everything's better with toast

2011: day 136 (m) achaari style chicken curry | 160511

2011-05-16T23:59:00.000+10:00

Am stellar at taking photos of every meal - actually posting them, not so much.

Achaari-style chicken curry, paste from Island Curries.

Interestingly, the last post before my unintended hiatus featured the same meal.

This time I inadvertently added only half of the required tomatoes. It was still most excellent, you really don't seem to be able to go wrong with it.

New feature! The Joe/Frank rating!

J/F says: 8/10.

16.05.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 135 (su) cuban black bean soup | 150511

2011-05-15T23:59:00.003+10:00

Found an enormous smoked hock grocery shopping at Pyrmont Super IGA, so there was nothing for it, but ...

Cuban black bean soup from Women's Weekly: The Weekend Cook (p.8)

Can't say enough good things about this soup, is even easier with tinned black beans (rather than the horrid over-night soaking).

J/F says: 7.5/10 (went for seconds, but just a little too spicy)

15.05.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 134 (sa) enchiladas verdes | 140511

2011-05-14T23:59:00.001+10:00

Pre-footy dinner, so obviously time to bust out something new.

Enchiladas Verdes from the CIA

These were really marvellous, particularly with fresh corn tortillas from The Essential Ingredient. Ricotta worked well as a substitute for the mysterious "farmers / pot cheese".

J/F says: 6/10 (onions were too crunchy¹)

14.05.11

Cooked by: Don

¹J/F has a very long-held phobia of under-cooked onion.

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2011: day 133 (f) shepherds pie [redux] | 130511

2011-05-13T23:59:00.001+10:00

2011: day 133 (f) shepherds pie [redux] | 130511

Whenever we make this dish we invariably have way too much filling and our pies were rapidly outgrowing our available cooking recepticles. Don had the super-cunning idea of freezing some filling and topping it with new mash when required. Genius!

Shepherd's Pie: a recipe of our own devising - basically just lamb, onions, a tin of tomatoes, a couple of dollops of tomato paste, a carrot, peas, some herbs and a dash of worcestershire sauce.

I cannot say enough good things about this dish - the ne plus ultra of comfort food. Often we'll have roast lamb just so we can make pie later in the week.

J/F says: 8.5/11

13.05.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 082 (w) achaari style chicken curry | 230311

2011-03-23T23:59:00.000+11:00

Shopping night and uninspired for post-shopping nourishment. I'm a sucker for any sort of artisany curry paste and invariably disappointed. But, still I persist, for reasons only known to my sub-conscious.

Achaari-style chicken curry, paste from Island Curries.

Really wonderful! Quite quick. And even better for lunch the next day.

23.03.11

Cooked by: Carol.

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2011: day 081 (tu) cheong liew's braised pork belly | 220311

2011-03-22T23:59:00.001+11:00

Revisiting the meal that started off the whole blogging our meals thang.

Cheong Liew's braised pork belly from Jennifer McLagan: Fat (p. unknown - transcribed the recipe from a library book)

Still utterly wonderful, even when Don forgets to include the chilli.

22.03.11

Cooked by Don.

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2011: day 080 (m) slow-cooked lamb sugo | 210311

2011-03-21T23:59:00.000+11:00

We fully intended to have this on day 79 (sunday), but it required a little more slow-cooking than we had anticipated and we were starving and it was late, so we carried it forward.

Slow-cooked lamb sugo from Adrian Richardson: Meat (p.100)

I would argue that this is by far the cheapest meal that we have cooked. Tons of leftovers (2 lunches and 2 dinners for freezing) - we estimate the cost per meal is less than $10 (which easily feeds 3 of us).

And it is marvellously delicious. I'm very keen to explore the long, slow cheapo cooking come winter.

21.03.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 048 (th) roast chicken wings with cracked pepper | 170211

2011-02-17T23:59:00.002+11:00

This was so marvellous and simple that, for the longest time, we had it every second Friday night (babies collection evening). Then we tired of it, then Joe/Frank moved in with us and so babies collection was minimised.

And so it was that it has been a good (at least) 6 months since we've had it - well worth the wait!

Roast chicken wings with cracked pepper from Nigel Slater: Kitchen Diaries (p.138)

Doubling the recipe costs less than $10 (if you can do maths, this means that following the recipe will set you back $5!) and is utterly, wonderfully delicious.

You should totally Get On It.

17.02.11

Cooked by: Don (yay!)

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2011: day 047 (w) pork chops, mustard sauce | 160211

2011-02-16T23:59:00.000+11:00

To celebrate Don's arrival back from distant climes, we busted out an old favourite, even though it did mean that I had to visit DJs (for the cornichons) and take the long trek home on my pauvre, pauvre foot (for the pork chops & other meatly goodness from my fave purveyor of meat)

Pork chops, mustard sauce from the always wonderful
Nigel Slater: Kitchen Diaries (p.51)

So very wonderful that I photocopied the recipe for DishyBoss.

It did not disappoint.

16.02.11

Cooked by: Don (yay!) and Carol

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2011: day 046 (tu) fettucini aglio e olio | 150211

2011-02-15T23:59:00.001+11:00

I forced Joe/Frank to accompany me grocery shopping this evening. We were in dire need of supplies and I know that if I had been slaving away in distant locales, visiting Coles would not feature at all on my list of "things I would like to do when I get home", so I decided to spare poor Don the chore this week (because I am the Best Wife Ever).

But I digress, we needed something reasonably quick and effortless after all that spending, so Joe/Frank suggested ...

'Aglio e olio': fettucini with garlic and olive oil from Ed Halmagyi: Dinner in 10 (p.131).

Definitely superior with fettucini rather than the angel hair pasta of the last outing, also ten minutes is still preposterous and I have completely abandoned the gimmicky instructions.

Rather better results-wise than last evening, except for the usual way-too-juicy citrus issue (I suppose I could be plagued with worse things), which made the dish more than a little too lemony.

15.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 045 (m) nachos | 140211

2011-02-14T12:59:00.002+11:00

Just Joe/Frank and I this evening (my beloved being in Melbourne again). With leftovers from Saturday evening's burritos in the fridge there was nothing for it, but ...

Nachos! with the usual accompaniments.

I truly think I lose a good deal of cooking mojo when Don is not here. Though they were quite tasty, the corn chips were somewhat soggified in places.

Must focus on doing better tomorrow (lest I end up with a complex!)

14.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 044 (su) lancashire hot pot | 130211

2011-02-13T23:59:00.000+11:00

It was cold! It was rainy! We had a couple of kidneys in the freezer! We needed comfort!

Lancashire HotPot from Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall: Meat (p.290) & Adrian Richardson: Meat (p.96). More Adrian than Hugh, though with Hugh's kidneys and Worcestershire sauce

Golly! this was To Die For! Utterly and completely amazing! So much better than the last time we had it. I made Don run to Adrian's book and annotate it. I cannot wait to have it for lunch tomorrow.

13.02.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 043 (sa) burritos | 120211

2011-02-12T23:59:00.001+11:00

There's been a distinct lack of creativity in the meal department this year and tonight was no exception to the trend.

We were all heading out to see a play and needed something simple to tide us over.

Burritos - thanks as always to old el paso.

The good news is that leftovers means there is nachos in our future (predictable, much?)

12.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 042 (f) fettucini arrabiata | 110211

2011-02-11T23:59:00.002+11:00

Don back from Melbourne, babies all in situ, no time for grocery shopping and the cupboards were looking rather bare. Raided the freezer for Don's bacon (almost gone, so must nag him to make more) and chillis from the babies' step-mom's garden (which freeze very well indeed).

Fettucini arrabiata (really must do something about those chipped plates) - a recipe of my own devising.

Simple, delicious & perfect for a Friday evening.

11.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 041 (th) cassoulet [redux] | 100211

2011-02-10T23:59:00.001+11:00

Don is in Melbourne tonight and I was out for a (surprisingly, very) quick drink after work with assorted SaltMinesLimited slaves so I raided the freezer and came up with Mystery Casserole (we do endeavour to label all the leftovers but this seems to have fallen through the cracks!).

I chucked some rice in the rice-cooker as an accompaniment while we reheated whatever it was.

Turns out Mystery Casserole was cassoulet, which I don't remember cooking at all (reason 74 why I should regularly update this blog!). I think we can all agree that it photographs in a none-too-appetising manner, but didn't taste too bad at all - though could have done with a wee bit of oomph.

10.02.11

Cooked by: ?
Reheated by: Carol.

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2011: day 040 (w) ling with thai lime dressing | 090211

2011-02-09T23:59:00.002+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Baked Ling fillets with thai lime dressing and rice.

Thai Lime dressing from the fabulous Donna Hay: beef, lamb + pork (p.90). Even if you didn't have the good fortune to find this on the footpath, you should totally Get On It!

The dressing/sauce was a little overwhelming for a white fish - would have been totally stellar with salmon or tuna, which we definitely plan to do.

09.02.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 039 (tu) waygu beef burgers | 080211

2011-02-08T23:59:00.000+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Wagyu beef burgers feat: beetroot (for me <3, Don and Joe/Frank are totally beetroot h4t3rz). Burger patties from our fave purveyors of meatly goods. Buns from our fave purveyors of bunly goods

Totally easy & totally wonderful!

08.02.11

Cooked by: Don (I think)

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2011: day 038 (m) lamb tikka masala | 070211

2011-02-07T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Lamb tikka masala with lime pickle and yoghurt - yay for the ever-brilliant Pataks paste

Very long, slow cooking is the key here. Fabulous as ever!

07.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 037 (su) roast chicken | 060211

2011-02-06T23:59:00.003+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Taking advantage of the cool change after the hottest run of days on record.

Roast chicken with roasted tomato, carrot and zucchini and potatoes roasted in christmas goose fat.

The fat from Gavin makes for truly, truly wonderful potatoes - honestly it would be worth cooking an entire goose again for that alone.

06.02.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 036 (sa) lasagne | 050211

2011-02-05T23:59:00.000+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

What precisely possessed us to cook this on the hottest night on record, I have no idea. Maybe because it was already like the inside of an oven in the haus (the flat is truly a heat sink), so having the actual oven on for an hour didn't make much difference to the unpleasantness - oh for airconditioning.

Lasagne from Coles (I really must take note of the brand!)

Surprisingly very delicious and our go-to convenience/can't be bothered cooking food.

05.02.11

Cooked (heated) by: Carol

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2011: day 035 (f) welsh rarebit | 040211

2011-02-04T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

It was ridiculously hot, we were tired, it was late. The fridge cupboards were quite bare, then I remembered this recipe:

Welsh Rarebit from the brilliant Glutton for Life

Quite delightful and hit the spot, but was a little insipid, I think our mustard powder and using Carlton Draught rather than a hearty ale were largely to blame. Will adjust for punch next time.

04.02.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2011: day 034 (th) thai basil and beef salad | 0302114

2011-02-03T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

And the hot weather continued ...

Thai basil and beef salad from Donna Hay: beef, lamb + pork (p.42)

This is stunningly good - particularly with fresh basils from our very own rancho farmo. We added baby spinach to the leaves make it a bit less intense.

03.02.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 033 (w) scotch fillet with salad of heirloom baby tomatoes | 020211

2011-02-02T23:59:00.003+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Hot.

Scotch fillet with salad of heirloom baby tomatoes.

The tomatoes were simply wonderful! Of course, now I can't find them anywhere.

02.02.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 032 (tu) crust pizza | 010211

2011-02-01T23:59:00.001+11:00

Absolutely, ridiculously hot and no-one felt inclined to cook. So to the computer ...

Italian Sausage Chicago Deep Dish and Meat Deluxe (with tomato base).

The first pizzas we've ordered from Crust.

Love, love, love that you can order and pay online - so civilised.

Rather underwhelmed by the pizzas. Our beloved Perry's still has no competition.

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2011: day 031 (m) linguine and prawns with roast chili oil | 310111

2011-01-31T23:59:00.002+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

linguine and prawns with roast chili oil from Marie Claire: Comfort (p.137)

Always wonderful! Super simple and super fast particularly if you can obtain chili olive oil!

31.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2011: day 030 (su) cuban black bean soup | 300111

2011-01-30T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Needed to top up the stash in the freezer. Horribly hot weather, but the results were well worth it.

Cuban black bean soup from Women's Weekly: The Weekend Cook (p.8)

This is so very good - and even more simple (and superior) with the replacement of dried black beans with canned. I do so hate soaking beans overnight, I inevitably forget to do so and they are often chalky.

30.01.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 029 (sa) duck breast with celery, apples and pecans | 290111

2011-01-29T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Yet another unbearably hot day. Quick meal after a late afternoon at the movies with the babies.

Duck breast with celery, apples and pecans from Marie Claire: Fresh + Fast (p.140)

I can't even convey how good this is. The flavours! The crunch! Wonderful.

29.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 028 (f) spicy durban chicken curry | 280111

2011-01-28T23:59:00.003+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Bessie collection evening. Effortless food required after a hard week and long drive.

Spicy Durban chicken curry from Something South African with turkish bread.

We've tried all the varieties in this range and adore every one of them. They've made us all totally review our snobby views regarding simmer sauces (though admittedly we've not tried any other brands)!

28.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 027 (th) new york steak with salad of heirloom baby tomatoes and mixed leaves | 270111

2011-01-27T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

I think this was post-grocery shopping.

New York steak with salad of heirloom baby tomatoes and mixed leaves.

Love those tomatoes and the shave of parmesan! Poor Donaldo lost his steak mojo and this was rather over-cooked (HP sauce to the rescue for he and Joe/Frank).

27.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 026 (w) beef guerrero burritos | 260111

2011-01-26T23:59:00.001+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

An exception to the new no photos of take-away rule.

Beef guerrero burritos from the brilliant Guzman y Gomez

Public Holiday!! Swung by Newtown after collecting Joe/Frank from an afternoon of Australia Day shenanigans with his pals. A most excellent departure from our usual chipotle pork.

26.01.11

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2011: day 025 (tu) spaghetti bolognaise | 250111

2011-01-25T23:59:00.003+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Spaghetti bolognaise - a recipe of my own devising.

We always try to have some pork in the freezer for bolognaise emergencies. Is excellent for when we are completely uninspired regarding dinner.

25.01.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 024 (m) phở | 240111

2011-01-24T23:59:00.003+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Stock made the day prior.

Phở mostly from viet world kitchen

Simply fantastic, rivals the professionals.

24.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 023 (su) gumbo | 230111

2011-01-23T23:59:00.002+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

Gumbo! from various sources on the InformationSuperHighway

Another fave and even after our multiple helpings, there was still 2 litres left for the freezer.

23.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 022 (sa) kashmiri lamb shank curry | 220111

2011-01-22T23:59:00.002+11:00

Retrofit Post: trying to fill the blog with past meals with not a lot of commentary.

We made a pact this year to avoid Broadway Shopping Centre on the weekend unless absolutely necessary. Our recent weekend top-up shops tend to be at Super-IGA at Pyrmont, easy parking, comparatively little traffic and no crowds (hurray for everyone!). So we're exposed to a good deal of wankastic foods that we might not ordinarily be ...

Kashmiri lamb shank curry from Harvest Ingredients

Had very high expectations - which were dashed a little. It proved somewhat disappointingly insipid, though I think the meat to curry ratio was largely to blame. I'd definitely try again with a good deal fewer shanks.

22.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2011: day 014 (f) west texas stacked enchiladas | 140111

2011-01-14T23:59:00.001+11:00

Part of our not-resolution to very occasionally avoid consuming animals this year.

West texas stacked enchiladas from Homesick Texan. That blog has some seriously fabulous looking food!

Don froze half of the sauce from the last time he made these (which if I had been updating last year's meals, would be able to link to), so they were super-quick to put together. Eggs from Bessie's chickens!

These are just brilliantly yummy!

I really do covet a Giant Freezer (and the space for same) from which, when we were either busy or lazy, we could magically pull all manner of wonderful meals we had thoughtfully prepared earlier.

14.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 013 (th) chicken burgers | 130111

2011-01-13T23:59:00.001+11:00

Grocery Shopping night (we are desperately trying to get away from weekend grocery shopping), mindless and quick was in order!

Chicken burgers - burger patties from Lenards, buns from Bakers Delight

Really did hit the spot!

13.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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2011: day 012 (w) cuban black bean soup [redux] | 120111

2011-01-12T23:59:00.001+11:00

I had to drive Bessie home to the suburbs from her holiday with us, Don was feeling poorly, so simple was the word of the day. To the freezer, batman!

Cuban black bean soup from Women's Weekly: The Weekend Cook. Served with mini-flour tortillas.

This is really wonderful, very cheap and freezes particularly well. I generally try to make a batch just so we can have it on hand for just such and occasion.

12.01.11

(originally) cooked by: Carol
Reheated by: Don

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2011: day 011 (tu) pasta e piselli | 110111

2011-01-11T23:59:00.001+11:00

Utterly overwhelming first day back at the SaltMinesLimited.

Pasta e pisilli - from Good Weekend Magazine March 21, 1998 (yes, really!). Given that it is so very old, I've included the recipe below.

We used the stock I made yesterday (yes! for the first time ever I made the stock!).

It definitely was worth saving the recipe for all those years - this is particularly delicious and very inexpensive! Is best served with a crusty loaf, which we forgot on this occasion.

11.01.11

Cooked by: Don

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Pasta e piselli (Jill Dupleix)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced into rings
4 slices proscuitto or pancetta, cut into strips
we usually use a hunk of Don's pancetta, diced into wee cubes
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 litre chicken stock, heated
200g instant lasagne, or 1 cup small, dried pasta
we always use lasagne
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp butter

Heat olive oil and fry onion until soft but not browned. Add pancetta and peas and toss well. Pour hot chicken stock on top and cook for 10 minutes or until peas are cooked.
Cook pasta in plenty of simmering, salted water until just tender. Drain and add pasta to the broth. Add basil, sea salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until pasta is soft.

Serve with a fork and spoon, adding a little butter to each dish for a touch of richness. It should be almost, but not quite, soupy. Feeds four.

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2011: day 010 (m) steak with spiced potatoes and baby asparagus | 100111

2011-01-10T23:59:00.001+11:00

Something quick and mindless on the last day of hols before heading back to the SaltMinesLimited.

Steak with spiced potatoes and baby asparagus. Spiced potatoes from Marie Claire: Spicy (p.78) - I generally change the recipe up slightly and chuck in cumin seeds and the juice of half a lemon (stops everything sticking to the pan).

10.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2011: day 009 (su) barbequed pork ribs with potato salad | 090111

2011-01-09T23:59:00.001+11:00

It was a beautiful summer's day, we had ample time on our hands, so it was time to bust out a firm favourite!

Barbequed pork ribs with potato salad. Really quite complicated ribs recipe from various internet locales, potato salad a recipe of Don's devising (dressing is american mayo, dijon mustard and dill - mix to taste).

In the past these have been just a little too hot/spicy for us (I know! We love spice!). This time Don dialled down the hotness a touch to brilliant effect. These were falling off the bone marvellous and the complex, smokey flavours were to die for!

09.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Bessie

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2011: day 008 (sa) chipoltle pork burritos | 080111

2011-01-08T23:59:00.001+11:00

First eating-out (so no photo) post of the year!

A quick bite on the way to see The National at the Enmore.

Chipoltle pork burritos with guacamole from Guzman y Gomez.

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2011: day 007 (f) lamb tikka masala | 070111

2011-01-07T12:59:00.000+11:00

No-one would suggest anything for dinner, I reached into the freezer for steak and found diced lamb instead - curry = excellent!

Lamb tikka masala - thanks pataks! Accompanied by lime pickle, yoghurt + bananas with shredded coconut.

We've found the secret to making this utterly wonderfully fabulous is cooking for a good 2 hours at least. To Die For.

07.01.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 006 (th) piri-piri chicken drumettes with zucchini fritters | 060111

2011-01-06T12:59:00.002+11:00

Busted out the freebie cookbook once again at the behest of Joe/Frank.

Piri-piri chicken drumettes with zucchini fritters from Ed Halmagyi: Dinner in 10 (p.106)

Truly, this book is a travesty. We're all pretty experienced cooks and the whole 10 minutes schtick is utterly ridiculous and spoils what could be quite a good book.

Nonetheless, taste-wise it was really very lovely. But if we'd want to have it again, we'd need to re-write the whole method, or anything else in the book.

06.01.11

(photo obviously went out in sympathy too!)

Cooked by: Bessie and Joe/Frank and Don and Carol

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2011: day 005 (w) aglio e olio | 050111

2011-01-05T12:59:00.001+11:00

Bessie wanted to cook something for dinner and after trawling through the cookbooks arrived at this:

'Aglio e olio': angel hair pasta with garlic and olive oil from Ed Halmagyi: Dinner in 10 (p.131)

We'd never heard of this dude (tv's favourite chef according to the cover?), but they were offering his book as a freebie at Broadway if you spent over $30 on groceries, so who could resist?

Really quite delicious indeed (J/F particularly enjoyed it), and extremely inexpensive (!) but we would do the following next time:
- halve the pasta (800g is ridiculous - we have TONS leftover)
- use spaghetti, not angel hair
- double the olive oil
- double the breadcrumbs

Also, the 10 minutes is utterly preposterous, unless you don't include the 20 minutes to prep all the ingredients in your timing!

05.01.11

Cooked by: Bessie and Carol and Don

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2011: day 004 (tu) nachos | 040111

2011-01-04T23:59:00.001+11:00

One of the more fabulous things about leftover carnitas! is ...

Nachos!

Carnitas, onion, burrito mix, mexe-beans, refried beans, corn chips and grated cheese - with the usual accompaniments.

Was super-delicious!

04.01.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 003 (m) lasagne-inspired pasta bake | 030111

2011-01-03T23:59:00.002+11:00

Busted out a very, very long time family fave - probably older than Bessie. I have no idea of the origins of this, but I have a very vague remembrance of it being from side of a pasta packet.

Lasagne-inspired pasta bake.

Essentially just curly pasta shapes, bolognaise sauce and bechamel sauce - two layers of each, covered in breadcrumbs and grated cheese, cooked in a 180^oC oven for about 30 minutes.

Takes a good deal of time (but totally worth the effort) - fortunately the weather was extremely cooperative by being rains-ish and much cooler than over the previous terribly hot days!

03.01.11

Cooked by: Carol

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2011: day 002 (su) waygu burgers with twice cooked chips | 020111

2011-01-02T23:59:00.003+11:00

Waygu burgers with twice cooked chips.

Just Perfect!

Burgers from the fabulous Glenmore Meats, burger buns from Bakers Delight, chips method via the lovely Joan.

02.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2011: day 001 (sa) lamb cutlets with caesar inspired salad | 010111

2011-01-01T23:58:00.004+11:00

To my complete astonishment, I actually photographed every meal (with two hospital exceptions) we ate last year - though, of course, the posting of them here has been astonishingly slackardly!

And so after family caucusing, I'm back for another year, although the rules are changed just a little - no more posting photographs of restaurant meals (I do so hate whipping out the camera in !), but I'll still post the visit. And I hope I will catch up on last year at some time over this year!

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Anyway - on with the foodz ...

We fired up the BBQ for one of Bessie's faves in honour of the first day of her holiday visit.

Lamb cutlets marinated in lemon and rosemary with a caesar-inspired salad* feat Don's bacon and eggs from Bessie's suburban chickens.

I cannot even begin to explain how much my children utterly and completely loathe iceberg lettuce - they really adored this salad, which I must say was really quite fine.

01.01.11

Cooked by: Don and Carol

Also, we purchased a microplane with the Christmas dosh from MaidenAunt and it made grating the parmesan wonderfully, fabulously simple. Coveting another, chunkier one! Really, get out and get yourself one (or three).

*Don insists that a proper caesar salad has cos lettuce and we only had iceberg in the crisper.

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2010: day 297 (su) chicken and vegetable pot roast

2010-10-24T12:01:00.002+11:00

It was an absolutely, utterly freezing day (dear weather, could we have a Spring yet?), which called for something pot-roasty.

Chicken and vegetable pot roast from Marie Claire: Comfort (p.146)

To our dismay, we could not actually identify a turnip in the fruit + veg (what we assumed was a turnip was actually a swede) and had to resort to the InformationSuperhighway for assistance.

Unsure whether we will have this again. Don and Joe/Frank quite dug it, but I found it a little meh and uninspiring. Nonetheless, the leftover vegies will make utterly spectacular bubble and squeak to accompany a steak later in the week.

24.10.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 296 (sa) carnitas with frijoles negro

2010-10-23T12:01:00.000+11:00

Carnitas from Hot Sauce Blog, frijoles negro from a handwritten, photocopied recipe handed out at Harris Farm Markets.

Served with guacamole (Don's recipe) and salsa fresca (again, Don's recipe) and loads of sour cream.

It was the first time we'd tried this with pork neck and it is infinitely superior to pork shoulder - needs longer cooking time, but is amazingly, wonderfully tender.

23.10.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 295 (f) pasta e piselli

2010-10-22T12:00:00.001+11:00

I've been carrying this recipe around for twelve and a half years because it looked so fabulous, but only tried it for the first time earlier this year.

It was absolutely worth holding on to.

Pasta e piselli, Jill Dupliex from Good Weekend March 21, 1998. Served with a crusty sour-dough loaf.

I should scan and post the recipe, because it is really most excellent (especially with proper chicken stock and using pancetta to replace the prosciutto).

22.10.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 294 (th) chilli con carne (redux)

2010-10-21T12:00:00.001+11:00

If we don't want to be eating at midnight, Thursday night grocery shopping requires fast meals of little effort, so we headed to the freezer.

Chilli con carne from BBC: Comfort Food¹ (p.25)

This has been a firm fave since, I think, 2005. It is probably not the most authentic of chillis, but is very comforting, tastes marvellous and freezes excellently.

(originally) Cooked by: Carol
Reheated by: Don

¹Am almost certain this is the same book.

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2010: day 293 (w) lamb fillet with green pea curry

2010-10-20T12:00:00.000+11:00

We've become so accustomed to everything we cook being wonderful, that when something is quite ordinary, it comes as rather a shock!

Lamb Fillet with green pea curry from the horribly-styled
Marie Claire: Fresh + Fast (p.149)

The lamb backstrap was beautifully tender, but the pea curry - no depth of flavour and really very bland. We won't be repeating!

20.10.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 292 (tu) scotch fillet with purple dutch carrots and sauteed mushrooms

2010-10-19T12:01:00.000+11:00

The strange quality of light you notice in the photograph below is because, astoundingly, we ate dinner during daylight hours!

Scotch fillet (have to keep the iron up!) with purple dutch carrots and sauteed mushrooms.

We had purchased the mushrooms for the previous Saturday's beef bourguignon, but failed to include them, so Don sauteed them in butter and a little verjuice. I'm normally not a huge fan of mushrooms, but these were fabulously good. And the purple carrots were great, but left the plate looking a wee bit monochromatic!

19.10.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 291 (m) harissa lamb cutlets with cous cous

2010-10-18T12:01:00.001+11:00

My new negotiated working hours mean that I can do a little dinner prep when I arrive home - which I think will lend a bit of variety to weekday dinners because there won't be such a time crunch.

Harissa lamb cutlets with cous cous and salad(!)

Yes, green stuff makes a rare appearance to the plate!

The lamb is really very easy and is just a matter of marinating with a bit of pre-prepared harissa (brand doesn't really matter) and olive oil, quickly seared on both sides, covered with a bit of passata rustica and put in the oven for about 20 minutes until the passata caramelises a bit.

18.10.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 290 (su) green chilli and lemon chicken with cous cous

2010-10-17T12:01:00.001+11:00

We don't ordinarily cook such simple meals on the weekend, but the coriander was on its last legs and we were loath to waste it.

Green chilli and lemon chicken with cous cous from Marie Claire: Fresh + Fast (p.134)

I've mentioned my hatred of the styling of this book on numerous occasions, but by golly, we've had some lovely meals from it! This is a really fresh and simple meal for a spring evening.

17.10.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 289 (sa) beef bourguignon

2010-10-16T12:01:00.003+11:00

Retro goodness! We're trying to fit in the last casseroles of the season before it becomes too unbearably hot to have the oven on for hours.

Beef bourguignon from Stephanie Alexander: The Cook's Companion (p.156) served with boiled chats in parsley butter and crusty loaf.

We got quite distracted and left this in the oven about an hour longer than it required. It was definitely not the recommended consistency, and we did not add the mushrooms for the last 30 minutes of cooking, but holy goodness, it was utterly wonderful. And actually, I think the extra caramelisation made it just that more delish!

Definitely a do again, being mindful of the timer!

16.10.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 288 (f) beef massaman curry

2010-10-15T12:01:00.001+11:00

Don was out at a colleague's farewell, Joe/Frank had been driven to his Dad's in the 'burbs (so I was exhausted from driving: stupid surgery recovery) and the wind was ghastly, howling and scarifying, so I settled for the easiest takeaway I could find.

Beef massaman curry from Deli's Thai, Glebe.

In retrospect, I really wish I had just made the effort to venture further afield - bland, unflavoursome and basically just uninteresting.

15.10.10

Cooked by: dude at Deli's Thai (381a Glebe Point Rd)

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2010: day 287 (th) salami and mushroom pizza

2010-10-14T12:01:00.001+11:00

I was out boozing with Heather and NotHeather at the utlra-boring farewell of a colleague. We realised that we have morphed from the SaltMinesLimited cool kids to the little old ladies because we sat about talking mortgages, self-managed superannuation schemes and rice cookers!

Don and Joe/Frank, who consider Too Much Pizza Is Barely Enough ordered a mushroom and salami pizza from the always fabulous Perry's Pizza (9660 8440 / 381 Glebe Point Road).

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No photo because no-one seems to remember to take them when I'm absent.
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14.10.10

I heated up the leftovers when I arrived home at 11pm. Just what I needed after all those (very watered-down) Carlton Draughts!

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2010: day 286 (w) chicken tulbagh tomato bredie

2010-10-13T12:01:00.003+11:00

Seriously, we cannot get enough of these simmer sauces. The key to this was pre-heating the oven before we headed out for grocery shopping - then it was simply a matter of browning the meat, chucking in the sauce and into the oven. Then putting on some rice 20 minutes in (really, if you do not own a rice cooker, you should race out and get one now, I'll wait)

Chicken Tulbagh Tomato Bredie from Something South African. Served with turkish bread - which may be a little insane, but actually works fabulously as a naan substitute (far superior to the pre-packaged naans that are about).

13.10.10

Cooked by: Don (while I unpacked the groceries)

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2010: day 285 (tu) salami and three cheese pizza feat. baby asparagus

2010-10-12T12:01:00.001+11:00

We were exhausted after long days at work, home-made pizza was simple and delicious and really spoke to us. And we had most of the ingredients on hand.

There was some baby asparagus in the crisper which we had no firm plans for, so I thought we should add it.

Don was skeptical.

He was right to be so.

While the asparagus was not at all dreadful, it really didn't add anything either. But hey! we ate some green vegetables!

12.10.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 284 (m) vermicelli meatball soup

2010-10-11T12:01:00.001+11:00

Took a chance on this one because we're always skeptical of magazine articles titled with variations of "quick dinners", but the accompanying picture looked rather good.

Vermicelli chicken meatball soup from BBC Australian Good Food magazine: May 2010 (p.37)

To our delight, it was really lovely! The meatballs were very tender and the broth spectacularly comforting.

Though the prep of the meatballs was a bit of a pain and took a little longer than suggested, we'll definitely have this again. Another one to add to the list of recipes I'll scan and post at a later date.

11.10.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 269 (su) don's corned beef + white sauce + vegies

2010-09-26T12:01:00.001+10:00

My husband, he is a genius, as I think you all know.

Last weekend he decided he would make his own corned beef from scratch. So he duly made his spice mix, picked up a large brisket from our favourite purveyors of dead animals and set it to brining in the fridge for a week, where it took up a great deal of room.

He used a combination of recipes/instructions from Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall: Meat and Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn: Charcuterie.

After the week was over, the eventual cooking of the beef was based on our favourite Corned Beef with White Sauce recipe from Marie Claire: Comfort (p.151) which we've tweaked a little over time.

Don really does not care for white sauce at all, but that is my favourite corned beef accompaniment, so I've annotated the recipe with a large "make white sauce because you're worth it". Because I am and because it is yummy (although I just freestyle and don't follow the Marie Claire recipe).

I will just say at this point that we will never, ever buy pre-corned beef again. This was the most marvellous, marvellous thing. So pink! So tender! So fabulously awesome!

Of course now Don has made yet another rod for his back (what with the stocks and the smoked bacon and the pancetta &etc). Unfortunately he will use the leftovers to make the not-at-all-to-my-taste Reuben sandwich.

26.09.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 268 (sa) welsh lamb pie

2010-09-25T12:00:00.003+10:00

It was the footy grand final! So, of course, we had to have pie!

Welsh Lamb pie from Pies: Sweet and Savoury (p.79) attempting to find link

It was a rather hot day, so not so great for pastry-making, but I coddled it terribly and it worked out quite well indeed.

It really is a wonderful pie, I'd say definitely the haushold favourite. All the prep, particularly finely slicing the leeks, is a bit of a bugger though. I am very glad that my husband has m4d prepping sk1llz and does not find chopping things up at all tiresome!

rustic!

Of course the question is, given that the grand final was a draw, will it be pie again next Saturday?

25.09.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 267 (f) potato, spinach and salami frittata

2010-09-24T12:01:00.000+10:00

Day two of the "get my cooking mojo back" project and it really did reinforce that despite what I might believe, in no way at all can I multi-task after a couple of glasses of wine. Or, in fact, at all! One thing at a time, woman!

Despite my panic, of course, everything turned out perfectly and not overcooked at all.

Potato and Spinach frittata from Marie Claire: Comfort (p.69) with added salami.

I used to be quite terrified of eggy dishes like this, but this recipe, first tried way back in January has really cured me of that fear. Who knew frittata was so simple?! And comforting?! The added salami, I think, gives it a bit of added flavour dimension, but it is quite marvellous without.

24.09.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 266 (th) orange cake [snacks edition (2)]

2010-09-23T12:20:00.001+10:00

Of all things I cook, I find cakes are rarely wildly successful the first time you give a recipe a whirl, but once is usually enough to let you see whether the bones are good and to adjust and annotate the recipe for future reference.

And so it was with this Orange Cake from BBC Australian Good Food magazine: May 2010 (p.128).

We had a ton of delicious oranges and a willingness to give something that wasn't chocolate a bash. It had been ages since I made an iced cake and despite being over-cooked a smidge and an icing debacle, it really was very, very nice, very simple and we would definitely cook again.

Recipes from magazines do fit my esoteric recipe reproduction rules - thus is shown below.

23.09.10

Cooked by: Carol and Joe/Frank

Orange Cake

100g unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup pure icing sugar
2/3 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 180C
Grease 20cm cake tin, line base with baking paper
Melt butter on medium heat. Cool (it doesn't matter terribly if you don't cool it completely).
With electric mixer beat eggs, caster and icing sugar until thick and creamy. Still in butter.
Sift flour and baking powder over egg mixture. Add orange juice and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes **CHECK AFTER 20 minutes**, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
When cold, stab cake in a few places with skewer. Ice. I chucked a bit of orange zest on top to make it pretty

Here is where it all went awry:
Icing

2/3 cup pure icing sugar
juice of half an orange

Mix together icing sugar and juice

You can see what is wrong here already, and what I should have seen in I had engaged my brain for a moment - juice of half an orange is a ridiculous measure. Especially, as I discovered, I had chosen to use seemingly the juiciest orange in the universe.

I didn't think about previous icing making experience (though, admittedly, it has been some years since I have made an iced cake) and mindlessly mixed the icing sugar and juice together.

What I should have done, of course, was gradually added the juice to the icing sugar until I achieved the consistency I was after. And instead of starting again, I ploughed on and simply added more and more icing sugar until I had way more icing than necessary.

Nonetheless it proved to be quite wonderful.

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2010: day 266 (th) cornflake, craisin and sultana cookies [snacks edition (1)]

2010-09-23T12:10:00.005+10:00

Joe/Frank had a day off from exams and because holidays are fast approaching (and we spend far too much on snacks from the shop), it was time to bond and bake!

I have no idea where we obtained this recipe, so under my esoteric rules for reproducing recipes, I've included it below!

Snack 1: cornflake, craisin and sultana cookies

23.09.10

Cooked by: Carol and Joe/Frank

Cornflake, Craisin and Sultana cookies

125g butter (chopped, room temp)
2/3 (0.66) cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.25 cups self raising flour
1 tbsp milk
1.5 cups cornflakes
1/2 (0.5) cup craisins/sultanas
whatever proportion you like, or either. I've also gone to 2/3 cup without everything going awry

Preheat oven to 180.
Line baking trays with non-stick paper
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until light and creamy.
Sift flour into bowl and mix with wooden spoon until just combined.
the recipe says to use the electric mixer to mix the flour in, experience tells me the flour ends up coating the kitchen and self, so wooden spoon FTW
Add milk and mix until dough comes together
(you can go back to using the mixer for this step, but I generally don't bother)
Add cornflakes and craisins/sultanas## and gently mix with the wooden spoon (you don't want to crush the cornflakes!) until well combined.
Roll 1 tbsp of mixture into balls and place on prepared baking trays (they'll spread out, so leave a little room) and lightly squish with a fork or spatula.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, swap trays after 8 minutes, until light golden
Stand for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool.

##I've chucked a handful of dessicated coconut in at this point before with no ill-effects.
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2010: day 266 (th) chorizo with tomato and basil over pasta

2010-09-23T11:27:00.001+10:00

I decided that this week, by golly, I was going to force myself to get my cooking mojo back! Part of my recovery, if you like.

I started out with the very familar, is very simple and very delicious - perfect for post-grocery shopping.

Chorizo with tomato and basil over pasta

A recipe of my own devising (well sort-of, I imagine loads of people cook similar) - with instructions below!!

23.09.10

Cooked by: Carol

Now for the poorly-written and poorly-described instructions. I have an amazing amount of admiration for people who can actually write any sort of coherent recipe:

couple of splashes of olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
3 chorizo (sliced - I usually slice about 1.5-2 cm thick, but whatever you'd prefer).
Also, if you have access to csabai, I totally hate you and you could use that instead
jar of passata
passata rustico is superior I think or you could also use a couple of tins of diced tomato instead
a couple of small, hot chillis (chopped, sliced, whole - per your preference)
you can totally leave this bit out if you are not a fan of heat
Half to one cup of water
couple of hands-ful of fresh basil leaves (torn in half if they are very big, but you can leave them whole)

Soften the onion in a frying pan in bit of olive oil over a medium-ish heat- try not to use too much oil (the chorizo is way fatty and you'll end up with a lake o'fat)
Slightly brown the chorizo on both sides - you just want a bit of colour**
Add the passata and chillies
Add some water (maybe half a cup)
Bring to boil^^ and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, checking occasionally. You want the sauce to reduce and caramelise a bit, but not too much, so add more water if necessary so it stays quite saucy.
Chuck in your basil and stir through until it is wilted nicely - 5 minutes should do it.

Serve with whatever pasta takes your fancy.

Serve leftover sauce on toast for breakfast!

^^You'd probably want to put your water for the pasta on to boil at this point

The easier (but more expensive) way to do this is cook up to ** and then chuck in a jar of Simon Johnson or Barilla pasta sauce and heat through - which would make everything way quicker and is almost equally as yummy.

Also, you really don't need fresh basil, you can chuck any combination of dried italian-ish herbs in after the chorizo has browned - it's fairly flexible.

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2010: day 265 (w) lamb tikka masala with jeera pappadums + lime pickle

2010-09-22T12:01:00.000+10:00

This really, really is not a lot of thought going into meal planning week. It's all a bit mindless comfort food, but really sometimes everyone needs a bit of that!

One of those meals that require absolutely no thought at all, but which I think we could eat once a week (and actually probably have at some points) and for which we mostly have the ingredients on-hand.

Lamb tikka masala with jeera pappadums + lime pickle + greek yoghurt.

Ttuly, the world is only a better place for having pataks paste in it!

22.09.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 264 (tu) slow-cooked lamb sugo (redux)

2010-09-21T12:01:00.000+10:00

This is turning into quite the lazy week!

Once again we raided the freezer (really, it only seems Tardis-like - everything is quite a squeeze!) for a little something Don had prepared earlier.

Slow-cooked lamb sugo from Adrian Richardson: Meat (p.100).

This is amazingly inexpensive to make, tastes fabulous, and freezes wonderfully. We usually get (I think) four meals for the three of us out of one batch and we're not miserly with portion sizes.

21.09.10

(originally) Cooked by: Don
Prepared by: Don

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2010: day 263 (m) lasagne (coles)

2010-09-20T12:01:00.000+10:00

Poor darling Joan had her wisdom teeth out earlier in the morning, so Don and I made an emergency dash to her place with comfort mashed potatoes and supplies from the supermarket.

I knew we'd be eating late-ish and did not want to stuff about with dinner when we got home, so it was:

Fresh lasagne from Coles!

Though unfortunately I forget which brand, it was surprisingly quite excellent (in contrast to the fresh lasagne from Harris Farm Market, which is rather a little dry and has nowhere near enough bechamel sauce). As (forgotten brand) were quite stingy with the grated cheese topping, we did add quite a lot of grated cheese (mostly parmesan + a wee bit of vintage tasty) to the top.

Cunningly, I preheated the oven before we left on the emergency dash which cut down the waiting-to-eat time quite a lot and was an excellent strategy I plan to repeat.

20.09.10

Heated by: Carol

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2010: day 262 (su) burritos

2010-09-19T12:01:00.000+10:00

It truly was one of those time-sink weekends where, by the end of it you wonder what on earth you have spent your time doing.

We got to Sunday evening and an "oh noes, we've planned nothing for dinner!" - which as you all know is practically unheard of for us!

Burritos - always a good emergency meal. We generally have diced pork in the freezer (for Don to mince in the food processor); burrito mix, tortillas and cans of mexe and refried beans in the cupboard (yay for Old El Paso!); and tons of salsa and green leaves in the fridge.

From then on it is pretty mindless, completely inauthentic, but excellent comfort food.

19.09.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 261 (sa) lemon and rosemary lamb cutlets + potato salad

2010-09-18T12:00:00.001+10:00

Ordinarily we'd be cooking insanely complex things on a saturday, but this was a special request from Bess and is insanely simple

Lemon and rosemary lamb cutlets: marinate the cutlets for a good hour or so in olive oil, lemon juice (chop the rinds and chuck them in too) and a few large sprigs rosemary, then barbeque.

Potato salad: The potatoes are simply boiled chats, the key really is in the dressing - mayo (needs to be proper American mayo like Best Foods or Helmans) and a combination of mustards (Bessie used seeded + dijon) and some chopped dill.

Measurements? we scorn measurements!

This meal was excellent as always, but could really have done with some greens (I despair of us in that regard)

18.09.10

Cooked by: Don (cutlets) and Bessie (potato salad)

2010: day 260 (f) shepherds pie

2010-09-17T12:00:00.002+10:00

The lamb from day 254 and some of Don's always fabulous bacon made for a fabulous (definitely non-traditional, kind of italian-ish) shepherd's pie.

Recipe of our own devising, which I promise to post eventually (although like most things one invents, it's all a bit "a bit of this", "cook until cooked" &etc).

17.09.10

Cooked by: Don (mash) & Carol (base)

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2010: day 259 (th) chicken masman curry

2010-09-17T11:34:00.002+10:00

This has been a firm favourite for years and years.

I wanted something relatively simple for my first foray into the kitchen after surgery and I could cook this in my sleep.

Chicken Masman curry - paste from the delightful people at Mae Ploy, instructions mostly followed from packet (although I tend not to add peanuts, simply because I generally forget).

16.09.10

Cooked by: Carol(!)

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2010: day 258 (w) new york steak + rice pilaf

2010-09-16T11:06:00.002+10:00

It's fortunate that we all very much like steak, because there has been a great deal of it served around these parts as I try to restore my iron levels.

New York Steak accompanied by rice pilaf from Mark Bittman: How to Cook Everything (p.202) and greens.

Don loves this book, I love this pilaf (honestly, I went back for thirds) - the recipe is so very simple and the home-made chicken stock really makes it superb.

15.09.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 257 (tu) simplest beef stew (redux)

2010-09-16T10:42:00.001+10:00

More bounty from the freezer!

Simplest beef stew from Stephanie Alexander: the cook's companion (p.163).

There's absolutely no getting around the fact that this is a hideously ugly-looking dish, but oh! it is so very delicious.

The only mod was to add peas at the end - because I'm firmly of the belief that all stews need peas.

14.09.10

We're (okay, Don is) finding this book an excellent resource, and if your kitchen library is not graced by it, it really should be.

(originally) Cooked by: Don
Prepared by: Don

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2010: day 256 (m) cuban black bean soup (redux)

2010-09-13T00:00:00.000+10:00

When I booked in for surgery, we knew it would be burdensome for poor Don to be cooking every evening (despite it appearing as though he does so already!) and so began stockpiling meals in the freezer in a small way.

Cuban black bean soup from Women's Weekly: The Weekend Cook (p.8)

13.09.10

This is something I make again and again - it really tastes marvellous, honestly, I can't imagine food that requires a giant ham hock being otherwise! Although it takes around 3 hours to make (hence that weekend bit in the title), the recipe is super-simple and it freezes very well indeed.

The stockpiling has been so successful we wish we had room for a bigger freezer!

(originally) cooked by: Carol
Prepared by: Don

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2010: day 255 (su) lancashire hotpot

2010-09-12T12:00:00.001+10:00

Don is taking advantage of the last cooler days of the year to get in some slow cooking, so this evening we enjoyed:

Lancashire Hotpot!

12.09.10

An amalgam of recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall: Meat (p.290) & Adrian Richardson: Meat (p.96).

Desperately needed a crusty loaf.

And moar lamb kidneys wouldn't have gone astray either.

But stupendously yummy nonetheless.

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2010: day 254 (sa) seven-hour leg on lamb with anchovy and garlic

2010-09-11T12:00:00.002+10:00

Seven-hour leg on lamb with anchovy and garlic (with parsley mash + baby spinach)

11.09.10

from Stephanie Alexander: the cook's companion (p.532)

One really needs to heed the advice to use an oval casserole to fit the leg tightly. Even though it was most delicious in the fabulous large, round kitchen-aid cast-iron casserole, the flavours would probably have been much enhanced if the fit was tighter.

The next morning Don used the juices to make a gravy to accompany the leftover mash.

In retrospect, he should have done this with the meal - it was a quite superb gravy.

Cooked by: Don

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Blog starts here

2010-09-10T23:59:00.000+10:00

placeholder.

Am trying to work backward, so there may be some repetition of explanation in previous entries.

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2010: day 243 (f) spicy durban chicken curry

2010-09-10T12:00:00.002+10:00

We discovered these fabulous Something South African sauces as part of the World Cup of International Cuisine.

As I said when we rolled this out initially, we've overcome our pre-prepared sauce snobbery and this is now totally a go-to Friday night meal (while one of us has to drive to the suburbs for Bessie collection) - simple and wonderfully delicious!

Would be enhanced by naans (but not packaged naans - which are turbo-spooty in the extreme).

Spicy Durban chicken curry

10.09.10

Cooked by: Carol & Joe/Frank

(oh hey, I completely forgot this was my first cooking venture after surgery - if you can call chopping, browning the meat and chucking in the sauce as cooking)

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2010: day 243 (th) three cheese and salami pizza

2010-09-09T12:00:00.001+10:00

Pre-prepared pizza base, salami, mozarella, vintage tasty & parmigiano reggiano.

Quick, simple, delish!

09.09.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 242 (w) paella with chicken

2010-09-08T12:00:00.001+10:00

Another very firm family fave, from the fabulous Brigitte Hafner.

Paella with chicken. Don was still working at the SaltMinesLimited when we first made this - he dashed out at lunch to, the now sadly closed, Torres Deli to pick up a paella pan and the most wonderful dried, hot chorizo (which we've sadly never been able to find elsewhere).

It is really marvellous and quite simple (if you make the sofrito in advance, you can knock this over in no time) - definitely recommend giving it a bash!

Rustic!

08.09.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 241 (tu) spaghetti bolognaise (redux)

2010-09-07T12:00:00.000+10:00

Part of the stash from the freezer for recovery from surgery.

Don never tires of this and would have it weekly if he could.

A recipe of my own divising - you need onion, pork, tomato (diced/paste/passata), herbs/spices and, easy-peasy there you are!

07.09.10

(originally) Cooked by: Carol
Prepared by: Don

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2010: day 007 (th) thai chicken burgers

2010-01-07T12:00:00.002+11:00

Supermarket this evening, so quick and easy dinner was in order.

Thai chicken burgers.

Patties from Lenards, buns from Bakers Delight, salad from various locations (mostly Harris Farm Markets).

Verdict?
~*~*Delish! A+++ Would eat again*~*~.

07.01.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 006 (w) lamb tikka masala

2010-01-06T12:00:00.001+11:00

One of the don+carol comfort food regulars

Lamb Tikka Masala (thanks pataks paste!) + jeera papadums (not pictured: lime pickle + greek yoghurt)

06.01.10

Cooked by: Carol

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2010: day 005 (tu) phở

2010-01-05T12:00:00.001+11:00

Seriously one of the best things I have eaten. That Don, he has teh m4d sk1llz.

Phở mostly from viet world kitchen

05.01.10

The photo gives no sense of scale - I could wear the bowl as a hat (and I do not have a disproportionately small head).

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 004 (m) mexicana pizza

2010-01-04T12:00:00.000+11:00

We'd planned to go out for dinner, but Mom was dead keen on staying in with pizza and a couple of episodes of pie in the sky

Mexicana Pizza

04.01.10

Cooked by: some dudes at Perry's Pizza (9660 8440 / 381 Glebe Point Road)

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2010: day 003 (su) pork chops, mustard sauce

2010-01-03T12:00:00.001+11:00

Three days into the year and already I can feel myself fattening up.

Pork Chops, Mustard Sauce from Nigel Slater: Kitchen Diaries (p.51)

I can't even convey how much we love this recipe and this book.

03.01.10

Cooked by: Don and Carol

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2010: day 002 (sa) duck breast with celery, apples and pecans

2010-01-02T12:00:00.002+11:00

Duck Breast with Celery, Apples and Pecans from Marie Claire Fresh + Fast (p.140)

Despite the absolutely and utterly hideous styling of this book (as do all the Marie Claire books), it does contain some really wonderful recipes - this is by far the best.

02.01.10

Cooked by: Don

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2010: day 001 (f) cheong liew's braised pork belly

2010-01-01T12:00:00.001+11:00

We kicked the year off with Cheong Liew's Braised Pork Belly - from Jennifer McLagan: Fat (p. unknown - we transcribed the recipe from a library book, though I imagine we will be adding this to the library at some point).

It is marvellously delish and one of my favourites.

01.01.10

As you can see, we'd not really settled on the photographing methodology at this point.

Cooked by: Don

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my first post

2010-01-01T11:59:00.001+11:00

posting dates are totally faked!

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