OK, after some time not posting, I’ve vamped up my blog in the hope of posting more recipes. I haven’t not been cooking, our digital camera died earlier this year and we’ve been a bit busy. So far this year I’ve:

• Got married
• Had a honeymoon
• Went to England
• Moved house
• Tried to sell my car (anyone want a sexy Peugeot 206??)
• Still been running my business, writing for Flying Solo and now going to write for MakeUseOf

Oh, am also about to launch an Australian online shopping directory as I spend far too much looking for new places to spend my money online.

Anyway with the moving house comes a new kitchen, and with the marriage came a video camera, so once I figure out how to download the videos to Linux I might start posting instructional videos instead. I’m talking about cooking videos of course!

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If you’re in a new relationship, the aim is to appear interesting to your partner. One way to fake interesting is to cook exotic food. The Three Pee Curry is just your ticket. If you’re very desperate, get some leis and drape them around your living room and you could get some paper umbrellas and whip up some cocktails.

This is a fusion curry, it’s part Indian, part Thai and part Tropical (insert whichever tropical country takes your fancy - personally I always call it the Tropical Hawaiian Curry).

Ingredients
400gm raw green prawns, leave tails on
1/2 small pumpkin, skinned cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 pineapple or small tin of pineapple pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground corinader
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tsp lemongrass, chopped
1 can coconut cream
Jasmine rice
Coriander to serve

Heat roughly 1 tbsp of oil over low heat in a pan and add your onions. Cook until soft and starting to change colour. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add all of the spices and red curry paste, stir and cook for another minute. Add the can of coconut cream then add the fish sauce, palm sugar and lemongrass and stir. Add in your pumpkin cubes and reduce heat to a simmer for roughly 10-15 mins. If your curry sauce starts to dry out at some water. Meanwhile you can get the rice ready by steaming or boiling or whatever method you use.

Test the pumpkin to see if it’s cooked. If it is add the prawns and pineapple with any pineapple juice and turn up the heat. You want to cook the prawns quickly, so mid- high heat is best. Stir and watch. When they have changed colour and curled up they are cooked - it should take around three minutes.

Serve the three pee curry on top of the jasmine rice and top with coriander. Sitting it next to your tropical Hawaiian punch and you’re exotic!

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This is my “Burgh…it’s really cold and I want to snuggle up to someone sexy when I’m finished”… Cheesy au gratin is dead sexy, it’s a warm and comforting dish that should put anyone at ease, especially those of you who think fennel is pretentious.

So on the menu tonight we have redfish, which I think is also known as red emporer in the UK, in a dill and fennel marinade with cauliflower and broccoli gratin and roast pumpkin and potatoes.

Ingredients
400g redfish fillets
bunch of dill, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
roughly 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon dijionaise (spell!)
2 large potatoes peeled and cut into small chunks
1/4 whole pumpkin peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 head cauliflower
1/2 head broccoli
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated tasty cheddar

Method
Heat oven to 180. Put the potatoes on to boil in a pot of water, once boiling leave them for 5 mins then drain really well. Once drained shake the potatoes in the pot to “rough them up” - yes you want them to look disshelved. Heat an oven tray in your oven with a dash of olive oil for about 3 mins then add your roughed up potatoes and pumpkin.

Meanwhile boil some water in another pot for your cauliflower and broccoli and prepare your marinade for the fish. Mix fennel, dill, dijionaise, olive oil, lemon juice and a good bit of ground pepper and salt. Add fish fillets and put in the fridge. I know, you’re saying “lemon juice cooks fish” but the redfish seems to cope with it, and the olive oil does water it down. Just make sure you don’t leave it marinating longer than an hour.

OK, after that mouthful, your broccoli and cauliflower should now be cooked. They only take a few minutes after your water has started boiling. Drain and put into an oven dish. Melt butter in a small pot, add flour and stir like there is no tomorrow. I cheat and use a whisk. When these have made a nice roux, add the milk and keep whisking over heat (mid-heat). This will thicken after about 5 mins then add cheese until it melts. Pour over cauliflower and broccoli and add to the oven.

You should also add the marinated fish to the oven now too in its own tray…if you are so lucky to have an oven that can fit three shelves…give it all 10-15 mins and that’s it. A yummy hot cool night meal…since it’s a cold night I give you permission to serve with a nice bottle of red, even though it goes against the rules, something like a Merlot would be yummy, then you can cuddle your loved one in front of the fire…

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If your fella is English, like mine, he loves a good curry and constantly complains about the lack of good Indian curries in Australia. As a special treat I’ll cook him an ‘English’ curry.

You have to love a good creamy, fat full dish. Some of you may think I’ve ruined it by sneaking in eggplants, but I’m trying to increase our vegetable intake and didn’t fancy cooking a side dish. You can’t take any shortcuts with the fat in this dish. The ghee gives it the butter taste. It’s all or nothing…

This will serve 4.

Ingredients
2 single chicken breasts (about 800g) chopped into 2cm cubes
4 cloves garlic
3cm ginger
a handful of cashews
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chilli
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 tin (400g) tomatoes
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup coconut cream
3 tablespoons ghee
1 onion, sliced
2 skinny eggplant, sliced
corriander for garnish
boiled rice for serving

Method
Put everything up to and including the coconut cream into the blender and blend until smooth. Add to a plastic bowl with your chopped chicken. Cover in put in the fridge for at least half an hour, if not an hour.

After your marination time, heat ghee in heavy based pan (or big fry pan). Add onion and eggplant and fry on low heat for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add the giant bowl of marinated chicken and keep on low heat. You’ll want to stir it around for the first 5 minutes to encourage the chicken to change colour, after that put a lid on it and keep it simmering on very low heat. Cook for roughly another 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook your rice. When all is ready serve the butter chicken on steamed rice with corriander sprinkled over the top. Take your special treat one step further and serve with a can of Carling lager.

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It’s finally winter in Sydney. If you missed our treacherous weather last weekend, check out Fairfax for some pictures. The swell at Bondi was massive, but the wind was frightening. We went to have a look on Friday and aside from getting masses of sand in my eyes, I thought I was going to fly away in the wind. I’m not a cold weather person, however, the silver lining to cold weather is soups and dishes filled with cream and fat cuddling with romantic movie and a bottle of red.

This dish is an excellent winter entree if you want to impress your beloved, especially if you’re away somewhere in a tiny cabin with a log fire - the smell of this dish is sensual. You could follow it by another dish with strong aromatic tendencies, roast chicken.

Ingredients
Small head cauliflower, roughly cut
2.5 L stock (I used chicken, but veg or beef will do)
2 shallots (or spring onions), heads cut in half
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
100gm soft blue cheese

Method
Bring stock to boil with shallots and garlic. Add cauliflower and boil for 10 mins, then turn down to simmer for 40 mins. Strain half of the liquid out and put aside. Blend the remainder of the mixture together. Taste and add salt and pepper. Add cheese (I’m not a blue cheese lover so I add a bit at a time to make sure it’s not too overpowering) and continue to blend. Taste again. You might need more salt and pepper, or maybe more cheese. If you find your blend is bit too much like baby food, add some more of the stock that you set aside and blend.

That’s it. I don’t think you need any cream as the soft cheese is creamy enough.

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A super winter dinner, especially after a big lunch. We had ribs for lunch down at Hurricane’s today and whilst they are the best ribs in Sydney, they also make you feel lardy…so with with meat for lunch, it’s definitely time for vegetables for dinner.

Ingredients
3 kipfler pototoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 skinny eggplants, sliced
1/4 pumpkin, skinned and cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 zucchini, cut in half
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
pepper
150g Halloumi, sliced

Method
Heat oven to 200. Heat olive oil in an oven tray (in the oven) for about 5 minutes. Add all of your vegetables and grind pepper over them. That’s it! Just wait for 40 minutes, check them once half way through and turn them over. Put the cheese over the top of the vegetables and move the tray up to the grill for about 5- 10 mins.

Halloumi doesn’t melt - it still, according the geek - tastes like rubber. However I love it. This is a great recipe for you vego’s and people wanting to detox from meat.

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This is one of the best inventions I’ve made this year. The feta melts slowly and beautifully with the heat of the asparagus and pumpkin.

You must use that special “top shelf” olive oil for this recipe. Something along the lines of this White Truffle Olive Oil. Mmm…truffles…

Ingredients
Bunch asparagus
half pumpkin cut into small cubes (about 2cm)
200g feta cheese, thinly sliced and cut into squares
handful of pine nuts
tablespoon butter
your best olive oil (like truffle oil)
regular olive oil
salt
pepper

Method
Heat your oven to 210. In an ovenproof tray heat some regular olive oil by placing it in the tray in the oven for about two minutes, then add pumpkin to tray, give the tray a good shake to coat the pumpkin in olive oil and put in the oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your asparagus. Jamie Oliver showed me how to prepare asparagus. You don’t cut the ugly tips off, you break them by letting the asparagus tell you were - this may sound odd, but if you hold the asparagus in two hands close to the tip and snap it - it will snap in the right spot. Anyway, moving on…steam your asparagus for three minutes over boiling water.

While the asparagus is cooking, melt your butter in another saucepan over low heat and add the pine nuts. It’s a bit of a catch-22 here as you want high heat for the pine nuts, but butter burns at high heat, so I usually turn the butter up to mid heat as it will only need about 2 minutes to work with the pine nuts.

OK, now your pumpkin should be ready from the oven, remove from the tray and place in a bowl with asparagus, feta cheese and pine nuts in butter. Drizzle with your best olive oil and then mix really well so the heat from the asparagus and pumpkin starts to melt the feta.

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This recipe is a real treat. I also knew fennel was great with fish (usually salmon), but in this simple dish it just picks it up. It’s a great meal if you’re feeling a bit sluggish.

I usually use ordinary spaghetti, but my brother gave me some of this whole wheat spaghetti and I have to say it wasn’t bad. It takes longer to cook than bleached spaghetti, but the nerd couldn’t taste the difference and it’s a slightly rougher texture which just seemed to work.

Ingredients
400g blue eye cod, cut into chunks
1 small bulb fennel, sliced thinly - keep the dill looking bits too
1 clove crushed garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
olive oil
juice half lemon
handful of spaghetti

Method
Cook your spaghetti in boiling water - I usually bring the water to boil whilst I’m preparing the rest of the meal.

Heat olive oil over low heat, add fennel. Cook for a few minutes until very soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add can of tomatoes and increase heat to medium. I usually add a teaspoon of sugar when I use can tomatoes and in this recipe it works. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer. If you have thrown your spaghetti in to cook excellent. You want your spaghetti in for about three minutes before you add the fish to the tomato sauce. So when you are at this stage add the fish to the simmering tomatoes. The fish will take about 4 minutes to cook and you should turn the heat to low. Just before serving add your lemon juice to the tomato sauce.

Drain your spaghetti and serve on plates topped with the tomato fish sauce and then top with the dill-like fennel bits. I know it’s a really simple recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised!

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This is a really easy dish to make, and super delicious to serve as a light meal or on the side for a bbq or somewhere else where meat is involved. The only thing you have to promise to do is use really good quality olive oil.

I have two kinds of olive oil, a giant tin that I cook with and a tiny ‘gourmet’ bottle that I dress with. I don’t mean I wear it, I mean I use it to dress salads, dip bread into etc, because it tastes a lot different to the other oil (and costs about the same for about 1/10th of the size!). So if you want to impress your friends, or today, your Valentine, go and get some really expensive olive oil, like this Frescobaldi Laudemio…

Ingredients
1/2 pumpkin chopped into small cubes (no bigger than 2cm)
Roughly 4 big handful’s of rocket
2 kinds of olive oil
Handful of pinenuts
Slice of feta cheese cut into cubes

Method
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Heat some regular (cheap) olive oil in a baking tray for a minute. Add your chopped pumpkin and cook for roughly 30 minutes, turning at least once.

Heat a little regular oil in a fry pan on low heat, add pinenuts and move around for no more than a minute. Don’t walk away or leave these nuts otherwise they will burn quickly.

Put the rocket into your favorite salad bowl, throw in the sliced feta and top with the pinenuts, try not to include much of the oil. When your pumpkin is ready add that and then drizzle over the good (expensive) olive oil. Mix everything for a minute, you want the heat from the pumpkin and pine nuts to start working on the feta and even the rocket. Season well with salt and pepper.

Impress your loved one, maybe with some oysters (I know, it’s a cliché) and some champagne…

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There’s nothing special about this recipe, except for the fact you can cook it in half an hour and it will make you feel warm and cosy. Which is probably very wrong for tonight as it’s still about 25 degrees and rather humid…But it’s Friday night, I’m not going out and I felt like drinking red.

On the wine list is a Bluemanna 2001 Merlot, another stella purchase from GraysOnline… anyway it seems like it will do the trick to unwind on a Friday evening.

Serves 4

Ingredients
500g lean mince beef
tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped or squashed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 glass red wine
2 400ml cans tomatoes (I like the whole roma tomatoes)
spaghetti
Parmesan (optional)

Method
Put a big pot of water on to boil for your spaghetti, add some rock salt.

Open wine and pour glass for one. On low heat gently heat oil and add onions. Cook slowly for 5 mins pushing them around and sipping wine. Add teaspoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add mince and turn up heat. I always mash the mince as it cooks so you don’t end up with great big lumps of it. Sip more wine as mashing mince. It will take about 4 mins for the mince to cook. When it’s no longer pink, add 1/2 glass wine (not yours) and stir until the smell disappears, roughly a minute or so.

Add tomato paste and mix well. Add the tins of tomatoes and mash them up - you don’t want whole tomatoes popping up in your bolognese. It’s pretty much finished now, so just add a bit of salt and pepper and turn down to simmer.

Your water should now be boiling to put the spaghetti in. This should take around 6-10 mins to cook, but test it anyway by taking it out and eating.

Drain the spaghetti and serve onto plates (although I prefer bowls). Top with bolognese and then Parmesan, and don’t forget to eat with a glass of red.

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