Happy Halloween

Have a great day,

from your crafty Food Hag and her bewitching Cat

Buttermilk panna cotta for young and old

As I write this, I’m watching Two Greedy Italians on tv, the travelogue/cooking show with Antonio Carluccio and that Gennaro guy (Jamie Oliver’s mate). This is right after watching Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals.

You really notice the contrast between the two shows, with Jamie emphasising healthy fast food (calories per portion are shown for each recipe), while the 2 Italians get stuck into massive meals of cured meats, cheeses and barrelfuls of sauce-laden pasta. (But ooh, look, the 2 Italians are in a gym, sniggering at a muscleman. Oh, now they’re back to talking about porchetta…)

It made me think about how, why and when we decide to eat a certain way. Is it a generational thing, with the younger gen being more aware that what you eat now is going to have a bearing on your later years? Does the older generation think, ‘bugger it, I might as well enjoy life while I’ve got a couple of years left’?

I’ve always been wary of stuffing myself until I burst and believe me, the older you get the easier it is to a) eat more, b) put on weight and c) despair at how hard the weight is to shift. The different focus of the 2 tv shows has made me feel that a) I’m not that old (yet), b) it’s not too late to improve my eating habits, and c) I want to get to the age when I can say ‘bugger it, I might as well enjoy life while I’ve got a couple of years left’.

Here’s a recipe that’s deceptively light, tangy and luscious – just be careful you don’t have too much of it.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
serves 4

Ingredients
2 tblsp warm water
2 tsp gelatine powder
1 cup reduced-fat thickened cream
½ cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk
Fresh or canned cherries (or other fruit), to serve

Method
1. Place the water in a cup and sprinkle over the gelatine. Stir gently until the gelatine dissolves.

2. Meanwhile, place the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour in the gelatine mixture and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla and buttermilk.

3. Pour the mixture into serving glasses and refrigerate for 3 hours. Top with fruit before serving.

recipe adapted from fast, fresh, simple (Donna Hay).

Looks like a laboratory, doesn't it?

One of the disadvantages of not having enough matching serving glasses.

This is quite a 'sloppy' panna cotta, so it can't be unmoulded onto a plate.

Never mind, just spoon it straight from the glass, it tastes just as good.

Aussie Asparagus with Ricotta Gnocchi

Fresh is best. Or IS IT?

As someone who aims to ‘eat local’, a trip to the supermarket or greengrocer means keeping an eye out on the labels on the fruit and veg. Not only do the handy labels tell you what that wrinkled and knobbly round brown ‘thing’ is (it’s a celeriac), the label also tells you how much it is and its country of origin. Stating the obvious? Sorry!

You get to realise over time that it’s not possible to have cherries or pomegranates year-round, which is why you see them in winter labelled ‘Product of USA’. We also get oranges from California and asparagus from Peru (remember this?). I suppose, if you can’t get it without doing something funky with a syringe and a beaker, then a trip on a boat from the other side of the world is better than nothing.

Which brings us to the fact that it’s Asparagus season here in Australia! Three cheers!

I was sent some lovely, healthy (folate-rich) Victorian asparagus by Woolworths, as part of their Fresh Food Experience, and was eager to put them to good use in this recipe. Asparagus season runs from September to November, so the price is currently right and there’s heaps of gorgeous crisp spears to put into your trolley, so ignore the imports for now and get to it.

Ricotta Gnocchi with fresh Asparagus and Pancetta

serves 4

Ingredients

500g low-fat ricotta

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup plain flour, sifted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed, and ends snapped off

4 slices pancetta

70g butter

Method

1. For the gnocchi: In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, flour and eggs until well combined. Shape tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on a baking tray. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

2. For the Asparagus: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the asparagus and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove the asparagus and refresh under cold water. Cut into 1cm slices. Set aside the asparagus and the pan of water.

3. Cook the gnocchi: Add some salt to the reserved saucepan of water and bring to the boil again. Add the gnocchi and cook for approx 3 minutes, or until they rise to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked gnocchi and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

4. For the pancetta: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the pancetta in the pan in a single layer, and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until crisp. Remove pancetta and break into small pieces.

5. In the same frying pan, add the butter and heat until the butter turns brown, about 3 minutes. Carefully add the gnocchi and asparagus and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and tip the gnocchi, asparagus and butter into serving bowls. Top with pancetta and serve.

The uncooked gnocchi can be frozen for up to 1 month. Just put the gnocchi on the baking tray into the freezer for one hour, until the gnocchi harden, then remove them to an airtight container or Ziploc bag, separating the layers with greaseproof paper. They can be cooked in boiling water from frozen, although they'll take a bit longer to rise to the surface.

'Aussie-grown asparagus is fresh at Woolworths right now'.

Asparagus and pancetta. Can it get any better?

The gnocchi on a baking tray, before being chilled.

They swell up after cooking, so don't make them too big unless you like them that way.

The brown butter sauce lets the cheesey gnocchi flavour shine through.

And look at that pointy Aussie asparagus, the best kind!

tweet tweet: Thai-style Beef Salad

Are you on Twitter? Who do you follow? And who follows you?

I’m yet to get on the facebook bandwagon (in fact, I think it left the station long ago and I’ll have to wait for the next wagon to come along). But I love Twitter’s immediacy – and brevity. If you’ve got something to say, then just say it in less than 140 chars. Brilliant!

Twitter’s particularly good for catching up on the latest news – what’s ‘trending’, in Twitter-speak – although it can make you feel a bit behind the times when someone you’ve never heard of is getting lots of attention.

I mainly follow other bloggers – food, fashion and craft tweeters, hi there! – but not too many Hollywood or music stars, unless they support good causes and also tweet glamorous photos of A-list events. Restaurant tweeters are a mixed bunch – some of them use social media really well and regularly interact with their clientele, but others have no idea and you can tell that someone’s told them to get on it but really, they act like they’re at a party but are too up themselves to talk to anyone.

Which brings me to today’s recipe. I’ve made this super-simple, extra-delicious salad heaps of times since NZ cooking celeb, @AnnabelLangbein, tweeted it a couple of months ago. She often provides links to fabulous dishes from her own website, and this one is a winner. She has also just produced a new cookbook, so hopefully there will be more of the same on the twitterwaves.

Oh, and a bit of self-promotion: if you don’t already follow me on Twitter, well, shame on you! Try it, you’ll like it – lots of Tabitha cat pics!

Twitter: @OohLookBel

Instagram: @OohLookBel (for even more cat pics!)

Thai-style Beef Salad

serves 2

Ingredients

2 thick sirloin or rump steaks (approx 170-200g per person)

2 tblsp fish sauce

salt and pepper

½ tblsp vegetable oil

2 eschallots or 1 small brown onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into small batons

12 cherry or baby grape tomatoes, halved

20 mint leaves, torn in half

½ bunch of chives, cut into 2cm lengths

Dressing:

1/3 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce

1 tblsp fish sauce

Juice and zest of ½ a lime

Method

1. For the steaks: Sprinkle the steaks with fish sauce and salt and pepper. Pour the oil into a large frypan over high heat and cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side (for medium-rare). Add the eschallots to the pan when you turn the steaks over. When done, remove the steaks from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you make the salad. Keep the eschallots in the pan with the meat juices.

2. For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce and lime juice and zest.

3. Put the cucumber, tomatoes and mint leaves into a large bowl.

4. Cut the steaks into 1cm-thick slices. Add to the salad bowl with the eschallots and pan juices. Pour over the dressing and top with the chives. Serve.

recipe adapted from annabel-langbein.com

A bowlful of fresh flavours: baby grape tomatoes, eschallot, cucumber, mint and lime.

It's the dressing that really ties this salad together, with the heat of the chilli sauce combining brilliantly with the tang of fish sauce and the tingle of lime.

Enigmatic Chocolate Tofu Mousse

Here’s an enigma wrapped in a riddle – decadent dark chocolate paired with healthy silken tofu. In a dessert that looks and tastes just like rich, indulgent chocolate mousse. What?? Lead me to it!

This recipe actually came about because I had a pack of silken tofu that was fast approaching its use-by date – actually, it may have been a day past, but don’t tell anyone. The other half does not really like anything that even whispers “I’m quite a healthy food, y’know”, so I had to find some way of disguising the normally placid (neé boring?) nature of the tofu before it could be served up.

Now I don’t know who came up with this idea of making Chocolate Tofu Mousse (probably not a Frenchman), but once you get over the slightly medicinal soybean-ish flavour of the ‘mousse’, it’s really quite nice. That description probably doesn’t do it justice, but suffice to say that the anti-health food nut gobbled down most of this dessert and came back asking for more.  High praise indeed for food that is borderline ‘off’ (I told you not to tell anyone!)

Chocolate Tofu Mousse

serves 4

Ingredients

300g soft silken tofu

200g dark or milk chocolate, broken into pieces

1 tblsp maple syrup

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1.  Process the tofu: Put the tofu in a bowl and use a stick blender (or a normal blender) to process the tofu until it is smooth. Set aside.

2. Melt the chocolate: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (do not let the water touch the bowl).  Stir until the chocolate is melted, then let cool slightly.

3. Gently combine the tofu, chocolate, maple syrup and vanilla together until there are no streaky bits, then spoon into 4 small cups or glasses. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours, then serve.

 

Ingredients, including soft silken tofu, milk and dark chocolate, maple syrup and vanilla.

The mousse looks lusciously smooth after the ingredients are mixed together, but it still needs time in the refrigerator to set.

Ahem, this sort of reminds me of Foster Clark's tinned chocolate pudding...

Tastes much nicer, though!

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Apropos of nothing...

Here are pictures of a curious Tabitha cat.

What's that? What's that? I haven't seen that thing before. Is it food? Gimme a closer look.

Oh. It's just another camera*. 

Get that effing thing out of my face.

* I got a new camera, this one.

Inspiring Chocolate Snaps with Sea Salt

Those ‘Top 10’ lists make fascinating reading, from the top-grossing movies, to the highest-paid stars, to the best-selling books (books? how quaint!) and the most-visited blogs.

Then came the news that the ‘richest chef in the world’ is likely to be Jamie Oliver (this), ahead of other famous pot-rattlers such as Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. Gosh, pushing out a couple of TV shows, endorsements and cookbooks each year certainly pays off, though it must take a lot out of you. Not that I’d know, but it’s probably a good guess.

So where does that leave lesser-known, but popular food stars, like Nigel Slater? Nigel has a lovely TV series on called Simple Cooking, and he has a more gentle approach than the sometimes manic Jamie Oliver. His shows features dishes that are so easy to prepare that even a disorganised amateur (like me) will be inspired and enticed.

Here’s my take on one of his creations. Super easy to whip up, beautiful to look at and makes you want more. That makes him number One on my hit list at the moment.

Chocolate Snaps with Sea Salt

makes approx 9

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate

2 tblsp flaked almonds

½ tsp caster sugar

¼ cup unsalted pistachio nuts, chopped

Sea salt flakes, to sprinkle

Dried rose petals (optional)

Method

1. For the chocolate: Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until it is almost all melted, then remove from the heat and stir to fully melt.

2. For the almonds: Put the almonds on a baking tray and place into a moderate oven (180C/350F) until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the almonds from the oven and sprinkle over the caster sugar, then return to the oven until the sugar melts, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Place a sheet of baking paper onto a tray, then spread a heaped teaspoon of some melted chocolate onto the paper, into a circle shape. Scatter over the almonds, pistachios, sea salt and rose petals. You may need to press the nuts and petals into the chocolate so they stick.

4. Chill the chocolate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before peeling the chocolate snaps from the paper to serve.

recipe adapted from delicious (July 2012)

From top: dried roses, flaked almonds, pistachios

The roses are from a pack of rose tea that I got in an Asian grocer; I just rubbed the petals off the roses for this recipe.

The almonds are sprinkled with sugar to caramelise before being dropped onto the melted chocolate together with crushed pistachios, rose petals and salt flakes.

Take my word, these chocolate snaps are really easy to make and even easier to eat.

The sprinkling of sea salt flakes is an inspired touch. I used 'Lindt dark chocolate with Sea Salt' to give an extra boost of saltiness.

Parmesan Rosemary Biscuits and bein' Chill

I’m quite proud of these Parmesan Rosemary Biscuits, because I whipped them up one evening while waiting for my dinner to cook (roast chicken, or something like that). Since the oven was on anyway, and these bikkies needed an hour in the fridge, they were an ideal way to use up the rosemary that was in the roast chicken.

To look up the recipe (via handy taste.com.au) was the work of a moment, and a quick whizz in the food processor later, the dough was ready. It was even easier to roll out the dough and cut the biscuits and to bake them as the chicken came out of the oven. Very easy peasy. Makes me feel quite ‘chill’ to think that there was no rushing around for ingredients and stressing out like I normally am at dinnertime.

And speaking of ‘chill’, check out the latest pictures of Henry and Tabitha – and try and

pick the relaxed cat.

Parmesan Rosemary Biscuits

approx 30

Ingredients

100g butter, chopped

100g parmesan cheese (or half parmesan/half cheddar), grated

1 tblsp rosemary leaves, chopped

¾ cup plain flour

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Place the butter, cheese, rosemary, flour, salt and pepper into a food processor and mix until it comes together in a ball.

2. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press into a 15cm (6in) disc. Wrap in the plastic and refrigerate for one hour or until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.  Line oven tray with baking paper.

4. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to a ½ cm (¼ in) thickness. Use a 5cm (2in) round cookie cutter to cut out pieces of the dough.  Knead together the scraps and roll out again to use up all the dough.

5. Place biscuits on the prepared baking tray and bake, in batches, until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

These biscuits can be stored in an airtight container, lined with foil, for up to 5 days.

recipe from taste.com.au

Some of the ingredients: Rosemary and Parmesan

The dough is easy to make and roll out (refrigerate it first to make this easier).
Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter.

 

Golden, crispy, cheesey and moreish - perfect with coffee.

PS: Win your own Bialetti espresso maker and some lovely espresso glasses - to enter, click HERE.

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Tabitha vs Henry Update

Pick the relaxed Cat

Henry cat is so laid back that he fell asleep against the window while laying on the outdoor table.

Tabitha cat is always on the alert when Henry's around. Here, she is highly offended that he has fallen asleep while she was glaring at him.

A bit of face time.