Holiday meals

I didn't have seafood paella for my birthday this year. Of the five of us for dinner, two were vegans & one doesn't fancy shellfish so it didn't seem appropriate. But for a summer evening dining al fresco with friends it was the perfect meal. Follow this basic recipe, including chicken & chorizo, then add white fish and whole prawns to gently cook through at the end finishing up with prepared shellfish - we used mussels & cockles. You can actually cook the mussels in the paella but we have more success steaming them open in a little wine first.

The guests brought a fantastic mixed salad and an amazing pudding of cherries gently simmered in something deliciously alcoholic served with vanilla ice cream.

Ratatouille is always a summer favourite. It is forgiving if your aubergines & courgettes have been in the fridge a day or so longer than you had intended because your teenager was rebelling against "cucumber's evil cousin". We dined at friends' last week & I was reminded of Elizabeth David's wonderful ratatouille - it was even better than I had remembered. The beauty of this dish is that you can make it your own depending on what you find in your fridge. Elizabeth David says she has even known potatoes being added. I prefer to serve mine with crushed or sauted potatoes. Many years ago I always served with hasslebacks.

For 4-6 people use 1-2 onions, 1 -2 aubergines, 2 large red capsicum (or 1 red & 1 yellow or orange), 2 courgettes (try 1 green & 1 yellow), 2-3 large tomatoes, 1 lge clove garlic, some coriander seeds, basil & parsley.

In advance, slice the unpeeled aubergines & courgettes into thickish (1/2 cm) rounds & then into cubes. Put into a colander, sprinkle with salt & weight with a plate & something heavy on top such as a bag of sugar. This will press out the excess moisture. I sometimes don't bother but it is always better of you do. Leave them about an hour & then rinse off the salt.

When you are ready to start, saute the thinly sliced onions in some olive oil until soft but not brown. This is one of those instances, like risotto, when you should use more oil than seems necessary. It really enhances the final flavour. When the onions are soft and this may take 15- 2o mins, add the rinsed aubergines & courgettes, the capsicums - sliced into thin strips - and the chopped garlic. Cover the pan & cook gently about 40 minutes. Now add the skinned chopped tomatoes with a tsp or so of coriander you have pounded in your mortar & pestle, & lightly season. Add a pinch of sugar if you think your tomatoes need it. Cook another 30 minutes until the veg have all softened but are not mushy. Stir in the basil & parsley just before serving. Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to lamb or chicken or anything pretty much. This is delicious and works well reheated or even cold.

Try a variant of pork schnitzel with a variant of coleslaw. I used red cabbage because I had some in the fridge but I think I would use green if I was buying fresh.

Combine 3-4 cups finely shredded cabbage with 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced & a crisp red (or green if cabbage is red) apple julienned. Whisk 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp pesto, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic crushed. Add the cabbage mixture & gently mix through with a handful of roughly chopped parsley.

Slice pork fillet into 3cm thick pieces then gently bash out between 2 pieces of cling film using a rolling pin or other blunt instrument. They should end up about 1 cm thick - not paper thin, which I think often makes schnitzel dry. Mix panko crumbs with a little flour in one bowl & beat 2 eggs with a clove or garlic, crushed in another. Dip the pork pieces in egg then panko, pressing it on firmly, then cook in olive oil with a knob of butter about 2-3 minutes each side until the crumbs are golden. Drain on paper towel. Sprinkle the pork with a little grated Parmesan & serve with lime wedges - lemon would do.

And if you are missing those Christmas indulgences treat yourself to a caramel & chocolate cracker treat. I persuaded Phoebe to make these while I was gardening. She reports they are so simple that even I could make them. She promises to make them again.

Spicing up cold nights

This week has been cold and wet and very windy so the one-pot hearty meal has been our standby. We've had a version of chicken cacciatore (which means something like hunter's chicken in Italian) and is a hearty chicken stew with any number of variations. I brown chicken thighs (6-8, halved) in the Le Creuset, then put aside. I then saute onion, garlic and halved button mushrooms until onion is soft. Add a squeeze of tomato paste, a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup chicken stock and 1/2 cup rinsed red lentils. Return chicken to the pan and simmer covered for about 1/2 an hour, until chicken is done. Before serving, stir through a handful of olives & capers and some fresh oregano & chopped parsley. I love this meal and it is great reheated the next day.

I also did a spicy lamb stew which is a great standby in our house. This is so simple I'm not sure I should share - at the table it gives the impression I've gone to a lot of trouble. Cut about 500g lamb leg steaks into cubes & toss in flour. Cut 1 or 2 onions into thin wedges & soften in the pan (Le Creuset again), then add the floured lamb & brown. Stir in 1 tsp each of ground cinnamon & turmeric and cook 1 minute, then add about 1 cup beef stock and a handful of prunes (even if you don't want to eat them, put them in as they really add flavour), cover & walk away. The lamb will be tender in about 1/2 an hour but can handle longer if you're busy. To make it go further I often add a tin of drained chickpeas 15 mins before the end and if, as I did this week, I have rows of spinach in the garden calling to be picked, I add a large handul of roughly chopped spinach to wilt just before the end. If you don't add the spinach sprinkle on some chopped coriander leaves or parsley. I usually serve with couscous because we all love it and it soaks up the juices, or you could serve with rice.

We had the chicken pilaf I talked about last week again and, just because I could, I sprinkled some of my freshly sprouted puy lentils on top. That turned out to be a great idea. We served the pilaf with Lois Daish's Afghan sweet poached pumpkin from this month's Cuisine.

I had been put in mind of tagine, having recently had a phone call from my cousin who is an excellent cook herself. She had asked for some tagine spice advice and I couldn't remember where my best lamb tagine recipe came from. This was itself a concern and had been on my mind since the phone call. Luckily I have an excellent book of tagine recipes given to me by aforementioned cousin and that is usually my source for other tagines. Yesterday morning it came to me and so we had it for dinner and here it is for you.

I have just bought a new pestle & mortar (on special at 1/2 price), as the one we had didn't quite cut (or grind) the mustard. I would recommend investing in a good, heavy one as it is really satisfying making your own spice mixes and you will find more & more uses for it. In another blog I'll introduce you to a fantastic garam masala mix we learned off a visitor from Guyana. Remind me if I forget. I have a tagine but if you don't, use the Le Creuset. With our tagine we also had a beautiful chickpea dish - with spinach (from the garden), onion and preserved lemon.

Another thing I have been meaning to tell you about is Canaan Israeli cheeses. They are based in New Lynn and you can get them at Botany New World in Auckland or in Wellington at Moore Wilson or the Mediterranean Warehouse in Newtown. Try the Galilee. It's indescribable.

As I seem to be on a bit of a Middle Eastern theme tonight, we had chicken roasted with spices. Cumin, cinnamon & Spanish smoked paprika - I use La Chinata. To accompany we had roasted pumpkin rubbed with cumin and roasted beetroot (from the garden) dressed with honey & pomegranate balsamic vinegar and feta (great for those who are not so keen on beetroot!). To complete the ensemble I prepared the couscous in hot chicken stock and mixed through some finely chopped spring onions and pinenuts.

Before dinner this evening we sat down with a plate of home made water crackers and a selection of cheeses. Remember those onions I pickled a couple of weeks ago - well they are ready and delicious. And you may be interested to hear that the olives are coming on nicely.