In My Tropical Kitchen, March 2026

 What a memorable month February was. It might have been the shortest month of the year, only 28 days, but it was action packed, with a Pickleball tournament to be entered, and I can mention that as even the sport we play has a foodie name; and my birthday was almost "smack bang in the middle" of fabulous February as well. 

Tuscan Chicken, Cheese and Broccoli Bake (Low carb)

This is comfort food without the extra calories, which my friends is my kind of meal at the moment in the lead up to Christmas. Leftovers are even more delicious the following day for lunch or served for dinner. You could almost think you are eating a lasagna but not missing the pasta because of the extra protein, vegetables, herbs and cheese. It's very tasty.

Salmon with Asparagus and Tagliatelle

Fresh salmon fillets or smoked salmon can both be used in this dish. It is such a versatile recipe, and absolutely delicious. Lots of fresh herbs, fresh asparagus and tagliatelle combine with the salmon to create a memorable and healthy dining experience.

Whole Baked Pumpkin with Chorizo and Pearl Barley Stuffing

A baked and stuffed whole Kent or Jap pumpkin is a real crowd pleaser, and goes a long way as a vegetable side dish. It is a delicious and very economical way to serve pumpkin with an interesting filling which is also versatile, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Using a smaller pumpkin, weighing about 1200 grams, ensures that it should bake within an hour. 

In My Kitchen, August 2021

It's been a very good Winter for citrus this year, and we've been given bush lemons, limes and cumquats by friends which I've really appreciated, and which I've loved being able to cook with in various ways.

Lemon Delicious Pudding is a very popular self saucing pudding here, and I used a couple of the Bush Lemons I was given to make this during the week, however any lemons will be suitable. This recipe produces a luscious and creamy lemon sauce topped with a soft lemon flavoured sponge which is an absolute joy to eat. It is also a cinch to make. The recipe is straight out of the iconic Stephanie Alexander's cookbook, The Cook's Companion. Some Lemon Delicious Puddings don't create enough sauce for my taste, but this one does. It is also very easy to prepare quickly, and can be placed in the oven when the main course is resting. I love puddings that can be cooking while we are eating our main course, they are so easy to coordinate.

The Best Lemon Delicious Pudding recipe:

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons and the zest of one

60 g butter

1 1/2 cups castor sugar

3 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons self-raising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C. and butter a 1 litre ovenproof basin or serving dish. 

Zest 1 lemon and juice both.

In a food processor, cream the butter with the zest and the sugar, then add the egg yolks.

Add the flour and milk alternately to make a smooth batter.

Scrape the mixture from the side of the processor bowl and blend in the lemon juice.

Tip all of this mixture into a bowl.

In a separate dry bowl whisk the egg whites until firm and creamy and fold them into the prepared basin.

Stand the basin in a baking dish and pour in hot water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the basin.

Transfer the basin and dish carefully to the oven and bake for 1 hour. Check it however after 45 minutes, and when the sponge is browned and firm to the touch, it is cooked.

Serve when it has cooled slightly.

It is delicious served with ice cream or pouring cream.

I posted the recipe for my microwave lemon curd recently and here is the link to that if you missed it. I've frozen a couple of bottles which should last 12 months in the freezer, and I made these lemon curd tartlets using some bought sweet pastry shells for convenience, and decorated  them with dehydrated slices of cumquat. They were fun to make and delicious to eat. Lime juice makes delicious curd as well.

Speaking of citrus, I also made some delicious cumquat marmalade last week and here's the link to the recipe if you missed it.  That's the end of my story about citrus.

Cumquat Marmalade

 We've been spending a lot of time in the garden, as its been a perfect month for gardening with lots of Winter sunshine, and this orchid flowered a few weeks ago which was a real surprise for me. It's still in flower which is the nice thing about orchids, they stay in flower for a long time. I bring it inside to the kitchen for a couple of days and then take it outside again for some extra light.

 

We have a nice selection of herbs growing in sunny spots in the garden. Parsley and basil are growing close to our back door in large pots. This basil plant is nearly finished but I have a few more sweet basil plants growing in the courtyard. Shallots are also growing well here.

Sweet basil, parsley, lemon thyme, oregano, and sage are growing in pots in our sunny courtyard. I use a selection of these most days in my cooking. They are very easy to grow in full sun as long as they are watered every couple of days.

Some cheery marigolds provide a burst of colour near the herbs.

My two Phaius tankervilleae or Swamp Orchid plants, have long spikes on them, the best yet, so I am hopeful they will flower beautifully this year. The bugs eating them have been a problem in the past.

Small pies are an economical way to use up leftovers and make great comfort food. I had made a batch of chill con carne mince, very tasty and not very spicy, and it made a delicious pie filling for some Sunday night pies. We bought a pie maker when we were on holidays in Cairns a few weeks ago, just a reasonably priced one from K Mart, and made 30 small beef stew pies the first time we used it up there. There were 6 people for dinner and they all disappeared, the pies that is. I don't feel guilty at all using this occasionally as the pies are delicious and I feel as if I am having a night off when I use it.  Pies always seem to be a treat.

Fill the pastry base, top it with a circle of pastry, wait about 8 minutes and these delicious pies are the result.

The Pie Maker

Given what is happening in the southern states at the moment with lockdown, and the virus showing no signs of slowing down there, I feel as if I have a lot to be thankful for. With almost 300 new covid cases a day in New South Wales, the lockdown will continue there for a while longer, and could continue into the regional areas. Melbourne is into their sixth lockdown, which has been so disruptive, and very difficult for school children with their end of year exams looming. Hopefully the lockdown in Brisbane finishes this weekend. We are well here, we can move around freely without wearing masks, we have our own lovely home to relax in, and a garden which we enjoy, and lovely friends to spend time with, and Locky, our Border Collie dog who brings a lot of joy to our lives. When we have our second Covid injection in a week's time,  I will feel a lot happier though, and more confident about taking a holiday within Queensland when lockdown finishes. If only it were easier to travel overseas to visit our son and grandchildren who we adore. Hopefully that will be achievable in 12 months time, however there are many other grandparents in the same situation. I just have to be strong. Meanwhile, we are enjoying a simple life, and also hope to start another beehive in a couple of weeks, which we are looking forward to. We finished our last bottle of our own honey last week, so now we are buying it from a local beekeeper, who was very supportive when we had our own bees and lost them to disease.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event.  If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to visit more kitchens. 

Sending love and hugs to you wherever you are,

Stay safe,

Pauline

Couscous Salad with Fresh Mint, Coriander, Parsley and Feta cheese

I made some healthy Couscous to accompany a Beef Tagine I was slow cooking, and then as happens in my kitchen, I thought the couscous looked rather boring and bland so I started adding ingredients from what I had and this is what I ended up with. I now had colour on the plate as well as a nutritious side dish.This salad is delicious, versatile and the  simple dressing gives it a nice zing. A dressed grain salad will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, whereas a dressed green salad is often limp and inedible the following day. Couscous  salad can stand alone for lunch, or is a marvellous accompaniment to a spicy or Middle Eastern style dinner. Other vegetables can be added as well, such as sliced zucchini or sweet corn, after all it is basically a salad. I remembered this idea from a recipe I found here quite a while ago.

I picked this bunch of gerberas this morning from my garden which bring sunshine into the house. They really need breaking up into smaller plants, but now I can't bear to do it whilst they are flowering. I hope they make you feel happy as well.

With Summer approaching here in the Southern Hemisphere I will be making this easy Couscous meal on a regular basis. In the Northern hemisphere though, it can also be a healthy addition to accompany hot meals.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 cup Wholemeal couscous

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 cup of finely chopped coriander

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped mint

1/2 red onion, chopped very finely

1/2 cucumber chopped very finely

1/2 red capsicum, chopped very finely

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons finely crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup, slightly warmed up so it is runny

Juice of 1 lemon and the zest

Good pinch of cumin.

Method:

Pour your couscous into a large heatproof bowl, add the boiling water and rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff up with a fork.

Toss the finely chopped vegetables through the couscous and then add the herbs,  mixing through lightly.

To make the dressing, add the ingredients including cumin to a small glass jar, screw on the lid and give the jar a good shake. You could also use a small whisk to mix it all together. This isn't a complicated dressing so shaking it up in the jar works fine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if you think it needs it. If this is being served with spicy foods I don't think it will need it.

Toss the dressing through the couscous and add the pine nuts.

Add the crumbled feta if you are using that. 

This is now ready to serve or store it in the refrigerator.

This will keep well, covered in the refrigerator for 5 days but it won't last that long.

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend wherever you are. I did a lot of cooking on Friday, so we are eating mostly leftovers this weekend, which just keep improving in flavour, and it makes for a nice relaxing weekend. I'll be ready to start cooking again on Monday. Do you sometimes like to have a weekend off from cooking as well?


Best wishes,

Pauline.

Salmon Fishcakes for a nutritious and easy midweek meal

Salmon Rissoles or Fish Cakes

Salmon rissoles or Fishcakes are a great idea for a satisfying, nutritious and tasty midweek meal and the kids love them as well as the adults. I remember this being one of my favourite meals when I was growing up at home in Rockhampton, many moons ago. It is a timeless classic, very simple to make and kind to the household budget. 

Smoked Salmon and Dill Pikelets

Smoked salmon, fresh dill, and a delicious sour cream mixture served on small, bite size pikelets, this was maximum impact for minimum effort. I cheated and bought the mini pikelets from Coles, but of course with more time you can easily make them yourself, but honestly for $3.00 a packet why would you bother. These were a real hit as a Christmas entree. However, they would serve up beautifully and hold their own at any dinner or cocktail party.

My apologies there is no photo of these little beauties as they disappeared  before my eyes, as did the second batch. When life settles down after Christmas/New Year I will make some more and add a photo.

Ingredients:

300g (1 1/4 cups) sour cream (reduced fat if you prefer)
1 tbs Wholegrain Mustard
2 tbs finely chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped dill
2 tsp lemon juice
2 x 140g pkts Coles Golden Pikelet Bites
200g smoked salmon
Dill sprigs, to serve

1. Combine the sour cream, mustard, dill, chives, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Spoon a little of the sour cream mixture onto each pikelet and top with some of the smoked salmon and a sprig of dill. Season with freshly ground black pepper and arrange on a serving platter embellished with extra Dill sprigs.

Basil Pesto with Semi Sundried Tomatoes

With the festive season upon us, Christmas drinks accompanied by fine cheeses and other accompaniments will be more popular than ever. A tasty and healthy pesto adds variety to the standard cheese platter and is so easy and economical to make, especially if you grow your own herbs.  

Persian Yoghurt Rice Baked with Chicken (Tahcheen-e morgh)

Persian chicken and rice, cooked with saffron, orange-flavoured water, and yoghurt. This is an impressive layered rice dish, full of exotic Middle Eastern flavours, that is great for special occasions. Left over chicken from the Sunday roast can be used, instead of fresh chicken. The meat should still be marinated, whether raw or cooked, for at least 2 hours, as it really does help to develop the flavours. Serve it with an eggplant dish as an accompaniment.

(Recipe adapted from Saraban: a chef's journey through Persia, by Greg & Lucy Malouf)

Click here for recipe

Baked Layered Rice with Spinach and Lamb (Tahcheen-e esfenaj)

Tahcheen means "spread over the bottom" and the whole point of this aromatic dish is to end up with a lot of lovely golden crunch under the rice, which encases the aromatic filling.  Whilst there is a fair bit of preparation, a day in advance, it is brilliant for entertaining, as it just bakes away by itself for a couple of hours, and the end result justifies the means. It is also a very earthy dish, requiring a lot of work with your hands to work the rice, and assemble the dish, which is quite therapeutic.  This Persian recipe is inspired by an exotic book I was lent, which is based on Greg and Lucy Malouf's travels through Iran, and gives a captivating account of the history, and culture of Persia which expresses itself through their cooking. The book is called Saraban: a chef's journey through Persia. I am still captivated by the beauty of this book and the food it represents.

The most important thing is to use  a heavy duty cooking dish such as pyrex or heavy ovenproof porcelain. The lamb needs to be slow-cooked first, then marinated for a minimum of 8 hours for the flavours to develop. I think the prunes are essential and  accentuate the 'Persian-ness" of the dish.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
400g lamb (from the shoulder), trimmed of fat and cut into 2cm cubes
200g thick natural yoghurt
2 egg yolks
80ml Saffron Liquid
250g spinach leaves
400g basmati rice
12 prunes, pitted and roughly chopped
60 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
thick natural yoghurt and pickles, to serve

LET'S COOK:

Preparing the Saffron Liquid - 1 day before:

20 saffron threads
2 tablespoons boiling water

To make the saffron liquid, lightly toast the saffron threads in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for about 30 seconds. While the threads must be totally dry, be very careful not to burn them. As they crisp up, they release a wonderfully pungent aroma. Tip the saffron into a mortar and leave for a moment or two before grinding to a powder.
Mix the ground saffron with the boiling water and set aside to infuse for at least 1 hour before using. The colour will continue to develop for about 12 hours.

Preparing  the lamb - 1 day before:

Heat half the oil in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Add one of the onions to the pan with the garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and spices and fry gently for 4 minutes. Add the meat and enough water to cover, then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Beat the yoghurt with the egg yolks and saffron liquid in a shallow dish. Drain the cooled lamb well and add it to the yoghurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

The day of the event:

Preparing the Spinach:

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the remaining onion and fry gently until soft and lightly coloured. Add the spinach and turn it about in the pan until wilted. Cook over a medium heat to evaporate any excess liquid, then set aside. When cool. squeeze the spinach to remove any residual liquid and chop it roughly.

Preparing the Rice:

400g basmati rice
2 tablespoons sea salt
water

Wash, soak, and parboil the rice. This is quite different to how we normally cook rice, but not difficult.
Wash the basmati rice thoroughly, then leave it to soak in a generous amount of lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Swish it around with your fingers every now and then to loosen the starch.

Strain the rice in  a fine colander, rinsing it again with warm water until water is clear.

Bring 2 litres water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the sea salt and stir in the strained rice.
Return the water to a rolling boil and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Test the rice after 4 minutes by pinching a grain between your fingers or by biting it. It should be soft on the outside, but still hard in the centre. Strain the rice and rinse again with warm water. Toss it several times to drain away as much of the water as you can. Please note: (I think 5 minutes was too long and the rice wasn't as hard in the centre as it should be. However, the recipe still worked. I advise to check it after 4 minutes to be sure.)

Assemble the dish:
Preheat the oven to 190deg C and butter a 2 litre ovenproof dish. I used a Pyrex casserole dish with a lid. Remove the lamb from the yoghurt marinade. Mix half the parboiled rice (3 cups) with the marinade and spoon and pat it into the base and up the sides of the ovenproof dish.

Arrange the lamb on top of the rice, then cover with the spinach. Dot the chopped prunes over the spinach, then spoon in the remaining rice to cover and smooth over the surface. Cover tightly with a sheet of lightly buttered foil, cover with lid, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Have a glass of wine and relax, you deserve it.

Final stage before eating:
Remove the dish from the oven and dot the surface of the rice with bits of butter. Replace the foil and lid and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Turn the rice out onto a warm serving platter and serve with a bowl of creamy yoghurt, a selection of relishes or pickles, and a selection of fresh herbs - tarragon, basil,  chives and parsley would be lovely.

Rena, our beautiful dinner guest. We were thrilled it turned out of the dish as it should.

A slice of Baked Layered Rice with Spinach and Lamb 

(Tahcheen-e esfenaj)

Thanks for reading.

Pauline

Low Fat French Tarragon and Thyme Omelette for breakfast

Late breakfast this morning following a session at the gym and I needed protein and a good coffee hit. As my barista set to work I started on an omelette. Nothing new you say, however most of the recipes out there , and there are a lot of French omelette recipes, use copious amounts of oil, fat and cheese.

It is now a balancing act between controlling the kilos and the food still tasting great. I use spray on rice bran oil in a non-stick pan, low fat tasty cheese, unless it is a really special occasion and I will substitute goats cheese or Gruyere. A low fat omelette with good fresh ingredients  is also an easy and tasty option when travelling, as retirees do. I am so lucky that I can pick all of my herbs fresh from my garden and they last well refrigerated or in a vase of water. I must source some chervil though, as it's not in my garden at present.

French Herb Omelette for two

Ingredients:

4 organic eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or leaves from two good sprigs (your call depending on your love of this flavour)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Ground pepper and salt to taste
Rice Bran Oil cooking spray
6 cherry tomatoes
Handful of chopped mushrooms


Remove the leaves from the sprigs of tarragon and chop finely. Scramble the eggs with the tarragon, thyme, and half the parsley. Spray the oil into a small omelette pan and heat. Saute the mushrooms in the pan until slightly soft. Pour in the omelette mixture over the mushrooms and start cooking. Add a layer of the halved tomatoes to the eggs when slightly set. Cook the omelette until the base is just brown and leaves the pan cleanly with a spatula.

Sprinkle cheese on top and place pan under the grill to lightly brown the omelette.
Garnish with chopped parsley to serve.

Please note: I am using the correct spelling of omelette, not omelet, as it is originally a French word, so it is an omelette.

Fresh Herbs for Healthy Meals and Salads

Thyme, Parsley, Sage, Lemon Balm and Tarragon make a healthy difference to a meal.

Last night I put together a healthy and simple salad to take over to friends for dinner, which not only tasted delicious, but looked very attractive as well, because of the addition of herbs growing in my garden. I added thyme leaves, chopped parsley, finely chopped tarragon, and the yellow tarragon flowers sprinkled across the top gave it a very festive appearance and were edible. It was so easy and drew lots of appreciative comments.

Fresh herbs are so easy to grow, are a great companion crop for the vegetables, and are very economical, stretching the budget.

Fresh Sage is also a winner for beef casseroles and roast chicken stuffing and grows so well near your citrus or with the vegetables. So rewarding, give it a try.