ELLI LUCA

Shown here served with nachos. Additional Toppings: (pictured) Sour cream Jalapeños Chopped spring onions Coriander Fresh Sriracha Denhay Cheddar (grated) Simple Cooked Tomato Salsa Recipe INGREDIENTS 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes, cored and cut in half 1 whole jalapeño chili pepper (or a serrano), stem removed, chopped 5 large garlic cloves, peeled 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup water 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar METHOD Put tomatoes, jalapeño, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and water into a blender.  Purée for 30 seconds, until completely liquified. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan on medium high.  Pour purée into pan.  Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture completely changes color from light red to a much darker red, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Keep refrigerated when not using.

We had pizza twice last week.  I think I have finally perfected the dough. ( Dough recipe previously blogged here ) I made the above for us & a couple of potato, rosemary & feta taken to a friends on Friday night.

When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It's also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be. Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, 2009

  INGREDIENTS 1 kilo small (2-inch) white or red potatoes 10 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon butter   2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 200 Celcius In a large mixing bowl, add the whole potatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly (hands work best) until the potatoes are coated evenly with the oil and spices. Wrap each potato individually and place on a baking tray. Check after about 20 minutes or so & shake the pan to turn.  Cook for about another 20 mins or so. Transfer to a serving bowl, mix with butter. Sprinkle with parsley or fresh thyme / salt if so desired and serve.

INGREDIENTS 1 egg yolk, at room temperature Pinch salt 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon white wine tarragon vinegar About 1 cup/250 ml grape-seed oil (alternative olive oil) Lemon juice, to taste Pinch white pepper 1 Teaspoon mustard powder 1 Tablespoon honey METHOD Whisk together the egg yolk, salt, mustard, and vinegar in a roomy bowl. To add the oil, start whisking the yolk mixture and let the oil fall from the spout, drop by drop, until you have achieved a thick, velvety mayonnaise. Add lemon juice, honey, mustard powder, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.

Semolina Cake (20cm/ 9-inch square baking dish) For Syrup: 625g sugar 200ml water Drops of lemon 1 teaspoon orange blossom water 1 teaspoon rosewater For the cake: 400g semolina 200g caster sugar 40g unsweetened desiccated coconut 1 / 2 teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons of the syrup ready and cold 150ml milk (this is the minimum you will need, but you may need more, according to your semolina) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 30 g melted butter tahini (sesame paste) blanched almonds (I didn't use these) Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to heat and cook, stirring until it boils. Add drops of lemon and boil for 3 minutes. Let cool and mix the rose and orange blossom water. Make the batter: Grease a baking dish with tahini and set aside. In a large bowl, mix semolina, sugar, coconut and baking powder. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the butter, vanilla, syrup and mi...

Served with Pork steak, slow roasted carrots and whole baby potatoes. INGREDIENTS 1 lime, juice only  2 tbsp soy sauce  2 tbsp red wine vinegar  4 tbsp sesame oil  3 tbsp olive oil  1 tsp Fresh Sriracha  handful fresh coriander, chopped  METHOD Place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Served here with roasted chats, steamed beans and slow cooked lamb   Ingredients: Serves 6 as a side dish 1 medium cauliflower (approx 1lb/450g) 2 oz/ 55g butter 2 oz/ 55g all purpose/plain flour 1 level tsp mustard powder (optional) Large pinch salt 1 pint / 460 ml milk 50g cheddar cheese or similar, grated plus extra for sprinkling on top Freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon of freshly chopped parsley  2 tablespoons of freshly made breadcrumbs Grated Parmesan METHOD Heat the oven to 200C Remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower and steam whole over a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and leave to cool. Place the butter and flour into a large saucepan. Over a low heat stir the butter and flour until the butter has melted and the flour is incorporated. Add the salt and mustard powder and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and add the milk in one go and whisk ...

Printable Grocery Shopping List  A printable shopping list for those who like to be super organised. jpg is 3.9MB

I use a basic 3:1 ratio of mayo to hot sauce. INGREDIENTS 3 Tablespoons mayo 1 Tablespoon Sriracha  1 teaspoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika METHOD Combine ingredients until smooth. Adjust your heat level to your personal tolerance.

For this week:  hahah oh my! That is an interesting traffic source. 

INGREDIENTS Dim sim (sum) wrappers (available from Asian supermarkets) Finely diced red chili 1 teaspoon or to taste. Tablespoon Fresh grated ginger  1/2 Cup grated cabbage 1 Large carrot grated 2 fresh garlic cloves  500grams minced chicken 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce Tablespoon coriander Tablespoon Vietnamese Mint Tablespoon Thai Basil 1 clove of black garlic.  Other filling suggestions - water chestnuts / onion / bamboo shoots / chives/  METHOD Combine all the chopped ingredients with the minced chicken, until it is evenly distributed. Alternately place all ingredients into a mincer / blender  then place spoonfuls of mixture in  wrappers and wrap up. Place in pre-heated deep fryer until golden brown or steam until wrapper is almost translucent. Note that steaming takes a little bit longer to cook the meat than deep frying. I placed mine in some broth I made with some vegetables and noodles and let them ...

Raw potatoes Ready to serve , seasoned well with Fleur de Sel Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon, and Oregano INGREDIENTS 3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled 1 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano METHOD Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish and pour the oil over them. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste and toss well to coat with the oil. Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, toss and bake for 10 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, toss and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through. If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the fresh oregano & se...

The spectrum of apple flavours.