Finding Feasts | Cooking Eating Storytelling

Chocolate Sachertort

Finding Feasts - Sachertort — Click image for recipe

Have you got your mother’s day gift and day sorted yet? Better hurry! It’s mother’s day this Sunday 11th May.

I love mother’s day, not because of the gifts (they do help tho…wink…wink…nudge…nudge hubby if you are reading this!) but because I love seeing my daughter’s face the night before when she schemes up complicated breakfasts for my husband and her to cook in the morning. I generally wake up to clatter and bang noises in the kitchen and then have an amazing breakfast waiting for me down stairs. Post breakfast there is no time to rest though because it’s time to get cooking for the family mother’s day lunch which has been hosted at our place for the last few years.

Mum always brings dessert however two years ago I surprised her with this fantastic dessert – a chocolate sachertort.

I attempted my first sachertort about 3 years ago when my husbands mum, Heather bought me a baking book. It’s fair to say that I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth but this recipe is divine!

I am proud to say that I can now make it with my eyes closed; well almost!
It’s the perfect after dinner dessert, rich, gooey and yummy!

PS…HAPPY ‘late’ MOTHERS DAY to all the mums!
xox Bella

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Spinach Pie Crust – Vegetable Pie Crust

Spinach Pie Crust – Vegetable Pie Crust is a fantastic recipe for when you want to mix it up a little.

This is an adaptation from one of my most favourite cookbooks, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. I haven’t strayed too far away from the original but I HIGHLY recommend getting a copy of this book if you want more stunningly beautiful and simple recipes.

I will be making the mushroom and yoghurt pie from this book using this pie base, as suggested, but through pot luck I had about 1/2 cup of mixture left over so decided to make some Savoury Spinach and Parmesan Biscuits… Stunning! and a great addition to cheese board or Charcuterie platter.

Enjoy the greenery… Blondie

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Coq Au Vin aka Chicken in Wine Casserole

Coq Au Vin aka Chicken in Wine Casserole… This is a classic french dish that is so full of flavour and character, and although it may appear to have lots of steps they kind of all fall onto each other so the actual process is really quite fast and uncomplicated.

It requires a 12 hour marinating time to fully marry the flavours with the chicken but if you were really pressed for time I’m sure you could get away with just a couple.

If it’s been a while since you have enjoyed this beautiful casserole then maybe it’s time to bring it back… or try the lighter version of Coq au Chardonnay.

Blondie

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Bigos | Hunter’s Stew

Bigos or Hunter’s Stew… I am not afraid of letting the world know that I would love to go on one of those cooking shows and wow the judging panel with the national dish of Poland! What frightens the heck out of me is presenting this dish on a plate!I can see the comments now…”Bella you have created a warm and hearty stew, full of flavour and intensity, however what has really let you down is your presentation”.
The Italian’s have Pasta, the English have Fish & Chips (as I have just recently learned from Blondie!) the Hungarian’s have Goulash and the Poles have, Hunter’s Stew a.k.a Bigos.

Let’s face it, this isn’t the most appealing dish to photograph. I have countless hours this week surfing the net for presentation ideas to ensure that it does not look like slop on a plate, however where presentation fails somewhat, taste sensation sets in! And let me tell you that this dish will warm the heart on a cold winter’s day!

Bigos has been eaten by the Poles for many centuries, it is approximately 700 years old. When speaking to dad about its meaning he said the word bigos signified a combination or mixture of ingredients similar to a mess… success! I have created a mess.
As a child I have fond memories of family gatherings where bigos was one of the feature dishes. I would eagerly await for my bowl and dip mum’s rye bread into the rich and flavoursome sauce.

Whilst there are basic components like sauerkraut, onion, mushrooms and meat, there is no right way of making bigos and you will see that it varies from family to family. My mum’s bigos has evolved over the last 30 years from adding tomato paste to not adding it, from making it a runny stew to making it a dry stew and the changes go on.

When I got mum’s new recipe I thought to myself…I will just make enough for the blog / photos… mission impossible! The dish is best made to a large consistency, after all it taste so much better with time. Yes you can eat it within 3 hours of cooking it however the taste develops as it stands. I would normally give it 1-2 days, although it never lasts that long!

chochla-miesiaca-wiosna-400 — This recipe got Ladle of the month!!

My tips for making this dish:
1) use good quality sauerkraut and to me nothing beats Krakus Sauerkraut! I tried making my own a few months back – failed miserably but that is a story for another day!
2) don’t over liquid the cooking process. Remember that this is a dry stew so its not meant to be covered in water.
3) best eaten on the 2nd day!
4) eat it over rye or sourdough bread with a bottle of Zywiec!
Smacznego!

Smacznego! Bella

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Low & Slow Beef Ribs

Low & Slow Beef Ribs – Picture this… Thick pieces of beef cooked slowly and oh so low till it can no longer hold firm to it’s supporting centre, finally, succumbing to the heat and relinquishing it’s grip, falling languishingly off the bone…

Anyway, back to business. This weekend in Sydney is going to be cold and a bit rainy, finally! And of course I don’t have any warm jackets. I left my favourite one in New Zealand late last year, which I will be picking up later this year, and then left my new replacement one in Canberra a couple of weekends ago. Not impressed!

After hankering for something slow and luxurious for this weekends cold snap I decided to go with one of my most favourite cuts, and that is ribs. The beef ones especially as they have a good amount of meat surrounding the bone and just fall apart when eaten.

This weekend will be spent cooking and it only just occurred to me that although there really isn’t that much difference between an oven and a slow cooker, the number one biggest benefit for me is that the slow cooker frees up the oven. With my beef ribs slowly cooking in the cooker on my bench top, I will be able to have several different dishes going in and out of the oven throughout the day. Not at all possible if my ribs were occupying it for 7 hours or so.

This dish is best served the next day as quite a lot of fat comes out of the meat. The best way to get rid of it is to let the fat harden in the fridge and then just skim it off with a knife in one big chunk – that being said, it’s impossible not to eat it on the day it’s cooked after having the smell wafting through the house all day!

Happiness is a cold weekend… Blondie 🙂

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Cauliflower in a Coconut Curry

Cauliflower in a Coconut Curry…Years ago I was given an Indian cookbook by my sister, 1000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra. It’s by no means a beautiful coffee table cookbook – there isn’t one photo in it, but a tome to 1000 Indian recipes. I have so many bookmarks in it and I’m slowly getting through them, but this one gets cooked the most. Cauliflower in a Coconut Curry is traditionally done with the whole head of cauliflower kept in tact. It certainly is a show stopper when done this way, but for an easy family meal, cutting it into smaller florets makes it a lot easier to manage.

It’s not strict to the recipe, only because I was missing a couple of ingredients (I replaced the 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of water with 400g of coconut milk and omitted the coriander and nutmeg) Both are equally amazing but have to admit that this version is OUTSTANDING! It will all depend on whether you feel like a tangy, yogurt base or a creamy coconut base.

Make a Indian flat bread such as a Paratha to help sop up all the delicious curry sauce.

Good eating…. Blondie 🙂

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Blondie’s Cauliflower Recipes

Fried Cauliflower Rice — Fried Cauliflower ‘Rice’

Blondie’s Cauliflower Recipes… At $1.75 for a head of cauliflower, you really can’t go past seasonal produce for price and quality. This can easily feed a good size family!
So with my cauliflower sitting on my bench I wanted to try some new recipes. I love my gratins and curries but needed something new.

I came across Cauliflower Rice, what a fantastic idea!

Rich in nutrients, low in calories and high in dietary fibre this a vegetable that is probably forgotten as it’s not a vibrant, lively colour or maybe it appears awkward to cook with, but with a beautiful texture and flavour this should really be included into your weekly meal plan.

Stir Fried Cauliflower ‘Rice’ – This would have to now be my most favourite and changeable dishes. No mater which country’s cuisine you are cooking, you will be able to alter this to the flavours of that country. I’m having Mexican tonight so have gone with chillies, tomatoes and paprika but if you wanted Italian flavours then throw in some basil, thyme and maybe some salami or sausage. Add egg or tofu for a protein hit…So easy and adaptable!

Kids Cauliflower Rice – an amazing way to get more nutrients into your kids meals. When cooked with rice, the blitzed cauliflower resembles rice grains. If you have an overly picky eater and they love Jasmine rice then the flavours combine completely and they won’t even know that they are eating far more than they ever suspected!

Enjoy – Blondie 🙂

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