Tag Archives: yummy

Duck & Pork Terrine

May 10, 2022 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

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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Fish, Thailand

Thai Style Tamarind Fish

December 14, 2021 The Captain & the Cook 2 Comments

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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eggs, Fingerfood

Devilled Quail Eggs

November 10, 2021 The Captain & the Cook 5 Comments

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!

scotch quail eggs recipe five spice finger food

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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From the pantry, No-Cook Bliss Balls and Slices

Date and pecan energy balls

July 19, 2021 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

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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Campfire Cooking, eggs

Bacon, Feta and Spinach Quiche

June 5, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

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!

Our Camp Kitchen

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

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.

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.

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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Fingerfood, From the galley, Pork

Stuffed Chillies

February 5, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

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!

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.

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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Salad, Thailand

Thai Banana Blossom Salad

September 15, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

As we have spent a lot of time in Thailand over the last four years, I find myself cooking many Thai style meals. I usually shop at the local SuperCheap (a Thai supermarket) and use primarily local Asian vegetables and fruits in our meals.

For over a year now I have regularly seen banana flowers in the veggie section and finally decided to make a banana blossom salad. Using the traditional flavours of Thai cuisine this what I came up with…

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 Tablespoon palm sugar*
1 Tablespoon chilli paste or chilli jam
3 Tablespoons coconut cream

1 banana blossom
1 large red chilli
1 large green chilli
1 small carrot (or 1/2 a large carrot)
2 spring onions
bean shoots
4 Tablespoons of Asian fried shallots
2 Tablespoons of crushed peanuts**

Method

Mix the lime sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and chilli paste in a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add coconut cream and blend well. Check for the right balance of salty, sweet, sour and spicy. Adjust as needed (fish sauce – salty, sugar – sweet, lime juice – sour and chilli paste – spicy). Set aside.

Cut the chillies lengthwise, remove the seeds and pith. Slice the chillies thinly and add to a large mixing bowl. Grate the carrot and add to the mixing bowl. Finely slice the spring onion and, along with the bean shoots, add to the dish. Set aside.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze some lemon or lime juice into it. Remove the outer leaves of the banana blossom until all dark leaves have been removed. Keep the best two outer leaves for serving. Cut the blossom lengthwise and remove inner core. Finely slice the blossom and place each slice in the water as you do so, to stop it going black.

Strain the blossom and add to the mixing bowl, add the dressing and two tablespoons of the fried onion and mix well.

To serve

Place two clean banana blossom leaves on plates and heap with the salad. Garnish with a tablespoon each of fried onion and peanuts.

Bon appetite

Notes

*Use soft brown sugar instead of palm sugar

**I didn’t have peanuts so used a seed mix with the salad in the photos. Peanuts would definitely suit the taste better.

Chilli paste, chilli jam and Asian fried shallots found in Asian grocery stores.

This recipe will serve two as a meal or four to six as a side dish.

Add cooked prawns to make it a meal.

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From the pantry, No-Cook Bliss Balls and Slices, snacks

High Fibre Chocolate Slice

February 9, 2019 The Captain & the Cook 9 Comments

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.

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.

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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Want more delicious recipes like this?

HIGH FIBRE BLISS BALLS

TRIPPIN’ BLISS BALLS

CHRISTMAS PUDDING BLISS BALLS

APRICOT AND COCONUT BLISS BALLS

POWERSTART FRUIT & NUT BARS

FRUIT AND NUT RUM BALLS

RUM AND RAISIN BLISS BALLS

Fingerfood, From the galley, Pork, Thailand

Larb Moo Tod

January 26, 2019 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

Larb Moo Tod are Thai-style fried pork balls. Made with similar flavours like the popular larb moo which is a Thai (or initially a Laos) salad made with pork mince and herbs, they are delicious. We first tried these pork balls at “The Deck” which is the restaurant/bar at Phuket Yacht Haven Marina. We both love these tasty morsels, so I set to work decoding the Larb Moo Tod ingredients. Below is the recipe I created, and Dwayne and I both think it tastes as good as the original.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp raw glutinous or sticky rice
4 lemongrass stems (soft white part only)
1 clove of garlic
1 small red onion, finely diced
8 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced and diced
1 red chilli, finely diced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
500g pork
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Lime
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
Oil for deep-frying

Method

Firstly you need to roast and grind the rice (Khao Khua). Heat a wok to medium heat and add the rice. Cook while frequently stirring until the grains are toasted and golden; this will take about 5 minutes and might smoke a little. Let the rice cool down for a few minutes before grinding it, with a mortar and pestle, into a coarse powder (or you can use a spice grinder).

Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor) mince up lemongrass and garlic and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.

Add to mixing bowl all remaining ingredients (apart from the oil) and mix well to combine.

With wet hands, shape the mixture into small balls (don’t be fussy any shape will do!). Heat enough oil in a wok to deep-fry the balls in batches.

Fry the lab moo balls for approximately 5 – 7 minutes, until crispy, browned and cooked through.

Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve with or Nam Jim or sweet chilli sauce.

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From the pantry, No-Cook Bliss Balls and Slices, sweets

High Fibre Fruit & Nut Bars

November 27, 2018 The Captain & the Cook 8 Comments

I am always trying to formulate ways of adding more fibre to my diet. Dietary fibre prevents constipation and is excellent for weight loss as it makes you feel fuller. However, the benefits are far more significant than that alone. Did you know that high fibre diets reduce blood pressure and inflammation and may prevent colorectal cancer?

Adults need 30g of fibre a day. So I set to work selecting high fibre ingredient to blend into a delicious fruit and nut bar.

I first made this recipe with 1/4 of a cup of dried fruit and I had a couple of people tell me it wasn’t sweet enough. I don’t have a sweet tooth so it was perfect for me. I made a second batch with more fruit and it was better received by the friends who have a sweet-tooth. I, on the other hand, found it a little too sweet and will go back to using only a 1/4 of dried fruit. So you may want to play around with the amount of fruit you use (ingredient six**). If you like very sweet start with 1/2 a cup of fruit etc. You can always add a little honey for sweetness also.

Ingredients

3/4 cup LSA*
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/4 – 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit** (cranberries, blueberries, goji etc)
1/4 cup cocoa or cacao
2 Tbs psyllium
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup coconut milk
A little dark chocolate to melt to top the slices (optional).

Method

Add the first eight ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until well blended.

Put the raisins and the coconut milk in a food processor and blend for a minute.

Mix the coconut and raisin into the dry ingredients until well blended.

Press into a tray, sprinkle with coconut and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Once it is firm slice it into bars. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

Keep refrigerated.

*LSA is a ground mix of linseed, sunflower and almond.

Powerstart Fruit and Nut Bar #recipe #highfibre #nuts #seeds #almondmeal #superfood

About the ingredients

LSA (Linseed, Sunflower and Almond) – Healthy fats – omega’s 3 and 6, high fibre, vitamins and minerals and it is gluten-free.

Desiccated Coconut – High fibre, iron and minerals (gluten-free).

Raisins – High fibre, iron, calcium and anti-oxidants (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.

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

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

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Gourmet from the galley!

Tag Archives: yummy

Duck & Pork Terrine

Thai Style Tamarind Fish

Devilled Quail Eggs

Date and pecan energy balls

Bacon, Feta and Spinach Quiche

Stuffed Chillies

Like this recipe? Share with other chilli lovers! Please pin using one of the images below… Thank you

Thai Banana Blossom Salad