A bit of this & a bit of that

I have discovered another Asian dish, this time with chicken. For four, pound 5 cloves garlic, 2 tsp black peppercorns, 2 tbsp coriander root & 1/2 tsp sea salt in a pestle & mortar. You want a thick paste. Using 2-3 large chicken breasts, depending on size, into bite size pieces. Fry the paste in a little vegetable oil until fragrant then add the chicken pieces and stir until coloured. Add 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp fish sauce & 1/2 cup chicken stock. Simmer until cooked. Meanwhile prepare the greens. I used choy sum but try gai larn when in season. Pull the greens into individual stems & blanch 1 minutes, refresh in ice cold water & drain. Dry thoroughly. In a tbsp peanut oil, fry 2 tbsp grated ginger & 2 cloves garlic crushed. Add the greens & toss until hot. Stir a little chicken stock with 2 tsp cornflour top make a paste then combine with 3 tbsp oyster sauce & 1/4 cup chicken stock. Add to the pan and stir until thickened. Serve the chicken & greens with brown jasmine rice.
The sourdough starter is going well. I have shared & the recipient is having great success. I bought a new breadpan to bake it in - a Romertopf Pane. It is working well. It gives a good shaped loaf.
A couple of weekends ago we picked the last olives from the trees of a colleague & we are in the process of brining them. Should be ready in 6-8 weeks.
As a welcome dinner for the new arrival from Melbourne I made a vegetable tagine. It was something I could transport easily and we could eat on our knees with minimum utensils. A few years ago I was given a lovely book of tagine recipes & I just kept making the same one. The carrot and chickpea tagine so inspired me that I have now instigated tagine Saturday until we have worked our way through the entire book. In a tagine or heavy casserole saute 1 finely chopped onion & 3-4 finely chopped garlic cloves, until soft. Add 2 tsp turmeric, 1-2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cayenne & 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Stir through onions then add 1 tbsp dark liquid honey & 3-4 medium carrots sliced on the diagonal. Pour in enough water to cover the base of the dish & bring to the boil. Simmer on the stovetop or put in the oven at 180 for 15 minutes until the carrots are softened. Add 1-2 tins drained chickpeas & cook covered a further 15 mins until carrots are cooked. Sprinkle with a little rosewater & chopped parsley & serve with lemon wedges.
You may know I am not a tamarillo fan but they seemed the right thing to take a NZer returning home in winter. Baked with honey & red wine they did have more appeal. Use 1-2 tamarillos per person and try a mix of colours. To skin the tamarillos, make a small cross in the pointed end, place in a bowl & cover with boiling water. Stand for 2-3 minutes & refresh in cold water. Heat the oven to 160. Cut the tamarillos in quarters & roll back the skin from the point to the stem. Lay them in a baking dish. Wear an apron & take care not to splash.
For 4-6 people, combine 1 cup red wine with 2 tsp dark liquid honey & 2 star anise. Simmer until the honey is disolved in the wine. Pour over the tamarillos & cover loosely cover. Bake about 15 mins then baste & continue cooking another 10 mins. Serve with cream or ice cream.
While we've had Phoebe back in Wellington, for the few evenings we've had her home we've been delivering her favourite meals. Onion soup, pork chops in mustardy cider, home made hamburgers, tex mex, meatballs and one of her all time favourites - toad in the hole.
Make a Yorkshire pudding style batter. Break 2 eggs into a bowl & season. Whisk lightly & add 1/2 cup milk. Whisk again & add 125g flour. Whisk to form a thick batter & whisk in another 1/2 cup milk. Add chopped thyme or sage & set aside. You can rest for several hours in the fridge. I use sage for pork & thyme for beef sausages.
Preheat the oven to 210. In an oven proof pan, fry 1 sausage per person in a little olive oil until lightly browned on 2 sides. Add 1 sliced onion and 1 capsicum cut into thick slices. Fry lightly. Push the sausage and vegetable towards the centre of the pan & with the pan still on the heat pour the batter around the edge. Put the pan straight into the top third of the hot oven & bake about 20 minutes. Serve with sauce & follow with a crisp salad. This is real comfort food - not for everyday but it will warm your heart on a cold winter's evening.