food

singapore chilli crab

March 23, 2014

This recipe is in my recipe folder and is used so frequently the page has crab splatters all over it. Kind of gross, yes, but also evidence of how often I cook it and how totally awesome it is. Afraid I don’t know where it originally came from, but it is the very best (and most authentic) version I have ever made. I once made it for 13 people, which almost killed me. Much easier to make it for 4.

SINGAPORE CHILLI CRAB

Ingredients

2 (600g) mud crabs
1/3 cup peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 red chillis, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped

for sauce
¼ cup tomato sauce (yes, the sweet one in the bottle!)
¼ cup chilli sauce (the smooth red one you can now get in supermarkets as well as Asian grocers)
1 tablespoon white sugar (or honey)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup chicken stock
2 eggs beaten, optional*
3 spring onions, sliced

Method

Pull back the “apron” of the crab and remove the feathery gills. Cut the crab into quarters and crack the larger claws.

Heat oil in a wok until very hot. Fry crabs until their colour changes to orange. Remove and set aside.

Add garlic, ginger and chillis to oil. Fry for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook a further two minutes.

Combine sauce ingredients and add to wok. Simmer for a couple of minutes and return crab. Toss to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for a minute. Add egg and shallots and toss to combine.

Serve immediately with rice (or sweet white buns as they do in Singapore)

*The eggs will thicken the mixture.

slow roasted lamb ‘greek-style’

March 2, 2014

Oh god you can’t imagine how amazing this is. Crisp, toasy top and soft juicy meat in the centre. Lemony goodness. Yum. Have made it about 5 times in the last 2 weeks!

SLOW ROASTED LAMB ‘GREEK STYLE’
Recipe by: A taste.com.au member

Ingredients

2kg leg or shoulder of lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
12 oregano sprigs
1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
2 red onions, quartered
12 kipfler potatoes, halved lengthways*
2 lemons, quartered
1 cup (175g) kalamata olives

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the lamb in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Use a small, sharp knife to cut small slits, about 2cm deep, over the surface of the lamb. Place a slice of garlic and oregano sprig in each slit.

Drizzle the chicken stock and wine around the lamb and cover with foil. Cook in preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and spoon pan juices over the lamb. Arrange the onion, potato, lemon and olives around the lamb. Cover with foil and roast for a further hour.

Remove the foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until lamb is golden brown and very tender. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and set aside for 15 minutes to rest.

Thickly slice the lamb and arrange on serving plates with onion, potato and olives and drizzle with pan juices. Serve immediately.

* I am trying to avoid starchy carbs at the moment so you’ll notice in this image I have used carrots instead of potatoes. Still beautiful 🙂

gluten free chocolate olive oil cupcakes

February 20, 2014

When you have a super sweet tooth like me you find yourself baking loads of cakes. Appalling for the waistline, but freaking delicious!!

Since I started eating wheat, gluten, dairy and sugar free (essentially a Paleo diet) I despaired of ever eating anything tasty again. As you can see by most recipes on here that hasn’t been the case (thank god).

When I say sugar free I mean the nasty refined version. In very limited quantities I enjoy honey, maple syrup, organic coconut sugar and those kinds of things.

These cupcakes are a Nigella Lawson recipe, but I subbed honey where she uses sugar and made them as cupcakes, rather than a cake (to trickle the treats rather than having me eat the whole cake).

Husband took some to work and all declared you wouldn’t know these were ‘free’ of anything!

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CUPCAKES
Recipe by: Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
⅔ cup regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
6 tablespoons good-quality unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
½ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons best vanilla extract
1 ½ cups almond meal
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 cup honey
3 large eggs

Method
Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325ºF. Grease a 22 or 23 cm/ 9inch springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking paper (or place patty pans in cupcake tray like I did – you don’t have to grease anything, just pop them in).

Measure and sift the unsweetened cocoa into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.

In another smallish bowl, combine the almond meal with the baking soda and pinch of salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.

Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.

Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.

Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a pudding.

Enjoy,
CC xx

grandma’s famous meatballs

February 18, 2014

Only pictures at this stage. Recipe to follow. Made with my homemade tomato sauce

homemade tomato sauce

February 16, 2014

Inspired by a recent viewing of River Cottage I have been making batch after batch of tomato sauce.
Tomatoes seem to be quite cheap at the moment too so I am taking advantage while it lasts.
This is SO easy, SO tasty and SO versatile. You can use it for a million different dishes which obviously is extremely handy when you are time poor and looking for quick and healthy dinners.

* disclaimer – I am notorious for not following recipes and for making things up as I go along. Please excuse lack of measurements in recipes. If you are not confident about something please just comment and I’ll reply with more details 🙂

Homemade tomato sauce
Tomatoes
Garlic
Basil
Brown sugar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Spray a flat baking tray with olive oil or rub with olive oil on paper towel.
Cut tomatoes in half and place cut side up on baking tray.
Peel and roughly chop garlic.
Sprinkle chopped garlic over top of tomatoes.
Drizzle tomatoes generously with olive oil.
Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Place in oven and bake for 20 mins or until tomatoes start to brown. Make sure they (especially the garlic) don’t burn or it will make your sauce taste bitter.