Thai Pork Balls

These little beauties are delicious. It's one of Jared's recipes that he just pulled out of nowhere. He didn't have a recipe, he just threw different flavours together, which is a skill I'm slowly learning. I'm always a stickler for wanting a recipe to follow. We made these on a Saturday afternoon when I had a huge craving for McDonald's and the last thing I wanted was a healthy Asian dish. But in the end I ate nine balls!! And the next day we flattened down the 3 that were left over and turned them into hamburgers with a big crusty roll, some rocket and the dipping sauce. We gave my mum the recipe to try and its now one of her regular dishes.

The dipping sauce can be made up of your favourite Asian style sauces but we are completely addicted to the sauces made by the Lloyd Brothers and always try to use them. Here's their website: www.lloydbrothers.com.au

Pork Balls
1kg pork mince
Spring Onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 chilis, chopped
zest & juice of one lemon (lime if you have it)
1.5 teaspoons minced lemongrass
2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 egg
1 bunch of coriander chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
S&P

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup Wild Lime Chili & Ginger Sauce
1/4 cup Spicy BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce


Mix all the above ingredients together and roll into balls (or hamburgers). Cover with glad wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle with some left over coriander. Serve with the dipping sauce and some rice on the side. If you have made them into hamburgers, serve with your favourite roll, fresh rocket and some dipping sauce.

E.

Peppermint Slice

Jared and I went to Clare to stay with my parents for the weekend. Mum had a cookbook of Blue Ribbon Winning recipes! The prize winner from every country town in South Australia had featured. I chose the Blue Ribbon Peppermint Slice to recreate. And it tastes sensational. I can see why it received first place. I gave Jared a piece on the drive home from Clare and he said, "in all seriousness, this is quite possibly the best slice I've ever eaten!" I cant help but agree.

Since making the slice and deciding to buy the cookbook I found it in I have discovered the author has her own blog! The Blue Ribbon Cookbook. Check it out!

I also brought the slice to work and fed it to a friend of Jared's and this is the feedback I received: "have just eaten the slice. However the word eaten really doesn’t sum it up. It was more of a whole cuisine experience or a culinary journey. For god sake don’t ever make it again as Jared can’t possibly exercise more than he already does and he will make Jabba the hut look like a supermodel after 6 months of that. Of course I’ll be running again soon and could probably get away with a piece that size every 3rd day. Thanks".


I had to double the filling and I also used 75g more chocolate than in the recipe. The recipe below is what I did.

Base
125g butter
200ml sweetened condensed milk
250g milk biscuits
1 rounded tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Filling
2 cups icing sugar mixture
80g butter melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
3 drops green food colouring (optional)

Topping
200g dark cooking chocolate
30g copha

To make the base, melt the butter and condensed milk in a saucepan. Crush the biscuits and mix with the cocoa and coconut. Pour over the butter and condensed milk mixture and mix well. Press the mixture into a slice pan (about 20 x 30cm) lined with baking paper. Place in the fridge and chill well for an hour.

To make the filling mix together the icing sugar, butter, milk, peppermint and food colouring. Spread evenly over the chilled biscuits mixture and put it back into the fridge to set.

To make the topping, melt together the chocolate and copha. Spread the chocolate evenly over the filling and allow it to set before cutting the slice into squares.

E.

I'm Back! With Spinach & Ricotta Dip

It has been 20 long months since I posted on the Baker & the Curry Maker and a lot has happened in that time! I have a perfect new man, a funky new home, a new exciting job and a brave new hairstyle plus a few new gorgeous friends. I've been itching to get back into the blogging lately. I almost made it back last weekend with a lemon slice but I was staying at my parents place in Clare and didn't have my camera. And so this is my returning recipe.... Spinach and Ricotta Dip.

I've had this at morning teas at work a few times and I actually get frustrated when staff bring it along. I want to pick it up and take it back to my desk where I can devour it all myself. This week another pesky staff member brought it in and I decided to make one all of my own today so I can sit in the comfort of my lounge room and inhale it. I so badly didn't want to share with my boyfriend that I made him one all of his own also!

It's simple and always a hit!

300g Ricotta
500g Frozen chopped spinach
100g Danish Feta
300g Sour Cream
1/3 cup chopped chives
30g Spring Vegetable Soup Mix
Freshly Ground Pepper
Cob bread

Squeeze and discard all liquid from thawed spinach. Place into a large bowl. Add ricotta, feta and sour cream. Stir until well combined and smooth. Add chives and dried soup. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Using a serrated knife, slice a 3 to 4cm-thick slice off top of loaf. Set aside. Remove soft white bread from centre of loaf to form a bread 'bowl' and use this to scoop out the dip. Spoon spinach and ricotta mixture into loaf. Serve immediately.

E.

The Best Chicken Sandwiches

These chicken sandwiches are in my Donna Hay cookbook which my wonderful parents gave me for my birthday recently. As soon as I saw the sandwiches I thought, I've got to make these! And as Donna Hay says, "they aren't just chicken sandwiches, they are the best chicken sandwiches!"

Then I saw a challenge on the daring bakers being hosted by http://www.ayearatoakcottage.blogspot.com/ called Show Us Your Sarnie and thought it was the perfect excuse to make these delicious sandwiches.

I was a little worried that they may be a bit girly and herby for the hard working men I was feeding them to, but I made seven sandwiches to feed four men, and they all went. Every last bite. Words the men used to describe them included "delicious" and "refreshing". I tried them and was delighted with the flavour. I'll absolutely be making them again!

12 slices white bread
Butter for spreading
2 cooked chicken breasts, skinned and chopped
6floz/170ml mayonnaise, plus extra for spreading
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
2 tbsp shredded mint leaves
Salt and pepper
6 tbsp finely chopped chives

Spread butter on one side of the bread.

Combine the chicken, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil and mint, and season with salt and pepper.

Divide between half the bread slices and top with the remaining bread. Cut into small triangles and spread one edge with the remaining mayonnaise.

Press one side into the chives and serve.

E.

Houmous

Houmous is one of my favourite dips. I discovered that its not one of Tony’s – he says it reminds him of saw dust. I made this on the weekend for friends to nibble on while we waited for dinner.

I thought there was way too much, but it all went and everyone said they loved it (although, that could have been because dinner took a little longer than I expected).

Sorry for the bad photo, I forgot to take a photo before I put it out.

The next morning, as we were walking to the shops, rambling about the night before I said ‘ye, the houmous the yum wasn’t it’ and Tony couldn’t believe it was houmous, so that’s a good sign for you!

400g can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
3 tbs of tahini
The juice of 2 lemons
1 tbs of olive oil
Salt

Put the chickpeas, garlic and tahini in a blender and puree a little. Season with salt.

Add the lemon juice and process again until smooth.

Add the olive oil and process for a second more and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with whatever you like, I did carrot and celery batons and corn chips. Mmm.

S

Walnut Brownie Bites

I read this recipe and thought that it sounded right up my alley! I made these little brownies in no time and they smelt so good! According to the boy (yes I'm still on this diet) they are biscuity and crunchy outside and gooey and chewy inside, with a nice hit of caramel and walnuts! He and his workmates loved them! Thats what I like to hear!!

I think the ingredient that got me sucked in was the Rolos! Each brownie has a rolo in the middle of it! Melted and oozing! Can't really beat that...

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped finely

80g butter

150g dark eating chocolate, chopped

1 egg, beaten lightly

1/3 cup plain flour

1/4 sour cream

3 x 50g packets Rolos

Preheat oven to moderate. Lighly greast two non stick 12 hole mini muffin trays, divide walnuts between holes.

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan, stir over low heat, without boiling until mixture is smooth. Cool to just warm.

Stir sugar and egg into mixture, then the sifted flour and cream; spoon mixture into prepared pan. Press one Rolo into the centre of each quantity of mixture. Spread mixture so that the Rolo is completely enclosed.

Bake in a moderate oven for about fifteen minutes. Using a sharp pointed knife, loosen the sides of the brownies from pan, stand for ten minutes. Remove brownies gently from pan.

Makes 24. These treats are best served while warm!

E.

Salmon & Chive Mini Quiche

I also made these little nuggets for my mum's do. She lives for salmon so I though'd I'd make these salmon ones for her. And with the chives and lemon and dill, mmmm! She is very happy with her plates of food she is taking along! And in the end she decided to take my Matchsticks too!

1 tbs chopped dill
2 tbs lemon juice

1 cup chopped chives

125g chopped smoked salmon

4 eggs

1 cup cream

1 cup grated mild cheese

Preheat oven to 180C and grease well your mini muffin tray.

Whisk the eggs, cream, cheese and lemon juice together and add the rest of the ingredients.

Place in mini muffin trays and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes until they are golden.

E.

Mini Quiche Lorraine

I arrived at my mum and dads to do some packing as I'm finally moving out of the nest, and instead of boxes waiting for me, I had a cook book thrust at me... "I'm going to a function at some footy club tonight and everyone has to bring a plate. Please will you cook me something...?"

So I sat and went through mum's cook book and found these little dynamites! Now, I'm currently on a diet where I can't eat carbs or sugar and it is quite hard to find a recipe that I can eat! But I can eat these by the bucket load! They are so yummy and a breeze to prepare!

4 eggs
1 cup cream
sea salt and cracked pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
250g diced bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
sliced cherry tomatoes to decorate

Preheat oven to 180C.

Fry off the onion on a pan until cooked. Fry off bacon until cooked to your liking.

Place the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and parmesan in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stri through the bacon and onion. Pour the mixture into a mini muffin tray that has been well greased.

Bake for ten minutes or until puffed and golden. Makes 24. E.