Spanish style pasta sauce

 A couple of weeks ago when we were first allowed to meet people from another household in the open, I met my friends Penny and Mark in the rotunda at Darling Gardens one afternoon.  They very kindly brought me some garden produce, including silverbeet and coriander. When I was wondering what to cook the next evening I remembered a recipe I sometimes cook with sherry, mushrooms and pinenuts. Its origins are a bit obscured by the passing of time but my memory is that it was originally based on a tapas recipe that I read in a library book. Sometimes I cook it with ham but this time I added coriander, silverbeet and some chicken that I happened to have. As it was once a tapas you could eat it as such or by itself, but I had it with some pasta!  The serving is enough for one person.

Ingredients

1 leaf silverbeet

5 mushrooms

1 handful of pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1 stem coriander

1 spring onion

100 gr chicken cut for stirfry

1 sherry glass dry sherry

Olive oil

Mode

Heat some olive oil in a pan on the stovetop

Crush the garlic

Slice the spring onion

Add the garlic and spring onion to the oil and stir until covered

Slice the mushrooms and add

Chop the coriander and add

Add the pine nuts

All the while continue to stir

Add the sherry and stir

Chop the silverbeet including the stems

Add the silverbeet and the chicken to the mixture

Continue to stir until the chicken is sealed

Turn the heat down to a simmer

Cover and summer until the chicken is tender

Serve with rice, pasta or noodles.

Rainbow σεσκουλόπιτα

Μιαμ μιαμ! I haven't used rainbow silverbeet to make σεσκουλόπιτα before. However, when I saw it in the supermarket yesterday while shopping for food to cook for some friends who had been in an accident, I thought I would get it and experiment. It was delicious and I will use it was an ingredient again.  I haven't heard the verdict of my friends yet, but I enjoyed it.

With these ingredients you could make make one large pie.  I made a medium size and a small to accommodate for the two households.

Ingredients

1 bunch rainbow silverbeet (including stalks)

4 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sambal oelek

3 tsp crushed ginger root

400 gr ricotta

150 gr fetta

1 egg

Phyllo pastry

Olive oil

Poppyseeds 

Mode

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

Turn on oven to preheat to 180c

Meanwhile roughly chop the rainbow silverbeet including coloured stalks

Add to steamer

Chop spring onions and add to steamer

Crush garlic and add to steamer

Crush ginger root and add to steamer

Add Sambal oelek

Steam until vegetables tender

Meanwhile place ricotta in mixing bowl

Crumble fetta and add

Add egg

Add steamed vegetables

Stir to mix completely

Place one sheet of phyllo on the base of the oven dish

Baste with olive oil

Repeat the process 5-6 times

Spoon the mixture on the phyllo and smooth 

Fold the ends of pastry over the vegetables and cheese basting as you go

Cover top with an extra sheet or two of phyllo basted with oil

Sprinkle poppyseed on top

Cook in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Lemon and silverbeet chicken after Abla

This is what happened when you have a few chicken drumettes left over from the previous recipe and wonder what to do with them! This is the basic original Abla recipe but with silverbeet on top. Be sure to cover the baking dish for the second part of the cooking so that the silverbeet doesn't dry out.  I enjoyed it with rice.

Ingredients

6 chicken drumettes
2 dessertspoon rock salt
1/2 lemon

1/2 tbs of minced garlic

Silverbeet 3-4 leaves

Mode

Preheat oven to 210c.
Arrange the chicken drumettes in an uncovered baking dish
Sprinkle with rock salt 
Roast for 30 minutes
Meanwhile juice the lemon
Add minced garlic to juice (about 50 ml in total)

Stir thoroughly

Roughly chop the silverbeet including white but discarding ends

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the mixture over chicken

Add silverbeet to top

Place a lid or foil on top of the baking dish
Return to oven and roast for another 25-35 minutes.

Serve with rice or roast vegetables  

Lemon and mushroom chicken after Abla

Lots of nice fresh chicken drumettes sprang to my eye when I was at Piedimonte's the other day on an allowed outing from lockdown. So, of course, I thought of my variants of Abla's chicken wings.  This time the variant to my Abla chicken recipe was to use wild mushroom sea salt instead of her normal salt and to add mushrooms to her recipe. I cooked wholegrain Basmati rice to accompany the chicken. It was a lovely meal for a cold Melbourne night in lockdown and I had plenty left over to share with friends. 

Ingredients

16 chicken drumettes
2 dessertspoon wild mushroom sea salt
2 lemons

1.5 tbs of minced garlic

5 mushrooms

Mode

Preheat oven to 210c.
Arrange the chicken drumettes in a baking dish
Sprinkle with mushroom sea salt 
Roast for 30 minutes
Meanwhile juice the lemons
Add minced garlic to juice (about 150 ml in total)

Stir thoroughly

Slice the mushrooms

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the  mixture over chicken

Sprinkle mushroom slices over the top
Return to oven and roast for another 25-35 minutes.

Serve with rice or roast vegetables  

Cheat’s seskoulopita

This is for you, Ελένη μου! Sometimes I make a pie very akin to Greek spanakopitta or tyropitta but using ready made sheets of frozen puff pastry instead of phyllo. Yes, I know it is not the traditional way. But let’s face it, if you are in a hurry, you can create a very nice product more quickly using frozen puff pastry.  Imagine my amazement recently when Ελένη sent me a photo of her tyropitta made with puff pastry! Yes, it is a thing and I can surely enjoy it as a fast-food thing if my Greek teacher does?

Ingredients

Half bunch silverbeet (including stalks)

2 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sambal oelek

375 gr ricotta

100 gr fetta

1 egg

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 add to steamer

Add Sambal oelek

Steam until vegetables tender

Place ricotta in mixing bowl

Crumble fetta and add

Add egg

Add steamed vegetables

Stir to mix completely

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

Spoon the mixture on the pastry and smooth 

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

Spry pie

I have been doing some research into some local families named Spry who were boot and cigar manufacturers amongst other occupations. So when it came to cooking another pie yesterday that name was filling my head. The pie was a combination of Tasmanian salmon, red pepper, zucchini and dill. I love dill and don’t often have it on hand so this was a great opportunity to add some to a pie. 

Ingredients

1/4 red capsicum

1/4 zucchini 

1 spring onion

Handful dill

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger root

300 gr fresh Tasmanian salmon

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppy seed

Mode

Remove pastry sheets from freezer to thaw

Preheat oven to 180c

Chop spring onion

Slice zucchini and red capsicum

Crush garlic and ginger

Chop dill

Place one sheet of pastry in baking dish

Add salmon

Arrange vegetables around salmon

Add garlic, ginger and dill

Cover with second sheet of pastry

Roll edges to seal

Add pastry forming a Σ for Spry

Sprinkle with poppy seeds

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Stuffed red peppers

The other night in a discussion about cooking dinner my friend George said he was planning stuffed peppers the next night. Mmmm. I hadn’t any of them for a while. 

So being always open to suggestion, yesterday I stocked up on red peppers and cooked a batch for the first time in ages. The last time I made them I remember using Florina peppers which made the filling very difficult but ultimately worthwhile. This time I used squat bell peppers. The recipe accidentally became vegan as I forgot the fetta I normally add but they were delicious all the same. 

Ingredients 

4 red peppers (squat bell shape) 

500 gr wholegrain rice (precooked)

A handful of dill

1/2 cup currants

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs tomato paste

200 gr tomato & basil pasta sauce

3 cups water

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Cut around top of peppers to create caps

Slice off back of cap

Clean inside of pepper of seeds

Chop dill

Peel onion and slice finely

Peel garlic and crush 

Heat oil in pan

Add onion and stir until tender

Add garlic and stir

Add dill, rice, currants, tomato paste, tomato sauce and 1 cup water

Stir to combine and allow to simmer and reduce

Take the rice mixture from the heat

With a spoon fill each of the peppers with the mixture

Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish

Pour 2 cups of hot water in base of dish

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes.

Abla’s lemon chicken with ginger and chilli

Another day and another variant of an old favourite comes to my plate. This time the variant to my Abla chicken recipe was to add ginger and chilli to her recipe. I cooked roast vegetables to accompany the chicken. It was a lovely meal for a cold Melbourne night in lockdown. 

Ingredients

16 chicken drumettes
2 dessertspoon rock salt
2 lemons

1.5 tbs of minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger root

1 tsp Sambal oelek

Mode

Preheat oven to 210c.
Arrange the chicken drumettes in a baking dish
Sprinkle with rock salt 
Roast for 30 minutes
Meanwhile juice the lemons
Add minced garlic, minced ginger and Sambal oelek to juice (about 200 ml in total)

Stir thoroughly

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the  mixture over chicken
Return to oven and roast for another 25-35 minutes.

Serve with rice or roast vegetables  

Dina’s tuna pie

This tuna pie is for Dina who wants to cook a fish pie for our time in isolation in Melbourne!  The fish I had to cook was a fillet of fresh tuna. I added various vegetables that attracted me when I peered into the fridge as well as garlic, ginger and some basil paste. I had intended coriander but the frozen stock I had of it seemed to have lost its flavour. However, the basil paste sufficed and was indeed yummy.  

Ingredients

1/2 red capsicum

2 spring onions 

1 mushroom

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tsp crushed ginger root

2 tsp basil paste

200 gr fresh tuna

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppy seed

Mode

Remove pastry sheets from freezer to thaw

Preheat oven to 180c

Chop spring onion

Slice mushroom and red capsicum

Crush garlic and ginger

Place one sheet of pastry in baking dish

Add tuna

Arrange vegetables around salmon

Add garlic, ginger and basil paste

Cover with second sheet of pastry

Roll edges to seal

Add pastry forming a Δ for Dina

Sprinkle with poppy seeds

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Alba’s chicken with citrus soy

It is true. In lockdown I am not being creative. Instead I am returning to the comfort zone of favourites and making them as I always have or making a slight change. Such is the comfort we need in these times. 

Today I cooked my beloved favourite but a variant naturally of both my own other attempts at the dish as well as the Alba original. Abla calls it “chicken wings in garlic” but I always cook the recipe with drummettes and other variants. This is tonight’s dinner. The minor variant tonight was the addition of ginger as well as some citrus soy my sister gave me for my birthday.

Ingredients

10 chicken drumettes
2 dessertspoon rock salt
2 lemons

1.5 tbs of minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger root

2 tablespoons Saori citrus soy

Mode

Preheat oven to 210c.
Arrange the chicken drumettes in a baking dish
Sprinkle with rock salt 
Roast for 30 minutes
Meanwhile juice the lemons
Add minced garlic, minced ginger and citrus to juice (about 200 ml in total)

Stir thoroughly

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the  mixture over chicken
Return to oven and roast for another 25-35 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Iso pie for Maria’s birthday!

Another day another iso pie. This one is for my dear friend Maria Brent in New Jersey on her birthday!  So sorry we can’t share it in celebration! 

Today is freezing in Melbourne. No not literally as 7c is not freezing. But I am particularly cold as my heating system has seized up and I am reduced to wearing ugg slippers to keep my feet warm. Faced with the chill, I guess that when I came to think about dinner I was always going to choose to cook something in the oven and let a little of its warmth permeate.

Yes salmon I had as the basis. On checking the fridge, zucchini, red pepper, coriander and spring onions emerge as the preferred candidates. A bit of garlic and ginger. Frozen puff pastry and M on the top. Perfect. So simple to do with an oven. 

Ingredients

1/2 red capsicum

1/2 zucchini

1 spring onion 

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tsp crushed ginger root

Fresh coriander

300 gr skinless Tasmanian salmon

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppy seed

Mode

Remove pastry sheets from freezer to thaw

Preheat oven to 180c

Chop spring onion

Slice zucchini and red capsicum

Crush garlic and ginger

Chop coriander

Place one sheet of pastry in baking dish

Add salmon

Arrange vegetables around salmon

Add garlic, ginger and coriander

Cover with second sheet of pastry

Roll edges to seal

Add pastry forming an M for Maria

Sprinkle with poppy seeds

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Salmon pie with vegetables

It’s cold and rainy in Melbourne. Well it is winter. What will I cook for my iso dinner? I stand at the fridge door contemplating. But it is a no brainer really. I have Tasmanian salmon and frozen puff pastry. It is just a matter of what I cook with the salmon in the pie. 

Silverbeet, red pepper and spring onions emerge as the preferred candidates. A bit of garlic, ginger and Sambal oelek. Perfect. So simple to do with an oven. 

Ingredients

1/2 red capsicum

1 spring onion

1 leaf of silverbeet 

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 tsp crushed ginger root

1/2 tsp Sambal oelek

220 gr skinless Tasmanian salmon

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Poppy seed

Mode

Remove pastry sheets from freezer to thaw

Preheat oven to 180c

Chop spring onion, silverbeet and red capsicum

Crush garlic and ginger

Place one sheet of pastry in baking dish

Add salmon

Arrange vegetables around salmon

Add garlic, ginger and Sambal oelek

Cover with second sheet of pastry

Roll edges to seal

Sprinkle with poppy seeds

Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Chicken and dill balls in tomato sauce

This is for you, Maria Ganotis Brent, as I try to stop hitting the carbs during COVID lockdown. Sadly we didn’t get to meet this year in Greece or the Lake District but there will always be του χρόνου. But I often think of you as I gobble down bread (albeit multigrain sourdough) and know that I should be reducing my carb intake, particularly the refined products and sugar.  Yes, I know I served this with rice but you don’t have to.

As readers of this blog know, I love meatballs in any shape or form. These happened because I found chicken mince in Piedimonte’s and looked to see what I had in the fridge and pantry. The other evening I watched a cookery show of Jamie Oliver and was in awe about how he used up all his dying vegetables to make sachets of tomato sauce to freeze. Yes, I do use whatever is around to make sauces but not usually in volumes enough to store.  I find there are good ready made sauces in the supermarket and I always have some of those ready at hand in the pantry whether I am in Melbourne or Athens. This time I used a Melbourne favourite, the Five Brothers tomato and basil pasta sauce.

Ingredients 

500 gr tomato sauce

250 gr water

500 gr chicken mince

3 teaspoons crushed garlic

3 teaspoons crushed ginger root

2 tablespoons chopped dill

2 spring onions

Olive oil

Shaved Parmesan 

Wholemeal brown basmati rice

Mode

Place the tomato sauce in a pan to heat

Add the water to sauce jar, shake and add to sauce

Stir to combine

Bring to simmer and reduce heat

Place chicken mince in bowl

Crush garlic and ginger and add

Chop dill and add

Chop spring onions and add

Stir to combine thoroughly using hands if needed

With a tablespoon sized mixture form balls

Meanwhile heat olive oil in frying pan

In batches seal the chicken balls in the oil and add to the tomato sauce

Simmer in sauce until cooked through and imbued with tomato sauce flavours

Serve with multigrain basmati rice and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan. 

Lemon and pomegranate chicken

I always love cooking Alba’s chicken wings in garlic and as well as the constant variants on it I decide about when I look in my pantry while cooking. The focus in this one includes the normal salt, garlic and lemon but with the addition of ginger and pomegranate molasses. Yummy! 

Ingredients

16 chicken drumettes
2 dessertspoon rock salt
3 lemons

1.5 tbs of minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger root

4 tsp pomegranate molasses

Mode

Preheat oven to 210c.
Arrange the chicken drumettes in a baking dish
Sprinkle with rock salt 
Roast for 30 minutes
Meanwhile juice the lemons
Add minced garlic, minced ginger and pomegranate molasses to juice (about 350 ml in total)

Stir thoroughly

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the  mixture over chicken
Return to oven and roast for another 25-35 minutes.

Spicy orange chicken revised!

Ah spiced orange baked with chicken! How delicious is that! I had forgotten until in lockdown a suggestion from a Greek friend reminded me that I had been intending to roast  a chicken and to use it to make soup as well.  So I went off to buy a chicken and on the way home thought of my Stephanie Spiced oranges stored in a high kitchen cupboard. Just the thing!

And indeed they were! I had previously cooked a variant of this, but this time I added the fresh orange I had bought to go with the chicken before I remembered the delicious spiced oranges.

Ingredients

1 fresh chicken
6 cloves garlic
Spiced oranges (orange and syrup)
4 potatoes
1 orange sweet potato

1 parsnip

1 navel orange

Dried rosemary

Olive oil

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c
Quarter potatoes, chop sweet potato and place in bowl

Peel parsnip, chop  and add to vegetables

Crush with blade of knife three garlic cloves still in their skins

Add these garlic cloves and rosemary to vegetables
Dribble with olive oil
Pull up your sleeves and mix vegetables to coat with oil

Rub the chicken inside and out with several pieces of the spiced orange
Place remnants of spiced orange inside cavity

Quarter orange and place in chicken cavity 
Peel and crush the remaining garlic cloves and rub over chicken

Add any remnants of garlic to the cavity
Sprinkle several spoonsful of the spiced orange syrup over top, bottom, sides and cavity of chicken
Place chicken in baking dish on its side
Arrange vegetables around
Rub chicken with remaining oil from bowl
Place in centre of oven and cook for 20 minutes
Bring out of oven and turn chicken to other side

Pour several spoonsful of spiced orange syrup over chicken
Turn the vegetables
Cook for another 20 minutes
Bring out of oven and turn chicken onto back (ie breast facing upwards)
Turn the vegetables
Cook for another 20 minutes
During this final 20 minutes of cooking prepare salad or vegetables to accompany.
 

Lockdown pie

Well, of course, you could actually plan to cook this pie or you could just scour your products and decide to experiment any time. But I have hardly been out of the house for weeks and today I wanted to cook a pie for dinner and wondered what to cook. So I had some fresh vegetables, some coriander pesto, puff pastry and lentils. This is the result.

Ingredients

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1/2 red pepper

3-4 mushrooms

2 spring onions

2 tbs coriander pesto

400 gr can lentils

Poppy seed

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Remove pastry from freezer to thaw

Peel and chop spring onions

Chop red pepper

Slice mushrooms

Place one sheet of thawed pastry on base of baking dish

Add vegetables

Drain and rinse lentils and add

Add coriander pesto and stir to combine

Place second sheet of pastry and form pie 

Sprinkle with poppy seed

Bake in oven for 45 minutes.