Care packages

Care packages

We are constantly being warned about the dangers of comfort foods; food that we turn to when we’re feeling down, food that fills more than just our hunger pangs. However, what if this is actually the point? Food has the ability to nourish more than just our stomachs.
At some time in your life, a dear friend or family member may need your help. Whether they have had a bad accident, a serious operation, or they are in the midst of a crisis, you can show them that you care, simply by cooking for them. Not only is it practical, it makes everyone feel good. Nothing tastes as good as a homemade meal kindly dropped at your doorstep. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. In fact, simple home cooking is the best, when it has been made with extra love and care.
Here are a few tips when making up a care package. Use disposable containers: they are easy to transport, store, reheat and no washing up required.
They are also practical as you can write any cooking or reheating instructions on the lid. Include a copy of the recipe: it lists all the ingredients (in case of allergies) and besides, if your friend likes what you have made, they may make it again.
Don’t forget to include vegetables or salad ingredients. You can prep these by washing, peeling and chopping. You can boil some potatoes, ready to be roasted.
I have included three recipes for you to make. Firstly, a simple chicken and corn soup that is perfect when you need nourishment, but don’t really feel like eating much.
The sticky lamb shanks take advantage of a cheaper, tasty cut and long, slow cooking rewards you with a delicious stew. And lastly, my mum’s recipe for meatballs in barbecue sauce.
So next time you are cooking, make up double the quantity and send some off to someone you love.

Mum’s meatballs in barbecue sauce

What could be more comforting than your mum’s recipe? If possible, ask your butcher to mince some topside. Make up a double quantity and package some up for a friend.

500g mince beef
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground pepper
½ (half) cup plain flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
1 tbs white vinegar
few drops of Tabasco (optional)
1 tsp celery salt

In a medium bowl, place the mince, breadcrumbs, onion, capsicum and egg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Place flour on a large, flat plate.
Roll mixture into balls and gently coat in flour.
Place oil in a medium frypan and heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Wipe out the frypan, then add tomato sauce, water, sugar, worchestershire, vinegar, Tabasco and celery salt. Stir to combine. Bring to boil, reduce heat, add meatballs and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, turning halfway through.
Serve with rice or creamy mashed potato.

Serves 4.

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

This is such an easy soup. You can puree it smooth, leave it in delicious chunky pieces, or, like me, a bit of both. Use good quality homemade stock if you can, as it is nutritious and so easy to make. For a soup ‘to go’, package up the garnishes separately. Also good with fresh egg noodles; pack separately and send with heating instructions.

50g butter
2 leeks, washed and sliced
1 litre good quality chicken stock
3 fresh corn cobs, kernels removed
2 chicken fillets (500g)
salt and pepper
fried shallots to garnish
1 red chilli, sliced (optional)
fresh coriander leaves

Melt butter.
Add leeks and cook until softened.
Add stock and bring to the boil
Add chicken fillets and corn kernels and cook over a gentle heat until chicken is cooked, about 5 – 10 minutes.
Remove chicken.
Using a stick blender, puree the soup, leaving some chunky pieces for texture.
Shred the chicken with your fingers and return to the pan.
Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with fried shallots, chilli and coriander.
Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4.

Middle Eastern Sticky lamb shank stew

Somewhere between a soup and a stew, this is chock-a-block with yummy vegetables. Delicious ladled over fluffy cous cous, serve with extra flat bread to mop up all the juices.

1 brown onion
2 celery stick
2 carrots
1 leek
60 ml olive oil
4 medium lamb shanks
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp ground cumin
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbs harissa (optional)
pinch saffron
1 ½ litres chicken stock
400g Jap pumpkin
2 parsnips
2 large potatoes
Cous cous, to serve
½ cup fresh coriander leaves, picked

Preheat oven to 180C fan forced.
Chop onion, celery, carrot and leek into medium sized dice.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy based casserole dish and brown lamb shanks on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add diced vegetables to the pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel, cumin, cinnamon, harissa and saffron and cook for a further minute. Return shanks to pan, add stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and place casserole in oven, uncovered for 1½ hours, until lamb meat is tender and falling off the bones.
Dice the pumpkin, parsnip and potato in medium dice and place in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat well. Place in the oven for 1 hour or until the vegetables are cooked and softened.
Remove the lamb and other roasted vegetables from the oven.
When cool enough to handle, gently pull away the lamb meat from the shanks and break into large pieces. Discard the bones.
Mix the roasted vegetables with the lamb.
Place a large spoonful of cous cous in a shallow bowl and ladle over the lamb and vegetables. Scatter over coriander and serve.

serves 4.

Mexican Day of The Dead cookies

Recently had fun making these cookies for a Mexican party.

here’s how:

Make a plain cookie dough (see recipe below).

Cut out skull shapes (I bought these cookie cutter shapes on ebay from yellow-octopus).

Bake, then remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make the icing, roll out some ready made royal icing (available at supermarkets and cake decorating stores).

To get it really thin, I used my pasta machine (and some cornflour to prevent sticking).

Cut out shapes, then brush cooled cookies with some sugar syrup and place the icing on top. Turn the cutter over and press the stamp into the icing to make the indentations.

For a simple decoration, I used powdered food colouring from the cake decorating shop. Just brush it on with a soft makeup brush.

The recipe below is adapted from The Joy of Fred blog.

From Fred’s Cookbook

1 cup unsalted butter



1 cup sugar



1 large egg


1 tsp. vanilla extract


1.5 tsp. baking powder



3 cups flour



1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients a little at a time to the butter mixture.

Mix until flour is completely incorporated.

Split dough in half, and roll each half between two sheets of parchment paper to desired thickness, and chill for 30 minutes.

 

(although the original recipe has this instruction, I didn’t do it. I used the dough straight away. I didn’t need to roll between the sheets of parchment).

Remove from refrigerator, and carefully lift off one sheet of parchment, then lightly dust the dough with flour.

Replace the parchment, flip over and repeat.


(again, I didn’t follow this step. I simply baked the cookies)

Cut, stamp then bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies begin brown around the edges.

 

(you can stamp the design straight on to the cookie dough, or bake them plain, then stamp the  design onto the icing)

Curtis Stone recipe for Coles

Check out this super easy and delicious Korean beef and rice recipe in the latest issue of Coles magazine.

Curtis Stone Korean recipe for Coles

Looking for assistants

I am lucky to have several great assistants who have been with me for awhile now and they know how much I treasure them. However,I’m always on the lookout for an extra pair of hands to help on a shoot. Sometimes, other stylists contact me looking for an assistant too. So, leave your contact details here, if you are interested in helping out.

You never know where it may lead.

Food Styling Class in Melbourne

Come to my food  styling class at Essential Ingredient in Melbourne in July.

There are two classes to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that suits you.

http://www.essentialingredient.com.au/events/food-styling-1/

http://www.essentialingredient.com.au/events/food-styling-2/

 

Looking forward to seeing you there. I have already had several enquiries so book in quick as places are limited.

 

food styling class Melbourne July 2014

Great news!

I’m giving a food styling class at Essential Ingredient in Prahran on Saturday July 19th.

The following day, I am giving another class, along with SImon Griffiths, a respected food and travel photographer. We will be demonstrating, styling and photographing some difficult foods, including ice-cream, roast chicken and soup.

More info on the essential Ingredient website. I have posted a link on my facebook food + style page too.

Please come along.

Mum’s caramel bananas

 

Caramel bananas with banana and dulce de leche icecream

My childhood treat of caramel bananas is given a makeover, with the addition of a super easy ice cream and the bitter crunch of praline. Can you ever have too much caramel?

 

icecream:

4 over ripe bananas

1 cup dulce de leche*

 

praline:

¾ cup caster sugar

½ cup almonds

 

bananas:

60g butter

½ cup brown sugar

4 ripe bananas, peeled and cut in thick slices on an angle

 

To make ice cream, blend bananas in a food processor until smooth. Add dulche leche and blend. Pour into a plastic container and place in freezer for 4 hours until firm.

To make praline, line a baking tray with baking paper.

Heat a heavy based frypan over high heat. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar, allowing it to melt before adding more. As it melts, stir with a wooden spoon to ensure it doesn’t burn. Keep adding the sugar and stirring until it is a dark golden brown colour.

Quickly add the almonds and pour the mixture onto the tray.

Allow to cool, then break into large chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse until roughly crushed.

For the bananas, melt butter in a pan over medium heat, add brown sugar and stir. Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring, until caramel forms. Add sliced banana and continue to cook until banana is soft and golden.

Remove from heat and drizzle over any extra caramel from the pan.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream and sprinkle with praline.

Serves 4.

 

*To Make Dulce de leche:

 

Place a tin of condensed milk in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours, topping up with extra water to keep the tin covered. Remove and allow to cool.

 

Australia Day

 

Australia Day is a good excuse to make some lamingtons.

Here is a recipe of mine that first appeared in epicure’s Chocolate cook book.

My Lamingtons

My Aunty Pat was a great cook, known for her sponge cakes. When I was a child I gave her a battery-operated sifter which she good naturedly used and claimed that it made her sponges ever lighter!

I have used her sponge recipe here as the base for my lamingtons. Just bake the mix in a lamington tin. You won’t believe how delicious these are! Moist and light as a feather. And no battery-operated sifter required!

 

1 sponge cake (see recipe below)

½ cup hot water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons dutch cocoa

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind (optional)

1 – 2 teaspoons orange essence (optional)

2 cups pure icing sugar

2 cups dessicated coconut

 

Cut cake into small squares using a serrated knife. This is easier if the cake has been slightly chilled.

In a medium bowl, combine hot water, butter and cocoa and whisk until smooth. Add orange rind and flavouring at this point if you want jaffa-flavoured icing. (Traditionalists can ignore this step.)

Beat in icing sugar with a wooden spoon. Add extra hot water if the mixture is too thick for dipping. You want it quite runny, but still of a coating consistency.

Now for the messy bit. Using two forks, dip the pieces of cake in the icing, one at a time, and turn them over to cover completely. Don’t fuss too much about any errant crumbs. Now roll the cake in the coconut and place on a cake rack for the icing to set. It is a good idea to have a tray underneath to catch any drips. Repeat the process with the remaining cake. If your forks get too messy, just replace them with clean ones. Ditto, the coconut.

Store in an airtight container – if there are any left!

Auntie Pat’s Sponge

4 eggs

¾ cup caster sugar

¾ cup corn flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon SR flour

method:

1. Separate eggs.
2. Beat whites until stiff.
3. Add caster sugar.
4. Add yolks.
5. Sift cornflour, SR flour and baking powder
6. Fold into mixture.
7. Pour into a greased and lined 22cm square lamington tin.
8. Bake 20 minutes 200C.

To further celebrate Australia Day, I slow cooked some lamb shoulder, made some soft pitas  and served souvlaki. Here are the recipes below.

 

 

 

 

slow roasted lamb shoulder with chilli and sage

I tried this dish at The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s Masterclass. The rich flavour of the lamb is balanced with the bold flavours of chilli, garlic and sage.

 

1 shoulder of lamb, bone in, about 2kg

salt and pepper to season

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 head garlic, cut in half

1 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves

3 bay leaves

6 good quality anchovy fillets

½ cup red wine vinegar

 

Preheat oven to 160C fan forced (180C conventional).

Ask your butcher to cut the lamb through the bone, on the underside, at intervals. Trim off most of the surface fat, then season well with salt and pepper. Heat a large frypan, add oil and brown the lamb on all sides for 10 minutes, until well browned.

Place browned meat in a roasting pan and add the remaining ingredients, reserving the grapes to add later.

Cover the pan with foil and cook in the oven for 3 hours, basting with the pan juices every 30 minutes or so.

The lamb should be meltingly tender by now. If not, cook further until tender.

 

serves 4-6.

 

 

Pita bread

This recipe belongs to Cath Claringbold. It is now firmly in my recipe folder and I use it to make the best soft pita bread. Just ask my kids.

Makes 12 pita bread

 

Ingredients

 

1¼ cups tepid water

1½ teaspoons of dry yeast

1½ teaspoons caster sugar

 

Mix together in a small bowl and leave in a warm spot until mixture foams, around 20 minutes

 

460g plain flour

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup of olive oil

 

In a large bowl mix the flour and salt and make a well. Add the olive oil and the yeast mix and combine. Work the mix until it comes together and then turn out on to a lightly floured bench and knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes silky and smooth.

Put it back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for around 15 – 20 minutes.

 

Preheat the Barbeque to a medium heat.

 

Divide the dough into 12 and roll out into flat thin even disks approximately 16cm in diameter.

 

Brush the flat bread with some olive oil and place it oil side down on the bars of the BBQ. Gently brush a little oil on top as well.

In a matter of seconds the bread will start to puff and after 20-25 seconds flip them over and cook for 20 seconds more. Do not cook for too long or they will dry out too much and become crisp.

When they are cooked stack them one on top of the other and wrap them tightly in a clean tea towel or even cling wrap to keep them warm and help them sweat a little and stay soft until ready to use.

silverbeet from the garden

My first crop of silver beet was ready to harvest. But, what to cook? I consulted two of my favourite cooks, Stephanie Alexander and Yotam Ottolenghi. The following recipes were so delicious, I will definitely be making these again.

Ottolenghi’s Warm salad of chickpea, silverbeet and carrot with lemony yoghurt

300g silverbeet or Swiss chard, washed

40ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm dice

1 tsp caraway seeds

400g tin chickpeas

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh mint, torn

1 Tbsp fresh coriander, torn

1 Tbsp lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup thick Greek style yoghurt

zest and juice of 1 lemon

 

Separate chard stalks and leaves. Chop stalks into 1 cm pieces, roll up leaves and chop into 2cm strips. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil, add stalks and cook for 2 minutes, add leaves and cook for further 2 minutes. Then drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again, wrap in clean tea towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop roughly and set aside.

Heat oil in large heavy based pan. Add carrots and caraway seeds and cook for 5 minutes. Add chard and chickpeas and cook for 6 minutes. Add garlic, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

Mix yoghurt with lemon juice and zest and serve with the salad.

 

Serves 4.

 

Stephanie’s crustless silverbeet, pinenut and olive tart

 

300g silverbeet leaves and stems, washed well, leaves and stems separated

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp pinenuts

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

12 black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 free range eggs

½ cup Greek yoghurt

20 butter, melted,

2 Tbsp grated parmesan

 

Preheat oven to 180C.

Bundle silverbeet leaves together and cut into 2cm wide ribbons. Slice really thick stems lengthwise into 1cm wide strips then 1cm pieces.

Drop stems into a pan of simmering water for 2 minutes. Add leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Drain in a colander. Refresh with cold water then squeeze out excess moisture. Roll up in a clean teatowel to extract as much liquid as possible.

Chop roughly and tip into a bowl.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large frypan over medium heat and sauté pinenuts until golden. Remove and set aside. Add remaining oil to pan and saute spring onions and garlic for 30 seconds. Add silverbeet and mix well, sauté for 1 minute.

Tip mixture into bowl then stir in olives, pinenuts and 2 Tbsp of the breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Lightly whisk eggs and yoghurt, then tip into silverbeet mixture.

Grease a 20cm pie dish with melted butter, then coat base and sides with remaining breadcrumbs.

Tip silverbeet mixture in and scatter over parmesan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until firm.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Serves 6.

 

marshmallow

 

Soft and sweet, with texture as light as air, marshmallows are a favourite treat. Making them yourself is easier than you think. The equipment required to make the job easier is a stand mixer with whisk attachment and a candy thermometer (a digital thermometer is my preference). This recipe is adapted from Gary Mehigan’s marshmallow recipe from “Cook with Us”. I was the food stylist on this book and can personally vouch for his marshmallow (I have also tried all the other recipes, if you’re interested!)

Anyway, back to the marshmallow. It is very easy to flavour and colour as you like. We decided on raspberry flavour with swirls of colouring.

Marshmallows

 

100g pure icing sugar

100g cornflour

vegetable oil, for greasing

10 leaves gold strength gelatine

240ml water

450g caster sugar

1 tbsp liquid glucose

2 large egg whites

flavouring

food colouring

 

method:

 

1. Sift icing sugar and cornflour into a large bowl and set aside. Lightly oil a shallow baking tin approx.18cm x 28cm. Line the base with baking paper and dust the base and sides generously with the sifted icing sugar mixture.
2. Soak gelatine in 140ml of water.
3. Place caster sugar, glucose and remaining water in heavy based saucepan, bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook for 12-15 minutes until mixture reaches 127C on a digital sugar thermometer.
4. Carefully add the softened gelatine and water. The syrup will bubble up a little. Gently swirl in the pan until the gelatine has dissolved.
5. Whisk eggwhites in a bowl of an electric mixer until stiff.
6. Slowly pour in the hot syrup whilst continuing to whisk. Continue whisking for 8 minutes until the mixture thickens and cools down. (At this stage you can add colouring and flavouring if you like.)
7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the surface with a wet palette knife. (At this point you can add swirls of colouring. Add drops of food colouring to the surface and use a skewer to swirl the colour through the marshmallow. This is what we did in the photo.)
8. Dust the top of the marshmallow with some of the icing mixture and set aside for around 2 hours.
9. Unmould the marshmallow from the tin and use a sharp knife to cut into pieces. Toss in the remaining icing sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

Makes 24 large marshmallows.