Masterchef Magazine: Gnocci with Beetroot Puree and Feta

We like Feta. We like Gnocci. Beetroot is also good. 

So when we saw this recipe in one of the more recent Masterchef Magazines (its in Issue 9 to be more precise), we thought it was a good idea to make it for dinner. 

Making gnocci is annoying and tedious, or at least it has been for us in the past. This time was no exception. Our gnocci always ends up looking like little poos instead of the glorious little pillows they are supposed to be. 

Recipe:

Serves 6 

800g desiree potatoes

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 egg lightly beaten

225g (1.5 cups) plain flour

2tbs olive oil

50g butter

200g feta (the original recipe says goats curd, but we just had feta instead)

1/3 cup small basil leaves

Beetroot Puree

125g butter, roughly chopped

500g (about 3) beetroots, peeled and roughly chopped

Candied Orange Zest

2 oranges, zest peeled and julienned

110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

We ended up halving everything as it was just us.

Dodgy Cupcake Efforts

I wish I was amazing at baking cupcakes like some of the writers of the blogs that I read. Okay, so I have so far not put in much effort towards achieving my dream, however I am getting there and would like to share a couple of photos of the first cupcakes that I have baked. 

Yes, they look fairly sad however I am still slightly proud of them. 

Vanilla cupcakes with basic glace icing... I had a massive fight with the icing and got very angry

Chocolate cupcakes with choc buttercream frosting... first effort at piping anything.. very sad

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Sweet Tomato Jam

L got this Moroccan cookbook for Christmas last year and so far has managed to make only one thing out of it, but its been such a success that we've had it a few times and I thought I would share it. 

This is the cookbook here;

The recipe:

• 1.5kg ripe tomatoes
• 1kg lamb shoulder or leg steaks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions coarsely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 30g butter
• 40g blanched almonds

serves 4-6

Strawberry Bread

Because L does ALL the cooking at home (I hate cooking dinner), I occasionally start feeling guilty and feel like I should cook something, anything.

So lately I have been trying to get into baking and desserts. So far I have had a few attempts at slices and biscuits, and a failed chocolate cake. I also don’t have many of the utensils required for baking, so am slowly accumulating various tins etc.

I found this recipe for strawberry bread by trolling through other foodie blog sites. I am a big fan of banana bread and I love strawberries and so this seemed interesting. 

The recipe link is:

http://www.natalieskillercuisine.com/2010/04/strawberry-sour-cream-loaf.html#more-337 

I usually spend just as much time on lining the cake tin as I do mixing up the batter. I like to painstakingly get it perfectly lined until there are no creases left, and in doing so usually waste about three metres of baking paper. Oh well......

This strawberry bread was super easy to make.

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups strawberries, quartered 

Falafels

He died with a Falafel in his hand....

A couple of years ago whilst visiting Brunswick heads in NSW on a holiday, we fell in love with the falafels at a vegetarian cafe there (Yamis for anyone wanting to know). This was actually my first time eating falafels, I’m ashamed to say, I’d previously written them off as being “gross vegetarian food”. I am a fairly carnivorous person in my defence.

Anyway, my fiancé L came up with a recipe searching on the web here;

DedeMed Mediterranean Cooking

Falafel Recipe:
2 cups dried garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cup dried fava beans
1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup parsley
8 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp salt
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 very large onion
1/2 tsp blk pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda, added 15 minutes before frying

1/2 tsp baking powder