Buckwheat Rissoles - A Vegetarian Delight

I have such fond memories of buckwheat rissoles.   They were an established tradition in our family home - up there with fruitcake and lamb chops.   Strangely enough I've never attempted to make them, which given how much I like to eat them is a bit confounding.  The only explanation I can offer up is that buckwheat is not an ingredient you buy from your average grocery store (you should be able to find them in a natural or health store).  Also it looked very complicated as a little girl when I used to watch my older sister, Michelle, and my mother make them together.  So it was with delight that I found some buckwheat at the Healthy Options store, and decided it was now or never. 


Buckwheat is what they call a psuedocereal - that is, it seems like a wheat variety but it is not.  It is commonly grown in Russia and China.  The benefits of buckwheat are substantial.  It does not have any glutin, it is better for you than oats being rich in iron, zinc and selenium.  It is extremely helpful for those who suffer from Type II diabetes, and more generally, is great at reducing high blood pressure.  Although beware because some people are very allergic to it.  Traditionally, it has been a 'poor persons' food being eaten as a porridge (not very tasty cooked that way, I must say).  However, buckwheat is experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to its health benefits, and I hear buckwheat flour makes a great shortcrust pastry as well.


What I like most about buckwheat rissoles is that they are vegetarian, yet the nutty flavour of the buckwheat does tend to trick us into thinking the rissoles may have some meat in them.  As a child, it was great to learn that some meals can be meat-free.  This is a particularly good lesson to learn young considering our eating habits these days.  Unfortunately, we are reducing the portion of vegetables, and increasing the portion of protein (dairy products and meat), as well as eating more of the less efficient carbohydrates such as white rice and white bread (not to mention processed foods like crackers etc).  This practice has led to an increase of bad fat in our system, and as a result: clogged our arteries; increased our blood pressure; and, led to very unhealthy and alarming weight increases.  


With three out of four people in danger of becoming a diabetic, and obesity on the rise in the younger generations, as a society we need to re-educate ourselves on how to eat better and healthily.  Dishes like Buckwheat rissoles are fantastic as we can substitute the less efficient carbohydrates that we love to eat so much and still get that 'fullness' feeling, and also remember that we don't need to eat so much meat with every meal - particularly high fat meat!  


Anyway enough seriousness for this blog, and onto the buckwheat rissoles ...  They take about 45 minutes to make, I fried them like flat rissoles, and stored them in the oven on a low heat until ready for serving.  They retain a nice softness in the middle, and therefore texturally are very pleasing.  I  would also recommend they be served for lunch rather than dinner, and they are excellent to have cold for lunch the next day with salad, or just a nice snack.  Since it was my first time to make them, I strictly followed the recipe.  Next time though I may add some Indian spices like cumin, ground coriander, and some curry powder, to jazz them up a bit.  They are great to take on a picnic as well!


Ingredients
1 cup buckwheat
1 and 1/2 cups water (I used 2 cups)
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
2 tblspns soya sauce
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 egg
1 cup wholemeal flour (I can't buy wholemeal flour so I had to use plain flour instead)
salt and pepper to taste


Method
Cook buckwheat in water like porridge for our about 10 minutes until soft.  I cooked the buckwheat at a relatively low heat given they are very absorbent and therefore it is easy to burn the bottom of the saucepan.  While the mixture is still warm, add other ingredients. Using a spoon and some flour make into a rissole shape.  Fry in some olive oil until both sides are nicely browned.  Pop in casserole dish in low heat oven until ready for serving.


Bon Appetit!  Here's to better healthy living ...

Free-Form Braised Leek Tart

It's no secret that one of my biggest weaknesses in life is books.  I simply love collecting them - recipe books included.  Over time though I've learned that not all recipe books are created equal.  They range from dull and uninspiring recipes, to over-the-top and impossible-to-make recipes with impossible-to-locate ingredients.  So the lesson is to choose your recipe books wisely!


I currently have two favourite recipe books, one of which I've blogged about before (Jaime Oliver) and the other is Stephanie Alexander's "The Cooks Companion".  Both of these could be seen as cooking bibles - the best of the best so to speak.  I now have a wider repertoire of dishes, and largely it has been due to these two books.  Thanks to Stephanie, I can now make the perfect hollandaise sauce!  Thanks to Jaime, I can now make a beautiful mayonnaise, and not to mention the ultimate in chocolate tarts!


The recipe I'm blogging about today, however, is an example of how recipe books can let you down, and cause a cooking nightmare!   I should have been wary of this recipe book, entitled 'Bite', from its presentation alone.  Firstly, it's way too sexy for a recipe book.  Beware the recipe book that relies on beautiful pictures of the finished dishes for every single dish.  In my experience, the best recipe books have twice as much text and fewer pictures.   Secondly, it portrays its recipes as 'really easy'.  This is the kind of recipe book designed for impulse buying - buyer beware!


It's not all bad though, I've tried a few recipes from the book, and they've turned out fine.  The Free-Form Braised Leek Tart was a different story altogether.  I should have known because I've often said how much I dislike making pastry so 'free-form' seemed too good to be true.  And also I've never had 'free-form' pastry in any restaurant.  There's a good reason, I don't think there is such a thing!  However before I start my sad story, I'll give you the recipe because it is actually good (without the free-form element), mainly because it uses one of my favourite vegetables - the humble yet glorious leek.


Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
1 tsp olive oil
2 peeled and chopped red onions
500g Australian Leeks (cut into 3-4 cm lengths) - I bought mine from Santis Delicatessen
1 sprig of chopped Thyme
100ml of white wine
100ml of vegetable stock
55g grated parmasen cheese


Baking Cream Custard
200mls heavy double cream
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


Method
Roll pastry out to about 0.3cm thick.  Line a 16cm square baking tart tin, fill with rice, and blind bake for 15 mins.  Remove weights and cool tart shell. Heat oil over low heat, add onions, leek and thyme. Cover and cook over low heat until onions are soft.  Add wine and stock, and continue to simmer until leek is just tender.  Leave to cool.


Prepare baking cream custard.  Combine cream, eggs, salt and pepper in mixing bowl and mix well.


Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Arrange leek in tart shell, and pour baking cream custard over.  Bake for about 20 mins or until custard is set.  Sprinkle with cheese before serving.


My sad story continued ...
Well my sad story is all about the pastry, of course.  I've changed the recipe above so that you will be using a tart tin.  The original recipe suggests you cut a 16 inch square and then bring the sides up and pop it into the oven to blind bake.  The only problem is that as soon as you put it in the oven the sides just simply fall down (butter is not very strong when it's hot after all)!  I had to resort to using four glasses to prop up the sides - it was only kind of successful though.  My leek tart had become a 'leak' tart instead!

The end result was that when I poured in the baking custard in it slowly trickled out of one of the corners and onto the floor of the oven.  In the end, my poor tart was missing half of the baking cream custard by the time it was ready to come out!!!!  As you can see from the photo of the finished tart there was still some filling left, but a very disappointing result.  Other than that it is actually a very good recipe!


I really loved the use of the leeks because it brought out their sweet flavour, and also showcased them as the main centre piece.  Too often leeks are relegated to be soup or casserole bases, and they really do have a wonderful taste all by themselves.  So this is a recipe I will try again albeit with a tart tin next time around.  Free-form indeed!!!  I'll leave that one up to the pastry chef experts!


Bon Appetit!

Spanish Potato Omelet (Tortilla a la Espanola)

Now and then you come across a new dish or flavour that is simply unforgettable and blows you away.  It doesn't happen very often, but when it does you remember it for the rest of your life.  For example, one of the earliest memories I have is eating a mango at four years old.  I thought I had never tasted anything so delicious and succulent.  My love affair with taste and food had begun. 


My last unforgettable food experience was in Spain a few years ago.  I recall we had just arrived in Madrid, and had decided to take a stroll.  Most of the cafes were closed but we found a plain looking establishment with dirty tables and jarring electronic music (it was a Sunday morning).  Spanish food was not a cuisine that I was familiar with (except for the odd Paella out) so I really had no idea what I was ordering.  Tortilla a la Espanola is one of the most common tapas dishes so we ordered it and waited.  When it arrived it looked fairly ordinary, like a simple potato omelet, but after one bite I fell in love!!!  The taste and the texture is a perfect mixture between egg and potato.  It feels like velvet in your mouth, and the potatoes take on a wonderful creamy and moist texture.  I didn't know potato could taste THAT good!


So what makes Tortilla a la Espanola so delicious?  It is the softness of the potatoes that have been slowly boiled in a beautiful olive oil and onion infusion, combined with the creaminess of the eggs.  It truly is a dish which is going to be eternally delicious. 


I loved it so much I was determined to make it when I got home.  But making it authentically was not easy.  As it was such a simple dish I had erroneously assumed it would be pretty easy to knock up.  Think again!  Dozens of potatoes and failed dishes later, I was beginning to think I'd never be able to re-create my Spanish experience.  Not to be deterred, I scoured the Internet for different recipes and techniques (there are many), and after countless misses, I finally hit the jackpot! So here it is ...


Ingredients
1 cup of olive oil (it's very important to use high quality olive oil - no substitution allowed)
4 large potatoes - sliced (not too thin - you don't want crispy potatoes)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 large eggs


Heat the oil in an 8 or 9-inch skillet or stainless steel frying pan until it is close to boiling.  Add the potato slices one at a time so they don't stick together.  Alternate layers of potato and onion.  Salt the layers slightly.  (It is important for the potatoes to be covered in oil so if not then you need to add more oil.)


Reduce the heat (medium temperature) and slowly boil the potatoes (rather than frying), lifting and turning them, until they are tender (but not brown).  The potatoes should remain separated and not in a cake.  Drain the potatoes and reserve about 3 tblspns of the oil.


In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are slightly foamy.  Salt to toast.  Add the potatoes to the egg mixture - pressing down so that they are completely immersed by the egg.  Leave for 15 minutes. 


Wipe out skillet, scraping off any stuck bits.  Add two tblspns of the oil in hot skillet until the oill smokes.  Then turn the heat down a bit (from maximum temperature to a moderate temperature) and add potato and egg mixture.  When it browns, flip it over and cook the other side.


HINTS:  The tricky part is actually knowing when to flip.  When you think about it, egg doesn't take very long to go brown, particularly when it's in a hot frying pan.  If you leave it too long it will burn, as I found out on numerous occasions.  So I flip it very quickly -  after about 30 seconds or so (if it's not brown you can always flip back later). After all, the key to success is for the potatoe and egg mixture to retain its moisture inside the pancake, and that won't happen if you overcook it.  (If you look at the photo, you will see the outside is cooked while inside is still runny - that's how it must be). 


Now onto the next hint, how do you successfully flip a potato pancake?  Well, I take a plate, put it on the top of the frying pan and then flip the frying pan and plate.  Once the mixture is safely out and on the plate, I slide it back into the skillet uncooked side first. 


I would recommend everyone try this recipe.  It takes a bit of practicing but once you get the hang it is actually easy.  It is a nice little side dish, I promise it will become a favourite and if you get it right you won't ever order it in a spanish restaurant again (because you can make a more authentic version). 


It's pretty versatile as well.  We had it last with some fried sausages, and oven-baked baby zuchinni and tomatoes.  Yummy! It is also delicious cold, and can be served alongside a salad and cold cuts on a hot day. So if you want an unforgettable food experience, try it out!


Bon Appetit!

Homemade Potato Gnocchi

I bought a pasta maker two years ago with the romantic intention of making homemade pasta!  Unfortunately, I have never used said pasta maker.  There are a number of GOOD reasons for this!  The most pertinent reason being that instant pasta is still delicious so you often think - why bother?  The secondary reason being that making pasta is just damn scary when you think about all that fussing around!  However, a goal is a goal, and I knew one day I would have to fulfill my romantic desires, and attempt homemade pasta. 


I love my spaghetti bolognese and lasagna using the instant kind of pasta, and so they were not an option.  The natural choice for my new experiment was Gnocchi!  I reasoned when I had bought instant or even pre-made Gnochhi from the grocery store in the past I've always been disappointed.  The product seems too floury and hard - too processed.  So when Jamie Oliver promised me a basic recipe for the lightest potato gnocchi, I said yes to the naked chef!


I will not be posting the recipe on-line due to copyright laws, however I found a very similar recipe online here .  The secret to the recipe is to bake the potatoes beforehand instead of boiling them. It seems dry potatoes are the key to successful gnocchi!  Jamie also suggested a little test - once you have formed the basic dough (it's quite easy and very quick), then you can put a small ball into a pan of boiling water - if it falls apart it's too watery and you have to add some more flour.  I rolled my gnocchi up, chopped it into 1 inch pieces, and refrigerated it for an hour to set.  The result was exactly as promised - beautiful light gnocchi - so much better than the processed store variety.  


A few hints - I don't have a ricer to mash the potatoes so I used a fork instead (just like the italian grandmas).  Also once the gnocchi comes out of the fridge you should cook a small batch only or your first attempt.  Even though it was suggested that I boil the gnocchi for 4 minutes, I found that was too long and the first batch disintegrated before my eyes.   After a few minutes of pouting, feeling depressed and sorry for myself, I decided to reduce the boiling time to 2.5 minutes on the next batch, and it was perfect!  (Maybe what I would call  'sausage size' width is much different to the naked chef ;-)   Jokes aside - we served it out with Osso Bucco, a speciality dish that my partner makes often and very well, and it was sooooo satisfying.  We felt so filled up and warm at the end of the meal - much better than the old potato mash or rice.


I will definitely try some more variations of potato gnocchi (there is a version without egg) before I stay loyal to this recipe - but it was the best gnocchi I've ever had (maybe it tasted better because I'd made it).  


Thanks Cook with Jaime for making sure my first homemade pasta experience was a great one.  Now, onto that pasta maker ... 


Bon Appetit!

Delicious Lemon Pudding

I love finding a good recipe, and it's even better when it comes for free.  For example, I found this recipe for a lovely, light lemon pudding in the recipe book of an old family friend (Aunty Doreen). It is extremely easy to make, and very quick if you have an electric beater.  It will probably serve about three people (four if the portions are tiny).  When it comes out of the oven, it looks fantastic - just like a souffle.  I like to serve it with one scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and then eat it up straight away although the consistency of the pudding means it will taste just as nice served up cold the next day.

Delicious Lemon Pudding

2 eggs (separate egg whites from yolks)

1 tbsn butter (although I used 1 and a 1/2 tbsns)

3/4 cup of sugar (I don't like my pudding to be too sweet, so I reduce this to half cup)

juice of one lemon and grated rind (make sure it is finely grated)

2 tbsn self raising flour (if you don't have SR flour, use plain flour and add 1/4 tspn of baking powder)

1 and 1/4 cup of milk

Beat egg whites until stiff (peaks have formed).  Leave aside.  In a bigger bowl, cream the butter, sugar and SR flour.  (Due to the small amount of butter it is hard to 'cream' but just make sure it is well mixed and at the very least should look like fine bread crumbs.)  Add the juice of the lemon,  milk, rind and egg yolks.  (I also add one drop of vanilla essence.)  

Gradually add the egg whites and bake in 180 degrees for approx 45 mins to 1 hour.  I put my pudding dish in a bigger dish and then pour hot water into the bigger dish so it comes to approx half way up the side of the pudding dish.   However, you can just put the pudding dish in the oven by itself.  It's quite a smallish pudding so choose your pudding dish accordingly.

HINT:  the fragility of this pudding means that the top is going to brown very quickly.  I check the pudding at about 30 mins and if it is brown on top (very likely) I pop some alfoil on top .  When it comes out of the oven, it will look and taste just like a souffle.  Word of warning, do not poke it before you show it off or before serving, or it will pop and deflate very quickly (which I did this time but will know better next time).

It looks so impressive when it is served, and it tastes so beautiful and light.  A sure winner for impressing your beloved and showing them how much you adore them.  (It is also very quick - it takes maximum of 15 to 20  mins in preparation time.)  

Next time I am going to try to put the mixture into individual pudding dishes and see how it goes.

Bon Appetit!