Author: PK
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PK’s Carrot Chips
These carrot and honey chips are a great alternative to potato fries. Even little fussy eaters will munch down on them. 🙂
#dinner #carrot #vegetarian #kidfriendlymeals
Simply
- Cut the sides of your carrots to give you nice rectangular blocks.
- Cut these down further to get the chip width you like.
- Cover an oven tray in baking paper and coat with some olive oil spray.
- Lay the chips out so they are not touching each other.
- Drizzle with more oil, some honey and some lemon juice.
- Cook on 180C (fan-forced oven) for 30 minutes.
Enjoy,
PK
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Porcini Mushrooms
As a recently born again mushroom addict I am making up for lost time. I am always on the look out for new varieties to try and Porcini are my current favourite. 🙂
I buy them dried from France as they don’t grow wild in Australia and they have resisted domestication. When you open the packet you are rewarded with a lovely nutty umami smell. They taste just as good and I use them as a flavour base in my stews, casseroles and soups.
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Fresh they look stunning and I would love to get my hands on some.
Try them in my PK’s Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon.
Enjoy,
PK
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PK Makes Rick Stein’s Chicken Vindail
I love the beguiling simplicity of this curry. For me, the fenugreek makes the dish but everything works together to make a most tender, most aromatic meal.
My wife loves it too as it is a one pot, low mess deal. 🙂
Steps
- Preparing everything
- Cooking the curry
- Serving
Ingredients
- A good slug of olive oil
- 2cm cinnamon stick
- 1 clove
- 1 star anise
- 2 brown onions, chopped
- 10 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 0.5 tsp ground fenugreek
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 500g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1kg chicken drumsticks, bone in
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
Equipment
- 1 chef’s knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 heavy fry pan, or equivalent
Preparing everything
- Finely dice the 10 garlic cloves.
- Chop the 2 brown onions.
- Rough chop the 500g fresh tomatoes.
Cooking the curry
- Chuck a generous slug of olive oil into your chosen dish and bring to medium heat.
- Throw in the cinnamon stick, the clove and the star anise.
- Fry for a few minutes to allow the spices to infuse the oil with their flavour.
- Add the chopped onions and soften them up.
- Stir in the 2 finely diced garlic cloves, the 1tsp of ground cumin and fry for a few more minutes.
- Add the:
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 0.5 tsp ground fenugreek
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- Give everything a thorough but gentle mix.
- Add the 500g chopped tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes to soften them up.
- Cover the pan and cook for about 35 minutes.
- Add the 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar and the 1 tsp sugar.
- Gently mix everything and cook for another 5 minutes or the chicken is cooked through.
Serving
Serve on a bed of basmati rice and provide lots of pappadams.
Enjoy,
PK
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Lentils
Lentils have been with us from very early in agricultural history. There are many different types. They are a legume (just like peas and beans) that can be sprouted, fried, baked and cooked.
They are very nutritious, a great source of protein and are low GI. I think they are a great ingredient in their own right but they also make a great substitute for meat. Check out PK Makes Michelle Bridges’ Lentil Shepherds Pie.
Guess where most of them are grown. Wikipedia says Canada! Wow. 🙂
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Enjoy,
PK
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PK Makes Michelle Bridges’ Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
You won’t believe how good Michelle Bridges’ super healthy vegetarian take on the classic shepherd’s pie is. I am avid meat eater but I think this is just as good as the beef mince and potato version I had growing up.
It is infinitely adaptable and just goes to prove that vegetarians and vegans don’t have to compromise on taste. This is a must try dish for everyone!
Steps
- Preparing everything
- Steaming the cauliflower
- Sweating the vegetables
- Making and cooking the pie
- Serving
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried lentils (I used green)
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1 brown onion, whole
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1 brown onion, chopped
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1 bay leaf
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500g cauliflower, broken into florets
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1/3 cup ricotta
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Olive oil spray
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I large carrot, diced
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150g button mushrooms, halved or quartered
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1 garlic clove, finely diced
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400g can diced tomatoes
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Ground black peppercorns to taste
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1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan, shaved
Equipment
- a long sharp knife
- 2 chopping boards
- 1 saucepan
- 1 fry pan
- 1 medium baking dish
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 potato masher
- 1 colander
Preparing everything
- Start by getting the lentils cooked as this will take a while.
- Add the whole onion and bay leaf to the sauce pan along with the 1/2 cup of lentils and 2 cups of water.
- Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 40 minutes stirring occasionally to stop them sticking.
- While that is happening:
- Cut the 500g cauliflower into small florets of about equal size.
- Chop the remaining onion.
- Finely dice the garlic clove.
- Chop the 150g of mushrooms to your preferred size.
- Chop the carrot.
- Grate the 1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano (you can use dairy free cheese instead).
Steaming the cauliflower
- Get the cauliflower underway in your steamer after giving the lentils 15 minutes head start.
- Steam it until it is very soft and allow to cool somewhat.
- Transfer it to the mixing bowl along with the 1/3 cup ricotta.
- Use a potato masher to turn the mix into a puree (think mashed potatoes consistency).
- Try not to eat the entire contents of the bowl just yet. 🙂
Sweating the vegetables
- Add a small slug of olive oil to the fry pan and bring to medium heat.
- Throw in the garlic, chopped onion, carrot, mushrooms and allow them to soften.
- Stir in the tomatoes then rinse the can with some water and add that too.
- Stir in the drained cooked lentils.
- Add pepper to taste.
Making and cooking the pie
- Turn your fan forced oven on to 180C,
- Lightly spray the baking dish with some spray oil.
- Transfer the vegetables into it and then top with the ricotta and cauliflower mash.
- Now evenly cover the mash with grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serving
Serve with steamed greens and some more carrots.
Enjoy,
PK
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GICICI Random Photos 15 June 2018
Here are my favourite photos from the week gone. 🙂
In the kitchen:
In the garden:
Out and about:
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- Please see more of my favourite photos here.
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Anna’s NoRecipe Fennel And Lemon Salad
This is Anna’s fennel and lemon salad. It couldn’t be easier and if you like aniseed flavours this will be totally moreish.
Simply
Take a fennel bulb and cut the bottom and tops off.
Then cut the bulb into chunky slices. You want bits small enough to eat with a fork but large enough to steal from the bowl when no one is looking. 🙂
Generously sprinkle with salt and lots of lemon juice. You can even drizzle a little olive oil too.
Mix and then garnish with parsley.
Enjoy,
PK
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Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
Once you try mozzarella di bufala you can’t go back. It is the most amazing example of stretched cheeses and the taste is sublime. The buffalo milk imparts a higher acidity to the cheese and gives it its signature tanginess.
It is exceptionally versatile and you can use it raw in salads, melted on pizzas, cooked in lasagna, pasta and the list goes on and on.
Milk
Buffalo
Origin
Italy
Aged
No
Aroma
Milky and fresh.
Taste
Slightly tangy and a touch sour. It has an amazing texture caused by the curds being stretched and plaited.
Texture
Soft and elastic to a point then it tears easily. It melts extremely well and when cooked it can go creamy, releasing its moisture.
Look
Pure white with an edible almost imperceptible rind.
Serving
Here are a couple of serving suggestions that I like to make.
Raw with a drizzle of olive oil, some cracked pepper and basil from the garden.
The world’s tastiest toastie(mozzarella, tomato, chives and cracked pepper).
Manufacturing and Salting Method
The high acidity of the resulting curds allows it to be heated and pulled into long strands and plaited. It is then cooled and pickled in salty whey.
Wine
I am not a wine paring expert but the team at cheese.com say to try this with:
- Beaujolais
- Sauvignon Blanc
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Cumin
Cumin is the seed of a small annual herbaceous plant that is native to the Middle East and is in the same family as parsley and coriander.
It has a most wonderful warm earthy flavour and smell. You can use them whole, as an ingredient or garnish in their own right or grind them for use in your favourite garam masala or spice pastes.
Cumin pairs well with almost everything and it turns up worldwide in everything from drinks to snacks to main meals and desserts.
I have some recipes using cumin below for you. 🙂
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
This particular cooking ingredient is in PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents.
Enjoy,
PK
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Revel Wet And Dry Blender
I have been using my Revel Wet and Dry blender now for 6 months! I am just as pleased with it as the day it arrived from the UK. I had to ‘ebay’ it because I couldn’t find a local distributor.
It is a must have for anyone who loves their dry spices and making their own pastes.
As you know I have to sneak kitchen kit in and pretend we always had it. That or hide it in my shed. 🙂 This product is worth it!
Note:
- This is not a paid post.
Product Review
Revel CCM104CH Wet N Dry Grinder
Unboxing is always fun:
The blades and housing feel well made.
The unit’s wet blending capabilities is why I bought it in the first place. I very happy with it’s capabilities. The volumes I work with are normally small so the bowl size is spot on.
I got all this in there making a marinade.
It is also great at grinding dry ingredients such as coffee beans, nuts, peppercorns, dried garlic etc etc.
My Likes:
- Good looking unit in my opinion (who doesn’t like chrome?).
- Bowl and lid are dishwasher safe.
- Wet and dry capabilities mean you only need one machine.
- It is quick, a burst or two usually does it.
My Dislikes:
- Bowl cover can be difficult to separate from the bowl.
My Manufacturer Feedback:
- Release them in Australia 🙂
Final Thoughts:
Whilst not cheap, this compact little unit excels at making dry masalas and small amounts of curry pastes. The later tends to get lost in larger mixers and you end up losing most of it.
I would definitely buy another one if I have to but lots of people comment (for example on Amazon UK) that they are getting years of life out of their units. I think you really have to follow the short burst only mantra (laid out rather often in the manual) to avoid damaging the motor.
I hope this review helps. Feel free to send me any comments if you want to add to the review.
Enjoy,
PK
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