Basil Pesto

Hey,


do you know how to make pesto?
it is so versatile, isn't it? Ben (my hubby) loves pesto. He likes to spread it in his sandwich, or put it in salad, or in the pasta...Even in the chicken and pizza.


So here is a home made recipe for pesto that you can make at home:
To make 1 1/2 cup you will need:
2 cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped (preferably from your garden/balcony)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (45g) toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup (35g) finely grated parmesan
1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil, plus extra

Method:

1. Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. (Alternatively, place ingredients in a mortar and pound with a pestle until well combined).
2. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until well combined and a smooth paste forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and pour over a little extra oil to cover the pesto surface (this will prevent the basil from oxidising and turning black).

Image from Salt and Pepper blog

The easiest pineapple sorbet in the world

Now that summer is finally heating up the weather, what about a super duper easy recipe for Pineapple sorbet that is actually also low fat, low calories...


You will need a can of pineapple packed in juice.
A few hours or a few days before, open the can of pineapples and pour everything that is inside into a freezer friendly container.
When its really frozen, remove it from the freezer and let it sit in the counter for around 10 minutes. Use a knife and break the block in large chunks, and then place them in the food processor.

Process the pineapple in the processor, stopping if you need to push the chunks closer to the blades. You should  do it for a couple of minutes until is smooth and with a creamy consistency. Serve immediately.

Left overs can be refrozen.

And for a snack at work this arvo

mix up some avocado and ricotta cheese, cut up some carrot sticks, and happy days.

that's another one of the food ideas that I said I was going to start putting away, hope you like it.

Food ideas that don't need recipe

I just decided I will start posting food ideas that actually don't require any recipe. You can make it up by yourself but they are still nice....basically suggestions for dinner tonight.


You know sometimes when you get home, and you are really without any inspiration? I don't know if ever happened to you but happens to me sometimes, its not a matter of looking for a recipe, because I am not sure what I am looking for...makes any sense?

So I will start writing suggestions as they come...who knows....it might ends up as a book of suggestions without recipes.


What do you say?

So starting with ingredients that basically everyone has at home


So, what about some pasta, tossed with spinach(or any other vegetable),Parmesan cheese and a pinch of pepper? (maybe some butter to keep it moist, or a very nice olive oil)




Simple omelette, or frittata...I LOVE the Spanish style omelette with eggs and potatoes.
And also, you can make a sandwich from that. Believe me, I used to live in Spain and they do!

Or a Pasta tuna salad...with whatever you find in your fridge.


Bon Appetit.

Tomato, Boccoccini and Olive Salad

My gorgeous hubby bought me a new cooking book: MY table from Pete Evans.

Well, he actually didn't buy it, he got in a promotion with some wines we bought a while a go? Well , what matters is that he thought about me, and I received the book via mail and I am happy.

Here is one of the recipes, with a little bit of a tweak :)

Tomato, Boccoccini and Olive Salad

You will need (For 4 people)

4 tomatos, cut in wedge

2 large or 8 mini boccoccini cheese

16 basil leaves

3 tbsp olive oil  (virgin or extra virgin)

1 tbsp of vinegar (You should always keep the balance 3 x oil for 1x acidity)

20 olives (black or kalamata or other similar)

Method:

Put all ingredients in a plate (but the dressing). Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the salad and season with salt and pepper.

Serve

That's a must try for the upcoming summer. will we have summer at any stage? I am quite scared about wearing boots and jackets almost in november but...hopefully that will get better soon.

Love,

Vic

Pistachio Shortbread

Shortbreads in general are my husband favorite biscuit type. He loves them and can't get enough.


I bought a magazine the other day and I saw this recipe for Pistachio shortbread that I thought was worth sharing with you. 
It would be the perfect match for a cup of tea or coffee.


It takes around 30 minutes to cook it and it makes around 30 to 35 biscuits.


You will need:
80g of caster sugar
300g plain flour
250g unsalted butter, softened
2tsp vanilla extract (Remember here, vanilla essence is 100% artificial and never tastes that good)
200g unsalted pistachio kernels, finely chopped or roughly smashed (You can put them in a tea towel and use a hammer to roughly smash them, but be careful not to make a flour / meal)
Icing sugar for dusting.


Method:
Pre - heat the oven to 180º (160º Fan-Forced). Grease 2 oven trays and line with baking paper.


Beat the butter, sugar and the vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until it gets ligh and fluffy. If your bowl is small, transfer to a bowl big enough to fit all ingredients.
Stir in sifted flour and nuts.

Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into 7cm lenghts. Shape them into crescents, hearts, circles...you choose. Place them 3cm apart on the oven trays.


Bake them for around 20 minutes or until it gets pale golden. Cool on trays. Dust with icing sugar while still warm.


The Pistachio shortbread can be stored in a glass jar and can be frozen, but its not suitable for microwave.

Tzatziki

have you ever tried Tzatziki?

It is so simple to make and it's a match made in heaven. It gives a fresh Mediterranean taste and reminds me of summer. 


Here is a simple recipe of Tzatziki that would easily serve 10 people and you can prepare in 10 minutes.
Attention, I don't know about other recipes, but this one can't be frozen so if you think you wont eat it, you can try and make it in smaller quantities.


You will need:
3 Lebanese cucumbers, halved, seeded, and grated coarsely.
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
500g Greek-style or natural plain yogurt
2 tbsp shredded fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice


Method:
1. Using absorbent paper, gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the grated cucumber.
2. in a large bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and mint. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

My shopping list

Today I am not working, so I went to do grocery shopping. This time I went without a shopping list. I sometimes think about what I am going to buy and cook during the week, and sometimes I ...don't.
The only thing that we really ran off, that was written in my fridge door, was body wash...


I always think and wonder what other people buy in the supermarket...do they think about it before? do they have a list or play by ear? Do they come with a list but see things on special and buy it extra? ( I do that, although today I behaved very well).
Either ways, without having a list, while I was there I started to think what has good price, what could I do with each of the items, etc.


Here is what I bought: 
Bodywash (Obviously)

this photo was taken by ME! but a while a go,
with a very good camera that I use to have

Avocado
Cherry tomato
bukchoy
spinach
asparagus
onion
pumpkin
mix salad
Corn cobs
mushrooms
green apples
pears
bananas
mandarins
oranges


wrap bread (this one I dont make myself, because I probably can't freeze it, but 
Actually I will think about it)
Almonds kernels ( I always have almonds at home, but actually don't know why)
Water crackers
Grana padano cheese
ricotta cheese
Tofu


Sparkling water
Cereal bars


I spent 64 dollars.
that should be enough food for a week or even more, for Ben and I.
Have you notice that I basically only bought fruits and vegetables? I am still trying to be healthy, lol!

So tell me, what do you buy?

Love,


Vic.xx

Empanadas Dough, now the original one

a while ago I published here Empanadas recipe. this recipe is more about how to cook the meat and assemble the empanadas.
Today I made some other empanadas. Bechamel, Ricotta and Corn, and Bechamel, Ricotta and Spinach and I made a dough that really reminds me to the ones from South America.
So here is the recipe:

To make around 30 to 33 3' inches size empanadas "tapas" (Tapa is the dough, already cut in a circle shape)

Ingredients:
3 cups of all purpose flour, plus a little bit extra to roll the dough
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 egg white (keep the egg yolk to brush the empanadas)
1 tsp wine vinegar
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

In a large bowl, add 3 cups of flour and salt.Add the oil and with a whisker or a knife mix it until it gets very mixed.
in a small bowl, add water, egg, egg white, vinegar and whisk it.
Make a wheel in the middle of the flour bowl, and add the liquid ingredients in the middle. Whisk all the wet ingredients with a fork until it gets so hard you cant keep whisking it / mixing it.

Add the mixture to a floured surface and knead it until all the flour is incorporate it and the dough feels soft.  Wrap it with cling wrap plastic and put in the fridge from 1 to 12 hours. If you will use it after 12 hours (longer than 12 hours) freeze it.

Roll out the dough and cut your circles.
Put your favorite filling and egg brush it.
bake it at 180º d (160 fan forced) for around 20 minutes.

I don't have this ingredient in my pantry.....

Ok,
several times we decide to cook a recipe, and don't quite check properly if we have all the ingredients (Well, I DONT, as you might imagine).
So what to do?

SUBSTITUTIONS. A lot of the times, the ingredients can be substituted. So here is a basic substitution table.

Arrowroot - substitute with cornstarch, potato starch or rice starch OR even all purpose flour, altought you will need to double the amount 1 measure of arrowroot - 2 measures of flour

Dry breadcrumbs  - substitute with crushed cracker crumbs, matzo meal, crushed cornflakes


Cream of Tartar - substitute with white vinegar or lemon juice 


Sour cream - substitute with plain yogurth, 


Bread Flour - for every 160g of bread flour, use 140g of all purpose flour




I will come back with more substitutions...soon!
Love,


Vic

Bondi Cafe - Nice salad Idea

I went to Cafe Bondi, in rose bay,  for dinner with my husband the other night  and we had amazing salads.
I thought the salad ingredients were amazing combinations, although I would change the ingredients a little bit (Isn't that obvious?)

I had
Beach Root Salad:

Roasted Beetroot, Fetta, Green Apple, Walnuts, Rocket, Cos lettuce, lentils & Café Bondi® Seeded Mustard dressing.
I would take out the Lentils, and I would put maybe honey...or cranberries, or macadamias.
You tell me how you tweak it.














and Ben had

CHICKEN SALAD
Grilled Chicken Tenderloins, Cos lettuce, Potato Chips (they are cut very very thin), Fresh Tomato, Avocado, Grilled Eggplant, Aioli & Café Bondi® Vinaigrette dressing

and for Desert, Ben & Jerrys icecream take away.

Apple Pie Bread in the Bread Machine

Apple Pie?

Apple cake?

Pie or Bread?

You choose, you can always put a little bit more sugar, and make it more cake"ish" (sweeter).


Anyway, here is the recipe:


you will need

Apple BREAD! 

1 1/8 cups non fat milk 
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar or honey 
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
3 cups bread flour (Substitute for 2 and 1/2 of all purpose flower) 
1 1/2 teaspoons active yeast 
1 large apple -- peeled, diced 





Place the ingredients in the bread pan in the order recommended by your
machine's manufacturer. Choose appropriate cycle (preferable fruit / sweet cycle)

Add apples at beginning of second knead cycle. Apples add moisture to the
dough, so a little flour may have to be added to adjust the consistency. 

From your car to your desk

I am not sure if this blog is updated anymore, but it is / was great
here is a repost from By the airport blog teaching how to transform Old license plates in desk organizers.

For this project you will need: a license plate, a ruler, and a permanent marker.

In general a license plate is about 30 Cm wide. Using your ruler, measure across the width of the license plate at 13cm  and 18cm. This 5cm  space will be the base of the file. I put small marks at the top, centre  and bottom of  the plate so that I get a nice straight edge.

Place your ruler or other sturdy edge along the inside (what will be the base of the file) of one set of marks and make sure your ruler is lined up with the marks.

A license plate is easily bended. Using your ruler as a guide, bend one side of the plate about 45 degrees. We're only going to bend halfway so that there will be room to position your hand to bend the other side.

Next place your ruler along the inside of the second set of marks and use your fingers as shown above to hold the ruler and bend the other side about 45 degrees.

Now you have a "U" shape. To finish the file work the sides to a vertical position so that you create a little file. The bottom corners will have a nice rounded shape.

To get the right shape just  press down on the top of one side of the file against a hard surface and then rapidly bend the other side back and forth about 2cm in both directions. This helps to work the metal into the right shape. You could also use clamps to clamp the base of the file to a desk and then work the sides into the right form.

Ta da! This little file also works well to hold CDs.
(Alternately, you could bend the plates in half and use them as book ends.)

Easy Bircher Muesli Recipe

Good Moooorning!
What is better than waking up for a healthy and delicious breakfast?
The other day, I explained here the difference between Muesli and Granola, and how easy it was to make it yourself.

So here it goes, an easy Bircher Muesli Recipe that is even better if made in advance (also because it takes a few hours to prepare it anyway)

• ingredients for 4 portions:
• 
  
• 2 cups rolled oats (regular, not quick cooking)
• 1  cups unsweetened apple juice
• 1 granny smith apple medium or small, coarsely grated
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 small limes, juiced
• 3/4 cup thick, plain yoghurt (Find one without gelatine, to keep it vegetarian / kosher)
• 3/4 cup mixed fresh berries (we used blackberries, strawberries, raspberries)
• 1.5 tablespoons honey

Method

Place the  oats in a large bowl. Pour over apple juice to cover. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Just before serving, stir in apple, almonds, 1/4 cup lime juice, 80%  of the yogurt and 80% of the mixed berries.

Spoon muesli into bowls. Top with remaining yoghurt and mixed berries. Drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.

Vegetables Pie / Quiche

I just made it up this recipe and it is very nice

It is a Vegetable Pie / Quiche (I haven't decided yet how to call it) maybe Bavarian Style?

anyway,  here is the recipe:
you will need:

1/4 pumpkin





1 zucchini
2 carrots
1 sweet potato
1 brown onion
1 garlic clove
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
extra flour to thicken the filling
3 tbsp butter / margarine (Cold / chopped)

3 tbsp of water for the dough

plus some more for the vegetables 

250g Ricotta ( i used light)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
plus salt (and pepper) to taste
Cinnamon
Nut meg

Oil Spray

All the vegetables should be shredded. I used the food processor, because mine has a disc with this function, otherwise you can use the old and good metal one. The onion and garlic can be chopped.

But first, the dough
In a large bowl, put flour and salt and butter / margarine. Star mixing with your finger and it will become granular. add water, 1 spoon at time.
Make a ball, and wrap it with cling wrap paper and put it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
It is a little bit messy, but it doesn't matter because only goes on the bottom of your pie / quiche.


Heat up the oil in a large frypan, add onion and garlic and sugar.
Add some water so the sugar wont burn.

In this photo you can see is just enough sugar to "Cover" the onions.

Add all the vegetables, and stir well. The vegetables will absorb the water.
Add some nutmeg and cinnamon and some flour (Very little), to thicken the mixure only a little bit and keep stirring for around 5 to 8 minutes in high heat.
Put it aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C.
in a separate bowl, beat up the eggs, and add half of the ricotta, salt and pepper to taste.
Open your dough between to pieces of baking paper, so you wont need to use extra flour.

Place the dough in the bottom and sides of a oven proof dish or baking tray.
Now this is how I made it (and dont ask me why)

First, a layer of the vegetables mixture.
Then, I poured a little bit of the egg mixture, that technically should penetrate in between the veggies.
Then, I put another layer of vegetables and egg.
Then Mix the rest of the ricotta with the rest of the vegetables and put it on the top.
I mixed everything a little bit but feel free to adapt and do it the "Right way"

I am showing this photo so you can see the inside.
It is delicious and healthy.
Yum Yum.

Pizza Ideas

Pizza is so good. Good for winter and good for summer.
Good for Lunch, and good for dinner (And left overs for breakie are the best)
Good for Kids, and older Kids.


To make a pizza you need an oven, the dough and the toppings. 
I can't give you the oven (Silly joke, hey?)
But here are some dough recipes / suggestions and then, some toppings.

Wholemeal Pizza Dough - for a 30cm pizza crust
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup regular flour


Method:


Combine the water, oil and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it rest for 5 minutes until foamy.


Combine both flours in a food processor. While the  processor is running, add the yeast mixture. After dough forms a ball, move it to a lightly floured surface (such as the clean benchtop). Knead briefly until smooth and elastic.
Spray a large bowl with cooking oil spray; place dough in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size. This will take about 1 hour.


Preheat the oven to 210°C. Knock back dough and roll into a 30cm circle. Spray a non-stick baking tray with cooking oil spray. Place dough on tray and top as desired. Bake until light brown and crunchy or around 15 to 20 minutes.




Super easy Pizza dough:
2 cups plain flour
8g dry east
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil (Although I must say I dont like to use olive oil in cooking, just in dressing, because when you heat it up you change its properties)
3/4 cup warm water (Always good to use water that was boiled before)




Method:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add oil and water.
Mix it until form a soft dough
knead on a floured surface until soft.
Return the ball to the bowl, cover it with cling wrap and let it rest for half an hour. Preferably in an warm place (NO FRIDGE) and it will double the size
Punch the dough to eliminate air bubbles (Inside the bowl)
Remove it from the bowl and knead it gently for 1 or 2 minutes
Roll it out and ...have fun!


Pizza Toppings Ideas:
Capsicum, Goat Cheese and Baby Spinach
Sweet Potato, Rocket and Feta Cheese
Sun Dried tomato and Rocket
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Vegetarian
Funghi 
Banana Nutella Pizza