Salmon with pistachio crust on pearl barley salad

January 30, 2019 3:14 pm / Leave a Comment /

I love coming up with new flavour combinations, especially for healthy salads.  This dish was a winner for a recent special occasion.  It looks amazing but wasn’t difficult to cook at all in the combi although the salmon does need to be cooked separately.

Use your favourite combination of ingredients for the salad making sure that you have a variety of textures.  As the pearl barley takes the same cooking time in the steam oven as brown rice you can substitute this if you prefer and especially if you are gluten free.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

4 small fillets of salmon or ocean trout, skinned and pin boned
60g butter, softened
½ cup chopped pistachio nuts
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Grated rind of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Salad:
1 cup pearl barley, washed and drained
1¼ cups vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
3 small, fresh radish washed
¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate molases
1 tsp honey or to taste
pinch sea salt

Method:

  1. Firstly, cook the pearl barley in the steam oven with the stock on 100°C for 40 minutes.
    When there is two minutes to go on the timer, add the asparagus.  Close the door and let it finish cooking.
    Remove and set aside to cool.  Wipe out the steam oven.
  2. Now combine the softened butter with remaining ingredients for the salmon topping and set aside.  It should be a spreadable consistency.
    Lay a piece of baking paper in a solid steam oven tray, add salmon and spread butter mixture over the top of the fillets. Do this 10 minutes before so to let the salmon come to room temperature.
    Preheat combi oven to 170°C Fan Plus while you prepare the salad.
    Slice the radish with a mandolin or slice very thinly.
    Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake to combine.
    Add other salad ingredients now to the cooled barley, stir in half the dressing and set aside.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  3. Now to cook the salmon; Select Combination Mode 170°C + 90% moisture add salmon and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked to your liking.  Obviously the size of the fillets will determine the cooking time.
  4. Plate up the salad and serve with the pistachio nut topped salmon.  Drizzle with a little dressing and garnish.  Yum!

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Dinner parties, Fish, Salads / Tagged: , , , ,

Chinese chicken drumsticks

January 13, 2019 8:59 am / 4 Comments /

Everyone has a recipe like this.  You know, something that you can marinade overnight and cook for a hungry family any night of the week.  The best thing about this in a combi is that the skin is extra crispy and everyone loves these flavours!

Check your Auto program options (depending on your brand and model) for a ‘set and forget’ cooking option.  Go to roast/chicken and see if you have a drumstick option.  Keep in mind that the honey can burn so add it half way through the cooking process for sticky, melt in the mouth chicken!  Don’t forget to add your fat filter for any roasting to keep the fan clean and do a soaking program after you’ve eaten.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

8 chicken drumsticks
¼ cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
knob ginger, grated
½ tsp Five spice powder
¼ tsp ground chilli powder (Optional)
¼ tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp honey
Sesame seeds to serve

Method:

  1. Mix all the ingredients except sesame seeds together and pour over chicken drumsticks in a plastic bag or container.
  2. Marinate overnight if possible, turning a couple of times.
  3. Fit the fat filter to the combi oven.
  4. Remove from the marinade and roast in the large stainless steel tray on Combination mode 180°C + 30% steam for 40 minutes.
  5. Add remaining marinade to the drumsticks half-way through cooking. Turn to coat and let them caramelise until sticky and delicious.
  6. Sprinkle with Sesame seeds to serve.
Posted in: Chicken, Chinese, Combi Steamer, Party Food / Tagged: , ,

Kale & salmon salad

January 7, 2019 7:30 am / Leave a Comment /

Kale & salmon salad

Time for some healthy eating after Christmas?

Had to join the health food craze and do a kale salad as it is really delicious with a Dijon mustard dressing and a bit of citrus.  A perfect excuse and another reason to have perfectly cooked salmon from the steam oven 🙂

You can alter the ingredients to what you have on hand.  I have used the baby kale leaves that you can buy now but if you use the large leaves, cut out the centre stem, wash well and slice thinly.

Of course, you can also substitute the lentils for cooked brown rice or quinoa.  This is really one of those delicious salads that is perfect for entertaining.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

2 pieces of salmon, skin and bones removed or 4 small pieces for individual serves
1 bag or bunch of kale, trimmed and sliced
2 blood oranges, rind removed from one and segmented
1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced
1x 400g can lentils
large handful of green beans
½ cup roughly chopped dill
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dressing:
3 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp honey
pinch salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Depending on the size of your salmon, steam @ 95°C for 2-5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
  2. Put the green beans into the solid steamer tray, add the washed lentils and cook @ 100°C for 2 minutes.  Remove beans and drain any water from lentils.  Add the rind of one blood orange and stir through. Although the lentils are cooked they will absorb the flavours more if warmed.
  3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar, taste and set aside.
  4. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a 140°C oven for about 10 minutes, they are so much nicer than straight from the packet.
  5. Mix most of the dressing through the salad, reserving a little for the top.
  6. Combine all the salad ingredients onto a large platter or individual plates depending on how you are serving.
  7. Flake or place the salmon on top, garnish with more dill, sprinkle over the seeds and serve.

Note:  This would be a delicious salad to serve for Christmas with its gorgeous colours!

 

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Fish, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Salads, Steam Oven

Galette Des Rois

January 2, 2019 8:00 am / Leave a Comment /

Galette Des Rois

When my daughter was living in France on exchange she was delighted to learn that the French serve this delicious galette on the 6th January as part of their New Year celebration.

It is not at all difficult to make, basically just puff pastry and ground almonds like a frangipani tart.  This recipe is from the lovely book ‘Pies & tarts’ by Stephane Reynaud that I received for my birthday.

When cooking this use the combi if you have one, otherwise use Fan Forced or ‘Supercook’ as some brands call it.  Refer to my function chart here.  As I mentioned in my curry puff recipe, nothing makes puff pastry ‘puff’ like a combi!  Be sure to preheat the oven tray for this.  If you have a combi that also has bottom element only you could do a further stage with 10 minutes bottom element as part of the cooking time.  This will ensure you have a beautiful cooked base.  Or, even better, if your combi (or oven) has a function with the fan and bottom element then use that for the complete baking time. You cannot ‘blind’ bake this galette.

Ingredients:

375g puff pastry
180g blanched almonds
180g castor sugar
180g unsalted butter
4 eggs

Method:

  1. Preheat combi oven with the flat tray @ 180°C
  2. Grease and flour a 20cm tart tin.  I used the traditional French ‘ring’ that doesn’t have a base but a normal tin is fine but try using it without its base (so with baking paper on the bottom only.  See step 6).  This really does help brown and cook the base.
  3. Process the almonds with the sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.
  4. Melt the butter, add it to the almond-sugar mix then incorporate 3 eggs.
  5. Set aside the yolk of the remaining egg.
  6. Roll out two thirds of the pastry to 3mm thick.  Tear off a piece of baking paper large enough for the tin to place your galette on.  As the tin is preheating in the oven, assemble the galette on the paper.  Place the pastry in the tin, allowing the edges to hang over.
  7. Fill with the almond cream.
  8. Glaze the edges with the reserved egg yolk.
  9. Roll out remaining pastry and cover the pie, pressing the edges to seal.
  10. Draw a rosette pattern on top using the tip of a knife.
  11. Brush with egg wash.
  12. Slide the galette on its paper onto the hot oven tray.  Place back into the oven and bake on Combination mode 180°C + 30% steam for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Desserts

Christmas mince pies

December 22, 2018 1:00 pm / 5 Comments /

Christmas mince pies

I have been making these traditional mince pies since I started the Cookwise children’s cooking classes in 2001.  I even found the original recipe hand-out that I gave the kids with the Santa picture on the top.  They are quick and easy to make as the dough is just all mixed in the food processor.

It was a boiling hot day when we made these and this dough is very forgiving.  We rolled it out and lined all the tins then baked them later in the day.  Just keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to do this.

I don’t bother making the fruit mince as the ‘Robertson’s’ jar tastes great.  The pastry is delicious and perfectly short.  Make lots as they won’t last!

Ingredients:  Makes 24

1½ cups Plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup Self raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup icing sugar
150g chilled butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
2½ tbsp. iced water
1 jar purchased fruit mince (for double quantity I used 1½ jars)
extra icing sugar for dusting

Method:

  1. Process flours, icing sugar and butter in food processor until well combined and mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
  2. Beat the egg yolk with the ice water and add into the flour with the motor running.   Process until mixture just starts to come together.
  3. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
  4. Refrigerate for 1 hour
  5. Roll out and cut into shapes to line tins.
  6. Fill with 1 teaspoon of purchased fruit mince and cover with a star shape of pastry
  7. Bake at 180°C Conventional or 160°C Fan Forced for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden
  8. OR you can try in the Combi 180°C + 30% steam for 30 minutes
  9. When cold sprinkle with icing sugar to serve

Will keep for 5 days in an air-tight container (if they last that long 🙂

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Pastry

Time to make the Christmas pudding!

November 4, 2018 6:45 pm / 8 Comments /

making-pudding

As the festive season fast approaches now is the perfect time to make the Christmas pudding!

Number one on Google for cooking in the steam oven for several years this recipe has become a firm favourite in my family.  Moist and delicious, it will easily serve 12-15.  There are many comments over the years for cooking instructions to make smaller puddings as well.  See the recipe here.  There is also a gluten free, quick sago pudding option here as well.

So if you didn’t make this pudding in your steam oven last year then try it now.  So much easier than watching a pot on the stove in case it boils dry, cooking it in the steam oven for six hours only means you have to refill the water container a few times which frees you up to do other things with your day!

Christmas pudding

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts, Steam Oven

Chinese spare ribs

July 22, 2018 10:00 am / 1 Comment /

I’ve always loved spicy, sticky spare ribs 🙂

Loved them cooked in the combi oven, it seems to render down the fat and produce a melt-in-the mouth, tender rib.

This is a Chinese version but try different marinades of your choice.  A smokey, American rub would also be amazing.

Ingredients:

2-4 slabs of pork spare ribs
½ cup soy sauce
¼ tsp Sesame oil
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup Mirin
1 tbsp green ginger, grated

Method:

1.  Mix all marinade ingredients together and pour over ribs in a glass dish.  Rub all over with the back of a spoon, cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

2.  Place ribs into the large, solid tray in a single layer and cook on Combination mode 180°C + 50% steam for approximately 35-45 minutes.  The time will depend on the size of your ribs.

3. Turn occasionally and baste with the remaining marinade, they are ready when well browned but still juicy.

4.  Serve with steamed rice here and some steamed Chinese vegetables.  See my timing on steaming the vegetables

 

Posted in: Chinese, Combi Steamer, Main Courses

Roasted carrot & chicken salad

July 8, 2018 9:40 am / Leave a Comment /

This is one of those salads that you could just live on!

A perfect one-dish lunch, dinner or picnic dish that you can effortlessly cook in the combi all in the same pan.  Less mess, washing up and really only three stages.  Another fantastic thing about the combi is that you can be doing other things while these elements are cooking.  You don’t have to be worrying about forgetting what is on the stove, it burning or boiling dry.

Another one of my salads that will become a favourite, remember to use other things in it that you may have on hand or something you need to eat up in the fridge.

Ingredients:  Serves 4-6

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into julienne sticks
1 cup freekah, washed thoroughly
1¼ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 large chicken breast, trimmed and cut open on thick side
¼ cup currants
bunch of fresh asparagus, cut into thirds
handful of fresh parsley and coriander, chopped
Juice and rind of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Sunflower kernels, nuts or seeds of choice to sprinkle

Method:

  1. Line a sold tray with baking paper, toss carrots in a little olive oil and roast in combi @ 200°C for approximately 20 minutes until soft.
  2. Slide out of tray onto a rack to cool.
  3. Now add the drained grains to the same tray, cover with stock and cook on 100°C steam only for 20 minutes.
  4. In the last two minutes, open the steam oven and add the asparagus.  Close the door to cook.
  5. Remove from steam oven, stir through the lemon zest and juice and scrape into a serving bowl.
  6. Reset the steam oven at a lower temperature to cook the chicken breast here. Slice on the angle when cool and set aside.  Don’t overcook, it is easier to add another minute if need be.
  7. Combine all the ingredients together, toss well and add fresh herbs and currants.
  8. Sprinkle with seeds and serve.
Posted in: Chicken, Combi Steamer, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Salads, Steam Oven

Spicy silken tofu

June 23, 2018 8:02 pm / Leave a Comment /

There seem to be lots of soy-tofu recipes around but it’s something I haven’t done before in the steam oven.  Remember the benefit of buying a quality steam oven is that you can have accurate control over the temperature.  Yes, I guess I could put this in at full 100 percent steam but I like to heat it slowly like a custard almost, giving it adequate time to heat evenly before you drench it in the delicious sauce.

You can adjust the sauce to taste but love it or hate it, tofu does need some flavour so this packs a punch 🙂

Ingredients:

1 block silken or soft tofu, removed from packet and drained
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
a small knob of ginger, grated
2 tablespoons of soy
1 tablespoon of miso
1-2 tablespoons of water
pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
¼ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white sesame seeds
Fresh coriander to garnish

Method:

Place drained tofu on baking paper in the perforated steamer tray.

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat, add the garlic and ginger and stir well being careful not to burn it.
  2. Add the chilli flakes if using then all the other ingredients
  3. Remove from heat and stir well until you have a smooth consistency, taste to balance flavours.
  4. Steam the tofu at 90°C for 8 minutes.
  5. Remove from steam oven and put onto a warm serving plate.  You can warm the plate in the steam oven while the tofu is heating.
  6. Heat the sauce again until hot and pour over tofu to serve.
  7. Cut into cubes and garnish with fresh coriander.  You could also top with chopped green onions which would be delicious too.

Serve as part of a shared meal.

 

 

 

Posted in: Japanese, Main Courses, Side dishes, Steam Oven

Moroccan lamb shanks with quinces

June 10, 2018 8:39 am / 1 Comment /

This is my favourite Winter dinner party recipe from Lyndey Milan.  I have adapted the recipe slightly and changed it to cook in the combi steam oven so you get the long, slow cooking time as well as the addition of moisture.  Honestly, it makes for the most tender, sticky shanks you would ever have eaten 🙂

If you don’t have a combi oven then cook it long and slow in your regular oven @ 130oC in a covered cast-iron casserole dish or a large shallow pan covered with a few layers of foil.

I usually cook this for 8 or more but be mindful of the size of your lamb shanks.  I managed to get four into a large Le Crueset pot but it was a struggle and they had to be turned about half way through the cooking time.  If you are cooking for eight you will need to split into two pots.  I found the standard steam oven tray not deep enough so two deep ones would work.  Alternatively cook in a bigger pot and get ‘Frenched’ lamb shanks that have the bones cut back from your butcher.

Lamb shanks are either are too big or too small but one is usually enough, even for the most hungry of my guests!

Ingredients:  Serves 4

2 small onions, sliced or 1 large
Chunk ginger, grated
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

4 French trimmed lamb shanks
2 tbsp plain flour (leave out for Gluten free)
1 tsp turmeric
1½ tsp ground coriander
1½tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
salt & ground pepper

1x420g tinned, chopped tomatoes
½ cup good red wine
500ml beef, veal or lamb stock (or enough to cover)
1 quince, scrubbed, cut in quarters & seeds removed

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot and saute the onion, garlic and ginger slowly until soft.
  2. Meanwhile mix the flour, salt, pepper and spices together and rug all over the lamb shanks.  If there is any mixture left add it to the pot with the onions.
  3. Remove the onion mix from the pot after you have stirred the flour for a minute or two, increase the heat, add a little more oil and brown the shanks a little two by two.  Be careful not to burn the base.
  4. Remove, add the red wine and let it come up to bubble.  Scrape the bottom of the pot and add all the other wet ingredients.
  5. Make sure that the fan cover is on the back of the combi oven.
  6. Return the shanks to the pot with the onion mix, add the quinces and cook on Combination mode 130°C Fan forced plus 75% steam for 3 hours without a lid.
  7. Turn the quinces (or rotate from top of the pot to the bottom) about half way through the cooking time.
  8. Remove quinces & shanks from the pot, cover with foil and keep warm.
  9. Reduce the sauce over a high heat on the stove and remove any excess fat.
  10. Serve with cous cous (or another grain if you are GF) which has been flavoured with rind and juice of one orange, ¼ cup currents, dash of olive oil and chopped fresh parsley.  Fluff up with a fork before serving.  See my perfect cous cous recipe here.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Dinner parties, Gluten free, Main Courses