Rice puddings infused with vanilla, cardamom and topped with mango

Its time again for the Royal Foodie Joust. I've been participating in these for the last few months and I thoroughly enjoy them. You can read all about the joust here. The winner of last month's Joust, Michelle chose her three ingredients for the challenge. She opted for cardamom, brown sugar and mangoes. A very "exotic" combination! As usual, I stewed about what I was going to cook and only decided once the activities for Greek Easter had quietened down.

In the end I opted for individual rice puddings. Rice puddings are pretty much a staple in a lot of cultures. The Greek version, a.k.a. "rizogalo" uses cinnamon as the topping and is highly addictive. The Spanish have their version, known as arroz con leche, enriched with condensed milk. I love rice pudding and I wanted to somehow combine the Joust ingredients in one. After a bit of "research" I found a recipe that had featured over 7 years ago in a local newspaper and it utilised all of the Joust items. A bit of tweaking by moi and my version of the rice pudding was born.

Leave it infuse for at least two hours...

The original recipe called for regular full fat milk. I changed that and used a combination of coconut milk and water. Instead of using cardamom powder I crushed a few pods for a milder flavour. Overall, it was delicious but a little too rich for my liking. Its quite easy overall and once you mix all your ingredients you just "set it and forget it". For a couple of hours anyway. The final touch is to top it with freshly sliced mangoes and a brown sugar caramel! Its not for the diet conscious!

RECIPE FOR VANILLA AND CARDAMOM RICE PUDDING

* 1 cup of arborio rice
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups of water
* 1 vanilla bean, split in half
* 1/3 cup brown rice syrup or sugar
* pinch of sea salt
* 3-4 cardamom pods, crushed
sliced mangoes
banana leaf for decoration

For the brown sugar caramel blend 2 tbsps of brown sugar with a knob of butter over a medium heat. Allow it all to melt and serve immediately.

Mix all the ingredients (except the mangoes and banana leaf) in a non reactive pot. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then leave it on the lowest possible heat for about 2 hours. Stir it occasionally. We're looking at a gentle infusion of flavours. Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the mixture should resemble a very cooked risotto. Allow it to cool slightly and place in individual moulds. Turn out onto a plate that has been decorated with cut banana leaves. Top with sliced mango and drizzle with brown sugar caramel.

Tags:recipes recipes baking Sweet Treats recipes desserts

Tsourekia and Eggs

This Sunday coming, Greeks all over the world will be celebrating Easter. Its a very big event in Greek culture with many traditions and religious rituals. There's Lent with the fasting, the many cakes, breads, biscuits and of course the dyed eggs. Its a wonderful time with Easter Sunday being the "big day". Everyone feasts and eats so much food!!!

The week leading up to Easter Sunday is termed as "Holy Week" with church services on every night. Its a busy week with the majority of the food preparation being done during this time. I remember when I was growing up the house being so frantic. "Koulouria" (the traditional Greek Easter cookies), "kourabiethes" (icing sugar covered almond crescent biscuits) and "tsourekia" (Greek Easter Brioche bread) were staples for us during the lead up to Easter. And the eggs. And the offal soup a.k.a "magerista"...and the lamb ready for the spit....you get the idea! There is so much food surrounding you, it made fasting during this time all that much harder!

This year, I set out for the first time to make my own "tsourekia" and dye the eggs red. Well lo and behold I got mixed results! The first batch of tsourekia turned out like bricks! On closer inspection I realised I had been using an old packet of yeast! So of course they didn't rise. Oh well you live and learn! Eventually I made them and they turned out gloriously plump and golden. My eggs turned out ok. A few blemishes here and there but otherwise fine. They're probably not the traditional version but they certainly tasted as I remembered. I love eating tsoureki in the mornings, toasted with some marmalade on top. I'm actually going to use the recipe for this and make something else in the near future. Tsoureki are traditionally made with a 3 plait twist. Each plait symbolising an element of the Holy Trinity. They are also baked with an red egg in them as a symbol for the blood that Christ spilt dying on the cross. They are similar to brioche and can store for a few days (if they last that long).

Delicious with a spread.

RECIPE FOR TSOUREKIA

• 250ml of milk
• 80g of unsalted butter
• 750g of plain flour
• 1tsp of salt
• zest of 1 grated orange
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 1 packet of instant dried yeast
• 1/2 a cup of orange juice
• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk
• a splash of milk
• flaked or slivered almonds

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan over a very low heat. Add the butter stirring it into the milk so it will melt. Allow to cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl place 100 grams of the flour with the yeast, salt, orange zest and a tsp of the sugar.
3. Pour in the cooled milk/butter mixture in and beat with a wooden spoon to obtain a lovely batter.
4. Cover with a saran wrap and a towel and leave it for about half an hour.
5. When you return you should have a lovely bubbly mixture. Place in the remaining flour, sugar, orange huice and eggs.
6. Mix until you have a lovely soft dough. If you find its sticky add more flour. But be careful not to add too much. We're after an elastic, silky dough.
7. Give it a good bash and knead for about 5 mins. Work that gluten baby!
8. Once kneaded place in an oiled bowl and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover with saran wrap and a few tea towels and leave it to do its work. (I left mine for about 2 hours in a very warm room and it more than doubled! It was glorious!).
9. When you notice it has doubled take it out and divide the mixture in two. With one of the halves, divide into three equal portions and shape these three portions into "ropes". They should be of equal width and length. Now, remembering scouts, form a plait, tucking the ends in underneath on the top and bottom.
10. With the remaining dough, I played around a did a few double twists and whole loaves.
11. Brush with the egg yolk/milk glaze and sprinkle with the almonds.
12. Bake in a 180 deg C pre heated oven for about 25 mins. They should be golden and sound hollow when you tap them underneath.
13. Leave to cool and transfer them to wire racks

Tags:recipes recipes baking recipes Greek

Warming Pea and Spinach Soup

I always keep frozen veggies on hand. They come in very handy when a quick meal is needed and can rescue a dull meal. My "always on" stand by frozen vegetables are peas. They're great for a quick pea mash to accompany a roast or grilled meat and I love their use in pasta. They're sweet, juicy and full of flavour. It's a vegetable that doesn't lose any nutrients from being frozen. I made a batch of this soup the other day and it was all done in about half an hour. I had some leftover mint and threw that in as well. Peas and mint are a classic combination and the flavours marry well together. A big hunk of crusty bread for dunking (and to make some cheesy croutons) and I was set. You may choose to add cream at the end for a bit of a "lift" but the soup also works well without it (so does my waistline!).

RECIPE FOR PEA AND SPINACH SOUP

• 2 cups of frozen peas
• 1 big bunch of coarsley chopped spinach leaves
• 1 small bunch of finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 small red onion finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic finely diced
• 2-3 cups of chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• a "splash" of cream

1. In a medium sized pot fry off the onion and garlic on a medium heat till they become translucent
2. Add the peas and give everything a good stir. At this stage you can also place in the mint leaves.
3. Add the chicken stock and let the peas simmer for 10-15 mins
4. Add the spinach towards the end and let it all soften
5. Whizz with a stab blender in the pot or use a blender or food processor
6. Add the splash of cream and salt and pepper and give it all a good stir

Top with cheesy coutons and serve. N.B. The croutons or toasts are very easy to make. Cut some small pieces of bread and top with parmesan or cheddar cheese and place under a griller to melt or alternatively bake in a hot oven for about 5 mins.

If I'm having guests over for dinner and I'm not serving a soup as a starter I serve this soup in a shot glass as a canape. Its a great way to receive "oohs and aaahhs" from your guests and it also warms them up a little (especially in the cooler months). Try it...its so easy!

On another note I got tagged by Pixie to play along in a meme. I had to compose a 6 word memoir about myself and tag some other bloggers in the process. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of memes myself, this one's quite quick and I suppose I can do it. I won't tag anyone else to play but what I'll do is give you a list of SOME (there are so many!!!) blogs that I really enjoy reading over my morning coffee here in Australia. If any of you are reading this then its up to you if you wanna play. There is no pressure at all! Ok here's my memoir:

• Hungry..all the bloody time
• Passionate...about all my activities
• Funny...when the occasion strikes
• Stubborn...my way or no way
• Ostentatious...you gotta stand out
• Talkative...love a chat..did I say how much I love to talk?..no really..I do!

• Heather from Gild The Voodoolily for the most entertaining read on the web. Ever. Period. (and her recipes are A++)
• Ben from What's Cooking for real Mexican food.
• Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska because I could eat at her place the whole year and never go hungry!
• Ivy from Kopiaste...right from her kitchen we get to see the Best and Tastiest Greek and Cyprian recipes
• Allen from Eating Out Loud because he always tries something different. His latest experiments with Indian cooking had me inspired!

Tags:recipes peas quick

Pixie from "You Say Tomatoh, I Say Tomayto" and Rosie from "Rosie Bakes, A Peace Of Cake" are holding a food blogging event titled "Putting Up". These lovely lasses are asking for us to submit recipes relating to home made preserves, jams, jellies, curds, butters etc... I recently had the pleasure of making my first curd using passionfruit. It was received with wonderful success and I enjoyed using it in a variety of sweet dishes. For this event I wanted to try something a little different. I searched long and hard and found a wonderful recipe from fellow Australian blogger Matt who writes a blog called Abstract Gourmet. He featured a wonderful jam made with bananas and I thought "Yes!".

First off, let me say that I was worried about sterilising the jar and lid. In the end it was quite easy, actually. I boiled them and once the water had drained I filled them with my banana jam mixture. Also, make sure you use a non reactive pot, like stainless steel when making the jam. This jam is absolutely delicious and very addictive. I made one batch and plan on a few more with some slight variations. Its wonderful over buttered hot toast and I think it would work well with scones. Make sure your bananas are quite ripe as their flavour will be stronger and the jam will be more pungent. The recipe has cinnamon added to it and I also used some vanilla bean to further enhance the flavour.


Banana Jam...everywhere!

RECIPE FOR BANANA JAM

• 4-5 medium to large ripe bananas
• juice of one lime
• 1 1/2 cup of castor sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 of a vanilla bean

1. Chop up your bananas in small chunky pieces and place in a bowl with the lime juice.
2. Bring the sugar and water to a boil over a medium heat.
3. Once the sugar syrup is bubbling away, lower the heat, add the chopped bananas and stir everything up.
4. Add the cinnamon and vanilla bean.
5. Keep stirring to make sure things don't get too sticky!
6. Keep an eye on things, (constantly stirring) for about half an hour.
7. The jam is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon and it sticks well.
8. Store in a sterilised jar.

Tags:recipes recipes Sweet Treats fruit

Chicken drumsticks with rosemary and lemon

The weather's gone haywire. Here we are midway through autumn and its gloriously warm with temperatures in the mid 20's. A few weeks ago I started to see brown and red leaves on the trees and today I see flowers in beautiful bloom! Anyway, I was in no mood for soups or stews so I decided to roast some chicken drumsticks. I could have done a "whole bird" but opted for those instead as I wanted a quick roast. Actually, if you're after a fantastic roast chicken recipe with great commentary head on over to "Gild the Vodoolily" and read Heather's post on the perfect roast chicken. Highly entertaining and delectably delicious!

I decided to roast the chicken "drummies" using rosemary, olive oil and cut lemon pieces. The flavour of rosemary is pungent and suits the chicken well. When the lemons roast in a hot oven they release all of their juice and create a lovely sauce combined with the olive oil. The final touch was to dot the drumsticks with some sun dried tomatoes approximately 15 mins before the they are due to come out of the oven. The sun dried tomatoes crisp up slightly and provide another element to the dish. I love picking up the drumsticks with my fingers and chewing through the perfectly cooked flesh and tasting the medley of flavours created by the oil, rosemary, lemons and tomatoes. Please note. This isn't a recipe as such. It's a "put together with whatever's on hand" type of meal. You could use other chicken parts, maybe substitute the rosemary for thyme or oregano. You could use some roasted capsicums instead of the tomatoes. You get the idea.

Packed with flavour

RECIPE FOR ROSEMARY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

• 4-5 chicken drumsticks
• 4-5 rosemary sprigs
• 1 whole lemon cut into 8ths
• a handful of sun dried tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C
2. Arrange all ingredients, except the sun dried tomatoes (add these about 15 mins before the taking the chicken out)
3. Cook for about 45 mins...keep a check on this because every oven is different
4. Let these rest for about 5 mins
5. Serve with some freshly steamed asparagus and crusty bread to mop up all the juicy goodness.

Tags:recipes recipes chicken quick herbs

Some of the ingredients for the recipe

Ben over at Whats Cooking is holding another food for plastic challenge this month. This is a fun event that also offers great prizes. You can't beat that can you? This month's challenge focuses on cooking something that you loved from your childhood or something that kids love. And because April is kids month, Tupperware (who are supplying the gift) are donating $1 of every sale to the boys and girls clubs of America (the bgca). A great cause!

I thought about cooking something that I loved from my childhood but there were so many choices! Instead, I opted to make something sweet that I have served for my friends' kids and make it often with great success. Honey and oat cranberry bites. The beauty of this sweet treat is that adults can enjoy it too. It has oats, honey, dried cranberries and the final touch is drizzled white chocolate! A nice little decadent touch.

Before it goes in the oven

RECIPE FOR HONEY AND OAT CRANBERRY BITES

• 250 g of unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2/3 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 cups of rolled oats
• 3/4 cup of triple sifted plain flour
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 100 g of white couverture chocolate , roughly chopped

1. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.
2. Place the butter, honey and brown sugar in a small pan and melt gently till it all starts to foam.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, flour and cranberries. Add the melted butter mixture and combine thoroughly.
4. Press the mixture into the lined baking pan, like in the second photo above.
5. Bake in the oven for 30 mins.
6. Let it cool and cut into small squares.

When melting the chocolate for drizzling, you may choose to use the "double boiler" method (place chocolate in a heatproof bowl on top of simmering pot of water) or use the microwave. I prefer the microwave. Just be sure to melt it in 30 second intervals on the HIGH setting. Once melted drizzle the white chocolate over the squares, using a piece of baking paper as the base to catch the leftover melted chocolate bits.
These will store in an airtight container for about 5 days.

Tags:recipes baking recipes recipes baking Sweet Treats

Steamed Baby Bok Choy

Time for some vegies. I have been craving steamed, green vegetables for a few days now. So, instead of heading down the asparagus/broccoli route I opted for some good ol' Chinese cabbage. Other wise known as bok choy or Pak choi. There are so many names and spelling variations of this vegetable I can't cope! Its very simple to make and very high in antioxidants and all those other good nutrients. Whilst is easy to pick up the phone and order this at a local Asian restaurant nothing beats making this easy delicacy at home.

Chinatown is about 10 mins walk away for me and I love going there to pick up foods, exotic ingredients and cooking utensils. I picked up the bamboo steamer (which will definetly be used for other future steaming) some Chinese spoons, chopsticks and bowls all for under $20. What a bargain. Today I picked up the baby variety of bok choy. Little cute miniatures. They're easier to eat and quicker to prepare. I paired them with some oyster sauce and fried eschallots/onions on top. Some steamed rice on the side and dinner was served!

STEAMED BABY BOK CHOY WITH OYSTER SAUCE

• 1 bunch of baby bok choy...my bunch had 5 in each
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• fried onions/eschallots (bought ready made form the Asian grocer)
• Steamed rice to serve

1. You may choose to cut the baby bok choy in half but I prefer them whole. Make sure you clean them thoroughly to remove any gritty bits in the stalks.
2. Boil a pan of water and when the water comes to a boil place your bamboo steamer with the clean bok choy over the water. Cover it with the lid and leave it for about 5-10 mins. (this will vary depending on the size of bok choy).
3. Heat the oyster, soy and sesame oil over a low gentle heat.
4. Pour over steamed bok choy
5. Garnish with fried onions

Tags:recipes asian quick

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