Green green green . . .

It's fantastic that New Zealand is producing so many avocados these days (I write out of self interest). When we lived in Rarotonga (Cook Islands) they were plentiful, but I mourned to see them splatted on the roads and rotting on the roadsides. Obviously I just couldn't eat enough to save them from this fate, despite more than doing my bit in that regard.
Rarotonga is where I wrote 'The Vegetarian Adventure', with Sue Carruthers, 25 years ago (Sue still lives there; she and her husband own Tamarind House, the must-go restaurant and venue on Raro) and I developed a cornmeal and avocado roulade for that book, which someone reminded me of recently. That was the first time I'd really cooked with it, and now I make a number of recipes where avocado is cooked, sometimes for texture as the flavour on its own rarely competes with others, or for texture and flavour as it 'carries' lemon/lime, chilli etc well.
Most of the recipes I see feature avocados in salads and dips (I love mashing an avocado into my Mexican tomatillo salsa, and of course guacamole) but recently I trialled Fish and Avocado Cakes that were a great success, and this green soup (Zuppe Verde) is soooo good.

Doesn't look as good as it tastes, unfortunately

GREEN SOUP

Green soup packs a punch, nutritionally speaking; the really good news, though, is that it’s delicious, elegant and super simple to prepare.

A hint of chilli and lemon zest lifts the flavour; and the small amount of cream cheese and the avocado bring it all together.

May be frozen.

Serves 6

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 litre quality unsalted chicken or vegetable stock

3 cups frozen or fresh, shelled peas

1½ tsp salt or to taste & ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

180g chopped spinach leaves or 100g thawed, squeezed & chopped

1 medium avocado, peeled, stoned & chopped

1 Tbsp basil pesto or ¼ cup fresh chopped basil leaves

¼ cup cream cheese, chopped (50g)

Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon plus extra for garnish

Leaf tip of basil for each bowl

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over a low-medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened, then stir in the chilli and garlic and sauté a few minutes more.

Turn the heat to medium high, pour in the stock and the peas, salt and pepper and bring to simmer point. Stir in the spinach and simmer three-four minutes.

Transfer to a processor with the avocado, pesto or basil, cream cheese and zest. Puree very thoroughly to ensure the cream cheese is well blended into the mix. This may have to be done in two steps.

Return the pureed soup to the original saucepan and reheat to serve in warm bowls accompanied by hot crusty ciabatta or quesadilla (p..). Use a zester to provide a garnish of extra lemon zest ‘threads’ if wished, and/or a leaf tip of basil for each bowl. Include very finely seeded and sliced red chilli as an extra garnish if wished.

TOMATILLO SALSA/DIP

  

Combined with chilli, fresh coriander, cumin, garlic and lime or lemon, tomatillos make a Mexican salsa so good it could be addictive. Serve with corn chips as a dip, or as a sauce to include in wraps or to serve with almost anything from tacos to frittatas.

Freeze or bottle the base salsa as detailed below.

Tomatillos are easy to grow, and self-seeding.

Unhusked tomatillos can be stored in a paper bag in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

1 kg tomatillos

2 onions, peeled and chopped

water if poaching

1 tsp ground cumin

4-5 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 ½ tsp salt

3/4 tsp sugar

2-3 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp lime juice or equivalent lemon juice for each cup of base mixture

¼ cup finely chopped coriander for each cup of base mixture

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash in warm water to remove the sticky coating.

Prepare the onion and stir into the tomatillos in a microwave -safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes on high with no added water. Microwave another 5 minutes. Drain off half a cup of liquid at this point and discard. 

OR place in a large shallow frypan with 1 cup water and simmer, turning constantly over a low heat until the tomatillos turn ochre in colour and are soft to the touch without actually splitting. Drain most of the water off.

Stir the cumin, the prepared garlic, salt and sugar into the cooked tomatillos.

Place the microwaved or poached and drained tomatillo mixture in a processor and pulse to roughly chop. 

Stir in the seeded and finely chopped red chillies. At this point the base mixture can either be frozen as is, or transferred to a pot and brought to simmer point before being bottled in the normal way.

When required, ensure the base mixture is at room temperature. Stir in the lime juice (or lemon) along with the finely chopped coriander, taste, then adjust the seasonings to taste  - salt, sugar, chilli, lime/lemon juice.

Note: Mashed avocado makes a great addition and thickener to this salsa.

Glamping - what happened to back country food?

Happy New Year from our heart's home - Wanaka. We come every year, for at least a month, not least because I have so many cousins around the area; so many of our friends have turned up here over the years, either to holiday or to live. This gorgeous place attracts skiers in winter, swimmers, fisherpeople, sun seekers in the summer, trampers and outdoor sports buffs all year round. We couriered our bikes down as usual, and bought Eve ( fox terrier) with us as accompanied baggage on the plane - easy!
I used to live in the stables in the Uni holidays and took tourists up Mt Iron on horseback, but the stables are long gone and the flanks of Mt Iron are covered in houses. Streams of tourists walk or run! up every day in the summer for exercise and the view, and suburbs swarm where we once gathered mushrooms. There are, however, still vestiges of the old days. . .

Penrith as it used to be, and still is!

We've walked most of the 'Great Walks' but it's always nice to reconnect - this year we decided to walk the Milford track again after 14 years but do it 'guided' this time(a polite term for glamping; glamour tramping). Not, I hasten to add, because we're old and infirm, only cautious. I was sceptical, and I did miss some things, such as macaroni cheese and a slug of scotch in my cocoa, but who could complain about 5 course meals (if you include nibbles and a salad), wine, comfortable beds and duvets, greeted at the door  - in short, treated like royalty in the most stunning environment - honestly,it's picture postcard stuff, there's always something stunning to see.

Every time you look at the Clinton river you'll see trout

The water's so clear you can see every stone

My favourite hut was Pompolona -  luxury in the middle of nowhere, and to top it all - one of the best creme brulees I've had.  Given where we were, who would believe it?

Nearly at the top of the McKinnon Pass - hot cocoa waiting. . 

Just a few clouds to add to the drama at the top - dragon's breath?

Contemplating how far you've walked

 Swimming after lunch

Our friend Sylvia walked those 55 kilometres on reconstructed feet, and we reckon she should be the pin-up girl for the big walks - if she can do it, almost anyone can. . .
We'd recommend it to anyone - the guides are great, everything is provided - packs, pack inners, raincoats, poles, even insect repellent.
As for the food, forget cabin bread, peanut butter and jam

Lava cakes - molten chocolate inside!

or, to put it more delicately, none of us lost any weight. . .

Kumara with Fish, Coconut & Curry Leaves

Although I prefer vegetarian, I'll happily eat small amounts of meat at times, particularly fish and seafood; the curry below is one where the fish takes a back seat in the dish but interesting textures and flavours shine through. I really wanted to create something using curry leaves, which I've used before, in a tamarind and prune chutney I developed (puliyini); I thought it would be interesting to use them more now that they're available fresh and cheaply from Indian food stockists. Not to be confused with the spice, or the herb of the same name of course. 

Because curry leaves have quite a soft texture they don't have to be discarded from the dish when cooked - apparently they're good for digestion as well as a few other ailments, and the texture isn't at all unpleasant (see note below for more information).

 Kumara with Fish, Coconut & Curry Leaves

The star of this dish is the kumara (sweet potato) and the curry leaves, not the relatively small quantity of fish. It does add to the balance of the dish however, without taking over.

Serves  4, or 6 if served with other curries.

*Curry leaves don’t taste anything like the spice of the same name; in fact they are from a tree belonging to the citrus family and have a mildly citrus, nutty flavour when fried in oil. There is no need to discard them when cooked as they contain medicinal properties and are not at all unpleasant in texture. As you would expect, fresh leaves are much more flavourful than dried.

500g red kumara

¾ cup loosely packed curry leaves*

¼ cup oil

1 Tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

 ½ - ¾ tsp chilli powder

  or 1 x 5cm long red chilli, seeded and chopped finely

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp garum masala

1 ½ cups vegetable, fish or chicken stock (or water)

¼ cup tamarind paste

1 x 400g tin coconut cream

1 ½ tsp salt or to taste, & coarsely ground black pepper

1 red capsicum, seeded and diced

1 firm but ripe banana, peeled and diced 2cm

200 - 300g firm white fish fillet, diced 3cm

fresh coriander for garnish

Peel the kumara, cut into 2cm dice, and set aside. Strip the curry leaves from their stalks and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat, and stir in the mustard seeds. Cook until the seeds start to ‘pop’, then reduce heat immediately and stir in the curry leaves, cumin seeds, ginger, chilli powder or chilli, turmeric and garum masala.

Stir in the diced kumara then the water, and cook for five minutes, stirring.  Stir in the tamarind paste, coconut cream, salt, pepper and prepared red capsicum and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the banana and simmer another 15 minutes or until the kumara is tender but not mushy.

Stir in the prepared fish and cook through, three – four minutes.

Serve the curry with plain or brown steamed rice, chutneys, plain yoghurt, and warm chapatis if wished. Garnish with finely chopped coriander. 

Rhubarb and Strawberries

Okay, this is a bit of a cheat because the recipe's already been published in my 'Vegetarian Kitchen" cookbook, but it's just the right time of year for rhubarb and strawberries and it's such a favourite with all my family and friends. 

Not only does it taste so good, I really like that there is no precooking of either the fruit or the pastry required (basically, I'm a bit lazy  - unless there's a really compelling reason for doing something like pre-cooking pastry bases, like it'll be soggy, I don't do it).

Plum Kitchen's blog gave me a timely nudge - she's just made rhubarb and strawberry jam, which I must try! 

                                    
 RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY PIE

This pie is a star! Strawberries and rhubarb make great partners; that’s really all there is to be said. Guaranteed to win compliments, it’s especially quick to prepare if you use pre-rolled (frozen) pastry in the interests of convenience*.

 No pre-cooking of either fruit or pastry is required.

Serves 6-8. Suitable to freeze.

Most of us don’t want to do anything more with the first strawberry crops than eat them raw, perhaps with a little icing sugar and cream; it’s only when they’re at their cheapest and most plentiful that we cast around for sorbets, fools, coulis and pies.

2 sheets sweet shortcrust pastry

300g hulled strawberries

300g prepared rhubarb stalks

½ cup caster sugar

2 Tbsp cornflour

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp sugar

Pre heat oven to 220 C.

Lightly spray or grease a 25cm pie or quiche tin.

Use one of the thawed pastry sheets to line the prepared tin – you will probably need to trim a 5 cm strip of pastry off the second sheet and use to extend this so it covers the bottom and sides of the tin (wet one edge and press together).

Hull the strawberries and slice large berries into quarters, and medium sized into halves. Weigh both the berries and the rhubarb after preparation, as there is often some wastage that should be accounted for.

Using a sharp knife, slice the rhubarb thinly, discarding any stringy pieces as you go.

Place the prepared berries and rhubarb in a bowl and combine with the caster sugar, cornflour, nutmeg and zest.

Transfer the filling evenly into the prepared base, then cut the remaining pastry sheet into 7 strips. Use the strips to design a lattice top over the filling, then brush the strips with the milk, using a pastry brush, and sprinkle with the ordinary granulated sugar.

Place the pie in the pre- heated oven and bake at 220 C for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 200 C.

Cover the pie with a sheet of tin foil at this point to stop it browning too fast. Bake for a further 40-45 minutes, uncovering the pie for the last 10 minutes of cooking to ensure the top is an even golden brown.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warm, accompanied by vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream.

Good Time Xmas Meringues & Rhubarb Champagne

Each year I do a Xmas menu, but this year it's going to be shot at an interior designer's house instead of mine (yay!). My brief is different, too - simple but classy, and not too expensive. I've been planning and preparing some ideas to fit; obviously there aren't any hard and fast rules, but I do like the idea that Christmas dinner doesn't have to break the bank and that it doesn't have to be an enormous effort on the day.

First up, rhubarb champagne; something that oldies and even tots can enjoy, and if something stronger is needed, it's easy to add a dash of imagination to individual glasses.It's pink, fizzy, and looks expensive if served in an appropriate glass.

 Rhubarb is in season at the moment, so it's a great opportunity to make some ahead of time. I was just a wee bit worried that it's still a bit cool for the fermentation to happen within my time frame, but I needn't have worried - I just helped it along a little by putting it the linen cupboard with the hot water cylinder, and sure enough - 3 days fermenting with natural yeasts from the rhubarb and lemon, then strained and bottled, back for another 3 days and voila!

The photo hasn't come out quite as pink and gorgeous as it is in reality, but the 'champagne' does taste quite exotic. This recipe will be in my new book, but I have posted the recipe already - click here to go directly to the post titled  Rhubarb Champagne and Chocolate Beetroot Cake.

I've also been working on a very simple but great tasting entree of stuffed mushrooms en croute, then the main course will be a marinated sliced salmon dish and a spreadeagled chicken, both with a nod to Asian flavours, and some lovely salads and veg, of course. The dessert will be really, really simple; two different 'good time meringues' served with lots of fresh berries (all reds, black, purples and pink from watermelon balls) and softly whipped cream or creme fraiche.

A friend made some meringues with melted chococlate swirled through last summer, and I always meant to ask her for the recipe. However, I figured they can't be too difficult and they weren't; I just used my faithful old meringue recipe from 25 years ago, melted some chocolate and swirled it through at the last minute, then baked the meringues a bit longer than usual. They were scrumptious; I'm always a sucker for meringues, especially when they're crisp outside and marshmallow inside.

My lovely editor came up with the idea of teaming them with pink meringues, flavoured with a little rosewater and dried strawberries. I have to say, they were nice too, although the photo shows them before cooking. I wasn't too keen on using pink food colouring so on my first try I used freeze dried plum powder. Unfortunately the colour faded with cooking, though, so food colouring it will have to be. . .

Pumpkin Ravioli with Rocket Sauce, Apple, Cranberry and Almond Cake and Baklava Twists

In Italy (Prato) last year I tasted a pumpkin ravioli with rocket sauce at one of the best restaurants we found; this restaurant happened to be famous for its barbecued beef fillet, but in the end I was convinced I'd chosen the best meal; delicious! I've made three attempts recently to get the rocket sauce just right, but wasn't totally happy with the first two. On the third try, though, I nailed it (subjective assessment of course).
It's always exciting to get where you want with flavours/textures, but of course I forgot to photograph the dish, didn't I ? Too much excitement . ..
I did photograph the Apple, Cranberry and Almond Cake  I came up with, though. I am rather pleased with it too (recipe below).

Apple, Cranberry and Almond Cake

                                                          Apple, Cranberry and Almond Cake 

A mix and stir cake, this one is moist and completely delicious in the dense, fruit- packed style that makes for a great dessert or coffee cake.  

Although the results will be slightly different, it really doesn’t seem to matter whether tart apples are used, like Granny Smiths or sweet, like Pacific Rose; this cake is a celebration of simplicity.

It isn’t necessary to peel the apples as they are sliced very thinly.

750g apples, cored and quartered

Finely grated zest & juice of 1 lemon

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1& 1/3 cups caster sugar

120g butter, melted and cooled

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ cup ground almonds

½ cup coconut cream or milk

¾ cup dried cranberries or raisins

1 cup flaked almonds

3 Tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Pre heat the oven to 170 C.

Grease or lightly spray a 24cm spring form cake tin.

Slice the cored and quartered apples thinly, into 6-8 slim wedges. Toss with the lemon juice and zest and set aside.

Whisk the eggs, vanilla paste and sugar together until pale and creamy.

Fold in the melted butter, sifted flour and baking powder, the ground almonds and the coconut cream.

Pour half the batter into the prepared caked tin. Evenly distribute all the cranberries over the batter, followed by half the apple slices and half the flaked almonds.

Repeat the batter, apple and almond layers.

Sprinkle the combined caster sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top of the cake and bake at 170 C for 60- 75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake exits cleanly. Times may vary as the cooking times of apples differ.

Remove from the oven but cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling on a cake rack.

Serve with softly whipped cream, passionfruit yoghurt or crème fraiche.

Just to continue with the sweet theme, I also tried a slightly different take on baklava, making the flavours less sweet and buttery, more fruity (orange) as well as nutty (pistachio and walnut)  and had fun making individual baklava 'twists', which were very simple.

Gather one sheet of filo like a folded fan,
using both hands to slide it across your bench,
then roll up like a pinwheel

Got to get back to savoury things, but sweets are fun too, especially when I can offer what we can't eat to the neighbours - there's got to be some brownie points in that!

Queen of Comfort Rice (not that I'm competitive. . .)

Husband has always been a wee bit precious about his expertise in Asian cooking, but it is true, he's good. He also loves rice and would happily eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, when he lived in Thailand a long time ago now, Thai people simply couldn't believe that any Westerner could eat as much rice as he can.

He particularly likes jasmine rice (apparently the best of it from Thailand is exported here and to other western countries) and he has more than a working knowledge of Asian condiments, sauces and herbs. So he has taught me a lot about the genre, there's no denying that.

As you might expect, I do most of the cooking but he has his special 'one pot' meals that almost always have as their base rice or noodles, Asian condiments and anything that needs using up in the 'frig. These dishes are always good, sometimes inspired, and believe me, I'm always grateful.

Truly I didn't mean to steal his thunder, but he was late home one night last week and I decided that fried rice was just what I felt like. So, armed with secret ingredient 'X' (he always uses it in fried rice) I set to.

Secret ingredient 'X'

The photo doesn't do it justice - it really was delicious, and even Russ said it was the best he'd tasted - rather grudgingly, of course, but actually I do think he was quite impressed.
The satay paste really is great in something like this; I'd love to hear from anyone else who knows it (or tries it) and find out what they think - see the introduction to the recipe

   Satay Fried Rice

Fried rice is the Asian version of bubble and squeak in terms of being a one-pot dish, using up left overs, and quick to cook. It’s also very much an Asian version of comfort food, with all that conjures up, and delicious.

Satay fried rice has been a staple in our family for thirty years or so, and everyone puts their own personal stamp on the dish. It always, however, contains what we regard as our secret weapon – satay paste (though it will still be delicious if you just add more of the other flavours). This paste is made from sesame seeds, peanuts, a little sugar and chilli, fish gravy, shallots and garlic, but none of these ingredients are identifiable*. It’s not hot, it’s readily available in 200g jars from any Asian food outlet, it’s very affordable, and it breathes magic into dishes such as fried rice.

Edamame beans are young soya beans, look and taste very similar to shelled broad beans and, again, are readily available frozen from any Asian food outlet.

Any cooked fish or meat can be used, or raw, peeled prawn tails, and although fried rice is a one-dish meal, it’s also very good served with shallow fried Chinese dumplings from the freezer. The rice for this dish is better cooked the previous day, or at least some hours before needed so it can be chilled and dry out a little.

*I use the Han River Bridge brand

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained several times in cold water

3 eggs, lightly beaten with a little salt and pepper

Neutral oil

3 Tbsp satay paste

4 portobello mushrooms

1 ½ cups frozen edamame beans or frozen peas, or a mix

3 Tbsp fish sauce

3-4 Tbsp soy sauce

½ - 1 cup leftover vegetables such as steamed broccoli florets

1 cup sliced cooked fish or meat

½ -2/3 cup mung bean sprouts

2 spring onions, sliced on a diagonal

Pre heat the oven to 190 C.

Place the well- rinsed and drained rice in a straight sided dish and add enough water to come 1.5cm above the level of the rice. Microwave, uncovered, for 20 minutes on high then fluff with a fork and cool or place in a saucepan and add water to come 1.5cm above the level of the rice. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook without lifting the lid, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and cool.

When the rice is cold, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a frypan, pour in the eggs and swirl into a flat omelette. Turn out and roll up, then cut on a diagonal into 1cm slices. Set aside.

Brush the mushrooms both sides with oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, then bake in the oven at 190 C for 12 – 15 minutes. Slice and set aside.

Heat 4 Tbsp oil (include any left from cooking the omelette) , and stir in the satay paste. Sauté until fragrant then stir in the rice and the frozen edamame beans and/or the peas, the fish sauce and the soy sauce.

Mix well and fry until hot. Stir in the leftover vegetables, the omelette, mushrooms and the fish or meat.

Heat thoroughly then sprinkle the mung bean sprouts on top and remove from the heat.  

Garnish with the spring onions.

Serve immediately in heated bowls or plates.