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Lamb Casserole

Lamb Casserole

I rarely make a meal which just gives me one meal, I like to get at least three meals out of whatever I am cooking. This lamb casserole/tagine I made last week gave me six meals as there were six chops in the pot 😀 and I had the last one today for lunch at work

I mixed together a spice paste of turmeric, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and cumin with a little bit of oil and fresh garlic. I melted some ghee in my pot and fried off the spice paste a little, then it was in with the chops to brown them. Then a little while later the onions and fennel went in and were covered with water and a bit of tomato passata, then some apricots, dates, raisins, rose water, almonds and green lentils. Left to simmer for a long time I ended up with with the most delightful meal, the lamb was falling off the bone, the lentils were perfect and the sauce was just the right thickness. Served on a bed of cous cous with yoghurt and chives on top I had a a perfect meal to say goodbye to winter with 😀

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Sunday Cooking

Le Creuset Love

On Sunday after spending the last 36 odd hours in bed resting to avoid the beginnings of a cold get any worse I made Chicken soup. It started off with the roasting of chook and some carcasses I had in the freezer. Once the chicken had roasted I stripped it, saving the meat to go into the soup later on and the bones for the stock. I sweated some onions, carrots and leeks in the pot, then I added the chicken bones/skin, water and some sage and let it simmer gently for an hour or two. Then I strained it and strained it again through cheesecloth. Then I let it cool and cracked an egg white into it and brought it back up to heat to clarify it. I read about using the egg white to clarify it in Michael Ruhlman’s book The Elements of Cooking which I am reading with much joy at the moment. I ended up with the most glorious stock, just this delightful chicken flavour. I froze half of the stock to use at a later date and left the other half in the pot and added an assortment of diced vegetables, macaroni and the chicken and let it all simmer again.

When it was all cooked I had this pot of the most delightful soup I have ever made with enough for about 7 meals 😀 I like it when I have lots of leftovers 😀

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Leftovers Quiche

Leftovers Quiche

This is a quiche I made the other week has a handy way to use up assorted deli goods, vegetables and pastry in the fridge. The quiche was filled with sautéed onions, garlic, capsicum and shallots, sun dried tomatoes, Camembert, ricotta, lots and lots of thyme, the yummiest smoked olives and of course some egg, cream and seasoning to bind it all together. It was so so so so so good and such a nice treat for lunch at work, where I would give it a burst in the microwave before placing it on the sandwich grill to crisp it all up. Just a quick and easy way to use up some leftovers in the fridge.

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Squid Stir Fry

A couple of Saturdays ago Andrea and I visited the West End Green Markets and then Reverse Garbage. The weekend after that Mum and I did the same thing 🙂

One of the stalls at the markets is a fish shop filled with polystyrene boxes of ice and seafood. I had eyed the local squid off the week before when I went with Andrea. When I went the following week with Mum she had brought an esky along in the the boot of the car, perfect for carting home seafood. I picked a nice looking squid mantle, and proceeded to pay for it at $8/kg, the mantle cost me a whopping $2.50. A bargain price for protein that would give me two meals.

The process of cleaning the squid was an experience but fun. I had watched squid being cleaned before but never tried it myself. It didn’t look that hard and it wasn’t just messy. I had a meal dancing in my mind though so it was worth it.

Squid, Basil & Chilli Stir fry
Squid Stir-fry

Ingredients
Cleaned squid
Onion
Garlic
Capsicum
Nam Prik Pao/Chilli Jam/Chilli Paste in Oil
Kecap Manis
Light Soy Sauce – I used Tamari
bit of water
Asian greens
noodles or rice to serve

Clean the squid and make cuts at a 45° across the squid on both diagonals, taking care not to cut all the way through the squid. Then cut the squid into diamond shapes.

Heat a little oil in a wok and fry the onion, capsicum and garlic for a few minutes. Add a spoon of the chilli jam and a dollop of the kecap manis and the light soy sauce and stir through. Add the squid pieces and give a quick stir. Pour in a little water and place the Asian greens on top and give a quick steam. Toss through a handful of fresh basil leaves and serve on noodles or rice.

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West End Markets

For the last few weeks I have made a trip each Saturday morning to the West End Markets and oh how I loved them more than any of the other markets I have been to in Brisbane. A lot cheaper than the Jan Power markets and more general fruit and vege stalls as opposed to speciality olive and dip stalls, a whole lot more stalls than the Nundah markets. Just the perfect mix of everything.

I can get bananas from a banana grower at Crabbes Creek, near where Grandad grew up. I can get apples and pears from this lovely old Italian (?) man from Stanthorpe. Heritage tomatoes from this lovely lady. Fresh local squid from the polystyrene box fish shop. Turkish bread that is at least a meter long from the Highgate Hill bakery and everything else I need for the week.

The other week Mum came with me and I took these photos of her sitting on the soccer field eating some American cherries after our shared Hungarian spinach thing which we had for breakfast.

Mum

I probably won’t be going the next two weeks as I have weddings on both Saturdays but generally this is where you will find me on a Saturday morning.

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Food

One thing I have truly loved about moving out of the family home is how much more I cook. I do the bulk of the cooking now (it means I don’t have to always wash up :D). Sure I dislike our stove with a passion, it is soooo inefficient, the oven does not know at all what even heat means, it likes burning the bottom of baked goods and it on the small side so finding biscuit trays to fit has been a mission. Still as much as I dislike the stove, I still love it as it lets me cook. The bummer is that I am not taking any photos of what I am cooking, I know I should and that I should start playing with my flashes to provide the lighting as when I have finished cooking it is dark, dark, dark outside and the ceiling lights in our flat leave little to be desired.

Whilst some nights I don’t feel like cooking after coming home from work and I end up having a sandwich or a salad for dinner, most nights the thing I want to do most after a day at work is to potter round the kitchen or sit on the kitchen bench stirring the pot with a cup of tea or glass of water beside me whilst listening to the ABC or some Jazz. One of my staples has become a lamb and lentil dhal of sorts as well as of course a good old pasta ragu.

Last night I made mushroom risotto for dinner and well both Andrea and I had seconds. It was good, so good. Looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow. This morning we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast just because I didn’t feel like having cereal or toast 😀

I have decided that one of the the things I will do when I am flat hunting next time is request a test run of the stove 😀 well at least a thorough inspection of it’s capabilities. 😀