Bocconcini & Grilled Tomato Salad

I actually stuffed this recipe up. . .but it still turned out okay. It was supposed to be Crumbed Bocconcini & Grilled Tomato Salad but on that particular day I was rather disorganised. I had plans to go to the beach prior to the barbeque but that went out the window too. Racing around trying to get ready I had no time to prepare my salad, except for the dressing, so I threw everything into the esky and raced off to the birthday barbeque with an idea of making the salad once I got there.  I had read through the recipe several times- it didn't look all that complicated- but never-the-less I threw in my recipe folder just in case. Or so I thought.

Upon reaching my destination and unpacking the esky I discovered that I did not- in fact- have the recipe. Oh well. I had the ingredients, I had read it through a few times, I could remember what I had to do. That was until I put the boccincini in the fry pan to fry them and they all melted rather than looking like the nice, crispy balls they were supposed to be. And to top off I had forgotten the bread crumbs! Despite all this the salad was a success and only I knew that there was something wrong with it. Only I was aware that there should have been breadcrumbs mixed with the parmesan cheese and that I was supposed to quickly deep fry the balls of boccincini rather than spray oil in a frying pan and melt them.

And since I substituted English Spinnach for Rocket-I am not overly fond of rocket- I guess I have almost made up my own recipe. The original recipe came from one of the free Coles or Woolworths magazines- I think. I cut it out of the magazine a long time ago when I was getting bored with the same old tossed salads and I can't quite remember where it came from. The only problem with this salad is that you have 3 different things to make- although none of them take that long- the dressing, the salad and then the crumbed boccincini.

You will need:-
180g of boccincini drained
1/3 cup of plain flour
1 egg beaten
1 1/3 cups of bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated
oil for cooking
Salad
punnet of grape tomatoes halved
4-6 thin slices of prosciutto
rocket leaves- or if like me you don't like rocket- English spinnach leaves
Dressing
1/2 cup basil leaves shredded
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon of brown sugar

Dust boccincini ( I quartered mine so that they were smaller- not that it mattered for me in the end because they melted) in flour seasoned with salt & pepper and then dip in the egg. Roll boccincini in combined breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Place on a plate & chill for 30 minutes (I missed that part out entirely- no wonder they melted). To make salad preheat oven to 180 degrees and arrange tomatoes and proscuitto on baking tray and bake until proscuitto is crisp. Break proscuitto into pieces and toss with tomatoes and rocket(or English Spinnach). To make dressing whisk together dressing ingredients till combined and then sprinkle over salad. Shallow fry crumbed boccincini- these means enough oil in the pan not a quick spray of olive oil as I did- until cheese is golden and crunchy. Drain on paper towels and the spread across salad and gently toss.

You can tell by the description of 'fry until crisp and golden' in comparison to my picture of melted, pale boccincini that somewhere I went wrong. It doesn't mean, though, that this is a difficult recipe, only that I obviously didn't read it properly and I didn't have it with me when I prepared my salad. Considering I had never made this salad before having the recipe to hand, even a simple one, would have been indispensible. However, just because a mistake is made does not mean that it is alaways going to be a complete disaster. Most things are not only salvagable, but can go on to be something different or even something better.

Next time I cook this dish- and there will be a next time- I will do it by the recipe, step by step. Only then will I be able to compare which version I like best. Or perhaps I will like both. Certainly my 'accidental' version would be lower in fat as I didn't fry my cheese but considering the proscuitto it still wouldn't constitute a low fat dish. What this experience has meant for me is that its okay to get a little creative, to adjust a recipe to suit yourself, or accidentally create something a little different than was intended. The point is that you enjoyed cooking it, you liked eating it and you come home with an empty plate.

Damper. . .with a twist.

There is nothing worse than being asked to a BBQ and thinking. . .what do I bring?? There's the usual dips and salads but you always take those. You want to do something different, yet something that is easy, scrumptious, something that does not involve you slaving over the stove for hours just to impress family and friends.

Well here is the recipe for you. I found it in Recipes + February issue under the title Cheese, Bacon & Corn Pull Apart. Personally I like Damper with a Twist because essentially that's what it is. I don't know who created this recipe but turning an old favourite into something new is a great idea. I can think of many variations of this recipe that you could use depending on your taste, your occasion and even your mood. I have images of including olives or garlic in a similar version but for the now... the cheese, bacon and corn style.
Ingredients:-

250g bacon- rind removed finely chopped
3 Cups of self raising flour
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
40g butter chopped
125g corn kernels, drained
1/2 cup of grated cheese
1/2 cup of milk plus extra to brush

Preheat your oven to about 180 degrees and grease a tin ready for use.  You're going to need a tin big enough to take about 6 medium sized rolls.

Fry your bacon on moderate heat until brown and drain on paper towels. Sift flour, pepper and salt in a bowl Using your fingers rub in the butter. Add half the bacon, half the corn and half the cheese and stir through. Make a well in the centre and,using a flat blade knife ( if you don't use a flat blade knife nothing really bad happens- kind of like when you tear those instruction tags of your pillow cases- nothing bad happens either but the more you mix or stir this dough it seems to take the lightness out of it so this is why a flat bladed knife is suggested) stir in the milk and 1 cup of water to make a soft sticky dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Divide into six balls and place on the outside of your tin. Brush the tops with the extra milk and then sprinkle with the remaining corn, bacon and cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden.

This loaf is best served hot with melted butter. Remember that you have added cayenne pepper to the flour so there will be a slight peppery taste. If you are making this for children you could leave the pepper out or cut down the quanity. I personally think that you would need to add salt, or maybe a herb because the damper could be a little bland despite the bacon and the cheese.

You can use any grated cheese:- the original recipe did suggest parmesan and I think that would just add more flavour but if you are not keen on parmesan you could try grated cheddar and it would work quite nicely.

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that most people would have these ingredients in their pantry, it doesn't require any yeast- and no proving and no waiting for hours for it to rise and it doesn't take all that long to mix together before you toss it in the oven to bake. And who doesn't like bread with a meal??

It's simple to make, it looks great and you turn up with freshly made damper! You'll be asked to bring it again I'm sure.

Baked Rabbit Wrapped in Bacon

I'm normally a very visual person when it comes to food. That is- for me- it's all about what it looks like. Whether I'm checking out other diners meals as I'm contemplating the menu in a restaurant, choosing what to put on my plate at a buffet or selecting a recipe from a magazine or cookbook it has to look appealing. I have to look at the food and go 'Mmm that looks yummy' or I just won't bother. Even if it smells great, if I'm told it tastes good I just can't get my head around it if it looks unappetising, which is probably part of the reason that I struggled with this recipe. It's also why, even though I always include a picture, with this one I won't.

I'll be honest:- If you're thinking about a lovely roasted rabbit surrounded by baked vegies as a centrepiece for your table for your next dinner party- DON'T. While rabbit, duck, spatchcock and quail are all making a comeback you have to remind yourself why they were eaten in the first place. I know with my family it was simply because money was tight and rabbit, in particular, was in plentiful abundance as long as you had a good eye, a shot gun- and a wife who was willing to cook it.

These days rabbits are more than likely to be your children's pets and if that's the case don't cook rabbit this way. Essentially what you'll get from the oven is not an attractive, crispy skinned, white fleshed roast.  What you will get looks like a carcass you've hauled in from the forest, whacked it over the fire and slapped it down on a plate- garaunteed to send your kids crying from the table if this is not a sight that they are familiar with.

However, it did prove rather easy to cook, and my guests quite enjoyed the taste. My aunt who -as the smallest when she was a child- always got stuck with the ribcage, relished getting the leg at my table and thoroughly enjoyed it. Myself, not being over fond of the gamier meats, did not take to it so well. But if you like the taste of rabbit, if you have fond memories of eating it as a child- as many of my parents generation would- then this is one way to cook a rabbit.

I found this recipe- not surprisingly- in my Grandmother's CWA cookbook. I don't know what the date of publishing for this compilation was but I know it's old enough that most of the recipes refer to stoking the wood fired oven rather than preheating to 180 degrees. None of my contemporary cookbooks had a recipe for Roast Rabbit.

Ingredients:-

1 Rabbit
Rashers of Bacon
Roasting Fat
Seasoning

I adjusted this recipe a little bit, making use of more modern options so I left out the roasting fat and substituted an oven bag with a drizzle of olive oil instead. But the Bacon is essential.

First up you make your own seasoning. The book suggestes a combination of bread crumbs, parsley, herbs, salt and pepper and a little butter. If you have your own style of seasoning that will work just fine BUT do make an extra large amount as the cavity of a rabbit is a lot bigger and longer than a chicken. I didn't make enough and it all kind of disintergrated.

Stuff the cavity with stuffing and truss the hind and forquarters together. My grandmother used to use a bit of string or wire to 'sew' the cavity shut as an extra way of keeping the stuffing in. The cavity in a rabbit is by far more open than a chicken or turkey. Then wrap the rabbit in the bacon rashers. This is no time for dieting. Don't use the rashers that have had the fat removed as it is the fat in the bacon that prevents the rabbit drying out. Rabbit is notorious for being overcooked and dry which would truly make it unappetising.

Place the rabbit in an oven bag that contains a drizzle of olive oil and bake in the oven on a low heat for 1 1/2-2hrs. The meat won't go as grey as you might expect due to the bacon which will keep it slightly pink but it should be soft and tender and easy to detach from the bone. 

If you have pets, especially dogs, you may have to put them outside once the cooking begins. When I was little my mum used to cook rabbit and every time she opened the oven door she would have to fight to keep the family dog from jumping into the oven. For some reason the smell of cooking rabbit appeals to them over any other roast. It definately has a more gamey taste- to me not unlike lamb shanks only stronger. It is not a taste, I admit, that appeals to everybody but if you have the opportunity to cook rabbit, or like me was given a rabbit for just that purpose, it is well worth trying. Just don't expect it to look like a fabulous gourmet meal if you plan to roast it.

There are other ways to cook rabbit:- I do have a recipe for Country Rabbit in Red Wine for example that would certainly look more appetising- and the red wine would go a fair way in toning down the gamey taste. Or there is  Fricassee of Rabbit- very popular when my mother was a little girl- Rabbit Pie and Jugged Hare just to name a few. Perhaps if I were to cook rabbit again I might choose one of these instead. Certainly having the rabbit in casserole form would lend itself more to being set on the table in front of guests.

Fettucine Napoletana

I have never had much success with pasta. Sure I can make a good pasta salad or a tuna pasta casserole but I'm talking about using linguine, making a fantastic carbonara, or a creamy fettucine. I could just never get it right. Was I using the wrong pasta? Perhaps. Was the heat too high? Maybe. What I really believe is that I was simply using a recipe far more complicated than was required to make a great pasta dish.

One evening I was watching an episode of Food Safari with Maeve O'Meara- an Italian episode- and an Italian Chef- Maurizio Esposito- was demonstrating how to make a Fettucine Napoletana. I took notes, I wrote down everything that he said and I copied everything he did- except for the way he flicked his wrist to toss the sauce around in the saucepan. I tried that once and ended up with tomato based sauce all over my stove top. Not a good thing when you consider that my stove top still had the coil elements meaning that the sauce dripped right down through the coil and cooked itself onto the tray underneath. After much scrubbing later I promised to leave that arm action to the real chefs.

The great thing was that my Fettucine was a success. I could cook pasta! You know- fancy pasta. And the key to this recipe is its simplicity. . . and fresh pasta. Sure you can make your own pasta if you like- I don't have the time- but there are some fantastic brands that do fresh pasta that can be found in your refigerated section of the supermarket. The one I use is Latina Fresh, but as long as its fresh pasta that's all that matters.

Ingredients:
1 large Can or two small cans of whole tomatoes
2 gloves Garlic
Olive oil
Salt
2 shallots chopped finely
500 gFresh Pasta
Fresh Basil
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Chop garlic and throw in a pan with shallots and olive oil. Fry briefly. Using hands- and this bit does make a difference- mash the tomatoes from the can into the pan and pour in all the juice from the can. Heat on a medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile cook pasta as per instructions on the packet. Latina Fresh usually requires you to boil the water, throw in a pinch of salt and then add pasta and boil for two minutes and then drain. Remove half of the sauce and add the pasta to the pan. Splash on a generous amount of olive oil and toss through. Just before serving tear up basil leaves and toss through. Serve with grated cheese on top.

While most Italian chef's would roll in their graves if they knew- I play pretty loose with the rules of this recipe. I add or leave out things depending on my mood, what is available in my fridge or garden or who is coming to dinner. However there are some things about this recipe that I do not change.

1. Always use fresh pasta
2. Always use olive oil
3. Always put a pinch of salt in the pasta water
4. Always get a brand of tinned tomatoes that has a thicker sauce. Some of the homebrand varieties have a watery juice and, while this works perfectly well for other dishes, you need the thicker base for this one.
5. I always add the extra olive oil to the pasta/sauce mix because it prevents the sauce sticking to just the top, or bottom, of your pasta.

Other than that it's pretty much a free for all when it comes to what I put into it and, granted, its probably not a traditional Fettucine Napoletana but. . .who cares! As long as it tastes good that's all that's important.  Some of the things I do to change the recipe are:

a. I substitute onion for shallots- depending what I have available at the time.
b. I like lots of sauce so I don't always take out half the sauce before adding the pasta
c. If I'm being lazy I don't finely chop anything- I have chunky Napoletana
d. If I have meat lovers coming over I sometimes add bacon, or left over shredded roast chicken
e. I have been know to add ingredients such as English spinnach, Kalamata olives, capsicum, zucchini, corn, carrots, mushrooms- whatever left over, lonesome vegetable is in my fridge that needs using.
f. I've used dried herbs when fresh aren't available
g. I sometimes don't have parmesan cheese so I grate the block of cheddar that I do
h. I've even added chilli

It all comes down to what you like. This is a recipe that you can make your own and even the kids will like it. Best of all it's so simple that it takes about all of 15 minutes to make. In fact, I always have a can of tinned whole tomatoes in the cupboard and I always pack the necessary ingredients when I go camping.

And I thought I would never be able to cook good pasta!