Mini Mexican Empanadas

These mini empanadas are great as part of a Mexican feast, and make for great party food no matter the theme. I've had the recipe for many years and am not sure of its origins.

You can cut the pastry into larger pieces and hence make fewer but larger empanadas if you wish.

The empanadas in the foreground, pictured with Old El Paso's Stand 'n' Stuff Tortillas.

Mini Mexican Empanadas

Makes approx 36

Olive oil

250g beef mince

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 small green capsicum, diced finely

200g tinned tomatoes (or 200g homemade Italian tomato sauce)

1/4 cup water

1 beef stock cube (or 1/2 teaspoon Thermomix vegetable stock)

150g tinned red kidney beans

Salt and pepper to taste

4 sheets of puff pastry (I use Pampas)

Egg for glazing

1. Brown the beef mince in a saucepan, using a little olive oil, ensuring that all lumps are broken up.

2. Add onion and cook until tender. 

3. Add garlic and chilli powder and cook for a further minute, stirring all ingredients together. You can add more chilli powder if you like your empanadas hot.

4. Add capsicum and tomatoes/tomato sauce and mix well.

5. Dissolve stock cube or vegetable stock in the water and then add to saucepan, along with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to the boil and then reduce heat, letting it simmer gently for about 30 minutes with the lid on.

6. Remove lid and let mixture continue to simmer gently for a further 15 minutes. Then set aside to cool.

7. Once mixture is cooled, add your kidney beans and mix them in.

8. Cut each pastry sheet into 9 small squares.

9. Take one square at a time, add approximately a teaspoon of the mixture to the centre, glaze edges of pastry with beaten egg, then fold in half so that you have a triangular shape. I then use the back of a fork to press the edges together.

10. Place triangles on a lined baking tray and bake in a 180 degree Celsius fan forced oven for about 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. Alternatively, you can deep fry the empanadas but I prefer oven baked for this recipe.

Crispy Chicken Tortillas

These easy Crispy Chicken Tortillas are great for a mid-week dinner or a school/work lunch. There aren't many lunch ideas that get the thumbs up from my boys, but this one is a winner. I'll make these for dinner and then use the leftovers for their lunch the following day.

I usually add tomato, and even avocado sometimes, but I didn't have any on hand the day I made these ones. You can vary the sauce as well (my boys prefer tomato sauce).

The tortillas are store bought because during the week you want quick and easy options!

The Thermomix recipe for the flour and spice coating on the chicken can be found here. If you feel the mix is too spicy, simply adjust quantities or add more flour. I added more flour, but even without the addition, the recipe makes enough for a few dinners. Therefore, once mixed, set some aside in an airtight container or zip-lock bag so that it can be used at a later time. I can't stress this enough! You don't want to waste any.

This flour and spice coating can also be used for popcorn chicken. I would only recommend the popcorn chicken version if making a small amount as it is quite fiddly. It is nice to shallow-fry for the popcorn chicken, replicating the famous fast food version, however I usually oven bake the larger pieces of chicken.

Crispy Chicken Tortillas

Serves 4-6

2 eggs, beaten
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs*
Oil
Tortillas (I use Old El Paso brand)
Lettuce, shredded
Cucumber, diced
Tomato (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Tasty cheese, shredded
Sauce of choice eg mayonnaise

* I use chicken thighs because they are so tender, however you can use any cut of chicken you like. I've used tenderloins with success and the original recipe uses breast. With chicken thighs, I usually clean them of excess fat and then cut them into about 3 pieces each.

Coating**
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon dried garlic
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
350g plain flour

** All the spices can be found in the spice section of major supermarkets.

1. Grind all herbs and spices either by hand or using a spice grinder until you have a fine powder.

2. Add flour and mix well. You may like to complete this step using a food processor, thereby replicating the consistency gained by blitzing in a Thermomix. Once you've done this, taste your flour mix and add more flour if you wish to lessen the spiciness. It will be slightly less spicy once cooked so if you wish to be super accurate, you can fry off a small coated piece of chicken to test whether it is to your taste.

3. Pour some of the flour into a plate, remembering to reserve some for another time. It's better to put less in the plate and add to it if needed than to waste your coating. You can't reserve leftover coating in the actual plate as it will be contaminated by the egg and chicken.

4. In terms of the chicken, this is the important part - double coating! It's the double coating that gives the chicken crispiness and makes it a good replica of the take away version. So, dip your chicken pieces into your beaten egg, then coat with the coating mixture and then repeat.

5. Once all your chicken has been double coated, you can either shallow fry on a medium heat on your stove top or place in a 180 degree Celsius oven until cooked (the time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken pieces - just keep an eye on it and remember to turn chicken over half way through).

6. All that's then left to do is assemble your tortillas with your choice of fillings and sauce.

Rustic Mini Apple Pies

I love apple desserts and this one came about a little by accident. The pastry is from the Thermomix Everyday Cookbook and the filling is my own. It seems really sweet when you look at the ingredients and even tastes a little sweet when you mix it all together, however, once baked, it is great! I actually started off making something else but ended up with these wonderful little apple pies. They can be eaten warm with ice-cream but I think they taste great cold as well.

I did mix the dough and cook the apples using my Thermomix, however these can still be made without one. Of course, if you want to cheat, you can just use store bought shortcrust pastry and apples from a tin!

Rustic Mini Apple Pies

Makes 12

Pastry

110g raw sugar (if making without Thermomix, just use caster sugar)

120g butter, softened*

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

2 egg yolks

300g plain flour

3 tablespoons iced water

* If you forget to take butter out beforehand, you can soften it using microwave or just slice thinly as you add to TM.

Filling

6 apples, peeled, cored & roughly chopped**

40g butter,melted

1 tablespoon custard powder

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

** I used Granny Smith apples but you can try other varieties as well. I understand that Golden Delicious work great too.

Assembly

Cooking oil spray

1-2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Pastry

1. Place raw sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds at speed 9. A friend gave me a handy tip for eliminating the dust cloud that is normally evident when milling - just place a paper towel between the lid and measuring cup as shown in the picture below.

2. Add your butter, along with the vanilla and the egg yolks and mix for 3 minutes speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl if necessary at the end.

3. Add the flour and water and mix for 2 seconds speed 7 and then knead your dough for 1 minute (closed lid and wheat symbol).

4. Finally, remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in some cling wrap. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Filling

1. Fill Thermomix bowl with about 500g water. Place roughly chopped apple into Varoma tray and place Varoma into position. Steam apples for 10-15 minutes on Varoma  Speed 2, or until apples are tender. Then set aside to cool. I chopped them up a bit more and placed them in a bowl that was slightly submerged in cold water in order to help speed up the cooling process.

2. Once cooled, add melted butter, custard powder, caster sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix together until well combined.

Assembly

1. Once you are ready to work with your dough, you need to do so quickly before it softens too much. Roll the dough out between two pieces of baking paper until it is approximately 3mm in thickness - you can separate it and roll it out in two or 3 lots if you wish. Don't worry too much about the thickness - basically you just want it rolled thinly but not too thinly that it can't be picked up or filled without breaking.

2. Once rolled out, cut out circles about 8.5cm in diameter. I just used a glass for this. 

3. Spray a cupcake/muffin tin with cooking oil spray, ensuring sides and bases are all coated. Then press each circular piece of dough into one of the cupcake holes. Take care not to tear the pastry around the lower edges. However, the top edges can be a bit rustic. Mine didn't come all the way up to the top.

4. Place spoonfuls of apple mixture into each mould until full.

5. Roll out leftover dough and cut small strips out, using these to decorate top. This recipe is rustic and quick so I just used two strips crossing each other. If you want to make your pies look prettier, you can weave some strips or even use a cookie cutter and make a nice shape to sit on top.

6. Finally, just brush strips with milk and sprinkle with combined caster sugar and cinnamon.

7. Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius fan forced. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes then carefully remove and either serve with cream or ice-cream or place on a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy - they're yummy!

Smashed Peas & Zucchini

This is a quick and easy side dish that I served with "bangers and mash" last week. As always, if you don't have a Thermomix, you can still make this dish - just steam the peas and zucchini and then proceed to "smash and dress".

Pea and Zucchini Smash

300g fresh or frozen baby peas

1 zucchini chopped into quarters

2-3 slices prosciutto

1/2 lemon

Salt & pepper

1. Place peas and zucchini in Thermomix bowl and cook for 10 minutes using the Varoma function, making sure that both the reverse function and the wooden spoon stirring function are selected.

2. Whilst the peas and zucchini are cooking, chop prosciutto up finely and dry roast in a frying pan for a few minutes so that it crisps up.

3. When Varoma has finished, mix for 5 seconds on speed 4. This will create the smashed effect you are after.

4. Finally, just spoon into a dish, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to your taste. Then garnish with the prosciutto.

Served with barbequed pork sausages and mash potato

Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Braised Red Cabbage and Cauliflower Puree

I was set another challenge by a reader of this blog, to find a great pork belly recipe. They really didn't need to ask twice. I adore pork and I have ordered pork belly from menus cross Sydney and interstate. The best pork belly I have ever eaten was at a French restaurant in Melbourne. Thus, I had that dish firmly in mind when I started my research. Thanks to the Good Food site and some experimentation, I can assure you this recipe is delicious!!

If you are not sure about the fennel seed taste, just use less or replace with another herb, perhaps rosemary.

I chose to serve it with braised red cabbage as recommended by the Good Food site, but also added a cauliflower puree as that was part of my Melbourne memory. The result was fantastic, with all flavours blending really well together. I urge you to give it a try with these side dishes, however it can also be served with other roasted vegetables, other mashes or even a fresh salad. The star of the dish is definitely the pork though!

Note that this recipe is for a 1 1/2 to 2kg piece of pork belly, so you may need to adjust cooking times if your piece of meat is a different size. I used a piece that was about 1.2kg and cut about 10 minutes off each of the crackling cooking times (beginning and end) and about half an hour off the middle cooking time. If you are unsure, just keep an eye on your roast and test it. I have a meat thermometer which is like my best friend when roasting meat. It takes the guess work out and I would highly recommend buying one. Don't think mine was very expensive, and it has all the information you need on it so you don't have to remember different temperatures. I'll post a picture of it at the bottom of this post.

Thermomix owners: You can make your paste for the pork in your TM after roasting the fennel seeds and peppercorns. You can also make your cauliflower puree in the TM - just follow the mash potato recipe, substituting cauliflower in place of the potatoes.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Braised Red Cabbage and Cauliflower Puree

Serves 4-6

Pork Belly
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 small bunch thyme (leaves only)*
2 garlic cloves
Sea salt
olive oil
1 1/2-2kg pork belly
Water
2 lemons

* I couldn't find fresh thyme the day I made this, so I used some of the paste from the Gourmet Fresh brand.

Braised Red Cabbage
2 small-medium sized onions
Olive oil
2 apples, peeled and diced
Small red cabbage, shredded
Water
50g brown sugar
50ml red wine vinegar

Cauliflower Puree
Small cauliflower
1-2 cups milk
50g butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Pork Belly

1. Roast fennel seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes.

2. Place the fennel and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder along with sea salt, thyme and garlic and grind until you have a paste. Then mix in about a tablespoon of oil and rub it all over the pork belly. Make sure the pork belly has been scored (that is, has small slits cut into the skin - most places sell it already scored). Place the pork belly in a dish or on a plate, cover it with cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.

3. Once ready to cook, rub the skin of the pork with plenty of salt and and a little oil. This will help the crackling to form. Place it in an oven proof dish on a wire rack so it's raised and not sitting in the actual pan. I also like to add about 2-3 cups of water to the pan which helps the meat to cook tenderly. However, this isn't necessary. Your pork will still be great without the steam from the water.

4. Roast the pork belly in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius fan forced for 30 minutes - don't forget to adjust the time if your pork belly is smaller than that used in this recipe.

5. Then squeeze lemon juice over the skin of your pork and turn the oven down to 160 degrees Celsius fan forced so that it can cook slowly and beautifully. Cook it at this temperature for 2 hours, unless you have a different size piece of meat.

6. Finally, crank the heat up to 200 degrees Celsius fan forced for a final 30 minutes to finish off the crackling, which should come out nice and crunchy.

7. Allow your pork belly to rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving it. I usually just leave it in the pan and cover lightly with some foil.

Braised Red Cabbage

1. Slice onions into quarters and separate layers. Saute them in a couple of tablespoons of oil until they are soft.

2. Add the apples and cabbage, along with about 1 cup of water and turn the heat down. Place lid on saucepan and let it stew for about 1 hour or until tender. Just keep an eye on it, stirring occasionally and adding more water if you feel it's necessary.

3. Remove lid and stir in the brown sugar and vinegar and cook for a further 10 minutes until the liquid has pretty much evaporated. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

Cauliflower Puree

1. Clean and finely cut up cauliflower, place into a saucepan and cover the florets with milk. They don't have to be totally submerged. Alternatively, boil them in water and then drain and add the milk afterwards.

2. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. If boiling in water, drain and then add milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash. If boiling in milk, there is no need to drain - just add the butter, salt and pepper and proceed to mash. For a really fine blend you will need to use a sieve, however this is not necessary.

Meat Thermometer

Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Shepherd's Pie

One of my nieces once remarked that she hates shepherd's pie! How can anyone hate shepherd's pie? It is the ultimate winter comfort food and this recipe, adapted from Gordon Ramsay's dish, is a firm family favourite.

I've used beef in this dish but you can substitute any mince you like. Gordon Ramsay uses lamb in his and according to some traditionalists, that's what makes it a shepherd's pie. Whether you call it a shepherd's pie or a cottage pie, all I know is that it tastes delicious. The dish is said to have originated in Northern England and was a means of using up leftover chunks of roast meat. 

You don't need as much mince as I have used, however I just find that 500g isn't enough with everyone going back for second helpings! When there are leftovers, I just pack them for lunch the next day.

I make various elements like the mashed potato in my Thermomix, simply because it is easier, however you can still make this dish without a Thermomix. For those with a Thermomix, you may like to try the shepherd's pie recipe out of the Everyday Cookbook. I tried it but prefer this one. I find the Thermomix grinds or cooks the meat too coarsely, giving it a texture that I don't really like. However, this is purely a personal preference. I know people who love the EDC recipe.

Note: It is one of those dishes that's difficult to photograph well, especially when you have my limited food styling skills, but I assure you it is very yummy!

Shepherd's Pie

Serves 5-6

Dash of olive oil

Sea salt and ground pepper

700g mince

1 onion, finely grated*

2 carrots, finely grated*

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons BBQ sauce

Thyme (either fresh or dried)

250ml red wine

300ml chicken stock (or 1 teaspoon Thermomix stock in 300ml water)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1kg potatoes

250g** milk (or 1 cup)

30g butter

50g Parmesan cheese (or 2 Kraft singles)

Sea salt and ground pepper

* Thermomix owners can roughly chop onion and carrots, add to TM and blitz for 3 seconds, Speed 6.

** Thermomix measures in grams

1. If you are lucky enough to have a Thermomix, start by getting your mash potato going according to the EDC recipe. I don't always have Parmesan cheese handy, so I sometimes add two torn up pieces of Kraft singles cheese in the final step. 

If making your mash on the stove top, chop up your potatoes into cubes (they'll boil faster this way) and once cooked, drain and season with salt and pepper. Then heat up milk, melt butter and cheese and add to potato, mashing until at desired consistency. I heat the milk, butter and cheese in one bowl in the microwave (only takes about a minute - the heat of the potatoes will do the rest). If wanting a smoother consistency, you can try blending or passing through a fine sieve. Then set aside whilst you finish the rest of the dish.

2. Whilst your potatoes are cooking, you can begin on the rest of the dish. Heat your oil in a large pan or if possible, in a large ovenproof dish (this will save you some washing up)! I used a Bessemer pan. Then add your mince, season and cook it until browned all over. It's a good idea to keep mixing it around and breaking up the chunks so that you have a nice evenly cooked mince, ready for your dish.

3. Once the mince is browned, stir in the finely grated onions and carrots and the minced garlic.

4. Add the Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce and a sprinkling of thyme. If using fresh thyme, remove the stems and only use the leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Pour in the wine and reduce until almost evaporated.

6. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and then simmer until the sauce has thickened. This doesn't take long at all.

7. If your dish isn't ovenproof, transfer your mince mixture to an ovenproof one and then proceed.

Spoon the mash onto the top of the mince, carefully spreading it out so that it covers the entire surface. You need to be gentle in this step so that the mash potato isn't pushed down into the mince and remains on top. Run a fork gently over the mash potato in whatever pattern you choose, to make it look pretty.

8. If you have some Parmesan cheese handy, you can grate some over the top of the potato but it's not essential. Place dish in a preheated 180 degree Celsius fan forced oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until heated through and top has started to brown.

9. Serve with a salad, crusty bread or other vegetables. I made some pan roasted carrots - just seasoned and lightly roasted in some butter. Yes, I was being a little indulgent!

Afternoon Tea Buffet, InterContinental Hotel, Sydney

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing a Valrhona Chocolate Afternoon Tea Buffet at the InterContinental Hotel in Sydney. Held in the hotel lobby's Cortile Lounge, the ambiance was warm and inviting from the outset. Nestled in the centre of the lobby, away from the noise and distraction of the outside world, it really did feel like a peaceful escape. With unobtrusive live music playing and gorgeous surrounds, it was the perfect afternoon. I was there for a 30th birthday celebration and I can assure you that everyone left impressed and suitably full! 

The Cortile Lounge, Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney. Image found here

The buffet had a splendid array of both savoury and sweet foods. The savoury sometimes gets forgotten at high teas, represented only by a couple of sandwiches - but not at The Cortile. From the Sandwich Selection, I sampled the Tasmanian Smoked Salmon Wrap with Preserved Lemon, Cucumber and Capers and the Chicken, Mayonnaise and Pesto Finger Sandwich. I could easily have eaten more of both, the flavours and textures melding perfectly together in each. Teamed with a glass of sparkling white wine, they were the perfect start to afternoon tea.

From the Hot Canape Selection I had the mini Olive Oil and Feta Muffins - surprisingly light and delicate in flavour. I also had the Aussie Beef Pie because I can never pass on a pie, and this one didn't disappoint. No party pack pie by any stretch of the imagination, the crisp pastry was filled with a delicious blend of meat, vegetables and herbs.

Between the savoury and the sweet, there are also a number of "Extra Delights" and from here I had some cheese, crepes with Nutella chocolate sauce, scones with Hibiscus strawberry jam and Chantilly cream and waffles with maple syrup. I really wanted to go back for another scone or waffle (both had great texture) but I knew I had yet to tackle the sweetest section of the buffet.

I braced myself, ordered a tea and then proceeded to load my plate up from the Dessert Selection. I didn't quite sample everything but I tried my very best. The things I do for this blog! Where do I begin with this tasting plate? Each delicate dessert was obviously made with care and tasted heavenly. From the gooey Caraibe Chocolate Coconut Macaron and the Tim Tam Chocolate Macaron to the tiny sprinkling of candy that I added to the creme brulee, everything was exquisite.

The Dark Chocolate Winter Spice Creme Brulee was deliciously warm and enticing, and different to most brulees you find on menus across Sydney. The cone shaped dessert, a mix of cream and chocolate, was light and provided some respite on a plate laden with rich and heavy flavours (not that I'm complaining). The most decadent piece on the dessert table was definitely the Valrhona Guanaja Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar - so rich I almost thought I wouldn't be able to finish it, but I powered on! The ganache atop that bar was simply a chocolate lover's dream. Before all this, I also managed to taste a small piece of the fruit and nut bark that sat grandly on the dessert buffet - also a wonderful treat. Thus, you can imagine how very full I was by afternoon's end and the reason I was able to skip dinner that night!

The service, atmosphere and food were all worthy of a five star hotel and I would definitely recommend an Afternoon Tea with friends at the InterContinental in Sydney. The Afternoon Tea Buffets are held over two sittings on both Saturdays and Sundays (1pm-2:30pm and 3-4:30pm). On weekdays the Cortile offers tea stands between 11am and 5pm. High Coffee is also available Monday to Sunday between 11am and 5pm. The Afternoon Tea Buffet Menu is $60 per person with a glass of sparkling wine included or $75 per person with a glass of champagne included. Bookings are recommended as they do sometimes get quite busy.

Menus are seasonal. Before this gorgeous Vahlrona Chocolate  menu in celebration of winter which you can see in full here, they had a menu highlighting Malfroy's Honey for Autumn and coming up they have a menu centred around fresh berries for Spring - I may just have to go back and sample that!

        

The 3 photos above courtesy of Rosanna Velardi. 

The centre photo shows some of the lovely chocolate bark behind the coconut macarons.

Tim Tam Macarons

More macarons and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Raspberry Drink

            

Spaghetti Marinara (Spaghetti with Seafood)

Today's recipe is a classic that appears on menus everywhere. It can be made on the stove top or in the Thermomix - both versions are delicious. The key of course is fresh ingredients. Find a seafood store that you trust - one that is busy and has a high turnover is what you are after. Apart from the fish markets in Sydney, I travel to Penrith Seafood at Wetherill Park in Sydney's south west when I want seafood because I know that it's fresh and of a high quality.

The Thermomix recipe is in the Everyday Cookbook that comes with the machine. I use a bottle of Italian homemade sauce in place of the tinned tomatoes and it's wonderful. A copy of the recipe can be found here.
The stove top version is below.

Spaghetti Marinara

Serves 4-5 people

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

3 garlic cloves crushed

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 x 410g tins of crushed tomatoes (or homemade sauce)

salt and pepper

500g spaghetti

500g marinara mix

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, then add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until soft).

2. Add the garlic and wine and simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Pour tinned tomatoes or sauce, along with tomato paste, into saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once it has been boiling for a few minutes, turn heat down and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. When I use homemade sauce, I actually simmer for a few hours. However long you choose to cook your sauce for, just ensure you keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn. The less sauce, the less simmering time.

4. When sauce is almost done, cook your spaghetti in salted water to your preference. 

5. Meanwhile, add your marinara mix to the sauce, keeping lid on and cooking for 4-5 minutes. Having the lid on will allow any mussels in the mix to open. Discard any that do not open. The actual seafood (marinara mix) doesn't take long to cook so make sure you don't add it until almost ready to serve.

6. Add sauce to drained pasta and stir through fresh parsley.

Slow Cooked Oriental Pork with Mandarins

The other day, a follower of this blog's Facebook page, enquired about whether I had any slow cooker recipes I could share. Unfortunately, I don't own a slow cooker although I think the concept is brilliant. I thought I would do a search amongst some food bloggers I follow and simply share a link if I found a dish that looked appealing. However, I ended up finding a recipe that had both the traditional and slow cooker methods listed so I decided to test it out.

Before I made it, I was concerned with the amount of onion and garlic involved, and wasn't entirely convinced about the pork and mandarin combination. However, I can honestly say it was delicious - and I will definitely be making it again!

The original recipe, along with the slow cooker instructions (and tips) can be found over at Cook Republic. The dish looks completely different, probably due to the fact that Sneh, the talented woman behind Cook Republic, is a food photographer, stylist and designer!

The only ingredient I substituted was the tamari, as I couldn't find any in my local supermarket. Since Google told me that tamari is similar to soy sauce but not as salty, I decided to use ketjap manis, a sweet soy sauce in its place.

Slow Cooked Oriental Pork with Mandarins

Serves 4

750g pork loin, roughly cubed or chopped
6 small brown onions*
10 cloves of garlic, whole and peeled
2 seedless mandarins, peeled and segmented
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 tablespoons ketjap manis
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
boiled rice for serving

* My onions weren't tiny so I actually quartered them rather then adding them whole.


1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Once heated, add pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook until starting to brown. If you find the pork is starting to stew in the liquid rather than brown, pour some of the liquid out.

2. Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute until they begin to soften.

3. Add the mandarin, tomato sauce, white pepper, five spice powder, ketjap manis, vinegar and water. Stir everything together so that ingredients are well combined.

4. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes.

5. Serve on top of boiled rice and garnish with spring onions.

Apple Crumble with Mixed Nuts

Today's recipe is quick and delicious - perfect for cold Winter nights when you are craving a treat but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen whipping something up. It's also great as a last minute dessert if you have unexpected guests. Of course, you can use fresh apples and prep them for this dessert but since this is a cheat's version, I've just used tinned apples.

I created the crumble in my Thermomix, however you can easily combine the ingredients in a food processor.

Apple Crumble with Mixed Nuts

Serves 4

40g butter, cubed
50g self raising flour
1/2 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
40g brown sugar
50-60g mixed, unsalted nuts*
Cooking oil spray
400g tin of pie apple slices
Pure/double cream for serving

* If you prefer a certain type of nut, you can use that exclusively rather than using the mixed nuts.

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced.

2. Place butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts in Thermomix. Pulse 3-4 times using the Turbo function with setting to lid closed.

3. Grease 4 small ramekin dishes using cooking oil spray and then divide the tin of apple between the four dishes.

4. Sprinkle the apple lightly with a little cinnamon.

5. Spoon crumble mixture into each dish until full. You will probably have leftover crumble, depending on size of dishes.

6. Place dishes on an oven tray in preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. You may see bubbling around edges towards end of the cook.

7. Be careful not to burn yourself on hot dishes once ready to eat. You may want to wait a few minutes for them to cool slightly. Serve with a generous dollop of cream.

Mushroom Fish Burger

A while back I was searching for a great fish burger recipe, thinking the key would be some delicious sauce. Instead, I stumbled across this amazing recipe on the Power of Mushrooms site, featuring a fish burger with mushrooms. I had never really thought about using mushrooms with fish but I gave it a try. It is now a favourite of my husband and I.

Whilst the original recipe is for an open burger, we have ours sandwiched between a whole bun. I also use ling fillets because they are quick to cook and very tender, however you could substitute your favourite fish fillet. Finally, I use baby spinach leaves in place of rocket.

Mushroom Fish Burger

Serves 2

300-350g ling fillets
Cajun spice blend
Cooking oil spray
2 large, flat mushrooms
2 hamburger buns
Approx 1/2 cup tartare sauce
Baby spinach leaves
Tomato

1. Start off my cutting up the ling into pieces that will fit your burger buns. Sprinkle each side of the trimmed fish with Cajun spice and set aside.

2. Remove stalks from mushroom and if need be, trim around edges to get them as flat as possible.

3. Spray a small fry pan with cooking oil and place the mushrooms in the pan. Cook on stove top at a medium-high temperature, turning over a few times as each side browns. Cook them to your liking. It probably only takes me 5-6 minutes to cook the mushrooms. Once cooked, turn off the heat and just leave in pan until ready to use.

4. Slice buns open and place them on a plate. Spread base of buns with half of the tartare sauce (or as much as you desire)!

5. Place baby spinach leaves on top of tartare sauce and then top them with a couple of slices of tomato.

6. Meanwhile, spray another fry pan with cooking oil spray and heat up. Once heated, cook fish fillets, turning them over midway through. Depending on thickness of fillets, this step doesn't take very long at all.

7. Once fish is cooked, add to your burger buns and then place the cooked mushrooms on top of the fish.

8. Finally, top with remainder of tartare sauce and enjoy :) I love burgers served with homemade chips.


A quick, easy and delicious burger that's perfect for those busy days!

Ricotta Gnocchi

There's something about gnocchi that makes them a great comfort food. If made correctly, they are soft pillows of deliciousness and when smothered in a rich, homemade sauce they're even better. This recipe is adapted from the Thermomix Everyday Cookbook and details how to make the actual gnocchi. You can add any sauce you like.

Ricotta is a great substitute for potato and helps to make the gnocchi light and not so heavy on the stomach. I would recommend buying the ricotta from a reputable deli. There's nothing quite like fresh ricotta. If you've only ever had ricotta from the supermarket (either prepackaged or from their deli), you are missing out on something special. 

Ricotta Gnocchi

Serves 6 people

1kg fresh ricotta

600-650g plain flour

pinch sea salt

2 teaspoons butter

1 egg

1. Place ricotta into a large bowl and mash up with a fork. This isn't strictly necessary but I like to break up the piece of ricotta before adding the flour, so it is easier to incorporate.

2. Add about half of the flour, the salt, butter and egg and knead until all ingredients are just incorporated. Try not to over knead the dough as this will result in the gnocchi being more tough. 

You can do this initial kneading in a Thermomix if you have one (35 seconds, lid closed, knead), however I found that unlike the potato recipe, you need to complete the kneading step about 3 times and in between each, you need to push the dough down a little with the spatula. 

3. Overturn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and start incorporating the rest of the flour. You want to end up with a workable dough that you can roll out without it being too sticky. I usually have extra flour on hand and I just add/sprinkle more over the top as needed.

4. Once you have a workable dough, tear off a small piece and roll out into a long strip about 2-3 cm in diameter. There's no hard and fast rule about the size of gnocchi so you can use your discretion here. 

5. Then cut the strip into approximately 3 cm pieces (see picture above, top left). You can leave the gnocchi like this if you wish and I've certainly done that before, especially when pressed for time. The shape won't make a big difference to the taste. Alternatively, you can shape the little pillows into a traditional gnocchi shape - either by using a special gnocchi board or the back of a fork like I have.

6. As you shape each piece of dough, place it on a lined baking tray and once the tray is full, lightly sprinkle with flour and then place in refrigerator until ready to use.

7. Cooking gnocchi is quick and easy. Simply place them into a pot of boiling, salted water. They will initially sink to the bottom and once cooked, rise to the surface. They can be left to boil for a minute or two once all risen, but if left too long, they will turn mushy. Once cooked, strain and mix through your favourite sauce. They are delicious served with grated Parmesan and some crusty garlic bread!