17. Get well soon chicken noodle soup

I believe the cure to end all colds, flu's, aches and a bad day at the office can be solved by chicken noodle soup. This recipe has come about through a few varieties but I feel I have finally nailed it. The wonderful thing about this recipe is not only its simplistic assemblage of wholesome ingredients, but the taste is of a good bowl of comfort food. If there were ever a soup which could reach out and hug you better, this is the one.

Ingredients

500gm of free range chicken thigh/breast or tenderloins
Vegetable oil
2 packets of 200gm Bento instant Udon noodles
1 punch of Buk Choy
1 shallot
4 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 large clove of organic garlic
50ml of soy sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
sesame seeds
fresh chili's, as many or as little as you like
1 litre of salt reduced Vegetable stock
black peppercorns and ground white pepper




1* Fry up the chicken pieces in batches til browned in the vegetable oil

2* Chop the shallot, garlic and ginger really fine and brown in frying pan.

3* Add garlic, ginger, shallot and chicken to a large saucepan, cover with stock and bring to boil.

4* Add Buk choy, soy sauce, sesame seeds oil and udon noodles

5*  Add the sliced chili to top the soup, simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste

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16. Veggie night

I am a big meat lover and enjoy nothing more then a juicy steak or crispy pork belly. But after some inspiration and seeing some great fresh produce I decided to go vegetarian for a night.

Tonight's menu consisted of:

Braised red cabbage with brown pear
Tomato and chili chutney
Lentil and chickpea burgers
Greek yoghurt and garlic sauce

Through the right balance of herbs and spices I was intrigued in how the flavours changed when matched with vegetables other then meat.
Looking for seasonal and fresh produce to use does make a difference and I cannot wait for my veggie patch to take off, eating from your own backyard is one of the most rewarding and healthy food experiences.

15. On water

I have a new love after this weekend. Ceviche with papaya.

 It was a weekend for enjoying the last days of bitey autumn sun through harbour views and fresh flavours. I made Circular Quay and The Rocks my destination of choice to explore and taste, with shorelines brimming with tourist photosnapping, Charlie Chaplins and tunes of disco styled didgeridoo's playing.

With such a priceless backdrop of the Harbour Bridge to the left and the Opera House to the right, The Sydney Cove Oyster Bar is all round impressive. With a contemporary and innovative menu offering an extensive range of seafood options. The John Dory ceviche with shaved fennel, finger lime and papaya salad was refreshing with an ice cold prosecco.

The tiger prawns were meaty and generous in serves and were perfect for a light lunch.

For something a bit more hearty try the beer battered barramundi, chips and housemade tartare with a beer favourite of mine the Kosciousko Pale Ale.

14. Australia day and a proper roast

I feel like I have been out of touch for some time, and blame finishing my degree and the silly season for that.

I'd like to welcome in the new year with a goal to reinvent some old flavours with a twist, and to really support and develop the home grown movement of herbs, fruit and veggies.
I want to be able to make more dishes which are straight from the garden, knowing what I have planted them in and the care that was taken to grow them.

Yesterday I felt a bit creatively challenged. Not in the mood to be making pastry and steak pies from scratch I decided to play around with the traditional flavours of the Aussie Pav. A combination which I have been dying to try was between that of the super sweet berries and the tang of Tahitian lime peel and fresh mint leaves. I was suprised at how little lime peel was required to cut through the sweetness and give the combination a whole new dimension. 

I also discovered that Chivas Regal, vanilla and icing sugar whipped through fresh cream are amazing.

Post Australia Day I have spent exploring some more French flavours. With a Tarragon butter chicken, nutmeg potato gratin and fresh spinach as my Sunday roast menu. My kitchen smells of a garlic buttery aroma, I can taste a room temperature boysenberry cider and the sound of planes flying to places other then here are filling my ears. My mind is on a holiday mode on loan, drawing inspiration from the most obscure of daily activities. 

13. Homegrown veggies and a gingerbread army

So I have given my new raised a garden a chance to produce some produce and I am happy to say I have two Ox heart tomatoes which are growing well and my first cayenne pepper. I did have a mass of chervil growing but after some battering rain and wind it lost all its leaves!

I have also decided to develop my lacking skills in baking and give cakes and biscuits a try. Slowly getting the hang of it and can feel the need for some more challenging recipes to give a go. Today's attempt was a combination of baking skills and may opportunity to get creative with decorating my fresh gingerbread men. Since not all of my gingerbread army turned out bakery perfect I decided to transform some of my mutants into zombies and aliens.
Cannot believe Christmas is almost here again, need to start designing a menu.

12. Vodka and pasta

I recently discovered a new recipe in my Silverspoon Pasta cookbook for vodka and penne.

At first I wasn't too sure, but upon making and tweaking around with it last night in the kitchen, I can confess I am a very big fan.

 makes 4

3/4 packet of organic Penne

300ml double cream

just under  1/2 cup of vodka

pre-made meatballs

garlic oil

1 can of tomato paste and vegetable mix

salt and pepper

fresh parsley to taste

grated parmesan cheese

11. Leftover mash on toast

I have to admit I love it when I have leftovers. They always taste so much better the next day and seem to develop in flavour over night.
I recently made a garlic and sea salt mash and had some leftover on toast this morning.

It was one of the best breakfast I have had for a long time, I think because it was a nice change from eggs.

All you need is leftover mash, toast, truffle or any flavored oil, garlic oil would go beautifully as well, parsley and pimento.

Makes for a tasty and impressive breakfast toast idea.