Pip's Lamb Rolls

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Pip's Mayo

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce (Lee & Perrins is good!)

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

juice of half a lemon

a slosh of tabasco

a pinch of salt

a pinch of black pepper

1 cup of good quality oil (I used a mild olive oil, but you can use canola oil if you like!)

I use a food processor to make this, but you could use a regular mixer or do it by hand with a whisk if you are very energetic.  To make the mayo, plonk all the ingredients EXCEPT the oil in the food processor.  Blend or beat until well combined.  Now keep the motor running and slowly, slowly, slowly drizzle the oil in.  The mixture will thicken up nicely as you drizzle and spin.  You must do this slowly, or else the mayo will split and go runny!  Ick. We don't want that.  Slowly, slowly we go.  Once you've added all the oil, add a tablespoon or two of boiling water to lighten the texture and colour a bit.  Voila!  (Makes 1 cup of Pip's Mayo!)

Pip's Lamb Rolls

Serves 4

300g of lamb fillets (I used 'backstraps')

Marinate these whole for at least 15 minutes in :: two tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 diced clove of garlic, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Next, sear the lamb fillets in a hot pan, first on one side and then on the other. Once they have lots of colour and smell delicious, put them in a hot oven for five minutes or so to finish them off.  They should still be a bit soft to touch when you take them out, if you are after pinkish lamb.  Cover them with foil for a few minutes so they can rest and relax.

Now we need

4 soft long rolls, split down the middle (but not all the way through!)

1 large tomato, sliced with some basil sprinkled atop it, if you like

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 handful of baby spinach or rocket (washed and dried!)

Slice your lamb fillets as thinly as you can.  I'm not much good with a knife, but mine were a BIT thin.  Now spread your roll with lots of mayo.  Pop in the lamb next, then the tomato and cucumber.  Finally squoosh in the spinach.  Season with salt and pepper and gobble them up!

Also :: You can add feta, avocado, chili, pesto or capers

Pip's Kimchi Salad

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My Kimchi Salad

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Basic Ingredients
One tub of Kimchi from your local Asian grocer (I buy the Chinese Cabbage style one!)
One packet of ramen or soba noodles
2 diced cucumbers
1 diced avocado
1/2 tub of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 handful of diced beancurd
(you can also add some blanched peas, green beans, snow pea sprouts... whatever YOU love!)


Dressing
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of mirin
1/2 tablespoon of nice vinegar (white wine, red wine or sherry are all good!)


Garnish
a handful of fried shallots (the kind you buy in a packet!)
a sprinkling of chopped peanuts if you like
a lemon or a lime squeezed over the top
Optional :: Coriander

How To:
Cook the noodles in a big pot of boiling water as per the instructions on the packet. Be careful not to over cook them. That would be yuck. No one likes mooshy noodles. Test them often until they are done. Now, cool the noodles under cold running water and drain them thoroughly.

Mix all the other ingredients together in a BIG BOWL. You can just slosh it all together and mix it up nicely with a pair of tongs or a spoon.Try not to mush it to much if you have added the avocado, or better still, put it on last. Add the cold, drained noodles and toss well again. If you are hands on, use your hands, but keep your chili fingers away from your face etc!

Plate it up and garnish with the shallots, peanuts and lemon or lime! You can add fresh herbs, too, if you like. Coriander would be lovely!

Pip's Potato Latke

2 cups of grated potato :: peel and coarsely grate the potatoes and then put in your salad spinner and spin dry :: pat dry with a paper towel if they are still a bit soggy.
1 small onion, grated as well
3 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper
oil for frying :: we need to shallow-fry in around an inch of oil
Optional extra ingredients:: clove of garlic, freshly chopped herbs, grated lemon rind, smoked paprika, chilli

NB :: don't let your grated potato sit around - it will go brown and yicky - grate and use it straight away.

Mix the grated, dried potato with the other ingredients (except the oil).

Heat the oil until a pinch of the mixture fries up nice and golden quickly. Now plonk spoonfuls of your potato mixture into the oil and flatten with a spoon until a cm or so thick. They don't need to be perfect - kind of poke the spoon into the centre of the plonked mixture to make a few little holes for the oil to seep up into. This helps the middle cook evenly. No one likes raw potato! Cook until golden and then flip over and cook the other side. Drain on kitchen towel and transfer to the oven to keep warm. These are nice cold too, though!

Things To Try :: Zucchini and Cheddar Toast

2 grated zucchinis - with all the moisture squeezed out of the gratings
200g good cheddar cheese, also grated
1 finely diced shallot
1 small egg
a slosh of worcestershire sauce
bread for toasting
salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients except the bread together.
Plonk spoonfuls onto bread making sure it's not layered super thick and it's pushed to the edges of the bread nicely.
Grill and eat with a big glass of wine (or beer) or if you are saintly, iced water.

via Eat Drink Live by Fran Warde

Chocolate Apricots

250g Callebaut dark chocolate or other high quality chocolate
250g dried apricots

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second bursts - stirring well between each burst. Be careful not to heat it too much or too often as it will separate. Yick. Now when it's melty and smooth spear your apricots with a fork and dip into the chocolate until well coated. Pop onto some wax paper to cool - in the fridge if it's hot at your place. Eat when set. Try not to eat too many. It is VERY hard!

Skordalia de Mike - A Dip for Lovers of Mashed Potato and Other Such Good Things

1 kilo of very nice potatoes, boiled until tender and mashed roughly and lumpily
2 cloves of garlic diced
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly chopped mint - half a handful

Mix all ingredients together - but not too much - we're going for rustic and lumpy here.
Spread on toast and gobble down.
Or serve as part of a mezze meal - or with a nice lamb chop.

Super Dooper Easy Peasy Peppers with Capers

3 nice medium sized deep red peppers - chopped roughly
1 head of garlic, sliced in half across ways
1 tbsp of capers - rinsed and drained
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of sherry vinegar
half a handful of fresh basil

Heat oil and plonk in the garlic (cut side down). Fry gently until fragrant. Throw in the capers. Fry for a minute. Then add the peppers. Put a lid on and allow to cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until soft and juicy. Lid off now. Turn the heat up and reduce the juices down until it looks oily and yummy. Add the vinegar and half the basil and pile into a big bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature and garnish with the remaining basil. Serve as a salad or on toast.

Deliciously Decadent Super BLT

These are a great supper dish - but you could also assemble lots of them and and take them on a picnic. I would add some chilli to mine.

4 slices of grainy bread
4 slices of bacon - cooked until crispy
4 iceberg lettuce leaves
4 slices of nice tomatoes
1 avocado mashed with the juice of a lemon and some coriander
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
some basil leaves
Salt and Pepper

Toast bread.
And then assemble two sandwiches with equal parts of the above ingredients.
Eat with a HUGE glass of red wine to cut the richness a wee bit.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup Deluxe

1 tbsp butter
1 brown onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 medium cauliflower, trimmed of it's leaves and cut into florettes
1/2 tbsp curry powder
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of water
1 cup of cream
black pepper
a pinch of salt

Heat butter and saute the onion and the garlic until soft and smelling good. Add curry powder, stock, water and cauliflower. Put the lid on and cook over a low heat for half an hour. The cauliflower should be tender by this stage. If it is soft, blend in batches and return to the pot. Stir in the cream and simmer until nice and hot - but not boiling! Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Max's Favourite Muffins - Carrot and Cheese!

We like these a lot. We eat them with a big bowl of cream of cauliflower soup for soothed sighs all round.


2 cups of self raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of grated carrot
1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of melted butter
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Mix all ingredients together until just combined. Don't mix too much! Fill muffin cases (which are sitting happily in a muffin tray) two thirds full of mixture. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until cooked and browning around the edges. Eat hot with a big bowl of soup!

Soba- So-Good Noodle Salad

This is a favourite recipe of mine! You can really add anything you like to it - asparagus, prawns, soused spinach, bbq chicken ... the list goes on. It's yummy to take on a picnic - and it's even better if you make it and then eat it the next day!


You Need:
1 packet of soba noodles
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 avocado - sliced and diced
1 cucumber - sliced thinly
2 tbsp of pickled pink ginger
1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes - halved
1 tbsp peanuts - chopped roughly


Dressing:
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp light olive or good vegetable oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 chilli, diced
1 inch piece of ginger - diced

Mix all these ingredients together in a jar.

Cook noodles for 4 or 5 minutes in boiling salted water - then cool immediately in a big bowl of cold water. Drain well once cold. Add all other ingredients. Toss well with the dressing. Eat it all up!

Egg Baskets - From Cooking With Daisy

My kids love these. They are crunchy and eggy soothing at the same time. And cheesy. They are cheesy too. It's a bit of preparation - but it's worth it for the fun factor!

Make some toasty baskets with egg in them....!



4 slices of brown or white bread (2 for each child)
4 eggs
a bit of butter
2 tbsp milk salt and pepper
1/2 cup of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200c or 400f.
Cut the crusts off the bread and spread both sides with butter.
Press each slice into a muffin tray to form a basket.
Bake for 10 minutes until a bit golden and quite crisp.
Whilst they are baking, whisk eggs, milk and some salt and pepper
Melt a little butter in a pan and add the egg mix. Scramble until almost cooked through.
Tumble the scrambled egg into the bready basket. Top with grated cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese has melted. Keep watching them to be sure the bread doesn't burn. Serve with a smile!

Felt eggs from here

Tuna Pan Bagna - Perfect Picnic Fodder

Pan Bagna is such a cool, portable concept, huh? You really can customise to suit yourself - with a heap of delicious flavours all mixing it up together. I think this recipe came from Martha Stewart's site... but I can't quite remember! I think chicken, avocado, mayo, red onion, almonds, pesto would be super good in a pan bagna. But you do what YOU like!


1 loaf Italian or country bread with crust that is not too heavy
1 large clove garlic, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
medium sized tin of tuna in olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
a couple of 'fillets' of roasted red pepper
1 handful of rocket
1/2 lemon
a few basil leaves
2 tbsp mayonnaise
pitted olives

Halve bread horizontally. Pull out the soft interior, to within 1-inch of the crust; discard interior or reserve for another use. Rub the inside of bread all over with garlic, then drizzle with oil and vinegar. Cover the bottom half of the bread with onion and tomato slices. Top with pepper strips. Evenly distribute tuna and basil and rocket and olives. Add plenty of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon too. Spread the top half of bread with mayonnaise and place it mayo-side down over filled bottom half. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place on a large plate, and top with a second plate. Weight with several heavy cans. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Just before serving, cut into 6 to 8 wedges or slices.

Zebra Picnic Print from here

Rustic Tomato and Onion Tart

Biscuity Dough Base
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup whole milk

Topping
Dijon Mustard - or Seeded Mustard is nice too!
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of crushed garlic
6 ripe tomatoes sliced thickly
1 red pepper sliced thinly
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Thyme/parsley... whatever you have on hand

ALSO - you could add capers, anchovies or olives.. whatever you like... even very thinly sliced potato if it's sauteed till tender! You might like to add something meaty or fishy if you are so inclined.


Make the dough - add all ingredients except milk to food processor (or do it by hand) - combine well - until crumby - and then slowly add the milk. Don't handle/process for too long. Roll out (on a well floured surface) to fit a WELL GREASED baking sheet (you should use butter here) - messy is good - rough edges are perfect!

Make the topping - fry the onion in the olive oil until it's caramelising and getting golden - add the garlic and peppers - fry until soft and melding together nicely. Add salt and pepper.

Assemble - Spread the uncooked base with a generous coating of mustard. Then place the tomatoes evenly over the base. Next add the onion and pepper mix (and any other treats you want to put on!) - and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Add some more freshly ground pepper and put in a hot oven for about 15 - 20 minutes until the base is crispy and the edges re browning and rustic!

Eat with a nice bottle of wine and a rocket salad!


Tomato Tea-Towel Apron from here

My favourite snack - Potato and Onion Tortilla

I like to cut a cold wedge of this and tuck it into a baguette with mayo and tomatoey sauce of some kind. Definitely a great one to take on a picnic. It's filling and super tasty. There are lots of different versions of this dish - some say you shouldn't add garlic. But I like garlic. So I add it. You should add what you like too.


You need a large, deep frypan and a shallow oven-proof dish for this

600 g of red skinned or yellow fleshed potatoes - cut into smallish cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 roughly diced onions
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp of sugar
a couple of sprigs of a fresh herb
(mint, thyme, basil, parsley.. whichever you like)
8 eggs


Heat the olive oil in a large deep frypan. Throw in the onions and potatoes and sugar and cook slowly (over a low heat) until golden - this is important as it makes it taste EXTRA good! It might take 15 or 20 minutes to do this bit - but keep stirring and you'll be rewarded! Once they are golden, add the garlic and fry for one minute to combine.

Next, butter your ovenproof dish (or you can use more olive oil). Tumble the potato and onion mixture into the buttered dish. Season VERY well with lots of salt and freshly ground pepper. Beat the eggs just a little bit to loosen them up.

Pour into the dish on top of the spuds. Put into a 400 degree (or 200 degree) oven for about 20 minutes until puffy and golden on the top.

Eat hot or cold. I like it cold!

Dollshouse onions via here

Zucchini Slice via Stephanie's

This recipe was found in Stephanie's 'Travelling and Tasting' book. It's called 'Anna-Maria's Zucchini Slice'. Dur-e used to bring home the small bits that were left over from the restaurant's 'Centre Table' lunches. We warmed it in the oven for a little while and it was just so good. I think the quality of the ingredients makes a huge difference to this dish - but use what you can afford and it'll still be wonderful.


500g grated unpeeled zucchini
1 onion chopped finely
1 cup bacon finely diced
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup self raising flour
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
3 tomatoes


Mix all ingredients together except for the tomato slices.
Grease your tin thoroughly with olive oil or butter.
Pour into 25cm square tin - (or a bigger rectangular dish for a flatter slice that cuts into more pieces!)
Top with the tomato slices and more salt and pepper (some basil would be nice too).
Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes until firm.
Sometimes it can take longer.
And if you go for the shallow dish, it will only take half an hour or so.
Serve hot or warm or cold.
With some salad and a glass of crunchy wine.
Voila!


Zucchini Print via Here

BLT - Guystyle

Tell me what's better then tomatoey goodness melding with mayo-ey deliciousness. Nope. You can't, can you?! These are super quick and super yum. Omit the bacon and add avocado if you are a vegie type.


This is Cam's BLT


Turkish Bread
Nice tasty tomatoes
Iceberg lettuce
Bacon
Home-made Mayonnaise or Aioli
Sprig of Fresh Herbs
Squeeze of Lemon
Sea Salt
Black Pepper


Toast the bread and fry the bacon until crispy. Spread a healthy dob of mayonnaise on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, add the bacon, lettuce and tomato. Squeeze a teeny bit of lemon juice on top of it all - and season with lots of pepper and a bit of salt.

Eat with much gusto.

BLT necklaces via here

Not-For-The-Faint-Hearted- Potato, Bacon and Cabbage Fry Up

nice felt vegies here



Colcannony Type Thing - or Bacon, Cabbage and Potato Fry-Up

2 Rashers of Bacon (or more if you're the bacony type) chopped roughly
2 Onions, chopped roughly
1 Kilo of Waxy Potatoes - peeled and cut into biggish 'dice' - keep it rustic
2 Cloves of Garlic - chopped higgledy piggledy
1/4 Cabbage - chopped roughly
About One Tablespoon of Butter and The Same of Olive Oil

Boil potatoes until almost cooked. Heat Butter and Oil together in a LARGE deep frypan
Add Bacon and Onion - cook until onion is soft and bacon is getting golden edges Add Potatoes and toss well.
Then add the Cabbage and mix well again.
Cook until cabbage is lovely and soft and buttery.
Add lots of freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt


Serve with A Big Glass of Wine.

Ari and I like to eat ours between slices of soft white bread - but that's just greedy.

via here