tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16850918534338600462024-03-14T16:12:11.755+13:00Plum KitchenPlum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-42015039106022397342017-04-02T14:56:00.000+12:002017-04-02T14:56:04.462+12:00We've moved!Hi, Plum Kitchen has moved house! If you are not redirected in 10 seconds (can you wait that long??), please click <a href="http://www.plumkitchen.co.nz/">here</a>. See you soon<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-24468590434190280452015-12-28T13:56:00.001+13:002015-12-28T13:56:03.804+13:00Hamaggedon...... Buckwheat Galettes for a change?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">And so it begins. Fridges up and down the country are filled with vast chunks of pork, some in fancy ham bags, others , like mine, in a old pillowcase doused liberally in vinegar. Chilled jenga, bottles balanced precariously on top of each other to make space for the porcine invader, hello Christmas Ham!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Last summer I declared it a personal challenge, could I get to the end of the ham, before a) we hated the sight of it, and b) it went off. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am pleased to say Hamaggedon was a success, so I thought I'd share an excellent hammy recipe for when one more ham & salad meal might push you over the edge......</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Note: unless you are a true devotee, maybe limit your ham consumption to once a day? If ham & eggs is breakfast, don't flog the horse with ham sarnies for lunch.........you might get away with it once or twice, but revolt will surely follow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I've made a traditional Breton pancake, a galette, made in a non traditional way. If you do have a proper crepe maker by all means, but I have a large fry pan and that works just fine to. Buckwheat flour is available in most supermarkets, it has a lovely nutty flavour which makes the galettes much more interesting than a crepe made with all white flour. Buckwheat flour is also a key ingredient in blini, a light fluffy yet substantial type of <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/pikelets---nz-style-1591" target="_blank">pikelet </a>(in the New Zealand not Yorkshire sense) which is perfect for a party (New Years drinks anyone?), I'll be sharing the recipe later this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buckwheat Galettes </b> (based on a Rick Stein recipe)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">makes 4 (enough for 2 people, easily scaled up)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">50 gr buckwheat flour</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">25 gr plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">75 ml milk</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">75 ml water</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">15 gr butter, melted</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">butter for frying</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Topping</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ham, chopped into thin strips</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Cheese, grated (Gruyere is lovely, but any cheddar style is good to)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1 egg per galette</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Parsley, chopped</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Put the flours and salt into a bowl , then whisk in the milk and water until the batter is smooth. Beat the egg with the melted butter, and beat into the flour mixture to combine. Leave the mixture to sit for at least 30 mins (you could pop into the fridge overnight for breakfast the next day if you wanted to)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you are ready to eat , heat a large frying pan (non stick is best if you have one) over medium high heat. Your batter should be the consistency of double cream, so stir in a wee bit more milk or water if nessesary. Melt a knob of butter then add the batter, you want enough to make a thin coating over the whole pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is set and slightly browned</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flip over, and sprinkle on your ham and cheese. Break the egg into the middle of the galette , some people like the egg left whole, but if you prefer spread it out, try both and see what you like. Fold each edge of the galette into the middle, I use a spatula for this. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The galette is usually flipped at this point, but I find it much easier to just pop a lid on the fry pan and let the egg set, it will be ready to go in just 1-2 minutes</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Slide onto a plate, sprinkle on the parsley and serve. Crispy pancake, creamy egg, salty ham, melted cheese.......yes, really.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">These are pretty filling, so unless you are feeding a big eater I find one or two is enough, perfect with a sharply dressed crispy green salad and a glass of Chardonnay.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All hail the pig!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">N.B While NOT gluten free, buckwheat is often ok for those with a gluten intolerance (but still no good for those with coeliac disease), in which case I would just use all buckwheat flour, the result will be slightly heavier, but still delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the non ham aficionados among us, sauteed mushrooms are a great substitute, let them get quite brown and crispy over a high heat, maybe with a tickle of garlic? Ditto char grilled asparagus, with a squeeze of lemon. Egg, cheese and asparagus being a match made in heaven.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-62075680638114290502014-09-14T16:38:00.000+12:002014-09-14T16:38:53.420+12:00Kung POW chicken!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok it's actually Kung Pao chicken, but Pow is more fun, especially if you do a fist pump at the same time. Whatever way you spell it, this is a delicious, easy dinner.<br />
I don't normally cook a lot of stir fry's, I seem to have trouble getting everything cooked at the same time so if the protein is cooked the vegetables are either heading towards mushy or still rock hard. I also don't own a wok (actually my sister gave me one years ago, it was big enough to bath a small elephant, apparently she thought I was opening a Chinese restaurant and needed to cook for hundreds ...needless to say its in the garage somewhere...)<br />
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It does not matter with this recipe, the chicken is cooked separately, and is easily done in a standard fry pan. It is based on a recipe from <a href="http://www.worldkitchen.co.nz/" target="_blank">Nici Wickes</a> on World Kitchen, where she visits the Szechuan province of China. One of the ingredients of the dish is Szechuan peppercorns, confusingly these are not peppercorns at all but the dried berry of the Mountain Ash Tree.<br />
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They have a unique fragrant aroma and a distinctive, almost floral flavour. You could use plain peppercorns & still have a delicious dinner, but if you can get your hands on the real thing (I got mine at <a href="http://www.farrofresh.co.nz/" target="_blank">Farro Fresh</a> , along with some Chinese Rice Wine, or try an Asian supermarket), they do make a difference.<br />
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So what are you waiting for?<br />
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<b>Kung Pow Chicken</b><br />
Serves 4 with rice and steamed vegetables<br />
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4 large chicken thighs, skinless and boneless<br />
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Marinade<br />
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1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)<br />
2 tsp soya sauce , I use dark Kikkoman soya<br />
1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine (or use sherry, or Marsala)<br />
1 tsp oil, I use peanut oil<br />
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Sauce<br />
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2.5 tbsp soya sauce<br />
1 tsp sugar, I use brown but any sugar will be fine<br />
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, or use rice wine vinegar<br />
2 tbsp water<br />
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)<br />
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2 tbsp peanut or other oil<br />
1 thumb size piece ginger, peeled and sliced<br />
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped<br />
4 dried chillis, or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (to taste, if you like it fiery go for it)<br />
3 spring onions, sliced<br />
1 tsp Szechuan Peppercorns (or black/pink peppercorns)<br />
3 tbsp roasted peanuts<br />
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Firstly, mix together your marinade ingredients, and add to your chicken, which has been chopped into small chunks. Leave to one side while you get everything else ready. It wont look terribly promising but stick with me<br />
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Now mix together all your sauce ingredients and also put to one side. Next chop the rest of your ingredients ready for cooking.<br />
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A thumb sized piece of ginger..rather depends how big your thumb is.....!</div>
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Yes, I do actually chop things up and put them into small bowls before I cook, it isn't just for the photo! It makes me feel much more organised, and I don't discover I haven't got an important ingredient half way through cooking dinner........<br />
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Put a med-large frying pan onto to heat with the 2 tbsp of oil. You want it reasonably hot to fry your chicken. Add as much chicken as will fit in one layer to your pan, and cook for about 6-8 minutes until golden and cooked through<br />
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Remove from the heat and put the chicken on a plate while you cook the rest of the ingredients. If there isn't any oil left in the pan, add a splash more<br />
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Add the ginger and garlic to the pan with the chillis (or flakes) and stir around until you can start to smell the spice, about 1 minute. add the spring onions and peppercorns, and cook for a further minute. Add the chicken back to the pan.<br />
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Finally, add the sauce, and stir while it thickens. You will be left with a deeply savoury coating on your chicken and vegetables, rather than lots of gloopy sauce.<br />
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<br />
<br />
That's it! I like to serve this with steamed rice and greens. If you don't have a rice cooker, I highly recommend you get one, makes for a VERY easy life. For today's version (can you tell I make this recipe often...?) I cooked broccoli in a steamer bag in the microwave, to which I added lemon juice, chilli flakes and a tiny dash of sesame oil.<br />
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Super easy, and takes just minutes. Enjoy (fist pump optional)<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-48895171378414137242014-07-06T14:51:00.001+12:002014-07-06T14:51:32.042+12:00Spiced chilli truffles,feel good sweet treats............<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Who doesn't love chocolate? I mean, really, even those who profess not to have a sweet tooth (myself included) cant usually resist a little sweet treat. Sometimes its the dark fancy stuff, sometimes it cheap and cheerful milk (my own illicit pleasure when I lived in London was a Yorkie bar, even if its not for girls!). I dont really think of white chocolate as being chocolate at all, but lets not get technical.<br />
I was thrilled to receive a box of gorgeous Fairtrade and Tradeaid products recently, and was inspired by the fabulous choice of chocolate, cocoa powder and cinnamon to make these truffles for a friends birthday. They would be perfect to make for your friends/family/someone you want to impress, for the <a href="http://www.bigfairbake.org.nz/" target="_blank">Big Fair Bake</a> which is from 1-18 August, please check it out!<br />
They are rich and creamy, and incredibly easy to make. As you can see from the picture I dont faff around rolling the mixture into balls, buy simply cut it into chunks. This is mainly because I have never managed to roll a truffle without covering myself, the kitchen and even a passing husband in cocoa powder. You may be technically more proficient with cocoa powder, or you dont mind spending hours cleaning your kitchen, either way suit yourself.<br />
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<br />
The chocolate is simply melted with cream which has been infused with spice and chilli, then set until firm, cut and dusted in a cocoa spice powder. Easy, and completely addictive.<br />
<br />
<b>Gently Spiced Chilli Chocolate Truffles</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
makes plenty, they keep brilliantly in the freezer<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">500 gr dark
chocolate (70% cocoa solids if you can)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">200 gr milk
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Pinch sea
salt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Pinch
ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Pinch allspice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Pinch
nutmeg (fresh ground is best)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">5 cloves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Large pinch
of chilli flakes or use a whole dried chilli<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">500 ml
cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Small knob
of unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><b>Spice dust</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">2 tbsp
cocoa powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">½ tsp ground
coriander<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">½ tsp
ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">¼ tsp
chilli powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Zest of a
small orange<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Large pinch
of sea salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Heat the
cream with the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and chilli to almost boiling,
then take off the heat and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile put the
chocolates and salt in a large heatproof bowl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Once the
cream has had a chance to take on the spice flavours, pop it back on the heat
and bring back up to nearly boiling. Pour through a strainer onto the
chocolate, and whisk while it melts. Add the butter and continue whisking until
you have a glossy mixture. Taste and if you feel like it needs a little more
heat add another pinch of chilli flakes. You are looking for a gentle taste of
spice with a little bit of heat at the end.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Pour into a
tin lined with baking paper or cling film and pop into the freezer for about 1
hour until very firm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">To make
your spice dust, simply mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. This will
keep for ages in a small jar in your pantry.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Turn out
onto a board sprinkled with your spice dust ,and cut into appropriately sized truffles
(I prefer smaller pieces, but you may prefer larger chunks!) Dust the truffles
with more spice mix and serve. I put tiny paper cases into a tin, with a
truffle in each one to give as a gift, but you could serve simply on a wooden
or slate board. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ">Delicious
with a glass of port or whiskey after dinner</span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
You can keep uneaten truffles in a tightly sealed bag in your freezer to pull out as needed, simply dust with more spice mix and serve chilled, yum! </div>
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-29176908157665141192014-07-02T15:25:00.000+12:002014-07-05T15:04:45.434+12:00Brazilian Cheese Balls, not footballs.........<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-NZ"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a
footie tournament on at the moment, have you heard? In Brazil, where football (not soccer my
friends) is a form of demi-religion, a bit like rugby here ......when the All
Blacks are winning anyway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Being
married to a fan, I know more about the round ball game than I any girl needs (he’s also
keen on the NRL so any questions about that you want answered just pop on a
postcard....), but Brazilian food is a bit of a mystery. My first experience of
a caipirinha was made by a friend who had lived in Brasilia for several years
as a student, it was delicious of course. But I suspect I’m not the only person
who hasn’t progressed much past that.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">So I have
really been enjoying <a href="http://www.travelchanneltv.co.nz/series-info.asp?series=Andy%20Bates%20Brazilian%20Street%20Feasts&ID=1798" target="_blank">Andy Bates Street Feasts in Brazil</a>, currently playing on
the Travel Channel. I love his enthusiasm, and of course it’s always exciting
finding out about food you never even knew existed. And boy have I uncovered a
gem. Balls of cheesy chewy goodness, which coincidentally are made for sports
viewing. I have actually tried these once before, at a book reading but I
didn’t actually know where they came from. After watching them made on Street
Feasts I realised that was what we had, and how easy they are to make. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<div>
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<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Now I would
not normally recommend a more obscure ingredient , but believe it or not I
actually found the secret ingredient to these treats at my local supermarket. It is called <a href="http://www.brazilianstylefoods.com.au/Brands/yoki.html" target="_blank">manioc flour</a>, and is made from cassava. Cassava has been a staple
food since pre-Columbian times in Central and South America, and was introduced
into Africa by Portuguese slave traders from Brazil. The root is a dense
carbohydrate source, and grows well in poor soil. As such, it has become staple
food stuff in many part of the Americas and Africa, and an important source of
income. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ">***update*** I contacted the NZ importers of the flour, they sell it and other brazilian foodstuffs direct to the public online at <a href="http://www.brasil.co.nz/">www.brasil.co.nz</a></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But the
most arresting fact about certain types of cassava is the work required to make
it non-poisonous. Bitter cassava varieties must be processed correctly, often
by soaking and boiling multiple times, to detoxify them. Which of course begs the
question, who figured that out? I am always fascinated when I come across food
that required processing to make it edible and/or non toxic. Mouldy cheese,
soured milk, fish so minging it makes the can bulge....who wakes up one morning
and thinks “oh lovely, I’ll have a bit of that??” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Thankfully
someone did, and now you get to eat the yummiest cheese snacks I have come
across. Don't worry, perfectly safe to eat! They are super easy to make, and are ideal for people who cannot
tolerate gluten,( manioc four is gluten free), providing a lovely chewy
texture, somewhere between a choux pastry gougere and a cheese bun. What is not
to love......</span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><b>Brazilian
Cheese Balls </b> (based on a recipe from Andy
Bates Street Feasts)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">makes about
48 </span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">200 grams
Manioc Flour (the brand I use has labelled it Sour Starch)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">200 grams
cheese- I used good old Tasty Cheddar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">3 eggs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">25 grams
soft butter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A splash or
two of milk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The flour
is slightly grainier than wheat flour, and has a texture more like cornflour.
Pop into a bowl with the cheese and rub together, as if you were making pastry.
You can do this by hand, or put the ingredients into the food processor and
whizz together briefly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You are looking for a texture similar to breadcrumbs.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh4PKJhdtt0hZGK4ufOK8-AhsXGchdgyZEFoB5TFi70o4y2j1inDjvEz0vWK5xjg8SK2hfq9N56x0MipqR3voHZwna9Vsygud_ycA62t4cyazNC-CZdZY2lAcsPZFN5BaCMwjpXDn5-SV/s1600/Brazil+Balls+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh4PKJhdtt0hZGK4ufOK8-AhsXGchdgyZEFoB5TFi70o4y2j1inDjvEz0vWK5xjg8SK2hfq9N56x0MipqR3voHZwna9Vsygud_ycA62t4cyazNC-CZdZY2lAcsPZFN5BaCMwjpXDn5-SV/s1600/Brazil+Balls+048.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">If you are
using a food processor, take the mixture out and put it into a large bowl. Add
the eggs, butter and a little splash of milk, bringing everything together with
a knife. Once it is starting to come together (it will look like yellow scone
dough) get in with your hands and work the mixture to a soft dough, adding more
milk if necessary. Now I won’t lie, the aroma is quite “cheesy”, the flour has
a slightly sour smell which I found a teeny bit odd at first. But once it is
baked it does not smell any thing but delicious, trust me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Using your
hands, roll into balls about the size of a walnut and pop into mini muffin pans
which have been greased/sprayed with oil. If you don’t have mini muffin tins
just bake on a tray greased or lined with baking paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Bake in a
preheated oven at 180C for about 15 minutes until golden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The outside
will be crunchy with a soft slightly gooey middle. I served them with a tomato
chili jam for dipping, but they are delicious as is. They would also be great with soup or
as part of an antipasto platter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The mixture
does make a large batch, so if you don’t need them all at once (do however bear
in mind they are very moreish), freeze the uncooked balls on a tray then store
in a bag or container; they can be cooked straight from frozen.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Have I
convinced you? Please try them, with a caipirinha if you can, for a perfect
intro to Brazilian food. Now, lets see if there is some football on the telly.......<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-44595201627638127962013-06-10T20:33:00.000+12:002013-06-12T14:53:24.657+12:00Easy breezy souffle....yes, reallySo my last post was moaning about the heat.......I'll resist the temptation to start complaining about the cold. I doubt you could hear me over the roar of the heatpump anyway. <br />
Although it has turned a bit chilly recently I don't always want stodgy comfort food. Ok, quite often that's exactly what I want, but not every day, I don't really want to have to buy TWO plane tickets for my trip to New York in September (I know, wheeeeeee!!!). <br />
My Outlaws arrived the other day, en route to the airport with fresh eggs from the farm. While this does not quite compare with two weeks in Fiji it is still a lovely treat to have in the fridge. A girl cannot live by omelette's alone, and fresh eggs and various remnents of cheese in the fridge says souffle. Now souffles do have a reputation (the dirty things!) but for the most part it is unwarranted. This particular recipe, adapted from the ever fabulous <a href="http://www.deliasmith.co.uk/" target="_blank">Delia Smith</a> is cooked twice, is very user friendly, and means you can have the souffles ready to go in the fridge if , like me, you cant always be sure what time you will be eating dinner. <br />
Rich but light, I like this with a fresh apple & lettuce salad. Cheese and apple are so good together, especially with a tangy mustardy dressing. Comfort without the stodge....although I may well have hot chips tomorrow<br />
<br />
<strong>Twice-Baked Cheese Souffles</strong> adapted from Delia Smith<br />
<br />
Make 4 souffles, serving 4 as a starter, or 2 for a light supper<br />
<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
Thin slice of peeled onion<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
Fresh grated nutmeg<br />
Fresh ground black pepper<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
2 tbsp plain flour<br />
2 large fresh eggs, separated<br />
1 tbsp of fresh herbs- I use chives, parsley or chervil would also work<br />
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese<br />
1/4 cup blue cheese<br />
4 tbsp cream<br />
Extra cheese to sprinkle<br />
<br />
Heat the oven to 190C, and grease 4 half cup ramekins/tea cups.<br />
Heat the milk in a small saucepan or a microwave jug until almost boiling, add the onion, bay, nutmeg & pepper, and leave to sit for 10 minutes or so.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the milk and whisk together , the mixture will be very thick. Cook for a minute or so, and remove from the heat. Add the egg yolks and herbs, whisk together until smooth. Add the cheeses and whisk again, the cheese will mostly melt in the heat.<br />
In a clean bowl whisk together the egg white until when the beater is lifted out a soft peak falls over. I recommend the old fashioned handheld beater in the picture, so easy and quick to use, check out Hospice or Salvation Army stores for these gems (I use one found in a cupboard when my in laws sold their Bach)<br />
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Using a metal spoon add a tablespoon of the egg white to the cheesy sauce and stir, this loosens the mix & makes it easier to add the rest of the egg white. Now add the rest of the egg white and using a twisting motion fold it into the sauce, quickly but gently. The aim is to keep all the air in the bowl, this is what gives you puffy cheesy gorgeousness for your supper.<br />
Pop the ramekins into a baking dish, and pour hot water around (not over!) them, then carefully pop into the oven. Water can only heat to 100C so this stops the egg getting too hot and over cooking to rubbery toughness.<br />
Cook for about 20 minutes until risen and puffy, then remove from the oven and put them onto a cooling rack. They will sink, dont stress, this is normal! When they are cool enough to handle, run a knife around the edge and flip out onto a baking tray<br />
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You can pop them into the fridge, pour yourself a vino (you Souffle Master you!) and when you are ready for dinner pull them out, top wioth extra cheese and bung back into the oven at 180C for another 20 minutes. Take them out, pour over a tablespoon of cream over each souffle and pop back into the oven for a couple more minutes<br />
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<br />
Serve with a crispy salad and a smile of satisfaction, no cooking version of <a href="http://www.craftfail.com/" target="_blank">craft fail</a> for you, nailed it!<br />
<a href="http://www.engineroom.net.nz/" target="_blank">The Engine Room</a> in Auckland does a wonderful twice baked Goat Cheese souffle, so if you happen to have goat cheese that would certainly be worth trying. And chedder would of course be just dandy also<br />
It took me longer to type the recipe for these than it did to cook them, so please dont be put off, I just like to over explain everything see? <br />
<br />
PS please excuse the orange tint to the pics, we are mercifully replacing our orange light shades in the kitchen renovation..........sighPlum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-77490235823936505672013-02-03T21:39:00.001+13:002013-02-03T21:39:20.166+13:00To hot not to really.....<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am writing this from my kitchen table, ambient temp in the room about 35 degrees. Why do tomatoes, so essential for the best condiment known to woman, appear right when it is least comfortable to have the oven on, or indeed be anywhere near the kitchen at all? While I ponder this & other mysteries of the universe (Marmite , the appeal of those incredibly sad animal rescue programs on TV, Rap music....) I have a couple of kilos of homegrown tomatoes roasting away in the oven. My desire for delicious pizza sauce has outweighed my desire for a nice cool house.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-36dUBkRTcyqd3igLZD2gBx19v95Oz3EjGmnelKs8qzfgt4-HYvII6s2MJX1Ax5EJ5Mispr41cnTs5E_8PXtlYNKYRK4Ne9kcPjB1loqMXiPh6hsfC8jR9nYmSLnf39lPpt01Q1YM_S2/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-36dUBkRTcyqd3igLZD2gBx19v95Oz3EjGmnelKs8qzfgt4-HYvII6s2MJX1Ax5EJ5Mispr41cnTs5E_8PXtlYNKYRK4Ne9kcPjB1loqMXiPh6hsfC8jR9nYmSLnf39lPpt01Q1YM_S2/s400/photo+(4).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead of standing over a bubbly pan or several hours I am taking the <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/rivecott-21/detail/1408812126/279-0833814-8577809" target="_blank">Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall </a>route and making an oven roasted sauce. Place about 1.5-2 kg of tomatoes on an oven tray. I use a mixture of heirloom cherry tomatoes from plants Mum gave me & a slightly bigger variety called Tommy Toe. This I brought solely because I have a cat called Tommy, as you can see I'm quite the scientific gardener.......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, toss your chosen tomatoes with a good glug of Olive oil, a clove or two of chopped garlic, a few sprigs of thyme & a few of oregano, sprinkling with plenty of salt & fresh pepper. Roast in a 180C oven for about 45-50 mins until the fruit has collapsed, with tinges of brown. You may also have collapsed from the heat, can I just say its worth it?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5DhjAoYsAWTVU93eNWuc5QDNjB9s5JSwFyDgl-PTe64QPOE4uRnACJT3tZs8iAJWTgL0RNinn3RDEcPcViAj7EM-aSeGzZOAuu0izEHDXxmA3R0DARGqeJPg8MLix68FPTaDwFiEt-Q3/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5DhjAoYsAWTVU93eNWuc5QDNjB9s5JSwFyDgl-PTe64QPOE4uRnACJT3tZs8iAJWTgL0RNinn3RDEcPcViAj7EM-aSeGzZOAuu0izEHDXxmA3R0DARGqeJPg8MLix68FPTaDwFiEt-Q3/s400/photo+(5).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let the tomatoes cool for a while, then either push through a sieve or commender your Mums retro cool orange Mouli, (burnt melted bits where it was left on the stove countless times optional). Actually with the resurgence in interest in sauce making I have seen this <a href="http://www.ruthpretty.co.nz/kitchenshop.aspx/clever-gadgets-toys/mouli-(20cm)---spit-skins-out" target="_blank">beauty</a>, certainly a bit more stylish than mine.....! Unlike a food processor a mouli gets rid of skin & pips, saving you having to skin hundreds of cherry tomatoes, surely the quickest way to a complete sense of humour fail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This recipe makes about 500 mls of sauce depending on the moisture levels in your tomatoes If you find it a bit thin for your liking reduce it down by rapid boiling in a saucepan. Use right away or pop into the freezer for a taste of summer another day.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I used a little of this as a basis for homemade pizza. Due to the fire ban in Auckland at the moment (we have not seen rain in weeks, the lawn looks like a brown and Mr PK is the only person happy about it, no mowing required....) the pizza oven is a no go. I spied a pizza stone at <a href="http://www.farrofresh.co.nz/" target="_blank">Farro</a> on special for $20 and decided to splash out. Yet more heating up of the oven, but homemade pizza is SO much better than brought........</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe93xkiRuGatAvgSAKJpkhaRy0tsJ9b5JGOMNBhY9wnv1T8Qgf_fNiuKkB8lmwND-a4XyeeTpYTZEWoqGqUYXscqEtNsdcYTRCh-j1odPPRDqLXAuy-bFO9vpIUIFZ-Wk3C2c4YZTmAYN/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe93xkiRuGatAvgSAKJpkhaRy0tsJ9b5JGOMNBhY9wnv1T8Qgf_fNiuKkB8lmwND-a4XyeeTpYTZEWoqGqUYXscqEtNsdcYTRCh-j1odPPRDqLXAuy-bFO9vpIUIFZ-Wk3C2c4YZTmAYN/s400/photo+(6).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My go to pizza dough is <a href="http://plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/another-pizzawith-potato-yes-potato.html" target="_blank">here</a>, if you have not made your own before I urge you in the strongest yet least bossy terms I can to try. A great crispy base, rich roasted sauce, a bit of mozzarella, maybe a few basil leaves, how good does that sound? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am a real purist when it comes to pizza, I think I am going way out when I put mushrooms on. Strangely I am married to a man who thinks Tandoori chicken & banana is completely acceptable as a pizza topping, at least making my own I have complete control. I do enjoy a hot pizza out of the oven topped with prosciutto, I like it cold & chewy rather than crispy after cooking, but its up to you. Control freak I hear you murmur? Hmmmm.........</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you having a tomato glut at the moment? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-57475712398820707882013-01-29T11:17:00.001+13:002013-02-03T16:11:58.725+13:00Dont you want me Baby.....?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Well friends it would seem my hopes of
TV superstardom are to be dashed once again. Despite a cracking audition vid
(courtesy of Mr PK’s very clever cousin, who kindly brought his filming
expertise, amazing kit and extreme amounts of patience to my kitchen for the
price of a sponge cake) and potential writers cramp filling out an extensive
application form I am not to be the next NZ Hottest Home Baker……..sigh. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am
must say I thought I might at least warrant an audition, but perhaps there was
a surplus of competent baking woman my age (“cough cough”) with a taste for
floral aprons & nary a tattoo to be seen clamouring to appear on screen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I shall not however waste a perfectly good film, if you
would like step by step instructions in the Art of the Sponge, please ignore
the references to auditions and sugar companies & enjoy….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At least I got to feel like Nigella for five minutes………..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ellerslie’s Slightly Lukewarm but still Enthusiastic Baker
xx</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span>Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-56346273355732266102013-01-03T14:20:00.001+13:002013-01-03T14:45:52.187+13:00A new salad for a new year.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqiSacxuSuvGfkE08maqRXLvkSwGacgFqKKs3OJ9yAGT3rCX_i46wPyRmTWgh-Hj9bVxprFGa08pM0-XWCTMV7zrQoifieocv72JuS1-PBWzHSNy82CcnmJqfGRxxVhAUFTLZvE6lyMn/s1600/Bulgar+wheat+salad+banana+loaf+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqiSacxuSuvGfkE08maqRXLvkSwGacgFqKKs3OJ9yAGT3rCX_i46wPyRmTWgh-Hj9bVxprFGa08pM0-XWCTMV7zrQoifieocv72JuS1-PBWzHSNy82CcnmJqfGRxxVhAUFTLZvE6lyMn/s640/Bulgar+wheat+salad+banana+loaf+061.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So its 2013 already.I am resisting the temptation to bang on about all my New Years resolutions, I am quite sure you don't really give a toss if I lose 10kg by my birthday or finally get around to learning Spanish this year. </div>
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See, you don't, I knew it. I will tell you I have resolved to create a new recipe every week for the year. By new I mean original to me. Perhaps not recreating the wheel (not every week anyway), but created in my own little kitchen all fresh & new and lovely. Actually the kitchen is going to be ripped apart at some stage this year, so we shall see how we go (that could be smoothie/microwave/raw food week....)</div>
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Right, new recipe we have. Inspired by the delicious <a href="http://www.nigelslater.com/" target="_blank">Nigel Slater</a> & his fabulous Kitchen Diaries Two, which I was very happy to see in my Christmas Stocking this year, this is a fresh fast salad using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgur" target="_blank">Bulgur wheat</a>. It has a pleasant nutty flavour, only requires soaking (no boiling pans in my kitchen, given its about 97% humidity at the moment this is a Good Thing) and makes me feel like I am being much nicer to my body than several weeks of rampant vino consumption should allow. Nigel's version is a bit simpler, more a side salad than the main event, but the addition of the halloumi in particular means this is plenty substantial enough for lunch or a light supper.</div>
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<strong>Bulgur wheat salad with melon, mint & halloumi</strong></div>
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Serves 2 with leftovers</div>
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1/2 cup Bulgur wheat (also known as Cracked wheat or Burghul wheat) I use the <a href="http://www.commonsenseorganics.co.nz/online-shop/groceries/flours-and-grains/42505-bulgur-wheat" target="_blank">Ceres</a> brand</div>
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Boiling water to cover</div>
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1/2 small rockmelon</div>
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2 spring onion, sliced</div>
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1/2 small red or green chilli, sliced thinly</div>
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2 radish, sliced thinly</div>
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3-4 asparagus spears, chopped</div>
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Tbsp pinenuts</div>
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1/4 block of halloumi ( I used a chilli version, but plain would be perfect to)</div>
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Splash of olive oil</div>
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juice of a lime</div>
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Handful of parsley</div>
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Handful of mint </div>
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Put your bulgur wheat into a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the rest of the salad.</div>
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Peel and chop your rockmelon into small chunks and put into your salad bowl. Add the spring onion, chilli and radish. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the asparagus. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain & cover in icy cold water (this stops it cooking any further). Drain again & add to your bowl.</div>
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Toast your pinenuts in a small non stick pan until just colouring, then add to your salad. In the same pan over medium heat put your helloumi slices and cook for a minute or two each side until golden and melting hot . While this is happening drain your bulgur wheat and add to the salad bowl with the oil, lime juice, herbs & some salt and pepper. Top with your cooked halloumi & devour, yum!</div>
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This is a very flexible recipe, so just add, remove or substitute as needed. </div>
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A ripe juice peach would be great in place of the melon, if you had the grill/BBQ going you could grill it, the asparagus and the heloumi all at once for a different flavor. Any nuts could be used in place of pinenuts, and feel free to substitute lemon or other citrus for the lime. If you don't want to use helloumi try feta, or leave it out all together and serve as a side to some grilled chicken or fish....</div>
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Now, to celebrate the New Year, and just because I can, some gratuitous cat shots. Tuppence does have a weight loss goal this year, I keep saying she is big boned but the vet suggested she is turning into a chubby so a little less food should be coming her way.........she isn't best pleased</div>
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Tommy is going to attempt to grow a brain this year. This is so he knows to not sit in the rain getting wet , or under the car when it is running, or on top of Tuppences head when she is clearly getting cheesed off............he has relied on his looks for too long.<br />
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Happy 2013 everyone, I hope you are looking forward to lots of good times this year, starting with a good meal!</div>
<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-14143623475039451802012-11-18T13:31:00.000+13:002012-11-18T13:31:15.133+13:00Call me a Jammy one then....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apologies at once for the title, but Mr PK has assured me we really will win the lotto this week ( of course he may have said that once or twice before....). My aunt used to call anyone lucky "jammy" as in "he's a jammy bugger that one" or something similar. I have no idea why, or indeed why I have even brought it up, except that this recipe worked first time, so that probably qualifies as jammy....... Shall we progress on to a recipe then? I cant guarantee you any especial luck making this, but it tastes rather lovely.......<br />
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I made <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/12/winning-potato-salad-and-festive-jam-of.html" target="_blank">Strawberry Jam</a> last year, this year I wanted something a bit less sweet. When a lovely work colleague suggest Strawberry & Rhubarb I figured we were onto a winner. This is the result, sweet but tangy yet with a definite hit of strawberry. The rhubarb mostly dissolves, but leaves a bit of texture and a hint of flavour.<br />
I made a few jars for a table my friend was hosting at a craft market so needed to somehow decorate them fast. I finally found a use for the pinking shears I have had in my sewing box for years, trimming the edge of the linen jar covers..........naturally when I came to cut them out I couldn't actually find my pinking shears, what a wasted opportunity No doubt they will turn up right when I dont need them........<br />
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<b>Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam</b><br />
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makes 7 x 250ml jars<br />
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500 gr rhubarb<br />
1 kg <a href="http://www.chelsea.co.nz/products/9/jam-setting-sugar.aspx" target="_blank">jam sugar</a> (really useful when cooking low pectin fruit like strawberries & rhubarb)<br />
1 kg strawberries<br />
500 gr plain white sugar<br />
150 ml lemon juice (about 4 lemons worth)<br />
Small knob of butter<br />
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Wash & chop your rhubarb into chunks about one-two cm thick. Pop into a large preserving pan with 500 gr of the jam sugar and 80 mls of the lemon juice. Stir and leave to sit for about an hour. The juices will start to run out of the fruit and dissolve the jam.<br />
While this is happening, trim your strawberries, and cut any large ones in half or into quarters (depends how chunky you like your jam really....)<br />
When the rhubarb has sat for an hour or so, add the strawberries remaining sugar and the rest of the lemon juice & stir everything together. Put the pan onto the cooker and heat gently over a low heat, until the fruit is warmed and juicy and the sugar has dissolved.<br />
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Now turn the heat to med-high and bring everything to a rolling boil. Using a large spoon skim off any foam that rises to the surface. It will take 10-15 minutes, put a saucer into the freezer, and when you think the jam has had long enough put a teaspoonful onto your frozen saucer. It will rapidly cool the jam, and you will be able to see how set it is. If it is still very running keep boiling & re-test. If you can pull your finger through the puddle of cool jam and leave a gap where your finger has been, you are good to go. Add your knob of butter & stir, this will disperse any remaining foam in the pan<br />
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Take the jam off the heat and sit for a couple of minutes before bottling, this gives the fruit a chance to settle so it spreads evenly throughout the jar<br />
Pot up into sterilised jar ( I find a <a href="http://www.millyskitchen.co.nz/millyskitchen/cart/details.cfm?ProdID=517&category=30" target="_blank">jam funnel</a> incredibly helpful for this bit)<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">to </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">sterilise</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> place clean jars & lids in a oven set at 120C for 10 minutes. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Perfect as a wee Xmas treat for friends or </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">collogues</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">, it looks very festive and everyone loves a sweet treat. You could even whip a <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/afternoon-tea-make-mine-cake.html" target="_blank">sponge</a> to go with.....</span></span></span><br />
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I will leave you with some pics of my first hanging baskets, the woven baskets themselves are from <a href="http://www.kings.co.nz/" target="_blank">Kings</a>, filled with flowers under instruction from my Mother, she will make a gardener of me yet.....<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-58445598256948333712012-09-12T11:12:00.001+12:002012-12-31T15:18:43.334+13:00Cook my Books Challenge- Frugal & Fabulous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apparently it is spring. The calendar says so, but while I have seen my share of gambolling lambs (and who else but a cute little lamb chop could gambol??) and daffodils, until I enjoy that first plate of asparagus, it is still winter as far as I am concerned.</div>
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Watching the All Blacks play Argentina in a Wellington gale on the weekend, Mr PK and I enjoyed excellent cold weather footie watching food. A pasty is a perfect hand held dinner, sustaining, savoury, and if you don’t mind a hail of pastry crumbs all over the carpet, relatively low maintenance fare.<br />
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I actually made two versions. The first, based on the famous Cornish version, I baked in a lard based pastry (yes really, lard is wonderful stuff, see <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/07/lardy-cakeno-im-not-kidding.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I kept it simple, with the traditional beef, onion, swede (known as turnip in Cornwall) and potato, going off piste only to add some fresh green parsley.<br />
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The second, for my non meat eating sister, a flaky short mess-making butter pastry also containing potato, parsley and onion, with the addition of sharp cheddar cheese. Completely delicious, even a carnivore would be impressed………</div>
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The Cornish pasty is based on ther recipe in the inimitable Delia's <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/news-and-features/frugal-food-2012.html" target="_blank">Frugal Food</a>. I have the 2008 reissue, the book originally came out in 1976, and is full of good hearty mostly English style food that wont cost the earth.</div>
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<strong>A Long Way from Cornwall Pasties......</strong> based on a recipe by Delia Smith</div>
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Makes 4 meal sized pasties, but you could make 6 smaller ones</div>
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First make your pastry. </div>
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275 gr plain flour</div>
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125 gr cold lard (or cold butter)</div>
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pinch salt</div>
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Ice cold water </div>
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In a large bowl, rub the fat between your fingers into your flour and salt. You can do this in a food processor, but to be honest it only takes a couple of minutes, and the resulting pastry is much softer & easier to roll than the processor version. Use the same method, adding a couple of spoons of icing sugar and some nutmeg for a lovely crust for an Apple Pie<br />
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As you can see there a still little chunks of fat, this is fine, it will melt in the heat of the oven & create steam, giving you little flakes of pastry (which if you are like me, will end up all down the front of your shirt....)<br />
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Using a knife to mix, add your ice cold water until the mixture comes together as a dough. Tip out onto a floured bench & just bring together. This isnt bread, it does not require kneading, you are just bringing everything together into a workable dough. Wrap in cling film and pop into the fridge for 30 mins or so (or overnight if you are working ahead)<br />
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Now prepare your pasty filling<br />
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1 large potato, peeled and cut into small slices<br />
1 medium onions, peeled and chopped into tiny chunks<br />
Half a swede, peeled and cut into small slices<br />
300 gr chuck, blade or topside beef, trimmed of fat & cut into small slices<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
Chopped parsley (not traditional, but delicious)<br />
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Try to keep everything a similar size, thin slices of meat and vege will cook right through without overcooking your pastry. You will think there isn't enough filling but trust me, this is plenty, pasties are very economical fare....<br />
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Take your pastry out of the fridge, and cut into four quarters (or 6 pieces if maker smaller pasties). Roll out one quarter into a circle about the size of a dinner plate.<br />
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Top with a spoonful of potato, then swede, onion & finally meat. Season with salt & pepper, then another layer of potato, swede, onion & finally a sprinkle of parsley. The theory for the layering is the meat juices & seasoning then work their way through the root vege as they cook and give the pasty extra flavour.<br />
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If you are using cheese rather than meat, just following the same theory, with your cheese layer in the middle. Use something good and strong like a really sharp cheddar for flavour<br />
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Now fold one half of the pastry over to completely encase your filling. This is easier then you think as this pastry is quite soft and pliable. Crimp the edges together, I just go around the edge folding the edge inwards on itself over my finger, I cant tell you it is totally authentic, but it looks ok and does the job! If all else fails go around the edge with the tines of a fork,the main object is to make sure your delicious filling cant escape. Cut a couple of steam holes in the top with the tip of your knife and place on an oven tray<br />
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Pop into a 200C/400F oven for 15 mins, then turn the heat down to 190C/375F for another 25-30 minutes, until golden and smelling heavenly.<br />
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Now I wont pretend these are the quickest things to make, but they are easy, great value, and if you make a batch up they freeze perfectly. Brilliant picnic food, they are also delicious at room temp, which of course if how they would have been eaten down the mines. The crimp was used to hold the pasty, keeping the rest of your lunch clean if you didn't have facilities to wash your hands, then discarded , but of course you can eat it if you prefer.<br />
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Mr PK recommends a good dark beer to drink with your pasty (on a windswept beach with a blanket for preference) , his latest fav is this gorgeous Chocolate Moose from <a href="http://www.boundaryroadbrewery.co.nz/" target="_blank">Boundary Road Brewery</a> based just out of Auckland at Red Hill. Rich and chocolatey this is also wonderful in a beef casserole, and I am going to try it in Nigella's Guinness Cake, watch this space.....</div>
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Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-6370137402045829832012-09-03T17:04:00.001+12:002012-09-03T19:22:17.677+12:00Sweet NZ August, sweet indeed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Plum Kitchen was the host of <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/sweet-new-zealand-august.html" target="_blank">Sweet NZ</a> this month, a great initiative set up by <a href="http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Alessanda Zecchini</a> bringing together some delicious treats to share from Food Bloggers all around New Zealand. If these goodies dont have you reaching for the sugar and a mixing bowl I dont know what will....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8bzFjBk3GuRiLDWpaPGFpe_PheBe6tFLjmcMIWacMVVqgaf0tpwIj414zusu-FSWzvNOw7zufhgyuvWiKl0BgVs6zSbhD7Gv03hhffOIRhPDVVy1idT3antTFra21Ou3IHHZ-BhNPqo2/s1600/Time+for+a+little+something.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8bzFjBk3GuRiLDWpaPGFpe_PheBe6tFLjmcMIWacMVVqgaf0tpwIj414zusu-FSWzvNOw7zufhgyuvWiKl0BgVs6zSbhD7Gv03hhffOIRhPDVVy1idT3antTFra21Ou3IHHZ-BhNPqo2/s320/Time+for+a+little+something.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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First up Jemma over at <a href="http://timeforalittlesomething.com/2012/08/12/whittakers-whiskey-cake/" target="_blank">Time for a Little Something</a> with a rather gorgeous Whittaker's & Whiskey Cake. Dense, dark whiskey flavoured chocolate cake, this is a contender for me for this years Christmas cake (I am one of those odd souls who dont really like fruit cake....), while I am not a whiskey drinker I love the depth of flavour it gives to cooking and baking. It looks so beautiful to, thanks Jemma<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQRJDglREox5dJegB6hZ1x1KADc6opvwlfYvZrldCY_DVyO47rCAzmaK574m0buOIIJtu5RcBwTqnFI9n3IO630zWmA-RKIH3oUXqSCYwcXn83vhgY7qfJIsZUk6yo6DYR18Mve9csX2r/s1600/Leslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQRJDglREox5dJegB6hZ1x1KADc6opvwlfYvZrldCY_DVyO47rCAzmaK574m0buOIIJtu5RcBwTqnFI9n3IO630zWmA-RKIH3oUXqSCYwcXn83vhgY7qfJIsZUk6yo6DYR18Mve9csX2r/s320/Leslie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For a luscious exotic pudding treat Leslie at <a href="http://eatetc-lesley.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/comfort-pudding.html" target="_blank">Eat Etc</a> has shared a Cardamom Spiced Rice Pudding. I adore Cardamom, and Mr PK is mad for anything containing raisins, so pretty much our ideal winter pud. Warm or cold, this is creamy scented comfort eating, and how gorgeous is that blue cloth? Thanks Leslie<br />
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For a fab teatime treat that also happens to be Gluten Free, Lydia at <a href="http://www.lydiabakes.com/2012/06/flourless-orange-cake.html" target="_blank">Grace Cakes</a> has posted a Flourless Orange Cake. The method for this one is intriguing and involves boiling whole oranges, for really intense orange flavour. What a treat with a cup of Earl Grey tea (and yes, a large dollop of cream or yoghurt on the side:) thanks Lydia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLMDE9v7QRGrj4FsLHtvGemzwjJpa5gpRZkdKCVJGHo_zNMkxLuMa1cdVnwFOBK_tl65R8KkHlNsS9uYSMDJrboASWPkbYWZPiZbOqIFkCe0cKyxeEsIGDze2Zxnrg1tLwhg8bLMQpKyU/s1600/Back+up+Brownies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLMDE9v7QRGrj4FsLHtvGemzwjJpa5gpRZkdKCVJGHo_zNMkxLuMa1cdVnwFOBK_tl65R8KkHlNsS9uYSMDJrboASWPkbYWZPiZbOqIFkCe0cKyxeEsIGDze2Zxnrg1tLwhg8bLMQpKyU/s320/Back+up+Brownies.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mairi over at <a href="http://www.toast-nz.com/2012/08/afternoon-tea-back-up-brownies-cucumber.html" target="_blank">Toast</a> has shared her recipe for Back Up Brownies. These came about after a wee sponge "mishap", I was lucky enough to have one (ok, several....) so let me assure you there is nothing "backup" about moist rich chocolatey brownie topped with tangy freeze dried strawberry powder. Not only do they look so pretty, they were completely scrumptious , thanks Mairi<br />
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For a sweet pudding treat Alli at <a href="http://peasepudding.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/winter-white-sago-pudding-with-lime-coconut-sugar/" target="_blank">Pease Pudding</a> has sent us Winter White Sago Pudding with Lime & Coconut Sugar. I adore creamy style puds , so cant wait to give these a whirl, especially with tropical lime coconut flavours, it may be pouring with rain but I can turn the heating up and pretend.....thanks Alli (p.s where did you get those wonderful spoons???)<br />
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Continuing the tangy citrus theme, Sue from <a href="http://couscous-consciousness.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/nieve-de-limon-lemon-lime-sorbet.html" target="_blank">Couscous & Consciousness</a> sent in Nieve de Limon, a zingy fruity Mexican inspired Lemon-Lime Sorbet. How much do you want to be sitting in the sun eating this right now? So light and refreshing, I am really looking forward to making this for Mr PK, who does not tolerate creamy ice cream very well, what a fabulous treat. Pretty pic to, thanks Sue<br />
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Another favourite fruit of mine, apple, is the base for a decadent treat from Genie at <a href="http://bunnyeatsdesign.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/tofu-tuesday-apples-and-butterscotch/" target="_blank">Bunny Eats Design</a>. Nifty little cinnamon spiced apple hand pies with a rich butterscotch sauce, this is much easier than it sounds, and could very well make an extremely wet chilly Monday night perfectly bearable. And how cute is that rabbit?(his name is Tofu:) Thanks Genie<br />
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<a href="http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/tiramisu-with-amarena-cherries.html" target="_blank">Alessandra </a> has contributed an indulgent Tirimisu, and being Italian we can be assured she knows what's what when it comes to this lovely dessert. I smiled when I saw this picture as the twist with this recipe is the use of Whiskey instead of coffee. Glenffidich was Dad's favourite, he would have had a terrible dilemma handing over the whiskey bottle, not wanting yet more of his precious drop to go into "cooking" but wanting to try the finished product, I will certainly be making this for my next whanau gathering, thanks so much Alessandra<br />
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Our last entry this month is courtesy of Angela at <a href="http://thecookssponge.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/apple-fruit-bar.html" target="_blank">The Cook's Sponge</a>, who has shared with us an Apple Fruit Bar. Perfect for kids and adults alike, this will be a perfect portable morning tea treat, much more delicious and sustaining than a big doughy muffin, and way better for me to! I am keen to try the original, and the suggested Apricot variation , which would be a nice change. Thanks Angela (and welcome to Sweet NZ)<br />
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What a line up, I hope you are inspired to get cooking, Sweet NZ for September is being hosted by <a href="http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Alessandra Zecchini</a> so make sure you get your sweet delights to her for sharing at the end of next month.Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-61820350879554680482012-08-18T13:49:00.002+12:002012-08-18T13:53:05.166+12:00Black Dog Cottage Cookbook: Sweetcorn, Spring Onion, Feta & Coriander Fritters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you probably know by now, I am a girl who loves a cookbook. So when the publishers of the second <a href="http://207.57.104.74/" target="_blank">Black Dog Cottage Cookbook</a> by Adie McClelland (released this month throughout New Zealand) asked me if I would like to test drive a couple of recipes I said yes please. <br />
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I love fritters as much as I love books, so the Sweetcorn, Spring Onion, Feta & Coriander fritters were calling to me. The trick with a good fritter is to have the minimum of flour, enough to bind but no more, to avoid stodginess. You will think their isn't enough in this recipe, but trust me, it works a treat, and the end result is light, crunchy & moreish.<br />
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<strong>Sweetcorn, Spring Onion, Feta & Coriander fritters</strong> (from the second Black Dog Cottage Cookbook, published August)<br />
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3 cobs fresh/2 cups frozen sweetcorn (fresh is best, but these are still fab with frozen)<br />
2 eggs, whisked<br />
2 tbsp flour (yes, just 2!)<br />
4 spring onions, finely chopped<br />
Handful of coriander, finely chopped<br />
80 grams feta, crumbled<br />
Freshly ground pepper<br />
Oil for frying (I used Canola)<br />
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If using fresh corn cut the kernels off the cobs. Whisk together the flour and eggs to make a batter. Combine the spring onions, coriander, feta, pepper and corn into the batter and mix well. <br />
Splash some oil into a medium frying-pan and heat over medium. When hot add small spoonfuls of batter to your desired size, and turn over when golden to do the other side.<br />
Drain on kitchen paper.<br />
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As you can see, they could not be easier. I served them for lunch with bacon , sour cream and more coriander. I had intended to add avocado also, but of course when I cut it open it was brown, why are so many avocados like that!? They would also be lovely made bite size & topped with sour cream and a flake of hot smoked salmon to have with drinks, yum!<br />
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The book also has a recipe for Zucchini , Mint & Feta fritters, which follow the same method, substituting grated zucchini and mint for the corn and coriander. As soon as zucchini come back into season I will be giving these a try also, maybe with a fresh zingy tomato salsa....<br />
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I have the first Black Dog Cottage cookbook and it is a cracker, so I am really looking forward to seeing the next one. I am getting around the cookbook buying ban by putting it on my Christmas list, clever no? If it is following the same format as the first book expect light, fresh, easy to prepare recipes full of flavour with minimum fuss. Hard to go wrong really.......<br />
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For more information please visit <a href="http://www.phantomhouse.com/" target="_blank">Phantom House Books</a> or the book's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BlackDogCottageCookbook" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.</div>
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-30558355655887164842012-08-08T17:44:00.001+12:002012-08-08T17:44:39.073+12:00Wishful Wednesday, the beginning of an affair...(hopefully not the end of a marriage)What a week! Firstly apologies for my technology induced hiatus, all manner of IT dramas at work (is their anything more tedious??), no laptop at home, I feel rather bored by technology. So let’s talk about something far more interesting. No, not the Olympics, (although it had been thrilling) but Kitchens!<br />
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Mr PK and I are renovating. Starting with the kitchen, following up with the bathroom, adding another bathroom and oh joy of joys, a walk in wardrobe. No doubt it will all be intensely stressful, but at least if we do get divorced the house will be gorgeous when we have to sell it & split the proceeds………just kidding. Maybe.<br />
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Anyway, the architect came around with his first set of drawings last week, and I was delirious with excitement. It is only in hindsight I realise I have made a blooper. I asked for the kitchen to be moved to an area off to the side of where it is now, ending up as a very large U shape. Adding a huge wow factor and providing unbelievable amounts of storage. Amazing you would think?<br />
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Actually not. Putting washing onto a portable rack (its raining again, surprise) down the end where my cooker would be, I realised how isolated my new kitchen would actually be. Instead of being in the hub of my home, off the lounge, I would be off on my own (albeit luxury) wing. Big mistake, I like to know what’s going on, so instead I sat down with a glass of vino and pictured a bigger version of what I actually have. Instead of just moving everything, I thought about what works at the moment (the Triangle from cooker, fridge & stove), and what doesn’t (not enough storage, pantry miles away). Not having to move windows, a wall and all the plumbing will save us a fortune………….which I can them spend on exciting things like this beauty from <a href="http://www.belling.co.nz/" target="_blank">Belling</a>...........it was love at first sight.<br />
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The stainless steel version is also rather handsome.........</div>
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Is it odd to plan the kitchen around a cooker? And wander around Harvey Norman taking pictures of cookers? Wait until I take my roasting dish in for a size check.......</div>
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I also rather like this sink..........</div>
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And this rather handsome<a href="http://www.plumbers.co.nz/shop/wels-basin-mixer-tap-faucet-wextend-kitchen-sink-tap-euroware-p-400.html" target="_blank"> tap</a></div>
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Now I just have to decide on cabinets, flooring, tiles (loving these subway tiles with gray grout)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZHZ8DzVo97RqXqXbRCQk6kFqStnkoLTQhWw50SrVpgWkWfr-tST30a2uS50BhbZjiW6JSvlIUU8xRSJC_CKAK5i1G5uCI0gC6ggNNraNH5fVN1aCZeXE4pOhAPe4iFnA6QcFbtbn-ZEe/s1600/white_subway_tile_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZHZ8DzVo97RqXqXbRCQk6kFqStnkoLTQhWw50SrVpgWkWfr-tST30a2uS50BhbZjiW6JSvlIUU8xRSJC_CKAK5i1G5uCI0gC6ggNNraNH5fVN1aCZeXE4pOhAPe4iFnA6QcFbtbn-ZEe/s320/white_subway_tile_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Pic via <a href="http://edesignwellington.blogspot.co.nz/">edesignwellington.blogspot.co.nz</a>)<br />
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So many choices???!!! Any kitchen tips greatly received.................</div>
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Leaving kitchens entirely I wanted to share a great song I heard on the radio the other day. Those that know me may well be groaning at this point (that's you BFF1) , my taste in music is notoriously dodgy, but do have a listen to this from Icelandic band Little Talks, so catchy, YEAH! (the intro is in German I think, but they sing in English)</div>
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Lastly, a gratuitous cat pic (come on, it's been a while) of Tuppence in mega pose mode......she is such a star<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVotD26KfsWy8pOrJ_XR2wvcxDWRbNHf5pZtJv_ETQoIYbUM5lplev0Rky8W8Z67imhlKQenAE3MnkCyHK_rGro4BUdMWx-FarPaAGWDhbKtaq5HGohyphenhyphenngvkw79jBacYFbeFNQsFb97S_D/s1600/Tuppence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVotD26KfsWy8pOrJ_XR2wvcxDWRbNHf5pZtJv_ETQoIYbUM5lplev0Rky8W8Z67imhlKQenAE3MnkCyHK_rGro4BUdMWx-FarPaAGWDhbKtaq5HGohyphenhyphenngvkw79jBacYFbeFNQsFb97S_D/s320/Tuppence.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Have a great week!Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-57542753618115931882012-08-06T11:42:00.001+12:002012-08-06T11:43:15.547+12:00Sweet New Zealand- August!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7Dhnq3Y-cPBrgtqk50094LiGclc39tdoegWzE5O9rmDaqoP8hH5Rd2BFG2ewYWhXZjKNZHBuXgrr7hQzbvnKpWDhezOvjWvInHhUzGlDlYo6tUK-iN9QEIND-0bw1H7pS_P7QRu2oAsT/s1600/sweet-new-zealand-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7Dhnq3Y-cPBrgtqk50094LiGclc39tdoegWzE5O9rmDaqoP8hH5Rd2BFG2ewYWhXZjKNZHBuXgrr7hQzbvnKpWDhezOvjWvInHhUzGlDlYo6tUK-iN9QEIND-0bw1H7pS_P7QRu2oAsT/s320/sweet-new-zealand-logo.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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I am very happy it is August at last. Only a few weeks & we are officially into Spring, my very favorite month. So to get me through to my first bunch of daffs, and taste of asparagus, <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Plum Kitchen</a> will be hosting Sweet New Zealand for August! <br />
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This event was originally started by <a href="http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Alessandra Zecchini</a> in 2011 and really encourages food bloggers to share their secret recipes, discover new delights and of course, get to know other New Zealand food bloggers, living both here and overseas.<br />
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If you’d like to enter, here are some super simple rules:<br />
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1. This event is open to all bloggers living in New Zealand (even if you are not a Kiwi), as well as all Kiwi bloggers living and blogging overseas.<br />
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2. You can enter anything sweet (as simple or complicated as you like): cakes, biscuits, slices, desserts, even drinks, and you may submit as many entries as you like, including old posts if you like.<br />
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3. Your entry must contain the following: the phrase “Sweet New Zealand”, a link to the host (my blog homepage), a link to this post and include the Sweet New Zealand badge (just right-click and download the image from this post), and if you are submitting an older post remember to update it accordingly with all of the above.<br />
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4. To submit your entry email me at plumkitchen@hotmail.co.nz by 30th August with:<br />
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your name<br />
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your blog name<br />
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a link to your blog<br />
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a link to the post you’re contributing (and name of recipe if it’s not on your post’s title)<br />
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a photo from your post (not more than 250 kb if possible)<br />
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I’ll do a round up of all entries at the end of August (Mr PK wants me to cook them all also so he can taste test!?). I look forward to hearing from you!<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-26612064236210527322012-07-30T17:28:00.001+12:002012-07-31T17:04:46.578+12:00Dessert for an Olympian.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have gone slightly off-piste this week with my cookbook challenge, although the base of my ice-cream is from Donna Hay, it is so much a variation I think we will just call it a one off, and save Donna for another day……….</div>
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Unless you are living under a rock you may have noticed a certain sporting event filling the telly schedule, newspaper, social media……<br />
I love the Olympics. Yes it may be commercial, and but so what, I will cry at the winners (and some of the losers) and become extremely knowledge (or so I think…..) about the most obscure sports, and countries for that matter.<br />
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To celebrate I had the whanau around for an Olympic themed dinner. We went back through the last eight countries to host the games, pulled the names out of a jug and cooked a dish we thought represented that country. Mr PK drew a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_mule" target="_blank">drink </a>from Moscow (um, guess what he made………)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUX36p3bq8jB1fAdFDbohUnusNVgmPEloRV2RHWCG-R9hwAS0l6ar90Tg4sRStuF5pI6JT5Ak4FLA1HVKt3irpAajuK_MvOKFilyOqw3tilGUiHvO30Ywx57HdOu3Lr51LbOLrK9WIvdvu/s1600/Moscow+Mule" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUX36p3bq8jB1fAdFDbohUnusNVgmPEloRV2RHWCG-R9hwAS0l6ar90Tg4sRStuF5pI6JT5Ak4FLA1HVKt3irpAajuK_MvOKFilyOqw3tilGUiHvO30Ywx57HdOu3Lr51LbOLrK9WIvdvu/s320/Moscow+Mule" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was challenged to come up with a Sydney inspired dessert………. <br />
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So, if, like me, you will be staying up all sorts of unsociable hours to watch the Peoples Republic of Somewhere I Can't Pronounce beat Wherethehellisitstan in the woman's singles final of the synchronised swimming, here is a treat to make it just that bit more worthwhile……… <br />
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<strong>Mango, Lime & Toasted Coconut Ice-cream </strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9IP0TZHpC2WjZYc2Nn5RyYia-q_OhbXPICkQCSRZjVxBg9060MIU4FcmRuKYaGVgwdfvi3Daev9D1f7Jkq9dGBpv_iFwbTU7wqBn1OgW_pyKCv4N0dusWtkDKasmy_1qYjiX9rYpBbTD/s1600/Ice-cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9IP0TZHpC2WjZYc2Nn5RyYia-q_OhbXPICkQCSRZjVxBg9060MIU4FcmRuKYaGVgwdfvi3Daev9D1f7Jkq9dGBpv_iFwbTU7wqBn1OgW_pyKCv4N0dusWtkDKasmy_1qYjiX9rYpBbTD/s320/Ice-cream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The ice-cream is inspired by the <a href="http://www.donnahay.com.au/" target="_blank">Donna Hay</a> recipe from Modern Classics 2, it is plain vanilla to which I add fresh mango puree, lime zest and toasted thread coconut. <br />
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1 cup milk (I use semi-skim but anything is fine)<br />
2 cups cream<br />
Vanilla pod<br />
2/3 cup caster sugar<br />
6 egg yolks<br />
1 fresh mango (or use canned)<br />
2 tbsp icing sugar<br />
Zest of 1 lime<br />
¾ cup thread coconut, toasted in a dry pan until golden & fragrant<br />
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In a saucepan heat the milk, cream & vanilla pod until hot, but not boiling. Leave to sit while you whisk together your egg yolks and sugar until thick & pale. Take the vanilla bean out (you can rinse it & leave to dry, then pop into your sugar jar!) and while whisking, pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the whole lot back into your saucepan, then stir over a low heat for about 5 minutes until your custard has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. It will still be quite runny so don’t worry.<br />
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Pour into a bowl & leave to cool for 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile peel your mango and whiz the flesh in the food processor with the icing sugar until it is pulped. Press through a sieve and stir into the custard mixture with the lime zest and coconut. Pop into the fridge & when cold put into your ice-cream machine and churn<br />
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Alternatively pout into a plastic contain & pop into the freezer. Take out every hour and using and electric beater, whisk up to break up any ice crystals. Do this 3 or 4 times. Yes, the ice-cream machine is easier!<br />
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I like to take my ice-cream out of the freezer for 20 minutes or so before serving so it isn’t to hard to scoop, I served it with <a href="http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/food/recipes/anzac-biscuits/" target="_blank">Anzac biscuits</a> , and an almond praline. This would have been a Macadamia praline until I saw how expensive Macadamia nuts are?! <br />
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This is also my entry for the <strong>July </strong><a href="http://aftertasteblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/sweet-new-zealand/" target="_blank"><strong>Sweet NZ</strong></a> over at <a href="http://aftertasteblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">After Taste</a>. Be sure to pop over and check out the round up of goodies from all over, great for a sweet tooth!<br />
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In case you are interested,the rest of the Olympic marathon looked like this.....<br />
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Pork Dumplings representing Beijing, with Kimchi via Seoul...........<br />
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Buffalo wings and ranch dressing all the way from Atlanta (no buffalo was harmed.......)<br />
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From our friends in London, Fish & tartare sauce (or Fush!)<br />
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Via Los Angeles, Chicken and vege Enchiladas, with avocado & tomato salsa.....<br />
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Last savoury course before pud, Athens gives us Octopus and Potato Pickle salad.........<br />
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As you can see, it's a marathon not a sprint..........but food was the winner on the day!<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-28651525514505437462012-07-26T19:29:00.000+12:002012-07-26T19:35:27.659+12:00Wishful Wednesday- for kids to read....<br />
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The sad passing of the inimitable <a href="http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/MargaretMahy/" target="_blank">Margaret Mahy</a> (if you have never read any of her books step away from the computer & go immediatly to the local library, you wont regret it:) got me thinking about books in general, and children’s books in particular. When Mum moved we were under strict instructions to please finally remove the piles of books we had left behind! A few treasures were unearthed, what follows is a completely arbitrary run down on my fav’s……….<br />
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<a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/medium/5/9780064400015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Little House in the Big Woods" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/medium/5/9780064400015.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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For starters, my all time favourites, the <a href="http://www.littlehousebooks.com/" target="_blank">Little House series</a>. From The House in the Big Woods right through to Almanzo & Laura’s wedding in These Happy Golden Years I devoured the lot. The wonderful description of the maple dance, the day the family kill the pig, Caroline Ingills making butter, so much fascinating food history (I was all about the food even as a kid…….), I recently reread several of the books and enjoyed them just as much. Again I am not sure the iPod generation would find them as fascinating, I can only hope……..<br />
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The Classics: The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women" target="_blank">Little Woman</a> series by Louisa May Alcott, oh how I wanted to be Jo, although I have always suspected I may have more in common with conservative Meg. I read the entire series of these books, growing up with a gaggle of sisters I could certainly relate (although surely none of us were as sweet and kind as Beth!) Do girls still read them? I hope so………<br />
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Now I know kids still read these, <a href="http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/faraway-tree.php" target="_blank">The Faraway Tree</a> series by Enid Blyton. If you have not read the adventures of Jo, Bessy & Fanny with their friends Silky & Moonface, you must immediately befriend a child with even a modicum of reading taste, they certainly will have. I have the box set, although I realized the other day they actually belong to my sister………whoops <br />
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More recent reads: Beverly Cleary’s brilliant <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40341-ramona-quimby" target="_blank">Ramona Quimby</a> stories. Poor Ramona has many trails to deal with, not least her bossy older sister Beezus, but she handles everything with her brilliant imagination, even when things don’t go to plan….. I loved these books, so funny and clever; I was surprised to find they had been made into a movie. I watched the first 20 minutes on a flight back from Fiji, but the characters were so far away from the ones in my head I had to switch it off; don’t you hate it when that happens?<br />
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My younger sister started reading about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carbonel-King-Cats-Barbara-Sleigh/dp/1590171268" target="_blank">Carbonel (the King of Cats!)</a> by Barbara Sleigh and I followed suit. The books have been reissued, and are a great read, especially if, like me, you fully appreciate how clever cats really are……….<br />
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<a href="http://www.series-books.com/svh/svh.html" target="_blank">Sweet Valley High</a>, yep, I am a child of the 80’s! Francine Pascal series follows the lives of impossibly pretty popular twins Elizabeth & Jessica Wakefield living in Sweet Valley California where it never rained, they never got zits, or chubby, despite living on milk shakes & French fries . Apparently there were 152 books in the series (?!) I got my fix courtesy of my best friend across the road. Looking back the stories are so incredibly American I wonder now what the appeal was, but at the time they were compulsive reading. A follow up book Sweet Valley Confidential, following the lives of grown up Elizabeth & Jessica was released last year, I am reliably informed to give it a miss ……….<br />
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I cant not mention <a href="http://www.molliekatzen.com/" target="_blank">Mollie Katzen</a> and her amazing Moosewood Cookbook, and the follow up Enchanted Broccoli Forest, I LOVED these books, I got them out of the Library so many times I should have just brought them………all that wonderful hand lettering, and some of the dishes seemed very exotic to me, tofu, really???? <br />
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So, what were your favorites??<br />
<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-73878098925068589252012-07-18T17:39:00.002+12:002012-07-19T09:15:19.218+12:00Wishful Wednesday- feed me/read meThis week I thought I would talk about a couple of books & a website I am enjoying right now (or soon will be!), and a fantastic meal I had this week…<br />
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First up, I am very excited as one of my fav authors has a new book out next month. I am already on the waiting list at the Library (38 of 38 so far, I was a bit slow off the mark) for The Beautiful Mystery by <a href="http://louisepenny.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Louise Penny.</a> This is number eight in the Armand Gamache series, and they just get better & better. <br />
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Set in Montreal and the small village of Three Pines, each book is an ingenious murder mystery, as well as following the relationships with Chief of Police Armand, his deputy Jean-Guy and the various members of the village. I found Montreal beautiful and fascinating (and cold, actually it was the first place I touched snow) the history & relationships between the French & English speaking communities is an interesting theme in the books, and Penny describes the various scenes & characters so well you fell like they are old friends. I have missed them! Roll on August……..<br />
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If you want to start at the beginning, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Still-Inspector-Armand-Gamache-Mysteries/dp/0312541538/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342587925&sr=1-1&keywords=Louise+Penny" target="_blank">Still Life</a> is number one in the series<br />
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Speaking of murder mysteries, if you are like me and enjoy a good crime novel, check out <a href="http://kiwicrime.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Crime Watch</a>, a kiwi blog about all things happening in crime and thriller fiction. Craig Sisterson chaired an excellent session at the recent Readers & Writers Fest. called <a href="http://kiwicrime.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/more-snippets-and-snaps-from-auckland.html" target="_blank">A Mind for Murder</a> which I really enjoyed, his blog is updated constantly & is great for finding out about new crime authors, especially those from New Zealand<br />
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Next up a few pics from my dinner at<a href="http://www.eatatdepot.co.nz/" target="_blank"> Depot</a> last Friday. I met Mairi from over at <a href="http://www.toast-nz.com/" target="_blank">Toast,</a> and we enjoyed a fabulous meal, I highly recommend dining here if you are in Auckland. <br />
Get there early (we were seated by 5.30pm) as the place gets packed & there is no booking. We scored a fantastic perch right in front of the Kitchen, so enjoyed watching the meals being prepped by the super efficient chefs. Actually the head chef bears more than a passing resemblance to Russell Crowe (ok, if Russ had a north of England accent) and I don’t think that was the (delicious) Chardonnay talking….<br />
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So, what did we have?<br />
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A meat platter, perfect size for two, with various delicious cold meats, rabbit rillettes, crostini and cherry relish, superb...<br />
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Pork Carnitas, tender slow cooked pork with a tangy tomatillo salsa in soft tortillas.....</div>
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Potato skins, topped with porcini powder, truffle oil and Gouda.....I went out the next day & brought porcini powder <a href="http://www.sabato.co.nz/" target="_blank">here</a> so I could recreate these at home, completely morish.....</div>
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Turbot sliders, with pickled lime mayo......................WOW! </div>
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To finish, a gift from the kitchen, a tamarillo compote with the most amazing foam on top, complete with crunch & coffee............<br />
I rolled out out the door completly satisfied, and cant wait to go back..........<br />
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On a food theme, here is another book I have really enjoyed, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monsoon-Diary-Shoba-Narayan/dp/0553816357" target="_blank">Monsoon Diary</a>, Shoba Narayan's evocative memoir of her time growing up in Madras before moving to the US for college, the food descriptions made my mouth water. My sister found it in a second hand shop, but it is still available new. <br />
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And finally, on the subject of books, I have to mention Fifty Shades of Gray. Actually I don’t have to, but I’m going to. Everyone else seems to be talking about it…….<br />
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Good on E L James, it is really hard to write (& finish) any novel (I know, I’m trying…….), let alone actually get it published. To do so and have it become such a mega hit is just amazing, who would not want that? <br />
It’s just a shame, in my opinion, it isn’t a better book. I found it far too long (and to be honest I only made it halfway through…..), in desperate need on an edit, and quite frankly, thin and boring. Never mind auto-erotic bedroom gymnastics, I just wanted to give Ana a slap, she is so wet! How Ms James managed to spread the story out over three books I can’t even imagine (actually maybe therein lies the problem, her imagination is clearly more active than mine!) but I wont be purchasing any more. The annoying thing is I brought the book on my Kindle, I can’t even give it away………<br />
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Have a great week! <br />
<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-5410977042623358812012-07-16T19:34:00.003+12:002012-07-16T19:34:59.000+12:00Cook My Books Challenge Three- Ole Cassoulet....?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the second version of this post, the first one disappeared off my laptop screen last night just as I was finishing it up………most annoying, especially as I still don’t know what I did</div>
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You may also need to forgive the pics, can I say it is quite tough to make Cassoulet look as good as it tastes, there is a lot of brown in that there pot. Duck, Pork Belly, Pork sausage and beans, this is a flavour packed dish, rich artery clogging meaty goodness, thankfully for your heart it is a treat and not for everyday…….<br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The book I have selected this week is Anthony Bourdain’s </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158234180X?ie=UTF8&tag=anthonybourdain-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=158234180X" target="_blank">Les Halles cookbook</a>, based on recipes from his restaurant</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in New York city. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I will be doing more than one recipe from this one as it is a fab book, and I cheated a bit on the Cassoulet. For some reason I have a mental bock when it comes to soaking legumes, so between that & neglecting to start the recipe 3 days early as instructed (?!) I ended up doing a sort of mash up of Les Halles, </span><a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">High Fearnly-Whittingstall</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> & </span><a href="http://www.rickstein.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rick Stein</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. This is a very traditional dish, so there will be as many interpretations as there are chefs, this is mine. I am actually pretty happy with this dish, I dont think a few </span>short cuts<span style="font-family: inherit;"> have compromised flavour at all, it does take hours to make, but to be honest the actual time you spend doing anything is nothing like that much. I would not claim any degree of authenticity here, but I would claim this tastes fabulous....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Cassoulet</strong> - inspiration as above</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">serves 6-8 generously</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First the beans....</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">500 gr haricot beans, soaked in cold water overnight (see below if you are forgetful like moi)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">200 gr pork rind, cut into chunks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 onion, peeled and studded with 4 cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 garlic cloves, peeled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Bouquet Garni (Bay, Thyme, & Parsley tied together in a little bunch with string)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Drain the beans, then put in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients. Cover by at least 3 cm with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1.5-2 hours until the beans are nice & tender.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you forget the soaking step, cover your beans with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for a full 10 minutes, then turn the heat off & pop a lid on your pot. Leave to sit for 2 hours. The boiling gets rid of any toxins in the beans, so </span>don't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> skimp on this step. Continue as above</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Now the meatie bit....</b></span><br />
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2 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_confit" target="_blank">confit duck legs</a> (I will post how to make these later this week, or you can buy, I got mine at <a href="http://www.sabato.co.nz/" target="_blank">Sabato</a>)<br />
800 gr Pork Belly (I like <a href="http://www.freedomfarms.co.nz/" target="_blank">Freedom Farms</a>,) cut into chunks<br />
6 good meaty pork sausages (I get mine at the fabulous <a href="http://www.ellersliemeats.co.nz/" target="_blank">Ellerslie Meats</a>)<br />
1 onion, peeled and chopped<br />
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped<br />
1 small tin of crushed tomatoes<br />
1 tbsp tomato paste<br />
salt & pepper<br />
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Ok, first you need to brown your meats. Take 2 tbsp of the fat from around your duck legs, and melt over a medium heat. Brown your duck legs on both side, and set aside. A bit of fat will come out of your duck, dont freak out, it is that kind of dish.<br />
Now brown the pork belly, the skin will spit and crackle, so be careful. Set aside with the duck, and add the sausages to the pan. Brown on all sides and cut into chunks. By now you, the cooker, the floor & probably the wall will be covered in fat, this is what happens.........<br />
Turn the heat to low, and add the onion & garlic to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until soft but not really browned. Add the tomato pulp and paste, along with 1/2 cup of water. Stir & simmer for 10 minutes.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 160C. When the beans are cooked, check you still have plenty of liquid in the pan. I dont think I had enough, I would aim for at least a cm over the level of the beans. The beans will soak up a lot more liquid in the oven. Stir through the tomato mixture, and check your seasoning, remember the duck has a bit of salt, but dont under season.<br />
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Layer the meat & beans, starting and finishing with beans. An earthenware pot in traditional, I use my Le Creuset which works perfectly. Now you could sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, I didn't have any so relied on the beans to form their own crust. Apparently this would be the subject of hot debate in France, my audience didn't know the difference so it was fine!<br />
Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours until crusty, bubbly, meaty & gorgeous. You are the déesse domestique....<br />
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I served my Cassoulet with <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/happy-birthday-to-me-me-me.html" target="_blank">this</a> potato dish, (in for a penny as they say....) One of my sisters does not eat red meat, so she made a rather divine salad Nicoise to go with dinner, I think my arteries were saying thanks. A green salad would also be perfect, sharp with a mustard dressing.<br />
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I also made this tangy Rhubarb Creaming Soda syrup to use with my <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/wishful-wednesday-get-busy-with-fizzy.html" target="_blank">soda stream </a>, thanks to <a href="http://crapkitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/rhubarb-creaming-soda.html" target="_blank">Good Food in a Crap Kitchen</a>, delicious, and so pretty.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I will be posting further recipes from Les Halles, it is a useful, well designed book, I like Anthony Bourdain's straight talking style, the recipes are relatively simple to use and the format is clear & easy to read. Probably not one for vegetarians however.</span><br />
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Les Halles Cookbook<br />
Anthony Bourdain<br />
Bloomsbury 2004Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-14900437963920975272012-07-11T20:13:00.000+12:002012-07-11T20:13:22.207+12:00Wishful Wednesday- get busy with the fizzy!Ok, fess up. Who were you friends with as a kid just so you could go over to their house after school and use the soda stream? If they had a pool as well it was a double whammy, actually that was a combo that pretty much guaranteed friends.<br />
I sound awful (although I have recently heard at least one confession of the above....) but after coming from a house where the drink of choice was water or milk (with Milo added if you were feeling flash) having fizzy drink on tap seemed pretty amazing. That it didn't actually taste that great seemed to be secondary, it was fizzy , coloured & full of sugar, yeowww! The machines themselves were pure seventies chic, orange & brown beauties that promised so much.....<br />
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So when my sister got <a href="http://www.sodastream.co.nz/" target="_blank">a soda stream</a> for her birthday I was pleasantly surprised. Gone is the bench-hogging clunky plastic look of old, the new machines are actually rather sleek, no shame sitting next to the Kitchen Aid here! So I added one to my birthday list and I am glad I did.<br />
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Easy to use, I make fresh sparkling water every day, rather than buying it and getting through loads of plastic bottles. I have a sample pack of flavours to try, although to be honest I prefer a squeeze of fresh lime in my water. Mr PK with his sweet tooth is the syrup tester, I can recommend the Creaming Soda so far....<br />
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Now, do you like a good sale? Then let me recommend the <a href="http://www.boden.co.uk/" target="_blank">Boden</a> sale. This UK website is an absolute cracker. I have been buying these clothes for years, they are fantastic quality, a great range of sizes, and deliver worldwide. The shoes are also brilliant, I have two friends who have brought the rather delicious pony skin ballet slippers........<br />
Go on, treat yourself!<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-80725068565915911512012-07-08T19:26:00.000+12:002012-07-08T19:26:30.946+12:00Cook My Books Challenge Two- new voices in food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For Cook My Books challenge two I have selected a really delicious book by young English chef Alice Hart. Alice is a chef, and was the youngest food editor at Waitrose Food Illustrated, as well as running a successful pop up "The Hart & Fuggle"............and she is still in her 20's! </div>
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Her book, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11157992-alice-s-cookbook" target="_blank">Alice's Cookbook</a> is full of tempting recipes, sorted into categories such as simple wintry dinner, autumn film night, springtime camper van buy the sea.....the recipes are influenced by Alice's travels, and represent a variety of cuisines, all fairly simple with intriguing flavours. </div>
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This book is one of a small series from Quadrille called <a href="http://www.quadrille.co.uk/search/new+voices+in+food" target="_blank">New Voices in Food,</a> I am keen to get the other books in the series once the Cookbook Buying Ban expires! The layout is clear, and I love the matt finish to the cover and photos. Bear in mind there are not pictures for every recipe. This does not bother me at all, the pictures that are included are beautifully styled, with a real feel of the young hip author Alice is. <span style="background-color: white;">This book would be particularly good for a younger person getting into cooking, the recipe are clear and easy for follow, with results that will encourage more cooking .</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The first recipe I have chosen is a simple Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry. Actually where I come from this would be Chicken and Kumara Curry, but I wont confuse the issue.....Quick to prepare, this is the perfect midweek supper, full of flavour and goodness.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Vietnamese Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry</b> (adapted from Alice's Cookbook)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Serves 4 </b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6-8 chicken thighs, skinned and boned<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ tbsp medium curry powder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp palm sugar/light brown sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp plain oil, I use canola<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 shallots, chopped (or 1/2 small onion)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 garlic clove, chopped<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 lemongrass stalk, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp chilli flakes (to taste, add more if you like more zip)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp Thai fish sauce<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">400 ml can coconut milk<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">corian</span><span style="background-color: white;">der leaves, to serve</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix half the curry powder, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Coat the chicken in the mixture and set aside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, and add the onion, garlic and lemongrass.I </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">don't</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> chop up my lemongrass, but cut it into a couple of large chunks & bash with a rolling pin to release the flavour. I cant abide tiny bits of lemongrass in my teeth! Cook for a couple of minutes, without burning the garlic, then add the curry powder, chilli flakes and chicken and cook for five more minutes. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Add the sweet potato, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, coconut milk and 1/3 of the coconut can of water. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken and sweet potato are cooked through. Taste and add more fish sauce if required. I also added a big squeeze of lime, but that's up to you</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serve with steamed rice and a sprinkling of coriander. Or as it would be in Vietnam, with baguette .</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This is really tasty, savoury, sweet and salty, and I like the use of curry powder, which apparently is what they use in Saigon. I have never been so I defer to Alice on this one.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;">Alice's Cookbook</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;">Quadrille Publishing 2010</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;">New Voices in Food series</span></div>
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<br /></div>Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-49293780916177809652012-07-05T21:04:00.001+12:002012-07-05T21:04:47.045+12:00Melt me an onion......<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejiMz6flI-No9ZZd5bjEDP0qfdrHJ9mFE4zaTsPj-th5C3Il7HihxYuAwXjRcrEw09nh48tdztwa1NTBJhAcAOo-oACrAGb4OTJ4H3k9t1R6-z3jm9PmRSRBMir68pkq0fxRN_jjKrebO/s1600/Soup+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejiMz6flI-No9ZZd5bjEDP0qfdrHJ9mFE4zaTsPj-th5C3Il7HihxYuAwXjRcrEw09nh48tdztwa1NTBJhAcAOo-oACrAGb4OTJ4H3k9t1R6-z3jm9PmRSRBMir68pkq0fxRN_jjKrebO/s400/Soup+010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The heat pump is blasting and my weather app tells me it is all of 6 degrees outside. Temps like that, and a whole bag of onions in the pantry says Onion Soup, complete with cheesy crusty croutons melted on top. I will warm myself from the inside out.<br />
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I also want to celebrate the kitchen brilliance that is slowly cooked onions. Their sweet melting deliciousness is out of all proportion to the ease of preparation. OK, once you have got past the peeling and chopping, but it is so worth it, trust me. If you have caramelised onions in the fridge, you are well on the way to a really good dinner, lunch or snack<br />
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How about on top of pizza, with some crumbled feta and fresh thyme? See <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/another-pizzawith-potato-yes-potato.html" target="_blank">here</a> for a fabulous pizza dough recipe......<br />
Or spread on top of <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/pimp-my-mac-n-cheese.html" target="_blank">Hummus</a>, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts, and served with warm pita breads....<br />
On top of a steak in a glorious steak and onion sandwich, with plenty of mustard<br />
With cheese, for a very posh cheese and onion toasty....<br />
Sprinkled with flour and stirred with beef stock and wine for onion gravy, <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2011/06/toad-in-hole-know-what-i-mean.html" target="_blank">Toad in the Hole</a> with that?<br />
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Or, of course, in soup<br />
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<b>My Onion Soup</b><br />
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<b>enough for 4 big bowls</b><br />
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6-7 medium onions, peeled<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
1/2 tsp of salt<br />
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed<br />
1 litre beef stock<br />
Splash of white wine (optional)<br />
Fresh ground black pepper<br />
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To serve<br />
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Crusty bread, sliced & toasted under the grill<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Gruyère</span> cheese (or whatever good melting cheese you have on hand)<br />
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Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan. Chop your onions in half then into thin crescents, and add to your butter/oil mix.<br />
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Sprinkle with salt and the crushed garlic, and cook on a low heat for about 50-60 mins until melting and golden. Yes, that is nearly an hour of cooking, in that time the sugars in the onions caramelise and give you the most wonderful sweet flavour.<br />
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You only need to give them an occasional stir, but otherwise don't have to do much for that hour. The onion pile will shrink dramatically! When you have lovely sweet , melty onion, add your beef stock and wine (if using), with a big grind of pepper, and leave to bubbly happily on the stove for another 30 minutes or so.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">You can enjoy as is, or to really gild the allium, pour into individual soup bowls (check out my retro beauties!) and top with your </span><span style="background-color: white;">croutons</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and a handful of cheese. Pop under the grill until the cheese is bubbly and </span><span style="background-color: white;">molten</span><span style="background-color: white;">, then scoff in front of The Block, glass of vino optional</span><br />
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I thought this might count towards my five fruit and veg a day, but the opinion of the girls in the knitting circle at work (I am bottom tier, working on a scarf) decided onions are a condiment......or seasoning. I am counting.<br />
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<br />Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-34231294116822859282012-07-03T20:10:00.000+12:002012-07-03T20:10:53.595+12:00Wishful Wednesday- Thundies are go!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1RoQa7lVJbznnLpj5cUY8elR6yHIkxq04uzUGhCVpB6h1P8IG5tRKa3uAuF8ScJdTvvZDxrRgFwvQ2j5EfYNSC8XxiuiDnN5PWIuUt69WV2uOU3twS3TYwYFDaEg3bILS643Wrz2sfGf/s1600/Thundies+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1RoQa7lVJbznnLpj5cUY8elR6yHIkxq04uzUGhCVpB6h1P8IG5tRKa3uAuF8ScJdTvvZDxrRgFwvQ2j5EfYNSC8XxiuiDnN5PWIuUt69WV2uOU3twS3TYwYFDaEg3bILS643Wrz2sfGf/s400/Thundies+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, those are indeed underpants. I was very unsure about this post, putting my pants on display (fresh out the packet and unworn I would hasten to add) but as I got off my train this morning I was greeted by a vision in tight polyester trotting along in front of me, two butt cheeks positively cut in half by tight elastic and I knew. So Miss Visible Panty Line at Britomart, this ones for you..........<br />
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<a href="http://www.thunderpants.co.nz/" target="_blank">Thunderpants</a> are just the most comfortable pants you will ever wear, AND no VPL. I know some girls prefer thongs, but quite frankly I feel like I am being flossed wearing the awful things. Nana pants are also not terribly appealing, so in answer I offer Thundies. Fun, hard wearing (I have just retired one pair after 4 years....) and in a variety of cute organic cotton prints, they can be chucked in the washing machine no problem. In my head I am a faux Parisian girl who always wears matching silk lingerie lovingly hand washed............in reality, I have a life......<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXjD0D_op20eb6kDNtF0LDtEtKlMkXx_aycjrXkJOBqzyox4QmE-IzFKML9luMIG9Q_os3yZuV2gnvT0eTi4PCuGpHy33Df8Za6mOMXKBgpxscYDD-vTYgV3CSd2tD3Mi4DeVcAo95H6Z/s1600/Thundies+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXjD0D_op20eb6kDNtF0LDtEtKlMkXx_aycjrXkJOBqzyox4QmE-IzFKML9luMIG9Q_os3yZuV2gnvT0eTi4PCuGpHy33Df8Za6mOMXKBgpxscYDD-vTYgV3CSd2tD3Mi4DeVcAo95H6Z/s400/Thundies+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">OK</span>, clearly these are not pulling pants. I doubt any Romeo has brought Thundies for his Juliet (and lived to talk about it anyway, Mr PK has thankfully long given up attempting to buy me lingerie after some epic fails in the sizing department,....?!) but for those days when you want comfort and a smooth line under your clothing, Thundies are go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBLF20Q21-a6Gv6el_ebpRTSg3hmJ2PATZd3iwKnsgj6Jmr7IBt5KBahUGlsSFQbE1QpK6jQDAIGygH7SZUOxiPjggTKIwilCxLdW6ccZE94Z-NOENBzj1rYEEFn4dj6kCyJ7ifm8qhEz/s1600/Pincushion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBLF20Q21-a6Gv6el_ebpRTSg3hmJ2PATZd3iwKnsgj6Jmr7IBt5KBahUGlsSFQbE1QpK6jQDAIGygH7SZUOxiPjggTKIwilCxLdW6ccZE94Z-NOENBzj1rYEEFn4dj6kCyJ7ifm8qhEz/s400/Pincushion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next up is the rather fabulous Pin-cushion my sister over at <a href="http://www.detteryan.com/" target="_blank">Dette Ryan</a> made for me. I am still getting a handle on sewing, but it does help to have the right tools, who would not enjoy having this to brighten up a sewing table (or dinner table in my case!)<br />
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Lastly this week, a couple of blogs I am really enjoying right now....<br />
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The lovely Joanna Goddard over at<a href="http://joannagoddard.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank"> A Cup of Jo</a> always seems to have something new and interesting to share......I can read and pretend I live in NYC<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Elise Blaha</a> has lots of fun ideas for creative types, or people like me who want to be....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Have a great week everyone, for those in Auckland, try and stay dry!</span>Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-43015047325989327042012-07-01T19:29:00.000+12:002012-12-31T15:19:21.223+13:00Cook my Books Challenge One- do you know where Armenia is?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you can see from the pictures, I have a few cookbooks. Not as many as Nigella (she has a collection in the thousands apparently), but more than a lot of people I know. More than the Minister of Finance would like. And probably many more than I actually need. Even worse, I have some I have never actually cooked anything from. So to rectify this, and give myself a satisfying project to boot, I am going to cook a recipe/recipes from every single one of the 160 cookbooks I own and document the results here as the Cook My Books challenge. I will write up the recipe, and also a brief review of the book, in case you are lucky enough not to have an embargo on cookbook purchases for the next 12 months. </div>
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Now I know this is opening myself up to comparison with another, rather more famous blogger who challenged herself to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I did initially worry about this, then realised I am </div>
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a) not cooking from one book, my collection is pretty eclectic, so I will be cooking a variety of cuisines. And no matter what I am not doing anything in aspic. But I might bake more with <a href="http://www.plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/07/lardy-cakeno-im-not-kidding.html" target="_blank">lard</a></div>
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b) am cooking from a suburban kitchen in Auckland. Not a cool "loft" in New York City. In fact, given I am sitting typing this in track pants, watching the Rugby League, while my husband, also attired in track pants and stylish Chelsea FC fleece does his ironing.....I cant see there is any way I could be mistaken for a hip urbanite food blogger</div>
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d) I don't swear as much, or as creatively</div>
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c) Um, its my blog?</div>
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So, now we have that settled, the challenge itself. I have started with a New Zealand author, <a href="http://www.michalhaines.com/" target="_blank">Michal Haines,</a> and her wonderful Scent of the Monsoon Winds. Quite frankly the cover alone is worth the purchase price, never mind a wealth of delicious recipes. The dish I made first is Armenian Street Bread. I did have to get my Atlas out and see where Armenia actually is (needless to say I have not been, for reference it is just to the right of Turkey, beneath Georgia & above Iran.....) </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Minced lamb with tomato, lemon and garlic, spread on a disk of dough and topped with ricotta and parsley, baked and spritzed with more lemon. Pretty hard to go wrong really, this would traditionally be served as street food, rolled up and eaten on the go. Or eaten on your lap in front of the telly, as the case may be......</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Armenian Street Bread </b>(from Scent of the Monsoon Winds by Michal Haines)</span></div>
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Makes 8 individual rounds</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">First make your <b>bread dough</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1 tbsp dry yeast (the original recipe used 3 tbsp, but 1 is plenty)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">300ml warm water (ie hand warm, not hot)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1 tsp sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">450 gr (3 cups) strong flour</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
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Put the yeast & sugar into the water and leave for 10 mins or so in a warm place until it becomes frothy. I put all my dry ingredients & oil into the bowl of my Kitchen Aid but you can do this by hand very easily, it just takes a few minutes longer. If using a mixer, use the dough hook attachment, and while the motor is running, add about half the liquid. Let it mix for a while, then slowly add as much of the remaining liquid as you need to make a smooth dough, you may not need it all. Let the dough mix for about 7 minutes until it is smooth & springy. If making by hand, do the same, using your hands to mix the dough in the bowl until most of it has come together. Tip out onto a clean bench sprinkled with flour, and knead for 10 mins or so until smooth. See<a href="http://plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/another-pizzawith-potato-yes-potato.html" target="_blank"> here</a> for further info on kneading and yeast cooking, there really is nothing to it so don't be afraid. </div>
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Put the dough back into a clean bowl you have brushed lightly with oil, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1.5-2 hours</div>
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Meanwhile, make your <b>filling</b></div>
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2 tbsp oil</div>
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2 white onions, peeled and finely chopped</div>
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4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped</div>
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450 gr lamb mince</div>
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2 tomatoes, skinned & chopped ( I used a small tin of crushed tomatoes as it is winter!)</div>
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2 tsp salt</div>
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1 tsp sugar</div>
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Juice of a lemon</div>
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2 tsp tomato paste</div>
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Handful finely chopped parsley</div>
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250 gr ricotta, beaten with 1 tbsp olive oil</div>
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2 tsp toasted cumin seeds (pop into a dry frying pan and cook over med. heat until fragrant)</div>
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1 tsp chilli flakes</div>
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Heat the oil over a med-low heat, and add the onion and garlic with 1 tsp of the salt. Fry gently for 5 minutes until the onion is soft, then turn the heat up to med-high. Add the mince (remembering to save a little morsel for your cats, who will attempt to trip you up if you don't.....) and fry for approx 10 minutes until the meat is browning. See <a href="http://plum-kitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/special-request-savoury-mince.html" target="_blank">here</a> for a rave on browning mince. Turn the heat to low, and add the tomato, remaining 1 tsp salt, sugar, lemon juice and tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes until the meat is cooked and the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool , and stir in the chopped parsley</div>
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When your dough is nicely doubled in size (give or take!), pop a tray (or pizza stone if you have it) into the oven and crank the heat up to 230C. Split the dough into 8 balls, and roll each one out as thin as you can. Pop onto your heated tray, and top with some of the mince mixture, some of the ricotta and a sprinkle of the cumin seeds and chilli flakes.</div>
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Bake for approx 8 minutes, until nicely browned, then if you like top with </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">a sprinkle of ground sumac ( actually a berry, with a tangy citrus flavour)</span></div>
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a squeeze of lemon</div>
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more chopped parsley</div>
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How good do they look? Well, they taste even better. The bread dough & the cooked mince mixture can both be frozen, so I now have a fabulous dinner ready to be popped in the fridge to defrost and bunged in the oven at supper time. If you don't have ricotta, a sprinkle of feta would also be wonderful, or even natural yoghurt, in which case top once the bread is cooked.</div>
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Love this recipe, and I have at least five others I cant wait to try. The book has a variety of dishes, all featuring interesting spices and bold flavours. The recipes are clearly written, and beautifully photographed by Jacqui Blanchard. The book is printed on matt paper, which I personally prefer, with gorgeous colours, completely appropriate to the type of food. What can I say, I recommend..........</div>
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Plum Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16954414475141213202noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685091853433860046.post-59580506714055593592012-06-27T11:17:00.002+12:002012-07-01T19:38:49.456+12:00Wishful Wednesday....These boots are made for walking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I often come across things I love and want to rave about, so from now on the middle of the week will be <strong>Wishful Wednesday</strong> on Plum Kitchen. Each Wednesday I will round up anything I think you might like, from the best winter boots, to the book I can’t put down, and anything in between. First up, those boots!</div>
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I last wore 'off the shelf' knee high boots when I was about 10. In fact the moment is captured for posterity on my Aunt's wall. There I am beaming away next to Uncle Terry (looking vaguely embarrassed, I think he realised I might regret this in years to come........). My sister Wou is on his other side, cute as a button in a pretty floral frock and pigtails, I am a symphony in green, emerald Adidas tracksuit top (zipped up over my turtle neck) with matching 3 stripe tracksuit bottoms, tucked in (I could even tuck!) to my knee high zip up tan boots, replete with faux western stitching . I look like Kermit the Frog collided with Annie Oakley and spawned. <br />
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So when I discovered <a href="http://www.duoboots.co.uk/" target="_blank">Duo boots</a> I realised I could put the horror behind me and move on...........looking rather foxy at the same time. Duo are a UK based company who specialise in narrow AND wide fit boots. So if like me, you have legs that could be described as "heavy" you can still wear gorgeous leather boots. Similarly if you have skinny pins (I wish!) you can also wear boots without them flapping around like gumboots. I have the double bogey of chunky calves and small feet, so boots balance things out nicely, and mean I can wear dresses and funky tights, without looking like my tiny feet might snap under the weight of my legs.....<br />
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You simply measure your calf at the widest point, and match it up to one of the boots available, they do about 21 different widths. Delivery is free to NZ (and many other destinations), and speedy via DHL, I ordered my last pair on a Monday, they arrived Thursday! <br />
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The black pair (Florence) I brought at the Duo store in Bath when we were in the UK in 2008. I have had them soled twice, they are still going strong. So while they seem expensive I think they are a great investment long term, and wonderfully comfortable. Please excuse the photos, it is very tricky to take a picture of ones own legs…..<br />
So, are you tempted?<br />
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