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Cucumber Mint Raita

Monday, July 13th, 2009


I love Indian Food!!!

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As I’m not fond of hot and/or very spicy food, many people were quite surprised to find out that I do love Indian food. Although I’m not suggesting that I actually make traditional Indian food, I probably tend to eat more Westernised Indian food.

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Many of the dishes are easy to prepare, especially since once you’ve bought a few bags of spices, they sit in the cupboard waiting to be used and you don’t have to go and buy fresh ingredients as you need to do when making some other curry pastes. This is one of the reasons that an Indian banquet is one of our favourite meals.

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Over the next few blogs I’ll describe all the preparations and dishes to prepare a great feast for all! I have never tried any Indian desserts or sweets before, but the ones I found on the internet were definitely a winner.

First off is the Cucumber Mint Raita
This Cucumber Mint Raita is lovely served with pappadums, cooked in oil as the pack says (I have heard of people cooking them in the microwave, but haven’t tried that yet).

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It has many flavours throughout, made primarily with plain yoghurt, the addition of mint and cucumber make it quite refreshing and a great entrée.

Cucumber Mint Raita
(Recipe slightly adapted from epicurious)

Serves: 8-10

1 Lebanese cucumber
2 cups plain yoghurt
½ lemon, squeezed
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons caster sugar

Finely grate the cucumber and dab with a paper towel. Whisk yoghurt, lemon juice, mint, cumin, paprika, salt and sugar in a medium bowl to blend. Add cucumber and toss to coat. Season with more spices, as desired. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (It can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and serve with pappadams.

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Posted in Appetizers, Budget Meals, Healthy Eating, Indian Banquet, Recipes, Vegetarian | 7 Comments »

Almond and Vanilla Porridge

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

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We all know “someone”, who can’t go past a freebee. Who goes around and around to people handing around free samples just so they can collect as much as possible…

Well I know a couple of those people, and I can certainly relate to it, especially when I see something that looks particularly appealing. And let’s face it – it’s the best sort of bargain out there – you get something for nothing!

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Even though I’ve never liked porridge that people have made (I’ve found they tend to be a bit plain, and since I don’t like dried fruit, it doesn’t even add an extra element that would entice me), I picked up a few samples of porridge in new flavours or a different brand being handed out. One had dried fruit, the other Vanilla and Almond Porridge. Well, the later actually sounds nice, so after trying it, I realised I would have it again. But samples don’t last long… they’re samples. And not finding them in the shops meant I would try and make it myself (and it’s likely to be both cheaper and healthier – as you know exactly what goes into it).

So, one trial for the recipe and I was pretty happy with the result (even more so than the original product, after being given another sample and doing a taste-test comparison)! This is great for our cold weather (and unfortunately weather that is going to get colder and rainier).

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Almond and Vanilla Porridge

Serves: 1 small serving, feel free to double the quantity

1/3 cup rolled oats, blitzed in a food processor until chopped slightly (or Quick Oats)
1 tablespoon blitzed roasted almonds
1 teaspoon caster sugar
A sprinkle of ground cinnamon
2/3 cup milk (approximately)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the vanilla with the milk and pour into bowl. Mix together and microwave on high for 1 minute (Be careful, this will be hot). Stir mixture and cook on high for another 30sec – 1min, until as thick as you like. Add more milk depending on the consistency and temperature you like your porridge.

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Posted in Breakfast, Budget Meals, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Vegetarian | 8 Comments »

The Best Ever Pancake Recipe

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Do you have many kitchen bowls or dishes that have a heap of writing on them? A recipe perhaps? Well, I have one (and certainly saw a few more in the range when I bought this one). It’s a pancake mixing bowl – with a recipe for The Best-Ever Pancakes!

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Very cool!

Although I find it hard to say that these are the “Best-Ever!”, they are certainly close. These pancakes are easy to make, lovely flavours and nice and fluffy and fantastic with maple syrup. I have made it a few times and been happy – and the recipe is always easy to find! 😉

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The Best Ever Pancake Recipe
Recipe from PRIMO pancake bowl

2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
75g butter, melted
extra butter for frying

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Whisk in beaten eggs, milk, sugar and butter. Sizzle some extra butter in a non-stick frying pan and pour in batter to desired size. Flip when bubbles appear and cook until golden. Enjoy with lemon juice and castor sugar! (or maple syrup)

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Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian | 13 Comments »

Pizza

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

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Pizza has so many possibilities… so many gourmet, traditional and common combinations. I guess that’s what makes it so appealing. Make the base, cover in pizza sauce then go wild with your options.

What is your favourite pizza combination?

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For me… I can’t choose. This is where a lot of people come in handy, the more people, the more pizzas, the more combinations – yay for all! Everyone knows (and loves) the more common pizza toppings of supreme, meat lovers (finding as much variety of meat as possible and covering the pizza), vegetarian, Hawaiian (Ham and pineapple) and Margarita.

A few extra combinations for pizza toppings include the following: (Use tomato base and spread grated cheese on top of toppings)

Chorizo and Spinach
Slice 1 chorizo and fry in some oil until slightly brown on edges. Place on pizza with 12 or more baby spinach leaves.

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Roast Pumpkin, Feta and Caramelised Onion
Cut 1/8 of a jap pumpkin (300-400g) into small cubes. Place on baking tray with baking paper. Lightly brush with oil and bake for 20 minutes or more at 180C until soft in the middle and starting to caramelise. Slice half an onion and cook over medium heat in some oil until onions become translucent and caramelised, Cut 100g Feta into cubes and place caramelised onion, pumpkin and feta on the pizza.

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Bacon, Potato and Caramelised Onion
Peel 2 potatoes and cut into cubes. Roast in oven preheated to 180C for 10-30minute or until cooked through and slightly crispy. Remove fat and cut 2-3 slices of bacon into pieces. Cook in a pan over medium heat with removed bacon rind or a little olive oil. Slice half an onion and cook over medium heat in some oil until onions become translucent and caramelised.

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Tomato, Basil and Boconchinni
Slice 1 tomato (or cut 4-5 cherry tomatoes in half) and place on pizza with 8-12 basil leaves and small pieces (approx 4, each torn in half) boconchinni.

Pizza base
Serves: 4-8 (2-4 pizzas, depending on how thick you like your bases)

3 – 3 ½ cups plain flour, plus a little extra for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 x 7g sachets (2 tablespoons) dry yeast
300 ml warm water
½ tablespoon oil (to oil the pan)

¼ cups tomato puree mixed with dried herbs and salt (or 140g Ardmona pizza sauce) or Pizza Sauce (see below)
1 cup cheese, grated
Plus any other toppings

Combine 2 cups of flour, salt, sugar, oregano and dried yeast. Add warm water and beat 300 strokes by hand. Add the extra 1 – 1½ cups of flour and mix until smooth, knead lightly. Cover with a clean tea towel or cling wrap and prove for 10-20 minutes.

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Preheat oven to 180 – 190°C.

Grease pizza pan or tray with oil. Punch the dough, divide into two and roll out to fit the tray. Place the pizza on the oiled pans and spread pizza sauce over the two pizzas. Arrange toppings and then cover with grated cheese.

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Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Pizza Sauce
Makes: Enough for 2-3 pizzas

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
440g can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup red wine

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil then cook onion for 5-10 minutes, until the onion starts to become transparent. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Puree sauce and cool. Spread over pizza base.

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Posted in Main Meals, Recipes, Vegetarian | 12 Comments »

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

I’m not the best person at remembering to send someone a recipe they’ve asked for. Unless I get reminded or leave an email in my inbox marked as “unread”, it’s unlikely I’ll get around to it, especially if I haven’t had a chance to type it out. So I felt a bit bad when a friend of mine asked for a Bruschetta recipe and I still haven’t emailed it to her.

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Well here is the Bruschetta recipe I use. It’s nice and quick, with lovely flavours… even for someone who doesn’t like eating raw tomatoes… now who could that be? 😉 De-seeding the tomatoes reduces extra liquid which will cause the bread to soften and go soggy, so make sure you serve very soon after spooning the tomato mix onto the bread.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
(Recipe from Super Food Ideas)
Serves: 4

1 loaf day old sourdough bread
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 large tomatoes, quartered, deseeded
4 basil leaves, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Slice bread into eight, 1cm thick slices (traditionally straight across the bread, not diagonally). Lightly toast (under grill) both sides bread until crisp on outside but soft on side. Cut garlic cloves in half lengthways. Rub cut side of garlic over 1 side of hot bread.

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Drizzle 1½ teaspoons oil over garlic side of bread, Season with salt.

Cut tomato quarters in half again and dice. Place in a bowl. Add basil, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Spoon onto toasted bread and serve.

Variation: Replace the fresh tomatoes by combining 1 cup chopped semi-dried tomatoes and ½ cup chopped feta-stuffed olives with the basil.

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Posted in Appetizers, Budget Meals, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian | 9 Comments »

Melomakarona – Walnut Syrup Biscuits

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

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Since being introduced to Greek food, with the main focus on Greek sweets, I just can’t seem to stop trying new biscuits and baklava. A batch of biscuits made with a cup of oil seemed a bit concerning to me… I find it easier to justify when I use that much butter, as somehow it doesn’t seem as scary to me. I’m game to try out new foods though and if that includes using a cup of oil, who am I to criticise?

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Using my KitchenAid, the oil beat up a lot quicker than the suggested time and I wasn’t sure whether I should have used a whisk attachment instead. Although once rolled and cooked, I was happy with the result and it seemed those who tried them also enjoyed them. There was a beautiful melt-in-your-mouth feel to the biscuits, with a lovely subtly spiced sweet syrup with a hint of walnuts – Very nice indeed 😛

Melomakarona (walnut syrup biscuits)
(Recipe from Super Food Ideas and Taste.com.au)

Makes: 32

1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup white sugar
2 oranges, juiced
½ lemon, juiced
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon ouzo liqueur (optional – I left this out)
3 cups self-raising flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups walnuts, finely chopped

Syrup
1 cup white sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
½ lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 flat baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat oil, sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice and 2 tablespoons lemon juice on high speed for 10 minutes or until thick and creamy (start electric mixer on low speed and increase speed as mixture thickens).

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Add egg yolk and ouzo. Beat for 5 minutes. Sift flour and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over oil mixture. Fold gently to combine (mixture should be a light, doughy texture).

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Using hands, roll tablespoons mixture into oval shapes. Place on prepared trays. Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to touch. Allow to cool on trays.

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To make the syrup, combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 4 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.

Using a slotted spoon, dip cooled biscuits, 1 at a time (I put 4-5 in at a time), into hot syrup for about 30 seconds, turning over often until well coated. Return to trays. Combine walnuts and remaining ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over biscuits. Allow to cool. Serve.

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Posted in Cakes, Slices and Biscuits, Recipes, Vegetarian | 14 Comments »

White Chocolate and Honeycomb Mud Cake

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

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I know I said that I would be trying a white chocolate and hazelnut mud cake after making my first white chocolate mud cake, although I saw this recipe and thought it sounded so fun and would be perfect for my turn baking for our work meeting.

I love anything honeycomb and chocolate so combining this into a cake sounded great and the ganache on top looked lovely and fluffy, even though it doesn’t contain any icing sugar. Due to time restrictions I had to make the cake two nights before the meeting, the ganache the night before and I chopped up the remaining violet crumble just before the meeting so it didn’t soften or go sticky due to moisture.

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Unfortunately I only have photos of the two remaining slices that I had to hide away so Nick could try the cake (as he had been tempted by it during the baking as it smelled gorgeous and the ganache was beautiful and looked like ivory silk – although stiffened up slightly with time), This means the Violet Crumble was a little sticky and melted. The Violet crumble throughout the cake was not very evident, although the pieces which were at the top of the cake while cooking formed a lovely caramelised tasty top to the cake. I would definitely make this again (and already have), I’ve even added a little more Violet Crumble in the cake mixture… 😛

We had to tweak the ganache slightly as I tried to whisk gently the cooled chocolate and cream mixture and it did nothing. It was still very runny. After adding 2-3 tablespoons cold thickened cream (or letting it cool for a lot longer than the recommended time) and beating the mix with a hand mixer, scraping the sides a few times (I found this rest helped it thickened faster) it changed to a light and fluffy ganache.

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White Chocolate and Honeycomb Mud Cake
(Recipe adapted from super food ideas May 2009)

180g white chocolate, chopped
250g butter, chopped
1 cup milk
1¾ cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence/extract
1¾ cup plain flour, sifted
½ cup self raising flour, sifted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-2 x 50g Violet Crumble bars

White Chocolate Ganache
180g white chocolate
1/3 cup thickened cream
+ 2-3 tablespoons cold cream extra
1 x 50g Violet Crumble bars, chopped just before serving

Stir white chocolate, butter, milk, sugar and vanilla essence in a saucepan over low-medium heat until melted and smooth.

Pour into a large bowl and leave to cool for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 160C or 140C fan forced. Grease and line a 20-22cm round tin with baking paper.

Add eggs and sifted flours and whisk to combine. Fold through Violet Crumble. Pour into prepared tin and cook for 1½ -2 hours or until skewer combs out with clean or with a few crumbs. If the cake starts to brown too much, cover loosely with a piece of foil.

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Remove from oven when cooked and rest in tin for 10 minutes. Allow to finish cooling on cooling rack.

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To make the ganache, put the white chocolate and cream in a bowl and microwave on high for 1 minutes, stirring half way through. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

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Using an electric beater, beat the white chocolate mix for 2-3 minutes. Add extra cream to help cool down the mix and help it thicken easier. Beat on high for 2 minutes at a time, scrapping and observing the texture. Once it is nice and thick cover the cooled cake with the ganache.

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Just before serving, chop up the remaining Violet Crumble and scatter over cake. Serve.

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Posted in Cakes, Slices and Biscuits, Chocolate, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian | 21 Comments »

Choc-A-Block Trifle

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

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Now this is my sort of trifle! When I first saw this recipe in the delicious Magazine I knew I would one day make it. How could you resist making a trifle that contains chocolate brownies with dark chocolate sauce and Kahlua, fresh thick white chocolate custard and whipped cream with white chocolate and walnuts… are you drooling yet?

Well I certainly am.

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You certainly need to leave room for THIS dessert! With the gorgeously rich chocolate layer at the bottom – I must admit I had a little trouble finishing it, after eating a rather largish meal beforehand – others didn’t seem to have this same problem and cleaned out their glass. I loved the addition of the walnuts and white chocolate to the cream, which really complimented the chocolate layer wonderfully. I was expecting a little more participation from the white chocolate custard, but it got a little lost between the other two stronger flavours. I also found it didn’t thicken as much while cooking as I was expecting (something like the Portuguese custard tarts) so I may have overcooked it a little – unfortunately. :o( . Once cooled it was set, with no problems spreading the cream layer on top.

Apart from the long waiting times between layers setting, the entire recipe doesn’t take terribly long. It’s fantastic having a dessert already waiting for a diner party and I had easily made double the batch, using 14 baked brownies from the previous day. The other problem I had with the recipe (apart from the custard overcooking) was the addition of water to the melted chocolate…

The first tablespoon of boiling water was added to the melted chocolate and delicately stirred in… and the mixture became a conglomeration of thickening hard chocolate!! The more I stirred, the more it thickened – I was supposed to be making a sauce!! After an immense amount of stress on my part, Nick came to the rescue and took over stirring wildly, while adding boiling water faster than I was game – the recipe did say to add one by one to stop the chocolate seizing. Once the initial thickening had occurred, the chocolate formed a lovely sauce, which thickened up in the fridge to be decadently rich and slightly runny.

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Choc-A-Block Trifle
Recipe from delicious magazine March 2008 by Valli Little

Serves: 6

4 good-quality chocolate brownies (about 85g each) (I used 7 of my home-made brownies)
¼ cup (60ml) Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
275g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
3 egg yolks
1½ tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
600ml thickened cream
150g white chocolate, roughly chopped
¼ cup (30g) toasted chopped walnuts
Dark chocolate curls (see note), to decorate

Break up brownies into small pieces and place in the bottom of a 1.5 litre dish or 6 x 1 cup (250ml) serving glasses. Drizzle over the Kahlua, then set aside.

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Place dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Allow to melt, then stir very gently until smooth. Remove from heat and add 225ml boiling water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to make a sauce (don’t add water more quickly or the chocolate will ‘seize’ and become grainy). Pour sauce over the brownies, then cover and chill for 2 hours.

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Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl with electric beaters until thick and pale.

Heat 300ml of the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until just below boiling point. Pour the hot cream mixture over the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan and place over low heat. Stir for 2-3 minutes until a thick custard forms.

Place two thirds (100g) of the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the custard into the bowl, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is well combined. Cool completely, then pour over the chocolate brownie base. Chill for 2 hours.

Place the remaining 50g of white chocolate in a food processor with the walnuts and pulse until fine. Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks, stir in the walnut mixture, then spread over the trifle. Chill for at least 2 hours until set, then serve decorated with chocolate curls, if desired.

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All the layers of goodness!!

All the layers of goodness!!

Posted in Cakes, Slices and Biscuits, Chocolate, Dessert, Egg Yolks, Recipes, Vegetarian | 22 Comments »

Dukkah

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

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I am becoming quite adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, although a few years ago I wasn’t the most adventurous eater. Nick and I were out for a lovely dinner out on Sydney Harbour. At the beginning of the menu, for either sides or starters was dukkah served with oil olive and bread. I couldn’t pronounce the name of the dish on the menu and just read the description, which was something like an Egyptian nut and spice mix.

So, taking the plunge I decided, lets order that! Nick, with a surprised look on his face due to my decision at trying something quite ‘random’ at the time, was a little hesitant to order it in case I didn’t like it – but I continued to express my interest in it, so we ordered it.

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… and what a great decision. Once we had dunked a bit of bread into the oil and then into the dukkah, the taste was amazing. We couldn’t stop eating the relatively small helping we were served. Although as we ate, we tried (and when I say we, I mainly mean Nick, as he is better at distinguishing tastes) to determine what flavours, nuts and spices were included in this mix – as this was a definite dish to try at home.

I searched the internet quite soon after (probably the next day) to try and find a recipe that matched closely to the flavours we detected. We found a fantastic recipe and then a few months to a year later saw dukkah becoming increasingly more popular and sold at all supermarkets, although mind you, at supermarkets it is quite overpriced.

I still have yet to try the many different flavours you’re able to use while making dukkah, so hopefully in the near future I can trial out a few more recipes. (I just find it difficult to move away from a recipe that I already know I love).

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Dukkah
Recipe from Recipezaar

1 cup of shelled pistachio nuts
1 cup blanched almonds
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon salt

Toast the pistachio nuts and almonds in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Toast the spice seeds and sesame seeds separately in the same way.

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Cool and combine with the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Grind the mixture until it resembles small breadcrumbs. The mixture should be very dry and crumbly, not a paste.

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Be careful as over processing can release the oil from the nuts making the mixture moist, which you don’t want.

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This can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container. Serve with hot bread rolls and olive oil.

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Posted in Appetizers, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian | 11 Comments »

Cannelloni and Quick Cannoli – Cooking Class 4

Monday, May 4th, 2009

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It’s my turn for our family cooking class!!! And the “theme” is TUBES 🙂

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I wanted to make both a main meal and dessert and what better than Cannelloni and Cannoli? I knew I wanted to make spinach and ricotta cannelloni, so that was an easy choice. When it came to the Cannoli (which I have never even tried before, let alone made before) I wasn’t organised enough to find somewhere that actually stocked cannoli tubes or forms (metal tubes used to stick the pastry together, which is then placed with the pastry into hot oil). I searched the internet and called stores around Sydney City and there was nothing to be found! Essential Ingredient said they normally stock them, but unfortunately they were out of stock too! (Not that I had much time to go and get them anyway). Guess I will put this on my birthday or Christmas list – along with a pastry bag, sugar thermometer and some new cookbooks 🙂 .

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So I guess the quick version will of cannoli will have to do and I bought some pre-made brandy snap tubes. I’ve seen the majority of recipes using ricotta, although the pack suggested using whipped cream, so seeing as it was already not exactly what I wanted to make, I went with the cream version.

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The spinach and ricotta cannelloni turned out lovely, with the tomato sauce a MUST! (even more could have been made). The cannoli was beautifully tasty, with sweet vanilla cream, chocolate and pistachios.

Cannelloni

Serves: 8-12

2 packets lasagne sheets (16 sheets altogether)
1.8kg ricotta
3 packets finely chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
parsley
basil
salt and pepper
2 cups grated cheese or mozzarella cheese

Tomato Sauce
Oil
3 onions, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 x 800g can diced or crushed tomatoes
5 tablespoons tomato paste

Make the tomato sauce by sautéing onions in oil in a large saucepan heated over medium heat. Once onions soften and become translucent, 5-10 minutes, add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, stir then add salt, sugar and tomato paste. Cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until reduced slightly. Blend in a food processor or with a hand blender in the saucepan. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl mix ricotta, spinach, parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.

Pour a third to half the tomato sauce into two lightly greased lasagne dishes. Preheat oven to 180°C.

Lay each lasagne sheet out on a clean bench or board (you may cut the lasagne sheets in half if you want less pasta). Add a spoonful or two of tomato sauce onto the lasagne sheet and spread around the middle, missing the rolling ends. Sprinkle with some grated cheese. Add a large amount of spinach and ricotta mix onto the short edge of the sheet, making it evenly distributed. Roll up to form a tube and place on top of the tomato sauce with the loose edge down.

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Continue with remaining lasagne sheets, until all mixture is used up. Place the remaining tomato sauce on top of the cannelloni and sprinkle with cheese. Cook in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until browning on top. Serve with salad or herb bread.

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Quick Cannoli

1 packet (approximately 8 ) brandy snap tubes or cannoli tubes
150ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon caster sugar
¼ cup pistachios, chopped
100g chocolate, chopped

Beat thickened cream with vanilla and sugar until medium peaks form. Fold in chopped pistachios and chocolate and place in pastry bag with star nozzle (or place in cake decorating bag without nozzle attached. Pipe into tubes and dust with icing sugar or icing mixture. Serve very soon after piped.

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Posted in Cakes, Slices and Biscuits, Cooking Class - Family, Dessert, Healthy Eating, Main Meals, Recipes, Vegetarian | 10 Comments »

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