Tag Archives: delicious

Duck & Pork Terrine

This duck and pork terrine is a favourite of mine that I have been making for years. It is easy to make and looks impressive. It is excellent for an entree or starter at a dinner party. And perfect for a picnic lunch, served with a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients

Bacon rashers (remove rind) to line the terrine pan*
2 bay leaves
2 thin slices of orange
2 Tablespoons of duck fat or butter
1 onion (200g), half finely diced and half roughly chopped
15g minced garlic
70g bacon, diced
500g pork mince
565g duck breast, skin removed, roughly chopped
165g of chicken tenderloins, diced (small)
3 Tablespoons of green peppercorns
4 Tablespoons of pine nuts (or pistachios)
3 teaspoons of dry sage leaves
1 teaspoon of dry thyme leaves
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg

*the amount will depend on the length of the rashers. If using long rashers, you will need about nine.

Method

Line a terrine or loaf pan with baking paper. Place the two bay leaves into the base of the pan and top with the slices of orange. Line the pan with bacon rashers, overhanging the pan. Set aside.

Heat half the butter or duck fat, and sauté the roughly chopped onion to soften, do not brown. Remove from the pan and allow it to cool.

Heat the remaining butter (duck fat) and sauté the bacon for a minute; add the finely diced onion and sauté for another minute. Add the garlic and sauté for a further minute. Remove from the pan, and put the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Blend the sautéed roughly chopped onion and pork mince in a food processor. Mix well until the pork is finely minced. Add the pork to the mixing bowl with the bacon, onion and garlic.

Add the duck to the food processor and chop for a few seconds (depending on your food processor). You will want the duck minced but not as finely as the pork (keep it a little chunkier). Put the duck into the mixing bowl with the pork.

Add the diced chicken to the mixing bowl. Add the peppercorns, pine nuts, sage, thyme, salt and the egg and mix well.

When the meat is well mixed, add it to the terrine pan, pressing n firmly. Fold the rashers of bacon over the top of the terrine. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and place it into a deep roasting tin. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the terrine and bake for 2 hrs or until a skewer comes out hot from the middle of the terrine. Top up the water while baking if needed.

Once removed from the oven, press the terrine as it cools. Use some cardboard (cut to fit the loaf tin). Place it on top of the terrine (still wrapped in foil), then top with something heavy. I used canned tomatoes. Cool the terrine to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight.

Serve with french bread and caramelised onion or cornichons.

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Roasted Garlic Hummus

Since tasting the most delicious hummus in a restaurant, I have been trying to recreate it. It had a delightful garlicky taste, and it wasn’t until I roasted the garlic (and used 2 bulbs) that I got the flavour I was after.

Ingredients

2 bulbs of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 can of chickpeas
2 – 3 tablespoons of tahini
1 tablespoon of lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/8 teaspoon of ground chilli or cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt

To garnish

Olive oil
A sprinkle of smoked paprika
Roasted pine nuts

dip

Method

To roast the garlic

Cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, drizzle with a little olive oil, cover loosely in alfoil (tin foil) and roast for 35-45 minutes on medium heat. The garlic is ready when the cloves are soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Gently squeeze the cloves from the bulb (I weighed my prepared cloves to know how much garlic I put in (47g).

To prepare the chickpeas

Place the chickpeas into a colander and rinse them under cold water. To peel or not to peel? I peeled, which was easy as I gently squeezed each chickpea from its skin. But you don’t have to. Peeled chickpeas do give a slightly smoother finish, though. But the smoothness will ultimately come down to the food processor you are using.

Blend it all up!

Add the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini, lime juice, chilli, cumin, and salt into a food processor and mix well until creamy and smooth.

To serve

Scoop it into a serving dish and drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with smoked paprika and roasted pine nuts.

Can I freeze it?

I have frozen mine in small containers and defrosted them overnight in the fridge. I find it is still delicious and creamy. Just stir it and then garnish as above to serve.

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dip

Thai Style Tamarind Fish

While in Australia, I made this recipe while waiting to get back to our boat in Thailand. We were missing Thai food, and one of our favourite dishes is tamarind fish. There are several places in Phuket where we enjoy this fish, so I decided to recreate it to eat at home. It turned out just like the fish at one of our favourite restaurants (which has unfortunately since closed down). It is unfortunate how the COVID-19 virus has hit places that rely on tourism!

Ingredients

1 whole fish (we used barramundi)
6 coriander roots
6 garlic cloves
2 small hot chillies
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup tamarind paste
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
Bran oil for deep frying
1/2 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of rice flour or cornflour

To Garnish

1 long red chilli, sliced
Coriander, chopped
Fried garlic slices (fried and removed before I add the fish to the oil)

Method

Prepare the fish

Scale the fish and then cut a fillet from both sides of the whole fish, leaving plenty of meat still on the frame. Rinse both the fish and frame under running water. Chop the fillets into bite-size chunks.

For the sauce

Pound the coriander, garlic, chilli and salt in a mortar and pestle to a paste. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to a wok or pan over medium heat and stir-fry for the paste for a minute to release the fragrance.

Add the ginger and stir-fry for another minute. Add tamarind, sugar and fish sauce and a few tablespoons of water. Mix well and let boil. If the sauce gets too thick, add more water to get the consistency you desire.

Set the sauce aside (you can reheat the sauce when you are ready to serve).

Cook the fish

Heat the bran oil for deep frying.

Mix the plain flour and rice flour with salt and pepper and coat the fish carcass. When the oil is hot, use tongs to submerge the fish in the oil and cook until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Place on a serving dish.

Coat the cubed fish pieces with the flour mixture and cook in the hot oil in batches until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels.

To serve

Place the crispy fish cubes on the concave fish frame and drizzle the dressing over the fish and fish cubes. Sprinkle with finely sliced chilli, chopped coriander and some fried garlic. You can serve excess fish on another serving plate.

You can make this recipe with fish fillets instead of a whole fish if you prefer. Just serve the crispy golden chunks of fish on a serving dish, drizzled with tamarind sauce and garnished with chilli, coriander and fried garlic.

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Thailand Thai Style Fish

Devilled Quail Eggs

I first made these delicious little devilled eggs as finger food at one of our parties at least 12 years ago. We always have quail eggs on hand because we loved having them in our laska soups, and coming up with other ways to use the eggs was not difficult.

I have also made Scotched Quail Eggs, which are supper delicious and served quail eggs with five spice!

Devilled Quail Eggs are a tasty starter at a dinner party and great picnic or finger food. And because they are served cold, they can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients

Tin of quail eggs
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

Cut the quail eggs in half and remove the yolks, placing them in a bowl. Mash the yolks with the cumin, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and mix well.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

When very smooth, put the egg mixture into a piping bag or similar and pipe the yolk mixture back into egg white halves.

Garnish with the egg halves with finely caviar or finely chopped coriander, tomato, cucumber and cracked black pepper.

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Pie Maker Chicken Pies with Green Peppercorns and Tarragon

I have made these tasty chicken pies for years now. In fact, I think they were the first pies I made in the pie maker we purchased sometime early last decade. Now that we live on a boat I no longer have the pie maker. I simply do not have the room for that sort of thing. If we get a pie craving while sailing I make the pies with pie tins and cook them in the oven.

However, due to COVID we have been land bound for the best part of 2020 and 2021 and couch surfing with friends and family. Thankfully these couches usually come with a double bed and ensuite. LOL

This week while at my mum’s I noticed a pie maker in the cupboard and suddenly I have a craving for chicken pies with peppercorns and tarragon. So I set about making these super tasty treats.

Ingredients

1.2kg chicken thighs, chopped
150g flat Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 1/2 tablespoon of plain flour
1 cup of chicken stock
3/4 cup of sour cream
2 1/2 tablespoons of green peppercorns
1 tablespoons dried tarragon
6 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen puff pastry, just thawed

Method

Heat a large frypan and add a little oil. Add the diced onion and fry for a few minutes until soft, and then add the garlic and cook a further two minutes.

Add the chicken and diced mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the chicken stock, sour cream, peppercorns and tarragon, bring to the boil, reduce temperature and simmer until it thickens and is a good consistency for the pie filling.

Follow pie maker instructions.

Use the pie maker pastry cutter to cut 16 large and 16 small circles from the pastry sheets. Press 4 large dough circles into the pie holes. Spoon mince mixture over dough base until level. Top with the four small dough circles. Turn on the pie maker. Close and cook for 10 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Repeat with the remaining pastry and chicken mix.

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Date and pecan energy balls

I don’t usually make many sweet treats because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. However, there are times I do crave something sweet. I love these date balls as I get to stave off the cravings with a big nutritional hit.

These energy balls fuel your body with superfoods, filling an empty tum and providing energy to burn.

Ingredients

1 cup of dry dates (about 30) soaked in water for 3 – 5 hours
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups almond flour

Method

Drain the water from the dates, reserving 1/4 cup of water.

Put the dates, reserved water and the honey into a small food processor/blender. Process until smooth, or leave it a little lumpy with tasty date chunks.

Pour the date mix into a bowl and add the chia seeds. Mix the chia seeds well. Let it sit for two minutes.

Add the almond flour, cinnamon, pecans and shredded coconut to the bowl, and mix well.

Roll the dough into bite-size balls and coat with your choice of finely crushed pecans, shredded coconut or cinnamon, or leave them plain.

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Camel ‘Aussie’ Burger

This is the good ole Aussie burger with a twist. Instead of the standard beef mince, that the Aussie burger is known for, I have used camel mince.

Why? Are camels even Australian?

Well, they are as Australian as cows. But no, camels are not native to Australia, but we do have our own particular camel… The Feral Camel.

Australia campfire cooking

There are reportedly over a million feral camels roaming Australia. First introduced to Australia in the 1840s, camels, imported from India and Afghanistan, were used as ‘beasts of burden’ during the exploration and settlement of Australia, especially in arid areas.

Camels were released into the wild after motorised transport replaced the use of camels in the early 20th century. The releases, as well as escaped or stolen camels, resulted in a fast-growing feral population.

Our Camp Kitchen

We cooked our camel burgers in the East MacDonnell Ranges at the Ross River Camping Ground in the Northern Territory.

Ingredients

For the patties

500g minced camel
1/2 small brown onion, very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or crushed
2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup of fine bread crumbs

For the burger

4 hamburger buns
4 eggs
4 rashers of bacon
4 – 8 slices of tinned beetroot
Sliced tomato
Sliced onion
Pickles
Lettuce
Cheese
Tomato sauce
Dijon mustard
Mayonnaise

Australia campfire cooking

Method

Mix all the “patty” ingredients well, using your hands, until very well blended. Shape into four patties.

Heat your hot-plate (or the lid of your camp oven) until hot and spray with oil. Cook the patties over a small fire or coals until cooked through and browned. Remove the patties and keep warm. Cook the bacon and fry the eggs.

Camel Burger 4

To create the perfect Aussie burger halve the hamburger bun and spread the bottom half with mustard and tomato sauce and spread mayonnaise on the top half. 

Then start to stack you burger ingredients on the bottom half of the hamburger bun. First the meat patty, then the cheese, bacon, onion, tomato, beetroot, pickles and lettuce. Slap the top half of the bun on top and bon appétit or as the Aussie’s say “dig in!”

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Aussie Burger recipe camp fire cooking

Campfire cooking Aussie burger recipe

Bacon, Feta and Spinach Quiche

When we left Darwin I had some pastry and feta leftover and wasn’t sure what to use it for. Once I had taken stock of what our esky held I decided to cook quiche. I had never baked quiche in the camp oven before, so I was thrilled that it turned out so well. Very delicious!

Camp Oven quiche

Our Camp Kitchen

We cooked this delicious quiche in the Florence Falls Camp Ground at Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory.

Waterfall Northern Territory Australia

Ingredients

10 sheets of filo pastry
Baking paper
1 onion, chopped
250g bacon, chopped
8 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
60g feta, chopped into small pieces
60g baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
Grated cheese
Cracked pepper

Method

Prepare the camp oven. *Camp oven should be oiled. With two strips of baking paper line the bottom and sides of the camp oven, this will help get the quiche out when it is ready. Then line the camp oven with pastry going up the sides by 1 or 2 inches. The depth of your quiche will depend on the size of your camp oven. For this recipe, I used a 9-quart camp oven and the quiche was about an inch high.

Saute the bacon and onion in a frypan and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and the milk.

Add the feta, spinach, bacon and onion to the eggs and mix well.

Pour the egg mixture into the prepared quiche base, spread evenly, using a fork. Top with grated cheese and cracked pepper.

2020 May 20 Litchfield 12

Cooking in a camp oven

To bake the quiche, we put a few hot coals or heat beads under the pot (our camp oven has three short legs) and about three times as much on top of the camp oven. Check after 15 minutes to see if you have the right amount of heat. If you think you need a higher temperature, add and few coals (if cooking too hot, remove coals). We cooked ours quite slow, and it took about an hour. We will cook it a little hotter the next time, but thought since it was our first time baking a quiche, to err on the side of caution.

Cooking in your oven – Cook for 35 – 45 minutes at 190 degrees celsius. 

Australia campfire cooking

Note: *We always wash our camp oven when we are finished with it, heat it over the fire to dry and then rub oil into it using a paper towel until well coated – if you do that at the end of every use you will find your camp oven will be ready for use every time you want it and it will not rust.

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Campfire

Bacon and Feta Quiche recipe

Stuffed Chillies

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. I’m not sure where she got it from, but these stuffed chillies became a staple on our picnic days, or as finger food with guests on our boat. Serve them hot as a light meal with salad, or serve at room temperature as finger food. Easy to prepare ahead of time; these stuffed chillies will be a hit!

Finger-food tamarind pork coriander lime leaf

Ingredients

12 long chillies
500g pork or chicken mince
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded & chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
oil for shallow frying
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Sauce

2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sugar

Method

Split each chilli lengthways to create a pocket, leaving ends intact. Remove and discard the seeds and pith.

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, fill each chilli with the mince mixture until slightly bulging — smooth filling with the back of a wet spoon.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add chillies, mince side down, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly brown, turn over and cook chilli side down until cooked all the way through.

To make the sauce, place all ingredients into a small saucepan. Stir on high heat until boiling. Reduce to low heat and simmer for a minute or two until it thickens. Arrange chillies on a plate and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Pork coriander lime leaf, tamarind

Notes: 

*Make mini meatballs with any leftover mince mix.
*Concentrated tamarind sauce can be used instead of tamarind paste.
*Hot chilli sauce can replace the Sambal Oelek
*Use a mix of red and green chillies for an appealing look.

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Pork coriander lime leaf, tamarind fingerfood

Fingerfood Tamarind pork lime leaf coriander

High Fibre Chocolate Slice

Dwayne and I are trying to shed a bit of weight by cutting out our carbohydrates (i.e. rice, potato, pasta and bread, as well as most fruits).  We are eating a lot of vegetables but it is not quite enough fibre for my loopy gut. So I have come up with a high fibre treat. This recipe is an excellent source of fibre, in fact, every ingredient has significant fibre, it also has a lot of good fats and antioxidants.

This slice is packed full of superfoods! However, I haven’t made it very sweet (it is perfect for my taste buds), so adjust it to suit your needs. It is easy to add a bit of sweetness by adding a couple of tablespoons of honey. If you add the honey just reduce the amount of almond milk a little.

Bonus! This recipe is gluten-free and  lactose-free.

Choco High Fibre Slice - Superfood bar, healthy and high in protein

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup psyllium
1/2 cup cocoa or cacao
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup walnut and/or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 cup tightly packed pitted prunes (I used 24 “sunset brand” prunes)
1 and 1/4 cups almond milk

Method

Place the dry ingredients (including nuts, coconut and goji) in a bowl and mix well breaking up any lumps.

Place the prunes and the almond milk into a food processor and give it a whiz. I blend until well chopped but still has biggish lumps of prune.

Mix the prune and almond milk with the dry ingredient. Mix it very well, ensuring all dry ingredients become moist. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Press the mixture into a 15cm x 24cm tray or similar (lined with baking paper) and refrigerate for several hours before cutting into slices.

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Choco High Fibre Slice - Superfood bar, healthy and high in protein

About the ingredients

Almond meal – is a good source of fibre, high in protein (21% by weight), low in carbohydrates, high in Omega-6 fats and gluten-free.

Coconut flour – high in fibre and gluten-free.

Flaxseed meal – high fibre and protein. Flaxseed also has lots of good fats – Omega-3 and Omega-6. It is gluten-free.

Psyllium – an excellent source of fibre and is gluten-free.

Chia seeds – high in fibre and good fats – omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, high protein (14% by weight) and gluten-free.

Cocoa – high in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is also gluten-free.

Hazelnuts –  contain beneficial dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of vitamin-E. Is gluten-free.

Walnuts – low Carbohydrates (and most carbs in the walnuts are fibre).  High in good fats omega-6 and Omega-3, and contains huge amounts of antioxidants. Walnuts contain many vitamins and minerals and are gluten-free.

Desiccated coconut – essential nutrients and high in fibre. Contains saturated fat which makes it very filling. Also gluten-free.

Goji berries – good source of fibre and protein, contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants… and gluten-free.

Almond milk – unsweetened almond milk – lactose-free and gluten-free.

Prunes – high in dietary fibre, and a rich source of nutrients and antioxidants. Also gluten-free.

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