Hisblah

I was once asked in an exam what a 'hisblah' was. It was for a job interview but all I got was a 2 hour written exam that I didn't know I was sitting. It wasn't my fault when I answered 'a round lamb loaf which you eat with a tomato salad.' It was what was on my mind at the time. Don't ask about the job.

Ingredience:

For the loaf
Flour - 1 1/2 cups then another 1/2 cup
sugar - 2 tsp
dried yeast - 1 tsp
warm water - 1/3 cup

For the filling
Lamb - fatty meaty parts boneless x200g chopped into bite size
Onion x1, diced
Mustard seeds - pinch
Garam masala - pinch
Tumeric powder - pinch
Cumin powder - pinch
Coriander seeds ground - pinch
Fennel seeds - whole, 1/2 tsp
Tomato puree - 90g can

For the salad
Cherry tomatoes - 1 punnet, halved
Watercress - one bunch, rough stalks removed
Garlic - 1 clove crushed
Olive oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper

Method

1. Mix yeast, sugar and warm water together, let stand in warm spot for around 10 minutes or so to ferment. Mix yeast stuff in with flour thoroughly. Cover with glad wrap and stand in warm spot for further 30 minutes. Prepare lamb in meantime.
   
2. Preheat oven to 180c.
   
3. Saute onions in oil in med-high heat, adding mustard seeds half way. Just as mustard seeds pop, add all other spices & mix thoroughly. Add lamb and a pinch of salt & pepper and sear well. Add tomato puree, leaving about 1/4 in the tin, cook briefly and reduce once it begins to bubble. Take off heat to cool.
   
4. (from 1.) Sepearte dough into two. Knead each heavily, adding more flour if necesary to form supple dough. Let each sit for anothe 5 - 10 minutes to grow.
   
5. Flatten out each dough into a flat round shape at 2.5 cm thick with rolling pin.
   
6. Flour the oven tray, place thicker of the two rounds on first. Using a flat spoon, butter on the left over tomato puree on the inside circle of the base - leaving a good 2cm on the edge. Repeat with the other loaf.
   
7. Place lamb mixture onto the base evenly. Cover with the other loaf and secure the edges, leaving two holes on opposite sides as breathing wholes.
   
8. You may make silly patterns on the top of the hisblah with left over dough if you wish.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or till skin is golden brown. Remembering that this will expand so make sure there is enough room up and around for it to do so.
   
10. Salad - soak crushed garlic with lemon juice and a dash of rock salt & peper for 15 minutes to take the edge off. Mix thoroughly with olive oil before dressing onto tomatoes and watercress.
    

WaWa's Melbourne Cup Spread

It would be unAustralian to not go into the office sweepstake when asked politely, nor to bring a dip for 3 o'clock. But its ok if you don't wear spray-on fake tan or call yourself Sheila.

Cornchips and Salsa

Ingredience:
2 just ripe avocados
1/4 red onion
Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime
1 ripe tomato
Handful of coriander
Half a red or green capsicum
Half a cucumber
1 tsp brown sugar if you choose
1 packet of cornships from the shops - Rositas has brought out a new range which is completely bright red.

Method:
1) Dice finely red onions, capsicums and cucumber - they should be about 2mm by 2mm.
2) Soak red onions with lemon for around 20 minutes to take off sharpness
3) Roughly chop tomato, avocado and coriander. Cover avocado with lemon juice straight away to stop from browning.
4) Mix all & chill till ready to serve with cornchips

Tahiniless Hummus
- when you don't have tahini on hand, sour cream is the next best thing

Ingredience:
400 g chickpeas - canned or freshly cooked (soak for 4 hrs then boil for 20 mins)
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs sour cream
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Salt & pepper

Method:
1) Blend all in blender - less if you like a coarser texture, more if you are into smoother taste
2) Garnish with Italian parsley or coriander. Keeps for 4-5 days in fridge in airtight container.

Marinated Fetta

Ingredience:
150g Fetta - Danish or greek both fine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 - 3 cloves garlic, crushed & head bit removed
1 tsp whole peper corns
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
4 - 5 sprigs of fresh oregano and or thyme

Method:
1) Break fetta into smaller chunks & marinate everything well mixed in a jar for around 20 hours before serving. Fab with Italian bread!!

Crazy Kiwi Dip
- seems to have appeared in every party I've been to in New Zealand. You'll love the onion bits tenderised in the cream.

Ingredience:
1 packet onion or french onion soup mix
200g can reduced cream (nz) or reduced fat cream (oz)
1 packet of chips

Method:
1) Mix in soup mix and reduced cream - by hand or majic stick, your choice
2) Chill for 1 hr before serving

Other suggestions for another time:
Sushi, broad bean & pecarino paste, pesto - coriander, basil or watercress, homemade lebanese garlic bread

Chocolate Martini

Slip into a little black dress, tune into a bit of bassa nova, swing your hips lightly and sip it with your pinkies up. Let out that little orgasmic "ahh-"...

Ingredience:
2 parts vodka
1 part kahlua
1 part Baileys creme
1 part chocolate or coffee syrup (any flavour)
5-6 ice cubes
1 - 2 scoops rich vanilla or chocolate icecream
1 cup milk or soy milk
1 packet chocolate pokka sticks
2 -3 cubes of eating chocolate (marble or dark/white blend to be fancy), grated finely

Method:
1) Blend everything except pokka sticks and eating chocolate together till ice is well pulsed.
2) Sprinkle half of grated cholate on a plate & spread. Wet rim of martini glasses, dip and coat the rims with choc dust
3) Pour in martini and garnish top with rest of chocolate & pop in the pokka stick as stirrer.

Variations: Add extra hot chocolate or milo powder for extra choc strength, or add a shot of exxpresso coffee for a moccamartini.

BBQ'd snakes

To start with, lets warm up with barbequed snakes inspred from the markets of Phnom Pehn.

Ingredience:
4 medium sized whole snakes, skinned and gutted
5 small red chillies
2 cloves garlic
half a red onion, sliced in moon shape
salt & pepper
Juice of 2 limes
Corriander and/or Thai Basil for garnishing

Preparation:
1) Crush red chillies and garlic and blend with lime juice and salt till it forms a paste
2) Marinate snake in paste for 1 - 2 hours
3) Pierce each snake on skewers in a zigzag fashion
4) Smoke on a BBQ preferably with bamboo leaves as fodder
5) Cook marinating past in low to medium heat in seperate saucepan, serve with snake drizzled with extra lime. Garnish with Corriander and/or Thai basil and extra red onions.