Magic Bunny

The perfect juicy medium rare steak

2009-12-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

The secret to a perfect steak at home is to buy the best quality meat at your local butcher and marinate it in olive oil 15 minutes before cooking.

To get a medium rare steak, cook it on high heat for 3 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other side and seal the sides for 30 seconds each. Rest the meat on a plate for 3-5 minutes before serving and voila.

I've made a cus cus, tomato, boconccini and basil salad and garlic green beans to go with.

Garlic green beans:
1. Fry 3-5 cloves of garlic in olive oil till golden.
2. Add beans and lightly fry and coat with garlic.
3. Pour vegetable or chicken stock till beans almost covered.
4. Steam with lid on till wilted (10-15 mins).
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Burnt vanilla custard

2009-12-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Heat 2 cups cream, don't boil. Whisk in 5 egg yolks, 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup brown sugar and stir till thick.

Pour into ramekin dishes and chill for a few hours. To serve, top with caster sugar and burn with brulee torch.

Chicken Curry revisited

2009-12-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

I've already posted this recipe but the pictures were crap for the best recipe on the blog!

First off, you're better off buying a whole chicken and cutting it up into pieces than buying chicken pieces. It only takes 5 minutes to do but you need a strong and sharp knife.

1.Remove the thighs and seperate each thigh into 2 parts (upper and lower)
2.Cut off the wings
3.Split the carcass in two - breasts and back
4. Split the breasts, cutting through the bones. Then cut each breast into 3 pieces
5.Split the back in two
6. Keep the neck for flavour, some people like to chomp on it, like me

Chicken curry ingredients:
Chicken pieces
3 tablespoons Curry powder for chicken curry
2 red onions, slice
Ginger, thumb size, pound
8-10 garlic, pound
1 small can evaporated milk
1 small can coconut milk
1 cinnamon stick
8-10 cloves
3 star anise
8 cardomon

Old post

More flowers in jugs

2009-12-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

I can't get enough of flowers in jugs and I've bought a new, taller and glass jug for the dining table. I spent a bit too much on the flowers this week because I missed the market and went to rip-off merchant at the mall, but I'm happy with the oranges and touch of red.

I started by placing the large orange flowers in the jug first and kept them quite tall, then filled in the gaps with the whispy orange bunches, trying to keep a dome shape top and put the red ones in last.

I also got floral twisty ties to wrap around the stems and under the head of my flowers to keep them upright for longer.

Top tip: To make your flowers last longer mix a spoonful of sugar and dash of vinegar into the water and change the water everyday.

Steamed flounder

2009-12-16T05:07:00.000-08:00

My mum used to make me steamed flounder when I was a kid - and whenever I was putting on too much weight. She'd make three slits across the flat fish and top it with slivers of ginger, wedges of tomato, garlic, thinly sliced spring onion (lengthwise) and drizzle sesame oil, soy sauce and dry sherry - steam for 20-35 mins depending on size of fish and a sweet and delicate sauce would form in the dish after steaming.

I've served it with brown rice and lightly stir fried vegetables (yellow capsicum, spring onion, onion and baby corn) with a drizzle of soy sauce and splash of oyster sauce.

Easy-as-pie chocolate cake

2009-12-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

Chocolate cake batter:
250g butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup high quality cocoa powder
1 cup sour cream
250g dark chocolate, melted

Cream sugar in butter until completely melted then stir in eggs quickly and don't let your mixture curdle. Add other ingredients until just combined (don't over-mix) and pour into cake tin. Bake at 160 degrees c for 55 mins - 1 hr and cool in tin.

Chocolate glaze:
150g dark chocolate
1/3 cup cream
thumb of butter

Combine ingredients in saucepan and melt over low heat until smooth. Stand for 5 mins then spread ontop of cake.

For a deli style cake, slice a strawberry into 5 sections but keeping it intact, fan out and place one ontop of each slice of cake.

Roast beef dinner with polenta

2009-12-13T02:05:00.000-08:00

To cook roast beef, add 1tbsp of flour into a roasting oven bag and marinate joint with honey and wholegrain mustard (just salt and pepper will do just fine too). Puncture bag and place in 190-200 deg c fan forced oven for 45-55mins (for a .8kg-1kg joint) for a medium roast in the middle and well done on the sides. Rest joint for 5 mins before serving and slicing.

Serve with polenta (follow instructions on pack), boiled baby carrots and a handful of spinach leaves, as well as mustard and gravy.

Berry mascarpone tart

2009-12-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Crust: Crush 250g digestive biscuits and mix 100g melted butter to form a dough. Press into a tart tin and chill 1 hour before topping.

Topping: whip 250g mascarpone with 1 tsp vanilla extract and spread on crust. top with 2 punnets berries and mint leafs to garnish.

Oxtail lasagne

2009-11-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

This lasagne recipe is by far the best. Using oxtail instead of mince gives a smokey bbq flavour and the meat a slight jerky-like texture. It's very heavy, but you won't be able to stop eating!

1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 kg oxtail
2 x onions, carrots, celery, garlic cloves - finely chopped
140g tomato paste
400g canned tomato
1 L beef stock
1 cup red wine
600ml vincotto (sub. balsamic vinegar)
2 tbsp brown sugar
6 sheets fresh pasta
1 cup grated parmesan

Besciamella:
1 white onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 bay leaf
5 cups milk
100g butter
100g flour

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Cook oxtail in batches, for 10-15 mins until brown.
Add onions, carrot, celery, garlic and cook for 5 mins till soft and add tomato paste.

Return oxtail, add can tomatoes, stock, wine, vincotto and season with sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and cook in oven for 4 hours till meat falls off bone.
Cool, skim fat.

Shred meat off bones and boil sauce.
Simmer and reduce to 6 cups.

Besciamella:
Combine onion, cloves, bay leaf and milk in saucepan. Boil and simmer 5 mins. Strain. Melt butter, add flour and stir, 1 min, Remove from heat and whisk in milk. Cook 10 mins till thick and season.

Bake ;asagne 180 degress, 40 mins till golden brown.

Mum's jam tart

2009-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

(makes 2 x 24cm tarts)

500g flour
250g butter
180g sugar
1 egg + 2 yolks
1/2 tbsp baking powder

Making pastry using rubbing-in method and work quickly, especially if it's a hot day. Split ball of dough into 2 and press 2/3 of each ball into a 24cm casing. Fill with jam of your liking and top tart with flattened crumbs of dough, or balls, or the traditional ribbon pattern top - you can get creative here.

Bake 180-200 degrees till golden brown (20-35 mins).

Lamb shoulder cassrole

2009-11-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

700g lamb shoulder (marinated in 'souvalaki' seasoning from wollies or plain) - cut fat off

Coast lamb in flour and fry in oil + butter. Set aside in casserole dish.
Fry finely diced onion, carrot, celery (just remember: 1 onion, 1 carrot and 2 stalks of celery for any casserole or stock). Add 1 tbsp tomatoe paste, I cup of chicken stock, I cup of red wine (or red wine vinegar), 1 sprig rosemary.

Cook at 180 degress for 1.5-2 hours and rest 1/2 hr before serving.

Variations: Serve with mash potatoes OR cook cubed potatoes in casserole and serve with cus cus.

Flowers in jugs

2009-11-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

I love arranging flowers in jugs, and the best things about that is; it's easy to to pour the water out to change it every other day, which makes the flowers last longer.

Another tip to make your flowers last longer is to add sugar and vinegar to the water, just a dash will do.

To arrange your flowers, cut the flower stems to different lengths and stick them in, one at a time, in whichever position works for you and makes you happy. Do the flowers first, and then the greens later (and try to go higher, using the greens to create a backdrop and fill in gaps in between and underneath with shorter and less bulky stems).

Keep a look out for in-season flowers between $5-7 per bunch at the markets and spend another $2-3 on whispy greens which liven any colour up. These ones smell like honey every time you walk past and I've put the extras in a jar.

Blueberry pancakes

2008-10-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

These pancakes are sure to get you out of bed on the weekend. Throw your maple syrup away — even plain pancakes are so easy to enjoy with a sprinkling of icing sugar and lemon juice.

A simple pancake batter will do— the trick is to place the blueberries after the batter is on the pan.

Pancake batter recipe:
1 cup self raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup buttermilk **
1 egg
35 butter, melted

** substitute by combining 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice and stand for 5 mins

Steamed swimmer crab

2008-10-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is dinner. You've got to make sure to get these guys as fresh as possible — ideally alive and make them "go to sleep" by placing them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove the top shell by cutting around it, starting from the back where it's softer.

Cut out the gills and wash out the insides under cold running water.

Cut the crab into four parts and place in a steamer for 15-20 minutes.

Serve simply with lemon wedges and small mounts of salt and pepper.

Butternut and hazelnut pie

2008-10-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano.
Although the original recipe uses pumpkin puree (from a can), I've substituted it with homemade butternut puree and also use 25 percent less sugar in the filling.

Make a shortcrust pastry by combining 100g flour, pinch of salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 100g chilled butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles bread crumbs and then add the water, drop by drop and form into a ball of dough.

Chill the dough for 25 minutes.

Roll it out onto a pie dish and poke holes in the bottom. Bake with pie weights for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Make the hazelnut paste by combining 30g ground hazelnuts with 50g demerara or brown sugar and 2 tbsp softened butter.

Spread onto the bottom of pie shell and bake for 10 minutes are 230 degrees C.

Make the filling by combining 250ml of double cream, salt, cloves, cinnamon, 100g demerara or brown sugar, 1 tbsp flour...

250ml butternut puree, 2 eggs plus 1 yolk.

Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes at 170 degrees C.

Falafel Iskandar

2008-10-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

The healthiest thing you could get from a kebab shop that is never on the menu: Iskandars. It's basically the kebab you already love with more vegetables in place of the bread wrap.

Start off by making some cus-cus by following the instructions on the back of the packet.

Reheat some (bought)falafel.

And arrange finely chopped red and regular cabbage, tomatoes, grated carrots, sliced beetroot, onions, feta cheese, olive oil and drizzle some hot chilli sauce for extra zing.

Healthy lentil pasta with zuchinni and sardines

2008-10-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Canned sardines taste really good and if you're bored of tin tuna — sardines are a great thing to try. Not only are they packed with all the good oils and minerals, they're also a great source of calcium believe it or not.

Get your favourite pasta, a can of sardines in brine, spring water or even tomato sauce, whatever you fancy — half a can of lentils (you can soak your own pulses, but the canned varieties work and taste, just as good) and one zucchini.

Dice the zucchini and sauté lightly in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Add sardines and lentils and toss in the pan over a medium flame.

In the meantime, boil your pasta and drain once cooked.

Toss into pan and serve.

Wagyu beef burger

2008-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

A great way to enjoy a really good burger is to start with high quality ground beef -- it's also a more economical way of enjoying good tasting beef such as the Angus and Wagyu variates.

So once you're on a roll with a premium pattie, choose a good bread that won't turn into pink dough when you're holding onto your burger and look for a red, ripe and juicy tomato.

Slice half an onion.

And cook it with the patties on a non-stick frying pan.

When the meat is cooked (takes about 15 minutes on a medium flame), assemble your burger and enjoy!

Lamb shanks

2008-09-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Lamb shanks are not the best way to keep in shape over the summer but as a Sunday (early) dinner (and skip brunch) with an activity planned for the evening — even a small walk, are A-okay.

Marinate the lamb shanks with rosemary, bay leaves, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil (to make the marinades stick) in a roasting tray overnight.

The next day, roast the shanks in a 100 degree oven for 3 hours.

1/2 hour before the shanks are ready, sweat a leak in a pan by cutting the white part of the stalk into small rings and saut in a pan with butter. Then simmer on low with the lid down until soft. Season.

When the shanks are ready serve them with the leeks and Kumara mash, or peas, whatever you fancy.

Oven roasted bream

2008-09-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Eating more fish is a great way to stay in shape for summer. And if cooking fish is new territory for you, make friends with your local fish monger and I'm sure he'll help you along. I've never met one who didn't.

Buying fish whole is a great way to get the freshest fish. Make sure the eyes are clear and the gills are red (not brown) and its flesh springs back up after you (gently please) poke it.

Ask your fishmonger will de-scale and gut it for you.

Cut up some vegetables and a whole clove of garlic in half and arrange them around your fish in a roasting tray. Place lime, or lemon slices on the fish and you can even season it with sweet paprika, or any spice you fancy and have handy in the pantry. The back of the label usually lets you know if it will go well with fish.

Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 180 degree oven for 45 mins or till cooked — I usually take a fork and test the flesh in the middle.

Authentic hummus

2008-09-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Authentic hummus is one of the easiest things to make. It's a great snack or can be eaten as a light meal. Once you've made your own, you'll never buy the vinegary supermarket rubbish ever again.

Here's what you do;

In a pot; fry diced onion and chopped garlic till fragrant.

Add one can of chickpeas, as well as the brine, and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Throw in chopped coriander and red chillies and sit aside.

To make little pancake wraps, combine 1 cup of plain flour in a bowl with tbsp of water and mix into a ball of dough. Sit it in the fridge for 20-30 mins, split the dough into 8 equal portions and roll out pancakes. Fry them on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and viola.

You can mush the hummus up, but why would you?

Spaghetti aglioo olio pepperoncino

2008-09-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating making something fancy, impressive, different, the other night. Then I thought about my stomach and realized I wasn't in the mood for something strange and exotic with twenty ingredients.

So I called my mother and here's what she told me to do:

All you need: olive oil, chilli flakes, garlic, spaghetti.

Slice and fry garlic in olive oil.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water till al dente.

Drain pasta, toss in olive oil, fried garlic and chili flakes. Viola!

Farm-style roast

2008-09-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

I found a great way to get a crispy skin roast chicken.

Basically; pan fry the whole chicken and pour flaming brandy over it before roasting.

You can also use the juices at the bottom of the roasting tray to make a gravy.

Pan fry the whole chicken.

Take your time to brown the sides as well.

Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray with potatoes, onions, bay leaves, garlic and a splash of red wine.

Roast the chicken at 190C for 1 1/2 hr. Longer if you like bigger chickens. Make sure the juices run clear.

Plate and serve with your favourite, in-season side vegetables.

Bruschetta

2008-09-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes, Olive oil, Salt, Pepper, Herbs (whatever you have on hand - basil, parsley, dried oregano).

Rub garlic on toasted bread (whatever you fancy). Viola!

Breakfast, office lunch, dinner entré — you will love this.

In a bowl: combine tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper.

Toast bread and rub a clove of garlic over one side and watch it melt like butter.

Top toast with tomatoes and enjoy!

Art class revisited

2008-09-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone remembers high school art classes and their frustrated sketches of everyday and seemingly simple objects. You may think you've already forgotten what how to draw but actually; the secret was some logical observation plus patience all along.

Try it out for a relaxing activity and frame your work. Even if you're not feeling convinced at the end of the activity, just remember, "Art can be anything".

If you really want to learn how to draw: find an art class nearby and take a short course.

I quickly learnt drawing was a more technical skill acquired through careful observation rather than inbound talent I originally thought.

The sketch looked quite stunning framed simply and hung modestly in a corner.