Burgers - Home style

A simple burger that can be made at home in a flash. Best flavour comes when flame grilled.

Ingredients:

• 500g of ground beef
• 1 Tsp. dried oregano leaves 
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.  combine all ingredients in a large bowl
2. form into flat patties with hands
3. flame grill for around 5 minutes a side. 
4. keep warm until served.

Tzatziki dip

We have a wonderfully diverse community in Melbourne. This diversity brings many benefits including opportunities to experience food from many cultures. One special cuisine can be experienced in the many restaurants run by people of Greek heritage. The number and quality of Greek eating places in Melbourne is not surprising given the strong ties Melbourne has with Greece. Melbourne has the largest Greek population in the world (outside of Greece). You can buy Tzatziki in the supermarket but it pales in comparison to what is on offer in even the humblest restaurant.

It is very easy to make at home and the recipe below is how I make it. Looking around, it seems that everyone has a variation of their own that they believe is authentic. I can't say if mine is authentic but I like its flavour, creaminess, and the ease that it can be made.

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup Greek yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Salt
• 1 - 2 Cucumbers (Lebanese)
• Dill 

Method:

1. Deseed and dice the cucumber. 
2. Place the cucumber in a sieve and allow moisture to drain.
3. In a medium bowl spoon yoghurt 
4. Add minced garlic and lemon juice
5. add cucumber
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Add a small amount of fresh dill (to taste)

Serve cold with warm pita bread

Pumpkin Soup

It is really cold here in Melbourne today and in an effort to stay warm I am cooking up a batch of pumpkin soup.  I will end up with around two litres of soup so some will be packed in the freezer (or just put it outside!) for another day.

There are many recipes out there for pumpkin soup but here is the one I use with my slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 1kg of pumpkin cut into chunks.
• 1 potato peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 4 allspice (pimento) whole
• 1 bay leaf
• black pepper
• butter
• salt

1 litre of Campbells Real Chicken Stock


Method

1. warm slow cooker
2. add vegetables and herbs and spices and seat for around 20-30 minutes
3. add chicken stock 
4. simmer for 4 hours
5. remove bayleaf and allspice
6. blend with a stick blender
7. Add salt to taste
8. Serve with sour cream

Penne with zucchini and pine nuts

A quick and easy pasta that is made almost weekly at out house. It is light and flavoursome.

Ingredients

• 2 small zucchini
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• parmesan cheese
• 400g penne pasta

Method:

1. Heat water for pasta in large saucepan.
2. Slice zucchini into small chunks and apply salt
3. Add pasta when water is at a rolling boil.
4. Cook pasta for 12 minutes.
5. While pasta is cooking heat saucepan on a medium heat
6. Add a  small amount of olive oil  and when hot;
7. Add pine nuts and sauté until slightly coloured.
8. Add garlic cloves crushed or sliced
9. Add zucchini and cook for five minutes
10. Test seasoning and add pepper and salt if desired.
11. Drain pasta and add to zucchini and pine nuts
12. Add shaved or grated cheese
13. Garnish with parsley, basil, or coriander
14. Serve immediately

Chilli bean burrito

Ingedients:

image © 2017 The French's Food Company LLC. .

• Torilla Wraps
• Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 x 400g can of kidney beans or similar
• 1 x cyenne chilli finely chopped and de-seeded
• 1 x finely chopped onion
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1 x green capsicum (optional)
• 1 x 400g can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cummin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground corriander seed
• salt and pepper to taste
• Lite sour cream
• grated cheese
• grated carrot
• Corn Kernels
• Lettuce 
• Hot source (Recommended : Frank's Hot Sauce)

Method:

1. prepare vegetables
2. heat medium size pan and add oil
3. add cummin and corriander
4. fry onions, garlic and chilli on medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. add capsicum and fry an addtional 5 minutes (optional)
6. add tomatoes and beans
7. simmer for 20 minutes 
8. add salt and pepper if needed
9. Assemble
1. lay out tortilla wrap
2. sprinkle a few drops of Franks sauce on wrap
3. sprinkle grated cheese
4. Add a small spoonful of tomato / bean mix
5. Add small amount of corn, carrot, and lettuce as desired
6. Add a small spoonful of sour cream
7. Wrap your wraps and eat!

Enjoy.

Pancakes

I have been making this delicious recipe for pancakes since the 1980s and it never gets old. It proves that simple is best!  I think the recipe is adapted from one I had in a gift from the Canadian Government.  The picture shows fresh fruit and while this is lovely my personal favourite is maple syrup. Please enjoy.





Ingredients:

• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cip milk
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• maple syrup to serve

Mix the dry ingredients together and beat in the best. The mix can be adjusted by adding more milk if too thick.  Spoon mix into hot pan and flip after around 3 minutes. Serve hot with maple syrup.

Enjoy

Sardine paste

• 100g tin sardines

• 1  garlic clove

• Fresh parsley

• 20g raw walnuts

• 20g raw almonds

• Olive oil 1 tablespoon

• Celery sticks, to serve

• Toast, to serve

1 Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a rough paste.

2 Scoop it up with some celery and spread it on freshly toasted rye bread, with a simple tomato salad on the side, if you like.