There's something rather French about tarts but you find these rustic ones in Italy as well. Nothing fancy happens with the pastry. You just lie it flat, pile the ingredients in the middle and fold up the edges to create a kind of shell. Then put it in a hot oven and watch it brown. You could create your own fillings for these but this particular one I got out of my favourite cook book - Woman's Weekly Great Casual Food. This is NOT a low Fodmap recipe. Roasted Vegetable Tart Ingredients: Cherry tomatoes halved Small red onion sliced 1 yellow capsicum 1 red capsicum 100g feta cheese 3 sheets of puff pastry (the recipe had filo pastry) basil Method: The recipe said to roast the onion and tomatoes for 40 minutes but I don't have that sort of time so I cooked it in olive oil and it worked out well. Quarter the peppers and grill in the oven until black and peel off the skin, then slice thinly. Add to the tomato mixture with the diced feta. Pile into the centre of … [Read more...] about Roasted Vegetable Tart
Perlas, Smoked Fish, Rocket & Fennel Salad
Bike ride done, legs wobbly with fatigue, I was glad this was a throw-together meal with minimal cooking. Complaints of hunger drew me away from checking my emails and I threw together this all-in-one dish to keep them quiet. Perlas, Smoked Fish, Rocket & Fennel Salad Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini Ingredients Smoked fish Baby potatoes (perlas are best) Rocket Almonds Fennel Parmesan Lemon juice Lemon rind Olive oil Salt Pepper Method Cook potatoes until tender then halve them. Slice fennel thinly. Toast almonds. Break up smoked fish. Blend lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and finely grated lemon rind Mix the potato halves in the dressing. Place everything including the rocket into a bowl all together and top with shaved Parmesan. 3.2.2708 … [Read more...] about Perlas, Smoked Fish, Rocket & Fennel Salad
Big Miracle – can opposing factions come together to perform a miracle?
Big Miracle is not a frivolous feel-good movie. Yes, it is a movie of optimism and hope, which god knows we all need every now and then, but it is also a movie about the coming together of many different groups, all with their own agendas, who manage to do the impossible. Some of you may remember in 1988 when three gray whales, mother, father and baby, got stuck under the ice with only a small, gradually-closing hole to breathe through. Up in the Beaufort Sea near Point Barrow in Alaska, the winter closed in sooner than expected and these whale didn't leave in time to reach the open sea, which is now five miles away, too far for a whale to swim without being able to surface. This movie is based on this true story. Drew Barrymore plays the part of a Greenpeace activist wanting more publicity for her causes while John Krasinski is a reporter looking to further his career. Others involved include the local inupiat people, the Reagan administration and the oil business. They all … [Read more...] about Big Miracle – can opposing factions come together to perform a miracle?
Dreamy White Rooms – my favourite kind
I am pinning my favourite images on pinterest.com and it's such fun to have all of them in one place and to see what others choose and which of mine they repin to their own boards. Anyway I have a board called Interior Decor and I have noticed a definite theme with what I pin there - the rooms are predominantly white. Yes, I guess I like white rooms. Another theme I see is rooms by Rachel Ashwell. I used to be in love with her style while I was renovating villas and bungalows in Devonport (7 of them) but I have been in modern homes for the last seven years and have drifted away from that style but here I am choosing Rachel Ashwell-style rooms for my interior design board. Perhaps I am in the wrong environment and my true preferences are coming out with the help of pinterest.com. Spooky. Here is my living room currently. Yes, the upholstery is white but the rest is much darker. … [Read more...] about Dreamy White Rooms – my favourite kind
Couscous with Sausages and Peppers
Another simple recipe for those work nights when you get home at 6.30pm then need to exercise before cooking. This recipe is not low Fodmap. Couscous with Sausages and Peppers Heat together: 1/4 cup of vinegar 1 + 3/4 cup of water 1 tsp of honey 1 tbsp of mustard Turn off heat once it reaches the boil and add two cups of couscous. Put the lid on and let it soak for 3 minutes. Meanwhile chop up three red, yellow or green peppers into small squares. Cut 200g feta into squares. Cook six of your favourite sausages and slice them up. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and mix all ingredients together. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.[/print_this] This would probably be enough for the normal family of four or five but in our family of one female and two grown males, one of whom consumes 2,000 calories in one bike ride, this was only just enough. … [Read more...] about Couscous with Sausages and Peppers
Spinach and Ricotta Pie – a fiddle-free pie, prep + cooking = 30mins
My son and husband needed to pick up a new motorbike at 8pm so I had to cook fast since I didn't get off my exercycle until 7pm and I was glad I had chosen this for tonight. This is not a low Fodmap recipe. Spinach and Ricotta Pie Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini Ingredients Fresh or frozen spinach 1 Garlic clove - chopped 1 brown onion - chopped Lemon rind - finely grated Ricotta Herbs - I used coriander Sheets of puff pastry Method Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until clear. Steam the spinach a little and add to the above. Add in the herbs, ricotta and rind. Oil an oven tray and place the sheets of puff pastry on it, then divide the mixture between them. I made two of these for us three. Leave a border of about 3cm all round and then fold the pastry up and over the mixture leaving the middle with no pastry covering. Cook for 20 minutes in a hot oven until browned. Slice into wedges and serve. I had some left-over chicken from last night so I threw … [Read more...] about Spinach and Ricotta Pie – a fiddle-free pie, prep + cooking = 30mins
