Mushroom Gnocchi "Roulade"

Yes, I will happily admit it... I am a Master Chef addict! I am usually someone who doesn't prioritise the TV, but somehow I just can't turn it off when I Master Chef is on. I do try to convince Mr SC that I need to watch for research & inspiration ... but I know he sees through this thinly veiled excuse and humours me & obliges in the hope that this may be true and that I may learn a new trick or two in the kitchen :) This week it paid off and I was inspired to try this novel style of gnocchi.

Mushroom Gnocchi "Roulade"

 

 

Seafood Fregola

We had some friends over for dinner this week, so I found myself peeling half a kilo prawns and decided to make the most out of the activity and make some prawn stock out of the shells. Once I had made the stock I realised I wasn't sure what I was going to use it for, so I improvised a bit and ended up with this Seafood Fregola. Mr SC isn't a big fan of risotto, but this went down a treat and is a good compromise for some quick and easy seafood comfort food.

Seafood Fregola

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Kebab

Today is my day off work... but the rain in non relenting making it very unappealing for me to head out and do something enjoyable, let alone the mundane household tasks that I also have to get done. So I think the only way to make the most of the situation is to cook yet another slow cooked dish to fill the kitchen with lovely aromas and hopefully lift my mood (and the temperature!)
Mr SC loudly proclaimed to all who would listen that he does not care for lamb and that there was no way that he would try it... even if it was his first visit to Australia and my mum wanted to show off one of her signature dishes and no, it doesn't matter that we are famous for our lamb here in Australia.
Then on the final day of a holiday in beautiful Portugal and we stumbled * across a lovely eatery hidden down an alleyway in the old town of Porto. The (presumably) owner was very proud of his produce and despite us not speaking Portuguese we did understand that he was telling us we should definitely order a piece of the giant cut of meat he was showing us. I recognised it as being lamb, so excitedly said I would love a piece. Mr SC went for the slow roasted Octopus much to the dismay of the lovely restaurant owner.
About half a bottle of wine later, we were presented with two delicious looking dishes, a generous portion of tender looking octopus and an enormous portion of the sweetest smelling lamb I have ever encountered. Mr SC gestured to the waiter that the lamb was intended for him and with greedy eyes dug into the meal. "This in unbelievable" he exclaimed, "but its lamb?" I retorted... ever since that day (where I got a grand total of two tiny tastes of the amazing lamb), Mr SC not only eats, but enjoys lamb... however, only if he can be assured that it is in fact lamb (not mutton dressed up as the proverbial, which it turns out is what we think turned him off Lamb in the first place) and that is comes from a region with low rainfall (ie. Portugal/Australia) to ensure its not too fatty.


Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Kebab

 

Crispy Pork Belly Brioche Sliders with Pickled Vegies and Chilli Lime Mayo

We are lucky enough to live just around the corner from a fantastic Melbourne Pub. Not only has it got a great vibe, but the wine list is cracking and the chef is brilliant. The menu changes regularly but the sliders remain on the sharing menu in one form or another. I certainly couldn't name my favourite to date: pulled pork, slow roasted lamb, bbq chicken... the list goes on. But as I picked up a lovely piece of pork belly from the butcher, pork belly brioche sliders it is!

Crispy Pork Belly Brioche Sliders with Pickled Vegies and Chilli Lime Mayo

Pulled Pork

Yes yes, I know pulled pork has been and gone as a food fad... but the truth is I love it too much to just ditch it from my repertoire. And as Mr SC has just declared pulled pork as being one of his all time top 3 dishes and on the short list for what he wishes for his birthday meal later in the month, it looks like I will be coming back to this recipe again in a few weeks time.

Pulled Pork

Duck with Duck

I love Duck... but even more than Crispy Skinned Duck I love Cold Duck Sparkling Red. Every foodie/wine buff always explain how well Duck and Pinot go together, but for me Cold Duck aka Sparkling Red is the ideal match (although I may be slightly bias as I think Sparkling Red is the perfect match for most things!)
Tonight I prepared a simple but delicious Crispy Skinned Duck breast with Freekeh Salad to set off the yummy bottle of Sparkling Shiraz we had in the fridge.

Crispy Skinned Duck with Freekeh Salad

Cold Duck, Sparkling Burgundy ...aka Sparkling Red

I grew up in a very festive household.
The only way you could truly judge the festiveness of the occasion, would be to look at how the event was kicked off... if my dad started the accompanying wines with a Cold Duck, Sparkling Burgundy Sparkling Red, we knew it was Christmas (or some other equally festive event).
My mum and her mum before her absolutely love the stuff, and although it now has to have the relatively boring name of Sparkling Red rather than the more exotic sounding Sparkling Burgundy or Cold Duck (you can Google/Wiki why we can no longer use these names rather than me adding the details to this page... but, long story short it suffered the same fate as French Champagne) we are die hard fans and like oaked Chardonnay we never have and never will turn our backs on this delicious drop.
If you aren't familiar with Sparkling Reds, like Sparkling Whites there can be a huge variation in styles and interpretations. We love our Sparkling Reds dry and matured in oak. Here are our shortlisted favourites should you be looking for inspiration :)

Beef Ribs

As the temperature begins to drop I am becoming more and more tempted to turn on the heater. However, as its still only May I feel like I should wait a bit longer because once I get used to having a toasty warm apartment I defiantly wont want to go back to conserving energy . So my solution is to cook some slow cooked meals on the days I am at home so the oven can heat up the apartment for me :)

I had been wanting to try cooking Beef Ribs for some time now, and luckily Ben my lovely Butcher was happy to organise some for me.

Beef Ribs

 

Käsespätzle

I am definitely more of a summer person than a winter person. But as we head into winter I remind myself that winter definitely does have the advantage of being more conducive to warming comfort food... and this is something the Austrians excel at. I remember the first time I tried Käsepätzle. I was skiing in Tirol and we had stopped for lunch, the English translation of "Cheese dumplings" only hinting as to the deliciousness of what I was about to be eating. I have had this many times since, and every region cooks it slightly differently - but I love mine with added mushroom and bacon.
Here is my recipe for the Austrian answer to Macaroni Cheese...

Käsespätzle mit Schwammerl und Speck

Pesto

Although we live just a stones through away from more cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants then we could possibly tire of... on a school night we usually prefer to eat a home cooked meal rather than head out or get takeaway. However, this means that even when I am tired and really don't feel like cooking, I still have to make the decision to either whip up something quick and easy or risk having the my well meaning hubby offer to order pizza so I don't have to cook and we don't have to go out. Note: he loves pizza nearly as much as he loves schnitzel, but is super fussy about the dough and the toppings, so ordering Pizza starts with lots of pre excitement but then ends in trauma as it never meets expectations.
As a result I always have a few staples prepared in the fridge and freezer so I can pull a rabbit out of a hat and have a simple but delicious dinner on the table with a minimum of effort.
One of these is Pesto...

Basil Pesto

 

Charred Corn Salad

I can't really remember what life was like before we purchased our much loved Weber Genesis BBQ... I must have spent significantly longer preparing dinner each night as now it really is my "go to" cooking tool when I want to get dinner on the table asap.
So in order to make the most of being able to have a steak cooked in a few minutes, I now am always on the look out for some quick and tasty salad ideas to accompany the steak. This is definitely a favourite of mine as it certainly packs a flavoursome punch.

Charred Corn Salad

Schnitzel with Pea Rice and Styrian Salad

As this blog is called Schnitzel and Chardonnay, I thought I better get my recipe for Schnitzel (Austrian style) up quick smart. And as Mr SC got back from a long business trip in Asia this evening, I thought he would appreciate being surprised with his favourite meal from his home country.
I was reluctant to cook schnitzel for many years always sending Mr SC home to his mum for Schnitzel on Sunday so I didn't have to face a pan of molten butter... but since we now live 3 flights away from my mother in law, it is no longer feasible to send him home on Sunday for his schnitzel fix. So now I find myself cooking schnitzel the way he grew up eating it but served on the other side of the world. No matter how hard I try to suggest other accompaniments, Mr SC insists that the only way to eat schnitzel is with pea rice and Styrian* salad.

Schnitzel with Pea Rice and Styrian Salad

Where to begin.... Fructose Free Toasted Muesli

I have finally got my act together and after a year of should I or shouldn't I, my blog is now up and running. I thought that finding a name that wasn't already taken would be the hardest part... but I didn't realise that this was only the beginning... I have been deliberating for a few weeks now about what my 1st recipe should be. My signature amuse bouche, a classic old favourite, a recipe passed down from my mum, something from Mr SC's homeland or something totally new?!
This procrastination had to come to an end, so I decided my first recipe should simply be my Toasted Fructose Free Muesli. Why? Because it is the 1st thing I eat at least 5 days a week (yes I am a creature of habit), and if this blog is going to follow the goings on in my kitchen I guess it should start at the very beginning :)

The recipe is Fructose free... not because I am staging a war against sugar, but because I am Fructose Intolerant. I saw my life flash before my eyes when I received the test results - a life without Chardonnay!?!? But fortunately wine remains on the menu although I have sadly had to give up delicious fruit. If you are lucky enough to be able to enjoy fruit please go ahead and add fresh fruit to this when serving.

Fructose Free Toasted Muesli