Home cooking: Raw Brussels Sprouts Shredded Salad (9 Oct 2021)

Light & Healthy Salad

This salad is definitely something new I haven't tried before with the much polarised Brussels sprouts. Raw Brussels sprouts shredded finely with a little olive oil, lemon juice, grated pecorino romano cheese, salt & pepper as per recipe inspiration spotted on @geoffreyzakarian. I'd do this again. So simple and I think tastes much better than boiling the little buggers. I don't mind a well roasted Brussels sprout as well but it's not as time and energy efficient. Personally being a coleslaw fan I think this could be combined with come carrot, cabbage and onion as a variation.

Home cooking: 'Banatella' ice cream dessert (6 April 2015)

Easy as blending

Here's a very simple yet yummy idea for anyone that has a Thermomix although I'm hoping a decent result can be achieved in a food processor or with a stick blender. Blend some frozen banana with a good dollop of Nutella to taste. Makes a yummy ice cream style dessert. For that Easter touch a MaltEaster will do the trick. So glad I have a friend that loves using their Thermomix. 

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Very easy to make, No cooking involved, I reckon it's guilt free considering most of it is banana

CONS: Need a Thermomix unless something similar will do the trick

MUST TRY: Making at home with a normal blender or stick blender

VERDICT: So easy to make and the end result is pretty yummy

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Home cooking Sweet Potato in the oven (30 Aug 2014)

Simple & easy sweet potato

Cooking sweet potato in the oven is so easy even I can do it. Baking it will make it soft and sweet and can then be seasoned as you like.

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C or around 400°F

2. Scrub and wash the sweet potato skin with water to remove any dirt

3. Pierce the skin with a fork in several spots all over

4. Place sweet potatoes on a tray or rack with foil or baking paper underneath to catch any drippings

5. Bake in the oven for about 60 minutes depending on size

6. Take out, cut in half and season with salt, pepper, butter or your favourite herbs and spices

7. The sweet potato should be soft enough to squash easily with a fork and scrap away from the skin if preferred

8. Enjoy!

Wash and scrub skin then poke with a fork all over before placing on a tray

Bake for 60 minutes at 200°C or around 400°F

Cut the cooked sweet potato in half and season or simply mash up with a fork

Home cooking a French Bouillabaisse recipe (10 Aug 2014)

Tasty Seafood Bouillabaisse

So this is the remains of my bouillabaisse I cooked for the first time. I was hoping to have shared lots of preparation and ingredients photos, cooking stages and final dish presentation but sadly I stupidly deleted my photos before checking I had downloaded them which I thought I did — Silly Simon! What I can tell you is I based it on the simple recipe shown on Food Safari by Chef Guillaume Brahimi and it's great to watch the short video to see how it all comes together. I didn't use any saffron, orange zest, fresh thyme and Pernod because I didn't have them but it still tasted pretty good. I used Campbell's Real Stock Fish from Coles and a Bouillabaise Seafood Pack from Cleanfish Australia of Diamond Clams, Kinkawooka Mussels, Banana Prawns, Tiger Flathead cutlet, Norwegian Cod cutlet. 

An important lesson I learnt is if you try and blend a hot liquid in a blender with the lid firmly on it will explode on you plus all over your bench and kitchen wall — f*ck! I used a large Le Creuset casserole pot to cook and simmer the ingredients which worked a treat. Straining the blended liquid was a potentially messy exercise but well worth the process in learning how effective it is to create a flavoursome soup base. I enjoyed the final soup with store bought Coles garlic bread (the more expensive butter version and not the cheaper Smart Buy margarine one) which was great for dipping. I definitely feel more confident in cooking a bouillabaisse again. There was lots of mess made but I'll know how to do it better next time, and hopefully will keep the photos too.

Based on recipe http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/bouillabaisse

Home Cooking: Matt Preston's No Prove Bread recipe put to the test (30 Aug 2013)

http://www.masterchef.com.au/recipes/no-prove-bread-with-butter-and-raspberry-jam.htm

Rising to the challenge

I've never made bread at home before but after seeing Matt Preston's Masterclass of the No Prove Bread recipe I thought it was worth having a go. Simple ingredients, simple technique and good results makes it a great recipe to know about. The most challenging thing was to get the dough out of the bowl which was super sticky and elastic after being kept in the fridge overnight. We successfully made 4 bread rolls and 1 larger loaf. I also attempted to make a rosemary and olive loaf but it failed a bit because I only stuck the olives on the outside. The olives became very dried out and dehydrated and sort of popped off the loaf. Next time I'll need to try sticking them inside the loaf which I'm sure will work a lot better to keep them more moist. The recipe below has been taken from the MasterChef website for your easy reference. Matt Preston states he was taught this recipe by his friend, Kareen Coomer, whose husband runs Pata Negra in Perth

No Prove Bread recipe 

Makes 1 large round loaf, 1 long loaf and 6 rolls.

Ingredients

1 kg bread flour, plus extra to dust

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon instant dried yeast

950 ml lukewarm water

Method

For the bread, combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in water until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight.

Remove bowl from fridge 1 hour prior to cooking, and allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 220C.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper, and generously dust sheet with flour. Place half of the dough onto one tray and place in oven for 1 hour or until golden, and the inside sounds hollow when knocked on the base. Make rolls and a smaller long loaf with remaining half of dough. Bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until golden and hollow inside.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Simple ingredients, Easy recipe, Tasted quite nice

CONS: Getting the dough out of the bowl and trying to place on the trays nicely is the most challenging part

MUST TRY: Making it again

VERDICT: Definitely seems to work although make sure you check for the hollow sound when knocked on the base.

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Home Cooking: Kale Chips (4 Feb 2013)

Quick and easy kale chips

I love discovering simple and healthy recipes and this Kale Chips Recipe by Dani Spies from Clean and Delicious couldn't be easier. I've heard kale is supposed to be very good for you so anything that makes it taste even better was worth a go. I'm pretty sure many home cooks have already been making kale chips for years but this is the first time I've ever made them. Simply wash your kale leaves, dry them and pull off the leafy bits from the stalk. Break up into small pieces and mix in a bowl with some olive oil and salt. The olive oil spreads easily so you don't need to use too much. Spread the kale over a baking tray and pop in a preheated oven at around 180-200 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes. At first I thought they'd burn but the olive oil seems to protect them well and they crisp up nicely. Timing may vary depending on your oven so keep checking them and once crisp they're pretty much ready to eat. Trust me, they tasted a lot better than they looked.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Tasty way to eat your healthy kale, Easy recipe, Only three ingredients required to make

CONS: Hands get oily from mixing the kale with olive oil

MUST TRY: Finding other ways of cooking with kale
VERDICT: Easy and tasty recipe that makes eating kale enjoyable

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Wash and dry kale

Separate kale leaf from stem

Anyone have a recipe to use kale stems?

Break kale up into smaller pieces

Mix kale with a bit of olive oil and salt of your choosing

Place kale on a baking tray. Maybe use baking paper for less cleaning up after?

Add to oven preheated at around 200 degrees celsius

Keep any eye on the kale to check when ready in your oven

Kale will be super crisp when ready

Serve and enjoy

Home Cooking: Chorizo with Kale and Breadcrumbs (30 Jan 2013)

Kale of a dish

Ever wanted to eat more healthy kale but always found it too boring when boiled. I did. So when I discovered the simple Stone Soup recipe which used chorizo I thought I'd give it a whirl. Cutting up kale and chorizo is dead easy. Add some oil, I used olive oil, to a wok/pan and pan fry the chorizo. Smells so good at this point tempting you to stop right here and eat as a tapas dish but persevere. Take the chorizo out with tongs and retain the flavoured oil to quickly stir fry the kale. Only takes a couple of minutes. As an adaptation I made some breadcrumbs by finely chopping a slice of white bread and cooked in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees until dry and crunchy. I added the breadcrumbs soon after the kale had cooked and the chorizo was added back in the wok. Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up any excess oil or add a dash of extra olive oil if too dry. Add a splash of lemon juice and take off the heat with a final stir fry toss. I only had bottled lime juice on hand which seemed to work OK as well. Didn't take long to make and tasted pretty good although probably not as healthy with the oil and chorizo but makes it easier to eat your greens.

Ingredients:

• Chorizo

• Kale

• White Bread

• Lemon or Lime Juice

• Olive Oil

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Kale is very healthy for you, There's chorizo in this dish, Simple recipe and easy to cook with minimal wash up required

CONS: Chorizo is probably not the healthiest thing to eat but tastes so good

MUST TRY: Discovering more recipes to cook kale in a tasty way

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Chop up chorizo and kale

Breadcrumbs made by chopping up white bread and cooking in oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes

Cook chorizo in a bit of oil. Chorizo will produce extra oil when cooked.

Once the chorizo is cooked take out with tongs and keep to the side. Retain chorizo flavoured oil in wok.

Stir fry kale in chorizo flavoured oil on high heat

Once kale is about cooked add chorizo back in wok

Add breadcrumbs to soak up any excess oil and to flavour the breadcrumbs

Take off heat and add a splash of lemon or lime juice for extra flavour zest

Plate up and enjoy