Braised Orange Chicken

Braised Orange Chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 chicken legs chopped into 4 pieces or 8 chicken thighs (it’s better with bone in)

4 large garlic cloves, smashed

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, smashed

1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon chilli paste with soy bean (I used Sambal Olek)

Braising Liquid

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

¼ cup chicken stock (I used the juice from the orange)

Thickener

2 teaspoons corn or potato starch

2 teaspoons water

Fresh coriander to garnish.

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add chicken; cook until golden brown on all sides. Add garlic, ginger, onion, orange zest and chilli paste. Cook another 2 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken and seasonings to heavy medium saucepan.
3. Pour braising liquid over chicken. Bring to a boil on high heat, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 1 hour, lifting lid occasionally to stir, until chicken is very tender.
4. Restir thickener, pour into saucepan; stir until thickened.
5. Garnish with coriander.

This recipe is from A Taste of Chinatown by Joie Warner, published in 1989. Another thrift shop bargain!

Poha

I was given this fantastic book called Hungry Planet for Christmas by my
sons, True and Rêve. It was all about different families from around the
world and the food they ate for a week. Each section included a family
recipe. The one that caught our eye was from India and used an ingredient
called Poha.
Poha is pounded rice flakes. Luckily, the near by town of Woolgoolga is 50
percent Sikh so basically all Indian ingredients are readily available.
So we bought some Poha and made this recipe, experimenting with a handful
that we found on the net as well as the one in our book. We did this because
on the day we decided to make it, we realized we were short a few
ingredients so we just followed our taste buds and here is what we came up
with.

Ingedients
2 cups poha

oil
2 finely chopped medium potatoes
1 finely chopped medium onion
sugar
lemon juice
tumeric
ginger
cumin
biriyani seasoning (substitute for mustard seed)
salt

1 to 2 cups peas, corn and chopped red capsicum(pepper)
a bit of deseeded red chili to taste
coconut

nuts (we used cashews, but peanuts would do)
coriander

banana
mango
crunchy noodles (to replace Indian noodles found in bhuja mix)

We rinsed and soaked the rice flakes for about five minutes, until the water
ran clear and then let them drain in a colander. We fluffed them every five
minutes or so to make sure they didn't clump.

In a wok we heated some oil and added the potatoes, onion, sugar, lemon
juice, tumeric, ginger, cumin, biriyani seasoning and salt. We basically
added a hearty shake of each spice, as well as a generous squeeze of lemon
juice and about a tablespoon of fresh chopped ginger. I think you could also
add things like kaffir lime leaves or curry leaves or other Indian spices,
depending on what you like. It seemed a bit slow to soften to we also added
a splash of water to speed it all up - we were hungry!

Then we mixed in the vegetables, coconut and chili and added the poha which
was quite soft. We stirred it all around to heat it up, mix things up evenly
and get everything coated with the yummy spices. It smelled great. A taste
test had us add a bit more salt, but we were pretty pleased with the
flavour.

Spoon out on plates and top with coriander and fresh cashews or peanuts. We
cooked ours in at the beginning but I think they would be nicer crunchier.

To serve we garnished with fresh banana slices, mango, crunchy noodles (I
think Indian crunchy noodles would have been better as they are a bit
spicier.) and served it with sweet chili sauce and srichiri hot sauce (like
an asian version of Tabasco or something like that.). The fresh fruit was
great because the poha has a drier taste and the fruit added a really nice
moistness - I mixed mine right in!

Anyway, we all really liked it. It was easy to make and also a very cheap
recipe as there was no meat. If you can get poha, I suggest trying it.
Experiment a bit because it's really fun and seems like a very versatile
staple. It's also quick to cook if you are in a rush.

I think that it makes a good main meal, but could also be a side to fish or
chicken or meat. It would also make a nice room temperature salad or lunch
box idea.

True's Brie, Basil and Mushroom Omlette

2 eggs per omlette
2 - 3 mushrooms per omlette
2 - 3 basil leaves
2-3 slices of brie
Salt and pepper to taste

Take two free range eggs and whisk together in a bowl.

Lightly fry a few sliced mushrooms in a generous amount of butter.

Cut four or five slices of good brie. Coarsely chop a few basil leaves.

Heat a small buttered non stick fry pan to about 7 or medium high heat.
Pour the egg mixture into heated pan. Let cook until bottom has thickened.

Lay cheese, mushrooms and shredded basil neatly on one half. Let cook,
possibly with lid on until sides of omlette have firmed up.

Gently fold the half of egg mixture with no filling to cover the side with
the mushrooms, brie and basil, so the omlette looks like a half moon.

Let cook to seal, gently turning over if necessary.

Serve on plate garnished with extra mushrooms and basil leaf. Salt and
pepper to taste.

Spaghetti With Clam Sauce

¼ cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

Salt, pepper

½ cup cheese

1 can baby clams, drained (use fresh if you are lucky enough to be able to get them)

Parsley

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook the onions until soft, and add garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until it is blended with the butter. Add milk and cook over low heat, stirring often, until thick and bubbly. Add cheese and stir in until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add clams and stir.

Meanwhile, boil spaghetti until soft.

Place the spaghetti in a bowl and add sauce. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

If You want to make it lighter, use low fat condensed milk. At the other end of the scale, you can use cream or half cream and half milk. You can use any kind of cheese you like. I used half cheddar and half mozzarella this time, but Swiss and/or Gouda are also excellent.

Buttermilk Pie

1/4 Cup Flour
1 3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
3 Eggs (beaten)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Melt butter, add sugar, buttermilk and flour, mix.
Stir in beaten eggs and vanilla. Combine well

Pour into unbaked pie shell
Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until firm

- brenda

Cornbread Muffins

Cornbread Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup white flour, sifted

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups milk

¼ cup butter, melted

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil muffin tins.

Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl and make a well in the center. Mix together the egg, milk and butter and pour into the well. Using a whisk, combine swiftly with a few strokes. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm.

These are excellent with chilli. I made mine in a pan with a prong in the center, hence the hole in the middle. Any muffin pan works well.

Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles

INGREDIENTS

* 2 egg yolks

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup buttermilk

* 1/4 cup butter, melted

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 tablespoon white sugar

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 2 egg whites

* 1 pinch ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your waffle iron.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and butter until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon; stir into the buttermilk mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold into the batter.

3. Spoon batter onto the hot waffle iron, close, and cook until golden brown. Waffles are usually done when the steam subsides.

Butterscotch Custard Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1 2/3 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1 drop almond extract or 1 tablespoon amaretto

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sbrow sugar, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in ¼ cup evaporated milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. heat 2% milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling. (180 degrees)

3. Combine white sugar cornstarch, salt and egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in hot 2% milk and ¾ cup evaporated milk. Add milk mixture to brow sugar mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature. Stir in amaretto. Pour the sauce into bowl, cove and chill.

From The Best of Cooking Light 2

Top with fruit. I used frozen strawberries thawed, heated and thickened with a bit of corn starch.

Sorry about the dirty plate in the picture. I didn't think of taking a picture until we were almost done eating.

Imam Baldi (Eggplant Casserole)

3 medium Eggplants
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4to 6 tomatoes, chopped or 1 small can
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup dried currants or golden raisins
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt to taste
½ cup soft breadcrumbs
1/3 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
Basil or parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop eggplants coarsely.
In a large skillet sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, currants, oregano and basil. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in parsley, cinnnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Place in a casserole and bake 40 or 50 minutes, until fork tender. Mix breadcrumbs and nuts, sprinkle over top of casserole pushing gently into filling so crumbs stay put. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until well toasted.

Garnish with basil and serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from Veggie Life magazine, Spring 2005

Crepes

This is one of those recipe where technique is more important than the measurements. This recipe will make about 10 medium sized crepes. The size depends on the size of your frying pan.

2 eggs, lightly beaten.

2 cups milk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup flour

Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Stir in the flour and beat lightly with a whisk. Do not over beat. This recipe is even better if the batter sits in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight but at our house it never makes it that far. The batter should have the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick add more milk and stir. I like to put the batter into a pitcher so it’s easy to control the pouring and there is less spilling on the stove.

The temperature of the frying pan is crucial. If you have non-stick that’s the best. A well seasoned cast iron is great because it holds its heat. If you don’t have non-stick it helps to add a bit of butter to the pan for the first pancake. The first one usually sticks or rips and my grandchildren have learned not to beg for the first one. Pour the batter into the middle of the pan in a circular motion and then tip the pan to even out the batter. The batter should sizzle when it hits the pan and the batter should stick enough to keep the pancake from moving in the pan. When it looks dry on the top you turn it over. Slip a spatula under the edge and try to get it at least half way under. If you try to pull the spatula out it will just stick, so if you can’t get it under far enough just turn the pancake anyway. If it rips, somebody will get two half pancakes. If it sticks, it probably wasn’t cooked long enough or the frying pan wasn’t hot enough.

Serve with butter, brown sugar, white susgar,icing sugar, lemon juice, chocolate sauce or syrup. Roll them up to eat them.

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce

¼ cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

Salt, pepper

½ cup cheese

1 can baby clams, drained (use fresh if you are lucky enough to be able to get them)

Parsley

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook the onions until soft, and add garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until it is blended with the butter. Add milk and cook over low heat, stirring often, until thick and bubbly. Add cheese and stir in until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add clams and stir.

Meanwhile, boil spaghetti until soft.

Place the spaghetti in a bowl and add sauce. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

If You want to make it lighter, use low fat condensed milk. At the other end of the scale, you can use cream or half cream and half milk. You can use any kind of cheese you like. I used half cheddar and half mozzarella this time, but Swiss and/or Gouda are also excellent.

True's Pikelets
Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup of self-raising flour
Pinch salt
2 Teaspoons sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Cup milk

Directions

. Melt the butter.
. Put it into a bowl with the flour, the salt, the sugar, the egg, about
half a cup of milk and the melted butter. Stir it all up until there are no
lumps. You may need to add more milk.
. Grease the griddle or frypan. Drop the mixture on in spoonfuls.
. When the pikelet is bubbly, turn it over and cook the other side. (Watch
out for the child's wrists on the hot edge of the frypan.)

Scalloped Potatoes

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

This is a very large recipe but the proportions are not all that important.

12 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 or 2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic (optional)

Pre-cook the potatoes and onions in water for about 5 minutes and then drain and place in slow cooker.

Top with roux made as follows:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

Melt butter and add flour. Stir until well mixed. Then add milk. Cook on low heat stirring often until it is thick. Add about 1 cup of cheese. I used a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and feta. Stir well and pour over the potatoes. If it doesn’t cover the potatoes, add some plain milk to top it up. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.

Cook for about 4 hours on medium or low.

I made a huge pot of these and they disappeared in minutes.

Carmel's Crispy Skinned Salmon

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tsp rock salt
• 2 tsp finely grated lime rind
• 4 (about 170g each, 2cm thick)
• salmon fillets
• Olive oil, to grease
• 1 x 150g pkt baby spinach leaves
• 2 ripe avocados, halved, stones removed, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded,
• thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 45g (1/4 cup) drained pickled ginger
• 1 green shallot, end trimmed,
• thinly sliced diagonally
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 x 100g pkt fried or crunchy noodles (Chang's brand)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lime wedges, to serve

• Wasabi dressing

• 125g (1/2 cup) good-quality
• whole-egg mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 3 tsp wasabi paste
• 3 tsp soy sauce

Method

1. Place rock salt and lime rind in a mortar and pound with a pestle until finely crushed. Sprinkle salmon with salt mixture.
2. Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan on high. Brush salmon with oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. To make wasabi dressing, combine the mayo, oil, wasabi and soy sauce in a bowl.
4. Place the spinach, avocado, capsicum, onion, ginger, shallot and coriander in a bowl. Add noodles and toss to combine.
5. Divide the salad among serving plates. Top with salmon, drizzle with wasabi dressing and season with pepper. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Source

Australian Good Taste - November 2005 , Page 64 Recipe by Carmel Debreuil

Hummous

Spicy Hummus

¼ cup parsley

2 tablespoons choppd onion

1 garlic clove, chopped

¼ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon each ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika

1 can chickpeas or 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked and cooked.

Process parsley, onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredions and the chickpeas drained. Process until smooth. This dip gets better as it ages.

Liver Pate

Liver Pat­­­­­­­­­é (Grandma Debreuil)

1 pork liver, ground

2 pounds pork fat or bacon, ground

½ loaf dry breadcrumbs

2 onions, ground

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon mace

Grind all together very fine. Bake in casserole or loaf pan or pint sealers for about 1½ hours in a 300° oven.

This works best if you put all the ingredients through a meat grinder several times or use food processor.

Gingersnaps

Grandma B's Ginger Snaps

3 cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups shortening or butter or half of each
3 eggs

Beat well and add:

1 cup molasses
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Work in 5-6 cups flour. Roll into small balls and press with a fork or flatten and dip in sugar. Place on greased cookies sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

This is a large recipe. If you don't want to cook them (and eat them!) all at once, form into logs, wrap in plastic and freeze. When you want to cook them, just cut off half inch thick slices and place on cookies sheets. Cook as noted previously.