Mushroom and spinach risotto

Recipe adapted from Super Food Ideas Magazine, April 2012 issue, page 35

Ingredients

1 litre chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion or shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
15g dried porcini mushrooms, sliced
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
50g baby spinach
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
40g butter, chopped

Method

1. Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms with 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes.
2. Place stock and mushroom water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes or until mixture starts to simmer. Reduce heat to low to keep hot.
3. Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme leaves and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until coated. Add wine. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until wine has absorbed.
4. Add 1/3 cup stock mixture to rice mixture. Cook, stirring, until stock has absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, until liquid has absorbed and rice is tender (stir every minute for approx 16 to 18 minutes).
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, parmesan and butter. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash more stock if needed. Set aside, covered, for 2 minutes. Season. Serve with grated parmesan.

Notes & Tips

Adding more than 1/3 cup stock at a time will make the risotto cook too quickly, and the rice will not be tender. Make sure the stock is hot when adding it to the pan.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of my favourite Italian desserts. It's a little time consuming to make but the effort is so worth it :)

Ingredients

4 eggs, separated (room temperature)
½ cup caster sugar (sifted)
250g mascarpone cheese, softened
1/3 cup coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
½ teaspoon coffee essence
200ml thickened cream
4 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 cups warm water
2 x 250g packets or one 500g packet of sponge finger biscuits
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Method

1. Place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a mixing bowl, and whisk on high speed with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and on a medium speed, whisk until it starts to thicken.  Be sure not to over mix as you may split the mascarpone.
2. Add the liqueur and coffee essence and mix until just combined.
3. Wash and dry beaters. In another bowl, whip cream to firm peaks. Fold into mascarpone mixture. Wash and dry beaters.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Combine coffee and warm water in a shallow dish, stirring until coffee dissolves. Using half the biscuits, dip biscuits quickly one at a time in coffee, turning to coat. (Try not to soak your biscuits all the way through.  There should still be a little portion in the middle that has not been soaked in the coffee). Place, in a single layer, over the base of a 6cm-deep, 18cm x 28cm (base) baking dish.
6. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over biscuits to cover. Sprinkle with a little of the cocoa powder. Repeat layers with remaining biscuits, coffee and mascapone mixture. Cover and refrigerate for minimum 4 hours or for a better result, overnight.
7. Dust top with cocoa powder just before serving.

Tips for when making Tiramisu: 

If you have a coffee/espresso machine, use it instead of the instant coffee powder. I didn't have one so just used strong flavoured instant coffee.

Be careful to not soak the biscuits in the coffee for too long or they'll go soggy.

The flavour of the tiramisu is more intense if you leave it overnight and it sets better.

Dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder just before serving or the cocoa powder will settle into the cream.

Meatball Cacciatore with Polenta

Recipe adapted from Recipes +, April 2011 issue, page 56-57

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 x 420g packets beef meatballs
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
200g button mushrooms, sliced
500g bottle tomato pasta sauce
1.25 litres (5 cups) chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 cup milk
1½ cups instant polenta (cornmeal)
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped parsley

Method

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over moderately high heat. Add meatballs; cook and turn for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a heatproof plate. Add onion and mushroom to pan; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add pasta sauce, ½ cup of the stock and 2 tablespoons of basil. Season with pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly and meatballs are cooked.
2. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Use a wire balloon whisk to stir the stock. Gradually add the polenta in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly until all the polenta is incorporated into the liquid (whisking ensures the polenta is dispersed through the liquid as quickly as possible). Don't add the polenta too quickly or it will turn lumpy. 
3. Reduce heat to low (cook the polenta over low heat otherwise it will cook too quickly and you will need to add extra water/stock). Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the polenta is soft. (To test whether the polenta is soft, spoon a little of the polenta mixture onto a small plate and set aside to cool slightly. Rub a little of the polenta mixture between 2 fingers to see if the grains have softened. If the grains are still firm, continue to cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until the polenta is soft.)  
4. Remove from heat. Add the milk and parmesan cheese, and stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon polenta into shallow serving bowls. Add cacciatore; sprinkle with chopped parsley and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cannoli with ricotta, chocolate and orange

This simple dessert tastes sensational, yet it is quick and easy to prepare.

Recipe from Australian Good Taste Magazine, April 2007 issue, page 58

Serves 4

Ingredients 

250g fresh ricotta
100g caster sugar
¼ cup grated dark chocolate
2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
8 cannoli shells
Icing sugar mixture, to dust

Method

Place the ricotta, sugar, chocolate, orange rind and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. 

Spoon the ricotta mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm diameter fluted nozzle. Pipe the ricotta mixture evenly into the cannoli shells.

Arrange 2 cannoli on each serving plate. Dust evenly with icing sugar and serve immediately (otherwise shells will become soggy)

Notes & Tips

Cannoli shells are from Italian delis and gourmet food shops. If unavailable, use the ricotta mixture to fill waffle baskets or waffle ice-cream cones.

Filling can be made ahead up to 24hours prior to filling the shells. Keep covered and refrigerated.

Fresh ricotta cheese is drier than tub ricotta and will give the correct consistency in this recipe. Ricotta cheese is the main ingredient in the filling and should always be dry. If the cheese is not dry, place it in a colander which is placed in a large bowl. Cover this with a moist cloth and place it overnight in the refrigerator so that all the moisture drains out. Make sure that the cheese is dry or else the filling will not turn out thick and soft, ruining the cannoli and your efforts.

Using an electric mixer to combine the ingredients will make it nice and fluffy

Caesar Salad

I went to a friend's baby shower today and was asked to bring along a salad so I decided to make a Caesar salad as it's fairly simple to throw together and well liked amongst most people. You can also add chicken pieces to this salad to turn it into a chicken caesar salad. For my chicken caesar salad recipe, click here.

Ingredients

2 eggs, hard boiled, cut into slices

8 bacon rashers, rind removed, cut crossways into thin strips
a handful of croutons
2 baby cos lettuce, leaves washed, dried and coarsely chopped
300ml Caesar salad dressing

40g Parmesan cheese, shaved 

Method

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until crisp.
2. Arrange the lettuce, eggs and croutons on a serving platter. Drizzle with the Caesar salad dressing and sprinkle with bacon and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

Use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water from your salad leaves

Zabaglione

I had 6 egg yolks left over from another recipe/dish I had made. Not content with just throwing them into the bin, I decided to make Zabaglione which is a simple Italian dessert made with just egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine. This light and fluffy custard however gave my arms such a work out! Just a few minutes into whisking the custard over the simmering water, I could feel my arms aching from all that whisking! Maybe next time I'll try using the electric whisker- not sure if it'll give me the same results but at least it'll be less painful- on another note, at least I'm enjoying the fruits of my labour whilst eating the Zabaglione, or should I really be saying that my hips just keep getting wider :P

Serves 4-6


Ingredients

6 egg yolks
⅓ cup caster sugar
¼ cup Marsala wine or dry white wine
Strawberries, lady fingers or biscotti, to serve

Method

1. Half-fill a pot with water. Bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
2. Whisk the yolks, sugar and wine together in a large, round bottomed stainless steel bowl until frothy.  Set the bowl containing the custard mixture over the water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Continue to whisk over the pot of simmering water until light and fluffy and forming soft peaks - approx. 10 minutes. 
3. Whilst whisking the custard mixture make sure the water does not boil. This ensures that a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without scrambling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture.
4. Continue whisking until the mixture triples in volume, froths up and becomes pale.
5. When it reaches the desired consistency, take the bowl out of the pot. Continue whisking for a minute or two to prevent the custard from sticking to the bowl.
6. Pour the zabaglione into glasses and serve with strawberries and/or biscuits like lady fingers or biscotti.

Notes & Tips

The whisking is done over simmering water so that the egg yolks cook as they thicken into a light, foamy custard. The mixture must not get too hot during cooking or it will become grainy. If it begins to feel warmer than body temperature, remove the bowl briefly from the heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture cools. Then return the bowl to the heat and continue cooking.

Zabaglione may be served warm or cold. A cold one is whisked off the heat until cooled. Traditional zabaglione must be made just before serving. The warm froth can be served as a dessert by itself or as a sauce over cake, fruit, ice cream or pastry.

In France, this is called sabayon

Osso Bucco

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 x 350-400g, centre bone cut pieces of veal osso buco
50mL extra virgin olive oil 
2 onions, finely diced 
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 anchovy fillets 
1 cup dry white wine
800g tinned crushed tomatoes
1 cup veal or beef stock 
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large sprigs of fresh sage
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary 
1 fresh bay leaf 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the puree:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped good quality anchovy 


Method

Season the veal with the sea salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and brown the veal osso buco pieces evenly on all sides. The veal should be well coloured but be careful not to burn the meat.

Remove the browned veal shanks from the pan and set them aside in the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, garlic, anchovy and herbs and sauté slowly for about 5 minutes or until translucent.  Turn heat up and then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until the wine is almost completely reduced before adding the tomatoes and veal stock.

Bring to the boil before adding into the slow cooker- make sure the sauce covers the veal. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly, if the tomatoes are not as ripe and sweet as they should be a little sugar should be added. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the cut but will take somewhere between 4 to 6 hours on low setting.

The veal should be fork tender, with the meat just beginning to separate from the bone when you remove them from the slow cooker. Do not remove until meat is falling off the bone. 

To make the purée, combine the garlic, anchovy and parsley.

After you have removed the veal from the sauce, stir in the puree.  Serve veal pieces with equal portions of creamy polenta and spoon a little of the veal sauce over the top of the veal pieces to finish.

Soft Creamy Polenta

This traditional Italian staple makes a fantastic warming side dish for meat, chicken, fish or vegetables.

Ingredients

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
1 cup coarse polenta (cornmeal)
125ml (1/2 cup) thin cream
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
40g butter
Salt & finely ground white pepper

Method

1. Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Use a wire balloon whisk to stir the stock. Gradually add the polenta in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly until all the polenta is incorporated into the liquid (whisking ensures the polenta is dispersed through the liquid as quickly as possible). Don't add the polenta too quickly or it will turn lumpy. 
2. Reduce heat to low (cook the polenta over low heat otherwise it will cook too quickly and you will need to add extra water/stock). Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the polenta is soft. (To test whether the polenta is soft, spoon a little of the polenta mixture onto a small plate and set aside to cool slightly. Rub a little of the polenta mixture between 2 fingers to see if the grains have softened. If the grains are still firm, continue to cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until the polenta is soft.)  
3. Remove from heat. Add the cream, Parmesan and butter, and stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

The hot polenta may splatter as it cooks, so use a long-handled wooden spoon to avoid being scalded.

Rosetti's Cafe

Hubby and I came here on a Saturday night for a casual dinner. I liked the funky retro decor when I walked in, but the restaurant seemed really loud and noisy. Maybe it was the hard floor?

Bruschetta with Bocconcini $4.50

We kicked off the night with an entree to share- bruschetta with bocconcini. The bread was nicely toasted and the tomatoes well seasoned.

Char-grilled T Bone with BBQ mushrooms, served with garden salad and chips $21.50

For main, I ordered the char-grilled T bone steak since I was feeling like I was lacking some iron in my diet and I thought a big steak could help correct that. The T-Bone steak brought out to me was cooked to perfection- I asked for medium rare and that's exactly what I got. The chips were also nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The salad was fresh with just the right amount of dressing.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon Fillet $27.50

Hubby got the grilled Atlantic salmon fillet served on a bed of vegetables drizzled with a light honey and soy glaze. Strange flavours to find on your plate in an Italian restaurant... but the dish was nice, fish was just slightly overcooked.

Home Made Apple and Cinnamon Crepes served with ice cream and cream $17.50

For dessert, hubby and I chose the homemade apple and cinnamon crepes suggested on the specials board. The crepes were paper thin and the apples nicely poached. It was a yummy dessert to end the night and I left the restaurant feeling satisfied.

Will probably go back again to try their woodfired pizzas- apparently each style is named after a street in the surrounding suburb... interesting...

Bolognese sauce

This bolognese sauce is very easy to make, freezer friendly and can be used in other recipes. I like to add grated carrot into my bolognese sauce and occasionally 1 grated zucchini to increase the vegetable content of this dish.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated (optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750g lean beef mince
140g carton tomato paste
1 cup thick Italian tomato pasta sauce (passata)
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, or until tender. 
2. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until browned. 
3. Add tomato paste, pasta sauce, stock, wine, oregano, nutmeg, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well. 
4. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes or until thick. Season with salt, pepper and sugar if required. Serve with favourite pasta.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients

2 chicken breast fillets
2 eggs
8 bacon rashers, rind removed, cut crossways into thin strips
2 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated, washed, dried
300ml Caesar salad dressing
40g Parmesan cheese, shaved
croutons


Method

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Thinly slice across the grain. 
2. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil, stirring often to create a whirlpool (to centre yolks). Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered, for 6 minutes (for medium boiled eggs). Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel and thinly slice.  
3. Heat the frying pan over high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until crisp.
4. Arrange the chicken, egg, croutons and lettuce on a serving platter. Drizzle with the Caesar salad dressing and sprinkle with bacon and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Linguine with Garlic Prawns & Chilli

Quick, easy and tasty! What more could you want in a recipe? Try it and tell me if you like it :)

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g dried linguine pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil, extra
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh small red chilli, finely chopped
10-12 medium green king prawns, peeled, tails left intact, deveined
1 tbsp chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, following packet directions, until al dente. Drain. Add 1 tbsp olive oil into the pasta and stir, to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.
2. Meanwhile, heat the extra olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Increase heat to medium, add the prawns and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until the prawns curl, change colour and are just cooked through.
3. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

Deseed the chilli if you prefer less spicyness in your pasta

Pizza Dough & Supreme Pizza

Making your own pizza in your own kitchen is fun, easy, healthy and inexpensive.

But the best thing about home made pizza is that it can be anything you want. I tend to just use whatever is leftover in my fridge or pantry. Anyway, here's my basic pizza dough recipe and a Supreme pizza recipe to get you started :)

If you don't have a pizza tray just shape dough on a rectangular baking tray.

Makes a 30cm round or 4 individual pizzas

Preparation: 15 minutes + 30 minutes to prove

Ingredients

1½ cups bread & pizza flour or plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
7g sachet dry yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the centre. Stir yeast into 2/3 cup lukewarm water in a small jug; stir in oil. Pour yeast mixture into flour; stir to make a firm dough.
2. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean, lightly oiled large bowl; cover with plastic food wrap. Keep in a warm draught free place. Let stand for 30 minutes or until dough doubles.
3. Punch down dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 20cm round. Place onto a tray then using fingertips, press dough out to the edge of the tray.
4. Spoon/spread pizza sauce evenly over pizza base. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 220⁰C oven, or until bases are light golden.
5. Top pizza bases with toppings of choice and bake for a further 10 minutes or until ingredients are cooked through and bases are crisp and golden.

Notes and Tips

Bread and pizza flour contains higher gluten so it will give your pizza crust a crunchier texture.

Prepare the toppings while the dough rises. Pre-cook any ingredients that you may be putting onto the pizza. Particularly meats that would not be safe to eat raw e.g. beef, sausage, chicken and pork. This is also a good time to cook any tough vegetables.


Supreme Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 quantity pizza dough (see recipe above)
1x 140g tub pizza sauce or tomato paste
100g button mushrooms, sliced
½ red or green capsicum, thinly sliced
50g ham, diced
½ egg tomato, chopped and deseeded
½ a 225g can pineapple pieces, juice drained
handful of stuffed green olives, chopped
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Prepare and prove pizza dough as recipe directs
2. Preheat oven to 220⁰C. Shape dough on oiled trays as desired. Spoon/spread pizza sauce evenly over pizza base. Bake for 10 minutes or until bases are light golden.
3. Top pizza bases with remaining ingredients and bake for a further 15 minutes or until ingredients are cooked through and crust is crisp and golden.