Blog - What's Cooking Ella

What's Cooking Ella

Salmon Rillettes

27/10/2016

I made this because I felt like it. I had never tried it before, I had no idea what it would taste like, but I just wanted to try it.

I am so glad I did, it was AMAZING!!!!

I love this, it is so moreish, once you start it, you keep going back for more. I would serve this at a party with drinks, just watch your guests go for it.

This is probably one of my favourite things to eat. And it is so easy to make.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from The Essential Seafood Cookbook
Serves 4-6

200g salmon fillets
125g unsalted butter, softened
100g smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Remove the skin and any bones from the salmon fillet.

Heat a frying pan over low heat. Add 50g of the butter, once melted, add the salmon fillet. Cook salmon fillet for 5 minutes, turn over and cook a further 5 minutes. Remove from the pan, allow to cool slightly before flaking into small pieces.

In a medium sized bowl add the flaked salmon, the remaining butter, smoked salmon, egg yolk, oil, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Give it a good mix to combine the mixture well.

Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with Melba toasts or crusty Italian bread.

Enjoy!

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Five Spice Pork with an Asian Green Bean Salad

23/10/2016

Here is another salad that my family love.

This one has a sesame oil flavour to me, and usually I'm not a fan of sesame oil, as it can be strong, but I just love it here. Same goes with Chinese five spice, sometimes I find it overpowering, yet here, it is great.

This is so simple to make, yet so flavoursome. The whole salad disappears very quickly.

I do all the prep work for the salad. When that is done, my husband barbecues the pork. While the pork is resting I dress the salad, then all that needs to be done is slicing the pork and adding it to the salad.

Now if you don't want to barbecue the pork, you can make this on the stove top and in the oven. Preheat your oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Place a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a frying pan over high heat, add the pork and sear for about 3 minutes per side. Place the pork on a baking paper lined oven tray and bake for about 18-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork. Rest for at least 5-10 minutes.

Now if you are cooking for less, halve the recipe. If green beans are crazy expensive, use frozen green beans.

This would be great for a picnic also, everything can be made the day before, just transfer to the picnic separately and assemble at the picnic. Combine the salad in one bowl, the dressing in a screw top jar, the sliced pork in a small container. When needed mix it all together, serve on plates or in wraps.

This is a simple yet delicious salad that we love, hope you do to.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au

Serves 6-8

1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or Dry Sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
2cm piece ginger, finely grated
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 long hot red chilli or 2 small red birds eye chilli
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
100g grated palm sugar, grated or brown sugar
2 x 500g pork fillet

Asian Green Bean Salad:
1kg green beans, trimmed
3-4 baby cos lettuce, washed
40g sesame seeds, toasted

4 Asian eschalots, peeled, thinly sliced (I use normal eschalots, easier to find)
1 tablespoons rice bran oil

Salad Dressing:
4-5cm piece ginger, finely grated
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Sliced Lebanese cucumber and flat bread, to serve

First the marinade: To a small food processor add the ginger, garlic, chillies, five spice and sugar. Blitz until it is chopped well. Add the rice wine and soy sauce, blitz briefly to combine. Place the pork in an airtight container or a zip loock bag, pour over the marinade, marinate for at least one hour or for up to one day. I usually marinate it for 2 hours. Place in the refrigerator, turn the meat over every now and then. Remember to take the meat out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, so the meat isn't too cold when I put it on the barbecue.

For the salad: Cook the beans in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, allow to cool in colander.

Shred the cos lettuce into 2cm wide strips, wash well, drain away the water. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Add the rice bran oil to a small frying pan, over medium heat. Add the eschalots and sauté until golden in colour. Remove from heat, allow to cool in a small bowl.

Wipe away the oil from your frying pan, add the sesame seeds. Constantly stirring, over a medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until they begin to colour.

To the salad leaves, add the cooled green beans, eschalots and sesame seeds.

For the Dressing: Combine the ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and chilli in a screw top jar.

Now the pork (my husband takes great pride in this). Preheat the BBQ to high. Remove the pork from the marinade, reserve the marinade. Brush the pork with the remaining oil, then cook uncovered for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through, brush some extra marinade over the pork every now and then. We cooked the thinner fillet for 12 minutes in total, the thicker fillet for 16 minutes, as it was quite thick, as a guide. We also covered the BBQ for the final 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes.

Toss the green salad with the dressing. Thinly slice the pork and toss it through the salad.

Serve with some sliced cucumber and flatbread.

Enjoy!

Perfect for a picnic.

Perfect for a picnic

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Thai Chicken Cakes

21/10/2016

It was Thursday around 1pm, I was at work and I had no idea what I was cooking for dinner. I had recently converted my office into two. One half was for my husband's business and the other half was for What's Cooking Ella.

I had recently moved over a tonne of magazines and magazine clippings. So I picked up a folder and went on a search of what I was going to cook for dinner. All I had at home was green beans that I didn't use the day before, so I wanted to incorporate green beans into todays dinner.

In this folder side by side were two recipes, Thai Fish Cakes and Thai Chicken Cakes, both used green beans, so I thought why not try both, as they were easy, very similar, and because my daughter isn't home until 7pm on a Thursday, I have time to prepare both.

So I leave work, go to supermarket first to get some more ingredients, pick up my kids from school on the way home and get cooking.

These were so easy to make, a bit of blitzing and chopping. I made them around 4pm and cooked them around 7pm, I just kept them refrigerated until they are needed, remove them from the refrigerator around 30 minutes before you need to cook them.

I have never seen my family eat something so quickly, they went crazy for these, a bit of feeding frenzy. They loved the sauce that accompanied it, they loved the chicken cakes, it seems I didn't make enough. I was strictly told next time I needed to make more.

I also made a Chinese Cucumber Salad to accompany the Chicken Cakes, and even that was a huge hit. Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/chinese-cucumber-salad.html

So if you are looking for a tasty, quick meal to feed your family, give these a go, they are so good.

Recipe

Makes approximately 20 cakes

500g chicken breast fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon red curry paste (I like the Ayam brand)
1 small red chilli, chopped
1 lime, rind finely grated
1 eggwhite
1 bunch coriander with roots
100g green beans, finely chopped
Peanut oil, for shallow frying

Sweet Chilli Sauce:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 small red chilli, seeded, chopped (I actually leave the seeds in)

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional), to serve

Place the chicken, fish sauce, curry paste, chilli, lime rind and eggwhite in a food processor and blitz until well combined.

Place the mixture in a large bowl.

Wash the coriander roots thoroughly, as they can be very gritty, pat dry. Finely chop the roots and reserve 1/3 cup of the coriander leaves for serving. Finely chop a further 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves.

Add the coriander roots, the 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves and beans to the chicken mixture and mix well to combine.

Place a sheet of cling film on a plate, the mixture is sticky and by placing the cling film, it will help you pick up the chicken cakes, when it is time to cook them. Also if you need to put a second layer of chicken cakes, place another layer of cling film first.

Moisten your hands slightly with water, this stops the chicken mixture from sticking to your hands. Roll one tablespoon, slightly heaped, of the mixture into a ball, flatten slightly, place on your prepared plate, repeat with the remaining mixture.

To make the sauce, place the vinegar, water, sugar and fish sauce in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes until syrupy. Allow to cool. Stir through the chilli.

Shallow fry the chicken cakes in batches in hot oil until browned on both sides and cooked through, it takes about 2 minutes on either side. Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve chicken cakes with sauce, topped with peanuts (if using) and the reserved coriander leaves.

Enjoy!

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Creamy Chicken and Corn Burritos

20/10/2016

I have a problem in my house, when I have my 'I don't feel like cooking day' and request that my husband pick up some chicken on the way home from work, he always buys 2 chickens, not because we can eat two whole chickens, but because we only want to eat the legs, thighs and wings, no one wants to eat the breasts-ever. So I am always left with chicken breasts the next day, that are even drier cold than hot.

I am constantly on the lookout on how to use up the leftover chicken. And today I have found a brilliant way to use up the chicken. These burritos were a huge hit with my kids and me (my husband wasn't home when I made them). The filling is absolutely delicious, the tortillas is the perfect cover to the filling when covered in cheese and is heated up.

I no longer have a problem with leftover chicken breast anymore, I can see this being repeated again and again.

The cayenne pepper can be spicy, so unless your kids love spice, be careful on how much you add, my kids loved it with the amount stated in the recipe.

And can I say The Australian Women's Weekly's new monthly magazine is really good, so if you are new to cooking, buy it, as their recipes are easy to follow, and rarely do I have a problem when trying their recipes.

So simple, so tasty, give this a try, it will not disappoint.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Food Magazine

Serves 4

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
310g can corn kernels, rinsed, drained
3 cups (480g) shredded barbecued chicken, from about 1 chicken
2 cups (240g) coarsely grated cheddar
1 cup (240g) light sour cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper
8-9 x 20cm flour tortillas

Pico de gallo:
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
1/2 small white onion, diced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped coriander
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño chillies, finely chopped

Guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 lemon, juiced
1-2 shallots, finely chopped
Salt and white pepper, to taste

2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve
Sour Cream, to serve
Extra coriander leaves, to serve

Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan. Grease with cooking spray a large baking dish.

In a large bowl add the coriander, corn, chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream, garlic and cayenne pepper. Season to taste, mix to combine well.

To make the burritos, divide the chicken mixture onto the centre of each tortilla, fold over two opposite sides, then roll up the tortillas to enclose the filling. Place the burritos in your baking dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is browned.

Make the pico de gallo: combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside for flavours to develop.

Make the guacamole: Scoop the flesh out of the avocados and place in a medium sized bowl with the lemon juice. The juice is not only for flavour, but it also works to stop the avocado browning. Mash it up well with a fork.

Add the shallots. Season well with salt and white pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, cut lime into wedges. Sprinkle burritos with some extra coriander; serve with the lime wedges and pico de gallo and guacamole.

Enjoy!

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Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus

19/10/2016

This is one of my favourite Sunday morning breakfasts. This was introduced to me while I was on my honeymoon in Croatia. My mother in law uses wild asparagus in her scramble, but as we don't have them here, I use normal asparagus, especially when you can find thin ones.

If you cannot find thin asparagus, simply add a little water into the frying pan at the beginning of the cooking process to start them cooking. Either allow the water to evaporate (if you only put a little) or discard the water after 3 minutes or so of cooking, then add oil and continue following the recipe.

I have put this under breakfasts, but I am happy to have this for lunch or even as a light dinner with a salad.

Not sure what it is about eggs and asparagus, but it works, super simple, if you love asparagus, give it a try.

Recipe

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch asparagus
8 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add oil to a frying pan. Add the asparagus, over medium heat, cook the asparagus for 4-5 minutes.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, do not scramble them.

Pour the eggs into the centre of the frying pan, allow them to start setting for about 30 seconds then, with a spoon or egg flip, gently break the egg yolks and stir the eggs through the asparagus. I like it when there are bits of yolk and bits of egg white through my scramble, so don't over mix it. Season generously with salt and pepper, or to your liking.

Keep moving the eggs around until cooked to your liking, place on your serving plate. I like to take it off, just before the eggs are completely cooked, as the residual heat keeps cooking the eggs.

Serve with crusty bread and fresh cherry tomatoes. Season again if needed.

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti Bolognese

18/10/2016

Let me start by saying I have never really liked spaghetti Bolognese, but my kids love it. They would continuously ask for me to make it, and I would dread making it as I never found a way to cook it where I to would like it. It was either too watery, tasteless, just ordinary. Something was always missing for me.

Then I came across a Julie Goodwin recipe that said to slow cook the sauce for 2 hours, and I gave it a try. When you slow cook the sauce for such a long time, the flavours develop and you get a lovely flavoured sauce. You know it is ready when the oils start to surface on the top of the sauce.

In this recipe no additional water or stock is added, the tomato liquid reduces and you are left with a thick, rich, tasty sauce. If you want though, you can add 1/4 cup water, that you rinse the tomato tins with, to ensure you get it all out. But that's it for extra liquid.

I have said to use 500g spaghetti for this recipe, but there is enough sauce for more. I just use as much sauce as is needed for the 500g pasta, and put the rest of the sauce on the side for those that love there Bolognese really saucy. If I'm making this for a party, then I would add 750g spaghetti and use up all the sauce.

If I have unused sauce, I reheat it the next day and cook some fresh pasta to go with it for the kids to have for school lunches, it is also great during school holidays, you don't have to think what you will feed hungry kids. I have also thrown a handful of tasty cheese into the leftover sauce, as I had it in the refrigerator, my kids loved that to.

Now I know it is called spaghetti bolognese, but use whatever pasta you like. It works with all of them.

Now I know some may not agree, and many of you already have a favourite sauce, but this is mine.

Recipe

Adapted from Julie Goodwin's cookbook 'Our Family Table'

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g veal/beef mince
500g pork mince
100g mushrooms, diced (optional)
2 x 810g tins crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegeta
Pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
500g-750g spaghetti (or penne, casarecce, fusilli or rigatoni)
Grated parmesan, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, or until onions have softened, but not browned.

Add the pork and veal mince, you need to brown the mince and break up all the lumps using a wooden spoon. Once all the lumps are gone, add the mushrooms, if using, stir through.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, vegeta, pepper, oregano and parsley. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low. Allow the mince mixture to simmer away for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring every now and then.

After 1 hour I taste the sauce for seasoning, add extra salt and pepper now, or herbs if you like more.

After the 2 hours, taste again for seasoning.

Serve on top of cooked spaghetti or any pasta that you love.

Enjoy!

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

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Sea Shell Checkerboard Cake

17/10/2016

Each year my kids get to pick the cake they want for there birthdays. This year my daughter wanted a beach themed cake, so she chose this one out of a cake book I have.

But the twist this year is she saw a checkerboard cake design on a baking show we were watching and asked for that. I thought ok, lets give it a go.

This is our finished product. We used the double decker mud cake recipe, as she likes it. But when we made it, the cake was not tall enough, with only the two cakes, so we had to make another batch. So there are actually 4 x 20cm cakes all up.

It is easier than I thought it would be, takes a bit of time, but you can start the cake baking process 3 days before needed.

Emalee (my daughter) made the chocolates all by herself, and that can be done up to a week earlier. The shell moulds I found on ebay, didn't cost much at all.

My kids love the cakes I make, they are by no means as perfect as store bought cakes, but they are always happy with the design, and love the flavour.

Recipe

Recipe design adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly cookbook 'More Cakes for Kids'
Cake design adapted from the cookbook 'The Great Australian Bake Off'

Equipment:
2 x 20cm round cake tins
30cm prepared cake board or plate
Shell shaped chocolate moulds

Cake:
2 x Double Decker Mud Cake recipe (makes 4 cakes)
1 x Chocolate Ganache (see chocolate mud cake recipe)
2 x White Chocolate Ganache (see white chocolate mud cake recipe)

Decorations:
375g white chocolate melts
Yellow food colouring
1/2 cup desiccated coconut, toasted
45 pearl balls
Candles

First I make the white chocolate shells, as this can be done up to a week before they are needed.

Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the water touch the bowl. Stir until melted.

Pour half of the chocolate into a piping bag, and pipe it into the shell moulds. you can use a teaspoon to do this, but it was easier to use a piping bag. Refrigerate until set.

Tint the remaining white chocolate with the yellow food colouring, pipe into the remaining moulds. Refrigerate until set.

Make the double decker mud cake recipe twice (up to the step where it is baked and cooling). I made one, 3 days before, and the other 2 days before.
Now to checkerboard your cakes.

First make a template for your cake. I made this by placing a piece of paper on my cooled cake, cut the paper to the size of the cake. Then I measured in from the edge to make the rings, see the picture below as a guide. I used a compass to make the circles, then cut out the doughnut shaped rings as pictured below.

Level the tops on your 4 cakes. Place your template on one of your cakes as picture below, secure it with 4 toothpicks. Carefully cut the cake into 3 rings. You only cut around the outer edge of the paper template and around the inner edge of your template. Repeat with your remaining three cakes.

Once all is cut you will have 4 x large rings, 4 middle rings and 4 x centre circles.

Make your chocolate ganache, it needs to be refrigerated until it is of a spreadable consistency.

Once all your cakes have been cut, you need to assemble the cakes.

Coat the sides of a chocolate centre circle with some of the ganache. You need enough ganache that will ensure when the cake is sliced it does not fall apart. Place the chocolate centre circle inside a white chocolate middle ring. Now coat the edge of the white chocolate middle ring with the ganache and place it inside a chocolate large ring.

For the opposite cake, you just place the white chocolate centre, ganached into a chocolate middle ring, ganached into a white chocolate large ring.

Use the pictures below as a guide.

Now sandwich the cakes together with more of the chocolate ganache, remember to use enough ganache so that the cake does not fall apart when sliced. Make more ganache if needed.

Toast the coconut, I did it in a frying pan over medium heat, moving it around until it is lightly browned all over, place in a bowl to cool.

Make the white chocolate ganache, as per recipe. I make 2 times the recipe to ensure I have enough, leftover ganache can be refrigerated and used again later in the week.

The ganache needs to be refrigerated until it is of a spreadable consistency.

Spread a thin layer of the ganache all over the cake and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This ensures all the cake crumbs stick to this layer of ganache and don't ruin your final layer.

Place your cake on your cake board. Spread a thickish layer of ganache all over the top and sides of the cake, make sure you cannot see the cake underneath.

Using the picture below as a guide, position the chocolate shells around your cake. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and decorate the cake with the pearl balls.

Enjoy!

Find the recipe at http://www.whatscookingella.com/sea-shell-cake.html
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I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

Sweet and Spicy Sticky Chicken Wings

4/10/2016

This is fabulous, this is my personal favourite chicken wing recipe.

This is a funny recipe as when I made the marinade, once I added the fish sauce, I honestly wasn't expecting much from this dish, all I could smell was the fish sauce, and the marinade itself looks bland. Then I placed it in the oven and still all I could smell was the fish sauce, so I was worried that dinner was not going to be great. But then, once baked, the aroma that hits you once you open the oven door is amazing. You honestly get sweet and spicy sticky chicken wings. I will be making these for years to come as they are delicious.

Now you can leave the wings whole or you can joint them like I did.

I also made my own chilli jam, but you can use store bought.

I recommend chopping up the lemon grass before adding it to the food processor.

Serve this up for dinner or as finger food at your next party you and your guests will love them.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from Janelle Bloom's cookbook 'My Favourite Food for All Seasons'

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks lemongrass, white and lime green parts only, sliced
1 lemon, rind finely grated
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 eschalots, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons chilli jam
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
16 chicken wings

Combine the olive oil, lemongrass, lemon rind, garlic and eschalots in a small food processor. Process until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in chilli jam, fish sauce and brown sugar.

Place chicken wings in a snap lock bag. Pour in the chilli jam mixture, close bag and rub the marinade all over the chicken using your fingers. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight if time permits.

Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced.

Line a large shallow roasting pan with baking paper.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange in a single layer in the prepared roasting pan. Brush on some of the marinade onto each chicken wing. Roast, for 40-45 minutes or until golden, sticky and cooked through. Serve with a salad of your choice.

Enjoy!

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