Cooking & Meal Prep Session 22
Rosemary Anzac Biscuits + Best Jam Drop Biscuits + Ginger Mango Lassi + Chicken Chimichurri Salad + Spring "Picnic" Meal Prep
Welcome to Issue 22 of my weekly Cooking Newsletter. A big hello to all new subscribers. Today's newsletter is EXTRA LONG, so buckle up! I took a break from sending newsletters last week and what a welcome change of pace it was. For the first time in months, I didn't work through the weekend and we also ordered takeaway which gave me a little break from cooking. It was delightful!
Meal Prep Sessions are BACK! Get excited as we dive into a Spring-time, picnic-themed meal prep today. Delicious seasonal recipes you can prep and cook and take along with you as you catch up with friends at a park or by the water. Food that is packed with flavour, easy to hold and eat, easy to transport and no need to re-heat! This same food doubles up as easy, light lunches and snacks for the school holidays!
And finally, Thank you for your continued support and all your wonderful emails/messages telling me how adventurous you are getting with meal prepping. Please keep cooking and don't forget to SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER with your friends.
Sneh x
FRESH NEW RECIPES …
The crispiest, golden Rosemary Anzac Biscuit recipe for your baking pleasure! Tested dozens of times, foolproof and absolutely delicious with the abundance of fresh rosemary dotting these delightful biscuits. An easy recipe to bake every week because everyone (especially the kids) loves it and it makes a good snack!
Rosemary In Anzac Biscuits
The idea of adding rosemary to baked treats is something I was introduced to after moving to Australia in 2005. In anticipation of all the lovely things I was going to bake, I planted a rosemary bush in my garden and over the years it became the mother bush, birthing dozens of cuttings and subsequent rosemary bushes. With its deep connection to the Anzac history at Gallipoli, rosemary has made its way into cakes, cookies, tarts and even ice cream. More so on my blog over the years, first in the form of these delicious Wholemeal Rosemary And Raisin cookies packed with fruit and nut that I used to bake and take everywhere. And then in the form of these delicious healthy Date Walnut & Chia Rosemary Cookies or this gorgeous Rosemary & Spice Quince Loaf.
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But somehow I never thought about adding rosemary to Anzac biscuits (or bikkies, as they are so lovingly called) – the most obvious of them all. These beautifully crispy, golden brown biscuits were baked to send in tins to the soldiers during WWI. The term originated from ANZACS (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps). The absence of eggs and inclusion of high fructose gave them a long shelf life which was very important while sending care packages to the soldiers.
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I first starting adding chopped rosemary to my Anzac Biscuits after coming across a recipe on an Australian Blog called Erin Made This many moons ago. The blog no longer exists but you can still see Erin’s beautiful bakes on her Instagram profile. After her blog became defunct, I was forced to modify my own Anzac Biscuit recipe to create the crispiest, most golden biscuit studded with bright, freshly chopped rosemary leaves. An abundance of them!
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After dozens and dozens of test batches, I have managed to get the recipe absolutely right – one that makes a perfect biscuit that everyone loves!
Tips On Baking Anzac Biscuits
Golden Syrup – It is the key ingredient in all Anzac Biscuits. A thick, amber-coloured treacle of sorts; this sugar syrup can be easily found in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It is hard to substitute it because of its unique nature, but elsewhere in the world corn syrup, molasses and honey come close. Please see my notes on substitution ideas and ..
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BEST JAM DROP BISCUITS
The best Jam Drop Biscuit recipe you will ever need to bake the most perfect crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery biscuits laden with pools of warm jam! I can vouch for these being the best because I have baked batch after batch of too soft, too chewy, too crumbly, really hard biscuits to get these right.
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Jam Drop or Thumbprint Biscuits
You might know these gorgeous buttery shortbread-like jam-filled biscuits by different names, depending on where in the world you are. When I was little and growing up in India, these were jam biscuits to me. Growing up in Australia, my boys have always called these Jam Drops. There is something magical about them. An old-world charm. They feel like a jolly good treat from Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree series, where jam-laden biscuits and cream buns would grace rickety old tables along with pots of teas in lands far away.
I recently bought a wonderful baking book aptly called Lazy Baking. This darling little cookbook written by Jessica Elliott Dennison. Jess started her career and her love affair with food in Jamie Oliver’s marketing and product development team. She now runs a charming little seasonal eatery Elliott’s. It has become a much-loved kitchen and workshop destination in Edinburgh. Her cookbook Lazy Baking is mainly sweet and savoury bakes served at Elliott’s and include moody, inviting images of her humble kitchen often in the morning sun. It was in this cookbook that I saw a picture of Jam Drops and knew I had to make them!
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How To Make The Best Jam Drop Biscuits
The first batch I baked was verbatim from the cookbook. It was lovely, delicious and easy to make. But I noticed how the biscuits were too pale even after baking for a longer time than the recipe stipulated and how they went soft the same evening. Despite being delicious enough to all disappear from the biscuit jar the following day (our youngest is aptly called Cookie Monster), they didn’t taste or feel like the box of jam drop biscuits I used to buy from the deli close to Fagan Park where we used to picnic a lot when the kids were little….
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SMOKY CHICKEN CHIMICHURRI LENTIL SALAD
A perfect This And That meal, this Smoky Chicken Chimichurri Lentil Salad is fast, fresh, light and absolutely delicious! With hardly any cooking involved, this mix-and-make recipe can easily be adapted to a Vegetarian or Pescatarian diet. A great meal prep recipe, the sauce, the salad and the marinade can be prepped in advance. A perfect salad to enjoy out in the sun while you have a picnic as it packs really well.
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GINGER MANGO LASSI
A divinely delicious Ginger Mango Lassi made from the nectar of bright orange, ripe Kensington Pride mangoes. With ginger, honey and salt added for health benefits, this beautiful Mango Lassi makes the perfect dessert! Read on to learn about an old Indian technique of "kneading" the mango over the skin to dislodge the seed within and extract the nectar ...
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// Session 22
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It is officially Spring here in Australia. While the whole world rejoices (sunshine and all!), the season also poses a problem for the seasoned meal prepper. No one wants to eat hot curries and soups and dals. So that rules out cooking rice in advance. We all want it to eat fresh, light things like crunchy salads and freshly cooked juicy veg burgers. You can't prep those in advance!!! Or can you???
Today's meal prep session (and the next few) will focus on these meal prepping dilemmas while making sure you prep plenty of delicious food for the school holidays. Fresh salads, really good biscuits, juicy veggie burgers - everything that will make school holiday snacking and lunching a lot easier while also providing you with recipes you can fully prep in advance to take outdoors for a picnic. Picnic food is the best! Let's begin ..
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SOURCES (Australia based)
Spices // My favourite place to stock up on beautiful stoneground spices is Spice Zen. Based in Sydney but shipping to Aus, NZ and US; theirs are some of the most authentic spice mixes with top-quality herbs and spices used in the grind. Their Massaman Spice Mix, Mango Powder, Galangal Powder, Davidson Plum powder, Butter Chicken Mix, Chai Masala Mix are my faves. They also have a fabulous selection of hand-blended teas-tisanes, Ayurvedic powders and cold-pressed oils.
I also buy a lot of mixes from The Spice People. They have some fun spice mixes like Japanese Curry, Paella Spice, whole smoked Mexican chilli varieties and a good selection of Australian Native Spices.
And lastly, I also love Gewurzhaus! There is a lot of culinary experimentation to be had in the form of Pad Thai Spice, Aleppo Peppers, Asian Wok Spice, Focaccia Herbs, Laksa Spice and Oishii Instant Ramen Spice.
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  RECIPES PREPPED (7)
PECAN & MAPLE BANANA BREAD (Recipe on Saturday)
RAW VEG PREP // LEEK + ONION + CABBAGE + SPRING ONION + CARROT + PUMPKIN + TOMATO
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ONION PREP // All the raw veg prep is carefully selected so that when you do it first, it will automatically help you with the finished recipes. I have been prepping onions for two weeks now and can I just say WOW!! I don my swimming goggles and chop 4 onions really fine (diced) and store in a container. I cut another 4 onions in half and thinly slice them for another container. The finely chopped onions get used up in salads, base for cooked dishes, raita while the sliced onions are great for fritters and stir-fries. They also keep fresh for the whole week in the fridge.
ÂThe Ginger Mango Lassi is really nice for breakfast topped with granola. It is thick enough for it!
ÂShape and make the Chickpea Garden Burgers at least a day in advance to be cooked fresh when you want. Alternatively, cook them and freeze them for a week. They are good as burgers stuffed in a panini with smashed avo, beetroot slices, some onion from the prep, lettuce, relish and hot sauce. Cooked burgers can be chopped up and added to stir-fries for extra protein.
ÂThe Banana Bread is great with a dollop of ice cream for dessert as well as breakfast (without the ice cream you crazy person!)
ÂThe Antipasta Couscous Salad is a great supporting act for a piece of grilled protein. So is the Mango Pico De Gallo.
ÂUse the cabbage to make this Okonomiyaki or this Stir-fry both of which are great hot or cold.
Things To Do This Week (Thursday & Friday)
1. Print out all the recipes you plan to cook
2. Make a shopping list of things you don't already have and buy them before the weekend.
WEEKEND MEAL PREP SESSION (2 hours)
>> Before you begin, get a large plastic/enamel tub to catch all your scraps and rubbish (multiples if you are saving scraps for chooks/compost). I cannot stress how much time you will save and keep the bench tidy if you are not going to the rubbish bin every few minutes.
>> For Part III of the meal prep, I make sure the kitchen sink is clean and empty. This allows me to quickly wash my Vitamix which is easiest to clean right after making the smoothies. I also have 4-6 300ml capacity lidded glass jars ready.
 Part IÂ
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C
2. Wash, dry and chop leek. (10 minutes)
3. Peel and chop 8 onions, 4 finely diced and 4 cut into half-moon slices. (10 minutes)
4. Peel and cut a whole butternut pumpkin into cubes. Add to a lined, rimmed baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in oven for 15 minutes until tender and golden. (10 minutes)
5. Slice cabbage. Peel, trim and cut two carrots into batons. Chop spring onions. (10 minutes)
6. Chop tomatoes, capsicum and mango for the Mango Pico De Gallo. (5 minutes)
Pack away leek, onion, cabbage and spring onions.
Active Time -Â 45 minutes
BREAK 10 minutes - Time for a break. Make yourself a cup of tea/coffee or pour a glass of wine. I like to load the dishwasher, put away ingredient jars and wipe down the counter at this point to reduce my work later.Â
 Part IIÂ
7. Make Mango Pico De Gallo (5 minutes)
8. Remove pumpkin from oven. Reduce heat to 180C. Mix dough for Jam Drop Biscuits. (5 minutes)
9. Make Jam Drop Biscuits and pop in the oven to bake. (5 minutes)
10. Start a pot of Couscous as per the Antipasto Couscous Salad recipe. In a frying pan, start frying the leek, chickpea and spices for the Vegan Chickpea Garden burger. (10 minutes)
11. Mix all ingredients for the burger in a bowl and shape into 4 burgers. (10 minutes)
12. Check and remove biscuits from the oven. Increase heat to 190C. (5 minutes)
13. Make Antipasto Couscous Salad. (5 minutes)
Pack away pico de gallo, couscous salad, extra roast pumpkin, jam drop biscuits and shaped burgers.Â
Active Time -Â 45 minutes
BREAK 10 minutes - Time for another break. Refill your cuppa or glass. Stretch, step outside, walk around for 5 minutes.
 Part IIIÂ
14. Make Pecan And Maple Banana Bread (5 Minutes)
15. Gather all ingredients for the smoothies (5 Minutes)
16. Make Happy Smoothie (5 Minutes)
17. Make Ginger Mango Lassi (10 Minutes)
Pack away banana bread and smoothies. The actual smoothies only take a couple of minutes to make but I am allowing time for clean-up and washing of the appliances. I use my Nutribullet (recipe quantity) or Vitamix (double quantities) to make the smoothies.
Active Time -Â 25 minutes
FINAL CLEANUP - Have a long drink of chilled water. Meal Prep is thirsty work. Wash and wipe the last bit of the prep. Make a list of all the RECIPES you have cooked and allocate days to when you will use them up.
Well done guys!!
" I hate the notion of a secret recipe. Recipes are by nature derivative and meant to be shared - that is how they improve, are changed, how new ideas are formed. To stop a recipe in it's tracks, to label it "secret" just seems mean.
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~Â Molly Wizenberg
I have limited copies of my cookbook Tasty Express - a labour of love filled with over 100 of our family's most tried and tested and exciting 30-minute recipes inspired by street foods of the world. Mostly Vegetarian recipes that go from breakfast to quick dinners in a heartbeat. They make great gifts for you or a friend!
