Mini fry pans

Have you seen the itsy bitsy fry pans that are in the shops at the moment?

They are extremely small and can fit maybe one egg in them at a time

You can get cast iron ones...

High end designer styles that cost a bomb...

...and the multi coloured non stick variety.

I've seen them priced from a couple of dollars to well over $30 and when I first saw them I couldn't work out what they were for, then today saw one labelled "Blinis Pan"

Blinis or Blini is a small Russian pancake that you top with caviar, or so the recipe I saw said.

I have another theory as well....and it's just a theory.

I think manufacturers are trying to cash in on the growing number of people who live alone and don't want large pots and pans to clean up.

I guess it may also be due to the tiny sinks, no bigger than a salad bowl, that are being installed in some flats/apartments now. I mean, how can you possibly fit a large pot or roasting pan in those sinks and wash them successfully? In fact a little while back we heard of some apartments being built with virtually no kitchens at all. It seems the developers and architects thought people who were "cool" enough to live in these places were too cool to cook and would eat out or have food delivered...sort of like the Singapore model where the evening meal for many people, is delivered to their apartment door in returnable metal containers that help keep the food hot.

I guess the cooking show craze hadn't caught on there yet

What I've also seen them used for though is to make individual potato rosti....

I came across a cooking show a week or so ago and had a light bulb moment when I saw the guest chef use one of these tiny pans to make a potato rosti...then he plonked some lovely steak medallions on top and it looked fabulous!

The rosti was crisp and brown and caramelised on the outside...and rich and creamy on the inside.

I'm going to buy one of these tiny pans (the discounted $2 variety) and see how I go with it...I'll post the recipe when I make it later in the week.

What's for dinner?

This week I made Pasta with tuna and peas and slow roasted tomatoes and it was very quick and very nice.

I slow roasted the tomatoes through the afternoon...I used the Roma's, slice them in half, sprinkle with a little raw sugar and freshly ground pepper and salt, then a drizzle of olive oil and roast in a 120 degree C oven for about 2 hours.

Boil the pasta of your choice. Throw some frozen peas into the boiling water about a minute before it's ready, then drain...open a can of tuna, (I used one in oil) throw it in the pot of hot, drained pasta and stir it around.

Bowl it up, place some tomatoes on top, grate or slice some good cheese of your choice over the top, (I used Parmesan) and eat.

The quantities are really up to you...that's what's good about this. You make it to suit yourself.

Baking Panettone

This is very easy...a little time consuming but so worth the effort....

You'll need
_________

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
5 tablespoons caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
500 gr plain flour
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup sultanas
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Preheat oven to 170c

In a medium bowl, combine yeast, water and caster sugar, then stir and cover and let stand for 10 minutes until it starts to foam. In another bowl, combine yoghurt, eggs, vanilla, zest and salt and mix together, then add to the yeast mixture. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it foams and bubbles

Stir in the flour, a little at a time until a dough starts to form into a manageable ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky

Place the ball of dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel.

It'll take about an hour for the dough to double it's size

Lightly grease a round 20cm cake tin and place two layers of baking paper in the bottom, then in a small bowl, mix the dried fruit with the icing sugar. Punch down the dough, transfer to a floured surface again and knead in the fruit

Put the dough into the cake tin and let is rise again...for about half an hour

Then bake for about 35-40 minutes,

Delicious with a good coffee for breakfast or afternoon tea.

The original recipe had the oven at 180 deg and a baking time of 45 minutes. I tried it a little lower as my oven is fan forced. I also tested the Panettone after 35 minutes and it was fine, although some of the fruit on the top was a little crispy, as you can see.

Thai Chicken Risotto

Delicious Magazine has provided another winner, and it's super easy because you start it off in a heavy casserole dish on top of the stove, then plonk it in the oven for about half an hour to finish it off.

Quantities are for 6, so you can adapt it for however many people you're cooking for

You need:

Peanut oil
500 gr chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
1 onion finely chopped
1 red chilli, chopped and de-seeded
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 kaffir lime leaves finely shredded
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
2 cups chicken stock  (I used water)
1 cup coconut cream
2 tbsp fish sauce
200 gr green beans, trimmed and chopped
Coriander, fried Asian shallots and lime wedges (to serve)

Preheat oven to 180 c
Heat oil in flame proof casserole dish and then add the chicken in batches and fry until browned. Remove the chicken and add the onion, chilli, garlic and half the kaffir lime leaves and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rice and curry paste and stir to coat the grains
Return the chicken to the dish with the stock and half a cup of water. Let it simmer then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the oven and stir in the coconut cream, fish sauce and beans then cover and let stand for 10 minutes.


Top the risotto with the chopped coriander, fried Asian shallots and remaining kaffir lime leaves and serve with lime wedges.

Dinner is served

Plum tray bake - Delicious!

Another fabulous recipe from Valli Little in Delicious Magazine

I made this at the weekend and I have to say it was well worth the effort. In fact it wasn't difficult or involved at all.

You need
250gr cream cheese at room temperature
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (55gr) caster sugar
4 eggs
175gr softened unsalted butter
175gr brown sugar
200gr self-raising flour-sifted
400gr plums, sliced with stones removes
Icing sugar to dust

Preheat oven to 180 c and grease and line a 24x24 cake pan or 28x18 lamington tray.

In a mixing bowl add cream cheese, caster sugar, vanilla and 1 eggs and beat 2 to 3 minutes until smooth

Place butter, brown sugar, flour and the other 3 eggs in a clean bowl and beat until creamy.
Spread half the flour mixture in the bottom of the cake pan, then half the cream cheese mix and swirl it around a little so they meld together, then top with half the plums.

Repeat that process with the flour mix, cream cheese mix and plums and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden and cooked in the middle. 

This is not only a great cake for afternoon tea but also a great dessert cake/slice. Valli included a white chocolate custard with this, but that doesn't do it for me to be honest, a little too sweet, so I went with cream and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

When baking this I put it in for 40 minutes then tested it with a skewer...it needed the 45 minutes.

Fig and Berry Slice

This is a recipe from a Weight Watchers book and it's not bad at all.

In fact it's quite nice with a cuppa of an afternoon, or as something sweet for breakfast

You'll need

8 dried figs (chopped)
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup water
60 grams butter (or margarine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups plain flour

Topping
200 gr frozen raspberries (I used mixed berries)
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 20x30 lamington tray. (I used a 20x20 cake pan)

Combine the figs, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes and let cool

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then stir in the flour and cooled fig mixture. Place it in the baking tray and press down with a fork then bake for 20 minutes.

Combine the raspberries and jam in a saucepan and bring to the boil then let cool for a minute
Spoon it over the cooked slice and allow to cool before slicing and serving

Delicious

Slow roasted tomatoes

These are easy....especially if you've got a couple of bushes going crazy in the garden

I picked these when I got home from the beach...and I didn't want to just throw them in a salad or a spaghetti sauce....even though both are very nice ways to use them

So I decided to slow roast them

Preheat the oven to about 100 degrees

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a lined baking tray.

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper, then drizzle some olive oil over them

Put them in the oven and let them roast for about 2 and a half hours

That's it

They go from this.....

To this...

EAT

You can speed up the process a little...preheat oven to 150 and check on them after an hour...it really all depends on you and how juicy you like your roasted tomatoes.

It's a great way to use up all those tomatoes that spring up in the garden