Pastisio

Pastisio

Serves 6

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

500g beef mince

200g mushrooms, sliced

500ml pasta sauce

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup grated parmesan

1 egg, beaten

Topping

250g macaroni

150g broccoli, broken into small florets

150g light ricotta

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan, cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the mince and mushrooms, and cook until the mince is browned. Stir in the sauce, oregano and cinnamon and cook on medium for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Cool the mixture and then add 1/2 cup of parmesan and the egg. Transfer the mixture to a 8-cup capacity ovenproof dish.

For the topping cook the macaroni until al dente, in the last 3 minutes add the broccoli. Drain and then stir through the combined ricotta, sour cream and egg. Spread over the meat mixture and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Chicken and Sour Cream Penne

Chicken and Sour Cream Penne

Serves 4

500g penne pasta

1 tbs olive oil

4 chicken thighs, fat removed

1 leek, pale section sliced thinly

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

2tsp lemon rind, finely grated

1 cup peas

Shredded parmesan to serve

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente, drain and return to the pan. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, transfer to a plate and cover. Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the leek and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in the sour cream, add the stock and stir until combined. Add the lemon rind and peas and bring to the boil. Thickly slice the chicken, add to the pasta along with leek mixture and stir to combine. Sprinkle shredded parmesan over it to serve.

Slack!!!

I have been incredibly slack for a month now - no posts at all!!! The tiredness and exhaustion is really settling in from the pregnancy, and each night when I used to post I am just too tired to even turn on my laptop. I will be 37 weeks tomorrow, so it isn't long now until I get to meet my little baby girl. I think it is safe to say that I am incredibly excited and getting ever so slightly impatient. Everything is ready - now we just need the baby, the countdown is on.

And with that been said I think it is time to post up some more recipes...

Lamb Chops with Tomato Sauce Served on Polenta

Serves 4

1 tbs olive oil

4 lamb forequarter chops

1 brown onion, finely chopped

400g tin diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp caster sugar

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup instant polenta

60g butter

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft. Add the tomato and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season to taste. Meanwhile heat a frying pan over medium-high heat add the lamb and cook for 3-5 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Bring the stock and water to the boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, add the polenta and stir until combined. Cook, stirring for 4 minutes. Stir in the butter and season to taste.

Finally divide the polenta among the serving plates, top with the lamb chops and the tomato sauce.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Serves 6

2 tbspn vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup thai red curry paste

600g chicken thighs, sliced into 2cm lengths

800g cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

150g green beans

1 cup peas

1 tbspn lime juice

1/2 cup chopped coriander

1/4 cup chopped mint

200g natural yoghurt

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, then add the curry paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until all sides of the chicken are sealed. Add the tomatoes and stock, break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 or so minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked. Add the beans and peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lime juice, coriander, mint and natural yoghurt - stir to combine.

Serve with steamed rice.

Cooking, Slings and Nappies

Yesterday was a wonderful day at home. I spent most of the day cooking and cleaning - basically just nesting. I also did some online ordering for bubs and got a great sling from Etsy from babeagogo, 24 fitted nappies and 6 inserts from a seller on ebay, and some bamboo fitted nappies, PUL covers and wool covers from babybeehinds. I can't wait for all of my purchases to arrive :).

Now to the recipe from today, my french inspired meal...

Beef Braised in Red Wine

Serves 6

1.5kg beef casserole steak, diced

2 brown onions, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1cm thick slices

2 celery sticks, cut into 1cm thick slices

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

6 sprigs thyme

8cm strip orange peel

750ml dry red wine

2 tsp olive oil

4 bacon rashers, chopped

4 cups beef stock

400g can chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Place the beef, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, thyme, orange peel and red wine in a large glass bowl, stir to combine. Cover and marinated in the fridge overnight.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a plate. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion, carrot and celery to a bowl, reserve the marinade. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden. Transfer the bacon to a heatproof bowl.

Brown the beef in 4 batches and transfer to the bowl. Add the marinade to the pan, bring to the boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming the surface occasionally. Add the stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 12 minutes.

Return the bacon, beef, onion, carrot and celery to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cover and bake in the oven for 2.5 hours. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the solids to a heatproof bowl and bring the marinade to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes to reduce the marinade by half. Return the bacon, beef, onion, carrot and celery, add the tomato and parsley and stir to combine.

We had this with some nice home made bread - very tasty!

Busy busy busy

I feel guilty for not putting up a post for so long - but it has been rather busy around the house lately. First of all my mum came over last Saturday and put in a mammoth effort to finish the curtains for the nursery, here is how they turned out...

Quite cute if I don't say so myself! The next day I had a good friend (Vivi) and her partner (Caesar) over for lunch. I made a yummy lasagne with salad and crusty bread, and then for dessert an orange and poppy seed syrup cake. It was great to catch up over a nice lunch and have a good conversation. Then later that day we had some surprise guests - Mat's parents came to stay after their long caravan trip in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. And this is pretty much the reason that I haven't posted for so long - my mother and father in law stayed for the week so I didn't get much of a chance to pop on to the net.

This week has gone flying past as Mat and I have been quite busy, not only have we had the parents over, but we also had our antenatal class on Tuesday, went out for drinks and dinner on Wednesday and then Friday I had an annual leave day to get my hair cut and give a talk at my mum's school on being pregnant. I also bought some supplies for lino printing from an art and craft shop - so now I have to think of what I want to print and give it a go!!

Luckily there isn't too much planned for the weekend so I can get some relax time in. In fact I think the only thing I do have planned is to finally meet one of my online friends in person for lunch today - so I better get a move on and get ready!

Easy Beef and Lentil Curry

At the end of a tiring day at work it is good to home and cook something nice and easy. This is a really simple, yet tasty curry that always goes down a treat.

Beef and Lentil Curry

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil

500g beef (any cut will do), cubed

1/3 cup curry paste

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1 cup red lentils

1 1/2 cups beef stock

400ml coconut milk

1/4 cup coriander, chopped

Heat half the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the beef and half the curry paste, and cook until the beef is browned. Transfer the beef to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and remaining curry paste, and cook until the onion softens. Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and simmer for a further 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander.

Serve with jasmine rice and pappadums.