Polenta

Try lamb shanks served with polenta as an alternative to mashed potato, then dish up the leftover polenta, grilled & topped with mushrooms, the next day for lunch.

Take 1 shank per person (I'm assuming four) & trim off excess fat. Turn the oven to 180 & heat some oil on the stove in your Le Creuset. Season the shanks with s&p & brown all over in the hot pan (about 7 mins). Brown in batches of 2 or 3. Set aside on a plate & remove all but 2 tbsp of fat. Add roughly chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary & a sprinkling of sea salt and soften. Remember sofrito. Add 1 1/2 cups red wine and 2 cups chicken stock, stir to loosen all the bits on the bottom, bring to a simmer and return shanks to the pan. Cover pot, transfer to oven and braise for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue braising for 1/2 hour. This browns the shanks. Turn and braise the other side for another 1/2 hour.

At the first uncovering get onto the polenta. Now if you have bought instant polenta, throw it away immediately and replace with the slow cook variety. I buy Dallari Polenta Fioretti. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Once boiling, add salt, and pour 1 1/2 cups of polenta into water in a slow even stream, stirring all the time. Try pouring through a funnel & whisking with a wire whisk because you need to avoid the polenta clumping. You might need a helper as this task really requires at least 3 hands.

Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting -the polenta should be barely moving -cover & leave to cook 30-40 minutes. You can leave it for longer so don't panic. You just need to stir thoroughly every 5-8 minutes. Believe me, it is worth it.

Now back to the shanks. Once they've done browning take out of the oven and rest, covered for 15 minutes. Now might be a good time to put on a green veg if you're having one.

When you're ready to serve stir about 3/4 cup grated parmesan and 3 tbsp unsalted butter into the polents, season & serve immediately.

Spoon a large dollop of polenta onto a plate, place a shank on top, then ladle over some of the gravy & veg. You can serve a green veg like broccoli on the side if you like.

As the polenta cools it will set so before this happens, spread what you don't need into a wide container so that it is about 1.5 cm thick. Refrigerate.

Next day cut your polenta into squares and cook on a medium heat on a lightly oiled hot plate or cast iron pan until browned & top with mushrooms. To cook the perfect mushrooms, heat a little olive oil and butter in a frying pan and add thickly sliced button mushrooms. When lightly browned & tender add a clove or 2 of garlic, crushed and cook for a minute or so. Then add about 1/2 cup chicken stock (you probably have some left over from the night before), season and cook down until the stock has reduced. Stir in a handful of chopped parsley and spoon onto the polenta squares.

The Salad in Winter

The week before I was out of town for most of the week and ate out. I thought I would share with you some of the restaurants I visited. With a work group I went to Wildfire, a Brazilian barbecue restaurant in Auckland. This was certainly an experience. To be recommended if you like to eat a lot of meat. The meat was certainly of a high quality and excellently cooked.
A regular haunt of mine when in Auckland in Tony's on Wellesley St. I regularly eat here with my sister & cousin when in town, not particularly because the food is outstanding but for nostalgic reasons. The food is however good quality, reliable and reasonably priced. Back in the 60s this was one of the few, possibly only, places to get a proper restaurant meal outside of expensive hotels and I'm really pleased it has survived. I remember they used to have candles on the table in those wicker-encased Chianti bottles. I also caught up with an old friend at Swashbucklers at the Westhaven Marina. The calamari is highly recommended.
On my return to Wellington we ate at Le Metropolitain, a French Bistro-style restaurant on Cuba St. I had the snails which are always good and lamb rump with puy lentils. I can never go past a dish served with these most delicious of pulses.
In winter, as well as casseroles & stews, don't forget you can put together a warm salad meal. We had a couple of those this week. Try broccoli with a shell-shaped pasta - orecchiette or conchiglioni. Cook the broccoli until just tender in boiling salter water, then lift out & drizzle with good olive oil. Bring the broccoli water back to the boil & cook the pasta according to the packet. Drain the pasta reserving a little water to toss at the end. In a frying pan, soften sliced garlic, pancetta or bacon chopped into matchsticks, chilli flakes & anchovies. Remove from the pan & warm though the broccoli. Tip the pasta into a serving bowl and toss through all the ingredients with that pasta water you put aside and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with grated parmesan at the table.
Try this chicken salad with wasabi mayonnaise. A good way to cook a chicken breast without any fat while retaining maximum moisture is to soak in a brine of cold water, sugar & salt - about 3 tbsp each to 2 cups of water - for 1/2 an hour. Drain & dry the chicken, then dust with 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice, then put under a hot grill - 8 minutes each side until juices run clear. For the dressing, whisk 1/4 cup mayonnaise, zest & juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tbsp wasabi, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp water and s & p to taste. In a serving bowl mix 1/4 red cabbage v thinly shredded, 2 spring onions thinly sliced, 1/2 c bean sprouts (remember those home spouted puy lentils), and a small handful of mint leaves finely chopped. Toss with the dressing and arrange thinly sliced chicken on top. Garnish with a few mint leaves and 1/4 c roasted peanuts, roughly chopped. As well as being light and healthy it gives your jaws a good workout!
This afternoon we went for a long walk on the Petone foreshore & then stopped in at La Bella Italia for a reviving shot of coffee. Bought some provolone cheese and salami which we enjoyed with as glass of red wine and some of our home pickled onions. Look out for the picture of the provolone on the website - slung over Antonio's shoulders.

Shepherd's Pie & more

Not a lot of time this week but I must tell you about the shepherd's pie that followed last week's delicious lamb. I minced the leftover lamb, added softened onion & garlic, finely chopped all left over veg, which included potatoes, kumara, pumpkin, broccoli, sprouts. Added the gravy and a couple of chopped tamarillos, some herbs, salt & pepper to taste. You want the mixture just moist but not soggy. Pile into a casserole dish & top with mashed potato & kumara. Remember kumara & lamb are good friends. I added a grating of nutmeg. Bake in a moderate oven for about 1/2 an hour until topping is golden. I always use agria potatoes for mash because they have a beautiful colour as well as flavour. This was the best shepherd's pie ever - I'm not sure why. I put it down to a either the tamarillo or the gravy or a combination of both. Try adding a tamarillo to a casserole as well. You will not be disappointed. They add a delicious sharpness.

You will remember last week we bought those sausages. They went into a leek, mushroom & sausage risotto. This was done in the usual way - soften mushrooms with the leek, add rice, then wine, then stock. I added fennel seeds & rosemary. I pan-fried the sausages, drained, chopped and added with Parmesan. One sausage per person is plenty so splash out on really good sausages - or make your own.

There was a leek languishing in the pantry on Friday so I put together another risotto, this time adding frozen peas and some crispy fried bacon (free range) at the end.

We went to friends for dinner on Saturday & had a delicious meal. Before dinner we had a superb pork terrine with crackers. (If you are reading this can you remind me where it came from). For dinner we had oxtails with dumplings, mash & brussels sprouts. Pretty much my perfect meal. Followed by Caramel & Croissant pudding.

The night Phoebe went out to a chemistry quiz, we treated ourselves to a potato, mussel & chorizo salad. We'll be having that again!

This morning we went to the vege market and called into the new City Market. I am reserving judgement for now. We didn't eat before we went as we thought there might be tastings. And there were, but we also treated ourselves to a cup of cod & oyster chowder. It was the perfect breakfast.

2 Little Piggies went to Market

Welcome to new blog followers. I'm interested to hear what you think and happy to answer questions. Actually I'm really keen to answer questions so please feel obliged to ask one.

School lunches for Phoebe at the moment consist of a wrap filled with shredded lettuce, grated carrot & cheese & shredded chicken. If you buy shredded chicken at the supermarket it is probably not free range but we have found a delicious & simple way to produce shredded chicken at home. You don't always have left over roast chicken to shred but if you buy a breast you can poach it with herbs & spices which produces a delicious moist result. In a saucepan, well cover the breast with cold water, add flavourings (e.g. 1/2 lemon sliced, 2 bay leaves, sprig of thyme, peppercorns), cover pan & bring to the boil. As soon as it boils take it off the heat & leave covered for at least a hour & a half. Shred & refrigerate. Use the poaching liquid as stock. This is about 30% cheaper than buying shredded. It's probably better quality chicken and it is delicious. Poaching chicken like this is also great for salads.

We made delicious quesadillas for lunch today using the wraps. Makes a nice change from a toasted sandwich. We spread a generous layer of green tomato chutney (home made) then a dollop of drained kidney beans, a layer of washed (& dried), shredded spinach, grated Gruyere, a sprinkling of thinly sliced spring onions, a grinding of black pepper. Fold them in half (or quarters if you think the tortilla won't hold the weight), then toast in a ridged sandwich press, or a ridged pan or grill. If you don't have any of those I would grill in the oven until crisp. They do need to be toasted on both sides.

We went to the market this morning and what a feast! Tamarillos at $3.99 instead of the $8.99 in the supermarket so I have a batch of tamarillo chutney on the stove. Mum's recipe which cannot be equalled. Simmer the following for 2 hours. Makes roughly 9 jars depending on size.

2 doz tamarillos, peeled
2lbs brown sugar
1 pint vinegar
1lb apples
1lb onions
1tbsp salt
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp pickling spice

Back to the market. Apples at $1.29 ($2.99 in supermarket). Used for chutney, made an apple cake & juiced a batch. We have a Wai-ora Farm lamb roasting in the oven. Gravy. I have always made the gravy in our house but while I was writing this Peter took over this evening & added Maria Pia's Vinocotto. It was truly delicious - really flavourful. I may never make gravy again.

We also bought some Heritage Meat Co. pork & apple sausages. They sell grilled sausages in ficelle at the market. A kind of up market piggy in a blanket, & the Romanian spiced sausage with chutney is hard to resist on a cold morning.

And this morning's find has to be the ceramic grater - a grate plate. This is amazing. Used it to grate nutmeg & ginger for the cake with great success.

And speaking of the apple cake. As well as apples this recipe had raisins and I had just bought this very exciting fruit mix at the supermarket - raisins, sultanas, cranberries, goji berries - so I used them. I think it moves the cake from a "sometimes food" to health food.

The Med in Winter

Roast chicken on Sunday? We started the week with risotto to use up the leftover chicken. On Tuesday we did a delicious mushroom and tomato pasta. We added the rest of the left over chicken. That worked well. A colleague at work rears little piggies in the Wairarapa and I got 3 of her free range loin chops. We pan fried them and made a sauce with cider, wholegrain mustard & a little cream. We served them with potato & celeriac mash, flavoured with a hint of horseradish & steamed Brussels sprouts. That is a problem with all these one-pot meals. They are not really conducive to Brussels sprouts. And Brussels sprouts are one of my best winter friends. I just like them steamed and then dressed with a little olive oil and a grinding of black pepper and a grating of nutmeg.

I have still been thinking spicy after last week's middle eastern focus and on Thursday we went back to an old favourite, Harira. This is a middle eastern lamb & chickpea soup. There are many versions so experiment until you find something you like. I start with the usual suspects, onion, celery, garlic, carrot, softened with 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, ground coriander, allspice & chilli flakes. Take out the sofrito and brown about 500g diced lamb. When done, squeeze on a generous splodge of tomato paste and return the sofrito to the pan. Add 2 cups beef stock and 2-3 cups water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat & simmer v gently for about an hour. You just need the lamb to be very tender. Add 1/2 cup couscous and a tin of chickpeas, cover simmer a further 5 mins, then turn off the heat & leave to sit for 10 mins for the couscous to finish. Stir in some flatleaf parsley & serve with homemade Turkish bread topped with nigella seeds. You will return to this again & again.

I bought a Gourmet Traveller Magazine (Best of Italy edition) and was inspired by the "Battle of the Bol" article to try to perfect the classic Italian ragu. My pasta mentor is Giuliano Hazan, son of the renowned Marcella. I learned from Giuliano about adding milk or cream and using a ribbon pasta such as pappardelle instead of the more familiar spaghetti. I followed Emma Knowles' recipe, substituting beef for veal. I asked our butcher to mince the beef coarsely & he put it through the mincer only once. I finely chopped the pork myself with the pancetta. I used white wine instead of red because I had a bottle open, and I used a bit less cream but otherwise this turns out to be the ultimate pasta Bolognese. I recommend using pappardelle which is much easier for people with braces to eat and altogether nicer. Make sure you buy good dried egg pasta, not "fresh", unless you've made it yourself.

Sunday we were back in the Middle East with home made Merguez sausages. I made the sausages with the harissa sauce & aromatic pumpkin along with steamed spinach & broad beans dressed with olive oil & feta cheese.

To prepare no-fail spinach, wash & dry thoroughly - I use the salad spinner. Add the spinach in handfuls to the pan, pushing to the back as it begins to wilt. When it is all wilted, add a knob of butter and grate on some nutmeg with a grind of pepper. Even Phoebe likes this.

The sausages were such a success and delicious the next day on toasted leftover Turkish bread with the harissa and some green tomato chutney. I thought that you could experiment with other spice and herb mixes, such as Italian. I thought these might be good for people with heart conditions as they used lean mince. I thought they might disintegrate without skins but they held their shape beautifully and didn't even stick to the pan.

Tonight's dinner was my signature fish stew. Again make this how you like it. Experimenting has got me to this place. Make the usual sofrito. I usually add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, capsicum, fennel if I have some (or a sprinkling of fennel seeds), chilli flakes and a few saffron strands. When softened add 1 or 2 finely chopped Agria potatoes -cook for a minutes or 2. Then add a tin of tomatoes & 2 cups fish or chicken stock. Bring to the boil & simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add a selection of frozen sweetcorn, frozen of fresh prawns and scallops, and about 100g white fish per person. I sometimes include steamed mussels, clams or pipis at the end. This is about whatever you have in the cupboard or happen to fancy on the day. This is best quite soupy and eaten with a soup spoon, mopping up the liquid with some home made ciabatta. (or buy some if you are busy). As usual sprinkle some parsley on at the end.

This afternoon I made a fruit loaf for those fruit toast emergencies and a Madeira cake for school lunches.