Strange Fruit

Summer fruit, like summer, lasted well into autumn this year but when we had farewelled the last of the plums it was time to welcome the autumn comers.  This year we added dragon fruit to the list.  I had never seen this before, but like many new things, as soon as I discovered it I encountered it everywhere.  The first time I saw it at Moore Wilson I had to buy one and remembering my earlier error with persimmon, where I didn't realise that they should be eaten firm, I looked up what to do.
Luckily I found a helpful video on You Tube.  I was slightly bemused that I was watching an instructional video on how to eat an item of fruit!  Later that week I unintentionally turned the television to one of those cooking competitions where a group of contestants had to make a dessert using a specific set of items & one of those items was dragon fruit.  And then later in the same week I tuned in to Come Dine with Me to see a contestant there serve a fruit salad containing dragon fruit.  This must be the fruit of 2013.  Try one when you get the opportunity.  I really like it.
If you like puff pastry, try this delicious tart which we had first with tomatoes & then used up the rest of the pastry & ricotta with a broccoli version. You could make your own but I would buy a really good puff pastry - we like Paneton.  As an aside try their spinach & feta Danish.  One pack of pastry will make two tarts.  Roll out half the pack about 4mm thick & cut out a 30cm circle.  Put the pastry on a prepared baking tray & refrigerate while you make the filling.  Put 275g ricotta & an egg into a bowl & mix well to combine.  Spread this mixture over the pastry base leaving a 2cm border.  Fold in the border to form a rim.  Bake at 200 for 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven & arrange 200g halved cherry tomatoes cut side up over the tart.  In the summer, look out for Curious Croppers.  They should be available in Moore Wilson later this year. If you are using broccoli, blanch for 3 mins before arranging small florets on the tart.  Drizzle with a little oil & bake a further 10 minutes.  Nestle some torn mozzarella in among the tomatoes & cook a further 2 mins.  Spoon over some basil pesto, scatter with fresh oregano, season with salt & pepper and enjoy.
We have been enjoying little treats.  Phoebe gave Peter some amazing coloured pasta for his birthday.  She prepared it for us with a simple carbonara sauce (sans pancetta) and I do think this was the best way to enjoy the subtle flavours of the pasta.  In a mixing bowl large enough to accommodate the pasta, lightly beat 2 eggs with 3tbsp grated Parmesan & 1 tbsp grated pecorino, finely chopped parsley, salt & pepper.  When the pasta is cooked according to the instructions on the pack, drain it & add to the bowl & toss until mixed through.  Serve immediately because the sauce isn't hot to start & it will cool quickly.  If you want to add pancetta cook it while the pasta water is boiling, in a little butter & olive oil to which you add a splash or white wine & reduce.  Add the pancetta to the pasta at the end.
We had an outstanding crop of broccoli this year.  Those green caterpillars enjoyed it too & we had a struggle keeping them down but a visitor recommended a garlic spray which helped. We celebrated the first of the crop with roast chicken served with broccoli & carrots from the garden.  The first picking of any new crop always seems the best one.  I had wanted to serve this with my cranberry/crabapple sauce - remember cranbapple.  However the crabapples which appeared to be a bumper crop were all rotten in the core.  So disappointing.  I had already bought the cranberries so I made a cranberry sauce that was outstandingly simple.
Tip a packet of fresh cranberries in a pot with the juice of two oranges.  Bring to the boil & simmer until the cranberries start to pop. Just get it to a consistency you like then add 1/2 the amount of sugar to the cranberries & stir till the sugar has dissolved.  Pour into clean jars.  This will keep in the fridge a couple of weeks.  I was so astounded by its simplicity & wonder that I bought another pack of cranberries & tossed it in the freezer for Christmas. We ate the sauce with the chicken, the left over chicken pilaf, potatoes & in fact everything I could think of where sauce might be appropriate.
The broccoli recipe of the season has however been Hugh's variation on pasta with greens - pasta with broccoli.  This takes no time to throw together on a week night & there is something amazing about how all the little broccoli bits cling to the pasta.  The chilli gives just the right degree of heat and it is a most satisfying meal.  I also highly recommend the original version and we do this with whatever greens we have to hand.  Frequently rainbow chard, because it just grows & grows & we need to eat at least one chard recipe most weeks.
Another find to showcase chard is a simple dish with butter beans.  If I can, I buy Navarrrico beans but they are expensive & hard to come by so tinned will do.  My only comment is I use the liquid from the jar & drain the tinned beans & add a little vegetable stock.  Tip a jar or tin of beans into a pan with the liquid from the jar or stock.  Add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes then add a 1/2 dozen or more quartered cherry tomatoes to the pan with a knob of butter, a splash of white wine vinegar, a squeeze of tomato paste & a generous splash of Tabasco or other hot sauce.  Mash a few of the beans with a potato masher & stir it all through.  This will make the dish creamier.  Bring back to the boil & simmer 10 mins or so until creamy & delicious.  Then stir through some shredded greens.  Spinach only needs a minute, chard two or three minutes & cabbage or kale around five.  You could stop here and serve just like this as a side dish but if you want this to be dinner, sprinkle with fresh breadcrumbs and some grated cheese and bake at 180 until the cheese is golden.
Lastly one of my followers gifted us a subscription to the New York Times (thank you)  and I happened upon a recipe for the best ever mushrooms on toast.  This may seem extravagant but I urge you to try it.  These may be the best mushrooms you ever eat.  As I am writing this I am recalling this meal and I can feel mushrooms on toast coming on for lunch tomorrow.  The New York Times food section has some of the best recipes of any newspaper. (I think this recipe is available outside the subscription but if you have trouble with the link give me a yell & I will send you the recipe.)

Thinking of spring

This week's effort may have been the best tagine ever.  This was my first beef tagine.  Soften one finely sliced red onion, 3 crushed cloves of garlic and a small piece of grated ginger.  When they begin to colour, add one red chilli finely chopped, 2 tsp coriander seeds crushed and 2 sticks of cinnamon.  Add 3-4 lightly cooked beetroots, peeled & quartered.  Saute the beetroot for a minute or so then pour in enough boiling water to nearly cover.  Put the tagine in the oven (put it in at 100 & bring the temperature up to 180).  After about an hour  & 1/2, add an orange peeled & segmented, a tbsp runny honey, 1 tbsp orange flower water & seasoning.  Cover & cook a further 15 minutes.  To serve, sprinkle over lightly roasted pistachios & chopped parsley.  I served it with couscous.
Sunday was Phoebe's last dinner at home before heading back to university & she asked for home made burgers.  I went for a lamb variation.  I make a delicious mix of lamb mince with bulgar wheat, garlic, dried mint & oregano (dried has a more intense flavour) & lemon zest - I think I've told you before.  Sometimes I make them into big patties, sometimes little meatballs to serve on skewers.  On this occasion I made medium sized patties to serve in pitta bread with hummus & a mix of  salad items.  This makes a great change from burgers.  We had the leftovers in our salad lunches.
On Tuesday I made a broccoli & blue cheese salad with the last of the broccoli from the garden.  It was so wonderful I may have to make it again this week with shop bought broccoli.  I urge you to try this.  Apart from broccoli & blue cheese which you have to use - otherwise I'd have to rename the dish - you can put in what ever you have in the fridge.  For the base I used crispy cos and baby spinach.  These days with a composed salad I dress each component as I compose it.  I made a lemony, mustardy vinaigrette & tossed the lettuce with the dressing in a bowl before adding to the salad dish. Cut the broccoli into tiny florets & blanch 1-2 minutes then toss in the dressing bowl & add to the lettuce.  I had some French bread left over from the weekend so I made tiny crispy garlic croutons.  At the market on Sunday I bought some speck from Little Wolf.  If you live in Wellington you should try this.  Sometimes his wife brings delicious Hungarian baking to the market. I put the rind (plus a parmesan rind I found in the freezer) in my pumpkin soup on Monday.  Finely dice the speck, fry & drain well.  I used Roquefort from the French cheese stall at the market and it was the perfect crumbly consistency.  I added halved cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds & micro greens.
Wednesday we had a delicious chicken & couscous meal.  Use 2 boneless chicken thighs, skin on, per person & tie them up with string to reatin their shape while cooking.  Brown on all sides in a pan then set aside.  Add a thinly sliced onion, 1/2  tsp ground corainder & 1/4 tsp each ground turmeric & ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove & a bayleaf.  Soften, adding a sprinkling of water to the pan if the spices start to catch.  Add 1/2 tin drained chickpeas, a handful of green olives & 1 cup chicken stock.  Season, then sit the chicken thighs on top, cover & simmer about 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the pan from the heat & transfer the thighs to a plate to rest - keep them warm.  Stir 3/4 cup couscous to the pan, cover & leave 10 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.  Add lemon zest & chopped parsley.  We had the left over couscous in our lunch salads.

End of the Golden Weather

The summer crops are winding down and the new season's produce is filling the market stalls. All the brassicas looked irresistible but I settled for broccoli which we just steamed and served with an old favourite beef stew. It's a good idea to make lots and freeze as it is little effort and you'll have a 2nd hearty meal to produce on one of those nights when you don't have time to cook but want something substantial when you finally get in.

Cut 2kg of stewing steak (blade, chuck, skirt) into thick chunks. Finely chop together 4 rashers of bacon, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 sticks celery, 4 cloves garlic with a handful of parsley & thyme. Gently cook in a tbsp lard in a heavy casserole (if you don't want to use lard try olive oil instead but lard gives good flavour here) and set aside. Heat a 2nd tbsp lard in a second pan and brown the meat in batches. When it is done sprinkle a handful of flour over the last batch and cook until the flour has browned. Add the meat to the casserole and to the meat pan add 1 cup red wine, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 cups water and salt & pepper. Scrape up the meat residue and add to the meat and vegetables. Cover & cook in a low oven about an hour. Take it out and add some vegetables selecting from mushrooms, pickling onions, carrots, potatoes, baby turnips. Just prepare them and chop them into a size you like. Return to the oven and cook for another hour. If you have 2 casseroles you could split them at this stage & put a different set of vegetables in each one.

Now that daylight saving has ended we are back on soup Mondays. We started the season with Egyptian lentil, served with some pita that was in the fridge and had seen better days. For 2 people, heat a small quantity of oil in a pan and soften a finely diced onion, a sliced garlic clove, a small piece of ginger grated and 1/2 a carrot, grated. Stir in a tsp each of cumin, turmeric and paprika and cook for a minute or two. Add a couple of handfuls of red lentils and stir through the spices then add 500ml chicken stock. Simmer until the lentils are cooked. Meanwhile brush a couple of pita breads with oil on both sides then cut into triangles and gently toast in a medium oven for about 8 minutes. You want them crisp but not so crisp that they shatter when you bite them.

On Tuesday I did something I've been thinking about for ages. I love mattar paneer and Zany Zeus have brought out a paneer so I thought I'd have a go. I delved into my trusty Indian Vegetarian Cookery bought in London 30 years ago and it did not disappoint. Cube the paneer (I just bought a pack of paneer that seemed the right amount for 2 people) and fry in ghee until golden. Set aside. In a mortar & pestle grind a small piece of grated ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli, 1 tsp cumin seeds, seeds from 2 cardamom pods, a small piece of cinnamon and mix with a little water to form a paste. In a pan fry a finely chopped onion with 1 tsp each mustard seeds & poppy seeds. Add the paste & fry a couple of minutes. Add 2-3 chopped tomatoes and a cup of peas. Gently fry a couple of minutes, add a cup of water & cook until peas are done. Add the paneer and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve with rice, home made tamarillo chutney and Indian bread.

If it is a cold night, try sausages in a mustardy sauce. I like to keep a pack of the Island Bay Butcher's pork & fennel sausages in the freezer for a rainy day & Wednesday turned out to be that day. Soften (almost caramelise) 1-2 onions in olive oil. Be patient, you want them to cook right down. While the onions are doing, cook some pasta such as penne or giant conchiglie and set aside. Skin the sausages and break into chunks - you can use any sausages you like. Add to the onion and cook through. Stir through a good dollop each of creamy Dijon and grainy mustard and a handful of chopped Italian parsley. Stir in about 1/2 cup cream and the cooked pasta.

We did a delicious creamy risotto topped with lemony chicken. In a baking dish, combine chopped rosemary and parsley with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil and juice of a lemon. Add a couple of chicken thighs - skin on (and skin side up) if you can get them. Put in the oven at 180 and roast 30-40 minutes, basting once. Cover & set aside to rest.

While the chicken is cooking make a basic risotto adding lemon zest and 2 tbsp chopped sage with the rice. Serve with the chicken sliced on top andif you want to be fancy cook a few sage leaves in hot olive oil until crisp. I did the sage leaves in the leftover oil and fat the chicken cooked in - okay if you used a pan that can be used on the stove top.

In the weekend I made a batch of quince jelly. Yell out if you would like a jar. I used to be scared of jelly because people suggest it is complicated but it really is not. Wash & quarter 5-6 quinces. Put them in a large pan (skin, cores and all) covered with water and simmer covered until quinces are soft. Mash the quinces & water until you have a liquidy mush. Spoon the mush into a jelly bag suspended over a large bowl. You have a lot of liquid so I spooned in the solids using a slotted spoon & then poured the liquid over in batches, transferring the resulting pink liquid to the preserving pan so the bowl didn't overflow. Leave the last batch to drip for hours making sure you have eked out every last drop of liquid from the quinces. Measure the liquid as you go because you want to add 7 cups of sugar to 8 cups of juice. That's 7/8 cup of sugar per cup of juice. Don't be precise but you don't want as much as a whole cup. Bring the juice to the boil then add the sugar. Boil until it is ready, skimming off any foam that appears. You want the liquid to reach about 220F and you can use a cooking thermometer to measure this. Don't rely on it though. When your jelly has been at a rolling boil for 10 minutes or so test it by putting about 1/2 tsp on a dish you have had in the freezer. If after a few seconds, when you push it with your finger it wrinkles a little it is done. Don't worry if it isn't perfect. You'll just have jars of delicious quince sauce to pour over ice cream.

I also pulled the basil plants and
made a batch of pesto. The plan for this weekend is to get all those tomatoes that didn't ripen into a batch of green tomato chutney. 

Salad Days

Caesar salad with chicken is a quick after-work meal. It's everywhere now but, like most food trends, I first discovered it in Sydney. The dressing was perfect and when I came home I looked for a recipe but I couldn't find anything that felt right. I came up with this. Let me know if you have any ideas for improvement. First heat the oven to 180. Use about 100g chicken per person & first brine in 2 cups cold water with 1 tbsp each salt & sugar dissolved, for about 1/2 hour. This keeps the chicken moist when you grill. Meanwhile make your croutons. Cut as much bread as you want -use a French stick or something similar - into chunky cubes. Toss in 3 tbsp garlic infused olive oil. Spread on a baking tray & bake 12-15 mins until golden, stirring occasionally. (If you make too many don't worry, they keep for ages in an airtight container.) Make the dressing. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil & carefully lower 2 eggs into the pan. Cook 45 seconds & remove. Cool just enough to handle & crack yolks into a small bowl discarding the whites. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt, ground pepper & whisk until smooth. Add olive oil whisking until the thickness you want. Up to 1/3 cup. It's is very much based on judgement and I end up with a yellow creamy dressing not as thick as mayonnaise. You can add anchovies to the dressing or separately on the salad. Now back to the chicken. Pat dry & place on a lightly oiled grill tray. Grill chicken about 8 minutes on each side. Test that it's cooked through at the thickest part but that timing works for me. Maybe a little more on the first side. Set the chicken aside to cool & put the water on to poach the eggs. Begin to assemble the salad. Mix torn up leaves of cos lettuce in a bowl first with the dressing, then lay in individual plates. Add croutons, anchovies for those who like them, then slices of the chicken. Pour over any leftover dressing. Poach the eggs & put one on the top of each dish & finish with very thin slices of Parmesan. I use the potato peeler. This salad is not only delicious, it's not nearly as fiddly as it sounds and works for the fussy family. Everyone in our family bar Peter & I have this without something.

For a green salad with a bit of a difference try beans, broccolini & asparagus. Cut the veg how you like them. Steam lightly - to al dente & toss in your best olive oil. Leave to cool slightly then season & toss in a bowl with toasted almonds, diced radishes & a dash of lemon juice.

I love eggs - I may have already mentioned this? Eggs & chicken are perfect in a salad as we have seen above. Try slicing a chicken breast in half horizontally, then saute both pieces in a little olive oil until cooked through. Set aside & add 1/2 cup verjuice to the pan & boil until reduced & syrupy. Return the chicken to the pan & coat with the glaze. Set aside to cool in the pan. Cut an iceberg (or similar crunchy) lettuce into wedges and arrange on a plate. You want chunks of crunchy lettuce. I have a lettuce knife I bought a few years ago & it cuts lettuce without bruising it. Great for shredding. I actually bought it because I was hoping one day to find a recipe for Cobb Salad and many years later I did but that is another story. Slice the chicken thinly against the grain & toss with pan juices then lay on the lettuce with the eggs cut into neat little wedges with your multipurpose egg slicer. Drizzle with aioli - you could make your aioli using verjuice instead of vinegar if you like. Scatter over capers, anchovies, olives, flat leaf parsley and then anything else you find in the fridge that seems suitable. You know I like scattering.

This time of year I usually start making Salad Nicoise too. Well it might not be Nicoise in the true sense, so just call it tuna potato salad. Boil some Red Desiree potatoes in their skins - you can use any waxy potatoes but I like the red skins in this salad - and cut into largish chunks. Leave to cool a little. Line a serving bowl with bite size pieces of cos lettuce then build up the rest of the ingredients in an order that pleases you. Include tinned tuna, boiled eggs (in neat wedges), steamed french beans and/or asparagus, halved cherry tomatoes (I like to use a couple of varieties), anchovies, capers, olives, the cooled potatoes. Drizzle over some vinaigrette - I sometimes use lemon instead of vinegar for this salad.

I have to tell you about the lunch I ate today. Nikau is open again and Peter & I had a relaxing lunch there today. I had scallops on creamed spinach with an amazing lemon salsa. I'm going to play around & see if I can recreate it. If I do I will share with you. It would be delicious with any fish & probably chicken as well. Maybe haloumi. It had chunks of lemon zest & was so sharp that it was only just on the right side of tart which was perfect with the richness of the scallops. It's been a little cool and wet in Wellington so Peter had a warming parsnip and fennel soup - delicious!

Party Time

I've got a bit behind and I've got quite a bit to tell you so this might take a few days. I wanted to talk about party food. If you have teenage girls in your house you'll know it's the ball season & we hosted a pre-ball gathering at our house - girls, partners & parents. My advice when having a drinks function is keep it simple. Minimise your effort & maximise effect. Plan a simple menu that includes nibbly things attractively laid on dishes, dips, hot & cold snacks. We found a small piece of steak in the freezer that Peter cooked rare and sliced thinly. He grilled slices of French bread on both sides, spread on a smear of horseradish, then a slice of beef & topped with a sliver of roasted red pepper.
One of my favourites is mini meatballs. Use minced lamb - mix with spring onions finely chopped (I didn't include garlic or onions on this occasion but perhaps I should have!), cinnamon, cumin, allspice, breadcrumbs (or try semolina), an egg to bind, salt & pepper. Make teeny meatballs. About 500g lamb should make 75 meatballs. You can make these up the night before & cover in the fridge - I think they settle & are less inclined to break. When ready to serve, fan grill at 180 for about 15-20 mins - turn halfway through, or gently pan fry browning on all sides. The latter is a bit fiddly for me.
Then skewer the meatballs on those little party bamboo skewers with the curl at the end and put a cherry tomato on the end of each one. These look & taste fabulous. You don't need a dipping sauce.
Peter usually makes little pastry cases which we fill with various things - on this occasion that left over spinach & ricotta I put in the freezer on July 19th. We put a little blob of feta on top for extra salty cheesiness & baked for 12-15 minutes at 220.
Then serve mixed dips with yummy things you find at the supermarket or deli. We had a fantastic Kingsmeade blue cheese called Sunset Blue, classic reduced cream onion dip, guacamole, hummus, Caanan Galilee. One of my favourite snacks is pesto spread on mini toasts. I used to make crostini but you kind of lose the will to live slicing & oiling & turning the breads. I buy Pride of France mini toasts & Genoese pesto. In summer I make my own basil or beetroot pesto.
And lastly don't forget the cheesy feet. Make your mother's cheese straws recipe but use a red cheese - I use Kingsmeade Rimutaka Red - and some Parmesan. Add a pinch of cayenne. I used to make cheese stars but I recently acquired hand & feet shaped cutters. The hands weren't so good, the fingers kept falling off, but the tiny feet were delightful.
Last Saturday we went to a friend's 50th birthday & I made a delicious broccoli salad to go with a glazed ham. I recommend you try this before the broccoli season ends. In a large bowl mix baby cos & spinach leaves, little sprigs of broccoli blanched for 2-3 minutes, 100g crumbly blue cheese (not Kaimai crumbly because although delicious, crumbly it was not), a handful of olives, about 5 rashers of bacon (free range) fried until crispy & crumbled into bits, cherry tomatoes halved - use a variety & cut across the middle not down through the core (Jasper taught me this - it looks prettier). Dress with a lemony vinaigrette and sprinkle on a handful of toasted slivered almonds & a handful of microgreens -the truth is I never know when to stop & always want to add one more thing.