Posts Tagged ‘Butter’

Sage and Garlic Stuffed Pumpkin

Posted 4 Jan, 2011 in Main Course [ 1 Comment ]

Sometimes you need a break to recharge and recalibrate. I’ve been on hiatus from this website as I’ve just been mad busy. Really, Christmas and New Years comes around once a year and they are only two days out of the year. But the lead up to it is always so long and so hectic, it’s like the world is going to end.

My work and personal life has been pretty full with parties, meetings and lunches. For New Years, I went to Raglan for 4 days with a group of friends. I even jumped off the Raglan footbridge straight into the water. So much fun. I’m back at work tomorrow but well rested and ready for new challenges.

Now onto the food. I have been cooking and making lots of food. I just haven’t been blogging about it. I can’t say that I have been very strict with the Paleo diet but I have no regrets. For the most part, I have been sticking to the basics of meat and veggies. This recipe for Sage and Garlic Stuffed Pumpkin is super easy to make and also super filling. The pumpkin goes all gooey inside as it cooks with the meat.

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Sage and Garlic stuffed Pumpkin

1 buttercup pumpkin
400 grams beef mince
8 sage leaves finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 white onion chopped
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 175°C
Cut the top of the pumpkin using a knife.
Scoop out the seeds and the inside.
In a separate bowl, mix the mince meat, sage, garlic and onion.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the pumpkin with the meat mixture.
Take the butter and rub around the outside and the top of the pumpkin.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove and drain the juices from the mince.
Continue baking in the oven for another 1/2 an hour until done.

Serves 4.

Vegetable Hash

Posted 19 Sep, 2010 in Vegetables [ 1 Comment ]

I’ve been away for work in Wellington all of last week. I loved the break from my normal job but by the end of the week, I was definitely ready to come home. I stayed in a reasonably nice hotel and had all my meals taken care of which was really nice. But again, after 5 days of eating hotel breakfasts and catered lunches, I was so ready for a big dose of meat and vegetables with a good helping of fat.

I’m a fussy eater by nature so I don’t like to dine out too often. I found the catered lunches especially difficult at it mostly consisted of sandwiches or meat pies. It was so hard to get a decent serving of vegetables of any sort. There must be an art to eating well while traveling. I don’t travel often for work so I will have to take this trip as a learning experience. I have to admit that I was completely unprepared in that I didn’t prepare any Paleo type snacks. And I could have requested special catering that is grain-free or low-carb. I guess I will know better for next time.

When I came home, all I wanted was vegetables. I didn’t know what to call this dish as it is just a big medley of vegetables cooked in lots of butter and seasoned with various herbs. It was just what I felt like having after a week of traveling.

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Vegetable Hash

1 onion chopped in half moon shapes
2 tbs butter
1/2 head cauliflower grated
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 sweet potato grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
goat feta to serve

Saute the onion in butter until trunslucent.
Add in the remaining vegetables with the oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
Stir until cooked through.
Serve on a bed of salad greens and top with sunflower seeds and goat feta.

Makes 4 servings.

Buttery Braised Red Cabbage

Posted 11 Jul, 2010 in Recipes, Vegetables [ 5 Comments ]

The weather was perfect this Saturday. It was a really crisp day without a cloud in the sky. I love days like this in Winter. It’s even better if it happens to fall on the weekend so that I can actually spend a bit of time outside. In fact, I made sure that I was constantly doing something outside. I went to the local cafe and sat outside enjoying brunch. I walked to the shops rather than drive. I did my long walk with the dog while listening to my iPod. I actually walked around in a t-shirt all day as I didn’t find it too cold as long as I was moving around and in the sun. I love the Sun.

It really wasn’t until Sunday afternoon when I got around to making something in the kitchen. I’ve been eying this recipe for braised red cabbage for a while as cabbage is cheap and in season. I changed the recipe slightly by adding a bit more balsamic vinegar. This was such a simple dish to make and it was delicious. The key is using lots of butter and good quality stock to bring out the best flavor.

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Buttery Braised Red Cabbage

Recipe adapted from Grain-Free Foodies

3 tbs butter or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 a large red cabbage chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup of chicken stock
2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Saute onion in butter until soft.
Add the coriander and salt, then add the cabbage.
Saute for 5 minutes or until the cabbage becomes softer.
Add just enough stock to keep the cabbage from sticking to the pan as it continues to cook.
Add in the balsamic vinegar.
Cook, uncovered, on medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes more, adding a little bit more stock when the cabbage needs more moisture.
It is done when it is very soft and has cooked down.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Posts Tagged ‘Butter’