Recipe: Spanish Tortilla

Serves 4 as breakfast, entree or light lunch with salad

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 275g desiree potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 5 large eggs
• Salt and pepper
  

Method

1. Peel onion and cut in half. Slice into thin half moons.
   
2. Wash the potatoes and slice into thin pieces using a mandolin.
   
3. Dry the potato slices in a clean tea towel.
4. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a deep fry pan and when it's hot, add the potatoes and onion.
   
5. Stir around in the oil to coat them and then turn the heat down to low. Add a sprinkling and salt and pepper, and then cover the saucepan with a lid.
6. Cook gently for 20 minutes or until tender. Do not let them colour up too much. You want them to gently stew in the oil.
   
7. Meanwhile break the eggs into a bowl and lightly break them up with a fork.
   
8. When the potatoes and onions are cook transfer them to the eggs in the bowl.
   
9. Put the frypan back on the heat on medium and add the rest of the olive oil and turn up to medium.
   
10. Stir the eggs and potato mixture to combine and then pour into the frypan. Turn the heat down to its lowest and then leave to cook for 20-25 minutes. Every now and then draw the edge in with a palette knife to create a lovely rounded edge.
    
11. When there is virtually no liquid left on the top surface of the tortilla, place a plate over the top of the frypan and gently invert he pan to flip the tortilla onto the plate.
    
12. Once it is on the plate, gently slide it back into the pan so the other side can cook.
13. Cook for about 2 minutes and then remove from heat for 5 minutes to settle.
    
14. Serve hot or cold, cut into wedges.
    

Recipe: Brodetto (Seafood Stew)

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 vine ripened tomatoes
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil, plus extra to brush the bread
  
• 450 grams of seafood marinara mix (mix of squid rings, chunks of fish, prawns, salmon)
• 4 garlic cloves chopped up
• 4 spring onions thinly sliced
• pinch of dried chilli flakes
  
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1/2 cup (125ml) white wine
• 2 cups (500ml) fish stock
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1/2 cup chopped flat lead parsley

Method

1. Cut a small cross in the base of each tomato and plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds and then refresh in cold water. The peel will then come off easily. Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds and slice the flesh into thin strips.
   
2. Heat oil in a wide, shallow saucepan over medium to high heat.
   
3. Ass the marinara mix and cook for 3 minutes or until it starts to colour.
   
4. Reduce the heat to medium and then add the sliced garlic, spring onion and chilli.
   
5. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
   
6. Add the tomato, tomato paste, saffron, wine and stock.
   
7. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.
   
8. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan over high heat. Brush both sides of the bread with oil and grill for 2 minutes on each side until well coloured.
   
9. Rub each side of the bread with the whole garlic clove, then divide among the warmed serving bowls.
   
10. Lift the seafood out of the pan and place on the toast. Stir in the parsley. Boil the sauce rapidly for 5 minutes until reduced by half.
    
11. Pour over the seafood and bread and then sprinkle with parsley and serve.
    

Note: I served this with steamed green beans and roast sweet potato.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20

Ingredients

• 125g (4 oz) butter, softened
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 cup dessicated coconut
• 250g (8 oz) chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
  

Method

1. Place butter, vanilla extract and sugar in a bowl and then beat until creamy.
2. Beat egg into mixture and then stir through flours, coconut and chocolate.
   
3. Roll 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time into balls.
4. Place balls on lined baking trays and flatten a little.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven at 190 degrees celsius.
   
6. Cool on trays if you can bear to leave them to cool!

Review: Hu Tong Dumping Bar, Melbourne

Having been absent from my food blog for a while (but not absent from fantastic food adventures), today's dim sum stirred my passions to again post.

The venue was Hu Tong Dumpling Bar at 14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne.

And the dumplings were to die for! Yes, up there with something that wouldn't be far off a "last meal on earth" selection.

The absolute highlights were the Shao-Long Bao (or "soup dumplings"). Yes, delectable little meat filled dumplings that contain soupy liquid. After dipping in vinegar and garnishing with ginger you nibble a little corner off the dumpling and suck out the soupy liquid. Sexy food indeed!




And then for some spice, wontons with hot chilli sauce.
Made the lips tingle and the mouth sing. Divine.

The other dishes we ordered (including pork belly, boiled pork dumpings, boiled dumplings stuffed with spinach, spicy squid, and prawn dumplings with chives from the specials menu) were also most enjoyable but had tough competition in the first two.


We were seated on the top floor amidst beautiful chinese wooden carvings and highlights of red.

Service was generally good and the price was definitely right for the 12 or so dishes we shared - $18 each for the six of us.

We will definitely be returning here again. And tonight I know what I'll be dreaming of!