Manu's Menu - Part 1

SPICY TUNA SALAD SUSHI ROLL

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Manu

So here you have it. My first sushi roll ever. I decided to go the easy way and make a tuna salad roll as a first attempt and boy was it good! It is really easy and fast to make and it tastes delicious. You can make it as spicy (or as mild) as you like by adjusting the amount of wasabi to suit your taste buds I was a bit worried about rolling it, but it was much easier than I expected. I suggest you cover your sushi mat with cling wrap, so it does not get dirty. I love the contrasting flavours and textures of this roll: spicy and soft tuna salad, tangy rice and crunchy refreshing cucumber! Perfection! As I said, this was my first experiment with sushi and as it was a big success, you can definitely expect more sushi recipes on Manu’s Menu in the future, as I get more “daring” with it! For now, enjoy these Spicy Tuna Salad Rolls! Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetisers, Finger food, Fish, Gluten Free, Japanese, Mains, Rice | Tagged dinner, fish, Japan, Japanese, lunch, main, maki, mayonnaise, nori, rice, roll, seafood, spicy, sushi, sushi roll, tuna, wasabi | 3 Comments

SUSHI RICE

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Manu

I have been wanting to try and make sushi at home ever since I started blogging, but for one reason or another, I always postponed this project. Since my eldest daughter started school, I have so little time to dedicate to the kitchen and with the days getting shorter, I leave all the “important” cooking for the weekend. There is nothing worse than preparing a wonderful dish and not being able to take decent pictures of it for lack of sunlight! So, when my daughter was home for her autumn break, I decided to go for it and I made my first sushi at home! I could not believe how easy and quick it was to prepare and it tasted so good! I was really impressed! I don’t know why, but it was something that had always intimidated me and I though it would be really hard and complicated… but it’s not. So, if you like sushi and would love to try and make your own, please do. It is really REALLY easy! Also, you can either make your own sushi seasoning or buy the ready made one. I actually wanted to make my own, but I could not find dashi at my local store… they did however have sushi seasoning, so I used that and it was pretty good! Today I will show you how to make the sushi rice that can be used for all sushi recipes. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see what I made with it! Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetisers, Fish, Gluten Free, Japanese, Mains, Rice | Tagged appetisers, Asian, gluten free, Japan, Japanese, main, rice, sushi, sushi rice, vinegar | Leave a comment

BAKED APPLES EN CROÛTE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Manu

Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!
What can I say? Yet another great challenge! I was so tempted to try the Beef Wellington… but then I saw some apples on my bench-top It was a gloomy, rainy autumn afternoon… and I decided to make something sweet for this challenge. Besides, when will I get the chance to make something sweet for the Daring Cooks again?? This is a 100% “autumn recipe”: apples, pumpkin pie spice, walnuts, butterscotch… need I say more? I LOVED it and though it is a recipe that requires a little extra time to put together, it is all worth it. Breaking the flaky crust to reveal the tender apple filled with crunchy caramelised walnuts is almost a mystical experience. And do you see that butterscotch sauce on the top? It is as yummy as it looks! Eating this, made me forget the rain and brought a big smile to my face. Pure comfort food and highly recommended! Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in American, Baking, British, Daring Cooks, Desserts, Fruits, Sauces, Spices, Tea Time | Tagged apples, autumn, baked, baking, butterscotch, caramel, Daring Cooks, dessert, en croute, fall, pastry, pumpkin spice, sweets, tea time, walnuts | 8 Comments

KOTHEY MOMO

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Manu

Today I want to share with you the recipe for Momo, the Himalayan Dumplings. I had them for the first time at a Nepalese Restaurant a little while ago and I simply loved them. There are many variations of momos and they can be filled with yak, mutton, chicken, pork, vegetables… The filling varies mainly from area to area. Momos are common in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and the surrounding regions of India. They are most commonly steamed and served with a clear soup or they can be pan fried and served with a spicy tomato chutney. I chose to make pork and ginger momos and to pan fry them, as I love the crusty dumpling skin! These kind of momos are known as kothey momos and they are delicious. Also, I did not make them too spicy, so my little ones could enjoy them too, but feel free to add extra chillies if you like. I love biting into one of these and find such a juicy gingery filling! Try them and I am sure you’ll love them too! Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetisers, Chinese, Indian, Mains, Meat, Sauces, Street Food | Tagged Asian, chutney, dinner, dumplings, ginger, Himalaya, Indian, meat, momo, Nepalese, pan fried, pork, pot stickers, spicy, Tibetan, tomatoes | 1 Comment

SPINACH, PEAR AND TALEGGIO STRUDEL

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Manu

I have always had a thing for cheese… and Italy, like France, is the cheese lovers’ paradise. There are so many different cheeses and they vary from region to region (and sometimes from town to town!). You could spend years tasting all of them. And I like them all. Hahahaha Taleggio is very high on my like list, second only to gorgonzola. It is a soft cow’s milk cheese made in and named after the Taleggio Valley in the Italian Alps. It has a very strong aroma, but it is mild in flavour and it is great to make anything with melted oozing cheese. You get the picture, right? Today I want to share with you a recipe for a savoury strudel filled with Taleggio, spinach and pears. All these work beautifully together and this dish makes an elegant vegetarian appetiser or lunch idea. It is great eaten with a salad or on its own. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetisers, Baking, Italian, Mains, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged appetiser, baked, baking, cheese, Italian, Italy, lunch, pears, spinach, strudel, taleggio, vegetarian | Leave a comment

CASSATELLE TRAPANESI – CASSATEDDI TRAPANISI

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Manu

Today’s recipe is another one of my Sicilian recipes. Cassatelle (or cassateddi in Sicilian) are sweets typical of the town of Trapani, where my mum was born. They are usually eaten in winter and spring, which is when the fresh local ricotta cheese is at its best. They are traditionally made with sheep milk ricotta, but I have never seen this ricotta in Sydney, so I made mine with normal cow milk ricotta and they still tasted delicious. It is a poor man’s dish, which means it won’t cost you much to make and it is made with local ingredients (Sicilian that is, but all easily available everywhere nowadays). They are basically shallow fried crescents of dough filled with sweet ricotta and chocolate and dusted with icing sugar. They are best eaten hot, when the chocolate melts and the ricotta is creamy and velvety. They are out-of-this-world scrumptious, trust me! This is my Regional Italian recipe for the week… enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Desserts, Finger food, Italian, Regional Italian Dishes, Street Food, Tea Time | Tagged cassatelle, chocolate, crescents, dessert, fried, Italian, Regional Italian dish, ricotta, Sicilian, Sicily, sweets, tea time, Trapani | 1 Comment

PRAWN AND ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Manu

I must admit I am not a huge fan of prawns… but I am the only one in my family. My mum would make this pasta often during our holidays in Sicily as we were able to get amazingly fresh prawns over there. It is a very easy recipe and the sauce takes just a few minutes to make. The secret is to use fresh prawns and good quality extra virgin olive oil as these are the ingredients that give this dish its delicious flavour! I love the colours: green and pink/orange. So pretty. This is an amazing pasta sauce for all of you out there who love prawns… I hope you like it! Buon appetito! Continue reading →

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Posted in Fish, Italian, Mains, Pasta | Tagged dinner, Italian, Italy, lunch, main dish, mains, pasta, prawns, seafood, shrimps, spaghetti, zucchini | Leave a comment

WALNUT AND ORANGE GELATO WITH CHOCOLATE SYRUP

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Manu

I love ice cream and not only in summer! Today’s recipe in fact, is perfect for autumn/winter as it is made with walnuts and candied orange zest These flavours always make me think of autumn, cold days and cozy nights. The home-made chocolate syrup adds a touch of decadence to the whole dessert which is always great, besides… I would pour chocolate on almost any dessert if it was for me! This is a creamier ice cream than the usual stuff, so make sure you serve it quickly and don’t stop by to take pictures like I did, or it will melt! Enjoy and indulge… you deserve it! Continue reading →