A cultural exchange

The weekend following the family meals we had another kind of sharing meal.  This time a sharing of recipes and ingredients.  We have visited the home of Georgian friends and we are always served  this amazing Georgian bread called khachapuri.  I wanted to try this at home so our friend came over to teach me and in return I gave her my sourdough culture and the instructions to make bread.  I have had this culture now for four years and I have nurtured it through extended holidays.  It provides me with one or two loaves of delicious bread every week.  I have shared this culture with some of you and it has not ended well   Hands up who still has the culture.  No, I thought as much.
I digress. Khachapuri.  This is a delicious Georgian cheese bread which will be served at any Georgian festive table.  It is not a precise recipe so if you want to try it let me know and I can talk you through what I know.  Essentially make a dough with yoghurt, eggs, a pinch of soda, a little oil and as much flour as you need to make a soft elastic dough. Once you have such a dough you could refrigerate for an hour or so and prepare the filling.  In Georgia they usually use a Georgian cheese called suluguni.  We used 50/50 mozzarella and cottage cheese and a beaten egg.
Take a fist sized chunk of dough and roll on a floured surface into a round that will fit in a 30cm non stick frying pan.  Put the cheese in the centre and bring the edges to the centre in a magical way that you need to see. Fry on both sides until it is done. 
We had another couple for dinner as well and for aperitif I made a delicious smoked fish pate served with thinly sliced grilled sourdough. We did the lamb leg again but this time in the kettle barbeque which was wonderful.  Sear directly over the charcoal on both sides for 5 minutes then cook indirectly for up to an hour or till done to your liking.  I then realised that our other guests were Greek and I did not want to present Greek style food that wasn't really.  I didn't bother with the tzatziki and served the quinoa salad instead of the Greek salad but I thought the skordalia went so well with the lamb that we did that and were not going to mention the word.  The guests did however recognise it as skordalia so I think we got that one right.  I'm afraid we had the granita again too.  When you find a meal which is perfect for the season just keep eating it.
As a result of this evening I am now the owner of The Georgian Feast and am planning my own Georgian themed meal.  As part of this cultural exchange I also have a container of kefir grains.  I had heard of this but wasn't sure what it was.  I am still unsure but it is very good.  Similar to yoghurt but not.  Delicious - kind of sharp and sour but refreshing.  You just add milk to the grains and leave on the bench until it thickens then strain off the yoghurt-like substance to eat, rinse the grains and start again.  No heating milk to a precise temperature, no leaving in a hot water cupboard until set.  Apparently the grains multiply so I will have some to pass on shortly if you think you can keep them alive.
You need to strain off the whey and I used this to make another recipe I encountered recently.  Carrots cooked in whey. I didn't make the whole recipe, just the carrots, which I served with rump steak and other vegetables from the garden. I may try the entire recipe some time.

Feeding hungry hordes

We had young relatives visiting from the UK and it seemed the perfect opportunity for some summer family meals.  Unfortunately Wellington did not turn on barbeque weather but we made the best of it.  We started the weekend with an extended family dinner and I couldn't go past a leg of lamb which we had the butcher butterfly for us.  Ideally we would have cooked this on the barbeque but it does just as well on the flat grill on the stove top.  Marinade the lamb for an hour in a blend of 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt, juice of a lemon, 4 crushed cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp dried oregano.  When the grill is very hot, lift the lamb from the marinade, shake off any liquid then lay it on the grill skin-side down.  Cook for about 10 minutes until crisp on the outside.  Turn and brush with the remaining marinade, then continue to cook for around 20 minutes until crisp on the outside and slightly pink within or of you prefer, grill a shorter time and finish in the oven at 200.  Season with salt while cooking.  Rest for around 10 minutes before serving.  Peter does all this because, as you know, I don't really cook large pieces of meat. 
I served this with a classic Greek salad and tzatziki. I also decided to make skordalia for the first time and it was a hugely popular.  For 6-8 people, boil about 150g Agria potatoes or another excellent mashing variety.  It doesn't seem like a lot of potatoes for the hungry hordes but it will be sufficient.  Drain immediately.  Pound three cloves of garlic with salt in a mortar and sieve the potatoes through a very fine sieve or potato ricer.  Mix in the garlic until you have a smooth puree.  Don't use the food processor unless you are planning to hang wallpaper, in which case you will have a lovely garlic infused paste. Beat in 100ml olive oil a little at a time, as if you were making mayonnaise.  You are looking for an emulsion.  Add juice of half a lemon and a little water if you need to loosen the mix.  Serve as a sauce with the lamb.
And then for pudding we had a strawberry and rose wine granita.  So easy.  Blend 500g strawberries, 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp of any berry liqueur and 1 tbsp lime juice.  Add a cup of the rose and blend again.  Either still or sparkling wine will be good.  I used sparkling. Pour into a shallow freezer-proof container and freeze.  Two or three times before serving take the tray out and mix through any big chunks of ice, pulling the frozen side edges towards the centre with a fork.  Fluff up the granules and serve in tall glasses on top of mixed berries.  You will need long spoons or long tongues to get the berries from the bottom of the glass.
On Saturday night I decided to do chicken with a quinoa salad.  I  chopped and changed for ages. Quinoa or couscous? At the very last minute I plumped for quinoa.  It was the best decision.  It is actually like a quinoa tabouleh but lighter.  For 4, cook 1 cup quinoa according to the instructions on the packet.  Make a vinaigrette with oil, red wine vinegar and garlic and 1/4 tsp each ground ginger and cinnamon and stir through the cooled quinoa.  Fold in 1 cup diced cucumber, 10 or so roughly chopped cherry tomatoes, 2 thinly sliced spring onions, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, a good handful or mint or parsley or both and season with salt and pepper.  Serve with grilled chicken.  Season boned chicken breast, skin on with Moroccan style spices  - ras el hanout or whatever you have in the cupboard.  Use as many chicken breasts as you need for your diners.  I tend to think 120g per person and chicken breasts can vary hugely in size.  Cook the chicken on the barbeque grill or if it is windy at your house in a saute pan with a little oil.  Rest then slice and serve with the salad, a dollop of cottage cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. 
For pudding, Phoebe made  chocolate mousse using our secret family recipe.  She used an additional secret ingredient so even if you thought you knew the recipe you don't now.  Only Phoebe and I hold the secret.
On Sunday I returned to an old favourite, beef with yellow split peas.  This has the delicious pumpkin seed dressing.  I also served julienne of carrot and courgette with a pesto dressing. Mix 2 tbsp pesto with 3 tbsp olive oil and one of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
For pudding, I did an old Peter Gordon recipe of marinated strawberries and pawpaw.  Marinade about 500g halved strawberries in 75 ml dessert wine in the fridge for a couple of hours.  Separately marinade 1/2 a peeled and seeded chopped pawpaw in 1 tbsp lime juice.  When ready, gently toss together with a few mint leaves and splash over the juice.
You may notice that we are a bit short of photos.  That sometime happens when we have a crowd.  You'll have to imagine the lamb.