CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY SIX

Is there such a thing as healthy fast food? McDonald's would like to argue this point, but in general I say no.  Unless, of course, you decide to make your own home-takeaway-food.  This obviously defeats the purpose of the term 'fast food' but at least you know what you're putting in your mouth (tee hee) and you have total control on ingredients without the subservient takeaway staff conveniently forgetting to omit all the ingredients you asked them to take out when you ordered.

Seeing as it's Friday and I didn't want to put a great deal of effort into dinner tonight seeing as it's the beginning of the weekend, I grabbed two tins of chickpeas out of the pantry and mashed the heck out of them to make some chickpea patties.  And before you judge the fact that these burgers have absolutely no meat in them, trust me - they are seriously delicious, seriously filling and seriously good.

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

chickpea burgers with chargrilled capsicum and tzatziki
patties
  800g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  1tbsp olive oil
  1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  1 egg
  1 handful parsley, chopped
  2tbsp moroccan spice
  salt and pepper, to taste
tzatziki
  1/2 cup unsweetened greek yoghurt
  2 cloves garlic, crushed
  1/4 cup cucumber, diced
  1tbsp lemon juice
fillings
  1 red capsicum, seeded and cut into thick slices
  tin beetroot, sliced
  lebanese cucumber, sliced
  rocket leaves
  tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.  Place capsicum in an oven tray and cover with a generous amount of olive oil.  Bake for 1 hour or until softened and slightly charred.  Remove from oven and place on paper towel to soak up excess oil.  Set aside.

To make the patties, place the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash until smooth.  Add the parsley, oil, spice, salt and peper and use your hands to combine.  Add the egg and breadcrumbs as needed until mixture comes together and holds in a ball.  Roll out into five-six patties and flatten slightly.  Fry in a large frying pan over low-medium heat with a little but of olive oil.  You don't need to overcook as you only need to ensure they are warmed throughout.

For the tzatziki, combine the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and cucumber in a jug and stir until well combined.  Refrigerate until needed.

Arrange the patties in a soft bun with burger fillings of your choice and a generous amount of tzatziki to top it all off.  Eat knowing there's hardly any guilt or saturated fat in these bad boys (or is it good boys?).

Excuse the bad image.  I was so keen to eat it I couldn't possibly spend any time trying to capture the right angle.

CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY FIVE

Just because I am allergic to onions and its siblings, doesn't mean I don't enjoy them.  Example?  I adore leek and potato soup.  There's just something about the absolutely smooth, creamy, warming texture that does it for me. 

Considering leeks are not that cheap at the moment - they were $1.99 each at every market stall on the weekend - they should feel privileged to be part of the $100 challenge this week.  What can I say, I have expensive taste.

So, even though the consequence of me downing two bowls of the stuff tonight is a borderline severe gut-ache and inevitable restlessness later on trying to get to sleep, I must say, it is definitely worth it.  Just like that glass of wine that tips you over the edge sometimes.

And so I bring you the recipe that undid me on this day.

leek and potato soup

  2 leeks, chopped

  750g potatoes, washed and chopped

  5 cups vegetable stock

  1/4 cup cream

  1 clove garlic, crushed

  4tbsp olive oil

  salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until browned.  Add the potato and leek and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until leek begins to soften.

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potato is soft. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Transfer one third of the soup mixture to the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining soup mixture.

Place the soup over medium heat. Add the cream and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required.

Serve the soup while hot with toasted turkish bread topped with mustard and grilled cheese.

CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY FOUR

I am taking badass up a notch.  Dessert for dinner, you say? Heck yes. I am doing it because I have nobody to answer to and to be honest, the below dish is heaven on a plate.  It really, really is.

After waiting nearly 40 minutes for my leftover slice of shepherds pie to reheat in the oven earlier today (as I don't own a microwave), I was famished and ate it while it was still way too hot, burning the roof of my mouth in the process. Worth it? Heck yes.

Once I got over feeling sorry for myself and finding limited comfort from a tube of Bonjela, I made a trip to the market for supplies, completely forgetting that it is shut on Wednesdays.  Retreating back home via a very strong long mac from Market Lane Coffee (check it out!) I had a quick look around the kitchen to make a mental inventory and realised the mountainous bowl of pears that we had bought on the weekend, at 49 cents a kilo, were starting to become overripe.  Action mode!  Peel them, chuck them in a pot, add red wine (as we always have it in the household...), water, brown sugar, cinnamon quills, lemon peel and star anise.  Poach for 2 hours. Bam - something somewhat healthy, seeing that it technically falls within the "5+ a day" category, to add to the ridiculously ridiculous dinner planned for tonight.

vanilla risotto with stoofperen (dutch stewed pears)

risotto

  3 1/2 cups full cream milk

  1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

  2tbsp butter

  1 cup arborio rice

  1/4 cup caster sugar

  1/4 cup cream

Place 3 1/4 cups milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow the milk to boil).  Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat and coat the rice.  Stir for 3-4 minutes or until rice grains become translucent.

Add the heated milk about one cup at a time, stirring well between additions, until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente.  This process usually takes about 20-25 minutes.

Turn off heat.  Stir through the sugar, cream and remaining 1/4 cup milk.  Leave to stand for at least 2 minutes before spooning into serving bowls.

Serve on its own or with stewed fruit/sprinkle of soft brown sugar/fresh berries.  The choice is all yours.

*recipe courtesy of Marie Claire Flavours

CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY THREE

I am beginning to think this household has a fascination with pie.  Not that is an entirely bad thing, but I did stop and think today about the fact there is only so much creativity you can put into a pie, seeing that essentially they are all mostly meat-based casseroles wrapped in buttery pastry.

Harking back to my comfort food days whilst residing in Sydney, Tuesday was chosen as Shepherds Pie day.  Now, I am quite particular about this subject as most people I speak to regarding this dish seem to think it is a beef mince based dish. Wrong.  Hence the name, Shepherds Pie is traditionally made with mutton/lamb mince whereas Cottage Pie is made with beef.  Nevertheless, this recipe is the ultimate warming comfort food and if Melbourne's weather pattern is anything to go by of late, this household will be making this many times over the course of the next few months.

We made this adulterated with the addition of red wine in the meat sauce and sour cream and mustard in the potato mash.  If you wish, omit these ingredients but I can guarantee it is so much more enjoyable if you make it as demonstrated below.  I even had seconds and cannot wait to have a slice for lunch tomorrow.

DINNER

grown-up shepherds pie

  500g lamb mince

  1 cup beef stock

  2 sticks celery, diced finely

  2 carrots, diced finely

  6 medium potatoes, cut into small portions

  3tbsp tomato paste

  1/4 cup red wine

  1/4 cup edam/tasty cheese, grated

  1tbsp dijon mustard

  3tbsp sour cream

  2tbsp thickened cream  

  40g butter, softened

  1/2 red onion, diced
  2 sprigs rosemary, chopped

  salt and pepper, to taste

  4tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, rosemary, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove from pan.  Add lamb mince and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until browned.

Add stock and tomato paste to lamb mince.  Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add vegetables back into pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Return to the pan with butter. Use a potato masher or fork to mash until smooth. Add cream and mustard and stir until combined. Taste and season with salt if required.

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. Top with grated cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until mashed potato is golden brown. Serve immediately - it's best whilst piping hot.

CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY TWO

I happily munched down my leftover slice of beef and chorizo pie while the scent wafted throughout the office, trying to remember what was scheduled for dinner tonight and if it was necessary (read = justifiable excuse) to buy a bottle of red wine on the way home.

I knew that technically this would be cheating the system of the one week challenge so decided against my urges, even though after today I felt I more than deserved a glass of happiness.

Now, up until about 6 years ago I loathed spicy food.  I could somewhat handle a bit of heat, but nothing more.  Fast forward to the present time and I think it is safe to say I am now addicted to spice.  I really believe chilli has addictive properties as I am not the only person with an ever-increasing tolerance to these demon plants.  So take this as a slight warning; the below recipe calls for a spicy red curry. Feel free to reduce the amount of curry paste, and if it's still to spicy for your precious little tongue, add more palm sugar to reduce the intensity.

thai red curry

  2 carrots, diced

  1 large broccoli head, chopped into florets

  1 medium sweet potato, diced

  2-3tbsp red curry paste (depending on how spicy you like it)

  400ml coconut cream

  1/2 cup vegetable stock

  1tbsp palm sugar, grated

  1tbsp lime juice

  4tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large pan or wok.  Add the curry paste and stir fry until fragrant.  Add half the coconut cream and stir to form a smooth paste.  Add remaining coconut cream, sweet potato and carrot and bring to a simmer.  Add the vegetable stock and cook until vegetables are softened.

Add broccoli 5-10 minutes before serving (this ensures they aren't overcooked and soggy, as my example below shows... ahem).  Add lime juice and sugar to taste and serve with brown rice.

Easy peasy.

CHALLENGE V2.0: DAY ONE

So we bring ourselves to series two of the one week challenge.  There's nothing especially more challenging this time around, apart from the fact housemate and I have thought up some different dinner ideas to what we usually recycle when our brains fail us.  Seeing as this weekend was very lazy and we had many hours on our hands this glum Sunday just gone, we decided to kick things off with a hearty pie.

This one is especially good as it uses a few chorizo sausages to bring flavours to the next level.  It's a must-try pie. 

beef and chorizo pie

pastry

  50g butter, softened

  2 cups plain flour

  2tsp baking powder

  1tsp salt

  1/2 cup milk

filling

  1/4 cup olive oil

  1kg braising beef steak, trimmed and diced

  3 chorizo sausages, sliced

  1 onion, sliced

  5tbsp flour

  1 cup red wine

  3 cups beef stock

  3tbsp tomato paste

  1 tbsp thyme, chopped

  salt and pepper, to taste

  1 egg, to glaze

To make the pastry, place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and rub in the flour until crumbly.  Slowly add the milk until it forms a smooth dough.  Knead lightly, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling, heat a quarter of the olive oil in a large casserole dish and brown the beef and chorizo in batches.  Remove meat from the dish and add the remaining olive oil, garlic and onion and lightly fry over a medium heat until slightly browned.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Remove dish from the heat and stir in wine and stock until it forms a smooth liquid.  Return dish to the heat and boil until the mixture thickens.  Stir in tomato paste and thyme and add beef & chorizo.  Simmer on a low heat for a further 45 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper as necessary, remove from heat and leave to cool.

Spoon filling into a large capacity pie dish.  Remove pastry from the refrigerator and roll out until approximately 3mm thick.  Cover top of pie dish with the pastry, trimming off any excess.  Place dish in refrigerator for 20-25 minutes to chill.

Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Glaze the pie with the lightly beaten egg and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

*recipe courtesy of Julie Le Clerc | more simple cafe food

CAAAAKE

It was an incredibly lazy weekend just gone and boredom set in pretty quickly after I arose from bed today at 12pm.  I knew the best cure for this was to bake some goodies, as I must admit I find more joy and therapeutic relief in baking than I do cooking.  This is not to say the latter is by no means enjoyable, I just think that baking something sinfully unhealthy and justifying the fact you devoured the whole lot in a matter of minutes is, well, a moment to be cherished.

Cue ingredients stocktake.  Cue banana bread. Cue unsatisfied accomplishment.  Cue trip number three to the supermarket. Cue coconut cake.  Rejoice.

banana bread

  2 over-ripe bananas

  2 free range eggs

  175ml vegetable oil

  300g soft brown sugar

  150g self raising flour, sifted

  3tbsp full cream milk

  1tsp ground cinnamon

  3/4tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Grease a 20cm x 10cm loaf tin, line with baking paper, grease again and dust with flour.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl and beat in the eggs.  Stir in the milk and oil until just combined.  Stir in the sugar until dissolved.  Sift the flour, cinnamon and ginger into the mixture and fold in.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and sit to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.  Turn out and let cool completely.

Serve in thick slices as is or with butter/greek yoghurt.

  

L: coconut cake; R: banana bread

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY SEVEN

Now that we have reached the end of our one week challenge and managed to spend only $80, I feel accomplished.  This project has proved that with forward planning and a strategic shopping trip, it is more than easily achievable to reduce your food bill and still eat like a king.

After a well deserved sleep-in this morning, I awoke and plonked myself down with a bowl of muesli and a greek coffee and the housemate and I worked through our collection of recipe books to generate a menu plan for series 2 of our the challenge.  Watch this space.

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY SIX

LUNCH

pork and veal meatballs

Learning from yesterday's incident of having lunch far too early and arriving home from work famished, I managed to wait until the more respectable time of 11:45am to eat my meatballs.  Hey, still not officially lunch hours but at least I could flaunt my home-cooked meal to people still in the office (who, admittedly, were wondering why I was eating lunch so early).

Only die-hard leftover lunch aficionados would take grated parmesan cheese in a separate container for full taste effect. Oh yes.

DINNER

And on the sixth day, we shall have gnocchi.  Gnocchi can go very bad very quickly, but this is because it is easy to overcook and becomes rubbery.  The trick is to boil it until it starts floating to the top of the water and keep it oiled or wet until serving as it can tend to stick together once cooked.

If you are really pressed for time store bought gnocchi is fine, but we like a challenge in this household so made it ourselves.  Even though we were both starving, tired and cold, we managed to make it in record time and use just about every utensil in the kitchen.  Washing up was not that enjoyable.

gnocchi with pork sausage and cherry tomato sauce

gnocchi

  100g potatoes, whole and unpeeled

  200g plain flour, plus extra to dust

sauce

  4 pork sausages, casings removed

  1 tin cherry tomatoes

  1 cup beef stock

  1/2 red chilli, diced

  2 stalks basil

  2 stalks rosemary

  2 stalks thyme

  1 garlic, crushed

  3tbsp olive oil

Place potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water.  Bring to the boil and cook until soft (test with a skewer or knife).

Remove from heat and drain.  Leave to cool slightly before removing skin with a potato peeler or knife (do not let the potatoes cool completely as this will affect the finished texture).  Place peeled potato back in the saucepan and mash.  Press the mash through a fine sieve to remove any lumps and place in a clean bowl.  Add the flour and stir the mix until it forms a smooth dough, adding a little more flour if required.  Cut the dough into four portions and roll each out into a log on a lightly floured surface.

Cut each log into tablespoon sized portions and indent with a fork.  Cook, a few at a time, in salted boiling water until they float to the top (around 2-3 minutes).

To make the sauce, lightly fry the garlic and chilli in a frying pan with the olive oil.  Add the pork sausage, breaking up any large chunks with a wooden spoon.  Fry until browned then add the cherry tomatoes, stock and whole herbs.  Simmer on a low heat for 20-25 minutes until sauce thickens.

Once ready, remove the herb stalks from the sauce.  Place cooked gnocchi in a bowl and top with sauce.  Serve as is or add some grated cheese for extra naughtiness.

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY FIVE

LUNCH

red lentil dahl and chickpea and sweet potato curry

Nothing much to report here, unless you find it amusing that even inside a tupperware container the smell of dahl and spicy-sweet chickpeas managed to waft its way to my desk and I had lunch, oh, about an hour and a half before lunchtime.  And an hour after my breakfast (which was diced apple, plum and two atomic coffees).  Rookie mistake.  

Which brings me to my next point, being:

DINNER

I must say, it is great having flatmates.  Example in point is tonight, with myself not arriving home until 9pm.  With a menu plan already written out and shared culinary skills, there was no hesitation in her getting started in the kitchen sans pickles and whipping up some delicious meatballs. 

You may be thinking that this is a lovely gesture of friendship, but it doesn't stop there.  Placing a call to the roost on my way home to notify her of my imminent arrival, I walk through the front door and get hit with the aroma of tomato sauce being reheated in the kitchen.  Within 10 minutes of kicking off my boots I had already eaten and relished in the fact that I would finally have an early night.

And with that, I give you our dinner...

pork and veal meatballs

  200g pork mince

  200g veal mince
  400g baby cherry tomatoes, roughly crushed
  250ml beef stock
  3 garlic cloves, crushed
  1 red chilli, diced
  1/4 handful basil, chopped
  1/4 handful thyme, chopped
  1/4 handful oregano, chopped
  1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  1 egg
  breadcrumbs, to bind
  salt and pepper to taste
  4tbsp olive oil, for frying
  4tbsp butter, for frying
  4tbsp flour

Combine mince, thyme, oregano, egg, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Add breadcrumbs until mixture comes together (and will hold into a rolled ball).  Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls, roll lightly in flour and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large frypan. Place meatballs in pan and fry on a low heat for 10 minutes or until browned all over.  Set aside.

With oil and juices still in pan, fry chilli and basil for 1-2 minutes to release aroma.  Add tomatoes and stock and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until reduced into a thickened sauce.  Add meatballs and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes.

Serve with spaghettini cooked al dente and grated parmesan cheese.

  

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY FOUR

LUNCH

When I started posting my eating habits on here I knew that I would have to share some mishaps (not that they're often, but it happens to the best of us).  So what happened? Well, let's just say the combination of a hot tupperware container, unprotected hands and the worst attempt at pouring I have ever done made for not only a very messy work kitchen but hardly any lunch.  If it wasn't for the biscuit container at work I wouldn't have had enough energy to walk to the train station to get myself home this evening.

DINNER

Goodness me, was it cold tonight!  Good thing we decided dinner tonight was going to be a hearty, wholesome dahl as I sure needed some warming up.  And after my blonde moment earlier today I sure was looking forward to eating something quick-smart (for the record, I do actually have blonde hair so I tend to use this excuse a lot).

This has to be one of the cheapest dinners going around and in no way does it skimp on flavour.  Most pantries should have spices stashed away so it's very economical if you have these and some lentils tucked away in the corner.  And if you don't? Well, take this as a piece of advice - buy a packet on your next supermarket trip. Best $2 you'll ever spend.

red lentil dahl and chickpea and sweet potato curry
with turkish toast


red lentil dahl
  1 cup red lentils, washed
  3 cups vegetable stock
  1tbsp ginger, sliced
  2tsp turmeric powder

Place the lentils, stock and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, skimming away any foam that rises to the top.  Once boiling, add the ginger and turmeric and continue to boil down until lentils are cooked and have a 'potato mash' texture (approximately 30 minutes).

chickpea and sweet potato curry
  1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  1 medium sweet potato, cubed
  1 tin tomatoes, crushed
  1 cup water
  1tsp ground ginger
  1tsp garam masala
  1tsp ground coriander
  1 clove garlic, crushed
  5tbsp olive oil
  sour cream, to serve

Heat oil in a saucepan and add garlic, ginger, garam masala and coriander.  Stir on medium heat until fragrant and garlic is softened.  Add the sweet potato, chickpeas and tomatoes and stir until combined.  Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer.  Continue to simmer, stirring regularly, until sweet potato is well cooked (approximately 40 minutes).

Serve dahl and curry in a bowl with a large dollop of sour cream and toasted turkish bread on the side.  Yummo.

 

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY THREE

LUNCH

roast pork risotto

You know how when you take leftovers for lunch the next day and get really disappointed when it doesn't taste as good as the night before? Well, let me tell you, this risotto wasn't one of those lunches.  All it needed was a dash of hot water before a zap of reheating and there you have it - lunch envy, day two.

DINNER 

When anybody fathoms cooking on a budget, the thought of soup always enters the mind.  However this doesn't mean you have to resort to something bland.  How about sprucing up something classic? An example (of which was cooked tonight) is pumpkin soup with a twist, adding red curry paste and coconut cream.  It is mm-mmm-good and very, very filling.  And again, this recipe leaves enough in the pot to feed a small army.

thai pumpkin soup

and turkish bread with grilled parmesan & walnut pesto

  1/4 pumpkin, cubed

  1 carrot, cubed

  4 cups vegetable stock

  3 cloves garlic, crushed

  2tbsp red curry paste

  400ml coconut cream

  4tbsp olive oil

turkish bread

  1 loaf turkish bread, sliced thickly

  parmesan cheese, grated

  walnut & basil pesto (leftover)

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on a medium-high heat and add garlic & curry paste.  Fry until fragrant before adding pumpkin and carrot, stirring, until coated in the paste.

Add the vegetable stock and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.

Once vegetables are cooked, remove from the heat and blend the soup using a stick mixer or blender.  Add coconut cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Set aside until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, to make the turkish bread, grill the slices in the oven (or toaster) until golden brown.  Spread half of the slices in leftover walnut pesto (from yesterday's lunch dish) and half with parmesan cheese, returning these slices to the grill until cheese is melted.

Serve the soup and bread hot and get it in your belly.

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY TWO

LUNCH
I had a fabulous lunch today and relished in the fact it was using last night's leftovers, therefore not only did I have to remove myself from the building to buy lunch but I also didn't unnecessarily waste any food (I get massive food guilts when I throw things away).

Using leftover potatoes and carrots from last night's dinner, lunch consisted of a vegetable salad and leftover apple and cabbage slaw.  All that was done was to make the pesto and hey, presto - another fabulous, low cost dish to be enjoyed.

roast vegetable salad with walnut pesto 

and cabbage, apple and walnut slaw

walnut pesto

  1 handful walnuts

  2 garlic cloves, grated

  3tbsp olive oil

  1 1/2 cups basil

  2tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated

  50g fetta (optional)

  salt and pepper, to taste

Place walnuts, garlic, olive oil, basil and salt and pepper into a mortar and pestle and grind until mixture forms a paste.  Add the parmesan and continue to mix together until well combined.

Mix together with leftover roast vegetables and crumbled fetta (optional).

DINNER

Everybody has a vice, and I must say that if you exclude anything sweet, mine would have to be risotto.  There's something extra comforting about tucking into a bowl of hot risotto with an extra-huge serving of parmesan on top (revisiting my cheese addiction here) and this dish really is the cream of the crop.  And what's more, it makes use of every last scrap of last night's dinner with more than enough lunch to go around.  Lunch envy guaranteed.


pork, thyme and rosemary risotto

  2 cups arborio rice
  1 cup red wine
  4 cups vegetable stock
  1 cup water
  1/2 red chilli, diced
  1 handful rosemary, chopped
  1 handful thyme, chopped
  1 clove garlic, minced
  1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  4tbsp olive oil

  salt and pepper, to taste

Place the stock and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  In another large pot, heat the olive oil on a medium heat and fry the garlic and chilli until fragrant.  Add the rice and coat in oil, stirring, until it becomes slightly translucent (about 1 minute).

Add the wine to the arborio rice and stir continuously until absorbed.  Reduce heat and add the rosemary, thyme and stock, one cup at a time, stirring regularly until absorbed.  Continue this process until all stock has been added.

Once all liquid has been absorbed, test the rice to check it is cooked.  It should be firm to the bite with no excess liquid.  Once it has reached this stage add leftover pork and parmesan and stir until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off heat and let sit in the pot for at least 5 minutes before serving in bowls with lashings of freshly grated parmesan cheese and extra pepper.

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE: DAY ONE

I'm not going to lie - as I sit here writing out this recipe, the smell of juicy pork and apple slaw dressing has filled the living room and I am salivating to the point of needing a bib.

Considering this is day one of our challenge and we've just taken off from the starting line, things are looking promising and I am quietly confident that not only is this challenge going to be achievable, it's also going to be very, very delicious.

Now, I must remember not to be a greedy guts and have more than I need for dinner as this challenge includes feeding myself and fellow household inhabitant lunch during the week.  Say it with me - I will not be a glutton...

roast pork fillet with cabbage & apple slaw, kipfler potatoes and carrots

  900g free range boneless pork roast

  1 granny smith apple, shredded

  1/4 cabbage, shredded

  4 kipfler potatoes, quartered

  3 carrots, quartered

  1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

  1 handful lemon thyme

  1 handful oregano

  25g butter, cubed

slaw dressing

  2tbsp honey

  2 tbsp red wine vinegar

  4tbsp olive oil

  1tbsp lemon juice

  3tbsp sour cream

  salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius.  Prepare the pork by removing the fat layer and scoring the pork.  Place the butter, thyme and oregano on top of the pork and cover with the outer layer of rind.  Secure together by tying with kitchen string (ensure this is oven safe) and season with salt.

Place the pork in an oven dish on top of a roasting rack with the carrots and potatoes underneath - the fat and butter from the pork will drip underneath and provide a tasty coating for the vegetables.  Place in the oven for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 200 degrees celsius and roasting for a further 45 minutes.

To make the slaw, place all dressing ingredients in a glass jug and whisk until well combined.  Add more salt, lemon and vinegar to desired taste.  Core the apple, remove the cheeks and slice thinly.  Arrange the slices on top of each other and slice into batons. Place the cabbage, apple and walnuts in a large bowl and mix together with the dressing.  Refrigerate until serving.

Meanwhile, remove the pork from the oven once cooked and sit in the tray for 10 minutes before removing twine and slicing into portions.  Serve with the warm potatoes and carrots with crackling and slaw on the side.

READY, SET, CHALLENGE

I like a challenge.  And I like doing things a bit differently from time to time. 

Starting tonight, the household is going to feed themselves for a whole week on no more than $100 (to really simplify it, that's $50 each).  This is easily achievable by any standard, however a lot of people would resort to cutting corners and cooking less complicated, plainer food.  Seeing as this house loves gourmet, the challenge is to not only stick to the budget but create delicious dishes that minimise food wastage.

So, as is usual for the weekend and after a strategic menu writing and shopping list session, off we went to the market to buy some local produce and meat from the butcher. 

Our total shopping bill came to $73.16, but that included two $4 pastries from Sweet Greek because I was hungry and we couldn't resist after trying a free sample. So let's just pretend we didn't relapse on that one.

Keep your eyes peeled over the course of the week for some great budget dinner ideas that are tasty to boot.  Recipes will be included!

GNOCCHI WITH BITE

Bite is alright, especially in this weather.  Lazy, lazy weather.

The poor chilli often goes unthought of unless you have the brilliant and oh-so-unique idea of cooking Mexican (sarcasm intended).  Why can't this glistening red membrane of heat be incorporated into other dishes? We thought this question over tonight on the drudge home through this hum-drum Melbourne weather. With the hot summer days all but a distant memory and the fear of our chilli plants fruiting their last glory before the winter hibernation, it was decided that a hearty dinner incorporating some heat was on the cards.

Cue our 'gnocchi with bite' project - which was a success, if I may say so myself.

gnocchi with bite

  1kg gnocchi

  3tbsp tomato paste

  800g cherry tomatoes

  100ml water

  1 handful basil

  1 handful parsley

  2 garlic cloves, crushed

  1 red chilli, diced

  olive oil

  grated parmesan, to serve

Heat a few dollops of olive oil in a large frypan. Fry the garlic and chilli until softened.  Add tomato paste and cherry tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the basil and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of water for the gnocchi.  Once boiling, salt the water and cook the gnocchi until they start floating to the top of the water (3-4 minutes).  Be careful not to overcook - this is where most people go wrong; you don't want to overboil them as they will go rubbery and tough.  Drain.

Transfer the sauce to the saucepan and add the gnocchi, mixing until coated.  Spoon into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.  Pour a glass of red, eat feverishly and go back for seconds - we all know you want to....

SALAD LOVE V2.0

Fact = I spent 3 hours in the hairdresser after work today. 3 very long hours.  Fact = I thought it necessary to continually update fellow household inhabitant whilst (im)patiently sitting through my hair dying process with texts such as "what dinner did you get?", "start dinner without me, I'm still here" and a "SO HUNGRY" phone call as I desperately ran out of the salon door homeward bound, stomach grumbling in the process.

How fortunate was I then, upon arriving at home, that not only was there a glass of Italian red waiting for me but also a delectable pear and walnut salad already plated up and a seasoned scotch fillet steak sitting eagerly next to the red-hot cast iron frypan.

Bless.

pear, walnut and blue cheese salad

  1 ripe pear, sliced thinly

  1 handful walnuts, chopped

  150g baby rocket

  125g blue cheese, crumbled

dressing 

  2tsp wholegrain mustard

  4tbsp olive oil

  1tsp honey

  juice of ½ lemon

  salt and pepper, to taste

Place dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well until combined.  Stir sliced pear through dressing.

Place rocket, walnuts, pears and dressing in a large bowl.  Lightly toss to combine. Serve and enjoy the absolute simplicity and decadence of the dish as much as we did.

NOT-TOO-GUILTY GALETTES

Have you got unused pastry in your freezer? If you do, don't let it sit there anymore. Because, let's face it, you're never going to use it and it will end up in the bin.

I am guilty of this and have had puff pastry acting as a recluse in the freezer for far too long.  Considering it's a long weekend here I decided to make a slightly naughty breakfast so I could not only use up the puff pastry but also the white flesh pear that I never really felt like eating on its own.  

By the time I actually woke up, the idea to make galettes turned into a brunch option but it was still just as delicious near lunchtime as it would be at 9am.  Evidence of this fact? Three galettes came out of the oven by 10:30am and at this point in time, a few hours later, there isn't even a flaky crumb to be seen in the kitchen.

galettes

  2 sheets puff pastry

  1 pear

  2 figs

  2 yellow peaches, halved and stoned

  soft brown sugar

  25g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 240 degrees celsius.  Thinly slice the pear and peaches into half-moons and the figs into rounds.

Halve the pastry sheets into rectangles.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and arrange the fruit in two rows of layers so they are slightly overlapping. Ensure you leave 1/2cm border around the edges so the pastry can puff up during cooking.

Brush the fruit and pastry edges with melted butter and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Remove from the oven to cool slightly.  Serve warm with unsweetened natural yoghurt and a nice herbal tea for an ever-so-slightly guilt free brunch.

THIS LITTE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET

I woke up this Saturday morning quite early (10am = early by my standards) with a phone call from my dear friend in Sydney. As our conversations usually happen, talk quickly turned to her impending visit to Melbourne and the vast food options we were to churn through in the short time she was here.  

These thoughts escaped my mind until later in the afternoon when I was sitting on the tram with my fellow household inhabitant discussing what we should cook for dinner.  It had been a good few hours walking through the city for us that afternoon, so feeling a little bit zapped for energy we resorted to the idea of cooking something easy and, for the lack of a better term, plain. Salmon with soba noodles? OK then, easy, done.

However, said dinner option didn't sit well with me and as we got closer and closer to the market we re-thought our strategy.  It's a long weekend, we said.  Let's have something hearty, we said.  Let's do something a bit different tonight, we said.  Then what shall we do?  Well, thinking back to my early morning pillow talk and my 'last supper' in Sydney many months ago which consisted of a delicious pork roast, thought turned to some Otway free range pork housemate and I saw for sale a few weeks back and the creative juices started flowing.

After a back and forth trip to the wine shop, supermarket and the grower's market, we hobbled home with our bounty and got to cooking an early dinner to recharge the batteries before heading out to watch some fireworks in the city.

As I was peering into the oven watching the pork sizzle and tenderise, I called a friend who lives nearby and ordered her to come over just so we had a witness to the true magnificence of what we had created.  I'll let the pictures do the talking here.

on the menu tonight...

roast pork with peaches and lemon thyme butter

served with roasted baby chat potatoes, garlic cloves, shallots and peaches

and dutch carrots infused with cumin, thyme and chardonnay

and wilted silverbeet

GRANOLA GOODNESS

Granola is popping up everywhere - cafes, gourmet foodstores, artisan bakeries ...what next?  Essentially it's just a glorified version of rolled oats slathered in sweetness.  

I'm not frugal by nature but I can't justify going for breakfast and paying upwards of $6 for a bowl of fruit, nuts and oats.  Sure, it's delicious, but it's not worth the price tag when you can make it at home for a fraction of the price.

I work full time hours and am often stuck at work in the mornings with no idea what to have for breakfast.  Not being a big fan of toast, and maximising my sleep-in time in the mornings eliminating any sort of eat-at-home breakfast schedule, a container stash of homemade granola at work is a delightful breakfast option when the sub-par office building cafes can offer nothing even remotely comparable.

five star granola on a one star budget

  250g rolled oats

  1 handful almonds, chopped

  1 handful sultanas

  1 handful sunflower seeds, chopped

  1/2 handful hazelnuts, chopped

  1 handful dried apricots, chopped

  1/2 handful sesame seeds

  4tbsp honey

  2tsp cinnamon

  1tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined and slightly binding together.  If required, add more honey to bring ingredients together.

Spread on an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes of until golden, stirring occasionally so as the mixture does not stick together too much.

Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before breaking up into pieces.  cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Serve with fresh fruit and unsweetened natural yoghurt for a delicious breakfast alternative to hum-drum toast.