Fig, Goat's Cheese and Prosciutto

My sister's friend passed on this recipe a few months ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since.  This is a simple, delicious appetiser.  Just three beautiful ingredients - very easy and tasty. 

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees.  Trim and halve your figs. 

Dollop on a generous amount of goat's cheese.

Wrap the fig and cheese in a thin slice of prosciutto.  I generally halve the prosciutto slices - half is usually wide enough.

Place the wrapped figs on a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

The end result - soft gooey figs, creamy cheese and crisp prosciutto. An impressive, delicious outcome for little effort.

Enjoy!

Piecey Num Nums 1st Birthday!!

My "leap year baby" blog is one today!  My first post was on 29th February 2012 - I didn't plan it - it just sort of happened!!  

I can't say the year has unfolded as I had hoped when I wrote my first post.  Primarily I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked however I am hoping to change that this year.  I also didn't travel outside of the state I live in though I am excited to say that is definitely going to change this year.

In June I am travelling to France and Spain.  I am beyond excited about this as it has been many years since I was last in Europe.  And as you might guess from these glimpses of my home, I am slightly obsessed with Paris!  I am looking forward to sharing my trip with you!  

To mark this occasion I decided to make some birthday savoury muffins.  This recipe from the taste.com.au website caught my eye awhile ago but as usual I decided it would be so much better with a few little additions ;)  They are best eaten warm (20 seconds in the microwave) and I think they would be lovely as an accompaniment to soup.

Cumin and Pea Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, grated or finely chopped
• 2 slices lean bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic or 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups of self raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 80gr butter, melted
• olive oil spray for greasing

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin
3. Saute the onion, bacon and garlic in the olive oil until soft and golden.  Around 3-4 minutes should be long enough  
4. Add the cumin and peas.  Cook for about 2 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool 
5. Sift the flour into a bowl
6. Mix the butter, milk and egg.  Add it to the flour and combine
7. Gently stir through the pea mixture and the parmesan cheese.  If the mixture appears too dry add a dash more milk
8. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes

  

Kale and Chorizo

I've wanted to cook with kale for a while but found it a bit daunting and, to be honest, wasn't really sure what to do with it!  Then one day I saw this baby at my local supermarket and I could not resist.

A quick search on the internet did not produce a recipe I was totally happy with so I just winged it and I must say I was quite happy with the result. 

Kale really is a "superfood" with lots of impressive health benefits.  This leafy green vegetable, a member of the cabbage/broccoli family, is full of vitamins - A, B folate, C and K.  It has cholesterol lowering benefits, cancer risk lowering benefits and is a powerful antioxidant with lots of anti-inflammatory benefits.  I can recommend reading about the many health benefits of this food - fascinating! 

I sauteed a thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced chorizo sausage and some garlic in a little olive oil.  When the chorizo was nice and crispy I added about half the bag of kale (60grams) and put the lid on the pan.  After a few minutes the kale had wilted so I added some toasted almonds, cracked black pepper, gave it a good stir and it was ready. 

The end result was quite delicious and full of flavour - salty, crunchy and sweet! I had this as a meal but it would make a lovely side dish for chicken or fish or tossed through pasta.

Do you have a favourite way to cook kale?  I would love to hear any ideas/recipes for this wonderful vegetable!

Zucchini Slice

This zucchini slice is easy to make and delicious to eat.  It is a wonderful recipe for those occasions when you need to bring a plate.  I originally got the recipe from the taste website but as I tend to do I have changed it a bit! 

The main difference is that I like to cook the onion and bacon first with some garlic.  Not only do I love the aroma of these three beautiful ingredients cooking but I think it adds something to the dish.  And, everyone loves this slice, even my 18 month old niece so whilst the garlic enhances the flavours it is very subtle.

The ingredients...

Please imagine there is some minced garlic in the picture as I forgot to include it!  I use the minced garlic you buy in a jar for this recipe as I don't want chucks of garlic in the slice.  Also, I had run out of vegetable oil so used extra virgin olive oil and it was fine.  This is a very forgiving recipe! 

Sautéing the onion, bacon and garlic

Cheesy zucchini goodness

Adding the cooked bacon and onion

Ready to bake

Golden deliciousness!

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 200gr bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup of self raising flour, sifted
• 5 eggs
• 375gr grated zucchini
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• Butter or olive oil spray to grease the pan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Grease a baking pan of approximately 30cm x 20cm in size.  The Pyrex dish I use is slightly smaller than this.
3. Sauté the chopped onion, bacon and garlic until soft and golden.  Around 5 minutes should be long enough.  Let it cool slightly.
4. Beat the eggs, add the flour and mix until smooth.  
5. Add the zucchini, cheese, oil, onion and bacon mix to the flour and eggs. Combine well.
6. Season with pepper and salt to taste.  I never add salt as I don't believe it needs it.
7. Pour into the greased pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through.
8. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, cut into squares and then remove carefully!  Delicious served hot or cold.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Like this pasta, my stuffed mushrooms are a quick, low fat, low calorie dinner.  They are a light meal yet filling at the same time.  Not the most attractive looking dish but they taste great and mushrooms are so good for us!  Mushrooms are nature's super food - high in antioxidants, nutrient rich, full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, and they are inexpensive! Perfect.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. In a little olive oil saute diced onion, sliced mushrooms, garlic, red capsicum, spinach leaves, chilli flakes and cracked black pepper.  Chopped bacon is a nice addition.  Once soft remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Whilst the onion mix is cooling prepare your mushrooms.  I use the flat BBQ mushrooms but you can use any large mushroom like Portobello.  Remove the stalk and peel.  Spray both sides lightly with olive oil spray and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

Once the onion mix has cooled combine with low fat ricotta cheese and fill your mushrooms. I use the ricotta you buy in the tub as I find it easier to work with in this recipe but fresh ricotta from the deli is fine too.

Adjust quantities to suit how many mushrooms you want to fill.  For these four medium mushrooms I used one small onion, about a cup of sliced mushrooms, a quarter of a capsicum, a large handful of spinach leaves and a generous tablespoon of ricotta.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the mushroom is soft and cooked and the mixture golden.

Enjoy with a crisp salad for a healthy, delicious meal!

Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

This is a quick, easy, low calorie pasta dish that can be thrown together in under twenty minutes. Great for a quick after work meal.    

The addition of Dijon mustard gives this pasta heaps of taste and pulls all the flavours together.  It is a nice alternative to a tomato based sauce or a cream sauce which of course should be avoided if you are trying to watch your weight! 

Finely chop an onion and saute in a pan with good olive oil.  At the same time boil water, add some salt and add your pasta.  Cook according to package instructions.

Add finely chopped red capsicum, mushrooms, chili flakes, garlic and lots of cracked black pepper to the onion mix.  Chopped bacon is a nice addition if you have it.  Once soft, add a good dollop of Dijon mustard and a ladle full of the pasta water.  Stir to combine. 

When your pasta is nearly ready add spinach leaves to mushroom mix.  Be generous with the spinach as it wilts down a lot.  Add a bit more of the pasta water if required.

Once the pasta is ready add it to the sauce and combine.

Serve as is or with a shaving of parmesan cheese.

Another nice option is to serve it with fresh low fat ricotta cheese.

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A little piece of history ..

My cookbook collection is large and varied with titles from Neil Perry’s "Balance and Harmony" to "Cooking with F•R•I•E•N•D•S". Stay tuned for Joey’s Walnut Scones!

The oldest cookbook in my collection is the "New Standard Cookery Illustrated", edited by Elizabeth Craig, first published in England in the early 1930's.  It was my mothers and I believe it belonged to her mother before that so it is very special to me.

It is not only a cookbook but also a manual for running a house and it provides a fascinating snapshot of life at that time.  One of my favourite chapters is "Household Management”, which includes such topics as  “Between Mistress and Maid” and "Entertaining without a maid"!! Imagine!  Very Downton Abbey.

There is even a chapter for the colonies - "The Australian Kitchen",  Recipes include Kangaroo Tail Soup and Stewed Bandicoot!  Might give those a miss...

Instead I thought I would try something a little easier with ingredients I recognised!  

Spiced Oatmeal Crisps

Ingredients

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1.5 cups oatmeal
• .5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 level teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter  (250 grams)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped raisins 

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar
2. Stir in the beaten eggs and oatmeal (as quickly as possible)
3. Stir in the raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut and the baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon of boiling water
4. Place teaspoons of the mixture on a greased baking tray and bake in a hot oven until brown  (I used baking paper)
5. Let the crisps cool on the baking tray before transferring to a plate

I must say I had some trouble with this 'easy' recipe but then I rarely make biscuits so it is not second nature to me. I made them twice and whilst the second batch was better I wouldn't say they were a standout success. In keeping with the age of the recipe I attempted to cream the butter and sugar by hand.  Hmm, let's just say grandma's generation had better arm muscles than me!  Also, I guessed a hot oven to be 200 degrees which was far too hot.  In the end around 180 degrees was high enough and they cooked very quickly. - not more than 10 minutes.   The crisps themselves were very tasty though not the prettiest and some didn't crisp up - but I am sure that is the fault of the cook and not the recipe.  I think a more experienced baker would have no problems obtaining a great result.


I thought it appropriate to enjoy the crisps with a cup of tea in the tea set my mother was given as a wedding present 55 years ago.

The illustrated part of this book is 3 colour and about 50 black and white images like the one below.  Given there are nearly 1000 pages in the book it is very different to today's cookbooks but I suspect quite progressive for the time.

And at the back of the book I discovered gold!  Gorgeous hand written recipes, presumably written by my grandmother.  This is a very special book indeed. 

Pea and Rocket Soup

This unusual soup is very easy, healthy and low calorie!  It is also very green but it tastes great! 

This is my first cookbook recipe post thus fulfilling one of the reasons I started this blog, as mentioned here.  It is from a book called "Bowl Food" by Murdoch Books. I seem to have a problem following recipes to the letter so as usual have changed a couple of things however with so few ingredients there's not much to change!

Pea and Rocket Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bag rocket (approximately 100gr)
• 1 bag frozen peas (500gr)
• 3 cups (750ml) chicken stock (or vegetable)*
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese to serve

Method

1. Add oil and onion to a saucepan and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add peas and rocket and cook for a minute or two until the rocket wilts a little bit.
3. Add hot stock and an extra cup of boiling water.  Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Cool and then blend until smooth.
6. Return to the saucepan and reheat.
7. Serve with shaved parmesan and extra rocket leaves if desired.

* I use Massel brand stock which is all vegetable, has no animal content and is gluten free thus making this dish suitable for vegetarians and those with gluten intolerance. 

Savoury Pinwheels

The perfect Saturday afternoon - good friends, a little champagne, delicious food and cuddles with a precious baby girl.

These pinwheels are perfect finger food.  They are very easy and quick to prepare.

Spread a thawed puff pastry sheet with basil pesto.  You can't beat home made pesto but I didn't have time to make my own so brought a good 'home made' version from a deli.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

At this point you can roll the pastry sheet up and slice it or you can add a bit more flavour.  I sautéed a finely diced onion, bacon and garlic in a little olive oil.

Spread over the pesto and parmesan

Roll up as tightly as you can and slice - I got about 12 pieces out of each pastry sheet

Bake in a 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown

The finished pinwheels

I made three varieties: the basic pesto and parmesan, the bacon and onion version and some with pesto, parmesan and finely diced roasted red capsicum.  All were delicious.  Other good ingredients would be finely diced olives or sun dried tomatoes - however the 'flatter' the ingredients the easier it is to roll the pastry sheet up tightly and this gives the nice pinwheel shape when sliced.

And what better way to finish off a lovely afternoon than with some chocolate!