Wholegrain Mustard and Ginger Sausages

I saw this recipe on a Nigella Lawson's Christmas special a week before Christmas. We made them for Christmas day and again after because they were so yummy.

Ingredients

100g ginger jam or conserve
100g wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic infused oil (I used olive oil with a teaspoon crushed garlic)
Sausages (we used chipolatas - small sausages but you could cut up long skinny sausages)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium zip lock bag.
2. Place sausages into the bag and move around to cover the sausages.
3. Place in fridge for at least half hour.
4. Cook in oven in a lined tray until cooked.

So simple and tastes wonderful.

Moroccan Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

500g butternut pumpkin
1 medium onions chopped
3 1/2 cups water
chicken or vegetable stock
2 large carrots diced
Moroccan seasoning (I used MasterFoods)
1 tin crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic

Method

1. Chop all vegetables
2. Place onions and garlic (optional) and with small amount of olive oil and cook until onion is soft
3. All other ingredients into pot including spices (add the amount of spices depending on personal taste)
4. Boil then simmer until cooked (around 30-45 minutes)
5. Blend and serve with a squeeze of lemon

Roast Pumpkin and Baby Spinach Salad

Here is a salad to start your new year challenge - a new recipe each week.

This salad a friend of mine made a few months ago and I love it. The dressing is very special as it has maple syrup in it. This salad was a hit on Christmas Day.

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons seeded mustard

Salad:
Washed baby spinach
Fetta (crumbled)
Pine nuts
Roast pumpkin
(any other salad ingredients, I put halved cherry tomatoes and cubed cucumber)

Method

1. Roast the pumpkin with olive oil.
2. Cool the pumpkin slightly before putting in the salad.
3. Wash the baby spinach and put in a bowl.
4. Crumble the fetta and put the pumpkin and pine nuts on top.
5. Place all dressing in a bottle and shake.
6. Pour dressing over the salad and serve.

Cheese and bean patties

I am still in the cooking spirit! Woo hoo!
Mum read the title of this recipe out to me and I thought "ho hummmm" but after reading the ingredients decided to give it a go.
Although I changed the recipe, they tasted yummmmm. My changes are included below.

Ingredients

1/3 cup burghul* (I used 1/3 cup cous cous cooked - see below)
400g can cannellini beans
1 small onion
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander (did not have so used Italian Herbs)
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1 small lemon, juiced (I put 2 teaspoons of the fake lemon juice)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
oil for cooking

Method

1. Cook cous cous by putting 1/3 cup cous cous with 1/3 cup boiling water. Mix and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Roughly chop the onion and place in food processor. Buzz a few times to chop up.
3. Wash the cannellini beans and place into food processor with flour, baking powder, cumin, coriander (Italian herbs), grated cheese and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
4. Process until well combined.
5. Put cooked cous cous into processor and combine further.
6. Transfer mixture into a bowl, stir through parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Shape mixture into patties, 1 tablespoon at a time. Put onto plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. (This was not in original recipe but I added because they started to fall apart when cooking)
   Make a egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little water). Dip the patties into the egg then into plain flour.
9. Cook mover a medium heat for about 3 minutes each side. They kept sticking so I kept them moving in the pan.

*If using burghul then in step 1. Place burghul into a sieve. Rinse under cold water. Allow to drain. Set aside for 10 minutes.

I will be making them again. We served it with salad but the magazine I got the recipe out of (Foodideas Nov 2003) served it with tabouli.
Felicity

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

500g butternut pumpkin
2 medium onions chopped
3 1/2 cups water
chicken stock
2 large carrots diced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cloves garlic (optional)

Method

1. Chop all vegetables
2. Place onions and garlic (optional) and with small amount of olive oil and cook until onion is soft
3. All other ingredients into pot
4. Boil then simmer until cooked (around 30-45 minutes)
5. Blend and serve

Variation

1. Bake pumpkin and carrots in oven before adding to pot. I baked pumpkin and carrot for around 45 minutes on a high heat before adding to the broth. Also, when you are adding it to the broth, take some of the liquid and put into baking tray to get all the cooked flavours.

This is a family favourite. It is really simple and yummy. You can add cream at the end, either sour cream or coconut cream. You can make a vegetarian alternative; add vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

Felicity

Yummiest Cottage Pie ever

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed, finely chopped
500g beef mince
2 tbs plain flour
500ml (2 cups) beef stock
1 dried bay leaf
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs tomato paste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 (about 200g each) desiree potatoes, peeled, chopped
40g butter
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
Melted butter, to brush

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Add mince and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until combined.
4. Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.
5. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile: cook potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Return to the pan with the butter. Use a potato masher or fork to mash until smooth. Add milk and use a wooden spoon to stir until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Preheat oven to 200°C. Spoon lamb mixture into a 2L (8-cup) capacity ovenproof baking dish. Top with mashed potato and use a fork to spread over lamb mixture. Brush with butter.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until mashed potato is golden brown.

I found this recipe on the Taste website (http://www.taste.com.au/) and it was a Shepherd's Pie but I put beef mince instead of lamb so it is considered Cottage Pie.

Although it has lots of ingredients and steps, it was the yummmmiest cottage pie I have ever eaten.

Felicity Caterer

Vegetable Gyoza

Makes around 20

Ingredients

Filling

2 cups finely sliced cabbage

½ cup grated zucchini (juice squeased out)

½-1 cup finely sliced spring onions (depending on taste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon grated ginger (I used from a jar)
1 teaspoon garlic (I used from a jar)
Salt and pepper to season
Gyoza wrappers (most asian supermarkets have them in fridge, there are recipes online to make the wrappers but I have not tried them...yet)

Method

To make filling:

1. Cook cabbage, zucchini and spring onions with a little oil
2. Combine sauce and add to pan with cabbage mix
3. Cook until sauce has mostly gone
4. Put in fridge into cool

To fold into wrapper:

1. When mixture cools, place desert spoon full mixture into middle of Gyoza wrapper
2. With your finger, wipe water around the edge
3. Fold both sides together and pleat around the edge

Cooking:

1. Place a little oil in a hot pan
2. Place the gyoza's (not touching) into the pan
3. When the base is slightly brown place a cup of water (or enough water to fill the bottom of the pan) and place a lid on for them to steam
4. While they are steaming make the sauce (1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or mirin)

Although there are lots of steps, they are very easy to make and taste great.

This recipe I have adapted from a traditional recipe I found online that included shiitake mushrooms and no zucchini (I just had some in the fridge to use up). I also adjusted some of the ingredients in the sauce from what I knew I would like.

These can also be made with pork, beef or chicken mince.

Felicity Caterer

Impossible Pie

Ingredients

At least 4 serves (more if you add a little salad)

4 eggs
2 cups milk
½ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
125g margarine (melted)
Pasta (small pasta eg. swirls, macaroni etc)
See variation below for the other ingredients
Cheese

Method

1. Cook pasta (follow packet instructions)
2. Wisk eggs, milk then add melted margarine
3. Add flour and baking powder to wet mixture
4. Add one of the variations
5. Spread pasta in the bottom of a greased large dish then pour all mixture on top.
6. Sprinkle grated cheese on top
7. Bake in the oven until firm and cheese is golden brown

 Variations

• Corn and asparagus - medium sized can of drained corn and a can of asparagus, drained and cut into pieces
• Tuna - large can of tuna drained and medium sized can of corn drained (corn can also be added)
• Silverbeat/spinach - sliced into small pieces then dunked into boiling water to make it limp
• Bacon and tomato - cut bacon into small pieces, ensure there is not too much liquid in the tomato

Not sure where this recipe came from but it was always cooked at home (at least once a week). There is almost always left-overs to be reheated for the next night as it makes heaps. The reason that we called it impossible pie is because it is impossible to get wrong.

If you know more variations please write them below.

Felicity Caterer

Recipes

I have run out of recipes to upload.

Question: (please post your comments below, easiest way is write your name in the comment and post it as anonymous)

If you are given 500g mince and a can of tomatoes

- What would you do with them?
- What other ingredients would you include?

Fresh Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g pumpkin
250g carrots
6 cups stock (or stockcubes and water)
can of tomatoes (undrained)
1 onion
Fresh Basil

Method

1. Dice pumpkin and carrots, bring to the boil in stock and cook until soft.
2. Cook tomatoes and onion in small pan over low heat until onions soften a little.
3. Add tomato mixture to pumpkin mix and puree until smooth.
4. Add chopped fresh basil and season to taste.

Note:
This soup has a little magic in it as it seems to be not only a hearty winter soup but also somehow seems light and fresh enough for summer meals. The kids love it (don't even question the vegetable-ness of it) and the no dairy aspect makes it a winner too -great for kids with allergies!
 
Alison Farr-Handley

Beef & Bacon Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients

750g blade steak (trimmed and diced into 2.5 cm cubes)
4 rashers lean middle bacon (trimmed)
3 medium onions – chopped into large chunks
4 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced chilli
250g jar tomato paste
2 cups water
3 beef stock cubes
1 cup red wine
250g Button mushrooms

Method

1. Heat a large pan sprayed with cooking spray. (I use a large French Casserole)
2. Cook onions until lightly browned. (It is often good to add 1 of the stock cubes and extra ½ cup of water here. The water evaporates as the onions soften and the stock cube adds to the caramelizing effect)
3. Add garlic and chilli and mix in.
4. Add steak and cook, stirring until brown.
5. Stir in wine, tomato paste, water and stock cubes (only add two cubes if you used one with the onions but add both cups of water)
6. Simmer, covered for 45mins (I find it is especially tasty if cooked on low in the oven for over an hour)
7. Stir in mushrooms & cook further 10mins.

Alison Farr-Handley

Morrocan Lamb

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp curry paste (Indian style – rogan josh or madras)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cardamom seeds
480g minced lamb
1 cup instant couscous
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 chicken stock cube
200g low-fat natural yoghurt
1 tbs fresh mint, chopped
1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 pinch cumin extra

Method

1. Fry onion & garlic until softened. Add curry paste & cumin. Cook until fragrant. Add mince and cook until browned. Add cardamom and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Place couscous & crumbled stock cube in a bowl. Cover with boiling water, mix and cover. Leave for 5 minutes and then fluff with fork. To make minted yoghurt – mix final four ingredients and leave to infuse.
3. Serve couscous topped with mince mixture and a good dollop of yoghurt! A big hit with our kids! 
4. Adapted from a now very out of date Weight Watchers' cookbook

 Alison Farr-Handley

Zucchini quiche

Ingredients

4 zucchinis

1 onion
1 cup of cheese
1 cup of bacon
1 cup of SR flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of oil

4 eggs

Method

1. Grate zucchinis and add everything else and mix.
2. Put in oven for about 40mins.

Hint: It taste great cold too.

Mel Patterson