Baked Brie with Apricot Jam and Chili

This recipe is great for cheese lovers and is also very easy to make…

Ingredients:

Chilled filo pastry sheets (about 3 sheets) 

1 large to medium wheel of brie

1 jar of apricot jam

Chili flakes

1 egg

Butter

Parchment paper (non-stick baking paper)

Place the filo flat on the counter, over the parchment paper. When I read the instructions it says to butter the sheets of filo…soo please lightly butter the filo. Layer about 3 sheets and place one over the other but overlapping in different directions.

Then spread a thick layer of apricot jam in the middle and sprinkle some chili flakes on top of the jam.

Place the entire wheel of brie on top of the jam and evenly cover the brie with apricot jam, the more the merrier…now dash an abundant amount of chili flakes over the brie. 

Pull the filo dough over the cheese so that you can wrap it up and close it. Once it is fully covered with the filo turn it over so that the flat surface is facing up.

In a small bowl break an egg and keep only the yolk (I do it all with my hands.) Brush the yolk over the top of the pastry so that when it cooks it has a nice golden colour. 

Now place it all in the oven with the baking paper at the bottom (this will help the filo from sticking.) I leave it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 150 degrees (check regularly. )

Once it is ready I let it cool down and served it with some crackers. It is a very yummy and rich dish … it's cheesy, spicy and sweet all at the same time.

Roast Lamb & Leftover Mash Creation

We love lamb here at the McGrath house, even the kids have slowly adjusted their pallets to the taste of it.

There are many ways to cook lamb but I prefer to keep it simple; since the meat is already so flavourful, it doesn’t need many spices or elaborate sauces.

All you need is a rack of lamb and some seasonings of your choice. 

I like the following herbs: Thyme, Sage, Garlic, Rosemary and Pepper. I buy a spice mix called Tuscan Style BBQ Seasoning, it’s from Chef Recipes Organic; it has a nice mix of all of the above spices. I’m sure any spice mix of your choice with the above-mentioned herbs will do…

Ingredients:

1 rack of lamb

Spice mix - Thyme, Sage, Garlic, Rosemary and Pepper

Olive oil

Olive oil spray

Potatoes – left over mashed potatoes for this recipe but you can make fresh mashed potatoes as well

Cheese – Tasty Cheese (or any hard cheese will do)

Mint jelly

Spinach leaves (fresh)

Foil

I begin by massaging olive oil on the rack of lamb and then cover both sides with the seasoning. I pre heat the over at 250 degrees. For the first half of the cooking time I leave it quite high so that it becomes crispy on the outside…I then lower the temperature to about 180 degrees for the remaining time…If you notice the lamb bones turning dark don’t worry…I cook the lamb for max 30 minutes (I use a large rack and you might like your lamb rare; so really for cooking times my best advice is to ask your local butcher…sorry!!!)

As a side to lamb I love mashed potatoes…I had a lot left over from the night before (it was a NUTMEG MASH, so it carried that nice flavor over…and my pet peeve is to waste food so I do anything possible to invent new things with my left overs.) 

I take the mash cold out of the fridge, make evenly shaped balls and place them on a foil sheet that I first spray with olive oil spray so that they don’t stick…(I like olive oil in a can because it allows you to only put on a small even quantity of olive oil on foods).

Once all the mash balls are placed on the foil I spray just a little more olive oil on them and then cut a piece of Tasty cheese over the top of the mash balls.

They then go in the oven at about 200 degrees for 10 minutes…You will realize they are ready when the cheese has melted and they become a golden colour…I leave them in the oven for just a bit longer because I like them crunchy (but don’t worry if they are still soft at the bottom, since the mash has been in the fridge it can let out a bit more moisture)…

A dab of mint jelly on the side of the dish adds a delicious touch…

Oh wait, and don’t forget to add some greens, I keep it simple and just add some plain spinach leaves…

I hope you enjoy…Oh, I learnt a lesson cooking this meal…don’t wear suede shoes in the kitchen because when I cut the lamb and had a taste a bit of the juice drizzled on my new suede shoes…I was very annoyed, but I forgot about it once I ate my delicious lamb… ENJOY!!! 

Salmon Lemon & Dill

I vacationed in Sweden one year and ate Salmon everyday, each time cooked in a different way…I fell in love with this fish all over again. This recipe is not a traditional Swedish one but you could say that it has Swedish influences. The Swedes always use dill with their Salmon and I think it is one of the herbs that best suits this flavourful fish. Plus I also noticed that all the women where breathtaking, so I figured there had to be something in the salmon that made them so beautiful.

So with the stunning Swedish women in mind I remind myself that it’s that time of the year again when I look at the calendar and think, “alright I have 3 months to get in shape or I will be dreading the days when the kids are excited and want to go to the beach (and I’m not Swedish.)”

With this recipe I would like to prepare my waistline for the summer, and yours too…Oh and if you are one of those skinny people that no matter what you eat stays skinny, just know that there are people out there who don’t like you...but I still will : )

I love salmon because it is a very flavorful fish, full of Omega 3, Vitamin D, Zinc and Potassium. It can be cooked in thousands of different ways…I just love it! It is also a fish that once kids try it they actually enjoy it. I like to stress the fact that it has phosphorus, it’s good for our little brains and will make us do our homework faster!!!

The way I make mine is in the oven (I like to cook many meats and vegetables in the oven by baking them wrapped up and sealed in foil), it’s a nice way to keep the salmon lean as it does have fat, but good fat… I also like the fact that salmon keeps me full for a longer time than any other fish.

Now to Prepare our 'Salmon Lemon & Dill'…

Ingredients:

Salmon - however many pieces, I usually do one per person (if you have left over save it, as there are other dishes that are great the next day when salmon is cooked this way)

2 shallots

1 garlic clove

Dill

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of white wine – (this is optional as the wine adds extra sugar)

Salt & pepper (I add a little garlic salt for taste just because I’m addicted to the stuff, you don’t have to, if it’s not to your liking)

Olive oil

Foil

Cut the shallots on a diagonal, they look nicer, and leave the garlic relatively large so you can remove it afterwards. Chop the dill or if you like leave it whole, so you can also remove it when serving it…another option for the dill is to cut it up finely, place it in a small bowl with lemon juice and olive oil and mix it together, then drizzle it on the fish.

Place the salmon flat on the foil, do not remove the skin but do wash it in case there are some scales left on the skin.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on all the pieces of salmon (a drizzle, as the salmon will release it's own oils while it is cooking.)

Then add the ½ glass of wine, lemon juice, freshly cut dill, garlic and shallots over the salmon…and add some salt and pepper… you can even cut a wedge of lemon and put it off to one side inside the foil with the fish. Now seal the fish tightly, make sure the oven is at about 180 to 200 degrees. It will only take 15-20 minutes max to cook, depending on the thickness of the fish. In the meantime you can make some Basmati rice.

Here is how I make my Basmati Rice…

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Basmati Rice

1/4 of a yellow onion

1 garlic clove 

Chop 1/4 of an onion and a garlic clove…

In a small deep pot add olive oil…allow for the oil to heat up, then add the chopped onion and garlic.

Cook until the onions start to soften and pour the cup of rice in…stir so that the rice absorbs the oil (you must constantly stir the rice vigorously so that it does not stick.) Once the rice has been covered with the oil and the onion and garlic add the 1 1/2 cups of water. At this stage I add a bit of salt so that my rice is not bland. 

Cover the pot, lower the heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes. NEVER STIR THE RICE WHILE IT IS COOKING…
Once the rice has absorbed the water, leaving it dry and the kernels loose from one another, you will know it is ready...(if it is still raw just add a bit more water and keep the lid on the pot the entire time it's cooking.)

If you want to add more veggies to the rice you can do so when you are simmering the onions and garlic, a nice touch can be red or green peppers (they add colour and make the rice really tasty)…and no you don’t need to add more water than for one 1 cup of rice 1 ½ cups of water.

Hope you enjoy and always remember that the culprit of weight gain is in the quantity of food we eat. So have fun with the recipe, don’t have too much rice and always add a plain side salad for extra greens.

Enjoy!

Fusilli 3 Cheese…aka…Cellulite in a Bite

Today is one of those days that I pay homage to my girlfriend’s, because no matter how important our family is we need someone to chat with, complain, share our joys and always be at the other end of the phone, no matter what new or old drama is happening in our lives. The recipe today is dedicated to my girlfriend Hanna. She is like me, a step-mom and also the mom of a beautiful 12 years old little girl (not so little anymore.)

I also owe it to her and her husband, both good friends of mine, that I am now married to my husband. They were my family when my own family was far away. They were the people I enjoyed cooking the most for when I myself didn’t have anyone to cook for, except for friends at dinner parties. Their couch was the one I slept on when I was homesick and Sunday’s were the days I knew I was always welcome, especially to help out with homework.

When I first met Hanna she was not the cook she is today; I’ll take some credit for that, thank you!!!

Though to my horror they used to put ketchup on spaghetti, A SIN I once told her, she is now the healthiest cook of organic foods and is hosting an array of parties, even with me living thousands of miles away from her.

I remember her calling me one day and saying “I'm having a dinner party and you are coming.” I said, of course and asked what I should bring. She answered back with “your BUTT” and to tell her what groceries I needed so I could cook. I was very happy to cook. So we made this pasta dish that I had once previously cooked for her before, she in shock called the pasta ‘Cellulite in a Bite’, but it was her favourite…I assured her that yes if she ate the whole thing maybe, but with just one serving she would be fine.

Fusilli 3 Cheese…aka…Cellulite in a Bite

Ingredients:

400 grams of Fusilli - preferably BARILLA

2 bunches of asparagus

1 shallot

1 large clove of garlic

½ a leek

100 grams of bacon or pancetta

100 grams of mascarpone cheese

60 grams of garlic & chive goat cheese

Shaved Parmesan

100 grams of Danish feta

Salt

Pepper

Nutmeg

Chili flakes

Olive oil

This is a quick recipe; I made it today in less than 20 minutes. Now you have to get the order of things right to do it in this amount of time. First, always put your water to boil, make your life easy and put really hot water in the pot…then start chopping.

WASH EVERYTHING!!! Then finely chop the shallots, leeks and garlic.

Add a little bit of olive oil in a pan large enough to fit everything. Throw in the garlic and the shallots, let them soften and then add the bacon or pancetta.

Cook these together so the bacon starts to pick-up the flavors of the garlic and shallots, now add the leeks.

While these are cooking, place the asparagus in the boiling water for the pasta. Leave them in there for about 1 minute (no more than that.)

Take them out and chop them up…

Then add salt to the pasta water…

Place the asparagus in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Now add salt and pepper… not too much though

(At this time I would throw my pasta in the salted boiling water) As a good measure for a large pot of boiling water I add about as much salt as I can grasp with my hand when I reach into my salt container… and I always use thick sea salt. 

The Fusilli takes 11 minutes to cook. Don’t cook it any longer, Barilla has been making pasta for longer than any of us and that’s how long it takes to cook it… Trust them! Plus pasta has to be eaten AL DENTE… not raw but not soft either..

Okay, back to the asparagus and bacon in the pan. You can now add your mascarpone, Danish feta and garlic & chives goat cheese (notice that all these are soft cheeses.)  Lower the heat and stir so all the cheeses melt together. Now add the nutmeg and the red chili flakes, have a taste and if you feel it needs more flakes or pepper do so according to your preference.

When all the cheeses have melted and your pasta is ready and drained (don’t worry if not all of the water is out, a little of the water from the pasta makes it easy to amalgamate everything, but only a little) place everything together in a bowl. Once you have it altogether, and please be generous with your bowls because it’s nice to have enough space, mix the pasta and sauce evenly.

Your ‘3 Cheese Fusilli’ is ready to be served… You can sprinkle some freshly shaved Parmesan cheese on top if you like!!!

ENJOY, and no the recipe is not fattening it’s hearty but at the same time healthy!!!

SAVORY ORANGE SALAD - served with Sweet Chili Chicken and for dessert ; ) Strawberry Rosey Red Orange Salad

First of all I would like to thank everyone for your comments, and Sue I am happy you found the recipe easy to follow, as that was one of my main concerns. I realized that there is a lot to blogging and I am cooking every dish right before posting it, so it’s fresh in my head and I can take pictures. I don’t like recipes with out pictures because I myself like seeing what the dish is supposed to look like and with more complicated recipes it’s nice to see how it should be presented. 

I mentioned in my previous post that one of the things I encourage is to buy local. Recently on the radio I have been listening to discussions about the orange crisis in Australia and the importance of supporting our Aussie farmers. The emphasis was on the record-low prices, the threat of importing oranges and how this impacts the local producers. Since one of my goals is to buy local, as much as possible, I hope this salad inspires you to do so as well . 

Being from Sicily, a land famous for its citrus industry, there are many dishes that include oranges. I remember this salad as a great side dish to grilled chicken, a summer favorite.  

So now, not only am I thinking of how I can help my local Aussie farmers, but I have been transported back to those beautiful hot Sicilian summers where as a kid I was happy as could be : ) 

Once you have purchased as many kilos of oranges as you can, because yes we should have fresh squeezed orange juice, its just better...here is a salad that will hopefully not only be yummy but help out the Aussie Orange Farmers!!!!! 

This dish is rich in Vitamin C, good to keep those colds at bay!!

Ingredients for the Savory Orange Salad:

4 oranges

1 bulb of fennel - optional if you don’t like the taste of it, it is not a must (when buying fennel best to purchase the ones that are more round in shape as opposed to the narrower ones, I think they are the males and they taste better)

3 tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1 avocado 

Black olives - sliced (as many as you like)

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

Garlic salt 

Red wine vinegar 

Fresh oregano  

Cut the oranges and tomatoes thick. The onions and fennel into half moons. I like my onions thinly sliced and the fennel too, but cut them just a bit thicker than the onions.  Mix them together and throw the olives in. 

In a small bowl put the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper, little bit of garlic salt (tiny..)

and oregano, stir until even. 

Now put everything in a large serving bowl and MIX MIX TOSS TOSS!!!

I serve the avocado separate and allow everyone to put on as much as they like. I don’t mix it in because when you toss the salad it can make it mushy. 

Ingredients for the Sweet Chili Chicken:

500 grams of organic chicken breast or tenderloins (sorry but I only use organic chicken as I have seen too many documentaries on chickens to not do so)

Sweet chili sauce - oops I don’t have my own recipe yet, but I like to use the MAE PLOY (all the local super markets carry it, if you have an Asian specialty store near your house even better, or use any other sweet chili sauce you like)

Soy sauce (I use low sodium)

You can add red chili flakes if you want it extra spicy.

Place the chicken in a bowl to marinate with the sweet chili sauce and the soy sauce. I would say that the chicken has to be covered evenly by the sauces. Let this marinate for as long as you like. The longer you leave the chicken to marinate the better, but if you don’t have that much time do the salad first and it will be ready by then (unless you chop at the speed of lightning.)

Place some olive oil in a frying pan and when the oil is a bit hot throw the chicken in with all the sauce...I like to cook mine on medium to semi high heat until the chicken browns. Watch out at the end that the pan doesn’t get too hot and the chilly sauce starts to carbonize. I cooked it for max 7 minutes and it was ready. 

Ingredients for the Strawberry Rosey Red Orange Salad

300 grams of strawberries

2 rosey red oranges

4 tea spoons of brown sugar 

Lemon juice - from 1/2 a lemon

Orange juice - from 1/2 an orange

Mint 

Cut the oranges and strawberries, squeeze the lemon juice and orange juice. Sprinkle the brown sugar and add the chopped or whole mint in a bowl...MIX MIX TOSS TOSS!!!

Stuffed Calamari -McGrath Style

This dish is one of my all time favourites and if you are a calamari lover like we are, then I can assure you it will be a dinner party success. Now I warn you, this is not a 10-minute recipe, but nonetheless it is still easy to make - it just takes a bit of love and patience. I call it  'Stuffed Calamari McGrath Style' because while there will be other great versions on the web, this is how I like to cook mine.

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients:

Large calamari - whole ones (I would say that one large can be over 30cm long ... so one is enough for two people depending on how hungry you are!!)

The calamari need to be cleaned, the heads need to be removed (just chop them off) but don't throw away the tentacles, as we will need them later. Clean thoroughly and remove the spine, etc. If you bought the pre-cleaned ones make sure they are closed on one end so you may stuff them ...

Ingredients for the sauce:

1 1/2 large red onions cut thinly into moon shape

2 cans of fresh chopped tomatoes

Olive oil

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 pinch of sodium bicarbonate -(I will eventually have a whole posting on why I use it).....

Okay now for the stuffing - this is what makes you lick your fingers at the end!!!

Ingredients for the stuffing:

1 cup of breadcrumbs - just the plain ones (not with anything added as it might change the flavor)

1 large bunch of basil- fresh

2 garlic cloves - the nice big ones

2 anchovies - you don't have to drain the oil

5-6 capers - the ones that are salted (some come in vinegar don't use those)

100 g parmigiano cheese, grated - when buying makes sure it's either Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano (please don't use that stuff that last for ever and comes in a sealed bag, as it's not real parmigiano and taste funny)

1 teaspoon of pine nuts

Olive oil

Salt and pepper for taste flavor (remember the anchovies and capers will naturally make it salty)

2 eggs whole, raw

Chilli flakes - you can add some if you like.

Calamari tentacles- the left over ones from cleaning the calamari (however many doesn't matter)

This should make enough stuffing for 3 calamari but add ingredients as you wish...

Put all of the above ingredients for the stuffing in the mixer and mix. Slowly add the olive oil as you have the mixture in the mixer so it becomes nice and thick. The stuffing should be compact and the flavor should be strong and resemble that of a pesto.

Now stuff your clean calamari with the stuffing, but don't over stuff because they shrink when you cook them - stuff them just enough!!!

Take a toothpick and close the calamari so the stuffing doesn't over spill when you cook it...some will spill but that is what will make your sauce amazing!!!

Okay so now you are done with the stuffing and you should have 2-3 or however many calamari you are making...

For cooking these I like to use a large pot or even a frying pan is good as long as it is a bit deep and has a lid...

Now put olive oil in the pan at about a 7 high, not too low because you want the onions to brown and become soft...

Add your red onions- wait until they slightly brown and become soft

Then add the 2 tins of fresh chopped tomatoes...stir for about 3 minutes...

Now to make the tomatoes sweet and take that tin acid flavor out put a tea spoon of sugar and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate...

Your sauce should foam a bit, not much...this is good, it means you have taken all the acidity out of the sauce and now your sauce is neutral and your other flavors will mix perfectly.

Lower the heat to about a 5-6 or so

Place all of the calamari in the pan, even if they look like they are tight (remember they shrink)...

If you have any more left over tentacles throw those in...

Now it's the magic touch add about half a wine of glass in, preferably white but hey if you have red that's fine too... I add white because that is what I was drinking and generally white wine is better with seafood...

Now get some of the sauce that is at the bottom and cover the calamari with it...

That's it...now you just have to wait for the calamari to cook in a low medium heat, but not too low of a temperature...

The magic will happen, as the stuffing will slowly start to seep out, which is what makes the sauce flavorful...

Check the calamari after 10 minutes as the cooking time depends on how many you have in the pot...

When you feel the consistency is firm you are done...it takes no more than 20 minutes...

(I like to add a bit of garlic salt at the end but that is just because I'm addicted to it...lol)

Have a taste and if you feel your sauce needs more salt, pepper or chili go for it, hey every palate is different!!!!

I like to serve this dish with basmati rice.

ENJOY!!!

Yaayy ... First Post : )

Today is my first post and it is very exciting. I have started this blog to have fun and turn what can be at times a chore into a hobby. I'm not a chef or food guru but I have been cooking since I was 8. Being Italian, cooking is a must and a tradition that we pass on from generation to generation. I will happily pass on what the great women in my family have been cooking for decades, as I am sure you will be sharing with me some of your family favourites. I also want to acknowledge my mom who is the most amazing cook in the world and has taught me everything I know. I have the best step-kids I could have ever wished for and I pass on to them my traditions and recipes. They are like I once was to my mom, my little helpers. Being a parent is the hardest job on earth and with its many rewards it has its responsibilities, such as teaching good table manners (very frustrating at times) and teaching kids to eat right and be healthy (the list is endless). For me eating right starts with shopping right and getting the best deal while you do it. I also like to think we practice our math at the super market too (lol)... I have no preference of supermarkets but do encourage people to buy locally, in season, and always read the package labeling to suit your family's needs. I do like organic but let's be real, not everyone can afford it. I think it takes a lot of effort to stay creative and yes the little ones can sometimes narrow our choices for a potentially exotic meal. In my family it is my responsibility to expand their minds and palates to new foods, even if at times it's an upwards battle ... sometimes lost!! I also believe that we all have a busy life and meals can't take hours to prepare we all have too many things to do and not enough time to do them all. Plus a long day's work can make us get home beat and lazy reaching for that frozen meal to serve the family, because it's just quicker and (yes u love your kids more than anything)!! I'm not a very organized person so I have to try harder to keep myself in check so I'm not stuck last minute with nothing to prepare. Most of my preparations are done on the weekend and that's when I buy bulk and enough for the whole week. I don't plan my meals ahead of time, but I stock up with what I know I can cook with and everyone likes. We also love inviting our friends and family for dinner a lot so I will be posting not only quick easy meals but also some of my all time dinner party favourites. I'm very excited about this new journey and I can't wait to learn from other mothers and homemakers any new tips to make my life easier, more fun and taste better. We can share info about cool recipes and products you have tried that work for you and your families love. This is a loving blog where we share the same love as we do when cooking for our loved ones, so please join in.

So folks let's get ready to cook, laugh, share and why not have a glass while doing it :)