Rib Roast Served with Aussie Beer Bush Damper

Rib Roast

Ingredients:

6 beef ribs
6 eschallots
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbls of cracked black pepper
½ tbls raw sugar
440g can of chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of Rosemary
Pinch of salt
1 bottle of red wine
Olive oil
green beans


Method:

1. Trim the ribs of excess fat and then brown on all sides in a hot pan (that can be used in the oven) in the olive oil.

2. Once browned, remove ribs from pan (keep them warm). Add the eschallots and garlic cloves to the pan and brown those a little.

3. Put the ribs back in the pan, then sprinkle with the pepper, sugar, salt and give them a stir and then add the tomatoes.
4. Give it all a stir and bring to the boil then add the wine, bay leaves and the rosemary.

5. Stir it all again and bring to the boil. Put a tight fitting lid on the casserole dish and put in the oven at 160 degrees fan forced or about 180 normal and cook until fall apart tender – about 1 ½ half hours.

6. When cooked carefully remove the ribs from the cooking liquor, strain the liquor and put in a clean pot and bring to a firm simmer until it has reduced to a consistency you are happy with – probably reduced by ½ to a 1/3. While the sauce is reducing trim the gristly skin flaps from the ribs so that all you have left is just cubes of meat (the fat would have rendered during the cooking leaving the gristly skin and the bones will have fallen out during the cooking process and discarded when you strained the sauce.

7. Serve 3 or 4 pieces of the meat on a plate, spoon the sauce around and over the meat and serve with a side of steamed green beans. You could also serve with a mash of some kind or even some polenta however the rib meat is unctuous and rich and just fine with the beans.

Aussie Beer Bush Damper

Ingredients:

3 cups of self raising flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp of Akudjura powder – ground bush tomato
2 tsp native Mountain Pepperleaf powder
½ tsp of roasted ground wattle seeds
½ bottle of stout


Method:

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then gradually add the beer.

2. Mix with a wooden spoon until the mix comes together.
3. Turn out of the bowl and knead for several minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Form the dough into a round loaf shape and score the top of the loaf in six wedges. Put in a hot oven on baking paper on the tray or wire rack and cook at 200 degrees or 180 fan forced – spray with water and cook for about 25 – 30 minutes.
5. The damper is ready when it is crispy on the outside and sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out on a wire rack and cool or rip it apart straight away, slather it in butter and eat with a cup of tea

BBQ Baby Octopus with Greek Salad

BBQ baby octopus

Serves 4:

1.25kg baby octopus, cleaned
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
Lemon wedges
Greek salad, to serve

1. Squeeze lemon juice into a large bowl. Add squeezed lemon halves, olive oil, garlic, oregano and octopus. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or ideally over night.
2. Heat a barbecue flat plate over high heat. Add drained octopus and cook, turning regularly for about 5-10 minutes, or until octopus is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer octopus onto a large serving plate. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and Greek salad


Greek salad recipe

3 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved and sliced
1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
200g block of Greek style Fetta cheese, diced into cubes
100g Kalamata olives
1/2 bunch chopped continental flatleaf parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, Spanish onion, Fetta, olives and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Alexander & Taylor loves choc: Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

250g butter melted

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 eggs

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cups cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

100g dark chocolate, broken into squares

icing sugar to dust

1. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Stir in eggs until just combined.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into butter mixture. Fold through until just combined. Do not over mix.

3. Spread mixture into prepared tin and scatter the chocolate over the top.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until firm. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from tin and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar. Best served warm.

Lamb Cutlets With Garlic And Herbs

Lamb Cutlets With Garlic And Herbs

Ingredients:

50ml avocado oil
50ml balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic crushed
1tsp each chopped fresh oregano, thyme and curly parsley
½ tsp each cracked black pepper and salt
16 Lamb cutlets French trimmed

Method:

1. Place lamb in a shallow dish. Combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs and spices, mixing well and pour over the lamb. Refrigerate for 1 hour turning often.
2. Drain cutlets and reserve marinade. Grill over an open grill or in a heavy based pan till cooked as desired (around 3 minutes per side for medium rare) basting with marinade.
3. Serve with sautéed kale or spinach.


Sauteed Kale With Garlic, Chilli And Apple Vinegar

Ingredients:

450g kale, tough stems and centre ribs removed, leaves cut into 2½ cm strips
2tbs olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, sliced
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Pinch chilli flakes
1tbs apple vinegar or to taste
Sea salt

Method:

1. Cook kale in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just tender (about 5 minutes). Drain.
2. Heat oil in a heavy based pan until hot but not smoking. Sauté onion, then add garlic and chilli flakes. Stir, cooking until garlic is fragrant.
3. Reduce to medium heat and add kale. When warmed through, remove from heat and add vinegar and salt to taste.

Churros

Churros

Bring to boil:
100ml milk
100ml water
80gm butter
1 1/2 tablespoon caster sugar
pinch of salt

Once come to a boil, add:
125g of plain flour in, stir it hard until forms a dough, keep stirrring for 3-4 minutes to cook the dough andlumps.
Put in a food processor while warm.
Crack 3 eggs then whisk quickly.
Add n the food processor for 30 seconds until it is smooth and sticky paste.
Scoop it out and put in a piping bag and ready to fry in 180 degrees hot oil.


Hot Chocolate:

Boil hot water over saucepan

Melt 250g chocolate

Bring to boil:
800ml milk
2 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoon of Cocoa
Pour over melted chocolate.
Simmer hot chocoalte over boiling water.

Meringue

Meringue

Cook Time
Serves: 30 minutes Makes 15

Ingredients:
4 x eggwhites
1 x cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 x teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1 x teaspoon white vinegar
food colouring decorations

Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well until the mixture is glossy. Sift the cornstarch over the egg white mixture and fold through with the vinegar and add a few drops of food colouring. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Spoon a quarter of a cup of meringue mixture onto the trays. Sprinkle with decorations. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool in the oven.

Chocolate Cherry Slice

Chocolate Cherry Slice

200g milk chocolate chopped
150g butter, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup brown sugar1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 cup dessicated coconut
415g can stoneless black cherries in syrup, drained
2/3 cup dark chocolate bits

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees centigrade. Lightly greasea 20 x 30cm slice pan. Line base and two long sides with baking paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and butter. Stir over lowheat until melted and smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Cool slightly.
3. Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture. Stir in sugar, flour andcoconut through cherries and half the chocolate bits.
4. Spoon mixture into pan, smoothing top. Sprinkle with darkchocolate bits. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked when testd. Coolin pan for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Serve cutinto squares.