Cooking thread!

[courts]

Earlier I was looking around for good Malaysian dishes when I realized something.. For all the talk about dinner or whatever I don't think I've ever seen any recipes posted on here. You know what to do.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Alright...

Something I made for a friend's thing last week.

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes.

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
1 small bunch of spring onions
2 tins of crab meat
1 egg
4 cups of breadcrumbs (fine)
2 cloves of garlic
oil
butter
salt
pepper
curry powder
milk
flour

---

Boil the sweet potato in a mix of water and milk
Chop the solid end of the spring onion and finely chop the garlic, put in fry pan until the SO are pretty soft.

Mash the sweet potato, add the cooked garlic and SO into a bowl with one egg, the crab meat, a little pepper and salt and a TINY sprinkling of curry powder, add bread crumbs gradually until the mix is pretty firm along with the chopped raw green ends of the SO.

Make little patties, lightly coat in flour then shallow fry in very hot oil (sunflower is ideal) until golden brown, then place on kitchen towel.

---- There's more to come.

[memphis]

Is a tin a standard unit of measurement in Australia?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Is a tin a standard unit of measurement in Australia?

OK a medium sized can...

[Badger]

Great idea for a thread! I've been thinking about doing this myself.

Recipies to follow, though mine are more "instinctual" than based on fripperies like "measurements" and the like.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Great idea for a thread! I've been thinking about doing this myself.

Recipies to follow, though mine are more "instinctual" than based on fripperies like "measurements" and the like.

As was the crab cakes... that's just how things turned out

[AndrewTX]

Here is a recipe that I created about 7 years ago or so. I'm sure others have done it, but here is mine.

Strawberry Salad with Grilled Chicken-

Take 4 cups of strawberries and chop into large pieces. Add 5  to 10 spoons of splenda (or any sugar or sugar subsitute), mix, and place in fridge.

When your strawberries have the same consitancy as what you would use for a strawberry shortcake, take half and place into a blender, and add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vinegerette dressing. Blend until liquid.

Take two medium sized boneless chicken breasts, grill until cooked to liking, and add a little bit of lemon juice (recomended)

Than, create a salad to your liking, put the strawberry vinegerette dressing on top and mix. when finished, add the grilled chicken to the top, as well as some of the large cut up strawberries and juice to the top.

 Perfect salad for the summer.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I had a similar salad... but the desserty strawberries were replaced with strawberries that were soaked in a little balsamic vinegar... mmmmmm

[Ban my account ffs!]

Basic risotto:  Time consuming and requires care... but it is worth every bit of effort.

This is for a relatively large amount (easily serves 6 people).

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion
2 cups arborio rice (found with the regular rice or in Italian section)
1.5 quarts chicken stock (don't skimp on this.  Get the good stuff!)
1 cup good white wine (NO COOKING WINE... it should be wine you'd drink)
4-5 tablespoons butter (preferably non-salted)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (American domestic is fine.. don't use pre-grated stuff in a plastic container)
Salt to taste

Mise en Place is very important.  Get the cheese grated and onion chopped before hand.

Heat 2T olive oil along with 2T butter on medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add chopped onions.  Saute until translucent (do not caramelize or let brown).  Add in arborio rice.

At the same time, put the chicken stock in a large sauce pan and heat on low-medium heat.

Let the rice begin to "toast", stirring occasionally.  Once some of the rice just starts to brown, add wine to deglaze the pan.  Stir and allow the wine to almost completely cook off.  Once the pan is just about dry, ladle in a ladle-full of heated chicken stock (which should be just simmering, not boiling).  Stir the rice occasionally, allowing the rice to absorb the chicken stock.  Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle-full.  Continue doing this until all of the stock is absorbed into the rice and it has a "creamy" texture (not dried out or burnt!!!).  Turn off the heat.

Add 2-3 tablespoons butter, cream, and parmesan cheese and stir, allowing butter and cheese to melt.  Salt to taste and serve immediately.

This is a great side dish to fish, pork, and poultry dishes.

Risotto is a very versatile dish.  You can use beef stock and red wine and omit the cheese while adding wild mushrooms to make a wonderful addition to red meat dishes.

Even if you don't like wine, I urge you to use at least a 1/2 cup in your recipe.  Wine when used in cooking tastes much different and adds a very nice flavor to the risotto.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Teryaki-ish pork tenderloin

Medium sized pork tenderloin
Pound of bacon.
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons grated onion
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more for a spicier marinade)
A good amount of black pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons vinegar (you can use white or cider)
1/2 to 3/4 cup soy sauce

Combine grated onion, garlic, sugar, cayenne, pepper, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Put the tenderloin in a baggie and pour marinade over tenderloin and let marinade 2 hours.

Once marinading is over, save the marinade in the baggie.  Wrap the tenderloin with bacon and put into a rectangular baking pan.  Pour the marinade over the tenderloin.

Put into a 350˚F oven and bake until the internal temperature is 140˚F-145˚F (135˚F if you like pork to be more medium rare... you run the risk of trichinosis), basting or spooning marinade over the top every 15-20 minutes or so.

Remove from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes.  Meat will continue cooking while resting, adding 5-10˚F.  Most recommend 150˚F minimum for pork... but trichinosis is destroyed within a couple of seconds at 140˚F... and the meat will be far more tender.

The bacon will not be crispy.  Instead, it will be chewy... which is not always a popular texture for Americans... but the excellent flavor makes up for it, as the bacon soaks up the juices in the cooking process.

[Platypus]

Welshies

This is one of my grandma's

175g plain flour
125g cheese (tasty is fine, but cheddar is better)
60g salted butter
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, and add in butter in drops until mix is rocky. Grate the cheese into the mix and add a dribble of water (just enough to form a dough). Knead on a floured board and roll out to 5mm thickness Cut into long, thing slices (1cmx6cm ish) and place into the over for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

And one of my own:

El besto cheapo microwavo arroz

Discovered in Argentina, perfected in Canberra

1 cup white long grain rice
1 cup water
2 cups chopped, mixed frozen veggies
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 pinchs of dill
10ml soy sauce
large pinch of salt

Add rice and water to microwave safe container. Place in micrawave on moderately high heat (8/10 or so) for 6 minutes.

Stir, add veggies.

Return to microwave for a further 6 minutes on the smae setting.

Stir, add other ingredients.

Stir.

Garnish to taste.

This is, genuinely, the best, cheapest, easiest way I have found of cooking rice. Certainly better than a rice cooker. Plus you get veggies and barely even have one thing to clean.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta

You'll need about 5-6 slices of good thin prosciutto
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (you like tinned, I don't want to know you)
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
penne pasta
vegetable stock
lemon
parmesan (and that orange crap is to go nowhere near it....)

Chop up the garlic finely, as well as prepare the asparagus.
Heat the oil up, not much oil at all, heat the garlic up, then add the asparagus, try to put a smaller saucepan lid over the asparagus to steam them a little, then add the sliced prosciutto, then then add about 200ml of fairly weak vegetable stock, let it reduce, then add the juice of half a lemon to balance out the saltiness of the stock and prosciutto.

Cook the pasta until al dente (this needs pasta on the firmer side), then put the now much thicker sauce over the pasta and serve with shaved parmesan.

[Smid]

We were watching Barefoot Contessa and really liked the look of her Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup, so my wife's made it a few times. It really is delightful, and can be served either hot or cold. If serving it cold, you could probably add some chili flakes or something to it to make it a little spicy. It's not my recipe, but I think it's a pretty good one, so I can definitely recommend it.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

[Platypus]

Christ, you can tell we come from a country where the most popular TV show is Masterchef.

If you're in Melbourne sometime soon, Polnut, you should come for a beer with Shane and I. Albertagirl often joins us too, and there's an open invite to Conor also

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Christ, you can tell we come from a country where the most popular TV show is Masterchef.

If you're in Melbourne sometime soon, Polnut, you should come for a beer with Shane and I. Albertagirl often joins us too, and there's an open invite to Conor also

I'm actually in Melbourne for a meeting tomorrow.

But I fly in at 11:30 and fly out at 6.

[Platypus]

Got time for a coffee? I'm assuming Smid can make it if it's central, and I'm free for most of the day.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My meeting is 2-5... (well 4:30 for me, to give me an hour to get to the Airport)... I may have a meeting from 12-1 on Collins St...

.... not sure, will let you know.

[courts]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzjkOq_fcaU

Loved this one. Or if you're not in the mood to watch through that:

Ahi Tuna w/ Pineapple Salsa!

Reduced Balsamic Vinegar
1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Juice of 1 Orange (Blood Orange Seasonal)
Salsa
1 Cup Diced Pineapple
1/4 Cup Diced Red Pepper
1/2 Jalapeño Diced
1/4 Cup Diced Red Onion
2 TBS Fresh Cilantro
Juice of 1 Lime
S & P  To Taste
Dry Rub (Island Spices)
1 TSP Red Chili Flakes
TSP Onion Powder
1/4 TSP All Spice
1 TBS Ground Ginger
2 TBS 1 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Dry Thyme
1 TBS Salt
1 TBS Granulated Garlic
Tuna
1 Eight Ounce Fresh Tuna Steak
1 TSP Vegetable Oil
 
Procedure:  In a pot add in balsamic vinegar and orange juice and cook it until it reaches 234° and then set it aside to cool.  It will thicken up greatly.  To make the salsa prepare all fruit and vegetables accordingly add it to a bowl and mix well.  Hold in a cooler to keep cool.  To make the spice blend add all to a bowl, mix well and set aside.  Season up the tuna steak very well on both sides and in a hot skillet add in the oil and cook fish on both sides to desired temperature.  30 seconds on each side for rare.  Next set the tuna side and brush the balsamic glaze all over and then slice the tuna and place the salsa on top.  Enjoy
 

[Grumpier Than Thou]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzjkOq_fcaU

Loved this one. Or if you're not in the mood to watch through that:

Ahi Tuna w/ Pineapple Salsa!

Reduced Balsamic Vinegar
1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Juice of 1 Orange (Blood Orange Seasonal)
Salsa
1 Cup Diced Pineapple
1/4 Cup Diced Red Pepper
1/2 Jalapeño Diced
1/4 Cup Diced Red Onion
2 TBS Fresh Cilantro
Juice of 1 Lime
S & P  To Taste
Dry Rub (Island Spices)
1 TSP Red Chili Flakes
TSP Onion Powder
1/4 TSP All Spice
1 TBS Ground Ginger
2 TBS 1 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Dry Thyme
1 TBS Salt
1 TBS Granulated Garlic
Tuna
1 Eight Ounce Fresh Tuna Steak
1 TSP Vegetable Oil
 
Procedure:  In a pot add in balsamic vinegar and orange juice and cook it until it reaches 234° and then set it aside to cool.  It will thicken up greatly.  To make the salsa prepare all fruit and vegetables accordingly add it to a bowl and mix well.  Hold in a cooler to keep cool.  To make the spice blend add all to a bowl, mix well and set aside.  Season up the tuna steak very well on both sides and in a hot skillet add in the oil and cook fish on both sides to desired temperature.  30 seconds on each side for rare.  Next set the tuna side and brush the balsamic glaze all over and then slice the tuna and place the salsa on top.  Enjoy
 

This sounds yummy...excuse me while I run to my local supermarket to purchase the necessary ingrediants!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Right...

My ultimate chinese stir-fry...

2 pieces of good quality beef
2 chicken breast
about 10-15 large prawns - shelled and cleaned
2 garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion sliced
1 large carrot, cut into small sticks (well above julienne though)
1 broccoli with florettes broken off, and stem chopped into same size as the carrots
HoiSin sauce
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
fish sauce
a fortified red-wine - port is ideal
Very thin noodles

MEAT PREPARATION
1. Thinly slice the beef and chicken and coat in a soy and cornflour, toss until there is a thin layer over the meat, do the same with the prawns (I refuse to call them shrimps )

2. Heat some oil, sunflower with a couple of drops of sesame oil is perfect, make sure is it very hot, then add the beef and chicken until the juices start to break through the beef, then put aside in a separate bowl layered and topped with paper towel.

Repeat step for prawns, but wait until they've 'just' turned pink.

Vegeatables

- Wipe out the wok to remove the solid pieces, but leave any slightly over cooked meat juices


- This is a cheat move... but it works... speed up the process... add all the vegetables into a container with about 1/2" of water and a little salt. Place into a normal microwave and heat for 2 mins...

Re-heat the wok and add a little more oil, add the garlic and onion until brown and translucent, toss the vegetables through until they've got a good coating, re-introduce the meat and prawns, add the soy, fish, hoi sin and oyster sauce toss everything around. Then de-glaze the wok with the port...

The cornflour in the meat prep should mix with the meat juices and the sauces and thicken up to make a nice shiny sauce coating over everything...

-- cook your very thin noodles by boiling is rapidly boiling salted water...

Drain, add to the meat and vegetables, toss through to coat and mix the noodles through...

Serve

[Ban my account ffs!]

Easy and delicious French Onion Soup

4 large sweet or yellow onions
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup white wine
3 heaping tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (you can substitute a good tablespoon of pre-chopped garlic... don't use powder!)
2 quarts good beef broth (~1.9 liters)
6-8 slices baguette, toasted or dried (day old)
Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Slice onions.  Melt stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper).  Let the onions cook until very soft and caramelized.  Take care not to let them burn!  It's okay to have a layer of browned matter on the bottom of the pan... just scrape it up occasionally.  This adds a big flavor to the soup.

Once the onions are nice and soft, add the wine.  Allow the wine to boil and cook off completely.  Remove bay and thyme from pan.  Add flour and stir to coat all of the onions.  Reduce to low heat and let cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  This cooks the raw flour taste out and adds to the rich flavor of the soup.

Add the broth.  I'd recommend a half and half mixture of beef stock and consomme, since this is a quick recipe.  A combination of those two will create a rich, dark flavor.  Make sure all the bits are scraped off the bottom of the pan and let simmer over low-medium heat about 15 minutes.

When you're ready to eat, arrange the baguette slices on a cookie sheet and sprinkle liberally with the shredded cheese.  Put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese is beginning to brown and is bubbly.

Fill bowl with soup and put enough croutons on top to cover bowl and enjoy! 

This soup can be enjoyed any time of year, but is best on a cold winter's night.

[Smid]

These mocha muffins are delicious. My mother emailed me the recipe and I thought I'd upload it here. 

The mocha muffins are delightful with a cup of coffee, the icing on the muffins has a strong coffee flavour. I like it that way but you may wish to alter the recipe to your taste. The pecans can be substituted for walnuts. 

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