Chicken, coriander & ricotta balls in tomato sauce

So it is June again and I have been meaning to sit down and do a #blogjune post on this blog which I have regularly continued to post in. The last time I completed #blogjune every day of June was in 2016.  But I still get tempted by the notices and by reading posts by long ago connections and friends. So it’s just one for me this June. 

This is a serendipity dish. I bought some minced chicken to make chickens simmered in tomato sauce, but I grabbed it quickly off a shelf without looking at quantity. Ah well, necessity is the mother of invention they say, so I eked out the mixture with half a tub of ricotta I had in the fridge. And the end result? I liked it a lot and will make the dish again. 

As an alternative to simmering on the top of the stove, you can also bake in the oven. If you want to do that, start with preheating the oven to 180c. Then make and sear the chicken balls. Put the sauce into an ovenproof dish, add the seared balls, cover with a lid or foil and cook for 45 minutes. This method can also be used to reheat any remaining chickens but 30 minutes should enough for that. 

Ingredients 

230 gr minced chicken

140 gr ricotta

2 spring onions

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger root

1 tsp Sambal oelek

I bunch coriander

Breadcrumbs

Ready-made tomato and basil sauce

Olive oil

Mode

Place tomato sauce in pan and bring to boil

Reduce to simmer

Chop spring onions

Crush garlic and ginger

Place minced chicken in bowl

Add ginger, garlic and Sambal oelek and stir to combine

Roughly chop coriander and add to mixture

Add ricotta 

Stir to combine 

Place breadcrumbs on plate

Form balls from chicken mixture and roll in breadcrumbs

Pour olive oil into frying pan and heat

Quickly sear the chicken balls in batches

Add to tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes

Sunday Night Pizza: with figs, honey and rocket pesto

One of the lovely things that happened to me during the last two years of Covid has been a very simple thing. A group of us who years ago used to meet for Sunday night pizza (and red wine) in Melbourne started to make Sunday night pizza at home or to report why we were cooking something else and what it was. It has provided a great reason to catch up virtually every Sunday be it just briefly or to share and explore current issues.

This week for my Sunday night pizza I made one that focused on some fresh figs I wanted to use. Stephanie told me that figs went with white cheese, rocket and something sweet like sugar. So that’s what I did including some mushrooms. For the sweetness I dribbled on some Beechworth honey I was lucky to receive for Christmas from my neighbours Elina and Graeme. Thanks Elina and Graeme! 

Ingredients

1 Wattle Valley wholemeal wrap

Sacla rocket pesto

Ricotta

Swiss brown mushrooms

Fresh figs

Honey

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c.

Spread rocket pesto as a base on the wrap

Add ricotta and spread as next layer

Slice mushrooms and add to cover other layers

Chop figs and add on top

Using a metal spoon heated in hot water drizzle honey over the pieces of figs

Cook for 12 minutes 

Eat with delight at the tastes

Sardines pizza

Sardines!! Yum!! I have never made a pizza with fresh filleted sardines before (or any sardines for that matter). So Sunday night pizza friends this is one to have and repeat. I love sardines and this combination is delicious - πολύ νόστιμο! 

Ingredients

1 Wattle Valley wholemeal wrap

Sun dried tomato pesto

Ricotta

12 fresh filleted sardines 

6 black olives

Pinenuts

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c

Spread pesto on wholemeal wrap

Spoon on ricotta and spread evenly

Place sardines over pesto and cheese

Chop olives and sprinkle in middle

Sprinkle pinenuts over

Bake in 220c oven for 12 minutes

Enjoy on a Sunday (or any time). 

Friday night footy pizza

Friday night finals footy with Geelong playing so what better thing to do than experiment with pizza. Tonight I experiment with sun dried tomato pesto which I have never tasted before. Otherwise ricotta and various vegetables and olives and anchovies are nothing particularly new. The end result was delicious. Whether Geelong will win remains to be seen. 

Ingredients

1 Wattle Valley wholemeal wrap

Sun dried tomato pesto

Ricotta

Sopressa

1/4 green pepper 

4 mushrooms 

2 black olives

2 anchovies

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c

Place wholemeal wrap on oven tray

Spread the sun dried tomato pesto on wrap

Spread with ricotta

Slice green peppers and mushrooms

Place sopressa  on the ricotta

Add mushrooms, followed by pepper 

Sprinkle over chopped olives and anchovies

Bake in 220c oven for 12 minutes

Enjoy!

Rocket pesto, salami and ricotta pizza

Ah Sunday evening! What is there to cook except a pizza after years of the tradition of Sunday night pizza? It would be very nice to meet some friends outside in a pizzeria, but that was another time before lockdowns. 

We have no idea when this time will end. So I continue to experiment. Pritikin modified pizzes are the basis of my experiments, though he would not approve of all my changes, as indeed I don’t approve of his low fat options. I have experimented with a few wholemeal/multigrain wraps or Lebanese bread. My absolute favourite to date is one produced by Wattle Valley as shown in the illustration. 

This time produced a delicious combination of wholemeal wrap, ricotta, rocket pesto, and vegetables accompanied by capers and ginger. I can’t say that it is a very traditional pizza but I enjoyed my Sunday night pizza a lot!! 

Ingredients

1 Wattle Valley wholemeal wrap

Ricotta

Salami slices

1/4 red pepper

1/4 green pepper 

2 mushrooms 

1/2 zucchini

1 heaped tsp capers

1 tsp crushed ginger

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c

Place wholemeal wrap on oven tray

Spread the rocket pesto on wrap

Spread with ricotta

Grate zucchini

Slice red and green peppers and mushrooms

Crush the ginger 

Place salami on the ricotta

Add zucchini, followed by peppers and mushrooms 

Sprinkle over capers and ginger

Bake in 220c oven for 12 minutes

Enjoy!

Smoked salmon, ricotta and pesto pizza

During Lockdown number five in Melbourne eating and cooking and comfort food have been again on the agenda. I started experimenting with pizzas again, this time going back to methods I had learnt long ago in Pritikin-based cooking. Much has changed since then in terms of the discreditation of his calls for extreme use of low fat products including nuts for example. But there is also much that is valuable in the recipes in relation to exclusion of refined products for example.

This pizza is based on the standard Pritikin pizza base, wholemeal Lebanese bread, with the addition of pesto, ricotta, smoked salmon, grated zucchini, spring onions and capers. It was yummy.

Ingredients

1 wholemeal Lebanese bread

2 spring onions

1 dsp capers

1/2 zucchini

100 gr smoked salmon

120 gr ricotta

2 tbs pesto

Mode

Preheat oven to 220c

Chop spring onions

Grate zucchini

Spread pesto on the Lebanese bread

Add ricotta and smooth

Break smoked salmon into pieces and add

Add spring onions, capers and zucchini 

Bake in 220c oven for 12 minutes

Greens and ricotta lasagne

People have been known to say that I often make similar things.  And it is true I often do make something and then think maybe I could make it this way instead of how I did it last week, or maybe I could add some different ingredients for a different taste altogether.  That is why after not having made lasagne for years I am making it twice withinin a short time frame. This one is like a mixture of spanakopita and tomato lasagne,  It was great to have the combination of different flavours catching my tastebuds. I will certainly make this again.

Ingredients

400 gr diced tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste (without salt)
Bunch dill 15 gr
4 cloves of garlic
4 tsp crushed ginger root
1 leek

1 bunch endive

1/2 bunch silverbeet
375 gr ricotta
6 sheets lasagne pasta (type that does not require pre-cooking)
Parmesan

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Slice leek

Roughly chop endive, and silverbeet

Place vegetables in top of steamer

Crush 2 cloves of garlic

Add garlic and 2 tsp ginger to vegetables in steamer

Steam until tender

Meanwhile chop thyme

Crush 2 cloves garlic

Place tomatoes in saucepan on stove

Add thyme, 2tsp ginger, garlic and tomato paste

Stir to combine

Bring the boil and reduce to simmer

Simmer until thickened

Place a couple of tablespoons of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish

Add layer of pasta

Add the steamed vegetables

Add another layer of pasta

Spoon half the ricotta over the sauce

Add another layer of pasta

Spoon half the tomato sauce over the pasta

Spoon the remaining half of the ricotta over the paster

Sprinkle with Parmesan

Add another layer of pasta

Cover with remaining sauce making sure that all the pasta is covered

Sprinkle with Parmesan

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes

Lentil lasagne

It must be quite a while since I last made lentil lasagne and the curious thing is that that I didn't plan to make it this time. The plan was to make lasagne with ricotta and a tomato sauce. However, when I was stirring my tomato sauce I suddenly decided to add some lentils.  And I am very glad that I did as it was delicious and I can't think why it has been so long since I enjoyed it.

 Ingredients

400 gr diced tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste (without salt)
Bunch coriander
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp crushed ginger root
1/2 carrot
400 gr canned lentils
375 gr ricotta
6 sheets lasagne pasta (type that does not require pre-cooking)
Parmesan

Mode

Preheat oven to 180c

Chop coriander

Slice carrots into strips

Crush garlic

Place tomatoes in saucepan on stove

Add coriander, carrot, ginger, garlic and tomato paste

Stir to combine

Bring the boil and reduce to simmer

Add lentils and combine

Simmer until thickened

Place a couple of tablespoons of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish

Add layer of pasta

Add half the remaining sauce and smooth

Spoon half the ricotta over the sauce

Add another layer of pasta

Spoon the remaining half of the ricotta over the paster

Sprinkle with Parmesan

Add another layer of pasta

Cover with remaining sauce making sure that all the pasta is covered

Sprinkle with Parmesan

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes

Σεσκουλοπρασόπιτα

Another day, another variant on χορτόπιτα and σπανακόπιτα. But this version is certainly not suitable for Lent due to the animal products.

Ingredients

Half bunch silverbeet

1 leek

2 spring onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp Sambal oelek

180 gr ricotta

80 gr fetta

18 gr dill

1 egg

Parmesan

Phyllo

Olive oil

Poppyseed

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, discarding the thick stalks
Clean and slice the spring onions 
Place the vegetables in a steamer 
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Steam on the stovetop until soft, stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top
Add the egg and stir to combine

Chop the dill roughly, discarding thick stalks and add to cheese mixture

When the vegetables are cooked, add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo, taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with poppyseeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie.

Eggplant parmigiana with ricotta

A couple of years ago I experimented with eggplant parmigiana after a visit to an Italian cafe with my friend Letizia. This is a variant on that recipe substituting fresh coriander for dried thyme and with the addition of a layer of ricotta. If I may say so myself, I found the end result delicious with the coriander adding especially to the enjoyment. 

Ingredients

1 eggplant

1 can diced tomatoes

Half a bunch of fresh coriander

2 tbs tomato paste

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp chopped garlic root

180 gr ricotta

Olive oil

Parmesan

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c

Slice the eggplant lengthwise as shown in photo
Place the canned tomatoes in a saucepan on a fairly high flame
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine
Crush the garlic and ginger and add
Chop the coriander and add
Stir to combine 
Bring tomato mixture to the boil and simmer to thicken
Meanwhile heat olive oil in a frying-pan
Fry the eggplant slices turning regularly
Place half the eggplant slices on the bottom of baking dish
Cover with half of the tomato sauce

Spoon on the ricotta
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
Place the remaining half of the eggplant on top
Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

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

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

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

Seskoulopitta/Σεσκουλόπιττα with ginger and black sesame

This is an old, old favourite just tweaked slightly to cater for the misery that is a headcold. Sometimes I include  the thick white stalks of the σέσκουλο/silverbeet.  Sometimes I don't.  This time I did. I normally include spring onions but this time I thought the silverbeet stalks would provide quite a bit of bulk, so I didn't use spring onions.  And the real difference? Well, I added lashings of fresh root ginger to help fight my cold.  And also because I love the taste of fresh ginger and I felt like some. What is there not to relish about this combination of so many of my favourite flavours!

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of silverbeet
375 gr ricotta
200gr fetta
2 handfuls grated Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp Sambal oelek
2 garlic cloves
3 tsp fresh ginger
Phyllo pastry
Olive oil
Black sesame seeds

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roughly chop the silverbeet, including the thick white stalks
Place the silverbeet in a steamer
Peel and crush the garlic and add
Add Sambal oelek
Chop and crush the ginger root and add
Steam on the stovetop until soft stirring occasionally
Meanwhile place the ricotta in a bowl
Crumble the fetta by hand on top and add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan (or to taste)
Add the egg and stir to combine
When the vegetables are cooked add to the mixture and combine well
Using a pastry brush and olive oil line the bottom of a baking dish with about six layers of phyllo taking care to oil well between each layer
Add the cheese and vegetable mixture to the phyllo
Fold the phyllo over the mixture and cover with several layers of phyllo brushing with oil between each layer
Fold in the edges and oil the top layer
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds
With a sharp knife cut the top of the pie into desired portions. DO NOT cut through the bottom of the pie
Cook for 45 minutes in 180c oven until top is crisp and golden
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking
Then with a sharp knife cut the portions through to the bottom of the pie
Serve with salad or vegetables..

Tarte owt of Lente #blogjune Day 23

Two of my favourite interests are history and cooking. And at the moment I am enjoying both with my MOOC through FutureLearn.  It's conducted by the University of Reading in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces and the theme is food cooked in the royal palaces of Britain. It goes for five weeks and covers five monarchs. It's called "A History of Royal Food and Feasting".   Apart from the historical exploration, there is cooking exploration and each week we have recipes to experiment with.

This Tarte owt of Lente is my first recipe, a Tudor cheese pie which includes all the ingredients people would have eaten in Lent: cheese, butter and cream.  I know these are not necessarily what all would think of as fasting, but there you go. Tudor recipes, such as this one, are guides for cooking rather than prescriptive lists of ingredients and procedures. We watched a video cooking demonstration as part of the course. But I didn't want to cook it quite as the demonstrator had done, so I enjoyed myself playing around with possibilities. I used a combination of ricotta and Cheshire cheese, while he used just Cheshire, though we were told that soft cheeses were also used. Yummy!

Ingredients

375 gr ricotta
30 gr Cheshire cheese
2 eggs
100 ml thick cream
2 sheets shortcrust pastry
Freshly ground pepper

 


Mode

Preheat oven to 180c
Remove pastry from freezer (in my lazy case) or make with butter and flour
Crumble the Cheshire into a mortar
Pound with pestle until soft and combined
Scrape the Cheshire into a mixing bowl
Add ricotta and combine cheeses
Add one egg to the cheese mixture and combine until smooth
Add cream and stir to combine
Add generous amounts of freshly ground pepper and stir
Line a pie or tart dish with pastry base
Add cheese mixture
Beat the remaining egg with a fork in a cup
Cut the pastry lid for the pie and cover the pie, using the egg mixture to seal
With a pastry-brush cover the top of the pie with the egg mixture
Bake in 180c oven for 45 minutes

Lentil, ricotta and spinach lasagne

Well here I am at home struck down by the dreaded shingles.  What to cook and what to eat becomes what is in the pantry or what is in the freezer. This is going to be a long haul, I fear. Did I mention that I hate shingles? But one thing I do like about it is that it means I am going through the pantry and freezer and sorting them out.  And I really liked the outcome of my latest foraging.  Thanks Leonie for suggesting I blog it.  Otherwise it might have stayed on a scrappy piece of paper for eternity.



So the outcome of my latest foraging?  A lasagne made by alternating layers of a lentil and tomato sauce with a mixture of ricotta and spinach. And it really is so yummy!  You will notice that this really is about staples in the pantry for me.  If you want to soak and cook your own lentils that is fine: I used canned. Likewise with the lasagne sheets!



Ingredients

For lentil sauce
400 gr canned lentils
400 gr canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
1 onion
2 tbs olive oil
2 handfuls dried basil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp ginger
2 small carrots
1/2 cup water

 

For spinach/ricotta sauce
375 gr ricotta
250 gr frozen spinach
2 spring onions
2 cloves garlic

Lasagne sheets (not needing precooking)
Grated or shaved Parmesan

Mode

Preheat the oven to 180c
Put the oil in a pan to heat
Finely chop the onion and add to oil
Crush garlic and ginger and add
Stir constantly until soft
Add tomatoes and tomato paste and stir
Drain lentils, rinse, add and stir
Crush dried basil and add
Chop carrots and add
Stir to combine and add water
Leave simmering on stove top
Meanwhile, place frozen spinach in microwaveable bowl
Chop spring onions and add
Crush garlic and add
Cover and microwave for 5 minutes
(Alternately cook in a steamer until tender)
Place ricotta in bowl and add spinach when cooked
Stir to combine
Assemble the lasagne in an oven-proof dish commencing with a thin layer of the lentil sauce
Add lasagne sheets
Then add a thin layer of the spinach and ricotta
Add lasagne sheets
Continue with this process until the baking dish is full
Make sure to end with a lentil sauce layer to ensure that the pasta cooks properly
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
Bake in a 180c oven for 45 minutes