Winning ways with chard

We eat seasonally and often from the garden.  It's not large but there are only two of us and it can feed us well.  You know how you look forward to the first crop and sometimes enthusiasm wanes at the end.  We've been enjoying chard over winter picking a few leaves to make a delicious chard meal each week, sometimes twice a week. And then it turns on you.  Suddenly you have the Karori chard monster growing so fast and tall and threatening to go to seed.  Meanwhile you are trying to consume the kale and cavalo nero before that too bolts and you know you really have to eat the last of the broccoli this week. I knew things were serious when I mentioned to Peter that a friend who kindly took some chard off my hands this week said how much she had enjoyed her three chard meals.  Peter's response - "well that's three chard meals we don't have to eat".  If you have your own chard dilemma I have a few suggestions.
Chard works really well with grains such as barley, farro or freekeh.  For a great pilaf, saute a finely diced red onion in olive oil.  Add 2 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios, grated zest of a lemon and a cup hot chicken stock - you may need different quantities of liquid depending on which grain you use so top it up with hot water if it is drying out. Mix and cover with a lid.  Simmer gently for around 20-30 minutes until the water has evaporated and the grains are cooked.  Season and stir through about 250g roughly chopped chard.  When the chard has wilted, add about 150g crumbled feta and stir through a little olive oil and the juice from the lemon.  You can serve on its own for a light weeknight supper or with lamb.  Use fillets, backstraps or rump.  Rub the lamb with a mix of ground cumin, cardamom and coriander and then briefly sear the lamb in a hot pan and finish in a hot oven.  Slice the lamb and serve on the pilaf topped with mint leaves and a sprinkling of sumac.
I made a great a great Iranian style stew with yellow split peas.  Saute an onion until soft then add 2 cloves crushed garlic with a cinnamon stick, a tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp fenugreek and a pinch of saffron strands.  Add 100g yellow split peas and 500g chicken or vegetable stock and cook until the peas are nearly done.  Add more hot stock or water if they are sticking.  Add 100g brown basmati rice and cook a further 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.  Add more liquid if necessary.  Stir through 250g roughly chopped chard and let wilt a little.  Finish with 2 sliced spring onions, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses.  Scatter with chopped mint leaves and pomegranate seeds to serve.
Try a chard gratin served with a crisp green salad. Heat a crushed garlic clove gently in a frying pan then stir in a tsp each of chopped rosemary and thyme and 250g roughly chopped chard. Season and stir over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.  In a large bowl beat together two eggs, 1/4 cup milk and salt and pepper. Stir in chard mixture and about 50g Gruyère. Stir in a cup of sweetcorn and mix well. I usually use frozen corn out of season but you could just as easily use canned if you prefer.  Pour into a greased baking dish, sprinkle parmesan on top and drizzle over a little olive oil.  Bake at 180 for 35-40 mins until nicely browned.  Rest 10 minutes before serving.
We had chard with chickpeas and tamarind. Saute a sliced onion with 1 tsp each of ground coriander and 2 tsp caraway seeds.  Add a tsp tomato paste, a can of chopped tomatoes, 300mls chicken stock, a can of chickpeas, 4 tbsp tamarind paste and 400g roughly chopped chard with stalks. Season and bring to the boil then cover and simmer 30 minutes.  When done it will be a thick soupy consistency.  Finish with a little lemon juice and serve with rice and a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Don't forget our old favourite, Floriditas' chard risotto, which has had a few outings.
Our final chard meal of this crop was the pilaf with lamb.  Now we move on to the broccoli, starting with a broccoli and blue cheese salad.


 

Home and abroad

It's been a while but I find myself with a moment to spare and I thought I'd catch up with you.  We've been away.  This isn't an excuse but I thought I'd start by sharing some of the delights we ate while we were away.  We travelled to England and Scotland and I made a side trip to Rogat in the Netherlands.  We ate some amazing food and I am not going to mention the not so great - best forgotten.
There are some wonderful places to eat in London.  We made a day trip to Hampstead Heath and I wanted to eat at the Spaniard's Inn.  The food wasn't this good last time I was there.  We sat in the sun and enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a pint.  From the June menu, I had the Scotch egg and Peter had the terrine. We then shared the salad of bulgar wheat, quinoa, lentils, soy flakes, radish, pomegranate & asparagus.  There was one surprise with the salad - no asparagus.  And a slightly odd response to its absence.  The waitress had no idea what asparagus was and peered at the plate uncertain what was actually missing.  The chef and the duty manager were surprised that I had thought fit to mention its non-appearance.  That said, this was the best Scotch egg ever and  a wonderful salad sans asparagus.
I was keen to try out Ottolenghi's Soho offering, Nopi.  We couldn't get a table in the main restaurant but there was space at the downstairs bar.  It was a great atmosphere and great food.  We had a selection of dishes to share.  I was browsing in the Time Out and I found a review for another Middle Eastern restaurant in Soho, the Palomar.  If you only eat at one Middle Eastern restaurant in your life, make it this one.  Again we couldn't get a table but we did secure a perch at the bar where we could observe the food being prepared and the chefs having fun while they cooked.  
We had two great meals in Glasgow.   We were taken by friends to Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery.  This was a five-star restaurant specialising in fish.  We don't often eat out like this.  At the other end of the scale we went to a family run Italian restaurant, Sarti, which is definitely worth a visit. 
Phoebe searched out another amazing find in Canterbury.  Next to the railway station is the Goods Shed where produce was once stored before being transported by train.  This is now a Farmer's Market and restaurant serving locally sourced seasonal food.  I can't describe the meal - you'll have to try it out for yourself.
I also enjoyed home cooking in the village of Rogat in the Netherlands province of Drenthe.  I enjoyed traditional Dutch cooking including Stamppot, made with endive as a summer substitute for kale, and chervil soup.  Most of what I ate was produced from the back yard including eggs and honey.   
Since we've been back we have been enjoying some of the coldest weather Wellington can throw at us, so we thinking slow cooking and lots of winter greens.  Luckily the kale, cavalo nero and rainbow chard in the garden is keeping us going.  We have a new eatery in Wellington, Loretta, sister restaurant to Floriditas.  They have the ultimate comfort rice dish  - warm rice with broken sausage and thyme.  I am making a basic risotto with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a handful of thyme leaves in with the very finely chopped onions.  I used pork & fennel sausages, skin removed and broken up.  Cook these lightly before adding the rice.  Add extra stock so the resulting dish is quite sloppy.  Add extra thyme at the end and omit cheese.  Truly.   I served with  leeks and winter greens from the garden.
You should also try a potato tagine-style stew which has become a staple at our table.  For four to six, soften a finely sliced onion and two roughly chopped carrots with a pinch of salt, in a heavy bottomed pan.   Add a teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric and paprika and a pinch of chilli flakes along with three crushed garlic cloves, zest of a lemon, tbsp clear honey, a couple of bay leaves and three long green chillis left whole.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Add scrubbed red skinned waxy potatoes cut into chunks and turn in the spices. Add a tin of tomatoes, a tin of chickpeas, two cups chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer fotry minutes.  Add a handful of green olives at the end and serve with dollops of Greek yoghurt (I use Zany Zeus) and scatter with toasted pumpkin seeds, a tsp of paprika and some finely chopped parsley (or coriander).  You will make this again and again.
 

Ottolenghi inspirations

I am a huge fan of Yotam Ottolenghi.  Twice recently I have watched him on the television and been inspired to rush off and make one of his dishes.  The first was a traditional Cretan dish which I served for Harriet's birthday.  It doesn't sound so exciting on paper but it was inspirational to watch and sensational to eat. 
This recipe uses a traditional Cretan dried bread, dakos, which I couldn't find.  Yotam suggest substituting Swedish krisprolls or Italian friselle.  I broke 400g of staleish sourdough into chunks and baked on a tray at 100 until they were dried out completely but not coloured. About 20 minutes.
To serve 6-8, grate half a kilo of ripe tomatoes into a bowl.  This sounds tricky but basically grate on a box grate until you are left with a piece of skin in your hand.  It is a bit messy.  Chop another kilo of tomatoes into 1 cm dice.  Mix with 1 diced red onion, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper.  In another bowl mix together 200ml olive oil, 100ml red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.  This may seem like a lot of oil but you will want this much.  In a pan lightly saute 2 cans of chickpeas with a little olive oil, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin & a little salt.  Spread your dried bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer.  Pour over the oil and vinegar mix, then spoon over the tomato mix. Next cover with the chickpeas.  Dot with chunks of feta (300g).  Scatter over basil & drizzle with a little olive oil.  Bake at 200 for 25 minutes until the feta starts to colour. Delicious!
The second was inspired by a meal made in Jerusalem on a Plate - split wheat and chard with pomegranate molasses.  I am not sure what exactly split wheat is but I have some freekeh in the cupboard and this was good or you could even use pearl barley but cook it longer.  For four, start by softening 2 thinly sliced leeks in olive oil.  Add the finely chopped stalks from about 600g chard.  After a couple of minutes add the sliced chard leaves.  Cook for a couple of minutes then add 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 200g of whatever wheat or grain you are using, 500g chicken stock and season.  Bring to a simmer, cover & cook about an hour. At the end of cooking remove the lid and cook down until all the liquid has evaporated and the molasses & sugar are beginning to caramelise.  You could add more molasses at the end.
You could have this as a light meal on it own but it was delicious with pork and courgette patties.  The recipe was for turkey but we had pork mince in the freezer.  I reaslised aftrewards it may not have been quite the thing because this was either a Jewish or Palestinian muslim dish.  Neither of those cultures eat pork but we do and it worked very well.  Use whatever mince you like.  First make a sour cream sauce by mixing 100g sour cream, 150g thick greek yoghurt, 1tsp lemoin juice, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tbsp olive oiul, 1tsp sumac, salt & pepper.  Set aside.
For the patties, in a large bowl mix 500g turkey, chicken or pork mince, 1 coarsely grated courgette, 3 finely sliced spring onions, 1 egg, 2 tbsp each chopped mint and parsley, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne, salt & pepper. Shape into patties and rest.  If the mix is too wet, add some breadcrumbs or  something to help it hold together.  I used bulgar wheat, but you need to soak it in cold water for 10 minutes first, then drain and squeeze out excess moisture.  To cook the patties sear on both sides in a frying pan then finish in a hot oven (220) for 6-8 minutes.  Serve with the wheat and yoghurt sauce.  This is a meal you will want to make again. 

Courgettes every day

Over the long hot dry that has been Wellington's summer this year we have been feasting from the garden.  Along with lettuces, spring onions, radishes and rainbow chard, we have had a bumper crop of courgettes.  We have had green & yellow courgettes and some wonderful scallopini.  I didn't know that as the scallopini grow they change from bright yellow to a rich creamy colour.
Very fresh radishes it turns out are delicious buttered and dipped in salt.  This turned up in a book of Parisian cooking as something to have with an aperitif, and also appeared in Hugh's veg.  Basically, spread a little of your very best butter - we are currently eating Lewis Rd - on a radish & sprinkle with a pinch of very best sea salt.
We have struggled to keep up with the courgettes and at times were eating them every day.  Luckily, there are so many good things to do with a courgette.  For an excellent fettuccine dish, gently fry 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic with a finely chopped onion & 4 thickly sliced courgettes until the onion is soft.  Add a pinch of saffron threads that have been soaking in 1/4 cup water for 15 mins or so - add the water as well.  Add 4 diced tomatoes and 200ml cream.  Stir this mixture through cooked fettuccine with 200g crumbled goat's feta and a handful of torn basil leaves.  Top with grated Parmesan.
Try a warm chickpea salad filled with summer veg.  This is a bit of an assembly job.  Start by softening a finely sliced red onion with 1 tsp cumin seeds in a pan.  Put in a large bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and 3 tbsp white wine vinegar.   Rinse & drain 2 tins of chick peas & heat through in a pan of boiling water then drain & add to the bowl.  Cook 2 cobs of corn & scrape the kernels into the bowl - I have a gadget that does this really efficiently and is also good if you have braces or have just had your wisdom teeth extracted and can't gnaw it straight from the cob.  Steam or blanch some green beans & add to the bowl along with 1/2 cup pitted green olives, thinly sliced deseeded red chilli, 1 cup flat leaf parsley (remember I don't eat coriander but you might like to).  Toss to combine, season & sprinkle on some crumbled goat's cheese.  Some crusty sourdough would be nice with this to soak up the dressing on the plate at the end.
To really celebrate a glut of summer vegetables what about a Spanish vegetable stew - a menestra.  I used a few leaves of chard, a large handful of green beans, 2 courgettes, 100g green beans.  I would have added asparagus if they had been around. Strip the leaves from the chard & chop the stalks into 5 cm pieces, halve the beans, slice the courgettes lengthways into stubby sticks.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil & cook the vegetables separately for the appropriate amount of time.  Lift them out with a slotted spoon & refresh under cold water then set aside.  About 5 minutes for the beans, three for the chard stalks (not leaves), courgettes.  Reserve the cooking water.  Heat some olive oil in a cazuela or wide shallow pan and soften a thinly sliced onion & garlic clove.  Stir in 25g plain flour. Gradually stir in about 500ml of the cooking water & 1/2 tsp caster sugar.  Bring to the boil & simmer a couple of minutes.
Stir 150g peas & the chard leaves into the sauce & cook 3 minutes or so then stir in all the cooked vegetables to heat through.  You could have this as a light mid-week meal or as a side with fish.  Either way, it is a delicious way of serving summer greens.
When one courgette is hiding under the leaves & becomes marrow-like before you discover it, try stuffing it with a rice mixture.  I cooked up about 150g lamb mince with onion, garlic & 1 tsp each of cinnamon & cumin.  I mixed through about 1 cup homemade tomato sauce & 1/2 cup cooked rice.  Halve 2 marrow-like courgettes & scrape out the seeds.  Lay in a baking dish where they fit snugly and fill with the mince mixture.  Bake at 180 about 1/2 an hour until the courgettes are tender. 

Catching Up

It's been a while.  We've not been going hungry.  We have been eating delicious dinners everyday and baking bread every week.  I have had other things going on and I haven't made the time to sit down and record them.  The photos however have been taken and I thought I would take this opportunity to update you on how we have been eating over winter. 
I've just picked three highlights.  I'd never made Coronation Chicken before.  Have you?  I thought I would have a go this Queen's birthday with all the Jubilee events going on and I was very pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't even that complicated.  I used Rosemary Hume's original recipe and I pretty much stuck to the recipe even when it sounded a bit odd e.g. apricot jam & mayonnaise.  I did just poach chicken breasts rather than a whole bird because it was only for three.  The rice salad with peas was delicious.  Try it in the summer or at the next Jubilee.
On the retro theme I also recently made a prawn cocktail with a classic Rose Marie sauce and Steak Dianne.  It's worth revisiting those old favourites - they were popular for a reason.  Perhaps I'll have a dinner party with a retro theme.
Phoebe gave Peter a very exciting pizza cutter for his birthday and, yes, I know that was a while ago, however pizzas have now been eaten & sliced & I can report that it is very effective.  I should have some of the other gadgets in the series.  The pizzas were also good.  I made one classic margherita & looked to Hugh for inspiration.  I always use Hugh's magic bread dough for pizza these days. Any dough left over shape into a loaf, make a couple of cuts in the top and pop in the oven at 250 for about half an hour or till it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.  I have made the beetroot pizza and recommend it along with the kale and onion, however on this occasion I did potato, rosemary & blue cheese.  The classic margherita & this one are the two pizza greats.   They also do a fabulous version of this at Scopa in Wellington - it's the Rosa Maria.  While I'm on the topic of the Bresolin brothers, we had the Wellington on a Plate menu last week at Duke Carvell's between movies and it was a stunner.  And tomorrow is the Moore Wilson Food Heroes which is one of the highlights of my culinary year. 
My house guests gave me Ottolenghi's Plenty and I made Chickpea, tomato & bread soup.  Make this soup.  Ottolenghi describes this as a warming & filling meal in a bowl after which you need nothing but a "little pillow to rest your head on".  It's true.  Try it.
And there are many more gems to be found in the book.  It has become one of my "go to" books when I have a vegetable & need an idea.
And I have to tell you about the dinner I have just eaten.  Peter made us braised fish with leeks, thyme and potatoes. 
For two, cook a couple of waxy potatoes, sliced 1/2 cm thick, for about 4 minutes & set aside to cool a little.  Halve a leek & slice about 1cm thick. Mix the cooked potatoes & leeks with 2 tbsp melted butter, some thyme leaves & a clove of crushed garlic.  Tip into a wide saute pan - Peter used the cazuela - pour over 1/4 cup white wine & 1/2 cup chicken stock & bring to the boil.  Cover with baking paper, seal with foil or a tight fitting lid & put the dish in the oven at 180 for about 45 mins.  Cut about 350 g white fish into large pieces & place on top of the veg.  Pour over a little cream, season & scatter with grated Parmesan.  Cook uncovered until the fish is cooked - about 15 mins.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Eat your greens

We went straight from the simple cazuela to the grand sounding Arroz de Mar y Montana - sea & mountain rice - with chicken, pork, prawns & squid.  You want to make this for 4 or 6.  For 6, season about 300g diced pork and 6 chicken thighs then brown in a cazuela or casserole.  Transfer to a plate.  Take 4 good pork sausages & squeeze them out of their casings and form into  small balls.  Brown them all over then remove.  Add 250g squid cut into smallish pieces & 1 finely chopped onion.  Cook until the onion is soft then add a tin of chopped tomatoes & cook 15 mins.  Return the other meats to the pan along with any juices on the plate and add 1 tsp smoked paprika.  Add 6 cups water & simmer gently 1/2 an hour.  Make a picada which is usually a mix of herbs and nuts - maybe a Spanish pesto.  Perhaps one of you Spanish cooking experts can enlighten us here.  In this case 2 cloves garlic, 10 skinless hazelnuts (roast in the oven a few minutes and the skins will rub off) & 1 tsp flat leaf parsley.  Pound in a mortar & pestle, or blend, with a little of the simmering liquid until you have a smooth paste.  Sprinkle some saffron threads into the cazuela, bring the liquid to a boil & add 2 cups rice, the picada, & a handful of shelled prawns.  If you have ones with the shell on give them a quick turn first back with the sausage balls.  Make sure the rice is evenly distributed then cook uncovered on a medium boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat & cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed & the rice is al punto.
Now that the cold weather is closing in, try a spicy winter stir fry.  For 4, cut 2 carrots into thin batons, 2 parsnips into thin disks, 200g mushrooms finely sliced & 200g finely shredded Brussels sprouts.  Heat some sunflower oil in a wok or pan over a high heat & stir fry 6 finely sliced shallots & 1 hot finely chopped chilli for a few minutes.  Add the carrot & parsnip & cook 2 minutes.  Then add the mushrooms & 2 cloves finely chopped garlic & fry another couple of minutes.  Finally add the sprouts & cook another couple of minutes.  Season & add a pinch of sugar.  Scoop everything out of the wok, reduce the heat.  Add 4 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp rice wine, 1 tsp Chinese five spice, a good squeeze lime juice and 4 nests of cooked drained egg noodles.  Cook a couple of minutes, then return the vegetables to the pan & toss through.  Serve with another good squeeze of lime juice.
One of my other favourite meals of the moment is chard & potato curry.  We have some rainbow chard growing in the garden and Wairarapa Eco Farms is now at the market every week.  Between us we produce a wealth of leafy greens for this dish.  You could use any waxy potato but I have been using Eco Farms Kowiniwini potatoes.  For 4, take about 500g rainbow chard, beetroot leaves, spinach, curly kale - whatever you have to hand.  Separate the leaves from the stalks.  Cut the stalks into 2-3 cm pieces & roughly chop the leaves.  Fry 1 finely sliced onion in a pan with sunflower oil until golden. Pound 3 cloves garlic with 1 finely chopped green chilli & a knob of chopped ginger with a pinch of salt, to a fine paste.  Add to the onion with 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp turmeric & 3 cardamom pods.  Stir through, then add about 350g small waxy potatoes, quartered and the chopped stalks.   Fry a few minutes then add 400ml water, bring to a boil & simmer 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  Add the leaves & stir until wilted.
In a bowl mix 250g thick yoghurt, 1 1/2 tbsp tomato puree & a little curry liquid.  Stir this back into the curry & warm through gently.  Scatter over toasted mixed chopped nuts - almonds, cashew, pistachios and serve with rice or naan bread.
Try this Tunisian breakfast soup which I actually made for Saturday lunch.  Soften a finely chopped onion then add 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tbsp cumin & a finely chopped red capsicum.  Add a tin of chickpeas, a tin of tomatoes & 750ml chicken stock.  Simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Add 500g roughly chopped greens - the ones you didn't use in the curry.  Stir through 2 tbsp harissa paste. Grill a slice of sourdough bread per person & lay in the bottom of a bowl then pour over a ladleful of the soup.  Top with hard boiled egg, capers & a little more chopped capsicum with a drop of harissa.
I have often thought of making corn bread but never done so.  This week Hugh inspired me to have a go and it was a huge success.  His recipe include pumpkin and chillies both of which were lurking in the fridge looking for something to do.  I added a tin of creamed sweetcorn.  I think I have mentioned before this is a weakness of mine.  We couldn't eat it all so I divided into batches for the freezer & we will reheat for lunches from time to time. 
Finally I ordered some dumplings from Vicky Ha at the market and served them for Sunday dinner with my version of Alan Fong's greens.  I emailed Vicky & she put the dumplings aside for me with the dipping sauces and emailed me instructions on how to cook them.  They were truly wonderful.

Lamb with quince

Quinces are here.  They have some very good friends but their window of togetherness is short.  I spied quinces & figs  - enter baked tagine of lamb with quinces, figs & honey.  This was more suited to a crowd but I didn't want to launch it on unsuspecting guests if it wasn't up to the job.  So Peter & I had to eat it all ourselves.  As you know I am a dab hand with leftovers.  There is no waste at our house so I had a plan.  First the tagine.  Start a couple of days ahead. I ordered a boned shoulder of lamb because I didn't think it would fit in the tagine with the bone in.  I might try it in a large cast iron casserole next time.Then make the chermoula.  Pound 4 cloves chopped garlic, a knob fresh ginger, 1 chopped red chilli, 1 tsp sea salt to form a coarse paste.  Pound a small bunch each coriander & parsley into the paste.  Beat in 3 tsp each ground  cumin & coriander.  Bind with 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey & the juice of a lemon.  Cut small incisions in the lamb & rub the paste all over the meat.  Cover & refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.
Next day heat oil & butter in a tagine, add the lamb & brown all over.  Transfer to a plate.  Into the tagine, stir 2 red onions cut in wedges, & any left over chermoula.  Add 225g stoned prunes and if you can't get fresh figs 225g dried.  If you have fresh leave them until later.  Pour in 300 ml hot water & return the lamb to the tagine.   Cover & put in the oven for two hours.
Near the end of the cooking time peel, core & quarter 2 quinces.  Melt a little butter in a pan & toss the quinces until golden.  Remove the tagine form the oven & place the quinces around the lamb.  Splash over a couple of tablespoons orange flower water & drizzle a similar quantity honey.  Return to the oven a further 30 mins until the lamb is very tender.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley & serve with plain couscous & soft leafy greens.  This is truly the queen of tagines.  Save the leftover lamb, fruit, & liquid for another day.
Sunday we got some fish from the market again & I did our old standby saute potatoes & the last of the courgettes from the garden.  Probably not the last, but the last ones that were there on Sunday.
 We had a soup planned for Monday but one of you brought me some freshly caught snapper and we had to eat it immediately.  Thank you.  For a change we crumbed them & served with crushed potatoes & an egg mayonnaise.  For 250g snapper combine 5 pitted finely chopped green olives, zest of a lemon, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/4 cup panko crumbs.  Cut the fish into 5 cm pieces.  Dip in lightly beaten eggs then the crumb mix.  Press the crumbs on to help them stick.  Combine chopped egg & mayonnaise with lemon juice.  Cook the fillets in a little olive oil 2-3 minutes each side.
Tuesday was left overs - Moroccan shepherd's pie.  Firstly saute a finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, garlic in a little olive oil until really soft.  Add  the roughly shredded/chopped lamb & heat through.  Pour over the reserved tagine cooking liquid & add the chopped fruit.  Throw in a splodge of Lowry Peaks Quince Splash.   Simmer a few minutes.  If it is too dry add some liquid.  Stock or water is fine.  I had a small bowl of spicy lentil stew left so I just added enough lamb mix to make a meal for 2.  I topped with me left over pumpkin & parsnip mash mixed with some mashed potato from an earlier occasion which I had thawed.  Always freeze left over mash.  It will come in handy for a mash topped pie. If the tagine was the queen this was certainly the princess of shepherd's pies.  And I have a container of the lamb mix in the freezer for one or two more pies.
We had Monday's planned soup on Wednesday.  For 4 soften 1 thinly sliced onion, diced carrot & potato, 2 cloves crushed garlic with 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary.  Add a splash of water if the potatoes look like catching.  Add 1/2 tsp each turmeric & smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cinnamon & 2 drained tins chickpeas.  Set a cup or less aside for garnish.  Add 5 cups stock & simmer 10 minutes.  Blend in a food processor & bring back to heat.  Heat some olive oil in a pan & saute a diced chorizo with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika & the reserved chickpeas.  Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice into the soup & ladle into bowls then top with the chorizo & chickea mix & drizzle with a little of the oil from the pan.
Now we are looking forward to the Easter cooking.  The crabapple trees actually produced fruit this year although not enough to make jelly.  I am looking for something to do with them as an accompaniment for the Easter lamb. 

The greens make the meal

I bumped into one of my regular readers at Moore Wilson this week & she recommends the kefte tagine with eggs.  Has anyone tried the others?  What's your favourite to date?  This week was a Spanish influenced tagine of chickpeas & chorizo.  You could use merguez sausages or leave them out altogether & just do the chickpeas.
This is another to do on the stovetop.  In a casserole, saute 2 red onions, cut in half lengthways, halved crossways, & sliced with the grain.  Sounds complicated I know but the dish is simple & you can see in the picture that the lengths of onion look pretty.  Add finely chopped garlic & soften down.  Add one chorizo sliced on the diagonal.  For Takanini residents - they used to have the best chorizo at the Takanini Foodtown deli counter.  Add bay leaves & thyme then toss through a tin of chickpeas & 2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika.  Cover & simmer 10-15 minutes.  Add sage leaves & lemon juice.  Serving suggestions include with Turkish bread & yogurt, or as a side dish with grilled meat.  I served mine with one of these leafy salads.  In case you were wondering, you can eat radish leaves too.
On Sunday I had a hankering to do petit pois a la Francaise and I had a Kipdale chicken in the freezer for a rainy day.  The upshot was a French style roast chicken.  Make tarragon butter by mixing 50g butter, 1 tbsp wholegrain Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp chopped French tarragon, grated zest of a lemon & 2 cloves crushed garlic.  Put half the zested lemon & a tsp of the tarragon butter with some extra tarragon leaves inside the cavity.  Put half the rest of the butter between the skin & the chicken.  This gets messy but is the best thing to do with chicken.  My flatmate in London 30 years ago who was a chef taught me how to do this with the Christmas turkey.  Tuck in the wings & tie the legs together around the parson's nose then truss around the bird to secure the wings against the breast.  Rub the rest of the butter on the top of the chicken.  This will burn a bit but don't worry about that.
Put the chicken in a roasting dish with members of the onion family - 8 baby leeks, 8 spring onions, 4 red onions halved, 8 whole shallots, 2 heads of garlic beheaded a third of the way down and a bunch of baby carrots.  Add 1/2 cup white wine & 1 cup chicken stock.  Roast for 70-80 minutes at 200.  You could make a gravy with the stock & a little creme fraiche at the end.  I just reduced it down. 
To make the peas, halve a small lettuce such as baby cos or little gem & lay in the bottom of a pan.  Add six chopped spring onions, 1 tbsp parsley, a knob of butter, 4 tbsp water (or chicken stock because you got some out of the freezer for the chicken & didn't use it all), and lots of peas.  Add a pinch of sugar.  You can add 2 baby chopped carrots if you have them.  Cover tightly & simmer about 15 minutes, less if you are using frozen peas.  This sounds odd but trust me.  I went to all the trouble above because I wanted to eat this.  Julia Child calls this dish the glory of pea cookery and suggests it should be served as a separate course and eaten with a spoon. She suggests serving the peas with a chilled white wine that's not too dry, or a chilled rose.
Roast chicken for two can be a bit daunting but made good use of our leftovers with a delicious chicken salad.  I did the iceberg lettuce & verjuice aoli salad just adding the shredded cold chicken. And don't forget to make up some more chicken stock.
This week we had Angie O's walnut pesto tossed through spaghetti.  That was delicious. And no effort.
 Forget everything I ever said about Chinese greens.  I have a new method and this is amazing.  It is my version of Allan Fong's Chinese greens.  I just looked him up & he has a website!  Can you believe it - and it has the recipe.  Do it Allan's way or do it mine.  In a pan lightly saute thinly slivered or julienned garlic, ginger & baby carrots.  Chop a bunch of greens - I used baby pak choy & choy sum - on the diagonal & toss into the pan.  Pour in a good slug of gin & cook until the leaves are wilted then pour on some oyster sauce.  I added baby pea pods from the garden & blanched asparagus because it needed to be eaten.  I urge you to try this.  Like the peas, you will plan a whole meal around this dish.

New season

Try a spicy tagine with a variety of earthy sweet root vegetables, such as kumara, yam or pumpkin, and beef.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and saute a small piece of grated ginger & 1 onion, finely chopped.  Add 700 kg lean beef, cubed & seer then add 1-2 tsp ras el hanout.  Add enough boiling water to barely cover the meat, cover the tagine & put in the oven at about 180.  After an hour, add your root vegetables cubed - the equivalent of about 2 medium kumara.  Season and cook another 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.  Add 1/2 cup frozen peas and half a tin of chopped tomatoes.  Cook another 10 minutes until the peas and vegetables are cooked.  Sprinkle with chopped preserved lemon & flat leaf parsley.  I made some Turkish flat breads & served with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Last Sunday was a very fishy day.   Chowder at the market and whitebait fritters for lunch - the first of the season are always such a treat, served with a squeeze of lemon.  For dinner we bought a beautiful piece of bluenose from the market and pan fried it with za'atar then served with a pinenut dressing, on a bed of hummus.  To cook the fish, brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with za'atar and quickly cook in a hot pan on both sides.  To make the dressing, combine 2 tbsps pinenuts, toasted & roughly chopped, 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped, 1/4 red onion finely chopped, 1/2 red chilli finely chopped, 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp lemon juice plus a grating of zest.  Mix together & pour over the fish.
New season's Chinese greens are just beginning to appear at the market.  I plan to really experiment with them this year.  This week I just played it safe and had choy sum with pork fillets. 
Now that Zany Zeus is making paneer, I find we are having it more often.  It is one of my favourite cheeses. Try it with chick peas, spinach & tomatoes.  Heat a tbsp vegetable oil in a pan & cook 1/2 tsp each cumin seeds & yellow mustard seeds until they pop.  Add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 small onion thinly sliced, 1 clove garlic crushed, 1/2 tbsp grated ginger.  If you don't have a chilli (and they are not quite in season yet) use dried or flakes.  Season with salt & cook until the onion is soft.  Add a tin crushed tomatoes & a tin of chickpeas & simmer 15 minutes.  In the meantime, slice the paneer (about 150g)  into 2 cm thick chunks and saute in a little oil until golden on both sides.  Cut into bite sized pieces.  Wash a handful of spinach & chop roughly.  Stir into the tomato mix to wilt along with a tbsp tamarind concentrate.  If you don't have tamarind (but you should try & get some) add a squeeze of lemon juice.  Toss through the paneer.
The new season's asparagus is in.  One of the first things I like to do is asparagus in French bread with ham & Gruyere.  This has been a great favourite in our house for many years and was something we often had for lunch when Mum & Dad came to stay in the spring.  They were great asparagus fans. Lightly steam the asparagus then fill a baguette with a slice of Gruyere and a slice of ham & 2-3 asparagus spears.  Toast in a medium oven for about 10 minutes.  We cut our baguette into 3-4 portions depending on the size and appetite of the diners.

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.