The real ragu

I’ve blogged before about my fondness for comfort food and slow cooking. I think ragu is the ultimate winter recipe with the ultimate combination of comfort and slow cooking.

Like many traditional Italian recipes, there are seemingly endless ragu variations. My favourite version uses a mix of pork and veal mince (for flavor and sweetness), white wine, not too much tomato and a drop of milk at the end – definitely not your average spaghetti bolognaise!

The secret is long, slow cooking. I also love to add chicken livers with the meat but not everyone likes offal. I find short pasta works best with this sauce, but you could use whatever you have to hand.

As this is so good, my tip is to double the recipe and freeze half for later. As well as serving the ragu with pasta, use it to stuff cannelloni shells or as a lasagne filling.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

It is love … a three course romantic dinner in 30 minutes

I prepared this simple, yet impressive three course romantic dinner on the Kerri Anne show on the 9 Network last Thursday. To quote a cliché: minimum effort for maximum effect. 

Easy is a word that best sums up this menu. The ingredients are easy to source, the recipes are easy to follow, all three courses are easy to eat and, last but not least (another cliché) the food is easy on the stomach. Oh, and easy on the eye too.

Oysters natural, served on the shell, is the first course. They should be freshly shucked. If you are unsure about shucking oysters, ask your fishmonger to release the hinge, but keep the top of the oyster attached. Why would anyone forgo the delicious liquor inside? The oysters are served simply with a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground black pepper. 

For mains, beautiful fillets of Regal King Salmon are wrapped in prosciutto and simply baked with asparagus spears.  Eight minutes in the oven and you are ready to serve.  

Dessert takes minutes too. Top seasonal fruit – I love a mixture of blueberries and raspberries – with light sour cream or crème fraîche, sprinkle with dark brown sugar and grill or blowtorch until golden and bubbling. Serve with a crisp biscuit or wafer.

Dinner is served.

Click on the links below for the recipes.
Oysters Natural
Regal Salmon with proscuitto and asparagus
Cheat's berry brulee


Happy Valentine’s Day.

Australian Pork masterclass

Back in October I blogged about how you could win with Australian Pork.

Even though everyone wins when eating or cooking with Australian Pork, one lucky taste.com.au reader, Fotini Starvridis, was a triple winner. She won a pork masterclass, a Brilliant Cut Knife and my three latest books: Just Add Spice, Lyndey Milan’s Best Collection and Balance. Matching Food and Wine, What Works and Why.

The pork masterclass was held a couple of weeks ago. Fotini and I had a lovely time getting to know each other while delighting in lots of porky goodness.

Prior to the masterclass, Fotini nominated roast pork (with crackling) and pork larb as two recipes she would like to cook with me. I added char siew and pork belly to bring the number of pork recipes to four and to demonstrate different cuts and cooking methods.

First up, we cooked Glass Crackling Pork Belly, adapted from a recipe by chef Michael Moore.

Glass Crackling Pork Belly

Click here for the Glass Crackling Pork Belly recipe. When you make this recipe, plan ahead as the rind (crackle) really benefits from two hours pre-salting to reduce moisture and ensure the resultant crackle is ‘glass-like’. I know the method is fairly lengthy (salting and then marinating), but I recommend you follow all the steps to achieve excellent crackle and tender meat, ever so lightly scented with Chinese five spice.

Next up we cooked the perennial Chinese favourite, Char Siew Pork which we later served with noodles and vegetables.

Char Siew Pork just out of the oven

I have been cooking this recipe for many years. The taste, texture and flavour belie the effortless method and store cupboard ingredients. Char Siew Pork is so versatile – we served it warm with noodles and baby bok choy but it is equally delicious the next day served cold, sliced with salad greens and a dash of chilli soy dressing. Cook it now to celebrate Chinese New Year!

Char Siew Pork with noodles and bok choy

Click here for the recipe on my main site.
The celebratory pork rack was next. We cooked Gingered Pork Rack, a recipe from Just Add Spice. This is a great dinner party recipe that can be prepared and cooked in under an hour. The 1kg rack (perfect for four serves) is roasted and while it rests, the sauce comes together in the pan juices with the addition of ginger, cinnamon, marmalade, orange segments and my favourite Indonesian soy sauce, Kecap Manis.

We served the Gingered Pork Rack with roasted potatoes and broccolini in a pool of the gingery orange sauce.

Gingered Rack of Pork

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

The last recipe of the day was one I cooked on my Brilliant Cut Knife dvd, Pork Larb, the ten minute wonder!

There are quite a few ingredients, but all are pretty easy to find at your local fruit and vegetable shop or Asian grocery store. The sweetness of the pork mince is the perfect carrier for these strong Asian flavours. For a more substantial dish, you can add reconstituted rice stick noodles, but don’t substitute the lettuce cups – they are the perfect serving vessel.

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

The easiest chocolate almond fondant pudding ever – and gluten-free too!

Really, these delicious, gooey puddings are almost too easy! They can be mixed together quickly in a saucepan (saves washing up), spooned into greased muffin tins or ramekins and baked immediately or set aside for an hour or two or even overnight – whatever suits your schedule. One important point … before baking don’t forget to insert a square or two of chocolate into each pudding to achieve the classic fondant melting interior. These decadent puddings are excellent with cream or ice-cream or, my favourite, thick Greek yoghurt. I find the slight sourness balances the richness of the chocolate.

These crowd pleasing puddings are perfect just as they are, but if you are seeking variety, add a teaspoon of finely grated orange rind or a tablespoon of strong coffee to the pudding mixture. And, for a really unusual twist (and a little heat), add a pinch of dried red chili flakes.

The other variation I was thinking is substituting ground hazelnuts or pistachios for the almonds. I’ll let you know how it goes …

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

The pasta of spring

How many times can one welcome Spring?  First we had GLAMB and now it’s time for spring pasta or Pasta Primavera - a quick and simple 15 minute bowl of spring freshness and goodness.

I’ve used new season’s asparagus, the smallest zucchinis I could find, crunchy snow peas as well as broad beans. I do love broadbeans: the fresh variety is in season from spring right through to mid-summer but sometimes can be difficult to find. If you are lucky to find them, remember to double peel, ie remove the beans from the long pods, then blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, then run under a cold tap before peeling away the second layer of skin around the bean. Use your fingers to pop the bean out. This is a great job for the kids. If you can’t find fresh broad beans, frozen are just as good. But again, I recommend peeling away (or popping!) the skin surrounding the bean.

The sauce is the perfect foil to the fresh vegetables, based on egg and freshly grated parmesan as in pasta carbonara, with the addition of warm milk (or cream if you are feeling decadent) and freshly grated parmesan. Easy. Dinner in 15 minutes. I couldn’t be happier. And Kerri-Anne really tucked in during the commercial break!

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

The sweetest thing

I start every day with fresh seasonal fruit and while I love winter vegies, find fruit choices much more limited during this season. However, surprisingly this is the best time of year for a tropical fruit – luscious sweet pineapples.

Pineapples are a super food, high in vitamin C and low in sugar. In fact just one cup of pineapple provides the daily recommended dose of vitamin C. To my mind, eating pineapple beats taking cold and flu medicine.

When selecting pineapples, look for fruit that is free from soft spots, bruises and darkened eyes, all indicating the fruit is past its prime. While pineapples will happily sit in the fruit basket for a couple of days, after skinning and slicing you should store in the fridge for up to 6 days.

I enjoy pineapple in savoury dishes – think Asian-style pork belly or filet with chilli pineapple salsa or red duck curry with pineapple –as well as sweet treats like this dessert style cake from my recently released cookbook Just Add Spice [http://www.lyndeymilan.com/books/books.php]. The flavour is intriguing because it contains quatre epices – a seductive blend of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and black pepper which provides an interesting, complement to the sweetness of the pineapple.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Chicken & tarragon pie in 30 minutes

Winter is all about comfort food – not the we always have time on our side. This pie, however, doesn’t take that long, pleases adults and children alike and is smart enough for a midweek dinner party.

I love the classic French combination of chicken and tarragon and have further highlighted the aniseed flavour by including fennel (in season now!) in the filling and finishing the tart off with a sprinkle of fennel seeds for crunch, aroma and, of course, flavour.

A quick word on the chicken – I’m a fan of thighs for their meatiness and flavour, however breasts can easily be substituted, just be careful you don’t overcook them.

The pie is topped with filo, instead of traditional puff pastry. I like filo because it is easy to work with, quick, incredibly forgiving … and always in my freezer.

I’ve made one big family-style pie, but the recipes work equally well as individual pies cooked in ramekins – these can be topped with filo or circles of puff pastry.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

My ultimate four cheese macaroni

Comfort food, is comfort food, is comfort food. I can’t say I ever really liked macaroni cheese – until I played around and made an indulgent one. I love using different cheeses and the combination of ricotta, sharp cheddar, gruyere and parmesan is a firm favourite. While the success of this recipe depends on the choice of cheeses, feel free to mix it up. Next I’m going to try a mild blue cheese with mozzarella and ricotta.

The other reason I love this recipe is that you don’t need to make a béchamel or white sauce; ricotta is an ideal replacement to bind everything together in combination with a beaten egg. In this version I’ve also used a sharp, mature cheddar for flavour and bite, parmesan for a salty punch and a gruyere style (Australian is available) for delightful melting qualities and rich, nutty flavour.

One of the other delights is the crunchy topping – a combination of prosciutto, more (!) cheese and fresh breadcrumbs baked until golden – the perfect cover for the creamy cheese lurking below.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

My Brilliant Cut Knife makes easy work of chicken larb on Kerrie-Ann

This morning I appeared on Kerrie-Ann (Nine Network – weekdays from 9am) as I usually do on a Thursday morning, and cooked one of my favourite fast and fabulous recipes, Chicken larb with rice noodles.

Using my Brilliant Cut Knife makes this recipe extra speedy! The fine blade (a unique alloy of diamonds, silver, ceramic and titanium) makes easy work of the fine chopping involved – garlic, ginger, chilli and kaffir lime leaves – all done in a flash!

Larb is a Laotian dish that found its way to northern Thailand and is now loved across Thailand and, in fact Australia. It is a salad of finely chopped or minced meat or fish cooked gently with aromatics and mixed with a fragrant dressing. While the dressing has lots of variations, the core ingredients are fish sauce, lime juice and lots of fresh herbs such as coriander and mint. I like to include basil too, and slicing basil leaves into a chiffonnade couldn’t be easier with the Brilliant Cut Knife plus the leaves won’t oxidise and discolour because the blade doesn’t contain steel.

Larb can be served a number of ways. I like to place a spoonful in a lettuce cup (baby cos are good), roll up and eat with my fingers. Another way to serve it is over rice or rice noodles. Both are good. 

On Kerrie-Ann today I served it over rice noodles

   

  I think Kerrie-Ann and Jamie liked it!

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.
Here is some more information about my Brilliant Cut Knife

The King of Salmon

On a recent trip to New Zealand I tasted New Zealand King Salmon and to my delight have discovered that not only is King Salmon (also known as Regal Salmon) the salmon of choice for many top restaurants but it has recently hit the Sydney Fish Market’s auction floor and is available at de Costi, Aldi, IGA stores in NSW, Victoria and Queensland as well as specialist food shops and fishmongers.

Comparable in price to local salmon, it is higher in healthy Omega-3 fat which makes it difficult to overcook and has vitamins and minerals that promote good health. Fantastic as sashimi, it is available year round as whole and portioned fish, cold smoked, wood roasted and as dips and caviar. It has clean, green credentials being grown in the remote pristine waters of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand without any chemicals or medicines.

Back to my trip … we were taken on a fascinating tour of the farm and my overriding thoughts were pristine and pure. The farm is compliant to robust environmental regulatory framework and is the only salmon producing region with no antibiotics. Further, pesticides or sea lice treatments are not used and there is a pressurised water system to clean the nets rather than anti-foulant paint.

When I looked at the whole fish the fins and tails were not clubbed, this is a sign of low intensity production – these fish are free to swim around with no overcrowding. Predators, principally seals, are not treated lethally but kept out with caging and the like rather than shooting.

June = Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month

Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month – a celebration of local wine and food – is on again!

Presented by the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association this month long event includes a series of ‘how to’ classes, winemaker dinners and unique food and wine matching experiences including my Spicy Experience at McWilliams Mount Pleasant Wine & Food Estate at Pokolbin this Saturday, 19 June from 11am. Click here for more details.

The class includes lunch based on recipes from Just Add Spice matched with wines by McWilliams Mount Pleasant. There are still a couple of spaces left. Bookings are essential, telephone 02 4998 7505 or email mtpleasant@mcwilliams.wines.com.au. I hope to see you there!

As I am the ambassador this year I developed this recipe, based on fabulous local Hunter Valley ingredients including Nulkaba Farm spatchcock, Morpeth sourdough, Hunter Valley Cheese Company Branxton Brie, Pukara Estate olive oil and olives and River Flats Estate Pear and Fennel Chutney, and cooked it on Mornings with Kerri-Anne last week.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Click here for more details of the other events on during Hunter Valley Food & Wine Month.

Duo of Greek dips

I’m reliving my recent trip to Greece through cooking.

I fell in love with Fava – a bright yellow split pea puree that is usually served as part of mezethes (or mezze). On the menu they were listed as chick peas but on further research I found that fava in fact are split yellow peas. It is delicious scooped up on fresh bread. Look for the split peas at a Greek grocer, Indian market (called yellow dal moong) or your local grocery store. Sprinkle the top with some finely sliced onion (though in Greece they would serve quarters) and some good olives. I am still not sure why in Greece they were bright yellow – perhaps some saffron was added to the cooking water? Does anyone know?

My trip to Greece also reminded me how good home made Tzatziki is, rather than shop bought, especially when made with sheep’s milk yoghurt. For best results you need to strain the yoghurt – I spoon it into a fine strainer (or piece of muslin) placed over a larger bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain. The secret to this dip is an ample slug of your best olive oil.

Here is a link to the recipes on my main site.

Hummm hummingbird cake

This is one of my favourite cake recipes – I’ve been making it since I had my café back in the early 90s.

It is a southern USA speciality and while there are a number of theories behind it’s name, I like the idea that the cake was named after the Hummingbird who is drawn to sweet things – like this cake!

The addition of undrained crushed pineapple and banana makes this cake incredibly moist and it is especially delicious topped with cream cheese icing.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

The stars of food safety

Canada Bay Council Mayor Angelo Tsirekas launched their Food Safety Star Rating Project yesterday at Aqua Vista Restaurant, Henley Marine Drive, Drummoyne.

While we are familiar with restaurants being rated with chefs hats or scores, now there is an easy to understand and easy to recognize rating system to allow us to make safe food choices; whether we are dining in a restaurant, café, club or pub or buying take-away food.

This ‘scores on door’ program will publicly recognise businesses that make a consistent and serious commitment to food safety. They will be awarded three, four or five stars depending on their level of compliance with criteria, designed to ensure that only the safest businesses receive star ratings.

More importantly, it teaches owners and employees good food practice – something which will stand them and their business in good stead.

I mc’ed the launch which, along with Mayor Angelo Tsirekas, was also attended by Alan Coutts, CEO, NSW Food Authority; Gary Sawyer, General Manager, City of Canada Bay Council plus other councilors and council employees and local Star Rated business owners and representatives.

Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas with me, Aqua Vista Chef Anthony Ishak and Deputy CEO of NSW Food Authority Craig Sahlin

I hope other councils follow Canada Bay’s initiative. Food safety is taken ever more seriously and this Star Rating system is a guarantee to consumers that these food businesses have achieved a pre-determined standard which was independently assessed.

As I mentioned above, the launch was held at Aqua Vista Restaurant, who incidentally have achieved a 5 Star Rating. 

Executive Chef Anthony Ishak presented a delightful array of canapes, including this one which caught my eye as being not only quick and simple but also impressive.  Here is his recipe:

Skewered gnocchi and prawns with pesto

250g potato gnocchi, cooked until al dente, rinsed and drained
500g cooked medium prawns, peeled
Dressing
1 teaspoon pesto
dash Tabasco, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Combine dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add gnocchi and prawns, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Thread two gnocchi and one prawn on small bamboo skewers, starting with gnocchi. Serve immediately or make a few hours ahead and refrigerate, however return to room temperature for serving.


Thanks Anthony!

Quick Chicken Comfort Soup with Asian Flavours in 12 minutes

One of the things which gets me going is people saying “do you really cook a meal when you are home on your own?”. My response is “I deserve it. Why eat rubbish just because you are on your own?” I love good food and I love cooking and sometimes we don’t always have time for long leisurely sessions in the kitchen. It is also a worry that too many people don’t give themselves this respect when they are on their own, especially as they get older, when good nutrition is still important. Sure, shopping is often the issue but I have some simple, nurturing, nourishing ideas which can be made largely with things on hand. This “soup” is one of my favourites.

I love Asian flavours and the simplicity of a one-pot meal put together from pantry staples, a free-range chicken breast pulled out of the freezer and a few fresh ingredients. I vary it according to what I have to hand.

If you don’t fancy chicken, a firm white fish fillet would be an ideal substitute or go totally vegetarian with a few slices of firm tofu splashed with kecap manis.

Also, snow peas, beans or other chinese greens such as gai lan, pak choy or wombok would be great as an addition to or alternatives for the carrots, mushroom and bok choy.


Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Slow cooking rules

As the seasons change here in Sydney I’ve been taking a more relaxed and slow approach to cooking.

Not only is slow cooking a great way to transform secondary cuts and even roasts into delicious meals, but the prep time is minimal – it really is set and forget cooking.

I don’t have a slow cooker, however I know these are very popular. I simmer on the top of the stove, braise in the oven or use a pressure cooker.

Whatever you want to call the results of slow cooking – hotpot, casserole, stew or daube – the principle remains the same. It’s all about combining meat, vegetables, liquid and seasonings in a single pot – which also means less washing up! These dishes also freeze well but cool first before placing in the freezer.

Here are my top tips:

1.  Use a secondary, and therefore less expensive cut of meat. These cuts have more flavour but would be tough if cooked quickly. Long slow cooking allows the connective tissue to break down without the meat disintegrating, giving a wonderfully succulent and flavoursome result.


Beef – chuck steak, gravy beef (boneless shin), blade
Veal – osso bucco, breast
Lamb – boneless shoulder, boneless forequarter, shanks, neck chops
Pork – boneless shoulder, neck
Chicken – pieces on the bone are best, doesn’t need such long cooking


2.  For flavour and colour, brown the meat in small batches in the stockpot first. Either toss the meat in flour first, or sprinkle flour over afterwards if you are cooking a lot and be sure to brown for colour and to cook out the floury taste.

3.  Don’t overcrowd the meat when browning or it will stew in its own juices and toughen.

4.  Cut meat and vegetables into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Add quick cooking ingredients like mushrooms towards the end of cooking.

5.  Choose the right size stockpot or casserole to cook in. Too small and the liquid may overflow, too large and the liquid can evaporate too much. Choose a stockpot or casserole dish which will be about ¾ full at the beginning of the cooking process.

6.  Ensure your pot has a tight fitting lid so that too much liquid doesn’t evaporate. If unsure, tie some baking paper over the top of the pot with string and then put the lid on. Alternatively for very long, slow cooking, you can make a flour and water paste to seal the lid to the pot.

One of my favourite recent recipes is Slow Cooked Beef in Guinness – something magical happens when you combine dark beer and beef, however don’t forget the tomato paste, it is essential to add sweetness and counteract the bitterness of the beer.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti alla carbonara brings home the Australian bacon

Initiated by pork industry body, Australian Pork Limited from 15 to 21 March we celebrated Australian Bacon Week, another good reason to ensure we buy pork products endorsed by the pink square PorkMark – indicating 100% home grown and manufactured bacon.

 

Be aware that pork products labelled ‘made in Australia’ may be processed in Australia, but not actually grown in Australia. According to APL, 70% of pork product sales are from imported meat. For guaranteed authenticity, look out for the 121 Australian butchers and smallgoods manufacturers licensed to display the pink square PorkMark.

One of my favourite ways of enjoying Australia bacon is a simple spaghetti alla carbonara. There are many interpretations of this famous dish but classically it is made by tossing very hot pasta in raw eggs that form the sauce.

Click here to go to the recipe on my main website.

Going bananas

You might have seen a recent story in the Sydney Morning Herald about Australia’s most googled recipes.

I wasn’t really surprised that the twenty most googled recipes are old fashioned favourites including a couple of asian and Italian classics. Amazing too the inclusion of playdough – but it’s many years since I had to make it for my kids.

Here is the list from the story:
Pancake
Banana cake
Banana bread
Scone
Pumpkin soup
Chocolate cake
Quiche
Cheesecake
Cupcake
Anzac biscuit
Playdough
Potato bake
Fried rice
Tiramisu
Carbonara
Pavlova
Apple crumble
Lamb shanks
Meatloaf
Butter chicken