FoodHax

on January 5, 2009

. 3 Comments

poached

I’m not sorry about the pun!

This weekend I made POACHED EGGS. This is important because a) I haven’t attempted them since I was an apprentice a good 7 years ago, and b) up until a few weeks ago, I haven’t eaten runny eggs for a very, very long time. I’m talking over twenty years.

It all started when I was making a salad and I didn’t quite boil an egg for long enough, so it was still a bit runny inside. But, I ate it; and to my amazement there was no upset stomach, nor overwhelming “eggy” taste that usually turns me off! Then there were no holds barred! The next day there were soft boiled eggs, mushrooms, bacon and spinach for breakfast. A week later there were fried eggs, sunny side up (is there a better term for fried eggs not flipped? I don’t particularly like that phrase). Then, this weekend just past I attempted the poached eggs. I failed at my first two, the recipe I was using as a reference on Taste.com.au suggested to crack the eggs onto a plate first but I found that it completely destroyed the egg white as it entered the water. It could have been the eggs that I was using (it recommends to use the freshest eggs that you can) but I found cracking the eggs into rapid simmering water helped the egg whites to set better.

So, here’s what I did:

Bring a deep frypan full of water to a fast simmer.
Add a pinch of sea salt flakes and two teaspoons of lemon juice.
Slowly and carefully crack your eggs straight into the water. I did two at a time.
Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Remove eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, hold over a sink or other surface to drain slightly.
Serve with hot buttered toast (Rye! It’s good!) and bacon. Enjoy!

See, you don’t need a Sunbeam Eggo after all!

Best Spaghetti Ever

Published

on November 4, 2008

. 0 Comments

Spaghetti is probably my all time favourite pasta. I love how it swirls around on a plate, I love twirling it around on my fork and slurping it into my mouth. I love it plain with just some Parmesan, cracked pepper, garlic and butter. I love it with tomato based sauces. I love it with creamy sauces. I love it with Pesto. I LOVE IT.

So, here is a little how to on cooking the “Best Spaghetti Ever”:

Boiling spaghetti isn’t rocket science, but I implore you not to overcook it. Test it from time to time. You still want it to have “give” in the middle when you bite into it. To give you an idea, it should take about 8 minutes, depending on what pasta you’re using. It should have a recommended cooking time on the packet so use that as a guide. Always check how your spaghetti is going by tasting it.

Melt some butter in a fry pan over a low heat. When the butter has melted (make sure it’s not too hot) add some garlic that has been sliced into thin rounds. It’s really important that the heat isn’t up too high so that the garlic doesn’t burn and start to taste bitter. Now this is the best part. YOU CAN ADD ANYTHING FROM HERE. Some diced tomato, olives, anchovies, chili flakes… ANYTHING. Once your spaghetti is done, drain it and toss it in the fry pan. Use a pair of tongs to make sure the spaghetti is coated in the butter and everything else you’ve put in there. Serve with some cracked pepper and a big sprinkle of Parmesan. ENJOY.

Kangaroo Lasagne

Published

on October 29, 2008

. 4 Comments

Finished!

Lasagne has been one of my favourites since I was a kid. When I left the Parental Nest, it quickly became one of my staples. I haven’t made it for quite a while, so I thought I’d give it a go since I’ve have quite a bit of time on my hands lately. It also helps to have an appreciative audience. This will serve about 6 people.

MEAT SAUCE
1kg Kangaroo mince (I highly recommend this, but experiment! Beef is fine, but a combination of minces works really well too.)
Diced Carrot, Zucchini, Celery, Onion, Garlic (finely minced), 100g brown mushrooms (duxelle/finely diced)
100g brown mushrooms quartered
1L Beef Stock
1 cup Red Wine
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
800g Tinned Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Tomato paste
Balsamic vinegar
Anchovy fillets (to taste! Otherwise it’s optional!)
1 Tablespoon of Pesto
Lasagne Sheets (I use Barilla purely for convenience.)

BECHAMEL SAUCE
Milk
Flour
Butter
Cheese (Tasty/Parmesan)

Fry the carrot, onion, celery, zucchini, mushroom duxelle and garlic in a large pot. While you are waiting for the vegetables to soften, fry batches of the kangaroo mince in a separate frypan on high heat.

Once the vegetables have softened, add the mince and stir through. Add salt and pepper.
Add wine and simmer rapidly for 20 mins until the wine has evaporated.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the meat sauce and cook for 1-2 hours.

To make the Bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and combine with equal amount of flour. Stirring constantly, gradually add the warm milk to make a smooth paste. Once you have reached your desired quantity/consistency, add cheese to taste.

To assemble the lasagne, smooth a layer of bechamel at the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Layer your lasagne sheets next, followed by a layer of meat sauce. I follow this by another layer of lasagne sheets, then bechamel, then meat sauce. Finish with a layer of bechamel and cover with cheese.

Put on the top level of a preheated oven at 220˚C for at least 20 mins or until the cheese has melted and formed a golden crust.

I served this with Potato salad, made with some chives, mayonnaise mixed with a bit of pesto, crispy bacon and boiled baby potatoes (please excuse my photo of reheated day old lasagne, I have an atrocious habit of forgetting to take photos of my cooking). ENJOY!

Carrot and Peanut Butter Barkday Cake

Published

on October 25, 2008

. 1 Comment

These little troublemakers turned two today.

We can has cake?!

OK!

You can’t really see it in this picture, but I sampled the cake as well. Pretty good! It would work well as a savory muffin with cream cheese icing.

Barkday Cake!
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup smooth low fat peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup grated carrot (1 medium sized carrot should be enough)
1/3 cup honey (and a bit extra for the icing)
1 egg
Reduced fat cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon Mixture into cupcake or muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 mins.
Mix some honey with three tablespoons of cottage cheese to top the cakes. Serve! Make sure you give a command first! :D Good dog!

Barkday Cake recipe taken from this website Found via the googlenets. Photos courtesy of The Poladroid Project

STRACCIATELLA con STELLINI.

Published

on October 19, 2008

. 3 Comments

I live on my own in a one bedroom flat with a somewhat small kitchen. I kept meaning to make myself this soup while I was knocked out with the flu twice in the last four weeks. A little trick that I learned from my old boss/surrogate grandfather Nello, of Nellos’ Trattoria in Cheltenham back when I was an apprentice.

It’s unbelievably quick to make, which is what holds appeal for sick and lazy bastards like me. Behold:

Boil the kettle, dissolve a chicken stock cube in the boiling water (maybe 2 cups?). Pour into a small saucepan. Alternatively you can use, and what I use often, is the premade stocks in the tetra packs. In that case just bring it to the boil in a saucepan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together an egg and a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add a dash of tobasco if you have some. Or, you could just add some pepper, or even dried chilli flakes (I couldn’t reach mine in the cupboard so I just used pepper…). There’s enough salt from the cheese and stock once it reduces so you won’t need to add extra.

Once the stock is rapidly boiling, pour in your egg stuff. Stir! Stir Briskly! The egg will break up and form little strands and clouds. You can serve as is with some toast at this stage but I add little star shaped pastas. Wait until they cook (about three minutes? Less?) obviously before you serve up and enjoy. If you have some lying around your house, toast some sourdough and rub it with a garlic clove and slather with butter!