Monthly Archives: February 2012

Bengali-style fish curry

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I’m not sure if “Hot and Sour” or “Bengali-style” to describe this fish curry caught my eye first. How interesting, thought I.

I came across it in a magazine-y book thing that Dish magazine put out late last year, I think called “everyday”. I believe it was a collection of their best recipes – simple and fairly quick ones you can cook on weekdays.

I’ve adapted their fish recipe here. It’s a curry sauce that you pour over grilled or pan-fried fish, rather than cooking fish pieces in the curry itself. It’s pretty easy and super tasty. It’s good for you, too!

Hot & Sour Fish – Bengali-style Fish Curry
Adapted from Dish magazine’s “Everyday” issue

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
2 tomatoes (truss is nice), diced – or you could use ½ tin of chopped tomatoes
4 green chillies, 2 chopped and 2 left whole (you can reduce quantity if preferred)
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
½ cup flour (plain or chickpea, if you have it)
4 firm white fish fillets (about 600-800g) – I used lemonfish which was perfect for the job
1 Tbsp rice bran or canola oil
2 small bay leaves
some fresh, frozen or tinned veges (optional)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup water
1-2 tsp finely grated palm sugar
sea salt

First, lightly grind the mustard seeds in a mortar and pestle – not too vigorously, take it easy, tiger – and set aside.

Put the tomatoes, chopped chillies, shallot, garlic and turmeric in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste. Also set aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish or on a plate, and season with salt. Dust the fish in the flour, and shake or pat off the excess. You want a nice thin coating of flour all over the fish.

Heat the oil in a large frypan and cook the fish over medium to medium high heat until just cooked through and golden brown. Remove to a clean plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm (or put it in a warm oven).

Add the lightly ground mustard seeds and bay leaves to the hot frypan and sizzle for a few seconds. Adjust the heat to medium. Add the tomato paste mixture and cook, stirring, until the paste is fragrant and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the whole chillies, lemon juice and water. Add any veges you’re using, too (I had half a tin of baby sweetcorn so threw that in, worked well! And anything that increases vege content is good; I think green beans would be good here).

Season and simmer for a few minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by half. You might need to leave it longer if you’ve added frozen veges (unless you zapped them in the microwave first, which would have been smart). Add the first teaspoon of palm sugar, taste, and add more if needed – it should still taste a bit sour, though. You can add the fish fillets to the sauce in the pan – or, I preferred to plate the fillets up and pour the sauce over top. Good served with wild rice.

Afghans

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Such a classic! I love afghans, all firm, crumbly and crunchy all at once. We had friends over a few days ago and I pulled some out of the freezer, iced and decorated them and voila, home made biscuits ready to go. (Oh my gosh, re-reading this, I sound like one of the women on the Glad “Better Living” ads! Aaaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!)

This is by far the best recipe I’ve ever come across for afghans. It comes from Ladies, A Plate by Alexa Johnston. Alexa researched New Zealand baking through old handwritten family recipe books and community fundraising cooking books. She says this recipe comes from a Mrs Marian Benton of Dunedin, and that Mrs Benton’s afghans “differ from the standard recipe in having less butter, more cocoa and a small amount of baking powder to make them a little less solid.” They taste really, really chocolate-y. I highly recommend them. Thanks, Mrs Benton!

I also love the icing on these afghans – a million times nicer than the usual cocoa + icing sugar + water = grainy icing. It makes a lovely syrupy icing, which complements to the rich chocolate-y-ness of the biscuits underneath.

I like to make smaller afghans – I get 30 biscuits out of this recipe. I make them about the same size as the circle your hand makes if you touch the tip of your forefinger to your thumb. They’re far more manageable at that size, and I think it makes them look infinitely cuter. I always think people like reaching for smaller baked items in polite company, too. So I don’t use a whole half of a walnut to decorate. I buy the packets of walnut pieces (or just break up halves, if that’s what’s in the pantry), and just pop a reasonable smidge of walnut on top.

Afghans
Mrs Marian Benton of Dunedin, as published by Alexa Johnston in Ladies, A Plate

6oz butter
½ cup brown sugar
1½ cups flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
½ tsp baking powder
2 cups (60g) cornflakes

3 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp caster sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1½ cups icing sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
walnut pieces or halves, to decorate

Before you start, preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper. Break up the cornflakes with your hands a little, and soften (but don’t melt) the butter if you need to.

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the sifted flour, cocoa and baking powder, then knead in the cornflakes. Put in teaspoonfuls on the trays, leaving a little space around each biscuit. Flatten slightly with a flour-dipped fork (you still want them quite chunky) and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool on a rack.

To make the icing, gently heat the water, caster sugar and butter until the butter melts, and simmer for one more minute to form a syrup. Beating all the time, pour about ¾ of the syrup onto the sifted icing sugar and cocoa. Add the remaining syrup if necessary to make a smooth, fudgy icing. Add a little hot water if it’s still too thick. Put a teaspoonful of warm icing onto each (cooled) biscuit, plant a walnut half or piece on top, sinking it into the icing a little, and leave to set firmly.

Store in an airtight tin or container. They stay good for 3-4 days.

So there you have it. 1, 2, 3, it’s quick and easy and the kids just love it. Better Living everybody!

Friday’s Favourite Five

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Like all kiwis, I’ve been thinking lots about Canterbury this week. From another city, it’s easy to forget what people there are still going through day to day, especially when they’ve lost precious belongings, homes, businesses or, worst of all, loved ones.

I’m sure if you lost possessions in a disaster, but your family and friends were all ok, you’d immediately remark on how lucky you were. But the losses would still be hard. I often think of a lady I saw a news story about, who had lost all her treasured china which had been carefully collected over the years. I sometimes think losing something of immense sentimental value would be like losing a (small) part of yourself.

Then there’s the people who are battling on with damaged homes – the footage of them shovelling out the mud and silt with every sizeable aftershock. They must be exhausted.  And I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who have lost their businesses, or who no longer have a place of work to go to. 

What’s hit me this week has been the interviews with people who lost partners, parents or children – to see them a year on, and hear how they are slowly rebuilding their lives – or how they still feel lost and shattered.

I can’t imagine how I’d cope if that was my city, my home, my loved ones. Cantabrians, however they’ve dealt with their own losses – and they’ve all, to some extent, lost the heart of their city, at least for the time being – are all true inspirations.

Cantabrians, wherever you are, you’re still on our minds. The rest of the country is still thinking of you and we’re right behind you. I can’t wait to come visit your new re-built city. And I promise I’ll bring lots of friends and we’ll do lots of shopping. Take care. xx

Here are my favourite five blog posts this week…

101 Cookbooks: Wintery Spring Rolls. Seems a bit early for ‘wintery’ to be in a title, but these look just gorgeous.

Our Kitchen: Smoked Salmon and Orange Pâté. I’m sure salmon & orange would be lovely together… ok then, I’ll have to try it to make sure…

Couscous & Consciousness: Nectarine and Plum Sponge Cake. Yum! Looks so beautiful. Actually I’ve struck gold with stone fruit this week and it’s been gorgeous, won’t be in the fridge long enough to turn into cake for me.

HomeMadeS: Peach Lemon Posset Ice Cream. Arfi’s dessert sounds like a serendipitous discovery – beautiful delicate flavours that go perfectly with creamy texture!

Pod & 3 Peas: Walnut Butter Balls…. because it’s Friday, and on Fridays, you need this kind of thing.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, see you next week… when it will be March!

Chicken Burgers

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Well, I’m not going to pretend this is a classy or elegant dish. It’s a weeknight chicken burger. And a total mash-up of flavours – moroccan and mexican, all at once.

The moroccan chicken filling comes from a random recipe I found tucked away, although I’m not sure where it came from. It’s usually served with couscous and cumin-spiced yoghurt, and is really yummy like that, but burgers feel so summery, and the other half LOVES them, so the poached chicken was re-purposed accordingly.

Chicken Burgers with Guacamole & Salsa

1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 small lean chicken breasts, trimmed
1 cup hot chicken stock
¼ cup lemon juice
½ an avocado
1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
juice of 1 lime
a few cherry tomatoes, as many as you like/have, halved or quartered
½ red onion, finely chopped
chilli – either a little chopped fresh stuff, or even some minced from a jar
fresh chopped coriander
burger buns or good grainy bread
salad greens, to serve

Pop the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle and just crush them lightly. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of glad wrap, and beat them lightly with a rolling pin or something until they’re about 2cm thick. Rub the chicken pieces all over with the crushed spice mix.

Heat a dash of oil in a large frypan, and brown the chicken quickly – just a minute on each side. Then add the stock and lemon juice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then take it off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes – make sure it’s cooked through.

While the chicken’s cooking, place the avocado, chives and half the lime juice in a small bowl. Mash, season and set aside.

In another bowl, make a salsa with the cherry tomatoes, red onion, chilli, coriander and remaining lime juice. Season and set aside.

Lightly toast the burger buns and spread with guacamole. Fill with chicken, salsa and salad greens. If you’ve got some hummus handy, chuck that in too!

 

Chocolate & Coffee Bean Ice Cream

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The Kitchen-Maid recently reminded me of “recipes” that aren’t really recipes – the kind you get on the back of packets. I loved Lucy’s example of a recipe for “making” a fruit-topped cheesecake by taking a bought one out of its box and spreading it with jam.

I suppose that “making” ice cream by softening bought ice cream and mixing other things into it, then freezing it again, isn’t really a proper recipe, either. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth sharing successes in the field.

You see a lot of recipes for added ingredient ice creams around Christmas (suggested additions usually include fruit mince, pistachio nuts, cranberries), or for kids’ birthday parties. But I recently saw an idea in Taste for proper grown-ups’ ice cream – chocolate coffee-bean ice cream. Mmmmmmm.

I had offered to bring dessert when we had dinner at our friends’ place a couple of weeks ago. Usually I love this kind of opportunity and come up with some convoluted all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza to make, but on this occasion, I said to myself – just take it easy. Don’t be an idiot. Make something simple.

Simple it was. And, unexpectedly, amazing. It really tasted like the kind of ice cream you’d see for $9 a litre for at the supermarket. I highly recommend it.

(This ice cream is also my entry for Sweet New Zealand, a monthly food blogging event started by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Shirleen of Sugar & Spice.)

The recipe isn’t mine – it’s from Taste magazine, so I won’t reproduce it. I’ll update this post to link to the recipe when it becomes available online – but in the meantime, if you want to get on with making some, it’s basically softening most or all of a punnet of ice cream, stirring through a spoonful of instant coffee and a packet of chocolate-covered coffee beans that you’ve pounded a little with a rolling pin. Then you pile it back into its container and freeze until it’s ice cream again.

I used Tip Top low-fat vanilla ice cream as my base. We only eat low-fat dairy in our house, and there’s not a whole lot of good low-fat ice cream out there, but I discovered Tip Top‘s Light ice creams last year. They also have low-fat hokey pokey and both ice creams are terrific – beautifully creamy. You’d never know it was low-fat. I also used a 180g box of Caffe L’Affare chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Best served with strawberries and shared with friends.

Friday’s Favourite Five

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What do you mean, we have to work all five days this week? What do you mean, we don’t get a three-day weekend to compensate? You mean we have to work five days next week too? And the next week? Until Easter?

You can not be serious.

Sigh. It really feels like summer is drawing to a close. The evenings seem dark earlier now. And not that long ago, my 6.30am gym classes used to begin with daylight streaming in the windows, but now it’s dark when I shove my reluctant feet into my trainers.

Maybe that’s a little too pessimistic. We have still had glorious weather this week (ok, except for the one rainy day, but hey – my herbs needed a drink). But it does feel like the  holiday feeling is over, and the real work for the year has begun. Don’t you think?

So this week, my favourite five blog posts celebrate lovely summery food – salads, berries, ice cream. Make the most of them while they’re here!

Alessandra Zecchini: Brandy Snaps Cannoli. I love brandy snaps (have only tried making them once, and it was a disaster, but I’m willing to persevere), and Alessandra has a lovely chic filling alternative to the usual whipped cream.

Our Kitchen: Raspberry Macarons. How cute! Perfect for Valentine’s Day… or any other day, surely.

Easy Food Hacks: Mesclun, Orange & Avocado Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Orange and avocado is a great flavour combination; it reminded me of a long-lost recipe that I’ll now have to dig out and make again. Pomegranate is a great addition too!

Baking Equals Love: Ice Ice Baby. I loved Nessie’s post on ambrosia ice cream. Ambrosia is one of my favourite desserts… and can totally see how it would make a fabulous ice cream!

Mousehouse: A Mousehouse Playhouse. Wow. I loved Megan’s doll house last year (as did half the country, I think) – and she’s done it again with this amazing play house. I put a comment on the post that I’d love to have a playhouse like this one day if/when we have little ones, but thought later – flag that! I’d love to have one myself, now!

Hope you have a lovely, if standard-length, weekend!  These might help :)

Summer Smoked Chicken Salad

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I’m trying my best to make the most of the long evenings and summer weather (on the days it shows up), with light meals that don’t involve the oven or the stove being on for too long. Loads of salads fancied up with cold meats or pan-fried fish, and sourdough or ciabatta breads. What’s been on your menu?

I’ve really gotten into smoked chicken this summer, it’s been one of my new finds. I’ve been buying smoked chickens for less than $10 at the supermarket; they’re great for making a salad one night, and having smoked chicken sandwiches or wraps for lunch over the next couple of days. Lovely! And a nice change from plain cold roast chicken, which can get, um… boring. My supermarket carries a couple of brands of smoked chicken, but I couldn’t see a free range option. I’ve been buying Turk’s which I think is probably the next best thing – the chickens are corn-fed and I think barn-raised.

This salad was inspired by an Annabel Langbein recipe in her The Best of Annabel Langbein: Good Food for Busy Lives. I love summer stone fruit so if there’s a way to get it into a meal, count me in. Following my own advice from last Friday, this is an adaptation from the original ;) It’s a low fat meal with a healthier dressing than most!

Summer Smoked Chicken Salad
adapted from an Annabel Langbein recipe. Serves 4 

few handfuls baby spinach leaves or mesclun salad leaves
1 punnet strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
2 peaches, stones removed and cut in wedges
2 nectarines, stones removed and cut in wedges (as best you can!)
raw snow peas, topped & tailed, and halved
400-500g smoked chicken, sliced or shredded (one chicken would be heaps)
chopped fresh mint, basil or coriander, or a combination
2-3 Tbsp pesto
2 Tbsp water
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Place the spinach or mesclun leaves in the bottom of your serving bowls or plates (I like wide and shallow ones best). Arrange the fruit, snow peas and chicken over the greens.  Sprinkle over the fresh herbs.

In a small bowl or jug, mix the pesto, water and lemon juice. Season to taste and drizzle over salads.

Can be served on its own, or with some crusty bread.

Waitangi at Waitangi

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Well, not quite Waitangi Day at Waitangi. But we were there over the long weekend.

It seemed a long way to go for such a short visit, but we were catching up with some very dear friends who were only around for a short while, so we gate-crashed their holiday. They didn’t seem to mind too much.

We stayed in a camping ground. The cheat’s way, though, in a little cabin that was like a caravan cemented into the ground. Those that know me will be surprised to read that it totally got me enthused about embarking on a real camping trip. I got up early and went for a walk and couldn’t help but think the hardy folk eating beautiful breakfasts on little fold out tables had the right idea about holidays.

I think I could only handle a couple of days, but the fella and I think we’ll give it a whirl sometime. And when we do, I think Paihia would be a great spot for it.

We had a good look around the town. I loved the little stone church with its beautiful timber features inside.

(Of course I obeyed the sign protecting the floorboards).

I also came across Get Fudged, a cafe/bakery/fudge and lolly shop in the main town (I think you can also visit their factory in Kerikeri.

We picked up some salted licorice, lemon toffees, and we put together a little box of fudge pieces, so we could try as many flavours as possible… I think my favourite was rum & raisin. But maple walnut and russian caramel came close.

There’s only one meal appropriate for a day at the beach in the Bay of Islands during a long weekend.

And how about this cute book sale?

Following fish and chips for lunch, I nearly bought this…

We had a lovely weekend, and I’m looking forward to visiting again. Maybe in a tent. Maybe.

Friday’s Favourite Five

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Agh! Another week has flown by! And I’ve only put the one post up this week, I seem to have been so busy. Doing what, I ask myself! I have no idea!

So. This week’s favourite five blog posts. Actually, before I get to the list, if anyone is vaguely techno savvy, could they suggest why I’m having so much trouble posting on other people’s blogs? I just keep getting ‘redirected’ to the submit form, on a bunch of different blog hosts! So again, bloggy friends, I am reading your stuff! And loving it of course ;) Here are my favourites from this week:

Millimirepoix – Sesame-miso cookies and a year of this thing. A very sweet post with some funky looking cookies.

Toast – Damsons. I love Mairi’s photos, specially the first one, and the fruit paste really does look amazing. I really want blue cheese now!

High Tea with Dragons – The Hallmark Holiday. I’ve never really gotten into Valentine’s Day, but these little pink and white marbled chocolate hearts are pretty adorable.

Wayfaring Chocolate – Chobani Yoghurt Fun and Vanilla Craisin Muffins. I have no idea if you can buy this yoghurt in New Zealand, but it’s a cute post and Vanilla Craisin Muffins sound gorgeous. Maybe we could find a local gourmet substitute yoghurt. Any suggestions?

Finally, The KitchenMaid – Stirring up trouble. I was particularly annoyed I couldn’t post a comment on this one. Lucy kicked off the debate about whether recipes are copyright material, and there’s a great string of comments from other bloggers and readers.

I might just add my comments here — reproducing other people’s recipes is something I’ve thought a lot about with this blog. In fact, when I started it, I wrote to the editors of some of my favourite food magazines, and asked if it was ok if I posted their recipes, as long as I clearly attributed and linked to their websites, and only used recipes they had posted online (ie, publicly). They politely declined, and I’ve respected their decision, although I was a little disappointed!

I’ve tried to avoid reproducing recipes from books or magazines on my blog. I’ve sometimes made a dish, taken my own photo, and written a post with just a link to the original source, rather than reproducing the recipe. On occasion, I think something is just too amazing not to share! But even then I always re-phrase the recipe to reflect my experience of it, plus give the source a plug or a link if I can. Or most of the time, I find I’ve adapted a recipe so much it doesn’t look that much like the original anyway!

As for family recipes, I like sharing them. But I do ask if anyone reproduces them that they link to this blog – mainly because I think the stories behind recipes are part of their magic. When I post family recipes, I try to include the stories and photos of where they came from (e.g. my grandma’s apple shortcake). Posting them online is partly about preserving those stories and memories.

Enjoy your weekend. And if you find an awkward pause in conversation, you could always ask the group for their thoughts on the copyright status of recipes….

Vintage Cooking: Canadian Date Loaf

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My mum used to make a sultana loaf when we were little. I remember finding little buttered slices of it in my lunch box at school. And she must have served it to visitors, because I have a funny memory of standing beside a coffee table, which came up to my 4 year old waist, and seeing a plate of buttered loaf slices with 3 or 4 of those brown tinted glass coffee mugs that everyone had/has. I have no idea why I would remember that! It seems otherwise insignificant. But the mind is a strange beast.

Anyway, I’m not sure what made me think of this loaf a few months ago, but I got mum to email me the recipe. I baked the loaf a few days ago, and the aroma of it cooking in the oven created one of those spooky moments. I hadn’t had this loaf since I was quite little, and the smell of it really got me! All the memories came flooding back. Do you have foods or smells that transport you?

This is a family recipe. Grandma used to make it, too, but I have no idea where it came from. I also have no idea what makes it ‘Canadian’. Furthermore, mum never made it with dates, usually sultanas, so its title really was misleading. I did make it with dates this time, though, and re-discovered how beautiful this loaf is. The boiling and macerating before baking results in a dark and caramelly loaf, with a beautiful soft texture. You’d be forgiven for thinking it had treacle or golden syrup in it.  The loaf also freezes well, and has a comparatively low fat content with only 1 Tbsp butter (it does sort of make up for that with high sugar, but… you know…). It’s truly my favourite loaf in the world.

Please give it a go! You won’t be disappointed.

Canadian Date Loaf

1 cup sugar
1½ cups water
8oz dates, sultanas, mixed fruit – whatever you like
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp mixed spice
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Place the sugar, water, fruit, butter and mixed spice in a large-ish saucepan over medium heat, and stir together. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Leave it in the saucepan until cold.

Preheat the oven to 180°(C). Lightly grease a loaf tin. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together, and stir into the boiled and cooled fruit mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and bake for about 45 mins to an hour, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave in its tin to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack. When cold, cut into slices, and enjoy as is or with a wee spread of butter.