Archive for category Lamb

Copycat Lasagna

Posted by blurcheryl in Bake, Lamb, My Cook Book, Pasta on May 27, 2011

Why I made Lasagna:

I learned of this recipe inspired from watching the Masterchef Australia recently.
Also that box of dry lasagna sheets has been around for more than 3 months at home, without seeing daylight.
I have minced lamb
Recently bought a few bottles of wine
Red wines paired with rich food like this is superb
I am lazy to go out eat
I want to stay home watch TV
Impress my hubby
Still there’s parmesan cheese left

These are some of the ingredients I prepared.

I added the oil cooked shallots and garlic inspired by Masterchef Australia for the meat sauce.

This is the recipe printed on the San Remo Instant Lasagna box.

Meat Sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
60g ham, finely chopped ( omitted)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (substitute with oil cooked shallots)
1 carrot, finely chopped (omitted)
1 stick celery, finely chopped (omitted)
1 clove garlic, crushed (substitute with oil cooked garlic)
500g beef mince (made meatball -lamb and pork)
5 tablespoons tomato paste (subsitute with pasta sauce)
125ml dry white wine (omitted)
375ml water (didn’t really follow)
1 chicken stock cube (own measurement, chicken stock)
salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg (omitted nutmeg)

Cheese Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
500ml milk
salt, pepper
125g mozzarella cheese (cubed or grated)

Meat Sauce
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add mince and cook stirring, until brown.

Stir in tomato paste, wine and water into which stock cube has been dessolved. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cheese Sauce
Melt butter in medium saucepan, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes over gentle heat. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk. Return to heat and stir until thick and smooth.

Season with salt and pepper, add mozzarella and stir over low heat until cheese melts.
Lasagna
Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Pour 125ml meat sauce into base of lightly greased baking dish. Alternate layers of lasagna, meat and cheese sauces, ending with cheese sauce layer. Sprinkle top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

My lasagna!

Australia, Cooking, Lasagna, Masterchef, Pasta, Recipe

4 Comments

Colourful Vegetable Terrine

Posted by blurcheryl in Lamb, My Cook Book, Vegetable, Western on February 23, 2011

I made this on Sunday while Hubby went to Golf. I am really in good mood that day because I have increased endorphins in my body which makes me happy, if you exercise you will also feel the same effect. You can also eat chocolate to get similar effect but the side effect was putting on weight, that’s all. If you suspect you are mentally ill, eat some chocolate and seek medical attention, oh! just so you know chocolate is a psychotic psychoactive food.

I am S E R I O U S L Y out of topic.

I’d like to share the latest recipe I tried and hope you can enjoy it as much as my husband. He gave me thumbs up for the cold dish even said that this is the kind of food where I can make it for Pot Luck!

The Ingredients that you need:

You can have different variations depend on your own personal preferences.

Zucchini -slice
Carrot -slice
Tomato – Juice it and slice
Choy sum or other vegetable of preference
Garlic- Chopped
Cheese
Tomato Juice – 400ml
Gelatine Powder – 2 tablespoon
Minced Lamb
Olive Oil
Baking Tin as mould
Shiitake mushroom
Enoki Mushroom
Balsamic Vinegar
1 cube of chicken stock

You’ll need 2 large zucchini, slice it thinly lengthwise. 1 Packet of Enoki Mushroom and 5 pcs of fresh shiitake mushroom. If you are using dried shiitake mushroom make sure you soak it overnight or in a hurry soak it with hot water , slice it like in the photo.

For the tomatoes, cut into half and squeeze out the juice and seeds into a bowl. Keep aside. Slice the tomatoes after that. Also prepare a bottle of spagetti sauce or you may substitute the spagetti sauce with can tomato juice, you’ll need about 500ml of that. 1 packet of 2-3 tablespoon of gelatine powder.

Optional: Prepare 5 cloves of chopped garlic for garnishin later if you prefer and also 2 stalks of choysum or other vegetables, chopped as shown in the photo.

Also slice carrot thinly lengthwise again.

You’ll also need a mould to make the terrine. I use my Rectangular shape Freezermate tupperware as a mould, line it with plastic cling wrap. Make sure the plastic cling wrap covers the whole inner of the mould with extra plastic cling wrap outside the mould. Hope you understand what I want to say here.

After prepared all the ingredients, you need to cook it all one by one, using a pan. It was a little time consuming but you’ll love the outcome and the taste of this dish which is ideal to serve during summer or warm days.

Level of doneness for the vegetables :

Zucchini : Slightly golden brown on both sides

Carrot : Slight golden brown on both sides

Tomato : Slightly cook -not too soft

Garlic: Slightly golden brown

Choysum : No need to cook at all – make sure wash thoroughly

The Next very important ingredient is to cook the yummy soft mushroom which makes the Terrine more flavourful. I use the tomato juice earlier and add some basil herbs into it.

Pour the juice into a pan and bring to boil, add in the enoki mushroom marinated with the balsamic vinegar earlier (see photo) and the shiitake mushroom. I also add 1 cube of chicken stock to add the taste. Cook in slow fire until the sauce/juice thickened and reduced. I also cook/fry the minced lamb and add it into the mushroom. The lamb meat is optional – if you prefer vegetarian then leave out the meat. Substitute minced lamb with minced pork or minced chicken if you like.

With 500ml of tomato juice, add in 2-3 tablespoon of gelatine powder and mix evenly. Cook the tomato juice with slow fire until the gelatine dissolve and keep stirring to prevent clumping. Remove from fire and keep warm.

After all the cooking is done, line the cooked zucchini at the bottom. You need those harder texture of vegetables to set the Terrine shape so please don’t change this step.

Next pour in the tomato juice cooked earlier

Then layer with cooked carrot slices.

Top with cheese slices and pour another layer of tomato juice.

Layer with slightly cooked tomatoes on top of the cheese, pour in tomato juice.

Repeat the same with another layer of zucchini, tomato juice, mushroom and mince lamb, chopped choysum and another of tomato juice. The last layer must be another layer of zucchini.

Lastly, wrap the terrine, give it a little push so that the ingredients are sandwich together, then keep in refrigerator to let it solidify and set its shape for at least 2 hours. You can keep the Terrine up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, uncover the plastic cling film (just the top part) and invert onto long rectangular dish plate (turn over the terrine) Remove the remaining plastic cling film.

This is how it looks!

To Serve slice the Terrine with a sharp knife and serve on a plate with freshly baked bread. I use a fresh sprig of Thyme as garnishing and also a little bit of lightly browned garlic for some asian touch.

Closer view!

You can make this well in advance because it is serve slightly cold. For the vegetables, if you are busy you can always prepare the ingredients then put into oven, drizzle with generous amount of olive oil set to bake for about 20 minutes. For the mushroom sauce, make this in advance then re-heat it in the microwave before using. The only thing you cannot make in advance was the tomato juice with added gelatine okay?

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Cooking, Food, Recipe

No Comments

Shepherd’s Pie

Posted by blurcheryl in 30 minute Quickmeal, Bake, Cheese, Lamb, My Cook Book, Pastry, Western on June 23, 2010

This is also the first time I bake a Shepherd’s Pie. Hubby is away for a few days last week, so this will be a reward for him. hehe. I bought minced lamb from Jusco. (psst. for mince meat I’d always prefer to buy from supermarket as I believe they are cleaner and less unwanted parts of meat mixed in them unlike in wet market with flies around, no quality control and unhygienic, or better u can buy a piece of meat at the supermarket and ask them mince it infront of u)