Green tomato and apple chutney

Ingredients
1Kg green tomatoes, chopped
500g cooking green apples, peeled and chopped
200-300g green capsicum
500g shallots (or onions) chopped
225g seedless raisins
450g demerara sugar (I use brown sugar for a richer taste)
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mixed spice
2 -3 tsp salt
600ml malt vinegar

Method
Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until well reduces stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Ladle into jars and cover.
Makes about 3kg.

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Waldorf Caesar salad

A delicious combination of ingredient

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 rashers of bacon, finely sliced
½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus a little extra
¼ tsp black pepper (or less to taste)
1 red apple, finely sliced + tossed in little lemon juice
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves torn
½ cup toasted walnuts
1 sm red onion cut into fine rings
½ cup grated Parmesan

Method
Boil eggs for 8 mins, then transfer to ice water. Peel when cool and cut into quarters
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and fry bacon till crisp.
In a large bowl, add the mayo, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper and the remaining 1 Tbsp oil and mix to combine. Add the apple. Celery, lettuce, walnuts, egg and red onion and toss to coat in dressing. Transfer to serving plate.
Pour the bacon and any rendered oil over the salad and scatter with Parmesan. Grate some black pepper over the top and serve.

Pasticcio of farfalle - comfort food

Ingredients
500g farfalle pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil (plus extra)
300g veal or beef mince
Salt + pepper
1 brown onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 tsp grated nutmeg
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
200g grated *grana padano cheese
350ml pouring cream
4 eggs
3 Tbsp extra grated grana padano cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 170C
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in large pan over medium heat, add mince and cook until brown. Season then remove from pan.
Add onion and garlic to pan and cook over high heat for 4 mins. Add cooked mince, parsley and nutmeg, stir to combine.
Place cooked pasta in large bowl and add mince mixture, peas, cheese, cream and eggs. Season then add extra olive oil to taste and stir to combine.
Spoon into a large baking dish and press with back of spoon,
Sprinkle with extra cheese and bake, covered with foil, for 30 mins. Remove foil and back for 20 mins or until golden.


Chook’s note: This is a very forgiving recipe so tweak it to your taste or to what you have available. I usually cut into serving size pieces, wrap in foil and freeze. It can be eaten cold so good for a picnic.  It’s a solid meal and real comfort food – for pasta lovers. 
*Grana padano cheese is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, what we usually call parmesan. They’re both hard, crumbly cheeses made from cow’s milk 

A perfect way to idle away an afternoon!

(Sorry no pix and I can't find where Google spirited them away to) 

You know me and food! Well just before Christmas Lindsay and I did a Vietnamese cooking Master class with Otao Kitchen in Richmond. We had a great instructor Dylan who showed us how and then let us make Spring Rolls, Beef in Betel leaves, fish sauce dipping dressing, char-grilled pork skewers, fragrant pork patties with rice noodles and pickled vegetables. All washed down with champers and topped off with coconut tapioca pudding with fresh mango and passion fruit. It was lots of fun and of course you get to eat what you prepare. Absolutely scrumptious! What a way to spend the afternoon - and there was loads left over to bring home.

We were quite impressed with our efforts making spring rolls - chicken and prawn with lots of herbs. And also Betel leaf bundles of marinated beef. We dry-fried them till they were charred. A little cuddly bit absolutely delicious. 
We’re now thinking about a cooking/foodie trip to Vietnam - travelling with an expert to his home town. Would be a yummy trip!

Plum BBQ sauce

Ingredients
10 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
10 whole cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1.8kg plums, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup apple-cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp molasses, golden syrup or honey
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes, or 2 fresh hot chili diced
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste
Optional
A generous splash of Worcestershire, fish or soy sauce
3Tbsp Chinese black vinegar

Method
In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden and just beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.
Add plums and cook, stirring frequently, until fruit has collapsed and softened into a chunky puree. Add vinegar, sugar, molasses, mustard, hot peppers, and salt. Put whole spices in a cheesecloth/spice bag and drop into the plum mixture. Add about a tablespoon of Worcestershire or other sauce, if desired.
Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook, stirring often, until mixture is thick and smooth. Be careful not to let mixture scorch or stick to the pan. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with more vinegar, sugar, molasses, or salt as needed. Remove and discard spice bag.
Pour into clean glass jars. Let cool, then refrigerate.

Chook's note: add more chili if you like it hot. These sorts of recipes are very forgiving so knock yourself out adding other aromatics or tweaking quantities. It's all about personal taste.
I made half quantity and ended up with 2 bottles of sauce (I sterilised the bottles in the dishwasher -so much easier).
I have still to try out a couple of other BBQ sauce recipes.  Watch this space!

Thank you Bay Area Bites for the idea.

Chinese five spice plum sauce

Pix from my favourite food site - taste.com.au

Ingredients
1kg any kind of plums, stoned and halved
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1/2 tsp chili flakes

Method
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 30 minutes or until plums collapse.
Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Pour hot sauce into sterilised bottles. Seal, label and date.

Chook's note: this sauces should be \tweaked to your own personal taste - more or less bite. I made half quantity and that produced one 330ml bottle - I've been used beer bottles with ceramic stoppers but you might to try something smaller.
I sterilise my bottles and jars in the dishwasher on 'Quick + Dry' setting. 

Turmeric fish

A simple Vietnamese recipe. Thanks Adam Liaw, it was delicious!
Sorry no pix we devoured it before i thought of taking a pic.

Ingredients
½-1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp fish sauce
¼ tsp sugar
1 Tbsp turmeric
Juice ½ lemon
300-400g white fish cut across the grain into 1cm slices
1-2 Tbsp oil
3-5 spring onions cut into 5cm lengths

1/2 - 1 cup picked dill sprigs

Serves 2

Method
Squeeze the juice out of the grated ginger and combine with fish sauce, sugar, turmeric and lemon juice. Mix well and pour over the fish. Refrigerate overnight to marinate and cure.
Heat oil and fry the fish for a minute or so on each side. Add the spring onions and lightly fry. Add dill.

Serve with rice noodles or rice

Chook’s note: I used ‘flake’ but any firm white fish would work. Serve it with rice noodles or with whatever vegge you like.  It’s a flavoursome way to serve fish.