party planning

After an extremely tough couple of days all I could think about today was getting home from work and having some downtime with myself and a glass of my favourite red wine... and of course, spending some time organising the table.

When I say organising the table, I mean that I had some time to plan what I am going to cook this weekend.  This Sunday I am having a group of work mates around for lunch and I have been charged with the responsibility of providing the food.  A lot of people from work have heard about my love of cooking so I think they are expecting big things! 

I turned to my cook book and magazine collection for some inspiration but in the end I think I am going to rely on some trustworthy family favourites... At this stage (things will more than likely change between now and Sunday) this is what I have come up with....

To pick at to start with:

cold cuts - salami / sopressa

homemade fetta / rocket dip

roasted cherry tomatoes with basil and olive oil

selection of cheeses

crusty bread / crackers

To dig into for main meal:

Marinated butterflied leg of lamb grilled on the BBQ (marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and mint and served with lemon and apricot jam)

Salad of cabbage (red and green), celery, apple, walnuts, mint and a fetta / olive oil dressing [or we could have peas with mint and fetta, which is also a winner]

roast potatoes with chilli and onion

and a frittata for the vegos.

Desert - I have been told that I need to leave this to someone else (despite my insisting that I can manage to do all the food), so I am looking forward to what Kate and Emma decide to bring along....

I am excited for a much better end to the week and definitely can't wait for the weekend- so many fun and exciting things planned!

Happy eating!!

Sam

things for the table

Last weekend I headed to the markets at Rocklea – a first for me.  What a place to find some inspiration… The quality of the fresh produce was v. impressive.  Amazing fruits that I never knew existed.  Freshly picked staples like beans, tomatoes and dutch carrots . Homemade jams and relishes.  Home marinated olives.  Freshly baked cakes.  Interesting sausage combinations.  Organic poultry and other meat.   The options were endless.  

Equally as impressive were the prices.  I think my bank balance would certainly be less depressing if I could organise myself and make my weekly food purchases here rather than at the gourmet ‘urban’ markets down the road.  It would be nice to be organised.  Maybe someday.

Anyway, knowing that I was heading to mum and dad’s place and knowing mum’s love of freshly cut flowers, I thought I would do some sucking up…. I bought her two large bunches of pink oriental lilies.  She was delighted with the surprise and within minutes of arriving they were in ginger jars on her table.   

It is always nice to have something new and exciting on the table to add some cheer…

Happy eating!!

Sam



crispy ciabatta salad

As promised in my post earlier this week, here's the recipe for the Crispy Ciabatta Salad...

You'll need this:

Half a loaf of ciabatta (you are better off using more as the kitchen scavengers will inevitably pick at this whilst you are waiting for the rest of the salad to cook.  If you are scavenger free, then half a loaf will do just fine)

3-4 cloves of garlic (finely diced)

2-3 large glugs of olive oil

1 red capsicum (sliced)

2 punnets of cherry or grape tomatoes

Freshly picked mixed salad leaves

1 red onion (sliced)

1 handful of green beans (optional extra)

White balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to season

You'll need to do this:-

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Tear ciabatta into small pieces and add to a baking tray.   Toss with the olive oil and garlic.  Roast in oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crispy. 

At the same time and in a separate baking tray, add capsicum, onion and tomatoes with a light splash of olive oil and roast for 20 - 25 minutes.  You may like to roast the tomatoes in a separate tray as they cook more quickly than the capsicum and onion.  You can also add some finely sliced basil if you like.  Once cooked, leave to cool.

Meanwhile, wash and dry salad leaves and blanch the beans in boiling water for a couple of minutes.  I think the beans need to remain their crunch for this salad.

Lightly toss cooked ingredients through the leaves and dress with a couple of splashes of white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

I hope you enjoy!

Happy eating!!

Sam

homegrown produce

My sister is obsessed with her garden (I think mother is responsible for this...)  and has recently planted a veggie patch.  Even with the endless deliberations over what plant should go where, I am extremely excited as we are now enjoying the fruits of her labour. 

Last Saturday morning I was at mum and dad's when Anna made her entrance with a gift from her garden - we were confronted with the largest basket of freshly picked salad anyone could ever imagine.

I am not normally inspired by vegetarian food and I'm not sure what came over me on Saturday, but I was genuinely excited by this basket of greenery. I think it was the idea of eating something that was grown just metres from the kitchen that enthused me so much.  Despite being on a sizeable plot, I am not sure that a flock of sheep or a heard of cattle would go too well at the homestead so for now I guess I will have to settle for the lettuce and other greenery.

Anyway, last weekend's challenge - what to do with such fabulously fresh and tasty leaves.   The answer - crispy ciabatta salad, served with roast chickens.

The chickens were a perfect accompaniment to the salad.  I say this with all the respect in the world for the chickens as they were delicious in their own right, but this type of salad is definitely the hero of the meal.  It is so good and there is so much going on that you could probably have it on its own and be left feeling absolutely content.  I guess I (and the rest of the family for that matter) struggle coming to terms with not having some sort of meat on the table though, especially when roast chooks are on offer!

To me, this is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon - around the table on the deck at the homestead with a home cooked feast and a couple of glasses of vino.  I can't wait to do it again and I am waiting in anticipation for what Anna will harvest next.

Recipe for the salad to follow tomorrow.

Happy eating!!!

Sam

things for the table

family favourites

Family Favourite # 2 - Jam Roly Poly

For as long as I can remember when asked what special dinner we would like for our birthday the answer was always - Jam Roly Poly!!  Forget the main course, this was the business.

Jam Roly Poly has always been a family favourite.  Lel, my grandmother, made it before I was born.  Mother has continued the tradition with us and it is now our turn...

Regardless of how many helpings you can get through, no one can ever get enough of it.  Even if there are some leftovers before we go to bed, we all know that there will be none left by the time we awake in the morning.

A word of warning - regardless of how much you enjoy your first two bowls, roly poly sicknes will inevitably be yours once you go back for the third [because regarldess of your inner strength, you will not be able to resist].

And so for the recipe.

You'll need this:

2 cups of self raising flour

1/4 cup of castor sugar

200g butter [use cold butter, not melted]

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1 cup of water

Sugar for dusting

You'll need to do this:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Mix flour, sugar and butter in a mix master.  Then gradually add the milk and egg and beat for another minute or two (you may need to add a little more flour).

Remove mixture from bowl and knead by hand until dough is smooth.  Roll dough into an oval with a rolling pin. 

Spread a full jar of strawberry jam (strawberry is the traditional version but you can use whatever type of jam you like, if you are from Australia, you must use Golden Circle brand) onto the dough and then roll into a log.  Place in a suitably sized baking dish, dust with sugar and cover with a cup of warm water (the more water you add the more sauce you will create).

Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with vanilla ice cream.

It goes like this....

And ends up like this....

I know you will enjoy this dish and perhaps it may even become one of your family favourites!

Happy eating!!!

Sam 

we can dream

Today I spent my time staring at this....

But all I could think about was something like this....

Peels bar - New York City (source of photo unknown)

Or this...

(source of photo unknown)

I often dream about what it would be like to change direction and jump head first into a career in the food and wine industry.  What a magical experience it would be to put a smile on people's faces each day through the things you cook and the atmosphere you create.  Mother thinks I would struggle to cope with the constant criticism... Not sure where she gets that from!

Anyway, yesterday my sister and I indulged in the concept a little and we shared ideas.  As always, Anna had a couple of images at hand for the occassion....  Thanks for the inspiration again Bella.

Perhaps one day. 

Until then, I will continue to think about all the great things we could offer at the real life, Sam's Table.

Happy eating!!!

Sam