Fried Rice with chilli and tuna

A twist on the classic fried rice dish. It's easy. It's got zing. It's delicious. Trust me. This is adapted from a recipe in a Delicious mag (2004)

Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked long grain rice
8 bacon rashers (rind removed or rindless) and chopped
1 onion finely diced
1-2 garlic cloves - crushed
1 cup of frozen peas 0r 1/2 cup and 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels.
210g tuna in chilli oil
1/2 cup spring onions finely sliced
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 long red chilli finely diced
1-2 eggs - cooked omelette style

The how to:
Fry the bacon and onion in a little olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add a little more oil (just a smidge) and add the rice and garlic. Cook for one minute then add the peas, tuna, spring onions, soy sauce and cooked bacon and onion. Heat through. Add the omelette. Serve with extra soy and spring onion if you like.

ps..not the best of pics I know. I don't have a fancy slr and the lighting in my kitchen sucks big time.

Note to self:

When deciding to go on a cleaning rampage in the kitchen and then deciding to put your spices in your new fandangle twirly whirly spice rack, don't blow on the top of the container until after you've put the lid back on. Otherwise you shall inhale a rather sickening amount of ground fennel into your eyes, nose and mouth. I'm hoping it has secret properties that I don't know about yet and will make me gorgeous, young and rich within the hour.

Anvers - Latrobe, Tasmania

Often if we're bored or the weather is reasonable and we need to escape the normal beat of the drum that is life, we hop in the car and drive approximately 50 minutes away to a town called Latrobe: home of the Axeman's Hall of Fame and Anvers Chocolates. mmmmm...Anvers. It's a place that is best visited in the cooler months of the year as they have the fires burning and the hot chocolate pouring. We indulged in our usual fare: Chilli hot chocolate in a large mug for DH and I always keep it simple with a normal hot chocolate served in a chocolatiere. We shared an indulgent piece of Chocolate mousse cake given that it was Father's Day on this side of the world.

I took the pic of the cake with my new camera. It's just a cheapie Canon but it certainly takes a decent enough macro shot if I play with the settings a bit. One day I will be able to afford a dslr. One day.

Cajun chicken pilaf

I'm a fan of the pilaf. I find them easy to do and I like combining different meats with rice and having a relatively one pot meal. This is something I came across on www.taste.com.au. It was absolutely delicious. Both big girl and husband LOVED it. In fact, husband said he loved it so much he wanted to learn how to cook it! Now you have to know my husband to realise just how much of a major statement this truly is! This is a man who does not like to cook (and why would he when he has me for a wife ;-)....his signature dish is chilli con carne and well...chilli con carne. Poor kids when I'm out of action, there is a lot of chilli eaten as well as a LOT of takeaway..blergh. And pilafs, well they are something he can easily do. This one just needs everything to be ready and in front of you before hand. For instance it tells you to grate the orange and squeeze whilst the chicken is cooking...nup...too stressful for me to concentrate on both. Just have that all done before you start cooking if you're like me. Ok..so onto the recipe.

• 3 (200g each) chicken breast fillets, trimmed
• 3 teaspoons cajun seasoning (see note)
• olive oil cooking spray
• 3 oranges
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Method

1. Coat both sides of chicken in cajun seasoning. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan oven medium heat. Spray both sides of chicken with oil. Cook chicken for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove to a plate. Cover and stand for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grate rind from 2 oranges. Juice all 3 oranges. Spray a large saucepan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add rice and stir to coat. Add stock, orange rind and 1 cup orange juice. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in currants and peas. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes or until rice has absorbed stock.
4. Slice chicken. Add chicken and almonds to rice. Stir to combine. Season with pepper. Serve.

And credit where credit is due:

Super Food Ideas - June 2007 , Page 36

Recipe by Claire Brookman and Jenny Fanshaw

Thanks Claire and Jenny. Great dish and I really had to share with all of my million and one readers out there :-D

Edited to add: if you are not huge on orange or the citrus taste in your cooking back off on the amount of orange zest and juice you use. It is quite strong but I think it balanced out the other flavours of the dish really well. Others on the taste site though noted that it was too overpowering for them, so I thought I would mention that.

Shepherds Pie

It is only Shepherds Pie if you use leftover roasted lamb meat..anything else then it is Cottage Pie. I only ever make it with roast lamb meat, so I have to remember to buy a lamb big enough, which can be a challenge when budgets are tight and the price of meat is ridiculous.

I think the secret to a good SP is the way you roast the meat. It needs to be perfectly roasted and marinated or seasoned well. I put slits into mine, stuff with garlic and rosemary and cover sundried tomato paste.

So using the leftovers I chop finely - usually I blend in the processor otherwise I'm in the kitchen forever chopping lamb and that annoys me more than my husband does from time to time.

I use a recipe based on one from Exclusively Food.

It's a good one and I recommend it thoroughly. I have made changes to it. I add a can of organic brown lentils (drained and rinsed), some chopped rosemary, a little thyme, grated zucchini and I don't put peas into mine as my husband hates the lovely buggers. So instead I put in corn kernels.

I'd better get up and get to it then. This pie isn't going to make itself! Can't take any pics as my lovely husband who claims to be the fixer of all things fixable decided my camera needed fixing and he would be the perfect person to do it. I'm still waiting. It's even MORE broken now. :-(

I totally neglect this blog. I do have another on LiveJournal that I have had for many years and that is where I tend to post about the more mundane, personal, life stuff. Here it is all about food. I've been sick for soooo many weeks now I haven't really been enjoying much in the way of cooking. I did cook my lovely spicy sausage and basil pilaf that is very very yummy last night. Tonight was a disappointing takeaway from the local Indian place.

ohhhh I have had success with baking. ME! Baking success. Who would have thought!

I haven't been receiving people's comments either..so sorry about that.

Kickarse roast chicken

Love a good roast chicken. It is such comfort food for me and reminds me of my mum. Lots of roasted vegetables and your favourite gravy with corn. Perfect. Vegetables tonight were roasted carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato and the good ol spud (par boiled first and then bashed around a bit in the colander to roughen them up before adding to the oiled pan).

My roast chicken is thus:

1 free range chook.
Lemon quarted
Bunch of thyme
Loads of garlic
Some melted butter and good quality virgin olive oil.
Paprika
Freshly ground salt.

..............

Pat the inside of the chook dry. I never wash my chooks..it takes away the natural juice from them.

Add the lemon, thyme and peeled garlic cloves (I use around three and cut them in half).

Call your child back who has been annoying you to help cook and get her to baste the chicken all over with the butter and oil that has been mixed together. Sprinkle with paprika and salt.

Put it in your oven that has been preheated (duh) to 180o degrees celcius. Cook for 20 minutes per 500g for a fan forced and 22 - 2 minutes for non fan forced.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

I thought I would try and post each recipe I do this week (no matter how boring). This is one of mine and husbands favourites and surprise surprise my non eating four year old even started eating it last night! Win!

500g Chicken Breast (I cut each in half)
1 litre chicken stock..the real stuff is best but the carton stuff will do too.
I large can of creamed corn
1 medium tin of corn kernels
Bunch of shallots/spring onion chopped
1 tablespoon of salt reduced soy sauce
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
I egg lightly beaten

......................

Place the chicken and stock into your soup pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for five minutes. Remove chicken and turn down the heat to low. Add the creamed corn, corn and ginger. Shred the chicken. Add it back along with the soy sauce and simmer for five or so minutes. Add the beaten egg and stir until it is white and swirly. Remove from heat and add the shallots and the sesame oil. Serve with your favourite crusty bread. Enjoy :-)

Hearty Beef and Veg Casserole

I have neglected my poor blog for a while now. This is not to say I haven't been doing a lot of cooking. I have. Tonight I thought I'd share a dish we all know some variation of. Here is mine.

1kg steak - diced
1 large leek - white part only sliced
2 onions roughly chopped in large pieces
2 - 3 garlic cloves crushed.
3 carrots sliced thickly
2 sticks of celery sliced
1 tablespoon of fresh Thyme
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground pepper and salt
2 tins of chopped tomato
1 - 1 and a half cups of good beef stock
1/4 cup of red wine...more if you like it richer like me.
Good splash of Worcestershire sauce
................................

Put a couple of tablespoons of plain flour along with a good sprinkle of paprika and freshly ground pepper on to a plate. Coat the meat and brown in batches in a deep heavy based saucepan in some good quality olive oil. Remove to a plate.

Add a bit more oil and add all the vegies and fry gently for five minutes or so until soft. Add the Thyme and mix that through. Add the wet ingredients and the bay leaves. Add some salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for an hour and fifteen minutes. Remove lid and simmer for another half an hour.

Serve on a bed of mash potato. And a side of yellow or green beans. Delish!!!

Notes:
*sometimes I will add a tablespoon of gravy mix as well for a richer gravy flavour.
*Check your meat after the hour and fifteen. You might find it needs longer depending on the type of beef you have used. The meat should be really really tender and shred easily.
*Good for the crock pot too.

Tara Lou

Made a chorizo, roasted vegetable and baby spinach frittata tonight. Was absolutely delicious! Made it all up in my head really, which is not hard to do when frittata is concerned. Used a pan that was too big though.

Off to Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for breakfast on Sunday...well I hope so. I need to book tomorrow morning. Love eating there. It's beautiful food. Do yourself a favour. If you're ever over my way. Go there.

Meal plan for the week:

Chicken and vegetable soup (mmmmmm....love this easy peasy thick and rich soup)
Tandoori Chicken, rice and dhal
Lamb shanks with creamy risoni
Chorizo and Chickpea stew. Although I hesitate to call it a stew. It is very delicious though :-)
Chilli tuna fried rice

I've never cooked the last one before. It's a taste.com.au recipe that looks quite delicious and I always like to try new recipes as much as I can. Tara won't eat it though. Actually the only thing she will eat out of all of that is the rice from the indian and the lamb shanks with creamy risoni. {sigh} As someone who loves food and loves to keep her family happy with the food she cooks for them, I am soooo frustrated by this child. :-(

Meal plan for the week

I do love to meal plan but often it goes haywire and I get frustrated that I haven't been able to stick with it for one reason or another (usually tiredness on my part). Shall start to record them here though as inspired by others out there in the food blogging world.

Baked Meatballs with tomatoes and roast chilli potatoes - ala Bill Granger
Homemade parmesean crusted fish and chips
Chicken and sweetcorn soup
Mustard Chicken bake ...a taste.com.au recipe that I'm not overly keen on but the rest of the family loves.
Prawn curry.

Right then, off to the supermarket I shall go.

A meme

Yes yes it has been a while. I guess I'm so used to my other blog that I neglect this one. And I shouldn't because I still love being a foodie. I don't know...maybe I should just do all of my food posts in my lj and leave it open so others can read that too???? Something to think about I guess.

So anyhoo..I've been tagged by the wonderfully creative cook extraordinare: Dani..you can find here.

It's a random fact thingie. Firstly, here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

The facts....

1. Nine years ago I weighed 16 kilos less than I do now!!!! Eeek..that is not a good thing. Well the only ok thing is that I was seriously underweight back then. Now I'm bordering on being seriously overweight.

2. I've never been called for jury duty. I'd love to do it though. Tyrone got called up recently..not fair!

3. I hate doing number twos in public toilets. I really would rather hang on and suffer a bad stomach ache than do it anywhere except my own toilet!

4. I'm a very messy person and find it hard to stay on top of the housework.

5. My favourite food indulgence is icecream.

6. I would love to have lived in every state of Australia by the time I pass from this life. (three down so far).

7. Tyrone just came home with a case of beer that I hate and that cost a fortune..growl growl.

I have no one to tag from here as noone reads this blog!! Just do it if you so choose :-)