Saturday, January 26, 2008

Baked ricotta

INGREDIENTS
400g fresh ricotta
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
250g cherry tomatoes
12 black olives
1 sprig rosemary

STEPS
1. Pre-heat oven to 220C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with Glad bake paper.
2. Cut ricotta into 4 pieces, place on baking paper, drizzle with oil, add salt, pepper, tomatoes and rosemary.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
4. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Set 4 bread and butter plates out. Place a lettuce leaf on each plate and a slice of baked ricotta and tomatoes.

TIP
As an alternative to tomatoes and olives, use a bunch of red grapes that have been removed from the vine

SUGGESTED MENU
Baked ricotta
Chicken cacciatore and rice
Baked chocolate creme

Chicken cacciatore and rice

INGREDIENTS
8 chicken drumsticks
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
½ cup dry white wine
1½ tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
½ cup water
400g can of tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon sugar
4 anchovy fillets
20 black olives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

STEPS
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cut onion into rings and place on small plate. Crush garlic and add to onions.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in frypan and brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in oven-proof dish.
4. In pan fry onions and garlic until onion is soft.
5. Add wine and vinegar and bring to the boil.
6. Add stock powder and water and cook for a further 3 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes, basil and sugar and cook a further 1 minute.
8. Add anchovies and olives. Pour sauce over chicken. Cover and cook in oven. After 30 minutes, turn drumsticks and return for a further 30 minutes.
9. Place boiled rice on each dinner plate and serve the chicken cacciatore on the rice.

BOILED RICE
1 cup basmati rice
1.7 litres boiling water

STEPS
1. Add rice to rapidly boiling water and stir until it returns to the boil. Leave to boil for 8 minutes.
2. Drain through strainer and rinse with boiling water. Return rice to saucepan

SUGGESTED MENU
Baked ricotta
Chicken cacciatore and rice
Baked chocolate creme

Baked chocolate crème

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon warm water
5 heaped teaspoon Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate
200 ml Bulla Cream
½ cup milk
1/3 cup castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
Cocoa powder to dust
Arnott’s Emporio Chocolate Almond Snaps

STEPS
1. Preheat oven to 220C. Place 4 ramekins in a roasting pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl dissolve Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate in warm water. Add cream, milk, sugar and eggs. Whisk until combined. Using a ladle, pour mixture into the 4 ramekins. Cover each with foil.
3. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins.
4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until just set.
5. Remove foil and carefully take out ramekins. Blot base on paper towel and place on dinner plates. Sprinkle with cocoa and place a Chocolate Almond Snap next to each ramekin.

Hint: To make coffee crème use 3 teaspoons of coffee instead of drinking chocolate.

SUGGESTED MENU
Baked ricotta
Chicken cacciatore
Baked chocolate creme

Antipasto

INGREDIENTS
4 lettuce leaves
8 cherry tomatoes
2 mushrooms
1 cabana stick
1 camembert cheese
12 stuffed olives
8 dolmades
4 pieces roast eggplant
40g mild Hungarian salami
12 Savoy biscuits

STEPS
1. Wash and spin lettuce leaves.
2. Wash tomatoes and mushrooms. Slice mushrooms.
3. Cut cabana stick into pieces and cheese into segments.
4. Set out 4 bread and butter plates. Place a lettuce leaf on each plate. Arrange the remaining ingredients equally on each plate.

SUGGESTED MENU
Antipasto
Pasta Marinara
Tiramisu

Pasta Marinara

INGREDIENTS
500g pkt San Remo penne pasta
1 kg marinara mix
737g bottle Five Brothers Oven Roasted Garlic & Onion sauce.
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

STEPS
1. Bring 3 litres of water to boil in a large saucepan and add pasta. Stir until pasta comes to the boil, otherwise it will stick together. Boil for 14 minutes and then drain through a colander.
2. Pour pasta sauce into a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Add marinara mix and stir until it comes to the boil. When boiling lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. To serve, set out four dinner plates and spoon pasta onto each plate. Pour approximately 2 ladles of marinara sauce over each plate of pasta. Sprinkle parsley over marinara.


SUGGESTED MENU
Antipasto
Pasta Marinara
Tiramisu

Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS
1 cold cup strong black coffee with 3 tablespoons of sugar added
1/2 cup Frangelico liqueur
250g pkt UNIBIC Sponge Fingers
200 ml tub Bulla Pure Cream
250g Wattle Valley mascarpone cream cheese
100g bar Cadbury’s dairy milk chocolate


STEPS
1. Mix the coffee with the Frangelico in a measuring jug.
2. Individually dip half the sponge fingers on both sides and arrange in a shallow glass dish 28 x 18cm.
3. Empty cream into mixing bowl and gradually fold in the mascarpone cream cheese.
4. Spoon half the mascarpone cream cheese mixture over the sponge fingers.
5. Dip the remaining sponge fingers in the coffee/ Frangelico liquid and arrange on top of the mascarpone cream.
6. Spoon the rest of the mascarpone cream mixture over the sponge fingers and using the back of a spoon, level the surface.
7. Cover with Glad Wrap and leave in fridge for 24 hours.
8. Before serving sprinkle grated chocolate over the tiramisu and leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

SUGGESTED MENU
Antipasto
Pasta Marinara
Tiramisu