I was thinking about any kitchen collections I could share for the blog-a-thon hosted by Garden Goose.  The most relevant and most used and loved at the moment would be things in my pantry.  I was looking in the pantry for something to eat before tea, and saw some seaweed, which reminded me of this very healthy recipe we tried recently.  I have been wanting miso paste for a long time.  I went to my hometown for a checkup a little while ago and went across the road to the health food shop.  Miso! 

Vegie Patties

425g tin chickpeas
5 carrots, grated, lightly steamed
2 cups brown rice, cooked until soft
3 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons miso paste
2 spring onions, chopped
4 sheets nori seaweed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Whiz chickpeas in a food processor until broken up. Stir in carrot, rice, tahini and miso. Knead well. Mix in spring onion nori and parsley. Form into balls and flatten slightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook patties until golden both sides. Makes 12.

From House & Garden AU Feb 2008.

Today we picked a self-sown pumpkin from our new house.  We took it home and made this dish that turned out very nice.

Source

This recipe is absolutely delicious.  My husband substituted 1 medium onion cut into 1/16ths for the baby onions.  His tip is to watch for burning. 

Fettucine with roasted pumpkin and pancetta


INGREDIENTS

1kg butternut pumpkin, chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 baby (100g) onions, quartered
12 small fresh sage leaves
12 thin slices (180g) pancetta
375g fettuccine pasta
1 cup (250ml) cream
3 egg yolks
½ cup (40g) finely grated parmesan cheese
½ cup finely chopped fresh chives
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving, extra

METHOD

Preheat the oven to very hot (240°C/220°C fan-forced).

Combine pumpkin, oil, salt and pepper in a baking dish. Roast pumpkin in a very hot oven for 10 minutes. Add garlic, onions and sage to dish; bake in a very hot oven for a further 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

Place pancetta on an oven tray; place in oven for the last 5 minutes of cooking time or until crisp.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, well-salted water until just tender; drain. Return to pan.

Combine cream, egg yolks and parmesan in a medium bowl. Stir through hot pasta with pumpkin mixture and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide among serving bowls; top with extra parmesan.

Not suitable to freeze. Pasta suitable to microwave.

From: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=118833

Hi Everyone.

During the night we had a downpour of rain.  When I opened the blinds I noticed some lovely flowers on our garden arch.  It is the second year for the rose named Renae.

Then just then I noticed that another rose is out, it sweeps over and was given to us five years ago when our daughter was born.  We carted it around in a pot for awhile.  There are workmen over the other side of the fence, I hope to check it out later.

Cheese and Garlic Croutons for Pea and Ham Soup

1 loaf of Turkish bread

50g soft butter

100g blue cheese, at room temperature

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

While the soup is simmering, cut the turkish bread in half through the centre.  Combine the softened butter, blue cheese and garlic in a bowl and heat until smooth.  Spread the cut side of the bread with the cheese mixture.  Place on a large baking tray. 

Sprinkle the bread with the parmesan. Bake in a preheated moderate 180oC oven for 20-25 minutes.  Remove and cut into cubes.  Scatter the croutons on the baking tray and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp.  Serve the soup topped with a handful of crunchy croutons. 

From:  Country Style (Australia) June 2006

I have a new family favourite. 

Tuna, Chickpea & Roasted Tomato Salad

Serves 4

400g can chickpeas, drained

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

185g can tuna in chilli oil drained

2-3 large handfuls of baby rocket

Preheat the oven to 180oF (fan forced).  Place the chickpeas and cherry tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle over the olive oil, tossing to coat, then season.  Cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft.  Toss together the tomatoes, chickpeas, tuna and rocket in a bowl, then serve.

From:  Australian Family Circle July 2006.

Tuna, Chickpea & Roasted Tomato Salad

Serves 4

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained

1 punnet cherry tomatoes (200g?)

3 tabs olive oil

1 x 185g can tuna in chilli oil, drained

2-3 large handfuls baby rocket

Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan-forced).  Place the chickpeas and cherry tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle over the olive oil, tossing to coat, then season.  Cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft.  Toss together the tomatoes, chickpeas tuna and rocket in a bowl, then serve. 

From:  July Family Circle (Australian) 2006.

Spinach & Mushroom Salad

3 (nearly 4 US cups) cups finely shredded spinach leaves or 5 med leaves schard

6 spring onions or scallions, chopped

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 x 300g (or 10oz) can mandarin segments, drained

1/2 cup walnuts

Seasonings to taste

Italian dressing

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine spinach leaves, spring onions, mushrooms, mandarin segments, walnuts and seasonings.  Pour over sufficient dressing and toss lightly.  Before serving sprinkle with bacon (the kind with rind).

Makes 6 servings. 

Adapted from:  Australia's Best-Dressed Salads and Snacks by Family Circle.

This site is great!  It has to be seen to be appreciated.  I love the British page, I just want to eat the bread pudding.

http://www.visualrecipes.com/

Chickpeas & Baby Spinach

Vegetarian

Serves 4

• 3 TB organic extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 11/2 lb baby spinach or 1/2 lb leaves only of red or green chard, stems removed and shredded into large pieces
• 1/2 lb chopped fresh tomatoes
• 11/2 cups (cooked) chickpeas
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste
• shavings of Parmesan cheese as garnish
• extra olive oil for drizzling

In a large skillet heat 1 TB of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the garlic, lower the heat and sauté for 1 minute. Pile in 1/3 of the spinach and cook until wilted, remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining olive oil, garlic and spinach.

Spoon all of the spinach back into the skillet and stir in the tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice and zest and cook 3 minutes more until heated through. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese and drizzles of olive oil.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/vegetarian/chickpeaspinach.html

We tried this and loved it.

warm spanish pasta salad PREPARE 10 mins
COOK 15 mins
SERVES 4

5 SCLAFANI* Anchovies, cut into long thin strips
500 g pkt DELVERDE* Spiral Pasta
350 g jar LEGGO'S* Stir Through Pasta Sauce, Sundried Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic
420 g can EDGELL* Super Sweet Corn, drained
2 tblspns Olive Oil
2 tblspns Parsley, chopped
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), seeds removed and cut into strips
1 Red Onion, very thinly sliced
150 g Rocket Leaves, trimmed (or arugula)


1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, stir well. Cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender when tested. Drain well rinsing briefly under cold running water to cool slightly.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the anchovy strips. Cook for about 1 minute or until very crisp. Remove the crisp strips from the oil, using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the flavoured oil for later.

3. In a large bowl combine the pasta, pasta sauce, corn, onion, capsicum, rocket and parsley. Toss well.

4. Scatter over crisp fried anchovies and lightly drizzle with the anchovy flavoured oil.

5. Serve immediately with crusty bread rolls.


From the Coles meal ideas web site. (my interpretation in brackets)

Grandma Beaumont’s Pickles

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:
5-6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) green tomatoes (not vital, but smaller size ones look good)
1 1/2 pounds (600 grams) small white onions (look better and slice into nice small rings)
2 or 3 cucumbers (apple variety enhances as they have larger, fleshly seeds)
2 tablespoon salt
4 cups white sugar (more or less)
2 tablespoon mustard powder
1 large teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
750ml (1 bottle) white vinegar
cornflour (mixed) to thicken.
(However, don’t make it too thick as with time they seem to become thicker.)

Method:
Slice the tomatoes, onions, and the cucumbers and sprinkle with salt. Allow this to stand overnight.

Next morning, strain off all the fluid and add bottle of vinegar – this is sufficient as the sugar makes more fluid.

At this point, add sugar, mustard, curry powder and also 1 good tablespoon of EZY sauce, well shaken instead of spices.

Taste frequently as tomatoes vary in acidity and sometimes a little more salt or sugar may make it tastier.

Bottle, and when cold, cover with Paraffin wax and finally seal with jam covers.
Screw top jars are not advisable and they will rust.

I have won prizes at the Sale Show for the above and the colour particularly stands out and so often green tomato pickles are an unpleasant very dark looking presentation.

A wonderful recipe to use up remaining smaller tomatoes that sometimes do not ripen. Of course, if you love pickles, you will seek the perfect, smaller sized green tomatoes when you are free to make up pickles. If you don’t have tomatoes growing, then ask a neighbour for some – some people do not realise how nice these pickles are and just throw out the end tomatoes as they pull up their old plants.

My mother wrote this with great pride for her granddaughters. It was with a great deal of experimenting that she finally got what she wanted. She would be delighted that her grandchildren are now making it and hopefully it will carry on for generations.

Serving Suggestion: Lovely served with cold meats or just bread and butter – delicious!

From:  http://www.abc.net.au/gippsland/stories/s1340507.htm

Jam covers:  http://www.cookeryonline.com/Jams/index.html

I think she means plastic ones you buy in Australia with rubber bands around them?

Scotch Broth

I need some help with what to use instead of kale.  It sounds nice though.

Ingredients
250g/8oz carrots, diced
250g/8oz turnips, diced
2 onions, diced
1 stick celery, diced
white of 1 leek, sliced
75-125g/3-4oz pearl barley
125g/4oz dried peas, soaked for 4-5 hours
salt and pepper
about 2.3L/4pt lamb or mutton stock
kale or other bitter winter greens, chopped (optional)

Method
1. Add all the ingredients to the stock.
2. Simmer gently for a couple of hours, making sure that the peas become mushy and the barley expands and becomes soft and white.
3. If you wish, add a few ounces of kale 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Check the seasoning and serve.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/scotchbroth_8116.shtml

Here is a modern muesli recipe that sounds nice.  I had my hands on sunflower kernels, and actually bought banana chips a few days ago, so could have made it.  There were sesame seeds in the shop next to those too.  It was interesting what they said about bought mueslis, I hadn't thought of that.

Hopefully I will find some more oldfashioned muesli recipes from about 25 years ago.

http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/tech/recipes/staples/muesli-1/Chap1.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/basicmuesli_67724.shtml

Recently we tried one of Helen's mince recipes and it was a great success.  It was Chicken Lasagne.

Today I found a recipe in a book I have here using canned soups, which are popular here in homesteadblogger.  I am going to make this recipe because it uses chicken mince, which is always available here.

Tropical Chicken Loaf

500g chicken mince

1 can Rosella Cream of Chicken Soup

1/4 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup coconut cream

Place chicken mince and 1/4 cup of the soup into a bowl.  Add coconut, dried apricots and breadcrumbs and mix well.

Press into a 10 x 20 cm loaf tin.  Bake at 180oC for 30-40 minutes, until cooked.

Place remaining soup and coconut cream into a small saucepan and stir over the heat until hot.  Serve the loaf sliced, with sauce poured over and accompanied by salad.  Serves 4.

From:  The Taste of Australia

Helen I haven't bought soup for awhile and it is very difficult to tell soup mix from the cup of soup, and tips?

I haven't found my T&T recipes yet, but found one that looks good except what is Sumac?

Warm silverbeet and chickpea salad with Sumac

Serves 4

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:
2 tims of chickpeas
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons mint, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bunch silverbeet
1 1/2 teaspoons sumac

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy pan and add oin and garlic. Cook over a low heat for five minutes and then add chopped tomatoes, sugan and cinnamon. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Wash and shred the silverbeet. Add to pan with chickpeas and cook until the silverbeet has wilted. Add sumac and mint, taste for salt. Cook for another minute. Serve immediately.

From:  http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1580420.htm

Does anyone use Sumac?

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Rhus_cor.html

Pasta with pumpkin, horseradish and silverbeet

Chef: Suzanne Quintner

Serves around 8, depending on the size of the pumpkin

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:
1 butternut pumpkin
honey
3 red chillies, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 1/4 cup (300ml) fresh cream
1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
salt and pepper
nutmeg
1/2 bunch silverbeet or spinach
pasta (allow 75g dry pasta per person)

Method:
Peel the butternut pumpkin and cut into chunks. place in a baking dish and drizzle with honey and roast until done (about an hour). Puree the pumpkin in the food processor and then warm in a saucepan.

Add the chillies, a teaspoon or more of fresh horseradish, fresh cream, a cup or so of chicken stock (more if the pumpkin is large), salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Roll up some leaves of silverbeet and slice finely to make a chiffonnade. Stir through the sauce and serve over hot pasta.

From:  http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1575108.htm

I will have to try a bit harder to find some of our family recipes.

Garlic Beef & Vegetables

			1 teaspoon oil 500g rump steak, sliced finely 2 cloves garlic, crushed 150g sugar snap peas 6 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths 2 teaspoons VEGEMITE 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon plum sauce 1/2 bunch silverbeet, roughly chopped rice or noodles, to serve
	HEAT a frying pan or wok, add the oil, and cook the steak and garlic in small amounts until beef is just browned.   ADD sugar peas, spring onions and stir in combined Vegemite, water and plum sauce. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add silverbeet, tossing gently until just cooked.   SERVE immediately with rice or noodles.

I am a little scared to use vegemite but the recipe looks great.  I often find meat but don't have a simple stir-fry recipe and don't always have the money or what to go and buy sauce.

From:  www.vegemite.com.au

I hope this recipe tastes nice.  I hope to try it soon.

This dish we used when we had to wait until next pay day to buy more food, or to make the grocery budget go further.

Spicy Lentil Noodles

Serves 4

2 teas oil

1 onion, finely chopped

425g can tomatoes, chopped 14oz

1/2 cup brown lentils (100g or over 3oz)

1 tab (20ml) or 1 1/3 US tabs sweet chilli sauce (not meat chilli, Asian styled)

1 teas Worcestershire sauce

2 tabs (40g) US are 15ml tablespoons tomato paste

300g or 10oz fresh or dried noodles, we use 2 minute noodles

2 litres of water (8 x 250ml cups, US cups are 200ml)

2 tabs grated cheese

Heat oil in saucepan.

Add onion and saute until soft.

Add tomatoes, lentils, sauces and tomato paste.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes until lentils are tender.

Cook noodles for 10 minutes (dried) or 5 minutes (fresh).  Drain.

Add noodles to lentil mixture and mix gently.

Serve hot, sprinkled with grated cheese.

We add a pinch of sugar and 2 chicken bullion or stock cubes. 

I really enjoy this meal.

Pumpkin Tagine with Date Couscous

2 tabs olive oil
1 large onion sliced thickly
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 teas ground chilli
1/2 teas ground turmeric
1 teas ground cinnamon
1 teas ground cilantro
1 teas ground cumin
3 cups vegetable stock
5 cups coarsely chopped pumpkin/squash
1 cup frozen Fava beans, thawed, shelled
1 tab brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped seeded dates
2 tabs coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

couscous
1 1/2 oz butter chopped coarsely
2 cups couscous
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded dates
1/3 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (not nec.)

Heat oil, add onion, garlic and spices, cook stirring 3 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin, bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer covered, about 10 minutes or until pumpkin is almost tender. Remove lid, simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until pumpkin mixture thickens slightly. Add remaining ingredients, cook, stirring, until heated through. Serve with couscous. Combine butter, couscous and the water in large heatproof bowl, cover, stand about 5 minutes or until water is absorbed, fluffing with fork occasionally. Stir in dates and cilantro. Serves 4.

Couscous can be prepared a day ahead. Reheat in microwave and stir through dates. Serve with harissa if desired.

I didn't realise but I have a few favourite recipes for arugula or rocket.  These are all new because we only just started eating arugula since we have been buying vegetables from the greengrocer as opposed to the supermarket.  It all started with a recipe for couscous which I have already posted near the start of my blog under meatballs, then led onto other things.

Rigatoni with Spicy Pork Sausages

Serves4

600 or roughly 1lb thin spicy pork sausages

500g or 1lb rigatoni or other short pasta

1 medium brown onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2/3 cup after cutting seeded black olives

1lb tomato and basil pasta sauce or see below

100g or 3-4oz baby rocket or arugula leaves

1/3 or 1oz grated parmesan cheese

Cook sausages in a large non stick frying pan until browned all over and cooked through.  Remove sausages from pan, drain on absorbent paper.  Slice thickly.  Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until it is just tender, reserve 1/2 cup 125ml of the cooking liquid, drain pasta.  Cook onion and garlic in same frying pan until soft.  Add pasta sauce, sausages and olives, simmer, uncovered, until hot.  Combine pasta, sauce and reserved pasta cook liquid in pan or warmed serving bowl, toss well.  Add rocket, toss gently.  Serve topped with parmesan.

2 cans tomatoes

2 teas sugar

1 teas salt

3/4 teas oregano

1 1/2 teas basil

Cook 10 mins.  Squash tomatoes add 3 tabs tomato paste.

Arugula Salad

Toss together:

3-4oz (100g) arugula or rocket leaves
1/3 cup (metric bit less for US) drained sun-dried tomatoes, halved
1 lebanese cucumber, sliced
and 1/4 cup (60ml) fat-free balsamic salad dressing.

Serve with garlic bread and pasta, (garlic and herb sauce).

This is my favourite black bean soup so far.  It is not everyday in Australia. 

3 cups dried black beans, ie black turtle beans

1 large ham hock

3 US quarts water

2oz diced proscuitto or bacon

1 large clove garlic, minced

thyme leaves, small bunch

2 cups chopped onion

1 medium carrot, diced

salt and pepper

sherry

Soak black beans in water overnight.  Rinse beans and put into large soup pot.  Add water, hock, add proscuitto, garlic, and thyme which has been taken off the stalks.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. 

Add chopped onions and diced carrots or rings, simmer 1 hour longer.  Remove hock and slice meat.  Blend roughly the soup.  Add meat, salt and pepper and a little sherry to taste.   

This is new idea to me.  It does explain an ingredient to mixed spice that I was discussing earlier.

How to make Easter Biscuits.

These English West Country biscuits were always in the Bakers shops at Easter time and I vividly remember making them when I was at College in Bristol. In those days, we used oil of Cassia as it was considered the traditional flavouring. Nowadays most people use cinnamon because it is easier to find. It comes from the same family, which is the dried bark of a tree of the laurel family.

75g soft unsalted butter
75g caster sugar/superfine sugar
185g plain flour/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp powdered cinnamon (or mixed spice or nutmeg if you prefer)
50g currants/tiny black raisins
1 egg lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten, for glazing
Castor sugar, for sprinkling

Line baking trays with baking paper or grease trays well

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and stir this into butter and sugar mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the egg.

Stir in the currants, and then bring the mixture together on a lightly floured surface to form dough.

At this stage, if you have time, let it firm up by wrapping in greaseproof and leaving in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out fairly thinly and cut out with a 7.5 cm round fluted biscuit cutter.

Place biscuits on baking tray. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with castor sugar.

Bake at 170C/ 350F/ G4 for 15-20 minutes, they should be light golden round the edges.

Leave on baking tray to firm up for 3-5 minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool.

This mixture will make approximately 14-15 biscuits plus some rollings, which will make 2/3 more. They will keep well for several days if kept in an airtight container. 

This recipe featured by Carole Whitelock

Adapted from:  http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s1082826.htm

Is the recipe a little like sugar cookies?  Australian biscuits or rolled cookies are alot harder. 

I have always wanted to try wedges, I got a recipe in my email today, so maybe I can try it out.  At least it is here because it is hard to find a recipe for them.

6 medium new potatoes, cut into wedges Olive oil spray Herbs to sprinkle eg. Oregano or rosemary

METHOD

PLACE the wedges onto an oven tray and spray with the oil, sprinkle liberally with the herbs and bake in a hot oven 200C for 30 – 40 minutes or until crisp and golden.

From:  Kraft kitchens Australia. 

I have the olive oil spray.  I am not sure how I came to have it.  Do you think they mean fresh herbs? 

I can try them out if I have potatoes left, when we have the lentil patties.