Manu's Menu

EGGPLANT INVOLTINI

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Manu

I think I have already said this but eggplant is one of my favourite veggie. You can make so many things with it and it always tastes so good! Today I am going to share with you the recipe for what has to be my all time favourite side dish (that can easily double up as an appetiser): involtini di melanzane, aka eggplant involtini. It is my mum’s recipe and like all “mum’s recipes” they are hard to beat. The filling is the same as the one used for meat involtini, but the addition of tomato sauce and Parmigiano on the top makes them even tastier… They are great eaten warm or cold, but I like them more at room temperature as I find that the taste of all the different ingredients comes together better that way. They are not hard to prepare and you can make them in advance (even the day before) and bake them when needed, or you could even bake them and eat them cold later on. Try them, I am sure they will not disappoint! These involtini are this week’s Regional Italian dish from Sicily!

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Posted in Appetisers, Baking, Italian, Regional Italian Dishes, Side dishes, Vegetables | Tagged appetiser, bake, baked, baking, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggplant, involtini, Italian, Italy, Regional Italian dish, salami, Sicilian, Sicily, side | 8 Comments

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Manu

Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.
The last time I have eaten bœuf bourguignon I was in Paris… 10 years ago. I remember it so well, it feels like yesterday. My husband and I were visiting the ville lumière for the first (and only, for now) time together and I was trying to take him to all my favourite places (hard task as there are too many)! We were staying in the 15th arrondissement, not too far from the Tour Eiffel, where I would always stay when in town, and we had dinner in a bistrot near the hotel. The meat was so soft and the sauce so delicious that both Clint and I remember it up till now! I have never had the courage to try and make it at home, so I was really happy this challenge pushed me to try it, as the result was outstanding. I also inaugurated my very first Dutch oven and I was quite surprised about how soft and tender the meat was. I guess, cooking it in the oven really makes a big difference! I followed Julia Child’s provided recipe to a tee, with a small twist. I added a tiny bit of dark chocolate to the sauce. I know it sounds crazy, but I found this tip on many French sites and while you cannot taste the chocolate at all in the final dish, it helps to give the right colour to the sauce (it basically makes it more brown than purple). Thank you so much Fabi for such a fantastic challenge!!! I’ll leave you to it… mesdames et messieurs… le bœuf bourguignon! Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Daring Cooks, French, Mains, Meat, Special Occasions | Tagged beef, braise, classic, Daring Cooks, dinner, Dutch oven, France, French, Julia Child, main, meat, red wine, stew, wine | 19 Comments

ROSE LASSI

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Manu

Today is Mother’s Day!!! I will be celebrating this special occasion with my family and we will have lunch at our favourite Indian restaurant, Abhi’s Indian Restaurant about which I wrote a review a few months ago. One thing that we will surely have is lassi. My girls LOVE mango lassi and that’s the thing they look forward to the most, when we eat there. I like it too, but my preference goes to their palak patta chat! Anyhow, as I have already shared the recipe for my home made mango lassi, I thought of showing you how to make a different flavoured lassi. A couple of weeks ago, we ate at a Dosa restaurant and they had a rose lassi on the menu… I had to order it obviously, as I have a thing for rose flavoured anything. And I loved it so much I just had to try and make it at home. This recipe is what I came up with and I can tell you, it is spot on. For my readers who are not familiar with lassi, it is an Indian yogurt based drink that can be either salty or sweet. As I also got a beautiful bouquet of pink roses from my sweet little girls, what better occasion to post this recipe than Mother’s Day? Wouldn’t it be a great breakfast idea for your mum? Even better if served with a rose on the side and a sweet card. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mummy-readers! Enjoy this special day with your loved ones! Continue reading →

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Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Drinks, Indian, Snack, Special Occasions, Street Food, Vegetarian | Tagged breakfast, drinks, India, Indian, lassi, Mother's Day, pink, rose, snack, Special Occasions, sweets, yogurt | 14 Comments

PAVLOVA

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Manu

The last recipe from my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party is the Pavlova recipe. I kept the best for last… I have to warn you. It is not an easy dessert to make and mine did not come out perfect either, as it did crack a bit. Luckily the taste was not affected at all and it was still delicious. I guess it was not too bad for a first attempt, but I will have to make it again, you know… just to perfect it! Ohhh what a life of terrible sacrifices is a food blogger’s life!!! Hehehehe Anyhow, the origin of the Pavlova is not certain but it appears that it was created in honour of the famous ballet dancer Anna Pavlova either in Australia or New Zealand. I will not enter into details as I know it is a bit of a sore point between the 2 countries, but if you are interested in knowing more, you can read this Wiki article. What counts the most is that it is a delicious cake and it is the perfect dessert for a spring/summer barbecue! It is made of a meringue-like base with a crisp crust and soft marshmallowy inside and it is decorated with whipped cream and fresh fruits. Need I say more?? I chose strawberries, kiwi, golden kiwi and passion fruit, but you could use mango (which is not in season here at the moment) or berries. As I wrote on my Facebook page, I bought and tasted my first passion fruit to make this Pavlova and I totally fell in love with it! I cannot believe I spent so many years without knowing how amazing passion fruit tastes! I hope you enjoy my Pavlova! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Events, Foodbuzz 24x24, Fruits, Special Occasions, Tea Time | Tagged Australia, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, cake, cream, dessert, egg white, eggs, Foodbuzz 24x24, fruits, meringue, New Zealand, pavlova, Special Occasions, sweets, whipped cream | 8 Comments

FAIRY BREAD

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Manu

The first time I ever heard about “fairy bread” I was at a play-date with 2 other mums. When they explained to me what it was I found it hard to believe that someone could really go crazy for something like “that”. But let me tell you that I completely changed my mind the first time I tasted some! It is so yummy! And kids love it… it is so colourful and festive that it really cannot be left out of a kid’s party or get together. I made this for my 24×24 event “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” and my kids devoured them: I am quite sure it was the dish they liked the most in the whole meal! Make some to have with a cup of tea and make the child in you happy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Birthday, Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Finger food, Foodbuzz 24x24, Sandwiches, Snack, Special Occasions, Tea Time | Tagged bread, butter, children, dessert, fairy bread, Foodbuzz 24x24, hundreds and thousands, kids, party, sandwich, snack, sweets, tea time | 8 Comments

LAMINGTONS

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Manu

Lamingtons are squares or rectangles of sponge cake, dipped in chocolate icing and coated witn desiccated coconut. They are another iconic Australian food and I served them with tea for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party. I had never made them before but was very happy I did as they were so much better than store bought ones. You can also use store bought sponge cake though, as the cake needs to be made the day before and then make your own icing. They are quick and easy to make and if you like coconut and chocolate, you cannot give them a miss. You can also halve them and sandwich them with whipped cream and/or raspberry or strawberry jam. They are a great tea time treat! Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Finger food, Foodbuzz 24x24, Snack, Tea Time | Tagged Australia, Australian, baking, cake, chocolate, coconut, dessert, Foodbuzz 24x24, icing, lamingtons, sponge cake, sweets, tea time | 6 Comments

DAMPER

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Manu

Here is what Wiki says about damper: “Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travelers. […] Damper is an iconic Australian dish. […] Damper was originally developed by stockmen who travelled in remote areas for weeks or months at a time, with only basic rations of flour, sugar and tea, supplemented by whatever meat was available.[1] The basic ingredients of damper were flour, water, and sometimes milk. Baking soda could be used for leavening. The damper was normally cooked in the ashes of the camp fire. The ashes were flattened and the damper was placed in there for ten minutes to cook. Following this, the damper was covered with ashes and cooked for another 20 to 30 minutes until the damper sounded hollow when tapped. Alternatively, the damper was cooked in a greased camp oven.[2] Damper was eaten with dried or cooked meat or golden syrup, also known as “cocky’s joy”.”

WOW… they sure do use the word “damper” A LOT in the article! Hahaha Anyhow, I thought it was interesting to share the origins of this iconic Aussie bread with all of you. I made a slightly more “modern” version of it to serve as one of the sides for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” event that I organized for this month’s 24×24 at Foodbuzz and it was delicious. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Events, Foodbuzz 24x24, Side dishes, Snack, Tea Time | Tagged Australian, baking, bread, breakfast, damper, Foodbuzz, Foodbuzz 24x24, lunch, side, side dish, soda, soda bread, tea time | 4 Comments

ROAST TOMATO, ROCKET AND MACADAMIA SALAD

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Manu

This is the salad I served as one of the sides for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party for Foodbuzz 24×24. It is one of those salads with fancy names that you could easily see on a café menu, yet it is very easy and quick to make at home. These are the dishes I love the most: delicious, impressive, yet simple: perfect for a dinner party. Try it and I am sure you will love it too. Just make sure to use very good quality ingredients as like with all things simple, the ingredients are going to be the stars of the dish! Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Foodbuzz 24x24, Salads, Side dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged arugula, Australia, Australian, Foodbuzz 24x24, honey, macadamia, mustard, nuts, rocket, salad, side, side dish, tomatoes, vegetables, vegetarian, vinaigrette | 4 Comments

SEARED KANGAROO FILLET STEAKS WITH RASPBERRY GLAZE

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Manu

I am sure the majority of you are wondering what kangaroo tastes like. Well, it is hard to describe its taste, but I would probably compare it to venison, though it is milder and not as gamey. I still remember the first time I ate it… I was in Uluru and kangaroo was one of the dishes served at the “Sounds of Silence” dinner. It was a dinner set in the middle of the desert, in a place from which you could enjoy the sunset over Uluru and the Kata Tjuta. Breathtakingly beautiful. We had a candle light dinner and I remember thinking that kangaroo was quite tasty. Then, just before dessert, the candles were put out and an astronomer came to talk to us about the starry night and the constellations. What we saw was so amazing, that we quickly forgot dinner and I did not eat kangaroo for another year at least. Then one day, I noticed they were selling it at my local supermarket and decided to try and cook it. I haven’t looked back since. It is the first dish I cook whenever someone comes to visit us from abroad. Everyone is a bit sceptic at the beginning but they all love it, after the first bite. I personally really enjoy the glaze below and my husband and I agree that it is a great accompaniment for kangaroo (and venison in general, I might add). This dish was a part of my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” 24×24 event. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Posted in Australian, Events, Foodbuzz 24x24, Mains, Meat, Special Occasions | Tagged Australia, Australian, dinner, fillet, Foodbuzz 24x24, kangaroo, lunch, main, meat, raspberries, Raspberry Glaze, Steaks | 4 Comments

AUSSIE BURGER WITH “THE LOT”

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Manu

Today I am going to share with you the recipe of what is known as “Aussie burger with the lot”. The reason for the name is evident: this isn’t your everyday cheese burger… it is made up of A LOT of goodies! And it is irresistible! What’s not to love about a sandwich filled with lettuce, tomato, beef patty, cheese, ketchup, beetroot (sliced pickled beets), fried onions, bacon, pineapple AND even a fried egg on the top?? Which, in my opinion, makes the burger also look beautiful with that bright orange yolk on the top! It is probably one of the biggest burgers I have ever seen and it is usually served on a toasted bun and I served it on the home-made brioche buns I posted about yesterday. They were one of my mains for the “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party that I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24! It was a huge hit! I hope you enjoy it too! Continue reading →

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