Beef Rendang

Rendang is a dish cooked slowly in a spicy coconut cream (or milk) based sauce until the liquid has almost gone. The list of ingredients is rather long, but the method is very simple. In fact, most of the ingredients are added at once and blended to make the spice paste.

It does require long slow cooking, unsurprisingly perhaps, it works well in a slow cooker but can also be simmered gently in heavy casserole dish with a close-fitting lid.

For 6–8 servings:

1 cup desiccated coconut

Spice paste:

1 red onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

2–3cm piece fresh ginger

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp (or more to taste) chilli powder

2 Tbsp oil

400ml light coconut milk or cream

1–1.2kg gravy beef, cut into 3cm cubes

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp tamarind paste or 2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

2–3 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

1/2–1 tsp salt

Heat the coconut in a large dry frying pan stirring frequently until it is a uniform golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Combine the spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until it forms a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in the pan (or a heavy casserole dish if you are going to cook on the stovetop). Add the spice paste and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the coconut milk or cream.

Stove top: Add all the remaining ingredients (including the toasted coconut) except the salt. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 1/2–2 hours, stirring once or twice, or until the meat is very tender and the sauce thick and dark.

Slow cooker: Coat the inside of the bowl with non-stick spray. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker, then add all the remaining ingredients (including the toasted coconut) except the salt. Stir to combine. Cover, then turn to LOW and cook for 8–10 hours.

Season to taste with the salt, remove the cinnamon stick, then serve over steamed rice. A cucumber or green salad and roti or naan bread make ideal accompaniments.

Photography: Lindsay Keats

ANZAC Biscuits

The history of the original Anzac biscuits is not clear. They may have been biscuits sent by mothers and wives to soldiers at the front, in World War 1, or, they may have been made and sold at cake stalls, as fund-raisers for the same boys, by the same women. There have even been suggestions that the soldiers may have made these biscuits themselves, from their fairly basic rations, but this seems rather far-fetched! 

Origin aside, they are delicious, easy-to-make biscuits which are not at all temperamental, and are likely to withstand inexact measurements, cooking times and oven temperatures

For 40–50 biscuits:
100g butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut (or extra rolled oats)
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons water

Turn the oven on to 170°C or 160°C fan-bake, with the rack just below the middle.

Measure the butter and golden syrup into a large pot over low heat. Warm the pot until the butter has melted, then take it off the heat.

Add the measured sugar, oats, coconut if used and flour, stirring after each addition. (You can use instant or regular rolled oats, and fine, medium, coarse or shredded coconut.)

Measure the baking soda into a cup, glass or small bowl, add the measured water and stir until the baking soda dissolves. Pour this into the biscuit mixture then stir well. If the mixture seems too crumbly to form into balls with wet hands, add extra water, a measuring tablespoon at a time, until it is easy to work with.

Roll the mixture into small balls and arrange these on a baking tray covered with baking paper or Teflon liner. Leave enough space between balls to allow for spreading. Flatten the balls with your dampened hand, until they are twice as big across as they were originally.

Bake biscuits until they are evenly golden brown, from 10–15 minutes. Watch them carefully during the last few minutes, so they do not brown too much.

While they are still hot and soft, lift them onto a cooling rack by sliding a spatula or other flat-bladed utensil under them. They should become crisp when they are cold. (If you like biscuits with a chewy middle, cook the next batch for a minute or two less! Store in airtight containers when cold.

Photography: Lindsay Keats Photography

Pappardelle with Rich Mushroom Sauce

I went out to dinner a while ago, and had the most amazing, relatively simple, but delicious dish – fresh handmade pasta with a rich mushroom sauce. This is my attempt at the same thing, and I think I’ve come pretty close!

Pappardelle is wide ribbon pasta. I think it’s worth making your own (you don’t need anything more complicated than a food processor, a rolling pin and a little patience) and the result really is quite different to anything you can buy, but if  making your own is ‘one step too far’, you can buy fresh lasagne sheets and cut them into strips 2-3cm wide.

Pasta

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large (60–65g each) eggs

additional flour or water if required

Measure the flour and salt into a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade. With the motor running, add the eggs one at a time. After the last egg is added the dough should look like crumbs for a few seconds, then form a ball.  If the dough has not formed a ball gradually add a little water (teaspoon by teaspoon) until it does, or if it looks too sticky, add 1–2 tablespoons additional flour.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured bench, knead for a couple of minutes, then cover and leave it to stand for 10–15 minutes before rolling.

Cut the dough into three pieces, leave one out to work with and cover the others. Working on a lightly floured surface (use only just enough flour to prevent sticking at all stages), begin to roll the dough into a thin sheet, turning and rotating it frequently. (Using a pasta machine makes this much faster if you have one.)

When it seems the sheet won’t stretch any more, set it aside and move onto the next piece, then return to it later. (This lets the dough sheets ‘relax’, making them easier to roll out.)

Continue to roll the sheets until each is about 2–3mm thick (don’t stop too soon, they will swell quite a lot during cooking), then set them aside for a few minutes before cutting. To cut long pasta, loosely roll up each sheet (square up edges first if you like) and working with a sharp knife, cut the roll (crosswise) into slices of the desired width – 1.5–2cm for pappardelle. Each slice should then unroll to make a long ribbon.

Mushroom sauce

2 -3 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

200g Portobello mushrooms

200g button mushrooms

1/4 cup medium or dry sherry

about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus a little to garnish

about 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup cream

1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon truffle infused oil (optional)*

Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large pan. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, over a medium heat until the onion has softened.

While the onion cooks, cut the mushrooms into slices about 5mm thick, then gently stir them to the pan, if they look very dry, add the extra oil. Continue to cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms soften, then add the sherry and herbs. Toss to mix, then when the sherry has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream. Allow the sauce to boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 3- 5 minutes longer before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and adding the infuse oil. Keep the sauce warm while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and cook uncovered for 3–5 minutes (depending on how thin you rolled the pasta). Drain the cooked pasta, then return it to the cooking pot. Sprinkle it with a little exrta olive oil, then add the sauce and stir gently until it is evenly distributed through the pasta.

Serve immediately garnished with a little extra basil and crusty bread and a green salad on the side,.

* Truffle infused (or flavoured) oil is now available at some larger supermarkets or speciality shops, and is remarkably reasonably priced – especially when you consider a little goes a long way. A teaspoons added to a sauce like this really adds extra dimension and intensity to the flavour, but if you don’t have it, just leave it out.

Photography: Lindsay Keats

Homemade Easter Eggs

These rich and somewhat decadent eggs are a fun (and delicious) little project to try in the run up to Easter.

The filling is rich and smooth, and can be made with either dark or white chocolate, which can in turn be coated with either the same type of chocolate, or for a contrast the other type. (Note, a white coating will probably not be opaque enough to completely conceal a dark filling.)

For 12-15 eggs:

Filling:

150g dark or white chocolate

2 Tbsp orange liqueur

or 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest plus 2 Tbsp orange juice

25g butter

1 egg yolk

To coat:

100-150g dark or white chocolate

1/2- 1 tsp Kremelta (optional)

Break chocolate into squares and put in a round microwave-proof or heat-proof glass container with the liqueur or orange zest and juice. Microwave uncovered on Defrost (30%) power for 3-4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so, or heat in a bowl over boiling water until the chocolate has melted enough to be mixed smoothly with the liqueur.

Stir in the butter and egg yolk until well combined. (The melted chocolate will melt the butter.) Refrigerate until firm enough to shape into roughly walnut-sized egg shapes. Arrange the ‘eggs’ on a baking paper lined tray, and place in the fridge or freezer for at least 20-30 minutes (or overnight).

When the ‘fillings’ are well chilled, prepare the chocolate/s of your choice for coating. Break or chop the chocolate up into small pieces and place it in small bowls and melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop, as described above, and stir until it is smooth and glossy. If it seems thick, you can thin it a little by adding 1/2-1 a tsp Kremelta and stirring again. Cover a tray with baking paper.

Working one at a time, take a chilled centre, and dunk it in the melted chocolate, turn it so it is coated on all sides, then immediately lift it out (if you leave it for too long it will begin to melt!), let it drain for a second or two, then place it on the baking paper covered tray. You may have, or can buy special wire loops for dipping chocolates, or you can fashion your own from soft wire, or use a fork. It may take a few goes to work out a system that gives a smooth, unblemished coating, but even if they don’t look perfect they still taste great! Refrigerate again until the chocolate has set.

Refrigerate or freeze in a covered container until required.