Egg and Potato Bake

Egg and Potato Bake

Spiced potatoes with baked eggs is a great dish to take along to a BBQ, or as an easy meal at home.

Ingredients
1 kg potatoes, chopped into large pieces
olive oil
1 large brown onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp chili flakes (or fresh chili, diced)
1 capsicum, diced
2 x 400 gram can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp oregano
4 - 6 eggs
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste


Method
1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2) Place potatoes in an 8 cup greased roasting pan.
3) Roast for 40 minutes, turning half way, until crispy. (Alternatively, parboil potatoes for 20 minutes and then bake for 20 minutes)
4) Meanwhile, heat the oil to medium temperature in a pan. Cook onion, garlic and chili flakes, or chili, until onion is colored and translucent. Add the capsicum and fry off until softened.
5) Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, paprika and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
6) Reduce temperature in oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Add the tomato to the potatoes and toss until potatoes are covered in tomato sauce. Make 4-6 indents in the potatoes and crack the eggs into each indent.
7) Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the egg whites are just set.
8) Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Remember
-Don't overcook the tomato sauce, or bake will become dry
-Reduce the temperature in the oven before putting the potatoes with eggs back into the oven
-Don't overcook the egg yolks
-Add chili to taste. Using chili flakes and chili will make the dish very spicy.

Black Rice Salad

Black Rice Salad

Black rice has been labeled as a Super food. It is delicious, and has a slightly nutty flavor, similar to brown rice. However, it is higher in fiber than brown rice, and it is lower in calories, with a high nutrient content, mainly in iron. It can be found in big supermarkets, as it became trendy to use a year or two ago in Australia. Otherwise you can find black rice in the Asian supermarket.  It known as Forbidden Rice, and in ancient China, it was a delicacy to the Chinese royalty.  This recipe is adapted from Good Chef Bad Chef's Zoe's Black Rice Recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of black rice, uncooked or 3 cups cooked

1 block of firm tofu, in cubes

1 tbsp peanut oil

1/2 bag of bean shoots

1/4 Asian cabbage (Wombok), finely shreadded

1 bunch of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

2-3 spring onions, bias/diagonally sliced

2 red chili, to taste, bias/diagonally sliced

1 capsicum, thinly sliced or diced

1/2 ginger knob, grated on micro-plain

1 lime, juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame seed oil

Other ingredients that can be added/substituted:

Mushrooms

Green beans

Peas 

Carrot, grated or bias/diagonally sliced

Broccoli/cauliflower trees, blanched

Asian leafy greens (Bok choy, Choy sum, Pak choy), shredded and blanched 

Cucumber, bias/diagonally sliced

Radish, finely sliced

Corn, dry fried, kernels removed

Method

1) Cook the rice as per instructions. Allow to cool slightly. Transfer rice to a large mixing/serving bowl.

2) Heat the peanut oil to a medium-high temperature. Fry the cubes of tofu until golden. 

3) Add in the bean shoots, Asian cabbage (Wombok), coriander leaves, spring onions, chili, capsicum, and ginger.

4) Squeeze over the lime juice, sprinkle over the soy sauce and sesame seed oil.

5) Toss all of the ingredients until well combined. 

Basic Scones

Ingredients (makes approx. 12)
Plain flour, for dusting
3 cups of self raising flour
1/3 cup of butter, cubed
1 to 1 1/4 cup milk

Half the recipe (makes approx. 6)

1.5 cup SR flour

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift self raising flour into a bowl.
2) Rub butter into flour to resemble breadcrumbs.
3) Make a well in center and pour 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat blade knife (or bread knife) until soft dough forms. Add more milk if needed.
4) Turn onto floured surface and kneed gently until smooth. Do not over kneed of scones will be tough!
5) Pat dough down until it's about 2 cm thick. Using a 5 cm cutter, cut 12 rounds. Press dough again and cut 4 more.
6) Place 1 cm apart on dusted tray and sprinkle with flour.
7) Bake for 20-25 minutes.