G … Gourmet BBQ

For our G day Wendy decided to host a Gourmet Barbecue on her farm. Some opted for a ride on the tractor to the site under the pine trees, while the more timid just trudged up the hill to find a beautifully set table with a fine view. The table was laid with each person’s contribution and much feasting ensued.

Pauline made Chicken and Prune Roll with cranberry sauce, a tasty dish that can be eaten hot or cold. She has substituted turkey in the past and occasionally included pistachio nuts.

Anne prepared traditional Scotch Eggs, served with a spicy tomato chutney.

Julie made Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce.

Kathy made a Goat’s cheese, Pistachio and Pea Tart.

She also included Fattoush Salad.

Marie’s Savoury Loaf was a yeast-free version of a familiar recipe.

Jeannie presented tasty Gourmet Sausages wrapped in Bacon.

Laura made Focaccia Parcels with home-made Salami, accompanied by individual Bocconcini and Tomato Salads.

Despite being stuffed from our feast, no-one could resist Wendy’s Dessert table.

Credits:

Anne’s Scotch Eggs recipe is from The Recipe Website

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

F … Favourite Foods

Is it sweet, savoury or spicy?  Maybe it’s a recipe passed down through the generations or perhaps one discovered from your loved cookbook or celebrity chef.  We all have our favourite foods, so here was our chance to share them at Anne’s.

Nadine made Nigella Lawson’s Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

Pauline used a recipe passed down from her mother to make Broccoli pasties.

Laura displayed her Italian heritage by producing Gnocchi.

Wendy chose Neil Perry’s Chicken Saute with Pumpkin Puree

Anne, our host for the day, used Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Cheat’s Cheesecake.

Credits:

Nadine’s Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup was from a Nigella Lawson recipe.

Wendy’s Chicken Saute with Pumpkin Puree, a Neil Perry recipe, was from goodfood.com.au

Anne’s Cheesecake was from Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals recipe, blogged here.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

E … Egyptian Foods

Egyptians have always enjoyed a rich variety of foods, thanks to fertility of their soil from the Nile river. In ancient times bread and beer was a staple, as well as a range of vegetables, particularly garlic, onion and beans, as well as meats, fish, poultry and various seasonings.

Nadine prepared dips, one of Beetroot and the other of Roasted Pumpkin, Cashews and Parmesan Cheese.

Julie made Ful Medames which is an Egyptian staple dish made of stewed beans with seasonings.

Anne made Dukkah-crusted Chicken with Roasted Carrot Salad

Wendy paired Egyptian Potato Casserole with Fattoush, a salad dressed with lemon and Sumac.

Kathy prepared Kushari, a vegetarian recipe of lentils, rice and macaroni, with a tomato sauce and caramelised onions.

Credits:

Anne’s Dukkah-crusted Chicken is from taste.com.au

Wendy’s Fattoush is from SBS Food. Her Egyptian Potato Casserole is from Cookpad

Nadine’s Pumpkin, Cashew and Parmesan dip is from Thermofun. Her Beetroot dip is from My Food Story.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

P … Portugal

 Portugal

Once a great maritime power, Portugal is a country of friendly people, maintaining a strong link to the Atlantic Ocean.  Seafood and spices epitomise its cuisine.

Lisbon on the Tagus

 

Wendy was the host for our day of Portuguese cuisine.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy prepared Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup).  This traditional soup is made with couve gallego, a dark green, flat cabbage, but it has many variations.  Kathy’s version was a Potato and Cabbage soup with Chorizo.

Caldo Verde

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanie made quick and tasty Fried Chicken Breast with Bacon and Tagliatelle. Flavourful pasta dishes are increasingly popular in Portugal.

Chicken & Bacon Tagliatelle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s traditional Açorda de Camarão (Shrimp Porridge) is typical of the Alentejo region of southern Portugal.

Açorda de Camarão

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris prepared Piri Piri Potatoes.  Piri Piri refers to a spicy sauce of crushed chili often used in Portuguese cooking.

PiriPiri Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy tried her hand at reproducing the famous Pastéis de Nata. These tasty tarts were originally made by monks who needed a use for the left over egg yolks after the whites were used to starch clothing.  The original recipe was passed to a family 180 years ago and they still produce the popular tarts in Belem.

Pastéis de Nata

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy also made Portuguese Caramel Magic Cake, a cake and a flan in one dessert.

Caramel Magic Cake

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Jeanie’s Fried Chicken Breast with Bacon and Tagliatelle is from foodfromportugal.com

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

 

 

M … Morocco

Morocco

 

 

 

Nadine was our host and the air was filled with the smell of spices for our Morocco day.

Tuna Masala

We started with Pauline’s Tandoori Tuna Masala served as open sandwich finger food.

 

 

 

 

Laura served Zaalouk, Moroccan Eggplant Salad with Khobz Kesra, Moroccan Bread.

Zaalouk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie prepared a Moroccan Salad with Pomegranate.  She used Hawaiian sweet potato with yellow and purple skinned sweet potatoes – a delicious combination.

Pomegranate Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine made a Lamb Tagine with Dates and Apricots, served with Couscous.

Lamb Tagine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan prepared Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Raisins, served with Moroccan Rice; a tasty combination of flavours and spices.

Chicken Thighs

 

 

 

 

 

Laura also prepared Moroccan Coconut Snowballs.

Coconut Snowballs

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Wendy’s Spicy Roasted Plums; and easy recipe, but a beautiful presentation with a lovely flavour.

Spicy Plums

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Pauline’s Tandoori Tuna Masala is from a recipe by Aziza at Ahlan Wa Sahlan

Laura’s Zaalouk is from Lands & Flavors.  Her Khobz Kesra is also from Lands & Flavors.

Joan’s Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Raisins is from food.com

Nadine’s Lamb Tagine was from taste.com.au

Laura’s Moroccan Coconut Snowballs were from The Spruce.

Wendy’s Spicy Roasted Plums are also from food.com

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

J … Jamaica

Jamaica

 

Jamaican food reflects the history of settlement, combining influences from Spanish settlers, African slaves, Asian and East Indian labourers, British colonialism and Rastafarian vegetarianism with indigenous influences, to produce a diverse cuisine.

Our Jamaica day was held at Joan’s.  We only had a small group for this event but there was a good mix of tasty food covering a range of styles.

Nadine’s Jamaican Run Down was a tasty fish stew with coconut milk, onion, garlic and various seasonings.  

 

 

 

 

Laura prepared Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. Jerk is a Jamaican style of cooking where meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture producing a very tasty product.

 

 

 

 

Chris made Jamaican Beef Patties filled with a savoury mince.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline made a Jamaican-style Potato Salad  

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy prepared Sweet Potato Pone, a very moist cake made with yellow sweet potato.This dish is also well known in the southern states of USA, dating back to the 19th Century.

Sweet Potato Pone

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Bread

Joan made “We Be Jammin’ Jamaican Banana Bread” that used a tasty combination of banana, rum and citrus, topped with nuts.

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Nadine’s Jamaican Run Down was from Immaculate Bites

Laura Laura’s Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings were from reciperecap.com.

Chris’s Jamaican Beef Patties were from foodnetwork.com 

Pauline’s Jamaican-style Potato Salad is on youtube, from Mesha’s Corner.

Wendy’s Sweet Potato Pone  was from real-jamaica-vacations.com

Joan’s Jamaican Banana Bread was from allrecipes.com  

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

H … Hawaii

  Hawaii

It may not be a country, though some would like it to be, but our rescheduled H day in mid-summer at Beatrice’s was best suited for a more tropical cuisine.  She greeted everyone with “Aloha” and a Lei.  She and Chris, our grass-skirted host, had decorated the table with hibiscus and frangipani and everyone came in appropriate, colourful dress.

Chris provided refreshing Mint and Pineapple nibbles to welcome us.

Hawaiian Nibbles

 

 

 

 

 

We started with Julie’s Spam Musubi, a popular snack in Hawaii, made with marinated Spam and served like Sushi.  Apparently Hawaii loves Spam, consuming more of the meat than any other state in the USA.

Spam Musubi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline prepared Taro rolls to accompany many of the dishes. As Taro was not available at the time, she substituted Parsnip as suggested in the recipe and she used much less sugar than requested but they were still sweet and tasty.

Taro Rolls

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine prepared Hawaiian Brie with Pineapple and Nuts.This was accompanied by water crackers, though it also went well with the rolls.

Baked Camembert

 

 

 

 

 

Joan’s Hawaiian Barbecue-style Chicken Salad was next; a light but tasty dish.

Chicken Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne made Fried Rice with Spam, another example of how the Hawaiians make good use of the tinned meat.

Spam Fried Rice

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s Watermelon Salad with Rocket and Feta provided a refreshing variation.

Melon Feta Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris created a Pineapple and Banana tart.

Banana Pineapple Tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Wendy’s Hawaiian Wedding Cake, a dense cake based on crushed pineapple.

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Hawaiian Wedding cake was from food.com but she used macadamias instead of cashews, lime juice instead of vanilla and self-raising flour.

Pauline’s Taro rolls were from Polynesian Cultural Centre.  Her Watermelon and Rocket Salad was from Gold River Orchards but she used only 1/4 cup of sugar and the salad was sweet enough for everyone’s taste.

Nadine’s Hawaiian Brie was from food.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

I…India

 India

Maybe not quite Bollywood, but Laura’s place was draped in colour and everyone came in a version of national dress for our India day.  Saris abounded but, of course there had to be one who did a Christopher Columbus and came as a western “Indian” rather than eastern, complete with feathers in her hair and a Pocahontas tunic.

Laura, with Kathy’s assistance, created an exotic table that we spread with a range of dishes and the smell of spices filled the air, impressing our guests for the day.

Chris prepared a “native” meal of corn, pine nuts, greens and lemon salad, served with corn bread.

Native Meal

 

 

 

 

Marie’s creation was an Indian-inspired Mushroom Soup.

Mushroom Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest for the day, Sonya, prepared Dal Shorva (Lentil Soup) – photograph unavailable.

Our host, Laura made Mango Lassi, Chana Masala, Naan Bread and Almond Chikki (Almond Brittle).

Mango Lassi

Chana Masala

Naan

Almond Chikki

 

 

Laura’s guest, Eva, provided an Eggplant, Pumpkin and Zucchini Curry.

Eggplant Curry

 

 

 

 

Pauline prepared Vegetable Fritters with Yoghurt Dip.

Vegetable Fritters

 

 

 

 

Wendy made Navratan Korma, a Vegetable Korma.

Navratan Korma

 

 

 

 

Julie prepared Kofta Kari – curried meatballs in a hot sauce.

Kofta Kari

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy made Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice.

Butter Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine made a dessert of Sweet Carrot Halva, made from grated carrots simmered in spiced milk.

Carrot Halva

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Navratan Korma was from My Heart Beets.

Julie’s Butter Chicken was from Quirky Cooking

Sonya’s Dal Shorva (Lentil Soup) was from food.com

Laura’s Chana Masala was from Holy Cow Vegan Recipes

Laura’s Naan Bread was from Taste.com

Laura’s Almond Chikki was from Manjula’s Kitchen.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

G … Greece

      Greece

 

 

 

Greek cooking has a long history – the first recorded cookbook was Greek, produced in the 4th century BC.  Wheat, olive oil, wine and fish were major ingredients, but Ottoman and Byzantine influences introduced a broader range of ingredients and spices. Greek cuisine has been more of an influence on other cuisines than being influenced by them .

Nadine was the host for our Greece day.  We started with her marinated Octopus.

Marinated Octopus

Rocket Fennel Salad

This was served with marinated Chili, Olives and Feta, plus a rocket, red chili and fennel salad.

Julie prepared a Greek Salad using fresh ingredients from her own garden and olives from Margaret River.

Greek Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline made a Baked Greek-style omelette, which unusually contains rice. It was served with a Crunchy Cos and Dill salad.

Greek Omelette

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie’s Pastitso was made with chicken mince rather than the traditional beef, but it worked very well.

Pastitso

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy’s Tiropita was a true cheese-lover’s dream accompanied with our salads.

Tiropita

 

 

 

 

 

Laura prepared an Orange Filo Pie (Portokalopita) that combined oranges and Greek yoghurt.

Portokalopita

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would not be a Greek day without Baklava and Kathy ensured that we finished well.

Baklava

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

 

Pauline’s Baked Greek-style Omelette is from delicious.com.au.  Her Crunchy Cos and Dill Salad is from taste.com.au

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

F … France

  France

 

 

 

Kathy set the tone for our French day by greeting us with French music and French champagne, while dressed in a striped t-shirt, jeans and a beret.

We started with her French Rillettes.  Jean-Pierre would say “Mon Dieu!” to anyone using butter with paté, but with Kathy’s Rillettes and freshly-made bread, it went very well.

Pork Rillette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would not be a French day without French Onion Soup and Wendy made us feel that we were in a street-side café in Paris with her cheese topped version.

French Onion Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan prepared Chicken Chorizo and Bean Cassoulet which also went perfectly with crusty bread.

Cassoulet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline insisted that we must have crépes so she prepared Seafood Crépes , taking advantage of the absence of Laura, our seafood abstainer.

Seafood Crepes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris prepared a classic Coq au Vin.  Despite the traditionalists claiming that poultry should be accompanied by white wine, the traditional French chicken and red wine dish works very well.

Coq Au Vin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie prepared Bœuf en Croût.  Despite bearing a remarkable similarity to Beef Wellington, the French version predates the English one which, surprisingly has nothing to do with the famous Duke, according to Clarissa Dickson Wright of Two Fat Ladies fame.  It was cooked to perfection, medium rare and served with a mash of potatoes and fresh horseradish – delicious.

Bœuf En Croût

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Marie’s Créme Caramel for a perfect ending to our meal.

Creme Caramel

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s French Onion Soup with Gruyere is from Allrecipes.com

Pauline’s Seafood Crepes recipe is from taste.com.au

Kathy’s Pork Rillettes is from SBS Food.

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.