Galicia beckons

As I said last week, we are eating our way through our cooking books and around the world, and this week we were in Galicia in Spain with Rick Stein.  It's the bit at the top left bordering on Portugal.  It's coastal, so we had seafood.  We started with mussels in tomato vinaigrette which was a wonderful way to eat mussels.  Eat more mussels - they are quick and easy to prepare, they are so cheap and they are quite filling.
We followed the mussels with a simple terakihi fillet with caramelised garlic. I have this nifty little app on my phone for choosing sustainable fish.  It's called Best Fish Guide & is produced by Forest & Bird.  You type in the fish the recipe suggests & the app tells you if it is a good choice and if not what to choose instead.  It also includes recipes!  The garlic is something you can do a good batch of and keep in the fridge for a few weeks.  Put 125g roughly chopped garlic cloves & 90ml olive oil into a small pan & cook over a very gentle heat for 20 minutes until it is soft & sweet.  Stir occasionally & bash it with a potato masher after about 15 mins to help it soften down.  Season with salt & refrigerate what you don't use.  We had this with what was described as a classic Spanish mixed salad and seemed like a version of a classic Salad Nicoise.  You can buy white asparagus in jars at Moore Wilson & they're not terribly expensive.  Nothing like the price of fresh in the season.
In the spirit of Spain, if not exactly Spanish, we had a salad of pumpkin, ricotta & Serrano ham served on a bed of baby spinach.  It was Hugh's side dish salad expanded into an entire meal. 
However we did not entirely leave last week's British theme behind.  I was looking at cooking books in the library - don't ask why  - I know we have too many on our shelves which is why we started this regional culinary journey.  However there we were at the library and there it was - The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook. I recommend a trip to your local library to borrow a copy for yourself.  If you are in Wellington wait a couple of weeks because we still have it. I would like to cook my way through the book.  For now we have tried Warm lamb salad with pea, mint & feta dressing.  This is a kind of deconstructed Sunday lunch without the potatoes.  You could serve it with a dish of sauteed or roasted potatoes if you wanted the carbohydrate. I plan to make this again.  The leftovers went well in our weekday lunches.
The book got another outing when Peter whipped up the Roasted squash, red onion, green leaf & cheese tart. We need to eat pumpkin every week to maintain my sideboard autumn display  - we eat & replace so they are not wasted.  We need to eat chard because it keeps growing.  So a recipe that uses both pumpkin and chard is very welcome.  You'll be hearing a lot more about this book.
If you have not yet visited Ombra on Cuba St, do so soon.  It describes itself as a Venetian Bacara.  The food is outstanding.  There is a bit of a wait for a table but you can have a drink and start eating at the bar.  The staff are really friendly and helpful.  You will have a great night out.  We took Phoebe on Friday and we were not disappointed. Phoebe's favourite was the potato & emmental crochetta, mine was the pork meatballs.  Next time I'm going to try the sardines.  Reminds me of a great trip I took to Portugal with a very good friend in 1982/83 where we ate sardines nearly every lunchtime.  It was my introduction to the joy of grilled sardines.

Twelve days of Christmas eating

I reported on the first day of Christmas but how did we fare on the following 11? Well we made the most of our Christmas leftovers & barely had to visit the shops which is always a bonus. While I am on the subject, I was shocked this year, to discover that many people believe that the 12 days of Christmas are some sort of countdown leading up to Christmas day. They are not - they are the 12 days from Christmas day to Epiphany (6th January), which is when the 3 fellows from the East turned up in Bethlehem bearing gifts. I'm sure all of you knew that but if not then you do now.
Anyway back to our Christmas fare. We have had a Boxing Day favourite for many years now which is the Christmas coleslaw I told you about last year. I really recommend this and you could variations using chicken or green cabbage at any time. It is beautifully refreshing when you feel you have over-indulged. Note the salt dishes. I was given a packet of black salt for Christmas. Doesn't it look wonderful?
Phoebe's request for the turkey leftovers is always turkey, cranberry & Camembert pizza. When I lived in London, I used to eat a version of this on Vogel's toast for Boxing day breakfast. Just pop under the grill until the cheese is melted.
We finished up the turkey in a turkey pie, which is my usual left over roast chicken pie method. In a pan, saute a finely chopped onion and anything else you have in the fridge that you want to use - capsicum, carrot, celery, mushrooms. Add the shredded cooked turkey and any left over vegetables from your Christmas dinner with the left over gravy. If the mixture feels dry because you skimped on the gravy, add some of the stock you made from the giblets. Pile into a pie dish or casserole & top with pastry. Peter is the pastry maker in our house and he has recently taken to adding a small grating of Parmesan. Try it. Bake the pie at about 180 until the pastry is golden & crisp - about 30 mins. Serve with a crisp green salad.
In addition to the giblet stock we used in the gravy we made regular turkey stock on Christmas day and that is all in the freezer to be used in risottos etc.
Using the turkey was quite easy but the ham was a bit more of a challenge for 3 to consume. I'm always up for a challenge. In the early days you can't go past sliced ham with boiled potatoes and salad. I have a new favourite dressing for boiled potatoes. For about 1 1/2 kilos new season potatoes - I use Jersey Benne or Perla, whisk 1/4 cup white wine vinegar and 1/4 cup white wine with 2 tbsp whole grain mustard. Start with a large bowl because you add everything to this. Cook & drain your potatoes well then halve them - this helps to soak up the dressing. Add to the vinegar mix & leave about two mins. Finely chop 1/2 a red onion & leave to soak in cold water about 10 minutes. This is a great trick for red onion you are going to use raw because it softens a little & takes away the sharpness. Drain & use a tea towel to squeeze out the excess liquid. Drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes & add the onions & about 2 tbsp each finely chopped parsley & basil. Season & toss gently to coat the potatoes. I think this may be similar to a French warm potato salad and is an excellent way to serve young potatoes. Also make a mayonnaise potato salad and add diced ham.
If you are feeling more adventurous try egg, ham & cheese souffle toasts. This is a recipe from the Chateau de Commarin in Burgundy, France. Lightly toast slices of slightly stale white bread and cut into elegant rounds using a biscuit cutter or small glass. One per person. Do the same with slices of ham. Separate an egg (one per person), and mix the yolks with a little grated Gruyere, then season. Whisk the whites until stiff. To assemble, top each slice of bread with a slice of ham & a dollop of eggy mix then top with a dome of whisked egg white. Put into a pan of hot sunflower oil & with a tablespoon, drizzle the oil gently over the whites until golden.
Continuing with the French theme I had to try the Jambon Persille I enjoyed in Dijon. This was really fun. I read through a recipe from a French cookbook I have - the one with the Boeuf Bourgigon mentioned in the same blog entry - and Julia Child's version & came up with something I was very happy with. First we clarified some stock with egg white. The idea was to render the stock very clear but I wouldn't bother again. Whatever method you choose just try to get your stock as clear as you can. To one cup stock add about 1/4 cup of very finely chopped or minced green tops from spring onions for flavour & colour & dissolve 4 leaves of gelatin or a scant tbsp of the powdered version. Leave to cool but not set.
In a bowl mix 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 clove of garlic mashed, 1/2 tbsp dried tarragon & 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar with salt & pepper to taste and 1/2 cup of the aspic. Chop the ham into 2cm chunks. In a chilled bowl spread a thin layer of the parsley mix then pack with layers of ham & parsley aspic. When the bowl is filled, cover with a weighted plate & chill until set. You are weighting it to press it together & make it easier to slice. When you take it out roughly scumble the top with a fork & pour over the remaining cup of parsley aspic (cool but not set). The scumbling (Julia's word) is to disguise the plate marks. I thought mine looked just like the pictures & it was delicious. Apparently traditionally served at Easter in Burgundy but will become a regular part of my Christmas repertoire.
Finish up the ham in a quiche or pie then all that's left to do is make the pea & ham soup. Throw the ham hock in a saucepan with 500g green split peas, a diced onion, a bay leaf & just cover with water. Simmer several hours, blend, season to taste & freeze for a rainy day.
Christmas eating is over for another year.

Christmas fare

I like to do the same thing for Christmas every year and I told you about it last year so there's not much to say. This year we were only four around the table for Christmas dinner which brought its own challenges. Somehow a turkey dinner and a glazed ham are easier to manage for a crowd. Provides a greater challenge for the issue of leftovers.

We did the usual - turkey with sage & onion stuffing, roasted potatoes with capsicum, shallots & baby carrots in two colours, peas with feta and asparagus dressed with lemon olive oil, nut roast. Followed, of course, by summer pudding and cream.

Later, if anyone is hungry, there is sliced ham with boiled potatoes & salad greens. Don't underestimate the value of doing a ham for Christmas. It might seem like an effort if you haven't done it before but it's worth it. You will have something to serve at any meal for the next few days and you will be amazed at what you can do and unexpected visitors will be impressed.

This year Peter was inspired to bake the ham in an old-fashioned huff paste. This is an inedible pastry case wrapped around the ham. It keeps the ham beautifully moist & helps retain the flavour. I have no idea why it was called a huff paste - can anyone enlighten us?

Soak your ham in cold water overnight. The next day drain & dry. Heat oven to 180 and make a flour & water paste using about 1.5 kg flour & 750ml water for a 5kg ham. Roll out the paste on a floured board & wrap around the ham. Put it in a large roasting tin and bake roughly 20 mins per 500g. Err on the side of under rather than over because you are still going to glaze it.

When it is done, break off the pastry case & give the juice-soaked pieces of paste to the servants for their Christmas feast. Remove the skin & any excess fat from the ham and score the remaining fat into diamond shapes with a knife. Insert a clove into each diamond & spread your glaze over the surface of the ham. Then return to the oven & bake at 190 for 20-30 mins until the glaze is golden. This year we glazed ours with marmalade made earlier.

Now we have left overs to look forward to!

From the Alsace to Burgundy

From Freiburg, we drove to Strasbourg in the Alsace and took the wine route to Turckheim. As well as wine, Alsace is a region of many traditions - picturesque painted houses, storks atop chimneys and the food is a kind of fusion of French & German. It is the home of tarte flambee, which is similar to the Italian white pizza; kugelhopf, a yeasty cake baked in a decorative circular mould; and choucroute, a variety of pork cuts & sausage served with sauerkraut. The Alsace dish that took my fancy is Baeckoffe which is a casserole cooked in white wine in a beautiful earthenware dish. Try this simple recipe for 6. Marinate overnight 300g diced pork (loin), 300g diced lamb (shoulder), 300g diced beef (chuck), 3 carrots & a leek sliced with 3 finely chopped onions, plus a bouquet garni, 2 cloves & 4 juniper berries. Season & pour over 1/2 a bottle of Alsace Riesling.
The next day lightly butter a Baeckoffe dish (I used the Le Creuset) & rub with a clove of garlic. Cover the base of the dish with a layer of peeled & thinly sliced waxy potatoes, layer up the meat & vegetables, top with another layer of potatoes and pour over the marinade liquid. Cover & cook in a low oven - around 160 - for 3 hours. There was a lot of liquid and I guess it was traditionally mopped up with bread but I just got out a soup spoon. I thought it would be quite winey but it was just like drinking a very flavourful stock. There are lots of versions, some more complicated than others but this worked for me. My butcher chopped all the meat so there was really very little work and quite considerable rewards. Serve with a simple green salad. This will become a winter standby.
Our next stop was Dijon in the heart of Burgundy and the home of the French traditions we are familiar with - snails, Boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin and Dijon mustard. As well as the old favouries I made some new friends. Kir - a mix of Creme de Cassis with white wine enjoyed as an aperitif; Oeufs en Meurette - eggs in a red wine sauce which sounded alarming but was truly wonderful; Jambon Persille - a terrine of ham & and parsley; and to finish, the divine pain d'epices - a French gingerbread/cake. I found the trick is to try things with an open mind. Quite frankly, the idea of eggs in a meat sauce or ham in aspic was a bit scary but I am a convert to both.
Using a French recipe I created what I think is a fairly traditional Boeuf Bourguignon which I have attempted to translate for you here. This isn't at all scary and really quite simple which is the case with most French provincial cooking. This is food to make at home.
Assemble:
1.5 kg stewing meat
1 bottle red wine
250g pork belly or streaky bacon
2 carrots
20 pickling onions
300g mushrooms - I think they are brown buttons
1 tbsp flour
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni - this usually comprises a bayleaf with a sprig or 2 of parsley & thyme
salt & pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
Brown the meat in your Le Creuset with the oil & butter. Remove & set aside while you soften the onions, finely chopped shallots & lardons. Put the meat back in the pot with the flour & mix well. Cover with the wine. Throw in the carrots, the boquet garni, chopped garlic & seasoning. Here I should mention that I was given a little pot of Fleur de Sel au Poivre de Penja when I was in France and this now goes into all my dishes.
Bring to the boil. Cover & simmer 3 hours. Throw in the mushrooms & leave to cook another 15 minutes.
Serve with steamed potatoes or pasta. I chose potatoes but pasta is a very popular French accompaniment. There will be enough for 2 meals for four, so freeze one portion for a rainy day.
This is really simple because once it's underway you don't have to do anything until 15 mins or so before serving. There were 2 other variations which I think involved marinading the meat overnight in the wine but I had enough trouble translating this one. Making this does give you a sense of firstly how uncomplicated good French cooking really is and secondly why it tastes so good.
Bon appetit.

Ham

At Christmas you will find a glazed ham is a lifesaver. I like cooking as you know but when you have guests you can't spend every minute in the kitchen. They begin to feel somewhat ignored. But they do expect to be fed. The ham will do it's job. And don't think of it only at Christmas but any time you are having a crowd.

Glazing a ham is quite easy. We usually do Nigella's cranberry glaze. Ignore the instructions for cooking. We buy them already cooked here - the glaze is not complicated. This year we did an apricot glaze from Dish Magazine (issue 27). We forgot to photograph it but it really did look like this. It was delicious, but Peter says the cranberry one is easier. What glaze do you use?

Don't overlook serving it hot on the right occasion, however we glaze on Christmas Eve & start eating Christmas night - first with new boiled potatoes & salad. Over the coming days the ham appears in many guises. On sandwiches with rocket or baby spinach and cranberry sauce or blueberry chutney. Make a pasta salad - this is my classic tuna pasta but diced ham is perfect. Cook some small coloured pasta shapes according to the packet. Add a combination of diced spring onion, diced capsicum, peas & corn, hard boiled egg, radish - really whatever you have in the fridge plus diced ham (or a tin of tuna) and mix with mayonnaise. Perfect lunch and travels well for a picnic.

One evening some were off to watch the Unicycle World Championship so I cooked some fettuccine & tossed it with pesto & diced ham. Make a pea & ham risotto. Before you know it the ham will be gone and you will miss it.

When it's done throw the ham hock in a pot with 500g green split peas, a diced onion and some mint & a bay leaf and simmer for several hours. Freeze for the cooler weather (if there's any left...). Your ham has served you well.

While our visitors were here, Peter also made a paella - not our usual mixta but a seafood-free version with chicken & pork. You can make a paella with whatever you have to hand - you need a wide thin bottomed pan and remember it's the opposite to risotto - DON'T stir.

For a final New Year's Day feast, before our guests left, we did a loin of pork with lentils, red cabbage, crushed potatoes & kumara.

Then we sent them on their way with a bag of ham sandwiches.