Let them eat cake

I like to bake cakes but these days the occasions to eat cake become fewer.  With just two of us at home most of the time we are just not going to get through a cake.  It is nice to have a special occasion and an appreciative crowd to make  a cake a worthwhile undertaking.
This summer I have made three cakes I think will be worth revisiting next summer.
My favourite type of cake is the basic pound cake, lemon or blueberry, or my old favourite lemon yoghurt cake.  Sometimes they don't seem quite festive enough for occasions which call for cake.  I am not big on icing so a cake that uses fruit as decoration really appeals. In summer you can't go past strawberries.
The November Dish had a light as air sponge filled with balsamic soaked strawberries and a mascarpone cream.  I made this for both Isabel and Phoebe's birthdays. On both occasions we started the evening with this amazing strawberry cocktail.  It's relatively easy to produce a non-alcoholic version for the drivers.
To make the cake prepare two sponges around 20 cm in diameter.   Hull and roughly chop 3 punnets of strawberries then mush them a bit with a fork.  Combine with 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp. icing sugar.  Leave for half an hour then strain the liquid into a bowl.  When ready to serve put one half of the sponge on a serving dish and brush with the balsamic juices.  Top with the strawberries - if they are too many leave some aside to serve on the side. Mix 150 ml of softly whipped cream with 200g mascarpone and spread across the strawberries.  Brush the other sponge half with the rest of the balsamic juices and sit atop the cream.  Dust with icing sugar. 
In January I had a celebration at work which coincided with my discovery of this amazing spiced vegetable cake. We also had courgettes and carrots in the garden so it seemed perfect.  I recommend that you try this cake.  Substituting dates for sugar was a great idea.  The cake was neither too sweet nor too heavy.  I am not a fan of the cream cheese frosting on a traditional carrot cake.  I find it far too sweet and cloying.  This one seemed lighter.  Just think of this cake as one of your five servings of vegetables for the day.
Just when I didn't feel I could serve up the balsamic cake for a third time in three months, Dish presented me with the Summer Strawberry Pimms cake.  This is really too easy.  Into the bowl of your standing mixer add 350g very soft butter, 350g caster sugar, 350g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 tsp mixed spice, grated zest of an orange, 6 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract and the all important 2 tbsp Pimms.  Beat until you have a smooth batter & divide between two 20cm sponge tins.  Bake at 170 for 25 mins or until done. 
In a saucepan boil 1 cup Pimms, 1/2 cup caster sugar, juice of an orange and a lemon, 2 sprigs mint until reduced and syrupy.  Remove the mint.  Spoon the hot syrup over the smooth sides of the cooled cakes.  Beat 1 cup of softly whipped cream with 200g mascarpone and the zest of an orange.  Don't beat the mascarpone or it WILL curdle.  Spread half the cream mixture between the two cakes and the other half on top. Decorate with orange segments, strawberries,  mint and borage flowers.  I always have borage in the garden in the summer because it brings the bees to pollinate vegetables like broad beans and courgettes.  Once you have it, it will never leave.  I served this cake twice as well  - firstly as a welcome home to Max (from London) and Peter and Mike (from their Routeburn trek).  Then I served at as a celebration of having the entire family at the table for the first time in six plus years.  A fitting celebration.

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. 

Goodbye summer, hello autumn

Only a couple more tagines to go.  This week it was butter beans with cherry tomatoes & olives.  I use the jars of Spanish butter beans.  Heat some olive oil and butter in a tagine.  Stir in 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 sliced red onions, 1 sliced green chilli.  Add 2 tsp crushed coriander seeds, a knob of grated ginger & a pinch of saffron.  Cover & cook 5 mins.  Add 20 or so cherry tomatoes with 2 tsp each sugar & dried thyme.  Cover & cook until the tomato skins begin to wrinkle, not long.  Toss in the drained butter beans & a handful of black olives.  Squeeze on some lemon juice, cover & cook until the beans & olives are heated through. Sprinkle with parsley & serve with some crusty sourdough & a dollop of thick yoghurt.
Sunday night was a lovely piece of gurnard & an unexpected treat from the market - samphire. Luckily the fishmonger was able to tell us how to cook it.  I cooked the fish with the potatoes a la Hugh.  First roast the potatoes in a roasting dish big enough to hold the fish & when they're nearly done add the fish.  I often do this & serve with a garlicky minty pea puree.  The samphire is easy.  You do need to pick through & remove the woody bits.  The bottoms are quite twiggy & not nice to eat.  Think asparagus of the sea & you will get the idea.  You just boil for 3-4 minutes & toss in butter with black pepper & lemon juice.  Think seafood+lemon.  Don't salt without tasting.  It grows in the salt water.  Keep an eye out for it next year - this was the end of the season.  I think this lot came from the Hawkes Bay somewhere. 
Try this soup with the last of the courgettes & corn.  Heat some olive oil with a knob of butter in a large saucepan & add 2 thinly sliced onions & 400g floury potatoes peeled & diced.  Cover & steam for 10 minutes or so.  Keep an eye on them to ensure the potatoes don't catch.  Add 500g roughly chopped courgettes & the kernels off 2 sweet corn cobs with 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 cloves crushed garlic & cook for a couple of minutes.  Add 5 cups chicken stock, season & bring to the boil.  Simmer 10 minutes ensuring the potatoes & corn are cooked.    Transfer 1/3 of the soup & 1/2 cup basil to a food processor & blend until smooth.  Tip the puree back in the pan & reheat if necessary.  To serve top with a dollop of yoghurt, some extra basil & a drizzle of olive oil.  This is delicious reheated for lunch on a day you happen to be working from home.
It's the new leek season so we had spaghetti with leeks & bacon with chilli crumbs.  Remove the crusts from 3-4 slices of sourdough bread & tear into large crumbs.  Lay on a baking tray & spray lightly with olive oil.  Add 1/2 tsp chilli flakes & 1/2 tsp sea salt.  Mix them well & bake at 180 10-15 minutes.  Keep a close eye & toss occasionally.
Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a pan & add finely sliced onion & leek with a tbsp finely chopped rosemary.  Cook slowly until the alliums are soft.  Stir in 200g crumbly goat's cheese.  Grill a couple of rashers of bacon & chop into the onion mix.  Cook the spaghetti  and put everything together with some grated Parmesan.  Hold back  a few of the crumbs & sprinkle on the top.
As you know, I am very fond of lentils & I got the idea of making a spicy lentil stew from Nigel Slater.  I thought that this would be nice with mashed potatoes, then I found a parsnip in the fridge & thought parsnip & potato mash but that seemed a little insipid & carrot seemed like a colourful addition.  The trick is to cook the potato separately.  So cook the potato in one pot & the parsnips & carrots in another then puree them with a little butter in the food processor & mash the potato with a little warm milk.   Whip them together with a fork, season & add a little grated nutmeg.  There was some spinach in the fridge with the parsnip but not quite enough for two so I added the beetroot leaves.  Remember to always use your beetroot leaves.  I just like them in salad but I now know that they are also good cooked.  Just roughly chop the spinach & beet leaves & put in a dry pan.  The water left from washing the leaves is sufficient.  Cook them down, season - nutmeg is also good here - & stir through a little olive oil or cream if you find some in the fridge.  This meal was my favourite of the week although I did use every pot and pan in the house.  One for the lentils & another for the caramelised onion topping, two for the mash & another for the greens.  I did struggle to fit everything on the hob.  Phoebe would have had something to say about this.  There was more than enough but my plan is to add the left over lentils to the intended left over lamb & quince tagine for a Moroccan shepherd's pie.  The sweet orange mash should be perfect & I think I have some frozen mashed potato to add to it.  Return next week for the thrilling conclusion.

From the garden

The summer garden is producing potatoes, courgettes & lettuces as fast as we can eat them.  We also harvested our garlic on the longest day and plaited them with the help of our visitors.  There aren't many but I am pleased with them as a first attempt.  The weather is a mix of glorious sunny days as hot & calm as we ever have in Wellington, 2-3 days of gale force northerlies strong enough to whip the lettuces untimely from their beds.  When it's neither of those we are blessed with those delightful sea mists that engulf us & in Karori mean we are unsure if our neighbours have not been swept away by the previous day's northerly.  The upshot of this is that we are eating a great deal of the above in a variety of combinations, and dining out of doors when winds permit. 
For a really quick after-work meal cut some small potatoes into 2-3 pieces & boil for 8-10 minutes, then add a handful of trimmed green beans for an additional 3-5 minutes.  Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a pan & add thinly slivered garlic being careful not to let it burn.  Add about 50g of olives stoned & roughly chopped & heat through then remove from the heat.  Tip the olives into the pan with the potatoes & toss with a handful of shredded basil, the juice of half a lemon & some salt & pepper.  Serve with grilled courgettes. Our basil isn't doing so well.  Perhaps it doesn't like those northerly winds.
To make best use of these summer evenings we are aiming to keep things simple.  Peel 3-4 medium red onions and slice into 6-8 wedges, keeping the root attached at one end. Heat a tbsp oil in an oven proof  frying pan.  Arrange the onion in a concentric pattern in the pan.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper & cook for until they are quite tender & beginning to caramelise around the edges.  This will take 20 mins or longer, turning once half way through.  Trickle over 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar & cook a couple of minutes more.  Remove from the heat.  Using ready made puff pastry - keep some in the freezer - cut out a disk that will fit in your pan over the top of the onions.  Lay on the pastry sheet & put the pan in the oven at 190 for 20 minutes. To serve, invert the pan onto a plate and there you have an attractively presented onion tart.  All you need now is a leafy green salad.
An abundance of courgettes called for a lamb rump served with a Greek salad, quinoa with rose petals, the aforementioned courgettes & a dollop of fresh beetroot relish.  This was something I had a while back at Floriditas.  I successfully replicated it then forgot what I had done.  This wasn't it but I think this was better.  Very finely slice 1-2 red onions and finely grate 2 large peeled beetroot.  I used disposable gloves for this operation.  Put in a large pan & cook slowly until the onions are very soft.  Add juice & zest of one lemon plus the peel of 1/4 preserved lemon.  Season to taste.  Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
And when you have still more courgettes to use the next day, try deep fried courgette flowers.  For the filling, beat 100g Zany Zeus ricotta until smooth then stir in 2 tbsp Parmesan, a handful of finely chopped fresh herbs & salt & pepper.  Scoop the mixture into the flowers & gently twist the tops to secure.  You can use both the flowers with the baby courgettes attached & the other ones.  They are the male & female flowers.  When these are done prepare a tempura batter with 100g sifted plain flour, 40g cornflour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.  Whisk in about 200ml ice cold sparkling mineral water until you have a thinnish batter.  Don't over mix.  Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or deep pan to 180.  Dip the flowers in the batter one at a time & drop into the hot oil.   Only cook 2-3 at a time in the pan to prevent the oil from cooling. Cook 1-2 minutes until the batter is crisp & puffy.  Drain on kitchen towel.   You'll probably have more batter than flowers so also cook tiny broccoli florets, red onion wedges & more sliced courgettes.
Phoebe treated us to a tortilla stack during the week.  Make a tomato sauce.  Soften 2 cloves garlic, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped capsicum, 2 finely chopped green chillies.  Add 2 tins tomatoes & about 400ml water.  Swish the water around the tins first to catch all the tomato.  Add 1 tbsp tomato paste.  Cook about 10 minutes more.
Mix 2 tins black beans, 2 cups sweet corn kernels, 250g grated cheese in a bowl.  In an ovenproof dish, about 26 cm in diameter & 6 cm deep spread 1/3 of the sauce then layer on 2 tortillas so they cover the sauce & slightly overlap.  Spread 1/3 of the bean mix then 1/4 of the remaining sauce then 2 more tortillas.  Repeat so that you have 2 more layers (8 tortillas altogether) then top with the remaining sauce & sprinkle with more cheese.  Bake at 200 for 30 minutes.  Let it rest 15 minutes before serving in wedges with a green salad & an avocado salsa.  You can freeze the leftovers in wedges.
If you have a glut of beetroot or like me you just can't resist beetroot any way, try a beetroot & chocolate ice cream.  Make a regular custard as you would for vanilla ice cream using 300ml whole milk, 200ml cream & 4 large egg yolks.  Don't add vanilla.  Set aside to cool.  Put 300g whole beetroot in a roasting pan with a little water in the bottom to prevent burning & roast at 200 for about an hour or more until very tender.  Peel - use those disposable gloves - and blend to a puree.  You want no more than 300ml puree but a little less won't matter.  Melt 100g 70% chocolate & stir into the custard.  Then stir in the beetroot puree.    Leave to chill then churn either in an ice cream maker or using the freeze & whip method.  It is truly delicious.

Spring into summer

This week's tagine seemed more suited to a festive occasion but I needed to try it out before presenting it to guests.  This is described as a traditional Moorish duck tagine.  You will need one duck breast on the bone per person.  Using a mortar & pestle pound a knob of fresh ginger and 2 chopped garlic cloves to a paste.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil with a knob of butter in your tagine.  Stir in the garlic paste & 2 cinnamon sticks.  When the mixture starts to colour add the duck breasts & brown the skin.  Stir in 2 tbsp honey and tuck a handful of stoned dates around the duck.  Add just enough water to cover the base of the tagine & come about 1/3 up the duck breasts.  Bring to the boil, cover, then transfer to the oven and cook at 180 for about 25 minutes.  Add 1 tbsp orange flower water, season & continue cooking until the duck is tender - 5 minutes or so.  Saute a handful of whole blanched almonds in a little butter & scatter over the duck to serve.  Serve with couscous flavoured with fresh herbs & lemon zest.  This will help to counter the richness of the duck.
Try a pinto bean chilli using early summer veg.  For 4, heat 1 tbsp oil & soften 3 finely chopped onions.  Add 2-3 fiery green chillies deseeded & finely chopped, 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp allspice.  Cook for about a minute.  Add 2 diced courgettes & one diced red capsicum.  Coat in the spices then add 2 tbsp tomato puree, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of pinto beans, 100ml red wine & a handful each of fresh parsley & oregano, finely chopped.  Pour over 200ml water & simmer gently for half an hour until all the vegetables are tender & the dish is thick & saucy. We served ours with homemade guacamole, shredded cos lettuce, grated cheese, sour cream and some grilled flat breads. 
I had been given some walnuts so we tried a quinoa & walnut salad.  Make extra because the leftovers are good in lunches.  For 4, toast 2 tsp cumin seeds & 1 tsp fennel seeds, then crush in a mortar & pestle until you have a fine powder.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan & saute 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped fennel bulb,  2 finely chopped garlic cloves.  Add the ground spices & the zest of a lemon.  Cook the quinoa according to the instructions.  If you don't have quinoa you could substitute brown rice, bulgar wheat or that large Israeli couscous.  Drain & mix with the onion mixture then stir in the juice of a lemon & chopped herbs - parsley, chives, tarragon, toasted & chopped walnuts - about 75g.  Taste & add more oil & lemon juice if you think it needs it.
Still on the summer veg theme, we stir fried a bunch of greens and served with egg fried rice.  For two, cook 1/2 cup rice - we used brown jasmine - then set aside.  Prepare the vegetables before you start.  A courgette, halved lengthways & sliced thinly lengthwise,  spring onions sliced on the diagonal, a handful of greens such as spinach, rocket mizuna, a handful each snow peas, fresh podded  peas & broadbeans.  I blanched the podded beans & slipped them out of their skins.  Heat a wok or frying pan over a medium high heat & add 1 tbsp sunflower oil.  Add the snowpeas, then the courgettes, peas, onions & greens - one at a time cooking each one a minutes or so before adding the next.  When the greens have wilted down add a finely chopped piece of ginger, a crushed garlic clove & finely chopped green chilli.  Transfer to a hot serving dish & scatter with soy sauce & sesame oil plus a sprinkling of toasted sesame & shredded mint. 
Wipe out the wok & bring back to a medium heat.  Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil and when the oil is hot add the reserved rice & stir until all the grains are coated in the oil.  Make a bit of space in the pan & tip in a beaten egg mixed with a tsp soy sauce.  As the egg starts to cook move it around through the rice until it is cooked & distributed through the rice.  Serve the veg atop the rice & sprinkle with more soy sauce if you like.
This week I had my first go at cheese.  I started with cream cheese which was very simple & also turned out to be delicious.  I started with 2 litres of whole milk and let it sit 24 hours with the cheese culture & rennet.  I then drained it through muslin for a day, and stirred through dried herbs & cheese salt.  It was great on grilled sourdough, with boiled potatoes or on crackers.   Unfortunately I didn't have any smoked salmon.
We also made a batch of marmalade from the windfall grapefruit & lemons we had collected while in Auckland the previous week.  It came up such a beautiful golden colour. 

Dinners to eat on your knees

Our dining table is currently away being fixed. There was a flaw in the design and the whole top is being replaced. This means we are perching on the island or eating on our laps. We need to plan our meals to fit with this arrangement.

On Saturday we had a very simple piece of John Dory grilled with skin on, served on baby leeks. Cook 8-10 baby leeks for a few minutes in boiling salted water then refresh under cold water & set aside. Soft boil 2 eggs about 7 minutes so that you can peel them but the yolk is still slightly runny. Make a mustard vinaigrette using Dijon mustard , white wine vinegar & olive oil. Grill the reserved leeks on a hot griddle pan until they are slightly coloured. Brush the John Dory fillets with butter on each side, season with salt & pepper, ands cook under a hot grill skin side up for about 4 minutes until skin is crispy. Serve the fish on top of the leeks which have been drizzled with the vinaigrette. Top with shavings of Parmesan & serve the egg halved on the side. We thought this deserved one of our bottles of Australian Riesling left us by a generous guest. We opened the Jacobs Creek Steingarten which was perfect.

Sunday was quite cool so I made a heartwarming lamb & pearl barley stew and froze the leftovers. Get your butcher to bone a shoulder of lamb & cut into largish chunks. Brown the meat in batches & set aside. In the pan, soften 1 onion finely chopped, 1 carrot finely diced, 2 sticks celery finely sliced, 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, with a handful of chopped oregano leaves, peel of 1/2 a preserved lemon & a bay leaf. Return the lamb to the pan with a good slosh of dry white wine, a cup of pearl barley, well rinsed & drained and 750ml chicken stock. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for a good hour or more until the barley and the lamb are both very tender. Add a handful of baby spinach & stir through to wilt. Season with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and salt & pepper. Stir through some finely chopped parsley. Pearl barley is a beautiful grain to use in winter.

During the week we used the last of the courgettes with pasta. Cut the courgettes into matchsticks & saute, then add the cooked fine ribbon pasta, a dollop of basil pesto, 1/2 an avocado cut into chunks. Mix together, season and top with grated Parmesan. I used a lemon pasta I had in the cupboard but if I hadn't I would have added a good squeeze of lemon juice.

I've been thinking about brown rice which I love but which we didn't have very often because the children weren't keen. Harriet is keen now so when she came to dine I made a very tasty rice stew which I plan to repeat. Almost a brown rice risotto. Start by soaking a handful of dried porcini in a little hot water. Soften a leek or onion or whatever you have to hand in a wide pan. Add 1 cup washed short grain brown rice and stir until shiny. Add a 1 cup vegetable stock or water and cook until the rice begins to become tender, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 mins. Chop the softened mushrooms & add with the soaking water, making sure to leave the sediment behind. Add a tin of tomatoes and any vegetables you need to use up. I added 1/2 a chopped kamo kamo. Cook about another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water if you need to. When the rice is almost done stir through a can of drained cannellini beans. I also added a handful of spinach I needed to use up. Stir through some chopped basil & parsley & serve.

On Friday we had friends over to watch a dvd. We had chilli and a beautiful salad featuring lettuce, carrots, radishes & tomatoes from the garden.

Eating on the road

It's often nice when you go away to eat in. It saves money and if you are in a small place where choice is limited, you are more likely to get food you like if you make it yourself. The trick is to plan. We recently spent 4 nights away & we cooked in for 3 nights & had a great meal out on the last night.

The first night we had lamb steaks with couscous & courgettes. We took the wherewithal for the first night, including buying the lamb steaks at our butcher on the way out. We stayed at Sage Cottage on the Brodie wine estate in Martinborough. It was kitted out with a barbecue and good sized pans & serving dishes. The lamb was rubbed with cumin, salt & pepper & the courgettes were tossed in olive oil, provided in the cottage from the estate, salt & pepper - then both were cooked on the barbecue. All I had to do in the kitchen was prepare the couscous which involved lightly frying a couple of spring onions then adding the couscous with an equal quantity of boiling water & setting aside about 10 minutes. When done, I turned through a little olive oil, some toasted pinenuts (toasted the night before & packed in an airtight jar) & some roughly chopped parsley. We enjoyed Schoc chocolates from Greytown with our coffee. My favourite is the new lavender salt caramel individual chocolate.

The next day we drove through Feilding where we stopped at the Farmer's Market. It's worth checking out market days before you leave home because that can be a good source of interesting local produce. We bought lamb & mint sausages from the Wai-Ora Lamb people, new season's potatoes, and some tomatoes for the salad. We brought lettuce from our garden & a few salad items in the chilly bin. We bought some organic kamut bread & Cranbrook pates for starters & finished up with delicious peaches. It was quick & easy to barbeque the sausages & boil the potatoes then toss with oil & parsley.

I had brought a packet of fettucine & picked up some prosciutto in Greytown, so on the third night we bought a packet of frozen peas at the supermarket & had pasta with prosciutto & peas, and a salad. This motel wasn't so well stocked with kitchen implements so I had to cook the pasta in 3 saucepans but it was quick & easy & delicious.

On the last night we treated ourselves to a meal at Element Cafe in Whanganui, which I thoroughly recommend. In addition to outstanding food, the highlight was the guitar player - a very talented young man who, we discovered, is off to Auckland in a couple of weeks to study bio-medicine!

Finally, I am seeking your help. Can anyone identify this mystery vegetable that has popped up in the garden? I assume it was something that has seeded in the compost, so a vegetable we ate last summer. I am hoping it will become apparent as it increases in size but for now I am mystified. Resembles a courgette but is quite squat. Scallopini perhaps? Any thoughts?

Roasted vegetables

I seem to have latched onto a theme here. Roasted vegetables have appeared on the table many times in the last fortnight. Roasting suits most vegetables and it is easy to do as well as providing suitable nutrition for a vegan. You can do them all in the oven at once using your fan function. Just put the longest cooking ones in first. I usually cook them at 200-220.
I'll just talk you though a few I have done recently. Some I may have mentioned before but mybe you've forgotten or only recently joined the blog.
I can't go past crushed potatoes so I'll mention them first. Boil new potatoes until cooked then drain until they have stopped steaming. That lets you know they are dry. Put in a roasting dish so they fit snugly and, using the back of a teaspoon (or your fingers if they are the asbestos variety), press each potato gently until the skin breaks & the potato just gives a little. Drizzle over some olive oil & sprinkle on some salt & a herb of your choice. Roast in a hot oven about 40 minutes. If you don't have oven room to roast because you have too much going on in the oven, you can always boil them & toss in oil with salt & parsley at the end. I have discovered a delicious early potato called Perla which is brilliant for this dish.
Baby turnips & carrots go well with fennel. Leave the carrots whole (use a variety of colours if you can buy them or grow them) and halve the turnips if you think they are a little on the large side. Slice the fennel into chunks, toss in olive oil, season & roast in a hot oven about 20 minutes.
Try boiling baby beetroot about 30 minutes then drain & peel. Toss them in a dressing of olive oil & balsamic vinegar, (3/1) and 1 tbsp honey. Roast in a hot oven 20 minutes then toss in a handful of kalamata olives & sprinkle over some feta cheese. If there is a vegan at your table put the feta aside to sprinkle on individual serves & substitute a little brown sugar for the honey.
Roast baby kumara in their skins, either on their own or with shallots & garlic - don't bother to peel the garlic. Toss in oil & season. These will work nicely with rosemary.
Try roasting asparagus with finely chopped garlic & fresh chilli, a handful of ripped basil and 1/2 a dozen cherry tomatoes. Season, toss in oil & put in a hot pan then roast in a hot oven 21 minutes. Add 5-8 minutes to the time if you haven't heated the pan first.
The other day I found some courgettes and an aubergine that hadn't been used in a previous meal so used this method, adding the courgettes & aubergine cut into wedges. This is also a good way to entice reluctant vegetable eaters.
Do you have a favourite roasted vegetable combination?
I also thought I would mention Harriet's vegan mayonnaise that she made to accompany Antoinette's falafels. To half a block of silken tofu, add 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar & 1 tbsp grainy mustard. Pulse to lightly blend then with the machine on the lowest speed add 1/4 -1/2c olive oil until it resembles mayonnaise. This was delicious. Do not however add 6 cloves of garlic as Harriet did the first time. You can have too much of a good thing.
I also need to mention that I had my sister staying & she needed to be provided with a meal on the run. On a bed of baby cos & baby spinach I put a spicy chick pea salad. Heat 100 ml olive oil in a small saucepan with a finely sliced red chilli, 4 cloves garlic finely chopped, 1-2 finely sliced red onions, 75ml cider vinegar. Mix in a bowl with a drained tin of chick peas, 1/2 cup crumbled feta, 1-2 finely sliced spring onions & a handful of fresh mint & flat leaf parsley. To this I added some slices of pan fried lamb fillet. I rub my lamb with salt pepper & ground cumin & leave to sit at least 10 minutes before frying in a hot pan or griddle.
Harriet made Halloween themed vegan pumpkin cup cakes for pudding. Too good!

Pumpkin, pasta & pesto

I keep thinking about bringing soup Monday to a close for the year and maybe moving to salad Monday. If you were in Wellington last Monday you will know why I didn't. We had the coldest day of winter. Temperatures didn't rise above 4 degrees! If it's cold in your town, try this delicious heartwarming pumpkin soup. Soften finely chopped onion (2), carrot, garlic (2), ginger (2 cm) in some olive oil with 1 tsp ground cumin & 1/2 tsp each cinnamon, turmeric & cayenne (maybe less cayenne if you're not a fan of spicy). Stir in a tin of tomatoes, 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock, 1 cup red lentils & about 800g pumpkin chopped into 2cm pieces. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat & simmer until the pumpkin is tender. Break up some of the pumpkin so that the soup is a rough lumpy texture. Season & serve with a dollop of sour cream & a pinch of cinnamon.

I have discovered a pasta recipe that I feel will become a regular at our table over summer. This week I made 2 versions - one for vegans & one for not. Both were delicious

For vegans blend a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves with a little olive oil & a handful of toasted pinenuts. You could use basil but I had lots of spinach. Genoese pesto for the non-vegan version. Put to one side.

Thinly slice lengthways one courgette per person with a vegetable peeler or mandolin & saute in olive oil. Steam a bunch of asparagus. Cook your favourite pasta according to the instructions. I used spaghetti for the vegans & egg tagliatelle for the non. Stir the sauces through the pastas, mix the courgette & asparagus and a chopped up avocado through both. Top the vegan one with breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil (often known as poor man's Parmesan) & the non version with Parmesan. Serve with a leafy green salad.