Nothing like a Strudel...

Why buy a frozen Strudel when cooking one is so easy?

The only painstaking bit is peeling the apples, and even then, it's only six apples.

Filo pastry can be a bit fiddly for people who haven't used it before, but don't worry if it tears - just stick it all together with the melted butter and no-one will be the wiser!

Apple and Date Strudel

Serves 8

• 6 green apples, peeled and sliced
• 6 fresh dates, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 150g almond meal
• 8 sheets ready-prepared filo pastry
• 100g butter, melted
• 1/2 cup flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 180oC. Place the apples, dates, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and almond meal in a large bowl and toss to combine. Set aside. Layer the filo sheets together, brushing between each layer with the melted butter. Place the apple mixture along the middle of the pastry lengthways, fold over ends to enclose. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle over almonds. Place the strudel on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Pasta Bake...Mmm...cheesy!

This pasta bake is tasty, easy and is cheap to make. My little Charlie girl likes it too... BONUS! Use fresh ricotta cheese. Stay away from the nasty bland ricotta you buy in the tub in the supermarket's refrigerated aisle. Once you try the fresh ricotta from the deli, there is no going back! Fresh ricotta from the deli will only last a 3-4 days after you buy it though. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The crazy thing is... I find buying it from the deli is cheaper then buying the silly tubs. Go figure!

Basil is such a wonderful herb. It's aroma is divine. Try growing some in the garden. I had no trouble growing it, except it seems the bugs and snails love to eat basil too! It is best grown in hot, dry conditions but I live in Melbourne and my basil plants look happy enough, just bring it inside when it's frosty. There are a few different varieties of basil including Sweet Basil which is the most common and Thai basil which has small leaves, purple stems and a subtle licorice taste.

This recipe is from Super Food Ideas Magazine.

Tomato and Ricotta Tortellini Bake

Serves 6

• 250g fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 3x400g cans peeled Italian tomatoes
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2x400g packets fresh tortellini pasta (I use cheese, but you can use beef or veal)
• 250g mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced

Preheat oven to 220oC. Lightly grease a 5cm-deep, 22cm x 30cm (base) baking dish. Beat ricotta with a wooden spoon until almost smooth.

Roughly chop three-quarters of the basil. Combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar and chopped basil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 10 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until partially cooked. Drain pasta and spoon into prepared dish. Add tomato sauce and stir to coat.

Dollop ricotta over pasta. Top with mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. Top with remaining basil. Serve.

Curry in a Hurry!

Feel like a curry that the whole family can enjoy and one that won't take all afternoon to cook?

Here is the answer... an oven baked curry with mango to sweeten it up so that kids will be asking for seconds.

Baked Curried Chicken and Mango

Serves 6

• 30g ghee or 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbs Indian curry paste
• 1 large mango, flesh sliced
• 1 tsp chicken stock powder
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 6 chicken thigh fillets or cutlets (with bone), skin removed
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbs slivered almonds, toasted
• couscous or rice to serve

Preheat the oven to 200oC. Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add onion and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until browned. Add curry, mango, stock powder, tomato and cream. Season, then bring to the boil.

Place the chicken in a greased baking dish. Pour the mango mixture over the chicken, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Garnish with coriander and slivered almonds and serve with cous cous or rice.

TIPS:

• ghee is clarified butter, used in Indian cooking and is available from supermarkets.
• If mangoes are out of season, use canned mango cheeks.
• I have used a can of chopped tomatoes before instead of fresh tomatoes.
• Use whatever Indian curry paste you prefer , depending on how spicy you want your curry to be.

This recipe was from Curry Magic - they sell spice mixes from their website. Check it out! currymagic.com.au

Ricotta Dumplings with Orecchiette, Peas and Prosciutto

When I first made this recipe, I wasn't sure what to expect, I actually thought that it sounded quiet bland. But when I cooked it I found this pasta dish to be an amazing mix of different textures and subtle flavours that compliment each other perfectly.

This recipe is by Jill Dupleix.

Ricotta Dumplings With Orecchiette, Peas and Prosciutto Serves 4

2 cups orecchiette pasta

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 cup freshly podded or frozen peas

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 thin slices prosciutto or ham, sliced

2 tbs mint leaves

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

250g fresh ricotta

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve

1/3 cup plain flour

1 egg, plus 1 extra yolk

2 tbs finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg

For the ricotta dumplings, briefly process all the ingredients in a food processor with salt and pepper until smooth. Chill until needed.

Cook pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions, adding peas for the final 2 minutes of cooking time, then drain. Rinse briefly in cold water to cool slightly, then drain again. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Heat remaining oil in a large pan over medium low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the wine, prosciutto, peas and pasta and lightly toss for 1 minute or until pasta is heated through. Strew the contents of the pan, with it's juices, in a single layer over a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Drop ricotta batter by the teaspoon into the boiling water, cooking 6 at a time, and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel while you cook remaining dumplings, then scatter over the pasta. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, scatter with mint and a little extra parmesan, then drizzle with extra oil and serve warm.

Fussy Child??? Winning Meal Idea...

My 2 year old daughter, Charlie, loves to eat. The problem is, like most toddlers, it doesn't mean that she is eating the foods that she should. It is so hard to make sure that she gets a balanced diet when she is quiet content to eat only cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have found that getting her involved in the cooking process is the best way to get her to try different foods. Whether it be whisking the eggs for an omlette, mashing banana for banana bread or putting the toppings on her own sandwiches. Oh, and making lots of 'Yummy" noises seems to help too! Charlie likes fish but usually takes a single bite and then looses interest. So I started making "Fish Burritos". I buy flathead tails, which are the perfect size for the tortillas, and then crumb them in cornflake crumbs. Then I lay out on the table some flour tortillas (I cut them in half for charlie), shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, mashed avocado, grated cheese and tatare sauce. Once the fish is cooked in the frying pan I put a little bit of fish on a tortilla half for her and she puts on whatever toppings she wants. The fun part is rolling up her tortilla. She loves this meal and has tons of fun putting the burritos together.

Cooking For Your Man...

It's experiment time! I cooked this one night for my friend Suzy. She loved it and told her boyfriend, who is living interstate, all about it. He said it sounded delicious so Suzy, who is visiting her man next week, has decided to try making it for him as a surprise. It is a wonderful example of Modern Asian Cuisine. An impressive dinner party dish. Enjoy! This recipe is from the cookbook, The Spirit House. If you enjoy this recipe I seriously suggest buying yourself a copy of this fantastic Thai cookbook. It is unbelievable!

Coriander, Sesame and Coconut-crusted Chicken with Kaffir Lime Sauce

Serves 4

• SAUCE
• 200ml coconut cream
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 double kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons chilli jam
• CHICKEN
• 1 teaspoon light palm sugar
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves and stems
• 4x150g pieces chicken breast, skin removed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 250g sugar snap peas

To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. To prepare the chicken, dissolve the palm sugar in the oyster sauce. Stir in egg and the sesame seeds, shredded coconut, garlic and coriander. Spread the crust over the top of the chicken breasts and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 200oC. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, crust side down, and cook over a moderate heat until crust is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn breasts and transfer to a baking tray, crust side up. Bake for approx 10 minutes. While chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to the boil and lightly steam or blanch the sugar snap peas for 1 minute. Drain and divide between individual serving plates. Place chicken breast, crust side up, on peas and spoon sauce around.

You should find all of these ingredients in your supermarket. The Asian Food section is full of wonderous goodies! It can be very daunting for someone who hasn't cooked much Asian food before, so here is a very basic glossary...

• MIRIN - is an essential condiment used in Japanese cuisine, with a slightly sweet taste. It is a kind of rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content.
• RICE WINE VINEGAR - Rice wine vinegar is made from rice and creates a less acidic product than other types of vinegar.
• KAFFIR LIME LEAVES - A small lime whose aromatic leaves are used fresh and dried in Asian cooking. You can buy these fresh leaves in packets in the produce section of the supermarket most of the time. The dried variety will be in jars in the Asian section. I have my own Kaffir Lime tree growing in a large pot in the backyard. I have been surprised as to how frequently I use the leaves. Only this particular variety of lime will give you the desired flavour.
• CHILLI JAM - You should be able to find this in the Asian section of your supermarket. It is great for using in stir fries and all kinds of dishes. The chilli jam I have at the moment is labeled as 'Chilli Paste" but the ingredients are the same. If you have trouble, here is a recipe for Chilli Jam.

Roast Pork...With a Twist

I cooked this following recipe last night for a couple of my friends. It isn't the first time I have made it. It appears quite often on my table if i have company over for dinner. I love making these 'alternate' roasts - instead of the traditional slab of meat that takes all afternoon to roast. They are much quicker to cook, tastier, and - the best bit - NO CARVING! This recipe is from Donna Hay.

Pancetta and Marjoram Pork

Serves 4

• 2x300g pork fillets, trimmed,
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs,
• 2 teaspoons chopped marjoram,
• 1/3 cup grated green apple,
• 1 tbs olive oil,
• sea salt and cracked,
• black pepper,
• 12 slices pancetta,
• 1 tbs olive oil, extra

Preheat oven to 200oC. Cut each pork fillet in half and use a sharp knife to make a slit along the top of each half. (Make a pocket) Place the breadcrumbs, marjoram, apple, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the bread crumb mixture into each fillet half and wrap with three slices of pancetta to enclose stuffing. Place fillets on a wire rack in a metal baking dish and drizzle with oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

• I like to serve these with a potato and sweet potato mash and a drizzling of gravy.

• Majoram is so easy to grow. I have it growing in a pot at my back doorstep. It doesn't like strong frosts though, so you may need to shelter it in winter if you live somewhere chilly. For the amount you use of this herb in this recipe it is crazy to buy it from the supermarket.