ILVE presents Australias Best Home Cook Competition - Noosa International Food and Wine Festival 2015 and Lunch at Print Hall

Earlier this year I received an email congratulating me that I'd been chosen as a finalist for a Competition held by The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival. The competition is ILVE Presents "Australia's Best Home Cook" and its to showcase the rise of the modern, everyday home cook.

After receiving more info about the cook-off it was all coming excitingly clear that I had a 1 in 3 chance to represent WA and attend the Festival In May at Noosa! What a fantastic prize!

The dish I'd chosen is a very easy dish, in fact the recipe is here. It's called Shakshuka and is basically a thick tomato sauce with Moroccan spices, beans and chorizo. Its simmered for a good 30-40 minutes before cracking some eggs around in the sauce and letting the hot simmering cook the eggs to your liking. It is then served with crusty bread to mop up the tasty goodness.

Cook off day had arrived and I headed to the ILVE Showroom in Osborne Park. My Hubby then met up with me at the showroom for moral support and to bring my bread knife that I forgot!

Cooking at home in your own kitchen is fun, comfortable and every appliance you know how to use. Cooking in a foreign kitchen is a quite daunting; not to mention cooking under pressure and the judges watching your every move. The showroom was full of beautiful brand new ovens, gas cook tops and induction cook tops which took a little help from the friendly staff on how to use, but once we knew, it took a bit of stress off.

I was so happy to see that my big heavy based Scanpan pan I brought from home worked on the new induction cook top, so I used that to cook my dish and the heat control was fantastic. Usually at home when I simmer on low I find it catches on the bottom of the pan but this was simmering the whole pan gently and constant.

We had 2 hours to cook off and the ambience wasn't stressful but more calm. We had all obviously cooked our dishes heaps of times before, so we eased straight into cooking mode fast.

My dish was presented, eaten and judged 2nd in line. I gave the judges a brief description of the dish and explained how versatile and easy it was to cook.

The judges deliberated and their decision was final. I was stoked to be chosen as the winner of the WA round!! I now get the chance to cook off in May at the Noosa Festival. I've never been to Noosa but I've been hearing its a lovely place and the Festival is so much fun, I'm really looking forward to it!!

To celebrate my Hubby and I were invited to Print Hall for the media launch the next day along with Jim Berardo and Greg O'Brien, the co-founders of the Festival and a few of the sponsors. Print Hall has been on my list for so long I was excited to try Executive Chef Shane Watsons amazing food. We headed to the function room on the 2nd floor and it didn't take me long to spot the menu folded in the napkins.

Duck Liver Parfait was my Hubby's first course. Generous mounds of lovely smooth and rich parfait topped with salted plum, cherry and a smear of Geraldton wax on the side.

My first course was the vegetarian option; New Season Vegetables which was lovely steamed asparagus and yellow squash, savoury soya milk and a big roasted malt wafer! I love asparagus and the fresh dill paired with the other elements perfectly!

For mains I had the Pan Roasted Barramundi that was topped with Coorong Pippis, courgette and dill. The skin was lovely and crispy and the Barra cooked to perfection.

David Blackmore's Wagyu Beef Bavette was a cracker of a dish! My husband loved the cut of beef which they cooked perfectly medium-rare and it was accompanied with leek, roasted pepper, cornichons, beef tendon and a rich jus. The beef tendon was soft; almost jelly like with a light meaty flavour, quite hard to describe.

The desserts we chose were Sweet Chaos with sweet parfait, honeycomb, mandarin and lavender and The Bittersweet Chocolate Tart which was lovely dark chocolate ganache snaked across the plate adorned with caramel almonds, crumbled caramel popcorn and ice cream. Both desserts were delicious.

Extremely satisfied from our sumptuous lunch we then had a speech from one of the Founders of the Noosa Festival Jim Berardo who gave us a brief history of the event and how its changed and grown over the years. Jim Berardo and Greg O'Brien first started the Festival over a decade ago as a way to thank all the suppliers of the Berardo Restaurant. It's gotten bigger and better each year and now has over 25,000 people attending the 4 day event each year.

Jim then introduced Print Hall's Executive Chef Shane Watson to everyone and he gave a speech about the menu that we just ate and his plans for The Noosa Festival.  If your planning on heading to The Noosa International Food &Wine Festival this year Shane will be in charge of the Audi Asian Food Trail on the Thursday and Friday so get your tickets!

I cannot wait for May to roll around and get a chance to attend this awesome festival and cook off against the other fantastic Home Cooks!

Keep an eye out for my next post: Australia's Best Home Cook Competition Finale!

Visit The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival Website.

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Warm Potato, Asaparagus & Dill Salad.

I made this lovely side salad to have with dinner last night. Asparagus has just come into season here in Australia and I purchased some from my local supermarket.

This salad would go very well with some grilled fish!

Warm Potato, Asparagus & Dill Salad

A big handful of small chat potatoes (sliced in half)
A bunch of asparagus (ends trimmed, chopped in thirds)
1 Carrot (julienned)
A few red radishes (sliced thinly)
Half a punnet of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
Half a red onion (thinly sliced)

Dressing:
4 TBSP EVOO
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh chopped dill

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well, set aside.

In a salad bowl combine the carrot, radishes, tomatoes and red onion.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and boil the potatoes for 10-12 minutes until tender. Blanch the asparagus in the water for 1-2 mins.

Add the drained potatoes and asparagus to the mixing bowl and pour over the dressing. Stir

gently to combine.

Enjoy!

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Handmade Pasta - Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

We've made pasta from scratch a few times now, and it's gotten a whole lot easier since I received a pasta roller attachment for my beloved Kitchenaid Mixer for my birthday a few weeks ago!

Spinach, Ricotta and Prosciutto Ravioli

Pasta: (This Recipe is from the back of '00' Pasta flour Brand: Molini Pizzuti)
500Gm '00' Flour
5 eggs
1 tsp Olive Oil
10 Gm Salt

In a bowl/mixer mix eggs, salt and oil. Add flour and mix into a soft dough. knead for 2 mins then cover and rest.


Filling:
1x small tub Ricotta cheese
1x bunch spinach, wilted and chopped
2 TBSP Parmesan Cheese, grated
5 slices Prosciutto, chopped
1 TBSP Dried herbs and Garlic (I use YIAH Herb & Garlic Mix)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Method:

Pinch off about a golf ball sized ball of pasta and lightly flour. Roll out the pasta sheets, but not too thin. I finished on number 5 on the pasta roller which is medium thickness and good for filled pasta.

Roll out a long sheet and then place a small heaped teaspoon of mixture about 5 cm apart on half of the sheet.

 

 

Use a pastry brush or finger to lightly wet around the mixture with water so the pastry on top sticks then lightly cover with the other half of the pasta sheet.

Press lightly around the mix to seal the pasta and make sure no air bubbles are trapped. Cut out with a circle or fluted cookie cutter and place on a floured place or line with baking paper or it will stick! and lightly dust with flour.

Repeat until you have enough.

To Cook: Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and then lower the flame so it just simmering. Rapidly boiling water will break apart the pasta so it needs to cook gently for about 10-12 minutes until tender. 

Drain and serve with any pasta sauce you like.

This was so yum!!


We've also made ravioli with egg yolks inside before too and served it with a Burnt Butter, Garlic and Sage Sauce. Delicious!
 

Egg Yolk Ricotta Ravioli

Pasta:
As per above recipe.

Filling:
Above recipe minus the prosciutto.
Egg yolks

Method:

Roll out pasta as above and place a heaped small teaspoon of filling 5 cm apart on half the pasta sheet. Make a small well in the centre and lightly place an egg yolk on top.

Use a pastry brush or finger to lightly wet around the mixture with water so the pastry on top sticks then lightly cover with the other half of the pasta sheet.

Press lightly around the mix to seal the pasta and make sure no air bubbles are trapped. Cut out with a circle or fluted cookie cutter and place on a floured place or line with baking paper and lightly dust with flour.

Cook as pasta above but for half the time to have the yolk runny. You can serve it with the sauce below.

Burnt Butter, Garlic & Sage Sauce

75Gm unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp crushed garlic
4-5 sage leaves
1 TBSP chopped parsley & Parmesan Cheese to serve.

Melt butter in a pan and season to taste. once bubbling add garlic and sage and cook until butter just starts to change in colour.

Take off the heat and spoon over pasta.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.

Enjoy!

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The Bayswater Hotel/Motel

We've been regulars at the "Baysie" for years now. When our daughter was young it was a great place to get out of the house and enjoy a beer and some lunch in the spacey, clean beer garden they have which has a small kids playground.

 

 

 
  
 They've recently had a re-furb and the main bistro area inside is a great spot for big/family bookings where they do Buffet lunch and dinners.

The menu has been upgraded and I noticed a few things taken off, and a few things added. The pizza menu is now very extensive.

 

 

My Hubby had the Fish Po'boy, a fish burger on a baguette type bun. $16.90

I had the Pulled Pork Roll with Coleslaw and Red Wine Jus, which was really good, I could taste a subtle hint of red wine but it wasn't overpowering. Served with chips for $17.90

A Jug of Coopers was about $21 and the Kids Menu's are $10 with GF and Vegetarian options too.

This was my daughters pizza and she ate all of it!

Inside in the bistro they have a kids karaoke machine and a playground outside to keep the kids entertained while you have lunch.

The Buffet menu changes daily, is served 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch and is great value.

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This Little Pig Went To Market - Meal Kits delivered to your door!

This Little Pig Went to Market is a Perth born and owned business by 2 sisters Jessica & Katherine. They create a 2 meal menu each week and deliver the ingredients and recipe cards straight to your door!

I chose the 2 meals for 2 people for 2 nights and this was $65 delivered.

I wasn’t home when my box was arrived and was so happy to find it sitting nicely on my front door mat!

 

The box is very sturdy with all the ingredients stacked nicely with padding and 2 big ice bricks that can keep the food cool in the box for up to 4 hours.

The first recipe was Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli which was handmade by The Re Store in Leederville. Served with a cream-free bacon, sage, asparagus and mushroom sauce. The smell of this cooking was divine and I love how the bacon was already diced and locally sourced from Torre Butchers in Perth. The rest of the ingredients were all portioned and all I had to do was follow the recipe card and chop them up.

 

As mentioned before, the meals I chose are meant to be for 2 serves. Although this meal was plenty enough for my hubby, my daughter and myself to have a decent serving plus my daughters seconds and thirds!

The second meal was a Sesame Beef salad with crunchy noodle, mandarin and mint slaw. Doesn’t that sound good! Again the beef strips were pre-cut and also from Torres Butchers and the beef marinade and salad dressing were portioned in disposable containers.

 

This salad tasted amazing and was definitely filling for a dinner meal, again with a small serving leftover.

 

With all the ingredients portioned for the 2 meals, everything you need is there to make the menu. This means after cooking, you have no leftover food to go to waste.

I loved getting my delivery and thought it was great value. On a busy day I knew I had the ingredients on hand to make a good meal for that night. Or if I had a friend coming over for lunch I could whip this up without having to think of what to cook.

This Little Pig Went to Market are on facebook and you can check out their website to view their menu which changes weekly. Why not order one for a friend or family member as a gift!

I know I’ll definitely be ordering again very soon and regularly!

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Beef Massaman Curry

I love making Curry pastes from scratch. It makes the whole house smell amazing and is very rewarding!

 



 

 


500Gm Beef Cubes
2 TBSP Cornflour
1 Red Onion
2 Spring Onion stalks
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 TBSP Lemongrass paste (or a couple of stalks)
1 Thumb-size piece of Ginger
1 bunch of Coriander (stalks and roots chopped finely, leaves roughly chopped and set aside for later)
1-2 Long Red Chilli's (depending on how hot you like it, some chopped and reserved for garnish)
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander, Cinnamon and Cumin
2 tsp Soy Sauce, Sugar and Fish Sauce
2 Limes (1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges for garnish)
4-5 medium sized potatoes, cut into large chunks
400ml can coconut milk
3 TBSP Sweet Chilli Sauce
2.5 cups Beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the beef in the flour and set aside.

Combine the red onion, spring onions, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, coriander root and stems, chilli, spices, soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce, sugar and lime in a food processor or mortar and pestle and process until a paste is formed.

 

 

 Fry off the beef in batches in some oil until browned and set aside. Then fry off paste in some more oil for a few minutes. Add the stock, coconut milk, beef and potatoes and mix until combined. Simmer on very low, covered for 6-8 hours. You could transfer to a slow cooker or cook covered in a low oven too.

Serve with steamed rice and garnish with leftover coriander leaves, chopped chilli and a wedge of lime.

Serves 4-6



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Honey Garlic Chilli Prawns Recipe

Ingredients

Sauce
1/3 tsp ground ginger & garlic powder (you can use fresh, just use 1 tsp of each)
salt & pepper (to taste)
3 TBSP tomato sauce  & sweet chilli sauce
2 TBSP white vinegar
1/2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp crushed chilli paste (or fresh)
2 TBSP honey

2 TBSP oil (I used rice bran oil)
250Gm shelled, deveined prawns (I used Kailis)
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup Sliced spring onions and 1 TBSP sesame seeds to serve

Method

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok until hot, add onions followed by prawns and then the sauce. Stir fry for 2-3 mins until prawns are cooked and sauce has turned slightly sticky.

Sprinkle over spring onions and sesame seeds.

Serve with rice and steamed or stir fry veg.

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Prosciutto wrapped lamb cutlets & Massive salad with candied bacon & soft boiled eggs & Ranch Dressing

Lamb Cutlets

Are basically cutlets wrapped in prosciutto. Once you start to cook them the prosciutto sticks to the meat, there's no need to salt because the prosciutto is salty as is.

Massive Salad

Fry a few rashers of bacon sprinkled lightly with sugar until cooked. set aside to cool.

Soft boil 4 eggs by placing them in cold water, bring to the boil on high heat. Once boiling , boil for 3.5 mins. Drain off hot water and replace with tap water. Leave to cool slightly.

Mean while Mix together:
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, diced (seeds removed)
Celery, sliced thinly
Carrot, sliced thinly
Gherkins, chopped
Pickled onions, Sliced
red onion, diced
cheese, cubed
 Arrange salad mix on to a serving plate, quarter or halve the eggs and arrange on top then chop bacon and sprinkle on top also.

Aprils Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon's juice
garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt 1/2 tsp each
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

mix together and drizzle over salad!!

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Potato Gnocchi & Mushroom Chilli Tomato Sauce

3 Large all purpose floury potatoes (800Gm approx.)
3 egg yolks
1-2 cups flour (its always different)

Boil potatoes until tender, when warm to touch peel skin off.

Place peeled potatoes in a sieve over a mixing bowl and press through with the back of a spoon.

Mix in yolks, salt & pepper to taste and incorporate flour 1/2 cup at a time, (I used 1 & 3/4 cups this time) until its not sticky. Flour a surface and cut dough into 4, then roll each quarter into a log 2 cm diameter and cut 3cm lengths.

Place on a floured plate until cooking.
To Cook: Bring a pot of water to the boil add salt and add gnocchi, boil slowly until they float then after 2 mins scoop them out to drain.

I put mine straight from the water into a simmering pan of tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, chilli, onion, passata, basil and parsley. Then served sprinkled with cheese.

TO FREEZE: I put the left over gnocchi on a floured plate spaced out and froze until hard then transferred to glad bags. These can be boiled straight from frozen until they float as above.

You can add parmesan cheese, spinach puree and parsley for flavoured gnocchi too!

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Beef, Guinness & Mushroom Stew

 

Oil
1 Onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500gm Mushrooms, Sliced
500gm cubed beef
2 TBSP Plain Flour
1 carrot, sliced thinly
1 large celery stick, sliced thinly
400ml Guinness (I used Guinness Draft brand, comes in a 440ml can)
2 cups Beef stock
salt & pepper to taste
Handful of frozen peas

Toss beef in flour until coated and fry in batches until browned slightly, set aside. Add more oil and lightly fry the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic for about 2 mins. Add beef and guinness and allow to come to a simmer then add the stock and salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Throw the peas in at the last 15 minutes.

Serve with Mashed potato, or spoon into pie dishes and cover with puff pastry.

You can also put this in a low oven (160C) in a casserole dish for the same time or throw all ingredients into the slow cooker for 6-8 hours, just reduce the stock to 1 cup.

Great for a St. Patricks Day dinner!

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Creamy Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake

Quick and Easy. Topped with lots of cheese, perfect for cold nights!

3 Cups Milk
1 tsp garlic powder
4 TBSP cornflour dissolved in 4 TBSP water
3 cups grated tasty cheese
700ml jar tomato passata
1 large tin of drained tuna
1 cup frozen peas or corn (or both)
4 cups cooked pasta

Preheat oven to 200C.

Bring milk and garlic powder almost to the boil, stir in cornflour mixture and whisk until thickened. Add 1 cup of the cheese.

Mix in 1/2 of the jar of passata, tuna, pasta, peas/corn and pour into a casserole dish.

Top with cheese and bake uncovered for 40 mins or until hot.

Serves 4-6

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Chicken and pineapple skewer

Chicken and pineapple skewers, with peanut satay sauce and Changs asian noodle salad

Peanut Satay Sauce
1tbsp oil
1/2 onion diced finely
1tsp garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
4 TBSP organic/natural peanut butter
1/2 can lite coconut milk
1/4 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce (i used ketjap manis)
2 TBSP sweet chilli sauce
1 TBSP sugar

Heat oil and saute onions, add garlic and ginger, stir in peanut butter. add coconut milk, stir and lightly simmer until combined, stir in water, soy, sweet chilli sauce, sugar and simmer for 2-3 mins until thickened.

You can store this in the fridge and use within 1 week or freeze the rest like i did

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