Emma's Kitchen Tips
I am a Chef by trade, and being a 'pig' in the Chinese signs, just makes me that more appreciative of wonderful, beautiful food - I LOVE COOKING! And I really love eating, as does my family, who consist of two more 'pigs' one 'monkey' and a 'dog'! All connoisseurs of good grub! I just hate washing up!
When storing avocado, keep the stone with the flesh, and it will not turn brown. The same as if you prepare an avocado dish, put the stone on top until serving.
When you have squeezed all the juice from a lemon or orange, place the drained shell on a shelf in your fridge for a day. This absorbs nasty odours.
Growing herbs is very rewarding, and the great thing is they do extremely well in pots. Often as they are seasonal, you may have excess basil and coriander, as an example, all at once. Don’t panic, simply pick them first thing in the morning, then place them in freezer bags, or ice cube trays and freeze them. They will last for at least six months, fresh to use when needed. You can blend them with seasonal veges such as tomatoes and freeze
For a simple Chicken Kiev dinner, dress Ingham chicken kiev frozen breasts to create a yummy dish. Cut long an onion, red capsicum, spring onions, carrots and mushroom (in 1/4) make a bed with them in a pyrex dish, place the kievs on top, cover with large amounts of chopped garlic and coriander powder, finish it off with a lashing of olive oil. Bake in moderate oven covered with foil for thirty minutes, then baste and crisp the final half hour. Cut up a peeled sweet potato and wrap quarters in foil with a knob of butter and cinnamon, serve with kievs.
Rose water is a wonderful addition to chilled water and desserts. Add a few drops to each glass or jug of water for a luxurious classy touch.
Always soak dried fruit before using it, or eating it straight. The drying process involves dehydrating the fruit and preserving it with sulphur dioxide, which is very bad for you. It is also home to lots of candida, also not good for your PH. By giving the dried fruit a soak in warm water before use alot of the sulphur is flushed away and the fruit with not dehydrate your body when consumed. For a luxury addition to baking soak fruit in liquer.
When making salads a couple of different additions to an old favourite can create wonders. For example, grated carrot is transformed by the addition of shredded coconut. Suddenly you have a tropical treat. You can keep going with walnuts, sultanas, grated apple or grated fresh beetroot.
We really enjoy fresh beetroot cut up with carrots and cooked as a dish. I like to steam them with honey and sesame seeds, or cook slowly in butter, honey and cinnamon. Two ordinary vegetables turned into interesting meal additions. Spice it up with crystalised ginger for a dinner party.
Another up side to growing your own herbs is that you can utilise them as gifts and beautify your home. I love herbs because most of them can be divided and replanted in the garden or pots (for gifts) many times in a year. So they are very versatile and pretty, flowering often, which also provides you with holistic herbal uses too. I love purchasing the glass bottles and jars from the cheap shop (make sure the seal s are air tight) and filling them with extra virgin olive oil or good quality vinegar (such a apple cider, perfect for your PH) then place the flowering herb in for an infusion pressie.
If you are running low on cash, or going away on holiday and don't have much in the freezer, fill the empty freezer space with toilet paper and kitchen rolls. This means the unit has a lot less power to produce as the spaces are filled. It is best not to turn of the fridge or freezer completely as the gases settle and mould starts to grow if not left ajar. Simply turn the thermostat right down upon vacation.
Sometimes I cant be bothered grating veges, such as carrot, or apple. Just keep peeling with the peeler for an fun shape change experience. On your bed of lettuce you can create a nest of peeled carrot strips, topped off with your centrepiece. I like sautéed Soyco Japan or Thai tofu cutlets or prawns
Strawberries are a beautiful dessert or topping, especially complimenting a rich serve of chocolate cake or brownie. Alnatural tossed in vanilla sugar and your favourite liqueur with a big dollop of King island pure cream is very classy. Or whip up a Betty Crocker brownie slice and top with berries
Berries, Strawberries and Mango in particular are seasonal, so buy when cheap and freeze in the good quality snap lock freezer bags or tupperware.
For a naughty rich ending use a betty crocker mix, such as caramel walnut brownie, but add a few drops of liqueur, shaved almonds and coconut.
If you are cooking a curry, as with a casserole, roast or Bolognese, the secret is LOW and SLOW for classic full tasting results. Using heavy cookware such as Le Crueset creates a better outcome and saves on power. The cast iron cookware costs more when you buy it, but it keeps all the moisture in a dish, evenly distributes the heat using low energy, never burns on the bottom, seals in the ingredients to cook all day, looks good and keeps the finished product warm for transport or and serving. I have had my set of saucepans, bistro pan, french oven, skillet, bistro pan and frying pan for fifteen years and they are still like the day I bought them - Wonderful!
My Le Crueset Heart Dish is another story -
For a sparkling odourless fridge, clean using a solution of; 1 bucket of hot water with 1/3 cup of bicarbonate of soda & 2 tablespoons of vanilla essence & 1 tablespoon of cinnamon 100% pure essential oil. The bicarb cleans everything off without being corrosive to whitegoods. The vanilla essence takes away odours, and the cinnamon oil kills mould spores.
Wash your bin out weekly with hot water and eucalyptus oil, killing odours and bacteria.
Growing fresh herbs (or buying them) allows you to add a fresh difference to your dishes. By simply scattering fresh coriander leaves or basil leaves on top of a salad (add some roasted pine nuts too) or mixing in fresh parsley and thyme to a served pasta dish, topping baked fish or sautéed chicken with tarragon or fennel will turn your dish into a culinary original rather than a bland ordinary. Add the herbs just before serving for full flavour/colour.
If you make a curry or mexican dish and its too hot, there are only a couple of solutions. Adding potato to cook with the dish will draw the chilly oils into the spud, or serving fresh plain yoghurt and cucumber will take the heat out of your mouth. Remember the potatoes will be super spicy, really!
I rarely use chilly powder, I dont enjoy 'heat' in my dishes without flavour. By using (and growing) fresh chillies you create a special difference. I love how the Thais do this with their fragrant cooking. Green chillies have the taste but less heat, orange & yellow moderate heat, red equals fire with taste.
Using cold cucumber slices on the eyes really works to take out the heat and sting if they are puffy. Lemon juice gets rid of the smell of fish from hands
There are a number of different dishes that can be created from one source dish. For example the classic Bolognese can become Mexican with the addition of refried beans and chillies, or Indian with a touch of curry powder, garlic and cubed vegies, Greek with some red wine and eggplant.
One of my favourite kitchen tools is my 'Zester' A cute little thing with four zesting holes at the top of a sturdy handle. You drag the holes over the zest of any citrus to remove the top layer of skin, which contains the essential oils, hence giving the flavour and aroma of the fruit. Adding fresh zest before serving can brighten a dish to remarkable! For example lemon zest in your cheesecake base or butter icing. Orange zest in rolls or biscuits. Salads, oils...
Leftovers are not always easy to market, but the Frittata is a beauty. Simply splash some extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of a big pyrex dish, toss in some fresh chopped garlic, spread over diced up leftovers, then top with this fresh egg mix; Combine four - six eggs with 1/3 cup of cream or milk, handful of chopped fresh herbs, salt n pepper, whisk until bubbles form on top from aeration. Pour over leftovers n garlic, sprinkle with nutmeg, place under grill.
Potatoes are a big favourite, and by preparing them a different way, you can make a big impression. Theres no reason why the spuds cant become the centre piece of your meal, saving you the cost of purchasing meat for a change. Plus if you follow the principles of food combining, which helped me loose 15kg, its good to eat potatoes separately from meat. When you have a meat dish, cook sweet potato or butternut pumpkin to accompany it instead. Peel a medium size spud, then place it on your cutting board with a chop stick (or pencil) either side. Cut into the potato vertically from one end to the other leaving even (1.5cm) gaps. Fill a roasting tray with your scored spuds coat with a lashing of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper and if you like a sprinkle of tarragon (beautiful partner) roast in hot oven, with foil cover the first 30 min, uncover, baste frequently over next hour crisping till brown. You have created wonderful hasslebacks, a classy addition to any spread.
Good quality stock is a key to great food. "Massell" is a totally natural Australian made stock, free from MSG (which is in OXO and Maggi) comes in cubes, powder and liquid stock, plus a salt free range. I have never tasted such a nice good tasty real stock that I didnt make from scratch myself.
Besides soups and casseroles where obviously real stock is required, using stock to make fabulous sauces is the way to go. Instead of slaving over a hot roux to thicken your béchamel, or gravy or pasta sauce, simply mix up 3 heaped tablespoons of corn 'cornflour' (by Whitewings) in a small quantity (1/8 cup) of cold water and add it to your 1 litre of stock or milk, keep stirring on an even heat until it starts to thicken and become glassy - no lumps!
A simple curry can be made with a can of coconut cream, diced chicken breast or piece of steak, chopped onion, carrot and ginger, piece of lemon grass, a Massell stock cube and a can of water (rinse the rest of the leftover coconut cream from can into sauce) Add your choice of Pataks curry bases in the small cans, these are all natural and Indian authentic. For heat toss in required amount of chillies. Cook low n slow for two hours add fresh coriander.
Another potato favourite is creamy potato (dauphine) bake. Simply peel and slice required amount of spuds, layer in a baking dish with onion (other vegies optional for vegie bake) and optional parmesan cheese, then pour a mix of a carton of extra light cream and a cup of vegetable stock over them and roast in oven for an hour. Top at the end with pizza cheese to brown and a handful of fresh herbs. A wonderful main meal that's very filling.
When whipping cream add a tablespoon of icing sugar and few drops of vanilla for chantilly. It is a nice surprise for serving desserts/layering cakes.
For a Lasagne change layer your dish with lightly fried eggplant steaks instead of pasta sheets, coat with béchamel and a cup of wine to cook slowly.
Wait till you see whole chickens or roasting meat on sale then freeze them. Turn an ordinary frozen chook into a roast masterpiece by sitting it in your roasting pan (I love my Le Crueset French oven) still frozen, in two cups of stock or wine, top the chicken with a dusting of Massell stock powder and or dried herb favourites and garlic, then a layer of olive oil. Place in moderate oven covered for an hour, then drain off 3/4 of the juices/stock into saucepan to use for gravy. Put back in oven for another couple of hours basting regularly with juices in dish. Skim oil off the top of the stock in saucepan, putting on top of chicken to finish crisping. Take chicken (or meat) out onto platter fifteen minutes before serving to settle (for easy carving) Pour stored stock/juices into roasting pan, mixing in your roasting 'bits' to add colour and flavour. Pour in the juices from cooking your vegetables, add a massell stock cube, bring to the boil, reduce to required quantity, to finish off gravy add your diluted corn cornflour, mix till thick, add cream for decadence.
Dont defrost meats before cooking or marinating, it just harbours bacteria and germs. Simply cook low and slow with a stock or throw straight on the BBQ with a bit extra oil once the coals die down a bit. Marinating meats in Kikoman soy or teriyaki sauce or red wine with fresh garlic n peppercorns.
Mash up some spuds mix with a raw egg and some cream, throw in some fresh herbs and if you like parmesan cheese, mix it all together, shove in a piping bag, and pipe little mountains, or piles on an oiled baking tray, spray with oil or brush with beaten egg, place in oven for 30 min, a fabulous potato dish.
Greens can be tarted up quite easily, for a scrumptious change by steaming them with fennel seeds, or baking them with sliced almonds & corainder.
I love getting the mushies on special, and creating a main dish with them, from something as simple as mushrooms tossed in olive oil, salt n pepper roasted in the oven or under the grill. Mushrooms mixed with spring onions and eggplant cubes, roasted with oil & fresh herbs. Stuffed under a roast too.
When roasting pork, place the meat on a bed of granny smith apples cut in quarters, baste the meat with apple juices, then put the pulp aside before crisping the meat to make an apple sauce with. Yummo!
Rice dishes are made easy by using Uncle Bens rice which really never sticks. There's not much nutritional value (use brown rice in vast quantities of boiling water for nutrition) in Uncle Bens, but if you are fretting about perfect rice use Bens. Make it different by substituting coconut cream for the water to make coconut rice, add a tablespoon of peanut butter for satay rice, add a chopped chilli and shredded coconut for thai rice, or wine for risotto
Lovely French toast is easy, and a good way to use up stale bread. Whisk up eggs, dash milk, large pinch of salt and sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and dash of olive oil. Whisk until light, soak bread in mix quickly, place in frypan until golden brown. For kids dust with cinnamon sugar or icing sugar.
Your basic frozen fish pieces and chicken pieces can be spiced up for a change with a coating of dried herbs and spices before baking in the oven.
Finger Food is a big favourite of mine. You can host a 'hostess' relaxed party that will be a highlight for your friends, by preparing a few tasty finger food before they all arrive. Lets face it, not many people don't appreciated real gourmet food, and if its as easy as this, you will leave a lasting impression!
Tiny Prawns sautéed in butter and finely chopped garlic, with a healthy grinding of salt and pepper over the top. Just as the prawns changed colour from raw (grey) to pink, turn the heat off. Your skillet (fully cast iron) is especially good for preparing dishes, such as steak, crepes, that you want sealed. Keeping the flavour and moisture inside, because the skillet gets so hot it sears and seals, and can be put under the grill or in the oven - brilliant! Once your prawns have cooled, mix in a big dollop of S&M's whole egg mayonnaise and some fresh chopped parsley, with plenty of lemon zesting, done straight before turning into the cases to serve. Home make some mini cases (in patty cake tin) or pamapas, or buy pre prepared volevount cases, fill with prawns.
STILL WORKING, WILL UPDATE SOON!
Wombats in Holes and Devils on Horseback
Chicken Teriyaki with Soy, Sweet Chilli, pickled Ginger slices, Wasabi
Japanese Rolls & Sushi with Smoked Salmon
Deep fried King Island Triple Cream Brie & Red Currant
Garlic Potato Pieces
Fetta & Olive & Semi sun dried Tomatoes
Kids favourites = Hans Little Frankies, Devils, Potato Skins with Sour Cream
Decadent after dinner Coffee, by melting a block of your favourite chocolate in the cup with your Robert Timms coffee bag
Making a classy luxurious cheesecake was never easier than this
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