Chicken Marsala from Saveur

For Christmas I made a Gingerbread Tiramisu. A bit out of the ordinary but I was really missing the smell and taste of gingerbread with Christmas. In Australia Christmas is all about the trifle, the pavlova, mangoes and the 'barbie'. My attempt to bring back some European Christmas flavours worked out well, and we had some Marsala left.

"Marsala" I should say. Fake marsala. Made in some Industrial area in New South Wales. Artificial flavouring added to it. And cheap, very cheap. Unfortunately I couldn't find the real thing and I wasn't prepared to spend lots of money on it either. One thing is for sure, the tiramisu would have tasted SO much better if I would have used proper Marsala.

I didn't want to throw out the rest of it, so I decided to cook with it. I found this smart Chicken Marsala recipe from Saveur on Pinterest. I didn't need heaps of ingredients and it was easy to make. 

I served the chicken marsala with some bread and asparagus. The taste was sweet (and again, would have been so much better if I would have used real marsala) and very rich. You don't need a lot of it to be satisfied and it can be easily heated up the next day for lunch.

Click here for the recipe


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Zucchini Lasagna / Normal Lasagna Combo

I have been trying to eat healthier and lose some weight to get in shape for summer and MrBehomeforT is quite happy to join me, but he refuses to cut the carbs. Us girls often find it easier to lose weight when we eat less carbs but MrBehomeforT is a massive carb fan and he needs the energy as he has quite an active job. 

After finding this Zucchini Lasagna recipe from Skinny Taste, I decided to make a man friendly version of it (without the zucchini but with lasagna sheets). Easy, effective and cheap. No need to cook two different versions of the lasagna, but just replace the zucchini with pasta sheets on one half of the dish. Easy! 

Ingredients

• 1 lb 93% lean beef
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded (Sargento)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg

The Recipe

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onion about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmeron low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture. You can also skip this step if you are lazy or do not have enough time. However, by grilling the zucchini you do get more taste.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well. 

In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil

Bake 45 minutes covered at 190 degrees, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

I hope you will enjoy this lasagna and remember, if you make a big batch of it you have your lunch for the next two days sorted! 

Easy Traditional Greek Gyros

Last Sunday was the last day of winter and before I retire my slowcooker I decided to make one last slow cooker dinner.

I have been eating a lot healthier lately since I bought my fitbit and usually the food you make in the slowcooker isn't the healthiest leanest food to eat. A massive advantage of the slowcooker is that you can use cheap cuts of meat and the longer you cook them, the more tender and juicier they are. However, you do need to have meat with some fat on it, because otherwise it will get dry and chewy.

After many slowcooker experiments I found that the best way to make the slowcooker work is to cut off some of the fat of the meat (also depends on what type of meat you are using) - cook it slow for 8 hours and then take out most of the juices, cool them down, scoop of the fat, return to the pan, add fresh seasoning and reduce the liquid before you bring it back to the slowcooker. For me this is a winning method to get fresh flavours in your meal. 

This Easy Traditional Greek Gyros recipe is from Half Baked Harvest. I have slightly amended the recipe and have prepared the meat (pork in this instance) as per the method outlined above. Winner winner pork dinner! The salad with cucumber, tomatoes and fetta brings some freshness to the dish. Working in a busy full-time job, I prefer to buy packaged bread and tzatziki instead of making them from scratch, but if you have the time I would highly recommend doing so!



Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 - (2-3) pound boneless pork shoulder roast (or butt)
a few tablespoons of Greek herbs
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 lemons, juiced
3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons greek yogurt
4-8 store bought pitas
1/2 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, halved, for serving
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced, for serving
some crumbled feta cheese, for serving


The Recipe

1. Spray a crockpot with cooking spray. Add the onions and garlic.

2. In a small bowl combine the Greek herbs, paprika and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pork with half of the spice mixture.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add the pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side). Try and get a really good caramelization on the meat.

4. Add pork to the prepared crockpot and sprinkle with the remaining seasonings and any drippings from the pan. To the crockpot add the, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, greek yogurt. Cover and cook on low, 8 hours. or high for 4-6 hours. If possible check the pork a few times during cooking. If needed add some water to keep the meat moist.

5. After 8 hours (or 4-6 on high) remove the pork and set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to touch shred the pork with two forks, it should fall apart easily.

6. Take the liquid out of the crockpot and put in a pan to cool down. After a few minutes, scoop off the fat. Heat liquid and add some more of the greek herbs, salt and pepper. Cool down and add some yoghurt. Return to the crockpot and stir through the pork.

7. Heat pitas (I just popped them in the microwave for a few seconds). Top with tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, cucumber and feta cheese. Serve immediately.

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My take on Nigella's Nutella Cheesecake

Everyone loves nutella. Back home we used to have nutella sandwiches for lunch. Sometimes I add it to some hot milk for a hot nutella chocolate. Now and then I have some strawberries with nutella. Or I just eat it straight out of the jar (so bad!)

I made this Nutella Cheesecake for my colleagues. It was very popular. The whole cake was gone within 5 minutes. Some people went back for seconds. Some ate so much they felt sick after. 

This cake is super easy to make. No fuss, no hassle. It doesn't have many ingredients either. So if you are pressed for time but you want to impress your colleagues (or family, or friends), then give this cake a go. You won't regret it (well.. you will regret eating it. Can you imagine how many calories one slice has? I don't even want to think about it!)

This recipe has been adapted from Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

• 
  
• 250 grams butternut snap cookies
• 75 grams soft unsalted butter
• 1 x 400 grams jar nutella (at room temperature)
• 100 grams chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 500 grams cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 60 grams icing sugar (sifted)
• some frangelico (just taste and see how much you like to use)

The recipe

1. Break the cookies into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture. You may need to use a bit more butter for it to work.
2. Tip into a 23cm/9inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.
3. Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined. Also add the frangelico. Taste the mixture now and then to see if you'd like to add more nutella or frangelico. I added a lot more nutella!
4. Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

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Donna Hay's Chicken (Minestrone) Soup

The weather hasn't been particularly delightful this weekend. In fact, it was pouring down this morning and on Sunday morning. Very unusual for Sydney.

I don't mind a bit of rain, especially when you don't have to go anywhere. I love waking up on Sunday morning hearing the rain pouring down outside, knowing that I can stay in bed and don't have to get up. Too bad it also rained cats and dogs this morning and I had to get to work.

This soup adapted from Donna Hay is perfect for a rainy day inside. It's healthy, filling, warm, comforting and tasty. The original recipe uses a whole chicken and no stock. This is the best way to make the real thing. However, you'll be fishing for bones for ages and the chicken skin contains a lot of fat. Usually I leave the soup in the fridge overnight and scoop of the fat the next day, but this time I wasn't that patient. I wanted to eat this soup immediately. I used chicken thighs instead.

Filled with Kale, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery and Fennel, this soup is the ultimate flu buster. Donna's recipe has Cavolo Nero, a Tuscan Kale, in it. But it is unlikely you'll find this at your local Coles or Woolies. I replaced it with normal kale which was just as good. Another change I made was leaving out the spaghetti. Including pasta in your soup can make the soup a full meal, however, sometimes it makes the soup thick and starchy. I like my soups clear with big chunks of meat and vegies in it. I have used a lot more vegies than Donna, but hay (get the pun?) there can't be anything wrong with that!

If you make double the quantity and put the soup in the freezer in separate portions, you'll have your lunch sorted for the next few weeks. Enjoy!


Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 pack of rindless bacon
chicken tights, as many as you like, sliced
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
4 fresh bay leaves
3 litres chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes
sea salt and cracked black pepper
3 bulbs baby fennel, chopped
100g spaghetti, broken into small pieces
1 zucchini (courgette), sliced
1 bunch of kale
100 grams spaghetti (if you would like a more filling soup)

The recipe

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, half the carrot, half the celery and the bacon. Cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes. Add the chicken, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1½ hours. Add the tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining celery and carrot, the fennel (and pasta - if you like) and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and chicken and cook for a further 2 minutes or until warmed through. Add the kale to the soup and cook for 1 minute or until just wilted. Divide the soup between bowls and sprinkle with salt and pepper to serve. 

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Dutch Apple Pie - Hollandse Appeltaart

It has been a while since I have posted something on the blog. For good reason though. For the last couple of weeks I have been researching hotels, b&b's and agriturismo's in Italy. I have been planning our trip to Italy. I'm so excited! Only two days to go! If you want to read all about the food in Italy, see nice pics of landscapes and a lot of wine and cheese (hopefully), you're in the right place! 

I will also be visiting my family back in Holland and attend my friend's wedding. Living on the other side of the world of course has its pro's and con's, and not being able to attend weddings or other important events is one of them. This is the first time I have been able to attend a wedding, and I am so excited! I have not seen my mum, dad, sister and friends for almost 1,5 years, and some very important things have happened in this time. I got my Permanent Residency, I got admitted as a lawyer, got an amazing new job and had my graduation ceremony. My family could not be here to celebrate any of these events with me and that is very sad. Of course MrBehomeforT is family now too, but every time something exciting and good happens I am a bit sad too. Ah well, that's the way it is, and there is nothing I can do about it. Let's focus on the positive and on the fact that in a few days I will be home.

Talking about home, one of the things I miss is apple pie. Yes, they do have apple pie in Australia too, like in France, and I'm sure Japan and South Africa. Pretty much everywhere around the world. But Dutch Apple pie (well, this version) has Dutch spices in it, which makes it taste a bit different. You serve it with whipped cream (no MrBehomeforT, not with ice cream!) and cold, although I personally like it the most straight out of the oven.

Ingredients
- 8 Granny Smith Apples
- 250g butter (room temp) and a little extra to grease the cake pan
- 200 g white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (3 if you like vanilla)
- 2 eggs
- 400g self raising flour, white
- raisins, as many as you like
- 2 tbs cinnamon
- a lot of Dutch Cookie/cake Seasoning. (koekkruiden)

The Recipe
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius, Cut the apples in tiny cubes. Mix the butter with the sugar, vanilla bean paste and a little salt to a smooth mixture If you melt the butter it will be difficult to make the pastry, so it would be better if the butter is room temperature. Add one egg and slowly add the flour. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the doughball in clingwrap and put it in the fridge or the freezer for a while. 

Add the cinnamon and the Dutch Cookie Spice to the apple cubes in addition to the raisins and mix. Once the dough has cooled down in the fridge, take a dough roller and roll out to cover the bottom and the sides of the cake pan with, but make sure you keep 1/4 or so to make the strips for the top of the pie. 

Cut the strips and organise them diagonally on top of the cake. Do the same but from the other side so they strips are organised on top of each other in different directions. Whisk the egg and brush on top of the strips so that the pie will get a nice brown colour.

Bake for 1,5 hours but keep a close eye on the cake. Make sure it doesn't burn! You can also decrease the temperature to 150 degrees halfway if you think the pie pay burn. 

Enjoy with some whipped cream, either hot or cold. 

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Easter Dinner Part 2 - Veal Piccata without Veal but with Chicken

Do you have a grocery shopping routine? You have a great recipe you would like to cook that day and the only thing you need to do is get the ingredients. So when you are at the shop, the first thing you do is have a look at the main ingredients, for example the meat. If they don't have that specific ingredient, the ingredient which is essential in your dish, then you go for option 2. Your backup recipe. 

Well, MrBehomeforT (bless him) got all the ingredients for this beautiful Veal Piccata from Emeril Lagasse (on the food network website), and then he had a look whether the supermarket had some veal left. They didn't. Nor did the butcher. Righto, well, I guess we will have to use something else then. Chicken Marylands? We'll give that a go.

The truth is that you cannot simply replace a main ingredient in a recipe and not change the recipe based on the type of meat used. In the Veal recipe, the veal is briefly cooked and then added back to the sauce later on. Veal doesn't take a long time to cook at all. Chicken does. Nobody wants raw chicken. 

Therefore, you need to adapt your cooking time and you may have to add ingredients later or earlier. This recipe uses fresh lemon and capers. Both are ingredients with a very strong flavour. The longer you cook them, and the more the sauce reduces, the stronger the flavour is.

In this recipe, if you use chicken marylands like I did, make sure that you do not add the lemon and capers too early on (I have taken this into account in the recipe below). However, if you use veal, like the original recipe does, it is better to follow the recipe on the website of the food network. 

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 chicken marylands
some vegetable oil
half a pack of butter (you can use less if you want)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, in slices
2 tablespoons capers, drained
a handful chopped pasley, or more to taste

The recipe
Combine the flour, the salt and pepper and combine. Toss the chicken into the mixture. Heat some oil in a medium to large skillet until very hot and fry the chicken. Add some of the butter so the chicken will get nice and brown on the outside. Also add the garlic

Remove the chicken from the skillet and add the wine. Cook for a few minutes until the wine has reduced a bit, and then add the stock. Put the chicken back in. The original recipe tells you to add the capers and the lemon now. Don't do this. You will need to cook the chicken for at least 10 to 15 minutes before adding other ingredients. You may need extra stock. You don't want the liquid to disappear. Let the chicken simmer away for 10 to 15 minutes and then check whether its almost done. You may need to allow some extra time, depending on the size of the chicken.

Once the chicken is almost cooked, quickly remove from the pan and add the lemon slices, some extra butter and the capers to the sauce. Stir. You can also add some parsley. Then put the chicken back in and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is done. Have a taste. You may want to add some lemon juice or extra capers, depending on the flavour. The lemon and caper flavour should not be too strong.

Serve the chicken with a generous amount of the sauce and some fresh parsley. We ate it with bread to soak up the lemon butter sauce. Yum!


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Easter. Martha Stewart's Roast Rack of Lamb with Mint and Capers, crispy potatoes and asparagus

Easter back home reminds me of spring, baby chicks, and a "paastak" which is a large twig which we decorate with everything Easter such as little easter eggs and baby chicks. The twig often has flower buds and stands for spring. We also paint Easter eggs and eat Easter bread, which is similar to the Australian Easter Bun, but not as sweet.

Easter in Australia is in Autumn. No "paastak", baby chicks or flower buds, but falling leaves, colder mornings and Easter Buns. It is different, but not in a bad way. 

I have been in Australia for 5 years and I had never tried an Easter Bun until last Wednesday. It was a cold Easter Bun with butter and I had it at work. It was sweet and tasted like cinnamon and sugar. Better than the Dutch paasbrood. Then I had another Easter Bun on Thursday. And two on Friday. And another two on Saturday. From the oven. With butter. I am addicted. They are so good! Why haven't I tried them before?!?!

Although it is autumn in Australia, it is still very warm and sunny and there are flowers everywhere. I love this time of the year! It's not too hot, and not too cold. It's perfect!

In Australia, one traditional Easter dish is lamb. It's not something we often eat back home, and that's too bad. Because Australian lamb is delicious! This version from Martha Stewart has an amazing combination of mint, capers and lemon. The mint makes the dish fresh and the lemon and capers make it tangy and punchy. I added some crispy potatoes and some easy asparagus as side dishes. If you want to cook something delicious and easy then give this lamb a go!

Ingredients

For the lamb
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 racks of lamb, frenched
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

For the caper mint sauce
- 1/2 cup salt packed capers, rinsed
- 2 cups fresh mint
- zest of 2 lemons
- lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the side dishes
- baby potatoes
- bunch of fresh asparagus

The Recipe
Make the lamb by whisking together the garlic, mint, lemon zest, juice, olive oil and the salt and pepper. You can also mix this with a stick blender. Cover the lamb in the mixture and put in the fridge overnight.

The next day, let the lamb stand in room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. According to Martha's recipe, you remove the lamb from the marinade and brush it dry. I just threw the whole thing in a hot pan (or skillet). Yes, it splattered a bit, but I thought it would be such a waste to throw that marinade out! 

Brown the lamb for 2 or 3 minutes on each side until browned and put it in the oven in a roasting pan or skillet. Martha's recipe says you need to cook the lamb for 20-30 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees. I think it is important to have a look how thick your lamb is. If it is thin, and the pieces are small, you probably do not need 20-30 minutes. My lamb was done in 10 minutes. It should still be quite red when it comes out because you need to rest it for a while, preferably for 10 minutes or longer.

Making the caper mint sauce is easy. Just throw everything in the food processor and blend. Add lamb to serving platter and spread sauce on top.

For the potatoes, cut each baby potato in two and boil for 5 minutes. The potatoes won't be completely cooked yet, but this is a good thing because otherwise they will fall apart. Heat some oil in a pan, season the potatoes with salt and pepper and perhaps some Italian herbs and fry the potatoes until they are golden all over. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes on 200 degrees. 

Cooking the asparagus is easy, just heat some oil in a pan and fry them for 3 to 4 minutes. Top with some lemon juice.

Enjoy!



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Pork and Apple Sausage Rolls with Caraway Seeds and a Fennel and Orange Salad

I wrote before about how I dislike spending 8 dollars or more on an average takeaway lunch. That's why I always do some 'batch cooking' on Sunday so I can prepare lunches well ahead and keep them in the freezer. When I am in a hurry in the morning, the only thing I need to do is open the freezer, quickly grab my lunch and a muffin or piece of homemade banana bread, grab some fruit and I am ready for the day.

I do not like premade sausage rolls. The ones you buy at the supermarket and then heat up in the oven or even microwave (yuk!). So I made them myself. These sausage rolls are easy to make and because they contain apple, the taste is a bit different. I did not cut them in half but instead made mega sausage rolls. They are pretty big and enough for a big lunch. If you like salad, a fennel and orange salad works well.

Have you ever made homemade sausage rolls before and wonder why they are on the dry side? That's because mince by itself does not have a high enough fat content to keep the meat moist. It depends on the mince of course. Lean mince will not give you a nice moist sausage roll. However, you can choose to mix mince with the meat from some good quality sausages, which is what I have done here. Getting the meat out of the sausages is pretty gross but it will be worth the effort.

This recipe has been adapted from Taste Australia

Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 red onions, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 600 gram good quality Italian Pork Sausages (from the butcher)
- 400 gram pork mince
- 3 teaspoons caraway seeds
- a lot of Italian herbs
- 6 granny smith apples, grated and as much liquid as possible removed
- 4 sheets frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- good quality tomato chutney
- 2 oranges, segmented
- 1 baby fennel, sliced
- 1 lemon

The recipe
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Heat oil in non stick frying pan and heat the onion and garlic for approximately 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Use scissors to cut the end from the sausages and squeeze out the meat in a bowl. Mix with the mince and a lot of salt, pepper, italian herbs and the caraway seeds. Add the apple and mix properly.

Use one pastry sheet on your work bench and cut in two. Roll a sausage out of the meat mixture and put it in the middle of the sheet. Do not make it too big as it will not fit in the pastry. Fold both sides inside and close the bottom and top. Brush with eggyolk and place with the seem side down on a baking tray with baking paper. Repeat with remaining sausages. You can also cut the sausages in two. If you prefer smaller sausage rolls.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden. Serve with a simple salad of fennel, orange segments and some lemon juice. 

Review
I have used this recipe many times to make my work lunches and every time my colleagues tell me how good it smells when I reheat the sausage roll in the microwave. And it is so easy to make! Give it a go!

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Dutch Butter Cake ("Boterkoek")

There are quite a few things I miss now I live in Australia. One of them are Dutch cookies. I'm not saying Australian cookies are bad. I absolutely love Lamingtons and Melting Moments. But I do miss the choice you have in Holland. There are so many different cookies! And you always get one cookie when you order a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. 

Boterkoek is one of the cookies I really miss. It's dense, soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and it just melts in your mouth. I did not realise it is so easy to make! I wish I had a family recipe I could use, but I cannot recall my grandma's making boterkoek. Fortunately there are ton's of buttercake recipes on the internet, and someone else's grandma came up with this recipe, which I have slightly amended.

Ingredients
-2/3 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- roasted almonds

The Recipe
Heat the butter in the microwave and mix with the sugar and the almond extract in a medium bowl. Add beaten egg (reserve a little bit) and mix the flour and baking powder bit by bit with the wet ingredients until the mixture becomes dough like. 

Put the dough in a 20cm by 20cm square pan. Make sure the pan is non-stick and greased properly. Spread out the mixture evenly and make a pattern, starting by carving a "cross" in the cake, and then carve more lines evenly. Make an "almond flower" by aligning almonds in the middle like a flower and pressing them into the dough. 

Brush the beaten egg over the dough and almonds and put in the oven on 180 degrees for 25 minutes. The cake will be hard on the outside and very dense. It will taste better after a night in the fridge. 

I "accidentally" made two cakes.... 

Enjoy!

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Butterflied Quail with Sweet Potato Couscous

I am writing this while I am drinking a lemsip (it's pretty gross, even if you put a lot of honey in it) with a box of tissues on my side. Did I say that I love autumn and I love the cold? I do! But I don't like the fact that it's flu season too. 

Sydney has been so rainy and I have enjoyed a few evenings in front of the tv with a doona. Yes, with a doona! I love my doona! I have missed my doona! (FYI, a doona is the Australian version of a blanket. I guess we use the word blanket for the version made of wool but also for the version made of cotton). It's finally cold enough! But now I am feeling sick. Sadface.

When you feel sick you cannot be bothered planning your dinner, grocery shopping and standing in the kitchen for hours. Especially not after a long day of work. Especially not when it is raining and you want to put on your onesie and settle yourself in front of the tv (with or without lemsip). 

That's why we have been using Hellofresh for a while. So I don't have to think about what we will eat and so I don't have to make grocery lists. Another major reason was that MrBehomeforT was always complaining about my choice of food if it would happen to be something with ingredients he does not like. For examples, vegetables. Or something vegetarian. So I thought, if I don't decide what we get to eat, then at least he cannot blame me if it happens to contain vegies or some other ingredient he doesn't like. 

Hellofresh brings a box of ingredients and 3 or 5 recipes to your door. It's simple. Every Monday there is a box with ingredients and the recipes and we are set for 3 days of the week. No need to think about food and grocery lists. The food is often quite healthy and sometimes there are no carbs so it is diet friendly. FYI I am not asked to promote Hellofresh. They probably don't even know I am writing this blog. But we are happy with the ingredients and the service and it just makes things so easy. Yes, one time the box was delivered with the neighbours who left it in their garden. And yes, sometimes ingredients are missing and sometimes there are meals that you don't love. But it is still the most convenient options.

Sometimes the box contains exciting ingredients. Something I have never cooked before. Like this quail. I have been wanting to cook quail for a while. But it just never happened. Until this box containing quail arrived at my doorstep. So I made it. And it was delicious. And it was easy. And the plate was empty within minutes. Great success. 

Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 600 grams sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 brown onion, quartered
- 150 gram couscous
- 2x butterflied quail
- bit of olive oil
- bit of balsamic vinegar
- parsley

Recipe
Drizzle the sweet potatoes with oil and balsamic and place in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 25 minutes. Make sure you toss them now and then

You know how to make couscous, right? Put the kettle on and poor boiling water over the couscous until it's just covered. Put some cling wrap on top. Bit of salt, pepper, fluff it up with a fork. Maybe some extra water if it looks dry. Stand for a few minutes. Done

Dress the quail with balsamic vinegar and oil, and place in a medium hot pan for 2-3 minutes on each side. Salt and pepper on top. Done!

Mix the couscous with the sweet potatoes and serve with the quail. Don't forget to put some salt and pepper and the parsley on top. Want to have it with something extra? What about persion fetta, or roast mushrooms, or even some roast zucchini. 

This should not take you longer than 20 minutes in total. So easy. So simple. So good.

Enjoy!


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