Chilli and Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 200g butter
• 2 tblspn dried Chilli
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• salt
• Turkish Bread
  

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
2. Slice bread along its length sideways
3. Grate or finely slice garlic and mix with butter, Chilli and parsley in a small dish or mixing bowl. Whip butter mix until the mixture is slightly melted and spreads well, add salt to taste.
   
4. Spread butter mixture onto Turkish bread evenly, and place in the oven with the butter side up.
5. Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden. Serve hot.

You can add more or less of the ingredients to taste, I prefer more garlic and perhaps less chilli, but more chilli always goes great when the boys are drinking. I learnt this one off an Itallian Chef called Flavio at a mates bucks weekend. We were in charge of food and I made Chorizo omlettes (recipe to come) and we both put together this garlic bread before the stripper came. At about 3:30 that morning after we got back from the pub Flavio put together this fantastic Fettucine Arrabiatta, which I'll try and recreate before I post it. Flavio works at a restaurant in Sydney called Taste. At least I think he does, it might be Prima Taste. I was pretty drunk.

Enjoy

James the Not So Skinny Cook.

Fettucine Boscaiola

INGREDIENTS

• 15g dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup boiling water
• 375g fresh fettuccine
• 30g butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 300g mixed mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced sage leaves
• 4 eschalots, diced
• 1 cloves garlic, sliced
• ¼ cup dry white wine, Madeira or port
• ½ cup cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms and set aside to re-hydrate (20-30 minutes) and soften.
2. Cook pasta in large pot of salted, boiling water, (5-6 minutes) until al dente and drain. Drain mushrooms and strain liquid through a fine sieve to remove any dirt; reserve liquid and slice mushrooms thickly.
3. Heat butter and olive oil together in a large, non-stick frying pan and cook fresh mushrooms, sage, eschalots and garlic until starting to sweat and caramelise. Add sliced porcini and wine, sauté. Add some porcini water and add a dash of cream and pepper. Bring back to the boil and reduce slightly.
4. Add drained pasta and, if necessary, a little of the pasta cooking liquid to thin the sauce slightly. Serve hot.
   

I use either home made fresh pasta, or the gourmet pasta from a deli or supermarket. The dried instant stuff is ok for bulk stuff or just for plain pasta for that really special dish, say you're entertaining in-laws or cooking for your date, i recommend going all out and using the good stuff. It makes all the difference with good pasta dishes. Find yourself a good Italian Deli in town somewhere and ask them whats good for your dish.

Enjoy.

James the Not So Skinny Cook

Just a joke I wanted to share...

Three Italian nuns die and go to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, they are met by St. Peter. He says,
"Sisters, you all led such exemplary lives that the Lord is granting you six months to go back to earth and be anyone you wish to be.
The first nun says, "I want to be Sophia Loren;"
And *poof* she's gone.
The second says, "I want to be Madonna and *poof* she's gone.
The third says, "I want to be Sara Pipalini.."
St. Peter looks perplexed. "Who?" he asks
"Sara Pipalini;" replies the nun.
St. Peter shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, but that name just doesn't ring a bell." The nun then takes a newspaper out of her habit and hands it to St.Peter. St. Peter reads the paper and starts laughing. He hands it back to her and says.
"No sister, the paper says it was the ' Sahara Pipeline' that was laid by 1,400 men in 6 months."

If you laughed, you're going straight to hell!

James the Not So Funny Cook

Feta & Pine Nut Cheese Strudel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 3/4 cups feta cheese, crumbled
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 2 tblsp chopped basil
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 9 sheets filo pastry
• 40g butter
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 2-3 tspn sesame seeds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to moderate (180 degrees C). Mix together pine nuts, feta, ricotta, basil spring onion and eggs. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Brush each sheet of filo with the combined melted butter and oil and stack them one on top of each other.
2. Spread the cheese filling in the centre, covering an area about 10cm x 30cm. Fold in the ends of the pastry, then fold in the sides to enclose the filling. Carefully turn the strudel over and place on a baking tray, seam-side-down. Lightly brush the top with a little melted butter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
3. Bake for 35 mins or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve warm with relish, chutney or salad.

James the Not So Skinny Cook.

Rocotta Con Fritters

Ingredients:

• 200g Low Fat Ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
• 420g can corn kernels, drained
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 2 tblsp snipped fresh chives
• cooking oil, or spray
• 100g low fat ricotta extra
• 1/3 cup ready made spicy tomato chutney

Method:

1. Place the ricotta, egg, egg white and milk in a bowl, and beat together until smooth. Stir in the flour, corn, spring onions and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spray non-stick frying pan liberally with cooking oil. Add heaped tblsp of mixture to the pan, four at a time, and flatten to about 1.5cm thick. Cook for 3-4 mins each side. Drain on crumbled paper towels. Serve fritters in a stack of 3 and top with a tblsp of extra ricotta and a tblsp of tomato chutney.
   

Marinated Tofu with Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 500g firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/3 cup shoyu (japanese soy sauce)
• 1/4 cup mirin (rice wine vinegar)
• 2 tblsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• oil, for cooking
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into batons
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 150g snow peas, thinly sliced

Method:

1. Combine the tofu with the soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic in a glass or ceramic bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Heat the wok until very hot, add 1 tblsp oil and swirl it to coat. Drain tofu, reserving marinade. Stir-fry the tofu in 3 batches over high heat until it is golden brown. Heat 1 tblsp oil between batches. Remove all the tofu from the wok and drain on paper towels.
3. Reheat the wok, add 1 tblsp oil and stir-fry the onion, carot and capsicum over medium-high heat for 3-4 mins, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the snowpeas and cook for 3 mins.
4. Increase heat to high and add the reserved marinade, tossing the vegetables in the marinade until they are thoroughly coated and the sauce boils. Return the tofu to the wok and toss until the mixture is well combined and the tofu is heated through. Season well with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

James the Not So Skinny Cook

Lemon and Spinach Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine
• 40g butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 cups (440g) arborio rice
• 300g English spinach, trimmed and chopped
• 1 tspn finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tblsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
• 3 tblsp free flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 (25g) freshly grated parmesan

Method:

1. Heat stock and wine in saucepan, cover, and keep at a low simmer.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 5 mins, or until soft. Stir in the rice until well coated.
3. Add 1/2 cup (125ml) hot liquid and stir constantly over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding more liquid, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, for 20-25 mins or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy. Before adding the last 1/2 cup of stock, add the spinach, lemon rind and juice.
4. Remove from heat, stir in the cream, parsley and Parmesan and serve immediately.

James the Not So Skinny Cook