Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 600g (about 4 bunches) English spinach, trimmed, washed
• 250g fresh full-fat ricotta
• 75g grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 100g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• Sea salt, to taste
• 30g unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease

Method

1. Place spinach, with the water clinging to its leaves, in a pan over medium heat. Cook, covered, for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Drain and refresh with cold water, then set aside to cool. Once cool, squeeze all the excess water from the spinach and either chop finely or whiz in a food processor.
2. Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, 50g parmesan, egg, nutmeg and plain flour. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Use a fork to gently mix, and then use your hands to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into quarters, then roll each quarter into a long sausage shape (about 2cm in diameter). Cut dough at 3cm intervals and use the tynes of a fork to slightly indent and flatten each piece.
5. Place gnocchi on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat grill to high. Lightly grease a gratin dish. Cook the gnocchi in batches in a large pan of boiling, salted water. When they rise to the surface, cook for a further minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the dish. Continue until all are cooked. Dot with butter, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and season.
7. Place under grill for 3-4 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.

Spring Time

So it has been a little while since I have been on here. I have been extremely busy with things other than cooking! I have still found time though to cook up a small storm or two.
I hosted a intimate Spring has Sprung dinner for a couple of wonderful friends, it was very exciting to eat SALAD again!! It had been so long, and as much as I love wintery foods, I was dying for a salad. We had a crumbed boccincini and grilled tomoato salad and mixed berries and chocolate self saucing pudding. They were both very delicious. I will make sure I put both recipes up for you all to try.
I cooked dinner for a good friend of mine for his birthday and made the most amazing spinach and ricotta gnocchi (even if i do say so myself)!! It really was not like gnocchi at all, but at the same time it was... very hard to explain properly. I made a birthday cake/dessert from my new favourite recipe book (that was recently given to my as a present, from my very cool and recently engaged cousin) called Legless! It includes a range of desserts (puddings, mousse, jelly (shots), cakes, etc all with some sort of alcohol) and I tried the chocolate and frangelico cream cake.... mmmmm mmmmm mmmm

Boeuf Bourguignon

1.2kg chuck steak, trimmed of fat, cut into 4cm cubes
1/4 cup plain flour
20g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
150g small button mushrooms
200g bacon, cut into 3cm cubes
12 eschalots or spring onions
1 large carrot, peeled, diced
1 cup red wine (such as shiraz or cabernet sauvignon)
1 1/2 cups beef consomme or stock (preferably home made)
1 bouquet garni
flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
 
 
Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly coat meat with flour. Heat a large, ovenproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add 10g butter and 2 teaspoons oil. When butter and oil are sizzling, add one-sixth of meat and cook for 6 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining meat, adding more butter and oil as required.

Add mushrooms to casserole and cook, stirring often, until golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside until required. Add bacon, eschalots and carrot to casserole. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Drain away any remaining oil. Pour wine and consomme into casserole. Bring to the boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen sediment on base of casserole. Return beef to casserole with bouquet garni. Cover and place in oven.


Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and add mushrooms. Return to oven, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Spoon casserole onto plates, garnish with parsley and serve with Pommes Anna (see related recipe).

9/10

Curry Puffs

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

150g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes

300g chicken mince

1 1/2 teaspoons mild curry powder

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon cornflour

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

4 sheets of frozen-ready rolled puff pastry
 
 
Heat a little oil in a wok or non-stick frying pan. Add onion and potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 300g chicken mince and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add curry powder and cook for one minute. Stir in chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced.
Stir through cornflour and allow the mixture to thicken before adding mint. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

Use a cookie cutter to cut approximately 22 discs from puff pastry, just thawed. When the chicken mixture is cold, spoon one heaped teaspoon onto one half of each disc. Fold the other side over to form a semi-circle and pinch the edges together to seal.
 Add enough vegetable oil to a wok to reach a depth of 5cm. Heat over medium-high heat until a small piece of bread sizzles when dropped in. Add 5-6 curry puffs and cook for 3 minutes or until puffed and golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat, in batches, with the remaining curry puffs. Serve immediately.

7/10

Pear and Rhubarb Charlottes

Melted butter, to grease
20g unsalted butter
275g (2 cups) coarsely chopped rhubarb
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
3 pears, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
13 slices white bread, crusts removed
100g unsalted butter, extra, melted

Cinnamon creme anglaise
500ml (2 cups) milk
5 egg yolks
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1 x 7cm cinnamon stick(see note)

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush four 250ml (1-cup) capacity ovenproof dishes with melted butter to grease. Line the bases with non-stick baking paper.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add rhubarb. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until just tender. Add the sugar and pear. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. Drain.
 Use a 6.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 4 discs from 2 bread slices. Cut each remaining bread slice into 3 even strips. Brush both sides of bread discs and strips with extra melted butter.

Divide the bread discs among the prepared dishes. Line the sides with the bread strips, slightly overlapping. Trim, leaving 1.5cm above the rim of each dish. Divide the rhubarb mixture among the dishes. Fold over the bread and press down gently to enclose the filling. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, to make the cinnamon creme anglaise, place the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and pale. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the milk. Add the cinnamon stick. Place over low heat. Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 10 minutes or until custard thickens.
 Turn the charlottes onto serving plates. Drizzle over the cinnamon creme anglaise to serve.
 
8/10

White Chocolate Baklava Cigars

Prep time 45 minutes                                Makes 16
Cooking time 20 minutes

105g (3/4 cup) slivered almonds, coarsly chopped
100g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon caster sugar
12 sheet filo pastry
60g unslated butter melted
225g (1 cup) white sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) water
5 cardamon pods, bruised
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Place the almonds. chocolate and caster sugar in the bowl of a food processor and processor until finely chopped.
Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with non stick baking paper. Place the filo on a clean work surface. Cover with a clean tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Brush 1 filo sheet with melted butter. Top with another filo sheet and brush with melted butter. Repeat with another filo sheet and melted butter. Cut into quarters. Spoon 1 tablespoon of almond mixture along the centre of 1 narrow edge of each filo stack. Fold in sides and roll up to create a cigar shape. Place seam-side down, on the lined tray and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining filo sheets, almond mixture and melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, place white sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Add cardamom pods. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens. Stir in the lemon juice.

Place cigars in a heatproof dish. Drizzle over the syrup. Serve immediately.

8/10

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Burnt Butter Sauce

Ingredients
1kg of pumpkin , peeled and cut into 3cm pieces (you should have 700g when chopped up)
olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
125g butter, chopped
shaved pecorino, to serve

Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking try with baking paper. Place pumpkin on tray. Spray with oil, season with salt and white pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and mash until smooth. Stand for 10 minutes.

Sift 1 1/2 cups flour over pumpkin and season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined and a soft dough formed.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 3 minutes. Divide into 4 peices and roll each piece into a 30 cm long sausage shape. Cut each roll in to 3cm pieces. Press with a fork.

Bring large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat. Add one quarter of the gnocchi. Cook for 2 minutes or until gnocchi rise to the surface. Cook for a further 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining gnocchi, in 3 batches.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and sizzling and golden (looks burnt). Spoongnocchi into bowls and spoon over butter, season with pepper and sprinkle generously with percorino and serve.

9/10

Spicy Coconut Chicken Soup

200g Vermicelli noodles
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste
500g chicken thigh fillets, sliced
2 1/2 cups water
400 ml light coconut milk
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 sliced red chilli
lime wedges to serve

1. Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes until tender. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan on medium. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken and cook for 4-5minutes.
3. Blend in water and coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Divide noodles among serving bowls. Ladle soup over. op with bean sprouts, coriander leaves and chilli. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4     6/10

Crepe Suzette

Ingedients
2 cups flours
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 eggs
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
pinch salt
Few drops on vanilla

Rind from 1 orange
3/4 cup caster sugar
145g butter
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Cognac

1. Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl
2. Make a well and pour in eggs. Stir well.
3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
Stir in butter.
Voila!!

NB The batter does not need to stand before using it. However, if you do let it stand, you will mostly likely want to add 1 tablespoon of water before cooking with it. Generally : if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water, and/or little more milk.

Mix orange ring and butter. In a saucepan, mely about 1 tablespoon butter/rind mixture over a medium flame. Place one crepe on top, cook for about 30 seconds, flip, cook for about 30 more seconds, then sprinkle with a little sugar. Fold in quarters, take out of panand put on a plate on top ia a simmering (not boiling) pot of water. This will keep the crepes warm as you are prepaing. Proceed like this with each crepe. Mix liqueurs together and arm up. Put each crepe on an individual plate. Pour liqueur over each one, then sprinkle with sugar and flambe!! serve right away

Voila!!

9/10  very delicious!!

French Onion Soup

Ingredients
80g Butter
9 white onions sliced into thin rings
1 litre dry white wine
freshly ground black peper
2 tablespoons Cognac
6x3cm thick slices sourdough bread
1 cup freshly grated firmly packed gruyere cheese
1.5 litres well flavoured chicken stock
salt

Preheat oven to 180. Select an ovenproof gratin dish (approx 6cm deep) in which the onion will form a well packed layer. Grease dish with half the butter and add onion. Dot onion with remaining butter. Pour over wine and grind over pepper. Bake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours stirring once or twice, until onion is very soft.
Increase heat to 220 and cook for 1 hour until top layer has started to caramelise. Sprinkle surface with cognac.
Select ovenproof soup bowls. Break each bread in half. Place a spoonful of onion in each bowl, then cover with a piece of bread and top with cheese. Repeat with another layer of onion, bread and cheese. Ladle over stock and tast for seasoning.
Bake in oven until soup is bubbling hot and top crust is golden. Submerge crust in each bowl just before serving to soften it.

Serves 6-8

*cook onion in a LARGE pan and make sure it is well and truly soft and cooked.  We only gave it 6/10

Pumpkin Arancini

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups aboirio rice
1 1/2 cups grated pumpkin
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup dried packaged breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying
sweet chilli sauced and mixed leaves to serve

1. Bring stock to the boil in a small saucepan on high. Reduce heat to very low and keep warm.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan on high. Saute onion for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until well coated in oil.
3. Add 1/2 cup hot stock and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue adding stock, a ladleful full at a time, stirring, constantly between each addition until absorbed. This will take about 25 minutes. Add pumpkin about halfway through cooking.
4. Stir in parmesan and season to taste. Chill for serveral hours until firm enough to handle.
5. Measure quartercup fulls of mixture and,using damp hands, roll into balls.
6. Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in seperate dishes. Dust balls in flour, followed by eggs and crumbs. Chill for 20 minutes.
7. Half fill a large saucepan with oil and heat until a few breadcrumbs sizzle as soon as they are added. Cook the balls in batches for about 1-2 minutes, turning until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.

Served warm or cold on a picnic. Serve with sweet chilli sauce and mixed leaves.
Makes 24  Prep time 40 mins Cooking 50 mins
10/10

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients
60g Butter
250g Mushrooms, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon French mustard
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Combine butter and mushrooms in a large bowl, cover, cook in microwave on HIGH 4 minutes. Mix in stock, wine, mustard and cream. Cover, cook in microwave on HIGH 10 minutes. Pure in blender or processor, stir in chives and reheat.

Delicious!! 9/10 for this one, only problem is it doesn'take enough!!

The Julie & Julia Project

Where do i start? Winter = cold weather + hibernation!!
I needed a challenge and i love food!! Eating it, cooking it, serving it!! LOVE it!!
I had also been reading the book Julie & Julia - My year of cooking dangerously in a small apartment kitchen. I thought "maybe i can do my own project 'Mel's Julie & Julia Project - My winter of cooking dangerously in a small apartment kitchen'" and that is what i have been doing!!
I have loved most recipes i have tested out, and I have decided to share them for everyone to try and let me know what they think.
I started out with thinking it could be a winter of soups, but figured I could easily get bored with that, so decided that I should cook all totally new recipes, ones that i have never done before!!
So off I cooked!