Tag: home-cooked food

For The Love Of Mushrooms

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The Mr and I are mushroom lovers. But when you live with a housemate who doesn’t eat mushrooms, we don’t get to eat it much. Until he heads home for his winter/summer breaks, do we get to have mushrooms. And we have HEAPS. haha

One of my favourite ways to have mushrooms is baking them, especially the huge portobello mushies. Don’t you love them too? Stuff them with bacon and top them with cheese. The juiciness of the mushroom, the saltiness of the stuffing and topping has just one word to describe it – AWESOME .

Really. Try it. You won’t regret it (:

Stuffed Portobello Mushies

2 Portobello Mushrooms

1 slice of bacon, cute into small pieces

1/2 big onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, baked in the oven for 20 mins and mashed with a fork

2 tbs breadcrumbs

1 tbs tomato paste

2 tsp chopped parsley

25g butter

Cheddar cheese, enough to top the mushies (I like to have more ! haha)

salt and pepper, to taste

Steps :

1) Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celcius. Heat a non-stick pan, add the onion and bacon. fry till soft and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and fry till well combined.

2) Pour into a bowl, mix with the bread crumbs, garlic and parsley.

3) Put stuffing into the mushrooms and make sure you pack in well. Top with the cheese and bake for 10-15mins.

Eat it while it’s hot! (:

Homemade Granola

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Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. With a full breakie, I usually don’t even feel hungry for lunch. Not that I will skip lunch, just don’t have to eat much for lunch. (:

It has become a routine for me to wake up and have a bowl of yogurt with granola with a cup of green tea with lemongrass and lemon.  I feel happy when I eat it. hehe I was reading a post by Laureen and I was inspired to make my own granola! So I got down to doing it today.

Yummy Granola (Adapted from Eat And Be Happy)

1 1/2 cups of old fashion rolled oats

1/2 cup silvered raw almonds

1/2 cup mixed nuts (sunflower seeds, pine nuts & pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts (roughly chopped)

3 tbs packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil/ vegetable oil

4 tbs honey

1 cup of dried mixed fruit (sultanas, cranberries and other fruits you like)

For the hazelnuts, I put it in my mortar and pestle and lightly pound it till most of them is broken into smaller pieces. This mortar and pestle is the best investment ever and I bought it at a steal of $2.50! haha

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 150C. Line the baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

2) Mix all the dry ingredients (except the dried fruits) together in a large bowl. Combine the honey and oil in a saucepan over low heat until smooth. Stir the honey mixture into the dry ingredients and mix till well combined.

3) Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes.

4) Remove the tray from the oven. Let the granola cool completely before stirring in the dried fruits. Store granola in an airtight container.

And the only two ways to eat it is to have it in handfuls or with yogurt of course! (:

ENJOY! (:

Valentine’s Day Surprise!

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( Us 7 years ago ♥ )

Surprises. Don’t you just love them? Cause I definitely do.

My past year has been filled with happy surprises. First the proposal, then the engagement party and now valentine’s day! (: Regardless of the size of the surprise, I feel very very loved and very very lucky to be loved.

The Mr and I talked about it before hand that we won’t be celebrating Valentine’s Day as we would have arrived back in Melbourne just a day before and really, we just didn’t wanna spend the astronomical amount that restaurants would charge on this day for lovers. So I decided that I was going to cook for him.

Baby surprised me with a rose when I met him for coffee! (: It’s the small things like that that counts!

and see that lego guy? He’s Leroy. hehe

okie. TO THE POINT. I’m sorry if I’m telling my life story in one post. SO. I decided to make something that my baby had always wanted to have and so I walked around in Woolworths trying to get inspiration. He always wanted to get those pork medallions stuffed with herb butter but being me, I refuse to get things that pre-marinated unless I really can’t get the flavour that they have. So I decided to get pork chops and made my own herb butter!

I was so happy I did it. Cos the smile on my baby’s face was worth every single second spent deciding on what to cook and executing it.

Love on a plate. (:

Together with the pork chops, I made a side of caesar salad! I remembered when watching masterclass in the second season that Donna Hay made caesar salad in a totally different way. So I decided to try it, just through my own memory of how to do it. and it turned out great!

I do hope everyone had an awesome valentine’s day and you spent it with your loved ones! (:

Herb Butter

125g unsalted butter, softened

2 pinches of salt

2 tablespoon of fresh oregano

handful of chopped parsley

Steps :

1) In a mortar and pestle, pound the herbs with the salt till it’s almost in a paste.

2) Add the butter and with a spoon combine both the herb paste and butter till well combined.

3) Remove from the mortar and put it in a cling wrap. Roll it up and put it into the fridge to set.

Caesar Salad

1 baby cos lettuce

4 slices of bacon

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced into half

Your favourite Caesar dressing

Parmesan cheese

Avocado (optional)

Sunflower seed (optional)

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and bake the bacon for 10mins. Remove from the oven (need it for the pork chops, so do not slice it up yet).

2) Slice the baby cos into half lengthwise

3) Cut the bacon onto the lettuce (only after the pork chops are done). Sprinkle some parmesan cheese.

4) Pour the caesar dressing on the lettuce, the amount that you would like. Place the egg on the side and the avocado and top the salad with some sunflower seeds.

Herb Butter Pork Chops

2 pork chops with bone

salt and pepper, to taste

Vine tomatoes

Steps :

1) Rub some of the herb butter and marinade the pork chops generously. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

2) Heat the frying pan and sear both sides of the pork.

3) Take the tray which you used to bake the bacon and place the pork chops on top of the bacon. Place the vine tomatoes on the side of the tray and baked for another 10-15mins (depending on how thick the chops are)

4) Plate the different components. Cut a slice of cold herb butter and place on top of the pork chops.

5) SERVE (:

Beef fillet with Gratin of Mushrooms

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I’m back! (: Sorry for the long long long long break! Had a crazy few weeks with uni! Got lots to update so give me a little time! (:

So let me ask you, what is your ultimate indulgence?

For me, it’s steak. and not just any cut of the steak, specifically, the eye fillet. It just melts in your mouth with every bite you take. I normally do prefer my steak medium, but just for the eye fillet, I like mine medium rare. hehe (:

I had a couple of close friends over on a Saturday night, and their only request is to have MEAT. haha. So, almost immediately, eye fillet popped into my tiny head. I have been dying to try this recipe of Gordan Ramsay’s and this would be the best opportunity to do so!

Eye fillet topping it with a gratin of mushroom and baking it just for 5 mins to get a nice crunchie outer layer of the gratin. The creaminess of the gratin just goes so well with the beautiful cut of the steak. This dish was to die for, and this recipe is definitely a keeper! (:

(Adapted from The F Word)

Ingredients :

Beef Fillet

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster), roughly chopped
  • 100g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp double cream
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 4 fillet steaks, about 180g and 4cm thick
  • 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

2. To prepare the topping, gently sauté the shallot and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes until nicely softened. Add a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes until browned and cooked. The mixture should be quite dry. If necessary, tip it into a sieve to drain off any remaining liquid. Remove the garlic clove and transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, allow to cool.

3. Whip the cream until softly stiff. Fold in the mushrooms along with the egg yolk, herbs and a tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a strong heat rising. Cook the steaks for about 2-3 minutes, turning them to seal all over. Remove from the pan.

4. Put the steaks on a shallow baking tray. Pile the mushroom mixture on top of the steaks and dust with the remaining parmesan. Cook in the oven uncovered, for about 5-7 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden.

So, trust me. Try this recipe, I guarantee you will love it! (: Have it with mash or golden baked potatoes and ENJOY!

so tell me dear readers, what is your ultimate indulgence?

Braised Pork Belly with Yam

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If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how home sick I always get. One way to make myself feel better is to cook. Not just cook anything, cook something that reminds me of home. So that’s what I did, I made something my mum makes best – Braised pork belly with yam. (: You usually eat this with a bun and some salad leaves. But it also goes super well with rice!

The recipe I found is a little time consuming, but all the work and effort put into the dish is definitely worth it. By the time it’s done steaming, the yam would be broken down and it would have absorbed all the flavours. The pork too will be melt in your mouth! Of course the happiest person when I said I was going to cook this was my baby. hehe He and pork belly are very good friends. hehe

so here’s the recipe that I’ve adapted from :

Ingredients :

· 1.2kg pork belly with skin
· 700g yam/taro
· 1 piece reddish cheese (also known as fermented beancurd)
· 1 tbsp reddish cheese juice
· 2 tbsp salted bean paste

Part (A) :

·4 garlic cloves, chopped
·50g shallots, chopped
·1 stalk (20g) coriander stalk, chopped

Gravy :

·1 tbsp light soy sauce
·1 tbsp dark soy sauce
·1 tsp five spices powder
·1 tbsp sugar
·1 tbsp Chinese rose wine (I used Shaoxing wine)
·1 tsp monosodium glutamate (I left this out)
·800ml water

Steps :

1. Blanch the pork belly with 3 bowls of boiling water in a deep pot for about 20 minutes, remove and pat-dry, then rub a little light soy sauce over the pork belly, prick holes over the skin with a fork, deep-fry into hot oil until golden brown, dish up, transfer the pork belly into boiling water again and cook for further 30 minutes, remove and keep aside.

2. When the pork belly is cool enough, cut into thick slices.

3. Peel the yam, cut into square slices, slightly deep-fry into hot oil for a while, dish up and leave them aside.

4. Heat up 3 tbsp oil, to sautethe chopped ingredients A, reddish cheese, salted bean paste and reddish cheese juice till fragrant, add in sauce mixture, and bring to the boil, place in pork belly slices and yam, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, remove from heat.

5. Prepare a deep bowl, arrange yam and pork belly slices alternately (skin side down); pack pieces securely into bowl, press slightly, pour the remaining sauce over the meat and yam, steam over medium heat for approximately 45 minutes, until the meat are tender.

6. Drain gravy into a bowl and retain, invert pork and yam slices onto a platter, heat up retained gravy until boiling, and thicken with a little cornstarch solutions, pour the gravy over the pork slices, serve hot.

Bon Appetit! (:

Beef Stroganoff : Masterchef Recipe

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Sorry for the lack of posts! Uni just started for me, and the amount of readings I have to do is unbelievable! Haven’t had much chance to cook or bake. But yes! I’m back!

Have you been catch Masterchef when it was on tv? I have! I caught as many episodes I could when I’m home and if I missed one, I would load it on the Masterchef website and watch it at my own free time! (: One dish that caught my eye and tummy was the beef stroganoff! the orangy creamy texture of the dish, topped on pasta, I think it’s a match-made in heaven.

so I got down to business. I didn’t have creme friache or the usual substitute of sour cream, so I “cleaverly” used thickened cream which wasn’t too good an idea, cause it became very starchy. But other than that, the flavours were really yummy and my baby really enjoyed it! (:

so here’s the recipe that is from this Masterchef series

Ingredients :

2 tbs sweet paprika
100g flour
500g piece beef eye fillet (from the tail end), sliced into strips
¼ cup olive oil
40g butter, plus extra to serve
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 eschalots, finely diced
2 tbs tomato paste
½ cup brandy
1 cup beef stock
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 cup crème fraiche (or light sour cream)
2 tbs extra virgin oil, to serve
baby parsley, to garnish

Steps :

1. For the beef stroganoff, combine paprika, flour and 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a bowl. Toss beef in the mixture to coat.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over high heat and sear the beef for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside.

3) Reduce heat to medium-high; add half the butter and remaining the olive oil. Cook the mushrooms until caramelised. Reduce the heat to medium, add remaining butter, eschalots and cook for a few minutes until softened.

4) Add the tomato paste, brandy, stock, Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium, stir in crème fraiche, reserved beef and juices, then season with salt and pepper.

5) Serve with either rice or pasta. DONE! (:

Comfort food.

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Winter. Cold winds, rain, super low temperatures. To conquer all these, to me, only means one thing : comfort food.

what’s better ya? the ultimate comfort food for me is mash. The creaminess and butter-i-ness texture of the mash just makes everything seem better. (: So everything with mash, would just be a kind of comfort to me. Last night, I decided to make Shepard’s pie!

Shepard’s pie has always been a family favourite. So of course, I immediately went to source for a recipe so that I could cook it for everyone to enjoy! (: I was pretty worried the first time I made it, and I remember my brother having to always taste my mash to see if it’s buttery enough or salty enough. And my mum would stand next to me to make sure the mince is in small pieces and not in chunks, and if my meat sauce is thick enough.

alright, did I say I miss my family and I’m home-sick? I didn’t? Well, I am. That’s why I needed comfort food, pronto.

So here’s my recipe, hopefully, it will be as comforting to you as it was for me! (:

Ingredients :

600g mince pork (you can always use chicken or beef)

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium size carrots, chopped into small pieces

1 leek, sliced into thin rings

10 button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 tin of chopped tomatoes (can always substitute with 3 tbs tomato paste)

3 tbs plain flour

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs Worcester sauce

5 bay leaves

750ml chicken stock

8 potatoes, cut into cubes (for mash)

50g butter

50ml milk (or cream)

1 tsp nutmeg

Parmesan, to sprinkle on the mash before baking it

salt and pepper, to taste

Steps :

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan and add the garlic and leeks and fry till fragrant and the leeks are transparent, make sure they do not brown. Add the carrots and mushrooms and fry till carrots are soft.

2. Add the mince and fry till the meat is cooked and the pieces are small.

3. Add the flour and mix till well combined. Add the stock, the Worcester sauce, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and mix and allow the mixture to boil before turning the fire down to small. Cook the mixture and allow the liquid to thicken till almost dry. (about 20-25mins)

4. While the meat mixture is reducing, cook the potatoes in a pot of salted water till tender and easier to mash. Drain, and put them back into the pot over very small fire. Add the butter, milk and nutmeg and mash till smooth. Season with salt and allow it to cool for about 5 mins.

5. Place the meat mixture into a baking tray and slowly pipe the mash on top of it. Sprinkle the Parmesan and flash it in the oven grill for 5 mins, till the top is golden brown.

6. Serve and enjoy! (:

A Perfect Combination.

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How do you like your eggs done? Sunny side up? Poached? Baked? Scrambled? I personally LOVE poached eggs. Everyone who knows me well, knows how much I love my eggs benedict! Poached eggs on english muffins topped with a big dollop of Hollandaise sauce. Just typing the description out is making me crave for some now at 5pm in the evening.

My next favourite is baked eggs. And that’s exactly what I made for baby today for breakie.

As our oven was due for cleaning, I just cooked this over the stove which was great! (: I found the recipe while reading OK! magazine, and it was a small little booklet which consists of a few recipes from different chefs! This particular recipe is from Pete Evans! I saw it, and I knew my baby would love it.

Pete Evans made his on the barbecue, but cause we didnt have one and the oven was down, I did mine all on the stove! I didn’t need to put much seasoning cause the chorizo used in this recipe did all the seasoning for me!

So here’s the recipe adapted from Pete Evans’ My Grill.

Ingredients :

4 tomatoes, halved

1 chorizo, cut into slices

1 small tablespoon of chopped chives

5 eggs

pinch of hot paprka

1 cup of cheddar cheese

Steps :

1. Cook the tomatoes on a non-stick pan till they are tender and cut into chunky pieces.

2. Place the chorizo into a cast-iron pan and fry it till it’s golden on each side. Place the tomatoes in with the chorizo, with the chives and just a little salt and pepper.

3. Make some holes in the mix to crack the eggs into. Sprinkle the paprika and cheddar cheese. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and cook it on low for 10-15 mins until the whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny. Serve with toast!

a close up! (:

The egg whites were cooked but the yolks were still runny which combined with the tomatoes made a really good dip for toast!

and you know what’s better? Having this with a nice cup of hot chocolate, and watching Karate Kid.

BLISS.

So what is your perfect combination with eggs? Share! I would love to hear it!

Not So Traditional Moussaka

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My first time having a Moussaka was a vegetarian one and I had it at the best place to have vegetarian food, Original Sin. I have been wanting to make my own moussaka for ages, and finally got down to it! (: I’m so glad I did, cause even though it was time consuming to grill the vegetables, it was all worth it! It was yummy!

Eggplant-Potato-Ricotta-Cheese-Meat Sauce-Eggplant (you get the idea!)

It’s very rich when you have it on it’s own, but have it with a cucumber raita, and it’s just one of the best combination you will ever have on a plate! With this combination, you would never feel too overwhelmed and could just keep eating!

My moussaka, however, is not the traditional kind you find at Greek restaurants. I improvised it a little, adding a little bit of mexican flavour (in a tin) to the dish. I was afraid the flavours might clash, but instead, it gives the dish just the slightest bit of spiciness and the kidney beans gave a good bite with every spoonful! I do apologise if you think it’s not the right way to cook it, but I do enjoy this version quite a bit. hehe

so give it a shot, and let me know if you still do prefer the traditional way of cooking it or the taste (:

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Most Important Meal of The Day : Breakfast

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what is your favourite meal of the day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper? Tea maybe? hehe without a doubt, mine is breakfast. Especially having breakfast with my loved ones. We could sit there for an hour or two just enjoying our food, coffee (probably a chai latte) and talking about everything that is happening around us.

my favourite kind of breakfast? Anything that has fruits and eggs and toast! Combine them together, I would say my favourite thing to have for breakfast is French toast or pancakes! hehe But I wouldn’t say I will turn down a good eggs benedict either! haha (:

we went to Safeway a couple of days back and we saw this loaf of bread that I just couldn’t resist. Scones is a big favourite of me and my mum’s and when I saw scones toast, I had to get my hands on them! hehe and the only thing I want to make with them, is french toast! hehe and I did today (:

the thickness of the toast was just right and the fresh bananas complimented the sweetness of everything. Absolutely loved how it turned out! A perfect piece of toast for this dish!

French Toast with Fresh Bananas and Golden Syrup

Ingredients :

4 pieces of bread

3 eggs

1 cup of milk

2 tbs brown sugar

butter for pan

Fruits (any of your favourites)

Maple syrup or Golden syrup

Steps :

1. Beat the eggs, milk and sugar till it’s well combined.

2. Dip bread into the mixture and cook it on a hot pan.

3. Serve with fruits and syrup. EAT UP! (:

Yummy breakfast that didn’t cost the normal $10 I would pay for it outside! (: