Cooking with Artichoke - Antipasto Pizza!

Hands up if you have cooked with artichoke before? No? Me either! I had a request on Facebook to give it a go, and as they where on special at Coles for just $1 I though "why not"! I know some of you obviously will have used it, and know much more about it than I do but it was definitely a new experience for me and to be honest not something I will probably cook with regularly. 

It is a nice, quite a mild flavoured vegetable, not unlike asparagus but it was a bit of mucking around to cook it.

I decided to use it on top of a antipasto type pizza along with my homemade pizza base, homemade pizza sauce (tin of tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil, oregano, salt cook until liquid has reduced), olives, semi sundried tomatoes, salami, red onion and homemade ricotta.

Cooking Artichoke

Ingredients

1 artichoke, with the stem chopped off as per the above picture, clip any very dry or rough point bits off with scissors

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 bay leave

Method

Put all ingredients in a pot of water.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a medium/low heat and simmer, with the lid on for up to 45 minutes.

Once nice and soft remove from heat and leave to cool.

Pull the "leaves" off (are they called leaves? I am not sure) and scrape the softness from the inside of the leaves

I am pretty sure you can eat them as is, scraping the soft insides off with your teeth. I was a bit lazy here I will admit, I pulled most of the leaves off until I got to the nice soft heart which is the bit I mainly used. I just ripped it up and put on top of the pizza. I probably didn't use as much of the artichoke as I could have, it made me a bit nervous haha!

I might get a few more and try marinating them to eat on a platter, but I did read after cooking you can use like a chip for dips so that might be an option as well!!

It was a really nice flavour on top of the somewhat salty pizza.

In conclusion I feel like I failed a wee bit with this challenge. I am sure that there is a lot more to artichokes than I gave it credit for. 

Do you have any good artichoke recipes you can share with me? Would love to give it a go again doing something different!

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Homemade Ricotta

Don't be nervous, this is such a simple thing to make and it is SO DELICIOUS.  I make it to use straight away, it wouldn't last long anyway! It's great in salads, on pizza, on toast with honey, on its own... its damn delicious!!!

Apparently this is a very similar way to making paneer cheese (Indian Cheese) so if you give that a go let me know!

Please excuse the crappy photo!!

Homemade Ricotta

Ingredients

2 litres full cream milk

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cream

4 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice 

(I prefer to use vinegar for this one, just gives a little bit more of a bite than lemon juice)

Method

Place the milk, salt and cream in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling (it needs heat to curdle properly).

Then add the vinegar and stir it once or twice very gently just to distribute the vinegar. Do not constantly stir, just leave it be.

Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then allow to sit for 10 minutes and most of the ricotta curds will float to the top leaving the whey at the bottom.

Line a pasta drainer with cheesecloth (I used a very thin brand new pillow case as I didn't have cheesecloth, which worked well) and place it over a large bowl to drain.

Gently pour the ricotta mixture through the cheesecloth and the whey will separate at the bottom in a clearish yellow liquid and the soft and creamy ricotta will sit at the top.

You can mold the ricotta into a ball by holding all the sides of the cloth, twist the cloth so the cheese is in a ball at the bottom. This will also help to drain out any excess liquid.

Your ricotta is now ready to use! If you want a more solid ricotta, drain for an hour or overnight. 

Keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container, use a little bit of the whey in the container to keep the cheese moist.

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Pizza Dough

Here is a great recipe that I always use for delicious Pizza Dough! This batch will make roughly two pizza's :)

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) warm water

2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast

Pinch of caster sugar

600 g (4 cups) plain flour

1 tsp salt

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, plus extra for brushing

Method

Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy. 

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and oil.

Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture is combined. 

Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.

Brush a bowl lightly with oil. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. 

Place in the prepared bowl and turn to coat in oil. 

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

Roll out to the size of your pizza tray.

I like to pre cook the dough for 10 minutes or so, but note it will shrink slightly if you do this. Its not essential but I find if you load the pizza up too much the dough won't cook properly :)

Look what happened last time I made the dough... its EXPLODED THROUGH THE PLASTIC hahaha!

Happy Cooking Pizza! (From scratch!)

Erica x

Raw Walnut Chocolate Tart

Please see my last post for an explanation or if you don’t have time, basically a friend asked me to cook something that came under the banner of both Paleo and Clean Eating. I wanted to make a dessert too, to show that even a treat doesn’t have to be laden with sugar and white flour!

I hope you enjoy!

This original recipe has been adapted from Our Paleo Life. Please give me a shout out if you go over to visit them!

 

 

 

Raw Walnut Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

2 small tart tins roughly 10- 15cm across

Crust
1 cup of nut flour.

(I used walnuts as I had them in the cupboard but use any nut you like (except peanuts). Whiz them in a blender until they are very crumbly and a bit flour like. Not too long though or they will turn into butter!!)
2 tsp Raw Cocao
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted (20sec on the microwave)
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (or Rice Malt Syrup for Fructose Free!)
⅛ tsp Sea Salt

Filling
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
4 Tbsp Coconut Milk
 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup (Or Rice Malt Syrup)
6 Tsp Raw Cacao Powder
½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Method

Crust
In a medium bowl, add all crust ingredients and stir with a fork until evenly combined.
Divide mixture in half and press evenly into the bottom and sides of the prepared tart tins.

 

Filling
Heat coconut oil, coconut milk, and maple syrup together in the microwave until the coconut oil has melted. I did two bursts of 30 seconds.
Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy.
Whisk in the vanilla just until combined.
Pour the filling mixture evenly between the 2 prepared tart tins.
Place the tarts in the fridge for 1 hour or until they are set (mine didn’t take that long :D)
Garnish with some berries, stir together some coconut cream and vanilla essence and pour over the top.

Enjoy!

 

I found my tarts were a little bit… tart, or had that bitterness that very dark chocolate does. If you are not a fan of that bitterness, or you are an absolute sugar lover then I recommend you add a bit more maple syrup (rice malt syrup) and vanilla essence!

 

 

Happy Cooking (from Scratch!)

 

Erica xx

Paleo and Clean Eating Challenge... Mexican Mince in Cabbage Leaves

I love a challenge in the kitchen, but sometimes find it hard to think of new things that I would like to have a go at cooking. I’ve just gone live with my Facebook page and a friend suggested to me that I allow people to send through a request on something, either a certain food or meal, or cuisine, they would like to me see me come up with a recipe for. GREAT IDEA I said, you can be first!!!

 

A healthy lifestyle is very important to her so she asked if I would be able to make a meal that was both Paleo, and considered clean eating. What a task!! Have you ever seen the do not eat list for Paleo? You can check it out here. We eat a considerable amount of it, in particular beans and legumes, a staple food in a lot of my vegan meals!! We don’t eat a huge amount of sugar so that was easy, but I do love nothing more than freshly baked bread out of the over, so that was definitely out too! I wanted to make something that was filling, but that adhered to the allowable food on Paleo (which actually is A LOT, avoid beans and legumes, wheat and grains, sugar and starchy vegetables like potato and I think your headed in the right direction) and also make a dish that was clean, which as far as I understand, means whole foods like meat and vegetables and keeping the food as close to its original form as possible. I hope I achieved both please let me know if you have any tips for me or you think I haven’t got it quite right! Surprisingly a lot of the food we cook at home is actually Paleao and a lot of it is also Clean (I probably tend to use my homemade shortcrust pastry just a wee bit too often haha)

I made a main and a dessert, just to show that delicious tasty treats don’t have to be packed full of sugar and can fit under the “Clean” and “Paleo” headings! The main was stuffed full of vegies and also tasted delish!!

 

Please enjoy

Mexican Mince in Cabbage Leaves

(perhaps it needs a new name… doesn’t sound exceptionally appetising hahaha)

Ingredients

1kg Mince (I used beef, but any mince will be nice!)
2 grated carrots
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic squished, or very finely chopped
Big bag full of baby spinach
50g of pinenuts
1-2 chillis chopped and de-seeded (de-seeding is optional depending on your desire for heat)
½ cup chopped coriander
1 large red capsicum chopped
1 tin tomatoes
2 tablespoons each of cumin and smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 whole baby cabbage

 

Method

Pop a bit of oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once heated put in your garlic and onion until soft then put in mince and brown.

While mince is browning chop up the capsicum and grate the carrot. Add to the mince along with the chilli, baby spinach, pinenuts, coriander and tin tomatoes.

Add your spices, and salt.

Reduce heat to low, give everything a good stir and let simmer, stiring, and tasting occasionaly for around 30 minutes or most of the liquid has evaporated. Add more spices and salt as needed.

While the mince is cooking pop your whole baby cabbage in a steamer over a pot of water on medium-high heat. Remove from heat once the cabbage starts to feel “soft”.

Remove cabbage from steamer and very very gently peel back the leaves. You will need to cut them at the base to remove from the cabbage.

Put some cooked mince mixture into a leaf then roll like you would a burrito! Fold the top and the bottom over then one side over, then the other side, pulling gently but tightly. Once you have done all your cabbage rolls, sit them back in the steamer over medium heat for 5 minutes. This will help the cabbage to seal.

I tried both red and green cabbage… while the green cabbage went a bit transparent it stuck together much better than the red. Both tasted nice!

If you would like to challenge me to cook something, whether it be a type of food or a particular item of food, leave a comment below or email me at yearofcooking@outlook.com.au 

 

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)
Erica xx

Homemade Easy Peasy Onion Rings!

How good are onion rings?!! Damn good. Delicious crunchy batter, sweet tasty insides, they are the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal! Not the healthiest, as they are fried, but cook them in olive or coconut oil for a better oil choice!

We had ours with our steak tonight!

Fried Onion Rings

Ingredients

3 large brown onions

1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

cooking oil for deep frying (I prefer coconut or olive oil)

Method

Serves around 6 people (or 1-2 very hungry onion ring loving people haha)

Wash and peel onions, cut into 1/2 cm thick rounds. 

Separate rounds into rings. 

In a bowl, combine flour, seasonings, and baking powder. 

In a measuring cup, whisk together egg and milk.

 Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, blending well. 

Dip onion rings into batter, then place into oil, one at a time at about 185 degrees celcius. (To test your oil, drop a small piece of bread into the oil, it should brown quickly, rather than sink and go soggy!)

Fry until golden brown, turning to brown both sides. 

Remove to paper towels or brown paper bag to drain thoroughly. 

Sprinkle with a little salt before serving.

Keep your rings warm, and to help them stay crunchy, in a warm oven (around 150 degrees) while you cook the rest!

Happy Cooking (from Scratch!)

Erica xx

I love bacon... but I also love pigs.

It's bacon week! I LOVE bacon! It's definitely one of the number of reasons I could never be completely vegetarian. The delicious salty flavour enhances so many different dishes, its delicious on it's own or in a sandwich, with eggs... we all KNOW it's awesome.

However I also love pigs... they are super cute, super smart and unfortunately exceptionally mistreated.

Did you know sow stall pigs can spend their whole lives cramped in a tiny space, unable to turn around? I'm not here to guilt you, but the decisions we make at the butcher and the supermarket can definitely help to move the meat industry forward into a far more humane way of farming.

I was in the supermarket the other day to purchase some bacon for our caesar salad we had last night. The first supermarket I was in (I visited two as the first one did not have free range), have made a lot of noise recently about making the decision for their own branded pork to be "sow stall free". While this is a step in the right direction, it still means the life of the pig up until it becomes your dinner, isn't exactly pleasant.

This is what the RSPCA website says about Sow Stall Free Pigs:

"The term 'sow-stall free' is used to differentiate pork product from pigs that have been born to sows in group housing. The pig industry defines 'sow-stall free' as a system where a sow may have been kept in a stall for up to 5 days following last mating up to one week before farrowing; however, other definitions allow only one day in a stall. These stalls are called 'mating stalls', are very similar to a sow stall, and are used at mating to prevent aggression between sows and hence potential injury or abortion. Following this period of confinement, the sow is housed in groups with other pregnant sows."

What this doesn't mention is that the mother pig is kept in this stall, for 6 weeks whilst feeding her piglets, twice a year. The piglets, when weaned from their mothers, are then kept in small indoor pens, on concrete floors, in a shed until they reach the right weight for slaughter.

Here's a tricky one... what is the difference between Bred Free Range and Free Range?? This got me, while I was standing staring at the bacon for a considerable length of time. In the past I know that I have grabbed Bred Free Range, in fact the brand of bacon that I always buy has those words on it! So what's the difference?

"‘Bred free range’ is a term used to apply to pig products (pork, bacon, etc) from pigs that were born in a free-range environment but were subsequently raised indoors. These pigs may be raised in large open sheds with straw bedding (known as ecoshelters) or in small pens on concrete floors as in conventional pig farming systems.

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme requires that pork marketed as RSPCA ‘bred free-range’ comes from farms where sows and boars range freely outside, piglets are born outside on the range and, once weaned, are raised in ecoshelters with straw bedding."

So it's defiantly a better life than living in a stall for the mumma and pappa pigs, Not so great still for the bacon, I mean piglets!!

"Free-range pork comes from pigs that were born and raised with free access to the outdoors. That is, where the sows and growing piglets have access to paddocks, as well as huts or other forms of housing for shelter, and are not confined to sow stalls (for pregnant sows) or farrowing crates (for lactating sows and their piglets).

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme requires that pigs live in a well-managed outdoor system, or within enhanced indoor environments that cater for all their behavioural and physiological needs, or a combination of both (referred to as 'bred free range'). You would not see sow stalls or farrowing crates on an RSPCA Approved pig farm. All pigs are reared, handled and transported with consideration and care and then slaughtered humanely."

Free Range life sounds alright to me! Surely a happier more carefree existence means nicer tasting meat? Ever had bacon from a family farmed pig? Its delicious. Way more delicious than normal. Incredible.

I know there is a cost factor... anything Free Range is going to cost more than something pumped out in factory like conditions, but you have to consider that these pigs give their life so you can eat that scrumptious bacon sandwich.

The more people choose the free range options at the register, the bigger the message it sends to the farmers that we won't accept second best, and that we want to see Farm Animals treated with respect!

Let's celebrate Bacon Week, with delicious Free Range Bacon. The pigs, and your taste buds will thank you for it!

Happy Cooking (from Scratch!)

Erica xx

For further reading check out the RSPCA website and Humane Choice

Easy Lunchbox Savoury Muffins

I've been exceptionally hungry of late, I am always hungry but this was on top of my usual appetite. I am currently doing the Global Corporate Challenge and have to do in excess of 10,000 steps each day so that's what I am putting the excessive hunger down to! While I was scrounging around like a mad woman looking for something delicious to curb the hunger pangs before dinner (and so I didn't eat everything before I had a chance to cook it) I realised that I hadn't whipped up any filling snacks in a loooooooong time!! Poor Simon!!! So while I munched on some dates, and cooked tea I had a think about what I could make that would be good to take to work, as well as an after work quick snack that wasn't full of sugar... then my a hah moment... Savoury Muffins!!!

This is a really great standard recipe that I modify each time with something different to mix it up. It's very yummy, full of vegies and depending on the ingredients can be a guilt free snack between meals.

Easy Lunchbox Savoury Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 small zucchini, grated

1 small carrot, grated

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

125 g butter, melted

optional: Mild Salami, Cup of Cheese (tasty or Fetta, grated or chopped up very small), tomato, baby spinach, ham, bacon... anything you can think of really!!

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12-hole muffin pan. For extra protection line base of each hole with rounds of baking paper.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Place zucchini and carrot in a large sheet of paper towel. Squeeze out excess moisture. Add vegetables, and optional ingredients. If using grated cheese only use half. 

Stir to combine.

Whisk eggs, milk and butter in a jug. Add to dry ingredients. Using a large metal spoon, stir until just combined. 

Two-thirds fill muffin holes with mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes in pan. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

I used Salami and Fetta in my Muffins. I also poked a cherry tomato into each of mine for an extra bit of flavour and sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top!

Just you try and stop yourself from eating them all at once! They are delicious!!!

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Marco Pierre White's Carbonara

We LOVE Masterchef. I cannot state that more plainly but we just love it. We've watched all the seasons, the American Version, and the Kids Version (both Aus and US). It totally inspires both of us in the kitchen (well it inspires Simon to tell me what he wants me to make in the kitchen haha)! It's not actually until this year though that I have been brave enough to try out some of the recipes that the contestants, guest chefs and hosts cook! Stay tuned for more Masterchef inspired recipes (Quinoa Risotto anyone???)

Carbonara is delicious and definitely a family favourite, especially in this house! This one is especially easy and absolutely ridicuosly delicious! Some say you never use cream in a carbonara, but personally I have found it just doesn't have that same level of creaminess (funnily enough!!).

Marco Pierre White's Carbonara

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 slices pancetta

500 g pasta 

(packet is fine, but nothing beats making your own pasta! It takes some time but you will not go back to packet after making it!)

8 egg yolks

½ cup thickened cream

grated parmesan cheese, for serving

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.

Lay pancetta on a baking tray and place in the oven to bake until crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a board and cut into 2cm pieces. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over high heat, using a deep frying pan as a lid. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente or to your liking.

While the pasta is cooking, whisk egg yolks and cream together with a fork.

Action shots haha!

The easiest way, I personally find, to seperate eggs is to crack the egg in half, then with a bowl underneath, tip the half with the yolk back into the half without the yolk. Go back and forth tipping it back into the empty half untill all the white has slipped into the bowl. Be gentle and take your time, the white may pull at the yolk as it is slipping off so dont be afraid to give it a little push with your finger. Broke the yolk? Try again :)
Save the white for other recipes like scrambled eggs. It can be frozen!

Drain cooked pasta and add to the warmed fry pan and set over medium heat. Add egg/cream mixture and toss to combine.

Sprinkle serving plates with grated parmesan cheese and cooked pancetta. Add some cooked spaghetti. Complete layering until all pasta and pancetta have been used. Season to taste.

This step is really important because it means you get a taste of all the flavours with every mouthful!

Season with a sprinkling of salt if you so desire, a nice crusty roll and a glass of wine! Perfect Friday Meal!!

What inspires you in the kitchen? I would love to know! :)

Happy cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Super Simple Pasta Recipe

We bought a pasta machine about 18 months ago. In the first year we used it once. Ok so it broke and we had to get a new one, but it sat on the bench, in the box, broken for many many months so obviously we were going out of our minds wanting to use it... not.

Deciding to start cooking from scratch in January I realised this meant cooking pasta, a staple food in our house so I quick smart headed down to Harris Scarfe to exchange our pasta machine for one in working order! We have a Woman's Weekly pasta machine which cost us around $40 on special.

Image from harrisscarfe.com.au

Simon has nominated himself as the chief pasta maker in this house, which suits me fine as he is able to make it as soon as he gets home from work and sit it in the fridge to rest, then when I get home it gives me a chance to work on the sauce, and cook any meat we are using.

Once you go homemade pasta, you will never go back. The only thing that comes close at the supermarket is if you get egg pasta from the pasta section in the fridge, but even then it doesn't have the same freshness as homemade.

I do recommend investing in a pasta machine if you want to start making it. It will make your life infinitely easier than rolling out all the dough and hand cutting. Even if you do need lasagna sheets or handcut pasta, using the machine to roll will save you time and a lot of effort. Some bench mixers come with a pasta attachment, so if you have one check it out before rushing out to buy.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 eggs

200grams Plain White Flour

(yep thats it.)

Method

Put your flour into a bowl, or mound onto your bench. Make a well in the flour (a hole) and break in one egg at a time. 

Mix with a fork.

Once combined, knead the dough until it is smooth on a floured bench. The dough should "bounce back" when you push on it lightly.

If you find your mixture is too wet, add SMALL amounts of flour and mix in. If your dough is too dry add teenie little drops of water and mix until all the flour is incorporated.

Mould your kneaded dough into a ball, wrap in cling wrap and sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Set your pasta machine up on the side of your bench (follow the instructions that come with your particular machine). 

Get your dough out of the fridge and flour it slightly if it is a bit sticky. Halve your dough and feed one section at a time through the roller starting at the widest setting (ours is 1.) Fold the rolled dough in thirds then feed through again. Repeat this 3 or four times before moving onto setting 2. Gradually move up the settings, feeding the dough through a few times on each setting. If your dough starts getting a bit sticky lightly flour it and also sprinkle some on the roller on your machine.

Your dough will start getting quite long, depending on the length you want your pasta, or your ability to roll through a huge long piece of dough simply cut in half.

Repeat with your other half of dough until you have long super flat sheets of pasta.

On the other side of your machine is the cutters. Feed your dough through, just as you did on the roller side in either the fettuccine or spaghetti section (if your machine has these options) You can generally change the width and thickness of the pasta in the cutting sections as well. 

I always jump in to help Simon at this stage, an extra pair of hands is much appreciated!

Drape your cut pasta over the back of a chair or as you can see we like to use a clothes horse haha!!

Your pasta is ready to be cooked!! It won't take as long to cook as packet pasta so make sure you pull a piece out of your water and sample mid cook to see when it is done to your liking!

Serve with your favourite homemade pasta sauce!

A simple one is a can of tinned tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, tablespoon of dried oregano, few sprigs of rosemary de-stalked a really good pinch of salt and a splash of red wine (in your pot and your glass!) Cooked over medium heat until it reduces slightly and the alcohol cooks off.

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Beef Fajitas

I am not claiming to be an expert on Mexican food. Just a lover of it. The spices the absolute deliciousness of it, the spices the freshness, did I mention the spices? I just LOVE it! It's a massive toss up between Thai and Mexican to my favourite cuisine at the moment!

This is my recipe for Beef Fajitas! It's a bit of a favourite in our household, and its a quick and easy dish to throw together, especially if you premake your tortillas! The smokey flavour from the paprika, matched with the sweetness from the capsicum and onion is delicious!

Beef Fajitas

Ingredients

Serves 2-3 (we only eat a maximum of 150g of red meat per serve so this leaves leftovers for us. Obviously some of you will eat more than that)

500 grams of Rump Steak (Feel free to use any other beef that is steak quality, porterhouse, eye fillet, scotch fillet, or rump. These cuts work best when cooked quickly)

1 red capsicum

1 Brown Onion

1 Tablespoon of Corn Flour

1 tablespoon of oil

1-2 Tablespoons of Cumin

1-2 Tablespoons of Paprika

1-2 Tablespoons of Dried Coriander

Big pinch of sea salt

1/2 Lime

optional: fresh or dried chilli to taste

Method

Slice your Capsicum and Onion

Slice your meat. Place in a freezer bag with a tablespoon of corn flour. I find this helps the pieces of meat separate, and also helps to keep the moisture in the meat. I believe it is a technique used in a lot of Chinese cooking, as the corn flour sucks up the sauce as well when cooking.

Heat up a frying pan with a tablespoon of your chosen oil (I prefer coconut oil as it doesn't burn when heated to a high temperature). Once hot throw in your onion and capsicum. Once they start to soften put in your meat. Add your spices

Once the meat starts to brown, you can start to taste. Remember you can eat beef very rare, so don't be afraid!

You might be suprised to know (if you read my first post that I have considered a meat free lifestyle) that we like our meat on the rare side of medium rare. It's just so much more tender!

Add more spices if you feel there isn't enough. Don't be afraid to add more salt.

I have only recently started cooking with salt, for two reasons. 

1.My Mum is terrified of the stuff, as I imagine a lot of people her age are, due to the noise The Heart Foundation have made over the years about the dangers of salt. Watch any chef though and they will use sometimes insanely large amounts of salt to season their food. It just really helps to bring out flavours and add a fullness and richness to your dishes. 

2. Pre packaged food contains a lot of salt, so there was never any need to add any extra. Now that I cook from scratch the dishes really do need that pinch or two added.

Once the beef is cooked to your liking, squeeze over half a lime and serve! I like to serve our meat with freshly cooked tortilas, corn (gluten free) or flour, lettuce or baby spinach, homemade salsa and squashed avocado with a squeeze of lime in it!

An easy weeknight meal that is sure to please!

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Super Fast Homemade Tomato Salsa

This is so quick and easy you will be kicking yourself for not making it sooner!! It's great on top of your mexican dishes or served with corn chips for an easy snack or for entertaining! PLUS it has both cumin and coriander in it... my favourite herb and spice. I love them so much I have (half) jokingly suggested to Simon that we name our first child Cumin Coriander hahahaha

Homemade Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

Tin of chopped tomatoes

(Optional) fresh tomatoes chopped roughly

1-2 Tablespoons of chopped Fresh Coriander (to taste)

Teaspoon of Cumin

1/2- whole a roughly chopped red onion depending on how chunky you like your salsa

1/2- whole Chilli, with or without seeds depending on your hotness levels (I used 1 teaspoon of dried chilli as I didn't have any fresh on hand)

Teaspoon of salt

Method

Put it all in a blender

Blend until desired consistency is reached

Taste

TRY AND STOP YOURSELF EATING IT ALLLLLLLL!!! Do not under any circumstances buy a packet of corn chips before you make this if you intend on using it for your meal that night, there will be none left haha!!

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Corn Tortillas

This is one of the simplest recipes you will EVER make. It has 2-3 ingredients. Seriously!! I know there seems like a lot of steps below, but there is not!!!! I've fluffed it out with my jibba jabba, so have a read before you start, and enjoying having this quick tasty little recipe in your repertoire.

Making your own tortillas is a great way to impress, plus they taste 1 billion times better than store bought.

You will have to research and find a whole food or health food shop that sells Masa Harina Flour. (Masa Flour or Masa harina is a very finely ground corn flour made from corn that's dried, cooked in water with slaked lime (which gives it distinctive flavor), ground, and dried again.)  It is gluten free but if your super intolerant check on the packet or in store.

We have a store called "Help Yourself Wholefoods" right here in Devonport, so I am positive those of you living in larger towns/cities will have no trouble finding some. The other two ingredients? Warms water and lime (which is optional)! Can't find it? Why not make flour tortillas...

So here you go, a super simple recipe that adds a whole new flavour and excitement to your dish!

Oh and if you make a mistake... EAT IT haha!!

Corn Tortilla's

Ingredients

These measures of ingredients will make roughly 6-8 - 20cm across tortilla's. 

Simply double ingedients to make more!

1 cup of Masa Flour

1 cup of Warm Water

small squeeze of Lime Juice

Method

Measure Masa Harina into a bowl.

Pour in your water a little bit at a time and stir with a round edged (butter) knife.

You want the dough to bind but not be all gloppy. If you over water, just add some more flour... too dry, add a bit more water!

Squeeze in a little bit of lime. This is totally optional, I don't always use it and they still taste amazing.

Once the mixture is combined turn onto a floured bench and knead.

This dough is a SUPER weird texture. It almost feels starchy, or that it is full of air?! I don't really know how to explain it, you will understand once you start kneading!

Roll out into a big long sausage, cut in half, then half again, then half again so you end up with 8 pieces of dough. 

Roll into balls.

Place one freezer bag on your bench, put the ball of dough in the middle, then place another freezer bag on top. Flatten with your hand. Using a rolling pin roll out till it is half a cm thick.

Don't stress if it is not perfectly round like store bought tortillas! You are not a machine haha!! 

I will be looking into a tortilla press as I do make these a lot so I will keep you posted on what I get and if it is worth it :)

Heat a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot peel your tortilla from the freezer bag very gently and pop in the hot pan. The edges will start to lift very slightly once it is ready to flip. 

Cook the other side lifting with your spatula to check. 

It will not be golden brown all over like a pancake but brown and toasty in patches.

You can get into a rhythm and be rolling out one tortilla while the other one cooks. 

Pop cooked tortillas on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

These tortillas will store in a air tight container for a few days, just reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or so for each one before you eat!

Serve with any dish your heart desires, whether it be Mexican or not!

Happy Cooking! (from scratch)

Erica xx

Flour Tortillas

NOTE: I will post some photos and more of an explanation for you of the Flour Tortilla process next time I make them! Just wanted to get it up to refer to another post :)

If you are looking for a Gluten Free Tortilla Recipe see here

Ingredients

Will make around 15 - 20cm Tortillas

2 cups plain flour, sifted

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

1/4 cup of cold butter, chopped

1 cup (250ml) hot water

Instructions

Place the flour and salt in a bowl and mix well to combine. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the water and, using a butter knife, mix until the dough comes together. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. 

Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and roll each piece out to a 20cm round and 1/2 a cm thick. 

Cook tortillas for 30-60 seconds on each side or until lightly browned.

Stack the tortillas and cover with a tea towel to keep warm until ready to serve.

Raw Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake

I started eating raw food after sampling the DELICIOUS food at Alchemy Cafe in Forth (which is near Devonport) their menu is small, all organic, all gluten and sugar free. They have vegan, vegetarian and meals with meat. It became a regular Saturday outing for me and my bestie until she upped and moved away!!

Anyways... we fell MADLY DEEPLY in love with Raw Desserts, specifically raw caramel slice and became obsessed with pinning every single raw dessert recipe on Pinterest.

I decided to cook her something special for her birthday dinner in May, being one of the last times for a while that we could get to celebrate together, and attempted to secretly make her a Raw Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake! ATTEMPTED being the key word there as my darling Simon very unintentionally gave it away haha!

I was SUPER stoked with how it turned out. At the restaurant, one guest mentioned how much he LOVED cheesecake, which made me terrible nervous as this recipe contains no cheese or dairy of any sort but he ended up eating at least two pieces! (what a pig hahaha).

I am a little bit of a add a bit of this, add a bit of that cook so I will try and put the quantities as best I can!! The best bit about a raw cake is you can taste test along the way as that will be how it tastes at the end.

CRUST

1.5 cups almonds (or other nut or seed)

1/3 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder

3 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave

2 cap fulls

1/3 or so cup of coconut oil softened

pinch of Himalayan salt

whiz all that up together in a food processor, taste it, if it needs more cacao add some or more nuts etc. Spread over the base of your springform pan and pop in the freezer till its hard (my pan is fairly large, you might need to adjust the recipe to suit the size of your pan, if its smaller you can just have a thicker crust... yum haha!)

CHOCOLATE LAYER

1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked and rinsed (soak for at least 4 hours) 

1/2 A ripe avocado

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut oil softened

1/2 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder

whiz it all up together (this recipe is so lazy hahaha)... taste, add more cacao if required, spread over firm base and put back in the freezer

RASPBERRY LAYER

1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked and rinsed (soak for at least 4 hours) 

1/2 A ripe avocado

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut oil softened

Lemon Juice, just a squeeze

1.5 cups frozen raspberries

whiz it all up together... taste add more raspberries if needed and whiz again, add more lemon if needed, whiz again (remember it can be a bit tart as the chocolate evens it out) spread out over chocolate layer, cover in plastic wrap and leave to set in the freezer for a few hours (I left mine over night but it will only take an hour or so to set because of the coconut oil

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

1/4 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave

1/4 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

whiz together... taste (you get the drill) pour over your set cake and spread out with a spatula or spoon. (If you want to remove from the pan first so it runs out over the sides you can, run a warm knife around the edge and undo the latch on the springform pan. 

You will need a cake knife or a flat blade to slide between the base of the pan and the cake base and once air gets in there it should come off easily!

Decorate with raspberries and cacao! Can be stored in the freezer for quite some time, I did the choc glaze about 3 hours before it was eaten and it sat in a cool room at the restaurant for that time, was still very firm but easily eaten like a cheesecake.

If leaving in the freezer I would recommend getting out 30 minutes or so before you eat

I hope you enjoy!! It seems like a lot of work with this cake but it's really not, and there is no cooking so you can really just whip it up at a leisurely pace. I have a few other Raw Dessert recipes that I will share so stay tuned!!

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx

Deconstructed Meat Pie

Do you ever spend all day dreaming about what you are going to eat for tea? No? Just me? Surely not!!! I spend a good deal of my day, doing two things at once, working... and day dreaming about food.

I like to challenge myself to take popular meals and turn them into something a little more interesting. I really hope I achieved my goal tonight with my deconstructed pie!

Deconstructing food is a really popular way of plating meals at the moment! I like trends, so decided to give it a go...

ALSO please forgive me... I am VERY new to this and keep forgetting to action shots along the way while I am cooking. I PROMISE I will get better :)

"PIE FILLING" AKA THE MEAT

Ingredients

Just double the ingredients if you need to feed more! This amount would feed roughly three!

500g of Gravy Beef (yep the cheapest cut of beef you can find is perfect)

1 Onion

2-3 Cloves of Garlic (or teaspoons if using jar garlic)

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 cubes of beef stock

1 cup of water

Few sprigs of rosemary

Sprig of Thyme (sprig... such a funny word)

Goooood pinch of salt

oil for sauteing (I used coconut oil but olive would be fine), about a tablespoon

Feel free to chuck in any other herbs or spices that take your fancy, perhaps a chilli, although what is described gives a really hearty delicious flavour.

Method

1. Dice your onion, and finally chop or grate your garlic.

2. Cut your meat into cubes or slices, whatever shape and size you prefer, really whatever takes your fancy.

3. Heat your oil in a saucepan at medium heat, once hot put in your onion and garlic and cook until soft then put in your meat to brown.

4. Boil the kettle and pour 250ml into a jug or glass and put in your two beef stock cubes.

5.Once the meat is brown, tip beef stock, tomato paste and your herbs in with the beef, and give it a really good stir.

6. Turn heat to low and let simmer with a lid on for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.

THE PASTRY

See Here...

Get your meat cooking before you start the pastry if you are short of time, or if you start cooking earlier in the day, you can make the pastry early and leave in the fridge to rest.

Once rolled out to about half a centimetre cut into rectangles, I cut 4 but I had halved the recipe. Use all the dough, as you can cook and store in an airtight container. Keep your edges nice and straight (simply for appearances). Place on a tray and put in the oven at 180 degrees and cook until slightly puffed and golden (will take around 30 minutes but keep a good eye on them)

THE CARROTS

I used whole carrots peeled and chopped in half. Put in a roasting dish with oil (coconut or olive) pop on some mixed herbs and here is a SECRET ingredient... maple syrup :O yep it's DELICIOUS! You could of course sprinkle some brown sugar over the top to get the same tasty effect.

Pop in the oven at around 180 degrees for 30 mins or until roasted.

PEA PUREE

1 cup of Peas, steamed

1 Tablespoon of coconut cream

Dollop of Mint (if using tubed herbs, or about a tablespoon if using fresh)

Pop all ingredients in a blender and whiz up until smooth

Plate up however your heart desires. I am really focusing on my plating to take super nice photos for my Instagram page (subtle hint, follow me @Reekarabbit) It did look better in person than it does here... I can only improve... right!?!

Stuff it in your face hole like Simon did! He literally licked the bowl clean haha!!

Happy Cooking! (From scratch)

Erica xxx

Parmesan Shortcrust Pastry

This is one of my FAVOURITE recipes of ALL time!! It's great for making pies, pastry twists for dipping in dips and any other time you need pastry! Great one to have in the repertoire! 

INGREDIENTS

170 g plain flour

1 pinch salt

85 g cool butter, diced

25 g finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons cold water

INSTRUCTIONS

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese with a fork.

Sprinkle with the cold water and mix in using a round-bladed knife. Add a drop more water only if the dough will not clump together. With your hands, gather together into a firm but pliable dough, handling as little as possible.

Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out and using in your favourite recipe

Falafels in Pita Bread... and I shall introduce myself!

Welcome to my blog :D

Sorry this post is so long, I just wanted to give a quick back story on how and why we started cooking our meals from scratch :)

We (my partner Simon and I) started our food Journey as a result of my New Years Resolution to live more simply. For us this meant to live as packet free as we could and to cook our meals From Scratch.  I am very much a lover of material objects so I was not going to part with my throw rugs, decorative cushions and let’s not even get started on my makeup collection, so food was our focus!
Let me clarify… Flour, obviously comes in a packet, but it’s just flour. Taco Seasoning comes in a packet, but has about 15 ingredients 14 of those I cannot pronounce.

So in January I went through the pantry and cleared out 3 of those big green shopping bags full of packaged food. Packets of pasta, flavoured rice, packet mix meal flavouring thingies (you know for the slow cooker or to make curried sausages) instant gravy…you get my drift. Anything that had more than one ingredient was removed. There was a lot. Then I gave it all away.

6 months later and we’ve not looked back. If you opened my pantry now it’s full of staples, flour, salt, oils, whole grains, I have an ever growing collection of spices which I need . I have quite a few Asian sauces (soy, oyster) which obviously have more than one ingredient but I am not been game just yet to attempt to whip up a batch of soy sauce, although if anyone has a recipe for it I’ll give it a go!! Our fridge, instead of being full of prebought products is stuffed full of containers with things I have made like salsa’s, dips and leftovers from last nights dinner.

In the process of Cooking from Scratch I have lost around 7 kg with basically zero exercise. 1kg a month simply by making better food choices in the kitchen.  I don’t hold back though, if I want deep fried chicken bites and chips, I damn well have them!! But I make them at home, knowing exactly what is going in it, using fresh ingredients and coconut oil to cook in.

In the last few months I had a special friend come back into my life and food has become even more of an obsession. We made a lot of good food, we ate a lot of good food, a lot of it raw or vegan food, though both of us are meat eaters. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if perhaps, just perhaps becoming a vegan would be a perfectly normal progression in my food journey. I mean I like meat, I like cooking with it and I enjoy the flavour. I have my steak rare… but I can live without it.

I’ve basically given up on dairy due to the reaction when it hits my stomach (no details required) and I actually enjoy the challenge of coming up with really tasty meals that use no animal products at all, but you know what… I don’t want to be a category, absolutely no offence to anyone who  is vegetarian or vegan. I just don’t want to make a huge declaration to the world that I am vegan then feel like all eyes are on me if I have a bit of chicken, or if I want to have some pasta that has egg in it. I personally don’t want that kind of imaginary or real pressure I know I would put on myself. Certainly not ruling it out though ha ha!! Gosh I am so  weird! I buy organic free range meat whenever possible and I eat a lot of raw, vegan and vegetarian meals, but if I want a big hunk of steak… I’m going to eat it… for now hahaha!!

So in saying that... I made an animal product free meal last night

VEGAN FELAFEL'S IN PITA POCKETS

Massive thank you to Minimalist Baker for your delicious Vegan and Gluten free Falafel Recipe!! It’s definitely going in my favourites list!

The original ingredient was collard greens or chard, I changed to Kale as it’s more accessible. You could of course use spinach  I also used plain white flour, meaning my Falafels were not actually gluten free, but use whatever flour is your norm!

BETTER THAN RESTAURANT FALAFEL (VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE)

(Directly from Minimalist Bakers site)
Prep time 10 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 20 mins

Falafel that can rival any restaurant, although it remains vegan, gluten free and pan-cooked, not fried.
Author: Minimalist Baker
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

•4 cups stemmed and torn kale

 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

 3 medium to large cloves garlic, chopped

 1.5 Tbsp tahini (health food isle in the supermarket, or make your own!!)

1.5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

 1/4 tsp cumin

sea salt and black pepper

 3-4 Tbsp oat flour (ground from gluten free oats) (I used plain white flour)

 ~ 4 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil for cooking

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add kale, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a healthy pinch each salt and pepper to a food processor and mix to combine.

2. Once well incorporated, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the mixture is thick enough to handle - about 3-4 Tbsp.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added more salt, pepper and lemon juice, and a touch more tahini.
4. Heat a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil at a time. Swirl to coat pan.
5. Add 4 falafel (or however many will fit very comfortably) to the pan at a time.
6. Check at the 1-2 minute mark to ensure they're not browning too quickly. If they are, slightly reduce heat. Flip once deep golden brown - about 3-4 minutes.

7. Cook until the underside is golden brown as well.
8. Serve immediately with hummus and paprika, or inside a pita with garlic sauce or hummus.(I made a coconut garlic sauce, see at the end)
9. Will store in the fridge, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container, for several days. Freeze to keep longer.

I also made some super simple Pita Bread Pockets, that didn’t really turn into pockets haha, but I think that is because I rolled them too thin. NO MATTER they were yummy! Not Gluten Free but you could modify to suit your needs I Australianified the recipe from The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)

 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Form the Pita Dough: Mix the water and yeast together, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for kneading), salt, and olive oil (if using). Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.

2. Knead the Dough: Sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your clean work surface and turn out the dough. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much. If you get tired, stop and let the dough rest for a few minutes before finishing kneading.

3. Let the Dough Rise: Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and film it with a little olive oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours. (I left mine for roughly 45 minutes as I was hungry and it was fine)

4. At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

5. Divide the Pitas: Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour and then cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap until you're ready to bake them.

6. Shape the Pitas: Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 15-20 cm wide and about half a centimetre thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as your to make sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if it’s starting to stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get into a rhythm, you can be cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)

7. To cook Pitas on the Stovetop: Warm a non stick frying pan over medium-high heat until a few bead of water sizzle immediately on contact. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess.

8. Lay a rolled-out pita on the pan and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

9. Storing the Pitas: Pitas are best when eaten immediately after cooking. Leftover pitas will keep in an airtight bag for several days and can be eaten as they are or warmed in a toaster oven. Baked pitas can also be frozen with wax paper between the layers for up to three months.

I tore up some baby spinach, chucked on some grated beetroot, sliced red onion and tomato and put that on top of my pita then placed three falafels on each pita (I had two).

I made a simple little sauce with coconut milk, coriander, and garlic (super yummy!!) just put the ingredients in, gave a little stir and tasted till it tasted delicious!!

Of course this meal would be SUPER delicious with melted cheese on top of the Falafels and with a Greek Yoghurt Tzatziki! But obviously then would not be vegan!

I’ve brought the leftovers to work for lunch, can’t WAIT to eat them haha!!

Thanks for reading through ALL that information for my very first blog! I hope you enjoy my cooking from scratch meals and it inspires you to get creative in the kitchen :)

Erica xx