​Sometimes I like trying something just for fun. Here Mexican meets Italian, and I had my kids in mind when I thought about making it. By kids, I laugh, as mine are 23, 22 and 18, so not really kids by definition, but they are my kids. But this is something that suits all ages, especially once they start eating things with spice.

Here you eat it and expect Italian flavours, but you get Mexican. It's a great midweek meal idea, as it's quick to throw together and tastes great.

I like to use pork and beef mince, but you could just use beef mince.

If you like, you can make your own taco spice mix. Just mix together.
1 1/4 tablespoon ground chilli
3/4 tablespoon ​paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
3/4 tablespoon onion flakes or onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Just watch spice here if serving to children. This will keep for at least 6 months to a year.

With the cheese pasta sauce, I freeze what I don't use, so I can use it next time I make this. Any leftovers can be frozen also.

So if you are looking for something new to try, give this a go.​

​Recipe adapted from Top 100 taste.com.au The Thrifty Pantry cookbook

Serves 6

200g dried macaroni pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, deseeded, finely chopped
500g Pork and Beef Mince
30g sachet taco seasoning
375g jar mild thick and chunky salsa
180ml (3/4 cup) cheese pasta bake sauce
100g (1 cup) pre-grated pizza cheese
​
125g (1/2 cup) sour cream
200g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, chopped
2 green shallots, chopped
​
Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and capsicum. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the pork and beef mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until browned.

Add the taco seasoning to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until well combined. Add the pasta, salsa and cheese sauce. Season. Cook, stirring, until combined and warmed through. Transfer to a baking dish and smooth the surface. Scatter with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

​Serve topped with sour cream, tomato, avocado and shallot.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/cheesy-taco-pasta.html
​Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060723653086/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​I think the hardest part of every morning for me is trying to figure out what I'm going to make for dinner. What do I feel like eating, what does my family feel like eating, what do I feel like cooking, do I want to go and do groceries, what I have got to work with at home. This is every single morning. Now I also have to add in what am I going to cook at the club, can I cook the same thing for home and work. 

To those questions I also add, as anyone that knows me, or anyone that has been following me for a while, knows that I love trying new recipes, I can't cook the same thing over and over, so I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes to try. It really is a job just trying to figure out what to cook each day.

This recipe looked amazing and was super easy to make, so I had to try it. It ticked all the boxes in that it should please everyone for dinner.

We loved it. The chicken was delicious, the sauce delicious. It really was easy to make, one pot, minimal mess, cooked in the oven and dinner is done.

You could add 1 red capsicum, diced and/or 1 sweet potato, cut into bite sized pieces just after frying the onions. 

This is a great meal to make mid week, as after a bit of initial preparation, you pop it in the oven and you have free time while dinner is cooking.

​Recipe adapted from alexandracooks.com/ 

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Salt and White Pepper
8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs or drumsticks or a combination of both
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400ml can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup coriander, roughly chopped, or more or less to taste
140g spinach

For serving:
cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice (or any rice you like)
Freshly squeezed lime juice, optional


Heat oven to 205C/185C fan forced.

In a large sauté pan over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and immediately turn the heat to medium-low. Stir every so often, and cook for about 4 minutes, add garlic and ginger and cook until the onions soften and begin browning at the edges, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, place the chicken in a large bowl and season all over with salt and pepper.

Add the curry powder, turmeric, and Thai red curry paste to the onions, and stir until onions are coated  in the spices, about a minute. Add the tomatoes, and stir until they just begin to soften, about a minute. Add the can of coconut milk. Fill up the empty can of coconut milk with water and add to the pan. Add the fish sauce and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. 
​
Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Transfer pan to the oven uncovered and cook for 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced considerably, the chicken skin is brown, and the meat is falling off the bone. If the liquid has reduced too much, add more by the quarter cup. 

Remove chicken and place on a plate. Add coriander and stir. Add spinach, and stir. Return chicken back to the pot.

Spoon rice into bowls. Top with chicken and sauce, squeeze over lime, if desired, and serve immediately.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/coconut-thai-chicken-curry.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722985056/

Recently I started cooking at a Bowling Club, it's like a little what's cooking Ella hobby kitchen, I cook what ever I want, no set menu and the members can buy dinner to eat in or they can have it take away.

Some nights I make things I've made for years, sometimes I'll just try something new, this was a something new dish.

This was very popular with those that tried it. It's not too spicy, the meat is super tender and the flavours were very very nice.

I have added up to 1kg beef into this dish and there is plenty of sauce to accommodate it.

I also start this recipe on the stove top as my slow cooker is over 24 years old and I don't even think it has a sear option. If yours does, you can omit the stove top section and follow these instructions 

Heat a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker on sear (HIGH) setting; cook paste, stirring, for 5 minutes or until well toasted and fragrant. Add beef; cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned.
Add remaining ingredients to cooker; stir to combine. Continue as per recipe.

Now you could also do this whole dish on the stove top in about 2 hours if you prefer, until the meat is soft and the sauce dark and delicious. But I have added the slow cooker option as I had my slow cooker sitting in storage for 23 years years unused, but now I like to use it at the club as it gives me another cooking option that I can just turn on and kind of ignore until the meal is ready.

This is a simple dish to make that you can start early and just let the slow cooker do it's thing. ​

​Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook 'The Slow Cooking Collection'

Serves 4 
​
1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut
10 cm stick fresh lemon grass, chopped finely
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, quartered
3 fresh long red chillies, chopped coarsely
1 medium brown onion, chopped coarsely
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
800 grams beef chuck steak, cut into 5cm pieces
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind puree
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup (250ml) coconut milk

1 green onion, sliced thinly, to serve
White Rice, to serve
or 
​Naan Bread


Process coconut, lemon grass, ginger, garlic, chilli, brown onion and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a food processor until smooth.

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil, add paste and cook paste, stirring, for 5 minutes or until well toasted and fragrant. Add beef; cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned.
​
Add remaining ingredients to saucepan; stir to combine. Carefully tip everything into your slow cooker and cook, covered, on low, for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
.
Serve rendang topped with and green onion with white rice or naan bread.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/beef-rendang.html
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722977044/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​I think the hardest part of my mornings is deciding what I will cook for dinner. Trying to figure out not only what I feel like cooking and eating, but also choosing something that the rest of my family will like to eat.

This soup I knew my adult kids will like, my husband though I was not 100% certain. I know he loves soup, but maybe the spices won't be what he likes. Well luckily this time we all really enjoyed this soup.

This soup was comforting, it had a lovely spiciness to it, not too spicy though, just a little background heat.

At first I couldn't imagine avocado in soup, but I have to say I did enjoy it.

I like chicken thighs, but you could use 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead. You could also use leftover rotisserie chicken, just simmer the soup for a total of 25 minutes, adding 3 cups of shredded chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking. 

This was a quick midweek meal kind of soup, quick and easy to make, yet very hearty and filling.

Recipe adapted from www.spendwithpennies.com/

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
3 cups chicken stock
800g can diced tomatoes
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 chicken thigh fillets
1 cup corn kernels, drained, rinsed, if using tinned
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lime, juiced

1 avocado sliced, for garnish

For the Tortilla Strips
6 small corn tortillas cut into 1/2cm strips
¼ cup sunflower oil
salt


For the tortilla strips, cut the tortillas into 1/2cm strips. In a small pan, heat ¼ cup of sunflower oil over medium-high heat.
Add the tortillas, in small batches to the oil and fry them until they are crisp, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. While warm, sprinkle with salt to taste.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and cook until the onion is softened about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add in the chicken stock, black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, lime juice, coriander, ground cumin, and chili powder. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken thighs and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pot and shred (or slice) it with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, lime wedges, and sliced avocado.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/chicken-tortilla-soup.html 
​Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722977083/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​I'm on a little health kick, nothing drastic, just trying to make better food choices, generally eating better. I can't follow diets, as I love what I cook and I have a family to feed and I don't want to be eating different meals to them. So I'm just eating less, exercising more and just being mindful of when and what I'm eating. For example this recipe, I make this for breakfast to replace my quick and easy toast and butter option that I usually have. 

With this recipe you can make changes, you can substitute the sugar with another sweetener, you can use less or more sugar, it is to taste. You can use Greek yoghurt or cocobella dairy free yoghurt instead of vanilla yoghurt. I do love it with vanilla cocobella.

Though I love it for breakfast, some in my family eat it as a dessert after dinner with or without the granola.

The only Granola I like is Carman's Aussie Oat Clusters Apple Crunch so I use that (I wish I was paid to say this, but I'm not) but you use whatever granola you like.

Swap the cinnamon stick for 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, add to taste.

This is quick and easy to make once the compote has cooled and is a delicious breakfast idea.

Recipe adapted from a coles magazine

​Serves 6

15 plums, stoned, halved or quartered
1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 1/3 cups (375g) vanilla yoghurt
2/3 cup (90g) granola

Place the plum, orange juice and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, gently stirring occasionally, for 10 mins or until the plum is very soft but still holds its shape. Stir in the sugar. Transfer the compote to a large bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Layer the yoghurt and compote evenly among serving glasses. Top with granola to serve. 

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/plum-compote-and-granola-crumbles.html 
​Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722312705/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​My family love salads for dinner, especially in summer. They taste amazing, are light, and can be absolutely delicious. This salad is amazing, I absolutely love this, this salad is full of flavour.

I love that while the chicken is baking, you can get all the other parts of the salad ready.

I double this recipe for my family as then they have lunch ready the next day whether it's for work, school or home.

The rolls I put as optional as I like this without bread for a lighter meal. But my boys love to make banh mi rolls.

You can marinate the chicken in a large glass or ceramic bowl if you prefer.

This is a simple yet delicious salad you must try.

​Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au/

Serves 4

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1.1kg chicken thigh cutlets, trimmed

3-pack baby gem lettuces, leaves separated
1 telegraph cucumber, halved, deseeded, sliced
Fresh coriander sprigs, to serve
Sliced long fresh red chilli, to serve
4 crusty bread rolls (optional)
200g pork, duck or chicken liver pate, if making rolls (optional)
Lime wedges, to serve

Pickled Carrot:
125ml rice wine vinegar
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
100g shredded carrot

Dressing:
60g Kewpie Mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha chilli sauce


Combine the lemongrass, fish sauce, soy sauce and caster sugar in a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to marinate. I like to flip the bag over every now and then so the marinate distributes evenly.
​
Meanwhile, for the pickle, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and 80ml (1/3 cup) water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Place the carrot in a heatproof bowl and pour over the vinegar mixture. Set aside to cool. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until required.
​
For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until required.
​
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Transfer the chicken to a large baking tray, skin-side up. Discard the marinade. Bake the chicken for 50 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked. Set aside to cool slightly. Chop the chicken into large pieces.
​
​Drain the carrot and arrange on a platter with the lettuce, cucumber and chicken. Scatter over the coriander and fresh chilli. Serve with the dressing, bread rolls, pate (if needed) and lime wedges, if you like.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/crispy-chicken-banh-mi-salad.html 
Pin it: ​​au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722227936/

​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​Since I started baking bread, I just cannot stop. I love it. But just like with my style of cooking, I can't just make the same bread every day, I need variety, so I'm continuously trying new recipes.

This recipe is quick for bread making and it's really easy to make. You just mix the ingredients together, let it rise for an hour. Tip it out onto an oiled bench, fold it and press/squish it down a few times. Pop it in a loaf tin, let it rise for 30 minutes and bake it.

You can add 1/4-1/3 cup of seeds like sunflower seeds, pepitas etc in when you add the flour if you like.

Here is a video of the original recipe, she shows how easy this is to make. Now I will not bake bread in cup measurements as I like more accuracy, so I have written an adjusted recipe with gram measurements that I use based on this video.

If you are looking for a simple yet delicious bread recipe, this one is perfect for beginners and regular bread makers.

​Recipe adapted from easyrecipegang.com.au/

Makes 1 loaf

380g warm water
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
450g bread flour
10g salt
olive oil, for drizzling
​
In a bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Add flour and salt. Give it a good mix.

Let the mixture rest in a warm place, covered with a tea towel, for 1 hour.

After the resting time, oil your bench lightly, about 2-3 tablespoons and let the dough fall out of the bowl onto the oil. Rub a little oil on your hands, it will stop the dough sticking to them. Now, you need to gently knead the dough. How I do this is I fold the dough, in half 3 times, then press it down, pushing it out, fold it two more times, press it down, fold it two more times and your dough should now be smooth, don't press it down on the last fold. If you need to repeat the folds one more time do so.


​Place the dough in a large loaf tin, cover it up with a tea towel, and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan forced. Once the dough has risen, pop it in the oven and bake for around 40 minutes.

​​Take the bread out of the oven when it’s beautifully golden brown. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, and then it’s time to slice and serve.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/easy-bread-loaf.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722215217/

​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​I've made many no knead breads but my husband kept asking me to make sourdough bread, so finally after a few unsuccessful starters I got one right and I am now a sourdough bread maker.

Actually I have now made three successful starters which I named Heidi, Polly and Isabel. Heidi I keep at home, Polly I make a work and Isabel I share to those that want to make sourdough bread. I've baked with all three and all were perfect.

Now when I say perfect, sometimes they crack not just where I slash it, but the crack elsewhere, but all are soft and delicious inside with an amazingly crunchy crust.

Sour dough bread making though easy, does require a lot of time. So this is a recipe you need to start in the morning the day before you want to bake the bread.

What it means when your starter has hit its peak is the highest point your starter will grow to before it starts to fall back down.

I like to use two plastic shower caps to cover my bannetons as it makes life easier.

Sourdough baking is so rewarding, once you've baked that loaf with a few simple ingredients, no preservatives, you just can't go back to store bought bread,

I will be adding photos and videos to this page to make sourdough bread making even easier. But I have tried to explain it as best I can for now.

Good luck and start baking today.

Makes 2 loaves
Start the recipe 1 day before you want to bake bread

​Sourdough starter
1 cup bread flour
​Just under 1 cup room temperature water

​1kg bread flour
750g warm water

20g salt
​10-15ml water, extra

Extra bread flour, for dusting

You will need 
2 x banneton baskets
​1 cast iron pot


First thing in the morning.

​Take your sourdough starter out of the fridge. Discard about half. Feed it with 1 cup bread flour and a little less than 1 cup water. Give it a good mix so no dry flour is left, place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. If your jar does not have a lid, just place a paper towel on top secured with a rubber band. Leave it on your kitchen bench for 2 hours. 
​
After 2 hours or when you think you have one hour left for your starter to hit it's peak. In a large bowl add your 1kg bread flour and 750g warm water. Give it a good mix so there is no dry flour left. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, leave for one hour on your kitchen bench.
​
Once your starter is at it's peak, add 220g of your starter to the flour and water bowl. You need to mix it in well using the stretch and fold method. It will be sticky. To do this, take a section of the dough furthest from you and stretch it up and fold it onto itself towards you. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat the process. You need to do this about 10-15 times. Add 20g salt and about 10-15ml water. Mix it in with about 10 stretch and folds. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile feed your starter with 1 cup bread flour and a little less than 1 cup water, mix it in. Cover and place in the fridge until you need to bake bread next time.

After 10 minutes, you need to stretch and fold your dough. Set a timer for 10 minutes and start stretching and folding for 10 minutes, the dough will be sticky. This is the hardest part and yet it's not hard. Once the timer goes off, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for 1 hour.
​
After 1 hour your dough may have done nothing or it may have started bubbling and expanding. Both are fine, your kitchen environment will determine how quickly things start to happen. If your kitchen is warm things will happen quicker, if it's cold it will take longer. No matter what your dough is doing you will do 4 stretch and folds now. Take a section of the dough furthest from you and stretch it up and fold it onto itself towards you. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat the process. You need to do this about 4 times. Cover and leave on the bench for 1 hour.

Now you will repeat this process every hour until your dough has doubled in size, has bubbles and is wobbly when the bowl is gently shaken. This could take 2-3 hours, it could take 4-6 hours, this is why you need to start this in the morning so you have time for this to happen.
​
So your dough is wobbly, is bubbly and has doubled in size. Now dust your kitchen bench with bread flour. Pick up your bowl and let the dough gently fall out of the bowl onto the flour. Using a metal scraper with a quick confident action, cut the dough into two roughly equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, using your scraper lift the ends of the dough and drag them to the centre of the dough, you are trying to form a tight dough ball. You want to have the smooth side on top now. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Leave both on the counter uncovered for about 10 minutes to relax.

Generously flour 2 banneton baskets.

After 10 minutes, dust your dough with flour. Now using your scraper flip one dough ball over on your bench.
Now you will now gently stretch out the dough to form a 30 x 20cm rectangle, no need to measure, just roughly. I like to gently stretch it from underneath, pulling it out to shape it. Try not to squish it or you will knock out all the bubbles you spent hours forming. 

Now take one long end and fold it over 2/3 of the way towards the other long end. Then take the other long end and fold it over to form a kind of rectangle log.

Now grab a short end with both hands and quickly and confidently start to roll up the dough as tight as you can. You will end up with and round/ovalish shape. Grab your scraper and flip the dough into your banneton, the bottom of the dough will now be the top in the banneton. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Dust both doughs with flour. Cover both bannetons loosely with shower caps. Leave on the bench for 1 hour.
​
After 1 hour the dough should have expanded/relaxed a bit. Dust with flour again. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
​
The next day place your cast iron pot in the oven Preheat the oven to 260C/240C fan forced for 30-40 minutes. Leave the dough in the fridge, we want it fridge cold going into the oven. 

Once your oven has preheated take one dough out of the fridge. Uncover, dust the top with bread flour. Either using baking paper or a silicone mat place the paper or mat over the banneton. Flip the dough onto your bench and gently pull off the banneton. Dust the dough lightly with flour, now using a bread lamb or a sharp knife, gently slash the dough gently down the centre of the dough, do not go deep, a light slash.

Place in your preheated pot using the baking paper or silicone mat as a handle, put the lid on and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 230C/210C fan forced and take the lid off and bake a further 30-35 minutes.  

Once baked remove from the pot, place on a cooling rack without the mat or baking paper and allow to cool completely.

Now you can bake both breads on the same day or I like to keep the other dough for the next day, I've even left it for 3 days (as we didn't eat the first loaf fast enough), it was just more sour.

​If you follow the steps you will enjoy sourdough bread that is light and fluffy inside with a beautiful crunchy crust.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/sourdough-bread.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722042394/

​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​Now there are many many sourdough starter recipes you can find online (and in cookbooks) and 99% of them I could not understand. They all had food words that I found unfamiliar and it all just seemed too hard. This recipe is for those people like me that needed things simplified, where simple words and instructions are needed. I don't really care why things happen, I just want them to happen.

Now the first time I tried this starter recipe I used only plain flour as per recipe and it did not work, so I adjusted the recipe to include the dark rye flour as I did read somewhere to use it and I had it at home. You only use dark rye flour the first time, after that when you feed the starter use only plain flour. You could probably use whole meal flour instead of the dark rye if that is what you have at home.

I name my starters. My first successful one is Heidi and while writing up this page I'm starting another one calling her Polly, and then I made a third one I named Isabel. Heidi stays at home, Polly I took to bake at work and Isabel I share with family and friends.

​The weather will affect how your starter behaves, temperature, humidity, altitude all affect how a starter works. Warmer places things happen quicker than in colder areas.

Making a starter can take about one to two weeks.

With the water I read to use filtered water. I don't, I just boil up my kettle, let the water go cold, then use that.

Black liquid called hooch can form on a starter. It forms when your sourdough starter is hungry and needs to be fed. Hooch is actually alcohol and is a by product of the fermentation occurring in your starter. Some people stir it back in, then feed their starter, other people discard it and feed their starter. I still haven't had this happen to my starter, but if I did, if I had just a bit and it was light or greyish, I'd stir it in, feed the starter and keep going. If I had a lot, like 1-2cm or it was really dark black, I'd pour it off, replace it with water, and then feed the starter. You can prevent hooch by keeping your starter fed well and often.

With regards to the jar, I just use gherkin or large jam jars, as they have a wide opening and I always have them in the house. I like to have two available and when one jar gets messy I transfer to a clean jar as making a starter can get messy.

Why do we discard and throw away the starter when feeding it, because as a home cook if you didn't discard it, you would have so much starter you would never be able to use it all. However, I only throw the discard away initially, once my starter is established I keep the discard in a separate jar that I don't feed and I use that in other recipes which I will share also.

The only time you need to give up and throw it out because of mould, not hooch, mould. Mould is fuzzy and different to hooch. I have never got mould on mine, but supposedly it can happen.

If you want to watch this process, go to msemilyrose11 on Instagram, she has it in her highlights.

Though I love my fast no knead bread recipes, sourdough bread does taste better, you just need the time to make it.

​Recipe adapted from msemilyrose11 on Instagram
​
Makes 1 starter
​
The start:
1/3 cup dark rye flour
2/3 cup plain flour
Just under 1 cup room temperature water
​700g glass jar

To feed: each time
1 cup plain flour
Just under 1 cup water

I like to start this in the morning.


Day 1: Place dark rye flour and plain flour into your jar. Add 2/3 cups water, give it a good stir, keep adding water only until the mixture is like a really thick pancake batter, you just want all the flour mixed in well. If you've added too much water, just add a bit more plain flour. Place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. If your jar does not have a lid, just place a paper towel on top secured with a rubber band. Leave it on your kitchen bench. See you tomorrow.

​Day 2: You may have bubbles starting in your starter, you may not, either way we continue with the recipe. Discard half of your sour dough starter into your bin (do not pour it down your sink). Now feed your starter with 1 cup plain flour and a little less than 1 cup of room temperature water. Mix well to combine. I like to pour it into a clean jar as the process gets very messy. Place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. Leave it on your kitchen bench. See you tomorrow.

​Day 6: My starter grew yesterday, but not crazy out of the jar today, which was nice as less to clean up. No matter what yours is doing today you will be feeding it twice. Once in the morning, once in the evening. I did the morning one at 7am and will do the evening one around 7pm.
If yours has a greyish liquid called hooch on top, stir it back in then, discard half of your sour dough starter into your bin (do not pour it down your sink). Now feed your starter with 1 cup plain flour and a little less than 1 cup of room temperature water. Mix well to combine. I like to pour it into a clean jar as the process gets very messy. Place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. Leave it on your kitchen bench.
Now if yours grew like mine did, grab a large rubber band and place it over the jar in line with the top of the starter, this is the line where you will see how much it grows. Repeat this process again in roughly 12 hours. See you tomorrow .

Day 7: No matter what yours is doing today you will be feeding it the same as yesterday. Once in the morning, once in the evening. I did the morning one at 7am and will do the evening one around 7pm.
If yours has a greyish liquid called hooch on top, stir it back in then, discard half of your sour dough starter into your bin (do not pour it down your sink). Now feed your starter with 1 cup plain flour and a little less than 1 cup of room temperature water. Mix well to combine. I like to pour it into a clean jar as the process gets very messy. Place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. Leave it on your kitchen bench.
Now if yours grew like mine did, grab a large rubber band and place it over the jar in line with the top of the starter, this is the line where you will see how much it grows. Repeat this process again in roughly 12 hours. See you tomorrow.

Day 8: Today we are feeding her once today, then we will be doing a float test to see if the starter is ready to bake with. Discard half of your sour dough starter into your bin (do not pour it down your sink). Now feed your starter with 1 cup plain flour and a little less than 1 cup of room temperature water. Mix well to combine. I like to pour it into a clean jar as the process gets very messy. Place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. Leave it on your kitchen bench for about 2 hours (could be longer). The starter needs to grow to it's peak before we can do a float test.

If your starter is not like mine and it isn't growing like mine yet, you need to keep feeding it twice a day until it does. So many things affect starters, temperature, humidity, altitude etc. Starters can take 2 weeks to develop depending on these factors.
​
Day 8: Part 2: Float test: Place room temperature water in a jug.
Add a blob of the starter to the water, if she floats she is ready to bake with, she is now an active starter.
If she sinks, you will need to feed her in the evening again like on day 7. You will continue the day 8 process again tomorrow. 

When she floats she is an active starter, you can bake with her now, you can make discard recipes with her, you can share her etc. This starter can be used for the rest of your life. For discard recipes from now on when you feed your starter you no longer throw out half. That half I now store in a separate jar labelled discard and I use that to make muffins, crackers etc, I will share those recipes also.

Now as I'm baking a sourdough loaf tomorrow (you need all day to prep a loaf so you won't have time today. Don't let that scare you, it's easy, you just need time) I will feed her again tonight (this time I will keep the discard in a separate jar), so the starter is ready for baking with tomorrow. Leave the starter on the kitchen bench overnight, place the discard in the refrigerator.
​If you are not baking with her tomorrow, feed her as per normal, keep the discard in a separate jar, place both jars in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.

Now go to my sourdough bread recipe where I will show you how to make 2 loaves from one mix. ​

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/sourdough-starter.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060722042218/

​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​These Thai green curry sausage rolls are delicious. They have a great fresh Thai flavour filling surrounded by crisp puff pastry.

Dipping them in sweet chilli sauce just adds an additional spice and flavour, but they are delicious even without the sauce.

You can make them in advance and freeze them. Just bake them for an additional 10 minutes if they go into the oven frozen.

This is great party food, they are loved by all that have tried them. ​​

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au/

Makes 36

500g chicken mince
100g green beans, finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
2 green shallots, finely chopped
50g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
2 eggs
3 sheets frozen puff pastry, just thawed
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
​
Combine the mince, beans, kaffir lime leaves, shallot, panko, coriander, curry paste and 1 egg in a bowl. Season. Mix until well combined.

Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Lightly whisk the remaining egg in a bowl.
​
Cut the pastry sheets in half. Place one-sixth of the mince mixture along one long edge of each piece of pastry. Brush the other long edge with whisked egg. Fold pastry over filling, pressing to seal. Cut each roll into 6 pieces. Place the rolls, seam side down, on the prepared trays. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and pastry.

Brush the pastry with egg. Use a small sharp knife to pierce the tops a few times to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through and golden. 

Serve the sausage rolls with drizzled with sweet chilli sauce.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/thai-green-curry-chicken-sausage-rolls.html
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060721371010/

​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella