wedding cake...four layered dark chocolate with aromatic poached spiced semi- dried plums and dark choclate ganache

that recipe...

the not so secret seafood cocktail sauce...

that recipe folks is akin to the holy quail (the quail you can taste at the vietnam restaurant and is on my last supper list)...unbelievable to think that after all these years i have finally been granted access! and yes thanks to my bestie in port lincoln i can finally reveal and share with you the secret of the prawn dip. and what makes this now even more outrageous is that all these years (which amount to over twenty, i know scary) i have found out this...the said witholder of this culinary secret (i will not mention names coz she is croatian and well take it from me, you dont want to be messing with the croatian gospodjas!!!) isn't even the original creator of this dip i came to know as a young woman living in port lincoln. how very dare she!!! indeed not even the creator of this dip and she had the audacity to keep this a secret from us all this time. but culinary karma has now come to bite her on her bum to set this recipe free...go prawn dip and make yourself at home on all the dining tables of australia!!! go global if you have to!!!
     seriously viewers i know how it is sometimes. you go to someones house and your tastebuds come alive. you think OMG this is sensational. you think OMG i need to have this recipe. you think OMG she said a big fat NO! what do you mean NO? i have to confess i am not one for giving away all my recipes either but i think a few basic rules can be applied here. if it is a secret family recipe that has been handed down for centuries and you are a single woman in need of a husband well then yes, no handing down of the recipe until you are married, hee,hee. (you know what they say? the way to a mans heart is through his stomach, believe it or not) but if someone has been kind enough to share their winning formula by all means take it but do not, i repeat DO NOT claim it as your own. culinary integrity must remain intact and culinary credit must be given where it is due; otherwise you are nothing but a culinary fraud. and take it from me viewers i have experienced it personally. someone who takes credit for your recipe and even worse wins a prize for it is nothing more than a stinking rotten egg in my books!
     so back to the prawn dip. originating from port lincoln (which is no surprise considering that some call it the seafood capital of australia) my bestie and i yearned for this recipe upon our first taste. we wanted it and we wanted it badly but...(insert name here) wasn't going to give it up. she was too busy receiving accolades for her marvellous prawn pate. OH (insert name here) that is amazing!holy prawns (insert name here) you should enter your pate in the royal show! cleverly disguised sneer (insert name here)you will never have this recipe while i walk the earth, just call me queen prawn pate if you don't mind. we had many a tactic, forensic testing, nope that didn't work coz the lady in question certainly made sure there were no scrapes left. and if there were they never saw our tupperware containers. we tried asking politely, you know, kind of casually, that kind of casual where you are trying to be cool but really you are soooooo desperate. we attempted to ply her with alcohol and then hypnotise her with my watch. but alas she was speaking in hrvatski and when i gave the recording to my mum for translation she told us it said, good try losers (insert evil laugh here) so then we just gave up and over time we forgot about it. and now we have it, in our red hot little hands.
     so to put it to the test my bestie made it for our dinner party in lincoln. i looked at the recipe list and thought really? mm, something tells me that perhaps it may have been tweaked by ( insert name here) after all. damn you! none the less it is still delicious but it does require seasoning to taste. so here it goes and while i am at it i will also reveal my secret seafood cocktail sauce which i have to confess isn't such a secret since it is not my own. boy do i feel better now!
ps this is the full recipe it was halved which was still plenty enough for starters and some left over because there were also other things on offer.
the infamous prawn dip ( the full quota)
1 kg of green prawns
2 tubs of phildaelphia cream cheese
1 small jar of praise free mayonaise
1 tbspn of flora margarine
1 large clove of garlic crushed
4 drops of tabasco but more may be required depending on taste
juice 1 lemon
nutmeg to taste
method
cook prawns and chop into chunks, squeeze the juice of one lemon over top when finished
soften cream cheeese and beat with butter until smooth
add mayonaise and garlic and mix thoroughly, then add prawns, tabasco drops and nutmeg to taste, (perhaps 1/4 tspn first), add extra lemon juice if required and adjust seasoning accordingly to your preferred taste.
and that's it viewers try and it and see if you like it, serve with wafer thin crackers. and so to finish off the seafood cocktail sauce is all yours too! bon appetit.
the not so secret seafood cocktail sauce
1 cup of norganic soy mayonaise
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbspns of berenberg takatala sauce
mix through and enjoy

sashimi saturday folks...

welcome to sashimi saturday...yes raw fish but before you recoil in horror at the thought of ingesting raw fish just hear me out. mm...sashimi tuna, apart from being barbequed with garlic, olive oil, lemon and parsley i would say eating tuna raw is a favourite when it comes to this particular fish of the sea. yes i do eat it out of a can...did you hear that food police? the food choice of dieters it seems but no diets here viewers, not after all that chocolate today,thankyou jesus, hee,hee.

     i have to confess i am rather new at the whole sashimi thing. once upon a time if someone had mentioned eating raw fish or had offered it to me i would have thought i don't think so. but when you have eaten quality tuna make that bluefin and have sampled it in its natural state really i gotta admit it is the best way of eating it. sashimi? tartare? are they the same thing? i think so but correct me if i am wrong tuna patrol. sliced finely it can be eaten with a splash of soy and wasabi. i have had friends coat it in sesame seeds before sealing the outside and then slicing it finely for consumption. ( thankyou buddies in port lincoln) and yes that was yum. i have even been aboard a real tuna fishing boat ( thanks tuna man) and have witnessed the tuna harvest myself but surprisingly no tuna was on offer there. interesting experience to see what is actually involved. i did write about that some time ago and will search my archives for those who might like a closer insight into the manly business of fishing.

     so today for those of you who are keen to try some tuna in the raw, i have the perfect recipe that first came to my attention when dining at cumulus in melbourne. it can be found in their signature recipe book or if you google tuna tartare or right here in this blog. i have made this countless times now. i must admit whern i first perused the ingredient list i was curious to see how the flavour combination would pan out. when one thinks of tuna one wouldn't normally associate it with goats curd or minted smashed peas but it works. it really works and if you would like something that is still relatively light, flavoursome and still showcases the quality of fresh tuna then this is a recipe for you to try. it is also rather simple and can be made relatively quickly. it is best prepared just before serving time. we had this today for sashimi/seafood saturday.not a scrape of it was left.

tuna tartare with minted peas and goats curd... from the cumulus cookbook

250gms sashimi grade tuna

2tbspns olive oil

1 ortiz anchovy fillet ( you can substitute with another brand)

1/2 clove of garlic finely crushed

1 tspn balsamic vinegar

1 tbspn light soy sauce ( use tamari if you are allergic to wheat)

1/4 lemon zested finely

1/2 tspn of castor sugar

crush garlic and anchovy fillet, add soy, vinegar, lemon zest and sugar, mix and set aside...

slice tuna and cube into 1 cm squares, add marinade, mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 15 mins

minted pea salad

1 cup of blanched baby peas

20 mint leaves chopped very finely

3 tbspns of extra virgin olive oil

2 spring onions ( white part) sliced very finely

crush peas, add mint, oil, spring onions and mix through, season with sea salt

spread a couple of tablespoons ( i did use more) of goats curd on a medium sized platter, add pea salad on top and then the tuna tartare on top of the peas

serve with thin watercrackers ( i use the rice thins, delicate and do not compete with the flavours)

and there you have it folks, not word by worrd but a pretty good account of the recipe and as you can see below that is what you will finish up with. so for you raw tuna enthusiasts go ahead and enjoy yourselves with this one. you will be sure to impress.

oh fish in the sea...tales of fishing and cooking

snapper soup...hvala gospodja lutza

hello viewers today is fish friday! 

if someone told me that i was only allowed to eat fish for the rest of my life i for one could probably handle that imposition although some of you might consider that torture. (personally i believe that eating marzipan is torture in itself...a big yucko from me but lovie she can inhale that stuff, she must have tastebuds of steel!!). nothing better than freshly caught fish i say and a spot of fishing for fun. being of croatian descent (although not many would select that as their first choice, just call me the chameleon of the multicultural world, sometimes it pays to be venezuelan...tee hee)  it seems as though some of us were born with a filleting knife in our hands. it is not surprising to find that a high proportion of croatian immigrants who found their way to australian shores headed straight for the coastline and into a boat. my dad was not one of those but probably would have been happier if he had. dreamer of the sea he certainly was never without a boat of his own. from the very first wooden boat that he and my uncles went out in, to the eighteen foot fibreglass one he designed and outfitted himself. and lastly the one he fantasises about when he wins x-lotto,...mm, i know that tale well but good luck with that one anyway. still i have fond memories and maybe not so fond memories of family fishing expeditions plus a few personal ones; my favourite being catching baracuda on the cocos keeling islands. (apparently not good eating but certainly exciting to catch). if game fishing is your style then cocos just might be the place for you.

     so to fish friday viewers. do you like eating fish? is that a big yes? a big no? or perhaps you don't mind? do you have a favourite? and if so, what is it? i have a few personal favourites which remind me of my childhood as well as some favourite ways in which i like to eat particular ones. number one on my list is flathead. this once humble fish has now sky rocketed to the realm of expensive. why i can't tell you, unless there is some fishing expert who can enlighten me. flathead in my books is not only delicious but versatile when it comes to cooking. simply pan fried, fish cakes, fish curry, you name it and you can do it. flounder reminds me of when i was a girl as well as the humble leather jacket. can't say i have eaten flounder in some time but leather jackets, lovie often cooks these for us for our customary tuesday night dinner at her place. barbequed or pan fried with olive oil, parsley and lemon...simple folks. sometimes simple is best as you want to taste the flavour not mask it. besides leather jackets are rather inexpensive on the fish scale of price. so why not buy some and give them a go. 
     whiting of course who does not like it? whiting seemed to be the jewel of the sea when it came to eating fish during our childhood days. haven't had it for a while unless someone is being generous and offering it fresh off the boat and that folks hasn't happened for  quite some time. next fish to surface is the very versatile snapper. mm, snapper conjures up many tasty memories, from teta wiesa's snapper salad to my favourite soup which incidentally we enjoyed today. the soup has been a long standing favourite in our family and compliments of gospodja lutza, a big thanks to her for teaching lovie how to make it. this soup is exquisite in flavour and as simple as it gets. however, you will have to rely on your culinary senses to get the flavour just right. i asked lovie for the recipe today. i will personally road test this for you viewers and report back with a standard recipe for you to try. (btw my dad's mate brought around a 4kg snapper yesterday caught fresh). once filleted, the head and carcass will be kept to form the body of this deliciously tasty soup. so no need to waste a thing readers. and yes the fillets are going to be used for a madras snapper curry for sunday. i have made this several times. so if you fancy some fish with a bit of spice this recipe from rick steins india is also easy to make and surprisingly quick for a curry.
     and lastly another favourite from childhood days which has become a bit of a staple in our household is of course prawns. cooked and eaten as is with a zesty cocktail sauce (which is another one of my culinary secrets), hee, hee...seriously you won't believe what goes into it, three ingredients and you will have someone asking you for the recipe i guarantee you that. i can't claim this to be one of my own but discovered this from someone who wrote the encyclopedia called catering shortcuts!!! lovie can lay claim to her infamous prawn curry which is a big winner. i have tweaked the recipe for prawn busara which is a croatian recipe that personally lends itself to sexy. so viewers that is my spiel for fish friday. i shall leave you with a few snaps and will continue the seafood theme tomorrow where i will introduce you to raw tuna and a recipe from cumulus for tuna tartare, followed by a personal favourite...paella. ole!!!

       so i will finish with a childhood recollection...oh fish in the sea come listen to me, my wife begs a wish from the magic fish. ever heard of that story viewers? the magic fish? as much as fishing has painted certain pictures of my childhood, this story left an idelible impression upon my young mind. not wanting to admit to my age but hey there were no smartboards or computers in my school days. we had to listen and we had to imagine. in some respects our brains had to exercise their way through making meaning and sense of the world. but i loved this story because the moral of the story just seemed to resonate with me.  and really it is still a lesson for today and always...

fish friday...salmon asian style, calamari and leather jackets cooked by lovie of course!

curry in a hurry...

i would love to tell you my middle name is madras but alas it is not or that i go by the pseudonym of tika masala but then that would be just a fib, hee,hee. but truth be known i love a good curry whether it is one of lovie's infamous homemade concoctions or an authentic indian one. call me spicy, i like it hot but draw the line at self combustion!!! someone with their guchas on fire and screaming high heaven probably really ain't that sexy! ok,ok,ok enough i hear you say, just get on with the damn blog and so i shall loyal, devoted viewers wherever you are. (btw it would be cool if you followed me so that i don't appear to be too lame ass, you know the universe is dominated by the proliferation of food bloggers, come join and at least make me appear credible).
     today it is all about curry in a hurry and yes it is time to take a big shortcut. first of all i am not flogging any particular product; any particular paste or spice mix will do but from one curry cheat to another, here it is...
the scene...
you have been at work most of the week well make that every day bar one. you decide to work that extra friday after all easter is coming and you need the extra dosh to top up your chocolate supply. yeah great idea you say to yourself as you battle with the parent from hell who wants to know  why charlotte didn't get chosen for the prize box. you want to say it's because she is a right royal pain in the ass. well actually that is rather mild because if you said what you really wanted you know you will be on the next today tonight episode. OMG i wish this day would end you think. OMG you fret after realising you have eaten 23 tim tams at morning tea while you think no-one is watching.OMG the bell has gone and now you are returning home to ravenous boys who are gonna be asking MUM WHAT'S FOR DINNER? and if you don't give them an answer they are gonna dob you into lovie who will roll her eyes because after all she is the right royal queen of cooking.  so what is one over worked tired mum on the run suppose to do? go to her mama's place and hope she has something on the stove? nope, already used up the free dinner passes. mm,well i will tell you. she consults her culinary guide of cheating your way through home dinners and turns to page 53.
      so viewers here is another one of my culinary secrets that will have your dinner on the table in just under 30 mins. you will need: 500gms of chicken tenderloin, 1 medium brown onion, 2tbspns of organic virgin coconut oil (but hey if you don't have that on hand i shall let you off the hook this time) 1 small can of light coconut milk (185ml) and one packet of spice tailor punjabi tomato curry, yes that's right OMG a packet curry paste you say? you bet your basmati rice it is. but seriously folks you won't be gasping in cooking horror when you realise how quick, convenient and tasty it is. my rule of cooking is this, if it is going to come out of a packet then i make sure it is free from crappy ingredients like added preservatives, colours and general fake stuff and then one can cook guilt free and avoid a fine from the culinary police or the disdain from those who yeah make it all from scratch. good on ya just don't turn your nose up at us culinary rebels. so just follow along and you will have dinner in no time:
curry in a hurry
quarter and slice onion
place coconut oil or oil of your choice in frying pan, add dry spices from curry packet, fry until aromatic then add onions and sautee. cut tenderloins into chunks add to onion, seal. add small curry packet and coat chicken, then add larger curry sauce packet, then coconut milk. stir, bring to boil and then simmer until chicken is cooked. you can also be cooking your basmati rice at the same time, enough for 3-4 people. and that's it. it will be done in just under 30 unless you have the chopping speed of a snail. serve with greens or freshly sliced. enough for 3 big appetites or 4 medium ones.
PS i have even converted my sister and for those her know her i say culinary BINGO!!! lol.

aunty lindi's sausage rolls...my entry for foodblogger idol 2015 and no i wasn't a finalist, poo, poo!!!

I have a confession to make…yes viewers I am nothing more than a low down culinary cheat, ooh I just said it and what’s more it is true. I would like to tell you that I am a graduate of the Francoise school of esteemed pastry makers but alas I am not and guess what? I don’t care, really don’t care and do you know why? Pampas Butter Puff pastry… teehee.

     I am mum on the run with two growing boys that are eating me out of house and home. One is a rower who with the size of his appetite you would think was training to make it all the way to Antarctica and back. The other plays basketball and is yet to catch his brother in the appetite stakes but time will no doubt skyrocket his into the food stratosphere as well.  I pride myself on my culinary shortcuts viewers. Seriously who has time to make puff pastry or butter puff pastry for that matter? If you do and have passed your certificate with honours and have it framed and hanging on your wall, then congratulations you win a free set of steak knives!              

     However, I will let you on in a little secret, the cold pressed culinary truth is, that no-one really is going to be able to detect the difference. And no-one needs to hear about your advanced pastry making techniques or where you sourced your grassfed butter or the fact that your kids only ever eat organic. OK smack me with the wooden spoon now food police. But one more culinary truth is, that sometimes we just have to make do with what we have. And sometimes we have to…dare I say it? Use something already pre-made and out of the packet, (Please forgive me Julia Child’s queen of French cookery knowledge) but that’s just the way it is. And sometimes it is better than good when someone hands over their secret recipe because they have no plans to be the next contestant on Master Chef. And sometimes it just so happens to be handy to have a little sista who is a chef (and yes she is one of those grassfed beef organic kind of gals) but I forgive her and you will too because today culinary fortune has shined down upon us all.

     The recipe for today that you will be very pleased to include in your culinary catalogue is…Aunty Lindi’s chicken and veggie sausage rolls. Entertaining or kids lunch boxes? Either way they are an absolute winner which I can attest to and our children will as well. And to add one more to the bragging rights and the integrity of this recipe, recently these were made and taken to a fiftieth birthday celebration. They disappeared in record time and the hostess’s actual quote was, “these are on par with my grandmas.” Can you believe that? What an endorsement and how much more verification do you really need? So get yourselves ready viewers and follow this recipe to a T and you too can become the new sausage roll making championess…food processor ready? On your mark, aprons on and let’s go!

     Aunty Lindi’s chicken and veggie sausage rolls…

You will need if you have in your kitchen arsenal, one food processor, (if not you are gonna have to grate by hand) plus a variety of other utensils which I am sure live in your cupboards.

Ingredients

500gms of chicken mince

1 large carrot

1 medium brown onion

1 cob of sweetcorn (steam and put aside)

1 medium zucchini

¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup of fresh parsley

1 tspn of fresh thyme

1 tspn of fresh marjoram

4 tbspns of fresh chopped chives

2 tspns of sea salt

A few twists of freshly ground black pepper

½ cup of fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

4 sheets of Pampas butter puff pastry

1 lightly beaten free range egg for egg wash

Chia seeds or sesame for garnish

Method

Roughly chop onion, carrot and zucchini. Put into food processor with parsley, thyme, marjoram, chives and blitz until finely combined. Strip corn kernels from cob. Add blitzed veggies and corn to chicken mince with salt, pepper, parmesan and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly. Set aside. (And if you are thinking why there is no egg to bind the mince, believe me you do not need it, repeat you do not need it, so don’t sneak one in, teehee)

Separate butter puff pastry but ensure you leave the blue plastic on and that plastic is face down. Cut each into halves. The mixture now should be divided into eight and trust yourselves viewers you can do a Jamie Oliver and use your powers of estimation. Place chicken and veggie mix down the middle of each half. Brush egg wash along each edge and using plastic roll over until closed. Repeat until you have made eight rolls. Using a sharp knife, make 5 slits on the top (to let the steam escape) so that each roll will be dived into 6 bite size pieces. Place baking paper on tray and spread rolls out so they have enough room to cook. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with chia seeds ( if you want to add a superfood , teehee, or sesame seeds) Bake in a conventional oven at 220 C or 200 C for fan forced for 25 mins. Cool on rack. Each roll can be divided into six which will provide you with 48 mini rolls or cut into halves for 16 larger ones which are a winner in the kid’s lunchboxes. Voila there you have it! But wait there is more…to add a fancy twist for entertaining and a few extra calories whisk some sour cream with finely chopped chives and lemon zest to taste for a dipping sauce, if not just enjoy and forget about working out on the treadmill.

     So for us these made it into the boy’s lunchboxes and my nieces to boot. The chicken mince makes for a change to the traditional sausage mix. The butter puff pastry encases this delicious mixture and boosts these into first place. I have followed and made this recipe under my little sista’s guidance and can tell you now viewers it has made it into my handwritten recipe book. I would have wowed you with one of my own secret recipes but that would have involved a ton of sugar and for now I have jumped off the sugar bandwagon, temporarily of course because sooner or later chocolate will be calling my name and I will be unable to resist. Just as you will be unable to resist these once you begin sampling them. So spread the word, the secret is out. Be culinary smart and save yourself a lot of time. I may not be a graduate of the Francoise school of esteemed pastry makers viewers but for that I am sure I will be forgiven. Bon appetite to you all anyway. 

welcome to mum on the run...

well viewers it is me mum on the run formerly known as bittersweet...cooking one's way from betrayal to love among other things. i stopped writing that blog some time ago, the therapeutic value recognised, the desire to deep fry and caramelise my ex partners testicles evaporated, hee,hee. time has gone and i have moved on, although don't be surprised if you find some of bittersweet re-surfacing on these posts ( gotta admit some of it is worth it, lol). so here i am, back with my passion intact to food blog, to food photo bomb your senses and of course to entertain you. as the croats say preeakno ( yes i know my croatian is crap but don't let that fool ya and don't tell my mum) feel free to follow me and let me lead you down the culinary path of food love and food fun among other things...