​I love watching videos of focaccia making, the ones where the dough bubbles and the dimples are deep, it's just so satisfying. You know what's better though, actually making the focaccia and easting that focaccia.

This is so easy to make, I mean crazy easy to make. It takes about three minutes to mix the ingredients together, then you just put the dough in the fridge overnight. The next day, you have about another three minutes of 'work', then you allow a few hours for the dough to rise, add your dimples (which is the most amazing thing to do, it feels so good), then put it to bake and you have truly fabulous focaccia.

Here is the original video I watched from Alexandra Cooks, that got me wanting to make this focaccia
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI7KidsTbLI&t=129s 
The only thing I find wrong with this video (and the original recipe) is, I don't get how she gets 4 cups of flour to equal 512g, it just doesn't, even if I use US cup measures or Australian cup measures, it never equals 512g. So I chose to do the recipe in grams, using kitchen scales is the only way I will do it. But I have added the cup measure version, but my measures are different to the original recipe, and I am using a 250ml cup measure.

Now I love this recipe as it lets me plan ahead and get bread ready for the next day, but if you are pressed for time, you could make this recipe from start to finish in three hours. 

Here are the proving times if you want to make it the same day.

Mix all the dough ingredients together well, it will be sticky, cover for 20 minutes.
Release the dough from the side of the bowl. This will deflate it.
Perform a set of stretch and folds on the dough. To do this, wet your hands, then 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 a total of 6 stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and rest on your counter for 45 minutes. 
Line a baking pan with baking paper. Oil it well, also oil hands.
Pour the dough in the dish, fold it twice, rotate 90 degrees, so that the rectangle shape matches your baking dish, then flip over, fold side down, stretch it out slightly from underneath. Then follow recipe as per normal.

Now I always have bread flour in the house, but if you don't you can use plain flour.

This recipe is a great any day recipe, but I especially like it on the weekends when I don't want to go to the shops, just to buy bread.

This is easy and tastes so good. You really need to try this.

​Recipe adapted from alexandracooks.com/

Makes 1 focaccia

​In a large bowl, add the flour, add salt (around the rim) and add instant yeast (in the middle). Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil, make sure it is completely covered or it may dry out. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours or for as long as three days.

Line a 22cm x 33cm pan with baking paper.

​Release the dough from the side of the bowl, using a damp hand. This will deflate it.
Perform a set of stretch and folds on the dough. To do this, wet your hands, then 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 a total of 6 stretch and folds. You will get the dough roughly shaped like a ball.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the centre of your pan. 

Place dough in your prepared pan. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over, forming a rough ball. Place fold side down, let the dough ball rest for 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen (no need to cover for this room temperature rise).

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 220C/200C fan forced.

Pour two tablespoons of oil over the dough. Rub your hands lightly in the oil to coat, then, using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over. Sprinkle with rosemary and garlic, if using.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/focaccia.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718212923/

​​​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

​There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread, it's amazing.

One thing I hate, is having to go to the shops just to buy bread. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for bread recipes that I can make, I find it easier (and cheaper) than shopping.

This recipe is really good. The dough comes together in a few minutes. You allow 2 hours for rising time and you have freshly baked bread an hour later.

The crust is so crunchy, and the centre is perfectly chewy. Honestly once we crack this open, we can't stop eating it, hot bread and butter, it's so good.

Next day, the crust softens, but I love it toasted, it really is great.

If you don't have bread flour, you can use plain flour.

If the weather is hot, the dough may rise faster, if it's cold it may take longer. On cold days I turn on my dryer (empty) for a few minutes to heat up, then turn it off and put the covered bowl with the dough in it, inside the dryer, it works perfectly.

If you don't have a cast iron pot, bake your bread on an oven tray and place a 20cm square baking dish filled with boiling water on the shelf directly underneath the bread. It will create steam in the oven and give a nice crust.

Flour behaves differently on different days. Sometimes this dough is very sticky, some days, it's not too sticky. But what you don't want to do is add too much flour as less flour = wetter dough = bigger air pockets = fluffier bread.

Once dough has risen, you can bake it immediately or, for better flavour, let it rise for 2 hours then refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, up to 3 days. You can even mix it together in the evening, then bake it fresh in the morning for breakfast.

Don't focus on the shape too much, it will be a rough circle, but what I love, rough edges create crunchy bits on the bread.

Don't cut bread straight out of the oven, leave it for 20 minutes as it keeps cooking while cooling.

This is an easy recipe, perfect for beginners or anyone that loves homemade bread.

​Recipe adapted from Nagi Maehashi's cookbook 'Dinner' or www.recipetineats.com/ 

Makes 1 loaf

450g bread flour, you can use plain flour
2 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast
1½ teaspoons cooking salt, not table salt
1½ cups (375 ml) very warm tap water, not boiling

2 tablespoons Bread flour or Semolina flour, for dusting


Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be wet and sloppy – not kneadable, but not runny like cake batter. Adjust with more water or flour if needed for right consistency.
​
Cover with cling film, leave on counter for 2–3 hours until it doubles in volume, it’s wobbly like jelly and the top is bubbly. If after 1 hour it doesn’t seem to be rising, move it somewhere warmer. 

​At this stage you can either bake it immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. If you refrigerated the dough, leave the bowl on the counter for 45-60 minutes while your oven and pot are preheating. Cold dough does not rise well.  
​
Put Dutch oven in oven with lid on (26cm or larger). Preheat to 230°C/220°C fan forced 30 minutes prior to baking. 
​
Sprinkle work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour or semolina, scrape dough out of bowl. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tablespoon flour or semolina. Using a dough scraper or anything of similar shape, fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here – you’re about to deform it, it’s more about deflating the bubbles in the dough and forming a shape you can move.
.
Slide a large piece of parchment/baking paper (not wax paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough upside down onto the paper (seam side down, smooth side up). Slide/push it towards the middle, then reshape it into a roundish shape. Don't stress if not perfect.

Remove hot Dutch oven from oven. Use baking paper to place dough into pot, place lid on. Bake for 34 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered or until deep golden and crispy.
​
Cool on rack for 20 minutes before slicing.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/easy-crusty-no-knead-bread.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718204168/

​​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

Serves 4-6 

3 tablespoons olive oil
8 chicken drumsticks
1 large onion, finely diced
​3 small carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
​1 heaped teaspoon tomato paste, optional
3-4 teaspoons vegeta, to taste
1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes, optional
1 large potato, peeled, diced
1/2-2/3 cup barley
1 large bunch cavalo nero, shredded
1/2 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 zucchini, diced
​1/2-2/3 cup soup pasta, your choice
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
Salt and white pepper, to taste


Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, if using, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir through for about 3 minutes.

Add water to pot to come up half way to two-thirds up, making sure all the chicken and vegetables are covered. Add vegeta and chilli flakes, if using, and season with some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add potatoes and barley, simmer for about 20 minutes. Take the drumsticks out of the pot, set aside to cool a little.

Add the cavalo nero, cauliflower and zucchini, bring back to the boil. As soon as it comes back to the boil, add the pasta, stir through, bring back to the boil. Add the broccoli and parsley, cook until the pasta and barley is cooked.

Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken, shred the chicken and return it to the soup. If your soup is too thick, just add some boiling water from the kettle and taste for seasoning, add more salt, pepper or vegeta, if needed.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/hearty-chicken-soup.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718203326

​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

​Words cannot describe how delicious this dish is. Honestly when I decided to make this I could not have imagined how delicious it would be. And the best thing is, it is so easy to make, it takes so little effort and you will look like you are the greatest cook in the world.

Anyone that loves fish, but is scared to cook it, needs to start here.

These are the steps, place fish in dish, melt sauce, pour sauce over fish, bake, done. You will have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes, 20 minutes if you take your time, and of that 15-20 minutes, about 10 minutes is baking time.

Now I served it with mashed potatoes, which was fabulous, but if you want a lazy night, just serve it with bread, as you need something to mop up the sauce with. But in all seriousness, make the mash, you won't regret it.

The sauce is delicately light, not what you would expect from a cream sauce. The fish is flakes away and is juicy and tender and delicate and delicious.

I use ling fillets, as they are my favourite white fish fillet, you really can't wreck it. but any fairly flat white fish fillet is okay here, about 2cm in thickness or less. Any thicker, and the fish will take longer to bake which will thicken the sauce too much so you’ll need to thin it with a splash of water.

Now I also doubled the recipe, but rather than doubling the sauce, I just made two batches of it, and put the fish in two dishes (as I didn't have a dish big enough to fit the fillets in one dish, with also leaving space between the fillets). We ate it all, no one was going to leave any fish behind.

This is something everyone needs to make, your family will love it.

​Recipe adapted from Nagi Maehashi's cookbook 'Dinner'

​Serves 4

​4 x 150-180g fish fillets, about 1.5-2cm thick, skinless and boneless
50g unsalted butter
1/4 cup thickened cream
1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
Salt & white pepper, to taste
1½ tablespoons eschalots, from 1-2 eschalots
Fresh parsley and lemon slices, to serve 

Mashed potato, to serve
Green Salad, to serve


Preheat oven to 200°C/180C fan forced.

Season the fish with salt and white pepper to taste. Place the fish in an 30 x 20cm baking dish, make sure you have space between the fillets, do not cram them in. Sprinkle the eschalots over the fillets.

Place butter, cream, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 sec bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. You can do it on the stove top if you prefer.

Pour the sauce over and around the fillets.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until fish is just cooked, really thick fillets can take longer, it will flake when touched with a fork. Remove from oven, garnish with parsley and lemon wedges, if using, and serve straight to the table.

​Serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/baked-fish-with-lemon-cream-sauce.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718202375/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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

​Recipe adapted from thecafesucrefarine.com/

​Makes 10 flatbreads
​
1¼ cups warm water
1 x 7g packet active dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cooking salt
4-5 cups plain flour
¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
​
Combine the yeast, sugar, and water into a large bowl and stir well. Allow to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture will be foamy and bubbly when activated.

Whisk in the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and salt.

Add 4 cups of the flour and the parsley and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. If the dough is too wet or too sticky, keep adding flour until it is no longer wet or sticky, it can be tacky, but not sticking to your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and turn to coat. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky and springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle more flour onto the counter if the dough is sticky during kneading.

Divide dough into 10 equal pieces, then cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Roll one of the dough portions into an approximately 15-17cm circle. Make a few more, say 4 more, I like to get ahead, so that when I start frying the bread, I have a few prepared in advance.

Preheat a medium frying pan to a medium heat. While pan is heating, keep rolling out the dough.

Brush the top surface lightly of one of the flatbreads with extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, pick up the first circle with your hand and place in pan, oiled side down. Lightly brush the top surface with oil. Allow to the flatbread to cook for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes, until top surface is covered with bubbles and underside is golden around the edges and in spots. 

Flip to opposite side and cook for another 60-90 seconds until a few small golden spots appear. Don't overcook on the second side. Repeat rolling, oiling and cooking with remaining portions of dough.

Stack flatbreads on a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel after cooking to steam a bit and retain softness.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/bazlama-turkish-flat-bread.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718194432

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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

​Recipe adapted from www.thecookingwardrobe.com/

Makes about 10 cups

​500g ginger, peeled
1 cup sugar
8 cups water
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
4-5 whole cloves
​

​Add water and sugar to a large bowl, stir to dissolve the sugar. Thinly slice and julienne the ginger and add the bowl, add the lime and lemon juice and the cloves.

Cover, leave 1 hour for the flavours to infuse. If too sweet, add more water, if you want it sweeter, add more sugar.

Strain through a fine sieve into bottles. Refrigerate until needed.

Serve in a large glass filled with ice cubes.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/ginger-beer.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718192764/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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 banana bread and they all have favourite ones I make, I make a few different ones. This one I wanted to try as I love the shape of a bundt cake.

We loved it, one of my kids especially loved it, it's his favourite one. The cake is soft and delicious, and it keeps well for days, if it lasts that long.

I use small to medium sized bananas here, as that is what I buy, about 130-140g a banana. If your bananas are large, use less, freeze any extras.

Supposedly you can use half brown sugar, half caster sugar, I haven't tried, but I will one day. With the sugar, I have decreased the amount from the original recipe, I might even try with less next time, do it to taste.

You can add nuts if you like.

With oiling and dusting your bundt tin. in the past I have used oil or butter with flour, with inconsistent results, sometimes the cake came out, sometimes it got stuck. Then one of my aunties told me to use breadcrumbs instead, and I have never done it any other way. I use panko as that is what I have at home, but you can use normal breadcrumbs also. The cake comes out every time, and I like texture of the breadcrumbs on the cake.

You can just add the dry ingredients straight into the wet, I do, I hate cleaning an extra bowl.

You do not need a cake mixer here, don't bring it out, use a fork or spoon and bowl, that's it.

According to Chrissy, if you don't have a bundt tin, this batter makes two 20cm x 10xm loaves, but it’s so much more moist in one Bundt pan.

The baking time can vary, as it depends on the size of the bananas I use, as I don't always measure the 2 cups. I begin checking at the 55 minute mark, then check it every 5 minutes or so, until it feels cooked.

My kids love this banana bread and I love the bundt cake shape. This is definitely one I will be making again and again.

​Recipe adapted from Chrissy Teigen's cookbook 'Cravings-Hungry for More'

Serves 16-20

6 very ripe bananas, mashed (you will need 2 cups of mashed bananas)
4 eggs
170ml sunflower oil
250g plain flour
400g caster sugar
1 x 100g pack vanilla instant pudding mix (I use the cottee's one)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cooking salt
60g unsweetened shredded coconut
100g dark chocolate chips

To dust pan:
Cooking spray
Panko Breadcrumbs, as needed
​
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan forced.
In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, and oil, I use a fork here. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well, but gently. Fold in the coconut and chocolate chips.

​Grease with oil your bundt tin, and add breadcrumbs, move the breadcrumbs around to cover all the surface inside of the pan, tip out any excess breadcrumbs.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. I first check it at around 55 minutes, just in case it cooks faster. Then bake checking every 5 minutes or so.

Let it cool slightly in the pan, then use a butter knife to gently release the cake from the sides of the pan and around the inner circle, then flip it onto a plate. 

Let it cool, and cut it into slices.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/banana-bread-bundt-cake.html 
Pin it:  www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718184616/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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

Our 19th country in Our Eating Around the World Adventure is Sierra Leone.

I can honestly say the only thing I knew about this country prior to this was that it was in Africa. Now I know exactly where it is Africa and the kind of food that is eaten there.

Sierra Leone is a country located on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Guinea to its North and East and Liberia to its South.

I had absolutely no idea what kind of food they eat in Sierra Leone and I love when I discover new things.

We really enjoyed the flavours of Sierra Leone, everything I made was delicious.

They do love rice with their meals, which is great here as their dishes really do suit rice as a side. I really enjoy peanut butter, so their use of it in dishes give me a satay vibe.

Here is what I made:

Jollof Rice
​Party Fish Balls
Granat Soup or Peanut Soup
Pepper Chicken
Peanut Stew
​Ginger Beer

There are a few other things I want to make from Sierra Leone, I will add them when I do.

If the recipe is not written down below, click on the name of the recipe, it is a link that will take you to the recipe.

Jollof Rice: Was this the greatest thing I have ever eaten, no. Was it great, yes. I would make it again as it's quick and easy one pot dish to make, a really nice midweek meal.

Here is how I made it:

Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
 450g chicken thigh fillets, cut into small chunks
1 onion, diced
2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
170g tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon curry powder, optional
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 red or green capsicum, diced
1-2 bay leaves
3 cups chicken stock
Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook until browned on the outside, about 5 minutes, stirring a couple times. Remove the chicken and set aside.

In the same pan, add the onions with the remaining olive oil and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the rice on top of the cooked onions along with tomato paste, remaining salt and pepper, thyme, ginger and chilli powder, stir to combine until the rice is red in colour and lightly toasted.

Add the diced tomatoes and capsicum along with the bay leaves. Return the cooked chicken to the pan along with the stock.

Mix all the ingredients together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until rice is fully cooked. Remove from heat and allow the steam to continue cooking the rice for 5-10 minutes more.

Fluff the rice, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Enjoy!

Party Fish Balls: This took me by surprise, we loved these so much. These were full of flavour, crisp on the outside and delicious on the inside. This would be great party finger food. In the future I will make these using leftover fish from a barbecue or when I'm making a fish soup.

You make your own breadcrumbs here using a soft ciabatta style bread, I used the one from the Coles bakery. If you can't get that, any Turkish style bread will work great to. Now the fun part, which is optional, once you slice the bread you colour four of the slices with dots of food colouring, one slice red, one yellow, one green and one blue, then you bake them as per recipe. Once it's dried enough, you blitz them and  you get lovely coloured specks of crumbs. You can use panko crumbs if you prefer, but don't colour them.

The original recipe I halved, so feel free to double it if you want.

Here is how I made it:

1/2 large Coles ciabatta bread or Turkish bread
750g ling fillets or any white fish fillet of your choice
1 medium sized potato
1/2 medium sized brown onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock powder

red, yellow, green, blue food colouring

For crumbing:
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon milk
1 cup plain flour

sunflower oil, for frying

To make the bread crumbs, cut the Turkish bread into 2cm pieces, add food colour to four of the slices, one slice red, one slice blue, one slice green and one slice yellow.  Place on a baking paper lined baking tray and bake in a preheated 150C/130C fan forced oven for 25 minutes or until its golden and crunchy. Break into pieces and place in a food processor and blitz until you have coloured crumbs.

 Boil the whole potato in salted water until cooked, once cooled slightly, peel.

 Cut the fish into pieces and steam or boil for about 10 minutes until cooked through, it needs to flake, drain all liquid.

 Transfer the fish into a large bowl and leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Now add onion, garlic powder, chicken stock powder, chilli powder, potatoes, black pepper and salt to taste. Using a fork, smash the potato, then mix it all through.

 Now in a medium sixed bowl, beat the eggs and milk well to combine.
 Spread plain flour on a large plate and the breadcrumbs on another plate.
Gently roll the fish balls first in flour, then into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs.

 Deep fry in sunflower oil. Drain on paper towel and serve.
​Enjoy!

Granat Soup or Peanut Soup: We enjoyed this, it tastes like a great satay. It is different to our usual soups. It's definitely worth making. With the peanut oil, one without sugar is preferred.

Here is how I made it: 

Serves 6

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
85g tomato paste
1 sweet potato, chopped, bite sized
6 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large handful baby spinach leaves
225g shredded chicken, optional

Cooked rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add onions and ginger, and cook, stirring, occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until the onions are very soft and translucent, but not browned.
Add tomato paste and mix with the onions until they are well coated. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot, season with salt and cayenne pepper, and mix well to combine.
Pour the vegetable stock into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked.
Stir in the peanut butter until it’s well blended with the mixture. Add spinach and chicken, if using, and stir to combine.
Serve immediately over white rice.
Enjoy!​

Pepper Chicken: One of my kids absolutely loved this, the rest of us also thought it was great, without the crazy love. I hate roasting a whole chicken, I find the breast dries out while the rest of the bird cooks and the skin on the bottom is never crispy. That is until I discovered spatchcocking a chicken. By spatchcocking a chicken your cooking time is nearly halved and the skin is all on the top, so no soggy skin, and the breast is delicious. This really was a lovely dish.

Here is how I made it:

Serves 4-6

​1 x 1.6kg whole chicken, back bone, removed, butterflied
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 x scotch bonnet chillies, halved, seeds removed
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 chicken stock cube
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Add onion, chillies, tomatoes, salt, pepper, stock cube, lime juice, tomato, paste, peanut butter and oil in a food processor, blitz until pureed.

Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray with a rim. Place the butterflied chicken onto the tray.

Pour the pureed paste over the chicken (Make sure you cover the top of the whole chicken). Rest it for an hour, on your kitchen benchtop.

Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced.

If there is a lot of liquid on your tray from the marinade, pour off the clear excess liquid, not the thick marinade.

Place the chicken in the oven, roast for 45-50 minutes, remove from oven when the chicken is cooked through and the marinade is starting to colour, leave to stand for 10 minutes.
​Cut up the chicken and serve with a salad.
Enjoy!

Peanut Stew: ​My other son absolutely loves this, he loves sweet potatoes and he says it's like a satay dish, and he loves a good satay. Now the rest of us loved this also. You could do this recipe with chicken also, I did it with only sweet potato this time, but most of my family would have preferred chicken in it, for it to be a complete meal for us.

Here is how I made it:

Serves 4
​
2 tablespoons peanut oil
500g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (bite sized pieces)
1 x 400g tin black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 fresh scotch bonnet chilli, halved, deseeded
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock
125g natural smooth peanut butter
200g baby spinach, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the paste:
2 onions, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Thumb sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fenugreek
½-1 fresh red scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Note: I used black beans instead of black eyed peas, as I misread the recipe, it worked just fine

You will need: a food processor and a large, heavy-based saucepan or shallow frying pan. I used a frying pan with a lid.

Place all the paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz into a coarse paste.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a large, heavy based saucepan or shallow frying pan. Add the paste and sauté over a medium–low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if the paste starts to stick to the pan.

Add the sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, Scotch bonnet chilli (if using – see introduction) and tomato purée and mix to combine. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock, add the peanut butter, season with salt and pepper and stir in well. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, it will stick and burn if you don’t stir it.

Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach, leaving it to wilt in the pan for 5 minutes. To finish, add the lemon juice, coriander, spring onions and sliced chillies and check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with rice, and coleslaw or a fresh green salad.
Enjoy!

Ginger Beer: This is so good, so refreshing. Absolutely beautiful drink. You can grate, slice or blitz the ginger, I tend to slice it, then julienne it, quickest and least messy way to make it. A little vodka (not authentic) and you have a delicious Moscow Mule.

Here is how I made it: 

Makes about 10 cups

​500g ginger, peeled
1 cup sugar
8 cups water
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
4-5 whole cloves

Add water and sugar to a large bowl, stir to dissolve the sugar. Thinly slice and julienne the ginger and add the bowl, add the lime and lemon juice and the cloves.

Cover, leave 1 hour for the flavours to infuse. If too sweet, add more water, if you want it sweeter, add more sugar.

Strain through a fine sieve into bottles. Refrigerate until needed.

Serve in a large glass filled with ice cubes. 
​Enjoy!

​​​Now to add another sticker to my world map.

​Our Eating Around the World Adventure has taken us to Turkiye.

Now this recipe can in all honesty also be Italian, Greek, Croatian etc. The flavours are Mediterranean and it's delicious, and you will find variations of this recipe in cookbooks from any of these countries.

I served this as a side for a chicken dish I made and my family loved this more than the chicken, even though they enjoyed the chicken also.

I even added pasta to some leftover green beans and sauce for school lunch for my son and he loved it.

The beans cook low and slow for a long time and you think it will be horrible, but the flavour improves over time.

The chilli flakes and vegeta I say are optional as the chilli flakes I add as we like spice, and vegeta I treat as a seasoning, so instead of it being just water added to the dish, you have added a vegetable stock.

This is a great side dish that is simple to make, and tastes so good.

Recipe adapted from Rick Steins cookbook 'From Venice to Istanbul'

Serves 6

8 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2-1 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon vegeta, optional
1 teaspoon salt
white pepper, to taste
450g green beans, trimmed, cut in halves or thirds

Heat 6 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the onion and sauté, 3-4 minutes or until soft.​ Add the garlic, sauté 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chilli flakes, vegeta and season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the green beans and add just enough water to cover them. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan and simmer a further 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and serve.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/green-beans-in-tomato-sauce.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718089418/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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

​Our Eating Around the World Adventure in Türkiye has been fabulous, so far we have loved everything. Going into this country I knew it would be great. We used to have a restaurant called Pashas, in Bondi, which is a minutes walk from where I live. Although the meat was great you went there for their dips, their sides, these people know how to cook vegetables. I don't love carrots for instance, however I Pasha's carrot dip was fabulous, I am forever trying to find a recipe for it.

This stew is for those that love vegetables, there are so many vegetables in this dish, the meat is just a small addition. From the moment the aromas started wafting through my house, I knew this would be great.

The flavours of this dish are great, the vegetables are cut into chunks so they don't get lost in the stew. I served it with tagliatelle, which some in my family loved, while others would have preferred it with polenta.

You will need a large pot. I used my large cast iron pot.

You could probably do this in the oven instead of the stove top, something I will try in the future. Will keep you posted.

This is something I will make again, as it is easy to do, and it is packed full of flavour.

​Recipe adapted from Rick Steins cookbook 'From Venice to Istanbul'

Serves 6-8

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, sliced
2 eggplants, cut in 3cm chunks
2 carrots, cut in 2cm chunks
2 onions, cut in wedges
​2 shallots, halved
3 zucchini, cut in 3cm chunks
1 large red capsicum, deseeded, cut in 3cm chunks
200g green beans, cut in thirds
100ml red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste
150ml tomato passata
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon vegeta
1½ teaspoons salt
White pepper, to taste
500g chuck steak, cut into 2-3cm pieces
2 large tomatoes, sliced
Sprig fresh rosemary, leaves detached, chopped

To serve:
Noodles-pasta like tagliatelle
or Polenta
​
Heat the olive oil in a large, flameproof casserole pot, add the leek, eggplant, carrot, onion, shallots, zucchini, capsicum and green beans, sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the red wine, tomato paste, red pepper paste, passata, chilli flakes, oregano, vegeta, salt and pepper.

Put the chunks of meat on top and press them down into the vegetables slightly. 

​Arrange the slices of tomato over the beef and sprinkle with rosemary. 

Bring to the boil, then turn down to a very gentle simmer and put a lid on the pan. Cook for about 1½-2 hours, or until the beef is tender. Move the pot around the flame, so it isn't just hitting one spot on the pot, as it can catch and burn.

Serve with tagliatelle or polenta.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/turkish-vegetable-and-beef-stew-with-pasta.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060718072660/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​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