2009 November - The Klutzy Cook

Menu Plan #14

Christmas has now officially arrived in our house with the Christmas tree going up yesterday. All I had to do this year was put on the tinsel and lights, the kids did the rest. It was great watching them add all their favourite ornaments, including ones they have made over the years. I must say I think they did a great job – here it is:

Our Christmas Tree 2009

Christmas cooking is in full swing and going along nicely except for one hiccup. When cooking the cake last week, I was also cooking some Nectarine Chutney. Juggling two recipes and 3 little helpers in the kitchen, things got a little crazy and 1kg instead of 1 cup of brown sugar was added to the Christmas cake. The 1kg was meant for the chutney but the cake did seem to survive, although it is a little ‘sticky’. We’ll just eat small pieces at a time otherwise the house could become a hive of hyperactivity!

On the weekend I did an Indian Cooking Course where they covered making Indian breads, curries, samosas and pakoras. It was really interesting to learn that a lot of the curries start with exactly the same base of ingredients. From this base a plethora of different curries can be made by adding varied ingredients including meats, vegetables and additional herbs, spices and flavours.

The other great thing was that the Indian breads are really easy to make at home with no fancy equipment required. Keep an eye on the blog for recipes as I work at recreating them all at home.

With plenty of end of year events and celebrations going on, the menu is pretty simple this week. We also have another market run so am looking forward to more great summer fruits.

Monday – Chicken Schnitzel Caesar Salad
Tuesday –Mini quiches, honey soy chicken legs (Picnic at School Christmas Carols)
Wednesday – Chicken Pasta Bake
Thursday – Lamb Stir Fry
Friday – Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue
Sunday – Butter Chicken and Indian Fried Rice
Extras – Christmas cooking

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Bacon & Egg Fettuccini

After a recent episode of my freezer being ‘accidentally’ turned off, I was left with a great pile of defrosted bacon that had to be used up quickly. The occurred because my dearly beloved was running around the house during an electrical storm switching everything off. Usually, he doesn’t touch the fridge or freezer, but the freezer is on a double power point and he flipped the wrong switch. GRRRR! Luckily, not too much was affected, mainly the top basket (it’s a chest freezer) which had all the bacon in it.

So, out came this Bacon and Egg Fettucine recipe which is really my take on Pasta Carbonara. When you cook a meal like this, the one real plus is that no-one in the family is going to complain. Bacon and eggs in any way, shape or form is always going to be a winner.

Bacon & Egg Fettucine

Bacon & Egg Fettuccini

Ingredients

8 rashers bacon
300ml evaporated milk
Pinch of paprika
3 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
500g packet fettuccini

Method

Start cooking the fettuccini according to the packet instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, remove the rind and excess fat from bacon and cut into thin strips. Cook bacon in a frying pan over low heat until crisp. Add cream and paprika to frying pan. Stir to combine and heat through gently.

In a bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add parmesan cheese and combine well.

When fettuccini is cooked, drain well and return to pan. Add the bacon mixture, toss until combined. Add egg mixture, toss quickly until combined – the mixture should coat the fettuccini. Serve with extra parmesan and fresh pepper.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

I always use shortcut bacon, it has the rind and fat already removed. Pancetta can be substituted for the bacon, but of course then it would be Pancetta and Egg Fettuccini!
When adding the egg mixture, the heat of the fettuccini will cook the egg as it clings to the pasta. This will happen pretty quickly. You don’t want the egg cooking and congealing in separate lumps.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this recipe, I’d love to hear them. Please write them below.

Other Bacon & Egg recipes you might like:

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins

Nectarine Chutney

Last week at the markets there was the first real flush of stone fruit available. Plums and nectarines were leading the charge so I got a carton of each. The nectarines, although small were full of fabulous flavor but with only a short shelf life so the plan was to cook them up or preserve them.

Pouring through the cookbooks I came across the following Nectarine Chutney recipe. The ginger and spices won me over so last night I cooked it all up with the help of my daughter Maggie who did a lot of the chopping.

When all the ingredients went into the pan, the mixture had a real Christmas look – all red and green. And that is why I had to get this recipe out as it is a great one to make as a Christmas gift (what I’ve done), particularly if you are lucky enough to have nectarines in season (which we do in Australia).

Nectarine Chutney Precooked

If you don’t have nectarines in season now, be sure to make this Nectarine Chutney when you do. The beauty of chutneys is they are so easy to make – throw everything in the pan, simmer away until nice and thick, then bottle it up.

Chutneys are great served with curries and meats. My Mum loves them on crackers with cheese. However you eat chutney, enjoy!

Nectarine Chutney

Recipe from The Book of Preserves (”Australian Women’s Weekly” Home Library)

Nectarine Chutney

Ingredients

2kg nectarines, chopped
1 medium green capsicum, chopped
2 ½ cups white vinegar
4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup chopped dates
¼ cup chopped glace ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Method

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir over heat to dissolve the sugar without boiling. Bring to the boil, simmer uncovered stirring occasionally until mixture is thick (it took about 3 hours for me).

Nectarine Chutney Cooked

Pour chutney into hot sterilized jars (see note) and seal.

Makes about 6 cups.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

To sterilize the jars select a suitable number of jars (makes about 6 cups). Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water then rinse well in hot water and drain. Put the jars into a low oven (100C-120C/210F-250F) for 30 minutes. Remove the jars a few minutes before use so that they are still warm when bottling the jam.

How do you like to serve your chutney? Please let me know below.

Zucchini Slice

This Zucchini Slice recipe is one of the oldest in my repertoire. The initial attraction was the simplicity of the recipe. When you’re first learning to cook, recipes like this are a great confidence booster.

Nowadays it’s still a favourite because not only is it simple to make, it is something that can be prepared ahead and then either reheated or served cold along with some fresh salad. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day too.

My kids call this Zucchini Slice ‘quiche’, probably because it’s like a quiche without the crust. I’m happy for them to call it what they like because the great thing is they will eat zucchini when it’s in this slice, but if I try to serve it on its own – forget it.

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

375g zucchini, grated
1 large onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (360F). Grease a lamington tin (approximately 16cm x 26cm).

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Season to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until browned.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

Other ingredients can be substituted – carrots and ham are a great addition. Use whatever is at hand, just ensure they are all grated or chopped to a similar size.

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.

Menu Plan #13

As predicted last week was a hot one – summer has definitely arrived early this year. Apparently this week is not going to be much better – which is not a lot of fun when you’re trying to bake and cook for Christmas!

The menu last week went well with just a couple of minor alterations. The spaghetti on Sunday night didn’t eventuate, so has been rescheduled as my daughter is desperate for some ‘meat’ spaghetti (we haven’t had it for a while).

After the markets last week I have quite a lot of carrots, avocados, sweet potato and potatoes that will be used in salads and roasting. The first lot of stone fruit was also available and with plenty of nectarines in the fridge, I’m planning some nectarine chutney for Christmas gifts.

Monday – Carrot & Zucchini Slice
Tuesday – Spaghetti Bologanaise
Wednesday – Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday – Roast Lamb
Friday – Homemade Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue – Seafood skewers
Sunday – Nachos (with lots of guacamole)
Extras – Christmas cooking

Have a great week!

How to Cook the Perfect Roast Potato

Whether it’s for a mid week family roast or an extravagant Thanksgiving meal, the humble Roast Potato is a winner with young and old. Nothing beats crispy, crunchy, golden brown potatoes served alongside a roasted meat. It is the number one accompaniment that no roast can do without.

However, actually cooking a perfect roast potato is not as straightforward as it seems. While it is simple once you know how, there are a couple of important tips included in the video below that help to ensure that you dish up the perfect roast potato every time. These include the type of potato to use and some fail safe cooking steps to take.

So click on the video below now to learn how to cook the perfect Roast Potato.

How do you cook the perfect roast potato? Please share your tips along with any comments on the video below.

Banana Spice Muffins

Muffins, muffins, muffins – we just can’t seem to get enough of them in our house (see Strawberry Muffins, Cheese Muffins). These Banana Spice Muffins are the latest favourites which I’m sure will change once another flavor is introduced.

Muffins are a great way to use up overripe fruit and the flavor is ‘spiced’ up a bit in this banana muffin recipe. If you have an excess of bananas, peel and freeze them for later use in this recipe or others (Chocolate Banana Bread). Alternatively you can add them to smoothies.

Banana Spice Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup mashed banana

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or grease. Combine flour, sugar and spice in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add egg, milk and butter. Mix together lightly until just combined (the mixture should stay lumpy) then stir through the banana.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the holes. Each hole should be about ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test the muffins are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin. When cooked, it will come out clean.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

Mixed spice combines cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. If it’s not available any one of these would suffice.
The muffins can be frozen. For an easy lunchbox addition, seal in individual bags and grab from the freezer as required.

What’s your favourite muffin flavour? Please post it below in the comments area.

Sweet Pork Stir Fry

Today I’m going to share my oldest and favourite stir fry recipe – Sweet Pork Stir Fry. The original recipe came from a magazine a long time ago now and has been cooked and adapted many times over. The recipe below is where it has settled.

The pork is marinated in Hoisin Sauce, a sweet, salty and spicy thick sauce which imparts a barbecue like flavor to the pork. A second ‘stir fry sauce’ is added with the vegetables to give the final dish a wonderfully tasty coating.

One word of warning, I find when cooking pork (or any other meat) that has been marinated in hoisin sauce, a black coating may occur in the wok. Be sure to remove this with a spatula before starting to cook the vegetables or you will end up with black flecks all through the dish. While this doesn’t alter the taste, the look and texture of the final result is not as nice.

Sweet Pork Stir Fry

Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients

500g pork meat, cut into strips
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 clove garlic, crushed
5 cups chopped stir fry vegetables (see note)
400g pack hokkien noodles
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

Method

Combine the pork and hoisin in a glass or ceramic bowl and marinate for 3 hours, covered in the refrigerator.

Prepare noodles according to packet directions and set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil to wok and heat. Stir fry 1/3 of the marinated pork in the wok until browned well. Repeat with remaining two batches of pork.

Add remaining oil to pan, then throw in the onion. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add any ‘hard’ vegetables, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce and the garlic and stir fry for a minute. Add remaining ‘soft’ vegetables and stir fry for a further minute.

Return the pork to the pan along with the noodles. Stir fry everything together and combine well. Cook long enough to heat the pork and noodles through. Serve.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

I prefer to use pork fillet for this recipe, but have also used lean pork leg steak.
The key with any stir fry is to have everything prepared beforehand. That way the dish can be cooked quickly and the crisp, fresh texture that makes stir fries so wonderful is maintained. You don’t want anything ‘stewing ‘ in the wok while you’re preparing ingredients. Cut up meats and vegetables, have sauces measured out and noodles prepared.
Use whatever vegetables are seasonal and readily available. Great vegetables to use are – broccoli, carrot, wombok (Chinese cabbage), bok choy, corn and capsicum. Separate them into ‘hard’ (carrot, broccoli etc) and soft (leafy vegetables, capsicum) before cooking to make it easier.
The hokkien noodles can be replaced with whatever noodles you prefer, including rice noodles. Alternatively, omit the noodles altogether and serve the dish with rice. Just as delicious!

Some other stir fry recipes you might like:

Minced Beef Stir Fry with Noodles

Easy Turkey Stir Fry

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, please feel free to leave them below.

Menu Plan #12

Well last week, in terms of my menu plan, was a bit of a disaster. My freezer was ‘accidentally’ switched off when we were preparing for a storm (many things get unplugged to prevent damage, but not usually the freezer!). Of course, this meant I ended up with quite a bit of defrosted foods to play with and try and use up. Fortunately, only the top basket (it’s a chest freezer) was completely defrosted, the bottom section remained largely intact.

The main ingredient I was left with was bacon. I always buy up in bulk when it’s on special and freeze it. Such a buy up had recently occurred so there was plenty of bacon to get rid of. Two of my favourite recipes came to the fore – Bacon & Egg Pasta (my version of Pasta Carbonara) and Zucchini Slice. It was actually really nice to have both of these again, it’s been a long time.

Christmas Pudding

This week is going to be a very hot one according to the weather gurus, so I plan on keeping it mostly light and cool. I also plan on starting my Christmas cooking – the cakes and puddings. Here’s the plan for the week:

Monday – Barbecue Chicken & Salad
Tuesday – Lamb & Noodle Stir Fry
Wednesday – Fish, Chips & Salad
Thursday – Kangaroo Tacos
Friday – Pizza Pie
Saturday – Barbecue Hamburgers
Sunday – Spaghetti Bolognese

Extras – Christmas Cakes, Christmas Puddings

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

Pasta is one of my family’s favourite meals and when tomatoes are in abundance, there are two ways I like to prepare a Tomato Pasta Sauce. Either version is simple, bursting with flavor and looks fantastic on the plate.

The first version (not this one – but coming soon), is where the tomatoes are only slightly cooked, or really just warmed through and tossed through the pasta with lots of fresh herbs and parmesan.

In this version of Tomato Pasta Sauce, the tomatoes are roasted which brings an entirely different flavor to the dish. Also, this sauce can be incorporated into other recipes unlike the ‘fresh’ sauce which is best served on its own.

Once you’ve tried a Tomato Pasta Sauce like this, it’s addictive and you don’t ever look at canned or bottled varieties in the same light. They just don’t quite measure up, but of course still have a use – particularly when there isn’t the luxury of fresh tomatoes on hand.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

1kg of good quality, ripened tomatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt or salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 200C (390F).

Cut tomatoes in half and place cut side up onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Tomatoes going into the oven

Cook the tomatoes for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool long enough to handle.

Roasted Tomatoes

Remove the skins from the tomatoes – they should slip off quite easily.

Peeling tomatoes

Place tomatoes into a food processor and blend for a few seconds – long enough to make a fine tomato sauce.

Tomato Pasta Sauce

Use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 5 days. The sauce can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

Using good quality tomatoes is important – roma or vine ripened are best.
The tomatoes can be roasted for a longer time which will give a more intense flavor. Reduce the temperature to 110C (230F) and roast for 3 hours.
The sauce can be served on its own over pasta with fresh parmesan. Another easy dish is simply to add some chopped cooked meats such as sausage, ham or bacon to the sauce and again, serve over pasta. Alternatively incorporate it into any recipe that requires a tomato sauce.
Add different flavours to the sauce by sprinkling any of the following over the tomatoes before roasting – minced garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, mint, finely chopped onion or shallots.

Family cooking capers from an accident prone Aussie home cook

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Bacon & Egg Fettucine

Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

If you have any comments or questions regarding this recipe, I’d love to hear them. Please write them below.

Nectarine Chutney

Nectarine Chutney Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

How do you like to serve your chutney? Please let me know below.

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.

How do you cook the perfect roast potato? Please share your tips along with any comments on the video below.

Banana Spice Muffins

Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

What’s your favourite muffin flavour? Please post it below in the comments area.

Sweet Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, please feel free to leave them below.

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

Method

The Klutzy Cook Notes

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.

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I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Nectarine Chutney

Ingredients

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients