What have I done for my family?: 2010

Monday, November 1, 2010

Spanakopita & Granola

Baked Spanakopita - It is a Greek savory pastry spinach pie. Instead of using fetta cheese, I used ricotta and mozerella cheese and it was yummy.
(Recipe from sbs.com.au)

1 bunch (about 320g) English spinach or silverbeet
2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
4 green shallots, chopped
300g feta cheese
100g ricotta cheese
40g (½ cup) finely grated hard cheese like kefalograviera, parmesan or pecorino
5 eggs
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
60ml olive oil
Melted butter or olive oil for greasing dish
375g packet fresh (not frozen) filo pastry
185ml melted butter, approximately

Trim the roots from the English spinach, or if using silverbeet, remove leaves from tough stems. Wash leaves and drain well. Coarsely shred the leaves and tender stalks of the spinach and set aside.

Place the feta in a large bowl and coarsely mash with a fork. Add the ricotta, kefalograviera, eggs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper and oil. Mix with the fork to combine. Add the spinach and set aside while preparing the pastry case.

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking dish.

Lay the filo out on a bench. Cover with a dry tea towel then a damp one to keep it from drying out. Line dish with a sheet of filo and butter the filo. Top with another sheet of filo and butter and continue until about half the sheets of filo are used.

Using your hand or a large metal spoon, gently mix the spinach filling until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pastry base and spread evenly. Top with remaining filo, buttering each sheet, ensuring the final sheet is well buttered. Trim any overhanging pastry and tuck in the sides.

Use a sharp knife to mark pastry top into diamonds, allowing the knife to pierce the pastry once or twice to allow air to escape during baking. Sprinkle lightly with water and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until well browned and set. Gently shake the pan and the spanakopita will slide easily when cooked. Cover with foil if over browning. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Baked Spanakopita

Home-made granola with yoghurt and strawberry

(Receipe Adapted from Feast, by Nigella Lawson)
5 cups (450g) multi-grain flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups (375g) almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup (125g) sunflower seeds
3/4 cup (100g) untoasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup (120g) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
1/3 cup (100g) rice syrup
1/4 cup (80g) honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).
1. In a very large bowl, mix together the flaked grains or oats, almonds, sunflower and sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the fruit puree with the rice syrup, honey, and oil.
3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets. (If you have ones with sides, often called jelly-roll pans, use them.)
4. Bake the granola for about 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown.
5. Remove from oven, then cool completely.
Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.

Baked Granola - one with almond, walnut and sunflower seed, one with dried fruit and nut and another chocolate with almond and walnut.

Baked Granola

Monday, October 25, 2010

Fried Chao Tow Kuay, Mexican buns & Lontong

Fried Chao Tow Kuay (fried radish cake) for breakfast (I steamed the radish cake the day before using the same recipe from my previous blog but for this one - I just steamed it with radish.)

Cooked Lei Cha for dinner

Cooked Lei Cha for dinner (fried bean curd missing in the picture)

Baked Mexican buns

Cooked Lontong for dinner

Cabbage - cut in big slices
Turnip - thick long strip
Long bean - cut about same size as turnip
Fried tau kwa
Carrot
Shallot
garlic
Bamboe Lodeh vegetable stew paste
Tean's Gourmet Kari vegetable chilli paste
2 cups of coconut milk

Fry the shallot and garlic and then add in chilli paste and stew paste. Add in cabbage and water and simmer for a while. Then add in turnip, long bean and tau kwa. When vegetable soften add in coconut milk.

22-10-10: Ketupat for the lontong

Baked chicken curry puffs

19-10-10: Baked Chicken Curry Puffs (for the pastry I used the recipe from my chicken pie and it turned out well.)

19-10-10: Baked Chicken Curry Puffs

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pizza cups

16-10-10: Baked pizza cups

(recipe from my kitchen snippet)
For the dough:
1 packet/7 gram dry yeast
¾ cups of warm water
2 cups + 2 tbsp of bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

For filling I didn't follow her recipe I just used what I have in my kitchen.
chicken ham cut into small pieces
a small can of pineapple - cut into cubes
tomatoes - cut into cubes
red capsicum - cut into cubes
Mozzarella and parmesan cheese
pepper
tomato paste

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let it stand about 10 minutes or until frothy.
In a large bowl combined the flour, olive oil and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Knead it into smooth dough. (you might need to add another 2 tbsp of flour to it). Cover and let it rise to double in volume.
Get ready a muffin pan. Greased with some melted butter. In a working table, dust with some flour. Roll out the pizza dough and cut out the dough to fit into your muffin pan.
Fill it up with the fillings, and top it with cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven until the pizza cups are bubbly and brown. Garnish it with some basil. Let the pizza cups cool down a bit on the muffin pan before removing it.

16-10-10: Baked pizza cups

Friday, October 22, 2010

Radish Kueh with chive, Roasted Pumpkin Quiche

14-10-10: Baked Roasted Pumpkin Quiche (recipe refer to the little teochew)

14-10-10: Baked Roasted Pumpkin Quiche

13-10-10:Home-made radish kueh with chive - panfried it.

1 medium radish - grated
1 bundle of chive or koo chye - cut it to about 1cm
200g rice flour
salt
dried shrimp - blend it and fry it with garlic
pepper

Method:
Steam the grated radish with some water in it for about half an hour or until radish turns translucent. Remove cover and allow to cool.

Combine rice flour, salt and about 250ml or more hot water. Mix well to combine.

Add the fried dried shrimp and radish to rice flour .Add salt and pepper. Add in the chive or koo chye. Stir and mix before pouring into a container for steaming.

Steam on high for 40 mins. Leave it until completely cool (best overnight in the refrigerator), so that the radish cake firms up. Panfried it when want to eat.

13-10-10:Home-made radish kueh with chive - panfried

13-10-10:Home-made radish kueh with chive

Monday, October 18, 2010

Tom Yum Soup and Fried Egg Salad (Yum Khai Daw)

Fried Egg Salad (Yum Khai Daw)

4 eggs
1 large tomato, sliced
1 green mango sliced (or cucumber)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup of coriander leaves
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 to 5 chillies cut in slices

for the dressing
3 tbs of fish sauce
2 tbs of palm sugar (2 small pieces)
juice of one lime

Put the palm sugar and fish sauce together(or heat up in the microwave and let it disolve). Then add in the chopped garlic, chilies and lime juice.

Fry the eggs with oil (put more oil), while frying use the ladle to put some hot oil over the top of the eggs.
Cut eggs into quarters, place everything in a large plate and pour the dressing over. Mix well. (optional add peanut or pine nut)

Tom Yum Soup

chicken stock - 2 cups (500 ml)
1 Fresh lemongrass
Galangal - a small piece
Kaffir Lime Leaves - 2-3 (cut into sliver)
Nam Prik Pao (Thai roasted chilli paste-I used Measri brand) - 1-2 tsp (depends on how hot your brand of paste is)
3-5 chillies
Fish sauce - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 medium lime
red Onion - 1/4 of a medium onion (sliced)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp
Boneless chicken breast - 50 gm (chopped)
Straw mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms) - 4 (sliced)
Spring/Green onions - 3 tbsp (sliced thin)
4 Prawns (optional)

For the lemongrass, use only the bottom white part (about 6 inches) and discard the woody grass part of it. With the flat side of a cleaver or a heavy object, pound and bruise the lemongrass so it releases the flavour. Cut into 2 inch segments.

Put lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce and stock into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Uncover the pot and add the Kaffir lime leaves, chilies, onion, sugar and chicken pieces.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add Nam Prik Pao and mushrooms. Simmer for yet another 2 minutes. Now add the spring onions and let it simmer for 30 seconds.
(optional add prawns with the spring onions)
Turn off the heat, add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Test for saltiness and sourness. If required, adjust with more fish sauce (salt) and lime juice (sour).

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Pumpkin abacus beads & cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins

Pumpkin abacus beads

1/2 pumpkin - cut into smaller pieces
potato flour
salt
dry shrimp - soak in water and then blend it
dry mushroom - soak in water and cut into strip
chilli
spring onion
shallot

Boil a pot of water and cook the pumpkin till soften. Take out the soft pumpkin and put into container. Mash the pumpkin and then add the potato flour. Stir it till well mix and add more potato flour if it is sticky. Roll it into balls. Boil a pot water and when water is boiled, throw in the pumpkin beads. The pumpkin beads will float when it is cooked. Take out the pumpkin beads and soak it in cold water.
Fry the shallot and then the dry shrimp till fragant. Add mushroom and pumpkin beads.Season to taste. When it is cooked add spring onion and chillies.

Home-cooked pumpkin abacus for dinner

baked cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins

Cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
3 tbsp vege oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup granny smith green apple - peel skin and cut into dice
4 tbsp cashew nuts - cut into smaller pieces

Preheat oven 190C. Sift flour and add baking powser, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In another bowl whisk egg, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the flour into the egg mixture and add in apple, cashew nut and cheese. Bake for 15mins.

baked cashew nuts, apple and cheese muffins

baked chicken pies

muffins and chicken pies

Butter Poached Lobster

cooking the lobster bisque

Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo done by daughter.

part 1: buy the live lobster, freeze it, throw it into boiling water, take it out and remove the meat.
part 2: making the lobster bisque, which was easy cos all you do is chop up stuff and throw it with the shells into a pot. and then you simmer it. Bake the parmesan cheese thinly. Boil the orzo and drain it. Rinse the orzo with cold water.
part 3: add cream and mascarpone to the lobster bisque reduction, simmer some more, then cook and add orzo to the whole thing.
part 4: poach the lobster meat in butter.
part 5: put everything together.

Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo was fabulous and delicious.

Japanese salad done by daughter. She seared the sashimi-grade tuna first.
besides tuna tataki there was tofu, cherry tomatoes, avocado, veggies and goma (sesame) sauce