Fennel and Almond Soup with Pangrattato

Image via Wikipedia

I found this recipe in a magazine while waiting to catch a plane.
This is a slightly different recipe to the one I read and as I didn't buy the magazine and I had to rely on my memory, which is not all that good lately. The thing that attracted me to this recipe was not only the use of fennel which I adore, but also the use of almond meal. 
I served it to my French class when they came to "chez moi" on Friday. It was a big hit and I really enjoyed eating it too. It is very low in fat and full of goodness. I am sure you will enjoy it. 


Here is the recipe for you.


Ingredients
Two tsp of fennel seeds
2 tbs of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 fennel bulbs finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped.
3/4 of a cup almond meal
700ml vegetable stock


Pangrattato
1 ciabatta perferably day old
1/4 cup italian parsely
1/2 cup parmesan cheese 
1 garlic clove
Olive oil

Method
For soup
Heat a large saucepan and toast fennel seeds for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add olive oil and heat for another minute, then add onion, garlic and fennel and celery stirring for 5 minutes. When tender add the almond meal and cook a further 2 minutes then add the hot vegetable stock. Reduce to a simmer and wait for all ingredients to be very soft.
Cool slightly then puree with a hand blender or put mixture into a blender, pulse until smooth.
If you prefer your soup fine in texture you can pour through a sieve.
For the Pangattato
Place Ciabatta in oven drizzled with oil and bake until golden and crunchy.
When cool pulse in a blender with garlic, parmesan cheese and parsely.


Ladle soup into bowls and decorate with Pangrattato. Serve immediately with crunchy bread.

Chocolate Tarte with Chocolate Pastry

Chocolate Tarte with Chocolate Pastry

Serves 8

  

You all know that I have a passion for chocolate so when I saw the cover of July's Gourmet Traveller I was truly inspired. I had attended the Black Pearl Cavier SALE and had a huge amount of good dark chocolate so there was no reason not to go all out and make this delicious tarte. The one on Gourmet Traveller had poached quince on top. Now while this looks terrific, I have not had much luck with poaching quinces. The last attempt ending up tasting like washing powder. I decided just to keep to the pure chocolate.

Here is the recipe without the poached quince.

Cooking Time Prep time 30 mins, cook 6 hrs (plus resting, cooling)

Ingredients 

3	eggs
4	egg yolks
175 gm	caster sugar
375 gm	dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
250 gm	butter, coarsely chopped
Chocolate Pastry
200 gm	plain flour
60 gm	pure icing sugar, sieved
70 gm	Dutch-process cocoa powder
110 gm	cold butter, coarsely chopped
3	egg yolks

Method
Pastry
Process flour, icing sugar and cocoa in a food processor until combined. Add butter and mix until it resembles fine crumbs, then add egg yolks. Turn onto lightly floured surface and bring pastry together with the heel of your hand. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate to rest for at least one hour.
After an hour or so take out of fridge and roll pastry to fit 24cm tart tin. Rest once again in the fridge for an hour. Then bake blind for ten minutes.
Filling
Whisk eggs yolks and sugar in electric mixer until pale. Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of water. Pour this mixture into hot pastry shell and bake for 15 to 20 mins.
Decorate with berries if you desire.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Zucchini, Lemon Zest and Parmesan Cheese

Ok! Ok I know I haven't been blogging much lately! And I said I was going to cook mini food and this recipe is not mini at all. Unfortunately a blogger's life is not unlike yours. Sometimes life is a little overwhelming and other times everything seems under control and blogging time is easy to find. Enough of the excuses though and on with this recipe.
This is a recipe that I had the pleasure of eating when I was in Griffith. Dot, my hostess was kind enough to tell me how to make it. 
It was Saturday night and yes, even the everydaycook gets tired of cooking. The teenager was going out and had friends getting ready at our place. I thought if I put something out for dinner they will have something before they go, even though they have told me they weren't hungry.
Of course, the kids loved it.


Asparagus Zucchini Lemon Zest and Parmesan Cheese
This recipe is for about four people
Ingredients
1 packet of Spaghetti pasta
2 bunches of Asparagus chopped 
3 Zucchinis sliced into thin round slices
3 diced cloves of garlic
1 diced onion
Italian Parsley
1Lemon
Parmesan Cheese
Oilve oil
Bring a big pot of salty water to boil and when bubbling drop a drop or two of olive oil in it. Then add spaghetti to the water. 
In a shallow fry pan sauté the garlic and diced onions in the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add chopped asparagus and diced zucchini and chopped italian parsley. Add some salt and pepper  Cook until the vegetables are the texture you prefer. When the pasta is finished throw into a colander and then put back in the pot and add the Asparagus and Zucchini mixture.
Grate the zest of one lemon on top of pasta and serve into dishes.
Add shaved parmesan cheese on top 

Since moving and starting my new life as a city dweller, my creative juices have been flowing. Today I am going to start acting on these impulses. I am going to make miniature food. Mini Cupcakes, Mini cookies. I would love to make mini chickens but not sure how.

Lemon and Yoghurt Cake

• Now that I have settled into my new home. I have started to bake more often.
• It is amazing how much slower I am in the new kitchen. I really had the last place working like a well oiled piece of machinery. I am still finding places for everything and trying to make it work.
• I don't have enough power points and have to carry my Kitchen aid from one end of the kitchen to the other. The oven is great and I have found it is better if I set it below the temperature suggested.
• 
  
• Lemon and Yoghurt Cake is a lovely moist offering. The cake is very popular with my friends and is lovely with a cup of tea. I like to make it in my ring tin that has ridges in it and make the cake look luxurious.
• 
  
• Here is the recipe for your enjoyment.
• 
  
• Lemon Yoghurt Cake
• 
  
• Ingredients
• Melted butter or margarine
• 1 lemon
• 100g butter or margarine
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 160g (2/3 cup) yoghurt
• 175g self-raising flour, sifted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm ring cake pan with the melted butter or margarine.

2. Finely grate the lemon rind, then juice the fruit. Measure 2 tbs of the lemon juice and reserve for the syrup. Use electric beaters to beat butter and 100g of the sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add yoghurt and reserved rind. Beat until combined.

4. Gently fold in the sifted flour with a large metal spoon until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake in pre- heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out dean. Remove from oven and place cake pan on a wire rack. Meanwhile, to make the syrup, combine the reserved 2 tbs of lemon juice and remaining 50g caster sugar in a small saucepan.

5. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer over medium to low heat for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour the hot lemon syrup over warm cake and then cool the cake in the pan. To serve, turn the cake onto a serving plate and remove the cake pan.

Citrus Pinkies

I was given a free food calendar the other day and it had some lovely recipes in it.

This is one that I decided to give a try. The are crisp light short bread biscuits with a little zest in the mixture with a citrus icing. Everyone enjoyed eating them. I used some of the left overs for a tart base.

Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
250g pure icing sugar
rind of 1 lime, finely grated
rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
rind of 1 orange, finely grated
500g plain flour, sifted
60ml water

Icing:
125g pure icing sugar, sifted
1½ tbs lemon juice
2-3 drops pink food colouring

Method:
Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter and icing sugar into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. Attach the flat beater and pouring shield (if available) and mix on speed 2 until incorporated. Increase to speed 6 and mix for 2-3 minutes or until very pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl regularly with a spatula.

Add rinds and flour, a little at a time and mix on speed 1 until flour is combined into butter mixture. Do not over mix.

Add water and mix on speed 1 until mixture just comes together. Remove dough and knead lightly. Cut dough in half.

Roll out first half of dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Cut out dough using a heart cutter and place on prepared trays 2cm apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until golden. Transfer biscuits to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Icing:
Combine icing sugar, lemon juice and colouring in the mixing bowl. Attach the flat beater and mix on speed 1 until icing is smooth. Carefully dip each biscuit, top side down, lightly into the icing. Place right side up on cooling rack and allow to set.

Hooray Hooray I am back!

Wow that was one hell of a move! I will call it my Kokoda track. We are still settling in and I have to learn a new oven, new cook top and new microwave/oven thingo.

I made some cute little biscuits, to celebrate They are a lemon shortbread with a lemony icing.

I will post some photos later. I am still waiting of an internet connection then I will be up and running.