BB Cafe Menu

[Lady_Nova]

I thought it would be nice to share recipes.

I suggest at the top of each recipe we add labels to add context:
[vegan] [keto] [snack] [fish] [dessert] [easy] [experimental] [challenging]

Just to name a few. Quite a few of mine might be labeled [crazy]. I am inclined towards experimental, my partner is a retired French Chef, and I have a Ceylonese, Fijian, Irish, Russian, mongrel heritage so I mix it up a little and fusion the life out of some cuisines. I also grow and forage for foods and do a fair bit of subbing out foods my family cant manage for one reason or another, so dont be afraid to ask "what can I substitute for "x"

PLEASE join in. You may inspire someone to give something new a try and give them an moment of "wow! I can do this"

[Lady_Nova]

Stuffed Golden Nugget Pumpkin

[vegetarian] [vegan options] [easy] [Autumn] [4 servings]

Ingredients
4 golden nugget pumpkin (one each serve)
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked to instructions
1/2 cup puy lentils, cooked until tender
6 small tender pumpkin leaves, finely shredded
(packet of spinach, or 6 silverbeet leaves, or a bunch basil leaves can be substituted)
4 baby fennel finely sliced
(1 large fennel bulb my be substituted)
2 sprigs oregano, leaves only
2 tspn vegetable stock powder
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil

Method

Remove a neat cap from the top of each pumpkin and open them to the seed center reserving any tender flesh and the cap. Scoop out the seeds and seed baring pulp.
mix all other ingredients and fill each pumpkin cavity tightly.
place the cap back over the pumpkin and place them all in a deep dish with 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the pan.
Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer can pass easily through the center of the pumpkin.

Serve as a side

[Lady_Nova]

Chicken and Fennel Casserole

[chicken] [easy] [French style] [dinner] [serves 4]

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
8 chicken legs, or chicken portions
1 leek, finely sliced
2 tablespoons spelt flour, or plain flour
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil, additional
1 leek, finely sliced
8 whole baby fennel including roots, sliced (home grown option)
or 2 large fennel bulbs, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
sprig oregano, leaves finely sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
handful baby spinach, finely sliced
300 ml cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:
Place the flour in a freezer bag with the chicken and shake to lightly coat the legs. Place the chicken in a lightly oiled oven dish and bake until lightly browned turning and basting with the pan juices half way.

In a large pan saute the leek, fennel, garlic and oregano in the oil and butter until the leek wilts. Add the baked legs and deglaze the roasting pan with the wine and pour the resulting mixture into the pan and add the stock.

Simmer until chicken is cooked through and threatening to fall off the bone. Add the spinach and cream and season and allow a low heat to wilt the spinach and the cream to form the sauce.

Serve with rice and a finely chopped fresh baby fennel frond or fresh parsley.

* Baby fennel roots add a gentle anise and parsnip flavour. You can grate 2 tablespoons of parsnip to substitute

[Lady_Nova]

Nasturtium Dolmades

[vegan] [Greek style] [fusion] [finger food] [experimental] [appetiser] [entree]

Brined nasturtium leaves
20 large nasturtium leaves
1 cup water
2 tbsp rock salt

Trim the stem close to the leaf and place slightly off center on top of each other in a row and roll tightly into a cigar and place in a clean sterilised jar with as little gap at the top as possible.
Bring the water and salt to a simmer, turn off and fill the jar and seal. Place the jar on it's lid to cool.
Brine the leaves for a week before using.

Nasturtium Dolmades

20 brined nasturtium leaves
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsn chia
tbsp water
2 green onions, finely sliced
4 sprigs fennel frond, finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
1/2 tspn dried mint
1/2 tspn lemon rind, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice 1 lemon, some pulp

Soak the chia in the water for an hour, mix with the quinoa, green onion, herbs and seasoning
place 1/2-2/3 tspn of mix on each leaf and roll neatly and tightly.
Place the rolls in a pan large enough to have one layer and cover with oil and juice mix.
Poach on a very low heat for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with Greek yogurt or keep cold in the poaching liquid for a week in the fridge.
A great addition to a cheese platter or as finger food for a cocktail party

[Lady_Nova]

Smoked Sausage and cabbage casserole

[German style] [Dinner] [serves 4] [budget friendly]
4 kransky sausages, sliced
1/2 large cabbage, finely sliced
2 brown onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 rashers bacon, diced
1 tspn butter
1 tspn olive oil
2 small chilies, finely chopped (optional)
1 tspn seeded mustard
4 baby fennel fronds finely sliced (optional)
6 leaves silverbeet, finely sliced
4 tablespoons pickle juice
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

In a large frying pan saute the sausage, bacon, garlic, mustard, onion and chili in the butter and oil until the onion is translucent and the sausage has begun to caramalise.
Add the cabbage a handful at a time, adding more as room becomes available and stirring if possible without spillage. When the cabbage has collapsed a bit add the greens and season to taste.
add the pickle juice, cover and allow the flavours to come together, 15 minutes or so.

Serve with creamy mashed potato and a dollop of soured cream

* I used 2 tablespoons of pickle juice from old fashion pickled onions and 2 tablespoons of chili pickle juice. Use a sweeter pickle if the tangy, more acid/vinegar juice doesn't suit you.

[Lady_Nova]

Beef and Whiskey Pie

[dinner] [boozy] [serves 6] [hearty]

1kg chuck steak, cubed
2 chorizto sausage, cubed
1 tbsp of olive oil
3 small brown onions, diced
1/2 cup leek, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 large shot whisky
1 tbsp horseradish, grated
1 tspn seeded mustard
1/2 tspn Vegemite
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water
1/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 batch of wholemeal spelt suet pastry
or premade spelt short crust pastry
5 large potatoes, cut into pieces and steamed until tender
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soured cream
large pinch salt

Fry off the choritzo releasing some of the fat, add the oil and the beef and fry, stirring, until the meat has browned. Add the onion, leek, garlic, horseradish and mustard and sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the Vegemite, Worcestershire, water and whisky and stir, cover and lower the temperature and simmer gently until the meat is tender, at least an hour. Check and stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn't cook dry and catch on the bottom of the pan.

Whilst you wait for the meat to tenderise, mash the potatoes with the butter and soured cream until well creamed.
Roll out the pastry to fit a pie plate, butter the pie plate and gently ease the pastry into place and shape. Place some baking paper on the pastry and fill with baking beans and bake until lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool.

Take the meat mix off the heat and blend in the flour quickly. Return to the heat and cook the flour so that you have a thick gravy. Add some water if it gets too thick. Allow the meat to cool slightly.

Remove the baking beans and paper from your pie case and fill with your meat mixture allowing it to heap up in the middle if you have plenty. Just be careful you don't have more gravy than pie case and have an overflow issue.

Gently add the potato mash on top of the meat also allowing a heaping in the middle and use a fork to rough up the potato surface a bit.

Place your pie in a moderate oven and bake until the potato gets little brown crispy rough bits on top and the pie is heated all the way through.

[Lady_Nova]

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

[dessert] [cake] [decadent] [Valentines]

180 g self - raising flour
75 g cocoa
1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda
125 g beetroot, finely grated
125 g home made or Greek yogurt
1 Tbls fresh mint, finely shredded
3 x eggs
200 ml olive oil, extra light virgin
1 tspn vanilla extract
100 ml beetroot juice, freshly juiced
10 ml olive oil, extra light virgin
200 g dark chocolate, 70%

Preheat your oven to 180degC
Sieve the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the sugar
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, grated beetroot, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract until it is well blended.
Add the beetroot mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together and then pour this in to a pre-lined spring form cake tin.

Bake for 30 minutes or until it is springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

For the ganache:
Place the beetroot juice and the olive oil into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Pour over the chocolate and mix together until smooth.
When the cake is cooked and cooled, pour the beetroot ganache over evenly and serve

[Lady_Nova]

Peanut Butter Bread

[keto]** [grain free] [low carb] [sugar free] [dairy free] [nutty]

375 g peanut butter, all natural sugar free *
3 x eggs, whole large
1 Tbls vinegar, apple cider or to taste
1 Tbls baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 handful seeds of your choice

Using a hand mixer blend the nut butter and eggs to a creamy consistency.
Add the vinegar and salt and mix for a further minute and well combined.
Line a greased loaf tin suitable for a small loaf and preheat the oven to 170 degC
Add the soda and beat very briefly until combined and pour the mixture into the loaf tin,level neatly, top with seeds and put into the preheated oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes

Allow to cool in the tin then turn out.

A treat warm with butter, nut butter or toasted.

Notes

* Any nut or seed butter can be substituted for peanut butter. I have had success with tahini bread and macadamia bread.

** Low carb and can be enjoyed in moderation in ketogenic diets