Monday Menu

After a recommendation we borrowed Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg from the library. Rob missed the butcher on Friday so he raided the garden and the pantry. The parsnip and ginger soup with toasted pumpkin seeds is a winner. The lentils were gobbled up too. The girls are certainly being exposed to a variety of flavours via my milk!

What's been on the menu at your place?

Monday Menu

On the menu:

M: Pasta carbonara.

T: Lamb chops, mash & salad.

W: Minestrone with bocconcini and pesto.

T: Stripey trumpeter, chips and hut salad.

F: Vermey's skirt steak wasabi special, baked potatoes and hut salad.

S: Cold roast beef, bread (for me), hut salad, French cheese and fresh figs.

S: Mother's Day pancakes and leftover roast beef, baked potatoes, hut salad and fried mushrooms, Steohanie Alexander's date and chocolate cake.

All so good even if eaten semi cold a bit later than intended! 

Monday's Menu and snail mail

What an odd weekend weather wise, windy on Saturday (but sunny) then on Sunday we had rain/hail downpours every hour, so we kept trying to do stuff outside before scurrying inside to hide (especially Nigella and Claudia!)

We visited the Woodbridge Nursery and picked up some flowering plants for my garden and some lettuce and broccoli seedlings for the veggie patch.

On Sunday we took delivery of two round bales of pea straw and lucerne hay for mulch.

Menu wise-

Monday: Salad with carrots, cheese, broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes.
Tuesday: Chicken breasts with crispy sage on a bed of rice and peas.
Wednesday: Broccoli and chorizo frittata
Thursday: four bunches of asparagus steamed, prosciutto, fresh sourdough bread and a few slices of parmesan cheese (and soft boiled eggs for Rob.
Friday: Barbecue sausages and silver beet.
Saturday: An aged piece of porterhouse beef on the bone, roasted with onions. Our first harvest of some cute little parsnips and carrots, more silver beet and some steamed new season pink eye potatoes (not ours).
Sunday: As we ate some leftover beef on fresh bread for lunch, Rob just fried up the leftover pink eyes as chips with some parsley. Oh and we had an apple and raisin crumble for dessert (I always double the crumble recipe which means we have frozen crumble topping ready to go!)



I got busy stamping some parchment writing paper, putting my Webster's dictionary stamp set  and Kikki.K to good use. I have written most of my letters as part of Sarah's Good Mail Club, and it's quite satisfying to see the pile of fat creamy coloured envelopes pile up on the table.



How was your weekend? What have you been eating recently?

Monday's Menu with a side of our Spring garden and Cinnamon tea cake.

I like the ying and yang of this weeks Monday's Menu photo collage. Chocolate cherry cupcakes made with a jar of Bonne Maman cherry preserve right next to a very virtuous meal of steamed greens from the garden. The greens are starting to get going now, we ate three types of broccoli in our soup on Saturday, the ever present silver beet, as well as the tops of the Savoy cabbages.
I can not wait for the broad beans and peas to start. Yesterday we planted some more seedlings and seeds: lettuce, chives, sweetcorn, beetroot, rocket, radishes, and parsnips.

Anyway the menu:

Monday: Baked ziti with silver beet.
Tuesday: ahem, baked ziti with broccoli.
Wednesday: Steamed broccoli, silver beet and cabbage tops with soy sauce.
Thursday: Pork and fennel sausages on silver beet and fresh sourdough bread with home made tomato sauce.
Friday: Decided to live in the moment and headed down to Cygnet for dinner at the Red Velvet Lounge. Rob enjoyed a rump steak, with old-school chips and salad. I had the famous pork cotoletta. We shared a dessert of cherry ice cream and chocolate sauce, and we were back home by 8pm.
Saturday: The big grand final day with our annual consumption of footy food. We ate the footy franks in white squishy buns with mustard, tomato sauce and butter (that sentence confused a few of my international Instagram followers- they eventually worked out I was talking about a hot dog!) I'm afraid that they didn't make for a very photogenic food picture, but they were tasty. We used the remainder in a tomato and vegetable soup.
Sunday: Rob cooked us Patricia Well's Chicken breasts with sage and potatoes (parboiled, then sliced and cooked in butter).

My sister, her husband and my niece visited for afternoon tea yesterday, we had chocolate caramel and almond slice (similar to this recipe but with almonds), those cherry chocolate cupcakes and a simple cinnamon teacake. Which was probably the most popular! See the very simple recipe below.

Cinnamon Teacake {From Women's Weekly}

Ingredients:

60g butter, softened
2/3 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup milk
15g butter, extra
3 tablespoon castor sugar, extra
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
Preheat oven to 160deg C (fan-forced oven)
Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.
Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy (about 5 mins).
Stir in sifted flour and milk with a wooden spoon, beat lightly until smooth.
Spread mixture into the tin, bake for approx. 30 minutes.
Turn onto wire rack, pour over extra melted butter, sprinkle with combined extra sugar and cinnamon. Serve warm with butter.

Finally Rob headed out when it wasn't blowing a gale or pouring with rain (not many opportunities over the weekend!) and took some photos of the flower and vegetable gardens with a real camera. I'll share them on Friday, but in the mean time I'll leave you with a photo of the dogs in the flower garden. Everything is starting to look very green and lush.

Monday's Menu

What a weekend, the gale force winds were quite frightening at times, and our little hut isn't even anywhere near the big trees! The little hut withstood it all pretty well, although some of the creaking and window flexing was a little off putting. Garden wise we sustained some damage to a few of our boundary eucalypt trees (as in one was lying flat on the ground!) but it may still recover after being staked back up.

I hibernated inside, whilst Rob braved the weather to move a truck load of top soil into the last three vegetable garden beds. Instead I picked up the newborn cross stitch sampler that I bought, ahem, two years ago to complete for my niece's birth. I'm afraid I didn't get very far. I picked it on the design (cute native animals and flowers) but didn't realise just how fine the fabric is, so the stitching seems very small. But now that I've started again, hopefully I can be a bit more dedicated and get it done in time for her 2nd birthday!

Menu wise this week:

Monday: Soba noodles with silver beet (from our garden), with soy and sesame seeds.
Tuesday: Pink ling (on the BBQ) with asparagus. (hmm not sure about Pink ling.)
Wednesday: Vegemite toast after a very filling bowl of mushroom and bacon soup at Jackman and McRoss for lunch.
Thursday: Linguine with pecorino and peas.
Friday: Silver beet, speck and parmesan frittata.
Saturday: Slow roasted beef brisket with baked potatoes.
Sunday: Minestrone, with more of our silver beet.

Can you tell the silver beet is doing well in our garden?

Treats this week included a cheese burger from Devil's Kitchen and apple, cinnamon and almond muffins.

Monday's Menu

Well Spring certainly started with a bang in southern Tasmania. Blue skies, warm temperatures. The weekend was perfect.
We pottered in the garden, weeding my flower beds, Rob installed a new overflow pipe (the outflow from our tank currently ended in the middle of my rose bed which is not ideal), he has redirected it to the veggie garden where we hope to put a water butt (a barrel). My anemones have started to flower, blue, pink and white and the occasional rogue red one!

Yesterday we headed into town and had yum cha at Me Wah with Rob's daughter for Father's day.  We love it, trying steamed dumplings (pork, prawn, vegetarian and trevalla) the obligatory roast duck and pork ribs. It was certainly buzzing yesterday, with families of all different combinations shared lunch.

I must admit we came back home to the hut and had a nap to sleep off all that food!

Menu wise this week -
Monday: Stir fry rice.
Tuesday: We headed out with my work colleagues to Ethos. To eat a series of tapas style dishes. My favourites were the fried chickpeas and a chorizo sausage cooked in red wine with potatoes. It's a lovely space, and the food was ok. But now that I've been I probably won't be in a rush to revisit.
Wednesday: We stopped by Bottega Rotolo for some lunch (beautiful minestrone for me) and had an asparagus, speck and parmesan frittata for dinner.
Thursday: Scallops with bacon on rice.
Friday: Penne pasta with pecorino, peas and speck. This was delicious!
Saturday: Beef shin stew with mash potato.
Sunday: After our big yum cha feast we had some leftover beef shin stew with pasta.

Monday's Menu

Back on track.
Sorry I'm yet to fulfil my promise of a risotto recipe post, but I will get there.

This week has been another quiet one. The only trip out from the hut over the weekend was to head to nearby Kettering and walk around the point (waving to the Bruny Island ferry as we left) and around to Trial Bay. A nice little stroll through some Allocasuarina forest and then some open eucalypt forest.
The puppies loved it. First of all it was a new walk. Second of all it was nice and muddy, so they came back with mud splattered bellies and paws. Thirdly, whilst we sat on the park bench handily placed on the point to watch the ferry they could paddle, and "accidentally" go in too deep!

So the menu this week:

Monday: Beef Shin stew with boiled potatoes.
Tuesday: Beef Shin stew with added mushrooms, potatoes and broccoli.
Wednesday: Stir fry rice with omelette.
Thursday: Pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano, peas and parsley.
Friday: Mt Gnomon pork chops braised in white wine, fennel and apple with mash.
Saturday: Slow cooked lamb shoulder, with potato gratin and peas.
Sunday: Lamb, barley and vegetable soup.

A few treats during the week included a lunch date at Tricycle for pork meatballs on white bean mash, and a flying visit to Sweet Envy on Friday for our favourite potato and rosemary bread, and a few sweet treats. Rob picked a lemon meringue doughnut (which apparently was excellent, he declared Alistair a genius) and I had a Bada bing chocolate caramel biscuit, which was very good but I struggled to finish it.

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend.

A belated Monday's Menu

Just catching up with the blog posts.

A brief Monday's Menu post

Monday: Stir fry rice with lots of fluffy omelette on top.
Tuesday: Pea, bacon and mint risotto.
Wednesday: Limonata pasta with Meredith's Goat cheese and roasted red peppers.
Thursday: We went to a screening of a Plant genetics documentary (our life is so exciting!) so I scoffed a cottage pie at the cafe at the back of the State cinema before hand. No photo though.
Friday: We headed out for soup at Jackman & McRoss, tomato, lentil, and bratwurst. It was so good. For dinner we had steak with potatoes and silverbeet from our garden.
Saturday: A vegetable soup for lunch and baked cheesey potatoes for dinner.
Sunday: Beef shin cooked in red wine with rice.

A belated Monday's Menu

Sorry it's a little late this week.

Monday: Chicken and mushroom pie with rocket, pear and blood orange salad.
Tuesday: Vegetable and noodle stir fry.
Wednesday: Steak on rocket.
Thursday: Room service Wagyu beef burger. Hmmm. A once in a life time experience. I was just too lazy to head out and find something else.
Friday: Steak on rocket.
Saturday: Slow roasted pork belly (from Mt Gnomon Farm) with fennel, onions and carrots.
Sunday: Pork belly and vegetable soup.

Monday's Menu

Thanks for all your comments and wishes for my Mum. She's staying positive and so am I.

This weeks menu:

Monday: Left over paella
Tuesday: Potato, pea and purple brussel sprout frittata (disturbingly the next day the brussel sprouts were blue!)
Wednesday: puttanesca pasta
Thursday: Soft-boiled eggs on rocket on sourdough toast
Friday: Chicken and mushroom pie with rocket
Saturday: Roast chicken with roasted potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and the obligatory rocket salad.
Sunday: Chicken, vegetable and pasta soup.

A few other highlights included a lunch date to Tricycle for soup and still warm rye rolls for breakfast in bed yesterday with cumquat marmalade.
We're churning through the citrus at the moment, tangelos, mandarins, oranges and blood oranges, I'm loving it. What's your favourite winter citrus?

Monday's Menu

Rob and I had a long weekend, which was lovely. We headed up to Launceston to visit Rob's parents, and take them out for dinner (to belatedly celebrate his mother's birthday).

We had delivered some fresh oysters and a bottle of Champagne to have before dinner, (felt like teenagers prepping for a big night out with drinks at home!) We then headed to Novaro's, which is a small Italian restaurant. We enjoyed a bottle of Chianti, whilst snacking on some Ligurian olives. Rob and his mother had ordered a slow cooked lamb rump on a mushroom risotto, his father a Quail salad and I ordered the duck. I love duck, but we rarely cook it at home, so if it's on the menu it makes choosing quite easy.
The others meals came out first, they looked pretty good, but then mine arrived, it was half a duck! The duck was probably more Asian in style, flavoured with star anise and soy, it sat on a bed of red cabbage and apple, although I didn't think of as a common accompaniment to duck, was excellent. The duck meat was nice and moist, and after skipping lunch I managed (with a little help from Rob) to finish it all!

What else has been on the menu?
Monday: Fennel, rocket and orange salad, with leftover beef.
Tuesday: Tomato, vegetable and meatball soup.
Wednesday: Carbonara.
Thursday: Stir fried vegetables with noodles.
Friday: Dinner at Novaro's.
Saturday: Seafood paella and apple and fruit mince crumble.
Sunday: Beef short ribs with baked potatoes and rocket. I also made a big batch of cauliflower soup, which was really tasty- I will share that recipe later this week. Rob also treated me to pancakes with poached rhubarb and blood oranges for breakfast.

Monday's Menu, a little late

Hello. Sorry I'm late. I've flat out this week with the conference booth, so have only just got the chance to create my weekly menu photo collage.
We're both still recovering from this silly head cold, so neither of us has felt all that keen in the kitchen. But there were some highlights still:

Monday: leftover beef Bourguignon.
Tuesday: chicken and ramen noodle soup.
Wednesday: Pasta puttanesca .
Thursday: Baked beans and fried eggs on toast!
Friday: Spinach, fetta and mint pastry triangles.
Saturday: Roast loin of Mt Gnomon pork (Vermey's are stocking them now!) on a bed of savoy cabbage and apple with potato stacks. With a fruit mince and apple crumble for dessert.
Sunday: Rocket salad, with speck, soft boiled eggs and croutons.


I hope that next week is a little less frantic and I have some more time to write here. I miss it.

Monday's Menu {and beauty}

Last night Rob took the dogs out for what we call "a wee on a wallaby" around 10.30. Don't worry no wallabies are harmed in this procedure.
He came straight back inside to get me. The night sky is spectacular at the hut anyway, as there are no street lights around the stars are so clear and bright. But last night there was an Aurora Australis happening. Our first at the hut.
Despite the cold -- thank goodness I'd grabbed a beanie and polar fleece -- we stood in the dark at the end of the terrace and watched in awe as a shaft of silvery light shot up from the horizon and then became a series of shimmering waves, that slowly moved across the sky. The light was like a translucent curtain moving in a breeze. Beautiful. Stunning. Luminous.

I didn't even bother trying to take a photo. For once I was content to capture the memory in my mind, confident that I could record it in words here.


This morning the mist hung over the hills as the sun started to rise. I don't know why but Rob and I have become so much more aware of the beauty of where we live since moving to the hut. It was hard to tear ourselves away this morning for work.


So the menu this week:

Monday: Massaman curry, I used a paste I admit and the end result wasn't as good as I had hoped, but still tasted pretty good with rice and poppadums.
Tuesday: We fixed the curry, by adding some almond meal to thicken the sauce and some silverbeet. We ate it with poppadums again and some natural yoghurt.
Wednesday: Lemon linguine.
Thursday: Tomato, vegetable and meatball soup.
Friday: same soup with freshly baked bread (Rob stayed home to work!)
Saturday: Egg and Bacon pie with rocket salad.
Sunday: Rocket salad with soft boiled eggs, blood pudding (sorry Sarah), and sourdough croutons.


Yesterday we headed to the Cygnet market (which is held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, from 10am-2pm). We love Cygnet on market days. Even better they have an atm for our bank now! So we picked up free range eggs, vegetable seeds, almonds, spices, rhubarb, carrots, parsnips, swede, leeks, and silverbeet. We couldn't resist a couple of Eccles cakes from Lotus Eaters, a browse in the second hand clothes shop behind the cafe, a loaf of Steve's sourdough rye and a couple of his jam doughnuts. There was a cute new fruit and vegetable shop in town, and we found some coffee beans (we'd totally run out so we were on the hunt for some) and I spied a beautiful dark grey salad bowl, made by Emile Henry. Rob indulged me and bought it.

I'm thinking of collecting my recipe posts in a separate page as a list, what do you think?

Monday's Menu {our normal little life}

We had another quiet stay-close-to-the-hut weekend. At least the weather was nice enough this week to go outside, open windows and get some sun. Maybe our quiet life might seem a little dull to others but I wouldn't have it any other way. I posted this photo of the hut, reflected in our dam yesterday on Instagram. One of the comments said it looked like a fairy tale. Which made me think about our life at the hut. Rob and I often walk around the block, checking on our trees, looking for thistles and enjoying the dogs running and wrestling nearby. There have been many perimeter walks, mostly with the hut present only in our imaginiation. There were times when I dragged my feet, that I didn't enjoy it, because I didn't think we'd ever live there. Seeing the empty spot where the hut should be just made me feel upset. The problems seemed insurmountable, but still we couldn't think of anywhere else we'd rather be. I guess that's being a little melodramatic, but I hope I never forget the difficulties we had to get there, as it makes me all the more grateful for the quiet weekends we've had recently.


We've put a moratorium on going into Hobart on weekends at the moment. With the shorter days it seems such a waste to be driving around shopping so we've been trying to get organised on Friday evening for a weekend in. Having said that, our washing machine is becoming quite temperamental so shopping for a new one may be a task for a Saturday morning soon. So our weekend started with some shopping and then a quick lemon linguine with a glass of wine, then reading new library books on the window seat.

Saturday morning is becoming our sleep in morning now, and I was treated to bacon, eggs and baked beans with freshly baked rolls in bed. Claudia was very interested in the bacon, both dogs got a little taste afterwards. I borrowed some novels from the library for once, normally I stick to cooking or gardening books. So I enjoyed reading Eat, Pray, Love and an old Rosamunde Pilcher novel set in Cornwall.

I made some meatballs to freeze for future meals, and cooked some quinces for a tagine I had in mind. Rob spent his morning on his hands and knees shoving aluminium fly screen underneath the cladding of the hut, in an attempt to keep the mice out.

Rob came in after lunch and made a massive batch of shortbread cut out as foxes. Which I have just realised I have failed to photograph. I think he was a bit over it by the end, as the mix was quite crumbly but they were very tasty.

Claudia has obviously decided to take the mouse problem to task. She snuffles around in the tufts of grass looking for them. Up until now I didn't think she'd been very successful. On Saturday afternoon she was pouncing and pointing and then just stood there until we came closer, then she picked up a poor mouse and ran off with it! I guess she didn't think it was fair if she had caught it that we should get it. Apparently it was quite comical to see me running after her, and her running with the mouse's tail hanging out of her mouth. I'm still not sure if she swallowed it or spat it out somewhere.

I cooked the beef and quince tagine, we've become quite obsessed about chuck steak at the moment and are dreaming up all sorts of slow cooked casseroles to use it in, serving it with a roasted pumpkin and fennel couscous.

Sunday was so sunny so we took the dogs for a walk on nearby Manuka Hills through some dry sclerophyll forest. The dogs loved it and ran around pretending to be timber wolves. We headed back to the hut and listened to Radio National's coverage of the Sydney Writer's Festival while we oiled all the timber window frames, doors and skirting with tung oil, a job we'd been meaning to do for awhile. We planted the red ranunculus in the flower garden, quickly walked another perimeter and then headed inside so Rob could help me dye my hair. I'm not sure it looks very different though, the colour was just called Chocolate, but looks a bit red under lights.

How was your weekend?

On our plate this week, chicken soup, scrambled eggs, steak and those potato stacks again, my breakfast, quince and beef tagine, tomato and meatball soup, lemon linguine and chicken and roasted vegetable risotto.

Monday's Menu {Kinfolk inspired lunch}

We spent nearly the entire weekend at the hut, which in our opinion is just about the perfect weekend. We did slip out early Sunday morning to a local beach for a quick dog walk and to pick up some last minute items for our lunch.

Instead of Easter chocolate this year (because we get enough of that anyway) Rob got a nice bottle of Lemon Olive Oil and I got my first copy of the magazine Kinfolk. It is beautiful. Really it is a book, not a magazine, with lovely thick paper, gorgeous photos and essays. No advertisements, not even recipes, just well thought out words.
I can't describe it any more eloquently than their manifesto:

Kinfolk is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings. We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love. Every element of Kinfolk—the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends.


Inspired by this lovely magazine, and by reading Stephanie Alexander's biography recently as well, we invited six of our friends over for Sunday lunch. Rob and I discussed the menu over the following three days, and changed it a few times but ended up with:

Oysters with Champagne

French onion soup with parmesan croutons

Roast rib of beef with potato gratin, stuffed tomatoes and a green salad.

Quince and pear Tarte Tatin

I admit that Rob did the cooking this time, whilst I cleaned the hut (no mean feat with two wet puppies coming in and out all morning), and set the table.
We got it all together just in time for our friends arrival. After a garden inspection we retreated indoors to enjoy our Autumnal menu and each others company until dark!


Pink Chrysanthemums for some colour, the table setting, discussing gardens I think, I smiled at the collection of Blundstones and Birkenstocks discarded in the breezeway.
Our menu for the rest of the week was a little less indulgent, but just as tasty. Pasta carbonara, vegetable soup, steak with broccoli and mushrooms, I made a large Spanakopita, and Rob made a nostalgic mince dish from his childhood. With the Anzac day holiday, we did some biscuit baking and on Saturday I was treated to marmalade and pecan muffins in bed.

Monday's Menu {roasted pumpkin soup}

We had a very quiet hut weekend, just the way we like it. We slept in, walked the dogs around the block, Rob made another 3 vegetable garden beds. I baked some lemon cupcakes to take to my mother's Tupperware party, and got away without having to host a party!  We baked Nigella's Schnecken on Sunday for a late brunch. They were seriously sweet, sticky and nutty. Perfect with a cup of tea, but we couldn't eat again until dinner.

Our menu was pretty simple this week a lot of comfort food.
Monday: Chicken and roast vegetable risotto. (Using up the leftovers from the roast chicken dinner the day before)
Tuesday and Wednesday; We had chicken and vegetable soup both nights, (our roast chicken was economical indeed feeding us for 4 dinners and a lunch).
Thursday: Vegetable and chorizo frittata.
Friday: Spaghetti and meatballs (recipe for the meatballs here).
Saturday: I'd been out to an afternoon tea, so wasn't very hungry, so we had baked potatoes.
Sunday: Roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup - a few of my Instagram followers requested the recipe, so scroll down below if you'd like to read it.

Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet potato soup with potato and speck garnish.

I hesitate to call this a recipe. But it was very tasty. Amounts are approximate and fed just the two of us.

1 sweet potato

1 decent sized wedge of pumpkin

4 potatoes (we used Dutch creams)

Olive oil

1 onion

200g speck (or bacon)

vegetable stock (we cheated and used Marigold Swiss Vegetable bouillon powder and boiling water)

Parsley

Peel and slice the sweet potato and pumpkin into even chunks.

Scrub the potatoes clean. Place the pumpkin and sweet potato on a tray, drizzle with a little oil, place the potatoes on a tray to bake (without oil).

Bake in a 200degC oven until soft.

(We did this the day before, and so popped them in the fridge once they had cooled. But you could just keep going).

Sweat the chopped onion in some more oil in a medium saucepan over a low heat, once softened add the pumpkin and sweet potato, and top up with vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.

Meanwhile heat a little oil in a fry pan and fry the chopped up speck or bacon til cooked and crispy, add the cubed baked potato (with skin on) and fry until nicely browned.

Use a stick blender to blend the soup, ours was still a bit chunky, but if you'd prefer a smooth soup blitz to your heart's desire!

Pour into bowls, top with the potato and speck and some chopped parsley and pepper.

Enjoy.

Monday's Menu {cheat's ravioli}

How can it be the last week of March already?
This last week flew by, with my trip up to Brisbane, the weekend was upon us before we knew it. Poor Rob had a cold this week, so with the cold weather on the weekend a pot of soup and a casserole was in order.

This weeks menu:
Monday: After making a zillion spinach and ricotta triangles (Claudia Roden's recipe) for a Harmony Day lunch, I came home with the leftovers. We reheated them and made a Lebanese salad to match. I finally used the purslane I insisted we grow, it's nice and crunchy in salads. We froze the remaining triangles for an emergency meal some time.
Tuesday: Another salad with soft boiled eggs, prosciutto, Meredith Dairy Goat Cheese.
Wednesday: Our cheat's ravioli - see below for the recipe.
Thursday: Massaman Curry, whilst I was in Brisbane. I need to cook this one at home, I haven't eaten it before I don't think, if anyone has a favourite recipe for this curry please pass it on. Oh, and I couldn't resist the chocolate tart either.
Friday: Beef pho in the Canberra airport.
Saturday: Vegetable and barley soup.
Sunday: River Cottage Chicken and mushroom casserole with Cider. Best thing was there are enough leftovers to eat on pasta tonight after work and the gym.

The Hut Ravioli

As we ran through the supermarket the week before, we grabbed a packet of wonton wrappers from the refrigerated section.

Image from Supreme Quality Foods

We hadn't used these in a long time. But we had a faint memory of seeing Simon Bryant use them on the Cook and the Chef as ravioli instead of fresh pasta.

It was a week night, which means by the time we've been to the gym, collected our dogs from doggie day care (ie my parents place) and driven to the hut it was probably around 7. We decided to "make" ravioli for dinner. A week before I made a batch of Nigella's meatballs and frozen them for use in pasta and soups.

Nigella's meatballs

250 g pork, minced

250 g beef, minced (or we used 500g pork and veal mince)

1 eggs

2 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

3 tbsp semolina, or breadcrumbs

1 pinches pepper

1 tsp salt

To make the meatballs, just put everything in a large bowl, and then, using your hands (if you wet them with a little water the mix doesn't stick as much), mix to combine, before shaping into small balls.

So I wrapped (a still frozen) meatball in between two wrappers (sealing the edge with a little water and squishing it out a little so the joins were not too thick).  Meanwhile Rob quickly fried a chopped onion and some garlic in a little olive oil before adding a bottle of tomato passata. We quickly boiled the ravioli then added them to the tomato sauce to finish off.

We served them with some dollops of ricotta cheese (left over from the triangles I'd made earlier), lots of chopped fresh basil and some grated parmesan.

They were good. I think we might have to try another filling this week. Any suggestions?

Monday Menu

I'll let the photos do the talking. Soup, steak, spaghetti puttanesca, soup, cheese, lime and chilli chicken, chicken pilaf, macarons.
That cheese was pretty darn good.
I just completed a job I'd been putting off for awhile- a clean up of the pantry. It looks much better now.
Hope you had a good weekend, we hid inside from the heat only venturing out to take the dogs to the beach.

Monday's Menu, quickly

Hello, we had a quiet weekend again. I've been a bit distracted this weekend so just a quick post.
Culinary highlights this week included a tomato and vegetable soup with fresh pesto (the basil is still out of control) and a mushroom risotto with sage, orange and hazelnuts.
What's been on the menu at your place?

Monday's Menu

Lamb souvlaki and soup. Had to have the souvlaki with out pitta bread, as the ones we had bought were a little green when we went to use them!
New York Times salted choc-chip biscuits. Still perfecting the recipe, we became addicted to them on our weekly visits to the C & C cupcake factory market stall. Now that Michelle and Jo have moved onto exciting new adventures, we have have to feed our own addiction.
A lunch date with Rob at Tricycle, we ate this chicken slaw (delicious mayonnaise) and little cakes with coffee. I admit to not being great company- sinus pain from hayfever was sending me a little batty last week, so my mind was all over the place.
Dinner at Mum and Dad's on Thursday.
The return of the cheese platter, a nice goopy soft cheese with a layer of truffles, a blue cheese called Fourme d'Ambert and a 24 month old piece of Parmigiano Reggiano to nibble on with a walnut and fig Pigeon Hole baguette.
One of Rob's students gifted him a grow your own mushroom kit, so we ate oyster mushrooms with rib-eye steak, and vegies.
I made the easiest chocolate cake ever, a prune version of Nigella's store cupboard chocolate cake. Any cake with a ganache icing is a winner for me.
Finally chicken wings and chips for an easy Sunday night dinner.
Again, after looking back at our week, I think some green vegetables are in order!