Cooking with the Australian Womens Weekly Issue 8

We get lots of time-saving tips and ideas from our fabulous team in the Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen. When people develop recipes as a full-time job, it’s inevitable they think of more efficient ways of doing things. This month we share some clever baking shortcuts with you to make your life easier in the kitchen, giving you more time to get on with life’s other amusements. This issue includes an alternative way of making risotto, baked instead of stirred. The result is excellent, and you don’t have to stand at the stove, stirring for half an hour. Speaking of rice, have you ever wondered what else you can do with an electric rice cooker? Well, flick through the pages and be surprised at what a clever appliance like this…

Q CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW TO MAKE CLARIFIED BUTTER AT HOME? IS THIS THE SAME AS GHEE? A To make your own clarified butter, simply melt some butter in a pan over low heat (which allows the water in the butter to evaporate), then allow it to stand until the milk solids settle on the bottom. Gently skim off the clear liquid on top (the clarified butter) and discard the rest. Ghee, on the other hand, is a type of clarified butter used frequently in Indian cooking; the milk solids are cooked until they are a golden brown (whereas in clarified butter they are not), which imparts a nutty flavour and sweet aroma, before being discarded. Both clarified butter and ghee can be heated to a high…

ESTABLISHED 1950 For the past 65 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen has been developing, triple-testing, styling and photographing thousands of recipes for home cooks all around Australia and across the world. Our wonderful chefs work hard to deliver delicious fail-safe recipes for all cooks, young and old. So whenever you see our trademark Triple Tested ‘seal of approval’ stamp, this is our guarantee that what you make at home will turn out looking as beautiful as our photographs.…

WINTER Fruit • APPLES• BANANAS• BERRIES STRAWBERRIES• CUMQUATS• CUSTARD APPLES• GRAPEFRUIT• KIWIFRUIT• LEMONS• MANDARINS• NASHI• ORANGES, NAVEL; BLOOD• PASSIONFRUIT, PANAMA• PEARS• POMELO• QUINCE• RHUBARB• TANGELOS WINTER Vegetables • AVOCADOS• BEETROOT (BEETS)• BROCCOLI• BRUSSELS SPROUTS• CABBAGE• CARROTS• CAULIFLOWER• CELERIAC (CELERY ROOT)• CELERY• FENNEL• JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES (SUNCHOKES)• KOHLRABI• KUMARA (ORANGE SWEET POTATO)• LEEK• OKRA• OLIVES• ONIONS• PARSNIP• POTATOES• PUMPKIN• SILVER BEET (SWISS CHARD)• SPINACH• SWEDE• TURNIPS• WITLOF (BELGIAN ENDIVE) CUMQUAT MARMALADE PREP + COOK TIME 1½ HOURS (+ STANDING) MAKES 6 CUPS YOU WILL NEED hot sterilised jars • 1kg cumquats• 2 tablespoons lemon juice• 1.25 litres (5 cups) water• 1.3kg (6 cups) white sugar 1 Quarter cumquats, being careful not to cut all the way through. Squeeze cumquats to release seeds. Tie seeds in muslin. Process cumquats until finely chopped. Combine cumquats, muslin bag, juice and the water in a large saucepan; stand, covered, overnight. 2 Bring cumquat mixture to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until rind is soft. Discard muslin bag. 3 Add sugar; stir over high heat, without boiling, until…

DID YOU KNOW? As the name suggests, pound cakes originally consisted of a pound each of sugar, butter, flour and eggs, which made them very large cakes. These days, any cake that is made with equal proportions of these ingredients takes the name.…

FLORENCE OR BULB FENNEL, which Italian greengrocers call finocchio, is a vegetable and herb in one - the feathery leaves can be chopped and used in the same ways as their relation, dill, in salads, sauces and soups and rice dishes, or to go with smoked and fresh salmon and other fish. The tops can be used as a bed on which to steam fish, giving it a delicate aniseed aroma. Similarly, branches of wild fennel that grow along the road can be laid on coals over which fish is grilled to give it a smoky aniseed flavour. RAW fennel goes well with spring onion, peppery salad leaves, orange, lemon juice or parmesan. Slice very thinly. BLANCH trimmed and halved fennel in boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender.…