Can anyone refuse this week’s cracker of a meal at our place?

Well the winters cold is nipping at our ears, snow is falling on the near by hills and Slow-cooked lamb shanks served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes is all I can think of.

Here’s one of my new favourites, us in Sun-dried tomatoes and Pesto along with capsicums and Spanish onion. Well strap in as I go and give the new cast iron cooker a tryout….

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About:

Diabetic, Egg free, Heart friendly, Low Carb, Low GI, Nut free, Gluten Free

Easy to cook

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 3 ½ Hours

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3-4 tbs  first pressing Extra Virgin olive oil
• 6 Frenched lamb shanks
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 2 red capsicum, seeds removed, thickly sliced
• 2 yellow capsicum, seeds removed, thickly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300ml white wine (preserved the rest to have with dinner)
• 3 tbs sun-dried tomato pesto
• 2 cups (500ml) lamb or beef stock ( I prefer Beef Consumme’)
• 10 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
• Leaves of 1 long sprig rosemary
• 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Creamy mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. (fan forced or conventional)
2. Heat the oil in a cast iron cooker (pot) over high heat and brown lamb shanks in batches to seal on all sides. Remove and set aside. (be careful as the hot oil really burns)
3. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, capsicum and garlic to the casserole. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until vegetables start to soften (the onions will become translucent).
4. Add wine, pesto and stock, and then return shanks to pan.
5. Add tomato and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover, and roast in oven for 2 1/2 hours.
6. Remove lid and cook for a further hour. Stir in parsley, reserving a little to garnish.
7. To serve, dollop mash on good size plates, sit a shank on top and spoon around some sauce and vegetables.
8. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Note: I make a special potato bake which I use as the base for the meal and place fresh beans on the side drizzled with a good olive oil and sea salt

Well again it’s winter but really this is a dish that is just as good in spring or summer, slow cooked leg of lamb (7 hours) and I am going to try a new slow cooker (Kambrook 6 litre)

About:

Diabetic, Egg free, Heart friendly, Low Carb, Low GI, Nut free, Gluten Free

Easy to cook

Ingredients

• 4 anchovy fillets, patted dry
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
• 1 leg of lamb 1.8 to 2 kg leg of lamb (must be able to fit into pot)
• 1 x 200 g piece of pork rind with 5mm fat attached (optional but really nice)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsb. olive oil
• 2 bouquets garnis (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalk, celery)
• Kitchen string
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml chicken stock

If you have a cast iron cooking pot then you also need:

• bit of flour around ½ a cup
• water

Preparation

The important thing here is the pot or in my case the slow cooker. I have a new 6lt slow cooker which so far has been great. But if you are fortunate to have a good quality heavy cast iron oval ovenproof dish with a tight-fitting lid that will hold everything snugly.

Follow the pre-cooking instructions for your specific electric slow cooker or if you are using a cast iron pot then preheat the oven to 120ºC/250ºF.

Cut the anchovy fillets into 12 pieces

¼ the garlic cloves into 12 pieces

Make 12 incisions into the lamb and insert a piece of anchovy and a piece of garlic into each. (Hint: I use a boning or filleting knife if you have one)

Grind pepper over lamb and rub with salt.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy fry-pan and brown the lamb on all sides. (if you are using the cast iron pot use it here instead)

Now prep your bouquet garnis. Pretty straight forward cut the celery stalk into pieces about 15 – 20 cm, if you have fresh bay leaf bruise it by crushing in your hand tightly wrap the thyme stalks and bay leaf inside the celery stalks and wrap te kitchen string around until firm (HINT: lay the kitchen string out on the chopping board this will allow you to place the bouquet garnis onto the string)

Now this is where the recipe can go 1 of 2 ways if you have an electric slow cooker then:

• Remove the browned meat and bacon rind from the backing dish or pan you used to brown the meat in an place into the slow cooker

• Put the pork rind into the pan you browned the meat in, fat side down
• Once it has rendered, deglaze the fry-pan with the stock and pour over the lamb

• Add the wine and the bouquets garnis to the lamb and stock.

• Put on the lid and wait

If you are using a cast iron pot then there is an additional step:

Seal the pot before it goes into the pre-heated oven

• Mix up a paste from the flour and water. Use the paste to glue the lid to the dish.
• Stand the dish on a baking tray to catch any drips, and put it in the oven. Forget about it for 7 hours.
• After it’s done, remove the dish from the oven and break the seal. Prepare to be overwhelmed with a most excellent aroma

Gravy:

Collect the juices to serve as gravy. Add corn flour and if you feel naughty cream and stir into a thick rich decadent gray.

I would normally serve this in winter with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans.

but how good will th coffee be and at what cost?

To operate, first you need to manually pump the gadget until it reaches the green zone in its pressure gauge. You then fill the small water tank with boiling water and put ground coffee into the even smaller filter,

which can be messy. Screw on the lid, turn the machine over and press the release button, and pressurised air drives the water through the coffee and into your cup.

The idea behind this on the go gadget is great, but unfortunately it fails to deliver good quality coffee. The espresso is very weak, with little crème and large air bubbles released towards the end of the operation. The water in the tank doesn’t maintain the desirable 87°C-93°C long enough. As a result, the temperature of the coffee in the cup is lower than ideal, resulting in under extracted coffee. Additionally you will need access to boiling water when travelling or camping
Our verdict on the Handpresso
Given the Handpresso’s high price tag along with a lack of coffee quality, we really couldn’t recommend it unless you just really want the latest toy.Hanpresso Demo
Price $199
Contact or

The pub has a friendly atmosphere quite laid back and feels like you are a local. The décor is a little dated but very comfortable and fits the historical elements. For those interested in the local history there is a great deal of memorabilia taste fully adorning the buildings walls.

Grain fed porterhouse steak (500gram) with fresh Mushroom sauce, roast potatoes, pumpkin and steamed Broccoli and Carrots [$25.90]

Grain fed porterhouse steak (500gram) with Surf and Turf sauce, roast potatoes, pumpkin and steamed Broccoli and Carrots [$25.90]

Barn Raised Chicken Breast Schnitzel [$17.50]

Roast of the day was Turkey with vegetables

Caesar Salad with Cajian Chicken, Cos lettuce, Bacon, Croutons, Poached egg and Caesar dressing (it was optioned without the anchovies)

Battered Butterfish served with fresh cut chips and sliced lemon [$16.90]

Set upon the top of a cliff face this historical pub is well worth the 10 minute walk from the houseboat mooring.

The meals would fit in any city restaurant of upper end pub, but the prices are quite reasonable. All the produce is locally sought and on the night we went in the meat man had not been able to deliver the Eye Fillets that we got our hearts set on. I must admit the Poorhouses’ did not disappoint the meat had been hanging for 12 days and was cooked to perfection a true medium. Tender and juicy it had been rested to perfection, the vegetables that had been baked had a smooth country lard flavour, it took me back to growing up and enjoying Sunday lunch as a child.

The Butterfish was moist and flaky, we went for a crumbed version, but you could have chosen to have it battered we chose a side of chips instead of roast vegetables. Great value here.

The Roast of the day was a hearty serve of Roast Turkey, was moist and enough with the vegetables (unfortunately it came with a non-gluten free gravy option) otherwise it was a value meal. I must admit we did not ask if there was an option for gluten free sauces, but I feel the kitchen would not have too much issue with this request as they treated us as if we had been guests in their homes.

The obligatory Australian meal had to be ordered, yes you guessed it Garlic Prawns on a bed of rice, and in this case they where a hit. The prawns fresh and sweet (not frozen) the garlic butter with a hint of chives was a fresh accompaniment to the meal. You usually expect a fatty sludge when you order this meal which generally reeks of garlic. This Garlic Prawns is up there with the best we have ever had and great value.

The next obligatory Aussie favourite chicken Parma, or at least grain fed chicken breast fillet, this was for a plain eater it had the option of gravy, or the following sauces, Pepper, Dianne or Mushroom. The chicken was fresh and the crumbing quite light it came with vegetables or chips and we chose ships.

Drinks where at bar prices which is reasonable almost RSL pricing and if you are lucky with the machines or Keno you can end up having a really cheap night.

Then there was the Cajian Chicken Caesar Salad, which looked fantastic and was ordered less the anchovies. The soft boiled or poached egg for the top was cold and almost hard boiled, but the rest of the salad redeemed itself, all in all a fresh alternative to the heavy meals the rest of us went for.

The Swan Reach Hotel is located in Main Street Swan Reach South Australia (08-8570-2003) if you are in the area or just touring the Barossa Valley you would do yourself a favour to visit the Swan Reach Hotel, they also have accommodation at reasonable pricing but you know the rule please check first as prices can vary dependant on the season.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg desiree potatoes
• 1 x 55g egg
• 2 tbs grana parmesan
• 125g plain flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 300g fresh prawn meat
• 60g unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tsp salted baby capers, rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• Verjuice (or if you cannot get some lemon juice will be fine)

Sage butter

Method

Place unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. The potatoes must be neither under nor over cooked, test with a skewer -when it is easily inserted, they are cooked (avoid testing too frequently otherwise they may become water logged).




Drain potatoes into a colander, cover with a fresh tea towel and place colander over the original pot in a warm place for 10 minutes to drain completely.




Peel potatoes and pass through a mouli (if you do not have a mouli you can just mash them but it’s a lot more work. I went to Ikea and bought this great potatoe masher you don’t even have to peel them AU$20.00), in batches, into the original dry saucepan.




Gently mix in the egg, salt and parmesan.




Sieve in the flour and combine with a few swift folds.




Tip potato mixture out onto a lightly floured bench and gently work it into a smooth homogeneous (uniform) mound.




Using a pastry scrape, scrape down the bench, wash and dry your hands and lightly flour the surface again.




Cut off ¼ of the potato mix at a time and roll out into a sausage shape to a thickness of about 1½ cm.




Cut each sausage into 2cm pieces. Makes about 60 pieces.




Place these on a tray lined with grease proof paper, ready for cooking in salted boiling water (if you are preparing this early it would be advised to cover them with cling wrap, ensure you uncover them about 10 minutes before cooking).




For the sage butter, heat the butter in a shallow frying pan. When starting to bubble, add the sage leaves and cook until crisp and almost translucent. Pour through a sieve placed over a bowl.




Recover the leaves and spread them on paper towel to drain. Keep warm. Reserve butter.




When ready to cook the gnocchi, heat 20g of unsalted butter in a wide frying pan. It should reach beurre noisette (nut brown stage) before adding 100g of prawn meat.




Sauté for one minute, deglaze with a dash of verjuice and add 2 tsp of capers.




Cook gnocchi in a large pan of boiling salted water in small batches of 20 pieces at a time.




Shortly after the gnocchi has risen to the surface (test to see if it is cooked) remove with a strainer, drain and add to the pan.




Toss the pan to coat the gnocchi in the butter.




Season with salt and pepper and add 1 tbs of chopped parsley.




Spoon among 2 of serving plates and top with fried sage leaves.




Repeat




Deglaze the pan with a little of the sage butter previously saved and pour over the finished gnocchi.




Repeat twice more to complete 6 serves.




Serves 6 as Entree

This announcement ahs been plastered accross the US and in some cases the Southern Pacific, there is a documented alert for Salmonella poisining from some pistachios products. This alert should not stop you enjoying Pistachios as not all suppliers are under scrutiny for this alert. In fact many have been practicing good food processing and handeling so there products are safe. I have neeb in contact with April Shunn Williams from Paramount farms and have agreed to post this updated news. Please look at the list below for a safe supplier or producer, we must all remember in these hard financial times that to boycott all growers and producers could be detremental to their livelyhood and the industry. We all enjoy the texture and taste of good quality Pistachios in our recipies and should support the industry at this time.

A quick recipie: Lamb cutlets with pistachos and nectarine salsa

Ingredients

Marinade
12 lamb cutlets
1tbsp olive oil
juice 2 oranges
2 tbsp grated orange rind
1/4 cup spicy fruit chutney

Salsa
1/2 punnet Fresh Pistachios, peeled, split and roughly chopped
juice 2 oranges
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 small cinnamon stick
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
3-4 nectarines, cut into chunks

Method
Combine marinade ingredients, add cutlets and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare salsa by combining half the coriander and half the pistachios with all other ingredients. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and allow to cool.
Barbecue or char grill or even use the George Forman or simular grill cutlets 2-3 minutes each side.
Serve with fresh pistachio salsa and sprinkle with remaining pistachios and extra coriander if desired.

A list of safe providers and links:

A&P Growers
American Golden
Barons
Berkley & Jensen Pistachios
Braga Farms
Braga Organic Farms
Cal Delights
Cal Fruit and Nut
Country Best
Cowboy
CVS Brand Gold Emblem Natural
Pistachios
CVS Brand Gold Emblem
Pistachio Kernels
Divine Organics
Doug Braga
Eagle Ranch Pistachios
Eden Organic
Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios
Flannigans
Futters Nut Butter
Garvey Nut
Giant
Golden Orchards Pistachios
Gust Picoulas
Harris Ranch
Heart of the Desert
Horizon Growers
Keenan Farms
Kirkland Everybody’s Nuts
Kopali
La Montanita Food
Lattitude 1
Living Intentions
Maisie Jane’s
Mamco
Marra Bros.
Melace Family
Meridian Nut Growers
Mount Hope
Nuts and Spice
Paramount Farms
Rosetti Fine Foods
Royal Himalayan
Sam’s International
San Joaquin Valley Farms
Sherman Thomas Ranch
Snack Club
Snakerz
Southern Grove
Specialty Commodities
Sunkist Pistachios
Sunridge Farms
The Nutty Gourmet
Wonderful Pistachios
Yurosek Farms

http://pistachiorecall.org/
http://www.fda.gov/pistachios/

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Please note: we have opinions! If we don’t like the food it does not mean that we are disrespecting Korea (as some people have told us before). We have a right to say whether we like something or not!

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