Harissa Spread

A pretty spicy but sweet spread to be used in recipes or in sandwiches. If kept in refrigerator, will keep for 3-4 days. (Looks like pumpkin soup doesn't it?)

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic
1 large red capsicum
10 large red chillies (I used 8 medium-sized)
1 tbs cumin seeds
3 tsp caraway seeds
150ml tomato passata
5 pinches salt flakes
2 tbs castor sugar

1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 160C. Place garlic, capsicum and chillies in a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes. Remove chillies, place in a bowl, cover with plastic film and leave for 10 minutes. Continue roasting garlic and capsicum for a further 10 minutes. Place capsicum in a bowl, cover with plastic film and leave for 10 minutes. Remove seeds and skin from chillies and capsicum.

Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add cumin and caraway seeds and toast for 2 minutes. Grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle.

Squeeze garlic pulp out of skins and combine with capsicum, chilli, caraway, tomato passata, salt, sugar and olive oil in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup

Sicilian Spaghetti Al'olio

A different way to serve spaghetti, that's for sure. It was rather tasty and very easy. Both Lyndon and Monet liked it.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients
500g fresh spaghetti (I used dried)
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely sliced
2 small red chillies, very finely sliced
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, torn
1 lemon, juiced and zested
salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
10 thin slices sourdough baguette, fried in oil until crisp and seasoned, then pulsed in a food processor until crumbled
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated (I used Parmesan)

Method
Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach, parsley and lemon zest and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Add pasta to frying pan with lemon juice and remaining oil. Add sourdough crumbs and toss to combine. Check seasoning. Serve immediately with the parmigiano reggiano.

Serves 4

Bubble Rain

When it's wet and rainy outside, but awfully humid too, you have to think of new ideas to keep from getting Cabin Fever.

We've done drawing. We've done baking. We've done Hi-5 dancing. We've done play dough. We've done jigsaws. We've done cleaning. We've done playing!

However, the last few days we've spent out on our huge (and thankfully covered) balcony, doing this...

...blowing bubbles! Monet has got really good at the action. She's quite the expert. She even tells me how to do it. I'm a bit over it though, but Monet isn't. Now she is always wanting to go outside and "blow bubbles?"

Phew! Thank goodness for cheap supermarket toys hey?

Caesar Salad

This recipe is so very delicious and very authentic. Trust me when I say that it is actually pretty much restaurant quality. True. And here am I say that about my own cooking! *blush*

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where the Heart Is'*

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic
1 cup (300g) egg mayonnaise
2 tbs sour cream
8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
splash of vinegar
4 free-range eggs (60g each)
3 baby cos lettuces, very outed leaves removed and each cut into 6 wedges, leaving core intact
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely sliced
3 tbs small capers
10 slices pancetta, roasted at 165C for 5-7 minutes
150g shaved Parmesan
extra lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
4 slices sourdough bread
extra clove garlic and olive oil to serve

Method
To make the dressing, roast the garlic bulb at 150C for 30 minutes, then cut and squeeze flesh out. Combine roasted garlic flesh, mayonnaise, sour cream, anchovies, lemon juice and chopped garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. If the mix is too stiff, add a little lemon juice until dressing is sauce-like. Set aside.

Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and add a splash of vinegar. Slide in eggs and poach for 3-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Arrange lettuce on plates and drizzle over dressing. Scatter parsley, chives, onion and capers over lettuce.

Place an egg on each plate, crumble pancetta over eggs and shave over some Parmesan, add a squeeze of extra lemon juice and, if desired, grind over black pepper.

Toast the bread, rub with an extra clove or garlic, then drizzle with olive oil and cut into fingers. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Kitchen Appliances

Is there a piece of Kitchen equipment you can't live without? Besides the oven and sink of course. That goes without saying. But an appliance?

Mine is (and has been for ages), my Bamix. I couldn't live without it as I use it often. It was an engagement present from my sister and her partner, four years ago. It came with a few attachments so I can whip, beat, mix etc., The best attachment is the one which works like a mini food processor. I always make my fresh breadcrumbs using this attachment. Always. If only it was a bit bigger I'd be happy, but in the meanwhile it does the trick.

Yes, the next appliance I would like is a food processor.

What appliance would you like? But would you use it?

Monet's Kitchen

Monet can be funny sometimes. Not ha ha funny. Just funny. You know what I mean. Don't you? She goes through phases of activities.

Somedays she'll happily sit in her room and read book after book, until they cover her floor and then she'll go through them all again. For a good hour or so she will do that.

Somedays she'll grab all her teddies and dolls and place them, one by one, on her floor, or, worse still (because that means I have to put them back), on the lounge room floor. Hours of entertainment there.

Then there will be days when she wants nothing to do with books or teddies or dolls. She'll lounge on the couch or sit and (attempt to) draw.

Today's activity has been to play with her 'Elmo Kitchen'. It was a Christmas gift from my parents that is certainly worth its weight in gold...today anyway.

She's been pottering around with it this morning. Preparing meals for me, making cups of tea for me, making Pickles (my, sorry, Monet's teddy) breakfast, washing the dishes in the little sink, opening the cupboard and the oven, turning on the hot plates, actually using the toy for its main purpose (which isn't just to sit and take up valuable space in our apartment!)

Sometimes when Monet is using her kitchen she tells me to go and use my kitchen. She doesn't really tell me as such, she demands it! It's because she knows I happily spend time in the kitchen preparing meals and baking goodies.

Hopefully in years to come Monet will happily potter around in my kitchen and prepare meals and goodies for me to eat. Just like I did in my mother's kitchen.

Melody's Gourmet Lamb Burgers

Unfortunately there is no photo to go along with this recipe as I actually forgot. I was too busy thinking about actually eating it than taking a photo of the finished cooked product! Uh-oh.

I made this recipe up a few years ago and they always go down well. You can add other ingredients that you like (maybe olives, capers) or delete ones that you don't like. I usually serve them in a bun (tonight's was Turkish Bread Rolls), along with fresh baby spinach leaves, cheese and either tomato relish or tomato sauce.

I don't record exact weights and measures in this particular recipe. Just add as much (or as little) as you like, or what you've got floating around in the fridge. They'll turn out fine.

Ingredients
Lamb mince (to make about 5 patties, use 500gms)
Red onion, chopped
Semi-Sun dried Tomatoes, chopped
Marinated fetta, crumbled
Pine nuts, toasted
Baby spinach leaves, shredded
Fresh basil, chopped
Garlic clove, finely chopped
Fresh Bread crumbs
Dash of extra-virgin Olive Oil

Method
Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix by hand. Divide the mixture into hand-size patties and flatten out.

Cook. (Either on the BBQ or in a frying pan with a dash of olive oil on the hot plate.)

Yes, they are that easy!! Hehe...

Spinach, Herb, Rocotta & Fetta Filo Pastry Pie

A relatively easy recipe to prepare. I cheated and used pre-packaged frozen spinach... Can be eaten hot or cold and served with Tzatziki. To be honest with you I wasn't a big fan of it - maybe there was too much spinach for my liking and not enough cheese. Next time I'd probably cut down the spinach to 500g and increase the ricotta to 500g. But that is just my opinion. The biggest surprise though was that Lyndon actually really liked it. He normally doesn't like things like this...

*Taken from (you-guessed-it) Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients
150ml extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs capers, chopped
800-900g spinach (with stems), coarsely chopped
4 sprigs mint, leaves picked and torn
4 sprigs oregano, leaves picked and torn
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and torn
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250g ricotta
120g fetta, crumbled
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
12 large sheets filo pastry
2 tsp ground fennel seeds

Method

Heat 50ml of the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add capers and half the spinach and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain in a colander and press out excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and cook herbs and remaining spinach until wilted. Drain in a colander and press out excess liquid. Add to bowl. Stir eggs, ricotta and fetta into spinach mixture and mix well. Season.

Preheat oven to 165C.

Grease a round 20cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Keep the filo covered with a damp towel while working so it doesn't dry out. Place two pastry pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and brush with olive oil. Repeat twice more. Place half the spinach mixture along the center of pastry and roll length ways. Place roll in a circle around the inside of the cake tin. Make another roll with remaining pastry and spinach mixture. Place in cake tin and wind around to completely cover the base of the tin. Brush with olive oil, scatter with fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden. Cool before serving.

Serves 6