Mole

I was reading about a wonderful mole on the Easy Food Hacks blog which sounded fantastic but, as it was cooked using traditional methods, very time consuming. Being lazier but a trier, I've dabbled in moles for some years and finally came up with this one for my 'Vegetarian Kitchen' . I do like this kind of meal, inexpensive but lots of lovely flavours and textures.
I don't have a photo at the moment (this was an impulse post) but will make it over Easter and post a photo then.

                                               MEXICAN MOLE

Mexican cuisine is vibrant, showy, and full of contrasts; think hot chilli salsa with cool guacamole, or avocado, tomato and fresh coriander spiked with lime. A meal is rarely about one dish in isolation, but more about an anchor main accompanied by side dishes.

 Mole (pronounced mole-ay) is quintessentially Mexican, a traditional sauce where chilli is tempered by chocolate, and infused with notes of spice and smoke to create real character. It’s different, delicious and, as with most Mexican food, inexpensive. 
Mole is even better served the next day, when the flavours have found their rightful place in the scheme of things. Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts with this mole – it’s quick to assemble and well worth the cooking time.
Serves 4-6. Suitable to freeze.

Mole is especially good served simply with a dollop of sour cream, fresh coriander and nachos – but a fresh salsa*( made from fresh tomatoes seeded and chopped small, peeled chopped garlic, finely diced red onion,  minced seeded fresh chilli (optional), a squeeze of lime or lemon, chopped fresh coriander, salt and pepper) enhances it even further. Add diced avocado if you like, and partner it all with a spoonful or two of sour cream.

Mole is equally as good with tacos or tortillas, rice, baked potatoes or cornbread.

¾ cup black turtle beans, soaked for 5 hours or overnight 

1 x 400g eggplant
4 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
5-6 red chillies, about 6cm long, seeded and finely chopped
2 large red capsicums, diced 
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sweet (dulce) Spanish smoked paprika
2 x 400g tins peeled, chopped tomatoes
                         or 1 kg fresh, peeled and chopped
1 ½ cups water
30g dark, 70% chocolate
salt and pepper to taste
fresh tomato salsa,* sour cream, finely chopped coriander, lime or lemon

Preheat the oven to 190 C.

Slice the eggplant into 2cm dice, toss with enough oil to lightly coat, (about ¼ cup), and salt lightly. Transfer to an oven tray and roast for 25 minutes or until golden, turning once. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 170 c.
Meanwhile, heat the 4 Tbsp oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy based oven to table casserole dish. Sauté the onion and chillies, garlic and capsicums until well softened, adding a little more oil if necessary.
Stir in the cinnamon, ground coriander, paprika and smoked paprika and sauté for a few minutes more.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, and the water.
Stir in the soaked beans and the roasted eggplant. Heat to simmer point and stir in the finely chopped chocolate.  Cover the casserole dish and transfer to the oven. Bake at 170 c for two hours, stirring occasionally.
Taste, then add salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve with sour cream and/or fresh salsa as outlined above*, and try it with nachos or baked potatoes, tortillas, or any of the other suggestions.

Summer fruit and preserved grape leaves

I love the idea of preserving grape leaves to make dolmas, or simply using them as an edible doylie or 'plate'. So easy, and so delicious.

There are so many grape vines in New Zealand now, it seems crazy not to make use of the leaves. I stuffed mine with cooked rice, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries, herbs and a few spices - yum!
It's been busy around here, so much produce and so little time! Also, the first photoshoot for the new book was last weekend - exhausting! Fascinating, but exhausting. Photographers are so meticulous, their gear weighs a ton and they can't be hurried (thank goodness, I wouldn't have it any other way, but it was a long weekend. . .). I hasten to add that the photographs here are mine, and not professional in any way.
I've been so busy making pickles, chutneys and relish that I forgot to post photos of Central Otago fruit from when we were there over summer; so before it's just a distant memory. . .

Aren't they gorgeous? My friends David and Jeni grow stunning organic produce off what used to be pretty much bare land in the Kawerau gorge, and sell to top retaurants in the area - and you can see why

They work way too hard, but their commitment shows and can be tasted in every bite of the produce.

Amazing people. And it hardly needs to be said that using quality produce yields the best tasting preserves every time, there's simply no question about it.
So, summer revisited and autumn is on its way - passionfruit, pears, red capsicums and chillies, figs, feijoas in April, limes and other citrus soon, and persimmons. Not to mention saffron crocus - true! I have some in the garden,and my yield was almost a tablespoon of saffron threads from about twenty bulbs last year. At this rate it'll never make me rich, though, and I still have to buy some each year - luckily, it does go a long way.

Sweet/sour Plum paste

Now the garage is filling up with jars of gherkins, chutneys, sauces, relish and pickles. I love the creative thing, though, and feeling virtuous is so affirming.


Our house smells like a pickle factory! Pinny is on, cauldrons are steaming late into the night and the perrenial search for jars is on.
This one is in response to a request - thought I'd publish it as plums are ready to go right now!
Someone has already sneaked a slice off the bottom one, when my back was turned. . .

SWEET/SOUR PLUM PASTE

Be warned; this paste takes hold of taste buds and won’t let go - especially when served with brie and crackers.

Black Doris plums are a favourite for this paste, giving it an intense black/red colour and great flavour; but other red-fleshed plums such as Omega or Satsuma are also excellent.
Yield: about 2 ½ cups.

1 kg ripe plums, preferably red fleshed
1 Tbsp lemon zest
juice of ½ lemon
1 star anise
sugar

Stone and chop the plums, a task easily done when the plums are very ripe. Transfer to a large saucepan with the lemon zest and juice and the star anise. Bring to simmer point over a low heat and cook, partly covered and stirring regularly, for about twenty minutes or until very soft.

Pour into a large sieve set over a bowl and push the mixture through with a wooden spoon. Discard the small amount of skin/fibre remaining.
Weigh the sieved pulp and transfer to a wide, shallow, non-stick fry pan.
Stir in an equivalent weight of sugar and bring to a boil, stirring, over a medium heat.
Cook for about one hour, stirring regularly. The mixture will reduce by just over half and be quite thick. A wooden spoon will leave a trail through the mix for a few moments at this point.
Turn off the heat and sit for ten minutes to cool (no longer) while you line moulds of choice for the paste.
An easy way to do this is to line ramekins with cling wrap, pour in the paste, cool and turn out. The cling wrap does imprint wrinkles on the paste, but if this is an issue, cut baking paper to snugly fit the bottom of the ramekins; when cool, dip a knife in hot water and run it around the inside of the mould to release the paste and turn out.
It is also possible to use small, unlined jelly moulds.
Wrap each paste in cling wrap and store in a refrigerator.

Serve this paste as part of an antipasto, as it complements not only cheeses but cold meats (or hot); with cheese after a meal instead of dessert; or add to sauces for extra flavour.

Mix 'n Go Bread

Prices for a good wholemeal bread in a tourist town can be quite frightening, especially when there are many mouths to feed, so I've been experimenting and have come up with this recipe that I'm very happy with.  Although I think it's marginally better mixed and cooked on the same day, it's good to know that it is possible to mix the dough and place in a refrigerator overnight, ready for rising the next day - just in case you're racing out the door early in the morning.
Stays fresh for 2-3 days at least, and makes great toast, too.
I'd love some feedback .. .
Incidentally, FYI, it's very difficult to take an interesting and inviting photograph of a loaf of bread, especially when food styling is not your strong point.

(you can tell I only have one loaf tin available in our 'bach' - but I just made a loaf shape and it worked fine).

MIX ‘N GO BREAD

This Vogel – style bread does not require kneading, and is perfect when time is short. Delicious and versatile, it takes no time at all to prepare.

A great addition to the weekend or holiday repertoire, it is possible to mix it the night before, cover with cling wrap, place in the ‘frig overnight for its first rising, then transfer to prepared tins as outlined below. If refrigerated, allow two hours for the dough to rise, as it needs to return to room temperature. 
Makes two loaves.
Freezes well.

 4 cups strong (high grade) flour

1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
4 tsp granulated yeast
1 Tbsp salt
1Tbsp pomegranate molasses*
3 & 1/4 cups lukewarm water
3 Tbsp oil
¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

 Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large non-metallic bowl or basin.

Stir in the pomegranate molasses, water and oil to produce quite a wet dough.
Cover with a clean tea towel or cloth and leave to rise in a warm, draught free place for one hour or until doubled in size.
Spray or grease two loaf tins.
Scoop out dough and transfer to the two loaf tins. Use a spatula to fit the dough into the tins, as it can be quite sticky.
Evenly sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the top of both loaves and leave to rise in a warm draught free place for a further hour or until doubled in size.
Pre heat the oven to 190 C.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped and have pulled away from the sides of the tins.
* If pomegranate molasses is not available, substitute liquid honey or warmed molasses.

Link to summer barbecue interview on radio nz, 4th Jan 2012 + recipes

I know, I know, the blog has been sadly neglected since our return to NZ late October - I will be posting again soon, but in the meantime, here is a link to the radio nz interview on summer barbecues, and two of the sauce recipes featured there (and in The Vegetarian Kitchen).

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/summerreport/audio/2506510/barbecueing-up-a-storm-this-summer-for-vegetarians

It's tent city outside as we entertain twenty to twenty five family and friends here in Wanaka - fortunately the weather has been stunning for the last two weeks! The next post will be a no-knead bread to mix then leave in the 'frig overnight, ready just to rise and cook in the morning. Vogel style, with a little pomegranate molasses . . .

                             ROAST CAPSICUM & ALMOND SAUCE

 This roasted capsicum/tomato/ almond sauce is a version of the Spanish Romescu sauce, and is a great complement to eggplant fritters, steamed green beans or asparagus. It’s also good as a dip, with some chopped fresh coriander.

Mellow but complex flavours in this sauce are captivating, and accentuated by roasting the capsicums and the tomatoes.

Freezes well. 

 4 large red capsicums

4 large tomatoes, preferably acid free
½ cup whole blanched almonds, roasted
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

 Heat the oven to 190 C.

Cut the capsicums in half, discarding the core and seeds. Cut the tomatoes in half.
Place both the capsicums and the tomatoes cut-side down on a baking tray or trays, in single layers, and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the skins when cool enough to handle.
While the tomatoes and capsicums are baking, toast the almonds on a separate tray for 7 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove and cool.
Transfer the toasted, cooled almonds to a food processor and grind finely but leave in the processor bowl.
Peel both the tomatoes and the capsicums, discarding some of the tomato seeds without making an issue of it. Transfer the tomatoes and capsicums to the processor, on top of the almonds. Add the garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, chilli, salt and olive oil and puree until smooth.
Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl or jug, cover and refrigerate until needed.
Bring to room temperature before serving

              

                                               SATAY SAUCE

This peanut sauce is quick to make and lovely as a sauce for Rice Paper Salad Rolls, shallow fried or baked tofu, or vegetarian kebabs (if using tofu for these, organic tofu is perfect, cut into 2cm cubes and marinated in hoi sin sauce with sesame oil and ginger)  - marinated tofu, onion, courgette, mushrooms, etc. Soak bamboo skewers first, and brush the veg. kebabs with oil before barbecuing. Serve with either of the sauces here, or mix your own using sweet chilli sauce, soy, fresh coriander and minced ginger.

Recipe is easily doubled.

¾ cup coconut cream plus 2 Tbsp extra
1 tsp red curry paste
1Tbsp kecap manis*
salt to taste
 2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate**

Heat the coconut cream in a small, heavy based saucepan and bring to simmer point. Combine the curry paste with the extra 2 Tbsp coconut cream to make a slurry.

Whisk in the red curry paste slurry, followed by the remaining ingredients. Ensure that the sauce is whisked smooth and that there are no red curry paste or peanut butter lumps.
Simmer over a low heat stirring regularly for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
*Kecap manis is a sweet soy sauce.
**Tamarind pulp is available in blocks from any Asian store and is preferable to the concentrate or pulp in jars. Break up and soak 125g block in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes, then strain through a sieve into a bowl. Any extra can be frozen for adding to sauces, stews, lentils, etc or buy a good quality tamarind concentrate.

Sicily: Squid ink, a home cooked Italian lunch & Greek ruins

It's impossible to describe Sicily in a few sentences as it's such an enigma; beautiful, full of stark contrasts as well as fine nuance, a midden of past conquests and civilisations. Tenacious people living in a paradise where Mt Etna is a constant, but for the most part ignored, living threat.
We woke up on several mornings to find cars, pavements and houses covered in fine black dust (actually glass), and there was an almost permanent haze in the Naxos/Taormina air from Etna's breath.

The beach in Naxos, 2 minutes walk away from our 'bach'.

That said, the sea is so warm even I can swim in it! We stayed on the Ionian sea coast; to the southwest is the Mediterranean, and the Tyrrhenian sea surrounds the northern coasts. Beautiful turquiose water, and islands dripping in myth - Homer's 'Odyssey' with  the Cyclops is just one - and everywhere there are reminders of past occupations; Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman and Spanish.

Visiting the Valley of the Temples was a long drive, but very worth while. Here lie the ruins of ten Greek temples that at one time were the rival of Athens. Some are partially restored, but every one has a presence all the more poignant because they are juxtaposed against a distant background of high rise housing.
Another interesting juxtaposition is the placing of some stunning modern bronze sculptures scattered among the temples.

Another reason why this day was memorable is that I tasted real squid ink sauce for the first time - don't know why I've not tried it before, after all other great foods are black - like truffles. Oh my goodness, the flavour! Squid ink (Nero di Seppia) is not at all fishy but is perhaps best described as tasting of sea and umami. In any case, I've already put in an order to Sabato back home. . . I loved it, just hope I can recreate that flavour!

Whole marinated and grilled squid were a triumph, too - it's seafood heaven in this place; squid, octopus, mussels, and of course swordfish (marlin).

Away from the beaches you could be in a different country, and it's well worth while exploring some of the villages in the more inaccessible parts of the interior, as well as villages like Savoca, where 'The Godfather' was filmed.

One of the absolute treasures of our week in Sicily was to be invited with our friends, Terry and Anne, to our host's home for lunch. Betti loves to cook and we'd already been advised that if Betti and Franco invite you for lunch, never under any circumstance turn it down. This turned out to be a great truth.

Betti & Franco

We've found the Italian people are, in general, very friendly, have a natural courtesy and a great sense of humour. In the case of Betti and Franco, they are also overwhelmingly generous and hospitable. This was no ordinary lunch.

First, there was a selection of appetisers

Skewered black and green grapes with cheese, baby tomatoes stuffed with ricotta and herbs

Foccacia with delicious home made sundried tomatoes

A fingerfood quiche/pie, with onion and a bechamel sauce

Betti's sister Rina, who with Franco was Betti's support team

There were also olives Franco had picked from the tree in their garden and processed himself - so good, with just a touch of chilli.
Next, the pasta course; Betti made Pasta Norma, a penne with home made tomato sauce;  sister Rina made a fresh anchovy, fennel, and tomato sauce,  garnished with coconut thread. The Pasta Norma was delicious, and I thought the anchovy/fennel/tomato was a great flavour combination.

Pasta Norma and penne with fresh anchovy, florence fennel, tomato and a coconut garnish

Each person was served a portion of both complementary pastas, and it was at that point I realised that 'lunch' was actually dinner. . .

Franco then dished up baked swordfish rolls topped with toasted breadcrumbs and accompanied by a caponata; a lovely combination of flavour, colour and texture.

Silver service, of course

Baked swordfish rolls, with caponata

Betti and Franco's son, Giovanni, lived in New Zealand for ten years, so Betti and Franco have visited  and both Betti and Rina wore pounamu, much to our delight. We would love to have been able to converse freely, but Russ is the only one of us who has taken some Italian lessons (five) but that, along with the fact that both Betti and Rina have been teachers and know a little English, helped. In any case, good food is part of an international language, as we all know.

I have to try to get hold of Betti's lemon sorbet recipe, it's the best I've ever tasted, and was served as a palate freshener after the fish.

And then, just to round off, was a superb grape and custard tart

And yes, I did eat it all. Needless to say, though, none of us were hungry again until after well into the night, and even then we didn't need much. Wonderful food, lovely people and what a treat to experience Sicilian hospitality like this.

Guest post by Christy of "Ellice Street Galley Kitchen" - Chickpea, zucchini and herb fritters recipe review

I’m Christy Harcourt. I live in Wellington, New Zealand and write Ellice Street Galley Kitchen, a food blog enjoyed by readers far and wide, including such personalities as my mother, sister, and aunties. I like many different foods, and am currently reviewing Rowan’s latest book, with quality testing services provided by my ever-patient and exceedingly lovely boyfriend, Josh.

I'm so lucky. I don't know if you've seen Julie & Julia (if not, you should - Meryl Streep is bloody fantastic) or read the book, but if you have - you'll know that Julie faced the following - ah, impediments - in her endeavour to work through an entire recipe book in order to learn about cooking:

* the recipe book was inordinately, unfeasibly long (524 recipes)

* she only gave herself one year to finish it (that's at least 1.5 recipes every single day)

* the book, while brilliant, was somewhat dated, involving a fair amount of obscure and archaic French recipes, including such delightful instructions as "boil this pigs hoof for 36 hours" (or something)

* the author of the book, when informed of her efforts, thought it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard.

In contrast, Rowan Bishop's Vegetarian Kitchen is a mere 180 recipes (pfff - a snap, I hear you say!), I've given myself loosely a year to finish (read: if I don't finish by next June, I will probably just give myself an extension), the book is imaginative, modern, and simple to follow, and last but certainly not least, its author not only didn't think it was stupid, but actually invited me to write about it on her own blog. Win? I think so.

So here I am. I'm so glad I chose this recipe for Ellice Street Galley Kitchen's little field trip to Rowan's blog. It's a perfect demonstration of what attracted me to Rowan's book - simple, cheap ingredients, quick and easy to make, healthy, and yum. It's also, of course, vegetarian. I'm not a vegetarian myself, but I like to eat meat in moderation, and there are too many good reasons for that for it to be worth going into here.

It was also another case of just letting go and trusting Rowan's recipe, which to her credit seems to be always worth the effort. I struggle with fritters as a concept, because although they are often quick, it's so hard to avoid ending up with something that isn't somewhat reminiscent of an oil sponge. I also would never have thought of grating zucchini. Shows what I know. These are astonishingly fast to make (in summary: blitz chickpeas, grate other stuff, mix, and fry). The chickpeas and other ingredients hold together beautifully in the pan, and somehow produce fritters that are not oily, but crisp and dry.

The chickpeas give a delightful, wholesome texture, and the zucchini and coriander complement their mild flavour. We ate them with supermarket thai sweet chilli sauce, which was good - though I mourn for the loss of my home made chilli jam which we finished last month. That would be even better, if you have any.

On the whole, a great success. I cooked up the leftover mixture for dinner the next night, and it was just as good, if not better. I have a feeling it would also freeze quite successfully. I’m only a quarter of a way through this book, and I can already unreservedly recommend it. Everything in it tastes awesome. Nothing in it is expensive, particularly hard to make, or boring. What more can I say?

Thanks Rowan for another inspired mid-week meal. And thanks for not thinking I am completely bananas.

Ka kite,
Christy

Click here to visit Christy's blog - Ellice Street Galley Kitchen