Left-over Christmas Ham pasta

Tonight, I cooked for my two little guys and my utterly edibly adorable biggest two nephews- and couldn't have imagined how tasty the combination of a Gouda cheese sauce with shredded organic leg ham and wholemeal fettuccine would be! 

Corn & Asparagus mornay

This is a meal that falls squarely into the comfort food category. Especially for me. I remember my mum making this on rainy afternoons, and now, even the smell soothes my soul. I grew up in one of those picturesque, mountainous type places where the smallest fog would make it seem like you were living amongst the clouds. To have a meal that evokes memories of a place and time so touched by magic is in and of itself magical. 

Ingredients

1 tin of asparagus

1 tin of corn ( make sure there's no sugar added)

75g butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs/rice crumbs

3 free range eggs, hard boiled

Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, then adding the flour and stirring until combined. Add the juice from the tinned asparagus and stir until combined, then slowly add the milk. Once it's lump free and slightly thickened add 3/4 of cheese, then asparagus, then the DRAINED corn. 

Transfer to a casserole tray. Top with sliced egg, the reserved cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated oven at 160'c for twenty minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Ps 

 A word of warning- when sourcing your canned goods, take care to buy as locally sources as you're able.

Makeshift Okonomoyaki with Salmon

I made a spicy salmon salad for my lunch today. The salad consisted of shredded ice berg lettuce, diced apple and cucumber, sliced onion, and finely julienned snow peas. The dressing had shed loads of mint, coriander, vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice, and I topped it with a grilled piece of salmon.

Being an Economy of Scale kind of cook (that is to say, I always make enough to feed am army), I had a fair whack of leftovers. After lunch, I set about constructing a gingerbread house for my husband's grandparents...and we all know royal icing means- leftover egg yolks. 

Abhorring waste, I decided the perfect use for all these delicious byproducts of my culinary gusto was-- okonomiyaki. Actually, I just decided to throw it all together and then vaguely remembered a Japanese pancake made with shredded cabbage which totally justified feeding my children a mad experiment in frugality. 

The result was surprisingly yummy. 

I served these guys with a lemon yoghurt dressing, parsley seeds and leftover cold salmon. Little miss 1 gobbled it up. My son took my bribery to approach it properly but he did an acceptable job. Though no doubt he would have preferred butter on toast.... (Ah, the palette of a toddler!!).  

Smoked Trout Risoni

I've always been a bit sceptical of Risoni. I mean, it's pasta, shaped to look like rice. Pfft. What's the point? Why not just stick to basmati?

 Well, I'm not too proud to admit that I've completely changed my mind. My Grocer had some organic whole wheat Risoni on sale this week and so I ignored my scepticism and bought a bag. As those hipster gen Y's say, "YOLO"! 

I have discovered that my children absolutely love it. And I do, too. It's so easy to cook. I've taken to making a white sauce with good quality full fat milk and butter, and spelt flour, then adding in the Risoni and cooking for around ten minutes until al dente. At the last minute, I've been incorporating whatever flavours I want. Tonight, it's locally smoked ocean trout and greens from my garden. This is, perhaps, the most exciting to me. That asparagus was just plucked from our veggie patch, and then there's the parsley and spinach leaves too. A good cup of Parmesan right before serving and voila! There are no leftovers when I make this! 

Honey and Peanut Butter ice cream

Bearing in mind that I'm engaged in Operation Fatten Up, I'm thrilled with this calorific creation. So are my little guys. 

Ingredients- 

200ml pure cream, full fat*

2 heaped tablespoons smooth organic peanut butter 

2 heaped tablespoons wild honey 

2 tablespoons full fat plain yoghurt. 

The method is a cinch- in my kitchenaid I whipped the ingredients all at once on a moderately high speed (7) for about 90 seconds. That is IT! 

I fully intended to add in some white chia seeds, LSA, for extra nutritional value, but I got so carried away with joy when I saw the awesome frothy mix that I just poured into my ice cream moulds and set it. 

This is divine. Absolute LOVE.

* a note on creams. Have you spent as much time as I have reading the ingredients of cream in the supermarket? Not just a humble dairy product, all but one product in my supermarket are laden with gelatine or vegetable gums as thickeners and I think we should, as consumers, push for it to be labelled something different altogether. Cream should be cream, full stop.

QUIT COFFEE FOR A CAUSE.

I love food.

I love to play around with it. Experiment with recipes. It's both an art form and a pleasure to me. But it is also a privilege, a fact that was uncomfortably washing over me as I watched tonight's news.

A woman was being interviewed and the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful, hand stitched fabrics behind her as she spoke. Then it was the baby huddled earnestly in her lap. Intrigued, I turned off my hissing pot of mushrooms and stepped closer.

This mother to four children is a refugee from Syria, and she was detailing the food shortages plaguing their interim camp. Her children, she said with a stoicism that made my eyes moisten with unshed tears, are often lethargic from not having eaten enough.

As I looked at the scraps of eye fillet my own children had thrown over the side of their plates in a sort of post-dinner game, my tummy rolled with guilt. 

I think about my children's nutrition a lot. Particularly my littlest one, who is considered undersized (if she were a fish, you'd throw her back to sea). But they're both active, happy, and hitting their milestones. 

And as I turned my attention back to this woman on the tv in the middle of my chaotic and comfortably first-world lounge room, I stared into her eyes and felt our connection. Our bond. She's a mum, I'm a mum, and I could see her desperation, how she was trying to stay calm for her children despite the turmoil in her eyes. 

What can I do to help this woman, and so many like her across the world, struggling to get their children the basic nutrients they need on a daily basis?

Well, like a lot of people in our culture, I have a coffee a day habit. Woops. Let me clarify. I have a Bought Coffee per day habit. My in-home consumption doesn't bear discussion. So that's $4.50 that I spend without really thinking about it. Every day. That's $135.00 in a month. 

What if I were to give up bought coffees for a month, and instead put that money aside to donate at the end of my thirty days? I'm going to call it Quit Coffee for a Cause. You know that old expression about Misery Loving Company? That's definitely applicable here. I want you to join me. You can still cheat like me and have your home brew! Just think what this tiny period of self-deprivation could mean to someone struggling to obtain the basics in life. 

Care.org is a charity with many pledges of support and according to their website, $66 can feed a whole family for two weeks. So by simply not buying myself a coffee for the next month, I can help that woman with the tormented eyes and brave smile. Or another like her. I could feed their families for a month. Come on. Who's with me?

https://www.care.org.au/syria-donate

Cheese & Beetroot toasties

These are made on thin wholegrain bread, spread with local goats cheese, a vintage cheddar and a Beetroot jam, also crafted locally. I pressed them quickly- then had to fall on my sword and try half of one, you know, just to make sure the jammy jam didn't get too molten. It's a tough job but someone has to do it! They are seriously yum. 

Dino-Boy turns 3

          

      

My little guy turned three years old last week and we celebrated with a bang. In our house, everything is celebrated with good food, and champagne for the grown ups, and this was no different. 

On the menu for this afternoon-tea-time bash was a range of dinosaur themed snacks. "Sharp tooth" sandwiches (egg, and ham), t-Rex toenails (organic plain corn chips), home made flapjacks (gluten free), bliss balls (gluten free), my mother in law's yummy dips and vegetable crudités, and a ferocious fruit platter complete with rockmelon dinosaur head sculpture.

I made some jars with dinosaurs on top and filled them with good quality sweets. Whilst the kids at a three year old's party are old enough to know that lollies are a must-have, the jars were too small for little fingers so all junkie consumption had to be sanctioned by grown ups. I thought it was a good compromise. 

The cake was gluten free and organic, and I halved the sugar in the recipe (and used organic raw caster sugar) and 80% dark chocolate. I made a ganache with the same dark chocolate, proper cream and australian organic unsalted butter, and did ten layers in all. Phew. 

Happy birthday to my beautiful dino-boy, who brings us Tyrannosaurus Rex proportions of pleasure every day <3

Salmon crepes

On our brekkie bar today, crepes filled with soy and wasabi salmon and cream cheese. Aka- last night's dinner rehashed ;)

Thai corn cakes with Greek tzaziki

It's a multicultural delight that shouldn't  work, and yet it does. 

Deliciously piquant Thai flavoured corn cakes served with a zesty tzaziki. 

For the corn cakes, I mixed a tin of corn kernels with a handful of torn basil leaves, finely grated zucchini, diced capsicum, half a red onion sliced, a tablespoon of red curry paste, two whisked eggs and 3/4 cup whole grain spelt flour. I fried them quickly until lightly browned then finished in the oven at 200'c for 15 minutes . 

For the sauce, I mixed a clove of crushed  garlic with finely diced cucumber and organic Greek yoghurt until combined. 

This was an absolute hit. Easy dinner, and pretty nutritious and tasty.

Spelt and Coconut Bircher Muesli

This is a kick ass way to start the day. All the better because you do the prep work the night before and just spoon in the next day. I went through a phase last summer of preparing Bircher muesli in baby food jars so I had my brekkie ready to go the next day. Such a great way to make sure you get a good hit of nutrients when you are rushing around in the morning. 

This muesli recipe has the added benefit of being pretty virtuous. I mixed spelt rolled oats with about 1/4 cup organic coconut paste (amazing ingredient, especially for diabetics like me as it's lower carb than it's sweetening counterparts and is completely natural). I also added 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit and around six figs, sliced lengthways. Stir together with 1/2 cup low fat milk and 1/2 cup low fat organic yoghurt (the one I buy is lower in sugar than full fat, check the label). To serve I topped with extra yoghurt, strawberries and some whole Brazil nuts. 

Fig and Rosemary Buns

Yesterday we had some of our favourite little play-daters over for an afternoon of fun at the local park. They're delightful kiddies and the four little people play really well together. The fact that frequent disciplining is not necessary is a true silver lining as it means the mummies are able to have a real conversation and catch up. Hallelujah! 

I made these little buns for afternoon tea. They're quick and I had a busy day so that was I important. By quick I should clarify that I mean there isn't a lot of time in the preparation. Like all bread based recipes, time to prove is needed.

I made a standard bread recipe from 1 cup of spelt flour, and once it had risen a little, added 1 cup of chopped figs and various other mixed dried fruits, and two sprigs of rosemary (finely chopped). 

If I was making these for grown ups, I would have served them with a really good extra virgin olive oil "butter" or Meredith goats cheese.

Strawberry and Chocolate Ganache Cake

I've had a few requests for this recipe and, truth be told, I've been meaning to blog it since July 19, when I made this as a birthday "cake" for my gluten intolerant MIL.

While it is rich, if you are using good quality ingredients, it's a delicious alternative to a more traditional "cake".

NB this is made in a 10cm spring form cake pan.

Ingredients-

About 1.5 Punnets of fresh strawberries

200g organic dark chocolate block

30g organic stick butter

30ml pure cream 

Grease and line the spring form pan as you would if baking a cake. Combine chocolate and butter in a bone dry bowl and microwave for two minutes or until completely melted. Stir with a bone dry spoon until combined then add cream and continue stirring until it becomes dark and glossy.

Slice strawberries into spring form tin and pour chocolate over. Set in fridge for an hour or so.

To serve, run a paring knife around tin and gently ease open then turn out. 

There are some great variations you can try, for example, other fruits and nuts, to get the perfect "cake" for you. Enjoy! 

Apple and cheese "sandwiches"

These were one of my favourite snacks as a kid- apple and cheese. The crisp tartness of a perfect apple, combined with the sharp, fullness of a good aged cheddar...delicious!

Pasta making with I terremoti

I love the idea of cooking with my kids, but in reality, it is a complex ratio. I find my energy levels and spare time have to perfectly synthesise with their enthusiasm and attention spans, and I also have to have specific ingredients to hand. Pasta is one recipe though that is always a pleasure to cook with little people. It's an exercise in purely tactile fun, and because it's reasonably cheap, it's not terribly important if some of the dough goes to waste. There are opportunities for measuring and stirring, cracking eggs, kneading and rolling, cutting (with supervision and assistance), and watching it boil (from a safe distance). Kids can jump in and out depending on their interest and skills level. And my little ragazzi are always enraptured with pasta for dinner. It never fails to please.

With the kids' help, this took twenty five minutes from first measure of flour to first fork in bowl of fully cooked dinner. 

To start with, combine 1.5 cups organic spelt flour in a bowl with one egg and 3/4 cup filtered water. Stir until combined an elastic feeling dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and set out your implements- rolling pins all 'round! 

Roll and roll and roll until as thin as you can get it. Children will need adults to finish theirs off, in my experience, but it's a whole lot of fun for them to get it as pancake like as possible.

NB- the really little ones will just eat the raw dough. Oh boy! 

Once it's big and flat, it's time to cut it into ribbons. Choose a thickness that works for you and cut away. I'm pretty "rustic" at this stage (that's a code word for rushing!) so just slice quickly and haphazardly, achieving a lovely bundle of differing width noodles.

Look at that! Just like you'd buy in a deli, except so much better!! My son loved the cutting process-

Look how proud he is! Emme is not so sure.

Pop the pasta into a pot of rapidly boiling water and cook for around five minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your ingredients for the sauce. I am in no way this prepared under normal circumstances, but I had my wonderful mum staying last week. It meant lots of fun and help with the smalls, but it also meant fresh made organic ricotta. Mum is incredible in the kitchen. Adventurous and very clever. Anyway, she whipped up ricotta faster than I could make a pot of tea, and so I stirred that, together with some prosciutto di Parma, and broccoli and parsley from the garden, together in a saucepan over high heat until the prosciutto was cooked. I added the pasta and a glug of organic EVOO. And voila! All done.

Thumbelina.

I have to preface this post with this disclaimer: I'm watching the news, seeing heinous and unimaginable violence in Egypt. How can I not be aware that I'm about to wax lyrical about a very first world problem? And yet, being a mum is a bit like re-defining the borders of your universe. Suddenly, your axis is tilted by miniature people who have the power to still your heart with one tiny look or mewling cry. 

My little girl is sweet and petite. At her twelve month check up, we discovered she had slipped from the 25th percentile to the fifth, and my lovely GP (herself a mum to a little girl, and very reassuringly not alarmist) suggested we bring her back in a month's time to check her growth again. You may remember, this spurred me into pâté making revulsion in an effort to bulk the wee lass up.

It sort of worked- the next month she gained a smidgen of weight and grew a few millimetres. "One more month," the gp said calmly, not sold on my liver solution. 

Well, last night, I took her back to the doctor for the next check up. I am miserable to say that she has not gained a single gram, nor grown even a speck, in one month. This puts her on the very bottom of the growth charts. 

I know, I know. 

There are teeny tiny people everywhere and she is probably one of them. But I am a foodie! An eater and food-maker from way back. I have long prided myself on my culinary love, and furthermore, worked slavishly to impart a love of good, wholesome foods to my children. 

That is what worries me more. My little darling is a great eater. She loves her food. My gp says that if another month of static or near static growth passes then we will have to start investigating, just in case she isn't metabolising properly. 

Has anyone else experienced this? I try to deny my naturally neurotic nature but sometimes it's just too strong. My brain is saying she is just perfectly petite, but my heart has started to tilt a little on its child-centric axis.. I think this might partly come back to being diabetic. How can I not forever carry a burden of guilt for the crappy start I gave my kids? Despite maintaining a near perfect HBa1C during both pregnancies, there were complications and difficulties and so now I feel this tummy tumble of worry and responsibility....have I done this to her? Is this my fault?