Jack's Seafood Spaghetti with Asparagus

Ingredients:
2 tbl spn olive oil, I used chilli infused EVOO YUM YUM
1 onion, diced
small red capsicum, diced
3 - 4 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 fillet fish, diced
200g prawn flesh
100g scallops
250g spaghetti
salt and pepper

Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, once boiling add the pasta and cook as per packet directions  

Heat oil in heavy based pan on low to medium heat, once oil is hot add onions, capsicum and anchovies, sauté slowly for 8 minutes, adding garlic half way through

Add asparagus, cook for a couple of minutes, increasing heat to medium-hot

Then add wine and cook off until evaporated by about half

Add the fish and parsley, stir through and cook for about two minutes, season with pepper, test for saltiness, add some if required 

Add the prawn flesh, stir through cooking for a minute 

Add the scallops, stir through the sauce for about thirty seconds

Cover and turn the heat off, leave sitting until pasta is ready there will be enough heat in the pan to cook the scallops perfectly

Once pasta is cooked add to the pan

Combine with the sauce, put the lid back on whilst you cut some crusty bread and open a bottle of wine

Bon appetto

Wanted something quick and tasty for dinner tonight, this pasta dish filled the bill nicely, it took about 40 minutes from start to finish and it was scrumptious, I had to call into the veggie shop to pick up some fresh parsley and spotted the asparagus as I was at the check out, so glad I picked some up it went fantastic with the seafood pasta.

I loved the colours of this dish through the cooking process, hence the numerous photo's!!  Now whilst I am talking about photo's, if you click on a photo, it should open up to full size and you can easily scroll through all photo's posted, have noticed this works on most blog sites I visit.

Gary Renwick is FIFTY!!!

50 year old man looks like this!

Jo and I were fortunate enough to be invited to my friend Gary’s 50^th Birthday celebrations on the weekend.  Gary and his lovely wife Cathy, live on a 2.5 acre property about twenty minutes drive from our place, and it was the venue for the party, and what a great venue it was.

Myself, Gary and my brother Kevin

Gary went all out to ensure he and his guest enjoyed the night, providing beautiful food, more liquid refreshments than you could poke a stick at and a live band, which played our sort of music, a fantastic night, one which we will remember for a long time.

There were around 70 guests in all, a big mob to feed, so how do you go about that? Well if you’re from a wee island in the South Pacific, as Gary is, then there is only one way, a Hangi of course.

This was my first Hangi experience and I can only hope that it is not too long before I get to enjoy such food again, it was awesome, to say the very least.  And how interesting to watch the Maoris do their stuff, first wheeling in the purpose built, portable, steaming Hangi oven and then disrobing it of sheet after sheet of damp hessian, then banana leaves, stones and finally a couple of trays of foil wrapped full of beautiful vegetables, finally to reveal 8 chickens, 4 legs of lamb, a slab of beef and a slab of pork.  

The chickens where stuffed, the slabs of meat were peppered with cloves of garlic, my mouth was watering watching them carve the meat up and it was music to my ears when the chap called out “come on you lot dig in”.

It really is hard to describe just how good the food was, the meat was so so tender and the vegies so full of flavour, when they revealed just how much food was in the Hangi, I said to Jo there is no way this lot will get through all that, but they did and now knowing how good Hangi food is I have realised what a silly statement that was!

Easy Company belting out "They say it's your Birthday"

"Hope you have had a good time"

Happy 50^th Birthday Gary and thanks to you and the lovely Cathy for a great night.

White chocolate mousse and summer fruit's trifle

Making this white chocolate mousse and tropical fruit trifle for dessert for a family gathering we will attend on Sunday night to celebrate the 68th Anniversary of my parents Wedding Day.   Dad passed away in 1994, however we still celebrate the day as it marks the day our family began.  We will gather at my sister Carmel's home in Yokine, who had calculated the anniversary to be 58 years, so we had a laugh when after I asked if she knew how old our eldest brother Pat would be this year and she realised he will be 67.

The dessert is based on a recipe I found at Christmas time in the West Australian online edition, I say based on as I have changed a few things and just hope it works out OK, never having made a trifle of any kind before I am not sure what to expect, and will have to wait and see how it goes on the night.

There are a few steps to making this, but the good thing is you can do it in stages and then bring it all together to about 90% complete before sitting it in the fridge over night and then completing it the following day just before serving.

Meringue, for topping
1 egg white
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon icing sugar.
Pre-heat conventional oven to 120C.
Beat the egg white until nice and frothy, add the vinegar, salt and half the sugar, beat more and when combined, rain remaining sugar in until well beaten and the mixture forms soft white peaks, sprinkle icing sugar over the top and gently fold in with a spatular.  Transfer into a piping bag fitted with 1.5 cm nozzle and pipe mix onto a lined baking tray, making tall spirals 2 - 5 cm high, place into oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Store in an airtight container until required.

Berry fruit marinade
200ml fresh orange juice (about 4 large navels)
1 tbsp icing sugar
120 ml Cointreau (use rose water if you prefer non alcoholic)
300g frozen berries
Squeeze oranges, combine the juice in a bowl with icing sugar, Cointreau (or rosewater) mix well and then add frozen berries, combine and set aside.

Mousse
250g block Cadbury's Premium White Chocolate
5 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
200ml thickened cream
Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Beat the egg whites and half the sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then slowly rain the remaining sugar in whilst beating, continue beating until the mixture holds soft white peaks.  Gently fold in half the cream, then half the cooled melted chocolate, when well combined add the other half of the cream, once folded through fold the remaining chocolate through. Place in the refrigerator until required.

Trifle Layers
2-3 ripe mangoes, diced 1cm cubes
6 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
6 thick slices Panatone
Berry fruit marinade
Small can Passion-fruit pulp

To garnish
Icing sugar
Fresh berries

Ready to go in the fridge overnight

To put the trifle together, layer the bottom of your bowl with half the panatone slices, spoon half the berry marinade over the top of slices, then half of the dice mango and kiwi fruit, using a spoon scatter dollops of the passion-fruit pulp over the fruit, then cover with half of the chocolate mousse, smooth the surface and repeat process to add another layer the same on top, cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, unwrap and cover the top with the meringues, add berries in between and then dust with a little icing sugar.

And I must say I am very happy with the way it looks, finished off with the meringue, fresh strawberries and cherries, can't wait to dig in!