Tag Archives: chicken

Home Made Fettuccine (with prosciutto, chicken, spinach and ricotta)

28 Oct

Multicultural Inspiration from…

Italy

 

Growing up in an Italian family meant a few things were certain – there was never any such thing as a “small” family gathering. A “quick” family dinner meant at least 3 courses. Sundays were for mass and a trip to Lygon St for gelati. And pasta was made fresh.

Of course, I got older, moved out of home, and got lazy, so packet pasta became the norm. Until Sous-Jeff and I moved out of our first little rental home, and into the nice big home we built. Mum bought me a pasta maker, and with renewed enthusiasm, I dragged Sous-Jeff into the kitchen with me to learn a little something about proper Italian cooking. And so it began…

To make the fresh pasta dough, you’ll need:

  • 285g plain flour, plus a little extra to dust
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

First up, combine the flour and salt in either a large bowl, or on a large board. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the beaten eggs.

With a fork, gradually draw the flour into the egg mixture, and gently and constantly beat it together…

… until you have something like this:

Once the mixture has been brought together, and is too stiff to continue working on with a fork, it’s time to use your hands! Continue to gradually draw the flour in from the bottom of the well, to help prevent air pockets from forming.

Continue working on the dough, forming it into a ball – it should be soft and pliable, but still firm enough to actually handle. If there’s too much flour, don’t use it all, but if the dough is too sticky, add a little more. Once you have the stickiness factor under control, knead the dough with the heels of your hands, kneading from the middle outwards, and folding it back in half after each knead. Work in this manner for 10 or so minutes, until you have a soft, even elastic ball of dough.

Wrap your dough up in plastic wrap, and let is sit for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to around 3 hours.

While it’s resting, prepare everything else you want to throw in with your pasta. I went with chicken, sprinkled with a little olive oil, thyme and sea salt, baked in the oven for 20 minutes…

… some crispy, pan fried prosciutto…

… and some sauteed baby spinach.

Now that the pasta has rested, it’s time to pass it through a pasta machine. Divide your dough up into 5 or 6 equal portions, and flatten each one with your hand a little. Dust each piece with a little flour, and set the rollers to their widest setting. Pass the dough through, catching it at the other end and letting it drape over your hand.

Fold the dough into thirds, dust with a little more flour, and pass it through again, and once more (three times in total for each roller setting). Then, set the rollers a notch narrower, and pass through again. Continue this way until your pasta is at the thickness you want it. If the dough starts sticking at any point, just add a little more flour. Then, to make the fettuccine, pass each sheet of dough through the fettuccine roller:

Place the fettuccine carefully on a lightly floured tray, and cover with a dry tea towel, leaving it to sit for 10 minutes. After that, it’s pretty straight forward – boil a nice, big pot of lightly salted water, carefully add in the pasta and cook for a few minutes. Drain the pasta, and throw it back into the pot, along with the spinach and half a cup of ricotta – mix together.

Then, put your pasta into a bowl, and add what ever else you want! First, cherry tomatoes…

… the crispy prosciutto…

… and your chopped up chicken!

And there you have it! Fresh pasta, that you can really add anything to – zucchini, eggplant and sundried tomato, or perhaps roast pumpkin and toasted pine nuts, or rocket leave, baby beetroots and parmesan – anything you can think of!

As for the pasta, it’s soft and light, and tastes completely different to the packet version – the only way to really understand it is to give it a try yourself!

Over to you guys – what’s your favourite pasta accompaniment?! And have you tried making your own??

Scarf Community Dinner

18 Aug

Scarf Community

Visit Website

A few months ago, I heard about a fabulous little Melbourne organisation called “Scarf Community.” For those of who you don’t know about this brilliant organisation, let me tell you a little bit about it… Scarf provides hands on hospitality training to marginalised youth who might not otherwise be able to afford or get access to training or employment. They “borrow” restaurants around Melbourne from some very kind, generous owners who are willing to lend their venues to the Scarf crew on Monday nights (the traditional hospitality night off) for a 10 week period, over which the students are able to hone their skills in providing a real dinner service to real, paying customers, while being helped along by their mentors.

The mentors involved in Scarf are all people who currently work in the hospitality industry, and volunteer their time to guide their charges along their way, providing them with both industry knowledge and connections. Upon finding out about this amazing organisation, I knew I had to get involved, and immediately emailed to arrange a dinner booking.

We arrived at Mixed Business (486 Queen’s Parade, Clifton Hill) at 8:30pm on a cold, Melbourne night for our dinner booking, and wondered on in just as a large group was leaving, so we stood around for a minute or two before someone realised we weren’t with the departing bunch. We were quickly shown to our seats, just by the bar/counter.

Our table was set with an eclectic mix of plates and knitted napkin holders, which I loved – it had a very homely, welcoming feel.

After a few minutes, our wonderful waiter took our drink order, and then presented us with our menus. A two-course set menu for $35, we had the choice between three entrees and three mains.

With our orders placed, we waited another five minutes or so before our waiter came back with some bread and olive oil for us… great way to get our hunger happening!

We waited only another five or ten minutes before our entrees came out. Sous-Jeff ordered the potato, leek and bacon soup with crispy parmesan, and I ordered the risotto with roasted salmon, basil, fetta, lime and spinach.

Potato, leek and bacon soup with crispy parmesan.

Sous-Jeff enjoyed his soup, especially the crispy parmesan. It tasted like a beautiful, comforting, home cooked meal, which was perfect for the freezing cold night.

I’m actually not at all a salmon eater, but the combination of lime, fetta and spinach made me decide to give the risotto a try. I am soooo glad I did! Although there wasn’t a strong fetta or lime flavour, it was creamy and the salmon was perfectly cooked. I really enjoyed this dish, even more so because I was so apprehensive about it!

Risotto with roasted salmon, basil, fetta, lime and spinach.

Next out were our mains. Sous-Jeff went with the braised chicken with fig and pomegranate molasses and cous cous, and I went with the Osso Bucco Milanese.

The chicken wasn’t at all what we’d expected – we thought it might come out as a chicken breast or thigh covered in sticky, fruity sauce, on a bed of cous cous. What Sous-Jeff had placed in front of him instead was a stew-type bowl of chicken with a bowl of cous cous on the side. The chicken had a strong cinnamon flavour and was well cooked, and again Sous-Jeff felt like he was eating a beautifully home cooked meal.

Braised chicken with fig and pomegranate molasses and cous cous

My Osso Bucco had high standards to live up to, and it didn’t disappoint. The veal was so tender and soft, it just fell off the bone. The sauce was delicious too, but lacked a flavour punch – it was just a bit under seasoned.

Osso Bucco Milanese

With dinner done and dishes cleared, we were handed a dessert menu. Well, I just can’t say no to dessert, so we decided upon a piece of cake and a shared plate of home made sweets.

The raspberry cake was beautifully presented, but unfortunately for me, had quite a bit of cinnamon in it. Sous-Jeff was happy to capitalise on my misfortune and gladly polished it off! Thankfully, he left the berry compote for me, which went down very, very nicely with the small bowl of vanilla ice cream that was served with it. At an additional $12.00 for the cake, we did however feel like it really wasn’t very good value for money.

Raspberry cake, $12.00

The plate of homemade sweets was gorgeous! A pink little meringue (which tasted a little like rosewater…), a yo-yo with a creamy, sugary filling, and a delicious little chocolate chip cookie all disappeared in the blink of an eye, and they were all beautiful! Perfect way to finish a meal, and at only $2.00 for the plate, it was a winner for us!

Plate of homemade sweets, $2.00

After dinner, I met up with the lovely Jess, who is one of the mentors and leaders at Scarf. She showed me into the kitchen, where our wonderful waiter was preparing to take out his next round of dishes. We also said hello to some of the other happy faces around the Scarf kitchen, the wonderful people who brought us our fantastic meal.

Our receipt for dinner, along with some Scarf info and business cards came out to our table in this gorgeous little, homemade pocket, which pretty much summed up our evening; warm, comfortable, homely.

It was a fantastic evening, and I really was impressed by the level of quality food and service provided by the Scarf team, remembering that they’re not yet professionals. It truly is a credit to the hard work put in by the wonderful volunteers and students, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to support such a fantastic cause. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, I can’t recommend attending highly enough. A lot of hard work, care and love went into our meal, and it was evident on everyone’s faces that both the diners and the “staff” were truly appreciative of the opportunity. Our waiter, in particular, was a perfect gentleman; we were greeted upon arriving, farewelled upon leaving, and approached with a smile throughout the entire evening. A huuuuge thanks must go to him for making our night so lovely :)

If you’d like to support this wonderful organisation, a 2 course set menu dinner will only cost you $35.00 per person, with a range of beer, wine and soft drinks, as well as desserts available to you.

Email Jess at jess@scarfcommunity.org or call on 0488 777 527 to make a booking!

 Would rate it 7 out of 10.

Maroush

27 Jun

Multicultural Cuisine of…

Lebanon

Maroush
1092 Main Rd,
Eltham
(03) 9439 5665
Visit Website

With the plethora of delicious and diverse cuisines available it the Melbourne CBD and surrounds, it’s so easy to forget about your own backyard. Which is exactly what Sous-Jeff and I have done. There’s this restaurant that we drive past a dozen times a week, which we’ve been invited to for dinner before but didn’t make it, that we’re um-ed and ahh-ed over for years – you know that restaurant? We all have one. Maroush was ours. Until Saturday night – we decided to finally give it a shot. We decided to book a table, just in case, even though we didn’t think it’d be all that busy, because it was just a local little restaurant. Wrong. It was darn lucky we did book, because it was packed! The car park was full when we arrived at 7pm, with the 50m either side of the restaurant lined with parked cars too. Awesome, we think, it must be good it it’s this busy!

We ascend the tiled steps and make our way through the big, wrought iron gates, and past a big, terracotta coin fountain. We make our way through the front door and almost walk into the front counter/kitchen area. The restaurant is divided into two seemingly identical sections, one to the right of the kitchen, the other to the left. We are led around to the right hand side, and seated on a table below some beautiful, huge, golden engraved discs.

Directly opposite us is a large mirror, framed with Lebanese knick knacks and a painted mural on the wall behind my seat.

But enough of the view, time for the food! Neither Sous-Jeff or I had eaten Lebanese before, and were a little scared of what the food might be like… we really, honestly had no idea what to expect! So, what better way to try it than to go with the banquet?! The lovely waitress we had was fantastic – she knew the menu like the back of her hand and explained every dish (all 14 of them!) succinctly and simply.

First out for our entrees was a trio of dips with warm pita bread and also fried pita bread.

We had Hommos, which was nutty, meaty, grainy and earthy – it tasted like real chickpeas, and was absolutely perfect!

Hommos

Baba Ghannouj, which was perfectly silky smooth, and had the most beautiful smokey flavour which was perfectly married with the eggplant.

Baba Ghannouj

Lastly in our trio was the tabouli – lemony and zesty, perfect to refresh our mouths in between what was to come!

Tabouli

Next out were the falafels, a spicy mix of beans, vegetables and herbs, made in meatball form (which were just a little too spicy for me!) with a beautifully smooth tahini sauce which had a great lemon flavour. Unfortunately, there was one grumpy waiter in the whole place, and he happened to be the one who brought out this dish to us, plonked silently and unceremoniously on the table, and off he stomped to the next customers. Sous-Jeff loved the falafels, being the spice fiend he is, and was surprised that a vegetarian, gluten free dish was so delicious!

Falafel with tahini sauce

Meat Cigars

Along with the meat cigars came with Sambousik – fetta cheese with onion and mixed herbs, wrapped in filo pastry again. This was one of my favourites, I loved the creaminess of the fetta, which wasn’t overly salty, contrasted with the perfectly crisp pastry.

Sambousik

Then, out comes the Makanek, which are grilled lamb sausages with lemon juice and sumac, which were very tender and tasty.

Makanek

And they were followed by the Ors Kafta – grilled lamb patties with onion and fresh parsley. They were perfectly cooked and tasted beautiful with fresh lemon squeezed over them.

Ors Kafta

With our entrees done (yes, all of that was just the entrees!), the waitress clears out table and tells us she’ll give us a few minutes to digest before bringing out our mains. We nod appreciatively. 10 minutes or so later, out come the mains. It’s a smaller version of the standard sized main (thankfully!), and we get a beautiful platter of Shish Tawook and Shish Kabab on different rices, and a little side of salad with a garlic and lemon dressing.

Right: Chicken Shish Tawook on almond rice. Left: Lamb Shish Kabab on saffron rice
Side salad

We tried the Shish Kabab first, which was the marinated lamb on skewers, served on a saffron rice. I must admit, I’m not really a lamb eater (hence why we went for the lamb first) and was quite apprehensive at the sight of the menu with all of the lamb… but it was all cooked magnificently and I probably would eat lamb more often if it was always done so well! It was very soft and tender, and the saffron rice was beautifully flavoured – they went together so well that I left my last few bites of rice and lamb to eat after the chicken (I like to finish on a high note!).

Shish Kabab on saffron rice

We tried the chicken next, the Shish Tawook (marinated in garlic and lemon juice), and it was also very soft and tender, but, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I actually enjoyed the lamb more! I wasn’t a fan of the almond rice as it was laced with cinnamon (and I’m just not a fan of cinnamon), but Sous-Jeff quite enjoyed it.

Shish Tawook on almond rice
With our mains finished and bellies full, our plates were once again cleared and we were given another 10 minute reprieve, before dessert was served. We were given a small platter of Turkish Delight, Baklava and Mahalabia. Neither Sous-Jeff nor I are particularly fond of Turkish Delight, but in the name of trying anything once, we give it a crack. It’s ok, but not really our cup of tea, so hard to say how good it was, sorry!
Turkish Delight

The Mahalabia was a traditional Lebanese custard, topped with honey syrup, pistachios and blossom water. The first flavour to hit my taste buds was the lavendar flavour of the blossom water, which was incredibly sweet. The custard itself was beautiful, and reminded me a little of panna cotta. Sous-Jeff absolutely loved this, and actually ate half of mine. I traded him for his bit of baklava.

Mahalabi

I’ve saved the best (in my opinion, anyway!) until last. I’ve never had Lebanese Baklava before, and was a little worried that they may have snuck some cinnamon in it, which would have rendered it uneatable for me… but alas, my dessert prayers were answered, and it was absolutely perfection. Layers of crispy, golden filo pastry with assorted crushed nuts and the most beautifully sweet honey syrup. The flavours were perfectly balanced and it was absolutely magnificent. I begged Sous-Jeff to let me buy a $5.00 take away/take home pack, but to no avail. Will definitely be going back for some more soon though!

Baklava

With dessert eaten, we shuffled out of our seats, barely able to move we were so full. That enormous banquet came to a total cost of $42.00 each, which we felt was absolutely fantastic value for money. The food was all beautifully prepared and very delicious. We were very pleasantly surprised after initially going in quite hesitant, and we certainly plan on dining there again. Unfortunately, we were met with the grumpy waiter on our way out, but other than that, the staff were friendly and well organised and efficient, considering how busy they were.

 

Would rate it 8 out of 10.

How many of you have gone into a dining experience full of hesitation, only to be very pleasantly surprised?


Maroush Restaurant (Lebanese) on Urbanspoon

Quick and Healthy: Chicken and Frijoles Refritos

25 Jun

Multicultural Inspiration from…

Mexico


In the name of not overloading myself or my audience on calories, I’ve decided to be a good chef and throw in a “Quick & Healthy” series of posts to my blog. Basically, I eat quite healthily the majority of the time. I use a lot of fresh veggies and grains in my day to day cooking, and indulge in desserts and sweets a couple of times a week (because life’s too short to skip dessert all together!). My lunches and dinners during the week are usually of the quick and healthy variety, because of the odd hours I work, and because I like to balance out my cheeky post-dinner treats with supper healthy eating during the day.

I really love Mexican food, as you saw when I went to Mi Corazon. The reason I love it is because it actually is quite easy to make it in a healthy way, so it doesn’t have to just be for special occasions or breaking the “diet.” So for my first Quick & Healthy installation, I bring you my healthier, quicker, mid-week version of a Mexican dinner: Chicken with Frijoles Refritos (re-fried beans).

To get this underway for two people, preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a baking dish with a little olive oil. Take 2 medium sized chicken breasts and trim off all excess fat, place them in the baking tray, and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Then turn the oven off and leave them to cool long enough to handle. Once slightly cooled, shred the chicken, pop it back into the baking dish, cover with foil, and place back into the oven until ready to use later.

Then grab out the remainder of your ingredients…

  • 150g diced zucchini
  • 150g diced red capsicum
  • 120g diced mushroom
  • 150g diced tomato
  • 1 small diced brown onion
  • half an avocado, sliced
  • 300g of refried beans, what ever brand you prefer. I like the Old El Paso type because they are a lot lower in fat and salt than a lot of other types.
  • 60g tasty cheese, chopped up in “chunks”
  • 5 tablespoons of salsa

Heat a large non-stick fry pan with a little spray oil, and add in the zucchini, capsicum, mushroom, tomato and onion.

Cook for a few minutes, or until the veggies start to soften and brown slightly.

Once the veggies have started to soften, add in the salsa and stir through.

Next, in with the refried beans – stir to combine, until they’re heated through.

Then, in with the cheese. Turn the heat off and just mix it through so it doesn’t stick to the fry pan.

I am very aware that dinner is starting to slightly resemble dog food at this point – it may not look pretty, but it tastes great! Ok, now get the mix into a bowl…

… top with the chicken…

… and finally, the avocado!


And there ya go! It’s great fresh, but if you’re like me and often need to eat at work, it’s just as good thrown into a tub and re-heated at work – just pack the avocado in a separate tub and add it in after you’ve reheated it all!

What are your favourite quick and healthy meals?

Chicken and Choriza Paella

10 Jun

Multicultural Cuisine of…

Spain


So far on my multicultural adventure of Melbourne, I’ve tried a few cuisines – Thai, French, Japanese, Modern Australian… but at the moment, I’m a big fan on all things Spanish! I love the rich flavours and subtle spices (I’m really not keen on the super spicey business that Sous-Jeff involves himself in!) of the food, and am really starting to enjoy cooking it myself.

After the Friday Night Tapas venture a few weeks ago, I’ve been pretty keen to try my hand at some more Spanish cuisine. So, just before I shut off my computer and end my work day, I quickly jump online and find this chicken and chorizo paella recipe from taste.com – and even better, it’s got no seafood in it! Sous-Jeff and I don’t particularly love seafood, although we are making more of an effort to try it, in the name of being food-venturous and giving me something to blog about! Five minutes and a recipe print out later, I’m heading home to get my Spanish on! Here’s how it went…

To make this dish for 4 people (or for 2 and enough for left overs tomorrow!), you’ll need:

  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 2 chorizo sausages
  • 4 chicken thigh fillets (600g), sliced into 2cm pieces (although the recipe calls for chicken thigh, I prefer to use breast fillets)
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped (I only had brown onions, but they worked just as well!)
  • 1 red capsicum, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 cup arborio or calrose rice
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • parsley to serve

First, combine the chicken stock, wine and saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large fry pan or paella pan with a little oil, and add the chorizo. Cook it up, turning occasionally, until golden, and transfer to a plate.

Then, add the chicken into the pan, again turning occasionally until cooked through. Transfer to the same place with the chorizo.

Add the onion and capsicum to the pan, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes/until onion softens.

Next in goes the tomato and paprika, stirring for a minute or until aromatic.

Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, and stir them in to combine. Then sprinkle over the rice, and pour the chicken stock mixture over it and bring to the boil.

Bring the mixture to the boil and reduce the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Scatter the peas over the rice, and cook for another few minutes.

Last thing to do is sprinkle the parsley over the top and serve it up! It was a super simple recipe, and it came out perfectly. The saffron and paprika weren’t too strong, and the chicken came out very tenderly from simmering in the stock for so long. Give it a try, it’s really yummy!!


So, what cuisines have you fallen in love with and decided to try at home?!


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