Date, Orange and Coconut Balls

These high protein balls are gluten and sugar free and a great snack for those moments when you are searching the pantry for something sweet. They last in the fridge for months, well, for as long as you can keep away from these delicious little morsels.

 

2 cups pitted dates

½ cup warm water                               

1 cup whole almonds, skin on

1 cup organic rice puffs

½ cup quinoa

¼ cup desiccated coconut

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Shredded coconut, to coat balls

Soak dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Using a food processor place whole almonds and process until the almonds are finely chopped. 

Add dates in liquid, rice puffs, quinoa, desiccated coconut, zest and juice of orange. Process until mixture has combined.

Shape teaspoonfuls of this mixture into balls, and then place onto a tray. Repeat this until you have used up all the mixture. Balls should be kept small as this mixture is rich.

Roll balls into shredded coconut and place into a clean, air tight storage jar. Store in the fridge.

 

Italian Meatballs with 'gluten free' pasta

Italian Meatballs with ‘Gluten Free’ pasta

Italian Meatballs with ‘Gluten Free’ pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Parsley stalks, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 kg mince beef

2 eggs

Bunch parsley, chopped

1 litre pasta sauce, including fresh tomatoes

2 large zucchini’s

Heat large frying pan. Add olive oil, and cook onions, garlic and parsley stalks. Cook on med low until soft.

 

In a large bowl, add minced meat, eggs and chopped parsley and season well. Add onion mixture and mix well. 

Place pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes and tomato paste into the same frypan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.

Shape raw mince mixture into balls, then add raw to pasta sauce, cover and simmer 30 minutes, turning meatballs over half way.

  

 

Finely shred large zucchini's. Place in bowl, cover with boiling water and blanch 10 minutes.

Serve zucchini 'pasta' with meatballs and plenty of sauce.

a fab gluten free option when serving pasta

Our boys always want pasta!

 

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

meaning 'Pick me up' in Italian, is an Italian dessert with soaked sponge fingers and mascarpone cheese or cream layers.

We find most people prefer freshly whipped cream over mascarpone, as it is not as rich to enjoy. This dessert is best made the day prior, as all the flavours need time to combine. for a stunning dessert, this is best served in a glass bowl or dish to appreciate seeing all the layers.

½ cup cocoa

½ cup drinking chocolate

½ cup icing sugar

3 tablespoons instant coffee

3 cups warm water

4 tablespoons marsala or coffee liqueur

600ml thickened cream, lightly whipped

1 large packet of sponge fingers (savoiardi)

cocoa, for dusting

Sift cocoa, drinking chocolate and icing sugar together in a shallow dish. Add coffee and warm water gradually, stirring to remove all lumps.

Divide biscuits into 3. Dip one-third of the biscuits into the coffee mixture to cover the base of a large glass serving dish. Make sure the biscuits are really wet and full of liquid, and really soft to touch. Cover the biscuits with one-third of the cream.

Repeat layers 2 times, ending with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dust generously with cocoa and serve.

Serves 6.

Layering the soaked sponge fingers in glass bowl

Spooning cream over sponge fingers

Sprinkling cocoa on the Tiramisu

heading out to a party

Tiramisu

Le tiramisu, qui veut dire « console-moi » en italien, est un dessert à base de biscuits à la cuillère et de crème ou de mascarpone.

Il semblerait que la plupart de gens préfèrent utiliser de la crème battue, moins lourde que le mascarpone. Il vaut mieux préparer ce dessert la veille, pour laisser à toutes les saveurs le temps de se mélanger. Nous vous conseillons de le servir dans un bol ou dans un plat en verre pour mettre en valeur les différentes couches.

½ tasse de cacao

½ tasse de chocolat en poudre

½ tasse de sucre glace

3 cuillères à soupe de café instantané

3 tasses d’eau chaude

4 cuillères à soupe de Marsala ou liqueur de café

600ml de crème épaisse légèrement battue

1 grand paquet de biscuits à la cuillère (Savoiardi)

Du cacao en poudre

Tamisez ensemble dans un plat peu profond le cacao, le chocolat en poudre et le sucre glace. Incorporez graduellement le café et l’eau chaude en remuant bien pour éliminer tous les grumeaux.

Coupez les biscuits en 3 et trempez un tiers des morceaux dans le mélange à base de café pour tapisser le fond d’un grand plat en verre. Assurez-vous que les biscuits sont vraiment mous et imbibés de liquide. Recouvrez les biscuits d’un tiers de la crème.

Répétez cette alternance entre crème et biscuits 2 fois en terminant par une couche de crème. Recouvrez d’un film plastique et réfrigérez au moins 2 heures. Saupoudrez généreusement de cacao et servez.

Pour 6 personnes.

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Vietnamese Betel Leaves

Vietnamese Betel Leaves

The betel leaf in grown throughout South East Asia and comes from the vine of the pepper and kava families. It is commonly used for medicinal and mild stimulant properties. The betel leaf is widely used as a tobacco and the betel leaf also plays an important role in the Vietnamese culture. In Vietnamese there is a saying that "the betel begins the conversation", referring to the practice of people chewing betel in formal occasions or "to break the ice" in awkward situations.

Sourcing betel leaves in Sydney can be difficult. Try the Asian grocers in Chinatown and the Fiji markets in Newtown.

10 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup olive oil
6 dried long red chillies, seeded

½ cup basmati rice, raw
1 x 5 cm (2 in) piece galangal, finely sliced

3 cm piece lemongrass, finely sliced

1 bunch coriander

3 kaffir lime leaves, julienned

2 tablespoons palm sugar, shaved
3 tablespoons fish sauce

4 tablespoons Chilli jam

Juice of 2 limes
1 whole smoked river trout, remove skin and flake meat

1 green mango, peeled and finely shredded
2 red eschallots, peeled and thinly sliced
20 betel leaves

Finely slice the cloves of garlic. Heat the oil in a wok or pan and shallow fry the garlic until lightly golden. Drain the garlic on absorbent paper. 

Heat remaining oil in wok, add the chillies and cook quickly until they change colour for 10–12 seconds. Remove and drain. Add raw rice to oil and cook, stirring continually until golden brown. Remove from wok and drain. Dry roast galangal and lemongrass in a pan until fragrant. Set aside to cool. 

 

 
Pound the garlic, galangal, rice, chillies, roots and stalks of the fresh coriander and kaffir lime leaves in a mortar and pestle to a fine paste.

In a small saucepan, place palm sugar, fish sauce, chilli jam and heat until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Add lime juice.

To assemble, combine flaked trout, shredded mango, sliced eschallots and chopped coriander leaves. Add garlic chilli paste with palm sugar mixture, then gently fold together. Rinse betel leaves and let dry.

 

Place spoonful onto betel leaves, top with chopped fresh chilli (optional). Repeat with remaining  ingredients.

 

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup was documented during the Roman times, but in the 18th century, the French cuisine created the modern day recipe we enjoy today. Traditionally made from caramelised onions, rich beef stock and melted gruyere cheese on toasted baguettes.

Don't be distracted with less authentic recipes, cutting corners using flour and sugar to caramelise and thicken the soup. Not only does this change the flavour of the soup, but it will also create more problems along the way.

French Onion Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 kgs brown onions, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups beef stock

1 baguette, thickly sliced

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

Heat a heavy based saucepan over high heat. Add oil and onions and season well. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, for 45 minutes or until onions soften and then caramelise.

Add stock and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat grill. Arrange bread on a baking tray. Sprinkle cheese on bread. Grill until cheese melts. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheese croutons.

Finely slice onions for best results

Cooking onions until they soften

Caramelise onions for a rich robust flavour

Add beef stock and simmer a further 15 minutes

Grill cheese on baguette slices until golden

 

French onion Soup - Wonderful winter meal

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