HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

This is the sort of meal you can make when you don't feel like cooking for hours or if you don't have the time. It's quick, healthy and delicious. I have just invented this recipe tonight. I was going to do a much longer version but got lazy and couldn't be bothered! It's a version of Shakshuka from the Middle East or Huevos al Plato from Spain. Both of them very traditional recipes. Everybody has their own versions. I wanted to serve it with a green salad. INGREDIENTS 2 x 400g tins chickpeas 400g jar spaghetti sauce - I used Calabrese tonight, but any one with a tomato base could be used. 200 g Serrano Jamón or prosciutto 4 eggs 1 curly lettuce or any other type olive oil balsamic vinegar METHOD: Put the chickpeas on a strainer and rinse.  Rinse the lettuce and set apart.  Heat a non-stick frypan and add the Serrano.  Cook both sides until crispy. Make sure you don't burn it.  Remov...

This salad is nicer when the eggplant is still warm. The combination with the tomato salsa dressing is just awesome.  From 'Simple Chinese cooking'. You can prepare the tomato dressing early in the day and let it marinade until you need it.  Do not put it in the fridge, though. The tomatoes are going to lose their flavour. INGREDIENTS: 2 medium-sized eggplants 1 Tbsp sea salt vegetable oil for deep-frying 2 Tbsp finely sliced spring onions pinch of Sichuan pepper and salt Tomato dressing 4 small tomatoes, diced 1 Tbsp fish sauce 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup finely sliced spring onions 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves 2 Tbsp malt vinegar 1 Tbsp white sugar 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp lemon juice METHOD Trim the eggplants and slice them into 1.5 cm rounds. Place the slices on a tray in one even layer, sprinkle with salt on both sides and let it stand for 45 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper to remove any bitter juices. Meanwh...

This is a very quick and simple Chinese dish. It is very tasty and a good way to eat tofu, especially if you are not that keen on its taste. The tofu takes on the flavours of the sauce and it's really yummy. Make sure you use silken tofu for this recipe, though. From 'Simple Chinese Cooking'. INGREDIENTS: 300g silken tofu 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 200g pork mince 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 Tbsp grated ginger 1/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 1 Tbsp white sugar 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 2 tsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper and salt 1/3 cup water 2 tsp malt vinegar 1/2 tsp chilli oil 1 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce 1 tomato, finely sliced 2 Tbsp finely sliced spring onions pinch Sichuan pepper and salt, extra METHOD Gently remove the tofu from packet and invert onto a plate.  Carefully cut into 20 cubes by cutting lengthways into 4 equal slices, then widthways into 5. Heat oil in a hot wok until surface ...

This very simple Burmese recipe is just delicious. I have made it for many years, and it always turns out great. I only used 1/2 a teaspoon of chilli (not the 1 1/2 teaspoons from recipe!!) .... and still found it a bit too hot for my liking. I use any kind of white fish available to make the koftas. This time I added about 300 g of prawn meat to the mince. I replaced the anchovy sauce with fish sauce and used a mixture of olive and sesame oil. Also, I used a tin of chopped tomatoes instead of the fresh ones. If you have good fish stock available, use it instead of the water. It gives more flavour to the sauce. 😀 From 'The complete Asian Cookbook'. INGREDIENTS: Fish koftas 1 kg fish fillets 2 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves 2 slices white bread, soaked in hot water and squeezed dry 1 tsp anch...

Love asparagus, and when they are in season, you can buy them quite cheaply - $1 a bunch! This recipe is yummy! From the cookbook 'Fresh + Fast'. Here served with Pork with sage and butter sauce . INGREDIENTS: 32 asparagus spears 2 Tbsp olive oil 10 mint leaves a handful of Italian parsley leaves 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated lemon zest 50 g Bulgarian feta cheese (or any feta) METHOD Preheat grill to 200C. Trim the asparagus of any woody stems, brush with the oil and season with freshly ground black pepper. Place the stems in a single layer on a baking tray and roast turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until tender and slightly darkened. Season with sea salt. Arrange on a serving platter with the mint and parsley leaves. Crumble the feta cheese over the top. To finish, combine the lemon juice and zest and spoon over the asparagus. Serves 4

I decided to make this cold soup because I bought 2 punnets of strawberries at half-price, $1.25 each!! They also had baby cucumbers and cherry tomatoes on special. I had never tried this recipe before, but have made Gazpacho many times. I have changed the recipe a bit. From 'Home Cooking'. Gazpacho is a very traditional summer cold soup from the south of the Spain. Every family have their own recipe, and basically the ingredients are the same, but some people vary their quantities. It is very healthy and delicious. No cooking is necessary.  INGREDIENTS: 2 x 250g punnets strawberries, hulled 1 garlic clove, chopped 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 red capsicum, chopped 2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeds removed, chopped 1 small bunch Italian parsley 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve 1 cup tomato juice or 200g cherry tomatoes (plus 200 ml water) Salt and pepper  a pinch of brown sugar Thinly sliced jamón or...

This is a scrumptious salad I only make when the peaches are in season and cheap. It could go very well as part of a Christmas banquet. From the book Fresh + Fast. This time I have used white peaches, but it works very well with yellow ones too, or even a mixture of both. I have also used rocket and baby spinach and bocconcini. INGREDIENTS: 4 small ripe peaches 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or finishing vinegar 1 buffalo mozzarella cheese or bocconcini 100g (2 1/4 cups) baby rocket leaves 250g leg ham, finely sliced off the bone 40g (1/3 cup) pecans, roughly chopped METHOD Halve the peaches and remove the skin before slicing them into a bowl. ( I don't bother to peel them!! ) Tear the mozzarella into bite-size pieces. Arrange the rocket on a serving platter and top with the leg ham and mozzarella. Add the peaches and pecans.  Add the olive oil and s eason lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black p...

This is the first time I have made this cake. It is not your 'traditional' cake but I really liked it. It is not too sweet and goes really well with the mascarpone. Nice for morning or afternoon tea. Put splash of maple syrup or date syrup on the mascarpone and you'll bring it to a higher level 😁 .  I used brown sugar instead of caster sugar, and it gave the cake this darker colour when cooked. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour 3/4 cup (120g) wholemeal or spelt flour 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 3 eggs 1 1/4 cups (310ml) fruity extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 small pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1cm pieces (to give 2 cups) 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped 1/4 cup (35g) currants Mascarpone, to serve Maple syrup, to serve (optional) METHOD Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 26cm, 3cm deep loose bottom tart pan.  ( I didn't have a tart pan so I used a normal loose-bottom cake p...

I make this recipe about twice a month. It's so simple and yet so moreish!! It takes the same time to cook so I put the chicken and potatoes in a fan-forced oven, but in different baking dishes. 😋😍 INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp lemon juice 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 1 tsp thyme (fresh better) salt and freshly ground pepper METHOD Put the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic and thyme in a large bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat the pieces in the mixture, then marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. I usually don't have time to marinate the chicken for two hours, so I just put the marinade on the chicken and straight in the oven.  It's really good! Put the chicken in a ceramic baking tray roast them in a preheated oven until cooked, about 45 minutes.  Turn it over after 30 minutes.  Serve with the Roast new potatoes with lemon a...

This is a weekend recipe as it takes a bit to cook, especially if you are making your own shortcrust pastry. It is delicious! 😋 If you make your own pastry you need to plan ahead, as it takes about one and a half hours of resting. To tell you the truth, this is the second time I make it, the first time I used bought pastry and this time I made it myself. I can tell you the difference is just amazing. It went from being a very good recipe to being an amazing one !! It's worth the effort. I cooked the vegetables earlier in the day and then I reheated them while preheating the oven for the pastry. INGREDIENTS: 1 small eggplant 1 red capsicum, halved, seeds removed 2 small zucchini 1 red onion 1 small sweet potato, peeled 2 garlic cloves, crushed 100 ml olive oil 1 x 375 g block shortcut pastry (or make your own - recipe below) 300 g ricotta 2 eggs 1/2 (50g) grated parmesan 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary METHOD If you are making your own pastry,...

This pasta dish is full of Mediterranean flavours and it takes only 30 minutes to make. Love it! From the cookbook 'Lunch'.  INGREDIENTS: 500g farfalle or any other small pasta 500g tuna steaks 6 garlic cloves, crushed 1 Tbsp olive oil 4 ripe roma (plump) tomatoes, finely chopped 3 Tbsp capers small jar of anchovy fillets, chopped (optional) 1/4 cup olives, seeds removed and roughly chopped (optional) 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp lime juice 2 Tbsp chopped chervil or parsley salt and freshly ground black pepper METHOD Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, make the tomato mixture. Put all ingredients in a work processor and chop. Do not overdo it. I love anchovies and olives and sometimes crave for them, and it certainly adds more flavour to the dish, but you don't have to use them. If you do, add a cup of deseeded olives and a jar of anchovies, chopped roughly to t...