ELLI LUCA

INGREDIENTS 1-½ cup Finely Diced Red Onion 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 10 cups Coarsely Chopped, Seeded, And Cored Roma Tomatoes (about 25 Tomatoes) ** 1 whole Capsicum, Stem And Seeds Removed And Finely Chopped (red or green) 2 whole Jalapeños, Stem Removed, Finely Chopped 3 whole Habaneros, Stem Removed, Finely Chopped 1 cup Chopped Fresh Coriander, Loosely Packed 1 Tablespoon Oregano 1 Tablespoon Sugar 1 Tablespoon Tabasco 2 teaspoons Cumin 1-½ teaspoon Salt 9 jars 8-ounce Size Canning Jars With Lids And Rings*** *** I didn't use canning jars, just regular jars with metal lids (sterilized) ** I use an apple corer on the tomatoes to save time METHOD In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine onions, garlic and vinegar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and capsicum. Return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.  Add r...

1. What's your worst food memory Eating peas! I don’t like frozen peas but my parents had decided that I should eat something green with my dinner and I used to negotiate with them just how many peas I would actually eat. I never ate everything that was on my plate and since I didn’t like the texture, I would eat them like I was taking a tablet, chased down with a glass of water to avoid any squishiness escaping. I still struggle with peas to this day, but now at least I'll eat them if they are hidden in things or if they are fresh. I also can't stand the smell of roast lamb cooking. I can almost hear the gasps from your readers, but I'm not much of a meat eater and I've always disliked lamb. Yuck! The smell used to fill me with dread when I rocked up to someone's house for dinner. 2. Best food memory My grandmothers spaghetti bolognese. My Grandma is no longer with us, but I can still remember almost every detail about it. I requested it often as it was one o...

  INGREDIENTS Melted butter, to grease 1 tbs poppy seeds 185ml (3/4 cup) milk 375g (2 1/2 cups) self-raising flour 155g (3/4 cup) brown sugar 125g butter, melted 2 eggs, lightly whisked finely shredded orange rind from 1 orange 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon orange essence 1 teaspoon vanilla extract METHOD Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush twelve 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity non-stick muffin pans with melted butter to lightly grease. (or alternately use patty cases) Combine the poppy seeds and 60ml (1/4 cup) of the milk in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the poppy-seed mixture along with remaining milk, essence, extract, butter, egg, orange rind and juice, and stir with a metal spoon until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon the batter among prepared muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn ont...

The lovely people at TBD Imports have kindly supplied us with some delicious coffee to giveaway.   (1 Bag of Medium roast 283.5gsm) Vanilla and coffee now thats a match made in heaven! Vanilla Coffee A blend of organic Sumatran, Columbian & Guatemalan coffee beans, flavoured with organic vanilla beans. No fake sugary flavors or syrups - just real vanilla beans. USDA Organic Certified No added sweeteners or additives No artificial flavours To be eligible to win, finish this sentence:  "I like to enjoy my coffee with __________"  & if you could "like" their Facebook page too that would be lovely. You can visit their web page here: http://tbdimports.com.au/ Importer and distribution of all natural food products including Singing Dog Vanilla, Red Ape Cinnamon and Justin's Nut Butter. You may enter on our Facebook page or comment on the blog. GOOD LUCK, winner will be selected at random by a generator. (on 19th ...

INGREDIENTS 1.2kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces 2 tbs olive oil 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes 1 bunch of fresh basil 1 tsp oregano (dried) 350g ricotta 2 cups of baby spinach 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve  1 cup grated tasty cheese 8 lasagne sheets 1 large zucchini (sliced thinly) 1 large onion  3 cloves of garlic   METHOD Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with chilli flakes and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Allow to cool slightly. Fry off onion, zucchini and garlic till tender & set aside Lightly grease a 24cm-square baking dish.  Lay 2 lasagne sheets over the base and layer the pumpkin, baby spinach ricotta, basil and onion/ garlic mixture. Sprinkle with oregano. Add another layer of lasagne sheets & repeat process, then sprinkle final layer of ricot...

    Thought I'd start a new section called "Interview A Foodie" so here it is, self explanatory really. The interviewee is Michael V.  1. What's your worst food memory It's actually quite embarrassing.  I was 19 at the time and I had someone take me out for sashimi and I was trying to show how worldly and educated I was so I ate (without realising what it was) the whole ball of wasabi.  It's fair to say I had fire coming out of nostrils.  It actually put me off wasabi for a very long time! 2. Best food memory This is a two-parter. My mother would ask us what we wanted for our birthday dinners and I was always after roast pork (with crackling) and appelmoes (dutch apple sauce). The other is related to our trip to Vietnam in 2007 which is when I learnt to really appreciate savoury breakfasts (and I loved that all the hotels we stayed at had a pho bar for breakfast!) 3. My signature dish is. Prawn tacos - there was a...

My husband has a morning tea at work today & they were asked to bring some food that represents their country. So for Italian I came up with an Espresso / Choc Muffin topped with a chocolate ganache & a Ferrero Rocher. INGREDIENTS 2 cups self-raising flour ½ cup cocoa powder 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 100g butter, melted ½ cup sour cream ¾ cup milk 1 x 200g block dark chocolate, chopped 2 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee GANACHE (Chocolate sour cream ganache) 300g dark chocolate 300g sour cream METHOD Place the chocolate and sour cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and glossy. Spread over each cake and set aside to set. METHOD 1. Line a 12-hole muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity) with paper cases. 2. Combine sifted flour and cocoa with sugar in a large bowl. Stir in egg, butter, sour cream, milk, choc...

We traveled to Japan in May 2010, was a culinary adventure to say the least.  Thought I would post a snippet of some memorable things we ate there. Supermarket shopping was so fun, the variety of products and packaging blows me away. Apple yoghurt became a favourite of mine. Wish we had it here. Cola Up: Jellied Japanese Soda Really not what we were expecting J hated it. From gummy to liquid to jelly, all in one chunky soda. Kagoshima beef, which comes from Japanese Black Cattle, is famous among meat connoisseurs for being tender, well-balanced, and of superior quality. I know they are American, but have never tried them. They were great! Milk Chocolate Macadamia It’s two soft yet crunchy sesame cookie “buns” covering a smooth, buttery-textured layer of chocolate “patty” with a smidgen of white confection “cheese”. Very clever, very cute, and very tasty if you’re into those ingredients. Loved the fake food in restaurant windows...

Served here with felafel (which I will post recipe soon) salad and tahini Pictured next to garlic and rosemary bread Makes 1 large loaf or 2 small INGREDIENTS 310ml (1 1/4 cups) warm water 2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast 2 tsp caster sugar 3 1/2 tbs olive oil 450g (3 cups) 00 flour 2 tsp sea salt flakes 1/2 Lemon cut into small slices 20 pitted kalamata olives  1/4 teaspoon oregano METHOD Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 2 tablespoons of oil in a small bowl. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 5 minutes or until frothy. Place flour and half of the sea salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in yeast mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir until combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a bowl with oil to grease. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free...