Journal Update:

Well, it’s only been a week since I started this blog and already I feel as if I’ve turned a corner with my cooking and finally added some decent recipes into that empty file-box of mine.


I’ve been so warmed by the generosity people have shown by sending in recipes and the support given to My Recipe Journal’s page on Facebook - thank you.

Thanks to your delicious recipe-sharing it’s been an exciting week in my kitchen. My goal starting this blog was to add one new recipe to my cooking repertoire each week and I’ve already exceeded that.

Megan. B’s Pumpkin and Fetta Risotta has been the stand-out dinner-time success with my family this week, getting the tick of approval from everyone. I came close to messing that one up when I arrived home from the greengrocers with fresh lemon thyme instead of oregano. Doh! Perhaps I need a few lessons in herb-identification? (Alex went back to the shop to get the oregano and saved the day).

The next success has come from here: A no-knead bread recipe from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg. The bread (four loaves!) I made from this master recipe was fantastic and the method is so simple I can easily see myself getting into the rhythm of making bread every day. I’ll post some photos when I get a chance.

I also attempted Guy’s dahl recipe - although what I produced wasn’t strictly sticking to his recipe. Who am I kidding... It was nothing like Guy's recipe. Looking in my pantry just as I wanted to start cooking I discovered I had only one tin of lentils... and two extra teens to cook for that night as well. Dahl without lentils? Ummm... I ended up improvising with chickpeas and loads of sweet potatoes, not exactly the dahl Guy had in mind. Looks like I’ll have to have another attempt at the original recipe.

Lesson learned? I need to get stuck into meal planning so I have the correct ingredients on hand when it comes time to cook and that situation won’t crop up again.

Tracy’s Fruity Polenta Slice, meanwhile, is still waiting for me to try. Polenta is not a staple in my pantry, in fact I’ve never cooked with it before, but I now have stocked up on all the needed ingredients so I’m ready to test that one out. It looks so tempting...

I hope you, too, have been enjoying the recipes shared so far – keep ‘em coming!

x

p.s I'm off to cook today with 11 other mothers in massive meal-sharing get-together in which I have to come up with 20 serves of my dish! Wish me luck. I'll report back on this one. Nervous...

Guy's Dhal

I am yet to perfect a dahl... maybe this one will set me right? This recipe was sent in from a former housemate of Alex's - Guy. Hi Guy! Alex can vouch that Guy's dahl is one of the best around.

GUY'S DAHL RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium brown onion


3-5 cloves garlic (depending on taste/size)

1-5 small red chillies (depending on taste)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

salt

Around 150-250g lentils (red/yellow/brown)

2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes

Optional: 1 medium potato, 1 medium carrot



METHOD:

1. If using yellow or brown lentils, soak for at least 1 hour, ideally 4-8 hours.


2. Place lentils in large saucepan/crock pot and rinse lentils well in a few changes of water.

3. Cover lentils with 1.5 to 2 inches of water.

4. Put all but a teaspoon of ground coriander into lentil water.

5. Put lentils on to boil, being careful to catch the saucepan before it boils over onto the stove. Turn down to low heat so it simmers.

6. Finely chop onion.

7. Pound peeled garlic, chillies and half to one teaspoon of salt in mortar and pestle.

8. Chop tomatoes into around 1cm cubes or slightly smaller.

9. If using potato and carrot, chop them finely, parboil briefly and drain.

10. Fry onion in a small amount of vegetable oil (e.g. peanut oil, sunflower oil etc.). Use a frypan. Keep an eye on the onions, stirring regularly until translucent. Use a pretty low heat. Don't let the onions burn.

11. Add garlic/chilli/salt mix, fry for another couple of minutes, still keeping the heat low.

12. Add cumin, remaining coriander and turmeric. Fry another minute or so, still over low heat.

13. If using potato and carrot, add now and fry with onion/spice mix for another couple of minutes over low heat.

14. Add tomatoes. Heat can be turned up slightly now if necessary, but stir constantly to work the onion/spice mix off the bottom of the frypan.

15. When the onion mixture looks like it's cooked, scrape it into the lentil saucepan. Ladle some water out of the lentil saucepan into the frypan to rinse all the onion/spice mix into the lentils.

16. Cook the dhal for 45mins to 1 hour more.


Serve with raita, chutneys and pappadams fried in peanut oil.

~ Thanks Guy!

Cam's Roast Chicken and Whatever Vegies are in the Fridge Soup

Today's recipe is from Cam, who will also answer to Ms Curlypops! See her fun crafty blog here.

Cam writes: "Here's my all time favourite recipe - this is what I cook when I'm feeling down or a little bit sick. I always get chicken soup cravings and this fits the bill perfectly. The recipe originated from my complete dislike of vegies. I figured that if I was craving chicken soup when I was sick, then I should probably try to make it healthier by adding vegies.

The other condition, of course, was that it had to be something that I could make using ingredients that I already had in the fridge or the cupboard (I always have packaged chicken stock in the pantry). My solution was to just grab all the vegies that I had and put them through the food processor before cooking.


Adding the basmati rice was an addition that came along a little bit later when someone complained that soup was not a real meal, and that you couldn't just have soup for dinner!"



Roast Chicken and Whatever Vegies are in the Fridge Soup:


INGREDIENTS / METHOD:
1. Peel and prepare any vegies that you have. As a minimum, I usually use potato, pumpkin, onion, garlic, carrot, and celery (because I usually always have these in the fridge).

2. Choose any extra vegies that you have. I had a corn cob in the fridge lastnight so I added it.

3. Put all the vegies through the food processor using the grating attachment.

4. Put the grated vegies in a large stock pot (I actually use my electric wok).

5. Add chicken stock (I usually use 2 litres).

6. Simmer for a couple of hours - you may need to add some water during this time.

7. Take all the meat from a roasted chicken (I buy one at my local Charcoal chicken shop for extra flavour). Chop up and add to the soup.

8. At this stage, you can also add 1 cup of Basmati Rice (for a more substantial meal).

9. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes (or until the rice is cooked).

10. Add salt and pepper to taste

11. Serve with toast or some nice crusty bread and butter.

* Cam adds: "To make it a vegetarian recipe, just omit the chicken, and use vegie stock instead of chicken stock. Then because the chicken is already pre-cooked, you can just throw it in at the end when serving to anyone in the family who likes chicken."

Thank you Cam!
 

Alex's Zesty Red Curry

Today's recipe is from Alex! He cooks this dish for us often, but until starting this blog I'd never thought to ask him for the recipe so I could cook it. I gave it a try last night, and it worked out well. Since two of us in this house are vegetarian, I replaced the chicken with tofu - and Alex cooked up some chicken for himself separately. A lot of Alex's recipes have vegetarian options like this.

ALEX'S ZESTY RED CURRY

INGREDIENTS:


4 juicy, ripe roma tomatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters

1 chicken breast, cut into cubes (switch with tofu for a vegetarian alternative)

1 stick of lemon grass, cut into pieces of about 1cm each

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, cut into small, thin sticks

A few kaffir lime leaves

1 lime or lemon

3 bok choi

2 tablespoons of good quality red curry paste

1 ½ tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped

A handful of cashew nuts (optional)

2 tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil and canola or vegetable oil, blended (olive oil has a lower boiling point than canola or vegetable oil and combining them will help avoid burning the oil, while preserving the taste and health benefits of olive oil)



METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a large wok, and brown the chicken. Remove the chicken pieces and reserve.

2. Add the carrot sticks and cook on a high heat for about 30 seconds, until they start to change colour.

3. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook, stirring continuously, until the onion turns translucent.

4. Add the curry paste and mix through before returning the chicken to the wok and adding the tomatoes and bok choi. Mix through until coated with curry paste.

5. Add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, the juice of half the lime or lemon and half the coriander. To intensify the citrus component of the flavour, you could also add the husk of the half lemon or lime you have just squeezed over the food.

6. Set the heat to low and cover, allowing the tomatoes to wilt and spread their juices through the curry, providing the liquid for it. You can add a little water. Or another tomato if too dry. Stir occasionally.

7. Cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally removing the lid a and stirring.

8. Stir in the cashew nuts and remove the lemon or lime half before serving with jasmine rice. Squeeze a little juice from the other half of the lime or lemon and sprinkle with the remaining coriander before serving.

9. Serve with rice.

~ it works!

Aunty Peggy's "Good and Easy" Fruit Loaf

A sweet treat for the weekend.

This recipe has been sent in from Sarah who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Sarah has a blog here. The recipe Sarah shares with us comes from her Aunty Peggy’s recipe book – a book Sarah received when her Aunty passed away. Each recipe in the book has adorable notations such as “Good but messy” or “Good and easy”.

Sarah writes: “There are little notes like this all the way through her recipe book. It's like she knew she was going to be passing it on to someone and every one of the little notes makes me smile. She was such a wonderful Aunty and it's so special to have this. There are many blank pages left in the book and I have started adding my own favourite recipes to it.”

Isn’t that lovely? Thank you for this one, Sarah.

RECIPE: Aunty Peggy's Fruit Loaf

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Self-Rising Flour

1 Cup Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)

Pinch of salt.

100g Butter

1 Cup water

1 Cup mixed dried fruit (I used Christmas cake mix because it was on special and I like fruit peel)

1 egg (lightly beaten)



METHOD:

1. Line a loaf tin and set oven to preheat at 180 degrees C

2. Mix together first 4 dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Put butter, water and fruit into a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.

4. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients along with the egg and mix until just combined.

5. Pour into loaf tin and bake for 1/2 an hour at 180 degrees. Then turn down heat to 160 degrees and bake for 20 mins.

~ yum!

Megan B's Roasted Pumpkin & Fetta Risotto

PUMPKINS are in season, and so affordable, so yesterday I was looking for a simple pumpkin recipe for dinner. I cooked this recipe last night (that's my snap-shot of it, above) and it was a big hit with my whole family. Not only was it delicious, but also well within my cooking abilities.  I would love to have a few more pumpkin recipes - it's such a great winter food.

Please note: This is not my recipe - it was sent in from Megan Blandford who also has a blog here.

Megan writes: "I found (the original recipe) in a magazine at my aunt’s house a few years ago. My husband and I were staying there after doing a five-day hike, so we were copying out recipes like mad – going crazy at the thought of good, fresh food again!"


INGREDIENTS:

800g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm squares


1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

20g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cups Arborio rice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup white wine

5 cups vegetable stock

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons oregano leaves

150g feta, crumbled


METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C

Combine pumpkin, olive oil, salt and pepper, place on an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked.

Melt butter over medium heat, add onions and cook until soft and translucent.

Add rice and garlic, stirring for 2 minutes.

Pour in wine and continue stirring until it is absorbed.

Add the hot stock one cup at a time, again stirring until each cup has been absorbed.

Continue until the rice is al dente, then mix in the Parmesan, roasted pumpkin, oregano leaves and half the feta.

To serve, spoon the risotto into bowls and top with the remaining feta.

 
~ Thanks Megan. B!
 
 
Tomorrow: I have a sweet recipe to share with you - with a sweet story behind it.
 
x
 
Megan

Tracy's Fruity Polenta Slice

Ok folks, here we go - the very first recipe sent into My Recipe Journal. This one was sent in from North Coast NSW mum, Tracy, who also has a blog here.

Tracy writes: "This recipe came from one of my favourite cookbooks, Everyday Cooking, by husband-and-wife team Allan Campion & Michele Curtis, with a couple of modifications by me to make it completely gluten- and dairy-free. But still very, very yummy... Enjoy.

"Polenta gives this slice a slight crunch and a lovely contrast to the honey-soaked fruit." ~ Allen Campion

RECIPE: Fruity Polenta Slice

INGREDIENTS:
*1 tbsp honey
* 250ml (1 cup) hot tea (I used 2 Earl Grey teabags, which added that lovely delicate bergamot flavour & aroma)
* 320g (2 cups) dried fruit (eg. sultanas, currants, raisins. I used a nice dried fruit mix from Fundies.)
* 180g (1 cup) polenta
* 250g (1 2/3 cups) S/R flour (I used Orgran Gluten-Free S/R flour)
* 100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
* 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
* 200g butter (I used Nuttelex dairy-free margarine)
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* zest of one lemon, chopped
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice
* 3 lightly beaten eggs (I used large free-range organic eggs)


METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

- Dissolve the honey in the hot tea, add the dried fruit, and set aside to soak and cool. (You could do this bit while you make the rest of the mix, but I actually did mine the night before and popped it in the fridge. Nice flavour.)

- Butter a lamington tin, line with baking paper, and lightly butter the paper.

- Combine the polenta, flour, sugars, cinnamon and butter (or margarine), rubbing together until it forms a fine breadcrumb texture. (Using the marg, I found mine became a little moister than that, but it still worked well.) Add the lemon zest, juice and eggs, and mix well. Thoroughly drain the dried fruit, and add fruit to mix, stirring well.

- Spoon mixture into prepared tin, and smooth top. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 mins, until set and lightly golden brown on top (skewer inserted in centre will come out clean). Cool slightly in tin, before slicing into wedges to serve.

- Lovely warm or cool, and looks extra tasty served lightly dusted with sifted icing sugar.

- Makes approx. 12-24 pieces (depending on how big you cut them - I find the smaller size were perfect).


Thank you Tracy!

Why I have started this blog

THE other day I thought I'd start a recipe journal - using a funky vintage index file box I'd found.  As I thought about what recipes I'd add to my new recipe file I realised: I have only a handful of recipes that I can actually confidently cook.

Luckily for me my partner Alex is a great cook - so when he's able to cook the evening meal we're spared a permanent diet of toasted tomato sandwiches or pasta spirals!

In my heart I aspire to grow my own organic food, learn to cook what's in season and feed my family well within a tight budget. Simple dreams.

I'm a mother of three and I prepare meals for my family every day - but I have always seen cooking as more of a necessary chore than a joy. It's only recently that I have attempted baking from scratch - rather than from a packet mix.

The surprising thing for me was that I really enjoyed this new skill. I made my first loaf of bread slowly and carefully, kneading it and tending to it and, although that first little loaf took me almost half-a-day to produce, it tasted pretty good!

I have set myself a goal of learning one new recipe a week - but I will need help. That's where you, and this blog, come in.

I'm calling for recipes that a fairly inexperienced home cook like myself could cook. I'll post them here on the blog, along with my own cooking discoveries, and together we will fill My Recipe Journal with tasty healthy recipes that we can all share.

x

Megan