Pittwater Life June 2022 Issue

Food Life
with Janelle Bloom
For more recipes go to janellebloom.com.au
Food Life
Recipes: janellebloom.com.au; facebook.com/culinaryinbloom; instagram.com/janellegbloom/ Photos: Adobe Stock
Give Winter a cold shoulder
with wonderful warmers...
Winter certainly feels like it has hit us
early this year. I have been making
soups for a few weeks already – and I
need to change things up. So, if like me, you’re
looking for some delicious, hearty inspiration
French-style
bacon, cheese
and egg toastie
Makes 4
8 slices crusty white bread, cut
1cm thick
4 tbs Dijon mustard
30g baby spinach
300g Gruyère, coarsely grated
60g butter, coarsely chopped
8 pieces shortcut bacon
Olive oil, for cooking
4 eggs
Béchamel sauce
50g butter, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
200ml full cream milk
Pinch ground nutmeg
1. For béchamel, melt the
butter in a saucepan over
medium heat. Add the flour,
cook stirring for 1-2 minutes
until slightly grainy. Remove
from the heat. Slowly add
the milk, whisking constantly
until smooth. Return to the
heat, stir over medium heat
until sauce comes to the
boil. Add nutmeg, season
to taste, cover loosely
with plastic wrap and set
aside until cooled to room
temperature.
2. Place four slices of bread on
a work surface, spread with
mustard, top with spinach
and Gruyère; sandwich with
remaining bread.
3. Preheat grill to high.
4. Melt the butter in a large,
non-stick frying pan over
medium heat until foaming;
add sandwiches to pan
and cook, for 2-3 minutes
each side until light golden.
Remove to a tray. Spread the
tops thickly with béchamel
sauce. Grill for 3-4 minutes
until the top is golden.
5. Meanwhile, wipe the frying
pan clean and heat over
medium heat. Add the bacon
and cook in batches for
2-3 minutes each side until
golden. Remove to a plate.
Wipe the pan clean.
6. Add the oil to the frying pan
and fry eggs for 2-3 minutes,
or until cooked to your liking
(3-4 minutes for soft yolks).
Top each sandwich with
bacon and an egg. Season
with pepper and serve.
to serve the family – that importantly won’t
break the bank – look no further. There’s
something for everyone: meat, veggie, classic,
exotic, spicy, wholesome… you choose! Or try
them all! Stay warm and enjoy…
Classic cauliflower
soup
Serves 4
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
2 leeks, halved, washed, thinly
sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cauliflower (about 1kg),
coarsely chopped
1 large Sebago potato, peeled,
coarsely chopped
2 cups (500ml) chicken or
vegetable stock
1 cup (250ml) full cream milk
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tbs thyme leaves
½ cup crème fraiche, optional
1 lemon, rind finely grated
toasted sourdough, to serve
1. Heat the oil and butter in a
large saucepan over medium
heat. Add the leek and garlic;
cook, stirring occasionally for
5 minutes or until soft. Add
the cauliflower and potato
and cook, stirring often for
8 minutes until they start to
soften.
2. Add the stock, milk and bay
leaves and thyme. Season
with pepper and bring to the
boil over high heat. Reduce
the heat to low, partially cover
and simmer for 15 minutes
until the vegetables are
tender. Remove from the heat
and remove the bay leaves.
3. Blend or process the mixture
until smooth. Stir in the crème
fraiche and lemon rind, stir
over medium heat until hot,
adding more stock to adjust
the consistency to your
liking. Taste and season with
salt and pepper. Serve with
toasted sourdough.
Peri Peri chicken
casserole
Serve 4-5
2 tbs plain flour
8-10 chicken thigh cutlets
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
2 small red onions, chopped
400g can cherry tomatoes
200g yellow or red fresh cherry
tomatoes
2 red capsicums, chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) Peri-Peri
marinade (Medium heat)
Coriander and cooked rice or
flatbread, to serve
Peri peri spice mix
2 tbs sweet paprika,
2 tbs smoked paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbs ground cumin
2 tbs ground coriander
2 tsp each garlic and onion
powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1. Combine all the peri peri spice
mix ingredients together. Set
aside. Preheat oven to 150°C
fan-forced.
2. Place the flour and ¼ cup
of the peri peri spice mix
in a snap lock bag. Add the
chicken. Secure the bag and
shake until well coated.
3. Heat 2 tbs of the oil in an
8-cup (2 litre) flameproof
(stove top and ovenproof)
casserole pan over medium
heat until hot. Add half the
chicken and cook 3 minutes
each side until golden.
Transfer to a plate. Repeat
with the remaining chicken.
4. Add the remaining oil and
onion to the pan and cook,
stirring, for 3-4 minutes or
until the onion softens slightly.
Add any of the spiced flour
mixture left in the bag, cook,
stirring for 1 minute. Add
the can and fresh tomatoes,
capsicum and marinade and
bring to the boil. Return the
chicken and any juices to the
pan, poking the chicken into
the sauce. Cover with a lid.
Place into the oven and bake
for 1½ hours or until chicken is
cooked through. Scatter over
the coriander and serve with
rice or flatbread.
Janelle’s Tips: The peri peri
marinade is a little spicy – you
can replace it with tomato
passata if you want to reduce
the heat; also the peri peri spice
mix makes about 2/3 cup. You
can store unused mix in a clean
airtight jar for up to 12 months.
Irish stew
Serves 6
1.5kg chuck steak, cut into
3-4cm pieces
¼ cup olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
3 rindless rashers bacon, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled cut into 3-4cm
pieces
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs plain flour
1 cup red wine
440ml can Guinness
1½ cups beef stock
3 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
1kg Desiree potato peeled, cut
into 3-4cm pieces
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to
serve
1. Preheat the oven to 130°C
fan-forced. Season the beef
with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil
in a large frying pan over
high heat. Add half the beef,
cook, turning for 3 minutes
or until browned. Remove to
a plate and repeat with oil
and remaining beef.
3. Add the remaining oil to the
pan. Add the onion, bacon,
celery and carrots. Cook,
stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in
the tomato paste, then the
flour. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the wine and Guinness
and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 5-10 minutes or
until reduced by half.
5. Add the stock and bring to
the boil. Return the beef
to pan with bay leaves and
bring to a simmer.
6. Transfer the stew to an ovenproof
casserole, cover with a
tight-fitting lid. Place into the
oven and cook for 2 hours.
7. Meanwhile, place the
potatoes into a saucepan,
cover with cold water and
bring to the boil, boil gently
for 10 minutes until just
tender. Drain well.
8. Add the potatoes to the stew,
cover and return to the oven
for a further 2 hours until the
beef is tender. Remove the
bay leaves. Top with parsley
and serve.
Warm upsidedown
pineapple
gingerbread cake
Serves 8
125g butter, melted
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup golden syrup
½ cup full cream milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Double thick cream, to serve
Pineapple base
440g can pineapple slices in
natural juice, drained
½ cup brown sugar
75g butter, melted
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
fan-forced. Grease a 6cmdeep,
22cm (base) round
cake pan. Line base and side
with baking paper.
2. For the pineapple base, place
the pineapple slices on plate
lined with paper towel (you
will need 7 pineapple rings).
Pat dry. Sprinkle the brown
sugar over base of prepared
pan. Drizzle with melted
butter. Arrange pineapple
over the butter and sugar
mixture.
3. Place the butter, dark brown
sugar, golden syrup and
milk in a saucepan. Stir
over medium heat for 4-5
minutes or until the sugar
has dissolved (do not boil).
Transfer to a large heatproof
bowl. Cool for 10 minutes.
4. Whisk the egg into the butter
mixture. Sift the flours and
spices together over the
butter mixture and whisk
until smooth. Spoon over the
pineapple. Bake for 55-60
minutes or until a skewer
inserted in centre comes out
clean. Cool in the cake pan
for 10 minutes then turn out
onto a serving plate.
5. Serve warm with cream.
Food Life
66 JUNE 2022
The Local Voice Since 1991
The Local Voice Since 1991
JUNE 2022 67