In The Garden: The Beginning & The Basil

While we lived in Far North Queensland we spent a lot of time watching our friends cultivate and grow their own sustainable fruit and vegetable gardens. While we both agreed that we wanted our own garden, at the time, we were happy reaping the benefits of our friend's fertile ground in the form of jams, salads and rich egg based sauces. When we moved back to the city and found ourselves within 15 minutes of Bunnings Warehouse and it seemed almost silly not to at least experiment with what we could grow.

We had very meagre beginnings. We armed ourselves with 3 pots, 4 sweet basil plants, 4 Italian parsley plants, 4 Tommy Toe tomatoes plants and a little pine tree we hoped to grow all year and use as our very own Christmas tree!

Our parsley died almost instantly (my husband was able to salvage one plant). Over the next few weeks our tomatoes magically sprouted delightful little yellow flowers. Our basil took on a life of its own and the Christmas tree even started to take shape. Then. Without any real warning. Our city was struck by torrential rain, flooding and a cheery cyclone roared through our backyard. In the ruins of our little garden we found our tomato plants had been destroyed, including 5 little baby tomatoes. Our Christmas tree was beyond repair and whatever was left of the parsley to begin with looked doomed.

The basil, on the other hand, seemed to have laughed in the face of danger and was growing like a weed. For a few weeks there we had about 7 pots worth of basil. We didn't know what to do with it. We tried drying it and freezing it but in the end we thought the most *clever* thing to do, was eat our beautiful produce!

Since the beginning of March our basil has provided us with 3 (large) pesto based pasta meals. It is delicious (and deliciously cheap!). So at the moment we are pretty proud of our little garden and we have slowly extended it since the damage of the storm. I would really like to share our progress (or not so progress) stories over the year to see how we do.

Pesto
2 cups of fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, halved
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Toast the pine nuts in the oven for about 10 minutes (they burn quickly once their oils release so watch them!). Add the basil, pine nuts, cheese and garlic into a food processor. Process until combined. Gradually add the oil while mixing until pesto is at desired consistency. Stir through the lemon juice.

(Stir through pasta, adding cream for richness if you like it!)

Sunday Sweets: Berry Crunch

Warm. Sun shining. Sunday? Love it! I have to say, my husband working 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday is probably the best invention ever. It means we were able to have a leisurely pancake filled morning, then go and do "couples things" like visit the plant nursery and get coffee and walk the dogs. My life was just a little bit picturesque today and this dessert finished it off nicely.

Berry Crunch
1/2 teaspoon sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup breakfast cereal (flakes and bran)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons honey

1/2 cup mixed berries

1 cup vanilla yoghurt

Combine the seeds, oats, cereal, maple syrup, vanilla and honey. If they mixture is too wet add more oats, if it is too dry add more syrup. You want a sticky consistency. Place the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Let cool on the bench covered with a tea towel. When cool enough to touch break up into chunks.

Layer a serving glass with the crunch, berries and yoghurt.

Mum's Icing

Icing has typically been an issue for me. I've nailed butter cream but that's about it. I have always wanted to be able to just make an icing that I can just spread onto whatever and not have to worry about it dripping or being too thick or too thin or having to add mountains of water and then mountains of icing sugar to balance it all out.

We are seeing some friends tomorrow and have been tasked with bringing along dessert. I decided I would remake my Brownies as they were previously very well received. Of course, true to form, as soon as I had to cook something for an actual occasion as opposed to simply for stuffing my own face, my brownies came out dry instead of fudgey (I attribute this to the lack of chocolate - I only had 150 grams instead of 200).

In a pit of brownie despair, my only glimmer of hope was to add some icing to the top. I very nervously came to this decision. Icing and me just don't go well together (see Disaster Bunnies). My mum was around so I very cautiously asked, "Could you please help me put icing on my dried out brownies.....since my last icing escapade didn't turn out so well."

Now, my mum hates the kitchen and we have very rarely cooked together but she very readily accepted  to help me out and she showed me how to make perfect icing.

Mum's Chocolate Icing
1 cup icing mixture
3 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon butter*
splash of milk*

*can be substituted with warm water

Put the icing sugar and the cocoa into a small mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to lightly combine. Place the butter and milk into a microwave proof dish and microwave for 20 seconds on medium heat until butter has just melted in to the milk, stir to combine.

Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, gradually spoon the wet mixture into the dry. Mix well after each addition. You well end up with a thick icing that is easy enough to spread and won't drip off.

Using the milk and butter icing means that your cake will need to go into the fridge (which is why the water option is sometimes good). You can substitute cocoa powder with any other flavour icing you want. The major key thing here is gradually it is a little bit of a slow process but, seriously, this icing blew my mind. I can't thank my mum enough for teaching me something so useful.

Nasi Goreng

When we were on our honeymoon in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu we came across Nasi Goreng and were informed that it was the "national dish" of Malaysia by many locals. We got to enjoy this dish on a trip into the jungle. We were taken right out into the middle of no where to this small village, we ate at a small open walled shed, the air-conditioner consisted of a water sprinkler on a tin roof. We were served Nasi Goreng with chicken that was killed only hours earlier. I was scared to eat it, so sure I would get food poisoning but in the end I couldn't resist.

Nasi Goreng 

Chicken & Marinade 
Chicken breast
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 red chilli, seeds removed thinly sliced

Combine all of the ingredients with the chicken and let sit in marinade for at least 30 minutes. Put chicken and sauce into an oven tray and roast in a 180 degree Celsius oven and cook for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Nasi Goreng
2 cups white rice
1/2 brown onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 red chilli, seeds removed thinly sliced
1 bunch pak choy, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Eggs

Bring 2 cups of water to the boil and add the rice, reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. In a wok or electric frying pan, fry carrot and onion until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir through the cooked rice, add the pak chou, soy sauce and brown sugar and stir through to combine.

Fry the eggs, ensuring the yolk is still soft. Serve the rice topped with the fried egg with the chicken on the side.

Sunday Sweets: Snickers Pie

So this just happened.

 I'm pretty sure I'll never look at Snickers bars the same way again. This Snickers pie is like a sweet, gooey chocolate and peanut layered lasagne. It's just that good. The richness of the chocolate mixed with the creaminess of the cream cheese and the texture of the Snickers peanuts. Whew. Get some water and take a seat.

Snickers Pie

Pie Base 
250 grams scotch fingers
90 grams butter

Fudge-Snickers Layer
115 grams butter
115 grams milk chocolate
5 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
220 grams Snickers bars, diced

Cream Layer
250 grams cream cheese
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a pie dish.  Process the scotch finger biscuits in a blender until fine. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave and add to the biscuit crumbs. Mix to combine then press the crumbs into a spring-form dish.

For the fudge layer, melt the butter and chocolate in a heat proof mixing bowl over boiling water. While chocolate is melting (keep an eye on it!) use an electric mixer to beat the sugar, eggs and egg yolk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix to combine. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder on top of the chocolate and fold together.

Bake for around 15 minutes, the batter should still be moist in the centre. Let this base cool then arrange  the diced pieces of Snickers bar over the top of this chocolate layer.

For the cream layer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and the egg white and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Carefully spread this mixture over the top of the Snickers bars and fudge layer. Bake the pie for 15 minutes or until cream cheese is just set. Allow to cool in the fridge.

Sweet Chocolate Brownies

There's nothing wrong with sitting on the couch for 3 days watching Breaking Bad and eating brownies right? I LOVE school holidays.

Brownies have been on my mind for a while. It all began with a trip to Max Brenner and then a super chocolate smothered brownie sundae at the Gold Class cinema. Both times were the ultimate over indulgence. Over the past few weeks I have been throwing together some different ideas - white chocolate brownies with butterscotch sauce for example or caramel brownies?! However, having never made an original brownie I thought I might be best to start there. All of the recipes I looked at asked for dark chocolate, being Easter, however, I had a store of dairy milk that I decided I would sacrifice for the great good. I ended up with sweet, fudgey deliciousness.  Eat this. And watch Breaking Bad, it's amazing.

Sweet Chocolate Brownies

200 grams milk chocolate 

120 grams butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

140 grams brown sugar

2 eggs

150 grams plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

50 grams chopped almonds

Melt the chocolate and butter over boiling water. Once melted and smooth remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisk after each egg. Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt over the chocolate mixture add the almonds and fold in with a spatular. 

Cook in a 170 degree oven for 20 minutes. When removed from the oven the top of the brownies will be cracked and the middle will still be fudgey. 

Chocolate Sauce 

80 grams milk chocolate

20ml thickened cream

Melt the chocolate over boiling water, add cream gradually while stirring the chocolate as it melts down. Top the brownie with the sauce. 

Spicy Meatballs with Fried Polenta

We spent the Easter weekend in Newcastle being very well fed by my mother-in-law and indulging in a lot of chocolate and wine.

It was a long drive home yesterday and I woke up this morning so happy that I didn't have to go to work! I really wanted to make use of the time I had today so spent some time in the kitchen doing something new that I am now declaring a "regular" on my dinner list.

Spicy Meatballs with Fried Polenta 

Polenta

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup polenta

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup milk

chives

salt & pepper 

Bring the stock to the boil and gradually add the polenta, whisking to avoid lumps forming. Continue to whisk until the stock and polenta mixture thickens. Reduce heat and simmer until polenta is no long crunchy. 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir through the chives. The mixture will be moist and thick. Use a spatular to scoop the mixture into a pan (line with baking paper for easy removal later on). Spread out the mixture evenly using your hands or a spatular, it will begin to congeal and thicken more. Place in the fridge to allow to set (mine took about 6 hours to set properly).

After setting, remove from the fridge and cut into desired pieces. Spray a fry pan with oil and lightly cook the polenta on each side until golden and crispy. Place in the oven on a low heat to warm through before serving. 

Meatballs

500 grams beef mince

1 egg

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon sugar 

Whisk the egg and combine with the mince and all other ingredients. Roll the meat into balls (about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each ball and add more breadcrumbs if mixture is too moist to roll ). Rest in the fridge before cooking for about 10-20 minutes. Cook meatballs in a hot fry pan, ensure they are browned on the outside and cooked through. 

Sauce

1/2 brown onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

140 gram can tomato paste

3/4 cup of canned, diced tomatoes 

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

Cook the onion and garlic in a saucepan until soft. In a bowl combine the sugar, chilli flakes and tomato paste. Mix to combine then gradually add the diced tomatoes until sauce is at desired consistency. Add sauce to the onion and garlic and heat through.

Serve the polenta topped with meatballs and sauce and sour cream if it's too spicy!