Monday, 9 June 2014

Comfort food

WINTER has kicked in and with it brings some delicious, hearty, belly-warming comfort food.
What better way to end a meal on a chilly evening than with an old-school style dessert, which feels like a big hug from your mum or grandmother?
I may be getting a little nostalgic, but to me that’s what comfort food is all about.
So, I decided to treat my little lads (and big lad) to a trip down my memory lane and throw together a gorgeous apple, pear and mixed berry crumble.
This recipe does digress from the traditional versions here, but it still very much comes under the “comfort food” classification.
Plus it was a great incentive for the lads to eat everything on their plates, even the green stuff.
The best thing about recipes like these is that you can adapt them according to whatever you have in the fruit bowl or pantry – make it your own but I do encourage you to stick with the almonds or some sort of nuts, it really makes it.



Apple, Pear and Mixed Berry Crumble

Ingredients
1 large apple
2 pears
¾ cup – 1 cup of mixed frozen berries
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces
¾ cup self raising flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flaked almonds

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Stew apple and pears until soft. Place into an oven-proof dish (or individual ramekins) and mix through berries.
To make the crumble, rub the butter into the flour, coconut and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the fruit and top with the almonds.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with custard, ice cream or both.




Sunday, 1 June 2014

The patties...

Well now, let's hope no-one was hanging out for the next instalment of the burgers I was banging on about because quite frankly you would have starved! Sorry about that folks, but I'm totally using the I'm a wife/have children/busy life card to excuse the delay.
Anyway, onwards and upwards! 

As I mentioned in the previous post, these burgers were inspired by SBS Feast magazine and these patties in particular are a take on the Dominican Republic's "Chimi Burger" recipe. 
Yum. Yum. Yum.

Ingredients
500g minced beef
1tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sauce
Half a punnet of cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2tsp Dijon mustard
2tsp red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
pinch of sugar

Method
Combine all ingredients, leaving the egg until last. Using damp hands, mix well and shape into patties. Refrigerate until ready to cook/eat.
To make sauce, heat tomatoes and garlic in a dash of olive oil in a small saucepan before adding the remaining ingredients.Cook until combined and heated through. Allow to cool slightly.

Put your burger together however you please! We added tomato, cheddar cheese and some fresh lettuce leaves... and plenty of the sauce - that is the hero.


And the chips?
Well, I simply wash and chop some potatoes (I like Ruby Lou) and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Place in the fridge for ten minutes or so to dry out, coat with olive oil and sea salt and pop into a hot oven (190-200 degrees Celsius) until golden and crispy.