PORK ROLLS, GYOSA, JULIA'S CAKE, FRITTATA

PORK AND VEGETABLES ROLLS

2 medium carrots, cut into 5 cm sticks
1 zucchini, cut into 5 cm sticks
3 spring onion, cut into 5cm pieces
1 pork fillet, sliced and each slice opened flat

Lay pieces of vegetables inside each pork slice and roll up and secure ends with a toothpick. Dust rolls lightly with cornflour and fry rolls until lightly browned all over. Mix:
1 tbs sugar
1/4 mirin
2 tbs sake
1/4 cup soy sauce

Add combined ingredients to the pan with pork, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer until rolls are cooked through. Remove rolls from pan and let sauce simmer until reduce in half. Return roll to coat with sauce. Remove toothpicks and serve.


GYOSA - JAPANESE DUMPLINGS - A mixture of pork, cabbage, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, spring onion, garlic and sesame oil is used to fill gyosa wrappers to make little parcels... They can be fried or steamed... We at home think they are a very yummy snack to have any time of the day/parties. Serve them with dipping sauces (sweet chili sauce or a mixture of soy sauce, ginger and vinegar)

I AM SO SO SO PROUD... This week has been an enjoyable one for me as my little and beautiful daughter (Julia - 9 years old) has been demonstrating an interest in cooking... On Tuesday she baked her FIRST CAKE. The recipe came from a book she borrowed from school library "WOMBAT STEW COOKBOOK by Marcia Vaugham. Seeing her cooking made my eyes filled with water... Specially that it was an "old style cake recipe" which she made everything by hand (didn't use electric mixer). It turned out wonderful... Fluffy, moist and a very nice taste. Maybe she will take over me someday... To be honest, this cake was better than most I have done... CONGRATULATIONS JULIA!!! KEEP THE GOOD WORK!!!

TASMANIAN DEVIL FOOD CAKE

Mix in a bowl:
120 ml oil, 225 ml milk, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Mix in another bowl:
1 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbs cocoa (she used choc nesquick (4 tbs)), 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1 tsp baking soda.
Stir the dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat with a egg whisker for 2 minutes. Bake in a greased 20cm square pan for about 35 minutes (test with skewer)

LUNCH WITH THE GIRLS
Yesterday I received two Brazilian friends for lunch. It was a little unexpected, so I haven't had prepared anything to serve them... I look into the fridge and took anything I could find to give them at least a hot lunch as I didn't want serve the usual sandwich... I made a never fail

VEGETABLES AND HERBS FRITTATA
Put a little olive oil in a frypan and saute: 3 spring onion (white part) chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 1 chopped carrot and 1 chopped zucchini. Let it cook until vegetables are soft. Add 2 cooked potato and 1 chicken stock, crumbled. Let all the flavors incorporate. Add 2 handful of chopped parsley and remained chopped spring onion (green part). Whisk 7 eggs and pour on top. Mix vegetables a little to let eggs go to bottom of pan. Cover and cook in a very low heat until partially set. Sprinkle cheese on top and put under a grill to cook top of frittata and melt/brown the cheese. Serve in wedges with a nice refreshing salad.

To finalize the lunch I made coffee and served with homemade cake slices. The chocolate one was my daughter's cake and the other one was an orange and poppyseed cake. Our get together was done with SIMPLE FOOD and we all had a great time!