Saltimbocca

(From Food Safari - See link on the right)

Recipe by Guy Grossi

Saltimbocca translates as 'jump in the mouth'.

INGREDIENTS

6 veal girello steaks (see note)
6 sage leaves
3 slices prosciutto, halved
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
20g butter
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp stock (brodo)
Splash of dry white wine (vino bianco)

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat veal steaks with the flat side of a meat mallet, to even out the thickness. Place a sage leaf onto each and then a piece of prosciutto.
2. Fold over a section of the veal to enclose the prosciutto and tap again with the meat mallet. Lightly dust the veal with flour.
3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add the butter (this helps to brown the meat and gives a nutty flavour). Add veal and sauté quickly on one side, the heat just kisses the meat.
4. ,Season with salt and pepper, garlic and parsley.
5. When golden turn over and add stock and wine. Cook second side for just a couple of minutes.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and spoon over the hot, foaming sauce. Traditionally this dish would be served with Gnocchi Romano (a semolina gnocchi) pan-fried in butter.

Note: Girello is a cut of veal from the back leg. You can buy this as a whole piece, trim off the sinew and cut into 1cm thick slices. The trimmings with vegetables can be used to make a stock (brodo).

Chicken Kashmiri-style

From Cheryl Potts (again :)
Serves 4

1 fresh chicken approximately 1.5kg
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cummin
1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 chicken stock cube
150ml water
120g ground almonds
120g ground pistachio
280ml yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron

Remove the skin from the chicken. Using a sharp knife cut away as much of the flesh as possible from the carcass. Cut the chicken into convenient sized pieces.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onion until it is golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic and pieces of chicken and fry rapidly for about 5min. Add the spices, water and chicken stock cube and simmer for about half an hour. Blend the ground nuts with the yoghurt. Mix the saffron with a teaspoonful of hot water. Add the yoghurt and saffron and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10min before serving.

(From Spicy And Delicious by Priya Wickramasinghe, 1979)

The Best Veggie Lasagna EVER

Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants
salt
olive oil spray
4 medium red capsicums
750g jar tomato pasta sauce (I use passata)
lasagna pasta sheets
250g mozzarella, sliced

Pistachio Pesto:
75g pistachios
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tbl Parmesan

Cheese Sauce:
80g butter
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Parmesan

1. Make the pesto, blending all ingredients together in a blender. If making the day before, store in a jar with a layer of oil on top.

2. Cut eggplant into slices and sprinkle with salt. Stand for 20 min. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Spray oil onto oven trays. Spread eggplant onto oven trays and spray generously with oil. Bake at 200'C for 40min or until browned.

3. Quarter the capsicums and clean them. Roast skin under grill or on barbecue, until skin blackens. Remove skin and cut into strips.

4. Make white sauce. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add flour and fry for 2 min, stirring constantly. Add a little milk and whisk until lumps have gone. Add rest of milk and whisk until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat and stir through Parmesan.

5. Assemble the lasagna. Oil a deep rectangular dish. Layer ingredients in this order;
1/3 of tomato pasta sauce
1/3 of lasagna sheets
1/3 of tomato pasta sauce
1/2 of eggplant
1/2 of capsicum
1/2 of cheese
1/3 lasagna sheets
remaining tomato pasta sauce
remaining capsicum
remaining cheese
remaining lasagna sheets
remaining eggplant
spread pesto over eggplant
top with white sauce

6. Bake, covered, in a moderate oven for 30min, then uncovered for 30min.

Tip: Make pesto, capsicum and eggplant the day before.
Thanks to David Whitehand for this recipe.

Pizza Base

This is VERY easy to do, and makes pizza feel more like a special meal.

Makes 1 thick or 2 thin 30cm bases.
7g sachet dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons semolina or polenta

1. Combine yeast, salt, sugar and 1 cup quite warm water in a large mixing bowl. Leave, covered until mixture is foamy. If in cold house, you may need to cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 10 min.
2. Sift flour into the mixture. Mix and then knead into a dough. Mixture should be dry enough that it doesn't stick to your hands but not too dry or it will be tough when cooked. Knead on floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
3. Spray a tray with oil and sprinkle with semolina or polenta. Place dough on tray and push with fists to spread it into the corners. It can be quite thin.
4. Mix some passata (thick tomato found in large jars in supermarket) with crushed garlic, fresh or dried thyme, oregano and basil (for example). Spread onto bases. Top with desired ingredients (eg pancetta, bocconcini, sliced tomato and add fresh basil leaves after cooked).
5. Bake in hot oven (210'C) for 30 min. You can lift base with a spatula to see if it is cooked through.

Nanna's Easy Scones

450g SR flour (2 1/2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to hot (225'C/450'F).
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Rub butter through roughly with fingers.
4. Add milk gradually until dough just comes together. Use hands to mix. Dry mixture makes moist scones, wet mixture makes dry scones.
5. Turn out onto a well floured surface. Pat with hands into smooth shape about 2cm thick.
6. Cut into shape (I use a glass) and put onto scone tray, fairly close together. Dab a bit of milk onto each one.
7. Bake in hot oven for 7-9 minutes. Scones turn out better when under rather than over cooked.
8. Serve hot with jam and cream.

If there are any left, store them in a clean tea-towel and refresh the next day in microwave for 10 seconds.

Brownies

Melt 250g butter
1 1/3 cups sifted plain flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa, sifted
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all ingredients. Bake in a greased and lined tin at 170'C for 50 minutes. Cool and slice into squares to serve.

Swiss Muesli

Serves 2
Healthy, yummy and quicker than porridge.
1 apple, grated
1/2 cup thick plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons chopped almonds or hazelnuts
1 cup rolled oats (can be quick cooking variety)
canned fruit - peaches are good

Mix all ingredients except the canned fruit. Serve immediately, topped with the fruit.

From Cooking: A Common Sense Guide, by Family Circle.