Mexican Chicken Soup - Bright and Beautiful Flavours

Twenty years ago, Sydney journalist David Dale published a list of rules to help people who had never eaten in Australia find a good restaurant. Over time they have been refined, but here is some of the current list:
1. Never eat in a restaurant that revolves or floats.
2. Never eat in a restaurant that is more than 20 metres above the ground.
3. A restaurant with a pepper grinder on every table is likely to be good.
4. A restaurant with an accordionist is likely to be bad.
5. There is no such thing as a bad Thai restaurant in Australia.
6. There is no such thing as a good Mexican restaurant in Australia.
7. The longer the menu, the poorer the food -- except in Chinese restaurants.
8. A restaurant in which one wall is covered with signed black and white photographs of celebrities is unlikely to be state of the art.
9. Restaurants advertising karaoke are unlikely to be gastronomic temples, but this will become less important as you become less sober.
10. Restaurants that display their menus outside are likely to be more interesting than those that don't (and also make the application of these theories much easier).

And you see, Rule 6 is my problem: while there now may be some good Mexican restaurants in Australia, there aren't many and I have never eaten in any of them. My experience of Mexican food really begins and ends with tacos (something I know will have to change...) Which brings me to today's Barefoot Challenge: Mexican Chicken Soup. I wasn't sure if I was even going to make it, but decided to put it to the team. I told the family I was going to make a soup which used taco flavours, and they seemed keen enough to try it, for me to decide to go ahead and do it. I was really happy I did. This soup was very tasty and easy to make. And for me, very different!

Apart from some minor changes, and halving the amounts, I made the recipe as written, which was easily enough for four of us for dinner. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts (finding breasts here on the bone with skin is impossible), and substituted a single birds eye chilli (seeded) for the jalapeno chillis (also hard to find here). This gave the soup a nice background warmth without much heat. Even the kids had to ask whether or not there was any chilli. I also used the full amount of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) because I love it in anything! Thanks to Judy from Judy's Gross Eats for the pick this week - you have prompted me to try making some more Mexican food!

PS Happy Thanksgiving!

Mexican Chicken Soup
from "Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten
4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
Garnishes: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Mashed Potato, Mashed Potato...

One of my favourite books is "Heartburn" by Nora Ephron (of "Harry Met Sally" fame), which later became a Meryl Streep film. In it she talks about how, for her, the phases of a love affair are always marked by potatoes. "In the end, I always want potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Nothing like mashed potatoes when you are feeling blue. Nothing like getting into bed with a bowl of hot mashed potatoes already loaded with butter, and methodically adding a cold thin slice of butter to every forkful. The problem with mashed potatoes, though, is that they require almost as much hard work as crisp potatoes, and when you are feeling blue, the last thing you feel like is hard work. Of course, you can always get someone to make the mashed potatoes for you, but lets face it: the reason you are blue is that there isn't anyone to make them for you. As a result, most people do not have nearly enough mashed potatoes in their lives, and when they do, it's almost always at the wrong time."

I think mashed potatoes are comfort food extraordinaire, and pair very well with everything from roasted salmon to BBQ beef to the old favourite of sausages. This recipe makes the mashed potato a little bit more of a star in the meal because of the additional flavours and textures. It comes from "Vogue Wine and Food Cookbook: A Book of Modern Food" by Joan Campbell (Conde Nast 1995). This recipe is my entry into Novel Food, a food event that calls on bloggers to make something inspired by their reading.

Mashed Potatoes With Onions and Pine Nuts

(serves 6)

3 brown onions, peeled and sliced thinly

3 tbls olive oil

1 kg potatoes

150g butter

70ml milk (or more to taste)

3 tbl toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onions over medium to high heat, tossing frequently until they are cooked and some of the onion is crisp and golden. Season to taste. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender and then drain. Add the butter, some milk and salt and pepper and mash. Beat the potatoes with a fork until they are light and fluffy, adding more milk and seasoning as required. Serve the potatoes covered with the onions and the oil the onions were cooked in. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Grind over some pepper.

Cucumber Gazpacho - Chilled Soup for A Hot Day

Variations on a theme.... last week I posted a traditional tomato gazpacho as a great simple Sunday lunch, and then enjoyed it as a light meal for the next few days. This week I decided to take gazpacho a little further, and make a cucumber version, again as a cool weekend lunch. Gazpacho in all its various forms is one of my favourite foods of all time. Travelling in Spain last year, I had a bowl at least once a day (pretty much every time I saw it on a menu). And I was all set to enjoy this bowl of summery goodness again this week, but sadly the weather has not co-operated with me at all. I made this soup on Friday expecting gorgeous late November warmth, and instead we are all wrapped up with the kids under a doona watching a movie.

Regardless of the weather, this soup is delicious. The recipe comes from a recent Matt Moran column in the Australian Financial Review (Oct 24). Matt suggests serving it with gravlax floating in the soup; you can get my recipe for gravlax here if you are that way inclined. Otherwise just enjoy this lovely soup, with the gorgeous warm chilli undertones in the flavour - it is really well-balanced: not too spicy, not too plain. A lovely recipe that I will make again once it does get hot. Thanks to Deb from Kahakai Kitchen for getting me moving with her Souper Sundays.

Cucumber Gazpacho

adapted from Matt Moran, Australian Financial Review October 24

2 telegraph cucumbers chopped roughly

1 green chilli, seeded and chopped roughly

1 bunch of shallots

10 mint leaves

1/2 bunch of dill

2 slices white sourdough bread, crusts removed

3 tbl natural yoghurt

100 ml water

50 ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Place the cucumbers, chilli, shallots, mint, dill, bread, yoghurt, water and olive oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth, then push the mixture through a fine sieve, forcing out as much liquid as possible. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Place the soup in the fridge and chill for at least two hours before serving.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

When I first saw the recipes for this month's double-header bonus for the Barefoot Bloggers, I was thrilled to have a cake to make. Not only do I love chocolate and orange as a flavour combination, I had the perfect opportunity to serve it up, with a gorgeous old friend coming from the country for morning tea.

Lisa from Lime in the Coconut had chosen mini-chocolate chunk cakes as her reward for designing our very pretty Barefoot avatar (well done Lisa). Unfortunately, I felt that a platter with a few mini-cakes would look odd at morning tea (even for me, although my friend has known me long enough not to worry), so I decided to revert to the original recipe in "Barefoot Contessa: Parties" for a large bundt cake. There was a bit of work involved and a lot of washing up (a total of about 12 pans, bowls and measuring cups), however this cake will be revisited because it has a great flavour, is lovely and moist, and the ganache is so shiny and beautiful. (Trap for young players - if you are chopping up your own chocolate to make the chunks, make sure you chop it into relatively small pieces, as too large a chunk is definitely too much of a good thing).

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

from "Barefoot Contessa Parties" by Ina Garten

Ingredients
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (3-4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tbls
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks
For the syrup:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
For the ganache:
4 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour a large bundt pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the orange zest.

Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tbls flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pans, put them on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cakes.

Risotto Cakes - Tasty and More-ish

Today is the "super Thursday" of Barefoot Bloggers, when not one but two bonus recipes will be posted. The Barefoot crew are a group of food bloggers who regularly cook and post the same recipe from the collected wisdom of the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Congratulations and thanks to Deb from Kahakai Kitchen who chose this recipe after she referred the most people to the Barefoot Blogger site last month. It comes from Ina's new book: "Barefoot Contessa:Back to Basics".

The risotto cakes were relatively simple to make, although you can't reduce the fridge chilling time. The first night I made these, I rushed it a little and they tended to fall apart a bit. To keep them together, I had to be very careful lowering them into the oil on a spatula and lifting them out gently on a spatula as well. After two messes in a normal frying pan with oil on medium-low heat (as specified), I changed to a non-stick pan and put the oil on medium-high heat and the result was much better. I used the leftover mixture the next night (after it had been chilling 24 hrs), with better results. The cakes all hung together much more. I would probably make these again, but bite-sized as an hors d'oeuvre for a party. And in case you were wondering, I served the risotto cakes as a side dish with roasted duck breasts and a rocket salad, as an indulgent dinner with my husband.

Here is what Ina Garten had to say about the recipe:
"I used to have to wait until I made risotto in order to make risotto cakes from the leftovers. So I decided to do a recipe for risotto cakes that I make from scratch. Most of this can be assembled early in the day and then sautéed just before dinner. The yogurt, chives, and Italian Fontina give these a delicious creamy interior, and the panko gives them a wonderful crunchy crust.”

Chive Risotto Cakes

from "Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics" by Ina Garten

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

½ cup Greek yogurt

2 extra-large eggs

3 tbls minced fresh chives

1 ½ cup cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (150g)

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)

Good olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 ¼ tsps salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tbls olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard ice cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Place 4-6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in a 120C oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Serve hot.

Note from Ina: “Panko, or Japanese bread flakes, have a crisper, lighter texture than regular bread crumbs."

Roast Duck Breasts - A Beautiful Romantic Dinner

I'm sure that I am right in believing that in every family there are certain recipes that you associate with particular people. Whether it is their favourite food, or something that they cooked for you, there are definitely meals that are very evocative of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, or others in your life. In my family, this recipe is widely referred to as Dave's Duck, because it was my brother Dave that introduced it to us all. While the duck is pretty simple to make, it is extremely delicious, and certainly has a bit of a "wow" factor attached. Because this recipe calls for only duck breasts, it is also a lot easier than cooking a whole duck, and it certainly plates up beautifully.

Enjoying a relatively peaceful weekend, Dave's Duck with a nice glass of pinot noir seemed a perfect way to spend Saturday evening. The usual vegetable served with the duck is a sweet potato mash, with rocket leaves stirred in and allowed to wilt. Because our Barefoot Bloggers challenge for this week was a risotto cake (recipe tomorrow), I used that as a side dish instead of the mash, but also served a rocket salad on the side. And my only tip is not to overcook the duck - it is much better served pink and tender. (Incidentally, if you want to prepare this for a dinner party, you can brown the duck breasts in the pan before your guests arrive, and finish off in the oven in the 10 minutes or so before you want to serve it). The recipe comes from a 1998 Australian Gourmet Traveller cookbook called "Gourmet On The Run"; sadly I can't find a reference to it in any of the usual cookbook shops. PS Dave - we miss you!

Roasted Duck Breast With Orange Sauce

adapted from "Gourmet: On The Run" edited by Carolyn Lockhart

4 duck breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbl soy sauce
2 tbl honey
Juice of 2 oranges
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 tsps brandy
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped

Marinate 4 duck breasts in 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbls soy sauce and 2 tbl honey for 1 hour. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium to high heat and brown duck well. Transfer duck to a roasting pan and roast skin-side up at 200C for 10-15 mins for duck that is tender but still pink.

Meanwhile combine orange juice, 1 tbl soy sauce, chicken stock, brandy, and vegetables, in a small saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced by half. Serve duck with sauce poured over it.

Veal Piccata (or Chicken if you prefer...)

As a member of the Barefoot Bloggers, from time to time I find myself making things that would not normally have occurred to me to cook. This is a good thing - both because I am discovering new recipes, and also because I am prompted to rethink old ones. It has also led me to confidently rely on the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten and her recipes for a dependable, yummy, relatively easy meal.

Last week our challenge was a side of onions, which left me wondering what I would serve with them. And rather than rethink the wheel, I decided to look back to Ina's own suggestion. Her recipes tend to be presented on TV and in her books, as part of a whole meal. She gives a little back story of who she is cooking for and why, and then the recipes. Our baked onions were part of a dinner for her husband Jeffrey who had been away all week for work, called "It's Friday Night Again". Comfort food at its finest in other words. Ina's suggested main was chicken piccata, but as we had had chicken already several times last week, I decided veal piccata would be a great match for us. Served with tomato and avocado drizzled in a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic, this was good.

Chicken Piccata (or Veal)

adapted from "Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten. Serves 2-4 depending on how much chicken / veal you cook. The sauce is ample for four.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used four veal escalopes but kept other quantities the same)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick (my veal was already done). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tbl of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
Heat 1 tbl of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tbl of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tbl of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Andalusian Gazpacho for A Souper Sunday

Sunday is usually the day when I cook nothing. Breakfast chez nous is pretty haphazard (ie help yourselves to cereal, toast, juice, etc) unless we have had other people's kids for a sleepover. Then we usually go out for lunch, and dinner is officially "fend for yourselves". This can mean that the kids eat anything from boiled rice and scrambled eggs tossed together, to toasted sandwiches to a bowl of cereal, to whatever leftovers are hanging around the fridge. All very low key.

Obviously feeling a similar vibe from thousands of kilometres away, Deb from Kahakai Kitchen launched a great idea a few weeks ago - Souper Sundays. Anything goes as long as you eat it with a spoon. Given the weather here and personal "no cook" preferences for Sundays, I have picked a traditional Spanish gazpacho for this week. All the work is done by the blender, and then the fridge. The end result - a delicious icy tomato-ey soup. Perfect for a light dinner or as part of a bigger meal. Just make sure you get top quality bread and olive oil for the gazpacho. There is no hiding the flavours - so you need to go for the best. This recipe comes from a Williams Sonoma cookbook called "Barcelona" by Paul Richardson. The first night, I ate it garnished with capsicum and cucumber; the leftovers I had garnished with boiled egg. For my money, the boiled egg worked better because of the texture contrast. (And incidentally, the easiest way to peel tomatoes is to pour boiling water over them into a bowl and let them sit in it for a couple of minutes. The skin will come away very easily. To seed a tomato, split it in half and squeeze out the seeds - or scoop them with a teaspoon. )


Gaspatxo Andalus
from "Barcelona" by Paul Richardson. Serves 6-8.

11 slices day-old coarse country white bread (about 315g total weight), crusts remove
2 tbl sherry vinegar
1.5 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/2 yellow onion, chopped into chunks
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into chunks
1 red capsicum, in cored, seeded and chopped into chunks
1 cup good quality olive oil

Garnishes: (choose which appeal to you)
cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
capsicum, seeded and diced
hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
serrano ham, finely chopped

Place 9 slices of bread into a food processor. Sprinkle the vinegar over the top. Then add the tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, 2/3 cup olive oil, and 1 cup water. Pulse until smooth. Add more water according to whether you prefer the souper more or less thick. Pulse again. Season to taste with more salt and vinegar if desired.

Cover and refrigerate until well-chilled - two hours at least. Meanwhile, chop the remaining two slices of bread into 1cm dice. Warm the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the bread cubes and fry until golden brown on all sides - about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Just before serving, put the gazpacho in a serving bowl and add a handful of ice cubes. Offer your choice of garnishes in small bowls with the soup.

Barbecue Turkey Legs - Help Me Please

I read an article the other day about food blogs, and how what people want to hear is the messy details of bloggers lives in the kitchen not the air-brushed perfection. And I've had one of those weeks, so here goes:

For a couple of weeks I have been seeing turkey legs in the supermarket. They have been playing on my mind: inexpensive ($5 for two enormous legs), appropriate as a nod to Thanksgiving (which isn't celebrated here), I thought that making them would be a good idea. Traditionally at Christmas, there is a bit of a battle at my house over who gets the turkey legs, and my husband is always one of those keen for them, so I figured he would be on board and the kids would follow. But what to do with just turkey legs? My recipe for the Christmas turkey is a 24 hour production involving marinating (twice), wrapping the entire bird in bacon, then long slow baking with a baste of whole cream every half an hour. You won't be surprised to hear that my turkey is very moist and tender. But was I prepared to do anything like that apart from once a year on December 25th? Not a chance.

So I googled some recipes, and the best suggestion I could find was one involving a marinade with some chilli sauce, onion, etc. It all smelt great, and expectations were high. But then the weather was iffy, so I did them in the oven (following the suggested temperature and cooking time). Sadly, this recipe failed me - the legs were tough - and the taste was not anything to write home about (or really write in a blog about). In fact bordering on unpleasant. If anyone has a recipe for turkey legs, I would love to hear it - there must be a knockout recipe for turkey legs somewhere. In the meantime, forgive me if I stick with the smaller fowl.

Savoury Spicy Barbecue Turkey Legs

from Divine Dinner Party

4 turkey drumsticks, about 1 lb each

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

In a small saucepan, combine garlic, chili sauce, oil, vinegar, onion, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Place drumsticks in roasting pan. Pour prepared sauce over. Cover and marinate for at least two hours in refrigerator. (If the roasting pan won't fit in your fridge, simply toss turkey with sauce in non-reactive bowl or plate, and pour into roasting pan when ready to start cooking.) Turn pieces occasionally in sauce while marinating.

Grill: Spray rack with nonstick spray (don't do this while rack is over fire). Grill turkey legs approx 7 minutes per side, til browned. Turning and basting often with sauce, continue to grill about 1 hour, or until tender.

Oven: Cover drumsticks loosely in foil. Bake in 325 degree F oven for 1 and 1/2 hours, basting frequently. Uncover, then continue baking approx. 30 minutes, or until barbecued turkey drumsticks are browned and tender.

Herb Roasted Onions - A Really Good Side

I use more onions than people would think possible. In fact I find the idea of cooking without them completely mystifying (unless life was simply one big dessert table). When my children were little, they took a stand on onions declaring that they didn't like them - of course without realising that a lot of their family favourites began with a soffritto of onions and garlic before anything else was added. Now they are older and will happily eat onions as a side dish, so when I saw this week's Barefoot Challenge, I was confident it would be a winner. And I was right.

Chosen by Kelly from Baking With The Boys, these onions are really good. I made them pretty much exactly as Ina suggested, although I popped in an extra brown onion and I forgot the parsley sprinkle at the end. It took only 30 mins to cook - possibly because I was a bit haphazard with my chopping and didn't always cut through the root, so some pieces were cooking individually instead of in wedges. I loved the warm mustard flavour and the way it married with the onions. Because I was stuck for inspiration on what to serve with them, I referred to Ina Garten's suggestion in "Barefoot Contessa at Home", and served Veal Piccata, and an avocado and tomato salad. It was all delicious. And the leftovers were just as good the next night with roast chicken. Thanks Kelly for the excellent choice.

Herb Roasted Onions

from "Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten

2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tbl minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Cakes and Other Acts of Love

When I saw that Not Quite Nigella was holding The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge, I knew that I would not be able to resist entering. I also knew exactly which cake I would make. I had girlfriends coming over, it was Halloween, and because this cake needed substantial fridge time before serving, I could make it a day ahead, no worries, leaving me free to supervise trick or treating.

So why did I pick this chocolate cake out of all the chocolate cakes out there? This chocolate cake is the ultimate chocolate cake in my opinion. It is every bit as rich and indulgent as the name suggests, with four layers of chocolate (genoise cake, dark mousse and white mousse and icing). It is also the sort of cake that you only make for people you love. There is no possible way that you could consider making it for anyone you just met or were not very fond of, because it takes a lot of work. Definitely not a one-bowl wonder. But despite the effort required, it is a cake I keep coming back to, because it is so delicious it knocks people sidewards. I have been making this cake for a long time (it pains me to say that I think I first made it in the late 80s - wince wince). I adore it, and it actually improves over a day or two in the fridge, so the leftovers are fought over fiercely. And there will be leftovers - it is far too rich to eat anything more than a dainty slice in a sitting.

Mark Armstrong's Light and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

from Vogue Wine & Food Cookbook "Home Truths: What The Foodies Cook For Themselves"

Chocolate Genoise:

250g egg (after shelling)

125g sugar

100g flour

35g cornflour

25g cocoa

50g melted butter

Beat the eggs with an electric beater in a steel bowl, and gradually add the sugar. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue to beat until the mixture is thick. (I don't have a hand held electric beater, so I used a whisk). Remove bowl from the heat and fold in the flour, cornflour and cocoa which have been sifted together. Carefully fold in the butter and pour mixture into a buttered and floured 25cm spring form tin. Bake at 180C for 30 mins or until cake has pulled away from the edges and is firm in the centre. Turn out onto a rack and allow to cool.

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

280g dark chocolate

5 eggs, separated

150 ml thickened cream

Melt chocolate over hot water. Do not let water boil or touch the bowl containing the chocolate. Stir well. Beat the egg yolks until they are thick and creamy, and pour onto the warm chocolate. Beat well to smooth the mixture. Cool. Beat cream until it holds soft peaks, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites whipped until they hold stiff peaks.

White Chocolate Mousse:

125g white chocolate

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 cups thickened cream

2 tbls coarsely grated white chocolate

Place the 125g white chocolate in a steel bowl over hot water until it is half melted. Add the sugar then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove form the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold chocolate mixture and grated chocolate into the cream.

To assemble the cake:

Return the genoise cake to the springform cake tin. Pour in the dark chocolate mousse and set it in the fridge while you make the white mousse. Pour the white mousse on top and allow to set in the fridge for 24 hours. Release the springform and ice the mousse cake with the rich chocolate icing. Refrigerate until serving and store in the fridge.

Chocolate Icing:

200g dark chocolate

40g butter

160 ml cream, warmed

Chocolate coated coffee beans

Melt chocolate and butter over warm water until the chocolate is just dissolved. Ad the cream and mix quickly to get a glossy and smooth mixture. Allow to cool and thicken to a spreadable consistency. Decorate the cake with chocolate coated coffee beans.

The last slice......

Chinese Chicken Parcels - A Light Weeknight Dinner

I first contemplated making this recipe a year or even more ago, but for one reason or another never got to it. However, it has been playing on my mind (does anyone else get recipes nagging at them?), and last week seemed a great time to give it a whirl as a light weeknight dinner. I thought it might have been a bit tricky or fiddly, because it looks so smart. But it isn't. I was also worried that the kids might not like it, but they really enjoyed it (although they did peel a lot of the cabbage off their parcels). And unlike most Asian dishes, there was nearly no knife work - the food processor does it all.

The recipe comes from "Jamie's Kitchen" by Jamie Oliver, the book he wrote as part of the launch of Fifteen. There are lots of fresh and simple ideas in it. Jamie explains that the famous Jools (his missus) craved these when she was pregnant. I love hearing those little details - for me, it gives a cookbook an extra dimension to provide those extra details - must be why I love food blogs so much. I would definitely make these again - possibly as deliciously different finger food for a party, since it is that season.

Chinese Chicken Parcels

adapted from "Jamie's Kitchen" by Jamie Oliver

1 Chinese cabbage (wombok) or savoy cabbage

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed

1 handful of fresh coriander

1-2 fresh red chillies (if you don't want it to be too spicy, seed the chillies)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

4 trimmed boneless chicken thighs, skin removed, roughly chopped

1 handful of water chestnuts

zest and juice of 2 limes

1 teaspoon sesame oil

sweet chilli sauce

soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Remove and discard the core and outer leaves from the cabbage, undo the remaining cabbage leaves and place them in a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes to soften. Cool them in a bowl of cold water, drain and put to one side.

In a food processor, whiz up your garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander, chilli and fish sauce with a good pinch of salt. Then add the chicken, lime zest and juice and sesame oil and pulse until you have a minced meat consistency. Finally add the water chestnuts and pulse a little to combine, but not too much so they add a little texture to your rolls.

Place a heaped dessertspoonful of the flavoured mince on to one end of each cabbage leaf. Fold it up and tuck in the sides, then roll up. Spray a bamboo steamer, colander or normal steamer with a little olive oil and place in the cabbage parcels, tucking the loose end underneath. When they're all in, sit the steamer over a pan of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the parcels and that it's just the steam that's cooking them. Put a lid on top and steam for about 6 minutes until cooked. If you're worried about the cooking time, take one of the parcels out and cut it in half to make sure that the heat has penetrated and that they're cooked.

Serve with rice and some sauteed asian greens eg bok choy.

Blondies (for Brunettes as well...)

The Christmas Concert season is beginning. Mothers everywhere (as well as a father here and then) are whipping up something sweet or savoury, and delivering it with their offspring to church halls and school auditoriums. I'm not being unkind when I say that these concerts always seem to go forever, the halls are always hot, and someone tall inevitably takes the seat in front of me so I spend the night ducking and weaving to try and see the kids performing. Once the formalities are over, everyone gets to have a drink and a nibble (even a light meal of you are lucky). The arrangements are generally no more formal than "bring a plate", and there are always stories of newly arrived expats, who arrive with an empty plate, rather than a full one.

If you have been told to "bring a plate" to your kids concert, this slice from Dorie Greenspan is perfect. It is not going to collapse in warm weather, or melt or go funny. It tastes delicious, so the kids will wolf it down. You can also tailor it depending on personal preferences - any of the usual stir-in ingredients would work (nuts, dried fruit, etc). It is also scrumptious with a cup of coffee. You might even decide it is too nice for the concert, and keep it at home, while you stop for something else on the way..... (and by the way, if you are thinking about asking Santa for a recipe book, Dorie's book, "Baking: From My Home to Yours" is worth putting on your list).


Chewy, Chunky Blondies
from "Baking: From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
250g butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (light) brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or toffee bits (because we don't get these here, I smashed up Werthers toffees)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated to add the next, then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture, stirring only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chips, nuts and coconut by hand. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with only a few crumbs. Cool blondies in the pan, but turn them out (and then reinvert them so the top is facing up) before slicing into 32 bars.

Veal Stew - Freezer Friendly Meal For Busy Weeks Ahead

Here is a tip from someone who knows - the next few weeks will be crazy. Regardless of where you are in the world, the months of November and December always feel like life has its foot jammed on the accelerator. In this neck of the woods we have the school year ending in mid-December, Christmas concerts, carol services, singing recitals, school orientations and a million other things, on top of Xmas shopping, and holiday planning. Exhausting. So now is the time to make a couple of meals to throw in the freezer, because you can bet there will be a night coming soon when all you want to do is warm up something you have already cooked.

In my opinion, the best things to freeze are casseroles and stews. This stew is light enough to eat here in the warm late Spring, and is very tasty (but would also work just as well for the chillier Northern Hemisphere). Depending on your appetites and what other side dishes you serve, this recipe will feed about 8 people (so for our family that is 2 meals taken care of). The recipe is from the delightful Silver Palate cookbook - definietly a cookbook worth having on your shelf.

Pearly Veal and Onion Stew

adapted from The Silver Palate

1/4 cup olive oil

1.5 kg veal stew meat, chopped into 3cm cubes

4 tbls plain flour

10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups white wine

1 tbl fresh rosemary

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 kg white pearl onions (If you can find them, otherwise regular brown onions)

1 cup frozen peas

Heat oil in a large stew pot, and then add the veal a few pieces at a time to brown. As each batch browns, remove from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Add the next few pieces of veal. When all the pieces are browned, sprinkle the veal in the bowl with the flour and toss to coat.

Add more oil to the pot if necessary, then cook garlic over low heat until light golden in colour. Preheat oven to 160C. Return veal to the pot, adding the stock, wine, haerbs, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil on the stove then cover and put in the oven for 1 hour, stirring occassionally.

Meanwhile cut a small cross in the root end of the pearl onions. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the onions and cook until tender (15 mins or so). Drain them and refresh under cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and trim them.

Uncover casserole and taste the stew; adjust seasoning if necessary. Stir in the onions and return to the oven for another 20 mins, uncovering the stew for the last ten minutes of cooking time. Stir in the peas and serve.

Macaroons To End Off A Lovely Meal

Macaroons are one of my favourite sweet treats. Coconutty and moist, they are a perfect little indulgence at the end of a meal, with a cup of coffee or tea. They are also gluten and dairy free - so a good choice for anyone trying to limit either one in their diet. The best bit is that no one else at the table will feel deprived either. Macaroons are not to be confused with the pastel-coloured French macarons that have taken the world by storm. According to Wikipedia they originated in Scotland.

These delicious bites are also easy enough for a child to make - if only my children loved coconut the way I do. I like to make them very small and dainty - feel free to roll them bigger if you would prefer a more substantial morsel.

Coconut Macaroons

adapted from "Modern Classics Book 2" by Donna Hay

2 cups dessicated coconut

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 180C, and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix ingredients in a bowl until well-combined. Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls, and place on tray. Cook for 10 minutes or until they are light golden.

Baked Ricotta - A Light Meal With Friends

A very busy and exciting week. Catching up with old friends, the Melbourne Cup and now the excitement of the US election. A week like this needs something simple and more-ish that you can keep coming back to. I served this baked ricotta to some girlfriends who dropped over. It was paired with thinly sliced sourdough, some cured salmon (posted here) and a tossed green salad. Perfectly simple and simply perfect - a lovely light dinner, which of course left room for a killer chocolate cake that I will share with you later in the week. And enough leftovers for some lovely lunches. (PS You can see my Melbourne Cup hat in the picture! I couldn't resist including it)

Baked Ricotta

From "Flavours" by Donna Hay

4 tubs fresh ricotta (more or less depends on the size of the tin you are using- I used a loaf tin) Black pepper to taste

Olive oil

Mix ricotta with a generous amount of black pepper to taste. Line a tin with baking paper. Fill with the ricotta mixture. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Unmold the ricotta,then coat the top with more cracked black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and return the ricotta to the oven until the edges have started to turn golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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When I got back from Melbourne there was a lovely surprise for me - a Kreativ Blog award from Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. Deb is a talented and enthusiastic blogger who is inspiring us all with (among other things) her Souper Sundays and Cook the Books. Along with the award was a meme, so you all get to know a little bit more about me.

So here goes:

7 things I did before
1. Sold zodiacs at a jewellery shop when I was 14
2. Worked in catering through school and university
3. Used to spend 4 hours on a Friday peeling prawns for the Friday prawn roll special at the pub where I worked (easily the worst job I ever had)
4. Worked as a nanny
5. Completed a law degree, but never practised law
6. Researcher for A Current Affair ( I promise it was a different show then)
7. Director of Corporate Affairs for a large US Card company

7 things I do now
1. 700 small things every day
2. Look after our little family
3. J'etudie la langue francaise
4. Spend too much time in front of the computer (a recent post-blog development)
5. Try to exercise 4 times a week (there is nothing easy or spontaneous about this for me)
6. Read in the bath (my secret guilty pleasure)

7.Cook

7 things I want to do
1. Meet my new niece Sophie in Connecticut
2. Finish my Xmas shopping
3. Put my photos in albums
4. Stress less
5. Keep improving my blog
6. Be more organised
7. Sleep better

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex
1. Love
2. Laughter
3. Smile
4. Eyes
5. Intelligence
6. Calm
7. Face

7 Favorite Foods
1. A really good runny brie
2. Pavlova
3. Coffee
4. Mangos
5. Roast Chicken
6. Raspberries
7. Oysters

7 things I Say Most Often:
1. Yes
2. Bugger!
3. Sit down and eat your dinner!
4. I have no idea where it is.
5. Sleep tight
6. Unprintable
7. Love you

And now the seven people I would like to tag for this award and meme:

1. Christy of Sew Much Fabric Sew Little Time, who sent me my wonderful Blogging By Mail Box

2. Esi at Dishing Up Delights, whose adventures I love to follow

3. Anne at Anne Strawberry because she cooks with such love

4. Karen from Bookbath because I love books and baths

5. Helen at Grab Your Fork - a local food blog that I read closely

6. Heather at SLO Cooking - who has lots of fun ideas

7. Lorraine at Not Quite Nigella because her Halloween Party looks as fantastic as the rest of her blog. Check it out here.

Now they get to pass on the award to some blogs they admire.....

Cured Salmon Gravlax - Easy & Delicious

There is no doubt that food goes through fashions. I think we have just come through the winter of the Pork Belly, and we are definitely now going into the summer of the Tapas. When I look back, I can clearly remember the year of the Sticky Date Pudding, the summer of the Pannacotta, the winter of Pesto, the spring of Salt and Pepper Calamari, the year of Laksa. These items have all at different times become ubiquitous in Sydney to the point where you would imagine that chefs might be de-registered if they fail to include some version or other of the dish on their menu. But, the truth is that the reason they become so very popular is because they are all completely delicious.

Without wanting to date myself too much, I also remember a summer of gravlax, or sugar-cured salmon, in the late 1980s. Tasty, soft, indulgent, it is the perfect thing to make for entertaining in summer. All the work is done ahead of time (24 hours ahead), it is very very easy to do and people are incredibly impressed that you have cured your own salmon. Even better, it is delicious and light and sumptuous. And if tapas, do take off this summer, it will be a very easy tapas-style dish to prepare. This recipe comes from Joan Campbell in a Vogue Wine and Food Cookbook called "Home Truths: What The Foodies Cook For Themselves". The cookbook is out of print now but if you trawl around eBay or some of the second-hand cookbook sellers, you may find it.

Gravlax With Dill Sauce

adapted from "home Truths" edited by Joan Campbell

1 side of ocean trout or salmon (you can get your fish shop to skin it and pin bone it for you)

100g sugar

100g salt

1 tbl white cracked pepper

1-2 large bunches dill, stems crushed

Dill Sauce

2 tbl sugar

2 tbl white vinegar

2 tbl dill

2 tbl dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

9 tbls vegetable oil (any flavourless oil is OK)

If your fillet has not been boned, go over it with tweezers and pluck out any bones you can feel by running over the fillet with your fingers. If it is not skinned, you can leave the skin on. Mix sugar, salt and pepper together. Place a heavy piece of foil on your kitchen bench, and make a bed of dill on it the size of your fish. Rub half of the sugar and salt mixture into one side of the salmon, then turn it over and rub the other half into the other side. Place the fish on the dill, then top it with another bed of dill the size of the fish. Wrap tightly in foil, and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning the fish over regularly. To serve, scrape the pepper and dill from the fish and slice thinly. Serve with the sauce.

Sauce: Place sugar, vinegar, dill, mustard and salt in a bowl and beat well. While still beating add the oil slowly. Pour into a container and refrigerate until serving.

Lemon Chicken With Croutons

Halloween is over for another year. Thank heavens. The trouble with importing festivals from other parts of the world, is that the weather here often won't co-operate with you. Friday afternoon was spent wandering the streets with the younger darling daughter in 35C heat (95F). She was dressed up in a big heavy costume, when she really should have been at the beach in her swimmers. Melted chocolates, gooey lollies... but none of this worried her. She told me it was the best halloween ever.

So now it is time to get back to grown up food. This recipe comes from "Barefoot in Paris" by Ina Garten, and in the usual Barefoot style, it is not difficult to make, and it is very delicious to eat. Crunchy croutons soak up the juice of the chicken as well as giving a wonderful texture contrast. If you are interested, you can actually watch a video of Ina making it here. You might be wondering why I would make a Barefoot recipe outside of my Barefoot Blogger commitments, and the simple answer is that some recipes scream out to be tried, and this is one of them.

Lemon Chicken With Croutons

from "Barefoot in Paris" by Ina Garten

1 chicken

1 large brown onion, sliced

Olive oil

2 lemons, quartered

2 tbls unsalted butter, melted

4 cups bread cubes (use a good quality sourdough or something similar)

Preheat the oven to 215C. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Toss the onion with some olive oil in a roasting pan. Place the chicken on top. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Brush the chicken with the melted butter and season well with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.

Roast for 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked. Remove from the oven and rest the chicken covered with foil for 15 minutes. Don't be concerned if the onions are very brown - their flavour is great.

Heat a large pan with 2 tbls of olive oil until very hot. Lower the temperature to medium low and saute the bread cubes tossing frequently until they are browned all over. Add more oil if you need to. Season the croutons, and place on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and sit it on the crouton bed. Pour over any extra pan juices and serve.