A Temp's Perfect Fish Pie

Basic Ingredients:

1-2 Tinned tuna (smoked hapuka, or salmon if affordable)
4-5 Large waxy potatoes
1 Cup of bread crumbs
3 Eggs
Flour
Water
Butter
Parsley

Method:

Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius

Choose a number of potatoes that will be sufficient to make enough mash to fill the pie dish you have selected to use.

Boil potatoes and while you are at it, throw a couple of eggs into the water with them and cook them for ten minutes until they are hard boiled.

Butter the pie dish, take your fish and use the whole lot to cover the bottom of the dish.

Fish out the eggs, and check your potatoes if they are ready to drain.

Run the eggs under cool water, peel and cut into halves and put them aside for later.
Drain the potatoes and mash them until they are smooth.

When preparing white sauce make sure that you focus entirely on one step after the other as it easily goes wrong if you are not used to making it

First prepare a roux. Take a generous nob of butter and gently melt it in a medium size sauce pan. Stir in enough flour into the liquid butter to make a greasy ball of goo and then add a cup of boiling water.

Whisk the sauce at all times. As the sauce begins to thicken, add another cup of water and another and so forth, until you have reached the desired thickness you would like your sauce to be.

Make sure to season with S&P to taste. Depending on what type of flavour you favour, some nutmeg, chilli, black pepper, fresh parsley or chives make a markable difference and go a long way to add that "je ne sais pas quoi" element to this dish. Why not give it a punt, arrr! Well shiver me timbers, after all this is a sea dogs pie, isn't it!

The secret of making white sauces is to make sure to whisk them at all times and make sure it does not get lumpy and dry, so keep adding water as required and whisk, whisk, whisk to stop it burning.

Note that you can use milk instead of boiling water!
But because the dish has already enough dairy and protein, in order to cut back on fat, water works just as well and allows for a healthier option.

Pour white sauce over the fish then heap the mash on top of it until a half an inch off the top of the dish. Bury the eggs in the mash and make sure they are cover.

Sprinkle with bread crumps and for the crowning glory pop a few nobs of butter on the top.

Make sure to cover the dish with aluminium foil to prevent it from burning and create a nice crusty finish.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Elderflower Eyebright Tea

Start drinking plain elderflower tea by infusing dried elderflowers at least 2-3 months before you normally start getting symptoms.

Then when the hay fever season arrives, start drinking the tea.

You can just drink plain elderflower and do not need eyebright or nettles. For nettles make sure to pop off and use the very top of the plant only for tea.

Can't be bothered? Try this Twinings range. It's a lovely drink. Not sure about benefits however.

Pick elderflowers & allow to dry (like roses).Repeat for eyebright and nettles as required.

Combine 100g dried elderflowers, (150g dried eyebright and 50g dried nettles). Use 1-2 per teaspoons per cup of boiling water.  Cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes before straining, then drink.  Take a cap as often as desired.

In Southland "eyebright" is found sparingly at Waituna Lagoon,  as documented on this retired botanist's absolutely fabulous blog http://theobrominated.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/bright-eyes.html

The elderflower will also help with keeping a regular toilet cycle. Just make sure you don't ingest too much elderflower cordial or tea, as  you may otherwise experience tummy upset and possibly a spot of diarrhea.

Reference: James Wong (BBC), Evelyn (Arrowtown)

Quiche Au Prisonier

I went to prison today for a tour. it was the most depressing thing and some place I don't think I will ever get used to. When we passed the kitchen, however, the prisoners seemed in the most normal setting and almost likeable.
At home I crossed a whole tray of leftovers (old cream and gravy to process) so naturally I transformed them into a spineless, ahem, crustless quiche ...

Ingredients
1 onions
2 carrots
1 c frozen beans (or peas, mixed vege)
3 leaves of silverbeet
1 tsp ginger
*4 eggs
*1 cup milk or cream
*1/2 c self raising flour
1/2 c gravy
Salt and pepper

Marked with an asterix are the standard ingredients for preparing a quiche. After that any thing goes and throw in whatever you like.
Soften onions, carrots and other vege
Mix cream (or milk), self raising flour, cheese
Combine


Bake at 180 degrees

Saturday Mini Muffins On Probation

My new job is at the Department of Corrections. After 70 applications to Invercargill jobs, I am totally wrapped and join the Saturday Working Club now and the lucky few of us in the club have made it a ritual to make a pot luck lunch at work each Saturday. So I am making muffins to take a long tomorrow.

If you don't have muffin tins, check out your opshops for second hand ones. They are hygenic because they are baked in so don't worry about other people's goobies too much.

These muffins make great nibbles for any occasion and are best with a bit of cream cheese. They don't take long to make either. 

The skeleton for this recipe was taken from Nigella's muffin recipe and been amended by me .

 So, the recipe goes...

Ingredients
175g plain flour
75g rye flour (for some nutty flavour)
2.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 c grates cheddar
Couple fo splashes of Worcester Sauce
1 egg
125ml soy milk or normal
75ml vege oil (garlic infused if you have it)
Add corn,garden chives, parsley, capers as desired

Method
Heat oven at 180 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients.
And separately mix together cheese, egg, worcester sauce, vege oil, soy milk, and fresh herbs.
Combine the two and with teaspoon scoop modest amounts into each mould.  Because there is plenty of raising agent, don't fill the mould up to the top.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, check on progress as each recipe has a different bake time depending on how the cook decided to personalises recipes.

I love catering to community and what people need, and these cheesy yummy snack size muffins will make the Fri night hangover which I know some of us will be feeling after the week that was at probation!

Kale, Pumpkin, Bacon Stir-Fry

Bunch of kale from the paddock
Quarter of pumpkin, cubed
2 rashers of bacon or ham
1 onion

1. De-stem the kale and cut the leaves into coarse shreds. Submerge the leaves into a bowl of water and swish around to remove any trapped grit and dirt; set aside.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic oil, onion and bacon and fry for a few minutes to until light brown.

3. Add pumpkin cubes and let it soften for a few minutes. Add water to stop it from sticking to the pan. Then add the kale along with whatever water is clinging to the leaves, and saute it until the leaves deepen in color slightly; squeeze some lemon juice over the mix.
4. Season with the soy sauce and chili sauce if desired. Personally I just enjoy salt and pepper and let only the flavour of the veggies come through. Taste the kale to see if it's cooked to your liking. Serve with rice and fried chicken, beef or lamb, if desired.

Sunshine Bars For PP Who Live In The Deep Dark South...

Ingredients

100g dried ready-to-eat tropical medley or other mixed dried fruits

150g porridge oats

85g desiccated coconut

50g blanched hazelnuts or shelled peanuts or other nuts

50g sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds, whatever your preference

100g light brown sugar

125ml golden syrup

100g butter , chopped up

1.     Chop the tropical medley into pieces using kitchen scissors. Tip the oats, (cereal), coconut and fruit into a large bowl and mix well, using a wooden spoon or clean hands. Put the hazelnuts and sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds in a frying pan with no oil and, over a moderate heat, stir until they are lightly toasted. Leave to cool a little then tip into the bowl and mix.

2.     Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a small pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until melted, then simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thicker and syrupy.

3.     Quickly stir the syrup into the dry mix, stirring until it all starts to bind and there are no dry patches.

4.     Quickly tip into a 20cm square tin and press down with the back of a spoon to even out the surface. Leave to cool and set - about 2 hours. Cut the mixture into 6 one way and 3 the other to make 18 bars. Store in a tin, or wrapped tightly in foil for up to a week.

PER SERVING

Approx 190 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 22g, fat 11 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 2g, sugar 11g, salt 0.26 g

Referencce:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3305/sunshine-bars

Egg, Butter-Free Chocolate Muffins

3 cups rye flour ( replace with rice flour for a gluten free result)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cup cocoa (can use less)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons vinegar
2/3 cup cooking oil
2 cups water

Directions:

1
Mix dry ingredients throughly.
2
Add liquids and mix well with a fork.
Can be baked as madeleines, mini cakes, muffin, or as a cake (allow 1 1/4 hours for baking)! 
3
Bake at 180 Celcius for 12 or longer minutes. or until cooked when tested with a knife.
4
The muffins can be iced or left plain.
5
It makes a nice dessert with cream or custard.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-cake-no-eggs-or-butter-339303#ixzz1spezEaM9