It’s been quite a while since the last time I updated this blog as I’ve been very hectic for the past 6 months or so in a new kitchen at Penny Garden in the Swan Valley in Perth.

Recently I’ve been getting inspired again to share some of my cooking adventures, as well as more recipes, cooking tips and maybe even some videos, after reading Matt Preston’s book, Cravat-A-Licious.  If you haven’t heard of Matt, he’s widely renowned as the world’s best food writer.  I haven’t looked into whether you can get the book online, so I don’t have any links I’m afraid, however I would highly recommend it as a great read if you love your food!

Pizza Experimentation Gone Horribly Wrong…

Wood-Fired Pizza Oven

So I decided to kick things back off again with a story of the most horrendous pizza creation I’ve made so far…

It was a cold Winter night in Melbourne at the Imperial Hotel on Bourke St.  More often than not this place was buzzing with activity, however on this particular night barely a soul could be found.  I think we did something ridiculous like only about 5 covers for the night, so the boredom led me towards experimentation.

You may be aware that recently I self-published a Pizzas And Parmas cookbook on Amazon, as I loved creating new toppings for both pizzas and chicken parmigianas, so on this night I decided to try combining my 2 loves in one meal.

I remember thinking about how it should work great, as the different elements of a traditional chicken parma, chicken, napoli sauce, ham and cheese, would all quite easily find a place on the pizza.

Boy, Was I Wrong!

Using plain chicken breast seemed too easy and boring, I wanted to know how an actual chicken schnitzel would go on my pizza.  I had the pizza base prepared and ready to go, with sauce, cheese and ham on top, all that was left to do was deep fry the schnitzel, cut it into pieces and add it on top.

Any time I decide to experiment, it usually draws a crowd of the staff, who had been standing around bored, so I now had an audience awaiting the results.  Funnily enough though no-one was brave enough to try the first piece, so I grabbed one and took a mouthful.

My first reaction was that it was ok, just a bit chewy, so this encouraged one or two others to pick up a slice and try it.  By the time I was ready to swallow though, it just didn’t seem to sit right with me in my mouth.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was wrong, so another mouthful was needed to confirm my feelings.

I don’t think I even managed to swallow this mouthful, and looking around to see the looks on the faces of the others that had tried it made us quickly decide that this pizza was only fit for the bin.

The Moral Of The Story…

I’ve had deep fried chips and gravy on a pizza, which turned out great, but my new rule of thumb is that deep frying meat and putting it on pizza will only leave you with disastrous results.  I reckon it might have something to do with effectively cooking it twice at high temperature, giving you a ‘tough as leather’ pizza.

Sadly, (or thankfully, depending on your point of view) there is no photographic evidence, as the pizza went into the bin pretty quickly.  We still had some time on our hands on this boring night however, so we washed down the terrible taste with some deep-fried Mars Bars.  I’ll save that story for next time…

Free Recipe Hearty Spinach and Tofu Risotto

Recipe Preparation: cooking & baking

Recipe Serves: 4

Ingredients for Hearty Spinach and Tofu Risotto Recipe

8 oz Tofu, drained
1 md Onion; chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Garlic clove; minced
2 tb Vegetable oil
14-1/2 oz Tomatoes, Italian, canned; chopped
1 ts Oregano; dried; crushed
2 c Rice, brown; cooked
10 oz Spinach, frozen, chopped; thawed and drained
1 tb Sesame seeds; toasted

Hearty Spinach and Tofu Risotto Preparation

Place tofu in blender container. Cover; blend until smooth. In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender. Add undrained tomatoes and oregano.

Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 3 minutes. Stir in tofu, rice, spinach, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Divide mixture into 4 individual greased casseroles or place all of the mixture in a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 deg F oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Top with sesame seed. Makes 4 servings.

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Recipe Preparation: cook

Recipe Serves: 4

Ingredients for Lamb Steaks with Beans Recipe

2 tb Olive oil
4 Chump chops
1 Rosemary sprig
2 Cloves garlic; crushed
4 oz Haricot; cannellini or flageolet beans; cooked
4 oz Baby onions
4 tb Dry white wine
1/2 pt Stock
1 Knob of butter
Salt and pepper
Parsley to garnish; chopped

Lamb Steaks with Beans Preparation

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the lamb and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side according to taste. Season with salt and pepper while cooking and sprinkle with the rosemary.

Remove and keep warm. Add the garlic, beans and onions to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine and cook until reduced a little, then stir in the stock. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the butter.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread and salad.

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Recipe Preparation: boil

Recipe Serves: 6

Ingredients for Meatballs with Noodles Tossed in Yogurt Recipe

MEATBALLS
2 lb Ground beef
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
2 ts Ground coriander
1 ts Ground turmeric
pn Cayenne pepper
Salt – to taste
Black pepper – to taste
2 Cloves garlic – crushed
1 tb Vegetable oil
1 Spanish onion – finely chopped
6 lg Ripe plum tomatoes – core, peel, chop
4 Sun-dried tomatoes – finely chopped
NOODLES
1 lb Fresh fine egg noodles – in Asian markets
1-1/2 c Plain yogurt
2 Cloves garlic – finely chopped
1/2 c Fresh mint – chopped

Meatballs with Noodles Tossed in Yogurt Preparation

At The Helmand, a new East Cambridge restaurant that serves Afghan food, the specialties are highly seasoned, sophisticated, East-meets-West preparations – like these meatballs. Called aush, these tiny meatballs are simmered in a tomato sauce made with plum and sun-dried tomatoes.

That saucy mixture is spooned over fine noodles tossed with yogurt, and the dish is sprinkled generously with mint. When the tomato and yogurt mix together, the sauce turns rosy.

For the meatballs: In a bowl, combine the beef, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, and half of the garlic. With clean hands, mix thoroughly, then shape the meat into 3/4-inch meatballs. Set them aside.

In a large, flameproof casserole, heat the oil, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is very soft.

Turn the heat to medium-high and add the meatballs. Cook, turning them often, until they lose their pink color. Add the plum tomatoes and remaining garlic.

Cover the pan, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook the mixture for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring once or twice.

For the noodles: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until they are tender but still have some bite. Drain the noodles and transfer them to a bowl.

Stir in the yogurt, garlic, and salt. Toss thoroughly and transfer to 6 wide bowls.

Spoon meatballs around the edges of each bowl of noodles, add the mint to the center and serve at once.

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Recipe Preparation: Cooking & baking

Recipe Serves: 8

Ingredients for Mexican Tortilla Special Recipe

1 lb Ground beef
1 tb Chili powder
1 ts Cumin
1/2 ts Salt
1 cn (12-oz) corn and green peppers drained
1 cn (8-oz) tomato sauce
1 ct (12-oz) Ricotta cheese
2 Eggs
3/4 ts Dried oregano leaves
12 Corn tortillas
1 pk (8-oz) sliced mozzarella cheese
1 Green onion; sliced

Mexican Tortilla Special Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brown beef until browned. Stir in chili powder, cumin and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in corn and tomato sauce. Mix ricotta, eggs, and oregano and set aside.

Arrange 9 tortillas on bottom and sides of a greased, shallow 12-inch round or 13×8-inch baking dish. Spoon 2/3 beef mixture into dish.

Top with ricotta mixture, remaining tortillas, then cheese and remainder of beef. Place in the oven and begin cooking & baking for 40 minutes, until hot and cheese melts.

Sprinkle with green onion.

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Recipe Preparation: cooking & baking

Recipe Serves: 8

Ingredients for Meat-cakes with Dried Fruits Recipe

13 oz Flour
1/4 oz Salt
6 oz Butter
1 Egg
1 tb Cold Water
3-1/3 lb Pork Shoulder
1 ts Sage
1 ts Nutmeg
2 tb Parsley, chopped
9 oz Dates, chopped
9 oz Raisins
2 oz Pistachios, chopped
2 oz Sugar
1 ts Ginger, ground
1 ts Salt
1 pn Saffron mixed into 1 tb Water
7 Egg Yolks
3/4 c Cream

Meat-cakes with Dried Fruits Preparation

1. For the dough mix flour, salt and cut the butter in; with fingertips mix until the dough is crumbly. Put egg into the middle.  Add water and mix to a dough; add more water if needed. Knead for a little bit only. Wrap into glad-wrap and keep in refrigerator for 1 hour before rolling out.

2 .For the filling; cover the pork with water and simmer 1 1/2 hours until it is soft. Cut into small cubes.  Pour 1 1/4 of the broth through a strainer and mix the sage with the water and add parsley and add to pot. and bring to a boil. Add the meat, dates, raisins and pistachios to mix.

3. Take off the stove and mix the sugar, salt, egg yolks, cream and the rest of the ingredients with a wire whisk together. Mix into meat mix.

4. Roll out the dough and line two cake pans with it (line with wax-paper and fill with dry beans to prevent bubbles).

5. In preheated 190 C oven begin cooking & baking the dough about 10 minutes, until it is firm but still pale.

6. Add the meat mix into pans and bake another 40 min. at 190 C.

7. The finished meat-cakes need to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Free recipes and cooking tips will show you how to make simple healthy and delicious meals, and help improve your cooking ability from http://cookeryking.net

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A magnetron in a microwave oven generates electromagnetic waves of very high frequency and very short wavelength, hence the name microwave. When food and similar substances are subjected to microwaves, they absorb energy and heat very quickly.

The actual heating takes place by molecular friction within the food itself. This is why the surrounding area doesn’t get hot. Because different foods absorb microwaves at different rates, the heating time varies. Because the available energy is fixed, large loads increase heating times. For these reasons the size, shape and thickness of the food must be standardized to even up the heating time as much as possible.

Microwave energy can pass through china and plastic dishes, but is reflected by metal containers or foil, so they shouldn’t be used. It can penetrate food to about 4cm. complete heating relies on the transfer of heat by conduction from the heated parts to the cooler areas. Hence the parts of a plate in contact with the food get hot before the rim does.

Advantages

1.Food can be heated in small quantities very quickly. It’s particularly suitable for heating pre-plated or ready-to-eat food. If it’s used correctly, there is no loss of flavour.

2.Hot food can be boosted to correct serving temperatures.

3.Food can be kept cold and single portions can be heated to order, thus keeping the food fresher.

4.Waste can be avoided by heating food only when required.

5.By combining a microwave oven with conventional cooking appliances, cooking times can be shortened.

6.Microwave ovens are very compact and don’t require extraction canopies.

Limitations

1.Only one or two portions can be heated at a time.

2.Food won’t colour or brown in a microwave oven (unless a convection/microwave oven is used). If browning is desired, it must usually be achieved by other methods of cookery.

3.Frozen food placed in a microwave will thaw and heat unevenly because the ice crystals reflect the waves. With raw food there is a danger that thawed patches will start to cook before other parts are completely thawed. For this reason food should be almost thawed before being heated. Alternatively, the food may be subjected to short bursts of microwaves with periods of rest in between. The higher the starting temperature, the faster the food will be heated.

4.Accurate timing is essential. An error of 30-60 seconds overexposure can cause overheating and spoiling.

5.Dense (thick) food (such as boiled potatoes) takes longer to heat than lighter food such as zucchini. The food must be matched for size and density to achieve even heating.

6.Microwave ovens aren’t suitable for cooking red meats, but good results can be obtained with poultry, fish and foods with an open porous texture.

7.The pastry of pies and tarts containing moist fillings becomes soft and loses its texture because of the steam generated from the filling. If these goods are exposed to radiant heat such as an infrared light the crispness of the pastry can be restored, but long exposure will lead to dryness. Other pastries can be heated successfully but they tend to dry out if kept for any length of time.

Summary

Microwave ovens are useful for heating food where suitably prepared items are required to be served in small quantities over a long time. They are ideal for heating one or two portions of food that has been kept cold until it’s ordered. They should be used to reconstitute food held at chilled, not frozen, temperatures.

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Fresh or frozen vegetables and puddings are the items most often steamed, and steaming is a method of cooking used quite often in Asian cookery.  Health benefits of your food is greatly increased by steaming as opposed to boiling, as the water will leech out the vitamins and nutrients of your food.

There are four main types of steamers to be found in the commercial kitchen.

Ø
The atmospheric steamer has a boiling water bath in the bottom of the steaming compartment and a free vent so that the steam doesn’t rise much above atmospheric pressure. For this reason, the door can be opened at any time – but of course steam is lost each time the door is opened. All foods may be cooked in this steamer. It’s especially suitable for steamed puddings.

Ø
The pressure steamer has a separate or built-in steam generator. It works at a pressure the door automatically locks and the pressure must be vented before the door can be opened. Because of the pressure, higher steam temperatures are reached and cooking times are therefore shorter. Pressure steamers aren’t suitable for puddings.

Ø
High pressure steamers are similar to pressure steamers but work at a pressure of about 100kPa. For this reason the steam is very hot and food cooks very quickly. They are usually equipped with timers which buzz or which vent the steam automatically when the cooking time is reached. They don’t have a large capacity, and are designed to cook batches of fresh and frozen vegetables in 1-5 minutes.

Ø
Combi steamers are combined convection ovens and steamers, can cook by moist heat, dry heat, or a combination of both, making other steamers obsolete. Steam input can be controlled to obtain a level of saturation required to suit the product being cooked. Controls vary with different models, but cooking conditions are applicable to a very wide range of menu items. They are designed for gastronorm trays, and allow a number of different foods to be cooked at the same time without flavour transfer.

Principles

1.
Steam cookery at low pressure is suitable only for root vegetables and sweet or savoury puddings that require long cooking times.

2.
Vegetables and puddings must be steamed in perforated trays that are either Gastronorm modules or specially made to fit the steamer.

3.
Frozen vegetables should be cooked in high-pressure steamers.

Puddings steamed in atmospheric steamers must be carefully covered to prevent condensed steam from making the pudding wet.

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STEWING

Stewing is simmering food in a small amount of liquid that is then served with the item being stewed. The liquid acts as a cooking medium and takes up the flavour of the food being stewed, thus producing a sauce. Fruit may be stewed or poached, depending on how it is to be used.

Principles

1.
The food to be stewed, the liquid and the herbs, spices or flavouring are all cooked together.

2.
The amount of liquid should be just sufficient to combine all the ingredients.

3.
Most stews must be cooked covered at simmering temperatures.

4.
The liquid may be slightly thickened by the ingredients or by addition of a thickening agent (such as a roux) near the end of the cooking time.

POACHING

Poaching is a method of cooking in which food is immersed in liquid maintained at a temperature of 87-93C. At this temperature there is no visible movement in the liquid. It’s a gentle method of cooking most suited to tender or delicate foods such as fish, eggs, and soft fruit. Poaching may be carried out on top of the range, in an oven, or in a pressure steamer (if the trays are covered with a close-fitting lid).

Principles

1.
The food to be poached should be arranged on shallow trays, usually in a single layer.

2.
Water, stock, syrup or milk may be used as poaching liquids.

3.
The poaching liquid may be used to make a sauce.

4.
Cold poaching liquids should be added so that they just cover the food.

5.
When poaching in the oven, the food in the trays may be brought to the boil on the top of the range to start the poaching.

6.
The food must be covered with buttered greaseproof paper, cooking foil or a lid.

When poaching eggs, water must be allowed to simmer on one side of a shallow pan, so that the egg white sets quickly. The pan may then be moved to the side of the stove to allow the eggs to finish cooking.

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SIMMERING

Simmering requires careful setting of the heat to maintain a temperature of 95-99C. This temperature is reached when gentle currents can be seen in the liquid, or small bubbles are just breaking the surface. Careful simmering is required for making consommé and for the despumation of sauces. To cook at this temperature it’s usual to bring the contents of the saucepan to the boil and immediately lower the heat to a suitable setting.

Principles

1.
The liquid must not move rapidly enough to break up the solid food in the saucepan.

2.
The ingredients are allowed to cook without rapid evaporation of moisture. The saucepan is usually covered.

3.
Simmering allows any scum to rise so that it can be skimmed off.

BRAISING

Braising is slow cooking in an oven in a covered container just large enough to hold the items being braised. The aim of braising is to tenderize cuts of meat that would otherwise be tough, or to develop fine flavours through long slow cooking.

Braising is most suited to tougher cuts of meat and game.

Principles

1.
Items to be braised, particularly furred game, are sometimes marinated beforehand.

2.
The meat to be braised is always shallow-fried or sautéed at the start. One exception to this is sweetbreads.

3.
The items to be braised are laid on a mirepoix which has been sautéed.

4.
The food is half-covered with liquid and covered with a lid.

5.
Except in the case of vegetables, the braising liquor is used to make the sauce.

6.
The flavour from the liquor of braised vegetables is too strong to make sauce, so fine demi-glace is used.

To get yourself a free cookbook, as well as access to thousands of easy recipes, check out http://alleasyfoodrecipes.com