Fish pie

Got this recipe from taste.com.au too...

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1.25kg desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled, diced
• 4 stalks celery, trimmed, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk
• 375ml can evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup grated light tasty cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon English mustard
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 500g ling fillets, bones removed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 200g smoked cod fillets, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 8 cooked small king prawns, peeled, deveined, halved
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, quartered
• 75g baby spinach

Method

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan. Add nutmeg and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth. Cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add carrot and celery. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until just tender.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C. Place cornflour in a bowl. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until combined. Add milk mixture and evaporated milk to saucepan. Increase heat to high. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil. Add tasty and parmesan cheeses, mustard, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and parsley. Stir to combine.

4. Lightly grease a 6cm deep, 10-cup capacity baking dish. Arrange ling, in a single layer in base of dish. Top with cod, prawns, eggs and spinach. Pour over sauce and shake dish gently to allow sauce to run to base of dish. Top with mashed potato. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Chicken and pine nut meatloaf

Recipe from taste.com.au

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, chopped
• 750g chicken mince
• 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup basil leaves, finely shredded
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 7cm deep, 10cm x 20cm (base) loaf pan.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and nuts. Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until softened. Allow to cool.

3. Combine mince, breadcrumbs, herbs, egg, onion mixture, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon mixture into pan. Press down. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

4. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Picnic tip: Wrap cooled loaf in plastic wrap and foil. Refrigerate.

Persian Style Baked Herb Omelette

Found this recipe from theblendergirl


Preparation time: 5 - 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 6 - 8)

• 2 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large red onions chopped and caramelized
• 3 cups fresh organic baby spinach washed and chopped
• 8 large organic eggs
• 1/4 cup soy milk, hemp milk or almond milk
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 8 spring onions/scallions finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of cilantro/coriander finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of continental parsley finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh chives finely chopped
• 1 fresh dill sprig chopped
• 4 fresh mint sprigs chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil and sautee the garlic, and caramelize the onions. Add in the spring onions until just softened.

2. Add in the fresh spinach and cook until just wilted.

3. Transfer vegetable mixture to a quiche or pie dish, and stir in the fresh herbs and nuts.

4. Beat eggs and milk in the blender on low for about 3 seconds, add a couple of pinches of Celtic sea salt and cracked pepper, and then pour over the vegetable and herb mixture.

5. Bake in the oven at 180C/325F for about half an hour, or until set and lightly browned on top.

Baba Ghanoush (aubergine dip)

2 aubergine
3 garlic
3 onions
1 tbs tahini paste
parsley
1 tsp lemon juice
salt, pepper

Methods:
1. Cut aubergines into half and roast in the oven for 10 min together with garlic and onions.
2. Remove the skin of the aubergines and blend together with other ingredients.

Chicken swiss roll

Ingredients:
6 slices of chicken breast
2 potatoes
1 aubergine
red and green peppers/ capsicum
cheese

Marinade:
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbs yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
4 garlic- crushed
1 inch ginger- crushed
salt

Methods:


1. Slice chicken breast thinly say 1/2 cm thick and 4-5 cm wide. Knock with kitchen hammer and marinade with salt, yogurt, lemon, garlic, ginger, coriander powder, black pepper and keep them in fridge for one day.
2. Cut potatoes into long sticks like french fries. Fry them and put aside. Cut aubergine into long sticks as well (size of french fries).
3. Place the marinated chicken slices on a chopping board and lay 1-2 sticks of fried potatoes, cheese, red and green peppers/ capsicum, aubergine stick and roll the chicken slice. Seal the dges with beaten eggs.
4. Dip the roll into beaten egg and then dip into breadcrumbs and deep fry them till chicken is cooked.
5. Cut into 3-4 slices and serve. This roll will look beautiful with multiple colours of green and red peppers, fries and aubergine and cheese.

Chicken Cheese Tagine

Tried this many months ago but have forgotten to take the photos. Anyway I have to put in in here so that I won't forget this delicious recipe in future. Again thanks to Afaf for this awesome Libyan recipe.

Baked this again today 6th May 2011. Gave one dish to my dearest Msian neighbour. Finally got the photos today.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken- I cut it into 4
4 large potatoes-diced into 1/2 inch size
spring onion (daun bawang) or Holland onions- chopped
parsley- chopped
1 cup ceddar cheese
1 cup lavashkari cheese or whatever soft cheese you wish
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tbs karwiya (rupa dia cam jintan manis serbuk)
1 tbs dried/ fresh ginger
1 tbs tomato paste/ puree
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 garlic- finely chopped or crushed
salt
4-5 eggs
2 tbs bread crumbs

Methods:
1. Cut the whole chicken into 4 and boil in water and salt.
2. Once chicken is cooked, separate the flesh from the bone and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
3. Fry diced potatoes and place them on the kitchen towel to absorb the adhering oil.
4. Mix the diced chicken, fried diced potatoes with all the spices, spring onion, parsley, tomato paste, salt and cheese together. Save some ceddar cheese for topping. Taste this mixture to make sure you have added enough salt. I also added some white pepper.
5. Place the mixture into a baking dish.
6. Beat 4 eggs lightly with 2 tbs of breadcrumbs and pour onto the chicken potato mix.
7. Sprinkle with ceddar cheese and bake for 40 min or so. Dip in the cake tester stick, once the eggs are not sticking anymore, means the dish is cooked.

My kids ate this tagine with chilli sauce, typical Asian taste buds.

Syarba (Meat in tomato soup)

This is also a libyan recipe I got from Afaf. Mesti korang dah muak asyik dengar nama Afaf je kan? hehe..Anyway, she served this soup when we went to her place for sahur during the previous Ramadhan. Sedaap soup ni.. I like....Maka apa lagi...minta resepi lah..

Ingredients:
1 Holland onion- chopped
1 cup of chick peas (kacang kuda)
1/2 kg meat -tinly sliced into 1/2 inch size
1 tbs ghee
1 tbs tomato paste/ puree
1 tsp turmeric
tear drop tiny pasta (available in Arab shops in Coventry Road)
dried mint leaves
parsley
1 tbs chilli powder

Methods:
1. Fry onion in ghee, add meat, chick peas and 2 cups of water. Slow cook till meat and chick peas are tender.
2.Add more water, parsley, tomato paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder and pasta and lastly dried mint leaves and salt.
3. Serve as a starter during iftar.

Libyan Lamb Kabsa

I have tried this recipe a few times and really love it, somehow it never turn out to have the same taste as my good Libyan friend, Afaf's.Don't know what went wrong. Perhaps, I must go to Afaf's kitchen one day and watch how she cooks her version. Anyway, I would like to share with all of you her Libyan kabsa. I plan to cook kabsa for my dear undergraduate sisters who are coming over to my place this Wednesday.

Ingredients:
1 kg lamb
3 Holland onions-finely chopped
1 tbs ginger powder
1 tsp green cardamom powder
4 garlic
2 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbs karwiya powder(optional)-this is one of Libyan spices Afaf gave me.
3 chopped tomatoes
1 dried black lemon (this gives kabsa the fragrant lemony smell)
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbs chilli powder
4 tbs tomato paste
1 carrot- grated
2 tbs ghee

Methods:
1. Place lamb/ meat and water in the pressure cooker for 15-20 min or till meat is tender but make sure it is not overcooked. For better taste and smell, add cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamom.
2. In a pot, fry onion, garlic, ginger in 2 tbs of ghee. Add chilli powder, turmeric, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, karwiya, cardamom powder, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and salt.
3. Add the cooked meat/ lamb and grated carrot. I will refer this dish as lamb mix afterwards.
4. Meanwhile place 5 cups of rice in the rice cooker and add 5 cups of lamb stock from the pressure cooker into the rice. When rice is half cooked, add half of the lamb mix into the rice cooker and mix and let it cook thoroughly. Remember to toss in the black dried lemon.
5. For the other portion of the lamb mix, place in a casserole in the oven for 20 min before serving with kabsa.

So far, I have served my modified version of kabsa a few times already to my Malaysian friends and they loved it. Happy trying.

Photos coming up soon.