Thursday, July 16, 2009

Soup Weather

Pumpkin Ravioli


Six of the recipe titles are clickable to go to the recipe.

Thursday ~ Bigos & Mashed Potatoes
Friday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Saturday ~ Chow Mein
Sunday ~ Chili Plum Sausages & ?
possibly Curried Sausages or Thai Sausage & Noodle Salad
Monday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Tuesday ~ Pork Mince Stroganoff
Wednesday ~ Spiced Pumpkin & Canned Lentil Soup
Thursday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with baby Kranksys
Friday ~ Sausage Casserole with Chipolatas
Saturday ~ Veal Campagnola & Chips
Sunday ~ Osso Bucco & Mashed Potatoes
Monday ~ Lentil Soup with Bacon Bones
Tuesday ~ Salad Nicoise with Slow Roasted Vegetable Ravioli
Spares:
Soy Bean & Vegetable Soup
Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Hearty Country Risotto

We have had some lovely days, yesterday and today. Very enjoyable. My traffic hazard today buying the food was a hawk coming at me sideways in the fog, he was just as surprised as I was.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Only two meatless this fortnight

and the meat didn't cost much. I did have to buy the kranskys from the deli instead of pre-packaged.

Thursday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with Kranskys
Friday ~ Chicken Snitzel Burgers with Salsa
Saturday ~ Beef Wanton Triangles (snack?)
Sunday ~ Mince
Monday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Tuesday ~ Sausage Casserole with Chipolatas
Wednesday ~ Nasi Goreng
Thursday ~ Pork Mince with Brussels Sprouts
Friday ~ Pork Mince Stroganoff
Saturday ~ Pork Sausages & Rosemary Pasta
Sunday ~ Char-grilled Pork Sausages with Thai Salad (a good excuse to use my Vietnamese mint)
Monday ~ Chilli Sweet Potato & Beans with Polenta
Tuesday ~ Zucchini Pasta (left over from last week)
Wednesday ~ Borlotti Bean & Chorizo Soup

Slicing Chorizo

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Fettucine Carbonara

Fettucine Carbonara

4 rashers bacon
1/3 cup cream
pinch paprika
1 egg
1 egg-yolk, extra
60g (2oz) grated parmesan cheese
30g (1oz) softened butter
pepper
250g fettucine

Remove rind from bacon, cut bacon into thin strips. Place bacon in frying pan over low heat, cook gently until bacon is crisp. Drain off bacon fat from pan, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Add cream and paprika, stir until combine. Place egg, egg yolk and 30g (1oz) grated parmesan cheese into bowl, beat until combined. Place fettucine into pan of boiling salter water, boil uncovered 10 to 12 minutes to until just cooked. Drain return to pan with butter, toss over low heat until combined.

Add bacon-cream mixture, toss until combined. Add egg mixture, toss until combined. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with remaining grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

This recipe was printed in the Australian Woman's Weekly Italian cookbook, probably the first one with mussels on the front cover.

We have loved this recipe since the 80s I think. And now enjoy other similar recipes very much, still making this one as a staple.




I loved this one this week:

Spaghetti with Salami Carbonara (you can omit the sage)

I love this one too and have eaten it recently:

Prosciutto Linguine

This one we have had a few times and is a handy recipe for menu planning:

Zucchini, Pea and Angel Hair Carbonara

This next one we have had before, I think because it is made from pancetta

Mushroom & Pancetta Spaghetti

Home-made Ribbon Pasta and Ingredients

Small Town Living

I saw this video, well, rather saw Lambert on Crook & Chase? on Austar. I can relate. I have only been living in a small town since early 2004.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Buying Too Much Meat

I really don't have any more clues. But I am sure we will enjoy the meat I bought. Some I had to buy two or three packets of, still tried to keep it to around $10 for us six.

Thursday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Friday ~ Osso Bucco with Mashed Potatoes
Saturday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Sunday ~ Beef Chow Mein
Monday ~ Tuna Casserole
Tuesday ~ Veal with Silverbeet (chard), Mozzerella & Tomato Sauce
Wednesday ~ Thai Lamb
Thursday ~ Spaghetti with Salami Carbonara
Friday ~ Lentil & Dill Soup possibly
Saturday ~ This is a swap for the cauliflower dish we haven't had yet, Pies, Peas, Pumpkin & Potato
Sunday ~ Chicken Sausage, Sweet Potato & Rocket
Monday ~ Balsamic Tomato, Chorizo & Rocket Fettucine
Tuesday ~ Zucchini Pasta Possibly
Wednesday ~ Maybe we could buy kranksys and Pea & Ham Soup for Brussels Sprouts

Bigos & mashed potatoes

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Back to Menus

Ingredients for Mediterranean Dishes


Tuesday ~ I think we had Paella
Wednesday ~ we had Fettucine Carbonara, and yes I will post the recipe
Thursday ~ Tuna Casserole
Friday ~ Chicken Snitzel Burgers with Salsa
Saturday ~ Red Curry Beef & Boc Choy
Sunday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Monday ~ Mexican Mince or Chilli Con Carne
Tuesday ~ Sausage Casserole with Chipolatas
Wednesday ~ Fragrant Pumpkin and Lentil Curry or Spicy Lentil & Pumpkin Soup
Thursday ~ Black Bean & Ham Soup
Friday ~ Prosciutto Linguine
Saturday ~ Borlotti Bean & Chorizo Soup
Sunday ~ Pasta with Marinated Feta, Pancetta & Lentils
Monday ~ Spinach
Tuesday ~ Salmon Broccoli Pasta
Wednesday ~ Other ideas, Lentil & Cauliflower Pilaf, Mushroom & Caper Pasta, Borlotti Bean Pasta

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Pantry Challenge Menu

I was so focussed on it at the time, but now I have forgotten all the things we made.

~ Zucchini Rigatoni
~ Borlotti Bean Pasta
~ Vegie Burgers & Chips
~ Spinach Korma & Rice
~ Pies and Potatoes

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Very Slow Menu

Thursday ~ Kransky Hotpot
Friday ~ Kransky Hotpot left-overs
Saturday ~ Barley Pilaf (I am only going to have barley in soups in future)
Sunday ~ Bolognaise
Monday ~ Tuna Casserole
Tuesday ~ Moroccan Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
Wednesday ~

I have meals to think up until at least Monday night. We are using what we have on hand buying odd bits and pieces to add to it.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Beans on the Menu

Door Stop by Neil Faulkner






I have a pumpkin similar to that that I tried photographing, maybe I'll put it at the end of the post. We were given it, which is always a big help.

Menu

Thursday ~ Veal Campagnola & Chips
Friday ~ Mexican Mince
Saturday ~ Red Curry Beef & Boc Choy
Sunday ~ Sausage Casserole & Potatoes
Monday ~ Pasta with Pork Sausages & Rosemary
Tuesday ~ Pork Sausages
Wednesday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with Kranskys & Brussels Sprouts
Thursday ~ Tuna Casserole
Friday ~ Pork Mince Stroganoff
Saturday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Sunday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Monday ~ Spiced Pumpkin & Canned Lentil Soup
Tuesday ~ Tuna & Mushroom Spaghetti
Wednesday ~ Soy Bean & Vegetable Soup



My Favourite Black (Turtle) Bean Soup

Top black bean soup with lemon and hard cooked egg slices.

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 cups dried black beans
* 1 ham bone or large ham hock
* 3 quarts water
* 2 ounces salt pork, diced or 2 to 3 slices diced bacon
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 medium carrot, diced
* salt and pepper
* sherry
* lemon slices
* hard cooked egg, sliced

PREPARATION:
Soak black beans and ham bone in 3 quarts of water overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer beans and liquid to large kettle of Dutch oven. Add salt pork or bacon, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Bring black beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.

Add chopped onions and diced carrot; simmer 1 hour longer. Remove and discard bay leaf and ham bone. In small batches, process or blend black bean soup mixture until smooth. Return to pot; heat. Add salt and pepper and a little sherry to taste. Serve black bean soup garnished with lemon and egg slices.
Makes 2 quarts of black bean soup.

From here.

Black beans (or Black Turtle Beans) from Asian supermarkets, (not sure which ones) and Kwikshop.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Medlars


I just love medlars, and I hope to buy a tree, though $100 is probably why I haven't bought one yet. I can buy one from a tree farm in Holbrook NSW called The Vintage Tree Nursery.

I had a tree before in our rental property that we lived in in 2003. Bletting the fruit still remains a mystery to me, though I think I did lots of research. I suppose if you are not using the information, you basically have to start again.

I bought some ready made jelly, though I can't say I have done a lot with it. I was thrilled though to see medlars on River Cottage Autumn a couple of days ago. They made medlar and apple chutney.

The girls picked medlars at the time when we had the tree, my husband even collected some sawdust, though it smelled to much like petrol from memory, but the fruit went rotten. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe I actually just bletted them? It would be hard to say since they were thickly together in a bowl.

My joy of medlars comes from my uncle's love of fruit trees, and I remember him visiting a tree in an older lady's garden.

Photo: Flickr Non-commercial Creative Commons: mgjefferies photostream here.

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