So Much Spinach!

We have so much spinach in the garden at the moment that it's getting ridiculous! Over winter there wasn't much growing, but spinach and rainbow chard were the two things we definitely didn't have a shortage of. I've made pies, spinach daal, lamb saag, salads and a variety of vegetable dishes, but still it keeps growing. I've given away bags and bags of the stuff to friends, family and local cafes and restaurants, but we have more and more and more!

What to do with it all??

When we were kids, Mum used to make cheese and spinach pie all the time. It was probably the Aussie version of spanakopita, that amazing Greek pastry. We would gobble it down and there were hardly ever any leftovers.

I have modified Mum's recipe a bit - taken away the filo pastry, added extra herbs and more cheese. It's probably less pie now and more frittata. Whatever you want to call it, it tastes delicious as a light dinner with a salad and can also be served cold to take to a picnic. For nibbles at a party, try cutting it into small squares and putting a dollop of a tomato chutney on top. Your guests will love it!

Cheese And Spinach Slice

A bunch of fresh spinach or other greens

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

500g cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Wash spinach well to remove any dirt and shake dry. Finely chop and place in a microwave safe container with a lid.

Microwave for 2 minutes so that it starts to wilt. Drain well in a colander, pressing to remove extra water. Allow to cool.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.

Stir through spinach when cool so it doesn't start cooking the egg.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the cheese is salty, so you might not need much.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20x30cm baking dish and smooth the surface.

Sprinkle the top with extra grated cheese to cover.

Bake for approx 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Serve with a simple salad or some vegies.

A Fabulous Dinner

I've recently started following a website called The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society. They are a wonderful group of women trying to get more females interested in drinking and learning about wine in a fun way. They hold events, give tasting notes on wines and support females in the Australian wine industry. As part of their website, they also have an online wine club. No forced buying of wines each month at all! This fabulous wine club lists two wines per month for you to try and then rate using their tasting cards. The wines are easily available at regular bottle shops and are not expensive.

This month they have a red and a white and tonight I've made a fancy meal to match with the white. It's a Taltarni Fume Blanc, which is actually the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety, but made in a very different style to the New Zealand type. I'm not such a fan of NZ Sauv Blanc, so am really looking forward to trying this one.

After lots of research in to the flavour of the wine, I've decided on a warm beetroot salad with feta and pan-fried scallops. I'm hoping that this will match perfectly.

Beetroot is another of my favourite vegetables and we tend to eat it quite a bit, especially once the plants in the garden have grown and we have beets on hand. They have such a rich, earthy sweetness, which I love. I grew up with tinned sliced beetroot, which I did love with cheese in a sandwich, but fresh is a world apart!

When you are preparing the beetroot, be aware that the colour will stain your hands and your clothes, so it's best to wear an apron and disposable gloves.

Feta brings a nice tartness and creaminess to the salad and the scallops some sweetness too. As is my preference, go for the creamy Danish feta, rather than the Greek style. I tend to find this much too dry and salty.

If you've never cooked scallops before, don't stress too much. The orange roe on the outside can be eaten, but it's a matter of personal preference. I don't like the taste or texture, but others do. It's up to you whether you want to keep it on, or cut it off. I prefer to cut it off, for a sweeter and cleaner taste.

This would also be the perfect party dish. Served in Asian soup spoons, a dollop of beetroot and feta with a scallop on top would be a great appetiser.

And To Drink...

 

The 2010 Taltarni Fume Blanc was like no Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tried before. Being a couple of years old, it may not have been as fresh as it could have been, but it was still amazing. Full of passionfruit and stone fruits, with some gentle oakiness, it was perfect drinking.

This was definitely my sort of wine. There was still plenty of that fruitiness that you want in a wine, but it wasn't overpowering in any way. The oak also didn't overpower, as sometimes it can.  If you like a lightly oaked Chardonnay, then you'd love this one!

The sweetness of the beetroot and the scallops matched wonderfully with the fruit and acid in the wine, with the creamy feta adding some tartness. The handful of rocket added some extra pepperiness.

Thanks to The Fabulous Ladies, I've found another wine that I'll be drinking again and again. Next time I might look for a current vintage to compare with.

Warm Beetroot and Feta Salad with Pan-fried Scallops

2 medium beetroot
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbs water
100g Danish feta, chopped
20 scallops, cleaned and roe removed
Salt and pepper to taste
A drizzle of olive oil
Rocket or parsley to serve

Chop the leafy tops off the beetroot and then peel the main section of the vegetable.
Cut them into halves or quarters so you have manageable pieces.
Coursly grate the beetroot and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the beetroot, vinegar and water. Pop the lid on and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Take the lid off and cook for another couple of minutes to boil off any remaining liquid. You want the beetroot to be tender, but not swimming in juices.
Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, stir through the chopped feta.

To cook the scallops, heat a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until hot.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and then fry for about 40 seconds on each side, or until browned on the outside, but on the slightly raw side inside. How long you need to cook them will depend on how thick the scallops are.

To serve, place a good spoonful of the beetroot salad on the plate and then dot the scallops around it.
Scatter a couple of sprigs of parsley or a handful of rocket over the top and give it a grinding of cracked black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

Magic Mushrooms

As most of you probably know by now, I love a good mushroom dish. Whether they be raw in a salad, roasted in the oven, char-grilled on the BBQ or cooked up in some delicious casserole or stirfry, they are always wonderful.

Not only do mushrooms taste great, but they are so healthy for you. For vegetarians they provide so many of the nutrients that you might otherwise get from meat and they really help to make a meal filling.

Did you know that just 100g of mushrooms provide up to 36% of your daily needs of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin. That's a pretty big bang for your buck in the vitamin and mineral stakes. They are also low fat, low cholesterol and high in vitamin D. An outright winner in the vegie department!

I was lucky enough to be given a copy of the 'Mushrooms - The Great All-Rounder' cookbook by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association and have been drooling over the amazing looking recipes all week. This is the first dish that I've made out of the book, but you can guarantee that there will be plenty more to come.

My husband and I are trying to eat one or two vegetarian meals each week, and mushrooms often feature heavily in these meals. Tonight I wanted something vego, but which was a bit different and really full of flavour. This strudel ticked all the boxes. Full of caramelised onions, slow cooked mushrooms and creamy brie, what more could you want?

The filling was really easy to prepare and the pie itself only took about 20 minutes to cook in a hot oven. Really you only needed to cook the pastry as the filling was more or less pre-cooked. I'll definitely be making this one again! I have made a couple of changes to the original recipe to suit our tastes, but the main flavours are the same. Served with a simple rocket, pear and parmesan salad to counteract the richness of the filling, this was a perfect mid-week dinner.

Brie And Mushroom Strudel

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
A couple of drizzles of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp honey
400g button mushrooms, sliced
120g brie cheese, chopped
2 Tbs parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
Salt and pepper to taste
egg wash to brush

Place onions in a bowl, cover with damp paper towel and microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until soft.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Add the honey and cook for a further 2 minutes or until caramelised. Set aside to cool.
In a separate frying pan, heat another drizzle of oil and fry the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until tender and they have released their juices. Season to taste.
When cool, mix the mushrooms and onion together and stir through parsley, thyme and cheese.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Place one sheet of pastry on a baking try lined with baking paper.
Heap the filling into the middle of the pastry square, leaving at least 1cm around the entire edge.
Use the egg wash to brush around the edge and cover with the second sheet of pastry. Try to push out any air in the parcel and gently press the edges of the pastry together to seal.
Cut a couple of holes in the top of the pastry to let steam escape and then brush with the egg wash.

Bake for about 20-25 mins, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

This post was not sponsored in any way and no payment was recieved.

Pork and Apples

What is going on with Melbourne's crazy weather at the moment? One day it's hot and you're wearing shorts and t-shirts and thinking of summer, the next it's cold and wet and you need the heater on to warm up!

Today is unfortunately one of the latter, so something warming and filling is needed for dinner.

Pork and apples are a fabulous combination and can make an ordinary dish wonderful. The key for this recipe is to cook the apples so that they are just starting to fall apart, but not to overcook the  pork. You want it to still be juicy and tender in the middle.

I have used pork fillet for this recipe, but you could equally use chops or cutlets, but might need to adjust the cooking time. The apples could be any variety, but Granny Smiths are great because they add a bit of tartness to the creamy sauce. If you don't have any on hand, use whatever is in the fridge.

Because we have so much spinach in our garden at the moment, I served ours with some wilted greens. The sauce is so good that you might want to just have it with some fresh sourdough or mashed potato to soak up all those amazing juices.

 

Pork with Apples and Cider

400g piece pork fillet
Plain flour for dusting
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs butter
2 green apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
A drizzle of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 sprigs of thyme
1 1/2 cups dry apple cider
1/4 cup cream
1 Tbs brandy (optional)

Cut the pork fillet in to 3 or 4 even sized pieces and dust with flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Shake off any extra that doesn't stick to the meat.
Heat the butter in a large pan with a lid until sizzling. Fry the apple slices for about 1 minute on each side, or until lightly golden. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and brown the pork fillet on all sides until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

To the same pan, add the onion, garlic, thyme and vinegar and sizzle until the vinegar is reduced by half.
Turn down the heat and add the cider. It will bubble up like crazy, but that's fine!
Once the bubbling has settled down, return the pork to the pan, cover and simmer gently for about 30 mins.
Stir every so often to turn the meat over and make sure the pork is covered in the sauce.
After 30 mins, return the apple to the pan and leave the lid off the thicken the sauce slightly.
Cook for another 10 mins, or until the pork is cooked through and the apple is soft, but not quite falling apart.
Slowly stir in the brandy (if using) and cream into the sauce and season to taste. Gently reheat, but don't boil.

Serve with some steamed greens, mashed potato or some nice crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices!

 And To Drink...

If you're cooking with cider, then you really need to drink it too! This French cider was given to me by my beautiful husband for my birthday this year. It came from the wonderful wine store at Albert Street Food and Wine. It was lovely and dry, but still had plenty of appley flavour and fruitiness to it.

As you'd expect, the fruit flavour in the cider, complemented the apple in the dish. Because I used this cider to cook with too, they had similar flavours. The dryness of the cider and the fizzy bubbles also helped to tone down the creaminess, so it wasn't overpowering.

A wonderful cold weather match!

In summer, or at least when the weather warms up, this cider, or any dry cider for that matter, would be great on its own, sitting outdoors in the sun. Team it with some cheese and crackers for a great afternoon tipple!

An Easy, Tasty Lunch

Given that I work part time and have two young children, lunch is normally leftovers from the night before or an assortment of whatever is in the fridge and cupboard on a particular day. It might be cheese on toast, noodles with tuna, a sandwich or salad. Often it's whatever the kids haven't eaten!

Today, we'd done our shopping and running around in the morning and I felt like making something a bit more fancy than usual for lunch. At the moment I have a bit of a thing for peas and broad beans. I love all green veg, but find that the sweetness of these two is amazing. They are so versatile and can be used whole or pureed, in soups, salad, pasta or risotto.

After having a bit of a think and a play around, I decided to make a tart of sorts, using up bits and pieces that I already had. As much as homemade pastry is delicious, sometimes you don't have the time to make it. Ready made, frozen pasty does the job!

This tart was so easy to make and could be whipped up for a impromtu lunch, weekend afternoon nibble with drinks or a light dinner. It was so easy the kids helped me to make it! Not much skill involved.

Pea, Broad Bean, Feta and Mint Tart

1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen broad beans
50g creamy feta cheese (I like Danish feta)
A Squeeze of lemon juice
10 mint leaves, plus extra to serve
1 sheet of frozen shortcrust or puff pastry, defrosted
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Cook the frozen peas and broad beans in boiling water on the stove top or in the microwave for 2-3 mins. Drain and allow to cool.
Remove the outer skins from the broad beans and discard.
Place the peas, beans, half the feta, lemon juice and mint into a food processor and puree until still a bit chunky.
Season to taste.

Place your square of pastry on a lightly greased oven tray.
Score a line about 1cm from the edge, all the way around, to make a central area where you want your filling.
Spread the filling into the middle of the pastry, making sure it goes right to the edges of the line you have drawn.
Place the tray in the oven and bake tart for about 15 mins, or until the pasty is golden and puffed.
Remove from the baking tray to a board or serving plate, sprinkle with the remaining feta that has been cut into small cubes and a few extra chopped mint leaves.

Enjoy!

And To Drink...

Normally I wouldn't have a drink at lunch time on a Monday, but after making a nicer lunch than usual, I thought 'why not?'. Anyway, there was an open bottle of wine in the fridge that was calling out to me!

This bottle of Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2008 Autumn Riesling was bought years ago and has been sitting in the cellar. I think we bought it in 2008 when we were last in the Barossa, so it's been waiting 5 years to be drunk!

Being an Autum Riesling, it is more in the style of a German wine, so is a bit lighter and a little sweeter. Perfect for a midday tipple! Having a few years of age on it, the fruit flavours weren't as obvious, but it was much more complex. It had aromas of honeysuckle and peach, with some fine acidity.

It matched perfectly with the sweetness of the peas and beans in the tart. The saltiness of the feta made the honeysuckle and acidity more obvious, but not overpowering.

Unfortunately I enjoyed the tart with the kids and the wine on my own, but this would have been great if the girls had come around!

Super Salmon

I love salmon! There, I've said it. Whether it be smoked or fresh, you can use this amazing fish in so many dishes. Really, if there was no other fish or seafood available, I wouldn't mind at all. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't really like it that much and can't stand the smell when it's cooking. As a trade off, I try to make salmon much more interesting when I cook it, to satisfy both of us.

Australia is so lucky to have some of the best salmon easily available to the general customer. Every fish shop or market will usually have either Tassal or Huon salmon from Tasmania. Both are amazing. I'm lucky enough to get to the Tassal store in Kew to buy my fish, where it is so fresh and they have a great range of different products. Here I'm in salmon heaven - cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, salmon sausages, marinated fillets and whole fish. Last Easter we did a whole roasted salmon on the BBQ, which was fantastic!

For this dinner, I thought I'd keep the salmon simple, but match it with strong and flavoursome sides which would complement the fish. It's hard to overpower salmon.

The mash is actually a carrot and ricotta puree, which added some sweetness. The peas used some more of the fresh ricotta, in addition to fresh mint and lemon rind. The combination of the creaminess of the ricotta, the sweetness of the peas and the freshness of the lemon and mint were beautiful.

Again, this was such a simple dish to prepare, so it's great for a worknight meal when you want something quick, healthy and tasty.

 

Salmon with Carrot Puree and Ricotta Peas

 

2 salmon fillets, pin-boned and skin on
salt and pepper
A drizzle of Olive oil

Heat the drizzle of oil in a fry pan until really hot. You don't need too much oil as the salmon will release its own oil on cooking.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the pan. You want the skin to become all crispy, so leave it for about 5 minutes.
Carefully turn the salmon, trying to keep the crispy skin intact. Cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. You want the centre to be barely cooked, otherwise it will be dry and horrible.
When cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to rest for a few minutes while you get the sides organised.

Carrot Puree

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
50g fresh ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook carrots in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain.
Place cooked carrots, garlic and ricotta in a small food processor and whiz until a fine puree is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
Return puree to clean saucepan and heat through again when ready to serve.

 

Ricotta Peas

 

100g frozen peas
50g fresh ricotta
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook frozen peas in some water in the microwave or stovetop until tender. Drain and keep warm.
Put peas in a bowl and stir through ricotta, lemon rind, mint and salt and pepper to taste. Try to break up the ricotta, but don't make it too mushy.


To serve, place a spoonful of the carrot puree on the plate. Carefully place the salmon on top, then scatter with the pea mixture. If you want to be all fancy, garnish with a few more mint leaves and a grinding of cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

And To Drink.....

Even though you really don't have to stick to the 'red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with chicken and fish' mantra, I still think that a white goes better with salmon. Yes, it's a meaty, full flavoured fish, but a more delicate floral white wine can be a perfect match.

This Leconfield 2006 Old Vines Riesling from Coonawarra in South Australia was fantastic. Being an aged wine it had a lot more complexity to it and was starting to develop a slight kerosene touch, which I love in an older Riesling. There was still plenty of fresh, fruity flavours that you would expect in a wine of this type.

The acidity in the wine cut through the richness of the salmon perfectly and matched with the lemon zest in the peas. The sweetness of the carrot puree also brought out a more honeysuckle aroma and taste.

The wines from Leconfield are always great, so it's worth looking out for them in the bottle shop or in restaurants. They make a Riesling and Chardonnay and also a range of reds, which the Coonawarra region is more know for.

Sensational Sides

Not everything we eat in the eat quaff laugh household is super fancy. Sometimes we like to keep it simple and just have steak, chicken or pork with salad or vegies. For me, what really makes a meal is the quality of the meat, but also the side dish that you serve with it. It doesn't necessarily need to be anything complicated. Sometimes the best dishes are those that use fresh produce straight out of the garden or from the market, prepared simply. You want the hero of the dish to be the beautiful vegetables.

Here are a few of my favourite side dishes to go with a variety of meals. I guarantee they will zhush up your dinner time!

Asparagus 

 

Now that Australian asparagus is back in season, we've been eating it at least once or twice a week. It would have to be one of my favourite vegetables and is best served simply. I love to just blanch the asparagus spears, so that they retain a bit of crunch and then drizzle with a lemon infused olive oil, a grinding of salt and pepper and some finely grated lemon rind. Delish!

Alternatively, find a good quality aioli from the supermarket or deli and drizzle over the blanched spears. If you have the time and energy, make your own Hollandaise. I recently discovered an amazing fresh parsley and cracked black pepper aioli from Fifya. It was delicious slightly warmed and spooned over the hot spears. A perfect match with any sort of meat.

To blanch the asparagus, simply snap off the woody ends, place in a heatproof dish and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. If the spears are really thick, you might need to do this twice. You can also cook them in the microwave by putting the spears in a container with a lid and covering with a small amount of water. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, then drain.

Broccolini

Broccolini is another green veg which is available most of the year round and is a great side vegetable. It is so underrated! Broccolini is also best served simply, and similar to asparagus, doesn't need much done to it.

If you don't like broccoli, then give it's more tender cousin a go. You can eat the whole thing, including the stalks. I think they're the best bit! 

Simply trim the ends and blanch the broccolini in the same way as asparagus. You can either pour boiling water over the stalks and let it sit for 5 minutes, or microwave with a light covering of water for 2-3 minutes. The thicker the stalks, the longer it will take to cook. You want it to be just tender, not soft and soggy!

I like to toss the cooked broccolini with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, finely grated lemon rind and some toasted pine nuts. The nuttiness of the pine nuts really goes well with the flavour of the greens.

Roasted Capsicum and Chargrilled Zucchini with Persian Fetta

This is one of my all time favourite summer salads. Roasted red capsicum is so easy to make and tastes much better than the stuff from the supermarket. There are so many uses for the capsicum, but this salad is easy and super tasty.

1 red capsicum
1 zucchini
A handful of mint or basil leaves
Persian fetta or soft goats curd

All you need to do is cut a red capsicum in half, remove the stalk, seeds and membranes and place cut side down on a piece of foil under the grill. Grill on high until the skin in blistered and blackened. The blacker the better! Wrap the foil around the capsicum like a little parcel and leave for about 10 minutes, until it is cool enough to handle. The skin should then easily peel away from the flesh, leaving you with sweet, beautiful roasted capsicum and some amazing juice.

For the zucchini, slice lengthways into 1/2cm thick slices, spray lightly with oil spray and season with salt and pepper. Heat a chargrill pan on high and grill the slices on each side until the zucchini softens and you can see grill marks on the cut sides. Set aside to cool.

To assemble the salad, alternately layer zucchini, capsicum, torn fresh mint or basil and feta. You might get two or three layers, depending on how big the capsicum and zucchini are. Season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and any of the juices that came out of the capsicum when it was resting.

This is best served at room temperature to really appreciate the flavour.

Mushrooms

 

I love mushrooms of all shapes and sizes and would eat them every day if I could.  They are great as a vegetarian meal, stuffed with all sorts of goodness, or used as a side dish. Again, I love to keep it simple. 

Thickly slice whatever type of mushroom you prefer and fry up in a pan with a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. You want to cook them until they start to release their own juices and become soft and soak up the butter and oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, throw in a handful of chopped thyme leaves and a clove of crushed garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.

Mushies cooked this way are great served over a piece of steak as a simple mushroom sauce. You could also toast thick slices of ciabatta or sourdough and pile up with the mushroom mix, bruschetta style. Add a few slices of bocconcini or shavings of parmesan, if you like. What could be more tasty for a quick lunch or light dinner?