Monday, April 5, 2010

G'Day Mate!!

From March 12 - April 1, Mate was in the land of Mates. Australia! Sweet! I waited until March 31st to cook my Australian meal. And, it was a huge hit (though it took about 3 hours to make)! Even my crocodile from Down Under served as our entertainment for the evening singing "I Come From a Land Down Under." I was so sad not to be able to talk to my Mate on this evening, though.

For an appetizer, we had Eggplant Dip, which received a 5 out of 5. I served it with Stacy's Pita Chips (which are like crack to my Bible study group).
1 eggplant, 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 garlic cloves - crushed, 1/2 cup parsley, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup natural yogurt

- Place whole eggplant on an oven tray. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes, or until soft.
- Place eggplant in a paper bag and seal for 10 minutes.
- Remove the skin and chop the insides (Julia did this for me).
- Blend eggplant with remaining ingredients.
- Chill until ready to serve.

For one side, we had Zucchini Bites, which received a 4.75 out of 5.
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 lg carrot - grated, 1 lg zucchini - grated, 3 eggs, 1 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup self-rising flour

- Saute onions in oil until translucent. Add carrot and zucchini (which Mom grated) and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Beat the eggs, cream and cheese. Season with garlic powder.
- Stir egg mixture into zucchini mixture. Stir in flour.
- Grease a muffin tin and spoon mixture into the little holes.
- Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes.

We also had Smashed Potatoes, which received a 4.25 out of 5.
16 small potatoes (I just bought a little bag of small potatoes...I did not count them), 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp thyme, salt and pepper to taste

- Preheat oven to 475.
- Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and transfer to a lightly greased baking dish. Squash each potato flat.
- Brush the tops of each potato with olive oil, cumin, thyme and salt and pepper.
- Bake 20 - 25 minutes until crisp and golden.

The main course was Australian Meat Pie. This received a 5+ out of 5. It called for Kangaroo meat, but Ingles does not carry that, so I had to settle for ground beef. Maybe I can find Kangaroo for next time(?).

1 lb ground beef, 1 onion - chopped, 1 cup water - divided, 2 beef boullion cubes, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 pinch nutmeg, 3 tbsp flour, 2 puff pastry sheets (this was in the frozen bread section), 1 egg - beaten

- Preheat oven to 425.
- Brown meat and onion. Add 3/4 cup water, boullion, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, oregano and nutmeg. Boil for 15 minutes.
- Blend flour with 1/4 cup water until it becomes a smooth paste. Add to meat mixture and let cool.
- Grease a pie plate and line with one of the puff pastries. Add cooled meat mixture. Brush with egg. Put remaining puff pastry on top. Press the edges down and glaze the top with egg.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes and 350 for 25 minutes.

And, for dessert, Lemon Slices. These got a 4.5 out of 5.
2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 stick butter (gotta love this part!), 3 eggs, 1/4 cup lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon (Mom did this part, too), 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup self rising flour

- Preheat oven to 320.
- Place flour, powdered sugar and butter in a food processor and mix until a ball is formed (a ball did not actually form...but close enough!).
- Grease a baking dish and pour in mixture. Press flat. Bake for 20 minutes.
- In the same food processor, add eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and self-rising flour. Process until well-combined.
- Once base has cooked, pour filling on top and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until set in the middle.
Next stop, Bali. Mate arrived there on April 1st and will be there until April 11th. I will cook a Bali-nese (?) meal on Wednesday, the 7th. And, I will post about it on the 7th or 8th. I will try not to keep you in suspense for so long! So...off to Bali!

3 comments:

  1. Oh yumness! I want vegan versions of all of these things! Except maybe the meat pie.

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  2. I can't have any of that stuff, but it looks great! I wonder if I could tweak the ingredients...

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