With much anticipation I am proud to announce the launch of a new segment as a part of this blog … “the girl can cook” …. This segment will be filled with inspirational and amazing meals that even girls can cook.  I know I know they should know how to do it already, along with getting their husbands slippers and ensuring his gin and tonic is chilled and iced ready for his arrival home from the office after a busy day power lunching and perving on the secretary…But every girl needs a refresher course every now and then.

Now as I have only made a single entry into this blog after over a year I think you can safely say that the segment will not be a weekly thing, or monthly or probably not even quarterly.. Like my cooking prowess at home my blog prowess will be somewhat sporadic, but momentous.  Cue my story about last nights meal.

After an horrific 6 hour round trip car journey to Brisbane and back with the two spawns of satan in the back ensuring that whatever nerve endings I had left were well and truly exposed and battered and my brain capacity was diminished to that of a traumatised child, I entered the sanctuary of home and decided on the evening meal.

The lobster and caviar needed to be saved for tomorrow night, as the governor general in charge of the state of Uzbekistan was due to dine with us as a part of international peace talks surrounding the current merkin crisis amongst underprivileged youths aged between 11-21 so I pushed them aside and delved in the darker recesses of the fridge.

Past two week old leftovers that I am saving for the kids next science experiment on mould spores, and over the million jars of preserves and pickles that Gray continues to make.  In fact there are so many in there that whenever we have friends over there is never any room for the all-important beer and wine and the cry of “you need a bigger fridge” echoes through the kitchen each time.

And then I saw them, like Aladdin’s lamp in a cave full of gold it shone luminescent in the fridge and sung to me in Chinese, its country of origin. The shanghai dumpling wrappers; I knew my destiny from that moment…  And it wasn’t to become the next president.

Jens take on Afghan dumplings with tumeric lentil sauce as she did not have the ingredients needed for actual afghan dumplings with tumeric and lentil sauce…. (or .. “the shit” for short)

 

Saucy goodness:

2 onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 zucchini diced

2 cups mushrooms sliced

2 tins crushed tomatoes

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon tumeric

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup red lentils or split peas

1-2 cups boiling water

• Fry all ingredients, except tomato, lentils and water, off until soft then add the tomatoes, lentils and water- cover and simmer for about 30 mins or until it tastes delish!

Dumpling guts

2 cloves garlic minced

Massive bunch of silverbeet- stems removed

1 bunch coriander

1 bunch spring onions

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

• Put all ingredients into food processor and chop up to a coarse puree
• Roll dumplings- I am not going to explain how, but as we are in the youtube generation you will defo be able to learn this life saving skill if you google it, along with how to fold a shirt using only one fold and how to tie your shoe laces so they never come undone, then you can share these skills via facebook so all your friends can “like” it and your day will be Better!
• Steam or boil dumplings until cooked

 

Garlic sauce

500g natural yoghurt

2 cloves garlic

½ cup water

salt

• Grind salt and garlic in a mortar and pestle or between two rocks if you are living in a cave, to a paste, then add the water and yoghurt

Lay down the garlic on a plate, gently, as you want to get it in the mood, then the sauce then cook the dumplings in boiling salted water and put them on top

Garnish with shredded mint and bask in the glory that is your amazing meal… come to think of it, I think I will can the lobster for tomorrow night and serve the general this, or the two week old leftovers?