Category Archives: Starters & Entrees

Chicken San Choi Bau

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Officially Autumn!

Changes in season are funny, on the one hand I don’t feel ready to wave summer goodbye. On the other, I like the colours in Autumn, and for some reason I always feel like pumpkin soup and crusty bread. And that’s not something to be sad about.

But if you feel you must hang on to some summery food for a bit longer yet, try this chicken dish. It’s really good for you – the flavours all come from lovely herbs and spices, rather than fats, and it tastes lovely and fresh, zingy, light, etc.

And yes, iceberg lettuce, there is a place for you in this decade. You can come out of hiding. I promise not to put you in a salad with hard boiled eggs and cubes of cheese.

I can in no way vouch for this recipe’s authenticity, because, well, I made it up, and I’m no expert in Thai cooking. If you can get hold of some (preferably free range) chicken mince, an iceberg lettuce, a few staple asian pantry ingredients and a few herbs, you’re away laughing, as we say here.
Chicken San Choi Bau of sorts
Serves two
2 tsp sesame oil
300g chicken mince (free range is kindest)
1-2 tsp crushed or minced garlic
1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 stem lemongrass, bashed a little and chopped finely

1-2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp minced chilli

1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sherry
2 tsp finely grated palm sugar
fresh mint and coriander, chopped
iceberg lettuce leaves, to serve
Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chicken, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves and onion. Stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through. Add the chilli, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sherry and sugar, and heat through. Take the wok off the heat and stir through the chopped herbs.
Serve in iceberg lettuce leaves, which you can roll up to make little easy-to-eat parcels. Or, you could leave the bowl of cooked mince on the table with a pile of appropriately sized lettuce leaves and let your diners help themselves. An extra squeeze of lime juice over the chicken before eating never goes astray, either!

Simple Tomato & Chickpea Curry

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I actually made this um, months ago, and had completely forgotten about it have been saving it up specially.

I like to have a few tricks up my sleeve to make a filling, healthy, comforting meal at short notice, and to make said meal from a few cheap ingredients that are always in my pantry. These recipes are my best friends on hungry and/or grumpy and/or flustered and/or busy evenings when I just need to Eat. Something. Now. Or. Will. Fall. Over. I think that no matter how amazing your life is, you always have days like this. And if you don’t, you really ought to share the secret with the rest of us in the comments section.

There are loads of tomato and chickpea curry recipes out there – I can’t claim this as an original idea. Most recipes are a variation on tinned tomatoes + chickpeas + spices = good. So as long as you have those things in the cupboard, and bonus points for an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, you can be munching through this in a lot less than half an hour.

Tomato & Chickpea Curry
My recipe notes that this is supposed to serve four, but from memory, that assumes you are serving it with bread or rice. Serving just the curry, Mr. J and I got through the whole lot on our own! So if you have a large and hungry family, it would pay to at least double the recipe. If you end up with too much, you can always welcome it back for lunch tomorrow, or freeze it and enjoy it on another hungry,flustered and busy day.

Another note – if you’re missing one or two of the spices, don’t worry, just press on ahead!

small dash of rice bran or canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or adjust quantity to taste, or leave out altogether)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or dried chickpeas, soaked)
1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
chopped fresh coriander, to serve
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or frying pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook gently until softened, and just turning golden. Add the spices and stir for a couple of minutes, coating the onion with the spices.
Add the drained chickpeas, and stir to coat them in the spices too, then add the tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the ginger and stir through.
Serve with crusty bread or, ideally, brown rice, and garnish with chopped fresh coriander. You may also like to add a dollop of low fat natural yoghurt.

Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta with Asian Flavours

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I read an article some months ago in the Listener about smoked salmon – in fact, now that I come to write this post, I find myself googling it – it turns out the article is available here. It’s a great introduction to salmon if you’re new to cooking with it.

We don’t eat a lot of hot smoked salmon – it is rather expensive as far as meat and fish go – but for every once in a while, it’s a really healthy option, it doesn’t require cooking, and tastes like luxury.

At the time of reading the article, I was seduced by the fresh-sounding flavours in the recipe for a ‘hot smoked salmon salad with hints of Asia’, and cut it out. It’s a recipe for a dinner party entrée-type salad with cos leaves, hot smoked salmon and salmon caviar. Reading back I now see it was invented for a ladies’ golf tournament at the Sheraton in Fiji, which is rather a different setting to my brief: at home in Porirua on a Friday night.

As you can appreciate, the dinner party entrée feeling quickly fell by the wayside, but I adapted the dressing into a pasta sauce and added in some extra veges, and lo, Friday night dinner was born. I love the asian flavours in Lauraine Jacobs’ dish, so kept all of those in.

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, tasty, weeknight meal, but still something classy, this is a great option. Or, feel free to mess around with quantities and keep it as a dinner party entree, either as a pasta dish, or returning it to its original salad form.

Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta with Asian Flavours
Serves 4. Adapted from this recipe by Lauraine Jacobs.

Dressing/Sauce:
Note: you may like to increase this recipe if you like very ‘saucy’ pasta.
4cm piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
stalk of lemongrass, bruised and roughly chopped
6 peppercorns
1 small fresh red chilli (tip: I have a huge bag of little red chillies in my freezer from Moore Wilson’s; I use them for everything)
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp rice (or red) wine vinegar
pinch finely grated palm sugar
1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
2 Tbsp avocado (or olive) oil

Place the ginger, lemongrass, peppercorns and chilli into a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. I am lucky and have a tiny whiz designed for just this. If you don’t, just finely grate the ginger, pound the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, finely chop the lemongrass and chilli, and mix all together.  Add the fish sauce, vinegar, palm sugar, lime zest and juice, and oil, and either whiz again or mix well together. Season and set aside.

Pasta:
280g pasta, fresh or dried, over to you
4 shallots, finely sliced
2 courgettes (zucchini), sliced diagonally
2-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
baby spinach leaves
200g wood roasted/hot smoked salmon (I used Aorangi this time)
2 limes, cut in wedges, to serve (not crucial)
chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Cook pasta according to packet directions. Meanwhile, spray a frying pan with a little oil, and gently cook the shallots and courgettes over medium heat, adding splashes of vinegar as required, just to keep them moist, soft and delicious. Once they’re just tender, add the spinach leaves and just stir over gently heat until the leaves wilt. Place the cooked and drained pasta in shallow bowls (toss with a little oil here if you feel it is deeply necessary), and arrange the courgette mixture on top. Gently flake the salmon into pieces and top the pasta with it, and drizzle the dish with dressing. Serve with lime wedges and garnish with chopped coriander.

Best Prawns Ever

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My husband went back to work this week, so it’s just been me around the house. Well, me and the cats, one of whom has pulled the timer knob off my oven and either swallowed it or hidden it somewhere very secret. I can’t find it anywhere. I think I might need to write to Fisher & Paykel and ask for a new one. Grrrrrrrrrrr! But could you stay angry at this?

Anyway, I’ve been cooking simple, easy meals and enjoying them with J when he gets in from work. Prawns are perfect for warmer weather, and they’re really easy to cook.  I tried this recipe from Jamie Oliver’s book Happy Days (probably about 10 years old now), and it was a true success.

There’s a great combination of flavours – chilli, ginger, garlic, lemon. When you bite into the prawn or mop up the juices with the bread, you can really taste all the flavours – and you notice how well balanced they are. There’s a lot going on, but it’s well orchestrated. Beautiful.

Prawns with Chilli, Parsley, Ginger & Garlic on Toast
Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Happy Days
Serves 2

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3cm sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1-2 fresh red chillies, deseeded
As many prawns as you think you’ll eat, heads off, tails left on. (I used about 20 prawns/300g I think)
1-2 lemons, to taste, zest and juice
1 good handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
slices of ciabatta, sourdough, or french bread, toasted while the prawns cook

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, put in the olive oil, ginger, garlic, chilli and prawns, along with the finely grated zest of one lemon. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked. Turn down the heat and add the juice of one lemon and the parsley. Toss the prawns to coat and take the pan off the heat. If you’re happy with how much juicy sauce you have, and it tastes good, go ahead and season and serve. I wanted a wee bit more sauce, and a more lemon-y flavour, so added the juice of a second lemon. Season to taste. Serve the prawns on the toasted bread and pour over the sauce. You’ll need a dipping bowl on the table. Enjoy!

Best winter lunch…French Onion Soup

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French Onion Soup seems to have been popping up all over the place for me this winter. I’ve been seeing it in magazines, on blogs, on menus… must be the soup du jour this year. We had it for Sunday lunch this weekend – it’s now on my favourite food list for winter.

French Onion soup recipes don’t seem to have a lot of variation – basically heat olive oil, add thinly sliced onions and cook them gently until they soften and brown, add beef or vege stock and a bit of white wine, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Quantities are pretty much all to taste! I followed an Alison Holst recipe which also had a splash of balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme over the onions as they started to brown. Cooking the onions nicely is the important bit – it’s where all the yummy flavour comes from.

As for the croutons, I sprayed one side of slices of french stick with cooking spray and grilled for a few minutes. Then took them out, turned them over, and sprinkled liberally with cheese (I only had parmesan but gruyere is the holy grail). Grill them on that side and plonk them in the soup. Voila!

We had a beautiful day in Wellington today – not just sunny, but also mild! This was the view from near our house.

Baked Brie Portabello Mushrooms

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I love mushrooms. And pesto. And cheese. So how could I go wrong?

Baked Brie Portabello Mushrooms (serves 4 as a starter)

4 portabello mushrooms
2 Tbsp pesto
4 large slices brie

So, this isn’t really a recipe. Smear 1/2 Tbsp of pesto on each mushroom and plonk a slice of brie on top. Preheat the oven to about 200 (C), force fan if you can, and bake for 5-10 minutes. Drizzle with olive or avocado oil to serve.

Pumpkin & Pastrami Tartlets

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These little filo tart cases are really good for cocktail parties, or you can use them as a dinner party first course. They are waaay healthier than shortcrust or flaky pastry, too. I used a warming pumpkin and pastrami filling, but you can fill them with whatever you want!

Pumpkin & Pastrami Tartlets (makes 24)

3 sheets filo pastry
cooking oil spray
300g pumpkin, diced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper, to taste
6 slices pastrami, cut into quarters
approx 1/2 cup light sour cream

Preheat the oven to 180 (c). Spray 2x 12-hole mini-muffin tins lightly.

Place the first filo sheet on a clean, dry surface and spray lightly with oil. Place the second sheet on top, and spray again. Place the third sheet on top. Mark a grid pattern and cut the stack into 24 squares, each 6cmx6cm (so eight squares across the long side and three across the short side).

Carefully place each little square into the muffin holes and lightly spray the cases again. Bake for about 5 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the tin until you’re ready to fill them. You can do this in advance.

Meanwhile, microwave the pumpkin for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Mash with a fork and mix in the nutmeg and chilli powder, and season to taste. Spoon a little of this mixture into each tartlet case, with a little piece of pastrami. Top with a small teaspoonful of sour cream. Garnish with fresh herb sprigs if you have some handy.

Rice Paper Rolls

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I love rice paper rolls. They’re simple enough to make on a weeknight, can be as super healthy as you want, and seem somehow more impressive than the effort they require. My only complaint is that they’re not that photogenic.

OK, so maybe the problem is I’m not the greatest food stylist or photographer. Whatever. I’m still complaining.

You can put all kinds of delicious into rice paper rolls. This week, I used poached chicken as my main filling. I added soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, five spice and fresh garlic and ginger to the poaching water following an Alison Holst recipe — often adding a bit of water to a marinade mix makes good poaching liquid! Then once the (whole) chicken breast has been cooked, remove it from the pan, let it cool and slice it thinly or shred it.

While the chicken cooks, you can get your salad-y type fillings ready. I had shredded cabbage, mung beans, grated carrot, chopped cashews, spring onions, mint and coriander.

Prawn or shrimp meat, lettuce leaves, cucumber, peanuts, and softened vermicelli noodles also make good rice paper roll fillings.

I don’t want to tell anybody how to suck eggs, but I needed pictures to help me make these the first time! So … for the rice paper novice: rice paper wrappers come in flat circles. You get a dish big enough to hold one whole, and fill the dish with warm water. Then you gently dip the rice paper in and let it soften. This only takes 10-15 seconds – less than that it’s still too hard to roll, more than that and you’re trying to pick up mushy rice glug from the bottom of the dish. Lay the softened wrapper on a board, or a clean black tea towel so it shows up in photos.

Lay a bit of filling in a strip about 2/3 of the way down the wrapper. I learnt the hard way not to try and fit too much filling in. This is about right:

Then fold up the bit at the bottom:

Then fold in the sides:

Then roll it up and all done.

Now for a tasty dipping sauce. I made chilli and lime. Mix together, and leave to stand for a few minutes:

1 lime, juice and finely grated rind
3-4 Tbsp water
3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp caster sugar
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
the white part of 1 spring onion
as much finely chopped chilli as you can handle

Annabel Langbein also has a Vietnamese Dipping Sauce recipe that she hopefully won’t mind me sharing… 3 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar and 2 Tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce.

Yum!

Puff Pastry Twists

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OK, so puff pastry twists aren’t really anything new, but they are great party food if you don’t have a lot of time! You just need two sheets of bought, pre-rolled lovingly handmade puff pastry, and something to fill them up with.

Place your first sheet of pastry on the bench, and spread some filling over it - don’t be too generous or you’ll never get it rolled up neatly.

Last week, I used parmesan with chopped semi-dried tomatoes and peppadew peppers (I spotted the combination in a magazine recently). But you could use other classics like blue cheese and walnut, feta, pesto. Or you could make sweet ones with a bit of apple and cinnamon sugar, or spread with jam and cream cheese. And I’m not above vegemite and cheese!

Once you’ve spread your filling out, place the second sheet of pastry on top. Press all the edges together so the filling’s enclosed. If you run your rolling pin over the sheets a few times, the whole thing will stick together better. Then slice the square into strips – I get 10-12 out of the square.

You can either just twist the strips flat on the board, or I prefer to wind them around kebab sticks – easier to keep your hands clean when you eat it :) Just press one end of the twist firmly into the kebab stick, and wind it around til you reach the top.

Place the twists on a lined baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes or so, in quite a hot (preheated) oven – about 215. They’re good straight out of the oven, or cold.