Maggie Plum is renovating

I have had a lot of fun tinkering around with this site over the past couple of months. It has been fantastic cooking new recipes and taking photographs of the dishes – especially with my sister. I have been really touched to hear when recipes have been tried and were a success – and especially chuffed by Katrina’s mission to cook each recipe I post!!

Behind the scenes a renovation has been slowly rumbling though our house. I have decided to take a breather from Maggie Plum while we build a kitchen around my dream oven!

However, while all this is going on, I will work on a special Christmas post with ideas for the festive season. This will be up mid-December.

I am really looking forward to posting recipes once a week again in summer. Stay tuned!

Lemongrass chicken on hokkien noodles

There are lots of ways to play around with this dish – during the week I made it twice – once with steamed bok choy sprinkled with spring onions and tonight with brocollini and roasted peanuts. Both versions worked well. It would also be great served with rice.

Ingredients
2 sticks of lemongrass, outer leaves removed, tender pale middle section roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
generous thumb sized piece of ginger
2 birds exye chillies, seeded
4 shallots (pickling onions)
vegetable oil
800 grams chicken thigh fillet, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 packet fresh hokkien noodles
1 bunch brocollini, chopped in half lengthwise
4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped

Method
Roughly chop the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and onions and pop into the small bowl of the food processor along with the chilli. Process until finely chopped and set aside.

Chop chicken into bite sized pieces.

Boil water, pour over noodles.

Heat a wok until hot, add a dash of oil and fry together the lemongrass mixture for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Cook chicken in a couple of batches (another splash of oil may be needed). At this stage the chicken needs to be browned but not cooked through.

Return all batches of chicken to the wok along with the lemongrass. Sprinkle in brown sugar and one teaspoon of salt cook for a couple of minutes while the chicken caramelises.

Meanwhile prepare brocollini by bringing a saucepan of water to the boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and the brocollini. Cool for about three minutes, or until the stalks are just tender. Drain and set aside.

Add the oyster sauce and one tablespoon of water to the chicken. Stir though then cover for about three minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens a little. Drain noodles.

To serve – divide noodles into bowls top with brocollini and chicken. Scatter with peanuts and coriander.

Serves 4

Adapted from lemongrass chicken on rice vermicelli published in Gourmet Traveller – September 2001

Pasta shells with pork ragu and parmesan cream

This recipe had me at ‘parmesan cream’. If you can’t track down extra large pasta shells (from Italian delis like the Mediterranean Supermarket on Sydney Road in Melbourne) cook up small shells or spiral pasta and pour a layer of the lovely rich ragu over the top.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely diced
60 grams pancetta, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
500 grams pork mince
1 tablespoon plain flour
400g tomato passata
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt flakes and ground pepper
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
250 grams extra large pasta shells

Parmesan cream
150 mls thickened cream
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
freshly grated nutmeg
salt flakes and ground pepper

Method
Finely dice the onion, pancetta, carrots, celery and garlic.

Heat a large saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and butter and add onion, pancetta, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook together for 10 minutes.

Add pork mince to the pan and cook until browned. Sprinkle flour over the mince, stir through and cook for 2 minutes.

Add passata, tomato paste, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and 300 ml water. Stir through, then simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes to thicken the ragu. Stir fairly regularly to ensure the ragu doesn’t catch.

Meanwhile place in a small saucepan the cream, 1 cup of parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Set aside.

Half way through the ragu cooking time, boil pasta shells until they are just cooked through (around 15 minutes). Drain then drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Allow to cool a little.

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Gently heat the small saucepan of parmesan cream until the mix is smooth.

Fill each pasta shell with the ragu then place in a baking dish. Spoon remainder of ragu over the shells. Drizzle with parmesan cream and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the golden.

Serves 4

Adapted from a recipe from Jill Dupleix published in Epicure Food and Wine Autumn 2011.

 

Baked ricotta with strawberry sauce

I tried a couple of recipes this week – but none passed the ‘blog worthy’ test – so I’ve shared the recipe for the cake I made recently for my sister’s birthday.

This is a terrific dessert – light in texture and elegantly flavoured. It is quick and easy to prepare and, as it doesn’t need to be served straight from the oven, may be made a couple of hours in advance.

Baked ricotta
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1kg ricotta
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated rind of an orange (juice this orange for the sauce)
60ml brandy
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain flour
icing sugar, for dusting

Sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
40ml red wine
1 orange, juiced
250g strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced (you may wish to reserve a couple of strawberries to decorate the top of the cake).

Method
Pre-heat oven to 170C.

Line an 18cm spring-form tin with baking paper. (Dot the inside of the tin with butter to keep the paper in place.)

Finely grate the rind of the orange. Set aside.

Lightly whisk the eggs. Set aside.

Mix sugar and marmalade in a food processor until a paste is formed. Add ricotta, vanilla, orange rind, brandy and eggs and process until mixture is well combined and smooth. Fold through flour.

Pour mixture into tin. Bake for an hour.

After an hour it will be slightly wobbly in the centre. Turn the oven off.  Leave baked ricotta in the oven, with the door ajar, until room temperature, by which time the middle will have firmed.

Strawberry sauce – Juice the orange. Combine sugar, wine and juice in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat for three minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries, turn down the heat a little, and cook until they are soft (around 20 minutes). Blend mixture in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavour if required.

To serve, dust the baked ricotta with icing sugar (top with strawberries if desired) and accompany with a small jug of strawberry sauce.

Serves 8

From Gourmet Traveller Simple

Thanks to Wendy – the birthday girl – for taking this picture.

Chilli con carne

A pot of chilli con carne will have a couple of meals sorted for the week ahead. It is a versatile dish which can be served with salsa and rice, rolled in a wrap and turned into nachos.

The more chilli adventurous will no doubt be keen to up the ante on the jalapinos and spice. Keep taste testing until you hit the right note.

Ingredients
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 green capsicum, finely diced
600g minced beef
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli (increase if you prefer a spicy dish)
1 teaspoon pickled jalapeno pepper, diced (up the jalapeno to suit your taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can kidney beans, drained
salt and papper
sour cream

Salsa
1 avocado, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1 bunch coriander
1/2 bunch spring onions, sliced
salt and pepper

Steamed rice
1 1/2 cups rice

Method
Dice onion, garlic, capsicum and jalapeno peppers – set each ingredient aside.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add onion and cook for around 5 minutes until the onion has softened.

Stir in garlic, capsicum and minced beef. Cook together over a fairly high heat for about 10 minutes, by which time the beef will be browned.

Add cumin, jalapeno peppers, dried chilli and sugar. Stir through.

Add red wine, bring to the oil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, the drained kidney beans and salt and pepper. Cook together over a low to medium heat for about 30 minutes. Check seasoning, add more chilli and jalapenos if required.

Rice – place rice in a saucepan add water to the level of the first joint in your index finger. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the water is absorbed and small holes appear on the surface of the rice. Cover. Reduce heat to very low and steam for about 20 minutes.

Salsa – chop all the ingredients, add lemon juice and mix together. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with salsa with a side of rice and of course a big dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4 (with leftovers)

From Jill Dupleix’s chilli con carne recipe published in The Age Epicure, 6 September 2011.

Soy beef salad

Light, bright and packed full of flavour. The type of meal you feel all the better for having consumed.

Ingredients
700g piece of eye fillet
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger, skin removed, finely diced
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 bunch coriander
2 red chillies, sliced
fried shallots (from Asian supermarkets)
cooked rice, to serve

Dressing
4 tablespoons oysters sauce
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon caster sugar

Method
Halve the beef fillet lengthwise. Marinate in soy sauce anywhere from 5 minutes to overnight – depending on the amount of time you have.

Prepare dressing – mix together the oyster sauce, lemon juice and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust flavours if necessary.

Thinly slice beef – around 5mm thick. Finely dice ginger.

Heat a frypan over a high heat, add olive oil. Throw beef in the pan sprinkle with ginger. Sear beef for a minute or so each side.

To serve, place a serving of rice and a handful of baby spinach leaves. Add beef, sprinkle with chopped chilli and coriander. Drizzle with sauce then top with fried shallots.

Serves 4

Adapted from Soy beef with tatsoi salad published in delicious. magazine March 2007.

Pepper steak with spring vegetables and pancetta

This is essentially an interesting twist on meat and three veg. Really well peppered steak works nicely with the salty pancetta and the spring vegetable medley.

Ingredients
2 bunches asparagus
olive oil
150g thinly sliced pancetta, roughly diced
1 onion, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 tablespoons water
12 marinated artichoke hearts
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 tablespoon butter
4 pieces steak
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped

Method
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cook asparagus until it is just cooked through (about 3 minutes for thin stalks and a couple of minutes extra for larger asparagus).

Roughly dice the pancetta. Finely slice the onion and dice the garlic. Chop artichoke.

Heat a frypan, add a dash of olive oil. Fry pancetta for a couple of minutes, until it starts to become crisp. Add onion and garlic, cook for about 6 minutes until the onion has softened.

Add water, artichoke, peas, asparagus and butter, stir. Just before serving, sprinkle with parsley.

Grind fresh pepper over steaks. Cook on the barbecue or in a frypan until the meat is to your liking.

Serve the peppered steaks over the spring vegetables.

Serves 4.

Adapted from September 2011 Gourmet Traveller.

Zucchini and lemon pasta

This super quick pasta dish is one of those “tastes better than it sounds” recipes. Technically I should have held this over until summer – but with the lovely weather this weekend, it seemed right to pop it up today.

Ingredients
350 grams fettuccine
olive oil
1 seeded and chopped red chilli (optional)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped/crushed
3 good sized zucchini, grated
2 lemons
parmesan cheese

Method
Cook fettuccini in boiling water until al dente.

While the pasta is bubbling away, prepare the pasta sauce ingredients – grate the zucchini, finely chop the chilli (if you are using it) and garlic, juice one lemon and finely zest around a teaspoon of rind and chop the second lemon into wedges.

Heat olive oil in frypan then add garlic and chilli, cook for around 2 minutes.

Add the zucchini and cook until it relaxes (around six minutes). Add lemon juice and rind and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once the pasta is cooked, grab a teacup and keep some of the water (this could be handy if the dish needs some moisture – especially when reheating leftovers), then drain.

Toss the zucchini through the drained pasta then serve in a big bowl in the centre of the table, or individually.

Finish with shaved parmesan and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

From Donna Hay’s Simple Zucchini in the short order section from Off The Shelf.

Lamb with wine, lemon and parsley sauce

This recipe is practically a shopping list of my favourite ingredients which work together to create a rich, hearty dish.

There is also an element of choose your own adventure. Depending on your cash and time reserves you can take the slow approach with a less expensive cut of lamb and allow the dish time to thicken and for the lamb to become tender – or if you are time poor but able to spring for a more expensive cut, the meal can come together pretty quickly.

The method explains the steps for the quicker version with the inclusion of the extra step and the addtion of stock for the slow cooked version.

Ingredients
olive oil
150g pancetta, diced
1kg lamb fillet/backstrap (for the quick version)
1kg stewing lamb – ie boned shoulder (for the slow cooked version)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/4 cups hot chicken stock (only required for the slow cooked version)
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method
Dice the pancetta. Fry in a large frypan or saucepan with a lid with a little olive oil, for about 5 minutes until it starts to become crispy.

Cube the lamb. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat.

When the pancetta is cooked, remove from the pan. Add a further splash of olive oil and brown the lamb in batches over a medium to high heat. After the last batch, return all the pancetta and browned lamb to the pan.

Add wine and chopped rosemary. Grab a wooden spoon and loosen the lovely browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium to low and cook, covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

FOR THE SLOW VERSION – at this point pour stock over the meat. Cover and cook for between 30 minutes to more than an hour – depending on how long the lamb is taking to become tender. Once the lamb is ready and the sauce is thickened, remove from heat.

Check to see if the meat is cooked. It may need another 10 or so minutes. When the lamb is ready turn off the heat.

Whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice and half the parsley, add to the lamb, stirring for a minute or two until the sauce thickens.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the rest of the parsley.

Lovely served with steamed veggies, rice, potato bake or even turned into a pie with a puff pastry top.

Serves 4.

From Cook by Kate McGhie.

Carrot and pumpkin soup

It is pretty hard to beat buttered toast soldiers (peacekeepers?) to dunk into soup. However, this interesting alternative – toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and dipped in dukkah is definitely worth trying.

You could buy the dukkah – or make some yourself – which is quick and easy. Leftovers will keep in an airtight jar.

Ingredients
olive oil
2 Spanish onions, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock*
1 kg butternut pumpkin, seeded, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Thick crusty bread, olive oil and dukkah to serve

Homemade dukkah
2/3 cup roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tsp flaked sea salt

Method
Peel carrots and chop into 1 cm pieces. Finely dice the onions.

Heat a large saucepan. Add olive oil and cook the carrots and onion together for about 8 minutes.

During this time finely dice the garlic and peel and dice the pumpkin into 2 cm pieces.

When the onion and carrots are softened add garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes.

Add stock and pumpkin. Bring to the boil then drop back to a simmer for 20 – 30 minutes (until the pumpkin is cooked through).

Cool then blend the mixture until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade dukkah
Coarsley chop hazelnuts in a food processor. Tip into a small bowl.

Heat a non-stick frypan and toast sesame seeds for a couple of minutes, then add to the hazelnuts. Add fennel and cumin seeds, heat for a couple minutes – they will make a cracking sound.

Add to the other mix then stir in sea salt.

Serve soup with sliced toasted bread, olive and dukkah.

Adapted from a recipe published in Gourmet Traveller 

* if using bought chicken stock consider using 1 litre of stock and 500ml water.

Falafel with yoghurt sauce

I like this recipe from Simon Bryant as it includes three types of fresh herbs with the spices. The falafels, tucked into pita bread with peppery rocket, fresh tomato and yoghurt sauce are delicious. Leftovers of this classic street food provide a great lunch during the week.

Ingredients
1 400g can chickpeas
1 onion, chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
5 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
3 tablespoons mint, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons plain flour
salt and pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
sesame seeds to coat (optional)
vegetable/olive oil for frying

Yoghurt Sauce
2 cups natural yoghurt
1 clove garlic, finely diced
salt

To serve
1 lemon, chopped into wedges
2 tomatoes, sliced
rocket/baby spinach leaves/lettuce
extra herbs, chopped
pita bread

Method
There are a couple of ways to approach this recipe – with a food processor/blender – and by hand.

Food processor: Blitz chopped onion, garlic, chillies, cumin and ground coriander. Process until the mix is combined and the onion and garlic is finely chopped. Add chickpeas and mix until they are mashed up but still slightly chunky.  Throw in the herbs as well as the salt and pepper. Add flour and baking powder and blitz to combine.

By hand: Mash up chickpeas with a fork or potato masher. Add finely diced onion, garlic and chillies. Mix in cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Add finely chopped herbs then the flour and baking powder. Stir well to combine.

Taste the mix and check the seasoning. Transfer to the fridge.

Meanwhile make the yoghurt sauce by combining fine diced garlic with yoghurt, add a sprinkle of salt. Prepare accompaniments (slice tomato, halve pita breads, wash greens, cut lemon into wedges). Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Roll mix into about 16 rounds, about the size of a golfball. Flatten slightly. Roll in sesame seeds if you wish.*

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Brown in batches. The oil needs to be quite hot otherwise the falafels may not keep their shape. Keep an eye on each batch – they cook quickly in the oil. Once both sides are browned, gently remove and place on a baking tray (lined with baking paper).

* If coating in sesame seeds – you may need to change the oil after each batch if the sesame seeds that have fallen off the falafel start to burn. I rolled my last batch in sesame for variety.

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes to cook through.

Serve falafels with pita pockets, extra herbs, greens, tomato, lemon wedges and zingy yoghurt sauce.

Makes 16 falafels.

Adapted from Simon Bryant’s falafel recipe featured on The Cook and the Chef , August 2009.

Jacket potatoes topped with mince and butter beans

This meal is fantastic winter comfort food. The addition of veggies in the mince justifies an extra large dollop of sour cream, in my book.  Best enjoyed when you are flopped on the couch, clad in flannel pyjamas, feet in tucked into ugg boots with a drink in hand.

Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
4 rashers bacon, thickly diced
2 tomatoes, thinly diced
1 x 400g can butter beans (keep water from the can)
red wine vinegar
500g minced beef (from a butcher if possible)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme*
1 red onion
2 carrots
3 sticks of celery
rosemary sprigs*
4 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
small bunch flat leaf parsley
sea salt and pepper
sour cream

Method
Get organised by thickly dicing the bacon, dicing tomatoes (into approximately 1 cm squares), finely dicing the red onion, dicing the garlic, grating the carrots and celery and roughly chopping the parsley.

Place a small frying pan on a high heat with a splash of olive oil. Cook the bacon until brown then add the tomatoes, butter beans (including the juices from the can) and simmer over a medium heat to cook down the juices. Add a grind of pepper and a tiny splash of vinegar and stir from time to time.

Place a large frypan over a high heat with a splash of olive oil. Add the mince and thyme leaves and cook until brown, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile wash the potatoes, stab with a knife or fork, and place in a microwave-safe bowl covered in gladwrap and zap for 15 minutes.

Back to the mince, add the garlic and 6 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. This may seem like a lot of Worcestershire – but it really adds flavour to the mince. Stir through the carrot, onion, celery and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook.

Turn on the grill and place a tray underneath to heat. Best not to use the very top rack if you can avoid it – to allow some space between the potato and the grill.

When the potatoes have finished cooking in the microwave remove the bowl and extremely carefully remove the clingwrap. Beware of very hot steam escaping from the bowl. Test if the potatoes are cooked by piercing with a knife. Return to the microwave if the middle is still hard.

Once the potatoes are ready, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, a grind of pepper and sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary. Using tongs, place on the baking tray. Pop under the grill to crisp the skin. Keep an eye on them and turn once one side is cooked.

By this time the beans should have cooked off most of the liquid and the veggies in the mince should have cooked. Check seasoning for both.

To serve, place potatoes in individual bowls, cut a cross in the top and pull it apart a little and top with the beans and mince and sour cream.

Serves 4

From Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals (absolutely terrific book). Jamie also serves with salad and avocado dressing.

*Thyme and rosemary will keep well in the freezer wrapped in a zip lock bag.