Recipes From Down Under

*This is a delicious spiced chicken and rice Middle Eastern dish - it is not spicy, but it is very savoury!* Serves 5-6 2 large onions, chopped 2 tablespoons ghee or butter 1 tablespoon Baharat (see recipe here) 1 teaspoon tumeric 1 chicken, about 1.5kg (3lb), cut in pieces (I used just chicken breast to save on bothering with bones!) 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I didn't bother peeling) 1/2 teaspoon powdered Loomi (dried lime), or grated lemon zest 3 cloves 2 cinnamon sticks 6 cardamom pods 3 teaspoons salt 2 1/2 cups water 2 cups basmati rice 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped In a deep heavy pan, gently fry onion in ghee/butter until translucent and beginning to brown.  Stir in Baharat and tumeric and cook 2 minutes longer. Add chicken pieces and turn in onion mixture over medium heat to brown lightly.  Add tomatoes, Loomi/lemon zest, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods and salt, stirrin...

Baharat is available in Middle Eastern markets and specialty spice stores, however if you can't get it for whatever reason, this recipe is very easy to put together and can be used for multiple recipes.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups (I halved the recipe - makes plenty if you're not going to use it terribly often) 4 tablespoons ground black peppercorns 2 tablespoons ground corriander seeds 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons ground cloves 3 tablespoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons paprika Purchase the freshest possible ground spices.  Combine and store in a tightly sealed jar in a cook, dark place.  Use within 6 months.

This is a Tuscan-style country chicken dish; it is absolutely delicious!  I served it with corn on the cob and this bread (below) , and it was a really good accompaniment!  As usual, I altered the dish a little, by leaving out the mushrooms - because none of us are big mushroom fans in our household. Serves 4. 20g (0.70oz) dried porcini mushrooms 1 cup boiling chicken stock 1.5kg (3.3lb) chicken (I used just chicken breast rather than a whole chicken - less fuss - and I had a bit less than this on hand; it was still great!) 50g (1.75oz) butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 150g (5.3oz) button mushrooms, sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano 425g (15oz) can tomatoes 425g (15oz) can tomato puree Place porcini mushrooms in heatproof bowl, cover with boiling stock, stand 30 minutes.  Drain mushrooms, reserve stock, chop mushrooms. Cut thighs and legs from chicken.  S...

This is a very delicious tomato and onion bread.  It makes quite a good sized loaf, but keeps well overnight in an airtight container. Tomato Filling 4 medium ripe tomatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium red Spanish onions, sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used a bit less dried as I couldn't get it fresh) Bread 3 cups plain flour 2 teaspoons dried yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup warm milk, approximately 1 egg, lightly beaten Tomato Filling - prepare first. Peel tomatoes, remove seeds, chop flesh (I didn't peel the tomatoes but I removed the seeds).  Heat oil in pan, add onions and garlic, cook, stirring, until onions are soft.  Add tomatoes, cheese, oregano, cook stirring, 5 minutes.  Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until tomatoes are softened, stirring occasionally.  Cool. Bread Sift flour into large bowl, add yeast, sugar...

This delicious glaze can be used on chicken or beef or pork. Use on up to 1.8kg (4lb) of meat. 2 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion (1/2 cup), chopped 1 cup honey 1/3 cup white vinegar 225g (8oz) country-style Dijon mustard (I used ordinary Dijon) 2 tablespoons orange juice (fresh if possible) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel Melt butter in saucepan until sizzling; add onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until onion is tender (6-8 mins). Stir in all remaining ingredients.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, untill mixture comes to a full boil (6-8 mins). Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until sauce thickens slightly and flavours blend (8-10 mins).  Remove from heat. Begin cooking meat; when almost done, brush glaze over (about 1/4 cup of glaze) and grill for 10-15 minutes.  Turn and repeat glazing process and continue grilling for another 10-15 minutes (until meat is tender). Serve with remaini...

This Thai recipe is a chicken and Thai basil fried rice.  I didn't have all the ingredients, so I substituted some out, and it was REALLY delicious - all of us enjoyed it, even the children.  It's not difficult to make, but there are a few hints that will make it even simpler...  One of the secrets to making great fried rice is that the rice must be cooked and cooled prior to making the recipe - the easiest way to do this is to cook it and spread it on a tray with baking paper underneath and absorbent paper over the top before placing it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  This will cause the rice to not only cool off, but dry out, also. Another secret to great fried rice is that it must be stir-fried over very high heat as quickly as possible.  In order to do this, prepare all ingredients before beginning - before you even heat your wok. Serves 4. 1/4 cup peanut oil 1 medium brown onion, chopped finely 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 fresh long green...

This Mexican recipe is a thick meaty stew.  It is delicious, even to a person who is not usually a fan of Mexican spicy foods.  "The trick lies in cooking the meat until it is almost falling apart, then teasing it into shreds with two forks.  Prepare the meat first."  I didn't have any steak on hand, so I used ground beef, and it was very tasty like that! Serves 4-6. 1kg (2lb) chuck steak, cubed (or ground beef) 1 large onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups water or beef stock 1 can (or 500g/1lb fresh) tomatoes Bring meat to a boil with all other ingredients except the tomatoes.  Cover and simmer over very low heat for 2-3 hours (using ground beef shortens this time dramatically as it only needs to simmer until the ground beef is cooked through).  After the first hour, add the tomatoes: they should simmer with the meat for at least 45 minutes (even if you use ground beef - this is to make the flavour better)....

*This recipe is from here on Allrecipes.com .  Even though it is just a muffin recipe, it is amazing how much these donut muffins really do taste like donuts - only better!!  WARNING:  these are so delicious, you might find it hard to stop eating them!!* Makes about 24. 1/2 cup raw sugar 1/4 cup margarine (or butter), melted 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, melted  [I found I needed more than this] 1/2 cup raw sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 mini-muffin cups. 2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full. 3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. 4. While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bo...

This recipe is ultra simple if you have a set of kitchen scales that measures in ounces, as there are only three ingredients and they are all measured in multiples of 4! 4 oz (114g) castor sugar 8 oz (227g) butter, melted 12 oz (340g) plain/all purpose flour Preheat oven to 180ºC (355ºF). Mix ingredients together thoroughly, press into 16cm x 27cm (7"x11") baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes (shortbread will be golden around the edges). Sprinkle generously with castor sugar and cool in pan.  When cooled, cut into squares and enjoy !!

*While this recipe was delicious in flavour, my husband and I did NOT enjoy the texture of the seeds from the seeded mustard in this recipe - next time we will make it with ordinary mustard.  Also, this makes a LOT of pasta salad - the recipe suggests it serves 6.  I would say it serves 8 or so - cut the recipe down if you don't have a huge family or don't want to be eating this for several days in a row!  Apart from that, it is a very simple throw-together kind of meal.* 375g (13oz) small pasta (eg. shells, macaroni) 6 bacon rashers, diced 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 1/3 cup seeded mustard 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 trimmed celery sticks, sliced thinly 1 large red capsicum (red adds colour, but green is perfectly acceptable!) 1 bunch (15g/ 1/2oz) fresh chives, chopped finely 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Cook pasta in large pan of boiling water until just tender.  Rinse pasta under cool water.  Drain and cool. Meanwhile, cook b...

4 large potatos, cubed 250g (1/2 lb) diced bacon 1 cup creamy whole egg mayonnaise 1/3 teaspoon mustard powder 4 teaspoons vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons chives, chopped (or dried chives) 1/4 cup finely diced onion (or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder) 2 boiled eggs, chopped Steam or boil potatoes until just tender (not mushy!).  Fry bacon. Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate until cold through.

250g (1/2 pound) diced bacon 7 eggs 2 tomatoes, diced 1/4 capsicum (bell pepper), diced 5 pieces sun-dried tomato, chopped 1 cup shredded cheese 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or you could use a 1/4 cup finely chopped onion) 1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic 2 tablespoon tomato sauce (ketchup) 1 heaped tablespoon creamy mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs Fry bacon until cooked through and slightly crispy. In a bowl, beat eggs and add all other ingredients.  Mix. Add egg mixture to bacon and cook stirring frequently over medium heat until cooked through.

*This is an American recipe, and we don't have American sausage here in Australia, however I used Australian style sausages chopped up and it was delicious all the same!* 3 teaspoons oil 3 cups shredded raw potatoes 1 cup shredded cheese 3/4 cup sausage 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cup milk 2 eggs (I used 5 eggs to make it go further) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 210ºC (425ºF). Combine oil and potatoes.  Press into pie pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crust begins to brown.  Remove from oven and layer potatoes with cheese, sausage, and onion. Combine milk, eggs, salt and pepper and pour over layered ingredients. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting. *From Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Cookbook

*we exchanged the pork mince in this recipe for ground beef, because that was all we had on hand, but it was still very good - the family enjoyed it greatly!* 500g (1lb) pork mince 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 egg 1 cup stale breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons olive oil 400g (14oz) canned tomatoes 600ml (20 fl oz) bottled tomato pasta sauce 375g (13 oz) spaghetti 1/3 cup finely grated romano cheese  (we used ordinary grated cheese as the romano cheese would have added too much expense to the meal on our budget!) Combine pork mince, parsley, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs and paste in large bowl; roll tablespoons of meat mixture into balls.  Heat oil in large saucepan; cook meatballs, in batches, until browned all over. Place undrained crushed tomatoes and sauce in the pan; bring to a boil,  Return meatballs to pan, reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked t...

* These are very rich and delicious brownies; they don't need frosting because of their richness!  When I made these, they were so popular that one of Dan's work colleagues paid me to make them for him! * 150g (5.3oz) butter, chopped 300g (10.6oz) dark eating chocolate, chopped 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 3 eggs, beaten lightly 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup dark choc bits/choc chips 1/2 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 185ºC (365ºF).  Line a rectangular pan 19cm x 29cm (7"x11") with baking paper. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until mixture is smooth.  Cool until just warm. Stir in sugar, egg and essence, then sifted flour, choc bits and sour cream.  Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 40 minutes.  Cover pan with foil; bake another 20 minutes.  Stand brownie in pan until it reaches room temperature. Options :  - add 3/4 cup ...

2 cups low fat sour cream 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 chicken drumsticks 6 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin 4 cups crushed cornflakes cereal 4 tablespoons crushed dried rosemary 3 teaspoons dried sage 3 tablespoons garlic powder salt and pepper to taste 1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a cooling rack on top of a large cookie sheet. Spray the rack with vegetable cooking spray. 2.In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream and minced garlic. In another bowl, stir together the cornflake crumbs, rosemary, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the sour cream mixture, then roll in the cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken pieces on top of the cooling rack. 3.Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until meat is no longer pink, and juices run clear.   This recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

30g (1oz) butter 1 medium onion, chopped finely 1 medium carrot, grated 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 450g (1lb) sausage mince 450g (1lb) ground beef 1 cup stale breadcrumbs salt and ground black pepper 3 sheets ready-rolled butter puff pastry 2 tablespoons milk NOTE: This recipe makes 18 rolls. Make "stale" breadcrumbs by processing one- or two-day-old bread. This recipe can be made a day ahead. Preheat the oven to moderately hot (200°C/180°C fan-forced). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Heat butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and carrot; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until onion softens. Combine the onion mixture, tomato sauce, parsley, sausage mince, beef mince, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Stand separated pastry sheets on kitchen bench for 5 minutes or until partially thawed. Place a sheet of pastry on a board, cut in half. Place one sixth of the mince ...

* This is a recipe I made up to take with me to a family dinner.  It was a big hit!  It is very creamy - if you like your salads to have more of a tangy flavour, I would suggest using a tangy mayonnaise instead of the one in the recipe, and I would also suggest reducing the sour cream (making up the difference with mayonnaise) or adding more vinegar.  This recipe is very versatile and can be easily changed in multiple ways to suit your tastes * 350g (12oz) uncooked pasta (I chose small shells, but you could use any kind you prefer) 1 large capsicum (bell pepper), cut in strips 600g (21oz) diced butternut pumpkin (you could try another pumpkin if you don't have butternut, but I can't guarantee it will taste as nice!) olive oil 250g (9oz) diced bacon 1 large brown onion, chopped finely Dressing: 2/3 cup creamy whole egg mayonnaise 1/3 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon vinegar 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF).  G...

Back at the beginning of July, I decided to try a new idea - making a menu plan for the whole month, and trying to really stick at it in an attempt to be more frugal (using ingredients on hand rather than shopping for special ingredients when they are required on impulse).  July's menu plan went  really well, so I have set up a plan for this month as well.  I thought you might find it interesting to see what we'll be eating this month...  And if you think any of these recipes sound interesting, ask and I will post them, if possible!  (The links take you to the recipes I've already posted, for your convenience). Sunday 1st - meatballs with rice and vegies Monday 2nd - tuna mornay bake Tuesday 3rd - spicy sausages, rice and vegies Wednesday 4th - roast pumpkin & capsicum pasta salad with bacon Thursday 5th - leftovers Friday 6th - slow cooker beef stew Saturday 7th - chicken fried rice Sunday 8th - pumpkin soup Monday 9th - toad ...

1 whole roasting chicken, thawed/defrosted 1 onion, sliced 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon roast chicken flavouring Place chicken, water and onion in slow cooker. Mix together herbs & spices.  Sprinkle over the chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or until tender.  The meat will be so tender it falls off the bones! *If you wish, you can add carrots and potatos (chopped into chunks) - and other vegies if desired - and make it a one-pot meal!*