Polpette - Italian meatballs

After having the most magnificant spaghetti and meatballs at the University Cafe, Lygon St, Carlton, I went in search of an italian meatball recipe that recreated, the soft juicy flavourfull meatballs I had there.

Having discovered the secret to soft meatballs is that they are not pan fried, but simmered in a tomato passata instead, I went looking for recipes.  The following one is my adaptation of the Food.com recipe:

Polpette

- 1kg pork and veal mince (or mixture pork and beef)

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup breadcrumbs (fresh)

- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 garlic clove crushed

- 1/2 small onion chopped finely

- tbspn shredded fresh basil leaves

- salt and pepper

- spaghetti sauce (or passata) enough to cover meatballs

Mix all ingredients together, form into meatball the size of golfballs.

Pour sauce in a large saucepan and drop meatballs in.  Simmer on low heat for 1 - 1.5 hours

Rhubarb and Walnut Chutney

This is a recipe my sister passed on to me years ago. I made it for my next door neighbour after he gave me some of his home grown rhubarb. I thought of it last night when Val presented me with a jar of her home made rhubarb chutney.

Rhubarb Chutney
5-6 stalks rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbs lemon zest
1 stick cinnamon
1 inch grated fresh ginger
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Combine sugar, vinegar, lemon zest in saucepan over low heat until dissolved. Add rhubarb, cinnamon and ginger and cook stirring frequently for about 15 mins. Add nuts and raisins and cook 3-4 minutes. Place into sterilised jars while still hot.

Chicken Pie

When a new foodie entered our circle, her Chicken Pies were all the talk. (Who me, threatened?) Not to be outdone, after a reasonable amount of time had passed, in order that the hype die down, I decided to embark on making Chicken Pies. Without the much coveted recipe in hand, I chanced a reasonable replica in the June 2011 issue of Delicious magazine. Without my number one critic not home for dinner, and my fellow blogger invited for dinner, I set out to make a chicken pie. I think it was mighty fine. Other critics hailed Helen the ongoing champion.

Chicken Pie
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 handfuls chestnut mushrooms
6 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 Leeks, sliced
1 bulb garlic
2 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme
½ bunch rosemary
150ml white wine
1.6 kg whole chicken
1 lemon, halved
Knobs butter
300-400 ml chicken stick
3 heaped tbs crème fraiche
handful grated parmesan
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
375 g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 200C. Place potato, mushroom, carrot and leek in roasting pan. Scatter with garlic, bay leaves, half of the thyme and rosemary. Pour over the wine, then place chicken on top. Place lemon halves, remaining thyme and rosemary in cavity. Score the legs, dot the bird with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil from pan and drain off the juice (reserving), then bake a further 45 minutes or until cooked. Remove chicken from pan and rest. Then shred meat from bones. Pick out garlic skin and herbs from vegetables. Add stock and reserved juices to roasting pan. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in crème fraiche and parmesan. Add parsley then chicken and season. Leave to cool. Place in pie dish/dishes. Cover with pastry and cut a steam vent. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 200C for 30-45 minutes depending on pie size, or until golden and puffed.

Pear and Rocket Salad

Everyone asks me for this recipe. I'll add a photo at some stage. You can use baby spinach instead of rocket. It was a recipe from Victors Food.

Rocket with Spicy Pecans, Pears, & Walnut Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients
2 tsp butter
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp water
½ cup pecans
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp raspberry wine vinegar
pinch salt
good pinch cracked black pepper
2 tbsp walnut oil
2 tbsp olive oil
150 gm rocket leaves
50 gm goat cheese, crumbled (or feta)
2 pears, thinly sliced

Method
Spicy Glazed Pecans
1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed fry pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sugar, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and water. Cook until the mixture is bubbling.
3. Add the pecans and stir constantly until the pecans are well coated and the sugar has begun to caramelise, about 5 minutes. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet to cool completely. Try not to eat them.....

Walnut Vinaigrette
4. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly add the walnut and olive oils and whisk until blended.
Salad
5. Wash and dry the rocket leaves. Transfer immediately to a large bowl and toss with the walnut vinaigrette and sliced pears.
6. Arrange on a large platter, sprinkle with the cheese and pecans.

Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve been making these cookies for years. The recipes is from one of Margaret Fulton’s cookbooks from the eighties. I like the fact they have rolled oats in them. I regularly substitute the nuts and raisins for combinations of choc chips, and today some dried blueberries. I also have reduced the sugar so I feel better about putting them in the lunch boxes. I used ¾ of both sugars without noticing much difference. Don’t skimp on the cinnamon! And to make them even healthier today, I substiturted half a cup of the oats for one of the latest superfoods: Goodness Superfoods Quick Barley & Oats.

Oatmeal Cookies
250g butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp Vanilla
¼ cup water
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins
2 ½ cups rolled oats

Cream butter with sugars, egg and vanilla until fluffly. Beat in water. Sift in dry ingredients and stir in nuts raisisns and oats. Drop heaped teaspoons of mixture onto trays lined with baking paper. Leave 5cm between each cookie. Press lightly. Bake at 190 C for 12=15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Fish Curry with Snake Beans

When looking for something healthy without too many calories, I often open up the CSIRO total wellbeing diet book. The barramundi curry with snake beans caught my eye. It obviously has a Thai influence, but even though there’s no coconut milk it was really very tasty. The beans give it a little crunch. I opted for flake instead of barra, and it really worked well. And I made double the curry paste and froze half for a quick option next time.


Fish curry with snake beans

1 tbs peanut oil
800g barramundi fillets (or other fish), cut into chunks
1 tsp sugar
½ cup chicken stock
1 tbs fish sauce
200g snake beans
coriander leaves

Curry paste
1 red chilli roughly chopped
1 stalk lemon grass
1 tbs chopped spring onions
1 clove garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp chopped coriander root
1 tsp Shrimp paste
2 kaffir lime leaves (thanks Val)

Place all curry ingredients in blender and blend to fine paste. I added a little water.
Heat oil in wok. Add curry paste and fish and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add sugar, chicken stock, fish sauce, and beans and cook a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve with rice.