White sauce is easy to make and can be used as the base for many other sauces by adding some extra ingredients. You can easily double or triple the quantities of the ingredients to suit your needs.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of plain flour

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.

2. Add flour and combine with a whisk.

3. Slowly add the milk, continuing to stir with a whisk to produce a smooth sauce.

4. Cook slowly unitl thickened.

Variations

There is millions of variations you can make to the basic white sauce. The only one I’m going to mention at this stage is that if you want a thinner sauce then use 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour, Similarly if you want a thicker white sauce then use an extra tablespoon of butter and flour.

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Posted by Ted on September 10th, 2006 :: Filed under Recipes,Sauces

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Left over rice and pasta dishes generally tend to dry out a little when stored in the fridge for a day or two. To add a little bit of moisture back to the meal I add about a tablespoon of water to the bowl and cover with cling film with it just lifted slightly on one edge to allow excess steam to escape.

The steaming effect tends to add back some of the moisture lost while being stored in the fridge.

Try it and tell me what you think.

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Posted by Ted on September 9th, 2006 :: Filed under Kitchen Tips,Pasta

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Stirfrys are a great way to cook a nutritious meal quickly and easily and with the least amount of dishes. Here’s a simple stir fry sauce that I use all the time.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

1 tablespoon Soy sauce

1 teaspoon crushed chillies (adjust or omit to taste)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stir to combine ingredients.

2. Once all ingredients have combined you can remove from the heat, pour over your stir fry and mix through just before serving.

There’s generally enough sugar in the oyster sauce that it doesn’t need additional sugar, but if you like a sweeter sauce consider adding a little bit of sugar to taste, I’d use brown sugar or finely grated palm sugar if I had it on hand.

As per the sugar, I normally find there is enough salt in the soy sauce, but you can add extra if you want.

When it comes to chillies I find it’s a very personal thing. I generally use crushed chillies from a jar, as it keeps well in the fridge so I can always have stirfry sauce ingredients on hand. You can also substitute fresh chillies, or sambal olek. The quantity I use is inoffensive to most people, you can taste it, but it doesnt over power the rest of the flavours in the dish.

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Posted by Ted on September 6th, 2006 :: Filed under Asian,Recipes

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The best seafood risotto’s take hours of preparation, especially if your making your own fish stock. This recipe is a simple and tasty version that can be knocked up in less than half an hour using basic ingredients that you can keep on hand in your pantry and fridge. Serves 4.
Ingredients

1 Cup Arborio Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

500 grams mixed seafood (see note)

2 Cups of chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1/4 Cup chopped parsley

1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frypan and saute the onion garlic and rice for 2-3 minutes making sure the oil coats the rice.

2. Add tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, seafood as per the note below and two ladles of the chicken stock. stir regularly over low heat. As the stock is absorbed by the rice add more stock one ladle at a time. (this should take about 15 minutes)
3. Add the remainder of the seafood and extra stock if the rice isnt cooked through yet.
4. Once the rice and remaining seafood is cooked stir parsley through and serve immediately topping with parmesan.

This dish is nice with a light salad, the parmesan is normally a compulsory part of a risotto bit I prefer to omit it with seafood risotto.

Notes

You can use a variety of different seafoods to make this risotto, for me it all depends on what’s on hand and what’s available fresh.
The simplest way I cook this is with frozen marinara mix and prawns, it’s easy to keep on hand but lacks some of the seafood flavours you’d get with fresh seafood. If you go this way then add the thawed marinara mix at step 2 and the prawns at step 3. Thaw the seafood in the fridge or on the bench. If your short of time you can use the microwave, I try to use short bursts of low power, stirring in between so the ingredients don’t cook in the microwave. Add any liquid that accumulates in the bottom of the bowl, it’s all flavour!

For the risotto that’s in the picture I used 250 grams of Marinara mix and 250 grams of fresh scallops. When using fresh scallops I sear them in the hot pan prior to starting to cook the risotto then put them aside in a bowl. Then I add them at step 3. I do this for two reasons, the first is to seal the scallops and keep them juicy on the inside. The second reason is that the juices left in the pan after searing the scallops help add to the seafood flavour of the dish.

You can also use boneless white fish fillets of any sort, cut into 2cm chunks. As always fresh is best, but frozen will work too. Add these at step two of cooking.

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Posted by Ted on September 1st, 2006 :: Filed under Recipes,Risotto,Seafood

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This recipe is the result of an idea I had when I attempted to make my mildly disasterous Salmon fettucine dish and discovered an easy way to make a low fat creamy sauce.

Ingredients

1 Medium brown onion diced

2 cloves of garlic (crushed or finely chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 Skinless Chicken Breasts (2cm cubes)

300gm Button Mushrooms

3 teaspoons Corn Flour

1 Tin Carnation (skim) Milk

250gm Fettucine

1/2 glass White Wine (optional)

1/4 Cup flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Fry garlic, onion and oil in a non stick frypan on medium heat until onion is translucent

2. Prepare pasta as per the packet instruction.

3. Add chicken to the frypan, once brown add mushrooms

4. Combine cornflour with 1/2 the Carnation Milk using a whisk or a fork in a separate bowl, add to frypan with remainder of milk and add the wine, stir well.

5. When pasta is cooked, drain and add to frypan with parsley, toss well to combine ensuring pasta is well coated with the sauce, then serve.

Variations

Try using a variety of different mushrooms for a more interesting flavour.

Top with parmesan cheese.

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Posted by Ted on August 28th, 2006 :: Filed under Chicken,Low Fat,Pasta,Recipes

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One of my favourite simple meals is Bangers and Mash with gravy. It’s an easy to cook meal that’s flavoursome and filling.Those of you without exposure to English heritage may refer to bangers as sausages. Traditionally this is made with thick pork sausages and your normal mashing potato.

I’m trying to be a bit healthier with my diet at the moment so I’ve done a variation on the theme. I’ve used low fat chicken sausages, sweet potato (which I’ve been told has less carbs than normal potatoes) and a salt reduced instant gravy.
Ingredients (per person)

2-3 Low fat chicken sausages

300-500 grams sweet potato (peeled and cut into chunks)
1/2 a medium brown onion (sliced into half rings)
Instant gravy

1tsp Olive Oil

Low fat milk

Method

Place the sweet potato in a suitable saucepan and cover with water, boil for 10-15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.

Place the onion and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir regularly.
Grill your sausages until cooked, I used my George Foreman grill to help reduce the already low fat.

Once the onions have softened prepare gravy as per the packet instructions in the same saucepan as the onions.

Once the sweet potato is cooked drain the water and mash well. Add milk until you are happy with the consistency.

Dish it up and enjoy !

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Posted by Ted on August 21st, 2006 :: Filed under Chicken,Low Fat,Recipes

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Last night I was trying a new recipe for Creamy Salmon and Mushroom Fettucine that I’d found in a magazine. It looked great in the pictures, but when I turned it out onto the plate it looked awful. Though it still tasted great I was too embarressed by it’s appearance to take a photo to put on the site.

So what went wrong ?

A couple of things, I burnt a cheap brand of pink salmon, instead of it turning into chunks it turned mush. The second thing was substituting brocolini for brocoli florets.

But on the bright side I’ve learnt a very simple way to make a low fat creamy sauce. I’ve avoided creamy sauces in the past because I’ve been trying to avoid saturated fat in my diet.

Just mix 3 teaspoons of cornflour with about a third of a tin of carnation milk with a whisk in a small jug, once it’s blended mix in the rest of the milk then add to your favourite ingredients.

When I get a chance to get back into the kitchen I’m going to try a creamy chicken and mushroom fettucine.

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Posted by Ted on August 21st, 2006 :: Filed under Low Fat,Recipes

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As far as currys go this is a pretty mild one. I love it for the tenderness of the beef and the extra flavours in the potato that you get from slow cooking. It should serve around 6

1kg topside steak

1/4 cup vegetable oil

500gm small potatoes (halved)

250gm small onions (halved)

1/2 cup massaman curry paste

2 x 440ml cans coconut cream

1 x teaspoon tamarind concentrate (or substitute juice of half a lemon or lime)
2/3 cup hot water

1/4 cup palm sugar (or substitute brown sugar)

1. Cut steak into 1inch cubes (or get your butcher to do it for you)

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the steak in batches over high heat until browned. If your doing this properly there should be smoke coming out of the pan !

3. Once the steak is browned remove it from the pan and sit it aside on some absorbent kitchen towel.

4. Add the potatoe and onion to the same pan and stir over heat. This should produce a little more smoke.

5. Once the potatoes and onions are a little browned, stir in the curry paste for about a minute.

6. Stir in the coconut cream, add the steak back to the pan.

7. Combine the tamarind concentrate, sugar and hot water and add to the pan

8. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for one to two hours until the mixture has thickened.

It doesnt hurt to leave this simmering for longer, but once it’s reached it’s desired consistency add the lid to the saucepan to stop it drying out.

Serve with rice and enjoy.

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Posted by Ted on August 5th, 2006 :: Filed under Asian,Beef,Curry,Recipes,Thai

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I never used to eat vegetables, just on the principle that I was forced to eat them as a kid and by the time I moved out of home I figured I’d had enough to last a life time. So after waking up to the lack of nutrition in my life, I’ve rediscovered them.

I was pleasantly surprised to find them tasty and cheap too. This vegetable soup will cost the same as 2-3 tins of premium brand soup but makes heaps more. The other bonus is that it’s made from fresh ingredients and has no preservatives.
This is a simple soup that takes very little effort to cook. Nothing in the dish is really critical to it’s success so feel free to adjust the ingredients and quantities to suit your own tastes.

Serves 6

1 clove garlic

2 stalks of Celery

1 Diced Onion

1 table spoon olive oil

2 cups of mixed vegetables (i used carrot, swede and potato)

1 litre of chicken stock

1 litre of water

1 tin diced tomates

1/2 cup of soup mix

1/2 cup of small pasta shells

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Heat oil in large saucepan, add onion, garlic, and celery.Cook until onion softens.
2. Add chicken stock, water, vegetables, tomatoes and soup mix. Bring to the boil.
3. Once boiling reduce to a simmer for an hour stirring occasionally.
4. 15 minutes before serving add the pasta shells
5. Just before serving add most of the parsley

That’s it, Dish it up in soup bowls and sprinkle a little bit of the parsley on top. Serve with warm crusty bread rolls

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Posted by Ted on July 23rd, 2006 :: Filed under Recipes,Soup,vegetables,Vegetarian

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