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!

Yim Yam Thai Laos

Yim Yam Thai Laos

415 Mt Alexander Rd 

Ascot Vale 3032

There are three Yim Yam restaurants - the original in Yarraville, another in Collingwood and the one I recently visited in Ascot Vale.  After being in Moonee Ponds for a number of years the restaurant moved to larger premises in neighbouring Ascot Vale in May.  

I had ordered their takeaway before and been impressed with the food so was looking forward to dining in and I was not disappointed. The food was delicious and the staff attentive and friendly.  I was disappointed though to find out that they are BYO only.  I didn't realise this and would have liked to enjoy a nice crisp glass of white wine with my meal!  They do have a number of soft drinks on offer - but my lemon lime and bitters was not a good substitute :(

Seared Chicken Satay Sticks - $7.90

We started with Chicken Satay sticks.  These were a good version of this staple.  Nice sauce.

Tom Yum Spicy Prawn Stirfry - $18.90

The Tom Yum spicy prawn stir fry was the highlight of the night.  I love Tom Yum soup and this stir fry was full of those beautiful aromatic flavours - lemongrass, coriander, kaffir lime leaves, chilli - absolutely delicious.  Spicy but not too hot and the prawns and vegetables were beautifully fresh.

Massaman Lamb Curry - $14.50

The classic Massaman Lamb curry was very tasty.  The lamb was tender and it had a nice amount of potato and crushed peanuts.  The accompanying coconut rice was lovely.

Coconut Rice - $5.50

Banana Dumpling    $5.50

There were quite a few interesting options on the dessert menu. I tried the Banana Dumpling which was described as sticky rice and banana rolled into a dumpling, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.  It was served with a scoop of coconut ice cream. This was nice but I found the banana flavour to be quite strong and almost a little artificial and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. 

Coconut Ice Cream    $5.00

The coconut ice cream was lovely with distinct pieces of fresh coconut.

Will definitely return with a nice bottle of wine next time!

The Wharf Hotel

The Wharf Hotel

18-38 Siddeley St 

WTC Wharf 3005

Like Byblos the Wharf Hotel is located in the WTC (World Trade Centre) Wharf precinct. Located on the north bank of the Yarra River opposite the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (known to many as "Jeff's Shed") the WTC Wharf is easily accessible from Spencer Street or Siddeley Street. 

The Wharf Hotel is close to my work and has quickly become the place of choice for a quick lunch time coffee, an after work drink or a delicious meal.  The staff are great and I love the outdoor couch area overlooking the river.

Here are some of the dishes enjoyed by myself and friends at The Wharf.

The Wharf’s parma, steak chips & leafy greens $22

Steak chips, aioli $8.50

Heirloom tomato, crumbled feta & aged balsamic bruschetta $9.50

 

Pumpkin, pine nuts, fetta, balsamic onions $14

And a closer look!

Spanish chorizo, blistered tomato, garlic, chilli, rocket $16

The pizzas are particular favourites and great value.

Zucchini & corn fritters, coriander, yoghurt sauce $8

Chorizo, cheese & potato croquettes, chilli aioli $9

I loved the fritters and croquettes - delicious!  The chilli aioli was very moreish with just the right amount of bite.  Lovely enjoyed with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc!

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. 

Philhellene

Philhellene

551-553 Mt Alexander Rd
Moonee Ponds, 3039

I had been looking forward to eating at Philhellene for a long time.  I had heard good reviews about this Greek restaurant and really expected to love it, but unfortunately I was disappointed.  It's not that the food was bad.  Overall the food was fine but I felt it was just lacking that little extra.  That little something that makes you want to return again and again. 

The restaurant itself is lovely - cosy and with a warm ambience.  I loved the lights over the bar.  We were seated near an open fire and on this cold winter night it was toasty.  The staff were lovely, very efficient and attentive despite being very busy.

For entree we shared a Meze platter.  The zucchini flowers were definitely the highlight.  The ricotta pastries were lovely but the small sausages and marinated calamari were not very appetising and I really didn't enjoy their flavours. The dips were fine. 

Meze Platter for two

The accompanying pita bread was very nice, warm and crispy.












For mains we shared Baked, Stuffed Calamari and Chicken Souvlaki. I liked the chicken more than the calamari but it was quite plain and uninteresting.  The couscous and potato were tasty.  The calamari was from the specials board and was a bit rubbery and the flavours just didn't seem to work. Normally I love rice dishes but I didn't enjoy the accompanying rice.  The salad was fine.

We finished with coffee and Loukoumades.  A very generous serve, they were ok, nice and hot and sticky with honey, walnuts and cinnamon but a little bit doughy.  

Having read a few of the reviews on Urbanspoon it is obvious that Philhellene is a very popular restaurant.  If I do return I will definitely try the Moussaka which seems to be quite popular.

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.