ELLI LUCA

An early Xmas gift to myself. As a collector of vintage cook books I was so happy when I heard about this vintage beauty. I look forward to documenting my journey in food with these old classics. The Australian Women’s Weekly - The Retro Cookbook It's a step back in time to the fabulous fifties when the kitchen was a woman's domain and salmon mousse was the height of sophistication. Featuring pages and recipes from original 1950s AWW cookbooks, this wonderful new title traces our culinary journey from then to now, contrasting recipes from an era when the dinner party reigned supreme, to the wonderful contemporary recipes we all like to cook and share today. As well, there are iconic pages and advertisements from the mid 20th century which remind us just how far our cooking choices and meal-making skills have come.  This is a trip down memory lane - a beautifully designed book with pages from old cookbooks showing what we used to eat, old

INGREDIENTS 1 small shallot, minced 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup lime juice 1 tablespoon honey 1/3 cup sesame oil freshly ground black pepper METHOD In a small bowl, stir together the shallot, ginger, a few grinds of pepper, soy sauce, honey and lime juice. Whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in the sesame oil. Set aside. When ready to serve, whisk the dressing thoroughly to recombine the ingredients.  Great with salads, or sashimi.

Served with home made Fresh Sriracha INGREDIENTS 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled 2 C pumpkin, peeled and chopped 1 C of peas (frozen is fine) 2 TB ghee 2TB olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped half tsp ground ginger 1 and a half tsp salt 1 tsp ground coriander 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground cumin half tsp of dried chilli flakes 1 packet of Filo pastry Pepper to taste METHOD Place peeled and and cut potatoes, pumpkin and peas in a steamer and steam until soft. Divide steamed vegetables, mash half and mix in the reserved half - so you have a mix of mashed vegetables and chunky veg - this is a textural thing. In a fry pan, heat ghee and olive oil on medium high heat, add onions and saute for 10 minutes until sticky and golden - stir now and then, making sure they do not stick. Once onions are sticky and golden, add garlic, ginger, salt, c

Serves 8 Sweet Shortcrust Pastry INGREDIENTS 250 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour 75 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed a pinch of sea salt 90 g (1 cup ) confectioner's sugar, sifted 55 ml (1/4 cup) milk 2 egg yolks METHOD Place the flour, butter, salt, and confectioner's sugar in a food processor and process for 20 seconds. Add the milk and egg yolks and process for a further 30 seconds until a mass forms. Turn out to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for a few moments. Flatten and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin according to the recipe. Refrigerate until needed. Passion fruit tart INGREDIENTS 9 x 55g eggs 350g caster sugar 300ml double cream (45 per cent butterfat) 350ml passion fruit juice, strained (I also added a few seeds to the juice for texture, is up to you really) plain flour for rolling 500g sweet shortcrust pastry a little egg wash for glazing icing sugar for ser

Raspberry Sauce   INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar 250g fresh or frozen raspberries Juice of 1 lemon   METHOD Place the sugar and 2 tbs water in a small pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly, then add the berries and lemon juice. Whiz in a food processor until smooth, then pass through a sieve. (if desired) I do like it with texture. Chill until ready to serve. (You can store the sauce, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days). 

INGREDIENTS * 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast * 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F) * 3 1/2 cups Italian 000 Flour, plus additional for rolling dough * 2 teaspoons kosher salt * 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper * 1 scant tablespoon honey * 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, + some for coating the bowl/greasing the trays * 2 Medium sized potatoes * Small jar of tomato paste * 1 block of feta cheese / alternately Boursin* * Fresh rosemary * Oregano (dried) * Freshly cracked pepper & Salt Boursin is a brand of Gournay cheese. It is a soft creamy cheese available in a variety of flavours, with a flavor and texture somewhat similar to cream cheese. I use the garlic & herb METHOD In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Using a sieve or strainer, "sift" about half of the flour over the yeast mixture and blend until smooth with your hands. Add the salt, pepper and honey and mix to

This ice cream recipe is almost too good to be believed - so rich, creamy and luscious, you'd never know it's fat-free, dairy-free, and with no added sugar or preservatives, is even good for you! It only takes 4 ingredient to make this dreamy dessert. INGREDIENTS 2 Bananas  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  Juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 teaspoon of honey I find bananas that have turned brown work best for this. You may already peel and freeze your bananas for smoothies or breads or dipping in chocolate. Now you can use them to make this luscious ice cream in no time at all. METHOD Peel at least two bananas, preferably ripe, but the older they are the sweeter the end product. Break them into smaller pieces, maybe two or three each, and freeze.  Once frozen, cut into thin slices and put into blender or food processor. Add vanilla and lemon & blend until smooth.

Inspired by the delicious Pea, shallot, basil, mint & air dried ricotta salad at Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons . Yes, cold peas. But beautifully swaddled in a tumble of shallots, mint, basil and shredded air-dried ricotta. The perfect combination. INGREDIENTS 1 cup orzo pasta 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen) 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh Italian parsley Freshly cracked black pepper Sea salt 100gsm of Feta (I used Fage Authentic Greek Feta) 1 tablespoon olive oil METHOD Cook orzo in plenty of boiling salted water for 5 minutes; stir in the peas; cook until pasta is al dente and the peas are tender, about 5 minutes longer; drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan; stir in the mint and parsley; add in the orzo and peas; toss to coat; let cool and add chopped parsley & mint, freshly cracked black pepper and coarse sea salt & roughly crumbled feta. Drizzle over olive oil & serve.

INGREDIENTS * 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast * 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F) * 3 1/2 cups Italian 000 Flour, plus additional for rolling dough * 2 teaspoons kosher salt * 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper * 1 scant tablespoon honey * 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, + some for coating the bowl/greasing the trays * 2 semi ripe bananas * 300gsm jar of Nutella  METHOD In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Using a sieve or strainer, "sift" about half of the flour over the yeast mixture and blend until smooth with your hands. Add the salt, pepper and honey and mix to blend. Sift in the remaining flour and mix to blend. Lightly flour a cutting board or flat surface. Turn the pizza dough onto the floured area and knead for 3 to 5 minutes. The flour should feel smooth and the ingredients fully integrated. Place the dough inside a lightly

I had some left over bolognese but didn't want pasta again, so I decided to stuff some peppers / capsicums. INGREDIENTS Left over bolognese sauce Freshly chopped parsley to taste fresh red chili diced finely. Parmesan & or tasty cheese about 1/2 cup grated 100 gsm crumbled fetta cheese METHOD Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large baking dish with about a cup of water in the bottom & a dash of olive oil. I mixed left over Bolognese with some crumbled fetta cheese, some freshly chopped parsley and a fresh red chili diced finely. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted. I previously blogged a different recipe  here  for stuffed peppers.

INGREDIENTS 17 Unit/s Redskins (Small 8cm Ones) 1 bottle of ABSOLUT VODKA METHOD Blending Instructions: Take a full bottle of vodka and pour 1/4 of it into another bottle. Take 17 small redskins and push them into the bottle of vodka Top the bottle of vodka up from the liquid you previously poured out Leave the bottle until all of the redskins dissolve Give it a shake every now and again to help the process (This could take anywhere between 2 hours and 2 days depending on the redskins)  A layer of gum will form on top of the vodka, this is normal Once the redskins have completely dissolved poor the vodka syrup through a coffee filter to remove the gum. To serve, use one shot of redskin vodka and top with lemonade (If its too sweet you can use tonic water instead)

MENU: Home made Nandos   Served with  Spicy Sriracha Mayo Spicy Potato Wedges Passion fruit white chocolate tarts A salad with a balsamic vinaigrette An array of cheeses including: Fromager d'Affinois: a French double-cream soft cheese made from cow's milk. Jarlsberg: A a yellow-wax rind and a semi-firm yellow interior. The flavor is mild, buttery, nutty and slightly sweet

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed 150 g white chocolate, chopped 1/3 cup cream 2 Fresh Passion fruits 100 gsm Lescure butter A little butter for greasing trays METHOD Preheat oven to 180 °C or 160 °C fan. Grease a 12-hole patty pan tray with butter Using a biscuit cutter, cut 12 x 7cm rounds from pastry. Ease into prepared pan. Chill for 30 mins. Cut 12 x 8cm circles from non-stick baking paper.  To blind bake pastry cases, line with circles and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 mins. Remove paper and beans and bake cases for another 5 mins until golden. Cool Meanwhile, place chocolate and cream, butter in a medium heatproof bowl.  Place over saucepan of simmering water. Ensure the base of bowl does not touch water. Stir for 3-4 mins until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.  Add the juice and pulp of  1 passionfruit. Transfer mixture to heatproof jug and pour into tart cases. Refrigerate for 1 hr until firm.

"Queso" is cheese in Spanish.  A quesadilla is a toasted tortilla with melted cheese inside. My favorites are beef, cheese, baby spinach, hot sauce and onions. I had some vegetarian friends over for lunch on Sunday & I made an array of fillings.  What you need: Large flour tortillas Oilve oil Suggested fillings Slow roasted caramelized pumpkin Slow roasted capsicum; red and green Caramelized onions Guacamole Sour cream Home Made Sriracha Slow cooked beef with home made seasoning  ** Sliced mushrooms Green onions  Black olives, sliced Fresh tomatoes, diced Chicken pieces Avocado Grated cheese  Refried beans We grilled ours on our George Foreman grill, if you don't have an indoor grill, a fry pan will work just fine. Simply place all desired ingredients on an oiled tortilla (oil on grill side down) grill the tortillas on the grill until the cheese is melted and they are lightly browned. ** Slow cooked beef INGREDIENTS 2 cups of be