Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

February 25, 2015 5:47 pm / Leave a Comment /

Roasted pumpkin & curry leaf salad

Adam Liaw cooked a dish like this on his show on SBS TV so I thought I would use the same combination of flavours and turn it into a salad.  I guess we can call it an Indian salad with the addition of the curry leaves.  It would certainly be delicious served as part of a shared table with Indian inspired curries or roasted meats.

Roast the pumpkin in a hot oven and let it come to room temperature before adjusting the dressing and adding the leaves.  You can also add some other green vegetables if you wish.  Remember to steam those quickly to retain the nutrients.  You can find the steaming timing here for vegetables.

You could steam the pumpkin too but the flavour is better roasted.  I have done other salads with steamed pumpkin which you can find in the salad category.

Ingredients:

Large chunk of pumpkin, diced into medium size pieces
Handful shallots, peeled
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves and left whole
2 tbsp. Olive oil
4 branches of fresh curry leaves, removed from the stalk
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sherry vinegar
Handful of baby spinach to serve
½ tin chickpeas, rinsed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Extra sherry vinegar and oil to taste

Method:

  1. Toss everything together except leaves, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and extra vinegar & oil in a large bowl.
  2. Place a large piece of baking paper on a flat oven tray and pile on the vegetables.
  3. Roast @ 200°C Fan forced for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove to cool to room temperature.
  5. Mix in leaves, chickpeas, seeds and other steamed vegetables if you are using them.
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more sherry vinegar and oil to dress the salad if necessary.

 

Posted in: Indian, Salads, Traditional Ovens, Vegetarian

Barramundi with Syrian red pepper crust

January 25, 2015 11:37 am / Leave a Comment /

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The great thing about a combi is that it will bake as well as steam.  One thing I love to do is use something that I have made in one form and transform it into something else.  That’s always a good way to do menu planning so there is no waste.  Don’t forget about that delicious dip you made last week which you can find the recipe for here, turn it into a mouth watering main course.

The baking effect with the steam actually ‘bakes and infuses’ this flavour into the fish.  It doesn’t have a lot of texture but if you like you can sprinkle some extra toasted walnuts over the top before you serve.  I haven’t done this in the picture but it would be delicious.  A perfect Summer meal that only needs a side salad.

Ingredients:

Thick barramundi or other white fish fillets, cut into serving size portions
½ cup Syrian red pepper, walnut and pomegranate dip
¼ cup extra toasted walnuts
Fresh parsley or coriander to garnish

Method:

  1. Cut fillets into thick, serving size pieces
  2. Preheat oven on Fan Plus 170°C
  3. Place fillets on a stainless steel tray lined with baking paper.
  4. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
  5. Spread with a generous layer of dip.
  6. Let sit to come to room temperature for about 5 minutes.
  7. Place in combi steam oven.
  8. Select Combination Bake and cook 170°C + 90% moisture for 5-8 minutes or until cooked.  The timing will depend on the size and thickness of your fillets.  Mine were only 5 minutes.  Try to have all the fillets the same thickness, turn under tail sections if necessary.
  9. Serve with roughly chopped toasted walnuts and a parsley or coriander garnish.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Fish, Gluten free

Syrian red pepper, walnut & pomegranate dip

January 23, 2015 10:09 am / Leave a Comment /

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I found this interesting dip recipe somewhere before Christmas, which is originally from Cyril Miletto for Gastronomy.  I have changed the method slightly.

Loving everything with pomegranates at the moment – this was delicious served as part of our Boxing Day party with fresh vegetables, and warm Turkish bread.

It makes quite a lot and will last for a week (if you’re lucky), covered in the fridge.

Ingredients:

3 red capsicums
100ml extra virgin olive oil (I used a little less)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g walnuts, toasted
1 lemon, zested
1 tbsp. lemon juice
80ml pomegranate molasses
1½ tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Halve capsicums removing the centre core, flatten with your hands so the skin is all exposed.  Place, skin-side up, on a grill which is covered with baking paper and grill @ 200°C until blackened.
  2. Remove and place into a plastic bag, twist and set aside to cool.
  3. Toast the walnuts and set aside.
  4. Place the oil into a heavy pan and add the onion & garlic.  Lower the heat to medium and cook until golden.
  5. Add the ground cumin, cook stirring for 2 minutes.
  6. Peel capsicums, removing all blackened skin.  Do not rinse.
  7. Process all ingredients in a food processor until almost smooth.
  8. Taste and season adding a few grinds of pepper.
  9. Place into a covered container until ready to serve.

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Posted in: Party Food

Spicy chicken & quinoa salad

January 9, 2015 10:15 am / Leave a Comment /

Spicy chicken & quinoa salad

It’s been hot here in Sydney this week.  I have probably mentioned this before but I tend to use the steam oven more in Summer and the combi more in Winter.  It is so easy to create a new salad like this one, just by combining a few ingredients that you have in the fridge.

After a massive New Year’s Eve dinner party I am not really feeling like cooking much at the moment, but that is the beauty of a steam oven; you can produce a fantastic dinner without really trying too hard!

Feel free to change the ingredients to use what you have on hand, just remember to keep the Asian theme.  Green beans, broccoli and red capsicum would work.

I cooked everything in this recipe in the same stainless steel steamer tray at different times as you can see below.  I also managed to cook some rhubarb as well with the pumpkin.

Ingredients:  Serves 4-6

1 cup tri coloured quinoa
1 large chicken breast, kept whole, but cut to flatten to similar thickness
2 cups chicken stock
juice and rind 1 lemon
1 cup steamed pumpkin, cubed
1 bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
handful fresh mint
handful fresh Vietnamese mint
few cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup dressing from mango salad here
1 birdseye chilli, seeds removed and diced finely
¼ cup macadamia nuts, toasted

Method:

  1. Wash quinoa, place in solid tray and add stock.
  2. Set steam oven to 20 minutes @ 100°C.
  3. When the steam oven has 7 minutes to go, add the chicken breast on top of the quinoa and the diced pumpkin scattered around the chicken.
  4. Now when there is 2 minutes to go, add the asparagus.
  5. Remove, put the asparagus into a bowl of iced water and stir through the lemon rind and juice.
  6. Set aside for everything to cool.  If you want to cook more pumpkin than is needed then use another dish.
  7. Sprinkle the chicken breast with a little sea salt.
  8. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces then stir through with all the other ingredients once everything is room temperature.
  9. Drizzle over the dressing which has been mixed with the fresh chilli and top with toasted nuts.
Posted in: Chicken, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Salads, Steam Oven

Steam oven cheesecake

December 11, 2014 12:58 pm / 6 Comments /

Steam oven cheesecake

This is a cheesecake, totally cooked in the steam oven with Christmas flavours. Decorated with some fresh cherries this is a lovely festive dessert you can serve as part of a buffet or instead of a traditional steamed Christmas pudding here.

I have had lots of interest in the pudding over the last few weeks.  Everyone with a steam oven realises now just how much easier it is to cook a pudding without the hassle of boiling it on the stove top.  No excuse not to make your own!

I love a traditional, baked Italian ricotta cheesecake but in this recipe I have combined the different cheeses to make a smoother, creamy texture.  The steam oven works a treat for something like this which needs a moist oven environment and won’t dry out the biscuit base.  This can be a problem when baking a cheesecake in a traditional oven.  It also gives it a gorgeous texture.

Make sure you cover it really well with foil so it doesn’t get wet.  Of course, you can alter the fruit and nut selection or leave them out completely.  We do however love the texture of the nuts in this 🙂

Ingredients:  Serves 10-12

1½ cups sweet biscuit crumbs
100g butter, melted
½ tsp cinnamon

Filling:
250g cream cheese, at room temperature (a must)
250g smooth ricotta (in a tub)
¾ cup castor sugar
2 tbsp. cornflour
1/3 cup cream
3 eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup sultanas soaked in ¼ cup brandy for 30 minutes
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Method:

  1. Combine biscuit crumbs, cinnamon and butter and press into base of a lined 23cm springform tin.  See my tip here.  Don’t be tempted to use the whole packet of biscuits. Chill.
  2. Beat softened cream cheese, ricotta and cream together until smooth.  Do not over beat.
  3. Add sugar, lemon juice, eggs, cornflour and baking powder.  Mix well.
  4. Fold in sultanas and nuts and pour into prepared base.
  5. Cover tightly with foil.
  6. Steam @ 100°C for 55 minutes.  It should be just set around the edges and soft in the centre.
  7. Uncover and cool.  It will firm up on cooling.
  8. Chill until required.   Overnight is probably best.
  9. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.  Top with fresh, pitted cherries and serve berry coulis to drizzle.  You can make this by heating half a cup of raspberries, ¼ cup water with 1-2 tablespoon of caster sugar and a dash of liquor or squeeze of lemon until dissolved.  Push through a fine sieve to remove the pips.

 

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts, Dinner parties, Party Food, Steam Oven

Kale & salmon salad

November 13, 2014 9:51 am / Leave a Comment /

Kale & salmon salad

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

Flourless chocolate cake

November 9, 2014 11:57 am / Leave a Comment /

Flourless chocolate cake

Julie, the Home Economist from Ilve Appliances in Sydney sometimes makes this delicious cake as part of their cooking class.  I enjoyed it so much when I tried it that I extracted the recipe from her.  She new the ingredients off by heart which is always impressive.  Now that’s a good cook!

I am melting the chocolate and butter in the steam oven here but the rest of the cake is cooked in a traditional oven on Fan Forced.

Another gluten-free option to have up your sleeve for when you need that special dessert.

Ingredients:

180g Lindt, 70% dessert chocolate
100g butter
1  1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup almond meal
4 eggs, separated

Method:

  1. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth, you can do this in the steam oven following the link above or in a bowl over a simmering pot of water.  Let it cool.  If you are cooking the cake in the combi, wipe out the steamer now so it will dry before cooking.
  3. Beat egg yolks and sugar until soft and creamy.
  4. Fold in cooled melted chocolate, mix well then add almond meal.
  5. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Don’t overbeat they should be a medium hold.
  6. Gently fold into chocolate mixture starting with one spoonful of the egg white to work it in then very gently with the remainder.
  7. Bake @ 160°C Fan Forced for 1 hour.

Add whipped cream and berries to the top of the room temperature cake to serve. Yum

Note:  Even better if warmed slightly before serving and the cream added at the last minute.  Do not serve cold from the refrigerator.

 

Posted in: Baking, Cakes and Biscuits, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten free, Traditional Ovens

Pomegranate & haloumi salad

November 3, 2014 1:39 pm / 3 Comments /

Pomegranate & haloumi salad

Time for some more healthy salads and this one has glorious flavours, lots of texture and is one of those salads that you really feel satisfied after eating.

As the weather heats up in Sydney the steam oven is the only appliance I am using at the moment.  Too hot for a conventional oven, this is the perfect appliance to use on a hot day as you can prepare all your base ingredients for a salad like this in just 20 minutes, anytime during the day.  If you want to serve it with a hot piece of salmon instead of the haloumi as we did on Saturday night then the steam oven was only on for 2 minutes for the fish.  With only that initial gush of steam at the end of cooking time, even on the hot 37°C day we had it didn’t heat up our kitchen at all.  To be honest, I use my combi as a steam oven more in the Summer than I do in the Winter.

I actually used a combination of cooked brown rice and red quinoa this time.  It is so easy to prepare a salad like this if you already have the main ingredient pre-cooked.  Remember, cooked rice can harbor bugs so only keep it for a maximum of three days.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

1 cup red quinoa, washed
2 cups vegetable stock
rind 1 lemon
½ cup mint leaves, chopped
½ cup parsley leaves, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup chickpeas, washed and drained
1 x 250g block of Haloumi cheese, sliced
¼ cup mixed seeds & pine nuts
Olive oil to lightly fry

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ pomegranate, seeded and juice retained
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch sea salt
ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Cook quinoa in stock for 20 minutes @ 100°C.
  2. While this is cooking, pop in your broccoli for 2 minutes then refresh in icy cold water.  Drain.
  3. Remove the quinoa from the steam oven, add the lemon rind, stir and set aside to cool and absorb any remaining stock.
  4. Mix all the ingredients, except the Haloumi together and set aside.
  5. For the dressing:  Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and catch all the juice into a container.  Pick out any pith that may have fallen into the juice.  Mix in the other ingredients, stir well and pour over salad.
  6. Mix well together, ensuring that the seeds and nuts are well amalgamated.
  7. Heat a shallow non-stick frypan over medium heat.  Add a splash of olive oil and when hot fry the Haloumi slices until golden brown.

Serve over salad as a complete meal.  Delicious also with a piece of salmon here.

Just a REMINDER, have you cooked your Christmas Pudding yet?  See my steam oven Best ever Christmas pudding here or a Gluten-free option here.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Gluten free, Healthy eating, Main Courses, Salads, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Creme caramel

October 30, 2014 11:49 am / 12 Comments /

Creme caramel

The steam oven is perfect for cooking custards because you have low, accurate temperature control.  I mentioned this in the post on the Crème brulee here.  The worst thing that can happen when your cooking a custard is to cook it at too high a temperature so that the custard overcooks.  You may have had this before, the texture is not smooth and can be ‘grainy’ or ‘rubbery’.  Without the worry of this, the only thing you need to ensure is that you cover your dishes so that you don’t get any water forming on the top.  One large piece of foil is fine.

With no need for a bain-marie or water bath in the steam oven, how did we ever bother cooking custards before in a conventional oven!

This is a lighter Crème caramel than usual, using only milk and less sugar.  A good option for this time of the year when we are all trying to lose those Winter kilograms!  You can alter the recipe to half milk, half cream if you wish but only heat and infuse the vanilla into the milk.

Cooking times will vary on the size and type of the dish.  A large custard will take approximately 35-50 minutes.  It should be set around the edges and be ‘wobbly’ in the centre.  They should firm up on cooling.

Ingredients:  Serves 8:

700ml milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed or 1 tsp vanilla paste (not essence)
1/4 cup castor sugar
4 large, 800g eggs, beaten

Caramel: 1 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water

Method:

  1. For the caramel combine sugar and water in a small saucepan.  Stir on moderate heat until sugar has completely dissolved.
  2. Increase heat and boil steadily, without stirring until a deep golden colour.  Watch it, it will continue to darken so don’t take it too far.
  3. Pour into base of 8 small, half cup size ramekin dishes, swirl around so that caramel covers each base.
  4. In a medium saucepan combine milk, vanilla bean or paste and sugar.
  5. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.  This will give you better flavour.
  6. Remove and scrape out vanilla seeds.
  7. Lightly whisk eggs in a bowl and then whisk again into hot milk mixture.
  8. Pour over caramel in each individual ramekin and cover with foil.
  9. Steam @ 90°C for 30 minutes or until set when tested.
  10. Uncover so that condensation doesn’t form on the top.
  11. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight and revert onto dessert plates to serve.

Note:  Adapted from Miele, you can omit the caramel to make this into a plain baked custard. Use the same recipe and add freshly grated nutmeg to the top prior to cooking.

 

 

Posted in: Desserts, Dinner parties, Eggs, Gluten free, Steam Oven

Pappardelle with chicken & asparagus

October 27, 2014 9:25 am / Leave a Comment /

Pappardelle with chicken & asparagus

Except for my Ricotta & spinach cannelloni here I haven’t cooked much pasta on the blog before.  I certainly haven’t cooked it in the steam oven, although you can.  Great for cooking fresh ravioli as it needs very little water so will not ‘break up’ in a large pot, I just haven’t got around to experimenting much with pasta.  I must do some fresh ravioli soon.

This recipe calls for fresh lasagne sheets that you can cut yourself into wide pappardelle.  A great choice of pasta when you want it to soak up a rich ragu or creamy sauce like this.   Use a fresh pasta that is very thin as it only takes only a few minutes to cook in the sauce.  This saves the need to pre-cook it and showcases how you can do a quick, one pot dish like this in the steam oven.  A very quick, family dinner 🙂

If you want to substitute dried short pasta then cook in first, covered with water at 100C for the time stated on the packet, less a couple of minutes.

Ingredients: Serves 4

Half a packet of thin, fresh lasagne sheets, cut into wide pappardelle strips
1 large clove garlic, crushed
½ onion, sliced thinly
300g chicken tenderloins, trimmed and sliced into strips
1 cup sliced, swiss brown mushrooms
½ cup frozen peas
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into thirds
1 x 250g tub of Philly ‘Light cooking cream’
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup chopped parsley or basil
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan to serve

Method:

  1. Heat a deep frying pan that will fit into the steam oven on medium heat.  Add a small amount of olive oil.
  2. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute until softened.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
  3. Add the cooking cream and stir until it softens then the stock.  Add the fresh pasta strips and separate them if you can so that each one is covered with some sauce.
  4. Thin with a little milk if necessary.  This will depend on the type of cream you have used.
  5. Now stir in the frozen peas and cook in the steam oven @ 100°C for 5 minutes.
  6. Open steam oven and add the chicken slices and asparagus.  I sprinkled the chicken with a little sea salt.  Cook a further 3 minutes.
  7. Stir in herbs, add a grind of black pepper and some grated parmesan.

Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

Note:  I actually had to cook it in the solid steamer tray as I was also cooking my Christmas pudding at the same time!  Remember, there is no transfer of flavours when doing things like this.  So perhaps it’s time to cook your Christmas pudding now too?

 

 

 

Posted in: Pasta, Steam Oven