Spicy Pumpkin Soup

July 7, 2013 8:38 pm / Leave a Comment /

Soups are always great in Winter.  I have been making this version of the classic Pumpkin soup for years now and my daughter said that I should put it on the site so she can cook it!

Occasionally I also make it without the spices, just the ginger and garlic.  This is great, especially if you have a cold and don’t want the spice in your throat.  It is also really comforting when your not feeling well as ginger and garlic are known to be good for colds.

Spicy pumpkin soup

Makes a fairly large pot that would serve about 10-12

Ingredients:

1/2 large Butternut Pumpkin, cut into small pieces
1 large leek, finely sliced and washed well
1 medium size Kumara, chopped into same size pieces as the pumpkin
Splash of Olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large knob of ginger, grated
1 tsp ground Coriander*
2 tsp ground Cumin*
1/2 tsp ground chilli powder *
Or replace * with up to 1 tablespoon of Ras el Hanout spice mix
4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock plus a little extra water to thin if necessary

Method:

  1. Sauté the spices, garlic and ginger in the olive oil for a minute or two on low heat.  Add the leek, stir well.
  2. Now add the pumpkin, kumara and stock.  Cover and bring to the boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft (about 20 minutes)
  4. Puree and adjust the thickness with extra water if necessary.  Taste for seasoning.

You could serve with the Spiced Yoghurt from the Roasted Capsicum & Tomato soup recipe but I prefer it with plain Greek yoghurt and some chopped fresh Coriander.

Posted in: Entrees, Soups, Vegetarian

Kaffir Lime & Roasted Pistachio Nut Chocolate

July 5, 2013 4:10 pm / Leave a Comment /

Need something to take to a dinner party tomorrow night.

How about this for 10 minutes work?

Kaffir lime & pistachio nut chocolateIngredients:

1 x 200g Lindt Dessert 70% chocolate
1/2 cup raw Pistachio kernels, roasted
4 fresh Kaffir Lime leaves, very thinly sliced then finely chopped again
1/4 cup Shredded Coconut, toasted until golden

Method:

  1. Melt chocolate.  I did it in the Steam Oven to try as I haven’t done it before.  Worked well in a Pyrex bowl, tightly covered with 2 layers of Glad Wrap @ 100°C for 1 minute.
  2. Add all other ingredients except for Coconut and mix well.
  3. Spread into a baking paper lined tray to make the thickness that you want.
  4. Top with Toasted Coconut and pop into the fridge to set.

Break up into rough pieces…. Yum, so quick and delicious, the Kaffir Lime leaves really make a difference.

 

 

Posted in: Baking, Chocolate, Steam Oven

Eggs in the Steam Oven

July 5, 2013 10:35 am / 28 Comments /

Yet another good thing to come out of the steam oven – the humble egg!  This is one of the top posts on this site so obviously lots of you out there are enjoying cooking your eggs in the steam oven and are regularly just checking back for timing and more information.  If you think you are not getting the most out of your steam oven and you live in Sydney then contact me to discuss the possibility of having an in-home cooking class here.

eggs

I was always told when cooking whole eggs to prick the rounded end of the shell with a pin.  I have been doing that for years until I lost half my egg on the steamer floor the other day!  I was reading somewhere that you didn’t need to do this after all so I tried it without the pin prick and it was fine.  Apparently as it is a gradual heat increase, eggs shouldn’t explode.

Boiled Style Eggs

  1. Hard cooked – steam 100°C for 7-8 minutes
  2. Medium cooked – steam 100°C for 6 minutes
  3. Soft cooked – steam 95° for 4-5 minutes
  4. Soft cooked Quail eggs – steam 95°C for 1 minute or hard boiled 100°C.
  5. The best slow cooked eggs – 65° for 65 minutes!  Perfect for dipping Asparagus topped with shaved Parmesan – Delicious!  Eggs must be at room temperature to start.  Remove from steam oven and place into a bowl of cold water.  Give them a little, gentle crack and let them sit for a minute or two.  This should help you with peeling the shell.

Soft-cooked eggs from the steam oven with asparagus

Cookwise note:  Something I often use to do was to prick an egg and put on the shelf next to my Porridge in the morning so I could take it to work.  7 minutes @ 100°C was the perfect egg for my salad, just a little soft in the yolk.

Poached/Steamed Eggs

  1. Lightly grease muffin pan or small ramekins.  The time has been tested in muffin pans.   Ramekins may take 2 minutes but stuck and were difficult to remove.  You could try silicon egg moulds.
  2. Crack one, room temperature egg into each.  This will give you a more uniform shape.
  3. Steam 100°C for 1½ minutes.  This is the most popular way to poach eggs.  I have tested the ‘water bath’ method and it doesn’t work.

Scrambled Eggs

Single Serve:

  1. Lightly whisk 3 eggs and ¼ cup milk in lightly greased bowl or ramekin.
  2. Steam 95° for 3 minutes, stir
  3. Steam 95° for a further minute.

Four to Six Serves:

  1. Lightly grease solid Stainless Steel tray
  2. Lightly whisk 12 eggs and 1/2 cup milk.  Pour into tray.
  3. Steam 95° for 2-4 minutes. Stir again before serving.

These times will vary depending on the size of the eggs and if the eggs are refrigerated or at room temperature.  These times have been tested by Miele using 60g eggs.

 

Posted in: Breakfast/Brunch, Eggs, Steam Oven

3 Minute Salmon & Udon Noodles

July 4, 2013 7:45 pm / Leave a Comment /

 

We all have those nights where we are home late, had a shocking day or been to a movie or function after work.  Those nights where we just want something quick and healthy to eat that’s not too heavy and won’t weigh us down, especially if we are eating late.

Apart from an omelette (which I still think is a great, quick dinner) this is the next best thing.  A steam oven will cook all this perfectly in about 5 minutes.  It will reach temperature in about 2 minutes, then in just another 3 minutes will cook everything gently with steam so it’s not going to dry out the food, over-cook it or transfer any flavours.  That’s all that’s required for juicy and moist fish that’s pink in the middle with soft, silky Udon noodles and crisp Asian vegetables.  It’s nights like this is when you realise just how fantastic a steam oven is and how lucky it was that you decided to buy one!

3 minute salmon & udon noodles

Ingredients:

2 small pieces of fresh Salmon fillet (like the size you see in the packet in a few good food stores)  Weight is 250-280g total.
2 small packets of Udon Noodles, 200g each.  Available in the Supermarket or Chinese shops.
1 tablespoon of Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 knob of Ginger, grated
Splash of Soy Sauce
Sliced Spring Onion or Coriander to serve
A handful or so of a few Chinese vegetables such as Bok Choy, Snow Peas, Sliced Red Capsicum or similar

Method:

  1. Grate ginger and mix with Sweet Chilli Sauce.
  2. Cut open the Udon Noodle packets and put into the Solid Steamer Tray – as is, no need to cook them or place them in boiling water, just splash a little tap water over to break them up.
  3. Put the Salmon fillets on the top, cover the fish with the sauce mixture.
  4. Arrange vegetables around the sides of the fish.  Splash a little Soy Sauce over everything.
  5. Cook in Steam Oven @ 100°C for exactly 3 minutes.  This time is for perfectly cooked, pink in the middle fish.  If your Salmon is larger or you prefer well done then you will need to increase the time.  Any longer will be too long for the vegetables so be aware of this.

Pile into a warm bowl and enjoy – you will be grateful you didn’t get that Take-Away!

Or try the Teriyaki version: 

Grate a small knob of ginger, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 2tbsp Teriyaki sauce & ¼ tsp sesame oil.

Spoon over the salmon and cook as above.  Also really nice served on brown rice that has been pre-cooked instead of the noodles.  I always cook 2 cups of brown rice at a time so I have plenty for quick meals and salads in a hurry.

Posted in: Fish, Main Courses, Steam Oven

My Sink Roller Mat

July 3, 2013 8:32 pm / 2 Comments /

This is the first post in a new Category I have decided to do called “Kitchen Gadgets”.

After all these years of cooking I do have a few!  But this one is actually fairly new, it was my farewell gift when I left my Appliance Sales role at Winning Appliances.  You can buy it at any of their stores but they may need to order it for you.

What is it you may ask?  Basically it’s a fully flexible ‘mat’ made of Stainless Steel bars that are joined together at each side by flexible rubber strips so it actually roles up and out of the way!  I use it to sit over the top of my Butlers Sink so I can put all the wet Steam Oven trays on the top of it.  The sink then catches the drips and I can serve from there rather than moving everything further away.  It also protects my Carrera Marble benchtop from hot things and gives me extra bench space where I need it!

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Franke Roller Mat

Posted in: Kitchen Gadgets

Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

July 3, 2013 7:39 pm / 3 Comments /

Another all time favourite is this Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto.  You can change the asparagus for a bit of variety.  Try baby spinach, green peas or  something like sliced baby zucchini.  Added just at the last minute it really lifts the dish and adds a bit of colour.  Cooked in the Steam Oven like my other Risotto recipe  without the need to stir, it is a great solution for a busy mid week meal!

Mushroom & asparagus risottoPlate and fork provided by Les Bonnes Addresses, McMahons Point, Sydney

Ingredients:

1 cup Arborio Rice
1 tablespoon of Butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup dry white wine
About 200g Swiss Brown Mushrooms, thinly sliced
8g Porcini Mushrooms soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water then chopped and water retained (that’s a small packet from the herb section in stores)
1¾ cups Vegetable stock (or you could use Chicken if your not vegetarian)
1 bunch fresh Asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
Fresh Thyme and a little Continental Parsley finely chopped
Lots of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Melt butter in frypan, add onions and garlic and cook until soft on a low heat.  Add both types of mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes to soften.
  2. Add rice and stir well to coat with the butter/mushroom mixture.  Now add the wine and boil off the alcohol.  This only takes a minute or two.
  3. Put rice mixture into the solid steamer tray with the stock and the soaking water from the mushrooms.
  4. Cook at 100°C for 15 minutes.  When time is up open the door, and add the asparagus.  Just on the top is fine, no need to even stir it.
  5. Cook at 100° for another 2 minutes.
  6. Remove from Steamer, add a handful of grated Parmesan Cheese, the chopped herbs and some black pepper.  Taste to see if it needs any salt.  Usually it doesn’t if you are using commercial stock.

Serve in warm bowls with some crusty bread and a side salad 🙂

 

 

 

Posted in: Main Courses, Rice, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Blue Eye Cod with Spicy Coriander paste

July 1, 2013 6:42 pm / Leave a Comment /

Blue eye cod with spicy coriander paste

If you love cooking like I do you end up with SO many jars of stuff in your refrigerator that within a very short space of time they have multiplied and the quest begins to ‘use them up’.  When I reach this stage I actively think about things I can cook just to use them and the more the better!  Last week I came up with the Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Sumac & Cumin just to use the two day old char grilled eggplant but this time I am talking ‘the jars”!

Full jars have always been an issue for me.  When I had the cooking school for kids back in the Roseville house I would often have a session before the mums would come for pick up. The kids would sit around my kitchen bench and do a ‘what’s in Trudy’s fridge’ thing.  They really enjoyed smelling things that they didn’t have at home in their fridge like my home made Indian Masala pastes (one green, one red) or my Thai curry pastes.

One of the things I made on the site last week was the Hainanese Chicken.  As part of that delicious dish you end up with a jar of Garlic & Ginger paste and a jar of homemade Chilli Sauce.  I have used these again in this recipe which makes for quick and easy cooking in the Steam Oven.  If your making the sauces for this recipe you can try the Hainanese Chicken next time!

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Fish is outstanding cooked in the Steam Oven.  It’s moist and juicy, healthy – no fat unless you add some,  and takes only about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  Different fish and recipes can take different temperatures so remember to check this.

Prepare the paste and let the fish marinate for at least one hour if you can in the solid stainless steel tray.  Just cover it with some foil in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of Garlic & Ginger Sauce (as above)
2 teaspoons of Chilli Sauce (as above)  This gave a nice balance but you may like more chilli next time
Half a bunch, so about 3/4 cup finely chopped Coriander
1tsp Peanut Oil to mix to paste
Lime to serve

Method:

  1. Line the large perforated steamer tray with a piece of baking paper so it comes up the sides a little to catch the juices.
  2. Trim you fish into similar size pieces, leaving the skin on is fine and remove any obvious bones if you wish.
  3. Spread the paste over the top side of the fish, covering well.  Marinate as long as you can, as above.
  4. Now cook some rice, I had 4 people so cooked 1½ cups Jasmine rice with 2 cups water.  Prepare as in my rice method in the start of the Steam Oven section.  Place on the lowest level and set the timer for 10 minutes.
  5. After the rice has been cooking for 10 minutes open the Steam Oven and add the fish above.  One of the best things about a Steam Oven is you don’t get any transfer of flavours.  Now set the timer for 5 minutes for the fish and the rice will finish cooking in that time.

Delicious served with a good squeeze of lime and stir fried Asian vegetables in a light soy/oyster sauce combination.

So healthy and yummy but I still have stuff left in my jars!

Posted in: Fish, Main Courses, Steam Oven

Prune, Apple & Muesli Loaf

July 1, 2013 4:30 pm / Leave a Comment /

This is a quick, easy and healthy loaf recipe to make for the family.  Moist and delicious and a lot less fat than most.  I have also tried it using Flora pro-active margarine seeing as though Simon needs to get his cholesterol down.  It was fine using this instead of butter if you prefer.  Would be great for kids lunch boxes or to have in the cupboard over the school holidays (if it lasts that long!)  Serve warm straight from the oven with a cup of tea 🙂

Prune apple & muesli loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups Self Raising Flour, sifted
1/2 cup raw or Demera sugar
1 cup packaged Muesli, not toasted.  With fruit and nut or whatever is fine.
1tsp Cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and grated + 1 extra apple for the top
1/2 cup chopped prunes or dates
1 cup Buttermilk
85g melted butter or Flora pro-active margarine
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten

Method:

  1. Sift flour with Cinnamon.  Add all other dry ingredients including apple and prunes.
  2. Mix eggs with Buttermilk, melted butter and extra milk.  Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
  3. Spoon into large loaf pan (22cm x 13cm) that has been greased and lined on the base with baking paper.  I have a new Anolon Non-Stick one that is great and even has soft grip handles on the sides.
  4. For the topping:  Peel and core an extra apple.  Slice thinly and arrange neatly on the top.  Sprinkle with a little extra Cinnamon and Sugar and bake at 160°C Fan Forced for 55-60 minutes until cooked through.  Test with a skewer inserted into the centre.  It should come out clean.  Cool in tine for about 5 minutes before turning out.

Another nice addition would be some chopped walnuts.  This is the sort of loaf that you can put different things in depending on what you have.  Would also be excellent with a large, ripe mashed banana instead of the apple and perhaps slivered, blanched almonds baked on the top 🙂

Option:  Added 1 finely chopped banana, 1/2 cup currents and substituted sugar to soft brown sugar.  Cover the top in half walnuts.  This was delicious too!

Posted in: Baking, Cakes and Biscuits, Traditional Ovens

Steamed Winter Fruit Salad

June 29, 2013 10:30 am / Leave a Comment /

Something I love about Winter is cooking with dried fruit.  Whether it be with Pork, warm Winter puddings like Sticky Date, or baked apples stuffed with all sorts of things. The other thing I love is combining dried fruit with fresh fruit and spices and making something comforting like this dish.  So easy cooked in the Steam Oven which will retain the nutrients, and with no added sugar this recipe is bound to be a favourite!

Steamed winter fruit saladIngredients:

3 Pears, peeled and quartered
A few peelings of orange rind
3 Star Anise
2 Cinnamon sticks, broken
8 Dried Figs, soften with boiling water poured over for 1/2 hour before cooking OR extra 5 minutes first in the Steam Oven
Handful of Prunes
Juice 2 Oranges

Method:

  1. Place everything in a solid steamer tray.  Make sure that the star anise and cinnamon are covered with liquid.  Cook at 100°C for 10 minutes or until soft.
  2. Pour into a large bowl to serve.

Great for breakfast or dessert. Delicious served with perhaps a Sheep’s Milk or Vanilla Yoghurt.

A split Vanilla Bean would also be an lovely addition as would also be some fresh dates!

Recipe adapted from Miele.

 

Posted in: Desserts, Steam Oven

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Sumac

June 28, 2013 10:14 am / Leave a Comment /

With this chilly weather upon us I couldn’t resist buying this little Butterflied Leg of Lamb.  It was from Argyle Prestige Meats, boned, vac packed and ready to cook. Then I stumbled across some Baby Beetroot on special and some Kipfler potatoes and the mind got thinking …?

Beetroot0001Photo: Food24.com

Roast lamb,  juicy and delicious with some lovely spices and baby roast vegetables…. I am going to cook them all in the Combi Steam Oven together because the Combi Steamer gives the best results for roasting meat and I don’t want to wash up any more trays.  If you keep the vegetables small they should all take about the same amount of time.  The lamb is usually 180° for 15 minutes per 500g plus another say 15 minutes as we like our lamb pretty rare.  So half an hour in total, the beets and potatoes will be fine also in that time as they are all small.  Try to remember to always have things cut about the same size when you do something like this.

Conclusion:  The small beets were fine, the half ones weren’t cooked in the half hour.  The potatoes were great and all cooked perfectly.  I would suggest if you are worried about them then Steam the beetroot for 10 minutes before roasting.

1kg Butterfly leg of lamb (bring it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature) Ask your butcher to butterfly it for you.   You can keep the bone and shank for some stock.
2tsp Sumac
1tsp ground Cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed with some salt

My meat came already scored and boned which is great as it wont take long to cook.  Rub it with a bit of olive oil. Mix all the spices with the salt and garlic and rub over the lamb making sure it goes into the slits that are cut. Set aside in the solid Stainless oven dish with the ‘tail’ end or thinner end of the lamb doubled over. Scrub the Beetroot and Potatoes well and cut in similar sizes.  If your beetroot are not really small you will have to cut them in half.  Just trim the tops, I am not going to peel them, nor the potatoes. Aviary Photo_130168063583930824 Toss the potatoes and beetroot in a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Preheat the Combi Steam Oven at 180°.  Normally you don’t have to preheat at all with this appliance but because it’s a short cooking time I will today.  When it’s hot, adjust the program to Combination 180°C + 30% moisture for 30 minutes.  There is no need to set another cooking stage but if you like you could set a Warming/Resting stage for 10 minutes @ 50°.  The moisture is going to keep the meat juicy and succulent!  If you don’t have a Combi Steam oven then roast at the above temperature. If you haven’t rested it in the oven, remove, cover and rest for at least 10 minutes.  Squeeze over half a lemon and slice. Serve with some Greek yoghurt which has been mixed with a little crushed garlic, lemon juice and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. I am also serving it with some Char grilled Eggplant that I just happen to have in the fridge which I have reheated in the Steam oven with the leaves of the baby beetroot.  Drizzle with a little sticky Balsamic Vinegar…..Yum 🙂

The lamb was perfect, it had a delicious spicy ‘crust’ almost from the Sumac & Cumin on the skin.

Aviary Photo_130168093643718985

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Main Courses