Recipes - Margherita Pizza

The Margherita pizza is one of the most common and widely recognised traditional pizza varieties. It is, quite simply, cheese, tomato and herbs on a tomato sauced pizza base.  It's great to serve to kids as it is simple and tasty with uncomplicated flavours. Because it is so simple and very traditional there are a hundred different recipes with slight variations in ingredients used.  My recipe will just add to that list.

Ingredients

1 pizza base

1-2 tbs pizza sauce

8-12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tsp dried Italian herbs

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

1/2 cup tasty cheese, grated

basil leaves, to serve

I forgot the basil leaves!

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 230°C.

Step 2 - Place pizza base on a lightly greased pizza tray. Spread pizza sauce over base and sprinkle with dried herbs.  Evenly distribute mozzarella and half of the tasty cheese over sauce.  Top with cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  

Step 3 - Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until base is crisp. Top with basil leaves and serve with a simple, lightly dressed green salad.

Notes:

Amounts of pizza sauce and cheese can be increased or reduced, depending on how saucy or cheesy you like your pizza.

Recipes - Four Fruits Salad

I love a good fruit salad and summer is the perfect time to make one.  Berries, stone fruit, melons and many tropical and exotic fruits are in season, offering more variety than other times of the year.  I once made a fruit salad with over 20 different fruits, and it was great, but it's also nice to make a fruit salad that uses a few complementing flavours rather than throwing in every fruit at hand.  This is a combination I put together to encourage my daughter to eat watermelon.  She loved it and so did I!

Ingredients

1/4 watermelon, skin removed and cubed

1/2 pineapple, skin removed and diced

4 oranges, peeled and segmented

2 kiwifruit, peeled and cut

Step 1 - Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently toss together.

Step 2 - Distribute among serving dishes and enjoy! 

Recipes - Bruschetta

Like many things bruschetta is all about balance.  Everyone has had bruschetta before but how often do you have good bruschetta?  I think this recipe is pretty amazing as the balance of flavours in spot on.  

Ingredients

1kg tomatoes, deseeded, finely diced

1/2 small spanish onion, finely diced

1 clove gaarlic, crushed

1/4 cup basil leaves, finely chopped

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 sourdough baguette, cut into 1cm slices

salt and pepper, to

balsamic glaze, to serve

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 230°C.  Spray a flat tray with olive oil.
Step 2 - Distribute bread over tray and spray will olive oil. Bake for 7-8 minutes, turning halfway through.  Remove from oven and set aside.
Step 3 - Place tomatoes, garlic, spanish onion and basil in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper.  Gently fold to combine.
Step 4 - Place bread slices on a serving tray and spoon a liberal amount of the tomato mixture on top of each.  Drizzle with a little balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

Recipes - Cookie Cups

What do you get if you turn a muffin tray upside down?  A cookie cup tray!  I saw this on some random internet site somewhere and thought it was pure genius.  After keeping it in mind for several months I thought it was finally time to get a basic cookie recipe and give them a go.  Such a cool idea, super versatile and great to get kids involved in the making of them and of course, they'll want to eat them afterwards!  

Ingredients

185g butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

extra flour

Step 1 - In a large bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale.  Add egg and beat until incorporated.  Sift flour over the mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Step 2 - Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a soft dough in the bowl and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Flour your hands and knead dough for a few minutes until flour in incorporated, adding a little more as you go if need be.  Roll into a sausage shape, wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 180.  Turn two 12 hole muffin trays upside down and grease every second mound. Cover in foil, wrapping tightly around each mound.

Step 4 - Remove dough from fridge and unwrap.  Cut in half, wrap one portion and return to fridge.  Cut remaining portion into 12 rounds. Place each round between two sheets of baking paper and using a rolling pin to roll out into a circle, approx 3mm thick and 70mm in diameter.  Place dough over a greased mound and repeat.  Bake for 12 minutes, swapping trays halfway through.  

Step 5 - Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transfering cookie cups to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat step 4 with remaining dough.

Step 6 - Serve warm or cold, filled with ice cream, custard, jam and cream or anything your heart desires.   

Variations:

For chocolate cookies add 2 tbs cocoa powder with the flour. 

For confetti cookies add 1/4 cup of 100's and 1000's with the flour.

For coconut cookie add 1/4 cup desiccated coconut with the flour.

Recipes - Lemonade

Homemade Lemonade is quick to whip up and perfect on hot summer days.  When I was a kid, I thought homemade lemonade was a quintessential American drink that kids sold on their front lawn for 5 cents a cup.  I've recently learnt that lemonade can be quite sophisticated; still or carbonated, pink or adults only!  I even managed to make a Lemonade slushie; completely by accident!  Any way you do it, it's amazing, I can't wait to make lemonade again! 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 litres soda water, chilled
Kaffir lime leaves or mint leaves and ice, to serve

Step 1- Place lemon juice, sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.

Step 2 - Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes then remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Step 3 - Place kaffir lime leaves or mint leave in the bottom of a large jug.  Top with 2 cups ice and pour cooled lemon juice over ice.  Top with enough soda water to make two litres, or to taste, ensuring you stir gently but well. 

Notes:

Still water can be used in place of soda water for an uncarbonated beverage.  For pink lemonade, stir through 1/4 cup raspberries, that have been pureed and strained (to remove seeds), once lemon juice has been taken off the heat.   For an adults only version, add some vodka or white rum in place of some of the soda water.

I have a very cold spot in my fridge that started to freeze my soda water, turning it into a slushie consistency.  This did make the lemonade even more amazing, so if possible, crush your ice well before adding it to the jug.  

Depending on how you juice your lemons, they may need to be passed through a fine sieve to remove the pulp and smaller seeds.  

Recipes - Baked Spring Rolls

Lots of research went into this recipe as I spend hours trawling over spring roll recipes to see how people do it.  I'd always wanted to make spring rolls, but never really put much thought into it until my daughter insist she serve them at her 5th birthday party.  As I was making them with kids in mind, I opted for a healthier baked vegetable spring roll packed full of flavour.  But they're not just for the kids, they'll be loved by all.

Ingredients

1 x 20 pkt spring roll wrappers 

1/2 wombok, roughly chopped

100g vermicelli noodles

2 carrot, pelled and julienned

1 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 clove garlic, crushed

1 x 5cm knob ginger, peeled & finely grated

6 shallots, end trimmed and finely sliced

2 cups been shoots

2 tbs oystery sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

sweet chilli sauce to serve

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220°C.  Grease and line two baking trays.

Step 2 - Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water.  Stand for 5 minutes, drain and return to bowl.

Step 3 - While noodles are standing, heat 1tbs olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat.  Add garlic, carrot, celery, shallots and wombok.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Step 4 - Add ginger and been shoots, toss and cook for a further 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add to bowl with drained noodles.

Step 5 - Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Combine well and leave to cool.  Remove spring roll wrappers from freezer and allow to thaw.

Step 6 - When wrappers are thaw, place between a damp tea towel to avoid drying.  Carefully peel a wrapper from the stack and place on a clean dry work surface.  Place about 1-2 tbs of mixture across the middle on a diagonal.  fold sides in and roll tightly.  Place in baking tray and repeat with remaining wrappers and mixture.

Step 7 - Spray with a  little olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Notes:

Spring roll wrappers are very delicate and require a lot of care and patience as they tear very easily.  When peeling a wrapper from the stack, keep your hand close to the stack and keep the wrapper taunt, peeling slowly and firmly.  Funnily enough, do not worry if you 'scrunch' the wrapper, as they unfold to be perfectly flat.

I tried a few ways of rolling these; fat and short, long and skinny, 1 tbs filling, 2 tbs filling, etc. I found the best way is the make them like a cigar, that is, spread the filling in a thin line almost to the edge of the wrapper and roll a tight, long, skinny roll, as pictured above and in the diagram to the right.

While I have labelled this as a vegetarian dish, some oystery sauces are not vegetarian friendly, so please check ingredients before use.

Spring Rolls can be made to the end of Step 6 and frozen in an air tight container between layers of baking paper for up to one month.  Remove spring rolls from freezer and continue from step 7, no need to thaw! 

Recipes - Potato Wedges w Gremolata

Potato wedges: affordable, versatile, tasty and much healthier than the premade deep fried variety.  They're pretty quick to whip up, not including oven time, and can be flavoured in many ways.  My twist is to sprinkle them with gremolata.  These must be good cause my friends and family often request I make them.

Ingredients

3 medium golden delight potatoes

2 tbs gremolata 

Pictured w Portuguese Chicken Burger

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush a baking tray with olive oil. 

Step 2 - Wash potatoes very well, scrubbing to ensure all dirt is removed.  Prick each a few time with a fork and microwave for approx 2 minutes on medium-high.

Step 3 - Halve potatoes and cut into wedge shapes.  Place wedges in the baking tray in a single layer.  Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Step 4 - Bake for 1 hour, turning halfway through.  After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 180°C for the remainder of the cooking time.

Step 5 - In the last five minutes of cooking time, turn potatoes so they are sitting on their skin, sprinkle with gremolata and return to oven for the five minutes.

Recipes - Veggie-ful Bolognese

What is one thing kids can not have too much of?  Vegetables.  And what is one thing kids never get enough of? Vegetables.  My kids eat their veggies, usually without a fight, but I still struggle to get enough veggies in their diet.  So, I am always looking for ways to veggie-pack recipes and have discovered that there is a great utensil, that is a standard in all kitchens, that makes veggie-packing meals a lot easier.

The humble grater.  

Grating vegetables helps them breakdown faster, leaving no visible sign that they were ever there.  This trick works really well in tomato based sauces such as nachos, beef stew, beef stroganoff, my own Mexican Chicken recipe and pasta sauces such as this bolognese.  It can also be used when preparing soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  I like to aim for a minimum of five or six vegetables per dish.  Slow cooking on a low heat produces the best results.  

Ingredients

500g beef mince

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely diced

8 button mushrooms, peeled and finely diced

2 carrots, grated

2 zucchini, grated

4 celery stalks, finely diced

1 red capsicum, finely diced

1/2 butternut pumpkin, grated

2 x 400g tins diced tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

1 cup water

salt and pepper to season

Step 1 - Heat a good what of olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat.  Fry garlic, onions and mushrooms for 1-2 minutes until cooked. Add beef and fry until browned.

Step 2 - Throw in carrot, zucchini, celery and capsicum and fry for another 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste is darker in colour and well cooked.

Step 3 - Reduce heat, add tin tomatoes and water.  Season well, cover with lid and slowly simmer for 3-5 hours.

Step 4 - With an hour to go, add pumpkin.  Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Cover with lid and slowly simmer until sauce is thick and vegetables have melted into the sauce.  If sauce looks like it is drying out, add a little more water. 

Step 5 - Cook pasta.

Step 6 - Mix pasta into sauce and serve w grated parmesan cheese.


Notes:


Mushrooms will not break down into sauce, however, will go undetected if diced very finely.

Recipes - Pimped Nachos

Who doesn't love good Mexican food?  Especially nachos!  The pre-brought spice mixes are great as a flavour base to which you can add extra spices and a few other ingredients to develop a rich, flavoursome sauce, better than what you find in most Mexican restaurants!  

Ingredients
500g mince
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, diced
1 red chili, seeds & pith removed & sliced
1 packet of taco or burrito seasoning
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground chili
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1 x 400g tin tomatoes
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
To serve
2 x tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small spanish onion, finely diced
guacamole
tomato salsa
grated tasty cheese
sour cream
corn chips

Step 1 - Heat a good splash of oil in a large frying pan.  Add onions, garlic and chili and fry off for 1-2 minutes.  Add cumin, coriander, paprika and chili and fry off for up to one minute.
Step 2 - Add mince and brown.  When brown, add taco or burrito seasoning, tomato paste and sugar and cook, stirring frequently until tomato paste is dark in colour and well cooked.
Step 3 - Add tin tomatoes, red kidney beans and 1 cup water. Reduce heat and simmer slowly  for 1-3 hours.  The longer the sauce cooks the richer the flavour will be.
Step 4 - To serve, place nacho mix, corn chips, onion, tomato, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa in separate bowls in the middle of the table and let people serve themselves. 


Notes:


The amount of chili can be reduced or omitted for children.  To increase kids vegetable intake grate 1 carrot, 1 zucchini and 2 celery sticks and fry in step one after spices and before adding mince.  

Recipes - Veggie-ful Soup

Want a great, hearty, veggie packed soup for the whole family?  Look no further!  A great way to pack more veggies into your kids diet and a healthy lunch option for the whole family.  Freeze leftovers for up to three months and reheat for a quick dinner.

Ingredients

2 x cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 x brown onions, finely chopped

2 x carrots, finely chopped

2 x zucchini, finely chopped

4 x celery stalks, finely chopped

1 x leek, finely chopped

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped

1 x small sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 x parsnip, peeled and chopped

1/2 cabbage, chopped

1 x broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

2 x 400g tin tomatoes

1 x 400g tin chickpeas

1 x 400g tin lentils

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans

1 x 400g tin butter beans/white beans

200g short pasta, eg. shells, spirals, elbows etc

vegetable stock and water (amount varies)
salt and pepper to season

Step 1 - Heat oil on medium heat in a very large pot (approx. 10 L).  Add garlic, onion, carrot, zucchini, celery and leek and fry until veggies are soft, this can take up to ten minutes.  Add tomato paste and sugar and fry off for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2 - Reduce heat and add tin tomatoes, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.  Add a few cups of stock and water, until the liquid is almost covering all the vegetables.  Put the lid on and slowly simmer for 4-6 hours, stirring periodically.
Step 3 - With about half an hour to go, add chickpeas, lentils, beans and pasta.  You may need to add a little more water at this stage to help the pasta cook through. 
Step 4 - Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or a few pieces of gbejniet, a lemon cheek and some fresh sourdough or pane di casa. 

Recipes - Mexican Chicken

This is my own, bastardised take on a Mexican stew.  This recipes stemmed from my desire to keep my kids meals veggie packed, interesting and easy to cook in bulk and freeze in portions. This dish is so delicious it became one of the regular meals I cook for all of us!  

Ingredients

4 x chicken thighs, diced

2 x 400g tin tomatoes

1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 x red capsicum, grated or finely diced

1 x carrot, grated or finely diced

1 x zucchini, grated or finely diced

2 x celery stalks, grated of finely diced

1 x corn cob, kernels removed

1 x brown onion, grated or diced

2x garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

1-2 x small red chili, finely chopped

2 x tbs tomato paste

1 x tsp sugar

2 x tsp ground ginger

1 x tsp ground cumin

1 x tsp ground corriander seeds

1 x tsp smokey paprika

1/2 x tsp ground chili

1-2 cups water

salt, to season

Step 1 - Heat a good slurp of oilve oil in a large fry pan.  When hot, add onion and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.  Do not allow to colour. 
Step 2 - Add carrot, zucchini, capsicum and celery and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

Step 3 - Add chicken and seal. Once sealed add spices and toast, stirring frequently, for up to 1 minutes. 

Step 4 - Add tomato paste and sugar and cook off for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 5 - Add tin tomatoes, 1-2 cups water, chickpeas, red kidney beans and corn kernels.  Cover with lid and simmer slowly for 2-3 hours, stirring periodically.  

Step 6 - After about an hour, season with salt and taste.  If sauce is getting too dry, add a little more water.

Step 7 - Serve on rice with sour cream, guacamole, lemon and fresh, finely chopped coriander.

Notes:

To cook this meal quickly, only add 1 cup water, place on a fast simmer for 30 minutes - 1 hour and stir frequently.  

The slow cooking heat for a long time ensures the acidity in the tomatoes reduces and you will get a much richer flavour.  The chicken will also become very tender and the vegetables should 'melt' into the sauce, which is a great way to get more veggies into kids who are fussy eaters.  


Some of the vegetables have a high water content, so if grating you will need to squeeze the excess water from the vegetables before frying otherwise they will stew and it will be difficult to seal the chicken and toast the spices.  

Two chicken breasts can be used in place of thighs, however, I prefer the flavour of the theigh.  I feel that breasts are great for grilling but are wasted in stews and other slow cooked meals.  

Add chili to taste.  

Recipes - Guacamole

Who doesn't love a good guacamole?  Great for kids and vegetarians, a must when eating nachos and is great as a dip or spread on sandwiches and wraps.

Avocados, the main ingredient, are high in potassium, B vitamin, vitamin E and vitamin K.  They also contain more fibre than most fruits. 

Traditionally, guacamole is made by mashing avocado with sea salt. The essence of my recipe embodies this simplicity; maintaining the integrity of the avocado while adding a few simple, complimenting flavours.  

Ingredients

2 Hass avocado, skin removed

1 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

tabasco, to taste

sea salt, to season

pepper, pinch 

Guacamole pictured on right

Step 1 - Put all ingredients in a mini food processor and process.  

Step 2 - Taste, adjust seasoning as required and process.

Step 3 - Move to serving dish, sprinkle with paprika and serve with toasted turkish bread. 

Notes:

If you don't have a food processor, place ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork.

Sweet chili sauce can be used in place of tabasco.  As with all seasonings, add a small amount to start with, then add more if required.

This is a great recipe to get kids involved in!  Reduce the amount of chili and encourage them to try it.  As they build a tolerance to chili, increase the amount used. 

Recipes - Hummus

Hummus is a middle eastern dip made from chickpeas.  It is high in iron, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B6 and the chickpeas provide a good source of protein and dietary fibre.  Traditionally, hummus is a mezze dish, but it can also be used as a dip or as a spread for sandwiches and wraps. It compliments lamb and roasted Mediterranean vegetables.  

Ingredients

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbs tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 a lemon, juiced

salt, to season

Step 1 - Put chickpeas, tahini and garlic in a food processor.  Process.

Step 2 - Scrap down sides of food processor, add remaining ingredients. Process.

Step 3 - Taste mixture for seasoning and add salt, cumin, tahini, oil or lemon juice as required.

Step 4 - Move to serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with cumin and serve with toasted turkish bread.  

Notes:

When checking the seasoning and balancing the flavours, ensure you only add small amount of the ingredient and process well after each addition. 

Tahini is a paste made from hulled and ground sesame seeds.  It is available from most supermarkets and has a very long shelf life.  After opening, store at room temperature and ensure you mix it thoroughly before each use.  

Leftover hummus should be stored in an airtight container with a thin layer of oil covering it and refrigerated.  Do not freeze.