Lime Curd

A while ago, I attempted making jam, and I failed dismally (see blackberry and caramel jus). So for now, I am happy making citrus curd instead. Even though the shelf life is shorter than that of other preserves (about 3 weeks in the fridge), they are definitely easier and far less messy to produce. Don’t be afraid to boil this recipe, I promise you wont end up with scrambled eggs. Apparently the combination of acid and sugar prevents the mixture from curdling. Too easy and too delicious.

Ingredients
4 limes
75g cultured butter
100g honey
100g caster sugar
3 free range eggs
5ml coconut essence

Method
Using a citrus zester, remove the zest of all 4 limes. Make sure to use only the green zest and not the white bitter pith.
Finely chop the julienned zest into a fine powder.
Squeeze the juice.
Place the zest, juice, butter, honey, and eggs into a saucepan. Heat gently until thickened.
Add the coconut essence, off the heat and stir to combine. Depending on how sour the limes are, you may like to add a touch more sugar.
Store in a covered container in the fridge. Makes about 200g.

Speedy Ragu

My favorite dish to cook and eat is Ragu alla Bolognese. I adore this rich meat sauce but there are times when I simply don’t have the time to make it. So, rather than deny myself the ultimate comfort meal, I have devised a shortcut recipe, which delivers all of the flavors that one expects from a classic ragu.
In this version, the sauce will be ready in 40 minutes rather than two hours. The secret is to use dried porcini mushrooms. This magic ingredient provides a savory depth of flavor, which mimics that of a long and slow stew. The mushrooms are chopped finely, so as the creamy sauce simmers away, they melt, imparting a deep earthy fragrance.
Porcini are notorious for harboring dirt. It is of great importance to inspect and rinse each piece of mushroom separately under a running tap. I once ordered “tagliatelle con porcini” in a restaurant, and much to my disappointment I was presented with a plate of dirty pasta. Literally! There is also the chance of finding insect larvae. I have encountered these vile tiny pests only once, and unfortunately the only solution here is to discard them
Porcini range in price, per kilo, from around AU$170 for trimmings, to AU$500 for meaty slices. For this recipe the cheaper trimmings are fine.

Ingredients
30g dried porcini
500ml stock (fake is fine)
15g butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil
100g pancetta, finely chopped
20g red onion, finely chopped
20g carrot, finely chopped
20g celery, finely chopped
200g minced veal
200g minced pork
5 chicken livers, cleaned and finely chopped
125ml white wine
Freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
125ml tomato passata
125 ml cream (35% milk fat)
1 fresh bay leaf
5ml balsamic vinegar
Freshly grated parmagiano or grana

Method
Soak the porcini with enough boiling water to just cover. Allow the mushroom slices to soften for about 15 minutes and then drain. Strain the soaking liquid through a layer of paper napkin. Reserve the strained liquid. Inspect the mushroom pieces for insect infestation and rinse each piece thoroughly under a running tap to remove dirt. Chop the porcini finely.
Over a low heat, sauté the pancetta, onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn up the heat and add the veal, pork and livers. Cook the meat for a few minutes, until it loses the raw pink color. Do not brown.
Add the wine, nutmeg, tomato, cream, bay leaf and porcini liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes..
Turn of the heat and add salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of cheese, melting it into the sauce.
Toss with tagliatelle or a short pasta such as orrechiette. Makes enough for about 400g of pasta asciutta.

White Figs, Manchego + Mozzarella with Raspberry Vinegar

It doesn’t bother me to spend hours and money preparing food for myself. In fact I love it. I cannot think of another activity that is more self-nurturing.
Cooking for one allows you to cater to your own personal whims and tastes, without the worries that come when you cook for others. You can eat exactly what you want, when you want and as much as you want.
A friend of mine who happens to be single told me he couldn’t be bothered cooking for himself. What is the point cooking for only one person? It saddens me to hear such a statement. Its as if he doesn’t feel worthy of a decent meal because he is alone. Life without a partner is hard enough, let alone living a life denying yourself the pleasures of good food. Personally, I could not imagine anything worse.
Even when I was single, I went to the trouble of preparing lavish dishes for myself and I ate ceremoniously at the dinning table every night. My pantry and fridge were always full with delicious foods waiting to be eaten at any given opportunity. Food gave me a sense of comfort, reassurance and security. It still does. Through cooking I discovered about myself and became a confident person. I guess in a way, cooking kept me busy, and kept my mind of my loveless life.
As much as I enjoy cooking for my partner, I think I get more pleasure cooking for myself. When he disappeared for a well deserved vacation to northern Australia last week I saw it as an opportunity to create without restriction. The following recipe is one I whizzed up then. It doesn’t require any cooking and is ready in minutes. This is a good example how easy it is to prepare a dish for yourself, minus the fuss. I am dedicating this recipe to my friend Greg, and wish to thank him for his kind words and support. A plate of high quality fruit and cheeses is definitely better than a life spent eating bland microwave meals and unhealthy junk.

Ingredients
15ml raspberry vinegar
15g sticky brown sugar
1 buffalo or cow mozzarella (about 250g)
Manchego cheese (or mild pecorino)
4 white figs
Tiny basil leaves
A handful lightly toasted pinenuts
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (peppery)

Method
Mix together the vinegar and brown sugar. Slice the mozzarella into thin slices. Use the mozzarella slices to cover the entire surface of a large plate. Using a vegetable peeler, shave slivers of manchego all over the mozzarella.
Halve the figs and place over the two cheeses in an attractive fashion. Scatter over basil leaves and pinenuts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Finally, drizzle over with the raspberry vinegar and olive oil.
Serve with rocket leaves tossed with a fruity extra virgin olive oil, to contrast with the delicate nature of the mozzarella and figs.
Serves 1 lonely but brave hearted soul.
Note- Manchego is a Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk.

Beetroot and Carrot Soup

Today’s recipe is not only easy to make, but beautiful to look at and more importantly, beautiful to eat as well. I am absolutely mad about beetroots, and if I were to compile a list of my favorite ingredients, I would include them in the top ten.
I took the inspiration for this soup from “Gennaro’s Italian Year” by Gennaro Contaldo, a wonderful book I recently read. And when I say inspiration, that’s exactly what I mean. My version and his version couldn’t be more different. The original soup is rather austere in the way that Italian soups tend to be. In my creation I have taken the liberty to use two very un-Italian flavors. Cumin to complement the root vegetables, and cream whipped with mustard to accessorise the finished puree.


Ingredients
15g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
650g carrot, peeled and chopped
650g beetroots, peeled and chopped
650g potato, peeled and chopped
Stock (I used chicken stock cubes)
1 tsp brown sugar
100ml cream (35% milk fat) or milk
Sea salt
Fresh pepper (black and white)
Raspberry vinegar, to taste
Freshly chopped parsley
Cream and wholegrain mustard, whipped together

Method.
Gently cook the onion, celery and garlic in the butter and oil in a soup pot. Sauté for about 15 minutes or until softened. Do not allow to become golden.
Add the cumin and sauté for another minute.
Add the carrot, beetroot and potato. Cover with stock and add the sugar. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the beetroot is tender.
Allow to cool.
Puree the soup using whatever apparatus you happen to own. Add the cream or milk. Adjust the consistency of the soup to suit, using stock, milk or water.
Reheat and season to taste with salt, both peppers and a splash of raspberry vinegar. The vinegar is there to provide a touch of background acidity to balance the sweetness of vegetables, and richness of the cream. Use the vinegar sparingly. Ideally you don’t want the soup to taste of vinegar, and certainly not of raspberries.
Serve in soup bowls garnished with parsley and the mustard cream.
Note-I used about 100ml of cream to 2 tsp of wholegrain mustard.

Slutty Spaghetti

This was the first dish I ever cooked for my partner. Yes, as the title suggests I thought I was being very clever. Little did I know, my partner hates anchovy and I was to find this out several months after the fact.
This particular pasta sauce is known in Italian as “puttanesca”, and translates as “in the style of the whore”. These Italian whores must be pretty classy. All the Aussie whores I know (and I know plenty) wouldn’t know what their kitchen looked like, let alone the inside of a food store. Lets just say, cooking food is not a priority in their lives…..
Anyway, I must have done something right the night I cooked this for my beloved, because he is still here, by my side. And I would also like to mention that he doesn’t mind anchovies every now and then. Well actually, I just disguise them. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
16 marinated anchovy fillets
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (from the marinated anchovy)
1 dried red chili
400g tin Italian tomatoes, chopped and mashed with a fork
1 tsp dried greek oregano
1 tbsp herb infused red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
12 black olives, cut into slithers
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed of their preserving salt
Freshly chopped parsley

Method
Place the garlic, oil, and anchovy into a saucepan.and, over a low heat, cook for about 10 minutes until the anchovy has melted into a paste and emulsified into the oil. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Add the chili and oregano and fry for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and sugar. Cook over a low heat, until well reduced (about 15 minutes).
Finish with the olives and capers.
The flavours of this sauce are strong, almost aggressive (like a street whore, I guess).
Toss through 200g of freshly boiled al dente spaghetti. You may need to add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, to help lubricate the pasta.
Lots of fresh parsley added at the last minute will lift the flavour. And please, no cheese with this dish-it doesn’t work.
Serves 2 (food) sluts.

Note- I have stipulated my marinated anchovy in the list of ingredients. However plain anchovy in oil are fine to use in this sauce.

Matzoh

The week of Passover is not far (a fortnight to be precise) and I just cannot bring myself to eat pre-packaged matzoh. To me they taste like stale crackers. I don’t care how virtuous these unleavened breads are, its bland quality has no place at my table.
So out of respect for tradition and religion, I thought baking my own would be a tastier compromise. I must admit I only intended to bake matzoh as a “better” option, to the store bought version. And how wrong was I? The homemade version is good. In fact very good, and that is why I am presenting it here.
I have given them my own touch by including rosemary, and finely chopped black olive to lift the flavour. I think these a tastier alternative to bruschetta (which I hate) and would be perfect to serve with drinks, before a dinner. Or with cheese after a meal (minus the rosemary and olives)
I do not use Passover flour, as I don’t follow the Laws of Kashrut. But instead I use my favorite Italian Tipo 00 flour. Be sure to use a robust and peppery olive oil, it will do wonders for the overall flavours.

Ingredients
150g Tipo 00 flour, plus extra
50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
75ml water
Pinch of sea salt, plus extra
Fresh black pepper
6 black olives, stones removed and chopped very finely (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Method
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Measure your water into a jug and add the oil.
Place the flour into a bowl, with a pinch of salt, pepper, rosemary and optional olives.
Add the water and oil and combine everything-I use a wooden spoon. It should come together almost immediately.
Now place the dough on a floured bench and knead very, very lightly for about 30 seconds. Add a little flour if it is sticky.
Roll out into a free form shape about 25cm in diameter.
Place on a greased baking sheet and stab with a fork, all over the surface.
Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt crystals.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden around the edges and crispy.
Allow to cool a little and eat while still warm.
Serves 2 as a snack, with a glass of wine of course.

Braised Squid with Clams, Mussels and White Wine

I was very surprised to learn the other day, that calamari and squid are two different creatures in Australia. All my reference books tell me they are the same. But not according to my fishmonger. When I asked what the difference was, I was told squid “has a stronger flavour” As I prefer stronger flavours, I chose the squid. I also noticed a very big difference in price. Whereas squid is very cheap at $5 a kilo, calamari was $25 a kilo. I asked why that was. Well apparently, there are more squid in the sea than calamari. I honestly think it is quite bizarre. The squid was utterly delicious, tasting of the sea and very tender. I never really gave attention to what I was buying in the past, because I always thought they were the same. I cannot help to think that maybe calamari is highly priced only because of the name. I mean “calamari” does sound more glamorous and exotic than “squid”. Who knows?

Ingredients
500g squid
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
Freshly chopped parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250ml white wine
500ml fish stock (I used fake)
2 tsp tomato paste
Fresh black pepper
10 fresh clams
6 mussels

Method.
Get the fishmonger to clean the squid for you. Ask he/she to leave it in 2 pieces- the arms and tentacles, and the body. Cut the squid in pieces-about 8cm long or so.
Put the garlic, parsley and oil in a pan and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Do not allow the garlic to color.
Add the wine and tomato paste. Allow to bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes.
Add the squid and fish stock. Season with pepper. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the squid is well cooked and tender. Keep an eye on the squid and do not over cook. Over cooked squid will become dry and acquire a stingy chicken-like texture. I have made this mistake in the past, and it is revolting.
Add the mussels and clams to the stew, cover and cook until they have opened. Discard any shellfish that refuse to open.
Sprinkle with more parsley and serve the seafood stew with saffron rice and lots of bread to mop up the salty juices. Serves 2.