Carrot and Potato Soup

Presenting two soups in a bowl is done by choosing soups of equal viscosity with contrasting colour and complementary flavours. Pour them at the same time in the bowl and decorate with matching herbs and liquids. I previously made two soups (Carrot and Coriander, Potato and Leek) and poured them together in a bowl.

Forloren Hare (Mock Hare)

Meatloaf is a savoury dish made of minced meat with a variety of other ingredients and spices baked in a loaf shape. Forloren Hare (Mock Hare) is a traditional Danish pork meatloaf dressed up as a game meal with bacon, juniper and redcurrant jelly. Juniper berries are traditional to Scandinavian cooking, the aroma is pleasantly woody, refreshing with notes of pine and gin. The berries are the fruit of the evergreen juniper shrub (juniperus communis) it takes two to three years to mature gradually turning from green to a dark blue, once hand picked they are dried and turn almost black.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Queensland blue pumpkin is a large approx. 5 kg blue/grey pumpkin with smooth deeply ribbed skin and full flavoured golden orange flesh. The baby blue approx. 2 kg is a miniature version. The pureed flesh is a favourite for soup and scones. Cut as much as you need from the pumpkin, remove seeds and peel. Pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, baked or cooked in the microwave. It can be pureed and made into soup, served in pieces, roasted served as a side dish or mashed. An equal amount pumpkin and potato mashed has a golden colour similar to mashed sweet potato. Pumpkin is also tasty cut into thin strips drizzled with olive oil and grilled to add to salads. This soup has a nice creamy texture with a mild curry flavour.

Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread

Brown and white soda breads are widely made in Ireland. My wife can recall as a young child when her Mum would bake soda bread in the family kitchen, you can imagine seven children anxiously watching the bread rise waiting to butter a thick slice. Irish farmhouse tables are laden with this freshly baked bread, this tradition continues with my sister in law “Ann” who keeps busy feeding three hungry dairy farmers. Originally the bread was cooked in an iron bastible or pot oven beside the open fire. They are very fast to make and are best eaten fresh.

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This is a classic soup with a perfect amalgamation of carrots and coriander bringing a sweet spicy flavour. It is an inexpensive creamy, soft and light soft soup that can be used as an accompaniment or as a main meal with a piece of bread. Carrots and coriander are affluent in vitamins and minerals and have important antioxidant benefits.

Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potato and Mushroom Sauce

It is important not to overcook a meatloaf to ensure the meat maintains it's succulent consistency. This recipe delivers an exciting meatloaf with green peppercorn speckled through the meatloaf.

Featuring Alison Massina's Cream of Zucchini Soup

Born in Australia, I entered into the world of cooking at the age of 13 years helping out while my Mum and Dad went to work. At present I am a stay at home Mum (housewife) maintaining our household and looking after my two young boys and husband. The most important satisfactions I gain from my role are happy, healthy respectful children. There is nothing more fulfilling than having the time to prepare nutritious food for my family and I take pleasure in their contentment having enjoyed a beautiful cooked meal. My home is my restaurant though I tend to eat more by spending time in the kitchen cooking and tasting. I gain inspiration from chefs such as “Maggie Beers” and my favourite cook book is the “Australian Women’s Weekly Sweet” since I am a bit of a chocoholic.

Our regular comfort foods are stews and soups made in the slow cooker. I rely on my trusty Kenwood Chef Food Processor to create some wonderful dishes such as “Thai Chicken Meatballs” which are a specialty at the “Glenreagh Public School”. The dishes I am most proud of are those that allow me to hide the vegetables which my boys don’t always like to eat, although I consider “Salmon Terrine” to be my best creation.

Good wholesome old fashioned cooking can easily be achieved with a few ingredients from my pantry such as flour, eggs, milk, cheese and butter. One word of advice, always wear gloves when deseeding chili. I recently had the experienced of a visit to the local hospital after six hours of pain the result of burning the skin on my hands while cooking lots of bird’s eye chili.

Cream of Zucchini soup

Green zucchini squash is part of the gourd family, because it contains seeds it is considered to be both a fruit and a vegetable, however it is mainly used as a vegetable in cooking. The flowers on the zucchini plant are edible and are battered, deep fried, baked, stuffed or used as a garnish for first class dining.

Danish Meatballs in Curry (Boller i Karry)

This is a traditional Danish pork recipe which was created in the middle of the 19^th century with the first mix of curry powder introduced to Denmark. It was described as a very exotic dish since the Danes were not accoustomed to hot spicy food. The dish has a smooth mild curry flavour that pleases the Scandinavian food tradition, it is not hot and spicy unlike dishes from the Far East.

Pea and ham soup

Pea soup or split pea soup is normally made from dried peas and is a part of a traditional cuisine. It is grayish green or yellow in color depending on the variety of peas used. Conventional pea and ham soup is a popular hearty soup and it is a good way to use leftover ham too. As I grew up in Denmark, this is not a dish I am accustomed to however it is a very popular soup here in Australia providing a fantastic flavour.