Zucchini Season #1: Zucchini Spice Bread

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of such a thing as zucchini bread. Maybe it's an American thing, but it sure was news to my Australian ears. I sampled a piece made by my friend, Caron, and was instantly keen to get on this zucchini-cake-baking train. After all, what did I have to lose with such enormous zucchinis crying out to be used up?

To a lot of people I'm sure it sounds like a recipe for those whose taste buds have gone on vacation, but give me a moment to persuade you. Think of this as more of a spice cake than a zucchini cake - think carrot cake, but better. The zucchini keeps the cake delightfully moist, and is the perfect backdrop to spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Yum.

Caron generously shared her mum's recipe with me, which I adapted a little. I exchanged some of the oil for apple sauce (such an easy way to cut the fat!), upped the spice and finished it off with a steusel topping. My version has more of a light cake consistency than the traditional zucchini bread, so it would lend itself well to being baked in a ring mold or regular cake tin. It's the perfect baked treat to take to work for morning tea. Tell me what you think!

Zucchini Spice Bread
Adapted from a recipe shared by Caron Peavy

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce)
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar (and apple sauce, if using). Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, spices, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. To make the streusel topping, mix all the ingredients together really well with your (clean) fingers until it becomes crumbly and sprinkle over the batter.
4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

Makes 2 loaves.

Zucchini Season!

It is zucchini (courgette) season here in the US and my friend, Cathy, gave me the biggest zucchinis I have ever seen. I was thrilled to receive some home grown veges and absolutely amazed at the size of them. They were three times the size of a normal zucchini and 14 inches long!

So for the last couple of weeks I've been looking for interesting zucchini recipes in an attempt to use up this mountain of vegetable. Typically I use zucchini grated into omelettes, sliced in stir fries or chunks in Thai curries, but this adventure opened up a whole world of possibilities for the humble gourd. Low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals, I discovered that zucchinis, while being terribly undervalued in the kitchen, have so much potential. Did you know that you can even use zucchini to make cookies? Who knew?! For the next week or so, I will be posting different ways to use zucchini - sweet and savoury, baked, fried and grilled. What are some ways that you like to use zucchini?

Rosemary Bread

“There is no smell in the world of food to equal the perfume of baking bread and few greater pleasures in eating than sitting down with a slice of freshly baked bread, good butter, and a cup of tea or coffee.” — James Beard, Beard on Bread

While we're on a rosemary kick, you NEED to know about this recipe. If you have a breadmaker then I strongly encourage you to give this one a go. If you don't own one, now you have a pretty good reason to invest. Alternatively, you probably have a friend or relative with a breadmaker collecting dust in a lofty cupboard. Do them a favour and borrow their appliance with the promise of bringing them fresh herb bread! Being somewhat of a gypsy at the moment I don't have a breadmaker myself (it's a tricky thing to fit into a suitcase) but I am fortunate that my mother-in-law, with whom I am living, does. My eyes really have been opened to the wonder of this kitchen appliance. They are so easy to use, make the house smell divine while they are cooking, and produce gorgeous breads and doughs. I'm itching to see how it goes with making pizza dough.

My mother-in-law, Molly, found this recipe at allrecipes.com where it received 5 stars from over 900 reviews! That many people can't be wrong. If you don't have a breadmaker, read some of their reviews (link is below) as a few people give tips for making the bread in an oven.  If you are lucky enough to have fresh rosemary on hand, you can substitute a couple of teaspoons for the dried version.

The bread is fluffy and light and so full of flavour. It is amazing when made into simple open-faced melts (my husband's current favourite lunch), simply dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or smeared with buttery garlic and made into crusty garlic bread. Oh my, how my stomach aches for some right now...

Rosemary Bread
From allrecipes.com

1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread cycle; press Start.

To make the open-faced melts pictured above, cut the bread into thick slices and toast on both sides. Spread the toast with basil pesto and top with sliced tomato, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt, and a slice of Swiss  cheese. Toast until the cheese melts. Top with baby rocket (arugula) and enjoy!

Flavour of the Moment: Rosemary

Who would have thought to put rosemary in a potato salad? I love trying something new that is totally out of the box but tastes amazing. My mother-in-law prepared this delightful potato salad to go along with the ribs we made for 4th of July. The recipe combines the tang of lemon and the vibrant flavours of fresh rosemary with the classic creaminess of a potato salad. Give this a go for your next picnic or outdoor barbeque!

Potato Salad with Pancetta, Lemon and Rosemary
Via Bon Appetit

5 slices pancetta (Italian bacon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 garlic clove, pressed
2/3 cup mayonnaise (we used an olive oil based one)
1.3kg (3lbs) Yukon Gold potatoes
3 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Arrange pancetta slices on a baking sheet, spacing apart. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes (do not turn). Drain on paper towels. Allow to cool before coarsely chopping pancetta.
2. While the pancetta is baking, whisk lemon juice, rosemary, lemon peel, and garlic in small bowl. Gradually whisk in mayonnaise. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Place potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil then reduce heat to medium. Simmer with the lid ajar until potatoes are tender, 18 to 25 minutes, depending on size of potatoes. Drain and let stand until cool enough to handle.
4. Remove the skin from the potatoes, if desired, and then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
5. Place the potato in a large bowl and add the chopped celery. Drizzle dressing over and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
6. Before serving, sprinkle the potato salad with pancetta and chopped parsley.

Serves 8

This can be made a day ahead up to Step 5 and refrigerated until needed. Store the pancetta in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature before sprinkling over the salad.

VARIATION: If you prefer a non-creamy potato salad, replace the mayonnaise with olive oil.

Sab's Magic Ribs

When it comes to serving up amazing food and wine, it's hard to find a better team than our Aussie friends, Shayne and Sabine. Shayne knows more about wine that anybody I know and Sab has a knack for flavours and creativity in the kitchen. So it was no surprise when she cooked up these unbelievably tasty ribs for me and Phil last summer. Being the generous soul that she is, Sab was good enough to share her recipe.

Although they take a little forethought, these ribs are a snap to make because they just have to be marinated and then baked in the oven. No grilling required and no lengthy hours in the oven. And what takes them from average to sensational is the sauce. Far from your predictable barbecue flavours, it is a sweet Asian spiced sauce with a surprising blend of ingredients that taste amazing when combined. Elizabeth, my sister-in-law, says she could eat the sauce straight - enough said!

As I had never cooked ribs before, a little research was required to make sure I was on the right track. Check out this site for all you need to know about rib cooking. We decided to use baby back ribs, but side (spare) ribs would work just as well if given a longer cooking time. Either way it is important to remove the membrane that is on the underside of the ribs. With my mother-in-law's help we managed to peel it off pretty easily to allow the marinade to permeate through the meat. Here's a video how-to:

We served the ribs with potato salad and a tasty Asian salad, which is a regular favourite at many Aussie barbeques.

Sab's Magic Ribs
By Sabine Giles

2.5kg (5lbs) pork ribs

For the marinade:
2 cups apple juice
4 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tspn mustard powder
1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
a couple of broken up cinnamon quills
2 or 3 star anise
4 or 5 roughly chopped garlic cloves

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a large baking tray with foil.
2. Mix together the ingredients for the marinade. Soak the ribs in the marinade overnight.
3. Remove ribs from marinade and place in a large baking tray. Bake for about 1.5 hours or up to 2 hours if you are using side ribs.
4. While the ribs are roasting, boil the excess marinade in a medium saucepan until it is reduced by about 1/2 to make sauce for dipping.
5. When the ribs have been in the oven for about an hour, remove from the oven and baste both sides with some of the reduced marinade. Return to the oven.
6. When ready, remove from oven and cut the ribs between the bones. Serve with dipping sauce and a tasty coleslaw.

N.B. In America we had some trouble finding star anise at our local grocery store. If you can't get to an Asian grocer, do what we did and substitute 1/2 tspn Chinese Five Spice powder for the star anise and the cinnamon quills.

Happy Fourth of July!

Yay for family, fireworks and living in a free country! This afternoon, my sister-in-law and I cooked up some fun Independence Day cupcakes. We used a basic vanilla batter and iced them with vanilla buttercream frosting. The batter had lemon zest in it which was absolutely perfect with the vanilla. Everyone agreed that they tasted as good as they looked!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
via Joy of Baking

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 - 20 minutes or just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
6. To make the buttercream frosting, cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. At this stage you can tint the frosting if you want with food colouring.
7. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing using a piping bag. I used a ziplock bag with one corner snipped off. Decorate with stars, sprinkles, coloured sugar, etc.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

These cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are made, but they can be covered and stored for a few days if necessary.

Tzatziki

I recently had dinner at a lovely Greek restaurant in Tennessee with my fabulous American family. We had quite a spread... avgolemono soup, gyros, moussaka and delightfully refreshing tzatziki. It inspired me to make  my own version of the refreshing cucumber dip. Tzatziki - tricky to say but so easy to eat!

Tzatziki

1 cup thick Greek yogurt*
1/2 cup English/Continental cucumber (the long skinny type that usually comes wrapped), grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tspn lemon juice
sea salt and cracked pepper

1. Strain the liquid out of the grated cucumber by placing it between a few layers of paper towel and squeezing. It is important to do this step otherwise the tzatziki will be watery.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic and lemon juice.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Add more salt/pepper/lemon juice/garlic to make it perfect for your tastebuds.
4. Serve with warm pita bread and crudites.

* To make your own thick Greek yogurt (and save a few bucks), check out my previous post for some tips.

Date and Banana Muffins

This recipe for the truly health conscious. It is made with whole wheat, sweetened with dates and bananas (that's right - no sugar at all!) and contains no oil or butter. You'd think these muffins would be bland and dry, wouldn't you? The good news is, however, that they come out surprisingly fluffy and moist, and full of flavour thanks to the spices.

When I started using this recipe about four years ago, I made it as a cake in a silicon ring mold (bundt pan). I decided to start making the recipe into muffins instead so that I could freeze them easily. They are perfect to pull out of the freezer in the morning and will be defrosted and ready to eat by mid-morning. I like to zap them for 20 seconds in the microwave because they are even better warm. The cake version would be lovely drizzled with a light lemon or vanilla icing and served with tea for health conscious friends.

Date and Banana Muffins

3 bananas
1 cup dates, chopped
½ cup yoghurt
4 egg whites
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 ½ cups wholemeal SR flour
1 tspn bicarbonate of soda
1 tspn mixed spices (or your own combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease muffin pans or line with paper liners. Alternatively, to make a cake, grease a ring mold or loaf tin.
2. Mash bananas.
3. Blend dates and yoghurt in a blender.
4. Beat in one egg at a time.
5. Add bananas and essence.
6. Sift though flour, bicarb and spices. Fold through gently.
7. Bake for 20 mins for muffins or 35-40 mins for a cake.

Be sure to eat these all up within a couple of days as they tend to dry out quickly. Alternatively, wrap them in Glad wrap and throw them in the freezer.

Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

I love yogurt. No really - I LOVE yogurt. I could probably live on the stuff. I love it so much that I used to go to the effort of making my own when I lived in China where it was hard to get my hands on an inexpensive natural yogurt. Occasionally I would strain my yogurt to make it thick and creamy in the Greek style.  And it only occurred to me recently that rather than paying the high prices for Greek yogurt here in the US, I could just strain store bought natural yogurt. I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure that out, but better late than never. 

So if you are also a Greek yogurt lover and fancy saving a few bucks, grab yourself a coffee filter or a piece of muslin (cheese) cloth to line a sieve. Let the sieve rest over a bowl (make sure the bottom of the sieve doesn't touch the bowl). Scoop as much regular yogurt, such as Dannon natural yogurt, as will fit in the coffee filter. All you have to do now is pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours. The longer you leave it, the thicker the yogurt will become. In a short while you will see a yellowy liquid gathering in the bowl - that's the whey. Apparently it's best not to remove too much of this whey because it contains loads of protein and amino acids, as well as much of the good bacteria that makes yogurt so healthy (read more). The whey also gives yogurt it's delightfully tangy flavour. A couple of hours in the fridge removes enough that the yogurt is nice and thick and ready to be used for all sorts of things. Just the other day I saw TV chef, Chuck Hughes, use yogurt that had been strained overnight (suuuper thick!) for frosting on a carrot cake. Genius! At the moment we can't get enough of Greek yogurt parfaits piled with granola...

Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

2 cups strained (or Greek) plain yogurt

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup strawberries, chopped

1 tbsp strawberry jam

6 tablespoons granola or muesli

1. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, honey and vanilla until evenly combined.

2. In another small bowl, stir the jam through the strawberries so that they are well coated. If you have a sweet tooth you may like to add more jam at this stage.

3. In small glasses, layer the yogurt and strawberry mix. I like to put some yogurt in first, followed by the strawberries and then another layer of yogurt. 

4. Right before you dig into your parfait, sprinkle the top with the granola. Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 parfaits


The combinations for these parfaits are endless. What is your favourite way to use yogurt?

Sesame Chicken without the Guilt

I tried this recipe out in the hope of finding something that would satisfy a Chinese food craving without loading up on calories. The chicken is pan-fried rather than deep-fried, but just as tasty. We both loved it and I know it will become a regular on our dinner table.

The original recipe from Martha Stewart calls for broccoli, but I had green beans in my fridge to be used up. They worked really well. I think snow peas or capsicum (bell pepper) would also be really tasty. See what you think!

Sesame Chicken
Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe

3/4 cup rice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
600g (1 1/2 lbs) skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Couple of handfuls of green beans, ends removed

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic. Set aside.
3. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the green beans until they start to turn a little brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
5. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken.
6. Return all the chicken and beans to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.
7. Serve on a bed of rice.

Warning: It really is important to use a non-stick pan for this recipe. The first time I tried it I used a regular frying pan and the chicken ended up sticking to it and the kitchen was very smoky! Works beautifully with the non-stick though. 

Tiramisu

Joe's Italian birthday dinner was finished off with this fluffy, creamy tiramisu. In Italian, tiramisu literally means "pick me up" which I think is a very fitting title because it's one of those desserts that just makes life seem a little bit better :-)

This recipe goes way back to when my sister, Bel, was in high school and she wanted to cook something Italian for a Home Economics project. She stumbled upon this gem (no idea where!) and it has become well-loved by my family ever since. It's not a typical tiramisu - it has no fancy liqueur or marscapone. Instead it has a rich lemon cream cheese filling which marries surprisingly well with the coffee and cocoa flavours.

Tiramisu

25 sponge fingers (aka lady fingers or savioardi biscuits)
8 tbsn cold black sweet coffee
4 egg yolks
½ cup castor sugar
3 drops vanilla essence
½ grated lemon rind
350g cream cheese
2 tspn lemon juice
250ml single cream
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp icing sugar

1. Arrange ½ sponge fingers in an even layer on the bottom of a dish and spoon ½ coffee over.
2. Put egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind in a heat proof bowl. Stand the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (or use a double boiler) and whisk until very thick and creamy. This is a good arm workout as it takes about 10-12 minutes.
3. Beat cream cheese and lemon juice in bowl until smooth.
4. Combine egg and cream cheese mix and stir until evenly combined.
5. Spread ½ mix evenly over sponge fingers.
6. Add another layer of sponge fingers and sprinkle with remaining coffee.
7. Cover with remaining cream cheese mix and chill in the fridge for an hour.
8. Whip the cream until stiff and spread over dessert.
9. Sift an even layer of cocoa and a light layer of icing sugar over the top. Stand back and admire your work!

Serves 6

An Italian Birthday

It's birthday time in the Cancelleri household (yay!), and what better way to celebrate than with some tasty Italian food. The birthday man, Joe, requested a cheesy, bacony, garlicky gnocchi bake which went down a treat. It was simple to make and very tasty - you can't go wrong with this combination of flavours!

If you've got a busy week coming up, this can be made ahead of time up to Step 8 and frozen. Add the mozzarella after thawing and bake for easy weeknight deliciousness.

Gnocchi Bake
Adapted from Good Taste

1 tbs olive oil
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 short-cut bacon rashers, coarsely chopped
200g button or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
400g can diced tomatoes, partly drained of juice
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
salt and freshly cracked pepper
120g baby spinach leaves
500g pkt shelf-fresh gnocchi
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)
200g fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, drained, torn in half

1. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until bacon is lightly golden.
3. Add mushroom and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mushroom is soft.
4. Add the wine. Cook, scraping any bits from the base of the pan, for 3-4 minutes or until wine reduces by half.
5. Stir in the tomato and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions.
7. While the gnocchi is cooking, stir the spinach into the tomato mixture until it just wilts.
8. When the gnocchi is ready, drain and then add to tomato mixture. Stir to combine.
9. Pour into one medium-sized casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and top with the mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese melts and becomes golden brown.

When my nieces came to play...

In the battle of the bulge, I generally aim to avoid baking sweet and buttery items. I like sweet things just a little too much and have no self control when it comes to a fresh batch of cookies. But what better excuse to indulge than when my gorgeous nieces, Meg and Elisha, came to my house for a sleep-over? After all, cooking together is a bonding experience, so really it was my duty as an aunt to lead such an endeavor. After all, no girly sleep-over is complete without some sweet treats and I was dying to try out my new alphabet cookie cutters.

We used a basic sugar cookie recipe, which we decorated with coloured sugar. There seems to be some debate over whether the coloured sugar should be added before or after baking. Add it before and it sticks nicely to the dough shapes, but the colours are paler after being baked. Sprinkle the sugar on after, and you need something like corn syrup or egg white to help the sugar stick. We decided to go for the latter and were quite happy with the results.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
Pinch salt
125g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tpsn of vanilla essence
milk (if too dry)

For the coloured sugar:
1 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup (or use 1-2 egg whites)
food colouring

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Mix butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Add egg, flour and salt, mix well. If mixture is too dry then add some milk.
4. Knead lightly and roll out on a floured board to about 5mm.
5. Cut out in desired shapes and place on a greased cookie tray.
6. Bake for 15 mins, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
7. While the cookies are baking and cooling, make the coloured sugar: place 1/4 cup castor sugar into four seperate, small ziplock bags (or small bowls). If you are only using one colour, you will only need one bag/bowl.
8. Add a few drops of food colouring, seal the bag and shake until the colour is evenly distributed through the sugar. Add more colouring until you reach the desired depth of colour. Repeat for each colour. You can even try blending colours to make new colours (e.g. red and blue to make purple).
9. When cool, mix the corn syrup (or egg white) with a teaspoon of water. Apply a very small amount to each cookie with a pastry brush. Sprinkly with coloured sugar. Shake of excess.

Chipotle Beef Tacos with Cabbage and Radish Slaw

Happy Cinco de Mayo! This recipe is dedicated to my dear sister, Bel, who, after returning from a recent trip to the US, is lamenting the absence of good Mexican food in Australia. Unfortunately we don't have very authentic Hispanic food Down Under. Our version is piled with cheese and tomato, which is a far cry from the real stuff which is packed with spices, lime and fresh herbs. Such a shame. To fill the void give this recipe a go. The meat is slow-cooked for up to 8 hours, so after a long day at work you can arrive home to the most amazing aroma. My husband said it tasted very authentic and declared it a 'winner'.

Chipotle Beef Tacos with Cabbage and Radish Slaw
From Real Simple

3 pounds (1.3kg) beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotles in adobo sauce*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
kosher salt
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 1⁄3 medium cabbage)
4 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
12 6-inch corn tortillas
sour cream, pickled jalapeño peppers and hot sauce, for serving

1. In a 4- to 6-quart (approx 4-6L) slow cooker, toss together the beef, onion, garlic, chipotles, oregano, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 ½ to 4 hours ( I went for long and slow.)
3. Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 180°C (350°F). In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, radishes, cilantro, lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
4. Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake until warm, 5 to 10 minutes. If you're feeling lazy, it works just fine to zap them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
5. While the tortillas are heating, transfer the beef to a medium bowl (reserve the cooking liquid) and shred, using 2 forks. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl with the beef and toss to combine.
6. Fill the tortillas with the beef and slaw. Serve with the sour cream, jalapeños, hot sauce, and lime wedges.

* I'm not sure if cans of chipotle in adobo sauce are widely available in Australia. If you find some, let me know where you made the discovery so I can spread the word. The adobo sauce is key so it really is worth searching for to make this recipe! The chipotles (which are smoked jalepeno chillis) give the dish a delicious smoky flavour. If you can't find it, I found a recipe here that you could use instead to make your own.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Have you ever eaten something that was totally delicious, only to find out after you've finished that it was made from something you normally wouldn't find appealing? Reminds me of eating snake soup in China, but that's another story. Fortunately, this recipe is surprising in a completely wonderful way. Being a flourless chocolate cake, one would assume that it would largely consist of almond or hazelnut meal, but instead it's made from pureed chick peas! I know - it sounds terrible, but it's absolutely delicious and the added bonus is you can convince yourself that it's practically health food :-)

My mother-in-law found this winning recipe at allrecipes.com, where it received so many rave reviews that she just had to give it a go. The reviews were 100% correct - the cake is moist and rich, almost like a brownie, and it was a breeze to make. You can't taste the chick peas at all and the texture is divine. So try serving it up the next time you have people over and wait until they have finished to tell them what it was made of ;-)

Find the recipe here!