Just in time for ANZAC DAY...Anzac Biscuits by Farmhouse Home

April the 25th is Anzac Day in Australia and is probably Australia's most important national occasion.
It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. 

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day. 

The army biscuit, also known as an ANZAC wafer or ANZAC tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread.

 

Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard.

 Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge.

The recipe has many adaptations today including adding cashews, wattleseeds, lemon myrtle or choc chips.

 

I like this recipe that makes them quite chewy...since I've made them I can't stop eating them they have a lovely flavour with the golden syrup.

Yum!

Recipe:  Belinda Jeffery mix & bake

Of Farmhouse Home
Anzac Biscuits | Farmhouse Home

Meatless Monday recipes....

This healthy dhal is full of aromatic spice and healthy legumes. Serve it with yoghurt and naan bread for a complete meal.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbs sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbs medium-hot Indian curry paste
• 1 cup (200g) dried red lentils
• 3 cups (750ml) vegetable stock
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 500g cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 cup (120g) frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tbs roughly chopped coriander leaves, plus extra chopped coriander to garnish
• Natural yoghurt and naan bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and curry paste, then cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add lentils and stir well to coat. Add stock and tomato paste, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Return heat to medium, add cauliflower and simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add peas for final 2 minutes, then stir in coriander. Serve the curry with yoghurt and naan, garnished with extra coriander.

 

Source

delicious. - July 2008

delicious. - July 2008, Page 129
Recipe by Louise Pickford

Yummmm! SPICED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Indulge in a little Labour Day Holiday cooking with Bespoke JaNik

SPICED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:
4 eggs
200g sugar
200g butter (room temperature)
pinch of salt
200g self-raising flour
100g cocoa powder
3 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp all spice
pinch of cinnamon
4 tbsp rum
4 tbsp milk
4 packs of Maltesers
edible gold powder

For the butter cream:
200g butter
100g icing sugar
300g chocolate custard (follow packet instructions)
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200°C and butter your baking tin.
Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until it forms stiff peaks.
In another bowl mix the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy (with a handheld mixer for about 5 min) and add the butter.
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder and add to the mixture.
When the dough gets too thick add the rum and milk.
Now gently fold in the stiff egg whites.
Bake for around 30-40 minutes.
Rotate the tin after half the baking time so it will bake evenly. If it gets too dark on the top cover it up with baking paper for the last 15 minutes.
Let cool and cut into 3 layers. Place the sponge layers in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes before you assemble the cake.
Cook the custard according to packet instructions and leave to cool.
To make the butter cream the butter until pale and fluffy, add the sifted icing sugar, mix some more, then add the cold custard and cinnamon powder.
Spread an even amount of the icing between the layers, stack the cake and apply a thin layer on the the outside.
Place in the fridge to chill before you apply the rest of the icing layer.
Brush the malt balls with the gold dust and place on the the top and sides of the cake.

Enjoy!  

From the kitchen of: Urbane Fruits

February 9 - International Pizza Day!

February 9 is international pizza day...I plan to celebrate it in style but with a homemade pizza served on a wood cutting board and a glass of chianti ... 

 Try my favorite pizza indulgence xx

Easy Tandoori Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

Serves: 1

• 125ml PHILADELPHIA Light Cream For Cooking,
• 1 tablespoon tandoori paste
• 1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 small individual Pizza Base
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• 20g baby rocket or spinach
• 2 tablespoons roughly diced coriander

Preparation method

Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes

1.  Combine 2 tablespoons of the PHILLY with the tandoori paste then add the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

2.  Combine the tomato paste and sweet chilli sauce and spread evenly over the pizza base. Top with the onion and chicken.

3.  Bake the pizza in a moderate oven 180 degrees C for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Top with the rocket and coriander then spoon over the remaining PHILLY. Serve immediately. 

From: http://allrecipes.com.au

Feast fit for a ladies lunch!

Want an amazing dining experience? 

Head down to Fitzroy St, St Kilda to Andrew McConnell's newest resturant Golden Fields

The perfect dining sensation for a great girl's luncheon with fabulous friends...

Bespoke Food HiGHLY recommends this one! xx

Foodie Tuesday Returns!

Sweltering in that crazy Melbourne heat?

 Head down the beach with your new basket currently 30% OFF!

Discount calculated at checkout ..... $AVE a massive $44.99on this Tropezean french inspired market basket, made in Madagascar!

To make:

A refreshing  

WATER MELON SALSA

Easy to make, this salsa is delicious served with any grilled meat, chicken or fish would be our pick.

*Use balsamic vinegar instead of lime juice for a deeper flavor.

Ingredients

4 cup(s) watermelon, (seedless), cut into small cubes 

1 medium fresh cucumber, deseeded, cut into small cubes 

6 individual shallots, ends trimmed, finely sliced 

1/2 medium green capsicum, (and yellow), deseeded and cut into small cubes 

1 whole fresh red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped 

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped 

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped 

1 tsp caster sugar 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
 

Notes

Fruit salsas are best made the day they are served, as the fruit will start to lose its natural juices and shape. If you really want to prepare this in advance, then cut up the fruit, vegetables and herbs, but don't combine them until you are ready to serve.

It's a dog's day out at the beach today!

Enjoy x

Thank God it's Friday!

Get out and enjoy the forecast great weather this weekend!

Grab a great deal on a Bespoke JaNik  summer beach kaftan - on SALE this weekend!

And while we are at it... Let's drink to the new year with a great

Sparkling mint & lime capriosca

This refreshing drink is perfect to make during the summer season. 

Enjoy in the sunshine!

Sparkling mint & lime capriosca

Servings: 2 

Preparation Time: 5 min 

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 Tbsp brown sugar 

1 nip(s) rum, (30ml)

1 nip(s) gin, (30ml) 

2 Tbsp fresh mint, 

torn 2 medium fresh lime, cut into wedges 

1 glass(es) soda water, (250ml)

Instructions

Place brown sugar, rum, gin, mint and ice into a cocktail shaker. 

Squeeze juice from lime wedges then add used wedges to cocktail shaker. 

 Shake until all ingredients are well combined.

Pour into glass tumblers and top with soda water.
These cocktails are delicious served with extra lime wedges.

Happy Weekend! x

Father’s Day is just around the corner....

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday, and I relate my dad to great meals. And, if you haven't picked up a gift for your foodie father yet....why not try this book on special for for Father's Day $19.95 Now $15.00 Women's weekly 4 Ingredients

Try this recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's new cook book  My Father's Daughter, Bruce Paltrow’s World Famous Pancakes, which make for a wonderful Father’s Day brunch.

Bruce Paltrow’s World Famous Pancakes

Yield: 3 dozen 5-inch pancakes

Active Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes + overnight resting

• 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more butter for cooking
• 6 organic large eggs
• Up to 1 cup milk, as needed to thin batter
• Real Vermont maple syrup, warmed

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, butter and eggs together in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones whisking just enough to combine (small lumps are okay). Let the batter sit, covered, overnight. The next morning, heat up your griddle or favorite nonstick pan and slick it with a little butter. Add enough milk to the batter to thin it to the right consistency—the thicker the batter, the thicker and heavier your pancakes; the thinner the batter, the more delicate your pancakes—neither is wrong. Cook the pancakes on the griddle, flipping them after bubbles appear on the surface of the uncooked side. Let cook 2-3 minutes more, then remove, and eat with lots of warm maple syrup.

 From Gwyneth Paltrow

http://goop.com/

Foodie Tuesday....Lamb Shoulder Roast tonight?

We all love a quick and easy dinner, but Karen Martini must be the master! Well in my house anyway!  Impress the family with this beauty - rated as the BEST MEAL I've ever served up at home....

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Pears and Cumin

Ingredients

2 brown onions, skin off and sliced into rounds

1 lamb shoulder (bone in) semi cut into portions (ask your butcher to do this)

2 tblsp cumin seeds

2 tblsp black peppercorns

5 cloves of garlic

2 tblsp flaked salt

1 tblsp olive oil

7 sprigs of tyme - leaves only

4 buerre bosc pears - skin on and cut in half

3 tblsp raw sugar

2 tblsp red wine vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven 160C fan forced or 180C conventional

Place onion in base of a heavy ovenproof dish

Trim and slightly score top of lamb

Crush cumin and peppercorns with mortar and pestle, then add garlic and salt. Crush paste and add oil. 

Smother over lamb, rubbing between bones as well. Place lamb on top of onions, scatter with thyme and add pear halves. Sprinkle with sugar and vinegar and pour in 80ml of water.

Cover dish with a double layer of foil and roast in oven for 4 hours, then remove foil and skim some of the fat. Return lamb to the oven and raise temperature to 180C fan forced. Baste lamb a little and cook for another 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with silver beet sprinkled with pomegranate, lemon and feta and almond cous cous.

Just delicious!

Courtesy of :

Karen Martini from Sunday Age, August 7 2011

Foodie Tuesday Spanish Scallops & Chorizo by Nigella Lawson

Are you a fan of scallops with bacon, and scallops with chilli? Then this combination of the two, using chorizo - the sausages, not the salami - to ooze its lovely paprika-hot orange oil over the sweet, white scallops is a winner.   Another recipe inspired by Spain, this week from kitchen of Nigella. 

It's quicker than the speed of light to make and quite as dazzling.

 Scallops & chorizo

 Ingredients

• 110g chorizo sausage
• 400g small scallops (halve them to make 2 thinner discs if they are very fat)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 x 15ml tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

Serves: 4 as a main course, 8 appetiser

1. Slice the chorizo into rounds no thicker than 3mm.
2. Heat a heavy-based pan on the hob and, when hot, dry-fry the chorizo round until crisped on either side (the chorizo will give out plenty of its own oil); this should take no more than 2 minutes.
3. Remove the chorizo to a bowl and fry the scallops in the chorizo-oil for about 1 minute a side.
4. Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, add the lemon juice and let bubble for a few seconds before arranging on a serving plate and sprinkling with lots of parsley.

 http://www.nigella.com/

Foody Tuesday - a great winter warmer meal inspired by shopping in Spain- courtesy of Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver's Moorish pork chops   servings 4 

We just love this recipe over at Bespoke JaNik. With a great buying trip to Spain for SS2011, this is now a home favorite!  When the Moors invaded Spain they brought grapes and dried fruits with them. Their love of mixing dried fruits with meats definitely left its mark on Spanish cooking and this is Jamie's nod to that time in Spain's history. Ole!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ingredients

For the chops
• a few sprigs of fresh oregano or marjoram, leaves picked
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a small handful of raisins
• good quality dry sherry
• Spanish extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large, thick pork chops(approximately 350g each),
bone in, the best quality meat you can afford

For the beans
• trimmed fat from a few slices of pata negra, and some
pata negra offcuts (or 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped, or pancetta)
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

• a few fresh bay leaves
• 1 x 540g jar of white beans or Cannellini beans, drained
• 400g Silver Beet (Swiss chard) , stalks
trimmed, or spinach leaves

method

Pound most of your oregano leaves with a small pinch of salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar. Roughly chop the raisins, then add them to the pestle and mortar with a splash or two of sherry and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Muddle everything together to make a paste, then put to one side for a minute.

Lay each pork chop in front of you so the side with the fat is farthest away. Carefully insert a knife into the side nearest you and move it around to make a pocket inside. Use your fingers to fill each pocket with the raisin paste. Look at the picture to see what I mean, or go to www.jamieoliver.com/how-to.

Fry the strips of fat from your pata negra or bacon in a medium pan on a high heat for a few minutes, then add the offcuts (or bacon) and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the chopped onion and pepper, then turn the heat down and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Roughly chop your rosemary leaves and add those to the pan along with your bay leaves.

Add your beans to the pan with 350ml of water. Stir, then leave to tick away for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the beans and add a splash more water if they look dry.

Get a barbecue or griddle pan really hot. Rub some olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper all over the pork chops. Put them on the very hot side of your barbecue and sear them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to get some good colour going, then move them to the gentler side of the barbecue so they can cook slowly. If you’re using a griddle pan, turn the heat down to medium low and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile finely chop the stalks of the Swiss chard and add them to the pan with the beans. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pan for the last minute or two of cooking so as not to lose the flavour. Taste the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes if you want to achieve a thicker consistency. Divide the beans between four plates and lay a pork chop over each. Sprinkle over the reserved oregano leaves, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Thanks Jamie...Love your work!

*Go to a good butcher and ask for chops that are 2.5cm thick, ideally with two different colours of meat on them: the sweet darker meat, and the leaner eye meat.

• from Jamie does...