Perfect rosti

Perfect Rosti

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a cooked breakfast can comprise of so many different elements. This morning I enjoyed griddled tomatoes, fried eggs, fried sweetcorn, toast and rosti. Rosti is a great and quick way to enjoy potatoes in the morning as they do not take too long to prepare. Any they go so well with ketchup!

Ingredients:

2 potatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Peel and wash the potatoes. Grate the potatoes over a clean tea towel. Draw the tea towel up together and squeeze out the water from the grated potato into the sink. 

Open up the tea towel and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the potato. Using your fingers, toss the potato around so that the salt and pepper is evenly spread. 

Gather about 2 tablespoons of potato in your hands and clasp your hands together to form patties of potato. Place them on a chopping board/plate as you go along. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. When the oil has heated up, carefully add the potato patties with a metal spatula, pressing down gently as you go along. The patties should sizzle. 

Fry each side until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes each side. 

Enjoy with your cooked breakfast.  

Chocolate fruit cake

Chocolate Fruit Cake

A fruit cake is a very versatile thing. It works well without gluten, eggs and lactose but is open to the addition of so many good things such as chocolate and spice! This is a very comforting cake yet so easy to make.  

Ingredients:

175g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine

140g dark chocolate

3 tablespoons potato starch

10 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

250g plain gluten free flour

130g soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

10 green cardamom pods

1 pinch salt

225 g mixed dried fruit

3 teaspoons cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C and grease and line the base of a 10 inch loose bottomed cake tin.

Pop the dark chocolate into the microwave for 2 minutes. Mix the potato starch and water in a bowl and set to one side.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter/margarine until softened. Grate the apple into the bowl including the skin. Add the sugar and beat until soft. Pour in the melted dark chocolate, potato starch mixture, oil and continue to beat.

In a small pan over a medium heat, add the fennel seeds and cardamom pods and warm for about a minute until the seeds begin to pop and are browned. Grind the fennel and cardamom in a pestle and mortar until the seeds are ground. Sieve the ground spices into the cake mixture and discard the cardamom skins. Next add the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, cocoa powder and salt and mix to combine. Add the mixed fruit and beat to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Pop into the oven for about 90 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and remove the cake from the tin to cool on a wire rack. 

Tinned Mackerel Curry

Tinned Mackerel Curry

Tinned mackerels are a great source of omega 3 and suit most budgets. This is an easy and quick recipe which combines tinned mackerel with a aromatic curry sauce.  

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon curry leaves

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/2 pepper

400 ml water

1 tin mackerel in tomato sauce

1 long chilli

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

200 ml coconut cream

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fenugreek, mustard seeds and curry leafs and swirl around in the pan to season the oil. When the mustard seeds being to pop, add the finely chopped onion and garlic and stir occasionally until softened. 

Add the diced tomato, turmeric powder, cinammon powder and diced pepper and cook for another few minutes. 

Add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes before adding the mackerel, salt, pepper and coconut cream. Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. 

Enjoy with brown rice for an even healthier meal. 

Chilli tomato omelette

Chilli Tomato Omelette

Omelettes are a quick and easy comfort food which is easy to adapt to your own preferences. This recipe adds the sourness of tomatoes, the heat of chilli and the sweetness of sweetcorn.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 long chilli

1 handful frozen sweetcorn

1 tomato

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Put the grill on in your oven to a high setting. When the oil has warmed up fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes until soft and just starting to brown. Add the finely chopped chilli and diced tomato, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Season with half of the salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs together with the remaining salt and pepper. Add to the pan and gently swirl the pan to ensure that the egg is evenly spread. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the base is cooked. Finish off by placing under a high grill for a couple of minutes being careful to ensure the omelette does not burn. To serve, fold the omelette over twice to get a quarter fold. Enjoy with some homemade baked beans and toasted gluten free farmhouse bread. 

Lime shortbread

Lime Shortbread

Have you ever wondered why lemons are always in the limelight as far as baking is concerned (excuse the pun!)? Limes can be more tart and perhaps are better suited in savoury dishes but limes go so well in a curd. This recipe combines a baked curd on top of shortbread.

 

Ingredients:

175g gluten free plain flour

50g rice flour

80g golden caster sugar

140g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine

2 tablespoons rice/dairy free milk

4 limes, juice and zest

4 eggs

50g gluten free plain flour

150g golden caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease and line a 10 inch loose bottomed tin. 

Place the flours, sugar and butter/dairy free margarine in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter/dairy free margarine with the tips of your finger into the flours until you have fine breadcrumbs. Pour in the milk and use a knife to incorporate into the breadcrumb mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and press down so that it covers the base evenly. Push the dough around the sides slightly so that you have a subtle case. Pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Reduce the oven to 160C/fan 140C. 

Zest the limes into a large mixing bowl and mix in the flour and sugar. Juice the limes in another bowl and mix in the eggs. Pour this mixture through a sieve into the large mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly for 3 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the cooled shortbread and pop back into the oven for 15 minutes or until just set in the middle. 

Jaffa Cake Loaf

Jaffa Cake Loaf

This recipe started out as a clementine cake but after I caught the first smell and taste of this cake I was brought to the distinctive jaffa cake. Whilst there has long been a debate about whether a jaffa cake is a cake or a biscuit (the English tax tribunal ruled that they are indeed a cake), there is no doubt that this is a cake. It has a wonderful citrus aroma which combines well with the dark chocolate coating. It celebrates the wonderful flavour of a clementine. 

Ingredients:

140g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine

200g self-raising gluten free flour

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

140g soft brown sugar

3 eggs

2 clementines, zest and juice

6 tablespoons rice milk/dairy free milk

40g golden caster sugar

75g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease a loaf tin. 

Beat the butter/margarine until softened then beat in the sugar. Add the eggs, beating one at a time then mix in the clementine zest flour, bicarbonate of soda and milk. Whenever you are using zest in a mixture, be sure to zest the fruit directly into the mixture in order to catch all of those priceless oils which give so much flavour. 

Pour into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. 

10 minutes before the end, prepare the clementine syrup by heating the clementine juice together with the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. This will take about 5 minutes although be careful not to bring it to the boil too much or else you will evaporate all of the juice and be left with a caramel! The clementine can be a bit tricky to handle when juicing so I had to use a sieve as the clementine broke up in my hands.  

When the sugar has melted take the syrup of the heat and leave to one side. 

When the cake is golden on top and cooked through (knife inserted in the middle comes out clean), turn off the oven and insert the knife a few more times evenly through the top of the loaf. Spoon the syrup evenly over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin. 

Melt the chocolate by popping in a non-metallic bowl and zapping for about 2 minutes in a microwave. Use the melted chocolate to cover the top of the cake. 

Baked beans

Baked Beans

Baked beans are one of those foods which is commonly associated with the convenience of a tin, such is the success of the companies who have built empires around serving us up tins of beans. However, it is always rewarding to break such assumptions by making your own. Even though it takes some time the convenience is in the fact that you can make enough to keep for later and at the same time saving some money. You can also decide which beans you wish to add!

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin mixed beans

1 tin cannelloni beans

200 ml water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Pour the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and allow to cook for a couple of minutes until translucent and soft. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions browning. Then add the chopped tomatoes, water, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and then lower the heat to allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained beans and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. At the end add the fresh oregano. 

The beans should be coated in a relatively thick sauce and will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. 

Sardines on toast

Sardines on Toast

Sardines on toast do not immediately inspire most foodies but there are times when a quick meal is all you need. This is a recipe with a bit of an Asian twist on the old classic. It kicks enough of a punch with the addition of sambal oelek to make you forget the boring old sardines on toast!

Ingredients:

2 tins sardines in spring water

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons sambal oelek

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Toasted gluten free farmhouse bread

Pour the olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sardines and sambal oelek and mix to combine. Heat together for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and heat for another three minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top, stirring to combine.  

Enjoy a heaped tablespoon of the sardines on top of buttered toasted gluten free farmhouse bread. 

Salted caramel chocolate slice

Salted Caramel Chocolate Slice

This is a truly indulgent slice which is best enjoyed in small amounts. It is really lovely though and will cure cravings for unhealthy chocolate bars. 

Ingredients:

Shortbread 

225g plain gluten free flour

70g golden caster sugar

200g salted butter, chilled and cubed

Caramel

175g salted butter

160g golden caster sugar

100g golden syrup

395g condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Topping

300g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease and line a 10 inch loose bottomed tin with greaseproof paper. 

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar and butter. Using the tip of your fingers, rub the butter with the flour and sugar until you have a breadcrumb consistency. Knead the mixture until it comes together and you have a dough. 

Press the dough into the base of the prepared tin and smooth evenly. Prick the base with a fork and pop into the fridge for 15 minutes. 

Pop into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and leave to one side to cool. 

In the meantime prepare the caramel by putting the butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk into a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat, stirring to combine and allow to come to a gentle boil before simmering for at least 10 minutes stirring until the mixture turns a caramel colour. 

Take off the heat and add the vanilla essence. Pour the caramel over the cooled shortbread and leave to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour. 

Melt the chocolate by breaking into pieces in a glass bowl and either popping in the microwave for 90 seconds or over a simmering pan of hot water making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. 

Pour the chocolate over the caramel. It should pour easily over the set caramel so no need to spread it. Pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow it to set completely. 

It is best enjoyed in small slices since it is so indulgent and will keep for at least a week in an airtight container. 

Chat Thai, Westfield, Sydney

Chat Thai, Westfield, Sydney

Chat Thai is a well-known chain of Thai restaurants. It is perhaps however a victim of its own success since the usually consistent quality of its food has been absent for a few years now. The saving grace though is its Westfield Sydney branch which produces some of that consistency although not the customer service.

  

Chat Thai Westfield serves up a very good som tum with a very good balance of the saltiness, sweetness and spice. 

It is also very good value at only $10 which includes a serving of sticky rice. It has competition from Tum Zaap in Randwick in the som tum stakes but it is recommended if you fancy a quick gluten-free meal in the centre of Sydney. 

Gluten free farmhouse bread

Gluten Free Farmhouse Bread

Everybody deserves to savour the crusty delight of bread and this includes those with an intolerance to gluten. This recipe produces a wonderfully crusty and light bread without the need for any gluten. No longer do you have to endure brick-like bread or insipid but acceptable bread anymore! Making your own bread also has the advantage of being more cost-effective as anyone will know who has to buy branded gluten free bread. 

Ingredients:

400g plain gluten free flour

1 tablespoon xanthum gum

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 tablespoon soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon fast action yeast

4 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

400 ml hand hot water

Sift the flour and xanthum gum into a large mixing bowl and then add the salt, sugar, yeast, oil, juice and egg.

Pour in the water and mix to form a thick paste with a electric whisk or hand whisk for at least 4 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and sticky. 

Grease a loaf tin with some oil and dust the tin with some gluten free flour. You can use a metal tin or a silicone tin. 

Carefully transfer the dough to the tin and smooth the surface. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes until well risen - about three times its original size. In the loaf tin that I used it reached level with the top of the tin. Dust the top with some gluten free plain flour using a sieve to avoid clumps of flour. 

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180 and place the tin in the oven for about 90 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the surface. 

Remove the loaf and allow to cool on a wire rack. This bread will keep for at least four days if stored in a dry, cool place. It can be enjoyed sliced or toasted.   

Fluffy coconut and lime cake

Fluffy coconut and lime cake

Coconut and lime is one of those combinations that work just so well. This is a simple cake which highlights that combination in a light and fluffy cake which goes so well with a passion fruit curd.

Ingredients:

175g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine
130g golden caster sugar
175g self-raising gluten free flour
3 eggs
60g shredded coconut
2 limes zest and juice
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Grease and line the base of a 10 inch loose-bottomed tin. 

Add the butter/margarine to a large mixing bowl and beat until softened. Add the sugar to the bowl and beat until pale and soft. Add the flour, eggs, coconut, lime zest and juice and baking powder and mix together for 3 minutes. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and pop into the oven for 50 minutes or golden brown on top. Take out of the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. 

This cake is lovely and fluffy with a tropical freshness.

Spicy Gluten Free Pizza

Spicy Gluten Free Pizza

Pizza is a wonderful thing but even the simple things can be altered to add a bit if a kick. This recipe does just that by adding some spice to the traditional pizza.

This pizza does not have to be overloaded with toppings since the tomato sauce is so appetizing. 

Ingredients:

Tomato sauce

1 red onion

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1 chilli

1 tin chopped tomatoes

4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pizza dough

1 cup rice flour
2/3 cup potato flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon fast action dried yeast
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
215 ml hand hot water

Toppings

Anchovies in oil
Pitted Olives
Jalapeno peppers
Lactose free cheese
Olive oil to drizzle
Ground black pepper

To prepare the topping pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large pan over a medium heat. Puree the red onion in a mini processor and add to the pan together with the chopped ginger. Sweat the onions for a few minutes stirring occasionally to stop the onion catching.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Leave to one side to cool down.  

To prepare the pizza dough, add the flours, yeast, xanthum gum, salt, sugar and olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Mix briefly with your hands and then gradually add the hot water until you have a dough. Do not knead for too long as you are not working any gluten. 

Dust some cornflour onto a clean surface and add the dough to form a ball. Dust the top of the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough, turning at 45 degree angles every so often and upside down until you have a thin dough. 

Place the dough on an oiled tray and cover with an oiled piece of cling film. Leave in a warm place for at least 20 minutes to allow the dough to rise. 

Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C. 

To assemble the pizza, spread the tomato sauce evenly on top of the dough, arrange the anchovies, olives, jalapeno peppers and grated cheese on top and drizzle with a little olive oil and add some pepper.  

Pop into the hot oven for 15-18 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy. 

Perfect Pancakes - Gluten Free

Perfect Pancakes

I have always wondered at the popularity of pancake stalls since they are so simple to make and most purchased ones look so insipid and pale. For me the perfect pancake has a burnt look and is crispy on the edges. Gluten free pancakes are not as thin as they are much more delicate and not as elastic. They are great with any type of filling and are a good option if you want to take a break from added sugar.   

This recipe has more liquid then traditional recipes due to the relative thirst of the flours used. Gluten free flour mixes are much more thirsty and need more liquid to have the runny consistency required to make a pancake. 

Be careful not to make the pancake too large as it might make is difficult to flip over. I as a guide use 4/5ths of a ladle and leave enough of a gap between the pancake and the side of the pan to fit the top of a spatula underneath the edge of the pancake. 

Ingredients:

120g gluten free plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

400ml rice milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

30g butter/dairy free margarine plus extra for frying

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs and whisk. Gradually add the rice milk whilst whisking to avoid any lumps. Mix in the vanilla extract. Melt the butter/dairy free margarine in a small pan over a medium heat and pour into the pancake mixture whilst whisking.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and then add a knob of butter/dairy free margarine and a drop of oil. When the butter/dairy free margarine has melted swirl around the pan to ensure it is evenly coated.

Pour in 4/5ths of a ladle of the pancake mixture in the centre of the pan and gently tilt the pan to allow the mixture to spread a little. Cook over a medium/high heat for about 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown in patches. Repeat until all of the pancake mixture is used up.

Enjoy the pancakes with your choice of filling such as ice cream, fresh fruit, honey and lemon, jam or chocolate spread.