Fish for Dinner! Delicious!

I love eating fish. Usually I pan fry after dredging in seasoned flour.

From smoked cod poached in milk then served with butter, to sardines on toast, fish fills the spot.

Salmon smoked slices from the deli or fresh fillets pan seared with crispy skin. Coral trout, mackerel, and whiting. Barramundi baked, fried, live barra wings deep fried, all delicious!

Vietnamese basa fillets from supermarket freezer. I've cooked all types of fish. The only rule is don't overcook!

Eating fish is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids. These essential nutrients keep our heart and brain healthy. Two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Our bodies don't produce omega-3 fatty acids so we must get them through the food we eat.

Coke Chicken! Magic!

MATERIALS
6 pieces Chicken Thigh
1 Onion sliced
8 cloves Garlic minced
4 tbsp Soy Sauce
3.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce
0.5 tbsp Black Pepper
222 mL Coke

Turn the heat to medium-high and drizzle oil in a pan. Once the pan is hot, add in onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, next add in minced garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. 

Add in the chicken skin side down first and let it cook for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. 

Add in soy sauce, black pepper, oyster sauce, and coke. Make sure that every piece of chicken is soaked in the sauce. 

Put the lid on and turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Turn the heat back up to medium-high and start pouring the sauce all over the chicken for another 3-5 minutes.

Eggs

How delicious is a well cooked egg.

Oxtail Stew in Slow Cooker - Succulent and Delicious!

Oxtail Stew - Slow Cooker

In Slow Cooker ready to start!

Oil 2-3 tbsp, Oxtail meat 1 and 1/2 lbs, chopped - 1 large onion, 2 large carrots, 4 stalks celery, 2 tomatoes.  Seasoning - salt and pepper, flour to coat meat. Bacon 3-4 rashers, chopped and lightly browned in oil. Tomato paste 2 tbsp. Beef or chicken stock 2 cups, wine or sherry 1/2 cup, balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp, brown sugar 1 tbsp, peppercorns 8, bay leaves 3, chopped parsley / gremolata.

Served same night - very tasty broth not thickened - fat removed with paper towels 

Season meat with salt and pepper then cover in flour (shake of excess), heat oil to medium, brown oxtail all over.  Brown bacon and mix in tomato paste. Place in slow cooker with chopped veg and all other ingredients.  Put on low cook for 6 hours.  Serve with potato mash and greens.  

Only bones remain - was delicious!

If you can wait (the delicious aromas will make you hungry) put in fridge overnight so fat rises and all hardened fat can be easily removed.  You can then thicken the stock by boiling to reduce and add flour if needed to make a tasty gravy, remove the succulent meat from the bones or leave on bone and serve with fresh chopped Italian parsley or gremolata (chopped herb condiment classically made of lemon zest, garlic, parsley and anchovy) over stew on mashed potato (can also do a mix of pumpkin and potato) and seasonal greens.

Fast No-Knead Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (360 gms)
1/4 teaspoon yeast (active dry or instant)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups hot water, not boiling (355 gms) - I use hot tap water - about 125-130° F
(about 2 Tablespoons extra flour for shaping)



Instructions:

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Stir in water until it’s well combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
After 3 hours dough will become puffy and dotted with bubbles. Transfer it to a well-floured surface and sprinkle dough with a little flour. Using a scraper fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a rough ball.
Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl and cover with a towel. Let stand on counter top for about 35 minutes.
Meantime place Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450° F. My oven takes 35 minutes to reach 450°.
When oven reaches 450° carefully, using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper and dough from the bowl and place gently into the hot pot. (parchment paper goes in the pot too) Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper. Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 10 - 15 more minutes.

Nana's Farm Soup - Lamb Shanks and Vegetables - Irish Scotch Broth

Ingredients
2 lamb shanks, 1 cup pearl barley, 2 onions, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 1 swede, 2 small turnips, 2 parsnip, one tomato, 1 leek, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
Chopped flat leaf parsley or green shallots to serve.
Heat oil in a large pot or fry pan.
Add shanks and cook over a medium heat until browned on each side.

In a slow cooker, a saucepan on the stove or, for those in a hurry, in a pressure cooker. place all ingredients and cover with 2–3 chicken or vegetable stock with a cup of V8 juice (optional).
Additions Optional - to suit your taste:
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
Add diced fresh or canned tomatoes
Small new potatoes
Smoked streaky bacon
Bacon bones
Garlic cloves
Add parsley stems for added flavour - if left whole they are easy to remove before serving
Lemon thyme
Dill
Frozen peas
Dry soup mix
White wine or red wine or beer or stout

Substitute soup mix with brown or white rice, pasta or baked beans

Japanese Style Ramen Noodles

Ramen Noodles:

700ml chicken or pork stock (home made is best), 3 garlic cloves, halved, 4 tbsp soy sauce plus extra to season,1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, thumb-sized piece of ginger sliced, ½ tsp Chinese five spice, pinch of chilli powder, 1 tsp white sugar (optional), 375g ramen noodles, 400g sliced cooked pork, green prawns, chicken, 2 tsp sesame oil

Vegetables:
Broccoli, yellow beans, green beans, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, capsicums,  carrot, onion, capsicum, baby corn, bamboo shoots

Additional if desired:
baby spinach, 4 tbsp sweetcorn, 4 boiled eggs peeled and halved, 1 sheet dried nori, finely shredded, sliced green spring onions or shallots, sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

More:  Ramen (/ˈrɑːmən/) (拉麺, ラーメン rāmen, IPA: [ɾaꜜːmeɴ]) is a Japanese dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork (叉焼 chāshū), dried seaweed (海苔 nori), menma (麺麻), and green onions (葱 negi). Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Ramen can be broadly categorized by its two main ingredients: noodles and broth.

Scene from Japanese movie Tampopo helps explain Ramen - Master of Ramen Scene

To make perfect ramen yourself start with stock - Tonkotsu-ramen-broth-at-home

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Ribs by Sharron

Slow Cooker Barbequed Beef Ribs

Recipe by Sharron found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228796/slow-cooker-barbequed-beef-ribs/

"Beef ribs with a homemade BBQ sauce in a slow cooker (or on top of stove, if you have the time). Very, very good made on High for 4 hours...better on Low for 8. Serve over hot cooked rice."

1 cup water 1 cup ketchup 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup vinegar 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 tablespoon salt 2 pounds beef back ribs

Mix water, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a slow cooker, stirring to dissolve brown sugar and salt.

Place short ribs into the sauce and stir to coat. Set cooker on Low, cover, and cook for 8 hours.

Serve over rice or with salad or on a roll as a slider

Homemade Savoury Sausage and Vegetable Rolls

So simple - Pastry 1 cup SR flour, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup water, good pinch of salt (or sugar if making sweets). Roll out pastry into thin sheet.

Sausage mixture - 3 spicy sausages filling broken up, 1 egg, up to one cup of chopped and or shredded vegetables - I used onions, celery, carrots and cabbage - but whatever you have is fine. Mix well with hands. To make consistency right add 1/4 - 1/2 cup dry cracker crumbs (or bread or oats) enough to make mixture 'unsoggy' and mix evenly. You can change recipe to suit your taste - more or less of veg or even no veg but does change the texture. Place a roll of the mixture onto the pastry and cut so enough on either side to join with slight overlap. This will be underneath so turn over and cut into lengths desired, make a slit or two in each roll. Brush with milk and put in a preheated 180 degree C oven for 25 minutes until browned. Serve with sauce.

Aussie Style Juicy Pork Patties / Burgers

If you want a juicy tasty burger try fresh minced pork instead of beef or half and half.

In a bowl mix 500g minced pork, 1 egg, 1 slice bread wet with enough milk to soak into slice, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley and one of coriander, one teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 grated zucchini, 2 tablesppons cold cooked onions, salt and pepper.

Mix gently until combined. Avoid handling the meat too much, form them into round patties, and refrigerate them for 15 minutes before cooking.

(A great recipe is by Manu - https://www.manusmenu.com/aussie-burger-with-the-lot)

To cook hamburgers that stay in one piece don't have too many liquidy things in mixture.  Make sure they are cold when you put them in the pan or BBQ, AND do not keep flipping them. That will make the burger fall apart for sure.

Preheat a heavy base frypan or BBQ plate to high heat.  Brush with oil.  Cook patties for 5 minutes per side until well browned.  

Serve on a toasted burger bun or toast with fresh salad. sauce and more fried onions.  Some like to add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, bacon, pickles, cheese, beetroot and a soft fried egg - well in Australia anyhow.  That'd be a 'Burger With The Lot'. Crunchy chips on the side!  Dinner done!

Spicy Vegetable Fritters for Two

Want to use up some vegetables from the crisper or feel you need a vegetable boost then try these Vegetable Fritters.

Chose Vegetables to grate or chop - one cup for two people.
Eg: carrots, zucchini, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, parsnip, potato, green onion, grated parmesan cheese is a good flavour enhancer.

Sift 1 cup all-purpose flour with added spices (eg., cumin, chili, pepper, garlic, salt, ground pepper).

Place oil in a solid fry pan to 1cm height and heat to medium.

Prepare batter.  Flour and 1 cup ice cold water; wisk with fork to combine. Add in one cup of your chosen grated vegetables and mix well.

Cabbage Onion Fritters with curry powder and spicy salsa and dukkah topping

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add heaped tablespoonfuls of the vegetable batter mixture to the pan and cook in batches for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and crispy. Don't over crowd pan. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Serve fritters with favorite topping / sauce - minted yoghurt, salsa or chutney.


Sauces - Toppings:
Avocado Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt plain
1/2 medium-sized avocado ripen
1 teaspoon dill chopped fresh
1 teaspoon chives chopped fresh

Minted yoghurt, salsa or chutney, to serve.  Dukkah powder.

Marshmallow Pavlova With Custard Cream

4 egg whites, 1 cup caster sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 tsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp corn flour.
Whipped cream, custard cream - see below (great recipe to use up egg yolks)
Seasonal fresh fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, passion fruit pulp, mango, banana and kiwi fruit sliced.

Preheat oven to 120°C/250°F. Line oven tray with baking paper.  Mark approx 7-inch circle on foil. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla and vinegar; beat until combined.  Fold through corn flour.  Spread meringue into circle on foil, building up at the side to about 3 inches in height. Smooth side and top of pavlova gently. Using spatula blade, mark decorative grooves around side of pavlova; smooth top again.  Bake pavlova about 1½ hours. Turn oven off; cool pavlova in oven with door ajar.

Cut around top edge of pavlova (the crisp meringue top will fall on top of the marshmallow centre). Fill inside pavlova with custard cream topped with whipped cream.  Decorated with fresh fruits. Enjoy!

Custard Cream
4 egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream
Beat egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and cornflour until smooth and creamy.  Put into saucepan, gradually add cream and milk, stir until smooth.  Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer 2 mins.  Remove from heat, allow to become cold, stirring occasionally.

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks

What you need: 4 large lamb shanks, 2 tbls flour, salt, pepper, oil, 1 large onion diced, 1 rasher of bacon diced, 1 clove of garlic minced, 1 tbls ketchup, 1 tbls soy sauce, 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbls brown sugar, 1 tsp dry mustard, ¼ cup vinegar, ½ cup water

What you do:

Trim excess fat off shanks. Roll in flour seasoned with the salt and pepper. Brown shanks in a heavy based pan. Remove.  Saute onion, bacon and garlic and then add browned shanks. Combine all other ingredient and pour over shanks. Bring to a boil then turn down to very low simmer, cover and cook on the stove-top for about 2-2½ hours or until meat super tender.  

Pantry Staples - Frugal, Practical

Nothing for dinner - what's in your cupboard?

What foods should be in your cupboard, freezer and fridge so you can always cook something healthy for dinner?  Nothing for dinner - what's in your cupboard?

Pantry (Any additional Ideas?)

Tinned
Tomatoes as base for pasta sauce, curry, stew and soup
Legumes - Kidney beans, Chickpeas (spiced baked chickpeas as a snack are filling and delicious or some hummus dip). Lentils to add to soups and stews and meat dishes to reduce the meat needed then over rice, pasta, mashed veg or on toast or with bread and butter to dip extends all measl a lot further
Tinned Baked Beans - quick easy snack on toast!  Or added to casserole
Tinned fish - tuna, salmon, sardines etc - make creamy mornays, noodle casseroles, on toast, with salads etc
Coconut milk - great to add to a curry or can use yogurt
Fruits - apple, pears, apricots, peaches etc make yummy low cost deserts such as pies and crumbles

TOMATO - king of 'fruits'  - tinned, dried, semi-dried, dehydrated as tomato powder - FRESH in a bulk buy - these delicious fruits deserve a place alone as can be used in so many ways and prices are reasonable.  Home made pasta sauces!!  Always tastier and free of additives!! On toast, in stews etc etc.

Herbs & Spices
Pepper, Curry Powder, Cumin, Corriander, Paprika for curries etc
Mustard, Bay leaves, Chilli powder or flakes,
Dried Herbs: Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Parsley
Nutmeg, Cinnamon,

Stock powder, jelly or liquid tetra-packs, Tomato paste
Powdered soup - eg french onion soup to coat meats and slow bale or coke chicken, apricot chicken etc. Cream of chicken soup for tasty creamy casseroles and try a different packet each week until get your favs

Oils, Sauces, Vinegars
Oils, Soy, Tabasco, Tomato, Fish, Sesame, Salsa, Worchestshire, Vinegar - wine, balsamic, apple cider; lemon juice

Toppings
Honey, Peanut Paste, Aussie Vegemite, Jams
 
Dried Staples
Pasta of all types from the semi dry chinese egg noodles, udon etc to all the Italian style pastas - pappardelle, farfalle, shells, campanelle, angel hairr, gnocchi, spaghetti, lasagna
Rice - white, brown, basmati (fragrant), jasmine
Couscous with all types of spice dishes
Rolled oats, flat breads - make pizza bases or wraps
Barley, dried peas, dried soup mix, peanuts, beans
Flours, Yeast Powder, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Thicken stews and soups, make muffins, no-knead breads
Pie and Quiche Bases
Raw Sugar, Salt,

Vegetables
Potatoes of all types (baked, boiled, mashed, chipped etc), Kumara or sweet potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Garlic, ginger - types that last longer to avoid food waste and good to boil for mash, roast, add to stews etc
Citrus - lemons, oranges etc and if in bulk juice and freeze.
Bananas - if getting over ripe freeze and/or use for muffins or cakes
Any fruits on special

Flours, Yeast Powder, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Thicken stews and soups, make muffins, no-knead breads
Pie and Quiche Bases
Raw Sugar, Salt,

Dairy
Yoghurt - instead of coconut in savoury cooked meals, like pasta and curries - add at the last minute so it doesn't split
Cheeses - all types to taste - over pasta, with noodles, toasted sandwiches - great concentrated protein and fills people up

Fridge / Freezer
EGGS - a great whole food and so many ways to cook - very satisfying and filling and good energy food!
Any types of Vegetables, Peas, corn, green beans as can be added to many dishes.
Home made pasta sauces!!  Always tastier and free of additives!!
Meats purchased at discount prices. Mince and sausages can make many interesting low cost meals that are tasty and filling.

Fresh Homemade Chicken Soup

Soups ready in an hour and tastes devine.  Budget meal.
Recipe for newbies:  1 packet chicken pieces (I used cut up thighs as more flavour - can use cheapest available such as drumsticks and remove skin, cook with bone in as also good for more flavour and after cooked take meat off bones and return to soup), 2 onions chopped, 1 large carrot chopped, 6 stalks celery chopped, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon ground black peppercorns, enough chicken stock to cover.  Bring to boil and immediately turn down to a gentle simmer.  Cook until chicken cooked and vegetables tender.  Add salt to taste.  Enjoy!

Or try this recipe from a great chef at Food Wishes made a simple quick easy one step soup - https://youtu.be/q4wmoIx7NLc and follow his YouTube Channel!

Banana Ketchup

BANANA KETCHUP

2 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, roughly chopped, salt, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 3 red chillies, roughly chopped, thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 5 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp allspice, ground, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/3 cup dark rum, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 5 overripe bananas, mashed, 1 lemon, juice & zest, 1 lime, juice & zest, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leave

Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add the onions and a little bit of salt and sweat them over a medium heat until they turn soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chillies, ginger and dried spices and fry over a low heat for about a minute, stirring all the time, until the mix starts to give off a fragrant smell.

Add sugar, vinegar, rum, soy sauce, bananas and the citrus and herbs. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer over a low heat for about an hour. Stir from time to time to check nothing is burning.

Remove from heat. Fish out the cinnamon stick and the bay leave and discard . Blend the rest of the liquid to a fine sauce.  Fill your ketchup into a suitable botle. The ketchup will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

Honey Baked Chicken Pieces

Gotta love one dish recipes with four ingredients.  Honey Baked Chicken Pieces is an easy and delicious dish for the whole family!

If you aren’t keen on chicken on the bone, you can substitute chicken pieces – but reduce the cooking time to prevent it from over-cooking.  

Need: 1 kg Chicken Pieces, 3 tbsp Honey, 3/4 cups White Wine or chicken stock, 1 packet French Onion soup powder.  Place chicken pieces in a baking dish. Mix the soup mix with the wine (or stock) together with the honey and pour over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 160 degrees for an hour, then remove the cover to brown (another 10 minutes at 200 degrees). Serve with Fried Rice or steamed Asian vegetables

See https://www.stayathomemum.com.au/recipes/honey-baked-chicken-pieces/