Lamb Koftas with Cous Cous Tabbouleh Salad

Do you plan ahead? Or are you more of a "use whatever's handy" kind of cook?  I most certainly fall into the planning group, and nothing makes me happier than flicking through my recipe books and magazines for inspiration around food shopping time. We do our big shop fortnightly, and I like to have at least 8 meals thought out before we hit the supermarket, and then improvise or go out on the nights when I haven't got anything in mind.

After food shopping last weekend I was absolutely brimming with motivation to try new summer recipes! I have this whole week planned out and ready to go...

I was inspired to try this dish after seeing it on Better Homes and Gardens last week, and thought it looked perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. I was right! All the different elements on the plate made for a really exciting, fresh and healthy meal, without a lot of effort or preparation time. Just what you want on a hot Tuesday night.

Koftas

300g lamb mince
1/2 spanish onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well with your (clean!) hands until everything comes together. You need to feel the texture in order to get the right consistency here, it needs to be sticky, not too wet or dry. If your mix is a little dry can add another egg, or alternately if it is too wet simply add more breadcrumbs.

Next press the mix into a sausage-type shapes, and thread onto skewers. You should end up with about 6 koftas. Try to make them all roughly the same size so they will cook evenly. Heat your grill or barbeque, spray with some olive oil spray and cook the koftas over a medium heat, turning regularly until they are browned on all sides and cooked through. This should take about 10 minutes. 

Cous Cous Tabbouleh Salad

1 cup cous cous

1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 spanish onion, finely diced

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 lebanese cucumber, diced

1 lemon, juice only

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

Bring 1 cup of water to the boil, add the cous cous, cover and remove from the heat. Allow this to stand for 5 minutes, then your cous cous should be ready. Just fluff with a fork to separate, then transfer to a salad bowl and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make a dressing by whisking together the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

Once the cous cous has cooled add the parsley, tomato, cucumber and onion, then pour over the lemon dressing and toss to combine.

I served my koftas on pita bread, which I quickly warmed on both sides in a hot grill pan just prior to serving, and with a good dollop each of hommus and natural yoghurt.

Serves 3 - 4.

Sweet Chilli Chicken Vermicelli Salad

One of the things I really love about the change of season, is the new ideas and inspiration it brings. And as much as I love revisiting my old favourites, there is nothing like getting creative in the kitchen and whipping up something new. 

I found this recipe tucked away (and clearly overlooked) in the back of my trusty favourites folder, and was instantly inspired; the picture looked so colourful and fresh! And despite not having all the ingredients required on hand, it turned out to be very flavoursome and textural, with just the right amount of zing from the chilli. 

You could serve this as either a main meal as I did, or as a side dish.

1x 300g skinless chicken breast, diced into 2cm cubes
100g vermicelli noodles
3 spring onions, chopped
1 red capsicum, cut into thin strips
Handful of snowpeas, cut into 1cm pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 long red chilli, finely diced
1 bunch mint, roughly chopped
50g roasted peanuts, chopped
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar

Place the diced chicken in a bowl with half the garlic, the juice of half a lime and 1 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce. Mix well then set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the noodles in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to sit until tender. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large serving dish.

Next heat a little oil in a frypan and cook off the marinated chicken pieces until lightly golden.

To make the dressing combine the peanut oil, remaining garlic and lime juice, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, caster sugar and fish sauce.

Now you are ready to assemble your salad. Add the noodles, chicken pieces, spring onion, capsicum, snow peas and mint to your serving dish, then drizzle liberally with the dressing and toss well to combine. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Serves 2 (or 4 as a side dish).

Out & About: Miss Jackson

It seems that no matter where you live there is always the North / South of the river divide, with everyone claiming that their side is superior. I'm a North girl myself, and rarely venture to the South side. Not because I don't like it, but simply because there is so much going on in my local area that I don't really need to. So heading South twice in one weekend was a bit of a big deal for me!

After a delicious dinner in St Kilda on Friday night, we found ourselves back there again on Sunday for brunch with the lovely Franc and Dustin. Not being Southie locals, Mr B and I have found ourselves eating some shocking meals in the area in the past, but with the boys leading the way we were confident that we were going to be in for something good.

And we were right. Dustin suggested Miss Jackson (2/19 Grey Street, St Kilda), a quaint little cafe tucked away neatly just off Grey Street, which you would probably never even notice if you didn't know where to look.

The cafe is a bit like a house, with an enclosed deck out front, and sort of separate rooms with tables inside. It is painted a lovely crisp white, and there are beautiful fresh flowers and herbs adorning almost every available ledge and windowsill. You would be hard pressed not to feel comfortable here... Not to mention the ultra friendly staff, who were just delightful!

The coffee couldn't be more perfect.... 

The menu is simple and inexpensive, featuring seasonal ingredients put together with lots of care and love.

 Warm chicken piadina, with bacon, avocado & basil mayo ($10.50)

 Steak sandwich ($15.50)

Potato & leek hash, with asparagus, smoked trout & a poached egg ($16) 

I think the photos speak for themselves, don't you?

Out & About: Bimbo Deluxe

Bimbo Deluxe, more affectionately known  as Bimbo's (Cnr Rose & Brunswick St's, Fitzroy) is something of an institution here in Melbourne, attracting a fairly young crowd with their selection of delicious cheap pizzas and infused vodka's. Not to mention an awesome rooftop bar, if you're lucky enough to nab a table.

During the day you'll tend find a relaxed bunch chilling out over a beer and a pizza, and at night time a younger, more energetic crowd when the venue transforms into more of a club, featuring DJ's playing every night.

The pizza's are definitely the reason I like this place, especially during the "special" hours when the already low price of $7 is reduced to $4 (check the website for details). And if you don't happen to live close by to Fitzroy, you can always visit the south side counterpart Lucky Coq (Cnr Chapel & High St's, Windsor) and grab the same deal.

Certainly one of my favourite cheap eats places in Melbourne, Bimbo's is well worth stopping by if you are lucky enough to be living in, or visiting this wonderful city!

Tuna Patties

I can't say I've ever liked the idea of tinned tuna, it reminds me of cat food.... But I am the kind of person who is willing to give everything a go at least once, and to try and force my tastebuds to adapt to foods that don't necessarily agree with me the first time round. Basically, because I want to be able to eat everything!

Tuna is definitely one of the foods that I've had to force myself (and Mr B) into liking. Fortunately the lovely Kate is a big tuna patty fan, and has managed to get me on the bandwagon! She made these for me a couple of weeks ago and they were so good the other night I decided to try and replicate her delicious recipe.... Apologies KB if I have messed it up!

3x medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
350g tinned tuna in spring water
150g tinned corn kernels, drained
2x spring onions, finely chopped
50g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt & cracked black pepper 
1 egg, beaten
Bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Place the chopped potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender, drain, then season with salt and pepper and roughly mash. Pop them into the fridge to cool for about half an hour.

Meanwhile combine the tuna, corn, spring onions, parsley and feta in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cooled mashed potatoes and mix well.

Now take large-ish golfball sized lumps of the tuna mix and shape into patties. Brush with beaten egg and carefully coat in the breadcrumbs.

Heat about 1cm of vegetable oil in a large frypan over medium heat and fry off the patties in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until lightly golden on both sides, then rest on paper towel to remove any excess oil.

Easy right? I then served up my patties with a side salad dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice.

Serves 2 - 3.

Broccoli & Chickpea Salad

I love broccoli. In fact, I think it might be my favourite vegetable.... raw, steamed or whatever, it just never fails to make me feel healthy and happy. When I first met Mr B all those years ago he didn't eat it (??), but I soon changed that! I described it to him once as "like eating a little tree" and that seemed to make him enjoy it more :)

Anyways, I digress.

I usually make this salad with brown lentils, but when I went to the pantry last night I found that I had none and so had to improvise. I figured that you can't really go wrong with chickpeas so I used those instead, and to my surprise I actually liked it better than the original version. The chickpeas are now here to stay!

This healthy salad makes a fantastic meal on it's own and is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. However if you want to jazz things up a bit you can do what I did and serve it with a roasted chicken maryland, marinated in a simple dressing made by pounding fresh rosemary, lemon thyme and olive oil in a mortar and pestle.

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 spring onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
70g pine nuts, toasted
400g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt & cracked black pepper

Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the broccoli for a few minutes, until bright green and just tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a frypan (no oil) and toast the pine nuts until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Using the same frypan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and fry off the garlic, chilli and spring onion, then add the broccoli and mix until coated with garlic and chilli. Transfer to a serving bowl and leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make a dressing and pour over the broccoli mix then add the chickpeas and pine nuts, and toss well to combine all the ingredients.

Serves 4 (as a side dish)

Out & About: North Island

Some things are seriously underrated here in good old Australia. Take bagels as a prime example... I fell in love with them mid-last year when Mr B and I took a trip to America, and was bitterly disappointed upon my return home when I wasn't able to get them as readily as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong, they're around, but they are certainly not as prevalent here as they are in the States.

So, I was very very happy when Kate told me about a little cafe she had discovered called North Island (111 Scotchmer St, North Fitzroy), whose menu features a small, but excellent selection of bagels. We decided to brunch immediately, and headed out there on Sunday morning.

This unassuming cafe seems to go slightly unnoticed on bustling Scotchmer St, and we were easily able to secure a table for 5 at 11am.

Whilst perusing the menu we ordered a round of coffees, which were promptly served and consumed. I was so happy with my cappucino ($3.30) that I immediately ordered a second! The only drawback here is that they do not serve skim milk, only full cream or soy. But hey, a little extra cream in your coffee every now and then is ok by me.

After a a bit of back and forth we all decided on our meals. I was very nearly tempted by some amazing sounding baked eggs, but remembered in the nick of time that I had come to North Island specifically for a bagel! Kate, Mr B and I all ordered the avocado with lemon and black pepper ($7), with a side of cream cheese (additional 50c), and Hil decided to be fancy with the smoked salmon, cream cheese, spanish onion & capers ($9).

What a perfect brunch this was! The lightly toasted bagels were perfectly crisp on the outside and super soft in the middle, and avocado with a fresh squeeze of lemon is one of my favourite combos, so that was a winner too. Hil assured me that her bagel was definitely worth a 3.5 - 4 out of 5, and could have only scored more brownie points with the addition of lemon as well.

So all in all this is an awesome little cafe for a light brunch, with friendly, efficient staff, delicious food and a great relaxed atmosphere. We'll definitely be back, hopefully on a warmer day so we can enjoy the quaint courtyard!

Out & About: Bar Fred

Don't you just love a good bargain? I do, especially when the bargain is food. And even better still, PIZZA! So imagine how silly I felt when I was informed that only a 10 minute drive away from my house there is a bar that serves $5 gourmet pizzas.... How could I not know this??? Fool.

Anyways.

The lovely Hil was heading back to New Zealand for a whopping five days, so we decided to have a little farewell party at Bar Fred (797 Nicholson St, Carlton North) and indulge in some budget eats. When the invite came out I immediately hopped on Google to check out the menu, only to find that their website is nothing more than a white screen with a logo and address. Disappointing! So I moved on to Urban Spoon and read a few reviews. Now, most of the reviews said that the service was not good, ie: cranky grouchy staff - something that I find infuriating, but all noted that the cheap delicious pizza made it worthwhile. Feeling skeptical, Mr B and I headed over to meet the other farewellers and check it out for ourselves.

Allow me to set the scene... Picture a heaving bar full of hungry hipsters eager for a cheap night out, and two staff. Yes, two. Immediately I understood why people were complaining about the service. However, I was pleasantly surprised! We ordered pretty much straight away and received our pizzas in a very reasonable timeframe, and without any attitude. I mean, the girl who brought them out wasn't exactly gushing with enthusiasm, but she was getting the job done efficiently, which is all you need really, isn't it?

And the pizzas were really really good. Crispy thin base topped with minimal but fresh, tasty toppings - just the way I like it. And did I mention they are $5??? The only catch being if you are not drinking alcohol - then they are $9, but still totally worth it in my opinion. Bar Fred also has one of the best beer selections I have seen around town, and they are also pretty cheap, so why wouldn't you treat yourself? Mr B and I settled on Budvar and they were only $5 a bottle. Talk about bargain central.

Overall I have to say my experience with this bar was a positive one, and I will definitely be returning for more tasty cheap eats in the future! And to those complaining about service... Suck it up! $5 pizza trumps grouchy waitress any day. :)

Seasoned Steak with Cous Cous Salad

I really believe that the simplest dishes are often the best, and this one is certainly no exception. This particular cous cous salad is always on high rotation at our place during the warmer months, and there are so many variations I can assure you that you'll never get sick of it. Just use up whatever veges you have on hand!

I had a couple of porterhouse steaks in the freezer that needed eating, so I spiced them up with my favourite Peter Watson dry beef rub, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, then pan fried them for around 8 minutes (to get medium). If you have a BBQ at your place I'd suggest using that to get a really delicious chargrilled flavour.

To make the cous cous salad I simply cooked up half a cup of cous cous, allowed it to cool then added diced red capsicum, spanish onion, spring onion and parsley, then threw in about 200g of corn kernels. I seasoned well with salt and pepper then drizzled over a little olive oil, and finished with a generous squeeze of lemon.

Not satisfied with just plain old steak and salad, I decided to serve the porterhouse sliced on top of the cous cous salad, and topped it with a simple dressing of greek yoghurt, fresh mint leaves, salt and pepper. And a wedge of lemon on the side, of course!

Friends of Peet: Paul's Salad Success!

As I mentioned a couple of posts back I am calling on all of my lovely readers to send me pics of their Peet Can Cook recipe adventures, and I am delighted to be posting my first entry!

My bestie Paul whipped up two of my salads on the weekend - Potato Salad with Avocado & Chilli and a Curried Rice Salad with Spiced Yoghurt. Here's what he had to say:

"They both tasted so good! I think that the potato salad is such a simple, yet amazing recipe that will be busted out a few times this summer. My rice was a little gluggy, but the yoghurt dressing was a hit! I need to work on my rice cooking and almond toasting...."

(Note: Unfortunately his rice cooker decided to stop working whilst he was preparing his salad, so he had to cook rice the old fashioned way - something I am not very adept at either...)

Thanks very  much to Paul for being my first ever "Friends of Peet" entry. I hope to receive many more!