Quick Macaroni and Cheese

This to me is the ultimate in comfort food and this version is quick and easy. We had this last night with pan fried pork steak on the side. No veggies as we were too lazy!

Quick Macaroni and Cheese
A Food.Baby original

500g macaroni
1 tin of tomato soup
1 tin's worth of chicken stock
1 tin's worth of milk
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50g butter
2 heaped tbs plain flour
2 cups grated cheese (gruyere, a sharp cheddar or a combination of both work well)

Cook the macaroni as per packet directions until just done, drain and return to the pan (off the heat). Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Combine the soup, stock and milk and stir well, Set aside.

In a frypan melt the butter and when it starts to foam add the onion and garlic. Saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the flour and cook, stirring continuously for 2 - 3 minutes.

A little at a time, pour the soup/stock/milk mix into the pan, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Continue until all the liquid has been added. The sauce will thicken quite a bit. Taste and season with salt and plenty of pepper.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir to combine. If you want to eat straight away, add the cheese and stir over low heat for a few minutes until hot and melty. Alternatively, add about half the cheese and stir well, then pour the mix into a large baking dish and cover with remaining cheese. Add a generous sprinkle of paprika and bake at 220 deg C for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Great served with a side salad or just on its own!
Serves 6.

TWD Update

I know I said I wasn't going to splurge on yet another cookbook but I caved and ordered Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. As this is the book Tuesdays with Dorie is based on, I can now officially join!

Can you believe how much packaging came for just one (admittedly heavy) book? I opened the front door to find a gigantic sack sitting there. It looked like something you would get potting mix or fertiliser in. Picasso helped open it :)

I'm looking forward to making next Tuesday's recipe from the book this time around!

Real or Fake?

This was my breakfast egg today. It looks like plastic. But it tasted great!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Blueberry Sour Cream Icecream

I was really excited to make icecream this week, despite the fact that it's the middle of winter here. I felt a little ridiculous actually, preparing icecream while wearing jeans, thick socks, ugg boots and 3 layers on top including a big woolly jumper. Brrrr!

This week's recipe was chosen by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity.

I have to say I loved this recipe. I tasted the blueberry/sugar/lime mix as it was simmering and it tasted like the perfect base for a cocktail! It made for a beautiful colour too.

The taste test ...

Delicious. I thought it was like frozen blueberry cheesecake which can never be a bad thing! I ended up adding the juice of a whole lime and I'm glad I did because it needed that extra zing. Overall more like frozen yoghurt than icecream but big thumbs up all round.


Next week we have ... Granola Grabbers (??) No idea. Will have to wait and see what that is!

Sesame Chicken with Ginger Rice

This is one our favourite chicken dishes and the bonus is that it's light, healthy and full of flavour. But be warned, if you don't like ginger, DO NOT make this recipe! Or at least cut down the amount of fresh ginger. The ginger beer sounds strange but it creates beautifully sticky, fragrant rice that is tasty enough to eat on its own. We always make double the recipe so there is enough for lunch the next day.

Sesame Chicken with Ginger Rice
Adapted from Simply Healthy, 1999, p82

500g chicken breast
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (I leave this out because it contains MSG)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped finely
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup short grain rice
330ml ginger beer
1 teaspoon diced pickled ginger ( I leave this out because it is full of artificial colours etc)
1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onions

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes.Combine sesame seeds, rice wine, honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil together in a large bowl to create the marinade. Cut the chicken into large strips and place in the marinade for 1 hour or overnight.

For the rice, place the fresh ginger and sesame oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes and then add the rice. Stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger beer and the pickled ginger. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. (We always make ours in a rice cooker and it works perfectly. Just remember to follow the recommendations given in the manual - usually 1:1 rice to liquid for white rice).

While the rice is cooking, thread the chicken onto skewers and then BBQ or grill for 10-15 minutes, brushing with the marinade as they cook. (We don't normally skewer the chicken, just cook it in a large fry pan in batches).

To serve, spoon rice into serving bowls and top with chicken pieces. Sprinkle over sliced spring onions and tasted sesame seeds. Serve with greens. Yum!

Serves 4.