Aamukahvin ääressä

I've Moved!

2010-06-06T10:04:00.004+10:00

Dear Friends,

I have finally decided to make Scandi Foodie my primary blog. I'm sure you'll find this name easier to pronounce and remember than the Finnish name :)

Please update your links and continue to follow my cooking and eating adventures at

http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com/

You might notice that all of my posts prior to February 2010 are in Finnish. Please let me know if you stumble across anything you might be interested in and I'll translate the recipe for you.

Hope to see you all there!

Rakkaat ystävät,

Olen vihdoin päättänyt ottaa Scandi Foodie blogin pääblogikseni. Tämä siitä syystä, että suomenkielisen bloginimen ääntäminen ja muistaminen on ollut täällä monille liian vaikeaa.

Päivittäkää siis ystävällisesti linkkinne osoitteeseen

http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com/

Toivottavasti siellä Suomessakin vielä joku seuraa blogiani!

Finnish Blueberry Pie

2010-06-05T18:08:00.008+10:00

Every Finn would know this blueberry pie and I must admit it's my favourite as well. In Finland the blueberries grow in the wild in abundance and they taste much sweeter than the farmed berries you get here in Australia. My parents would always have the freezer full of berries that they picked (for free of course) from the forest. So you can probably understand why I can't quite get my head around paying so much for them in here. I couldn't help myself this time though, I was really craving for this pie and I'm so glad I made it!

Finnish Blueberry Pie

Dough 500ml milk
140g sugar
1tbsp cardamom
pinch of salt
4tsp dry yeast
about 600-800g plain flour
150g melted butter

Filling 600g blueberries fresh or defrosted if using frozen
1dl sugar
3tbsp potato flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the dough: Warm up the milk to hand hot, and stir in sugar, salt and cardamom. Mix the yeast with a small amount flour and stir in to the milk. Start adding the flour, stirring until the dough becomes thick. Mix in butter and more flour and knead until the dough is smooth and soft. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling and leave to double in size.

Roll out 2/3 of the dough in to a large square sheet about 2cm thick and place on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Mix together sugar and potato flour and sprinkle half of the mixture on the sheet. Spread blueberries evenly on to the sheet and sprinkle rest of the sugar mixture on top. Fold the edges on top. Use the rest of the dough to roll out a lattice pattern on the pie. Brush sides and the lattice with the egg. Bake in 175C oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Sardine fillets with caper & vodka butter

2010-06-03T16:03:00.004+10:00

This is another ingenious recipe from "The Food and Cooking of Finland" (by Anja Hill). I must agree with her though: Finns would have traditionally never considered "wasting" precious vodka for cooking (some might still argue that), but we are not talking about litres here, only a mere tablespoon or two, plus maybe some for the chef. Sardines are yet again playing the role of Baltic herring.

Sardine fillets with caper & vodka butter

50g fresh breadcrumbs
600g sardine fillets
salt

100g butter, softened
15ml vodka (Finlandia or Absolut for the "authentic" taste)
1 tbsp capers
crushed black pepper

Preheat oven to 200C. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the breadcrumbs over the base of an ovenproof dish. Put the softened butter in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Then whisk in the vodka, capers and black pepper.

Season the fish with salt and fold each fillet in half so that the skin sides are on the outside. Arrange the fillets in the prepared dish.

Spread the butter over the fish, then sprinkle over the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake the fish in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden.

Ichiban Boshi, Sydney CBD

2010-06-02T16:28:00.005+10:00

I've been to Ichiban Boshi a few times now and as much as I love their noodles and know their
excellent value, I need to make sure I have enough time for the long queues. We had to wait one hour to get in on a Saturday evening, but it was worth it :) And you can always spend some time at the next door Kinokuniya bookstore!

Sweet Teas

Green tea cappuccino - Interesting and lovely with a little bit of brown sugar

Gyoza - I'm a big fan of gyoza and these were really quite nice!

Okonomiyaki - I love these Japanese pancakes, this one was definitely full of taste and very filling!

Tantanmen - Spicy ramen topped with minced pork, boiled egg and vegetables with additional sweet corn on top

Aburi chashu ramen - Ramen with roast pork

Spinach Pancake

2010-06-01T14:53:00.005+10:00

This is one of those light and easy entrees you might want to consider serving at your next dinner party. There is surprisingly much taste in these little rolls and they are just so simple and quick to prepare!

Recipe from "The Food and Cooking of Finland" by Anja Hill

Spinach pancake

2 eggs
100ml milk
50g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
30g butter
500g frozen or fresh spinach
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180C. Beat the eggs and milk together. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in another bowl, add the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Grease a 20cm x 25cm tin and line with baking paper. Pour in the mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, cook the spinach until wilted, drain well and squeeze out all water. (Chop the spinach if using fresh leaves). Melt the butter in a pan, then add to the spinach. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Spread the spinach across the baked pancake. Roll up like a Swiss roll and cut into thick slices.

Rhubarb and raspberry crostata

2010-05-30T10:49:00.003+10:00

I love the Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine and this recipe is straight from its Italian issue (May 2010). Sweet raspberry filling is given an extra tang from ginger and rhubarb.

Rhubarb and raspberry crostata

500g rhubarb, chopped
250g caster sugar
thinly peeled rind and juice of 1 orange and 1/2 lemon
2tsp finely grated ginger
1tsp vanilla extract
100g frozen raspberries, defrosted
For brushing: eggwash
For dusting: demerara sugar

Pasta frolla

220g plain flour
100g cold butter, chopped
60g pure icing sugar, sieved
1tsp vanilla extract
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

To make pasta frolla, process flour, butter, icing sugar and pinch of salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add egg mixture and vanilla and mix until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Place rhubarb, sugar, rinds, juices, ginger and vanilla in a saucepan and stir over high heat until sugar dissolves. Let simmer stirring occasionally until thick and jam-like. Add raspberries and let cool completely.

Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out 2/3 of the dough into a 3 mm thick sheet and line a 13cmx36cm tart tin. Trim the edges (keeping in mind that the dough will shrink slightly in the oven), and spoon in the cooled rhubarb mixture.

Roll out the remaining dough and cut into 15mm wide strips. Arrange strips over jam and trim excess. Brush pastry with eggwash, dust with demerara sugar and bake until crisp and golden (about 40 mins). Let cool before serving.

International Nippon Club Restaurant, Sydney CBD

2010-05-29T06:46:00.006+10:00

I've been to the Nippon Club in Sydney CBD a few times before and it has a certain character to it that I like. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I guess it's a bit like a Japanese RSL. The food is authentic and decent quality, the setting is roomy and it doesn't get too noisy which is sometimes important when you want to have a good catch up with an old friend. There is a private room you can also book for a larger group.

I have sometimes spotted a group of Japanese business men gathering here after work drinking sake and Japanese beer and talking politics (well that's what I assume they might be talking about), and that is exactly what you would expect from this place. Perhaps a better place for lunch, but definitely not a bad choice for a low-key dinner. Please note that some dishes are not available before 7.30pm.

Nasu dengaku - This is one of my all time favourite Japanese dishes, but this one was not the best one I've had.

Vegetable and prawn tempura - Slightly disappointing because of bland taste

Grilled unagi (eel) is another one of my favourites and my theory is that a lot of sauce means worse quality eel. This one didn't have a lot of sauce, but again not the best one I've tried.

Tori no kara-age (deep fried chicken nuggets) - I remember having this the last time when I was here and I wasn't disappointed. A generous portion and tasty chicken.

Green tea ice cream with red bean paste - I can't complain. I don't think I have ever complained about ice cream.

Address: 229 Macquarie St, Sydney
Phone: (02) 9232 2688
Hours: Mon-Fri 11.30amd-10pm

Buttermilk-lingonberry muffins

2010-05-27T16:20:00.003+10:00

Buttermilk is definitely something us Finns drink by the carton. The selection in Finland is mind boggling and a lot them have added health benefits like good bacteria, added calcium, etc. The buttermilk you get here is not the same kind, and it's missing that tang and is in my opinion far too sweet to drink on its own (although I occasionally do that too). Therefore it's more suitable for baking and I promise you it makes the softest muffins and bread loaves!

This time I wanted to continue with the Nordic theme and added lingonberry in to the mixture. I always have a few jars of lingonberry jam in the fridge (available among other places at IKEA) because I have it with just about everything.

Buttermilk-lingonberry muffins (makes 12)

200ml buttermilk
2 eggs
50ml canola oil
100ml (or more) lingonberry jam
pinch of salt
1/2 cup rye flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda

Mix the buttermilk, eggs, lingonberry and oil together. Mix the dry ingredients together and stir in to the buttermilk mixture. Spoon the dough into greased muffin tin and bake in 180C for 12-15 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Serve with butter.

Finnish fish pie - Kalakukko

2010-05-26T17:05:00.003+10:00

I have a lot of memories from my childhood that involve food and flavours. It's like with any other senses; you keep them with you until one day you smell, taste, touch, see or hear something you experienced many many years ago. It must have been well over 15 years ago since I last had this pie at the summer markets in Eastern Finland and I always remember how good it tasted. This is not a pie from my home region (that being the Western border), and probably for that reason I never had the home made version of it. Since moving to Sydney I've been digging out the most traditional Finnish recipes and recreating them using the ingredients available here. This is definitely one of those recipes and I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. It's like walking down the memory lane...

Finnish fish pie

Crust

500ml water
2 tsp salt
50g melted butter
200g plain (wheat) flour
about 600-800g rye flour (plus more for dusting)
salt

Filling

800g whitebait, heads and tails removed, washed and dried
200g bacon, rind on
2-3 tsp salt

Mix the ingredients for the crust together and knead the dough until smooth. Sprinkle a baking surface with rye flour and roll the dough in to a large, 2 cm thick sheet. Sprinkle some more rye flour on the sheet, and layer the fish and the bacon in the middle of the sheet (sprinkle a tablespoon of rye flour in between the layers and season with salt). Place the rest of the bacon on top of the last layer of fish. Turn the sides of the dough on top of the filling and carefully, with cold water and using your fingers, seal all the seams. Rub the top of the pie dry with a little rye flour.

Bake the pie in 225C for about 30 minutes or until the surface has crisped and coloured. Take the pie out of the oven, wrap tightly in baking paper and foil and return to the oven for another 3 hours. Lower the oven to 150C or 125C towards the rest of the baking. Wrap the baked pie in a tea towel to soften the crust.

The traditional way to serve the pie is to cut the top off and then cut a piece of the crust to have with the filling. You can also have the pie with butter.

Makoto Sushi Bar, Chatswood

2010-05-25T15:46:00.005+10:00

I had been keen to visit this sushi bar for a long time, but usually the shopping trips to Chatswood are so hectic I rather go home than hang around any more than necessary. This time we were, however, on such a good mood after a successful shopping that we decided to sit down and enjoy a nice lunch as a reward. This is definitely a popular spot, we were there bang on at 12.30 and got seats but by 1 o'clock there was the familiar queue of people behind the front desk waiting to be seated.

Salmon and tuna sushi

Tuna sushi - always a favourite

Salmon sushi

Grilled scallop conveyor - So melt in your mouth I could've had more...

Beef roll - Interesting flavour combinations, but a tad dry

Shrimp sushi with some kaviar

Mediterranean roll with sun dried tomato, seaweed salad and pesto on top!

Couldn't let this pass... Green tea crepe filled with green tea cream... Seriously delicious.

I must say it could be much thanks to this place I can now look forward to more shopping in Chatswood!

Madeira Cake

2010-05-24T16:04:00.003+10:00

I love lemony cakes and desserts and this cake is no exception. Simple yet tasty and when served with a dollop of vanilla cream it makes a perfect quick treat for an afternoon tea.

Madeira Cake

180g unsalted butter, softened
185g caster sugar
3 eggs
165g self-raising flour
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tsp lemon juice
2tsp caster sugar to sprinkle

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Fold in the sifted flour, lemon rind and juice until combined. Spoon into a prepared tin (round 18cm tin), level the surface and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Bake in 160C for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Serve with vanilla flavoured whipped cream or dust with icing sugar.

Spice Temple, Sydney

2010-05-23T15:44:00.005+10:00

To be quite honest, I first got intrigued to visit this restaurant because of their rather mystical-vibed website. The menu looked interesting too, so the decision was clear: I must try this one out.
Complimentary spiced popcorn (containing a mix of spices including paprika, chilli, and cumin) while waiting for my friend to arrive.

Complimentary lemongrass and rose petal soda. Sometimes it pays off to get chatty with the bartenders...

Cucumbers with smashed garlic and ginger - Refreshing and tasty

Hot pot of fresh shiitake, oyster, enoki and wild Chinese mushrooms, Yunnan style - The broth was incredibly full of taste. I love mushrooms and they soaked in all the goodness of the broth. The smaller size is enough to serve two very generously.

Stir fried quail and peanuts with steamed egg custard - "spicy, crunchy, creamy" - so true! This dish had so many textures and flavours and the soothing egg custard was really lovely with the spicy crunchy mixture.

Tea smoked chicken with black vinegar - This is a method of cooking I've been wanting to try at home for ages, so I was really keen to see how it tasted. The dish was very fragrant and the taste was intense. Again, very generous portion as we are talking of a whole chicken here.

Sadly we had a time limit on our table (we arrived at 6.30 pm so we had to be out by 8.15 pm) so we didn't have any time for desserts. The craving for sweet (and more wine) had to be fixed at the Guylian Chocolate Cafe with this dark chocolate ice cream.

Spice Temple was definitely an interesting culinary experience with a trendy atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised by the generous portion sizes, the overly friendly and helpful staff and the offering of a doggy bag to go! Next time I wouldn't mind trying out their desserts and the exciting collection of teas!

Oh and yes I did see Neil Perry walking (I wouldn't use the word "storming" because it has a somewhat aggressive echo to it, but he certainly wasn't just strolling) in and out of the kitchen, but didn't dare to stop him for a photo!

Australian Heritage Hotel Revisited

2010-05-22T09:16:00.006+10:00

It's sometimes hard to find a place that would cater for a large group offering good food for a decent price. I've found that the Australian Heritage Hotel can do just that and their famous pizzas have never been disappointing. This time we did get to try some of the other dishes on the menu, but my all time favourites are definitely the BBQ emu pizza and the tiger prawn pizza.

Roast duck pizza - Plum sauce base, mushroom, Spanish onion, Asian greens, shallots, sesame seeds & topped with hoi sin sauce. Good amount of duck on the pizza and that goes for all the pizzas here: they are all good value.

Spiced lamp salad with cous cous, grilled capsicum & rocket with a tomato & herb dressing. Generous amount of lamb by the way! Not your average big bowl of lettuce topped with a couple of slices of meat. Delicious dressing too.

Grilled pure beef, garlic & thyme sausages with potato mash, onion gravy, parsnip chips & chives. Those sausages look delicious!

Chicken and mushroom pie - Chicken & mushrooms in a white wine sauce, served with potato mash and salad. The pie was quite average, but the mash was really nice and so creamy!

Generous portions, good value and friendly staff! But book early, this place is always full especially on Friday nights!

Herbie's Spices, Rozelle

2010-05-20T17:15:00.004+10:00

I have an incurable addiction to buying spices. I don't know why I find them so irresistible and fascinating, but I find myself stocking new spices in my ever so full spice stash almost weekly. You can then imagine what it felt like to visit the famous Herbie's in Rozelle. Yes, it was a feeling much like most girls would experience when stepping in to a shoe shop: I was in my sanctuary.

Real cinnamon, not cassia...

If you are unsure what to get there is the tasting shelf...

Umm can I have a moment on my own please? Just me and the spices.

And what did I find? Allspice, the much needed ingredient to make the Scandinavian pickled herring; Barberries for making... well I just needed to have them! And cute pink peppercorns which I don't actually like so much, but which I know will make a great addition to many dishes.

I'll definitely want to revisit this place very soon!

Kazbah on Darling, Balmain

2010-05-18T16:23:00.006+10:00

I had been looking forward to visiting the famous Kazbah, but I had never expected the restaurant to be quite so popular! We were unable to get a booking for Saturday 11 am (with the intention to have brunch there), so we booked for 1 pm lunch instead and as we sat down at the table the queue in front of the restaurant started slowly growing...

We decided to order a few mezzes for a light lunch...

Chermoula Marinated Olives and Crumbed Halloumi Cheese with Quince Sauce - I am usually a big fan of marinated olives, but the chermoula mix was a bit too strong for my palate.

Crumbed Halloumi Cheese with Quince Sauce - I love halloumi and the sweet quince sauce was definitely a nice match to the cheese.

Basturma Wrapped Baked Madjool Dates Filled with Shadows of Blue - This was my favourite: the basturma (air dried cured meat) was very tender and I am a real sucker for those fresh, delicious dates! The Shadows of Blue was not too strong so all in all this was a very well balanced dish.

Chickpea Battered Walnut and Feta Zucchini Flower, Muhamara Sauce - So many new interesting dishes to try! I had not heard of the muhamara sauce before (I'm a real novice to Middle Eastern and Moroccan food), but pared with fairly bland zucchini flower it was very enjoyable.

I could definitely go back to this place. There is so much to try and they have a new menu out every few months! I do recommend booking early and getting a big group of friends to go so you can try as many as possible of those interesting dishes! :)

Adriano Zumbo Cafe Chocolate, Balmain

2010-05-17T16:14:00.006+10:00

I have a confession to make. I had never heard of Adriano Zumbo until recently and this is most likely due to a) me not watching Masterchef (anything even with a hint of reality tv'ness is a no go for me) and b) me living under a rock. I am, however, proud to let you know that this humongous lack of common knowledge has now been fixed and I have had a pleasure to visit the cafe and sample some of its offerings first hand. I was joined by lovely Miss B who shares my passion for desserts and food blogging :) Thank you Miss B! XX

Berry tart with flaked almonds - The pastry was beautifully crispy and the berries gave the tart a lovely tang. Simply a delicious choice.

There is not a hint of dryness in this piece!

The coffees were frothy and welcomed by a relieved sigh (at least on my part)

The famous Chocolate fondant with raspberry and vanilla anglaise injection (served conveniently from a syringe) and peanut butter gelato - I am convinced that this is the only dessert in the whole wide world that can be served from a kidney dish along with a massive syringe. The reason being that once you get pass the first impression and dig your spoon into the dessert you are greeted with awesomeness all around and you forget anything else.

"One must not play with food", I was always told as a kid. But we did what we were instructed to do...
and went to town with it. The fondant was warm and so moist. The contrast of the peanuts and the smooth sweet gelato made the dessert absolutely delicious!

Such a nice little hide away this place was! Next time we must be more patient and line up to buy some of Adriano's cakes from his near-by patisseri e...

Charlotte Russe Cake

2010-05-15T17:14:00.003+10:00

When I was a kid mum would often make small individual birthday or Mother's Day cakes using a simple Swiss roll as a base and decorating it with whipped cream and fresh fruit. She would never get shop bought Swiss roll for a simple reason that it takes a mere 20 minutes to make and you can change the flavours so easily by adding chocolate powder in the dough or using different jams or creams as fillings.

For this classic dessert I used a raspberry jam flavoured Swiss roll with a simple cream filling. You could just add berries in the cream, change the Swiss roll to be chocolate instead of plain and really experiment with different fillings.

Charlotte Russe

Swiss Roll

3 eggs
100ml sugar (1dl)
50ml plain flour (0,5dl)
50ml potato flour (0,5dl)
1 tsp baking powder

raspberry conserve for filling

Cream Jelly

300ml double cream
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
3 titanium strength gelatin leaves
100ml milk

For the Swiss roll: Whip the eggs and the sugar until pale and thick. Mix the dry ingredients together and add them into the egg sugar mixture through a sieve. Stir gently until fully mixed. Pour into a large baking tin (about 31cm long, 21cm wide) lined with baking paper and bake in 225C for about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle some sugar on to a clean baking paper and turn the cooled cake on to it. Let cool completely, spread with raspberry conserve and roll into a tight roll using the baking paper to help.

For the cream jelly: Whip the cream until soft. Add sugar and mix well. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for about 10 minutes. In a saucepan, bring milk into boil, squeeze out the water of the gelatin and add them into the milk. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Add the slightly cooled mixture into the whipped cream, stir well and place in the fridge to settle.

Cut the Swiss roll into 2cm thick pieces. Cover the base of a 1 litre bowl with the pieces, leaving out a couple for the top, and fill with cream jelly. Place the last Swiss roll pieces on top and cover with cling. Put the bowl in the fridge, place some light weight on top and leave to settle for a couple of hours or overnight.

Marzipan chocolate sushi

2010-05-14T17:56:00.008+10:00

I might be a few years late making candy sushi, but it doesn't make it any less fun. I think these would make an eye-catching dessert at a dinner party. Yes they are a bit fiddly, but they are definitely worth the trouble! Without any further ado, here's the recipe I found in an old Anna magazine (Finnish equivalent to Woman's Day).

Marzipan chocolate sushi
(makes 24 pieces)

150g marzipan

For the filling

2ooml water
100ml short grain rice
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
400ml milk
1tsp vanilla essence
50g white chocolate

a few pieces of dried paw paw and dried pineapple, cut into long thin pieces

a few pieces of dark 70% chocolate for brushing

Boil the water in a saucepan, add rice, salt and sugar. Simmer until the water has soaked into the rice. Add milk and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice has cooked. Remove from heat, add vanilla and white chocolate and stir until the chocolate has fully melted. Leave to cool completely.

Use icing sugar to coat the baking surface, then using a rolling pin roll the marzipan into a thin square disk. Cut the disk into 2,5 cm wide strips and then cut the strips into about 8cm long pieces. Place a small spoonful of rice mixture onto each disk. Top with small pieces of paw paw and pineapple and roll to hold together.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Brush each roll with the melted chocolate. Place the rolls on to a plate and place them in the fridge to cool before serving.

Minced meat miso sauce

2010-05-13T16:12:00.004+10:00

I often get stuck thinking of recipes using minced meat. See for me mince meat usually means just meatballs or an occasional bolognese or lasagna dish. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when I was browsing through a cookbook by the Japanese domestic goddess Harumi Kurihara and came across this recipe.

The original recipe suggested serving it with udon, but since I am in the mood of emptying my pantry, I am serving it with red rice. You could of course use beef or chicken mince instead of turkey, and even use red miso instead of the dashi flavoured miso that I have used. I think this makes an interesting alternative for minced meat dishes.

Minced meat miso sauce

60g leeks, chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
400g turkey mince
1 tbsp cooking sake
30ml soy sauce
30ml mirin
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp dashi miso (if using normal miso, add 100ml dashi stock)
pinch of shichimi togarashi

Cook leeks and ginger in a frying pan for a few minutes until soften. Add mince and cook until brown. Mix together sake, soy, mirin, sugar and miso and pour in the pan. Stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the mince is cooked and the sauce has slightly thickened. Season with shichimi togarashi and serve with udon or rice.

Beef Rice Pilaf

2010-05-12T16:40:00.003+10:00

I have to admit pilaf is a fairly new addition to my cooking, but it didn't take me long to be totally converted thanks to the simplicity and tastiness of this dish. I mean what could possibly be easier than a one pan dish?

This recipe is so warming with different spices and using lamb mince instead of beef would make it even heartier. You don't have to use red rice, but I think it gives the dish a nuttier taste. You could serve this with some chopped up nuts and yoghurt to make it extra special.This is an adaptation of Jill Dupleix' s recipe.

Beef rice pilaf

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, halved and finely sliced
400g lean beef mince
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
pinch of dried chili flakes
sea salt and black pepper
100g basmati rice, rinsed
100g red rice
100g sultanas
2 tbsp tomato paste
400ml water

Cook onion in oil until golden. Add mince and cook for a few minutes until starting to get brown. Add spices and cook for a further few minutes. Add rice, sultanas, tomato paste and water and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the rice has cooked.

Velvety zucchini and potato soup

2010-05-11T15:59:00.004+10:00

This is one of those thick velvety vegetable soups that I love. I couldn't decide what else to use the zucchini for so I decided to make this. I was going to add cream, but it was so velvety and tasty without it didn't need any. Very basic and simple, but full of taste. The recipe is adapted from www.taste.com .au

Zucchini and potato soup

3 medium sized zucchini, chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
500ml chicken stock (or enough liquid just to cover the vegetables)
sea salt and cracked black pepper to season
good handful of fresh parsley

Heat some oil in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper and let simmer until the vegetables are tender. Remove the saucepan from heat, add parsley and blend with a stick mixer to a thick smooth soup. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh parsley.

Burnt Orange, Mosman - Mother's Day Lunch

2010-05-10T16:41:00.004+10:00

I don't usually like going to the same place twice. I simply can't afford to because there are far too many nice places to try! But the Burnt Orange in Mosman is different. I know I've blogged about this place already a couple of times, but this was still a lunch well worth mentioning. Another great thing about this place is that I've now taken a few of my friends here with me and they are always pleased with the food and amazed by the beauty of this place!

It's also great to finally find a nice restaurant for Mother's Day that doesn't have a rip-off Set menu for lunch! I did book early though and the place was fully booked when we arrived :)

Flinder's Island lamb pot pie with flakey homemade puff pastry and salad greens - The puff pastry was definitely flaky and superbly tasty. Lamb was so tender and it was cooked along with vegetables in a beautifully rich stock.

Refreshing and tasty Grilled Szechuan chicken salad with orange, mint & coriander and a pomegranate molasses dressing

Crispy skinned Confit of chicken on braised red cabbage & apple with a cider honey glaze

Wonderfully rich and tasty Pumpkin, goat's cheese & walnut tart with Melissa's carrot jam and fresh herb greens - The base was so tasty and crisp and the combination of soft tangy goat's cheese with sweet pumpkin was delicious. I would love to have the recipe for the carrot jam as well!

Mother's Day Tosca Cake

2010-05-09T15:50:00.005+10:00

This is a classic Finnish cake and a perfect fit for Mother's Day. Incredibly buttery and sweet, but so irresistible. I actually don't know what the word "tosca" means or where it comes from, but I think it refers to the almond-butter topping. If you don't like almonds, you could substitute with rolled oats.

Finnish Tosca Cake

Base

2 eggs
75g caster sugar
150 ml melted unsalted butter
140 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100 ml milk

Topping

75g unsalted butter
75g caster sugar
1,5 tbsp plain flour
75g flaked almonds
1 tbsp milk

Make the base: whip sugar and eggs until thick and pale. Stir in butter, then add half of the milk, half of the flour-baking powder mixture, stir, and add in the rest of the milk and flour. Stir well and pour into a 1,3 litre tin. Cook the base in 175C for 15 minutes and in the mean while make the topping: Place all ingredients in to a pan and let come to boil. Take the half baked cake out of the oven, spread the topping on the cake and bake until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the top is cooked golden.

Hyvää äitienpäivää rakas äiti!

Simply the Best in Five Dock

2010-05-08T15:28:00.005+10:00

It was our friend's birthday and he had booked us a table at a Chinese Vietnamese restaurant in Five Dock. "Simply the Best" was the modest name of this place and our friend had promised we were in for a fun night. The owner, William, is certainly a character. He seems to have endless energy as he wonders from one table to another, taking care of each and every customer in this small restaurant. He is also a very good host which makes it easy for large groups to dine here.
Food is not bad either ;-)

Rice paper rolls to start of with

Spicy calamari - "House special" (there are a lot of those on the menu)

Bok choy - "Because ladies like to have more vegetables"

Beef with mint, ginger, chili and lettuce - "Very yummy", just like William promised

Beef with ginger, mint and chilli

Saigon chicken - Another "house special", the chicken was very moist and tasty with a crispy skin

King prawn in tamarind sauce - the sweet sauce was delicious

All in all a superb night!

Five spice chicken and nutty rice

2010-05-06T16:58:00.003+10:00

If I find or come up with a nice marinade or crust I often try it with different meats, fish, chicken, etc. I first made this marinade for a steak and knowing Mr Kangaroo immediately thought it was a winner I opted for a second round using chicken. The marinade does indeed work for chicken as well, duck even better, I would think and the nutty combination of brown and red rice compliments the flavours well.

Five spice marinade

4-5 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs five spice powder
1 tbs light brown sugar
crushed black pepper

Baltic Herring Casserole

2010-05-05T16:35:00.005+10:00

Well... The title is a bit misleading. See, you can't get fresh Baltic Herring in Australia, so I had to substitute this with another type of fish. I am a complete devotee of jarred herring and thankfully I can get good Swedish herring here in Sydney. This casserole, however, has been something I've longed for every now and then until I finally realised I could try making it with sardines instead of herring! It's a victory! There is no better dish for cold winter nights... this is my comfort food :)

Baltic herring casserole

700 g sardines, gutted, filleted, fillets cut in half lengthwise and seasoned with salt
5-6 large potatoes, (any good all-arounder will do), cut into 1cm thick round slices
small bunch of dill, finely chopped
small onion, finely chopped

2 large eggs
400 ml milk
1 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
salt

Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of a greased oven proofed dish. Sprinkle with onions and dill and top with sardines. Continue layer by layer until the dish is full placing a layer of potatoes on top. Mix together eggs, milk, plain flour and seasoning and pour over the dish. Bake in 175C for 1,5-2 hours. Serve with pickled beetroot.

Must have - Iloleipuri Baking Supplies

2010-05-04T07:48:00.007+10:00

All images by Iloleipuri

In the risk of practicing some self promotion, I have to gently steer you to this website. To all of those who find Finnish language incomprehensible, I can tell that this company chose Aamukahvin ääressä to be the baking blog of the month! It was my fist ever recognition and I have to say it feels really good!

I have to admit that they do make the cutest cake tins! Just look at those adorable Moomin cookie cutter and cake tins! Most Finns would have a soft spot for these cute characters. These are all added to my shopping list for my next trip to Finland :)

Silicone cake tin by Iloleipuri
Cake tin by Iloleipuri

While on the subject of promotion I should also mention a local (that is, Sydney based) business called Your Display Gallery which is the best place for odd vintage props. Make sure to check out their blog list as well ;)

Cafe Ish, Surry Hills

2010-05-03T14:54:00.004+10:00

Cafe Ish at Surry Hills has certainly gained some reputation amongst us food bloggers in Sydney.
I was keen to try the famous coffee and I had built a healthy appetite running around the city like a lost hare.

Salad of roasted pumpkin, macadamias, baby spinach and chicken tossed in delicious mayo dressing. The roasted pumpkin was absolutely delicious and the dressing was not too heavy and overpowering. Macadamias add a crunchy texture to the salad.

Selection of salts: chilli salt, volcanic salt from Hawaii and citrus salt. This not only makes an interesting add to the dishes, but works as a conversation starter if one is in need for it.

Soft shell crab omelet with watercress, avocado, chilli, ginger and soy sauce. The omelet was soft and delicious, but I didn't cope so well with the chili.

Cafe's signature wattleseed maccacinos... Is this the best coffee I have ever had? Quite possibly so.

Good quality vanilla bean ice cream and wattleseed and macadamia ice cream. Yum!

Dark chocolate orange cake

2010-05-02T07:48:00.003+10:00

When I make a chocolate cake I like to use real chocolate, that is dark chocolate, not chocolate powder. This cake is yet another proof of my favourite combination: dark chocolate and orange.
The top is fragile and flaky, but the inside is soft and intensely delicious. The original recipe asked for Cointreau and I know it would have given the cake the most magnificent flavour, but substituting it with orange juice like I did was not a bad choice. The recipe is from April 2010 edition of Home Beautiful magazine.

Dark chocolate orange cake
Serves 8

300g 70% chocolate
100g unsalted butter, chopped
1 tbsp instant coffee
1/4 cup boiling water
50 ml orange juice (or Cointreau)
1 orange, zest grated
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
Dutch cocoa, for dusting
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a 22 cm spring form cake tin. Break chocolate in a heatproof bowl, add butter and place over a saucepan of simmering water to melt. Stir until smooth and remove from the heat. Dissolve the coffee in boiling water, add orange juice and zest and add the mixture into the chocolate. Add the eggs yolks into the mixture and stir well until combined.

Sift flour over the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Beat egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until glossy and thick. Fold in the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture in batches until just combined. Spoon into tin and bake for one hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin. Dust with cocoa and serve with thick dollop of cream.

Mumu Grill, Crows Nest

2010-05-01T08:42:00.007+10:00

Mumu Grill was the first place that came to my mind when we were thinking of where to take our steak loving friend for his birthday. Turned out they did indeed have great steaks and the service could not have been better. The steaks were cooked to perfection and they do offer an interesting choice of toppings including a coffee bean and szechwan pepper crust I'm very tempted to try recreate!

We also did our best to make it for happy hour knowing there was $5 beer, $10 cocktails and free tapas on offer. Well worth it, I think!

Tapas with olives and bread

Tapas: chicken wings

Tapas: roasted lamb with sweet sauce and chicken wings

Tasmanian Angus rump topped with roast garlic mustard

Fish of the day: whole snapper served with spinach, corn, tomato and fennel sauce. Slightly disappointing, but this place is all about steaks not fish.

Scotch fillet with blue cheese and mushroom pate

Tasmanian Angus rump topped with roast garlic mustard

Honey and spice chicken with roasted vegetables

2010-04-28T16:15:00.004+10:00

This is a deadly simple, yet such a flavoursome dish, perfect for cooler nights! The marinated chicken cooks on a bed of vegetables giving them the beautiful sweet and spicy flavour. You do need to take the chicken out before the vegetables are cooked, but it is hardly an effort and you end up with extra juicy vegetables. You can use any vegetables you like: potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, capsicum, really whatever you fancy, but I just love sweet potato and the onion becomes so sweet and delicious in the oven. You could easily double the marinade and cook a whole chicken as well.

Honey and spice chicken with roasted vegetables

Marinade (for 2 chicken breasts)

1 big tbs runny honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder (I used Keen's traditional curry powder)
1 tsp ground paprika

Roasted vegetables

1 medium sized sweet potato, cut into big chunks
2 small brown onions, cut into thin wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled, but left whole
3 tbs olive oil
sea salt & crushed pepper

Place all vegetables in an over proof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Smear some marinade on one side of the chicken and place the chicken the marinated side down on top of the vegetables. Spoon the rest of the marinade on the chicken, cover the dish with foil and cook in 200C oven for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken on to a plate and cover with foil. Cook the vegetables until soft and juicy. If you need to reheat the chicken, simply place it back in the oven for a few minutes and spoon some marinade on top to keep it moist.

Creamy pasta with salmon and capers

2010-04-27T15:50:00.004+10:00

Bowlful of creamy comfort food with a lovely salty twist provided by beautiful soft French capers. This makes going back to work after a long weekend almost bearable.

Creamy pasta with salmon and capers

400 g salmon file, cubed
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
3 big tbs French capers, chopped
1 wedge of preserved lemon, peel only, finely chopped
150 ml heavy cream
2 big handfuls of pasta, cooked al dente
crushed black pepper

Heat some olive oil and butter in a pan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add salmon and cook for a few minutes. Add capers, preserved lemon and cream and cook for a further few minutes. Add cooked pasta and heat through. Season well with crushed black pepper.

Must have Mondays - Oiva tableware

2010-04-26T11:07:00.010+10:00

All images by Marimekko

I am religious about Scandinavian design. Names like Iittala, Marimekko, Fiskars and Arabia are all up there on my shopping list whenever I go back to Finland. Luckily, these collections are also widely available here in Australia. I love this latest tableware from Marimekko because of it's retro outlook.

Oiva in good company tableware

Oiva in good company tableware

Oiva in good company tableware

Oiva modern classics tea pot

Chocolate Orange Marquise

2010-04-23T16:39:00.004+10:00

I just love the combination of dark chocolate and orange, like this one I made for Christmas last year. Marquise is a very dense, rich, chocolate dessert and in my opinion orange gives it the extra kick without making it too sweet.

Now I know some marquise recipes do not require any baking, but simply chilling. This one, however, is cooked in bain marie and it could be just that giving it the beautiful moistness without the feeling of eating pure chocolate mousse. Not that there would be anything wrong with that either :-)

Enjoy this with friends because not only is this rich, it is also a recipe for 6-8 people. Recipe from Chocolate Ecstacy.

Chocolate Orange Marquise

200g caster sugar
60ml freshly squeezed orange juice
350g plain dark chocolate (I used a combination of 200g 50% chocolate & 150g 70% chocolate), broken into squares
225g unsalted butter, cubed
5 eggs
finely grated rind of one orange
3 tbs plain flour
icing sugar and orange rind to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a round 23cm tin with a depth of 6 cm.

Place 115 g of the sugar in a sauce pan, add the orange juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted, then add the butter, cube by cube until thoroughly melted and evenly mixed.

Whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar until pale and very thick. Add the orange rind and fold in the chocolate mixture lightly and evenly. Sift the flour on top and fold in.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin. Place in a roasting tin and pour hot water in to reach about halfway up the sides of the cake tin.

Bake for 1 hour or until the cake is firm to touch. Remove the tin from bain marie and let cool. Turn the cake onto a plate and decorate with icing sugar and orange rind.

Lemon & Rosemary Chicken

2010-04-22T16:41:00.004+10:00

One of my favourite magazines is definitely Delicious: it is always full of beautiful, but easy to follow recipes and I tend to try quite a few of them before the next issue is out. The new Italian issue is out now so of course I had to jump in and cook one of the recipes. I knew I couldn't go wrong with this chicken because it has everything I love: lemon and rosemary! Deliciously moist and full of flavour!

Lemon & rosemary chicken

2 chicken breasts (about 500g)
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 rosemary sprigs
grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Place the chicken in a dish with chilli, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice and half of the zest. Leave to marinade for about 10 minutes. Heat a frying pan or a grill over medium heat, add chicken and rest of the marinade and cook for a few minutes on each side until done. Serve with rest of the lemon zest and some rice.

Five spice steak

2010-04-21T16:37:00.004+10:00

Like most food fanatics, I love food shopping. In fact I like it much more than I like buying clothes. After so many years in Sydney I still find Asian food stores fascinating and I could easily spend hours just looking at the different products. Spices are something I find myself buying in excess (if there is such a thing) all the time. My pantry is filled with spices and I use them in my cooking daily.

This recipe is an adaptation of Ching He-Huang's who has a lot more simple, every day recipes I want to try! The fragrant five spice powder filled my tiny kitchen with wonderful smell and the sugar caramelises in the pan giving the steak a lovely, rich sauce.

Five spice steak
Serves 2

2 steaks of about 200 g each
4-5 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs five spice powder (I probably used more, but I am in love with this spice)
1 tbs light brown sugar
crushed black pepper

Place the steaks in a bowl and add other ingredients. Turn well to coat and cook in a wok or frying pan for a few minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Serve with salad or rice and crunchy fried egg on top!

Simple noodle stir fry with poached salmon

2010-04-20T17:46:00.005+10:00

I have made a similar stir fry before, but this time I experimented with different vegetables and spices and different method of cooking the fish. I do like the poaching method; it is just so stress free and it makes it very easy to control the cooking, especially if you prefer the salmon a bit pink in the middle. Sea salt flakes taste delicious on the fish and in my opinion it doesn't need any other seasoning (part from crushed pepper perhaps) next to the flavoursome noodles.

Simple noodle stir fry with poached salmon (serves two noodle needy people)

1 red onion, thinly sliced
half red chilli, finely sliced (add more if you can palate it, I can't!)
thumb size piece of ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bok choy, sliced
1 telegraph cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thick slices
200 g bean sprouts
3 tbs kecap manis
sesame seeds, to taste
shichimi togarashi
sesame oil, to taste

300-400 g salmon file
sea salt flakes
crushed black pepper

Heat some oil in a frying pan or a wok and add the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add bok choy, cucumber and bean sprouts and cook until the vegetables have wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Use fork to loosen the noodles, then rinse well. Add the noodles in the pan and season with kecap manis and sesame oil. Return the vegetables to the pan, add sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi and mix well.

Place the file of salmon in boiling water, cook for a few minutes or until cooked to desired point. Fork into smaller pieces, season with sea salt flakes and crushed pepper and serve with noodles.

Must have Mondays - Of Cabbages & Kings

2010-04-19T15:58:00.003+10:00

I wasn't going to make this a weekly thing, but since it is Monday and it's my second "Must have"-post, I might as well call it "Must Have Mondays". I come across many cute/funny/wacky/interesting designs, and I would love to share at least some of them with you. How about that cake stand with a pair of legs sticking out?!

All images by Of Cabbages & Kings
Hmm this may not be my usual style but I am loving these!

Pea and Rocket Soup

2010-04-18T11:53:00.003+10:00

Something healthy after all that indulgence... This recipe is from a book called Bowl Food. I love frozen peas: they are excellent crushed with some butter and onion or in a soup like this one.

Pea and rocket soup

1 tbs olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
700 g frozen peas
100 g rocket leaves
750 ml hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
black pepper
parmesan and rocket leaves to garnish

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft. Add the peas and the rocket and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the stock, bring to boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Season the soup with black pepper, then process in a food processor or with a stab mixer until almost smooth. Serve with parmesan and rocket leaves.

Eastwood Garden Peking Restaurant

2010-04-17T08:29:00.009+10:00

After having the opportunity to enjoy the delicious Chinese food at the wedding reception last month I have been increasingly fascinated and intrigued by this wonderful cuisine. I had read about the Eastwood Garden Peking Restaurant which was especially praised for their Peking duck, and so when the opportunity arose to dine in the area, I just had to try it out.

I have to admit I didn't have much to compare with, but my experienced dining companions confirmed the duck really was good. I certainly enjoyed it as I did all other dishes we tried.

Peking Duck served with cucumber, spring onion and deliciously sweet hoi sin sauce.

Rest of the duck was used for San Choy Bow served in crispy lettuce cups

Steamed Minced Pork Dumplings with Chives served with vinegar. Have I mentioned how much I love dumplings?

Pan Fried Bun with Minced Pork was equally tasty

And the Chilli Squid was so nice and salty

My first ever deep fried ice cream - Yuuuu'um!

We ended the night with some drinks at Chocolate Kkmoz

Thank you to our dear friends for the lovely night!

Sage and garlic chicken with pearl barley salad

2010-04-15T16:56:00.005+10:00

Two pearl barley dishes in a row? Well I do love pearl barley (makes an excellent oven cooked porridge too), but the truth is I made this dish a while ago, I just haven't had a chance to post it.
This would make an excellent lunch or light dinner or you could barbeque the chicken and have the salad as a delicious side dish!I'm in love with these kinds of salads; especially if they include Spanish onion steeped in olive oil and vinegar.

Sage and garlic chicken with pearl barley salad

400 g chicken breasts, cut into smaller chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tsp dried sage

150 g pearl barley
olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 Spanish onion, finely sliced
1 corn cob, cooked and kernels cut off
30 ml red wine vinegar
lemon juice to taste
salt, pepper to taste

Add oil in the pan, add chicken and let brown. Add garlic and sage, salt and pepper and cook the chicken until tender.

Bring 1 litre water to the boil in a pan. Add barley and let simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool.

Place the onion in a bowl along with red wine vinegar and 50 ml olive oil. Let season for a few minutes. Place cooled barley, corn kernels, celery and onion (with the marinade) in a large bowl, add a dash of olive oil, lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well and serve with chicken.

Beef and Pearl Barley Stew

2010-04-14T15:17:00.004+10:00

I am being told it's getting a bit nippy in Sydney. "Being told" because I don't feel cold yet. Don't get me wrong: I am usually the first one to rant about being cold and I always get the same reaction "But you're from FINLAND, you should be used to it!". Well I'm not. Not when it's cold INSIDE. I don't care how cold it is outside (and I mean it; I've experienced -50C) as long as it's warm and dry inside, which it isn't because there is no heating. And no, those portable heaters don't count. We use them in cars in Finland.

In any case, it is always an adjustment one has to make when moving from the northern hemisphere in to the southern hemisphere. I used to be an Autumn baby, now all of a sudden I celebrate my birthday in Spring. I no longer knit woolen socks in December or take my Christmas decorations out in July, but I do cook stews all year around. Interestingly, I was having this conversation with a friend of mine who is from Singapore and she was having the same problem, except that she would cook "cold" food even in Sydney's winter. Us Finns love stews, and if I tell you that the average SUMMER temperature in my hometown is about the same than that of Sydney's WINTER (sorry for all the capital letters, just trying to get my point across) average, you get the idea.

Stews are not just tasty, but the great thing about them is that you can throw in pretty much anything and given enough time to cook, it (usually) turns out good. This is one of those "throw in what you've got" recipes so please forgive me the ambiguous measurements.

Beef and Pearl Barley Stew

450 g beef, cubed
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely cubed
1 heaped tsp Hungarian paprika
1 heaped tsp dried thyme
1 cup beef stock
1 can diced, unsalted tomatoes
1 cup pearl barley
(water)

Brown beef in two batches, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Add onion, carrot and garlic in the pan and cook until softened. Add ground paprika and thyme and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the meat back in to the pan, stir in tomatoes and stock and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes. Add pearl barley and a cupful of water and simmer for another 20-30 minutes (adding water if necessary) or until the beef and the barley is tender.

Coconut chicken curry with coriander pesto

2010-04-13T16:48:00.004+10:00

I wasn't going to blog this dish, because I am never able to take even reasonably good photos of curries. However, sometimes sharing a delicious recipe is more important than good photos ;-) This is a slurpy kind of curry, but the broth is the best part of it. Possibly even nicer enjoyed with a soft naan bread to soak up the goodness. I am a dedicated pesto lover and a firm believer in making pestos myself. If you must, however, you can substitute the pesto with a shop bought one. Just don't tell me about it.

This is another modified Delicious magazine recipe (please don't judge, I am hooked!)

Coconut chicken curry with coriander pesto

1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
small knob of ginger, grated
1 big tbs Thai green curry paste
500 g chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 big tbs coriander pesto (see recipe below)
200 ml chicken stock
275 ml coconut milk (one small can)
4 small potatoes, quartered
1 tbs fish sauce
lime juice, to taste
fresh coriander to serve

Cook onion in oil until softened. Add garlic and curry paste and cook until fragrant. Add chicken and cook for a couple of minutes stirring to coat with the paste. Stir in pesto, stock and coconut milk and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Season with fish sauce and lime juice.

Coriander pesto

100 g fresh coriander leaves and stalks
small handful flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
2 tbs toasted pine nuts
40 g grated parmesan
100 ml olive oil
crushed black pepper

Whiz the herbs, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan in a food processor, then slowly add olive oil with motor running until you have a paste. Season with crushed black pepper.

Must have - Ingenious Cookie Cutters

2010-04-13T07:26:00.005+10:00

Image: Cox & Cox

How cute are these cookie cutters?? I don't bake cookies that often, but these cutters are definitely making me feel very inspired!

Tasty turkey patties with rosemary sweet potato chips

2010-04-12T15:38:00.006+10:00

Oh how I just love the smell of rosemary flavored sweet potato; for some unexplained reason it reminds me of the smell of the Finnish sauna which I dearly miss *sigh* I have to admit I had to make another batch of these for Mr Kangaroo because I finished the first one before he got home for dinner...Can you blame me??

The patties, on the other hand, are yet another version of my always reliable meat ball recipes. Cooking the patties in the oven is much simpler method than frying them on a pan. This time I added sweet chili sauce in to the dough to make it a bit spicier, and I also made a dip with sour cream and sweet chili sauce to serve with the patties and the chips.

Not a bad start for the week!

Tasty turkey patties

500 g turkey mince
1 egg
3 tbs semolina (or substitute with breadcrumbs)
1 tbs sweet chili sauce
a dash of soy sauce
a good pinch of ground coriander

Mix all ingredients together, form into patties (makes about 9-10) or balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in 200C oven for about 20 minutes. Turn the patties half way through to ensure even cooking.

Rosemary sweet potato chips

1 sweet potato (or make it 2) cut into chips
olive oil
sea salt
fresh or dry rosemary

Place the sweet potato chips on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and rosemary. Mix well so that the oil and the spices coat everything. Bake in 200 C oven for about 20 minutes. You can turn the chips half way through to get even coating of oil.

Spicy sour cream dip

Half a tub sour cream (or use a whole tub if you're making 2 batches of chips)
a good tablespoon of sweet chili sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together and serve with patties and chips.

Chicken with sundried tomato crust

2010-04-11T17:56:00.005+10:00

It's no secret I love oven cooked food and experimenting with different crusts has become almost a weekly thing for me. I've made this crust a couple of times for salmon but now tried it with chicken and it does work for both, but chicken still was my favourite. The oil from the sundried tomatoes really flavors the crust and makes the chicken so tasty and moist.

The recipe is adapted from the Delicious magazine.

Chicken with sundried tomato crust

2 chicken breasts
8 sundried tomatoes, plus about 1 tbs of the sundried tomato oil
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
20 g grated parmesan
1 garlic clove, crushed
sea salt, crushed pepper

Place the chicken breasts in an oven proof dish and season with salt and pepper. Place all other ingredients in a food processor and process until it forms into a moist crumb. Spoon the mixture onto the breasts and cook in 200C oven for about 20 minutes.

Delicado Foods, McMahons Point

2010-04-10T17:17:00.004+10:00

I really like Spanish food: chorizos, sardines, olives, jamon, paella, all of it, so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to a lunch at Delicado Foods.

I was drooling over the deli looking at all those olives and chorizos

The jamon

The interiors are very colourful and Hispanic

Mediterranean Olives: varieties include arbequina, sevillano, ligurian & others, house marinade

These were possibly the best olives I have ever had (mind you I haven't been to Spain)

Roasted salad of eggplant, semi dried tomato, beetroot, artichoke & baby spinach

Sardine tartlet, braised fennel, olive tapenade, roasted tomato

The pastry was so flaky without being too buttery at all, the sardines were perhaps a bit mellow, but the olive tapenade on top was just delicious

Coffee and check out the spoon (Tamworth Country Music spoon)

Last Bits of the South Coast

2010-04-08T16:09:00.010+10:00

I have a few more places and pictures to show you before I'm done with the beautiful South Coast of NSW!

On our Jervis Bay day we visited the Coolangatta Estate which is the site of the first European settlement in this region. After some wine and cheese tasting you can take a self-guided tour around the convict-built village and inhale the beauty and the calmness of the place (something that was perhaps lacking in the crowded Nan Tien Temple!) Accommodation is also available if you wish to stay longer.

Wine tasting on offer

Leaving the coast we headed inland towards Kangaroo Valley.

Hampden Bridge is Australia's oldest suspension bridge

Fudge House and Ice Creamery in Kangaroo Valley town has free fudge tasting :-)

Kangaroo Valley still had breath taking views despite the cloud

It was a rainy (and misty) day at Fitzroy Falls...

The award winning Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral sure was a popular spot!

Lamb and rosemary pie from the Gumnut Patisserie... mmm

South Coast definitely has some great scenery and food to offer! Berry was my favourite :-) Can you tell?

The Treat Factory, Berry

2010-04-07T15:04:00.005+10:00

Have I talked enough about Berry yet? No, I didn't think so... Berry is a real gem and I was really surprised to find so much character in such a small town. Along with great cafes and restaurants, there is also The Treat Factory. Now, I know it sounds like something from a children's book and in fact it's not far from it: just imagine shelves full of jams, marmalades, chocolate coated nuts, handmade chocolates and truffles, fudge and lollies and the list goes on. And it gets better: they have free tasting!

There is a chocolate room...

Jams, marmalades, jellies, butters, chutneys, sauces, mustards, oils...

Chocolate coated nuts and fruits...

Handmade chocolate...

Truffles and fudge...

Old fashioned boiled lollies...

And some treats for us

You gotta love Berry! :-)

Hedgehogs Coffee Shop, Berry

2010-04-05T15:06:00.005+10:00

Bear with me, I told you there would be more posts and pictures to follow!

We had breakfast at the Hedgehogs Coffee Shop in Berry because it was advertised as the favourite amongst the locals. The cafe is undeniably cute; tucked behind the hedge, a small cafe has a real welcoming atmosphere.

Coffees

Full brekkie comes with eggs of your choice, toast, bacon, tomato and coffee/tea and juice.

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on Turkish bread

The little hedgehogs show the way

The Coach House and Court Yard Restaurant, Berry

2010-04-05T14:24:00.005+10:00

The Berry Hotel is right at the centre of Berry and it offers good food and entertaining :-) A very popular spot for diners located in the oldest brick building of Berry. We booked a table at the court yard (because nothing else was available), but they do have a nicer area for more private and romantic dining with an open log fire to help set the right ambience.

You can't go wrong with a nice steak at this place, but other options are also available.

I'm sorry about the quality of the photos!

Scotch fillet with mushroom sauce, mash potato and vegetables.

Seared salmon with a rocket and roast pumpkin salad, basil mayo and toasted peanuts

Butterscotch panna cotta with roasted pears, almond biscotti and raspberry sauce

Supply, Huskisson

2010-04-05T13:49:00.003+10:00

Huskisson is a nice little town on Jervis Bay and this Easter long weekend it was buzzing with tourists and locals alike. Easter Saturday's open air market would have been even more enjoyable if the rain wouldn't have put a damper on everything, including us! We sought cover at the popular Supply; a deli, fresh food shop and a cafe right at the centre of Huskisson.

Chicken burger with herb marinated chicken breast, crisp pancetta, parmesan, lettuce, tomato, Spanish onion and Turkish bread
Super salad wrap with tahini

The white sand didn't really stand out as much in the cloudy weather

Oh those clouds look threatening!

Berry Sourdough Bakery and Cafe

2010-04-05T09:00:00.005+10:00

I had heard about this bakery in Berry and I was really looking forward to visiting it. It proved to be much more than I was ever expecting though! What a wonderful place; it has so much real character that is usually so hard to find!

The bakery is tucked away from the main street of Berry, but it really didn't seem to be hard for anyone to find it. We were there for breakfast just before 8 am (the cafe opens at 8), and by 8.30 the place was packed! I can understand why for not only this place has a lovely atmosphere with soft French music, rustic looks and smell of freshly baked bread, it also offers mouth watering food and the best coffee around! I was really blown away by this place and having breakfast here made the whole day!

The bakery is located in a heritage building with the cutest wavy floors

The famous woodfired oven

The bakery sells European style pastries and woodfired sourdough breads along with other products, such as woodfired toasted musli.

Mmm, delicious cappuccino

Creamy scrambled eggs on sourdough bread with cured salmon... sooooo good!

Eggs Benedict with the creamiest poached eggs, Bearnaise sauce and cured salmon - Delish!

This is definitely a cafe I want to return to!

South Coast Trip - Easter 2010

2010-04-04T17:21:00.006+10:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the South Coast, NSW this Easter... More posts and pictures to follow!

View from Mount Keira overlooking Wollongong

Nan Tien Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere

Buddha at Nan Tien Temple

Doing some morning exercise

The Kiama Blowhole

The Pink Post Office in Kiama

Picnic Food

2010-04-02T06:54:00.006+11:00

For me the best thing about going on a trip is definitely the food. When my brother and I were kids mum would always pack home made snacks and lunches for our trips; even as short as 1 hour drive! Whether it comes from that time or the fact that I grew up in a town where there were no take away places, I to this day absolutely loathe Maccas and other fast food chains and always prefer to pack my own lunch to go.

On the first day of our Easter weekend getaway we will have a picnic lunch (photos to follow later), and I've prepared rye and wheat flour tortillas filled with avocado, honey soy chicken and pickled onions, and a Greek salad. For our afternoon tea I've made an apple streusel cake with Finnish vanilla sauce.

For snacks we'll have apples, grape tomatoes and edamame!

Honey Soy Chicken

2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, grated
lemon juice to taste

Mix all ingredients together, place 2 chicken breast fillets in an over proof dish and pour over the marinade. Cook in 200C oven for about 20 minutes.

Greek Salad

baby spinach leaves
grape tomatoes
1 Lebanese cucumber
half Spanish onion
block of feta cheese
red wine vinegar, olive oil, crushed black pepper to taste

Apple Streusel slice recipe can be found here.

Finnish Vanilla Sauce

1 egg
4 dl milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp potato flour

Mix all ingredients together and heat in a pot stirring all the time until thickened. Don't boil. Serve with all kinds of cakes.

Now that I've finished packing the most important thing, I better get started with other essentials...

Happy Easter!
Hyvää pääsiäistä!

Brown rice, pine nut and sultana salad

2010-03-31T16:05:00.002+11:00

Sticking to healthy food, this salad is still full of flavour. The recipe is adapted from the Gourmet Traveller.

Brown rice, pine nut and sultana salad

250 g brown rice, cooked and cooled
50 g pine nuts
1/2 Spanish onion, finely sliced
50 ml red wine vinegar
30 ml lemon juice
80 ml fruity olive oil
20 g sultanas, coarsely chopped
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt, pepper

Dry-roast the pine nuts until golden. Combine onion, red wine vinegar and lemon juice in a glass bowl and let soak for a few minutes. Place rice, pine nuts, sultanas and parsley in a bowl, add the soaked onion along with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve with fish or chicken or as a light lunch with feta or halloumi cheese.

Keralan Chicken Curry

2010-03-30T15:58:00.004+11:00

I needed something spicy, warming and vitamin-rich to get rid of the sore throat and start of a cold. Curry has all that and it's so pleasantly warming on a rainy autumn day.

Keralan Chicken Curry

1 tbs black mustard seeds
20 fresh curry leaves
2 small brown onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of chili flakes
1 tin coconut milk
1 tin unsalted chopped tomatoes
400 g chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes until the seeds start to pop. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Mix turmeric with a little bit of water to form a paste and add that in to the pan along with chili flakes. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and chicken. Bring to boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, remove the lid and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

Lunch at the Burnt Orange Cafe, Mosman

2010-03-29T16:17:00.005+11:00

Back to my favourite spot for lunch on a sunny afternoon. This Cafe is always a nice experience!

I was very pleased with my Lime-cured tuna ceviche salad with confit cherry tomatoes, Alto ligurian olives, fresh green beans and crushed chats (pictured above).

And there were agreeable "mmm's" from my fellow luncheon companion for her Fish of the day (Ocean Trout) served on a salad of shaved fennel, sugar snap peas and preserved lemon, dressed with an Orange Mountain verjus.

A little treat for Easter: Kennedy & Wilson's Dark Chocolate Egg. The smell of the chocolate is almost intoxicating. I will have to hide this until the end of the week.

Hot Cross Buns - The Australian Easter Treat

2010-03-28T10:01:00.006+11:00

Now I must admit I've never been a big fan of the spicy buns Australians like to eat at Easter time, and I finally realised why! It's because I've never had home made ones before. I don't mean to brag, but these buns were so so yummy and so much better than any shop bought ones I've ever tasted! Why oh why don't more people make them themselves? The best thing, besides the taste of course, is that these ones are not filled with preservatives and whatnot. I highly recommend you to try these at home!

Hot Cross Buns (makes 12 big buns)

4 cups plain flour
14 g dry yeast
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup sultanas
40 g unsalted butter
300 ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste

1/2 cup plain flour
4 to 5 tbs water

Sugar Glace

1/3 cup water
2 tbs caster sugar

Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, spices and sultanas in a large bowl. Melt butter in a pan and add in milk. Heat until about 42 C. Add the warm milk mixture and eggs to the dry ingredients and stir well. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth. If the dough feels too hard, water your hands with warm water and knead the dough (this incorporates just enough water to make the dough softer). Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Knead the risen dough until smooth and divide into 12 equal sized portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the tray. Cover the tray with cling wrap or tea towel and let the buns rise for another half an hour. In the mean while, preheat the over to 190 C.

To make the flour paste combine the flour with water and mix into a smooth paste. Pipe the flour paste onto the risen buns to form crosses. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes (turn the tray half way to ensure even baking) or until nicely browned.

Make the glace: place sugar and water in a pan and let boil for 5 minutes stirring every now and then. Brush the warm buns with the glace. Serve warm with butter.

Finnish Spoon Biscuits

2010-03-27T16:25:00.004+11:00

When I was making these this hot and humid morning I realised that these biscuits are actually perfect for a warm climate; there's no rolling and cutting and no chilling the dough over and over again, just spooning. How simple is that? My mum always used to make these and she still does, but unfortunately mailing them to me would take too long, thus I needed to make them myself.
These take me right back to childhood!

Finnish Spoon Biscuits

200 g butter
1 1/2 dl sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp bicarb soda
4 dl plain flour

raspberry conserve
caster sugar

Melt butter in a pan and let bubble for a few minutes, but don't let it brown. Transfer the hot butter in a bowl and add sugar. Let cool, then stir. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Use a small deep spoon to take spoonfuls of the dough and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in 175C for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool, then spread some raspberry conserve on half of the biscuits and place the other halves on top. Roll in caster sugar.

Stuffed Sardines

2010-03-26T16:30:00.002+11:00

I have mentioned my love for sardines, and when I saw the latest episode of the Italian Food Safari it was all I needed to cook sardines again! I only have one request: do not even THINK of using other than fresh breadcrumbs in the stuffing, it simply wouldn't work any other way.

Stuffed Sardines

16 sardines, filleted
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, grated
salt, pepper
1 egg, beaten
some plain flour

Mix together the parsley, parmesan, breadcrumbs and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg to make a soft, sticky mixture. Place a small amount of the mixture in the centre of the sardine and place another fillet on top. Dust the sardines lightly in some plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper and fry in olive oil in a hot pan for about 3 minutes each side.

Swedish Kladdkaka

2010-03-25T17:21:00.004+11:00

The Swedes are well known for their sweet tooth and this cake makes no exception: it is rich, gooey and incredibly sweet. So if you're after a real chocolate hit, then this definitely is the cake for you!

Chocolate Kladdkaka

100 g butter (if you want the cake extra gooey, use 50 g butter and 50 ml vegetable oil)
2 eggs
2 dl granulated sugar
1 dl light brown sugar
2,5 dl plain flour (or cake flour if you can find it)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
tiny pinch of salt
4 tbs unsweetened Dutch cocoa
50 g dark 70% chocolate roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 150 C (or slightly hotter depending on your oven). Melt the butter and let cool slightly. Whisk the eggs and the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter. Mix the dry ingredients together and fold into the batter. Pour the batter into a prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes or until set, but remember that the cake is supposed to be gooey! Serve with whipped cream.

Spicy Chicken Breasts with Carrot Pilaf

2010-03-24T16:08:00.003+11:00

These recipes are adapted from Jill Dupleix's Indian menu. The colorful pilaf brought some much needed happiness to my day!

Spicy Chicken Marinade (for 4 chicken breasts)

200 g natural yoghurt
2 tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbs sunflower oil

Combine all the ingredients, season with salt and toss the chicken breasts in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat over to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the chicken on a rack over the tray. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Carrot Pilaf

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 carrots, grated
250 g basmati rice

Cook the onion in oil until soft. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the carrot. Add rice, 500 ml water and pinch of salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff up the cooked rice with forks and serve with the spicy chicken.

Quick and Easy - Turkey meatballs

2010-03-23T16:21:00.004+11:00

I make meatballs almost every week. For me it doesn't matter what mince I use; beef, chicken, pork, lamb or - like in this case - turkey. They are super fast and super easy to make and you can easily change the taste by adding different spices, fresh herbs, cheese or other ingredients. Like a true Scandi, I love mine with lingonberry jam and mashed potato, and strangely Mr Kangaroo has adapted this flavor combination as well.

Turkey Meatballs

500 g turkey mince
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
a good pinch of dried rosemary
salt, pepper
1 small brown onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped

Mix all ingredients well together, add water if the dough seems too tense. Roll into balls and bake in 200C oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with mashed potato and lingonberry jam!

Pita Pockets filled with chorizo, corn and bean salad

2010-03-22T15:31:00.005+11:00

Now, strictly speaking pita pockets and chorizos don't exactly share the same culinary region, but I happen to like both so in my mind there is no such restriction. The wonderful chorizo and corn salad is another adaptation of a recipe from the latest Delicious magazine.

Pita Pockets

3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar or honey
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (42 C)
2 tbs oil

Mix the yeast with a little bit of flour and pour into the warm water with sugar and salt. Mix well and start adding the flours. Add all the flours mixing well and then add the oil. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth, return to a bowl coated with oil and leave to rise until doubled in size.
In the mean while heat the oven to 250 degrees and place a baking sheet in the oven to warm up.

Divide the dough into 8 portions and flatten each portion with a rolling pin to form a 10-12 cm circle. Transfer the pitas onto 2 large sheets of baking paper and let rise for another 10-20 minutes. Take the hot baking sheet from the oven and glide the baking paper holding the pitas onto it. Bake 5-8 minutes or until golden. Repeat with the other four breads. Let cool on wire rack.

Chorizo, corn and bean salad (enough for about 4 pita pockets)

2 chorizos, sliced on an angle
2 corn cobs
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp ground cumin
grated zest and juice of one lime
1 tbs red wine vinegar
60 ml olive oil

Cook corn cobs in salted water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain and let cool. Once cooled, cut the kernels off. Combine onion, beans, tomatoes and corn in a bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, zest and juice of a lime, vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing on the salad.

Grill the chorizo slices on a frying pan for 2 minutes each side until crisp and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel and combine with the salad.

Fill pita pockets with the salad and serve with sour cream. Alternatively, serve the salad with flour or corn tortillas.

Wedding and the Chinese Banquet!

2010-03-21T06:36:00.011+11:00

Mr Kangaroo and I were privileged to attend a wedding of our dear friends Miss B and Mr J. And what a wedding it was! The ceremony was absolute beautiful, everything went so smoothly, everyone was so happy (hey, it was a wedding after all!) and the weather was gorgeous. The reception was held at the Fook Yuen Seafood Restaurant in Chatswood (a suburb in Sydney). I was so excited; this was to be my first ever full on Chinese Banquet!

And here's what we had!

First course: Roast suckling pig with jellyfish and octopus

Second course: Fried Golden Stuffed Crab Claw

Dish no. 3: Steamed vegetables

Dish no. 4:Shark's fin soup

5: Noodles with crab

6: Abalone and spinach

7: Steamed Perch

And the head and the tail which according to the tradition should be facing the most honored guest.

8: Chinese style chicken with crispy skin

And Desserts!

Red bean pudding with lotus seeds

The wedding cake

And the sliced up wedding cake

Small Chinese cakes served with fruit

And here's the bridal bouquet I caught! This was my third time in a row! Now you too can learn how to master this art.

Kalapuikot ja hernemuusi - Fishcakes and Pea Crush

2010-03-19T16:26:00.005+11:00

Tällainen ruoka tekee onnelliseksi; kullanruskeat, päältä rapeat, mutta sisältä pehmeät kalapuikot sekä kauniin vihreä ja ah niin herkullinen hernemuusi.

This is real Happy Food; golden brown fish cakes, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the deliciously green buttery pea crush.

Kalapuikot

410 g tlk lohta valutettuna (nahaton, luuton)
1 pieni sipuli
1 valkosipulinkynsi
pieni kourallinen tuoretta lehtipersiljaa
yhden sitruunan raastettu kuori
1 rkl Dijon sinappia
reilu pari desiä perunamuusia
suolaa, pippuria

vehnäjauhoja
1 kanamuna
tilkka maitoa
Panko korppujauhoja

öljyä paistamiseen

Hienonna sipuli, valkosipuli ja persilja ja lisää lohen joukkoon. Lisää mukaan perunamuusi, sinappi, sitruunankuori ja mausta suolalla ja pippurilla. Sekoita tasaiseksi taikinaksi ja muotoile taikinasta noin 10 patukkaa. Siirrä kalapatukat jääkaappiin vajaaksi puoleksi tunniksi. Aseta yhteen kulhoon suolalla ja pippurilla maustettu vehnäjauho, toiseen kananmuna ja maito (vatkaa sekaisin) ja kolmanteen Panko korppujauhot. Kasta kalapuikot ensin jauhoissa, sitten muna-maidossa ja lopuksi korppujauhoissa ja paista kuumassa öljyssä kullanruskeaksi.

Hernemuusi

noin 4 dl pakasteherneitä
reilu nokare suolatonta voita
suolaa, pippuria

Kypsennä herneet suolalla maustetussa vedessä, laske siivilän läpi ja sekoita mukaan voi ja mausteet. Muusaa hieman, mutta ei aivan tasaiseksi.

Fishcakes

410 g can of pink salmon (drained, boneless, skinless)
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 tbs Dijon mustard
grated zest of 1 lemon
some fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup mashed potato
salt, pepper

plain flour
1 egg
dash of milk
Panko breadcrumbs

oil for frying

Combine the potato, salmon, finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, mustard and lemon zest in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 10 small logs and transfer into the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Place plain flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat the egg with some milk in another bowl and place the breadcrumbs in a separate dish. Dip the fishcakes first in the flour, then the egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs to coat. Shallow-fry until golden.

Pea crush

3 cups frozen peas
30 g unsalted butter
salt, pepper

Cook the peas in a boiling water seasoned with salt, drain and return to the pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper and crush lightly.

Suklaa-kaneli tuilet - Chocolate Cinnamon Tuiles

2010-03-18T16:20:00.004+11:00

Rakastan kokeilla uusia tekniikoita ja nämä hauraat ranskalaiset "pikkuleivät" ovat olleet kokeilulistallani jo pitkään. Ne sopivat mitä parhaiten jäätelön tai muun pehmeän jälkiruoan kanssa tarjottavaksi. Tuileja voi tehdä niin makeita kuin suolaisiakin, kokeile esimerkiksi parmesaania! En muuten usko ikinä voivani kyllästyä ihastelemaan kuinka valkuainen muuttuu vatkatessa ensin pehmeäksi vaahdoksi ja sokeria lisätessä niin kauniin kiiltävän valkoiseksi...

I love trying out new techniques and these fragile French cookies have been on my "to try" list for a long time. They really are the best companion for ice cream or any other soft dessert. Tuiles are so versatile, they can be sweet or savoury; try parmesan for example!
By the way, I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching how an egg white can get whipped into soft peaks and attaining the prettiest white gloss after adding sugar.

Suklaa-kaneli tuilet

1 valkuainen
50 g hienoasokeria
2 rkl vehnäjauhoja
40 g sulatettua voita
1 rkl makeuttamatonta kaakaojauhetta
1/2 tl jauhettua kanelia

Vatkaa valkuainen pehmeäksi vaahdoksi, lisää sokeri ja vatkaa kiiltäväksi. Siivilöi jauhot valkuaisen joukkoon ja sekoita tasaiseksi. Sekoita mukaan sulatettu voi. Siirrä 3 rkl seosta toiseen kulhoon marmorointia varten. Siivilöi kaakao ja kaneli pieneen kulhoon, sekoita keskenään ja sekoita sitten isomman taikinan joukkoon. Levitä leivinpaperilla päällystetylle uunipellille ohuita pyöreitä leipäsiä ja lisää pieni määrä kaakaotonta seosta päälle. Paista 200 asteessa muutaman minuutin kunnes leivät ovat juuri asettuneet. Aseta kuumat tuilet kaulimen tai muun pyöreän esineen päälle ja anna jäähtyä. Tarjoile esimerkiksi jäätelön kanssa.

Chocolate Cinnamon Tuiles

1 egg white
50 g caster sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
40 g melted butter
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Whisk the egg white into soft peaks, add the sugar and whisk until smooth and glossy. Sift in the flour and fold in. Stir in the butter. Transfer about 3 tbsp of the mixture into another bowl and set aside. Sift in the cocoa and ground cinnamon in another bowl and stir into the larger quantity of the mixture. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper, then spread evenly to make a thin cookie. Drop some of the unflavoured mixture over. Bake in 200C for a few minutes until just set. Transfer hot tuiles over a rolling pin and leave to cool. Serve with ice cream.

Linssilätyt - Lentil Fritters

2010-03-17T16:34:00.004+11:00

Rakastan kasvislättyjä; pinaatti- ja porkkanalätyt ovat ikisuosikkejani, mutta vaihtelun vuoksi linssitkin kelpaavat hyvin. Reseptin nappasin uunituoreesta Delicious lehdestä, inspiroivaa luettavaa!

I love veggie fritters; spinach and carrot ones are my all time favourites, but lentils are a welcome change. I got this recipe from the latest Delicious magazine which is always a great source of inspiration!

Linssilätyt

100 g vehnäjauhoja
1 tl leivinjauhetta
ripaus cayennepippuria
1 tl jauhettua korianteria
1 tl jauhettua kuminaa
2 kananmunaa valkuaiset ja keltuaiset eroteltuina
150 ml maitoa
400 g tlk linssejä huuhdottuina ja valutettuina
tuoretta persiljaa
suolaa, mustapippuria

Siivilöi jauhot, leivinjauhe ja mausteet kulhoon. Lisää keltuaiset ja maito ja sekoita tasaiseksi. Lisää linssit ja hienonnettu persilja, mausta suolalla ja pippurilla ja sekoita hyvin. Vatkaa valkuaiset pehmeäksi vaahdoksi ja sekoita varovasti taitellen muun taikinan joukkoon. Kuumenna hieman rasvaa pannulla ja paista taikinasta pieniä lättyjä. Tarjoile jugurttikastikkeen ja tomaattien kera.

Lentil Fritters

100 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 eggs, separated
150 ml milk
400 g lentils, rinsed and drained
some flat-leaf parsley
salt, black pepper

Sift flour, baking powder and spices into a bowl. Whisk in yolks and milk until smooth. Stir in lentils and roughly chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, then gently fold it into the batter. Heat some oil in a pan, spoon small fritters into the pan and cook on both sides until golden. Serve with yoghurt dressing and fresh chopped tomatoes.

Ps. My first attempt to write in both languages... Phew! If there are any old recipes you would like to get translated, please let me know!

Lohi-purjopiirakka

2010-03-16T16:33:00.002+11:00

Mukavaa vaihtelua lohelle ja suolaisia piirakoita vain tekee aina silloin tällöin niin mieli :-)

Lohi-purjopiirakka

noin 300-400 g lohifile
1-1,5 purjoa (valkoiset osat)
suolaa, pippuria
3 kananmunaa
2,5 dl hapankermaa

Piirakkataikina

150 g suolatonta voita
2,5 dl vehnäjauhoja
ripaus suolaa
2,5 rkl kylmää vettä

Murusta voi ja jauhot keskenään ja mausta suolalla. Lisää vesi ja kokoa taikina palloksi. Taputtele taikina piirakkavuoan pohjalle ja reunoille tasaisesti.

Viipaloi purjo ja kuullota voissa pehmeäksi (noin 15 minuuttia). Mausta suolalla ja pippurilla.

Upota lohifile kiehuvaan veteen ja keitä kymmenisen minuuttia tai kunnes juuri kypsä. Haarukoi ohuiksi siivuiksi ja sekoita purjon joukkoon. Sekoita kananmunat ja hapankerma keskenään ja mausta suolalla ja pippurilla. Kaada sitten muna-kerma seos purjon ja lohen joukkoon ja sekoita varovaisesti sekaisin. Kaada seos vuokaan taikinan päälle ja paista 200 asteessa reilu puoli tuntia. Anna jäähtyä ja tarjoile tuoreen salaatin kanssa.

Kirjahyllyssäni

2010-03-15T15:27:00.008+11:00

Rakastan ruokakirjoja! Tässä muutamia viime aikojen ostoksiani.

Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone (Curtis Stone) on täynnä käyttökelpoisia arkireseptejä pienin lisäyksin. Kirjan tyyli on nimen mukaisesti rento ja resepteistä paistaa huolettomuus ja ruoanlaitosta nauttiminen, ei stressaaminen. Ihanaa kesäluettavaa!

Bowl Food mahduttaa näennäisesti pieneen kokoonsa nähden mahdottoman paljon reseptejä. Reseptejä on niin salaateille, pastoille, riiseille, wokattaville kuin curreille ja yhden padan ruoillekin. Todellinen ruokaraamattu!

Chocolate Ecstasy (Christine France) "75 most dangerous recipes ever". Need I say more?

Marie Claire Comfort- Real Simple Food (Michele Cranston) on muiden Marie Claire ja Donna Hay kirjojen tapaan visuaalisesti upea opus. Reseptit ovat lisäksi erittäin toimivia ja kokonaisuutena kirja toimii loputtoman inspiraation lähteenä niin ruokastailaukselle, sisustamiselle kuin ruoanlaitollekin.

Home Style Japanese Cooking in Pictures (by Sadako Kohno). Tämän ihanan vanhan kirjan sain Hra Kengurun äidiltä. Rakastan vanhojen ruokakirjojen viattomuutta; kuvat ja stailaus ilman turhia kikkailuja ja fotoshoppailuja.

Taste of Sydney 2010

2010-03-13T17:15:00.007+11:00

What an enjoyable day! Taste of Sydney really is my kind of event: FOOD, FOOD and more FOOD! It was a perfect day, nice weather, nice company (I was joined by Mr Kangaroo of course) and did I mention amazing food?

The best (and the most expensive) restaurants in Sydney were showcasing their signature dishes. The complete list of restaurants can be seen here. Isn't that great??

I was really looking forward to this one: Guillaume at Bennelong's Wagyu beef daube with Paris mash. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth, butter like, amazingly tender with the mash and the gravy complimenting the meat. I would've preferred more salt, but that's just me :-) Definitely worth 12 crowns (=$12)!

Next up more meat: 12 hour slow cooked lamb shoulder, minted crushed peas and feta dressing by Four in Hand. I personally prefer lamb over beef, but this still didn't beat the wagyu above. All in all nice combination and again worth the price (12 crowns).

Personal favorite, but I just love cured fish: Aria's Cured ocean trout with cucumber and horseradish. The trout had so much flavour and just the right consistency (not too soft, but with texture), and the horseradish and the dill was really a winner with the fish!

Finally desserts! This one the "Saucy tart" with chocolate mousse and liquid raspberry centre was by Danks Street Depot. It had so much going on: you crack open the chocolate topping to discover the velvety smooth mousse followed by oozing raspberry sauce surrounded by a crispy pastry. Delish!

Another dish I was really looking forward to was this wacky looking vanilla pacca cotta with lavender honey and fresh pomegranate by Jonah's at Whale Beach. I love panna cotta and this one was such a pleasure. It had just the right consistency and the lavender honey was possibly the best honey I have ever tasted. This was both mine and Mr Kangaroo's favourite dessert of the day.

One more dessert, but we just had to! Becasse's Chocolate souffle. Gosh, I wish my souffle could turn out like this! Beautiful, good quality dark chocolate (always a winner) made this dessert not too sweet, but just right. Smooth soft souffle was just a perfect way to end a wonderful day!

What else did we have? Creme al Caffe

Some tastings from Gourmet Dinner Service

Gorgeous macarons by Guillaume at Bennelong.

Bush spices, dukkah and vinegars

Cute cupcakes by Planet Cake

Richard Ptacnik from Otto at the Chefs table

My favourite butcher Victor Churchill's stall had some mouth watering meat on offer.

Oh if only I could go back tomorrow and try everything I missed out on today!

Aurinkoista viikonloppua!

2010-03-13T08:49:00.002+11:00

Vielä vuosien jälkeenkin Sydneyn eksoottisuus yllättää! Ehkä jonain päivänä saan omalle pihallenikin greippi- tai banaanipuun :-)

Itämaisten mausteiden kana

2010-03-12T16:02:00.004+11:00

Yksinkertainen mausteseos voi joskus muuttaa arkiruoan hieman eksoottisemmaksi. Niin kävi tälläkin kertaa, sillä sumac antaa aina oman vivahteensa lihalle ja sitä voi hyvin käyttää yhdessä muiden mausteiden kanssa.

Itämaisten mausteiden kana

2 broilerin rintafilettä (yhteensä reilu 400 g)
1 tl oreganoa
ripaus merisuolahiutaleita
vajaa tl sumac maustetta
2 tl seesaminsiemeniä
1 tl timjamia
hieman oliiviöljyä

Aseta kanafileet uunivuokaan. Sekoita mausteet keskenään ja hiero fileiden päälle. Ripottele pinnalle hieman oliiviöljyä ja kypsennä 200 asteessa 20-30 minuuttia tai grillaa parilalla kypsäksi. Tarjoile kuskusin kera.

Kanatomaattiriisi Tinan tapaan

2010-03-11T16:47:00.006+11:00

Sain Suomi-tuljaisina ihanan Tinas Kök - kirjan ja siitä sopi ensimmäisenä kokeilla helppoa arkiruokana toimivaa tomaattiriisiä, jota tietenkin muokkasin hieman. Tina on ehdottomasti yksi kaikkien aikojen suosikki julkkiskokkejani ja hänen reippaita ohjelmiaan kaipaisin tännekin televisioon näytettäväksi!

Kanatomaattiriisi

noin 400 g broilerin rintapaloja pienemmiksi paloiksi pilkottuina
2 pientä porkkanaa
1 keltasipuli
1 valkosipulinkynsi
vajaa rkl kuivattua timjamia
4 dl täysjyväriisiä
reilu 3 dl vettä
1 prk tomaattimurskaa
reilu rkl tomaattipyrettä
kanalientä
suolaa ja pippuria

Ruskista kanapalat pannulla ja mausta suolalla ja pippurilla. Kuullota hienonnettu sipuli, murskattu valkosipulinkynsi sekä viipaloidut porkkanat. Lisää riisi ja kuullota pari minuuttia. Mausta timjamilla ja lisää vesi, tomaattimurska, kanalientä ja tomaattipyre. Anna kiehua miedolla lämmöllä 30-40 minuuttia tai kunnes riisi on kypsä.

Maukas lohi ja nuudeli stir fry

2010-03-10T16:05:00.007+11:00

Sydneyssä voi jo tuntea syksyä ilmassa. Tänään oli "vain" 19 astetta ja sateen kanssa se tuntuu jo kovin vilpoisalta. Niinpä mieli teki jotain täyttävää ja lämmittävää.

Lohi ja nuudeli stir fry

1 lohifilee
1 rkl soijakastiketta
1 rkl miriniä
1 rkl seesamiöljyä
pieni pala raastettua tuoretta inkivääriä
500 g tuoreita hokkien nuudeleita
reilu rkl seesaminsiemeniä
baby pinaatinlehtiä

Sekoita soija, mirin, seesamiöljy sekä raastettu inkivääri keskenään ja sivele lohi seoksella. Grillaa tai kypsennä file uunissa kypsäksi. Upota nuudelit kiehuvaan veteen ja irrottele haarukalla. Kuumenna paistinpannu kuumaksi ja lorauta pannulle seesamiöljyä. Valuta nuudelit siivilän läpi ja kumoa paistinpannulle, mausta soijakastikkeella ja japanilaisella pippurimausteseoksella (tai mustapippurilla) ja kuumenna pari minuuttia. Nostele sekaan kypsennetty ja viipaloitu lohi, pinaatinlehdet ja seesaminsiemenet ja sekoita hyvin. Kuumenna pari minuuttia ja tarjoile samantien.

Burnt Orange Cafe, Iltapäiväkahvittelu

2010-03-09T16:37:00.004+11:00

Kun vain minulle tarjotaan mahdollisuutta päättää minne mennä brunssille, lounaalle, iltapäiväkahville tai vaikka vain ostoksille, ehdotan samantien Burnt Orange kahvilaa.
Lounaalla ravintola on pullollaan täynnä alueen hienostorouvia, mutta iltapäiväksi paikka yleensä hiljenee ja silloin saa nauttia niin tarjoilijoiden jakamattomasta huomiosta kuin luonnon helmassa sijaitsevan rakennuksen kauneudesta ja rauhallisuudesta.

Ihanien ostosten lisäksi kahvila tarjoilee iltapäivämenullaan mitä herkullisempia leivonnaisia. Meidän kahvittelu sujui tällä kertaa maltillisesti suklaakakun ja skonssin kera, mutta ensi kerralla saa taas maistella lisää!

Belgian chocolate tart with a burnt orange glaze and whipped cream

Cheese & sun-dried tomato scone with cream cheese

Lampaankyljykset ja rapeat oliivi-polentatikut

2010-03-08T15:57:00.006+11:00

Polentalla saa mukavaa vaihtelua lihan kaveriksi. Nämä Donna Hayn reseptillä tehdyt tikut osoittautuivat kovin vaivattomiksi valmistaa, vaikka käytinkin pikapolentan sijaan tavallista polentaa, joka vaatii pitemmän kypsymisajan. Lampaankyljykset saivat makua valkosipulista ja sitruunasta.

Rapeat oliivi-polentatikut

750 ml kanalientä
50 g suolatonta voita
170 g polentaryynejä
55 g hienonnettuja oliiveja
kuivattua rosmariinia

Kuumenna voi ja kanaliemi kattilassa kiehuvaksi. Lisää polenta ja sekoita hyvin. Kypsennä ryynejä 15-25 minuuttia (tai pakkauksen ohjeen mukaan). Ota kattila liedeltä ja lisää oliivit. Sekoita ja kaada voideltuun suorakaiteen muotoiseen vuokaan. Anna jäähtyä ja kaada levy leivinpaperin päälle. Leikkaa levy parin senttimetrin paksuisiksi tikuiksi ja asettele tikut uunipellille. Ripottele päälle rosmariinia ja paista 200 asteessa parikymmentä minuuttia tai kunnes rapeita.

Valkosipuli-sitruunalampaankyljykset

2 lampaankyljystä
1 sitruunan kuori ja mehu
1 murskattu valkosipulinkynsi
merisuolaa
rouhittua mustapippuria

Kääntele kyljykset sitruunamehu-kuori ja valkosipuli seoksessa. Ruskista pannulla ja mausta, anna kypsyä haluttuun asteeseen.

Teetä ja skonsseja sunnuntaiaamuna

2010-03-07T09:11:00.001+11:00

Ostin markkinoilta ihanaa NEO yrttiteetä, joka on sekoitus minttua, kuminaa, oreganoa sekä sitruunaa. Teen kanssa sopi maistella skonsseja. Sunnuntaiaamut ovat sitten ihania!

Fetajuusto-aurinkokuivattutomaatti skonssit

noin 260 g vehnäjauhoja (itsestään kohoavaa tai lisää 3 g leivinjauhetta per 100 g tavallisia jauhoja)
hitunen suolaa
75 g fetajuustoa
50 g aurinkokuivattuja tomaatteja
pari tl kuivattua timjamia
150 ml maitoa + ekstra voiteluun

Sekoita keskenään jauhot ja suola ja murenna fetajuusto joukkoon. Lisää joukkoon hienonnetut tomaatit ja timjami ja lisää maitoa niin, että taikinasta tulee pehmeä, mutta ei liian tarttuva. Kauli taikina parin sentin paksuiseksi ja ota muotilla (tai lasilla) taikinasta pyöreitä skonsseja. Asettele skonssit leivinpaperilla vuoratulle uunipellille ja sivele maidolla. Paista 200 asteessa varttitunnin verran.

Inspiraation lähteitä

2010-03-06T18:53:00.007+11:00

Pari viime viikkoa ovat olleet minulle erittäin inspiroitunutta aikaa. Inspiraation lähteitä on löytynyt muun muassa kauniista kuvista, musiikista ja ystävistä, ja välillä on tuntunut kuin voisin tanssia ilosta :-) Se on hyvä tunne.

Tässä muutamia viime aikaisia löytöjäni. Orkidean ostin tänä aamuna paikallisilta markkinoilta.

"Valkoista valkoisella". Kynttilänjalka, sen takana oleva maljakko ja pieni maljakko ovat vanhaa "milk glass" tuotantoa johon olen aivan ihastunut!

Vanha astiateline jota voisi välilehtien avulla käyttää vaikka reseptien arkistointiin

Uutta vanhaa Arabiaa

2010-03-06T06:42:00.005+11:00

Uusimmat Arabia ostokseni: Liekki-sarjan mallin RB ruskealasitteiset kasarit, 6 kappaletta! Ulla Procopen muotoilemia ja uunin- ja liekinkestäviä.

Pretzel Baking All Night Long

2010-03-04T17:53:00.006+11:00

In honour of Miss A., who has kindly listened to me going on about pretzels pretty much all week (thank you!), this post is written in English.

Tonight I have baked pretzels for Mr Kangaroo who is having an International Food Day at work (talking about a dedicated gf!). The idea started out as chocolate pretzels which were basically just chocolate biscuits shaped like pretzels. Easier said than done, the dough was too soft and didn't end up wanting to co-operate at all. Out with the chocolate pretzels and in with the savoury German soft Pretzels!

After the first batch I finally started to get the hang of the twisting and turning and realised how much I love baking pretzels! The dough is just amazing, it is so elastic that you can do pretty much anything with it. There is simply no reason not to love baking pretzels. In fact, everyone should give it a go! Not only is it so much fun, but need I remind you how good fresh baked bread tastes? Add real butter and sea salt flakes and I'm in heaven! Enjoy!
(I'm so sorry Miss A. I wish I could send you some!)

German Soft Pretzels

7 g dried yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
a good pinch of salt
375 ml warm water
4 1/2 cups plain flour
500 ml warm water extra
1 1/2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
sea salt flakes

Dissolve the yeast, sugar and salt in 375 ml warm water. Add flour and knead dough on a floured surface until elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Combine 500 ml warm water and bicarb in a square dish. After the dough has rise, cut into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a long thin rope. Twist and turn into a pretzel shape and dip into the bicarb solution.

Place pretzels on baking trays covered with baking paper, sprinkle with sea salt and let rise 15-20 minutes.

Bake at 230 C for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and enjoy while warm.

Dukkah-kuorrutteinen lohi

2010-03-03T16:52:00.002+11:00

Dukkah-kokeilut jatkuvat. Mausteinen pähkinäseos antoi lohelle mielenkiintoisen makuvivahteen ja uunissa rapeaksi paistunut kuorrute maistui ihanalta pehmeälihaisen kalan kanssa.

Dukkah-mausteseos

(sovella määriä kalan määrän ja makusi mukaan)

vajaa desi pinjansiemeniä
puoli desiä seesaminsiemeniä
1 valkosipulinkynsi
vajaa tl kuminaa
ripaus kanelia
ripaus chilihiutaleita
mustapippuria
valkopippuria
1 tl korianterinsiemeniä tai jauhettua korianteria
pari mausteneilikkaa
raastettua muskottipähkinää
merisuolaa
rypsiöljyä

Jauha seos huhmareessa tasaiseksi. Kuorruta lohi mausteseoksella ja kypsennä uunissa vajaassa 200 asteessa puolisen tuntia tai enemmän fileen koosta riippuen. Tarjoile perunoiden tai kuskusin kanssa.

Kreikkalainen hunaja-jugurttijuusto

2010-03-02T16:54:00.005+11:00

Australian kaltaisessa maitorahkattomassa maassa saattaa kreikkalainen jugurttijuusto korvata pahimman rahkan kaipuun. Yksinkertaisen herkullinen ja terveellinen jälkiruokavaihtoehto!

Kreikkalainen hunaja-jugurttijuusto

500 g maustamatonta kreikkalaista jugurttia
100 g juoksevaa hunajaa
seesaminsiemeniä

Sekoita jugurtti ja hunaja keskenään ja jätä valumaan yön yli harsokankaalla vuorattuun siivilään. Paahda seesaminsiemeniä pannulla ennen tarjoilua, lusikoi jugurttijuusto pieniin laseihin ja ripottele päälle seesaminsiemeniä. Jos käytät rasvaisempaa jugurttia voit pyöritellä juuston palloiksi ja kieritellä pallot seesaminsiemenissä.

Kotitekoiset kanatortillat

2010-03-01T17:25:00.008+11:00

Minun on tehnyt mieli wrappeja, tacoja tai tortilloja jo pitemmän aikaa. Donna Hayn viimeisin lehti inspiroi tekemään tortilloja ihan omatekoisesti. Homma osoittautuikin luultua helpommaksi ja niiden tekeminen oli jälleen tervetullutta terapiaa työpäivän päätteeksi :-) Tein tällä kertaa vehnätortilloja, mutta seuraavalla kerralla pitänee kokeilla maissitortilloja. Maku on varmasti aidompi. Tortillojen täytteenä mausteista kanaa sekä sipulipikkelsiä ja guacamolea!

Vehnätortillat

2 kuppia vehnäjauhoja
1/2 rkl merisuolahiutaleita
25 g kylmää suolatonta voita kuutioituna
reilu 3 dl kuumaa vettä

Sekoita jauhoihin suola ja nypi sekaan voi. Lisää vesi ja vaivaa tasaiseksi. Jaa taikina 8-10 osaan ja kauli jokainen osa ohueksi lätyksi. Paista kuivalla kuumalla pannulla molemmilta puolilta kullanruskeaksi.

Mausteinen kana tortillan täytteeksi

2 broilerin rintapalaa
1 tl paprikajauhetta
1 tl oreganoa
merisuolaa
mustapippuria
hitunen chilihiutaleita

Leikkaa kanapalat pienemmiksi paloiksi ja mausta molemmilta puolilta. Ruskista pannulla kypsäksi.

Sipulipikkelsi

1 punasipuli
1 rkl valkoviinietikkaa
1/2 rkl oliiviöljyä
merisuolaa

Hienonna sipuli siivuiksi, lisää etikka, öljy ja suola ja anna maustua kymmenisen minuuttia.

Guacamole

1 pehmeä avokado
puolen limetin mehu
merisuolaa
mustapippuria

Murskaa avokado haarukalla soseeksi ja mausta.

Viikunapikkuleivät

2010-02-28T07:50:00.003+11:00

Loppukesän viikunasesonki jatkuu ja niistä on tietenkin otettava kaikki ilo irti :-) Kokeilin tehdä tuoreista viikunoista myös jäätelöä, mutta se oli pettymys. Jäätelökoneella siitä olisi varmasti saanutkin kelpo herkkua, mutta käsintehtynä se ei onnistunut ja maku jäi vaatimattomaksi. Pikkuleivät maistuvat kuitenkin aina!

Viikunapikkuleivät

noin 5 keskikokoista tuoretta viikunaa (ruskeaa lajiketta)
1/3 kuppia* vettä
1 kuppi pehmeää suolatonta voita
1/2 kuppia sokeria
1/2 kuppia tummaa sokeria (fariinisokeria)
1 kananmuna
1 tl vaniljaesanssia
2 kuppia vehnäjauhoja
2 tl leivinjauhetta
ripaus suolaa

* 1 kuppi vastaa 250 ml ja noin 125 g jauhoja

Kuori ja hienonna viikunat ja keitä kattilassa veden kanssa noin 5-10 minuuttia kunnes seos hieman sakenee. Soseuta sauvasekoittimella tasaiseksi ja anna jäähtyä. Vatkaa voi ja sokeri vaaleaksi vaahdoksi, lisää kananmuna ja vanilja ja sekoita hyvin. Lisää joukkoon keskenään sekoitetut kuivat aineet ja lopuksi viikunasose. Sekoita hyvin. Nostele lusikoiden avulla tai pursottimella taikinasta leivinpaperille pieniä leipäsiä tai lusikoi taikina muffinivuokiin. Kypsennä 180 asteessa kymmenisen minuuttia tai kunnes kullanruskeita.

Arabialöytöjä

2010-02-27T16:01:00.003+11:00

Ulla Procopen suunnitteleman Rosmarin sarjan S-mallin kannu löytyi tänään vakio vanhan tavaran kaupasta. Olin todella onnellinen, että kaupan omistaja oli varannut kannun minua varten!

Munakoiso-fetalihapullat

2010-02-26T17:04:00.003+11:00

Vaihtelua perinteiseen lihapullataikinaan saa vaikkapa lisäämällä mukaan munakoisoa ja fetajuustoa. Itse olen niin perso fetajuustolle, että vaati todellista itsehillintää murustaa feta taikinaan eikä omaan suuhun. Tarkkasilmäinen saattaa kuitenkin huomata kuvan yhdessä lihapullassa ammottavan kolon... Siinä oli maukas fetajuustokimpale :-)

Munakoiso-fetajuustolihapullat

400 g paistinjauhelihaa
1 pieni munakoiso
200 g fetajuustoa
pieni nippu tuoretta persiljaa
(tuoretta minttua)
raastettua sitruunankuorta (yhden sitruunan kuori)
1 kananmuna
merisuolaa
rouhittua mustapippuria

Pilko munakoiso aivan pieniksi kuutioiksi, levitä uunipellille ja ripottele päälle pari ruokalusikallista oliiviöljyä. Paista 180 asteisessa uunissa parikymmentä minuuttia tai kunnes kullanruskeita. Sekoita sillä välin jauhelihaan murustettu fetajuusto, hienonnettu persilja, sitruunankuori ja kananmuna. Anna munakoisokuutioiden hieman jäähtyä ja sekoita taikinan joukkoon. Mausta ripauksella suolaa ja runsaalla mustapippurilla. Pyörittele taikinasta pieniä palloja ja levitä uunipellille. Paista 200 asteessa parikymmentä minuuttia tai ruskista öljyssä paistinpannulla. Tarjoile esimerkiksi tsatsikin ja sitruunalohkojen kera.

Rapeanahkainen lohi mantelikermakastikkeella

2010-02-25T16:49:00.006+11:00

Australian Masterchef kisassa kilpaillut Poh Ling Yeow on saanut oman ruokaohjelman jota olen nyt seurannut muutaman viikon ajan. Poh's Kitchen onkin viihdyttävä ruokaohjelma ja Poh itse on virkistävä lisä Australian julkkiskokkikaartiin. Eilisessä sarjassa Pohn vieraana ollut ranskalainen kokki Emmanuel Mollois laittoi lohta ja sen kanssa mantelikastiketta jonka reseptiä minun oli tietenkin kokeiltava samantien. Lohen nahka paistuu todellakin aivan uskomattoman rapeaksi ja kermainen mantelikastike on aivan uusi ajatus lohen kanssa tarjoiltavaksi.

Rapeanahkainen lohi mantelikermakastikkeella

2 kapeaa lohifilettä
öljyä paistamiseen
merisuolaa

Kuumenna pannu todella kuumaksi ja lisää viime tipassa öljy. Aseta lohifileet nahkapuoli alaspäin pannulle, ripottele päälle merisuolahiutaleita ja anna kypsyä keskilämmöllä noin 15 minuuttia. Varo ylikypsentämästä! Lohi saa jäädä päältä hieman raa'aksi.

Mantelikermakastike

1 pieni keltasipuli hienonnettuna
100 g mantelirouhetta
100 ml kuivaa valkoviiniä
100 ml maitoa
200 ml kermaa
suolaa, valkopippuria

Kuullota sipuli öljyssä, mutta älä ruskista. Lisää mantelirouhe ja keitä muutama minuutti. Lisää sitten valkoviini ja anna kiehahtaa. Lisää maito ja kerma ja keitä miedolla lämmöllä kunnes mantelit ovat pehmenneet. Mausta suolalla ja valkopippurilla. Ota kattila liedeltä ja sekoita kastike sauvasekoittimella tasaiseksi ja sen jälkeen siivilöi kastike. Tarjoile lohen kanssa.

Kreikkalaiset seesamirinkulat

2010-02-24T16:44:00.006+11:00

Viimeisin Gourmet Traveller-lehti matkaa tällä kertaa Kreikkaan. Lehti on pullollaan mitä ihanampia ohjeita ja tietenkin loistavia ruokavalokuvia! Tämä yksinkertainen pikkuleipäresepti tarjoaa paljon enemmän kuin lupaa: rinkuloista tuli superrapeita, juuri sopivan makeita, kerrassaan vaarallisen hyviä, joten suosittelen enemmän kuin ehdottomasti kokeilemaan!

Kreikkalaiset seesamirinkulat (18-20 kpl)

180 g huoneenlämpöistä voita (suolatonta)
110 g (raakaa) sokeria (itse käytin hienosokeria)
1 kananmuna
1 tl vaniljaesanssia
3/4 tl leivinjauhetta
1/2 tl ruokasoodaa
335 g vehnäjauhoja
60 ml tuoretta appelsiinimehua
1/2 tl raastettua appelsiininkuorta

kananmunaa voiteluun
seesaminsiemeniä ja sokeria koristeluun

Vatkaa voi ja sokeri vaaleaksi vaahdoksi. Lisää kananmuna ja vanilja ja vatkaa hyvin. Lisää taikinaan leivinjauhe, sooda, puolet jauhoista sekä appelsiininkuori ja -mehu. Sekoita hyvin ja lisää loput jauhot hyvin sekoittaen. Ota taikinasta ruokalusikallisen kokoisia palloja ja muotoile noin 15 senttimetrin pötköiksi. Kierrä pötkö rinkulaksi ja asettele uunipellille. Voitele rinkulat kananmunalla ja ripottele päälle seesaminsiemeniä ja sokeria. Paista 190 asteessa noin 15-20 minuuttia. Nautiskele lämpiminä kahvin kanssa.