The Big Football Bite

I'm struggling to keep up with all the matches and keep in tune with my fav teams Holland, Australia and England. I think I need nourishment and plenty of it to keep my cheering lungs strong for the matches tonight. Holland vs Japan followed by  Australia vs Ghana.

It's a long night and I've planned it well with a supply of meaty Hamburgers with a choice of beef patties or chicken patties all on a crusty bun. It's got to big enough and filling for hubby and enough choices for those fussy eaters who like to a variety of patties and fillings. I made my own hamburger buns with a good crusty Italian bun recipe courtesy of What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine , a beef pattie, freshly cut tomato, homemade BBQ sauce and we are ready for GOALS!!!

Juicy Beef Hamburger

300 g beef mince

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1 egg

1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs

2 tbsp homemade BBQ (tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, coriander, cayenne pepper, paprika)

salt and ground black pepper

plain flour for coating

Tender Chicken Hamburgers

300 g chicken thigh fillets, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1/2 tsp thyme

1 egg

1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs

2 tbsp homemade BBQ (tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, coriander, cayenne pepper, paprika)

salt and ground black pepper

plain flour for coating

1. Using separate mixing bowls for each mixture, combine all the ingredients. Divide the mixture into quarters and shape it into balls. 

2. Roll the balls into the flour and flatten them out into patties and place them on a plate. Refrigerate the patties until they are ready to served.

3. Heat about 1-2 tbsp of oil in a sauce pan and cook the patties, alternating each side until cooked. Serve on an Italian bun or any hamburger bun with freshly cut tomato, sauted onions and a splash of BBQ sauce.

 

Bangers and Mash

Tonight's dinner was all about warm cosy comfort food... because we were going to have a night in front of the telly. Watching a favourite program and just sitting back and relaxing over some sausages and mashed potatoes.... Bangers and Mash.

Nothing too fancy tonight just some easy food after the middle of week. We are half way through the school week and early mornings and long days are catching up with us. So with a few smoked beef garlic sausages to spare and a couple of spuds and maybe a bit of red wine this is what I came up with. 

Bangers and Mash

3 large smoked beef garlic sausages

1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tbsp tomato puree

30 g butter

salt & pepper to taste

4 large potatoes

30 g butter

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 1/2 - 2 cups of milk

1. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Prick the potatoes with a fork, making sure it's thoroughly poked. This will release the steam and won't let the potatoes explode in the microwave!!!

2. Arrange the potatoes in a microwave pie dish, cover with a microwaveable cover with a vent for 12mins on high.

3. Remove from the microwave and use a fork and knife to peel off the skin.

4. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher or fork. Add the butter, cheese and stir. Gradually add the milk and pour as much as you need for the right texture of mash. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(this is the same method that I used for my Meat Pie on a bed of Mash)

5. In a saucepan, heat the butter and add the onions and garlic. Sprinkle in the thyme and add some salt and pepper. Carefully cook the onions and garlic until they are soft. Remove from the saucepan and put aside.

6. Using the same saucepan. Heat up some oil and add the sausages and cook until they are browned. Remove the sausages when they have browned and slice the sausages thickly. Arrange on a bed of mash.

7. Add the cooked onions and garlic to the same saucepan. Turn the up the heat and add the wine, chicken stock and tomato puree to deglaze the pan juices. Stir the onions and garlic, coating them with the sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until it thickens. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the sausages and mash and serve.

Minced Beef Cobbler

Another dish with savoury mince beef.............not quite a pie but with a scone topping it's a Minced Beef Cobbler. I guess you could also call it one-pot wonder considering it could have been any other savoury mince beef with a variety of toppings like mashed potato, a traditional shortcrust meat pie but it's the "cobblers" ... the scone topping that makes the difference.

I was wondering what else to make this evening with the rest of mince beef I had bought so seeing that I had already made a Savoury Mince with Pan-fried Potatoes for lunch. I was inspired to continue on with my tweaked beef mince series..... something along the lines of making a pie but not quite a pie.

I've usually made this cobbler with cubes of beef rather than mince beef and carrots but for this recipe I've used some more of those lovely fresh shitake mushrooms and added a mixture of two cheeses to the scones. 

Minced Beef Cobbler

300 g minced beef

1 medium onion, chopped roughly

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

6 sundried tomatoes, sliced thinly

8 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp worcester sauce

3/4 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cup plain flour, sifted

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

50 g butter

1/2 cup milk

1. In a saucepan heat oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add the mince beef and stir. Add the light soy sauce, oregano, worcester sauce and pepper and stir until the meat has browned. Add the fresh shitake mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Add the tomato puree, wine and water and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered for about 10-15 mins until the tomatoes has soften and the meat has cooked. Remove from heat and set aside in a casserole dish.

2. In a mixing bowl, add the flour and bicarbonate of soda and butter. Rub in the butter and add the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Combine and add the milk. Add extra milk or flour until the a soft dough forms.

3. Roll the dough into a ball. Pinch 1 inch roughly shaped balls and place on top of the mince meat. Arrange the dough balls allowing room for it to expand. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 mins or until the scones are golden. 

Savoury Mince with Pan-fried Potatoes

Mince Beef is one of those easy ingredients that always comes in handy when you're trying to cook for a young family, especially when you have an almost toddler who likes to explore with his food.... to touch, taste and decorate his hair with!

There are just so many ways to cook mince meat, it's just so easy to cook with. It's not an expensive cut and just like my mum would say,"just add something to it to put a little kick to it"  you can always be creative and fresh with ideas. You can cook it with the most simplest of ingredients and make a pasta sauce, or a filling for a meat pie or lasagne or just a simple savoury mince with potatoes. 

Savoury Mince with Pan-fried Potatoes

300 g mince beef

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, chopped finely

1/3 cup frozen peas

2 small carrots, chopped roughly

6 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 tsbp light soy sauce

1 tsbp oyster sauce

1 tsbp worcester sauce

freshly ground black pepper

2/3 water plus 1 1/2 tsp cornflour

2 large potatoes, peeled, diced into 2 cm cubes

salt & pepper to taste

1. In a wok heat 2 tbsp of oil and pan fry the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir until the potatoes are golden brown. Remove and set aside on a serving dish.

2. Heat up oil in a wok and saute the onions and garlic. Add the mince beef and add the light soy sauce, oyster sauce and worcester sauce. Sprinkle with ground  black pepper and cook until browned. Add the carrots and shitake mushrooms and cook until soften. Mix the cornflour water and pour into the mixture and cook until a light sauce forms. Remove from the wok and serve over the pan-fried potatoes

Spicy Spare Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

I went out shopping yesterday hoping to find some nice beef spare ribs to cook for our Saturday dinner and I came across this interesting cut which was thinly sliced instead of the normal rack of spare ribs. It was still a meaty cut so it got me thinking about what and how I could cook this.... a bit chinese style with soy sauce, shaoxing wine (rice wine) and coriander but I also wanted to make it more like a comfort food with lots of gravy and meat so tender you could just tear it apart.

So I combined a bit of both and came up with a tangy, sweet spicy spare ribs in a thick gravy over a bed of cheesy polenta. The slices of spare rib are slow cooked and the mixture of the wine, soy sauce, coriander, cayenne pepper, and tomatoes gives it a full flavour and you can never go wrong with cheesy polenta!

Coriander Beef Casserole

Another part of the Coriander Trilogy!! ....Coriander Beef Casserole for dinner tonight. I won't be buying a big bunch of coriander anytime soon...well not too soon. 


So far I've been cooking pork, chicken and now it's time for beef cooked with coriander. Now I've always found that coriander really brings out a citrus taste to beef, especially if it's been simmering in a pot for over an hour. The flavour just infuses itself onto the beef and even more so when you add just a hint of licorice with a bit of star anise. Top that off with some red wine and you have real comfort food...

Coriander Beef Casserole


450 g beef, sliced thinly into strips
5 tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped roughly
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped roughly
1 medium red onion, chopped roughly
1 star anise
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp worcestor sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp plain flour
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup water
salt to taste


1. In a bowl, add the beef, soy sauce, worcestor sauce, pepper and flour. Combine well and leave for about 30 mins.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and saute the onions and garlic. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the tomatoes, star anise, coriander and carrots and stir. Stir in the wine, water and beef stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 50 mins. You can check the liquid level and add water if necessary.
3. Simmer for a further 15 - 25 mins or until the beef is tender. Remove the lid and cook until the sauce has thicken. Add salt to taste. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or pasta. You can even try serving it with Polenta too (use the Polenta Crusted Moussaka recipe for the polenta)

Polenta Crusted Moussaka

A traditional moussaka is a casserole usually made from ground lamb mince, covering a layer of sauted eggplant (aubergine) and topped with a bechamel sauce. There are many different versions of moussaka from around the mediterranean but the best known ones are from Greece.

For this version of moussaka, I've replace the lamb with beef mince, crumbed the eggplant and topped it with a creamy cheese polenta layer. The layering is quite similar to lasagne minus the pasta but I've managed to incorporate the polenta (cornmeal) instead of the bechamel sauce (white sauce) to give it more structure, and of course to add in corn for the kids.

Polenta Crusted Moussaka

300 g beef mince
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
410 g tin of tomato puree
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
2 medium eggplants, sliced thickly
3/4 cup of breadcrumbs
1 egg white
Polenta
2 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 1/2 cup milk
1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
30 g butter


1. Cut the eggplants and place in a bowl. Add the egg white and toss the eggplants coating it with the egg white. In a small bowl place the breadcrumbs and coat the eggplants.
2. Preheat oil for deep frying. Place a small batch of crumbed eggplants and fry until it is golden. The eggplant should be crispy and the bread crumbs will help absorb the sauce. Remove and drain. 
3. In another saucepan, heat oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and stir. Add the tomato puree, wine, water, pepper and salt. Bring it to the boil and simmer over medium heat, covered for 15 mins and cook further until the sauce has thicken.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C. In a shallow baking dish, ( I would normally use a 2 small baking dishes equivalent to the size of 1 rectangular lasagne dish) arrange the crispy eggplants at the bottom layer. Add the meat sauce next and spread evenly over the eggplants. Spread the polenta layer on the top and bake for about 15 mins or until the top is golden brown.

Polenta

1. Pour the milk, chicken stock in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat. Gradually add the polenta and carefully stir out any lumps. Keep stirring until the polenta thickens. It should take about 10 mins and add the parmesan, mozarella cheese and butter. remove from heat.

*** The kids loved the polenta and they didn't even realise that it was cornmeal!!

Dumplings........a bite at a time

A simple meal of little soft pillows of dough filled with a delicious mix of minced meat, veg, onion, ginger and a secret mix of sauces. A perfect snack; a touch of comfort on a wet, cold rainy day; a reunion meal or just simply a meal for everyone be it boiled, steamed, in soup or just left juicy and crispy.

Dumplings for my family are best liked just crispy and dipped in a soy garlic sauce. First pan fried browned, steamed and eaten a bite at a time. 

My daughter loves these dumplings and since we've had a decent rainfall these couple of days it's the perfect snack to warm up the tummy during this cool night breezes.

Dumplings with Soy Garlic Sauce

250g minced beef/pork

1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped

Marinade

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp cornflour

1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine/sherry

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sesame seed oil

Pastry

180g plain flour and extra flour for kneading

3/4 warm water

1. Combine the mince meat, onions, spring onions, coriander and marinade in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins or more.

2. Place the flour and water in a bowl and knead. It will get sticky so you'll have to add extra flour making the dough soft and smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and leave it to rest for 30 mins.

3. Knead the dough onto a floured surface and roll out into lengths and cut 1 1/2" strips. Roll into balls and flatten out into a disc. Use a rolling pin but don't roll it too thinly. Place a teaspoon of mince meat filling and pinch the edges to seal.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Place the dumplings with seal facing up and panfry until golden brown at the base. Cover the dumplings with 1/2 water and boil off the water. Uncover the wok and cook a further 1-2 mins. Serve it hot with dipping sauce.

Soy Garlic Sauce

150 ml light soy sauce

50 ml water

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp minced garlic

1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Lower the heat and cook until the garlic is soften, about another 3 - 5 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

The dumplings are best eaten hot when served with the dipping sauce. It can be really juicy so be careful when it's hot. 

Meat Pie on a bed of Mash

Feeling a little homesick for an Aussie Meat Pie...... 

So for tonight's dinner I dusted off the Breville pie maker and put together my version of a meat pie, which is similar to my Cottage Pie with a twist on the presentation.

It's been years since I had a meat pie, not the party pies or the mini-pies but a  real hearty pie. The last one I had was about 6 years just outside of the Capital Theatre, down at Haymarket  from Harry's Cafe De Wheels. A Harry's "Tiger" meat pie, mashie peas, mash and tons of gravy!!! ....a real touristy thing but real meat pie icon.

I clearly remember that day because it was also the day of the BIRDs, the day that Ash would remember too.....Here we were eating our pies in the park and down came this huge flock of pigeons and seagulls surrounding us, all chanting like in Nemo, "Mine, MIne, Mine"..............and till this day my daughter can't stand the sight of birds!!

Now with this recipe I also made the shortcrust pastry but you can use supermarket ones or even bread, which I sometimes do for a quick pie.

Meat Pie on a bed of Mash

300 g beef mince

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 tsp worcester sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1/2 cup tomato puree

1 cup water

1/4 cup red wine

2 tomatoes, chopped roughly

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly and chopped

ground cracked pepper

sea salt to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add onion and garlic to saute. Add the mince meat and gently stir until browned.

2. Add the worcester sauce, soy sauce, tomato sauce, tomato puree, pepper and stir. Add the chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, tomato puree, wine and water. Bring to the boil, simmer covered for about 15mins, until the tomato has soften and add salt to taste. 

3. Remove the filling and cool. You can use this meat sauce to disguise a lot of vegies for the kids and they wouldn't know it!!

Shortcrust Pastry

1 1/2 cups plain flour

90 g butter, chilled and chopped roughly

3 tbsp cold water

1. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the chopped butter. Rub in the butter until is resembles breadcrumbs. 

2. Add in the cold water and knead into a ball. It might get a bit too sticky but just work it until it's smooth. Wrap it in cling wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 mins. I normally put it in a plastic kitchen bag as it's easier to handle than using a wrap.

3. Roll the dough onto a floured surface and use the pie cutters or shape it to fit the pie moulds (if you're using pie moulds in the oven).

Pie making

1. Preheat the pie maker for about 8mins or until the light switches off OR preheat oven for 180C.

2. Layer the pie moulds with the shortcrust pastry and fill with the meat filling (about 1/2 cup or more). Don't over fill the pie as it will eventually ooze out at the side!! Cover with the pastry top and seal the edges.

3. Cook in the pie maker for about 8 mins or until the top is browned. I lost my pie cookbook that can with the pie maker so i just check to see if it has browned, all depending on what pastry you use.

For the oven you can egg wash it if you like. Bake it in the oven for about 10-15mins or until it browns.

4. Serve it on a bed of mashed potatoes, topping it off with tomato sauce.

Meat Pie on a bed of Mash (I would have loved  to put mashie peas on the pies but the kids would never eat it)

Mashed Potatoes

This is one of the few cooking tips that my hubby taught me!! Microwaved mashed potatoes.

about 6-7 large potatoes, thoroughly washed and scrubbed

30 g butter

1 1/2 - 2 cups of warm milk

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 microwaveable pie dish (I use a pyrex pie dish)

1. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Prick the potatoes with a fork, making sure it's thoroughly poked. This will release the steam and won't let the potatoes explode in the microwave!!!

2. Arrange the potatoes in a microwave pie dish, cover with a microwaveable cover with a vent for 12mins on high.

3. Remove from the microwave and use a fork and knife to peel off the skin.

4. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher or fork. Add the butter, cheese and stir. Gradually add the milk and pour as much as you need for the right texture of mash. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I would sometimes use a Desiree (red) potato and leave the skin on for a rough mash. The kids can get a little fussy over it seeing the skin but it's lots of fibre and I love the rough texture of the mash this way.

Lasagne

Dinner, dinner, dinner.............tonight's dinner.

What do you want for dinner???

The quickest response for that question would always come from Tristan, hands down...

Mum, I want Lasagne!!!!

I don't think he would be able to to survive without a serving of lasagne at least 3 times a month. He simply loves it! And it's not that often where he'll gobble up every morsel of food on his plate, esp. when there are vegetables involved.

So here's my lasagne recipe, quick and easy to put together. I'd often add vegetables to this lasagne without the kids knowing, simply by chopping it up finely or just letting it cook through with the sauce.

Lasagne

5oo g mince meat (chicken or beef)

4oo g tin of tomato puree + 1 tin of water

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

400 g tin of whole tomatoes

OR 4 tomatoes, chopped roughly

2/3 cup of mushrooms/carrots, chopped finely

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sweet basil

cracked black pepper

sea salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

lasagne instant sheets

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add the mince meat and cook until browned. Sprinkle in the herbs. Add the tomato puree plus 1 tin of water. Add tin of whole tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes and other vegetables (carrot/mushroom) I'd often disguise vegetables into the lasagne as it's so easy to blend them in without the kids knowing. Stir and bring to the boil, simmer with lid on for 15 mins. The meat sauce should have plenty of sauce and the vegetable soft. Remove from heat.

Cheese Sauce

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

3o g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

2 cups of milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir. Pour in the milk. Add the parmesan cheese and stir constantly to remove any lumps. Increase the heat to medium and cook until sauce creamy and thick. Remove from heat.

Lasagne

Preheat the oven to 180C.

1. Layer the meat in a rectangular baking dish first and then follow with the instant lasagne sheets. Repeat the meat layer and another lasagne sheet layer. Cover the last layer with the meat sauce mixture making sure that all the lasagne sheets are fully covered in the sauce.

2. Pour the cheese sauce over the last meat sauce layer, covering all the top. Sprinkle the cheese sauce with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 mins or until the cheese sauce is golden brown.

You can either prepare this dish in a large rectangle ovenproof dish or 2 smaller ones.

Lasagne can be tricky to make but once you get the hang of getting the right amount of liquid in the sauce to cover the layers it's easy.