The Mother of Invention

They say that neccessity is the mother of invention and it is often the case when it comes to creating new dishes. Today's dish came about when friends dropped by one day. I invited them to stay for lunch, only remembering a short time later that I had not done any food shopping for a few days (unusual for me) and that the fridge and pantry were not exactly groaning with a cornucopia of ingredients. In fact it was looking pretty dismal - I had even run out of garlic!

I tried not to panic, took stock of the bits and pieces I did have ( a tin of tuna, tomatoes, olives, parsley and a few other things) and ended up accidentally creating a pasta dish that is now one of my favourites. My guests loved it and my hostess reputation was saved! The beauty of this dish is it's simplicity of preparation and its gorgeous fresh flavour. To top it off, it is healthy and you don't even cook the sauce. Yep, just chop the ingredients and add it to the hot cooked pasta and presto! Lunch. If you are a vegetarian you don't have to miss out - you can omit the tuna and you will still end up with a great dish, just increase the amounts of olives, parsley and tomatoes.

You can use any kind of pasta you like for this dish. The day I accidentally invented this recipe I had spaghetti in the cupboard, so that was what I used. Today I used what is probably my favourite type of pasta - Orecchiette. The literal Italian translation means "little ears", due to thier shape. I love them because whatever sauce you make gets trapped in the "little ears" and you don't end up with most of the sauce on the bottom of the plate - it stays on the pasta where it belongs. I also think they're pretty :)

So here it is, "mother of invention" pasta (serves 4)

Tuna and Olive Orecchiette

You will need: Enough pasta to serve 4 people, 2- 3 ripe tomatoes diced finely, 1/2 red onion diced finely, 1/2 cup chopped continental parsley, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 tablespoon chopped black olives, 2 teaspoons chopped capers, 1 tablespoon roughly chopped semi-dried tomatoes, 1 tin chunk style tuna in oil (my preferred brand is Sirena - it has a great flavour and the flesh is dense, which is ideal for a dish like this), 2 teaspoons butter, splash of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco.

Method: Bring a large pot of well salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Keep an eye on it and give it the odd stir while you make the sauce. You want the pasta to be al dente, not overcooked.

Combine the fresh and semi-dried tomatoes, onion, chilli, parsley, tuna, tabasco, olives and capers.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then return it to the pan. Add the butter and toss it through the pasta. Add the tuna mixture, a splash of olive oil, a few pinches of salt and plenty of pepper to season.

Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

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The Culinary "Little Black Dress"

We all have those tried and true recipes that we are super comfortable cooking and that allow us to relax and improvise as we go along. This morning's dish, Chilli Corn Cakes is one of those for me. I have cooked it for many years and in many incarnations. No matter how I serve it, it always gets the thumbs up. Both vegetarians and carnivores can be catered for and it can go from breakfast to cocktail food with no problem at all. My Chilli Corn Cakes are served this morning as breakfast with an avocado salsa and a poached egg.

Once you know the basic recipe, you can make this dish anything you want it to be. Top it with grilled chicken or fish for a beautiful fresh tasting lunch, scale down the size a little and top with fresh prawns or grilled asparagus and you have a snazzy entree for a dinner party. Downsize them even more to 50c piece size, top with a little sour cream and salmon and you have a gorgeous cocktail canape. Mix some fresh crab meat or shredded duck right into the salsa mixture for more canape options. Play around with the fresh herbs too - you don't like coriander? Use fresh parsley, basil or chives instead. Make a hearty, spicy dinner by adding lots more chilli and topping the corn cakes with some grilled Chorizo or Italian sausage. See what I mean?

I think of this recipe as the culinary equivalent to the little black dress - it suits everyone, can be dressed up or down and is always appropriate :) It is also a great option to have up your sleeve if you are on a budget. It can be as basic or as fancy as you like, but you can be sure that however you serve it, everyone will want seconds and think you are fabulous ;)

So, here it is.......

Chilli Corn Cakes with Avocado and Tomato Salsa

And this morning's breakfast version.....

You will need: (For the corn cakes)1 egg, 1 cup plain flour, about 1/2 cup milk, 2 pinches baking powder, pinch salt, pepper, splash of tabasco sauce, 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (I use frozen ones for convenience, but you can also use tinned ones or cook your own fresh kernels),
1-2 finely chopped chillies, 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander, 1/3 cup finely sliced spring onion.

You will need: (For the salsa) 1/2 finely chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1-2 small red chillies finely chopped, 1 avocado diced finely, 2 large tomatoes with the seeds removed and finely chopped (I like to use Roma/Egg tomatoes as I think they have a superior flavour), squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice, splash extra virgin olive oil, dash of tabasco, salt and pepper.

Method: Start with the corn cakes - In a bowl, whisk the egg and milk together with salt, pepper and tabasco. Gradually whisk in the flour and baking powder to form a reasonably thick, smooth batter. It should be the same consistency as pancake batter. Add more milk or flour if you need to. Set the batter aside to rest for 15 mins. Stir through the corn, chilli, coriander and spring onion.

In a another bowl, gently combine the salsa ingredients. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Cook the corn cakes in batches in a hot, lightly greased pan (today I used a dessertspoon of mixture per corn cake) Serve with the salsa. Makes about 12 small corn cakes and serves 4 people as a breakfast or main meal.

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Laotian Lusciousness

Tonight I decided to make one of my all time favourite Asian dishes - Larb (sometimes spelt Laap, Larb or Larp) a deliciously fresh and spicy salad that originates from Laos. This dish is also very popular in Northern Thailand and you will often see it on the menus of Thai restaurants here in Australia. It is comprised of minced meat, plenty of fresh herbs and flavoured with lime juice and fish sauce (Nam Pla) The addition of toasted rice powder takes this salad to a whole other level, both in terms of texture and taste. The rice is crunchy and nutty- a lovely contrast to the freshness of the lime juice, fresh herbs and succulent meat. The toasted rice powder is very easy to make - don't be tempted to leave it out. It really does make the dish.

You can use any kind of mince for Larb - it is delicious with pork, chicken, beef or turkey (my favourite and what I chose tonight) I have also eaten Larb done with minced fish. But of course, it is completely up to your own taste. The same goes for the chilli. I like it hot, but put in as much or as little as you like. Traditionally it is served with quite a lot of chilli and I think the dish works best with a decent kick to it. This dish is super fast to make - it took me 20mins tonight, so it is an ideal midweek dinner. Serve it with plain steamed rice.

To make toasted rice powder: Take 1/3 cup uncooked white rice and toast in a dry, hot pan until it is lightly brown. Crush in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to form a powder.

Laotian Larb

You will need: 500g mince (I used turkey), 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 large finely sliced red onion, 1 cup sliced spring onion, 1 bunch chopped fresh coriander, 1 tablespoon roughly chopped mint, 1-6 small finely chopped red chillies, 3 teaspoons grated ginger, 2 cloves crushed garlic, Juice of 2 limes, 1 tablespoon fish sauce (Nam Pla), pepper, 1 portion of toasted rice powder (see instructions above), Lime wedges and sliced cucumber to serve.

Method: Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, ginger, spring onion and 1 teaspoon of the chilli (you will use the rest raw later) cook gently for about a minute. Add the mince and cook until the mince starts to brown. Season with pepper and remove from the heat.

In a bowl, combine the cooked mince, red onion, coriander, mint, chillies, lime juice, fish sauce. Finally, stir through the toasted rice powder. Serve with extra lime, cucumber and steamed rice.

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Steakhouse!

I was craving red meat tonight and decided on a good old fashioned steak. I was going to keep it all pretty basic but in the end I decided to make a lovely rich mushroom and port sauce to jazz it up a little bit. This sauce would go well with chicken, as well as red meat - It is pretty rich, so a little goes a long way. This recipe will serve four people. Oh, and if you don't happen to have any port on hand, you could use brandy or red wine.

Steaks with Port Mushroom Sauce

You will need: 1 steak per person, 2 cups sliced mushrooms, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon butter, 6 finely sliced eschallots, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 cup beef stock, 100ml cream, 1/4 cup port, 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce, pepper and salt to taste.

Method: Cook the steaks to your liking. Cover loosely with foil and let them rest in a warm place.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan and cook the eschallots on a medium heat until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and season with pepper. (Don't use salt at this point - the stock tends to be quite salty and will probably be enough. You can always add some at the end if you need to.) Sautee the mushrooms for a few minutes until cooked.

Add the port and mix well. The port will bubble up and evaporate the alcohol. Cook for 1 minute and then add the stock and Worchestershire sauce. Allow to simmer for another minute and then add the cream. Simmer on a high heat until it reduces and thickens. Taste for seasoning and adjust if required. Serve over the steaks.

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Mouthwatering Morocco

You might remember back in June I showed you how to make Moroccan Preserved Lemons. Well, I checked them this morning and they are ready to be used, so today's recipe includes this unique ingredient. I really enjoy Moroccan food for it's aromatic character, beautiful flavours and balanced use of sweetness and sourness. Today's dish has all of these things. It uses roasted spices, dried apricots, chilli and of course the lemony punch of the preserved lemons, to make a Chicken Tagine that can be a midweek dinner or a centerpiece for a full Moroccan style feast.

A Tagine gets its name from the conical earthenware pots used through North Africa to braise meat, grains and vegetables. The principle is that the meal is cooked slowly, and the moisture that collects in the lid runs back into the dish. This results in very tender meat and no loss of precious flavour. More recently, a Tagine has come to mean the dish itself - braised or stewed meat, vegetables and grains that may or may not actually be cooked in a Tagine. I just used a standard heavy based pot to cook my Tagine today.

Although my recipe includes chicken, you can easily adapt this to suit you. You can omit the meat altogether and add more vegetables (carrot, zucchini, eggplant for example) or you could use lamb or goat meat in place of the chicken. If you use lamb or goat, I would double the quoted cooking time. If you use vegetables alone, halve the cooking time. Also feel free to ramp up the chilli content if you like things spicy. I used both fresh chilli and Harissa (Moroccan chilli paste) in my dish. If you cannot buy Harissa where you are, substitute minced chilli or sambal olek. The flavour is different but it still works well. Serve the Tagine with couscous and warm flatbread to soak up all the delicious gravy. My recipe serves 4-6 and freezes extremely well if you want to save some for later.

A note about the preserved lemon - to prepare the presrved lemon, you need to remove all of the pulp and disgard it. You will only use the skin. With a sharp knife, cut off the pith close to the skin. Disgard this also. Wash the lemon skin well - it will be very salty. Then chop the lemon finely. Now it is ready to use.

Chicken Tagine

You will need: 1kg skinless chicken thighs cut into large chunks, 2 diced red onions, 1 diced red pepper, 3 cloves finely chopped garlic, 1/2 cup diced pumpkin, 1 tablespoon pitted black olives, 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained, 1 large sliced red chilli, 2 teaspoons finely chopped preserved lemon, 300g halved dried apricots, olive oil, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1-2 teaspoons Harissa (or minced chilli), 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon corainder seeds, 6 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, 1 litre chicken stock (or vegetable stock), 1/2 cup toasted skinless almonds, 1 bunch fresh coriander roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint.

Method: First, toast your spices. In a dry pan combine the cloves, coriander seeds and peppercorns and toast them gently until they start to release their fragrance. When they are done, crush them in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Next, splash some olive oil into a heavy based pot and cook the red onion, peppers, garlic and pumpkin until the onion starts to brown a little. Add the spice mixture, along with the olives, fresh chilli, cinnamon stick, preserved lemon, and Harissa. Cook for another minute or two. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a plastic bag, combine the flour and paprika. Add the chicken and coat the pieces well in the flour mixture. Heat a frypan and add a generous splash of olive oil. Cook the chicken in batches until slightly golden on both sides.

Add the chicken, apricots,honey, chickpeas and stock to the spice/onion mixture. Combine and bring to the boil. Simmer gently uncovered (stirring occasionally) for about an hour. When ready to serve, taste for seasoning and stir through the fresh coriander and mint. Top with the toasted almonds.

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