Seriously, seriously yummy. Yes…this is a newy and an instant favourite. It doesn’t look sexy, but it tastes fantastic. Never would I have thought that the humble lentil/sausage combination could be so good. Apparently this is a very common dish in France.

The lentils I use are called bondi lentils (also known as puy lentils). They don’t go mushy when cooked. This recipe comes from Food Cook Eat by Lulu Grimes. It has great pictures (so you actually know what you are supposed to be cooking), and some fabulous salads. My friend Stephanie gave me this cookbook about 7 years ago, and I use it all the time.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 55g pancetta – I used thinly sliced, but you can use cubed
• 1 red onion – finely chopped
• 6 continental pork sausages
• 1 garlic clove – peeled and smashed (with the blade of the knife)
• 1 sprig of thyme leaves – I used some from the garden
• 2/3 cup of bondi/puy lentils
• 1 1/2 cups of tinned chicken consomme (you can use chicken stock – it works perfectly)
• 4 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche

What you will need

• Medium sized saucepan
• Medium-large sized frypan

What to do

1. Cover the lentils in water and simmer for about 20 mins to slightly soften (I tried cooking this dish without doing this, and the lentils were way to hard even after 25 mins of simmering. So now, I do it separately to be sure)
2. In a hot frypan, brown and crisp the pancetta, and remove
3. Cook the sausages and remove
4. Cook the onion
5. Add the sausages, pancetta back to the onion, and add the garlic, thyme, lentils, stock/consumme and bring it all to the boil
6. Cook for 10 – 15 mins, until you are happy that the lentils are soft enough
7. Add the spinach and allow to soften, but remain vivid green
8. Add the creme fraiche and mix through
9. Add pepper (I found this dish didn’t require any salt at all)
10. Serve with crusty bread (and I served it with steamed carrots, broccoli just to ensure enough vege’s are consumed in my household)

We doubled this recipe the other night, and it was devoured by 4 adults, and I could have made more.

This recipe comes from the recipe book Cool food.
There a whole series of these books which I have (including Bowl food, Hot food, Sweet food) that are really very good. With the exception of only one of two recipes that haven’t turned out so well, I think most I have made or tasted from these books have been pretty impressive.

During my maternity leave, which was over the summer, I experimented with different salads using this Cool food recipe book. I figured a different dish a week is a great way to experiment without burning yourself out and salads are a great meal – and you always feel so much lighter after eating them.

This one is a definite addition to the repertoire. Also, it uses home grown mint (which is always growing in abundance in my garden, and rarely used).

Ingredients

• 1/2 brown onion
• 2 cloves
• 1 2/3 cups of small green lentils (called Bondi lentils in my local deli), or puy lentils
• 1 large strip of lemon zest
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 60ml olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3-4 chopped spring onions

What you will need

• Medium sauce pan

What to do

1. Remove the skin from the onion, and stud the onion with the cloves. Add to the sauce pan
2. Add the lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of cumin, bay leaf, garlic, lentils and water
3. Bring to the boil, and boil on moderate heat for 25-30 minutes or until the water is absorbed
4. Discard the onion, zest and bay leaves. Set aside the garlic and chop it up
5. Whisk together the oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, vinegar and juice and allow to soak in
6. Add chopped spring onions and mint
7. Season and serve

It’s time for another freaky deaky Dutch delight. Sunday, our friend Vincent (another Dutchie) came over to cook some hearty Dutch food (Zuurkool met worst). Let’s just say, it’s nothing fancy, but it is great winter food.

After we had feasted on lots of mash, sauerkraut and rookworst, then naturally, one’s mind shifts to something light for dessert…..not. Here’s what Tom and Vincent made – boterkoek (translates to butter cookie). It sounds like the main ingredient is going to be butter, and we all know that indulging in this is probably akin to a cardinal sin, and is a heart attack waiting to happen. When cooked, they plied this cake from the pan (as baking paper was an afterthought) and there were bits and pieces stuck to the tray and all over the bench. I personally didn’t think it looks like anything exciting. But when I ate some off the bottom of the baking tray, I lost all control and had to eat an alarming amount of this amazing biscuit. I am embarrassed, but it is true.

It’s crunchy, chewy, dense, almondy, buttery and so simple, yet so delicious. I had to make it again last night.  Me bad! My son (who doesn’t eat cake normally, and would rather have a cheese platter) loves this cake. So if such a fussy cake connoisseur likes it, it must be good!

Ingredients

• 250g butter (real butter, unsalted is best, organic is even better)
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar (raw, organic)
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt)
• 2 1/2 cups flour (organic, you can even use a heavier flour for this recipe).
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

What you will need

• Mixer
• Mixing bowl
• 2x 20cm round cake pans – lined

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
2. Beat the butter and sugar until combined
3. Lightly whisk the eggs, and retain some for the glaze (a tablespoon)
4. Add the remainder of the eggs to the mix and beat well
5. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. The dough will be fairly stiff
6. Pat flat into the cake pans and bake for 15 minutes
7. Brush remaining beaten egg on tops and return to oven, baking 15 more minutes.
8. Allow to cool. Normally I love to eat things off the tray, but in this instance, it’s best cold.
9. Cut into wedges to serve.

Here are my favourite pizza toppings. I have mostly looked at what my favourite pizza places do and copy them. Why not.

I don’t have photo’s for all of them, because sadly, they usually don’t sit around long enough to have a photo shoot (especially if Dad’s around – you have to be in quick or you go hungry). Some people might think I am a tad hard on my Dad, but I tell no lie. He usually takes half of the pizza, and if there are 15 people at the party, it’s warfare.

We have tried heaps of different things, and on some occasions, let our friends loose in the kitchen. Some pizzas are amazing, and some are so-so. Here are the ones I think are the biggest success.

Sauce

With sauce, I go for the easy option of buying a organic pasta sauce base. Equally, you can make your own here. Occasionally I will use a puree, add some finely chopped herbs from the garden, some onion, garlic etc.

Bresaola/Pancetta & tomato

This pizza is the simplest, and is simply delicious. Thanks to La Casalinga (in Camberwell) for having it on their menu. Their finesse in picking flavours that work is much appreciated. Whenever we make this pizza, it goes. The uncooked tomato gives this pizza a different and refreshing twist, and really makes you appreciate the flavour of a beautiful tomato.

• Tomato sauce
• Bresaola is air-dried beef (scotch fillet) that is very thinly sliced. Equally thinly sliced pancetta works well here
• Mozzarella

After the pizza is cooked top it with:

• Finely chopped Roma tomatoes
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Season with cracked sea salt/pepper

Ragin’ cajin

This pizza is just a new topping to our favourites, and it is a real winner. A little more spicy, and very flavorsome. Thanks to Gerringong Pizza (NSW) for the great idea.

• Tomato sauce with some cajun spice mix added (spice mix of chilli, salt, celery, mustard, thyme, pepper, onion, garlic, paprika, tarragon, parsley)
• Marinade some chicken in cajun spices, and then pre-cook the chicken (you can use mushrooms if you want a vegetarian alternative)
• Pepperoni (optional)
• Freshly chopped Coriander all over the pizza (essential)
• Mozzarella

Tandoori chicken pizza

This pizza is also highly popular, and topped with yoghurt and rocket, it makes for a refreshing change. When my vego sister comes over I just add tandoori marinaded mushrooms and a gluten-free base and she is all over this stuff like a rash.

• Tomato sauce with some tandoori spice mix added (paprika, tumeric, garam masala, garlic, ginger, cardamon, salt, pepper, chilli)
• Marinade some chicken (or mushrooms) in tandoori spices, mixed with yoghurt, olive oil, and tomato paste, and then pre-cook the chicken
• Red onion – pre-cooked
• Mozzarella
• Freshly chopped Coriander (everywhere)

After the pizza is cooked top it with:

• Yoghurt
• Rocket

I will add to this list of pizza toppings over time. Of course you can throw anything on a pizza and it tastes great, but I have only published the recipes I truly think are outstanding.

One can’t be the owner of a woodfired oven and not have attempted pizza! Once you go woodfired, I am afraid it firmly cements you into the mold of official pizza snob. No more Domino’s or Pizza Hut for you ever again!

We used to frequent a pizza/pasta place near our house, but no more. Alas, it just never rises to the occasion and you walk away feeling all critical and bloated, and need to drink a few litres of water overnight to rehydrate from the ‘pretend ham’ and ‘pretend cheese’ gastronomic meltdown.

Since owning our woodfired oven, we have tried many different types of pizza bases, and have finally settled on one recipe. I like my pizza bases thin and crisp – let’s face it, I don’t want to feel like I have just devoured a soft pillow, and I want to try as many different slices as possible. But it does all come down to personal preference.

The dough recipe we use comes from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Making Classic Breads with the Cutting-edge Techniques of a Bread Master. This is a fabulous book if you are after authentic, crusty, artisan bread recipes.

For pizza, we diverge from our normal use of stone ground bio dynamic flour (from Powlett Hill, near Clunes, VIC) to a finer grade Organic plain flour (it has more of that evil stuff starting with a ‘G’ aka Gluten – and for pizza dough, it’s just not the same without it).

With the toppings I have learnt one very important rule – don’t over crowd your pizzas with too many flavours. Keep it to a rule of 4, and more sparse you are with the toppings, the more you will appreciate the dough, toppings, crust and ingredients.

As we have become true pizza snobs, the whole notion of takeaway pizza has become a bit of a farce – or fast food for that matter. Good things take time. Great things take a whole day (or even longer). These days, if I feel like pizza it is a day long labour of love making dough, lighting fires, getting the oven to the right temperature and a whole lot of running around with dough on boards. If friends come over, Tom is lucky to get a slice, and is run off his feet. But it is totally worth it (says me sitting down with a nice glass of Sav blanc in my hand…).

Here’s our favourite dough recipe. It makes 6 dinner plate-sized pizza crusts. This dough can be made and kept in the fridge or even freezer until you are ready to use it. We make double the recipe if we are having 12 or so people around for dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups of unbleached, high gluten, organic flour – chilled (yes, chilled)
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups ice cold water (yes…chilled)
• Cornmeal or semolina

What you will need

• Large mixing bowl
• Spare flour
• Bench space (for kneading), or a mixer with a dough hook
• Pizza baking stone or wood fired oven
• Pizza paddle/board (optional)
• Pizza cutter

What to do

Make the dough

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together
2. Stir in the oil, and keep stirring in water until all of the flour is absorbed
3. If mixing by hand, use a metal spoon, and mix the flour vigorously, rotating the bowl at the same time, or, if using a mixer, knead for 5-7 minutes (this develops the gluten)
4. When it’s right, you will have a sticky dough, that clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom
5. Prepare a tray with baking paper, and spay some oil onto this
6. Sprinkle some flour on the counter, and place the dough on top, and cut the dough into 6 equal portions
7. Sprinkle flour over the dough and then lift each piece gently into a ball
8. Transfer the dough onto the tray, and then mist gently with oil spray
9. Cover the dough with a food grade plastic bag

Rest the dough

1. Put the dough into the refrigerator overnight (you can keep this up to 3 days). If you want to keep the dough even longer, put them at this stage into a freezer bag (and they can store in the freezer for up to 3 months). Transfer them to the fridge the day before you plan to use them

On pizza day

1. On the day you wish to use the dough, remove them from the refrigerator only 2 hours before you need them
2. Dust the counter, and then place a dough ball on the counter
3. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then gently press it into 2cm thick, 10 cm in diameter rounds
4. Sprinkle again with flour and a light mist of oil, and rest again for 2 hours

45 mins before making pizza (if using a pizza stone/conventional oven)

1. Place a baking stone at mid level in the oven. Crank up the heat as high as it will go (that is about 250 degrees C in most conventional ovens)
2. Generously dust a pizza paddle or pan with cornmeal or semolina so the dough will slide off when you put it in the oven
3. Flour your hands, and then lift the dough onto the paddle/pan
4. Carefully stretch the dough as much as you can (it is very springy) – continually shaping it until it’s expanded out
5. If you are game, you can toss it like they do in the pizza shops (but I have only ever ended up looking silly at this point)
6. The final sized pizza should be about 20cms wide

Toppings

Use the less-is-more principle. In the past I used to throw everything onto a pizza, but I have learnt to really appreciate a few toppings. Plus, it’s too hard to handle a pizza that is heavy with toppings, and the base doesn’t always cook so well.

I will devote a page to pizza toppings, as there is a whole wonderful world of experimentation for you here.

Cooking the pizza

1. Slide the pizza onto the stone, or into the wood-fired oven (test with some dough first to ensure it doesn’t burn – best temp is between 300-400 degrees C)
2. Wait for 2 mins, and if necessary, turn the pizza around
3. Cook for another 3 mins
4. If the base is too brown, let the oven cool slightly before continuing
5. When using a woodfired oven, if the cheese hasn’t gone golden, I slide the paddle under the pizza, and then old the pizza closer to the roof of the oven (like using a grill function)
6. Remove the pizza and place on a wooden board
7. Cut and devour!

I don’t normally like coffee flavoured desserts, but this is the one and only exception.

Of course, you will find a million and one recipes for Tiramisu, but this one I like because it isn’t very sweet.

The best thing about Tiramisu – you can make it the day before. It actually tastes better if you do. Also, you don’t need to cook or heat anything.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of coffee – I use the real thing, from a real coffee machine. If you have to, use instant, but really, shame on you for not having a coffee machine!
• 1 cup of marsala – a sherry-like Liquour now labelled as Crema, but it’s the same thing
• 500g sponge finger biscuits
• 500g thickened cream
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 500g marscarpone cheese
• Grated dark chocolate

What you will need

• Medium sized bowl for coffee
• Medium sized bowl for cream mixture
• Beaters
• Medium sized dish for serving – I use a rectangular pyrex dish

What to do

1. Mix and coffee and 2/3 of the cup of marsala together
2. Dip one sponge finger biscuit at a time into the coffee mix, only half submerging it. Don’t hold the biscuit under, and only hold it in the mix for a few seconds (this ensure the biscuit isn’t soaked, and gives a nice look when the cake is cut later)
3. Place one layer of sponge finger biscuits on the bottom of the serving dish
4. Beat the cream and sugar until soft peaks form
5. Add 1/3 cup marsala and marscapone cheese and lightly mix together
6. Place 1/3 of the cream mix on top of the first layer of biscuits
7. Then add another layer of coffee soaked biscuits, another layer of cream
8. Repeat with the final layer
9. Sprinkle with grated dark chocolate

Makes enough for 9 generous serves at least.

My friend Michelle told me this salad was good. She said it always gets cleaned up if she takes it somewhere. I test drove the recipe the other night, and didn’t even get time to take a photo. It was devoured.

So, if you are into your salads, then add this one to your list. A great way to eat healthier food, and feel great at the end of it.

Ingredients

• Small drizzle Olive oil
• Pumpkin – I am using my homegrown butternut pumpkin – diced into 2cm cubes
• 3-4 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• Bunch of chopped flat leaf parlsey
• 100g crumbled fetta (we don’t each much fetta in our house, if you eat more, add more)
• Fried Bacon bits – this is in Michelle’s recipe, but for the first time in my life, I can honestly say the salad tasted amazing without it
• 1 tin chick peas – strained and dried
• Handful of slivered almonds (or pine nuts) lightly toasted
• Couple of handfuls of Rocket – again, this was in Michelle’s recipe, but mine hasn’t grown big enough yet
• 1 lemon

• Olive oil

What you will need

• Medium sized fry pan with a lid
• Salad dish

What to do

1. Drizzle a small amount of oil in the fry pan, and cook the pumpkin and garlic for 10 or so mins. I use the lid to ensure the pumpkin becomes soft. You can roast the pumpkin and garlic as an alternative
2. Allow the pumpkin to cool (smells delishious!)
3. Add all of the other ingredients except the lemon, nuts and olive oil
4. Add a few squeezes of lemon, nuts and a drizzle of olive just before serving.

Another working mother survival style boring dinner – an oldie but a goodie. This is the sort of meal I often make to tied us over for a few nights. We don’t serve it at dinner parties, unless all of our bogun friends are coming over. But you shouldn’t knock it back just because it isn’t gourmet. As a matter of fact, this dish has ensured I survive some weeks, and the family is fed! The kids love it, and I find most kids do (plus it is too hard for them to pick out the peas, so they just end up eating it) and it’s great for babies to scatter all over the table and chairs and self feed.

This meal can be made ahead of time, frozen, can made at the beginning of the week and eaten with a snag (Aussie slag for a sausage), or fish, or a salad. Dress it up, or dress it down!

I also pack it with veges from the freezer or the bottom of the fridge. It’s a pantry meal to make when other foods have dried up.

Turn up to a BBQ with this, and it always gets eaten.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups basmati rice cooked (I use the absorption method)
• Olive oil
• 1 or 2 brown onions, diced
• 3-4 rashers of bacon, diced
• 3 -4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 carrot peeled and grated
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• Soy sauce

What you will need

• Rice cooker/saucepan for rice
• Wok

What to do

1. With fried rice, it’s good to have the rice cooked the day before. It doesn’t matter if you don’t of course. I cook the rice using the absorption method in a rice cooker.
2. Heat some oil in the wok until it’s hot. Add the egg and cook until golden brown on one side. Flip over and cook the other side
3. Remove the egg from the wok and cut into 2cm squares. Set aside
4. Brown the bacon in the oil
5. Add the onion and cook until glassy
6. Add the peas, corn, carrot on high heat until vivid in colour
7. Re-add the egg
8. Add the rice and mix all of the ingredients together, ensuring you heat the rice through
9. Add enough soy sauce to flavour 1/2 of the rice, ensuring you can still see white and brown grains. This is to taste of course, but don’t add too much soy sauce. You can always add some later!

Serves 4-5 people for a couple of dinners and lunches.

Anzac Day was yesterday, so I think it is only fitting to post a blog about the connected food item for said day!

Anzac’s are a great biscuit, crunchy on the outside, sometimes a little bit chewy on the inside. Their benefit is that they store well in an airtight container for a long before going off (as they contain no egg). They are also a great addition to a lunchbox, as they don’t contain nuts, so if your kids do end up trading their lunch, no one get’s hurt.

I also can’t understand why you would buy biscuits when you can make them yourself. They taste better, your house ends up smelling great, and you know what’s in them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bi-carb soda
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 125g butter (Mum’s recipe has margarine, but I wouldn’t touch that stuff with a stick – butter is better!)
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup

What you will need

• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon
• 2 lined baking trays
• Medium sized saucepan

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
2. Combine the oats, sugar, sifted flour and coconut in a large bowl
3. Combine the butter, golden syrup in a saucepan over gentle heat, until melted
4. Mix the soda with boiling water, and add to the melted butter mixture. This causes the coolest reaction, and is great for showing your children how cooking is chemistry in the kitchen
5. Stir this into the dry ingredients and mix together
6. Spoon dessert spoon-sized amounts onto lined baking trays
7. Cook for 20 mins or until golden brown
8. Cool on the tray before moving to a cooling rack

Makes about 2 dozen.

OK, I admit that Florentines and Sustainability, or living more healthily aren’t words that you would associate together, but let’s face it, if I am going to be bad, then this would have to be my choice of thing to be bad with. What’s more, if you make it yourself, then you know what’s in it, and it can’t be anywhere near as bad as those treats that have 51 different preservatives and colourings.

The blister in law Rose gave me this recipe for Florentines after I begged her by holding onto her ankles and sobbing. It worked. I have adapted it a little, and because I don’t measure things too carefully, it’s different every time (but always delicious).

I am really proud that I have abstained from making Florentines this maternity leave until now. Last child was breastfed on these and Coconut chocolate brownies alone. I have lasted for a whole 7 months without succumbing…but now I have lost control and well…let’s just say, eat one, eat the whole lot.

I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients

• 110g butter
• 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons golden syrup (or honey)
• 1 cup flaked almonds
• 4 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
• 4 tablespoons chopped glace cherries (as these have preservatives in them, their addition is truely optional)
• 4 tablespoons mixed peel (again, optional for those who like mixed peel)
• 2/3 cup plain flour, sifted
• 120g dark chocolate, melted

What you will need

• Saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Double boiler (or microwave) for the chocolate
• 2-3 large lined baking trays

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
2. Line baking trays
3. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan
4. Add the nuts, fruit and flour to the mix, and combine
5. Place level tablespoons on the trays, and flatten slightly with the spoon
6. Bake for 10 mins, or until golden
7. Cool slightly on the tray, and then place on a cooling rack
8. Allow to cool completely
9. Turn over and smear dark chocolate onto the back of the biscuit
10. Allow the chocolate to set before devouring!