Bits and Pieces

These are all the bits and pieces that are quite essential to some recipes and are fun to make.

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Home-made ‘Tobasco’ Style Chilli Sauce
1 cup fresh chillis (can use all red or all green, or combo)
1 375ml bottle good quality white vinegar (Mccormacks is good and has a drip control)
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove garlic

Bash and bruise chillis in mortar and pestle. Soak in some cold water for an hour. Drain. Blend chillis with garlic, salt and a little vinegar, as fine as possible. Soak in vinegar for 24 hours in a bowl in the fridge (keep bottle!). Using a funnel and fine sieve, strain chillis into the empty vinegar bottle, sqeezing all the juice out with back of spoon. Top up with water. Done

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Pizza Dough
Homemade pizza dough is great and quite easy to make. This recipe is from a friend in Perth whose kids learned it from their teacher at school. Thanks Melinda!

1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups flour (can use white flour or wholemeal, or half-half)

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a large mixing bowl and stir. Add flour. Mold together in bowl until it kinda resembles some sort of shape. Pour out onto a floured surface. Knead* for about 5 minutes until firm and smooth. You made need to add more water or more flour depending on the humidity of the day. You want the dough to be firm and not crumbly but not sticky when you touch it. Place back in bowl, cover with cling wrap and rest for an hour (you can actually omit this part and use it without waiting at all, but i think it is a better taste if you can leave it). Divide into 3 or 4 parts, roll out thinly on a floured surface and top with your favourite topping. Bake in an oven for 20 minutes at about 200oC or until the edges are brown.

*To knead, use the palm of your hand. Push the dough down with your palm then give it a slight turn with your wrist and as you do slightly fold the dough over. Repeat until done. Do not punch it, slap it, stomp it etc. If you over knead it, it will become too hard and crunchy.

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Preserved Lemons

These are very easy to make but difficult to buy. They add a great flavour to stews and casseroles. Originally used in North African food.

Flake salt
Lemons
A large sterilised jar

Slice lemons in quarters. Put a layer of salt on the bottom of the jar. Add a layer of lemons. Add another layer of salt, followed by another layer of lemons. Continue until jar is full. Top up jar with lemon juice until almost full. Leave in pantry for 3 weeks.

When using preserved lemons, remove flesh and pith and use the skins only.

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Tasty Spring Vegetables

A selection of greens to serve 4 people such as asparagus, broccolini, green beans, broad beans, snap peas etc.
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
A few handfuls of toasted pine nuts*
A splash of dry white wine (optional but does make a difference)
Flakes of Parmesan cheese

Trim ends of vegetables if necessary but try to leave them whole. Place vegetables in a tray and cover with boiling water. Drain after about two minutes. Cook garlic in pan with some oil for a couple of minutes. Add vegetables, lemon juice and wine. Cook for a minute or two. Place vegetables and any juice into serving dish. top with pine nuts and cheese. Serve.

*To toast pine nuts, place them into a dry fry pan on low-medium heat and stir constantly until lightly browned. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven, but i find they are very easy to burn in this method.

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Stock

When I first made my own stock I finally realised why all the celebrity chefs insist on making their own. It makes an enourmous difference to the meal if you are cooking a dish that depends on it like a Risotto, casserole, soup etc. I find it good fun to make and you can boil it down and freeze it for months. There really is no fixed recipe for stock. Add whatever vegetables you need to use, although the onion, celery and carrot, I think are essential.

5 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, roughly chopped
4 onions, roughly chopped
3 dried bay leaves, roughly chopped
1 bunch parsley stalks, roughly chopped.
4 dried bay leaves
10 black peppercorns

Put all ingredients into a large stockpot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 2 hours. Drain, discard vegtables and keep stock. To freeze, reduce it down on the stove to fit into appropriate containers and place into the freezer. This recipe should make about 4 litres.

To make beef stock or lamb stock, use the above recipe but add 1kg beef/lamb bones. To make chicken stock, use the above recipe but add a small whole chicken.

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Very Easy Hommus
For the sake of ease, this recipe uses canned chickpeas. I also cook the garlic to reduce garlic breath.

1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 small red chilli, finely chopped (use pepper if you or your friends have issues with chilli)
The juice of 2 small or one large lemon
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup water

Saute garlic and chilli in oil on medium heat until just browned. Add cumin seeds and stir for 5 seconds. Add mixture into mortar and pestle and crush (use the back of your knife you don’t have a mortar and pestle). Place all ingredients into a blender (I use a hand blender for this one). Blend until pureed. Serve.