FoodieChat

I really wish someone would breed a pork species which had a fat free pork belly.  Because it’s a weakness of mine - crunch crackling atop layers of soft stringy white meat interspersed with smooth fat.  Alas. Pork belly makes my belly porky too.  And so it is reserved only for auspicious occasions.  Well there wasn’t really one this time, but a girly cooking session.  I dragged out a recipe from my Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine.  (more…)

I found this recipe in the August 2006 issue of delicious magazine, by Sean Moran. The pasta is special as it’s imported from Italy (I got it at Cafe Viscontini), as well as being part of my birthday gift
 

(more…)

Some not so fresh strawberries in my fridge were begging to be given a second chance - a chance which manifest in Bill Granger’s strawberry souffle found in last week’s good living.  I halved the recipe with no trouble at all, and filled the ramekins to the brim - and then some.  Seventeen minutes later - woah!! These pink mushroom looking souffles emerged from the oven - so high I’m surprised they didn’t fall over!  It was a great recipe - easy peasy - but I realised I don’t like souffle! Oh well.  It’s like pavlova but without the crust - but the strawberry flavour was wonderful.

Oh well, onto the second dessert - an apple and rhubarb crumble.  I’ve made crumble before, but never cooked with rhubarb due to all those warnings of the leaves being poisonous - I sure didn’t want to kill someone or myself with a dessert! So, mustering my guts, I bought some leaf-less rhubarb, and crossed my fingers and chopped. Hmm. I realised that it wasn’t really necessary to cook the filling on the stove AND the oven because the rhubarb kinda dissolved into the apple.  Nevertheless - not bad. I’ll know for next time!

Bills’ souffle recipe can be found on the Sydney Morning Herald website here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/recipes/ask-bill/2007/07/16/1184438207235.html

Recipe from an amazing cookbook where every recipe I’ve tried works.  The tang of fresh lemon combined with the fluffy cakey top and smooth custard-like bottom is a terrificly light but satisfying post dinner treat. (more…)

One pot cooking for 15 friends? Go for a paella. I must admit I’ve always been scared off because a) it uses saffron - so expensive and how do you use it b) seafood - and lots of it - how do you time it correctly and c) well it’s kinda exotic.  Well thanks to a SunRice recipe and also Donna Hay, I’ve come up with a hybrid of the two recipes that seemed to please the crowd I had over.  I served it with sangria too - as long as there’s red wine, vodka, chopped fruit - the variations are up to you!

Ingredients (for 15)

• 2 cups arborio rice
• a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tblspoons hot water
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chorizo sausages
• 1 squid tube
• 1 sliced red capsicum
• half kg of uncooked prawns
• 500g chicken meat
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 300g piece of fish fillet (I used barramundi)
• 1 tablespoon smokey paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

(more…)