My younger sister requested I include more vegetarian recipes (not that we don't eat veggie things, I just haven't blogged on many of them), so here it is. This is based on a recipe from a very 90's cookbook called Meals without meat, which I picked up from a garage sale for about 50c, and I have used a lot - more than some of my more expensive cookbooks (V, I hear ya!).
This is a quick & easy vegetarian take on chilli con carne, and can be used for burritos, tacos, nachos, or just eaten with rice.
Mexican beans
adapted from meals without meat, pg 32
serves 4
- 2 large onions, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 2tbs rice bran oil
- 2 capsicums, seeded and diced
- 1/2tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
- 1/2tsp chilli flakes (or more to taste)
- 3tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2tsp salt
- 1 1/2tsp sugar
- 3tbs tomato paste
- 2 x 400g cans red kidney beans
Heat oil in a large pan, and cook the onion and garlic until just soft. Add the capsicum, and sauté for a few minutes, then add the spices (chilli, cumin, oregano, salt & sugar). Stir until fragrant, then add in the tomato paste and stir to coat.
Add in one can of beans, liquid and all (I know it sounds crazy, but it helps to thicken the mixture). Drain the other can, add to the pan and add half a can of water.
Check out the different colours of the red kidney beans - Aldi v Annalisa from BiLo
Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until desired thickness.
-Alphie
These were a bit of a mission to make. I started dicing the lamb shoulder just after lunch, and we didn't start eating until 8.30 or 9.00! Admittedly it was a late lunch, but I did not expect these to take that long. The recipe is one I ripped out of a SMH Good Living about 2 years ago, and has been languishing in my 'green folder' ever since (much like the Moroccan lamb meatballs). Now that I have such great lamb to work with, I thought it was time I gave it a try.
Just a few hints, so that maybe it wont take quite so long... Use a non stick pan - I made a 'shocking mess' of the pot I used, which wasn't non stick, and I haven't attempted to clean it yet (I made these yesterday)... Cooling the lamb mix will take a couple of hours (unless, like me, you are in a total rush, and are crazy enough to cool it in an ice bath...), so I would suggest you start this either the day before, or at least 8 hours before you want to eat them... And lastly, don't try to put too much filling in the pasties, they wont seal well, and will probably burst open during cooking.
FH Alphie rated them: 8.5/10
Curried lamb and winter veg pasties
from SMH Good Living, 8 July 2008.
makes 6
- 600g diced lamb shoulder
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3tbs curry powder
- 2 birds eye chillis
- 500ml beef or chicken stock
- 200g pumpkin, diced
- 200g parsnip, diced
- 200g celeriac, diced (swede also works well if you can't find celeriac)
- 6 sheets/600-700g shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Toss lamb through the seasoned flour. Heat oil in a large, preferably non stick, pan and brown the lamb in batches.
Then add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, curry powder and chillis and cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Return the lamb to the pan, and add the stock. Simmer, stirring often (another reason I made such a mess of the pan...) for 90 minutes, or until the lamb is soft and the sauce is thick.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, parsnip and celeriac/swede on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season, and bake for 15 minutes. Stir into the lamb mix, and cool completely.
Cut pastry into six, 20cm circles, brush with egg and spoon mix (about 3/4 cup) into the centre. Bring sides together at the top, and pinch sides together to seal all the way around. Place on a baking tray, and brush with more of the egg. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees, then 20 minutes at 170 degrees.
Enjoy! But be careful, they will be hot.
-Alphie
We had some friends stay with us on Friday night on their way to a wedding on Saturday in Watsons Bay. They had planned on catching public transport to the wedding, but thanks to the trackwork on the South Coast train line, and the generally difficult-to-get-to nature of Watsons Bay, it was going to take them at least 3 hours to get there, so FH Alphie and I offered to drive. We reasoned that it wasn't that far from the city, and we hadn't spent a day in Sydney for a while...
Then I had a brainwave. One of FH Alphie's close friends, who I'll call Mr Navy, lives in Rose Bay. We don't get to see him that often, so we arranged to meet him for lunch once he slept off his hangover. Since we were going to be in the inner-east area, I suggested Bills. FH Alphie and I have been to Bills once before, however it was for dinner, and at the Surry Hills restaurant (it was the night FH Alphie proposed actually!). So I was keen to try something from the iconic breakfast menu.
sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach & bacon
Once Mr Navy finally decided what he wanted, (we had to ask the waiter to give us more time because the boys were talking to much to read the menu...), we were ready to order. I went with the infamous sweet corn fritters, while both the boys went with something from the lunch menu. I've had a number of reproductions of Bills fritters at various cafes across Sydney, and even attempted them myself at home, but nothing really comes close to the original. The salty bacon offsets the sweet corn so perfectly, that although it was a huge serve, I finished the lot, much to the disbelief of FH Alphie and Mr Navy.
Wagyu beef burger with beetroot, zucchini pickles, and fries, with gorgonzola dolce latte
FH Alphie chose the Wagyu beef burger and an iced coffee. Which, in his words 'was fantastic, and the gorgonzola was sooo good', and managed a 9/10, which is a high score for FH Alphie, it is not uncommon for him to rate a great meal 7/10.
Greek salad with haloumi, black olives and garlic yoghurt
A hungover Mr Navy went with the herbed fries, a Greek salad with 'squeaky cheese' (also known as haloumi) and an orange juice.
herbed fries
To put it simply, the fries were fab. Perfectly salted, and the garlicky aioli was so moreish that we had to ask a waitress to take the bowl away before we finished, as we were all over full, but couldn't resist them.
My only gripe is that it so far away! I would love to be able to walk t0 Bills on a lazy weekend morning for breakfast. Ah, well, I'll just have to be content with random trips to the city.
-Alphie
This is a recipe that has been languishing in my over-full recipe folder for some time now. Mostly because I haven't had lamb mince for a while, and I can't bring myself to pay exorbitant prices for average quality lamb at the supermarket (the local butcher is not much better, mind you!). Now that we're all stocked up on the lamb front, I thought I might finally give this recipe a go.
I served this with cous cous and steamed green beans. I probably wouldn't bother with the cous cous next time, the chickpeas give it enough of a 'carby' feel. The meatballs were delicious, although I guess that relies pretty heavily on the quality of the lamb you use ;) FH Alphie thought that the sauce was a lacking something.
FH Alphie rated it: 6/10 (I think that's a bit mean, I'd give it 8/10)
Moroccan meatballs & chickpeas
from SMH Good Living, August 2009
serves 4
- 2 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
- 100ml milk
- 500g lean minced lamb
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2tbs parsley leaves, chopped
- 2tbs coriander leaves, chopped
- 2tsp ground cumin
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp salt
- 2tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, halved and finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2x 400g cans crushed tomatoes
- 2tbs tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 400g canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 2tbs parsley leaves, chopped
- 2tbs coriander leaves, chopped
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp paprika
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Soak the bread in milk for five or so minutes. Combine bread, lamb, onion, herbs, spices and salt in a bowl, and mix (with your hands) until well combined.
Roll into golf-ball sizes balls, place on a lightly greased baking tray, and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, start the sauce. In a large frypan, cook onion in oil over med-high heat until just colouring. Add garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and water and bring to the boil. Add chickpeas, herbs, spices, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Add meatballs and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
-Alphie
Sorry all my loyal followers (all 5 of you!), I had (another) crap day at work today, and couldn't be bothered going out for dinner, let alone cooking, so no post for today.
So, I'm going to relax on the couch, watch MasterChef, and, inspired by lovely Faux Fuchsia, I'm actioning a soothing gin & tonic.
-Alphie
FH Alphie has just returned from a weekend with his parents (well, Sunday and Monday, so not quite a weekend). His parents live in Orange, about 4 hours west of Sydney. FMIL collected a few goodies for us from the monthly Farmers Market on Saturday, and FH Alphie topped it up with a trip to Totally Local, a produce shop based on the 100-mile concept of eating locally grown and produced foods.
The Haul
As well as shopping in Orange, FH Alphie also dropped in to Hominy Sourdough Bakery in Katoomba on the way home, and FMIL gave us a few treats from her garden.
Trunkey Creek bacon & chorizo, mmmmm bacon....
From the farmers market we got Navel oranges, lemons, Fuji apples, potatoes (three types, but FMIL can't remember what they are!), Trunkey Creek double smoked bacon and 'cheeky' chorizo. FH Alphie picked up goat sausages and Orange Mountain verjus from Totally Local.
FMIL gave us half a dozen eggs from their chooks, and a few branches of bay leaves from her bay tree (and a pumpkin pie and some blueberry mini muffins!).
Lastly, FH Alphie and his mum stopped in at Bills Beans for a cup of coffee, and FH Alphie got two bags of beans, 200g each of the Byng Street Blend, and the Brazil Santa Clara.
I got home from work today to find FH Alphie unpacking all this from the car - what a way to start the week!!
-Alphie
I have made these a couple of times, usually when we have an abundance of almonds - thanks again Mum & Dad! The recipe comes from either the Sydney Morning Herald's weekend magazine, Good Weekend, or their weekly food lift-out, Good Living. I'm not really sure which, as I lost the original recipe, and now have a typed out copy from FH Alphie's mum.
They are super easy to make, and as long as you have the almonds, the rest of the ingredients are staples, so I can usually whip them up pretty quickly.
Almond biscuits
makes 35-40
- 125g butter, softened, and chopped
- 135g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 180g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 125g whole almonds
- 35-40 whole almonds, extra
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
Blitz the almonds in a food processor, leaving the extra ones out, until fine and crumbly, but not as fine as commercial almond meal.
Cream butter and sugar in a mixmaster until pale. Add egg, and beat to combine.
Sift flour, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and salt then fold into butter mixture. Add the almonds, and fold to combine.
Roll dessertspoonfuls of mixture in to balls, and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Press a whole almond into the top of each, then bake for 8-10 minutes until they just start to brown.
-Alphie
Check out the different colours of the red kidney beans - Aldi v Annalisa from BiLo
