Moroccan Tagine of Goat

500g Goat meat
250g dates, pitted and quartered
1 red onion, sliced
1-2 carrots, roughly chopped
4 coariander roots
1 clove garlic
pinch salt
1-2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp white pepper
pinch saffron threads
250ml water
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 cinnamon sticks
handful coariander leaves
handful slivered almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frypan



Preheat oven to 190C
Place goat meat in a large shallow dish suitable for marinating
Mix together dates, red onion and carrot and add to the meat
Break down coariander root and garlic in a mortar & pestle to make a paste
Add turmeric, ginger, cumin, pepper, saffron, water and lemon juice to paste and mix well
Pour over meat and leave to marinate for 30mins

Heat tagine over medium heat with some vegetable oil and add lightly brown the goat meat for a few minutes
Pour vegetables & marinade over the meat, add cinnamon sticks, place lid on tagine and place in oven
Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, turning meat once or twice.
Let stand for 20-30min with the lid on.
Sprinkle coriander leaves & almonds over and serve.

Serves 4-6

Source: Surfing the Menu

Chocolate Crackles

4 cups rice bubbles
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 cup dessicated coconut
3 Tbsp cocoa, sifted
250g Copha, melted, cooled slightly

Combine rice bubbles with icing sugar, cocoa and cocnut in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the Copha and mix well.
Using two teaspoons of the mixure per patty case, divide the mixture between 24 patty cases. Place on a scone tray and refrigerate until firm.
Makes 24

Variations:
Sprinkle the chocolate crackled with hundreds and thousands, various coloured sprinkles or silver or coloured cashews, prior to refrigerating

Baked yoghurt chicken with tomato, mint & cucumber salad

1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs olive oil
200g low-fat natural yoghurt
4 x 200g skinless chicken breasts

Salad
2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced
1/2 red (Spanish) onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice

In a bowl, gently fold five-spice powder, chilli powder, soy sauce, garlic and oil through yoghurt.
Coat chicken with mixture and allow to stand for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a baking dish with baking paper.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes each side.
Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Carve into thick slices.
To make the salad gently toss all ingredients. Divide between 4 serving plates, then add chicken and serve.

Serves 4 for dinner

Source: The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet

Chicken with Mustard Seed Crust and Couscous

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1 whole small skinless boneless chicken breast (1/2 pound total), halved
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup couscous
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Accompaniment if desired: Carrot, Snow Pea and Red Pepper Julienne in Honey Vinaigrette

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. On a plate combine mustard seeds and parsley and press chicken into seed mixture, coating both sides.
In a small saucepan bring 3/4 cup water and salt to a boil. Stir in couscous and let stand,covered, off heat 5 minutes.

In a non-stick skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook chicken on 1 side until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken and cook, covered, over moderately low heatuntil just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Fluff couscous with a fork and divide between 2 plates. Top couscous with chicken.

To skillet add lemon juice and remaining tablespoon water and simmer, scraping up brown bits, 1 minute.

Pour sauce over chicken and serve with carrot, snow pea, and red pepper julienne.


Serves 2.


Each serving of chicken and couscous about 365 calories and 8 grams fat (20% of calories from fat)

Source: Gourmet May 1996

Special K 26Mar03
I made this a few weeks ago and made a few substitutions. I didn't have mustard seeds so I used Dijon mustard instead. I added cumin and turmeric and served it with couscous made with stock and toasted pine nuts. Very simple mid week meal which tastes great.

Hoisin Five Spice Chicken Legs

Can be served with an Asian style slaw with these wonderful, easy chicken legs. Vegetable fried rice or even plain noodles would work well, too.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

4 chicken legs, thigh and drumstick separated
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

Preheat oven to 500°F.
Put chicken in a shallow (1 inch deep) baking pan lined with foil. Stir together hoisin sauce and five spice powder and brush liberally all over chicken. Bake in upper third of oven until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Gourmet, March 2000

Special-K
This is a great mid-week standby as it's quick, easy and delicious. Can also be made with drumsticks, wingettes etc.

Saffron Scented Chicken Pilaf

This is delicious. I used Jalna Genuine Leben European Style Yoghurt for the marinade and about 8 cardamom seeds instead of pods because that is all I could find. The rice turned out perfectly and the toasted nuts were delicious. The dish looks amazing with yellow rice and contrasting green parsley and pistachios over the top. I'll definitely be making this again.

2 chicken breasts, diced
100g natural yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
saffron
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
500g Basmati rice
1 lemon, zest and juice
3-4 cardamom pods
cashews
pine nuts
flaked almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil, extra
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
slivered pistachios

Marinate chicken breast in yogurt and cinnamon in the refrigerator for a few hours.Stir saffron into chicken stock and set aside.Add butter and oil to a large pan. Add rice and stir until coated.
Add stock/saffron and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Add cardamom pods and stir well.
Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Toast cashews, pine nuts and almonds in a dry frypan until they are golden, set aside.
Take chicken out of marinade and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the marinade.
Add oil to frypan and fry chicken until golden.
Fluff up rice with a fork, grains should be separated.
Add chicken and most of the toasted nuts to the rice and toss with two forks.
Sprinkle the remaining toasted buts, parsley and pistachios over the top and serve.

Serves 6-8

Source: Nigella Lawson

The 7 Deadly Homemade Weed Killers

“And the weeds of the garden shall be visited upon the gardener.”

I'm planning on spending some time in the garden this weekend because I've been neglecting it lately and it's starting to get pretty scary out there..

Here are some fantastic cheap & safe weed killers which are supposedly guaranteed to help you eradicate the weeds you find in your garden....so if the weather holds out tomorrow I'll give a couple a try and see how they stack up.

Boiling Water - Yep, that’s right. Plain old H2O can be used as an extremely effective weed killer. As a matter of fact, boiling water is more effective than many of your store bought weed killers in wiping out unwanted vegetation. Easy-peasy to do. Put a kettle of tap water on the stove and heat till boiling, then pour on the weeds you wish to kill.You are effectively cooking the plant in the ground. Boiling water is a great way to clear out vegetation on a wholesale basis, like driveways and sidewalks. But be warned, boiling water is not selective. It will cook and instantly kill any plant that it comes in contact with and this includes underground roots of nearby plants.

Bleach - Not only is bleach a spot remover, it is a weed remover as well. Place some bleach in a spray bottle and spray on the weed you wish to remove. The bleach chemicals will evaporate or dissipate in about two days (or less but better safe than sorry), making the area safe for planting. Again, bleach will kill anything but if you do get some on a plant you want to keep, just wash the plant off.

Vinegar - Vinegar is a great organic homemade weed killer. Either white or cider vinegar will work. The acetic acid in the vinegar works to kill the leaves on the plant but not the root. Vinegar will kill back (kill the leaves but not the root) any plant but works best on young plants because they do not have enough energy stored in the roots to regrow their leaves. If vinegar is applied to more established weeds enough times, the plant will eventually deplete its stored energy reserves and die.

Salt - It was once a known war tactic to salt the fields of enemies. Salting the earth was also used as punishment for severe crimes in several countries throughout history. The reason is because salt will kill plants and will make the ground unsuitable for future plant growth. On a small scale, you can drop a small pinch of table salt at the base of the undesirable plants. It will kill the plant but will dilute down to harmless in the next few rainfalls. On a larger scale, you can cover your gravel driveway with a good amount of salt and nothing will grow there for months.

Rubbing Alcohol - is used around the house because it draws water out and helps to evaporate it quickly. Guess what? If you put it on a plant, it will do the same thing. You will be basically sucking the life blood out of the weed. Makes you want to run right out and try it, huh? But again, rubbing alcohol is non-selective. It will kill any vegetation it comes contact with.

Corn Meal (Polenta) - Corn meal doesn’t really kill weeds, it just stops the weed seeds from ever developing. Corn Gluten is a pre-emergent, which is a fancy way of saying that is it is a seed birth-control. Corn meal scattered around an area will keep any seed in that area from growing into a plant. This means a weed seed or a desirable seed. This method is a good option for areas that you plan on planting grown plants in.

Newspaper - If murdering your weeds with chemicals is not your style, you can always smother them. Laying down a layer of newspaper at least 4 sheets thick (the more the better) will go a long way towards killing the weeds underneath. The weeds that are already there will die from lack of sun and the weed seeds will not be able to sprout because they are not getting any sun to start with.

As an added bonus, many of these 7 homemade weed killers can be combined to produce super results. For example, the boiling water can be mixed with the salt or the vinegar (or both) for a super weed killer. Use common sense when combining chemicals and make sure that there are no adverse reactions.

You can also add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the liquid homemade weed killers for added effectiveness. The soap is not harmful to the weeds but the soap acts as a sort of bonding agent and will help the weed killers to stick to the weed more effectively.

Since most of these homemade weed killers are all-or-nothing weed killers, you will need to ensure that you prevent sprays and splashes on desirable plants.

Breakfast Oats

With the weather getting a bit colder I picked up some quick oats last night and made up this yummy breakfast to eat at my desk while I checked my emails - too easy!

2 g Linseed, lightly crushed in a mortar & pestle (12 cal / 51 kj)
10 g Lucky Natural Seed Mix w. Pine Nuts (58 cal / 242 kj)
20 g (1/3 cup) Coles Quick Oats (77 cal / 320 kj)
190 mL of Zymil: UHT / Longlife Milk: Lactose Free, Low-Fat (88 cal / 367 kj)
1 tub Coles Diced Pears Snack Pack in syrup (80 cal / 334 kj)
Total 315 cal / 1314 kj)

Place oats & milk into a microwave safe bowl and cook on Medium for 1 minute.
Remove, stir and cook for an extra minute. Let stand for 1 minute then stir.
If it requires more cooking time cook on Medium for 15 second intervals until it is cooked to your liking.
Stir in linseeds, nuts & pears in syrup and stir.

Enjoy!

C is for Chinese

It was finally time for the C dinner and it was my turn to cook. I chose Chinese as it's not a cuisine that features on my regular dinner rotation and I very rarely go out to Chinese restaurants as growing up in the country we only ever had the choice of Chinese or Italian if we wanted to go out for dinner.

I wanted to stay away from the standard stir fry option so I started trolling the internet for some inspiration. I came across Kylie Kwong's recipes on the ABC website and decided on a Steamboat. I thought that being able to do all the prep work before everyone arrives and then being able to sit around the table and cook our dinner together would be great fun.

Menu:
Pork Dumplings
Steamed Chicken Buns
Chinese Steamboat
Plain Rice
Egg Custard Buns
________________________________________

Chinese Steamboat
300 g (1 lb 6 oz) squid
300 g (10 oz) organic pork fillet, finely sliced on the diagonal
300 g (10 oz) organic chicken fillet, finely sliced on the diagonal
300 g (10 oz) organic beef fillet, finely sliced on the diagonal
400 g (13 oz) snapper fillets, finely sliced on the diagonal
6 uncooked king prawns (jumbo shrimp), peeled and deveined but with tails intact

Squid marinade
2 large red chillies, halved lengthways, deseeded and roughly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
11/2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons ginger julienne
1 tablespoon lime juice

Garlic and ginger paste
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup roughly chopped ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt

Pork marinade
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine
1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
dash of sesame oil

Chicken marinade
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
dash of sesame oil

Beef marinade
2 tablespoons Chinese BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper & sea salt mix
dash of sesame oil

Fish marinade
2 tablespoons finely sliced coriander stalks and roots
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon white sugar

Prawn marinade
1 tablespoon finely diced lemongrass
1/4 cup finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger julienne
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine
1 teaspoon sea salt
dash of sesame oil

1 bunch choy sum
1 bunch green asparagus
1 Chinese white cabbage
2 cups bean sprouts
1/3 bunch mint
1/3 bunch sweet Thai basil
1/3 bunch coriander
1/3 bunch Vietnamese mint
300 g (10 oz) fresh Hokkien noodles
75 g (21/2 oz) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded

Stock
3 litres (3 quarts) water
4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and cut in half crossways
10 garlic cloves, crushed
20 slices ginger
60 g (2 oz) galangal, peeled and sliced
3 lemongrass stalks, bruised
2 tablespoons sea salt

Dipping sauces
combine 3 tablespoons oyster sauce with 1 teaspoon sesame oil
combine 2 tablespoons of each of hoisin sauce, Chinese black vinegar and Chinese BBQ sauce
combine 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce with 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon diced ginger and a dash of sesame oil

Rinse squid and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the squid down the centre so that it will open out flat. Using a small, sharp knife, score shallow diagonal cuts in a criss-cross pattern on the inside surface. Cut scored squid into 5 x 2.5 cm (2 x 1 in) pieces and place in a bowl.
For the squid marinade, pound chilli and salt into a rough paste with a pestle and mortar. Add palm sugar, pound lightly, then stir in fish sauce, ginger and lime juice. Add marinade to the squid in the bowl.

Place pork, chicken, beef, fish and prawns in separate bowls, then set aside while you prepare the garlic and ginger paste. Pound garlic, ginger and salt together with a pestle and mortar until you have a rough paste. Divide this paste between the pork, chicken and beef.

Add the five lots of marinade ingredients for the pork, chicken, beef, fish and prawns to their respective bowls. Thoroughly mix the contents of each bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Trim ends from the choy sum, then cut crossways into 3 pieces and wash thoroughly; drain.

Wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends, then peel the lower part of the stem and cut into thirds on the diagonal.

Discard outer leaves of cabbage, then slice cabbage in half lengthways, remove core and cut crossways into about 4 pieces and wash thoroughly, pulling pieces apart to separate leaves.

Wash bean sprouts and all the herbs thoroughly; drain well.

Pick sprigs from the herbs.

Blanch Hokkien noodles in boiling salted water until 'al dente' — about 4 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, then thoroughly drain again.

Arrange choy sum, asparagus, cabbage, bean sprouts, herbs, noodles and mushrooms in simple serving bowls. Place these on the table, along with the bowls of marinated meats and seafood.

About an hour before your guests are due to arrive, make the stock. Place the water in a large electric wok — about 35 cm (14 in) in diameter. Add all remaining stock ingredients and bring to the boil, simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and set aside.Finally, arrange all the dipping sauces and condiments in small bowls on the table, allowing two bowls of each.

When everyone is ready to sit down and eat, place the electric wok in the centre of the table. Reheat stock and invite your guests to choose their own meat, fish and vegetables to cook in the simmering stock, before dipping them in their favourite sauces and condiments.

Towards the end of the meal the noodles are added to the rich, full-flavoured stock and slurped.

Source: Kylie Kwong

I made some variations to the original recipe which can be found here -http://www.abc.net.au/kyliekwong/recipes/s952592.htm

Vivere

Feeling very lazy after a day of training I scanned the fridge, freezer and pantry and wasn't surprised when I came up short. I probably should've headed to the supermarket but I wasn't really in the mood for cooking and I've been wanting to test out the pasta at the new Italian restaurant in Point Cook so I grabbed the takeaway menu instead.. I'd tried a small pepperonata pizza ($8 - tomato, cheese, hot salami, olives, capsicums, chillies) last week and was pleasantly surprised. The base was crispy and the toppings managed to hold on tight, there was just the right amount of cheese and it had the perfect level of heat for a chilli lover like me! This time I tried garlic bread ($4) and tortellini pollo ($15 - Chicken pieces with roasted capsicum, mushrooms & spinach in a cream sauce). The first thing I noticed was the aroma of the delicious garlic cream sauce. The tortellini was perfectly cooked and the sliced mushrooms had been cooked into the sauce giving it a lovely colour and flavour. The only suggestions I would give to the chef would be to reduce the size of the pieces of chicken as they were much more than a mouthful and cut the slices of roasted capsicum into smaller strips - at an inch wide by three inches long it was a bit unwieldy. Vivere Restaurant Cafe Bar La Dolce Vitta Pizzeria Take Away Catering Functions Shop 129 Murnong St Point Cook Town Centre Ph (03) 9395 0520 Fax (03) 9395 0529 Mon-Sun 1130-late Sat-Sun Breakfast 0800-1130