Raspberry Syllabub

This is a pic of Jamie's syllabub - the two recipes are similar.

Ingredients
500-600g of raspberries
3+ Tbsp caster sugar (depends on how seeet you like it)
Zest of 1 orange
2-3 Tbsp of sweet dessert wine and/or orange juice 
600ml double cream or 300ml cream and 200-300gm plain yogurt 
Servings: 6

Method
Place the raspberries and zest in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and drizzle over the wine, then set aside for a few minutes to macerate.
Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl - and add yogurt if using. Fold raspberries into the cream mix into the raspberry mixture. 
Either divide between serving glasses or pile into large pretty bowl.
Top with a sprig mint if desired. 

Chook's note: you can use drained tinned or frozen raspberries. Or try other berries. 

Osso Buco with anchovies and sage

Sorry I didn't take any pix - we just dug in and forgot! The flavours are sensational. (This pic is via NYT cooking.)
Ingredient
Flour for dredging meat
4-6 veal or lamb shanks, cut into chunks 3-4 cm thick if possible
½ cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 more or less anchovy fillets
10 leaves fresh sage (or 1 1/2 tsp dried at a stretch)
1-2 cups dry white wine
Chicken stock as needed
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4-6

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Dredge shanks in flour and shake off excess. Pour olive oil into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add shanks and brown on all sides. Remove meat from pan, and place in large ovenproof casserole dish.
Pour off oil leaving 2 Tbsp in the pan. Add garlic, anchovies and sage, and saute for 2 mins. Add white wine and bring to a boil, scraping bottom of the pan. Pour liquid over meat in casserole. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 2 -3 hrs, or until meat is soft.
Remove meat to a serving platter. Pour juices in the casserole into a saucepan. There should be about 1 1/2 cups – if not make up with chicken stock. Reduce liquid by half - about 10 to 15 mins over high heat. Swirl in the butter, seasoning to taste, and pour liquid over the meat.

Chook’s note:  I like to serve it with either good mash or Milanese risotto with gremolata on the side (see recipe 26 November 2018).  This is a very forgiving recipe so tweak the quantities of  sage and/or anchovies to your own taste. I love the anchovies, they just melt into the sauce and give a rich but subtle saltiness. 
I sometimes cook this the day before so I can lift off the fat - there's so much especially if you use lamb shanks. 

Italian mustard fruits

This traditional Italian preserve is quick and easy to make, and is wonderful served with pate, roast pork, grilled quail or hams and cheeses. I'm sure you can think of other serving ideas!
Ingredients
500 ml white wine vinegar or 400ml plus 100ml water
2 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 kg dried apricots
½ cup lemon juice and rind of 1 lemon, thinly sliced
600g white sugar
1 tsp minced horseradish
1 cinnamon stick + 12 whole cloves
Makes 1.6 to 1.8 depends on the fruit (1/2 measure made 3x300ml jars).

Method
Bring the vinegar, water and mustard seeds to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Leave to cool and infuse for 1 hour. Discard half the mustard seeds.
Prepare the fruit by washing, removing the stones or pips and cutting up any larger fruits.
Cook the sugar and spices to the vinegar over gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved stirring all the while.
Add lemon juice and rind, horseradish and fruit and cook gently a few minutes or until just soften.
Pack the fruit and spices into the sterilised warm jar/s and pour over the syrup. Seal jars immediately and leave for a minimum of 1 month before eating (if you can wait that long!).

Chook’s note: I like and have used dried apricots, but you could use mixed fruit - peaches, apricots, plums, cherries & figs. 
Save the extra mustard seeds to mix into something else – mayo, oil, vinegar, or what about mustard butter for crusty bread or on sangers.

Muesli Biscuits with Golden Syrup

I needed to use up some good natural muesli and found this recipe. They are buttery and chewy - depending on how long you cook them,

Ingredients
2 Tbsp boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125 g butter, melted, cooled
2 Tbsp maple syrup/golden syrup
220 g natural muesli
150 g firmly packed) brown sugar
150 g plain flour

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Combine the water and bicarbonate of soda. Add to the melted butter and syrup and stir to combine.
Place the muesli, brown sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl. Pour in butter mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined.
Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the lined trays about 5cm apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Stand on baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Chook's note: you could use maple syrup instead of golden syrup. You may need to adjust the flour up if the muesli has lots of fruit in it as that can make the biscuits more moist - still yummy though!

Gremolata

This amazing dollop adds a delish zing to loads of things - just try it!
Ingredients
1 cup packed flat leaf parsley (thin stems are fine to leave in)
1-2 garlic cloves
Zest of one small lemon, plus 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ cup olive oil (or less depending on the thickness of the mixture)
⅛ tsp salt and pepper, more to taste
pinch chili flakes or use fresh – optional
Makes 2/3 - 1 cup

Method
Place parsley, garlic and zest in a food processor and pulse until chopped.
Add oil, salt & pepper and lemon juice. Pulse again, until uniformly combined but don't beat the heck out of it.
Add chili flakes for a touch of heat if you like. I definitely like!
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. It also freezes well - pop spoonfuls in ice-cube tray and then bag once frozen.

Chook's note:  I always have semi-dried chili in the fridge. They add better colour than dried, and are also softer on the mouth. 
Don't through out all those beautiful herbs when they start taking over the garden turn them into sauces like this. try a mixture of different herbs if you don't have enough parsley. Be creative! 
I've used it on homemade pizzas, on steak, pork chops, and with feta cheese.  It would be wonderful with pasta tossed with EV olive oil and a few anchovies perhaps.

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

These look terrific, are fresh and healthy, and are easy to make. Prep time can be lengthy if you are julienning lots of veges, but it's worth it - everybody loves them. 

I hadn’t made these for years so the rolls looked a bit wonky - but they tasted good!

Ingredients

14-16 sheets of 22cm round rice paper

120g dried vermicelli noodles

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp fish sauce

soft lettuce leaves - Oak or Butter, enough for 1 or 1/2 per roll

bunch large mint leaves, enough for 2-3 per roll

julienned carrot

1 long cucumber, cut in fine strips

snow peas, blanched and cooled

red capsicum cut into thun strips

coriander leaves and stalks

Optional 

asparagus, halved, lightly blanched and cooled

large basil leaves, enough for 1-2 per roll

bean sprouts

strips of avocado

cooked prawns peeled

Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar or lime juice

1/3 cup milk or water to thin

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp crushed chilli or chilli paste, adjust to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the Peanut Dipping Sauce ingredients. Mix briefly, then microwave for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Set aside to cool. 

Adjust sourness with vinegar or lime juice, and salt to taste.  

2. Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with hotwater for 8 minutes, drain. Mix through lemon juice and fish sauce then cool.

3. Blanch the asparagus and snow peas. Wash lettuce and remove the core of the leaves - to make it easier to roll up.

4. Fill a large bowl or baking pan with hot water - the sheets soften quicker the hotter the water. You can rotate the sheet if you don't have a large pan, in fact keeping hold of the sheet allows you judge when it's ready to roll. DON'T make it too soft otherwise it will tear.  The rice paper will continue to soften as it absorbs moisture from work surface and vegetables.  

5. Assembling rolls - have everything ready to go!

Place the rice paper on work surface smooth side down - and woork quickly.

Arrange 1-3 mint leaves face side down in the centre so the rolls look pretty from the outside once rolled. If using prawns place these on the centre with mint leaves also. It's all about visibility.

Place vegetables and vermicelli in the centre of the sheet (see note below).

Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in, then starting from the bottom, roll firmly. The rice paper is sticky so it will seal itself.

6. Place rolls on damp tray as they are completed and cover with damp clean tea towel. Leave covered with damp cloth or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Serve with the peanut dipping sauce.

Chooks notes:

You can roll the veges and noodle in lettuce leaf to keep them all together - makes it easier to handle. 

I have used both rice vermicelli noodles and bean thread noodle (also known as cellophane or glass noodles). I prefer the bean thread noodles.

I keep my work surface damp and place completed rolls on a damp tray and cover with a damp tea towel. 

Best eaten the same day, but I have found any left overs keep OK for a day or so covered with plastic. 

These taste delicious served with commercially prepared Vietnamese dipping sauce with a little lime juice added to tone down the sweetness. Or make your own as follows:

Mix together -

3 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp sugar

½ cup water

2 ½ Tbsp fish sauce (add a bit at a time to taste)

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

1 or 2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced or 1 tsp chili sauce 

Pho's Thai Chicken Salad

I love Pho's recipes and have learnt so much from her - and probably forgotten half of it! Regular guests on Pho's cooking show, Neil Perry and David Thompson, are also brilliant and gentle teachers.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a light meal

4 limes, juiced OR ½ cup lime freshly squeezed lime juice

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 - 3 Tbsp caster sugar

1 - 2 bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1 roast chicken (from local chicken shop or supermarket), meat shredded finely

½ small Chinese cabbage or 10 - 12 leaves, shredded finely

1 scant cup chopped coriander including stalks

1 ½ cup fresh mint leaves finely shredded or chopped

1 medium red onion, finely sliced or 1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

1 continental cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthways, seeds sliced off and discarded, sliced on diagonally 2 - 3mm width

4 Tbsp roasted rice powder (see below)

Method

To make dressing, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilli (if using), mix until sugar is dissolved and set aside.

Combine all ingredients and toss gently until well combined. Serve immediately.

Roasted rice powder 

This is used in many Thai dishes for its delicious nutty flavour. I love it!

To make heat ¼ cup of uncooked glutinous rice (available in Asian grocer) in a fry pan on medium heat (not too hot or rice will be uncooked on inside and burnt on outside). Continue to agitate rice by tossing or with a spatula, until golden. Allow to cool completely before grinding in an electric spice grinder or mortar and pestle. If pounding with mortar & pestle, pound 2 Tbsp at a time or you will have trouble reaching each grain. The grains should be like the size of course cooking salt. Store unused powder in an airtight glass jar in fridge. 

Chook’s note: I have used other rice than glutinous but Pho recommends glutinous rice as they don’t seem to break down in the same way, adding an unpleasant graininess to dishes. Use what you have and see how it goes.