The Red Wren

When I was a young lass I used to read the Babysitters Club books where they’d talk about strange desserts like pumpkin pie. ‘Pumpkin Pie?’ I’d think, ‘Who’d eat a dessert made from a vegetable?’

Years later Melbourne was lucky (?) enough to have USA Foods open where we can buy everything from cookies masquerading as breakfast cereal and Libby’s pumpkin pie filling. Out of sheer curiosity I made a pumpkin pie and liked it. This one is a bit different as I made it from a pumpkin rather than the caned stuff and are a bit surprised that it looks successful. I’m yet to taste it though.

To make:

Half a pumpkin. I used a Queensland Blue, but a Butternut would probably work better.

1 tbs Pumpkin pie spice. I got mine from USA Foods, but you can mix your own from cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice.

1/2 cup cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 pie crust (I used a frozen Sarah Lee but in the past I’ve used crushed biscuits and butter)

1. Cut up the pumpkin, wrap in foil and bake until soft.Cool.

2. After the pumpkin has cooled, puree it.

3. Remove water from the pumpkin by wringing it out in a cloth.

4. Mix pumpkin with other ingredients.

5. Pour into shell and bake at 180′C for roughly 40 minutes. If the crust starts to burn wrap foil over the edges. The pie is cooked when a knife comes out clean.

Refrigerate and enjoy with cream or ice cream.

Tonight’s dinner was not really planned to be awesomely fantastic.  I took some sweet potato, sliced it up and baked it for half hour or so. Took two fillets of ocean trout* and fried them up in the frying pan. Then I made The Sauce. The sauce was a last minute afterthought to stop everything being bland and my gosh – it was divine!

mustard/maple sauce:

I don’t have exact quantities, so this is rough.

1/3 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup that your lovely American friend sent you home from America with. Thanks Harmony!)

1 tablespoon butter

3 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

splash of balsamic vinegar

Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan, then pour over the cooked trout and sweet potato. Delicious!

*We’d bought ocean trout because it was cheaper than salmon the day we shopped. The sauce would be equally yummy on salmon.

Blogtoberfest – Post 24

Chops served on polenta with a bocconcini, tomato and pesto topping.

Yum!

Blogtoberfest – Post 16

Firstly, my computer is now working!

Secondly, I can now try to catch up on the posts I missed starting with this one…

Quick and Easy Omelet:

3 eggs

sliced tomato

grated cheese

parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Beat egg with a little water, add salt and pepper

Pour into a pre-warmed frying pan

Cook until the edges are starting to set

Sprinkle ingredients on one side, then fold the omelet onto itself

Once cooked through, serve!

Easy!

Blogtoberfest – Post 13

I’m going to share a secret- I don’t really understand what the big deal is about pasta. Remember the late 90’s early 00’s pasta fashion where everytime you went out for dinner someone would be gushing over pasta? Anyway. Since then pasta and I have come a small way in that I will cook and enjoy it now and *gasp* occasionally order it when out.

Which brings us to the point of this post- Pasta in a Hurry

For the sauce:

roughy chop approximately 100 grams of csabi salami (or leave it out for a veggie sauce)

1 can whole tomatoes

1/2 jar of pureed tomato

1/2 zuchinni, chopped

5 black olives, sliced

half brown onion, finely chopped

several capers

fresh garden herbs (I used oregano and thyme)

optional #1 – several dried out mushrooms forgotten in the back of the fridge

optional #2 – roughly chop any left over chicken that comes your way

In a non stick wok, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil. Brown the meats and onions. Add everything except the tomotoes and stir until the vegetables are softening up. Add the tomato puree and whole tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve on a pasta of your choice. I used packet tortellini.