Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

Winters here, time for comfort food. And what could be more comforting than a dish of plump and juicy meatballs! The kids love them, and its a good, easy, economical meal. Here are three different ways to prepare them:

YOUR STANDARD MEATBALL
500g lean beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lrg tblsp tomato paste (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
200g dried spaghetti

A jar of tomato pasta sauce or tinned tomatoes, Fresh basil and grated parmesan

Heat oven to 200¡C. Combine mince, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, tomato paste and egg in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Knead the mixture with your hand for a couple of minutes, as it will help the meatballs hold together when they’re cooked. With damp hands, shape mixture into 20 balls and place on a wire rack set over a baking pan lined with foil. Bake meatballs in an oven heated to for 20 minutes until browned. Place tomato pasta sauce (or tinned chopped tomatoes) in a saucepan and bring to the boil to heat through. Add browned meatballs and stir to coat in sauce. Cook spaghetti in a saucepan with plenty of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until just tender to the bite. Serve spaghetti in bowls topped with meatballs and tomato sauce, garnish with parmesan and basil.

NB: I used to always cook the meatballs on the stovetop in a frying pan, but have recently discovered that cooking them in the oven will help to remove any excess fat from the meat, making this a nice healthy meal.

YOUR SLOPPY JOE MEATBALL
Use the above recipe for making the meatballs and sauce, then instead of cooking spaghetti simply cut some long bread rolls down the centre long-ways, and serve the meatballs in these rolls, not unlike American hotdogs. Top with grated cheese and the garnishing / embellishments of your choice.

YOUR FANCY ITALIAN MEATBALL
(WITH POTATO, ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO BAKE)

4 thick slices of Ciabatta or Sourdough, crusts removed, roughly chopped (or you can use fresh bread crumbs Ð it will still work ok)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750g pork mince
1 egg, whisked
1 lemon, finely grated rind
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
6 medium potatoes, washed, cut into 4cm pieces
olive oil for drizzling
sea salt, pepper
3 zucchini, sliced
250g cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup small basil leaves, extra, to serve

Place bread into a bowl and cover with milk. Stand for 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze as much milk as possible from bread. Place bread into a large bowl. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Add onion mixture to bread with mince, egg, lemon rind, parmesan, nuts and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Form into meatballs and place onto a tray. Preheat oven to 200ûC. Place potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place potatoes onto tray and drizzle olive oil, sprinkle salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Add meatballs to tray and cook for 20 Ð 30 minutes. Stir potatoes and meatballs. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil and roast for 10 minutes or longer, until vegetables are soft. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve.

– Danielle

Salute to the ‘chocolate smile’

So, 13 years old, hanging out with my best friend Paula, a little bored (as 13 year olds are inclined to be), it’s Easter, a few stray eggs lying around, and whaddya know, the ‘chocolate smile’ is born. What a hideous creation. It involves stuffing as many chocolate eggs into your mouth as possible, chewing them up until they’re nice and slimy (but still with a few lumps for effect) – then giving the sickliest, sweetest smile you can. You get the picture  –  not pleasant at all. Worst still, it’s a tradition that just won’t go away. Even today, as middle-aged women, Paula + me + chocolate in a room together = gross. I seriously recommend you DO NOT TRY THE CHOCOLATE SMILE AT HOME (or you too may get hooked). Instead, why not check out these somewhat more appetising ‘things to do with chocolate’…

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE TART

500g best quality dark chocolate

325 ml cream

225 ml milk

3 large eggs (fresh as and room temp)

1 packet of sweet pastry (or make your own if you can be bothered)

Base: Roll out the pastry into a large (maybe 24cm wide x 4cm or so deep) spring-form tart tin. Blind bake for 5 mins at 180ºC using pastry weights (or rice, beans or lentils will do – put your baking paper on top of the pastry case first and fill up with weights evenly). After 5 mins remove baking paper and weights and bake until lightly golden, it won’t take too long, keep an eye on it. Remove and cool. Reduce oven to 135ºC.

Filling: Combine milk and cream and bring to the boil (just). Gently melt the dark chocolate over a pot of boiling water and whisk in the milk and cream. Beat the eggs and whisk into the dark choc. Pour into pastry case.

Bake the lot at 135ºC until the filling is firm but still trembling in the middle. This does not take too long (maybe 10-15mins? depending on your oven), just keep an eye on it and you’ll know when you have it right as when you pull it out it is just firm and has a glossy sheen (don’t let it go matt). Serve warm with mascarpone (or vanilla ice cream), a short black and some berries and/or a shot glass of Frangelico. Grown-ups will go weak at the knees. This recipe is also great for baby tart cases.

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

230g best quality dark chocolate

2 large egg whites at room temperature

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups long thread desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, remove from heat and cool for 15 mins. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form and, continuing to beat, slowly add sugar then vanilla. Beat for another 5 mins until stiff and glossy. Fold in the melted, cooled chocolate. Then fold in the coconut. Put large tablespoons of the mixture on to a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cook until crisp on the outside but chewy in the middle (about 20 minutes, but take one out and break open to check). Remove from the oven, cool and dust with cocoa.

CHOCOLATE BANANAS

Take a banana and slit it length-ways (from end to end) but without cutting through the skin on the other side. Push the ends towards one another to open the banana up a little then stuff with chocolate (any chocolate will do – dark, milk, chips, chunks, caramello, even nutella works), then wrap the whole thing in tin foil and bake in moderate oven for 15-20 mins (until skin is blackened/chocolate melted). The kids love it, they’ll yummy it up straight out of the skin. 50% good for you.

– Danielle

A Slice Nicer

We all start the New Year with the best of intentions, and my mission right now (school lunchbox-wise) is to boycott the store-bought bikkies in favour of good old-fashioned home baking. Strange how the kids are less enthusiastic about this (I guess it’s hard to compete with a TimTam) – nevertheless, here are some tasty slices to try:

FAY’S MUMBLES (like a muesli bar only better)

125g butter.  1 cup sugar.  2 tblsps golden syrup. 1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder.  1 cup desiccated coconut.  1 egg

I cup dried fruit (eg currants, apricots) and / or nuts

5 weetbix, crushed (or similar whole wheat cereal)
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large saucepan, stir until sugar dissolves (do not overheat). Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Press into 20 x 30 lined and greased tin. Bake for about 20 mins, or until just firm in the centre. Cut into bars while still warm.

 STICKY LEMON SLICE (a bit tricky but worth it)

Base: 225g unsalted butter, softened.  70g icing sugar.  275g standard flour

Topping:  400g sugar.  4 eggs, beaten.  4 tbsp standard flour

1 tsp baking powder.  grated zest of 2 lemons.  90ml lemon juice, strained.  icing sugar 

Preheat oven to 170ºC. To make the base: use an electric beater or food processor to whip butter and icing sugar together until creamed (+ pale) then sprinkle flour over, and mix until it forms a ball. Tip into a non-stick Swiss roll tin (32 x 21cm) lined with baking paper and press flat, bake for 15 mins then remove from oven. Let it cool. To make the topping: Tip sugar into a large-ish clean bowl and crack in eggs, beat / process for 1 min. Sprinkle flour, baking powder over the top. Add lemon zest and juice, mix together, pour mixture onto the top of the base and bake for 35 mins or so, until golden and firm-ish (depending on how hot your oven is you may have to put tin foil over the top toward the end, to stop it turning too brown). Cool in tin then dust with icing sugar & cut into squares.

 GINGER & COCONUT CHOCOLATE SLICE

(no baking required) 

150g butter.  395g can condensed milk.  1 cup dark chocolate melts

150g crystallised ginger, chopped.  70g pitted dates, chopped.  70g blanched almonds, toasted

200g bran biscuits, crushed.  1 cup desiccated coconut 

Melt the butter, condensed milk and chocolate in a small saucepan, stir until smooth (NB: use low heat, can burn easily). Remove from heat, add all other ingredients and mix well. Press into a large tray lined with baking paper. Cool for 1hr in the fridge. Lift the mixture out of the tin and use the baking paper to shape it into a log (approx 35cm long and 10cm wide). Wrap the paper around the log and secure by twisting both ends. Cool in fridge for at least 4 more hrs or overnight. Remove and roll in coconut. Cut into slices 1cm thick.

  – Danielle

Hey Honey!

My Dad used to call me ‘Buzzer’ when I was little. I thought it was because I was so keen on honey, but thinking about it, it’s probably because I was such an annoyingly busy wee thing. Anyway, not a lot has changed, and my love of honey (‘nature’s wonder food’!) has endured… 

Read on for some fabulous food….

Recipes – Stuff It

Danielle - Stuffed?

 

Argh, where’s my inspiration this month? Seems to have deserted me. But here are a few recipes none the less, along the lines of – er, stuffing. Starting with this super-delicious cheese-packed stuffed bread concoction: a calorific little number that never fails to please. Healthy? Um, well, it has garlic and spinach in it. So ignore all the creamy stuff and enjoy!  

Recipes – Asian style

Danielle going Asian

 

  After too many msg-laden takeaways and cheap, all-you-can-eat buffet meals at the Golden Capital in the 80’s (think goldfish pond, little wooden bridge and glitzy red lanterns), it’s only recently that I’ve come to appreciate Chinese food. I particularly love yummy Yum Cha in town on a Sunday, or mid-week at home, a quick and easy stir-fry is something the whole family enjoys. And yes, I always dress like Suzie Wong when cooking.