L is for Lemongrass, Lychees and Lembongan!

I have just got back from a beautiful trip to Bali with my two of my girlfriends, we had a fab time with many wonderful foods and drinks. Highlights were definitely 3 nights on Nusa Lembongan, which is a less inhabited island about 25 minutes ferry ride away - great sunsets, snorkelling and relaxation time. Another highlight was the Village Burger at Bali Ayu Hotel - the idea of banana, pineapple and avocado in your beef burger may sound weird but trust me its life changing. Also many other authentic Balinese dishes in between cocktails and pool time made for an amazing adventure. Take me back to Bali any day!

Here are a couple of recipes that I love that take me back there

Balinese seafood skewers 
(thanks Gourmet Traveller)

300 gm skinless snapper or flathead fillet, boned, coarsely chopped  

300 gm uncooked medium prawns, peeled  

80 gm (1 cup) desiccated coconut, moistened with 60ml coconut milk or water  

5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced  

1 tbsp dark palm sugar (see note)  

10 thin lemongrass stalks, cut into 15cm lengths, for skewers (see note)  

Pinch of brown sugar mixed with 60ml vegetable oil, for brushing    

 

Spice paste  

1 vine-ripened tomato, coarsely chopped  

25 gm (5cm piece) each ginger and fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped  

4 each long red chillies and red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped  

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped  

3 small golden shallots, coarsely chopped 

5 candlenuts (see note)  

2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped 

 2 tsp coriander seeds  

1 tsp shrimp paste (see note) 

 ½ tsp black peppercorns, finely crushed  

80 gm (¼ cup) tamarind pulp, mixed with 60ml water, strained, solids discarded  

50 ml vegetable oil

Method

For spice paste, process ingredients (except tamarind paste and oil) in a food processor until a fine paste forms, adding a little water if necessary. Add oil and spice paste to a frying pan over medium heat and stir-fry until fragrant (5-6 minutes). Add tamarind and stir frequently until paste is golden (3 minutes), then set aside to cool.

Process fish and prawns in a food processor until just blended, then transfer to a bowl and mix with coconut, lime leaves, palm sugar and spice paste. To test the flavour, fry a little mixture in oil until cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste if required, then mould heaped tablespoons of mixture onto one end of lemongrass stalks.

Heat a char-grill pan over high heat. Grill satay, turning and brushing occasionally with brown sugar and oil mixture, until golden and cooked through (5-6 minutes each side). Serve hot.

Note Dark palm sugar is made from the coconut palm; in Indonesia it’s called gula Jawa. If lemongrass is unavailable, you can use bamboo paddles or wooden chopsticks as skewers. Soak them in water for 20 minutes then dry them before using. Candlenuts are available from Asian grocers. Shrimp paste, known as terasi in Indonesia, is available from Asian grocers. It requires roasting before use: preheat oven to 200C, wrap shrimp paste in foil and roast until fragrant (5 minutes).

Lychee sorbet (mix with vodka and its an instant margarita...)

60 grams sugar

300 grams lychees (canned, frozen in ice cube trays with juice)

1 egg white

350 grams ice cubes

Place the sugar into the TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 

Add the lychee ice followed by the 350 grams of ice and egg white. Slowly turn the speed dial to speed 10. Use the spatula to assist in the incorporation of the lychee with the ice.

This, like all thermie sorbets, is best eaten the day you make it!

I scream for icecream!

I know I have already done "I" in my posts, but I read an article once about the top ten foods you should not eat, along with soft drinks and potato chips, and other junk was ice cream - sad but true! BUT here is a recipe that one of my longest time friends Kate introduced me to that I love that is not only healthy but actually tastes awesome too.

Some tips - if its too healthy for you, add a handful of dark choc drops for extra yum. Peel, quarter and freeze your bananas the night before to make life easier. If your dinner guests are not in to healthy, see if they can guess what its made of...

"Chocolate Ice Cream"

3 medium bananas – frozen, peeled, chopped
1 ripe avocado
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 cup cacao powder

Add all ingredients to Thermomix, blender or food processor and blend (TMX Sp 9 approx 1 min) until thick and smooth. Stir through choc drops if you are adding. Serve instantly. Sharing optional.

K is for Kale

Kale is the latest buzz with all those crazy hipsters out there who seem to think they invented eating clean and raw foods, but if you are not the sort that wants your smoothie green there are plenty of other ways to get the benefits of kale. Research shows it contains all the goodness you need for things such as lowering cholesterol, lowering cancer risks, detoxing, and many more.

If you dont mind a kale smoothie, my favorite is
1 banana
3 large kale leaves (no stalk)
1 cup peppermint tea (cooled)
2 tbsps plain yogurt
1/2 cup ice

If you are just trying kale for the first time, or prefer it mixed with other flavors then this recipe is delicious

Kale salad with roast cauliflower and chickpeas

• Olive oil spray 
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 small head cauliflower
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bunch roughly chopped kale
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Lightly spray a frypan with olive oil and toss pinenuts until golden. Set aside. On a baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and black pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes until golden around edges. Meanwhile, blend (TMX, 1 min/Sp 7) tahini, lemon juice, 2 tbsp of oil, 3/4 cup water, salt and black pepper, until thick and creamy. On a baking sheet place the kale, chickpeas and red onion and bake for 10 mins. Top with cauliflower, sprinkle with pinenuts, and pour over tahini dressing. Serve warm with roast chicken, steak or just by itself even is delicious!

J is for Jerusalem Artichoke

Well overdue blog post! So much has happened since my last post in November, I have just got back from a trip to New Zealand for Rippon (Fat Freddy's was definitely a highlight), Wellington 7's (dressed as Amy Winehouse - how appropriate), and many merry catch ups with family and friends. I got to visit some of my favorite food spots again including Kai Whaka Pai in Wanaka, Fidel's in Wellington and good old Fergburger in Queenstown. Huge thanks to Maria for putting PVC and I up in Wanaka - though I am pretty sure she wasn't complaining about the number of platters made without even having to ask!

Back here in Melbourne - the puppy is growing (and teething - I found a tooth on the bedroom floor today), work is hectic, and most importantly our touch rugby team "Can't Touch This" just took out the C grade grand final for Royal Park Touch, WOOHOO GO TEAM! I have also been thermomixing up a storm, with a variation on my Grainy Awesome Bread (check the comments section), a delicious white bean dip, and cookies that were supposed to be gluten and dairy free until I added white choc chips... ooops!


For J I have picked a Jerusalem Artichoke - these root veg are high in minerals including iron, magnesium, and potassium, and B vitamins, and they are tasty too. They look kind of like ginger or a white yam. We used them in a Spanish cooking class at Raw Materials, which I have now done twice and would highly recommend if you have a day to fill in Melbourne - great fun and value, you get an awesome feed and learn to make a paella too.

Honey Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes, Pear and Ricotta salad

(Note this recipe serves a big crowd, you may want to halve)

1kg Jerusalem artichokes
3 brown pears
2tbs Honey
300g Fresh ricotta cheese
100g Pistachio nuts (roasted)
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Olive oil


Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Wash artichokes and trim off any dark bits. Cut into wedges. Place into a bowl and drizzle a little oil, salt and pepper. Add honey and mix well. Place on an oven tray and into the oven for 35 minutes. Wash the pears and cut into wedges, removing core, leaving the skin on. Coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a second oven tray and into the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Mix pears with artichokes. Crush pistachios and sprinkle over with roughly chopped parsley. Gently break up ricotta cheese over the mixture, add salt, pepper and a dash of honey. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve.