Grow It, Catch It, Cook It

Tasty food, made simple, for everyone.

  • Chicken And Cheese Fritters

    Chicken And Cheese Fritters

    These chicken, cheese and vegetable patties make for a nice  change to burger night. Made from chicken mince and the old veggies you have lurking at the back of the fridge, they could not be easier to make. 

    You can even make them in huge batches as they freeze well and we use them as the perfect lunchbox stuffer.

    Note: Takes about 1.5 hours including 30 minutes in the fridge after forming the patties.

    Ingredients
    • 500g chicken mince
    • 2 cups mixed vegetables, finely diced (I used onion, celery and carrot)
    • 1 tsp minced garlic
    • 1 -2 cups grated cheese
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 1 – 1.5 cups panko bread crumbs (more or less depending on how you like it)
    • Olive oil spray 
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    Simply

    Mix all the ingredients, except the olive oil, by hand in a mixing bowl.

    Split the mixture into even size balls and then flatten and round each with you hands. Refrigerate for around 30 minutes.

    Preheat your fan-forced oven to 180c. Spray the tops of the patties with a light sheen of olive oil and cook for 15 minutes. Flip the patties, spray again and cook for a further 10 minutes.

    They are ready to eat now but I like to give the 5 to 10 minutes under a hot grill to get that golden colour.

    Serving

    I often serve them hot with a salad or I make sliders topped with all sorts of fillings.

    Anything left gets frozen for future dinners or lunches.

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    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more chicken dishes and more easy to make meals: 

    View recipe: Chicken And Cheese Fritters
  • Chicken Livers

    Chicken Livers

    I think it is very important that if you eat meat you should be trying to use as much of the animal as you can for human consumption or utility. 

    To that end I have started (very recently because I was possibly like you are now turned off by the thought) sourcing and cooking with offal. A terrible sounding word for, as it turns out, a useful and versatile cooking ingredient.

    Fair call, looking at/working with raw liver, chicken in this case, is not for everyone but please give it a chance:

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    Chicken livers are full of essential vitamins and minerals. You can bake, boil, and fry them and they pair perfectly with many other ingredients such as onions, garlic, spinach and potatoes. 

    They are famously used to make pâté

    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more posts about some common and not so common meat cuts: 

    View recipe: Chicken Livers
  • Pasta: Mezzi Tubetti Lisci (short smooth tubes)

    Pasta: Mezzi Tubetti Lisci (short smooth tubes)

    These smooth short pasta tubes are perfect for soups, salads and pasta bakes. I often use them in place of risoni (called orzo in the USA).

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    It is primarily sold dried (pasta secca) and is available everywhere.

    Here I used it in my minestrone soup:

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    It also makes for a great vegetarian one pot pasta dish:

    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts. 

    View recipe: Pasta: Mezzi Tubetti Lisci (short smooth tubes)
  • Cheese: Rosso Di Pienza

    Cheese: Rosso Di Pienza

    Tuscany rosso (red) di Pienza is a firm sheep milk cheese that hails from central Italy. 

    Famous for its red rind, the cheese has a short ageing process where the rind was traditionally rubbed with tomato paste. 

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    Milk

    Sheep

    Origin

    Italy

    Aged

    Yes, 30 days

    Aroma

    Pungent and slightly sweet.

    Taste

    Sharp yet slight sheep milk bite and some sweetness.

    Texture

    Firm with very slight flakiness. Red rind that in artisanal cheeses is edible.

    Look

    White smooth interior, with no openness. 

    Serving

    Perfect by itself or on a tasting plate or cheese board. Pairs well with cold meats

    Wine

    Bold red wines.

    Here are some more posts about cheese: 

    View recipe: Cheese: Rosso Di Pienza
  • Cheese: Percorino Al Tartufo

    Cheese: Percorino Al Tartufo

    Pecorino al Tartufo (truffles) is a semi-firm,  smooth sheep milk cheese that hails from central Italy.

    Like its cows milk cousin Sottocenere al Tartufo (truffle) it is a visual sensation. The pale white colouring contrasts perfectly with the specks of black truffle. It is a must try experience despite the price!

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    Milk

    Sheep

    Origin

    Italy

    Aged

    Yes, 30 days

    Aroma

    Pungent  and savoury.

    Taste

    Salty with that sheep milk bite and lots of savoury goodness.

    Texture

    This cheese has a smooth but firm bite.

    Look

    White smooth interior, flecked with truffle shavings, with no openness. 

    Serving

    By itself or with other cheeses. Also perfect for grating on pasta especially those with a white sauce.

    Wine

    No wine required except your favourite.

    Here are some more posts about cheese: 

    View recipe: Cheese: Percorino Al Tartufo
  • Slow Cooked 8 Garlic Clove Chicken

    Slow Cooked 8 Garlic Clove Chicken

    8 hours in your oven on low heat sees a few simple ingredients turn into this aromatic and moist roast chicken.

    Bring on Sunday. 🙂

    As a bonus, you even get a tasty broth that you can turn into gravy or make a soup with the next day.

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    Ingredients
    • 1 whole chicken
    • 1 lemon
    • 2 brown onions
    • Small potatoes, as many as you want
    • Steamed vegetables (I used carrot and broccoli)
    • 8 garlic cloves (mine are from local producer Markali Estate in Jurien, WA)
    • Dried herbs and spices (I used tarragon, black pepper and salt)
    • Water
    Simply

    Start by juicing the lemon and disposing the seeds. Put the juice in a casserole dish and the rest of the lemon inside the chicken cavity along with 2 garlic cloves. I use a bamboo skewer to keep the cavity closed.

    Preheat your fan-forced oven to 110C.

    Place the chicken (breast up) in the casserole dish along with the onions, potatoes and 6 garlic cloves. Add water until it is about halfway up the chicken and sprinkle everything with herbs and spices. 

    Note: I add steamed vegetables at the end because I don’t want them to be overly soft and mushy. Place them around the chicken now if you want though.

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    Cover the casserole dish with the lid or aluminium foil so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

    Cook for about 8 hours or so and use a meat thermometer to confirm the meat is at least 83C. You can pop the casserole dish under the grill for a few minutes to brown the top.

    Mix a teaspoon or two of cornflour to some of the broth if you want to make a gravy. Gently boil the gravy for a few minutes to thicken it to your desired consistency.

    Serving

    By now the tender meat is falling off the bone so I simply put the dish in the middle of the table and let people serve themselves.

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    If you are lucky enough to have leftovers you can make a great soup by mixing them with the broth,

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    Enjoy,

    PK

    P.S. I have a slow cooker variant of this recipe here.

    And here are some more chicken dishes and more easy to make meals: 

    View recipe: Slow Cooked 8 Garlic Clove Chicken
  • Spaghetti Al Limone

    Spaghetti Al Limone

    Spaghetti, lemons, olive oil, some herbs and parmigiano-reggiano cheese is all you need to make this simple southern Italian dish. We are going to be making a lemon and olive oil emulsion, adding cheese and then folding al-dente pasta through it. 

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    Simply

    Whisk the zest and juice of a lemon in a bowl with several good slugs of garlic infused olive oil. Keep whisking until the sauce has emulsified. Whisk in at least 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano-reggiano (or any hard aged cheese really).

    Tip: Balance the lemon flavour by whisking in cracked black pepper to taste.

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    Cook your pasta al-dente (reserve a bit of pasta water) and then fold it through the sauce until you have an even coating.

    If your sauce is too clingy/thick and you can’t get an even coating, mix in a tiny bit of the reserve pasta water.

    Serving

    I topped the spaghetti with some squid ink fettuccine  (fettuccine al Nero di seppia) and basil leaves:

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    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more pasta recipes and Italian cuisine ideas: 

    View recipe: Spaghetti Al Limone
  • Chinese Five Spice Fried Snapper Wings

    Chinese Five Spice Fried Snapper Wings

    Fish wings are a cut from a fish starting just after the gills and extending back to the pectoral fin. Also known as fish throats they contain a surprising amount of meat and are a real delicacy.

    I was given these snapper wings recently and just had to deep-fry them after marinating them in a Chinese 5 spice and caramel sauce marinade.

    SImply

    Make a marinade of:

    • 1 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice (see my blend here)
    • 1 Tbsp caramel cooking sauce (use dark soy if you don’t have any)
    • 1 tsp ginger, minced
    • 1/3 cup soy sauce
    • 1/3 cup garlic-infused olive oil

    Then thoroughly coat the wings (inside and out) with the marinade. Pop them in the fridge overnight if possible or for at least a few hours.

    Get your choice of oil nice and hot and deep-fry for about 15 – 20 minutes.

    Drain well and serve hot.

    Serving

    Look at that flaky goodness:

    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more seafood recipes and Asian fusion posts: 

    View recipe: Chinese Five Spice Fried Snapper Wings
  • Cheese: Italian Piave

    Cheese: Italian Piave

    The most famous of all Italian cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano, has a little brother called Piave. Named naturally enough after the river and region of northern Italy where it is made.

    It is every bit as versatile and tasty but because it is aged for less time the flavours are milder and easier on the bank account.

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    Milk

    Cow

    Origin

    Italy

    Aged

    Yes, 6 to 18 months

    Aroma

    Nutty  and savoury.

    Taste

    Nutty with a distinct savoury bite.

    Texture

    Hard and a little crumbly.

    Look

    Flaky pale yellow interior. Hard rind stamped with the name of the cheese in large indented letters.

    Serving

    It is a handy addition to any cheese board and I think it goes great with fruit and berries. 

    You can munch it by the handful and it excels as a cooking cheese. Add it to your next risotto 🙂

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    Wine

    Your favourite red or white will go well. I like to pair it with a New Zealand or South Australian Sauvignon Blanc.

    Related

    Here are some more posts about cheese: 

    View recipe: Cheese: Italian Piave
  • How To Fix Dry Green Buffing Compound

    How To Fix Dry Green Buffing Compound

    Your green polishing compound might dry out and be hard to apply to your strop or buffing wheel. Note: this is not a common problem when the compound is in a wax medium.

    An easy fix if it does happen though is to mix it with a little bit of olive oil.

    Before

    It just will not load the strop.

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    After

    Add some olive oil and try again:

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    Enjoy,

    PK

    Here are some more knife sharpening and general knife info: 

    View recipe: How To Fix Dry Green Buffing Compound