Category Archives: Mains

May10

Homestyle Quiche

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I love quiche, but am not such a fan of the really fancy ones (you know the ones with artichoke hearts, asparagus and marinated eggplant etc…). I just like homestyle ingredients in my quiche, which is good I suppose, because it keeps the cost down. When I make the following quiche for my family, it gets totally demolished. This recipe is easy to do in large quantities using rectangular pie tins (see discussion in Serving Up) and makes 5 dinner sized portions. Total cost less than $6.

  • 5 eggs
  • 200 grams bacon, diced finely
  • 1 onion, diced finely
  • 1 cup grated cheese
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 red or green capsicum
  • 1 1/2 pieces ready rolled puff pastry
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped parsley (if you have it)

1. Get pastry out of freezer to thaw on the bench while you make the quiche filling. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Combine diced onion, bacon, capsicum, grated cheese and parsley in a medium sized mixing bowl.

3. In another smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add milk and mix.

4. Grease the inside of the tart tin (I use olive oil or canola spray) and fit the pastry into the tin tightly, making sure all the pastry joins up.

5. Fill the tart tin evenly with the filling mixture and then pour egg and milk mixture gently over the top. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 25 mins (though I would start checking earlier).

May10

Chicken with Onion Sauce

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Once, before Steve and I were married he made this for me and some friends for dinner and it has become a winter staple in our family. To this day the recipe we use is from Steve’s Year 9 Food Technology project book, complete with hand-drawn pictures for presentation and all the processes highlighted in different colours. Originally a Woman’s Weekly recipe, it’s one of those recipes that would be considered very 80’s these days, but I kid you not- everyone always comes back for more. It uses chicken drumsticks which are so very affordable and all the other ingredients are standard pantry items. These quantities makes enough for 4 people, but I always double or triple it depending on numbers. To increase the nutritional value, I will often add some long green beans into the pot to simmer just at the end. This recipe can easily be cooked in a slow cooker. Just follow the steps exactly and replace the oven for the slow cooker. The slow cooker tends to give you a tender ‘shank’ type finish while the oven will keep the structure of each drumstick. With the measures provided this dish will set you back no more than $5. You can serve it on rice but our family likes it best on mash potato.

  • 1kg chicken drumsticks
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 brown onion, sliced
  • 400g can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 packet french onion soup mix
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 teaspoons cornflour
  • 1 tablespoon water, extra

1. Heat oil and half the butter in frying pan, add drumsticks and brown.

2. Drain fat from the pan, add remaining butter and sliced onion, cook until tender

3. Add the undrained crushed tomatoes, soup mix, soy sauce and water. Heat through.

4. Place chicken in oven-proof dish, pour the sauce over, cover and bake in a moderate oven for 34 mins.

5. Remove chicken, pour sauce into pan, stir in blended cornflour and extra water, stir until sauce boils and thickens. Pour over chicken.

May9

Cauliflower Soup

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My recent soup craze began on Sunday as the weather well and truly turned cold. I had a go at making this recipe, originally from Delicious Magazine and I really couldn’t believe how easy it was. To make it go further, I doubled the recipe and in total, it cost less than $7 to make. My non-soup loving husband confessed (with a smile) that even though serving him cauliflower soup was “pushing it”, he actually quite liked it! The quantities in this recipe serves 6.

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 potatoes (about 400g), chopped
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large (about 1kg) cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
  • 1 cup (80g) finely grated parmesan
  • 3 bacon rashers, chopped
  • 4 bread rolls
  • Grated nutmeg and finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line 2 baking trays with foil.
  2. Heat 2 tbs oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and garlic, then cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the potato, chicken stock, bay leaf and three-quarters of the cauliflower, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until cauliflower and potatoes are tender.
  3. Remove from heat, cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir through the cream and 1/2 cup (40g) parmesan. Season to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, place the bacon and remaining cauliflower on one of the lined baking trays. Season with pepper, then drizzle with remaining 1 tbs oil and sprinkle with 2 tbs parmesan. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until crisp. Put the bread rolls on a separate tray, sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup (25g) parmesan and bake for 2 minutes or until golden.
  5. Divide soup among 4 bowls, then top with crispy cauliflower and bacon. Sprinkle with nutmeg and parsley, drizzle with oil and serve with bread rolls.
May9

Red Lentil Soup

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Yesterday was a cold, wintery day and it made me crave a warm, hearty red soup. I googled for a recipe and found this one on the blog goodygoodyyumyum.blogspot.com. It was dead easy to make and cost me no more than $6. This recipe serves 6 and can easily be doubled to go further. Enjoy!

2 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
2 beef stock cubes (boullion cubes)
250g smoked bacon bones
250g red lentils
400g tin tomatoes
1 litre water (4 cups)
cracked black pepper

Cook onion, carrot, and celery in oil and butter over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add bacon bones, lentils, tomatoes, water, stock cubes and bring to boil. Simmer for no less than 60 minutes (longer is fine). Remove bacon bones, cut the meat off and return the meat to the soup, discarding the bones. Season with pepper and serve.