Liz'z Healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins!

Wow, I have not written an entry for over a month. Thanks to my dumb camera being unable to transfer pictures for awhile (Sorry V!) I've been so lazy to try doing it again.

Just an update: I have been cooking some lovely dishes and I tend to cook/ bake on instinct rather than by recipes... Well, most of the recipes are researched and compiled in my head, and then voila - I personalise them to my preference so in that sense, I think they still can be considered mostly mine. :) Having said this, seeing that it's been so long and I've cooked plenty, I thought best to start uploading some of these recipes so that when I'm old and forgetful, I can still log on and see just how I did them.

For today, I'll do a quickie post about my very healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins. I did a fair bit of research online for this muffin. It's really my favourite flavour. The sweet and tangy orange is complemented perfectly by the mild nuttiness of the poppyseeds. Oh, how I love poppyseeds! Am thinking of smuggling a bag home to Singapore at the end of the year... Wonder if I'll get arrested at customs!?

I saw a fantastic healthy recipe on the Australian Institute of Sport and decided to tweak it to suit my own taste. My results probably taste nothing like what the AIS proposed in their recipe, and I daresay it might taste heaps better! (Hello, using butter is always a sure winner over something as yuck as margarine!)

Lizzee's Healthy Orange & Poppyseed Muffins

1 cup self-raising flour (sifted)

1½ cups wholemeal flour (sifted)

½ teaspoon of baking powder

½ cup Natvia

2 tablespoons poppyseeds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (250 ml) skim milk

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 egg

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

I preheated the oven to 180°C (350°F). Then, I lightly greased a 12-hole nonstick muffin pan with some unsalted butter. I next sifted the two flours and baking powder together in a large bowl. The sugar and poppyseeds are stirred in after this, and I use the stirring spoon to create a well in the centre.

In a small bowl, whisk unsalted butter, milk, orange juice, egg and orange rind together then add to flour mixture. Gently stir the mixture until all ingredients are combined but take care not to over mix.

Spoon mixture into the muffin pan and bake for 20 - 25 mins/ until the muffins are springy when you touch them.

Let cool for a couple of minutes, and then enjoy muffins warm. I kept mine in the fridge for about 3 days and they still tasted great!

note: if you prefer not to use wholemeal flour, substitute with self-raising flour and omit baking powder

How to Cook the Perfect Roast Pork

Why do i love pork so? I really am not sure - some people say that the meat has an odd smell, or a porky taste but not to me. I adore pork. In fact, if someone asked me what meat I would keep eating if I had to choose just one, I'd say, give me some ribs, belly, neck or loin anytime! mmm.. It could be my Peranakan in me showing. There are countless recipes in Asia and in the Peranakan culture that use pork in cooking... Babi Pongteh, Kiam Chye Soup with Pork Ribs, Ngoh Hiang.... hell, we even substitute chicken with pork ribs for our Buah Kerluak, and let me tell you, is my mother's Babi Buah Kerluak a mean dish or what?!

Anyway, it's been awhile since I cooked up some nice Asian pork dish, but I was craving the juicy flavours of piggyoinkers, so I decided to google some recipes and create the perfect roast pork ever! I've tried slow roasting pork belly strips in the oven before, but it didn't turn out just as I wanted so this time I thought, just go for it, roast is one of the simplest dishes so even if it does have a slim possibility to mess up, chances are, it wouldn't!

I tried Jamie Oliver's pork belly recipe and it turned out perfect. I didn't quite do it just how Jamie described (I'm not one who likes to take "measured" steps in cooking, I prefer to be instinctive, more of a challenge) and decided to give it an Asian spin while keeping the Western herb flavouring, and it was the best home roasted pork belly I've ever had! Didn't quite take many pictures of the before, but I do hope you enjoy my after pictures!

Liz's Perfect Roast Pork Recipe - Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Recipe

Serves two very hungry tummies or leftovers can be kept overnight to bring into office

Prep Time: 10mins, Cooking Time: 2.5hours

Half a kg of Pork Belly - needs to have a good layer of fat in between the skin and flesh but not TOO much if you're attempting to be slightly angelic (face it, pork belly anything is prob not the healthiest of dinner choices though!)

Salt and Pepper to season

Five Spice Powder

Fresh Thyme

Organic Potatoes

Garlic

First and most importantly, one must crank up the oven and preheat to at least 220degrees. I'm using a Celsius temp measurement, not a Fahrenheit, fyi.

Mine was set at 250degrees preheat, and it was roaring hot by the time my meat was seasoned.

To season the meat, score the skin with a sharpened knife in criss-crosses, not too deep that you split the flesh, just enough that you're able to separate the incisions to massage the seasoning in. I learnt that having a knife sharpener is very important because my knife wasn't in the best shape and that made it a tiny bit difficult to score the skin. Also, another trick that I'd like to mention is to have the pork meat more chilled than thawed. Makes the process a lot easier and less frustrating as the skin can be quite tough to slice through.

In another bowl, mix together 3 parts salt, one part white pepper and one part five spice powder and toss it around. When the seasoning sort of looks all a greyish colour, start pulling apart the tears in the skin and rub the seasoning into the grooves.

Relish this part and enjoy the massaging. It's an odd relaxing calmness when you're massaging the seasoning into the flesh. I suppose, if you're like me and thinking about the "after" while you're at the "before", the anticipation really starts building up here. I also dusted some seasoning on the underside of the belly slab and then placed the piece skin side up into a roasting pan. Reduce heat and roast at 220degrees for half an hour. If you're a nosy parker like me, you'll probably be peeking in through the oven window and you'll notice the skin starting to puff up and look like pork crackling (you know, the snack kind you can get in American supermarkets).

Turn the heat down to 180degrees and roast for another hour. After this, your tummy is very likely to be rumbling pretty loudly and your kitchen is starting to have that beautiful roasted meat aroma wafting through the air. Quickly, take it out of the oven, give the golden skin a light baste with the fat that has oozed to the bottom of the pan and remove to a separate plate. Arrange your potatoes (i sliced mine) and garlic slices with the thyme on the bottom of the roasting pan, and rest the pork belly on top of all of this. Place back into the oven set at 180degrees still, and let roast for a final hour. By this time, the aromas will be almost orgasmic and I guarantee that if you weren't hungry before, you'd pretty much be drooling when you lift your pan out of the oven and lustfully gaze upon this sweet piece of pork.

I let my pork belly and potatoes rest while I made a side serve of simple aglio e olio pasta (an extremely basic olive oil and dried chili pasta) and kept my roast tray covered with some foil to seal in the juices. I've really tried to go healthy, so we had some really yummy wholemeal pasta from South Melbourne market. It's really the best, and the texture is firm and al dente every time we cook it. Yuuuuuum!

And so yes, there you have it! A super simple and really hearty satisfying dish for when you're craving some roast.

Until my next post! X

To Kyneton we go!

Off, off and AWAY!

I am so psyched about my upcoming weekend, which starts tonight really. Why do I love my weekends so much here in Melbourne? Because of the choices of things to do on the weekend.

This weekend, I'm off to Kyneton as I've been invited by my dear friend Amy to visit her extremely old home in the country. I'm bringing my little fluffball along, some bottles of wine, popcorn for DVDs, and a stomach of guts (a birdie told me Amy has a creepy porcelain headed Victorian era doll sitting by her bed with... get this, it's HEAD tilted on one side).

What is to be planned? Definitely a visit to Pizza Verde for some of my favourite simple fare, trips to the spa where the yummytummy flab comes into play, and of course, chill out sessions with my girl + pooch watching DVDs and running down a dirt lane in the forest mimicking a scene from True Blood.

On Sunday, we shall head to Daylesford for some fresh produce, antique shopping and basically breathing in fresh, unpolluted country air. The last time (and the first!) I was at Daylesford was in 2007 at the dawn of Winter, and I'm wondering if anything has changed since then. I'm hoping nothing has, and that it remains untouched and as idyllic as I remember.

Well, it's one more night to go before this roadie begins. Perhaps I should bring my laptop there so I can update some posts! Had a couple of cooking adventures in The Capri and just haven't gotten around to posting them up.

Until my next post! x

Ribs on the menu tonight!

I've been a little laid back when it comes to updating my little cooking blog! What with Chelle & Mac down in town (Ok, so Mac's not really counted because I hardly saw the dude during his trip!), I was pretty busy with meet-ups, runs around the Gardens and a Camberwell market visit.

OK! So enough excuses already. :) Today is a pretty exciting day for me, my flaming hot sofa from Frogs Sofa arrives. Right, the delivery guy has another 8 mins to go before 2pm, and I'm really hoping he shows up soon because I do want to go for a quick run before I come home to enjoy my new couch! It's the FIRST very big purchase I've made for myself apart from holidays and plane tickets, so I'm quite proud to have done this all on my own. A great leap from the liz of yonder days who was intent on partying harder than anyone else I knew.

On the menu for my "break-in" sofa night is good o' American style BBQ Crock Pot ribs.

I googled several recipes, and put together one of my own:

American Style Barbecue Crock Pot Pork Ribs

1 kg of American style Pork Ribs (with bone)

2 Small brown onions, quartered

4 Cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped into large pieces

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Prep: Something Mom taught me since young, scald the pork ribs with boiling hot water until the outer flesh turns slightly opaque and changes from pink to gray. This helps to get rid of the "porky" smell and at the same time, kills any surface bacteria. Saute and onions and garlic lightly in a tbl of oil until fragrant. Add the pork and fill with water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Let the pork boil with the onion and garlic water for about 45mins-1hour. Add some salt & pepper for flavouring.

BBQ Sauce:

1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup of brown sugar

3 Tbl Honey

3 Boiled, Skinned and Pitted cooking tomatoes

1 tsp Hot Chili Sauce

Recipes online all called for Tomato Sauce but seeing that I had three cooking tomatoes in the fridge, I decided to boil them, dip them in chilled water, and skin/pit them. I mashed them up with a fork and added them to a saucepan over heat, slowly stirring in hot water to dilute the thick pulp. When the tomato had turned to an almost paste-like consistency, I added the vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

**CAUTION** Do not stand too close and breathe in the fumes (I know because I did by accident!) as vinegar gives off a pungent tartness that shoots up the nostrils, burning them right inside so you feel almost as though you've been poked by an invisible sharp finger. Ok... So i exaggerate a little!

Stir mixture until all ingredients are dissolved and bring to a slight boil. I let my sauce thicken and look nearly like it was going to burn (for that smokey taste) before adding some hot water. I simmered it for about an hour, until the sharp acidity of the vinegar had evaporated away, and all that was left was a sweet, slightly tart, thickened brownish sauce (with slight goo from the tomato). Finger lickin' good!

(above) Pot of smokey deep rust coloured home-made BBQ sauce

(above) Sauce should be slightly sweet & just the tiniest bit tangy, add more chili if you prefer spicy

I then transferred the ribs into my crockpot, poured the sauce over, added some MORE onions (yum!) to sweeten, and have now put it on auto mode. My ex-director/ good friend El gave me a mini slow cooker and it only has two modes - auto and high. And now the waiting begins...

3pm - I started the crock pot and then went for a run around the Tan. Did some exercise and while I was still warm, decided to work on my veggies. This was about 4.45pm when I started...

I had some organic potatoes that I bought from the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago - they were very petite and delicate flavoured. No need for overwhelming herbs or flavouring. After cutting them into quarters and arranging on a bake pan, I drizzled some Villa Varapodi Olive Oil from Rose Creek Estate and sprinkled a light dusting of sea salt. This olive oil was the third harvest batch and is considered premium Sola Polpa - I was told that the oil is not pressed but extracted in small batches using an ancient method. Not too sure what this ancient method is though... ANYWAY, it tastes friking good. I had bought a First Harvest batch which is not for cooking, but dipping with bread and that is super amazing Olive Oil. Yum.... Back to my potatoes though...

I popped them into a pre-heated oven with a heat of 170C for 15mins and scattered several garlic slices over the potato quarters. After this was done, I then tossed in some broccoli florets and sprinkled some lo-fat fetta over. Another light dusting of sea salt, and a dash of oil and back into the oven at 170C for 10mins.

PINGGGGG!!! Oven went off, veggies are done. Switched the crock pot off, mmmmMMmMmM! Pork was literally falling off the bone, the sauce had thickened to a deep reddish rusty brown and the aroma! If only I could capture the aroma that wafted from my little pot. Sat down with a beer, some hearty American BBQ ribs, roast potatoes and veggies - so satisfying on a cold winter's night. Now, onto enjoy my brand new flaming red sofa! Woohoooooooo! I love Life!

(above) Ribs just about done - the onions were so soft and added a touch of sweetness to the BBQ sauce.

Until my next post! X

Bon Appétit! I did French today!

Today I poached my first piece of salmon. Hell, today I poached my first ANYTHING! What an achievement it felt like. Even though I love poached egg, it's quite unbelievable that I've never even tried that simple task before. Well, at least today I ventured new grounds and am now a de-virginised er...poacher! haha.

On the menu today: Poached salmon in Court Bouillon, with Beurre Blanc on the side and boiled organic potato and French beans. Also, for lunch tomorrow, I prepped some honey soy herb chicken wings and grilled them in my oven.

above: assortment of fresh herbs from the market to add natural healthy flavour to my meal.

This recipe was given to me by my dear cousin in Nottingham. He's a fine chef (going by the delicious pictures I've seen on FB) and I'm counting down till the day I get to sample his cuisine! He gave me this lovely easy poached fish recipe, together with several French sauces to go with it.

According to Wikipedia, Court Bouillon is a flavoured liquid for poaching food. Ingredients for my poach salmon was White Wine Vinegar (I bought a bottle from South Melbourne market), an onion finely sliced, some lemon slices, a couple of bay leaves and dill scattered in. Also, a sprinkling of whole peppercorns. His recipe had carrots, but I figured I'd prefer to infuse a herb and lemony flavour instead. Hope I'm not breaking any rules! As Erwin had instructed, I brought the mixture to a boil and then let it bubble gently for 10mins, this allowing the flavour to work its way into the liquids and then added the vinegar.

IMPORTANT SALMON-POACHING TIP: Take the Court Bouillon off heat first before slipping the salmon in gently. The fish will cook in the hot liquid so pop a lid on and trust that it will! I flipped my fillets over after ten mins, and while they were poaching also layered the onion/ lemon/ herbs over them to let the juices trickle in... (mm, at this point it started all smelling very delish!)

While my fish poached, I moved onto my chicken. I had prepared a marinade from dark soy, honey, ginger, garlic and a couple sprigs of assorted herbs (thyme and Bay leaves) and let my wings soak up the flavours for about three hours prior to cooking. I laid the wings out on a baking tray with all the marinade and popped it into the oven preheated at 180degrees. Ten minutes later, I flipped it over and baked for another 180degrees. I then drained all the marinade (which had since turned to a bubbly sauce of a thicker consistency and with natural oil from the chicken's fat) and brushed some over before popping the wings back in for ten more minutes. Again, flipped it one last time after and then poured sauce all over the now-crispy browned wings. Mmmmm! I find cooking chicken at lower temperatures for a longer period results in a fuller flavoured wing that retains its juices and crisps without burning.

All this time, I had boiled about eight organic potatoes bought last week from Gaswork's Farmers Market in Albert Park, and a handful of fresh French beans from the South Melbourne market. No need for extravagant seasonings, just cooked them in brine - water saturated or nearly saturated with a salt.

I also tried my hand at making Beurre Blanc which is basically a 'white butter' sauce. Was not too successful there because I am guilty of not... yes, terrible crime, using butter. Bah! We live and we learn - I'm definitely getting myself a lovely block of unsalted organic butter for my next attempt. Perhaps I shall try my hand at Bechamel next?

Here are the resulting pictures of my finished product. Salmon flakes away perfectly in individual pieces (not brittle and breaking away), with the exterior a light cooked pink, but once you cut in the colour deepens slightly and with a succulent texture. Sauce could be improved in terms of texture (I kept the shallots in so it doesn't seem broken up) and there's no way I could've gone wrong with the beans and spuds. In all, a very satisfying experience and one that I'd like to practice on a more often basis! 8/10 for efforts to myself!

Until my next post! X

Marrying my two faves - beer & pork belly!

From Chinese hot pot, to beer-friendly grub in a converted Fitzroy warehouse. I had plans this evening with some friends to head for Chong Qing Hot Pot - perfect Winter chills-buster but due to last minute re-shuffle of plans, I had to rethink where to go with a friend instead.

We had first come from a warm cuppa of hot chocolate at a "secret" bar on the second floor of the Abbotsford Convent. Cold and shivery, we had no clue where to go this Saturday night - MoVida? Nacional... Mr Wolf? Places which have been recommended, but I haven't had a chance to sample yet since returning to Melbourne. Undecided and not too starved, I decided to head to Brunswick St Fitzroy and have a looksee.

Parked on Brunswick St and followed the trail of happy voices into an old converted warehouse. Little Creatures Dining Hall - it was labelled. Inside, it was warm, darkened and I caught a whiff of delicious beer aroma. A waitress soon came and brought us to a cozy table in the middle of the dining hall, before proceeding to explain how the menu worked.

(above: we sat next to these hollow blocks filled with books on beer brewing!)

(above: simple one page menu attached with a ratty string onto a brown clipboard, very raw and unfinished feeling, i like)

Either: Tasting Morsels to share (about 2 per person would suffice), prices range from $7 - 19 and there was an assortment of cured and pickled goodies, deep-fried, dips. Pizza is good for two people to share, together with other munchies, or if we were hungry we could go solo and head for the Mains. We chose the whole crystal bay garlic prawns, confit pork belly, silverbeet and grain mustard sauce and a spicy meatball, tomato, buffalo mozzarella and oregano pizza. Liquids wise, I had a Rogers ale (smooth, amber ale with caramel notes from the malt and 3.8% alcohol content) and my dining bud had a Pinot Noir. Beers were Little Creatures and White Rabbit, and came in three sizes - small, medium and large. I opted for the medium (330ml i think) so that I had more space for grub and not be over the alcohol limit.

The whole crystal bay garlic prawns arrived first. Served with two grilled toast slices on the side, and a wedge of lemon, the four prawns (complete with head and tails) were simply divine! They sat partially swimming in a shallow pond of olive oil, tossed with what i believe was basil leaves and had just the right amount of salt that didn't overwhelm the prawns or force us to gulp down water. I rate it 7 out of 10, because although very delish, four pieces is definitely not enough for the $18 price tag!

Confit pork belly served up next. Finely sliced 3mm french-style pork belly (good ratio of meat and fat, with a healthy crisp skin on top) sat about a dainty mound of silverbeet cooked in a yellow mustard sauce. Note: must eat pork belly while hot because the meat and fat literally melts in your mouth. Skin cracked beautifully when it was warm, got slightly chewy upon cooling down. I give this a 8.5/10 only because the five slices for $16 finished way too quickly!

The pizza came last. Thin crust (woodfired??) pizza with generous dollops of buffalo mozzarella, crumbles of spicy meat (they weren't in real balls as the menu suggested), quarters of cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of fresh baby herbs made up the $20 tag on this dish. I'd rate this 7/10 because there wasn't really a kick to the "spice". Then again, with my Peranakan tastebuds I'm probably much more accustomed to the spiciness of chili padi (aka bird's eye chili in Australia) and a kick to me would set many a tongues on fire!

All in all, a good dining experience with a not too expensive price tag. We skipped dessert because we had some chocolate spoons from The Chocolate Masters (38 Beecher St, Preston). A must-go for bigger groups, and those who love sharing platters.

(above: two double-wheelers painted little creatures tm red sat by the front entrance, reminding us patrons of the bike-loving community that frequent the area)

Until the next post! X

Food and cold weather - ahhh, how could I forget what Melbourne promises?

Gotta say, I'm quite loving the research I'm doing at the moment. Armed with a cool glass of milk and my trust H&K slightly cacak notebook (sorry la, but it's lost the plot after the 18mth), I decided to plow my way thru a list of Aussie suppliers taking part in an exciting Melbourne food festival I'm working on later this year.

Designer cupcakes, organic meats, luxury ice-cream, wine, cheese, chocolate...! the list goes on. There were stories of humble beginnings, of local farmers hit badly by the Black Saturday catastrophe, various recipes and food & wine reviews... Wow, I am bowled over by the offerings this country has! Being away for nearly three years and I had almost forgotten the freshness and high quality of tasty food Oz churns out. No wonder the strict custom laws!

Another thing I'd almost forgotten how bitterly chilly it is. Weather has turned to EXTRA chilly too - a high of 11 degrees and a low of seven tomorrow with showers predicted. Locals would laugh at my freezing tootsies, but I should be forgiven! Three months back and we're fully into winter already! So far, so good. Only had a case of blocked ears...Brrrr! I've started wearing my thermals (thanks V!) and thicker leggings. I've also heeded the advice of a wise man who's told me to walk to work for exercise and to warm up. A good dose of fresh morning air is invigorating for the brain, and I daresay walking helps me wake up by the time I get into office! Yes - I do live a mere eight minutes (walking) from work! How convenient is that!

I'm thinking of the many activities to do this week. Seems really busy! I must be consistent and pen down my thoughts and upload pictures too... Somehow, I tend to sit and space out way too much. No more of that, and now off to bed for me where I get to zone out for a good seven hours. Ahhhh, bliss!

Until next post. X

A new challenge every day! (the how to guide to not procrastinating)

I've decided to start blogging again. It's going to be a regular part of my life because it suddenly hit me that I'm 27-bloody-years old which means I'm in my late 20's and I look back and it's like,omfg. Where has my life gone to?

Ok- I'm going to start being focused and get off my ass every night! It's been so routine, wake up go to work come home have dinner bathe wipe some pee play fetch and would you believe it? Midnight already!!

First up this weekend, dustee bustee time! Tomorrow I'm going to a snooza pet bed sale in braeside. Thank god for iPhone and google maps! Who needs a melways to get around anyway? I'll get her another bed or two and then head to South Melbourne pet supply store. I sometimes feel all her chew toys smell a bit like pee. Yikes!!

Today dustee has decides to chew her squeaky toy and brush it up against my face. Totally a facial on a freezing Friday night. Thanks pooch. You sure are my beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel... Not! Anyway, I'll better get back to her because she demands my attention...

Until my next post...