moorish muesli

I start most of my days with a big bowl of muesli, a chopped banana and some creamy yoghurt. Now the selection of muesli available in most supermarkets is quite staggering, and the price tags can be too! I think the most reasonable way of getting a muesli packed fill of your favourite things is to make it yourself. 

The base of any muesli is obviously just oats, and then the fun stuff is picking your favourite dried fruits, nuts, brans and seeds. Below is one of my favourite combinations of extras to pack out my morning muesli, but I would recommend that you definitely adjust the ingredients to to all your favourite things. 

ingredients (makes a lot!)

     -   8 cups rolled oats
     -   1 1/2 cups cranberries
     -   1 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped
     -   2 cups golden sultanas
     -   1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
     -   1 1/2 cups cashew nuts, chopped
     -   2 cups pepitas
     -   1 cup sunflower kernels
     -   2 cups bran flakes
     -   1 1/2 cups apple bran



method

To make the muesli you really just combine all of the ingredients together, however there are a few optional steps you might want to undertake to prepare some of your ingredients. 

I prefer the texture of oats which have been lightly baked. To bake the oats pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and then place a layer of oats on to a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for a couple of minutes or until golden. You will have to repeat this process several times with the remaining oats. Follow the same process to toast the seeds, and the nuts if you'd like. Coarsely chop the nuts and the apricot pieces and then combine all of the ingredients together and store in a sealed container.  

veal and sage meatballs in a rich tomato sauce

With the cooler temperatures and the first bit of rain my herb bed has been loving life. As a result I have been on the look out for recipes which require large bunches of herbs, and preferably also satisfy my sudden urge for comfort food. In the latest edition of Gourmet Traveller I spotted this recipe for delicious looking veal and sage meatballs baked in a tomato sauce and served on a bed of creamy polenta. It definitely ticked the comfort food box and to top it off it was under the 'gourmet fast' section which made it the perfect end to a long day at work.

The recipe calls for veal mince which I thought might require a trip to the butchers but was pleasantly surprised to find it in the meat section of my local supermarket. If you don't happen to come across it so easily you could substitute it for good quality beef mince, however the veal is delicious! The recipe also calls for canned cherry tomatoes, however I decided to just use fresh cherry tomatoes, and I was feeling a bit lazy so decided not to make fresh breadcrumbs and the recipe didn't seem to suffer for it.

ingredients

     -   Olive oil
     -   1 onion, chopped
     -   3 garlic cloves, crushed
     -   400g canned cherry tomatoes
     -   250ml tomato passata
     -   250g veal mince
     -   250g pork mince
     -   20g fresh white breadcrumbs
     -   40g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
     -   1 tbsp sage, finely chopped
     -   2 tsp thyme, finely chopped
     -   2 tsp oregano, finely chopped

     -   500ml milk
     -   180g instant polenta
     -   30g butter, coarsely chopped
     -   30g Pecorino Romano, finely grated

method

To start preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and place a heavy based pot on the stove over a medium to high heat. Saute the onions and half the garlic until soft, then add the cherry tomatoes and passata to the pot and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile combine the veal and pork mince, the rest of the garlic, breadcrumbs, pecorino romano and herbs in a bowl and season lightly. Once all the ingredients are well mixed begin to form the mixture in to individual meatballs approximatley 2-3cm in diameter.

Once you have formed the meatballs heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and add the meatballs, turning often to brown them all over. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your frying pan. The meatballs should not take long to brown, only a couple of minutes, and you are not aiming to cook them through. Once the meatballs are browned add them to the pot with the tomato sauce and make sure they are completely covered. 

Next place a lid on the pot and pop it into the oven to finish cooking the meatballs through, this should take approximately 10 mins. You don't want to overcook the meatballs or else they will not be as tender, however just check they are cooked all the way through by cutting a meatball in half when you remove them from the oven.

While the meatballs are baking combine the milk and 600ml of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium high heat. Once it is boiling gradually begin adding the polenta to the saucepan while constantly whisking. Once all the polenta is added continue whisking until the mixture has thickened and has a porridge like consistency (2-3mins). Then remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter and pecorino romano. Then season the polenta to taste, I find polenta generally requires quite a lot of salt.

Serve the polenta and meatballs with some extra fresh sage and cheese.

inspiration: babylonstoren

In a recent trip to South Africa, after many recommendations to do so, I visited a place called Babylonstoren... and then very nearly never left. Babylonstoren is located in the wine region of Cape Town, sort of mid-way between Franschhoek and Paarl, in the Drakenstein valley which lies at the foothills of the Simonsberg, Du Toitskloof and Franschhoek mountains. It has a winery, a boutique hotel and a spa, but it was the restaurant (Babel), farm shop and breathtaking gardens which held the most interest for me. 

After trying to book lunch at the restaurant and being politely informed that they were booked out for the next 2 months, I had to console myself with a walk around the gardens and a visit to the farm shop. With the mountains as a back-drop the gardens really are the most idyllic place. Babylonstoren is the result of a complete transformation of one of the oldest dutch farms in the area, founded in 1690. The beautiful cape-dutch architecture of the original buildings has been seamlesly integrated with the new fresh and modern renovations.

The fruit and vegetable gardens are abundant with all the produce you could imagine and the entire property is surrounded by rows and rows of grape vines and fruit trees. It is this which makes the restaurant something special, with almost everything they use grown on the property or sourced from a small number of local suppliers. The restaurant is also complimented by a casual cafe situated in the green-house. The cafe serves up freshly baked rolls presented in cute wooden crates for you to enjoy under the trees in the garden.


Images copyright Babylonstoren

The farm shop sells all sorts of delicious things which I would have loved to be able to stock my pantry with, but considering the logistics of bringing them back to Australia, I had to just make do with photos.

The one thing I could take back with me was the Babel cookbook. It is an amazing showcase of some of the recipes cooked in the restaurant and really highlights the fresh approach they have towards cooking to ensure the quality ingredients remain the star of the dish. The photography in the book is quite spectacular and I have captured a few of my favourite pages to share with you below...

I will without a doubt be cooking almost everything in this book and will be sharing them all here!

cranberry, pistachio & almond nougat

Gourmet Traveller has become hands down my favourite food magazine. Absolutely everything in it looks delicious and although they are sometimes slightly more time consuming recipes, or have somewhat obscure ingredients, you find that they are always worth the effort. Every month they have a 'masterclass' recipe which gives you a more detailed break down on how to cook a certain dish including an explanation as to why you need to follow certain steps. 

The masterclass recipe in the Christmas edition was this Gourmet Traveller recipe for cranberry, pistachio and almond nougat and I couldn't resist! Nougat for me fell under the category of something I hadn't really considered trying to make, however presented with the recipe I was amazed at how relatively simple it was, and the result surpassed my expectations!

This particular version of nougat is based on the traditional persian 'gaz'. The recipe specified the addition of both glace orange and orange juice, however I decided to leave these out as a personal preference and just increased the amount of almonds and water. You can of course substitute any of the fillings for your choice of nuts and dried or glace fruit. 

ingredients

     -   100g slivered pistachios
     -   100g dried cranberries
     -   100g almonds, coarsely chopped
     -   confectioner's paper
     -   230g honey
     -   60g egg whites (about 2 eggs)
     -   380g caster sugar
     -   120g liquid glucose

method

The masterclass recipe emphasises that timing is key, and that certainly held true. You really need to keep the temperature of the nougat up so that its workable. For this reason the first step is to preheat the oven to 100 degrees celsius and place in a baking tray with the pistachios, almonds and cranberries to keep warm, ensuring that they don't rapidly remove heat from the nougat mixture when added later. 

It is important to have as much ready before you start as possible so grease a 20 cm square cake tin and line the base of it with confectioners paper, shiny side down. Although I didn't do it this time around, I think next time I will probably line the sides of the tin too as it was quite difficult to remove the nougat. I also think it is best to place the rest of the ingredients in their cooking vessels before you begin; place the honey in a small saucepan, the egg whites in an electric mixer and the sugar, glucose and 100ml of water into another small saucepan.

Next place a sugar thermometer into the honey and place the saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the temperature reaches 108 degrees celsius, this should take about 3-4 mins, begin whisking the egg whites in an electric mixer. I was using a hand held beater which later made the process a definite two-man job, and I would definitely recommend using a free standing mixer instead. You can remove the honey from the heat once the temperature gets to 120 degrees celsius and stop mixing the egg whites which should have firm peaks. 

Transfer the sugar thermometer to the saucepan with the sugar mixture, place over a medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then bring the mixture to the boil and hold it until it reaches 155 degrees celsius, this should take about 12-15 mins. While this is happening gradually drizzles the honey into the egg whites with the beater on a low speed, once all the honey is added increase the beater speed. 

When the sugar syrup is up to temperature decrease the beater speed again and slowly add the sugar syrup. Once it has all been incorporated again increase the beater speed. The mixture will be pretty thick by this stage and very difficult to beat if you are using a handheld mixer. Continue to beat for a further 4 mins or until slightly cooled. Remove the nuts and fruit from the oven and add immediately to the mixture, stirring quickly to combine. 

Spoon the nougat mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out with a hot palette knife or metal spatula. I started using a plastic spatula and realised this was a bad idea as it began to melt! Press confectioner’s paper over nougat to cover and trim to fit. Then place a cake tin on top of the nougat filled with pastry weights, or if you don't have a second tin cover with cardboard and stack food tins evenly on top. You should leave the nougat at least over night to set, although it will require more time in hot humid climates. Once set remove from the tin by running a hot knife around the edge and then use the hot knife to cut into your desired size.

Wrap or separate the nougat with baking paper. Nougat will keep stored in an airtight container for 3 months although if you live in a warm or humid place store in the fridge. 

a few other crab ideas

So I think I have now comprehensively covered crab... but just to leave you with a few other recipe ideas in case you too ever end up with a crab overload!

One of my favourite things to eat is chilli crab, but make sure you have a shower nearby because chances are you will be covered from head to toe by the end of the meal. Its a Singapore classic and there are many recipes available, one of the best I have tried however is this Gourmet Traveller one.

Serve with warm bread, or salty chips and an ice cold beer.

A delicious corn fritter recipe which is always popular with a crowd is this Bill Granger recipe. Fresh crab meat is a great addition mixed into these fritters or even served on top. It makes for a perfect light lunch served with fresh salad greens. 

blue manna crab risotto with homemade stock

As promised more crab recipes (we really did just have that much crab!)...

One of my favourite things that I have made with crab, is crab risotto. Crab meat can have a very delicate flavour, and that's why often crab risotto's can be a big disappointment as the crab is completely overpowered. In order to retain that beautiful taste a full flavoured crab stock is the perfect base for the risotto. 

A crab stock is really very easy and doesn't require half as much cooking time as a chicken or beef stock. To start the stock follow the cooking instructions given in the previous 'blue manna crab' post, removing the crab after only 5 mins. Once the crabs have cooled you need to remove all the meat from the crabs, retaining the shells for the stock. 

ingredients

     -   3 carrots, quatered
     -   2 brown onions, halved
     -   shells of 8 blue manna crabs

method

To make the stock heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and roast the crab shells along with the onion and carrot for approximately 15 mins (or until browned). Put a large pot of water (~3 litres) over high heat on the stove, and once boiling add the roasted components. Turn the heat down slightly and continue to boil for another 30 mins. 

A crab stock should not be boiled for too long as with all seafood stocks it can become bitter.Once the 30 mins is over strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and then pass it through a very fine sieve. Return to the pot and slowly simmer while skimming off any impurities which rise to the top, and reduce until there is approximately 1.5-2 litres of liquid remaining. I always choose to refrain from seasoning stock when I make it as it is much easier to adjust to taste when it is being used. 

You can make the stock ahead of time and it will last in the fridge for a couple of days, or alternatively can be frozen for a couple of months. 

To make the crab risotto there are many variations you can choose. For this one I used your traditional arborio rice, however I have done it before with grains such as barley and this can be a healthy alternative with a delicious nutty texture. I didn't introduce too many extra components to the risotto as I had an abundance of crab meat, however if you are lighter on meat feel free to bulk it out with vegetables such as fennel. 

ingredients

     -   1 large brown onion, finely chopped
     -   2 cloves of garlic, crushed
     -   2 cups arborio rice
     -   1/2 cup dry white wine
     -   2 litres crab stock 
     -   crab meat from 8 blue manna crabs
     -   2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
     -   butter
     -   olive oil 
     -   1/2 cup grated parmesan
     -   sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

method

Heat a heavy based saucepan on a medium heat and gently fry the garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Once soft add the arborio rice and stir until well coated, the rice should appear translucent. Next add the white wine and allow to cook off. 

Start slowly adding the stock to the pan all the while stirring continuously. If you heat the stock before adding it to the pan, it will be absorbed faster and overall reduce your cooking time, however this is not strictly necessary. The rice should be cooked in approximately 30 mins, but test it along the way to ensure it is to your personal preference, either increasing or decreasing the amount of stock to your liking. Add the spring onions and crab to the pan about 2/3rds of the way through this process. 

Once the rice is cooked remove the pan from the heat and stir through the butter, parmesan and seasoning, cover and allow to stand for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

blue manna crab cakes with a citrus salad

One of my favourite lunches at a local restaurant is the crab cakes with a grapefruit salad. Given that I had a fridge full of crab and the variety of citrus in my fruit bowl was looking tantalising, I thought I would give it a go at home. 

The crab cakes I did are based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. Jamie's recipe most likely refers to the brown crab most commonly eaten in England as it specifies a ratio of brown to white crabmeat of 2:1. In the case of blue manna crabs you will however find the majority of the meat is white. I slightly altered the original recipe based on what I had at home. 

ingredients

     -   500g potatoes, larger ones halved

     -   sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

     -   olive oil

     -   500g mixed crabmeat

     -   2 lemons

     -   a few sprigs of fresh coriander

     -   ½ a fresh red chilli, thinly sliced

     -   3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

method

The first step is to boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, this usually takes around 20 mins. You can peel the potatoes if you like, but I prefer to leave the skin on.  Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain the water from the pot, season the potatoes and mash. Grate the zest of one of the lemons and then chop together with the red chilli, spring onions and coriander. Add all your chopped ingredients and crab meat to the pot with the potatoes and continue to mash until well combined. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle shape into round patties (makes about 12). 

Transfer the patties to the fridge one complete and let them rest (and firm up) for a minimum of 4 hours. I made the mistake of leaving out this step and although they still tasted great they didn't hold together very well! When you are ready to eat, heat a frying pan over high heat, add olive oil and the patties in batches and cook for about 5 mins, or until cooked through, turning half way. 

The citrus salad is a Martha Stewart recipe which again underwent a few forced modifications for what was available in the pantry (becoming a much simpler salad) as I had very little desire to rush down to the shops on a Sunday evening.

ingredients

     -   ruby-red or pink grapefruit, peel and pith removed

     -   blood oranges, peel and pith removed

     -   3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

     -   1 tablespoon honey

     -   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

     -   5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

     -   1/4 cup canola oil

     -   cos lettuce

method

Using a short sharp knife peel the oranges and grapefruit, ensuring that you have removed all the pith. Once peeled segment the fruit by slice on either side of the membrane and removing each segment. Performing this over a bowl to catch all the juices, and squeeze the leftover fruit to remove all the juice once the segments have been removed. 

To make the vinaigrette combine the honey, vinegar salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and then the canola oil and some of the reserved juices to taste. To serve; arrange the citrus segments over the lettuce and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Serve the salad with hot crab cakes straight from the pan...