Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

Maybe its because we are at the tail end of Autumn that pumpkin is on my mind.  I tried a delicious pasta dish recently in Degraves St that had a pumpkin sauce, so I tried to recreate this at home. So I started in the usual place (Google!) and found quite a number of recipes that might bear the right result. I went with the Coles online recipe and of course adjusted to suit.

Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

500g kent or jap pumpkin cubed
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 handful sage leaves
2 cups chicken stock

To finish

400g pasta - any shape will do
3 rashers of bacon chopped
1/2 head broccoli broken into florets
salt/pepper
1/3 cup sour cream (optional)

Saute the garlic and onion in a little EVO and add the pumpkin and chicken stock and simmer until pumpkin is tender.  Put pumpkin mixture, minus the extra stock in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cook pasta to directions, add broccoli for last 3 minutes.

In a pan, saute bacon, blended pumpkin and add sour cream. Dilute w excess stock if required. Add pasta and broccoli and mix together and serve with parmesan.

Bloody lovely

Lamb or Pork Braise

Watching Masterchef recently, I got inspired to jot down a recipe from the only non chef on the show - Matt Preston. But given the oohing and aahing that came from the tasters for Matt's Lamb Braise, I simply had to give it a go.

This recipe can be made with either lamb or pork - I chose pork steaks and it worked out great.

Ingredients:
1 kg cubed lamb or pork
1 tbs flour
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
knob ginger - finely grated
140g tomato paste
2 cups pineapple juice
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
Walnuts - optional

Method:
Cube meat and put in sandwich bag and add flour - massage to coat.
Heat oil in saucepan and brown meat. Remove from pan.
Add garlic, ginger and curry powder to pan and saute until fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook off. Add pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar and soy and mix to combine.
Add meat back in and back for 2 hours at a medium temperature.
When cooked, add in walnuts if desired and serve with rice or noodles.  Serves 4 generously.

Pumpkin Fruit Cake

Well I see your pumpkin Judy and I'll raise you :).  I collect recipes from many sources, and often the suggestions that come on the pack of the pack or can can be very good.  I found this one on the back of the Sunbeam mixed fruit packet, and must say that I found it very good indeed, and relatively healthy for a cake. Even better you mix it all up in the one pot.

Ingredients:
500g dried mixed fruit
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
125g butter
1 cup apricot nectar
1 tsp bicarb soda
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup cooked pumpkin cold and mashed
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour

- Preheat oven to 160 d C
- Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin
- In a largish pot bring to boil mixed fruit, sugar, syrup, butter and nectar, stirring all the time and then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add bicarb soda then allow mixture to cool
- Add eggs and pumpkin and stir until smooth.
- Sift in flours and mix well to combine
- Place in tin and bake for 70 minutes or until a skewer in the centre comes out clean.

Roast Carrot and Cumin Soup

I think I found this recipe from Gourmet Travellor ages ago.

1.5 kg Carrots, chopped
120 ml Olive oil
3 large Lebanses flat bread
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 litres chicken stock
Greek yoghurt Lemon - juice and zest
Preheat oven to 220C. Scatter carrots onto 2 baking tray, drizzle with 1/3 of the oil, season and roast for 25 mins. Place flatbread on trays, drixzzle with half remianing oil, scatter with cumin seeds, . Roast 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic about 5 mins. Add cumin and coriander and stir about 1-2 mins. Add stock and bring to simmer. Add roast carrots. Blend with stick blender. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Service scattered with lemon zest, parsley and a dollop of greek yoghurt. (Black Swan is gooood. Val put me onto it!!)

Pumpkin, lentil and ginger soup

This is delicious.  The ginger gives it a zing! 

1/2 cup red lentils

1 kg jap or butternut pumpkin cut into chunks

1 tbs ginger, grated

1 tbs orange zest

4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup coriander, chopped

Rinse the lentils and place in pot with the pumpkin, ginger and orange zest.  Add the stock and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 mins.  Remove from heat.  Blend with stick blender.  Stir through buttermilk and top with chopped coriander.

Onion bhaji

Judy - you won't believe it, 2 posts in one day!

To go with the kofta curry, I made these onion bhajis, which I found on the Cook & The Chef site http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s2271435.htm - I was a big fan of this series.

The bhajis were served with a mint chutney - fresh mint, yoghurt, lemon juice and crushed garlic.

4 onions sliced
75 g besan (chickpea) flour
150ml plain yoghurt
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch chilli powder
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp ajawain seeds (I left these out)
salt
1/2 bunch chopped coriander leaf (I used dried)
1 green chilli chopped
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Put gram flour in large bowl and add yoghurt and stir until smooth runny batter (I thinned with a little milk). Add spices and salt and leave in warm place for a couple of hours. Add onion, lemon juice, chilli and coriander.
Heat oil in a wok or large pan.
Slip spoonfuls of mix into 170 degree oil and cook turning until golden. Drain and serve.

Lamb kofta curry

Hi there

Well, is been a while but I made this curry for a curry party and it was delicious! I love it when I can use an array of spices that I have in my pantry and herbs from my herb garden, and there were no hard to get ingredients either.  Despite having several spice and curry cookbooks, including a ripper by Madhur Jaffry, I found the following on the internet at http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2011/06/lamb-kofta-curry-recipe.html

I also made some fabulous onion bhajis that were a hit - more on that later.

Kofta
500g lamb mince
1 medium onion grated (discard the juice)
1 large garlic clove grated
10g piece fresh ginger grated
1 long red chilli finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried chillie flakes (I used cayenne powder)
1/2 tsp salt

Curry sauce
2 medium ripe tomatoes skinned and finely diced
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
10g piece fresh ginger finely chopped
1 long red chilli chopped
2 tbs vegetable oil
5 cloves
5 cardamon pods crushed
1tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup natural yoghurt


Kofta - combine all ingredients in bowl and using your hands to mix until well combined. With wet fingers form mince into slightly smaller than golfball sized balls. Place on a tray, cover and refridgerate while preparing the sauce.

Sauce - In a heavy based frying pan (big enough to have kofta in single layer), add oil on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and cloves and cardamom to the pan and cook, stirring often until the onion has softened (about 10 mins).
Add the tomato past, tumeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 secs.
Add tomatoes and stir to combine.
Stir in the water and yoghurt and bring to a simmer.
Place kofta in a single layer  in the sauce.
Return sauce to a simmer and simmer uncovered. After 15 mins or so, gently turn the kofta using tongs. Shake the pan (don't stir) a couple of times during cooking to prevent kofta sticking. Cook for 40 mins! Voila :)