Apple Basket Thingos

Brooke made this, I take no credit :/
But it was yummy :)

Rustic Chicken with Herbs

Great for a cold night ontop of rice or some bread for dunking, serves easily 4+

Ingredients:

• 4x Chicken Marylands from local butcher, don't go to a supermarket! it's rip and it's not fresh
• Small button mushrooms
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Leek
• Cream
• 2x cups of chicken stock
• Garlic
• Tarragon
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Pepper

Preparation Time: 30 mins (Wash/Chop/Chop Chicken/Peel)
Cooking Time: 1.5 hours (Fry chicken/Simmer)
Cost: $15.00

Simple Tomato Soup with Mint

Tomato soup, simple and great as a starter on a cold autumn day, serves 4~6 depending on portion size.

Ingredients:

• 2 kgs of Tomatoes (roast them till soften in the oven)
• Handful of mint leaves
• Chicken stock
• Raw sugar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Cracked pepper
• Cream to serve (optional)

Prep Time: 15 mins (Depends how fast you can chop)
Cooking Time: ~1 Hour (Roast/Simmer/Blender Sexy Time)
Cost: < $8.00 (Includes stuff lying around the house)

My Take on Chocolate Fondant

I usually don't like to bake nor do I like to make desserts, but I gave it a go when Brooke asked me to make her dessert. Didn't turn out so bad!

Used a recipe from Donna Hay but added extra egg whites to make it more fluffy (well I think it does right?)

Here goes:

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 500 grams of dark cooking chocolate
• 100 grams of unsalted butter
• 50 grams of plain flour
• 50 grams of caster sugar (normal is fine too)

Melt the shet together on top of a saucepan with water and stir it in well, then baked for around 9 mins each and left to cool. I did trial is a few times before I got it right.

Bolognese made from SCRATCH! with Whole Meal Spaghetti

Bolognese made from scratch, started around 4:00 pm, didn't eat till Underbelly started, how good was it? Anyways, fresh, bolognese sauce made from scratch is so much nicer than the stuff in jars. Made using around 2kgs of tomatoes, 3x diced spanish onions, 4x carrots, 1x garlic, 1/4cup of olive oil, fresh basil, oregano, 1x chilli, 2 cups of red wine, pepper, sea salt, parmesan cheese, 2x cups of beef stock & beef mince.

Served with wholemeal spaghetti, damn that stuff takes long to cook!

Time to Cook: 4.5 hours

Cost: $22

My Version of a Shepherd's Pie :)

Tried to do something different with the pastry, turns out I didn't use enough.. but hey I know for next time :)

Pie made from scratch, with cauliflour mash, peas, carrots, beef mince, red wine, spanish onions, garlic, grated parmesan cheese, beef stock, black pepper, sea salt, butter & cauliflour.

Time to cook: 1.5 hours
Cost: ~ $15.00

Steamed Fish with Soy, Ginger & Shallots (You Yankies call it Scallions)

Quick simple, yet healthy meal.. steamed Snapper with Soy, Ginger & Shallots. Great when served with pipping hot rice!

 

Ingredients Used:

• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Ginger
• Shallots (you Americans call them scallions)
• Pepper
• Coriander as garnish

Method:
Slap everything with the exception of the coriander and steam it for around 15 minutes or until fish is just cooked. Turn off heat and sprinkle with coriander and close lid. Serve as is for sharing, or portion if you're a pansy.

Cost: $20