Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia

Today, the weather was incredibly lovely. Who would have thought that I would have my a/c turned on while driving home from work in the middle of winter. The weather bureau said that today was the hottest day in the middle of winter in 26 years! It was 17 degrees centigrade! And mind you, I would rather have it anytime of the day than the expected 10 degrees at this time of the year. And so like the sunshine today, I was brimming with hope that today is a tell-tale sign that winter is not going to be icy cold after all. Tough luck. Or a matter of speaking too soon?

I couldn't understand in the past why Melburnians are rightfully obsessed about the weather. Much  to my chagrin, I would exhibit the same attitude after living here for quite some time now, uttering "What's the weather gonna be like today? in the same breath.

This side of town is as unpredictable as having four (4) seasons in a day; be ready to have an umbrella, sunnies (sun glasses), thick coat, light weight coat, a pair of boots, and a pair of havaianas in your vehicle. It is quite ordinary to go past winter at 6am, spring at 10am, summer at 2pm and autumn at 6pm. And the vicious cycle goes on the day after yet again. I have learned the trick of the trade - layer your clothes. At this time of the year, I have at least 4 layers of clothes, "jacket on, jacket off" depending on the so-called season in a day.

I suppose you learned to adapt; to fit into the mold to survive. 

And this story my dearest friends doesn't have any relation whatsoever to my focaccia food entry. LOL!  

Having said that, if I were given the chance to have my own bakery or patisserie, this Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia will show its formidable force and its constant presence is too hard to ignore amongst the spread of breads, pastries and cakes. And I hope its going to be a best seller. Because it is absolutely good.

Just like my hope that winter this year, is not going to be icy cold. Tough luck!

*Lifted from the pages of http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/

Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia
(make one small loaf)

Ingredients

250g bread flour
3.5g instant yeast
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
137.5 ml water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Method:

Combine flour, yeast rosemary and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the water and oil. Mix with hand to form a soft dough.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 ~ 10 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape in to a ball and place in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to form a round. Press the dough into a 20cm (8") round pan. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 1 hour.
Using your fingers, press indentations over the dough. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for a final 30mins until well risen.
Sprinkle dough with a little sea salt, drizzle with a little oil and scatter over some rosemary.
Bake in a preheated over at 200degC for about 25mins until risen and golden.
Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

Pan-fried salmon with herbs lemon dressing

I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday at lunchtime hoping to catch its Thursday mass. I know it was like hoping against hope because usually during lenten season the masses are set on a different time. While praying and still hoping for the usual daily 1pm mass, a lady guard quietly approached me and whispered that the church will be closed at 1pm, and so with after I-should-have-known-better moment, I said my thanks giving to the good God and hurriedly ushered myself out of the church, On my way out, as I was about to do my one last glance and prayers towards the altar, I saw a lone person in the corner, the last person left in one of the pews still praying, with his shoulder slumped onwards and quietly praying with his hands clasped together and crying his heart out....His quandary seems to echo within the hallow corners of the majestic Cathedral. The scene has affected me a great deal and as I write this, I can feel my eyes welling up once more. With prayers for my own needs easily discarded, I offered my prayers for that lone person I saw yesterday instead. Where ever he is, whoever he is, may he find peace in his heart and our prayers heard by heavens above.  

There are events, and/or people that affect us in many ways than one in our lives. People come and go in our lives for a reason.  And in many ways than one, we learn from our experiences, they either bring joy  or  sorrow but..."the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return", (Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge). 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope.

*Snagged and tweaked from Guy Grossi's Family Feaster for Good Friday (which I cut out from Woolworth's grocery junk mail)

Ingredients

1 tbsp chopped oregano

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped marjoram

1 clove garlic, chopped

Finely grated rind & juice of 1 lemon

100 ml olive oil (extra for cooking, approx 2-3 tbsps)

8X100-150g salmon fillets, or 4 large 200g portions sliced in half

Pinch of salt and twist of ground pepper

Lemon wedges to serve

Method

1. In a small bowl or food processor, whisk together the chopped herbs, garlic, zest, juice and oil. Season to taste.

2. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat, add some oil. Season salmon, cook one side for 2 minutes. Turn salmon over, cook for a further 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking (Oh yes, since I love my salmon crispy and crunchy, I cooked them longer)

3. Drizzle dressing over and serve with lemon wedges.

Pan-fried Snapper with thai chilli sauce

I cant remember how long I have known this recipe or how often I have made this dish, truth is, it has been served on our table too many times even for our own good. Lol!

What more can I say about this dish but it is really good and just like going back to basics.

Just like when the odds are against us when we go through the motions in our so-called life, or your cooking and baking don't seem to agree with you right this moment, right now or perhaps you just want  things nice and easy then there's nothing like going back to basics.

Bear with me, I am typing the words for this recipe from my memory. :)

What you need:

Red Snapper or any big fish good for frying. :))
2 tablespoons of oil (of your choice, I used olive oil since its healthier)

3 red chillies (those biggies), minced, you can also leave some seeds if you want the sauce hotter

2 teaspoons (or more to taste, just start with 2 teaspoons) Fish sauce

1 tablespoon (or more to taste, just start with 1 tbsp.) Tamarind puree or 100-150g of tamarind fruit soaked in 1 cup of hot water, sieved with seeds removed

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons (or more to taste, just start with 2 tablespoons) of sugar (  I opted to use honey since its healthier)
1 cup water
few stems of coriander and flat-leaf parsley for garnish

What you need to do:

Deep fry your fish until crunchy. Set aside
While deep frying your fish you can start preparing your thai chilli sauce, oil your pan with 2 tbsps. of oil. When oil is already hot, fry the chillies and brown the garlic. Make sure you don't burn the garlic otherwise the sauce will have a bitter taste. Add fish sauce, sugar (or honey), tamarind puree and 1cup water . If you opted for the real tamarind fruit instead, then add in sieved 1 cup of tamarind juice (tamarind fruits soaked in 1 cup of hot water).  Let sauce boil them remove.

Drizzle your sauce over your deep fried fish then garnish with coriander and flat-leaf parsley.

What's even better is that you have cucumber herbs salad and hot jasmine rice for the company. :))

Herb, olive and tomato roast chicken

I swear my little boy (lets footnote this now as my darling husband) swears on this beautiful roast chicken dish. I have lost count as to how many times I whipped this dish for our Sunday lunch, when we stay in for ordinary, lazy, slow Sundays . In fact,  I stopped taking photos (of this dish) after the 3rd time (of cooking it). 

My little boy thinks Im very funny, ALL THE TIME I take photos of my  food ALL THE TIME before he can actually dig into the food. I say, "wait baby, picture-picture first".  And so while I shutter my way through the food, my darling little boy is patiently waiting at the corner, hunger pangs gnawing his body and soul LOL! and of course, patronising his gorgeous wife. LOL. Again. 

Ingredients:

2 kg free-range chicken

2 lemons, halved

Sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper to season

100g pitted black olives, rinsed

200g eschalots (or small onions), peeled

6 thyme sprigs, leaves removed

12 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 200C fan forced (220C conventional)

Rinse chicken cavity and pat dry with paper. Sqeeze juice from 2 lemon halves over each side of chicken, then put lemon in cavity. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Combine the olives, tomato, eschalot, thyme, garlic, 2 tablespoons of oil, juice of remaining 2 lemon halves and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with pepper. Spoon half the mixture into cavity. Tie legs, together with kitchen string. Put chicken, breast side down, in roasting pan. Spoon remaining olive mixture around chicken and drizzle with remaining oil.

Roast for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, reduce over temperature to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) and roast for 1 hour or until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer. Cover chicken loosely with a foil and leave for 20 minutes to rest before carving. I serve it right away because I want the skin crunchy.