In case you are wondering

I'm so busy at work at the moment I'm not doing the cooking, when I have something interesting to tell you I will.

Letting the boys loose in the kitchen

Eno went shopping on Saturday and came home with all sorts of beautiful food. Sunday he went into the kitchen with Rusty (12yo) to make lunch.

First dish on the menu was Oysters Kilpatrick. They had the bacon chopped and the salt in the pan to hold the oysters upright, they were putting the Worcestershire on when they called me in because Rusty had an idea.

Instead of bacon and Worcestershire he was thinking about trying something else; bocconcini and lemon juice. I suggested thin slices of bocconcini and add a basil leaf to the mix. I then left the kitchen and the next thing out came the plate of oysters, 2/3 of them Kilpatrick and the other 1/3 bocconcini, basil and lemon. All lightly grilled and smelling divine. The lemon basil and bocconcini worked beautifully with the oyster. They claim they going to work on perfecting this recipe next time they are in the kitchen.

Main course was salmon portions, wrapped in prosciutto, with a basil aioli. This was served with Chat potatoes, grilled zucchini, button squash, asparagus and brocollini. I was called in to make the aioli (and teach Rusty how). This is a garlic mayonnaise made the traditional way with egg yolks, fresh garlic, and good quality olive oil. It takes a while to make and you must whisk it constantly while adding the oil but it is well worth it as it tastes nothing like one that comes from a shop. This meal was well received by everyone including Monkey (2yo) who adored the salmon and vegetables.

Last time one of the boys cooked it was Monster (6yo) cooking sausages and serving them in buttered rolls with mustard. These were also well accepted all round and the start of Monster's culinary career.

As I was told by a school friend's grandmother; "If you can't cook, you don't deserve it eat".

It's too darn' HOT

It's been like living in a furnace for the last couple of days. 37 degrees (100F) at breakfast time does not make for a good day for eating. All anyone feels like doing is drinking.

A few weeks ago we were in Hobart and we went out for breakfast the kids had 'Breakfast trifles' these were layers of poached fruit, toasted oats, natural yoghurt and toasted almonds in a glass dish. The kids loved them and they were perfect for a warm morning.

One of the really good things we found on a TV show a while ago was that if you freeze bananas and then whizz them in the food processor you end up with something akin to soft serve icecream. If you put it back in the freezer it will freeze to the consistency of Gelato. I made some with some raspberries in it as well. We had some in a bowl by itself and also added it to a glass of milk, stirred it in to make a nice icy smoothy!

Can you imagine combining these 2 things and giving a child a breakfast trifle with frozen banana gelato, yoghurt, toasted oats (for crunch) and fresh or poached fruit. Healthy and fun food in one bowl!

Ways with eggs

My kids love eggs and the following recipe is a great way to use up leftover meat and vegetables that you have in the fridge.

Wen's frittata.

6 eggs

A dash of milk

Whatever leftover vegetables are available cut into small cubes. (Leftover roast meat is good too)

1 onion sliced ( use the food processor to save time but watch out when you take the lid off as all those chemicals that make you cry are right under that lid)

Parmesan cheese.

In a preferably non stick straight sided fry pan, fry the onions and leftovers.

Whisk the eggs with the milk until slightly frothy.

Pour over the vegetables and push the mixture around with a spatula for a minute or so making sure you lift the cooked bits on the bottom of the pan.

Leave to cook until almost set (the top should still be very wet)

Cover the top with parmesan and put the whole frypan under the griller to brown the top and finish setting the eggs.

Cut into wedges and serve with some chutney or let cool then cut into wedges for a cold meal.

This is great in school lunchboxes.

Decadent Fritatta

This is a variation I came up with to use up some fresh salmon that I had in the fridge.

Replace the leftovers with small cut salmon, some capers and dill. The smaller you cut the salmon the more cooked through it will be.

Don't cover with cheese however you still need to finish it off in the griller if you want an evenly cooked frittata.

Making do in a substandard kitchen

I have been working interstate for most of the past year. After 6 months the company I am working for rented a flat for me. This is no executive apartment; it is a 2 bedroom flat with an almost antique electric stove. One day when the whole family was there I bought a chicken and vegetables to roast. To my surprise when I went to cook it there was no baking dish. I had a big pot so that would have to do….

Pot roasted Moroccan Chicken and vegetables.

1 free range chicken.

Some vegetables that you would normally roast (carrots, potato, sweet potato, beetroot, pumpkin, you get the idea)

1 – 1 ½ tablespoons of Morrocan spice mix. (I buy a blend from Herbies)

250ml (1 cup) of chicken stock.

Preheat the oven to 200c or 400f (yes this oven was so old it was in Fahrenheit – funny when Rusty wanted to cook, he had never seen an oven that went above 250 on the dial J)

Rub the spice all over the chicken.

Cut up the vegetables into serving size pieces.

Put the chicken in the pot and surround with the vegetables.

Pour the stock over the chicken and put the lid on.

Place in the oven for 1 hour.

Take the vegetables out and place in a covered dish to keep warm.

Move the chicken to the carving tray and cover to rest.

Reduce the liquid to make a sauce if desired.

I couldn't believe how tasty and tender this turned out given it was thrown together because I couldn't roast the chook! I knew there was such a thing as a pot roast but I had never done it and I didn't have any cookbooks with me.

The all time family favourite.

I was about to go shopping one day and I asked the family what they wanted to eat that week. The response from Rusty was 'Tuna Pasta!!' Eno replied "but I don't like Tuna". After some discussion, he asked what was in it and then told me he didn't like the main ingredients (tuna, capers, olives) but he loved "that sauce I made for pasta", could I make that instead. So here is the recipe for "that sauce for pasta".

Tuna pasta.

1 large can of tuna (in olive oil)

1 bottle of good quality passata (Italian tomato sauce this is a great base for a lot of sauces)

1 stalk of celery

1 carrot

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of sweet paprika

1 teaspoon of allspice

2 anchovies. (I buy the bottles of anchovies packed in oil )

A good handful of salted capers (I buy these in bulk – otherwise you need a whole packet at a time!)

2 handfuls of kalamata olives

A teaspoon (ish) of oregano

1 bay leaf

Cut carrot, celery and onion into 4 pieces.

Throw into food processor with garlic and wizz until chopped but not mushy.

Put a bit of olive oil (from the tuna can) in a large frypan add contents of food processor, anchovies and spices. Cook until vegetables are soft. (Note: the anchovies will dissolve into the base and no one will know they are there)

Add the passata, drained tuna, olives and well rinsed capers.

Add herbs and cook for about 10 minutes.

At the same time bring water to the boil and cook pasta. Our preference is for Penne as it is easy for little kids to manage.

Toss sauce through drained pasta and serve with grated or shaved parmesan.

Just writing that made me hungry!

Essential tools - preparation

This is the first in a series I will put together on the equipment I find necessary to cook a good meal. A quick meal does not have to be takeaway or convenience foods from the freezer. As long as you have been shopping or have a well stocked pantry you can do it.

When you want to cook a meal quickly (eg. Get home at 5:30pm, dinner on the table at 6pm) having the right tools is essential.

• Chopping board – make sure it is BIG. My Mum never had a big enough chopping board to enable me to cut everything up without shuffling it around and searching for places to put everything.
  
• Knives – everyone wants different ones. Make sure your utility knife is comfortable in your hand and has a good weight for you. You will also need a chef's knife and a paring knife.
  
• Bowls – essential for marinading, moving things off the chopping the board, mixing. You will need one of those metal sets with a lot of different sizes (of course the one you want will still always be in the dishwasher!)
  
• Silicon spatula – the most useful thing in my kitchen; it replaces a bowl scraper and wooden spoon. I have 2 so that I always have one available.
  
• Food processor – no more chopping onions or garlic, slicing or julienning vegetables by hand. Wizz them through and chuck in the pot. Also essential for smooth sauces, soups and making cakes.
  

That's it. With these tools you are ready to prepare any meal.