pies too. Homemade pies taste so much better than commercially made ones and ironically, are quite easy to make.

Everyone has a favourite filling: steak and kidney, plain beef mince or with mushrooms and even vegetables. This version is the straight plain mince steak. Add mushrooms or peas if desired.


Ingredients – for filling (makes 12 pies)

2 tbsp oil
2 medium brown onions
2 to 3 cloves garlic - grated
1kg lean minced steak
2 cups beef stock
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (see my GLOSSARY post on WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE)
2 tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp plain flour mixed to a paste with sufficient water

Additional ingredients

Short crust pastry – Mr G used store bought pastry
Texas muffin tins
Milk for brushing


Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion over moderate heat until softened. Add mince and garlic and stir until brown and crumbly.

Add in all the ingredients, except the flour paste, and bring to a boil. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for an hour.

Add in the flour paste and cook until the mixture thickens. Check seasoning, turn off heat and leave to cool completely.

To make the pies

Using a Texas muffin tray as your mould, cut your pastry to shape and line the muffin tins with the short crust pastry. Fill to about 4/5 to the top with the mince filling. Moistened the edges with water.

Make ‘lids’ for the pies with the remaining pastry and press into place. Make a ‘V’ in the middle of the ‘lid’ for steam to escape (use the tip of a sharp knife). Brush the lids with fresh milk and bake in a pre heated 200°C for 30 mins or until the pastry is crisp and golden.

Serve hot for lunch or dinner or whilst watching your favourite footy team play in the AFL….go Bombers!!!

RECIPE: DELICIOUS BEEF GOULASH

This is one of my favourite dishes during the cooler months. Very quick to cook, hearthy and satisfying with deep and rich flavours and beef that will melt in your mouth.


Absolutely scrumptious with freshly baked crusty bread but works well with mashed potatoes too.

Ingredients

1 kg rump steak - cut into strips or cubes
1 tbsp plain flour
2 cups of beef stock – I diluted 1 OXO™ beef cube in one cup of water to make 1 cup of stock
One red capsicum – deseeded and finely diced - optional
2 brown onions - finely sliced
3 cloves garlic – minced or grated
2 large potatoes - diced
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp smoked paprika
50gm butter
Thickened cream - optional
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parsley to garnish - optional
Loaf of crusty bread

Method

Heat oil in a large sauce pan, add the beef and cook until just sealed - ensuring that the beef is still rare (cook in batches as opposed to all at once as this will prevent the beef from stewing).

Remove beef from the sauce pan and set aside.

Add the butter to the saucepan and add the capsicum, onion and garlic. Cook until the onion just changes colour.

Add the stock, tomato paste, smoked paprika and reduce the heat and simmer until liquid reduces by half.

Return the beef to the sauce pan, add in the potatoes and simmer on low heat until beef and potatoes are cooked.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a dollop of cream if desired, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve either with crusty bread, mashed potatoes or even rice.

Note: if serving with mashed spuds, you may omit the diced potatoes from the goulash.

RECIPE: CHICKEN PAPRIKA - HAIRY BIKERS STYLE

One of my favourite cooking shows is the Hairy Bikers. It has two misfits, Simon King and David Myers, who travel all around the world on their motorbikes, learning the culture and cooking the cuisine of the countries they visit. This is one of the dishes they made on their journey to Transylvania – yes, it does exist and it is the birth place of ‘Vlad the Impaler’ aka ‘Dracula’.


Don’t be put off with the look of the dish. The dollops of cream added to the meal at the end makes it look as if it has curdled. The proof of this dish is in the taste, not the pictures. Try it, you won’t be disappointed....it is DELICIOS!!!


Ingredients

1 large chicken, jointed

salt
2 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
1 onion - chopped
2-3 cloves garlic - chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp hot paprika (this is not hot chilli powder)
1 tbsp flour
285ml chicken stock
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 red capsicums - de-seeded and cut into 1cm strips
4 large ripe tomatoes - roughly chopped
250ml oz sour cream

Method

Rub the chicken pieces with salt. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan and brown the chicken all over for a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set to one side.

To the same pan, add the onions and garlic and sweat for about five minutes. Add the sweet and hot paprika, then the flour, and stir until combined - take care not to burn it.

Add the stock and stir. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, adding a bit more stock if the mixtures seems too dry.

Add half of the chopped parsley and bring to the boil. Add the red capsicum strips, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and simmer gently for about one hour.

When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and the remaining parsley. Check the seasoning and serve with hot crusty bread.

Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers

RECIPE: BOLOGNAISE WITH BACON

This recipe is adapted (I use the word adapted coz I have changed some of the measurements and added bacon to the recipe) from the ‘Australian Women’s Weekly – Pasta Cookbook’. I would reckon that the taste does live up to its original name (Best Ever Bolognaise) and I have also used the same recipe to make lasagne (without using the bacon). Have had no complaints, yet! :D

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions – chopped
2 cloves garlic – crushed

4 bacon rashers - chopped (optional)
1 kg minced beef
2 x 410g crushed tomatoes - UNDRAINED
1 ½ cups water
½ cup dry white wine (you could substitute this with chicken or beef stock) 3 tbsp tomato paste
3 small OXO (beef stock) cubes – crumbled
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp dried marjoram leaves
½ tsp sugar

Method

Heat oil in a pan and cook the bacon (if using) onions and garlic, over low heat for around 10 to 15 mins until onions are very soft. Add the mince and cook until the meat is well browned.

Stir in the undrained tomatoes, water, wine paste, stock cubes, herbs and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer over low heat, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until sauce has thickened. Serve with spaghetti and GARLIC BREAD.

HINT: Leave the sauce overnight. It tastes so much better the day after.

RECIPE: MUSHROOM AND BACON QUICHE

I always get a bit ‘apprehensive’ when I have to make pastry because I am afraid that my pastry might not hold. Are you the same? Well don’t be with this recipe. The first time I tried this, it came out perfect so if I can do it, anyone can. And Mr G did not help me at all - and he is the pastry king….pathetic isn’t it when your husband can make better pastry that you! *sob sob*. So if you are interested in making quiche, this recipe won’t disappoint.

For those of you who don’t eat pork, I am sure you can substitute the bacon with chicken – just dice and fry the chicken in 2 tsp of oil. I believe that should be sufficient. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

Pastry:
135 g plain flour
100 g grated cheddar cheese
125 g butter

Filling:
250 g streaky bacon – chopped
200 g mushrooms – sliced thinly
15 g butter
3 eggs
250 ml milk or single cream
125 ml sour cream
15 ml lemon juice
2 to 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1.2 tsp mustard powder
1.2 tsp salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh or ½ tsp dried mixed herbs


Method

Pastry:
Mix all ingredients to a soft pastry in a food processor. Press into a 23 cm quiche dish and set aside.

Filling:
Fry bacon, without any oil, until crisp. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add in the butter and sauté mushrooms until the mushrooms have absorbed the butter. Add in the bacon, mix well and spoon the mixture onto the quiche base. Spread evenly.


In a large jug, beat the eggs, milk/single cream, sour cream and lemon juice until well combined. Add in the parmesan, salt, pepper and mixed herbs. Pour into the quiche dish and bake in a preheated 160°C oven for 45 mins.

RECIPE: MR G’S SAUSAGE ROLLS

Mr G makes great sausage rolls and I always get asked at work to bring some in whenever we have a do or it is my turn to bring in morning tea. His secret is in the sausage mix – he puts in grated granny smith apples, just like his mother used to do. This is how he makes his sausage rolls.

Ingredients
1 kg sausage mince
2 onions – finely chopped
1 egg – lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic – minced
½ tsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp tomato sauce
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup bread crumbs
2 granny smith apples (green apples) – grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Around 10 good quality premade puff pasty sheets (eg Borg’s or Pampas brand)
Milk

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except pastry and milk) in a large bowl. Mix well.

Thaw out pastry sheet, cut sheet in half and using a tablespoon, spoon a portion of the mince mixture close to one side of the long edge, keeping about 2 cm from the edge. On the opposite long edge, brush with milk. Carefully roll the pastry to make a cylinder shape. Lightly press the milk edge to seal the roll.

With a sharp knife, cut each roll into four. Lightly pierce the top of the roll with the point of a sharp knife. Put the sausage roll on a tray, with the sealed edges facing down. Continue process until all mince has been used. Lightly brush the tops of the sausage roll with milk.

Increase oven heat to 250°C and bake the sausage roll for 25 to 30 mins or until golden brown. Serve with your favourite sauce.

RECIPE: ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH ROSEMARY

Mr G made roast lamb tonight. Recipe as follows.

Ingredients
1 leg of lamb
3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
4 to 5 cloves garlic – sliced in wedges
Dried mixed herbs – enough to cover meat
Sprinkling of garlic salt
1 tbsp oil
Extra oil (2 cm oil – to cook roast vegetables)
Vegetables of choice – Mr G used onions, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes

Method
Pierce meat randomly with paring knife. Rub with oil and insert garlic wedges and rosemary.

Sprinkle with dried herbs and garlic salt.

Put on a roasting rack positioned in the middle of a roasting tray, add 2 cm oil and 1 cup water and place in the middle rack of the oven.

Cook at 180°C for ½ an hour, turn down to 160°C and cover with foil. Add in carrots and onions into the pan (not rack). Cook for ½ hour, turning the vegetables once during that time.

Remove carrots and onions and add in potatoes. Cook until meat is cooked (when juices run clear if pierced with a cooking fork). Remove meat and let stand for 10 minutes. During this time, turn up heat to 180°C and turn potatoes. Cook until brown and crispy. Serve with GRAVY and other vegetables such as cauliflower and peas if desired.

RECIPE: CREAMY CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS PASTA BAKE

It was on the local news last night that Canberra has had its mildest June on record for the last 51 years. Oh well. It made up for it today. We have had gale force winds and Mr G has been worried all day that his hot house won’t be able to withstand the winds. Here’s hoping that it holds up.
I went as far as the corner this morning on my scooter when I turned back…..there was just no way I could ride in the head wind. Mind you, with the temp at nearly 0°c, I did not need much prompting!

Easy meal today, courtesy of Mr G. He used macaroni in the dish (he said he could not be bothered going to the shops; don’t blame him and moreover, I took the car to work, didn’t I?) ….original recipe calls for fettuccine.

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)
400 g fettuccine pasta (used Macaroni)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion – chopped
2 cups diced chicken (you may also use cooked chicken from yesterday’s roast!)
1 red capsicum – diced (did not put it today)
2 small sticks celery
1 small chicken stock cube – crumbled
1 cup water
300 g carton sour cream
440 g can asparagus cuts, drained
½ tsp dried oregano leaves
1 cup (125 g) grated tasty cheese (you may want to put more)

Method
Cook pasta according to cooking instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well again.

Heat oil in pan and cook chicken until cooked. Add in onion and cook until onion is soft. If using cooked chicken, fry the onions first, then add in the cooked chicken.

Add in the capsicum, celery, stock cube and water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins.

Add the cream, asparagus and oregano and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

Either mix the cooked pasta into the sauce and fold the mixture evenly and place it into an oven proof casserole or assemble the pasta in two layers by spooning half the chicken mixture over the base of an oven proof casserole, followed by all the pasta and finally the remainder of the chicken mixture.
In both version, to finish, sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 mins or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Serve on its own or with steak and/or salad

Source: Adapted from the Australian Women’s Weekly Home Library – Pasta Cookbook.

RECIPE: MR G’S PORK ROAST

Today’s offering is a pork roast from Mr G. To be honest, I don’t cook western style roast in my home because Mr G does such a good job that it does not merit me doing it. Another thing to his credit is that his crackling is always so crunchy! This is how he makes his roast.

Ingredients
2 kg pork shoulder – de-boned and skin left intact. Score the skin, i.e. cut shallow slits on the skin, about 2 cm apart
Oil
Coarse sea salt
Water
4 cloves garlic – cut into thick wedges

Stuffing:
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 onion – minced
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
Salt and coarse ground black pepper – to taste
2 tbsp or more of port or make some garlic water from 1 to 2 cloves grated garlic, mixed in 2 tbsp water

Method
Mix all stuffing ingredients, except port/garlic water in a bowl. Gradually add port/garlic water to the dry ingredients until it holds together.

Fill the pork’s bone cavity evenly with the stuffing mixture. Tie with kitchen twine.

Insert the garlic wedges randomly in the slits, by pushing it in with a small pointy paring knife. Rub the pork skin with some cooking oil and then with the coarse salt (about 1 to2 tbsp). This helps the salt adhere.

Put about 2 cm oil and 1 cup water in a roasting pan, with a roasting rack sitting in the middle of the pan. Place the pork on the roasting rack, and insert it into the middle shelf of the oven. Roast at 180°c for 1 hour.

At the one hour mark, check to see if the skin is crisping. If it is crispy, cover with foil and turn down the oven to 160°c. At this stage, add your ‘hard’ vegetables (carrot, potatoes or pumpkin) to tray. Around the 20 to 30 min mark, turn your vegetables over. Cook for around 20 to 30 mins or until vegetables are brown and meat is cooked. The meat is cooked when the juices (if pricked with a roasting fork) run clear.

Lift meat and leave to rest for 10 mins. Lift vegetables out of the pan into a platter lined with kitchen absorbent paper. Keep warm.

Whilst meat is resting, make the gravy (recipe HERE), and serve the pork with the roasted vegetables or other vegetables such as peas, cauliflower or brussel sprouts along with cheese sauce (recipe HERE).

RECIPE: GRAVY (FOR CHICKEN OR MEAT ROAST)

Ingredients
Pan juices from roast
1 clove garlic – grated
1 cup water
3 tbsp Gravox – Supreme variety

Method
Pour out all the oil from the roasting pan into a container (can be used for future roasts) and place one corner of the pan on the stove. This makes it easier to cook the gravy.

Mix the garlic into the water and add in the Gravox. Turn on the heat and pour this solution into the roasting pan. Whilst stirring the gravy, try to scrape all the juices from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until gravy thickens. Remove from heat and serve with roast.

RECIPE: CHEESE SAUCE (FOR VEGETABLE, CHICKEN OR MEAT ROAST)

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Method
Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and add the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and blend until smooth. Return to heat and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.

Gradually add milk, stirring continuously to maintain smooth consistency. Continue stirring until sauce starts to bubble and thicken.

Reduce heat and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted. Serve with vegetables or roasts such as pork or chicken.

RECIPE: BACON AND MUSHROOM CARBONARA SAUCE WITH RAVIOLI

Something easy for during the week. Real comfort food for this cold weather too. I thought I was going to be blown off my scooter today! How windy was it in Canberra today??!

Ingredients – for 6 to 8
Fresh pasta – I used fresh San Remo RAVIOLI
12 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
500g fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large onions – diced finely
4 garlic cloves – grated
½ cup light chicken stock or water
4 large egg yolks
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method
Lightly sauté bacon over medium-high heat. Transfer the bacon onto paper towels to drain. Pour off all but about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the drippings.

Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan. Sauté over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup stock/water to the pan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.

Whisk egg yolks and cream in small bowl until blended. Add blended cream mixture and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese to the mushroom mixture.

Cook until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer pasta to serving bowl/s and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve with salad and/or GARLIC BREAD.

RECIPE: GARLIC BREAD

Really easy to make. Just get some baguettes from your local deli….the rest of the ingredients are probably in your fridge and pantry already! Enjoy with pasta (see my BACON AND MUSHROOM CARBONARA SAUCE WITH RAVIOLI). If all fails, the bread is readily available from the refrigerated section of your supermarket’s deli (not as nice though and there is no sense of satisfaction, is there???).

Ingredients
1 Baguette from your baker or supermarket
175g butter
8 cloves garlic – finely minced or crushed (depending on how you like you garlic’s texture on the bread)
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Method
Preheat the oven to 230°C.

Melt the butter in the microwave (do it in 10 sec burst), add in the garlic and chopped parsley.

Cut the baguette in half horizontally and brush the melted garlic butter generously over the CUT sides.

Put on a baking tray and place in the hot oven for 4 to 5 mins, CUT SIDES UP or until toasted and golden brown.

TIP: You can make extra bread and freeze it for future use. Brush the bread with the garlic butter and freeze. I recommend you place a strip of plastic in the middle before freezing. Do not thaw out, put it straight into the oven and cook heat until golden.

RECIPE: HAM STEAKS WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE, POACHED EGG AND CHIPS

It is freezing here in Canberra, and according to the BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY, it is currently 10°c outside. Well I can tell you that it is more like minus 10°c! All I want to do is get under the doona and curl up, so it is the ever faithful ham steaks to the rescue. Thank you Mr G. Nothing much to do except to cook your steaks in a frying pan/on the barbie/under the griller with pineapple slices, accompanied by poached or fried sunny side up egg/s, chips, grilled tomatoes or salad. Always handy for CBB days (can’t be bothered)!

Also, the smiley faces of the ham steaks always entice children to eat their meal….not only are ham steaks easy to cook, they also don’t cause fights with fussy eaters.

RECIPE: LEGGO'S PASTA BAKE - TUSCAN GARDEN VARIETY

Thank you Mamafami (and happy belated Birthday!) and Ummi for your kind words on my blog. Unfortunately, after all that praise, the G household did not produce any spectacular results in the kitchen today for two reasons – sheer laziness that was caused by gluttony at the workplace!

Today is my colleague P’s birthday. We had cake (yummy Peach Upside Down Cake - recipe to follow when S passes it on to me) and chocolate fondue. It was totally decadent and the chocolate dip was from France, courtesy of N who just returned from Paris for work, lucky fellow! Then we all went out for lunch and had Thai, followed by more cake and chocolate. I would have burst if I had to eat another full meal!

So pasta bake it was. And the kids enjoyed it. Mr G had steak instead.

What we normally do is cook the pasta bake according to the instructions on the jar but we always add more ingredients. With the chicken, we sauté fresh diced chicken meat with 2 cloves of garlic, add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and freshly cracked black pepper. The rest is according to the instructions on the jar but we add more cheese.
Serve with grilled meat, salad or crusty bread. Enjoy!

RECIPE: CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PIE

This was tonight’s dinner, courtesy of Mr G, and adapted from Donna Hay’s recipe published in the Telegraph Sunday Magazine. Very yummy. It is going to be my lunch tomorrow too.

Ingredients – serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
250g button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
6 chicken thighs – trimmed and chopped
¼ white wine or chicken stock
1 cup pouring cream
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 sheet puff pastry (we recommend Borg’s)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Sauté garlic and mushroom until brown (3-5 mins). Add in chicken and cook until browned (2-3 mins).

Add wine/stock, cream, salt and pepper and cook 3-5 mins until sauce is slightly reduced.

Spoon into 4 x 1 cup capacity ovenproof dishes and place on a baking tray (this will catch any spills).

Cut 4 x 11 cm circles from the pastry and place on top of the chicken mixture. Brush with egg and cook for 20 mins or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with salad or chips.