Just beet it

I love roast beetroot with anything and everything. However, the idea of me ever actually ‘roasting the beetroot’ has amused my family and friends for years. Numerous beetroots have been purchased for me to roast, but I always managed to find some excuse to get out of it. Even when on holidays down the south coast I have managed to be “simply too busy” to cook the beetroot. So after years of avoidance tactics what better chance then now to try and unravel the mystery of a perfect roasted beetroot.

How to roast a beetroot…

First peel the skin off the beetroot – be a careful, fingernails can be destroyed in this process.

Secondly dice the peeled beetroot into small cubes, try and keep them all around the same size to make cooking easier.

Thirdly, place in the baking dish with potatoes and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper for a bit of flavour.

Finally, leave to roast on 200C and check after 30 minutes. Note that their cooking time will vary based on the size of the cubes.

Beetroot adds the most amazing colour to any plate, and the taste of warm roasted beetroot combined with roast vegies and chicken creates the perfect meal for all occasions. 

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For The Love of Chocolate

As most of you may know, I live in a house with my two lovely friends - Flick and Rose  (yes another Rose – just to make life harder for Flick).  We are lucky enough to be house sitting in a great big three bedroom and bathroom beautiful house on the water – tough gig, hey. Life is pretty sweet. One of the many advantages of our giant house is loads and loads of kitchen cupboard space, and so we invented the naughty cupboard.

To be invited to our house there are three things one must like: wine, cheese and chocolate. Our naughty cupboard is stacked with copious wine, crackers and chocolate. It is true to say that these three things can always be found in our kitchen, even when other more essential things are needed. However after Easter, there was a little too much chocolate, it was everywhere. The naughty cupboard started to resemble the confectionary aisle of woolies.

After a good week of too many treats and chocolate of all sorts, we decided it was time to get it out of sight and out of mind. We chose a good old fashioned chocolate cake to bake. We pulled it out of the oven just in time to attain a gooey brownie texture in the middle. It was served with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberries creating the perfect hot/cold combination. Amazing on a dreary cold Sydney night! 

Ps - the 'naughty cup board' was replenished the following week 

Pps - recipe can be found in The Australian Women's Weekly Chocolate Cakes cookbook

Life in the Real World

As most of you know I work at a cookbook publishing company, with a test kitchen merely seconds from my desk. We regularly try the tasty delights. Except for dumplings from Din Tai Fung at the new Westfield, they definitely beat any sort of city lunch takeaway! But my favourite moments so far are the cocktail trials at 10am and the sweet goodness of freshly baked children’s birthday cakes. Loving the job!    

A Royal Affair..

Oh the Royal Wedding. Despite your love or hatred of the Monarchy, it was one of the best excuses to have a little celebration.  While the Royal Menu took months of planning and hours of testing, our menu requirements were slightly different…Must be quick after work, must be able to be eaten on the couch in front of the tv and must go down nicely with a glass or three of wine. Great email discussion with my house mate Flick resulted in the choice of chicken rolled with fontina, prosciutto and sage, with a side of steamed baby asparagus, beans, and hand cut chips.  

The result: a very full stomach, a slightly sore head and a lot of dreaming…

And just lastly how could we forget the dress…the kiss... or Pippa Middletons babe status.

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Traveller: available at: www.gourmettraveller.com.au/Recipe-Home-page.htm

Chicken rolled with fontina, prosciutto and sage

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken breast fillets

2tbsp chopped sage

12 slices of prosciutto

180grams fontina (ask for it to be shaved into 12 slices)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

125ml dry white wine

½ cup of chicken stock

METHOD:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 2 thin fillets, then place fillets, cut side up, in a single layer over a work surface and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2.  Sprinkle chicken with sage, then place a piece of prosciutto lengthways along chicken, top with a slice of fontina, then roll up fillets, starting at narrow end and bringing in the sides slightly to form a small parcel.
3. .Place chicken rolls in an oiled, ovenproof dish, turn to coat with oil, and then bake at 200C for 10 minutes. Turn rolls over, add wine and stock, and cook for another 10 minute.
4.  Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm, then pour cooking juices into a saucepan and simmer over high heat for 2-3 minutes or until juices begin to thicken, then season to taste.
5. Once everything is ready, plate up vegetables and chicken and drizzle juices over all vegetables.