Baked Moroccan beef fillet gets universal tick of approval

Hi there from Nonna land

Baked Moroccan Beef  Fillet with chermoula paste

OJ will be 1 month old next Tuesday - I am having a sleepover at his house for a few days.  He is a very hungry caterpillar at present - you forget how demanding three hour feeds can be but his mum is a very good mum. 
Last night we decided to have Beef Fillet for dinner - Moroccan style - which received Daddy's seal of approval as well as the heart foundation's and nursing mum wanting to shed a little weight.

Moroccan Beef Fillet baked with chermoula paste
185 g (6 1/2 oz) beef fillet


 Chermoula paste
1 red onion
4 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley - about 75g (2 1/2 oz)
1/2 bunch coriander leaves - about 40g (1 1/2 oz)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground chilli or 2 to 3 dried chilli
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Blend or process ingredients to form a paste.

Marinate for an hour

Marinate beef in the chermoula for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).  Line a baking dish with baking paper and heat dish in oven before adding beef.  Cook for 20 mins for rare and 30 for medium.  Rest in a warm place for 10 mins before slicing and serving on a bed of couscous with a green salad or Moroccan veges (to follow).  Tomorrow not today -  because we have a baby around and you know what that means
Nonna Clara

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Anise stars in this all-in-one Asian Hot Pot



Radish or Parsnip??? Actual name - Daikon (white radish)
often used in Asian cooking



Fragrant Asian spices for this all in one Hot Pot



Anise is the star

Hi R

Our radish is actually called 'daikon' and here it is in this fragrant dish.  As you know we mistook it for a parsnip, used it successfully for cruunch in a salad but now I know it's true identity as a vegetable often used in Asian cooking. Not hugely nutritious, mildly hot, but absorbs the flavour of the dish -one of life's little mysteries solved on Grannycircle! 

This is a divine recipe -  soooo easy and quick but guaranteed to tantilise the taste buds.  Of course, if you don't have Daikon, you could easily substitute with green beans or broccoli etc, adding in the last 10 mins so it remains a little crunchy. Don't leave out the star anise - it is so pretty with amazing flavour!

Clara 

ASIAN CHICKEN HOT POT

to serve 6
1/2 to 2/3 cup shaoxing (Chinese rice wine)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp chopped ginger

1 medium onion quartered or 6 spring onions, sliced

2 to 3 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 kg / 2lb chicken thighs (each thigh cut into 4 slices or breast cut into approx 6 pieces)

3 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 daikon (white radish), cut into chunks
8 fresh shitake mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup coriander and/or basil
cracked black or white pepper


Rice to serve


Preheat oven to 180C / 355 F.  In an ovenproof casserole dish, mix chinese wine, soy, garlic, ginger, spring onions, star anise and cinnamon then add chicken. Cover and bake for 3/4 hour or until chicken is just tender. Add carrot, daikon and mushrooms and cook uncovered for a further 15 minutes

Place rice in bowl, add chicken and vegetables. Ladle over sauce. Sprinkle with coriander and pepper.

Boneless chicken breasts / thighs:

Average per person:- buy 5 oz / 150g

or to serve 6 - 2lb /1kg

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au

 www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Sweet and sour pork gets a universal tick

Hi there from Milwaukee

My last dinner here, so what could be better than a Sweet and Sour pork with pineapple and basil, to satisfy Aussie and American taste buds; sweet and sour adored by Americans combined with Asian spices, embraced by Australian cuisine.  This all-in-one version of the dish gets the tick for Fit in your jeans cuisine, since it's not cooked in batter nor is it too sweet. 
Clara
ps -Today  I took my very own photo of 2 friendly deer in the back yard.  Lucky we hadn't chosen venison for our meal tonight!


Sweet and sour pork with basil
600g (1 1/2 lb lean pork fillets)
2 tbsp curry paste (In Australia we can readily buy this, but we made our own - recipe below)
2 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 red onion  (cut into wedges)
250g  (a good  1/2 lb) green beans - topped
250g cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp brown sugar
lrg handful basil leaves


to serve
Steamed rice


Stir curry paste with pork.
Heat a wok or heavy pan over high heat.  Add half the oil and heat until hot.  Stir- fry pork in batches for 2-3 minutes until cooked through and golden. Remove from heat.  Caramalise pineapple by stir-frying for 1 min then remove.


Reheat wok to high and add remaining oil.  Add onion - stir-fry 2 mins until golden.  Add the beans and 2 tbsp water and stir-fry 1-2 mins.  Add tomatoes and stir-fry for 1 min.


Toss together pork and pineapple. add lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and basil leaves and stir.  Serve straight away with rice.

Thai curry paste was unavailable so we made our own then left out the fish sauce and sugar from the recipe above.

Thai curry paste
1-2 red chilies (or substitute 1/2 to 1 tsp dried chilli)
1/2 to 1 stalk lemongrass, minced (or substitute with 1 tsp lemon zest)
2 shallots, sliced (or 1/3 cup onion chopped)
1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, or ginger sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp fish sauce
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp tomato ketchup (or substitute tomato paste plus 1/2 tsp sugar)
Blend until smooth. Can be kept for 2 weeks in airtight bottle, or  can be frozen.


Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

American style ribs tickle Aussie taste buds

Hi there
I adore American Style Ribs - whether cooked on the BBQ or slow cooked in the oven, they have to be 'finger lickin goood'!  I didn't have them at the delightful steak house where Roberto took us, as he recommended the fillet steak (which was meltinthemouth).  R had a Manhattan so I followed suit, with Roberto choosing a Martini with extra stuffed olives, and promises of future ribs were made.  So here they are. Mmmmmm!

AMERICAN STYLE RIBS

1 ½ kg /about 3lb American-style pork spare ribs
MARINADE
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
½ cup honey
½ teaspoon five spice powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 small fresh red chilli, chopped
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sweet sherry
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed


METHOD
Cut rib racks into individual ribs or leave whole. Combine with marinade in bowl, refrigerate overnight if possible.


Preheat barbecue on medium. Drain pork ribs, reserving marinade. Cook pork ribs, turning and brushing occasionally with marinade, for 30 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with green salad.
Serves 8.
Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
 http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/