Thai Inspired Risotto with Salt and Pepper Seafood

Since coming back from Italy I have been making all manner of Italian food - which has meant lots and lots of pasta.  "The Darlings" love it, so I figure why not?  Sometimes its best to take the road of least resistance, when it comes to meal times.

Last night though I craved something like a thai curry but with an underlying urge for seafood.  Mmmm what should I make?  I have always wanted to make an Asian style Risotto, so I decided to give it a go!

So while last night's dish may have had its origins in Italy, it has travelled a completely different path.

I used all the basic principles of a true Italian risotto, I just altered the flavour combinations.

Instead of my "soffritto" having onion and garlic, I used garlic and lemon grass with a dollop of thai red curry paste.

I still added the white wine to coat the rice, but instead of the usual chicken stock I used fish stock and coconut milk - this resulted in a lovely creamy texture.  While it may not win the MasterChef Risotto challenge, it certainly won our taste buds over.

I have used the Thermomix to make this risotto, but if you use the basic principles of cooking a traditional risotto - adding hot stock slowly, and stirring, stirring, stirring - you will end up with the same results.

Thai Inspired Risotto with Salt and Pepper Seafood

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic
1 stem lemongrass, white part only
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
30g olive oil
400g arborio rice
100g white wine
375ml fish stock
400ml coconut milk
water (to make up 1000g or 1 litre)
1 piece (approx 300g) salmon fillet, skin removed, and pin boned - cut into thin strips
3 squid hoods, scored, and sliced into 3cm strips
500g green prawns. shells removed - tails intact on 16
salt to taste
100g white rice *
2 tsp rock salt
1 tsp mixed peppercorns

chopped red chilli, for garnish

oil for frying

Firstly make your coating for the salt and pepper seafood.  Place 100g white rice, the rock salt and peppercorns in the TM bowl.  Mill on speed 9 for 1 minute.  Remove from bowl and keep to one side.

* If you do not have a thermomix - simply use rice flour, and sea salt flakes, and freshly ground black pepper.

Place garlic and lemongrass into TM bowl, process on speed 7 for 3 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the olive oil and the red curry paste.  Saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1 with the MC off.

Insert the butterfly.  Add the rice and the wine to the TM bowl, and saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees and Reverse and Speed Soft.

Add the coconut milk and fish stock, and enough water to equal 1000g.  Add 3/4 of the shredded kaffir lime leaves.  Cook for 14 minutes at 100 degrees on Reverse and Speed Soft.

Add the prawns that have the tails removed, and 3/4 of each of the salmon slices and squid strips.  Season to taste with salt.

Cook for an additional 3 minutes at 100 degrees and Reverse and Speed Soft.

Remove from the TM bowl and place in a Thermoserver, or large bowl and keep warm.

Meanwhile in a large ziploc bag add the rice and salt and pepper mixture, and the reserved seafood.

Shake well to coat the seafood in the rice mixture.

Heat 2-3cms of oil in a wok, or large frypan over high heat.  Cook the seafood in batches, until all cooked, and crisp - 2-3 minutes.

Serve the risotto topped with a selection of the salt and pepper seafood, reserved kaffir lime leaves, and chopped red chilli.

The verdict was split on this - Mr. CCC loved it the way it was, but I loved the addition of a slurp of ketchap manis.  I leave this totally up to you.

The flavours in the meal were just what I was looking for.  You have the punch of the curry, the zip of the salt and pepper seafood, and the lovely creaminess of the rice in the risotto!!!

Just what the doctor ordered!

So Dear Readers, what basic recipes have you tweaked to travel on a totally different path?

Krungthup Crab Cakes with Coconut

Yes, I know it has been a LONG time since I have posted, but I do have my excuses ready.

First of all I have been on a diet, and hence the food has really not been all that blog worthy. It has been worth it though. I have managed to lose around 9 kilos!

What have I learnt while on this diet? I have learnt that you can make a low carb approximation of rice by placing the florets of cauliflower in the Thermomix and processing them on reverse, and low,and behold they kind of look like rice - steam it and use it just like rice, or use them as a topping instead of mashed potato on a shepherd's pie! You can also make a low carb "bread" and I use that term very loosely, from whipped egg whites, and a mixture of the yolks and cream cheese. Bake them, and use them in place of bread?! All I can say is that if you are hungry enough you will eat anything!

More importantly the main reason for my extended absence has been that any spare time I have had has been spent poring over all things Italian in anticipation of my upcoming trip. Yes, we are on the countdown now, only days to go! For those of you that want to follow my adventures I will post the address of my travel blog in the next few days.

So in amongst all that diet food I did make a few little treats along the way to relieve the boredom. For me this meal was a breath of fresh air, vibrant and zingy. For DH, not so impressive. The recipe came from "my partner in crime" and she and her husband couldn't understand why, but each to their own I say!

Krungthup Crab and Coconut Cakes
Recipe from Ainsley Harriot

Serves 4

350g white crab meat, squeezed to remove any excess liquid
150g firm white fish, skinned and boned
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium egg, beaten
25g unsweetened shredded coconut
1 red long , seeded and thinly sliced
4 shallots (spring onions)
3 tbs chopped coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Chiang-Mai Thai Dipping Sauce to serve

Cut the fish into chunks, and check that there are no bones. Place the fish into a food processor with the fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and a a small amount of salt and pepper. Process for a few seconds, until a rough paste has formed.

Add the crab meat and the egg, and process for a seconds or two, until well blended.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and mix in the coconut, chilli, shallots, and coriander.

Using oiled egg rings, shape the mixture into patties. Spray the, lightly with cooking spray, and cook in a frypan that has been heated to medium high. Note that these patties will be quite sloppy, but they will firm up as,they cook. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes each side, or until golden brown, and cooked through.

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Chiang-Mai Dipping Sauce

6 tbs rice wine vinegar
4 tbs caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
2 red Birdseye chillies, thinly sliced
1 tsp chopped coriander
1 shallot, trimmed and very finely sliced

Mix together the vinegar and the sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Stir in the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

I did serve these with a small serving of garlic chilli prawns. Yum! Make them and you be the judge!

So now back to diet food. A couple more weeks and a couple more kilos to go!

Bouillabaisse in a Bag with Rouille

My loyal readers should know by now what a sucker I am for a gorgeous cookbook, especially one with drool worthy photos!!!

So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that when they recently offered a free copy of "Delicious Simply the Best Cookbook" when subscribing to Delicious Magazine - I said yes immediately!!!  I offer let my subscriptions lapse just so I can see what offers they will entice me with!!!  I have received many free cookbooks this way - a girl can never have too many, now can she???

The other day when the postman came and delivered my anxiously awaited parcel, let me tell you I had that envelope open before I had even left the letterbox!!!  My mouth was seriously salivating before going more than 20 pages into the book.  This book was full of serious food porn!!  Every page a beautiful full page photo - I couldn't wait to start cooking!!!

One of the first dishes that caught my attention was the one entitled Bouillabaisse in a Bag - my second love after food porn, is of course seafood!!!  This recipe looked right up my alley - and so simple too.  I ummed and aaghed  about how I was going to actually make it.  I did think about steaming it (in the varoma on my Thermomix) - but then decided as I already had the oven going making fresh bread I would just go ahead and cook it in the oven as the recipe suggested.  I did, however, make a couple of little alterations along the way (what did you expect?)

Bouillabaisse in a Bag
Adapted from Delicious Simply the Best Cookbook by Valli Little

Serves 3-4 (depending on how much you love seafood!!!)

12 green prawns, peeled, (tails intact, deveined
350g skinless, boneless white fish (I used Marlin)
350g skinless, boneless salmon fillet
12 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a tomato medley)
1 cup podded broad beans, blanched, and peeled
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup dill sprigs
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle


Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

To prepare the parcels lay out 2 sheets of foil for each package that you are making.  Place one sheet horizontally, and one piece vertically (you want them to form a cross).

Divide the seafood, tomatoes, beans, peas, 3/4 of the dill, and the lemon slices among the parcels.  Drizzle with the white wine and a little olive oil.  Seal the parcels, by gathering up the sides, and securing the tops well.  Add an additional layer of foil if necessary to ensure a tightly sealed package.

Place the parcels in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the seafood is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Now here is where I made another deviation to the recipe.  Valli suggested that you serve the dish with an aioli and boiled potatoes.

I decided that because I had lovely fresh bread that the potatoes were unnecessary, and I really didn't feel like an aioli, so instead I made a rouille.

What is a rouille you may ask??  A rouille (rhymes with bluey) is basically a mayonnaise type sauce, but with colour and texture.  The word rouille is french for rust - so it gets it's name from the deep red colour that the chillies and capsicum give to the mayo.  The textured part comes from breadcrumbs.  Typically it is used to enhance a bouillabaisse, but can also be served with roasted meats.  I am so glad I went with my gut instinct on this one - it was the perfect match for this dish!!!

Rouille
From Meat on The Menu, Thermomix Cookbook

70g stale breadcrumbs
60g water
200g roasted red capsicum, deseeded and peeled (approximately 2 capsicums)
1 long red chilli
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg yolk
1 tbs lemon juice
sea salt to taste
60-80g extra virgin olive oil

Place the breadcrumbs into water in a small bowl and allow them to soak for several minutes.

Place the capsicum, chilli, garlic and cayenne pepper into the TM bowl, blend for 10 seconds on speed 7.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Squeeze the excess moisture out of the bread using your hands.  Place the bread into the TM bowl along with the egg yolk, lemon juice and salt.  Blend for 10 seconds on speed 10.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the dial set to speed 4, add the oil to the reservoir, with the MC in place, and allow the oil to seep slowly into the TM bowl (taking approximately 2 minutes to add all the oil).

The mixture should be the consistency of a thin mayonnaise.

Note: you can make this in a food processor if you want.

To plate up the Bouillabaisse, gently empty the parcels into a wide, soup type plate.  Top with additional lemon slices, dill springs and a dollop of rouille.

Mmmmmm was this dish good!!!!  A slice of freshly baked bread comes in oh so handy, to mop up all the lovely garlicky, seafoody liquid in the bottom of the plate!!!

This was a lovely, tasty, easy dish to make - if you are having a dinner party and want to impress, this is one to try!!!  Why wait for a reason though - this is a good simple dish to try anytime!!!

So tell me Dear Readers are you addicted to food porn too???  Come on, don't be shy tell us all about it!!!

Swordfish with Tomato and Lemon

I know it seems like an awfully long time between posts, and that once again I am starving the family, but let me assure you this is not the case. We have been having incredibly boring meals, and time seems to be my perpetual enemy at the moment.

I did make a Japanese Tapas meal the other day, took the photos with all intentions to post, but as usual...... Well you know how it goes.

Last night 's meal however was definitely one that I need to tell you about.

I saw the idea in the current issue of Good Food magazine. It was an Ian Thorpe recipe (who knew Ian Thorpe could write recipes - perhaps he is hedging his bets in case the Olypmics don't pan out for him! Anyway, I used the recipe as a basis for my meal last night. Changed the fish, upped the ingredients.... And here is the end result.

Swordfish with Tomato and Lemon
adapted from recipe found in Good Food magazine - Recipe by Ian Thorpe

Serves 2

2 x swordfish fillets

300g tomato medley, cut into halves or quarters depending on size

1 x wedge preserved lemon, rinsed, finely diced

1 tbs oregano, finely chopped

1 tbs thyme, finely chopped

1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
70g pine nuts
1 tbs lemon juice
olive oil

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add preserved lemon, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, lemon juice and pine nuts.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.  Season with salt and freshly grond black pepper.  Set aside and keep warm.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the swordfish steaks for 3-4 minutes each side, or until goden and cooked through.

Serve the swordfish topped with the tomato and lemon mixture.

A nice addition to this meal is some golden roasted kipfler potatoes and some steamed asparagus.

The flavours in this meal were lovely and fresh.  The preserved lemon gave it a great lemon hit, which married with the meatiness of the swordfish steak was just perfect.

Those of you that have not tried swordfish should try it.  It is kind of like eating a white steak really.  If you were blindfolded I think you would have a hard time naming it as fish.

Fried Squid with Chorizo, Feta and Chickpea Salad

I really must learn to abide by the "less is more" principle.

I mean who do I think I am that I can say - why that recipe looks like it doesn't have enough of blah in it, and just up the ante on any particular ingredient I feel like? Saying that though some recipes are way too stingy on some ingredients (usually the meat/seafood factor - prawns in particular!!).

I had heard rave reviews about this particular recipe from "my partner in crime" as we have trundled around the block getting her ready for her triathlon (me - I just complained the whole way, and she just smiled and told me to suck it up and keep on going.....).  Just think about food and listen to the music and you won't notice how far it is around the "block".  Yeah, right!!

I tend to think any form of salad is virtuous - but possibly not when it contains fried squid, chorizo and feta cheese.  Still I did feel good about myself after eating this lovely tasting salad.

I am going to give you the original recipe - trust me on this - don't up the feta, and chorizo!!

Fried Squid with Chorizo, Feta and Chickpea Salad
Recipe from Delicious Magazine September edition

Serves 4

400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
75g pitted black olives, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
small bunch flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
100g feta cheese
1 tbs sherry vinegar
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
12 small cleaned squid tubes
150g chorizo, cut into slices
1 tsp smoked paprika
juice 1 lemon
1 oregano sprig, leaves only, finely chopped
100g rocket

Place the chickpeas, olives, garlic, onion and parsley in a bowl.  Crumble in the feta and mix well.  Pour in the sherry vinegar and 2 tbs oil and season.

Slit the squid tubes in half so they open like a book.  Gently score the inside in a criss cross pattern with a sharp knife, then cut into 3 pieces.

Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a frypan over medium high heat.  Cook the chorizo for 3-4 minutes until the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crispy.  Set aside.

Increase the heat to high, then, in batches, add the squid and paprika.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until just cooked, then add the lemon juice and the oregano.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, add the squid and chorizo to the salad and toss with the rocket.

This really was a lovely tasting salad - unfortunately overdoing the feta and chorizo resulted in it being a little too salty.

So now that the triathlon is over I wonder if "my partner in crime" will still persist in dragging me around the block??  I'm sure she will - if only for the "foodie gossip" that ensues!!!

Asian Style Mussels in the Thermomix

It's not so much that we haven't been eating, but I have been a bit down in the dumps of late.

As you know I have a son with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS), and for us life, and food is a constant challenge.

Well PWS raised it's big ugly head in a very big way over the last few weeks, and to tell you the truth it all just became a bit too much for me.  So anything relating to food was something I just didn't want to deal with.  Meals were produced, but I didn't have the enthusiasm that I usually did about them.  Meal time in this house can be a challenge at the best of times - but when food is the BIGGEST issue in the house - you really don't want to think about meals, or taking photos of them.

We are becoming very close to living our lives with food in total lockdown.  How hard is that going to be??  Incredibly hard on all of us - but to make it easier for "The boy who can never be filled" it is probably something that we need to do sooner rather than later.  You see life for him is one constant thought about how, and where he is going to get his next bit of food from.  This can be regardless of whether he has just eaten or not.  His brain is always telling him he is hungry.

But enough about that......

One of the meals that I made last week was a one pot wonder in the Thermomix.  (By the way I have officially graduated from Thermomix school and I did my first demonstration on the weekend - boy was I nervous - I actually think nervous is a bit of an understatement!!!).

Asian Style Mussels

Serves 3

1kg mussels, de-bearded and cleaned
250g green prawns, peeled
3 cloves garlic
1 tbs yellow curry paste
2-3cm piece of ginger
1 lemongrass, pale section only
270ml light coconut cream
400m light coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs palm sugar, grated
1 tsp sesame oil

various vegies - such as asparagus, bok choy, broccolini
Chopped coriander to garnish

Steamed rice to serve.

Place garlic, ginger and lemongrass into TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Scrape down bowl with spatula and repeat if necessary.

Add the sesame oil and saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the remaining ingredients to the TM bowl.

In the varoma receptacle place the vegetables in the bottom layer, and in the second layer place the mussels and prawns.

Place the varoma receptacle in place and cook for 20 minutes at varoma temperature on speed 3.

Place the steamed rice in a serving bowl.  Top with vegetables and the steamed seafood.  Pour over the coconut sauce.

Easy, peasy, and oh so tasty!!!!

So Dear Readers bear with me and my lapses in posting - food just can be the root of all evil sometimes!!!

What do you do when you get down in the dumps?  How do you dust yourself off and get back up again?  I'm sure I know the answer to that - food!!! Wonderful food!!!

Spaghetti Marinara

When I make Spaghetti Marinara I like to make up my own mix of seafood.  We prefer to have it loaded up with salmon and prawns in particular, however, feel free to change the amounts or varieties to suit yourself!!

Spaghetti Marinara

Serves 6

2 squid tubes (approx. weight 500g)
2 x salmon portions (approx. weight 500g)
1 x barramundi fillet (approx. weight 240g), cut into 2cm chunks
500g green prawns (with shell weight), shelled
2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes
250g fresh cherry tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
20g butter
1/2 cup shredded basil
500g angel hair pasta, cooked according to packet directions

Cut squid hoods in half, and gently score the inside.

Cut into 2cm wide ribbons.

Heat half the butter and a small amount of olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and fry gently until just starting to turn golden.  Add the fresh cherry tomatoes, and cook stirring constantly until they start to soften.  Add the canned tomatoes and gently simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until you are able to gently "pop" the tomatoes by pressing a spoon on the tomato.  Add the wine and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a second frying pan gently heat the remaining butter with a little olive oil.  Cook the salmon pieces for 2-3 minutes each side, or until just lightly browned.  You want the fish to be still pink in the middle.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the prawns, squid and barramundi to the pan and gently cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the prawns are just starting to change colour.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Gently flake the salmon into chunks.

Add the seafood to the sauce, and mix gently.  Simmer for a minute, then add the basil.  Combine well.

Add the seafood mix to the cooked pasta. Toss gently to combine.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

So what goes with a good pasta dish???  Garlic Bread of course!!!

I was inspired by a post I saw recently on Sunday's Kitchen - while mine is not the same as hers - I did use the fontina cheese, as I have not tried it before!

Killer Garlic Cheese Bread

530g Bakers Flour
2tsp yeast
300ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1tsp sugar

Knead in the TM for 4 minutes.  Remove from TM bowl place in a lightly greased bowl, and allow to sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Then into the Thermomix I popped:

8 cloves of garlic

I blitzed the garlic for 4 seconds on speed 7.

Then I added:

150g fontina cheese, broken into small pieces
1 egg yolk (reserve the white)
140g butter, cubed

I blitzed these together for 6 seconds on speed 6.

Spread this mixture out over the rolled out bread dough.

Now roll up, using the baking paper as a guide, in a jelly roll fashion.  Make sure you secure all the edges well - or you will have garlic cheese butter everywhere!!!

Place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper, and sprinkled with a little polenta.  Allow to rise again in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg white, and then brush the loaf all over with the egg white.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

and voila!!!!

Isn't that a beautiful loaf of bread????

You know we have no problems with vampires in this house - what with all the garlic we eat!!!!!

So tell me Dear Readers how do you like you garlic bread?  With cheese, with roasted garlic - or with both!!!! Do tell.

Basil Pesto Crusted Barramundi

Last night's dinner was a bit of a quick throw together.   That's not to say though that it wasn't good and flavourful.  Sometimes all it takes is just a couple of simple elements and a voila!!  Meals in minutes!!!

Firstly I whipped up a Basil Pesto Dip in the Thermomix - to make the dish even easier - you can simply pick up a tub of ready made dip at the supermarket.

After I had made the dip I decided that in order to fill up "The Darlings" a loaf of bread was in order.  If you have a good basic bread dough mix you can really add anything that takes your fancy to it. Tonight I am going to add roasted garlic and feta cheese.

Roasted Garlic and Feta Cheese Bread

520g Bakers Flour
2tsp yeast
300ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1tsp sugar
1 head of roasted garlic *
150g feta cheese, crumbled

* To roast the garlic wrap the whole head loosely in foil.   Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the garlic is soft to the touch.  Allow to cool until it is cool enough to handle.

Place the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in to the TM bowl.  Gently squeeze all the garlic cloves from their skins into the flour mixture.  Add the warm water.  Put on closed lid position and on interval (Knead) setting knead the dough for 4 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled.  Cover with cling wrap that has also been lightly oiled, and keep in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Knock down the dough.  Place the dough on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper and lightly sprinkled with polenta.  Shape roughly into the shape you desire.  Make an incision with a sharp knife into the bread dough, and place a small amount of the feta cheese into the incision.  Cover the dough back over the cheese.  Repeat all over the dough until all the cheese is used up.  You may wish to save a little to sprinkle over the top of the bread as well.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 210 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped.

As an accompaniment to the basil pesto crusted fish I made some roasted garlic tomatoes.  As you know I love those beautifully coloured tomatoes in the tomato medley - you know the ones .....

I cut these in half and tossed them in a little olive oil and crushed garlic.  Then to sweeten up the mixture I added a little of my balsamic/maple sauce - now if you haven't made this yet you must - you will find it here.

Also needed was some roasted kipfler potatoes which you will also find on the post for the balsamic sauce.  Tonight I added a few chunks of pumpkin to the mix.

Ok so while the bread is baking add the potatoes - they will take all up around 35-40 minutes.

During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking add the tomatoes and the fish.

The tomatoes should be like a thick tomatoey sauce.

The fish is really simple.  Just line a baking tray with foil (saves washing up!!) spray the foil lightly with olive oil spray.  Top with a good amount of the dip.  Bake in the oven along with the potatoes (now I have to confess I do not have enough oven space to cook all of this at once - I baked the bread first - then half way through it's cooking time I added the potatoes, then the tomatoes and then when the bread was ready I started cooking the fish).

Bake the fish for around 10-15 minutes, or until it is cooked though and flakes easily.  You may like to grill the top of it  to give it a crust - beware it browns quickly!!!

Serve with the roasted potatoes, and the tomatoes on the side.

Perhaps not the prettiest of meals (I would certainly win no points on plating up!!) but it was easy to prepare and it was very tasty.

Fish Curry with Cheese Naan

While I did so well last week, I seem to be behind the 8 ball in posts again.  In an effort to catch up here is the fish curry that we had on Friday night.

Fish Curry 
Adapted from Fish Food Cookbook

Serves 4

4 cardamon pods
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbs shredded coconut
1/4 cup oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 small green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbs fresh ginger, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 cloves
1 tbs tamarind concentrate
20 curry leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
800ml coconut cream (I used light)
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs ketchap manis
500g (with shell) green prawns, peeled and deveined
500g fish (I used salmon and firm white fish), cut into strips

Lightly crush the cardamon pods until the pods split, then remove the seeds from the pods and put in a small frying pan with the coriander seeds.  Dry-fry the seeds until fragrant and the seeds begin to jump.  Remove from the heat and tip into a mortar and pestle.  Grind the seeds to a powder.

Add the mustard seeds to the frying pan with the coconut, and toast together until the seeds begin to pop, and the coconut is light golden in colour.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until it starts to soften.  Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, turmeric and nutmeg and cook for a further minute.  Add the ground spices, the toasted coconut and mustard seeds, the cloves, tamarind concentrate, curry leaves, cinnamon sticks and coconut cream.  Stir well and heat to just below boiling point, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Add the fish and prawns and poach for 5 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and the prawns are pale pink.

Season to taste with the brown sugar and ketchap manis.

Serve over steamed rice, and with cheese naan.

Cheese Naan
Adapted from  Meat on the Menu Thermomix Cookbook

1 egg
50 olive oil
200g milk
210g greek style plain yoghurt
2 tsp yeast
600g bakers flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
grated tasty cheese

Place the egg, oil, milk, yoghurt and yeast into the TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 3.  Cook for 4 minutes at 50 degrees on speed 3.  Leave in TM bowl for approximately 10 minutes to activate yeast.

Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the TM bowl.  Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 3 minutes on interval speed.  Place the dough into a large oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees - or I used my electric pizza oven to cook the naan.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead by hand until the dough is smooth.  Divide the dough equally (approx 100g per portion)  between two pieces of baking paper, roll out the dough until 1/2cm thickness - add a small amount of grated cheese to the middle of the dough, turn the edges into the middle to cover the cheese, then roll out again.

Now either cook individually in a pizza oven, or place on a baking sheet that has been lined with baking paper in the hot oven for 5-8 minutes.

I have been a little remiss in the photo department - and I have no photos of the naan bread.  They were really popular though let me tell you!!!!

Kaffir Lime and Chilli Pilaf with Blue Eye Cod

The theme for this fortnight's Cookbook Challenge is blue!  I have thought long and hard about what I could cook that was blue.  I googled "blue recipes" - didn't have huge success there - lots of recipes for blueberry this and blueberry that - so I figured that would be what most people offered, but not me.  I could go the route of making a cake that was blue - but I didn't really fancy that idea too much.

So what did I do?  I decided to think outside the box.

Growing up in the 60's and 70's there wasn't the huge array of fish available at fish shops that there is today.  My dad was a salesman and used to travel and dine out a bit.  Whenever he went to a "fancy" restaurant (remember this is the 60's and 70's) he would more often than not order "blue eye", and then come home and tell us how good it was.  During these times it was probably one of the few fish that was served thick - like a steak!  Once blue eye became more popular we would often have it at home.  Somehow, over the years I have neglected buying this fish - I always tend to steer towards salmon or ocean trout.  But.... for this challenge I am revisiting Blue Eye - it may not be actually blue - but it does have blue in it's name!!!

Kaffir Lime and Chilli Pilaf with Blue Eye Cod
Adapted From Taste.com.au - Recipe by Emma Braz

Serves 6

60ml canola oil
1 brown onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
1 stalk lemon grass (white part only), finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
5 kaffir lime leaves (2 leaves joined = 1), centre vein removed, thinly cut (use scissors)
2 cups (400g) brown rice, rinsed drained
4 cups (1800g) water
60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
100g toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup continental parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tbs red curry paste
6 blue eye cod fillets
lime wedges to serve

I am going to make this using the thermomix - so I will give two methods.  I am also going to halve the recipe.  So the Thermomix version reflects the changes in amounts.

Conventional:
Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chilli, coriander and lime leaves, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes, or until onion softens.  Add the rice and stir to combine.

Stir in the water and soy sauce, and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the almonds and parsley.

Thermomix:

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and chilli to the TM bowl, chop for 3 seconds on speed 7, or until chopped to desired consistency.  Add 1 tbs of oil to the TM bowl and saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.  Add the rice (200g) and stir using reverse, speed 1 for 30 seconds.

Add 900g water and the soy sauce (1 tbs).  Cook for 50 minutes at varoma temperature on speed 4, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.  Make sure the MC is not in place, cover hole with a piece of paper towel.

Add the almonds and parsley and mix using reverse, speed 1 for 30 seconds.

To cook the fish:
Meanwhile preheat a large frypan on high heat.  Combine the remaining oil and curry paste in a bowl.  Brush both sides of the fish with the curry mixture.

Cook the fish for 2 minutes each side, or until just cooked.

Spoon pilaf on serving plates, and top with the fish.  Garnish with lime wedges.

So there you have my contribution to the Blue Theme.  A little bit tricky???  Does it qualify??  You tell me.

Surimi Pasta

Call me crazy - but on my last night of freedom before the marauding hordes came home I didn't feel like eating leftovers.  I really should have been taking advantage of the quiet - no one asking for dinner - no pressure to perform in the kitchen - but no - I just couldn't sit still in front of the TV and relax (I wish I had - they were back home for I swear 5 minutes, and I was threatening to send them back from wence they came!!!)

Unfortunately I did not have anything defrosted (I had planned on making a Malaysian Chicken Curry - but had put the chicken in the freezer thinking I was going to have the leftovers from my Pasta
e Fagioli from the other night).  No, that wasn't what I felt like - I felt like something seafoody - it was after all Good Friday isn't that what we are supposed to eat??!!  What should I make?  I did have some green prawns in the freezer - no too much fiddling around.  Then it hit me,  I remembered seeing a bag of "seafood extender" "fake crab" - Surimi - call it what you will -   when I had cleaned out the freezer recently -  this was going to be dinner!!  Easy to defrost (simply place on a plate over the air conditioning register for a few minutes - and voila - ready to prepare!!!)

image credit

This is kind of an old standby from days gone by - you could do this with prawns if you like - but the sweetness of the basil really lends itself well to the surimi!  I love how quick and easy this is!

Surimi Pasta

Serves 3 - 4


300g Surimi
3 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded basil (cut into ribbons using scissors)
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp sugar
200ml cooking cream
salt and pepper
200g pasta of choice (I used spaghetti)
grated parmesan to serve

Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until cooked.  Drain well.

Heat a frypan over medium high heat.  Add a  splash of olive oil, fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, and the tomato pasea  cook for 2-3 minutes, or until starting to thicken.  Add the white wine, salt and papper to taste, and the  sugar, simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.

Add the surimi, basil and cream.  Simmer gently for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.  Adjust seasonings if needed.

Toss through the pasta.

Serve in a bowl topped with parmesan cheese.

I can hear you saying - but doesn't this serve 3-4??  Yes - and yes I have more leftovers!  I really must learn to cook for one!!!  Too used to cooking for a crowd!!!

Seafood Pie

School holiday time again - a time to take a little bit of a breather from the normal routine.

Last night was very quiet in this house - "The Darlings" had gone for a sleep over - mind you they were only next door - but it made for a quit night here!!  What to make for dinner - something simple, yet tasty.  The weather although lovely and warm during the day, tends to take a dip in temperature as soon as the sun starts to go down - or is that just here in my little sleepy hollow??

A quick dash to the shops and all was decided for dinner.  The local fish shop had a tray of salmon offcuts/sashimi - so with the addition of a few green prawns it seems that a fish pie is in order.  In the current edition of Good Taste Magazine there is a Salmon and Dill Pie - it looks delicious - kind of like your Shepherd's Pie but with fish!!!

While I sort of followed the recipe - I kind of made a few changes too (would you expect anything less?!)  The first being that I was going to make majority of this recipe in the Thermomix, and then bake it.  The second major change was that I was going to add prawns to the equation, but to compound the changes there were no leeks at the supermarket - so I had to substitute green shallots.  Here is my version of Salmon & Dill Pie

Seafood Pie
Adapted from Good Taste Magazine - April Edition

Serves 4

800g potatoes, peeled, cut in to 2cm cubes
30g butter
140g cream (approx 1/2 cup) - plus water to make up 220g - just over 3/4 cup
4 cloves garlic

6 green shallots, chopped
50g flour
40g butter
500g milk (approx 2 cups)
400g salmon, cut into small pieces
500g green prawns (including shell weight)
2tbs chopped dill
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

70g (approx 3/4 cup) cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

Grate the cheese by placing the cubes into the TM bowl, process for 8 seconds on speed 7.  Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place the cream, water, garlic, salt and chopped potatoes in to the TM bowl.

Cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.  Insert the butterfly.  Add the butter.  Mash for 20 seconds on speed 3.  Season to taste.  Remove from the TM bowl and keep warm in the your Thermoserver.

Just look at that creamy mash!!

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Now comes the truly amazing part.  If you have ever made bechamel sauce, you will know that it involves melting butter, making a roux, slowly adding the milk and stirring, stirring, stirring to make a perfectly smooth sauce.  Well with the Thermomix - you just bung it all in the bowl - and voila!!! Beautifully smooth sauce!!  I was amazed!  (You have redeemed yourself Thermie!!)

So if you are without a Thermomix - sorry - you have to make a bechamel sauce - you know how * - but here is the easy way!

Place the milk, butter, flour, dijon mustard, and 1/2 tsp salt into the TM bowl.  Cook for 7 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 4.

Now add the chopped green shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for an additional 2 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 2.

Add the salmon and green prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes at 90 degrees on Reverse and soft speed.  You really want the seafood "just cooked".

Lightly grease a 6 cup capacity baking dish.  Add the seafood mixture to the dish.  Top with the mashed potato.  Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.  (You might want to place a piece of foil under the casserole dish as it does bubble up a little - well mine did anyway!!)

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lovely and golden.

Serve with steamed broccoli, or green veggie of your choice!

This was comfort food at it's best.  Cheesy, creamy, fishy - yum!!!

* Just in case you don't know how to make a bechamel sauce - here are the directions from Good Taste Magazine:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming.  Add the green shallots, cook for 2-3 minutes, or until soft.  Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until the mixture bubbles.  Remove from the heat.  Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.  Add the seafood and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just cooked through.  Stir in the dill, season with salt and pepper.

Hate to brag - but it was so much easier with the Thermomix.  But saying that - this is still a pretty easy recipe.

As there were only 3 of us home for dinner last night - there are some leftovers in the fridge that are calling out to me for lunch today - can't wait!

So tell me Dear Readers does you menu start to change as the weather changes?  What is your favourite comfort food?