Tuna, coriander and vegetable pie

On this last day of the year I thought I should try to finish 2019 as I want 2020 to be, at least some of the time. So I cooked, wrote a recipe and blogged. So I guess this means that in the New Year I want to cook, write recipes and blog them. I even thought about reviewing my online presence in #blog12daysxmas. It has been a while.

I must confess I was checking my memories on Facebook this morning when I discovered that a few years ago on New Year’s Eve I celebrated by cooking a pie with tuna and coriander. Yum I thought this morning! I will do something similar this year depending on what I find when I go shopping!  This is the result.

Ingredients

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

300 gr tuna

1 spring onion

1/4 red capsicum

1/4 zucchini

1/2 bunch coriander

2 cloves garlic

2tsp minced ginger root

Poppy seed

Mode

Remove pastry from freezer to thaw in advance

Preheat oven to 180c

Place one sheet of pastry in bottom of ovenproof dish

Place tuna in dish on pastry

Chop spring onion and sprinkle over tuna

Chop red capsicum and zucchini and place in dish

Chop coriander and add

Crush garlic and ginger root and add

Place the second sheet of pastry on top and seal edges

Sprinkle poppyseeds on top of pie

Cook in oven for 45 minutes

A variant on Eton Mess

Boxing Day is a time for playing with Christmas presents, for recovering from eating too much the day before but also for wondering what to do with leftover food. I found myself with lots of berries and a packet of individual meringues.  Eton mess came to mind and I did also have cream to spare, but I felt I had already had too much of that yesterday. However, I had Greek style yoghurt on hand, of course. The combination of the yoghurt, raspberries, blackberries, cherries and individual meringues resulted in a delicious combination of flavours and textures. And it wasn’t too sweet or too rich! This is indeed something that I will make again.

Ingredients (per person)

2 individual meringues (bought or pre-made)

3 tbs Greek style yoghurt

Cup of fruit (raspberries, blackberries and cherries) - pip the cherries in advance in you wish

Mode

Place the fruit in a individual bowl 

Spoon over the yoghurt

Add the meringues

Using a spoon crush the meringues and combine the ingredients.

Serve and  enjoy!

Pork butterfly steak with capsicum salad splash

This is another of those recipes which is barely cooking!  But I did prepare the ingredients, assemble them and then bake in the oven so I guess cooking was involved. The trigger for it was doing a big clean out of the pantry and discovering half a bottle of the Christmas gift from my nephew of some yummy Yarra Valley Roasted capsicum salad splash.  And the result was delicious!

Ingredients

4 pork butterfly steaks
4 tbs roasted red capsicum salad splash
Parmesan

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Arrange the pork steaks in an oven-proof serving dish
Spoon the splash over the pork
Grate Parmesan over the meat
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Fresh tuna and vegetable pie

Another evening another pie? Well maybe. But I use this blog to document what I cook so that’s how it is. Last week I had a delicious beef pie at a favourite pub and I can’t begin to think how I might emulate that. But I am going back next week to investigate further. However, I enjoy cooking pies with fish and can do it myself!

Today what caught my eye while shopping was some fresh tuna. Yum! Fresh tuna, some vegetables, with garlic and ginger in puff pastry was what I thought as I shopped. And so it was! The added pleasure with the tuna is that tuna always reminds me of Greek (and Mycenaean) colonization following the tunny schools to the Black Sea and my mind has been involved with the Black Sea recently. 

Ingredients

260 gr fresh tuna

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1/2 zucchini

1/4 red pepper

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons crushed ginger root

Poppyseed

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c.

Remove pastry from freezer to thaw.

Meanwhile crush the garlic and ginger

Julienne the zucchini

Chop the red pepper into 4-5 pieces

Place one sheet of the pastry in the bottom of baking dish

Add the tuna 

Place the vegetables on top and around the tuna

Add the garlic and ginger

Place the second sheet of pastry on top

Fold the edges to seal

Sprinkle with poppyseed

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Pork rissoles with plum sauce

I went shopping looking for chicken mince with an idea of cooking chicken balls. But there was no chicken mince to be had and my eye caught some pork mince. Well, I thought, I am sure I can think of something to cook with that. The end result was pork rissoles made with sage and garlic and spring onion and with  plum sauce for dipping. They were lovely: crisp on the outside but soft inside and all the flavours went together well! Yummy. 

Ingredients

600 gr pork mince

2 spring onions

2 tsp dried sage

2 cloves of garlic

1 egg

Breadcrumbs 

Olive oil

Plum sauce

Mode

Place the mince in a bowl

Chop the spring onions and add

Crush the garlic and add

Add the sage

Using your hands combine the mixture together

Break an egg onto a plate

Place breadcrumbs on another plate

Form the meat mixture into rissoles using a dessert spoon

Dip them in the egg and then breadcrumbs

Heat oil in a frying pan

Fry the rissoles in batches until they are crisp on the outside and cooked to your taste inside

Serve with plum sauce

Winter tomato soup

This is a winter soup made with the saved produce of summer: ripe tomatoes that have become passata and dried basil leaves. It is very easy once you have the ingredients on hand. So plan in the summer for this.

Ingredients

1 litre passata

1 liter chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Handful of crushed dry basil leaves

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp chopped ginger root

Mode

Add the passata to a large pan and light stove 

Use the water to wash out the passata bottle and add to the passata

Add the chicken stock to tomato and stir to combine

Crush the garlic, ginger root and dried basil leaves and add to mixture

Add the breadcrumbs and stir 

Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes stirring regularly 

Serve with a spoonful of Greek strained yoghurt in the bottom of each bowl

Salmon pie

I was just back from a trip to Adelaide for the first time in decades and needed to do some food shopping. But the skies opened! And the wind rose! I hunkered down and read my book but eventually decided (once the rain had calmed down) that a quick trip to Piedimonte’s was needed and what I wanted to cook was salmon pie.

Ingredients

270 gr Atlantic salmon

1/2 red capsicum

1/2 zucchini

2 spring onions

2 tsp crushed ginger root

2 tsp crushed garlic (2 cloves)

1.5 tsp Sambal Oelek

2 slices frozen puff pastry

Poppy seeds

Mode

Take puff pastry out of freezer to thaw

Preheat oven to 180c

Crush ginger and garlic 

Chop spring onions

Thinly slice zucchini lengthwise

Roughly chop red capsicum

Place one sheet of pastry in ovenproof dish

Add salmon, zucchini, red capsicum and spring onions

Add ginger, garlic and Sambal oelek

Place second sheet of pastry above and seal edges

Sprinkle poppy seed on top of pie

Place pie in oven and cook for 45 minutes at 180c

Enjoy!

Sweet potato and coconut soup

After a week in Orkney where every day lunch brought great soups and sandwiches, back in wintery Melbourne which in truth was not much wetter or colder than Orkney my thoughts turned to soup. I had sweet potatoes on hand and I remembered having a delicious sweet potato soup in Orkney, though I think it was carrot and sweet potato. 

A quick web search brought up a Donna Hay recipe that I could adapt to match the ingredients I had on hand. And this is the result. 

Ingredients 

1.5 k sweet potatoes

Olive oil

400 ml coconut milk

4 cups chicken stock

4 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp Sambal oelek

3 cloves garlic crushed

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c

Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise 

Place on a baking tray

Dribble with olive oil 

Bake in oven for an hour until soft 

Meanwhile place all other ingredients in a saucepan and combine

Bring to boil and simmer

When sweet potatoes are cooked spoon out into blender

Add half of the coconut and stock mix to the sweet potato and blend until smooth

Add to the saucepan with the remaining coconut and stock mixture

Stir to combine and continue to cook until smooth.

Baked sardines

Recently I unexpectedly found some fresh, filleted sardines at Piedimonte’s. I realized that it was years since I last cooked my favourite sardines recipe with orange juice and pinenuts. In fact, I had not cooked sardines since my favourite fishmonger closed its doors. 

But once I was home and ready to cook, disaster! I couldn’t find any pinenuts and the orange I was going to juice was past its prime to say the least. But there is always a way! The orange quickly turned into lemon and the pinenuts to mixed peel and dried grapes. And voilà! The sardines were delicious and will be made again.

Ingredients

500 gr sardines (filletted and spread flat)

Bread crumbs (seasoned and with Parmesan)

1 lemon

1 tbs mixed peel

Handful dried grapes

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Place the sardines in ovenproof dish in whatever layout pleases you

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs

Juice the lemon

Pour over the sardines and breadcrumbs

Sprinkle on top the mixed peel and dried grapes

Cook at 180c for 20 minutes

Serve with crisp green salad

Muesli breakfast pudding

I have been trying to use up small amounts of dry goods from the pantry. What could I do with a small amount of muesli? I remembered I had bought some kefir to make chia puddings for breakfast, so why not try a muesli pudding? It worked and I will make a few more with the remaining muesli. So there’s another thing to make for a yummy breakfast without bread.

Ingredients

3 tbs muesli

1 heaped tsp tahini

1 handful frozen mixed berries

Kefir (quantity will vary on dimensions of bowl)

Mode

Place the muesli in a small individual serve bowl

Add the tahini and stir

Add berries

Pour on enough kefir to cover the other ingredients and stir

Refrigerate overnight 

Ricotta and silverbeet pie

Yes I do like cooking pies and I do like silverbeet and cheese. And I like being able to come home and just cook something from ingredients I have lying around. So this is another pie that I am making in puff pastry - even though it could be made in phyllo which I also have on hand.

Ingredients

Half bunch silverbeet (including stalks)

2 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sambal oelek

1 tsp crushed ginger

375 gr ricotta

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppyseeds 

Mode

Place a steamer on the stove and bring water to the boil

Remove pastry from freezer to thaw

Turn on oven to preheat to 180c

Meanwhile roughly chop half a bunch of silverbeet including white stalks

Add to steamer

Chop spring onions and add to steamer

Crush garlic and ginger and add to steamer

Add Sambal oelek

Steam until vegetables tender

Place one sheet of pastry in the bottom of a square oven dish

Spoon the vegetables onto the pastry

Spoon the ricotta over the vegetables 

Place the second sheet of pastry over the vegetables and cheese

Fold the two sheets of pastry together and press to seal

Sprinkle poppyseed on top

Cook in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Salmon pie

I puzzled for a while this evening about what to cook but then decided I needed some comfort food. Hmm I had some salmon, some silver beet and red pepper. All I needed to do was thaw the pastry, turn on the oven and steam the silver beet!

Ingredients

3 silverbeet leaves including stalks

1 spring onion

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 tsp Sambal oelek

1 tsp crushed ginger root

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

450 gr skinned salmon fillets

1 red pepper

Poppyseeds

Mode

Place water in steamer to boil

Preheat the oven to 180c

Take the pastry sheets from freezer to thaw

Roughly chop the silverbeet and stalks and add to steamer

Chop spring onion and add to steamer

Add garlic, ginger and Sambal oelek to vegetables 

Add lid to steamer bring to boil

Place a thawed sheet of pastry on the bottom on a baking dish

Arrange the salmon fillets on top of it

Roughly chop the red pepper and add to the salmon

Spoon the steamed vegetables on top

Cover with other slice of pastry and pinch edges to seal

Sprinkle poppyseeds on top

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Tuna, red pepper and sweet potato pie

Recently I spent a few days in Torquay and was pressed into service to cook a fish pie. So when I returned to Melbourne fish and pies were on my mind. What was at the shops? Fresh tuna, sweet potato and red pepper! Yum yum!! And there it was.

Ingredients 

350 gr tuna

Half red pepper

Half sweet potato 

1 clove garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp Sambal oelek 

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppy seed

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Remove pastry to thaw

Chop sweet potato and microwave for 5 minutes

Roughly chop red pepper

Place one sheet of pastry on base of square baking dish

Add tuna

Place red pepper and sweet potato around the tuna

Crush ginger and garlic and add to the pie contents

Add Sambal oelek

Place second sheet of puff pastry on pie

Press to seal

Sprinkle poppyseeds 

Place in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Σεσκουλόπιττα

This afternoon I was coming home from the cinema with my friend, Dina. She asked me what I was thinking of having for dinner. I quickly replied « spanakopitta ». You are going to start it this late she asked? No, I had already steamed the vegetables I said and it isn’t actually spanakopitta, I am making it with silverbeet. And not using phyllo. And I’m using garlic and chilli and ginger. And thanks for reminding me about the spring onions: I’ll have to cook the vegetables a bit more.

So this is my little experiment for you, Dina! 

Ingredients

Half bunch silverbeet (including stalks)

2 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sambal oelek

1 tsp crushed ginger

50 gr fetta

2 tbs grated Parmesan

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppyseeds 

Mode

Place a steamer on the stove and bring water to the boil

Remove pastry from freezer to thaw

Turn on oven to preheat to 180c

Meanwhile roughly chop half a bunch of silverbeet including white stalks

Add to steamer

Chop spring onions and add to steamer

Crush garlic and ginger add to steamer

Steam until vegetables tender

Place one sheet of pastry in the bottom of a square oven dish

Spoon the vegetables onto the pastry

Crumble the fetta on top

Grate the Parmesan on top to taste

Place the second sheet of pastry over the vegetables and cheese

Fold the two sheets of pastry together and press to seal

Sprinkle poppyseed on top

Cook in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Pork and coriander meatballs

On 2 January I attended the funeral of Peter Smyth, the brother of my friend Trish. The speeches made so many mentions of meatballs and red wine that I returned home wanting to make meatballs and drink red wine. I did neither that evening.

But today I want to dedicate this post to Peter Smyth. I have no idea what his famous meatballs were like but am sure that with my love of meatballs of all types that I would have enjoyed them. 

My meatballs are made from pork and coriander as the key ingredients with fusion ingredients of ginger and chilli matched with olive oil and tomato-based sauce and pasta. You can cook them separately and serve with stirfry vegetables with rice or noodles or as I did yesterday in a tomato-based sauce with pasta.  Enjoy!! 

Ingredients 

500 gr minced pork

1 spring onion

2 handfuls chopped coriander

2 tablespoons crushed ginger

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

Olive oil

500 gr ready made tomato based pasta sauce

Water

Mode 

Place minced pork in bowl

Chop spring onion and coriander and add

Add sweet chilli sauce

Crush ginger and garlic and add

Meanwhile place tomato sauce in pan or saucepan to heat with cup of water

With hands form the meatball mixture 

Heat olive oil in a frying pan

Add meatballs and fry to seal

Add to pan with tomato sauce

Simmer for about 30 minutes until cooked

Serve with rice or pasta