Foodies

Rabbiting along

2015-03-28 by Susie Debney

I really feel Christmas is still lurking around, especially when I spot the odd decoration heroically hanging about some of the nooks and crannies of my house. It is as if these escapees, once so cheerful and celebratory, prefer the ignominy of irrelevance and the dust-dimming of sparkle to re-confinement in the darkness of the attic box. Or so it seems. In passing I tell them their days are numbered. The dust is making me sneeze, and besides, I promise a big welcome to their re-entry come the season.

That season is not now and already the long-eared usurper has claimed pole-position. That wretched bunny actually pushed its deceptively innocent little tail into the frame very early on. Poor Santa surely had not yet taken his boots off before the rabbit was depositing eggs all over supermarket shelves. It’s at a bit of a peak now, which tells me Easter is surely closing in. The point being is that if I were an alien from another planet, I would think Easter basically means chocolate rabbits and chocolate eggs. A good choice if you are a chocolate fan in that rabbits are prolific reproducers, and a bad choice if you actually like good chocolate because rarely is the egg or bunny version anything other than a very ordinary chocolate ‘rip-off’.

I could take the high road and decry the rank commercialism of the whole shebang, and I could contrast the hedonism of the event to the real and horrific conditions in many, many countries, but I see both sides as pretty reasonable arguments. My default position right now is to focus upon what I love most –preparing and sharing food with others. To rattle those pots and pans. Perforce, family cannot be here, but friends are, and I’ll concentrate not upon those I am missing, but upon those I am blessed already to have available to me.

The general gist of things (all recipes follow)

Easter is about eggs, if you don’t get bogged down in the argument about which comes first, the chicken or the egg. I could look at a gentle salad topped with a soft-boiled egg but I am thinking Mum’s classic ‘Caviar Tart’ to be served with drinks (an icy champagne or appropriate white wine) instead of a sit-down starter. This is a tasty, easy recipe that functions well with some crispy fine toasts.

Easter food often means lamb, spring lamb. In reality the lamb was most unlikely to be born in lush spring pastures, so I’ll be looking at some options. Some farm-fresh, free-range chicken to follow the egg theme would be good, as would dear little quail. By their very size, they seem newborns. I’ll also consider a lamb recipe of mine that rather shocked me with its success.

Celebrations such as Easter require the simplicity, yet abundance of big bowls of easy to prep-ahead dishes. Enjoyment is the key, and quite frankly I lose a fair bit of the enjoyment factor if I have to fiddle over either ‘preps’ or ‘presentation’. So I’ll throw a coin to choose between the truly delicious Chicken Legs with Vino Cotto or Balsamic, and my Roasted and Braised Shoulder of Lamb. Both can be served in their cooking dish plonked onto the table, maybe gussied up a bit with a few snips of green.

Because the weather is un-biddable, If I am doing the Chicken dish I’ll add a lovely deep dish of Gratin of White Beans –a wicked and yummy combo of cannellini beans (easy from a tin), cream, garlic, parmesan, thyme. All prepped ahead and popped into the oven last minute. The lamb dish has beans already so I would choose maybe a lovely potato gratin instead.

Easter means green so I’ll add a big bowl of greens – I’m thinking Rocket/Rucola, little chunks of pan-fried speck or strips of prosciutto.

Easter means flowers. Forget the formal. I’ll go for a table set with little jars or vases with various small bunches of flowers. The more the merrier.

Easter means chocolate. I could do the chocolate desert thing but I’d rather be a bit selective and avoid overkill. For desert, I will do my favourite Raspberry and Pinenut Cake. Big, not rich, and really delish. Finally, I get to the chocolate, so to go with coffees and general lolling about later in the day, I’ll have on hand a big box of Switzerland’s divine chocolate truffles.

THE RECIPES

Caviar Tart (or Egg Tart or any name you might like to give it)

Caviar might be ambitious for this simple tart – I’d use any fish roe but preferably Salmon Roe.

Double ingredients of for a big crowd.

6 eggs, hard-boiled

170g butter

1 carton of sour cream )I think maybe 200-300ml)

1 white onion, very finely chopped

1 large pot of fish roe.

Melt the butter then blend with the eggs in a food processor. Press into a spring-form tin. Stir the finely chopped onion into the sour cream, and spread this mixture on top. Place in the refrigerator for several hours to set. Before serving, remove from the tin and cover /dab over with the fish roe. Serve with fine toasts for guests to serve themselves as a spread.

Chicken Legs with Vino Cotto or Balsamic.

Can serve in pot it’s cooked in; also great next day served cold when juices have jellied. I use a big oblong casserole dish. You can use caperberries instead of capers but as they are a bit vinegary, use less & soak in cold water.

You will need……

8 good chicken marylands (thigh and leg joints), thighs & legs separated

Zest 2 lemons, removed in wide strips with vegetable peeler (reserve flesh for squeezing before serving)

5 fresh bay leaves

2 stalks rosemary

¼ stick cinnamon, ground, or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

extra virgin oil, for drizzling

½ cup flaked almonds

40g unsalted butter

Sea salt

¼ cup Vino Cotto or a good balsamic vinegar

16 green olives

½ cup raisins

¼ cup salted capers, rinsed & drained

Chopped flat-leaf parsley to serve

METHOD

Marinate chicken with lemon zest, bay leaves, rosemary, cinnamon and a good splash of extra virgin oil for at least 1 hour before cooking; overnight is better if you have the time

Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 180.C

Place flaked almonds on baking tray and roast 5 minutes or until golden then set aside

Set oven to 200.C

Heat butter in large oven-proof frying pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, then remove from marinade. Working batches so as to not crowd the pan, gently pan fry chicken 8-10 minutes or until golden brown all over.

Transfer to oven and roast 10 minutes

Deglaze pan with Vino Cotto or balsamic over high heat, then add olives, raisins and capers

Return to oven for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through

Toss over almonds and parsley, then squeeze over juice of at least 1 of the reserved lemons, taste and add more lemon juice, if needed

Leave to rest x 10 minutes, then serve

Fabulous Roasted & Braised Shoulder of Lamb

This recipe arose from a ‘tweaking’ a recipe of Jamie Oliver. These amounts comfortably feed 4 persons, although when doing it for 2 persons I simply use a ½ shoulder of lamb. Ditto –double if for 8.

You will need to make a Spice Mix It’s a wonderful kitchen ‘basic’ to keep on hand, and can be used for all sorts of delicious things.

Grind together 1 teaspoon each of Cumin seeds; Coriander seeds; Fennel seeds; black peppercorns; Maldon sea salt. Stir in 1 teaspoon Preserved Lemon puree (just make it mashy if it is in whole pieces)

For the rest (a large shoulder of lamb and just about double the other ingredients if for 8 people):

1 shoulder of lamb

Rosemary sprigs

Spice and preserved lemon mix (see above)

400g tin haricot beans –nice large white ones

2 red onions, sliced

Handful of fresh lemon thyme

½ – 1 cinnamon stick

About 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1-2 lemons (depending upon quantities of lamb used)

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 220.C

Score the lamb surface on top with a criss-cross pattern and rub in the spice and lemon mix. Poke small sprigs of rosemary leaves into the criss-cross centres.

Roast lamb for about 50 mins for a ½ shoulder (a 2kg shoulder would take about 2 hours. But it depends upon your oven and use your instincts here because you don’t want it to cook itself to death or burn).

While the lamb is roasting, sauté the onion slices in olive oil together with the lemon thyme and cinnamon stick. Add a pinch of pepper andsalt

Add the beans and balsamic vinegar and put the mixture aside.

Remove the lamb from the oven and reduce the temperature to 200.C. Stir in the onion/bean mix and juices well into the lamb juices in the pan, and toss in the lemon quarters. Add some stock

Return to the oven for about 1 hour.

Gratin of White Beans This recipe can be prepared well in advance and ready to pop in the oven about ½ hour before you wish to eat. If you have placed it in the refrigerator (if prepared some hours before), just remove it about 1 hour before so that it regains room temperature before cooking. No crisis if you forget –just cook it longer!

This recipe can be prepared well in advance and ready to pop in the oven about ½ hour before you wish to eat. If you have placed it in the refrigerator (if prepared some hours before), just remove it about 1 hour before so that it regains room temperature before cooking. No crisis if you forget –just cook it longer!

Double the recipe if for a crowd.

You will need:

400 g beans (I use tinned beans, rinsed well and drained)

500ml double cream or crème fraiche (I will usually use a low fat such as a lower-fat crème fraiche)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed. I use nice big fat ones.

Bunch of Thyme –leaves only

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g fresh white bread crumbs

100g freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (I think I used a bit less but just judge yourself)

40g butter (melted)

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 200.C

Place beans in a bowl
Pout over the cream /crème fraiche and scatter over the garlic and thyme leaves
Season generously with salt & pepper, mix everything around gently and transfer to a medium sized ovenproof dish
For the Topping: in a clean bowl, using your fingers, mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Sprinkle the crumble over the beans and trickle over the melted butter
Bake on middle shelf about 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Raspberry and Pinenut Cake

Adapted from: Gourmet Traveller Dec 02

Can be prepared in advance and will keep in fridge in airtight container for 3 days. Good big size, and suitable for all events –eg a casual festive lunch, friends for BBQ etc. You could use other fruits or raspberries out of season –something tartish & flavoursome I’d say, like ripe plums or blackberries. I think strawberries would be too bland, & other fruits not bitey enough. This is one recipe where I’d really suggest you prepare/set out all ingredients in advance.

You will need for the Cake

150g 1 cup) SR flour (SR means Self-Raising. Add raising agents to plain flour as a substitute)

75g (1/2 cup) plain flour

90g (3/4 cup) ground almonds

150g butter, unsalted, chopped

220g castor (sucre finissimo) sugar

4 eggs

90g pinenuts (Put 30g of these into a separate pile)

Grated rind and juice 1 lemon

360g raspberries (Put 240g of these into a separate pile)

140g raspberry jam, warmed with 1 tab water

Topping:

200g brown sugar

40g plain flour

80g cold butter, unsalted, chopped

Yogurt Cream

300ml thickened cream

150ml greek-style yoghurt

55g (1/4 cup) sifted icing sugar

METHOD

Make Topping

Combine brown sugar & flour in bowl or Food processor & rub in cold butter cubes until it’s like breadcrumbs. Set it aside

Prepare cake

Grease and line base of 22cm springform tin

Heat even to 190.C

Sift together flours, ground almonds and ½ teasp salt

In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Then add eggs 1 at a time (beating in between)

Stir in flour mixture and 30g of the pinenuts, + the grated lemon rind & juice, & combine well. The mixture will be quite stiff.

Spoon into prepared tin and bake x 40 mins

Then…

Reduce oven to 160.C

Working quickly, sprinkle topping over cake and scatter with 240g of the raspberries

Return cake to oven and cook for another 20 mins, or until cake tester withdraws clear

Remove cake, drizzle with warm raspberry jam and press remaining raspberries into the jam, & scatter over the rest of the pinenuts

Release cake tin from sides and place on wire rack to cool

Serve with Yoghurt cream

Make yoghurt cream

Wisk ingredients together until soft peaks are formed

A few more Christmas Faves

2014-12-13 by Susie Debney

By Susie Debney

Having introduced myself in the Christmas Blog as the old Aussie with a ‘thing’ for recipes & all things foodie, I am including a few more favourite Christmas recipes from my endless supply of family recipes, cuttings, & books galore. Each month I hope to share with you on this Foodies Blog site one or more recipes.

Nonna’s fab version of the English-style Plum Pudding

Plum ‘Puds’ are still loved Christmas fare for many Aussies, despite being a strongly English & Irish tradition. And yes, they are truly better suited to this lovely cold climate. While they are also truly gorgeous, I think they are a bit heavy if they include the traditional suet. The name ‘plum’ refers to prunes, which were in the early recipes (I’m talking early 15^th century in England & Ireland), & as we know ‘prune’ means plum.

Serve a plum pudding with such as Brandy Butter/Hard Sauce, Custard (a real Crème Anglaise or a Sabayon, or creamy, brandy-flavoured Ice-cream). Flame the pud with brandy first – it wouldn’t be Christmas of you didn’t!

If you are adding coins, because they are toxic material when it comes to digestion, first sterilise, and then add them just before serving. If you can find little silver tokens, then they are OK to insert before. Careful with the kids!

Tradition/superstition (of which I’m fond) says to include silver coin/s, a sliver thimble & a ring. The finder of the coin/s will have good luck, a marriage will occur within the year in the family of the ring-finder, & the finder of the thimble is in for drudgery. No! No! I’m joking. Wealth will come to the finder of the thimble!

The other tradition/superstition is the whole family having a stir & making a wish.

This is my Mum’s recipe & I’ve never had a failure with it (a welcome event in my kitchen of frequent fails) & it’s easy- peasy to boot (another welcome event).

Ingredients

375g seeded raisins – chopped a bit

375g sultanas

250g currants

185g prunes, chopped

185g mixed peel

Grated rind of 1 lemon

90g blanched almonds – chop a bit

Large grated carrot

250g soft white, freshly-made breadcrumbs (not packaged junk!)

250g caster sugar (sucre finissimo from Coop)

125g plain flour

½ teasp salt

½ teasp nutmeg

1 teasp mixed spice

4 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup brandy or orange juice

250g melted butter

Makes 2 litre or 8-cup basins (Line base of basin). There also may be a bit left-over.

Mix together fruit, nuts, breadcrumbs & sugar. Sift in the flour & spices. Add beaten eggs, milk & melted butter.

Spoon into the pudding bowl (I usually grease it lightly first with butter), leaving a bit of space at the top. Make a cover with baking paper, pleating it at the top (allows for expansion of pudding), then put on a second tightly sealed cover of foil.

Place on saucer in large saucepan with water say half-way up sides, & boil slowly/simmer 4 – 4 ½ hours (watch the water level & top up with boiling water when necessary).

Re-heat on Christmas day by boiling the same way for about 2 hours.

Tip: Sizzle up left-over slices the next day in some butter, & blob a dob of vanilla ice-cream on top. Mmmmmmmm!

A Cold, Super-Special Party-Desert

Christmas always being a family/friends affair, where all the girls bring platters & plates of all sorts of deliciousness, one needs to pull out the stops to make Christmas puds of the non-traditional variety. Such puds are suited to our Aussie weather & need for prepare-aheadedness. Here’s a wickedly rich desert that suits the indulgence of the season in either hemisphere, & Panettone’s are readily available in the shops right now. I always double this recipe coming as I do from an ethic of there being no such thing as ‘enough’, so I’ll give you both measurements, with the larger one in brackets.

Caramel Panettone Pudding

Caramel

112g (225g) caster sugar (Sucre Finissimo avail at Coop)

¼ cup (½cup ) water

The pudding bit

500g (1kg) panettone

5 (10) large eggs

300ml (600) double cream (Gruyere Double just perfect)

1 cup (2) milk

2/3 cup (1 1/3 ) caster sugar

¼ cup ( ½ ) Grand Marnier

½ teasp (1) cinnamon

½ cup (1) chopped almonds

½ cup (1) finely chopped mixed peel

Handful sultanas (you could be creative here -eg sometimes I have on hand some dried fruits that I’ve soaked for ages in Pedro Ximinz sherry, or Vin Santo or some other caramelly grog)

Prepare (grease with butter) a large loaf or cake pan(size depends on whether or not you’ve doubled the recipe).

Make the caramel: This is the only part that’s a bit tricky. The sugar MUST first dissolve completely in the water without the sugar/water mix coming to a boil. Otherwise it crystallises & will not form a caramel. If it’s any consolation, I usually end up doing the damn thing twice. Be patient (a big ask for me I admit).

Dissolve completely the sugar in the water slowly over low heat in saucepan, stirring all the time. When all crystals are completely dissolved, bring it to the boil & boil steadily, without stirring, until it’s a lovely golden brown. Watch it all the time –it takes a while but when it starts to brown it happens quickly & will burn easily.

Pour the caramel into the loaf pan & leave to cool.

The rest is seeeemple

Pre-heat oven to 160.C.

Cut panettone into 2cm thick slices & trim so they will fit into the pan in 3 layers. Pop the almonds, sultanas & peel into a bowl/container & set aside. Whisk eggs, cream, milk, caster sugar , Grand Marnier, & cinnamon together until combined.

Put the first layer of panettone in the pan on top of the caramel. Sprinkle over half your nut/fruit mix. Pour over enough egg mixture to cover.

Repeat another layer of panettone. Sprinkle the other half of the nuts/fruit. Pour over the remainder of the egg/cream mix. Finish with the 3^rd layer of panettone.

Place the tin in a large pan (roasting pan) & pour in hot water to come up half-way of the sides of the pan. Bake about 50-60 mins or until just set. Remove from oven & water bath, cool & put in fridge overnight.

To serve, turn it out onto a plate & cut into slices. Serve with clotted cream & fresh fruits –if & as you wish

Style Tip: Wear something elastic so that you can fit a few servings in.

Fruit Mincemeat for little tarts, pies or crepes

Mincemeat recipes, another English tradition & similar to plum pudding in that it is a fragrant mix of dried fruits, often includes suet – a saturated meat-fat that I prefer to avoid. This recipe uses pears & no fats. It’s quick, easy, fabulous, & traditionally is made into little pies or tarts (you can cheat & buy little pastry/tart cases). It could also be used as a filling for crepes, or served warm over ice-cream.

Well before the 16^th Century) Mincemeat pies did indeed contain meat or liver, but which was changed for fish with egg & ginger on fasting days. They later became enriched with dried fruits & nuts, & when suet replaced the meat in the 17^th Century it was all fruit, soaked in stacks of grog so the mincemeat could be used over the year.

This recipe makes about 5 cups & can be stored in cool, dark cupboard 9-12 months. I’ve successfully stored mine for 4-5 years in our cool, dark wine ‘cave’ here in Switzerland. Once open, refrigerate.

1.5kg firm pears

500g sugar

375g sultanas

125g currants

4 tablspns finely chopped glace ginger (can’t find it? Try stem ginger in syrup or even crystallised ginger).

60g chopped almonds

1/3 cup lemon juice

grated rind 1 orange

½ cup orange juice

1 teasp cinnamon

1 teasp nutmeg

¼ cup orange-flavoured liqueur

Peel, core & finely dice the pears. Pop into saucepan with all the other ingredients, except the liqueur. Simmer gently uncovered about 20 mins, stirring occasionally.

Then cover saucepan & cook a further 45mins or until it’s quite soft & dark in colour. If it has too much liquid (some pears are juicier than others), cook uncovered some more until the mixture reduces.

Put mixture in bowl & cool slightly, then mix in the liqueur.

Spoon into sterilised jars, & cover with a circle of baking paper & seal well.

Torrone Molle (a to-die-for chocolate treat!!)

If one hasn’t eaten enough by now, a super-rich, decadent little treat to have with coffee is Torrone Molle. Italian (Tuscan) in origin, torrone means nougat, & molle means soft. It’s dead easy to make & keeps in the fridge, & is irresistible cut into little slivers to have with coffee over the Christmas holiday break. A wee bit goes a long way!

You can make this in a 1 litre cardboard milk carton (rinsed & dried out), or line a loaf pan with cling film.

60g currants (raisins de corinthe)

50ml Amaretto (or brandy, or orange-flavoured liqueur)

300g finely chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

200g unsalted butter

2 eggs

100g caster sugar (sucre finissimo from Coop)

100g amoretti biscuits, coarsely crushed

125g digestive (eg McVities), shortbread, or other un-iced biscuits

125g candied citron (or candied orange, or combination of both)

50g lovely soft dried figs, chopped (hard-tops removed)

60g blanched, whole almonds –roasted & coarsely chopped. (I usually don’t bother with blanched almonds, but rather roast whole almonds in their skins in a 180.C oven for about 8-10 mins. The have a gorgeous deep, earthy flavour).

Combine currants & alcohol in small bowl – soak 1 hour.

Melt chocolate & butter in bowl over simmering water (or microwave at low revs) & stir until smooth.

Beat eggs & sugar in another bowl, until the mixture is thick & ribbon-y. Stir the chocolate mixture into the fruit/alcohol mix. Stir in the remaining ingredients (biscuits, nuts, peel, figs).

Spoon the whole glorious lot into your container (tapping it to release air-pockets if using the milk carton).

Staple your carton, or cover your tin with more cling film, & leave carton in the fridge on it’s side to set (or tin in fridge)

Keeps in airtight container 1 week in the fridge although I’ve kept it a fair bit longer with no problems. To be authentic, turn out of tin/carton to serve, & dust with cocoa powder.

My Aussie Christmas

2014-12-01 by Susie Debney

By Susie Debney

What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child? ~Lin Yutang

Christmas. What better excuse to begin talking ‘cooking’ & favourite recipes! Christmas is for so many SUCH a great food time, forming traditions & happy memories.

Before I let myself loose on the subject of favourite Christmas recipes, let me introduce myself. I am an Aussie, of a ‘certain age’ or ‘age certain’ depending upon how kindly you’d like to look at it. I come from a land of plenty – plenty of good weather, plenty of food, & plenty diversity in cultural influences when it comes to food.

An ancient country, for somewhere between 40,000 – 70,000 years the sole population in Australia was the Aboriginal Australian traditional owners, & it has only been over the past 224 years that the country was settled by immigrants from all over the world. What brings this big melting pot together is more powerful than any cultural or ideological differences – it is the human love of sharing of food.

Europeans often ask me what is our traditional ‘cuisine’ – there’s no short answer! It’s constantly changing, experimenting, fusing, & I’d just describe it as a feast in motion. Being blessed with great food sources, we are further blessed by very talented chefs & cooks from many different cultural backgrounds, who constantly introduce us to new delights. When I was a child in the 1950’s, the major food influences were British & Irish, but very quickly joined by the first Italian & Greek immigrants. Asian food became another huge influence, & not long after came the Middle Eastern cuisines. There are many other different ‘cuisines’ in Australia, & in almost every suburb one can eat from around the world.

What is probably best-known about Aussie food is our love of the ‘barbie’ (BBQ). When I was a child, every house had some simple steel plate or griddle outdoors where meat could be grilled or sizzled, & these days whole ‘outdoor kitchens’ are common. If not the full kitchen, then at least the seriously-sized BBQ, complete with wok, grills, hoods for oven-style roasts, spits, & so on. My son says a bloke isn’t a real bloke unless he has an 8-burner, & BBQ’s are bloke territory. Must be biological –instead of throwing chunks of fresh-killed buffalo on the fire, they ‘chuck a few prawns on the ‘barbie’. Indeed, they wont let us girls into this territory (yay!), as it’s the hot-rod car they never had as a youth. Or something like that. The fact that many totally ruin beautiful food (a char-BQ) is immaterial, although I must admit that most do a brilliant job.

So when it comes to food, what is just magnificent in terms of facilitating a sense of belonging for those new to Australia, is that absolutely every new culture ends up embracing the barbie. It is our common language. You don’t have to speak English to be an Aussie – you just need to whip out the Barbie.

BBQ’s totally suit our climate as well, especially over summer, & for many it wouldn’t be Christmas if there wasn’t at least something prepared by BBQ, as it’s summer & hot as Hades. And air-conditioning in houses is still less common than otherwise. There is however a myth that we have our Christmas meal on the beach. Hmmm, a swim yes, but eat no. Beach & food don’t mix well – sand, flies galore, & broiling sun. Not good, not wise, especially if drink added to the mix, which naturally, being Christmas, it is. However the myth persists & its become a tourist ’must do’ to have a beach Christmas. Bondi Beach in Sydney particularly is Mecca for tourists – bit like running the bulls in Pamplona, because most end up burnt to blister level, &/or being (hopefully) rescued by lifesavers when throwing themselves in with gay abandon into the delicious but often dangerous surf. All good fun though!

While a beach foodie event is generally not for us, greatly favoured are Christmas holiday traditions such as beach or backyard cricket, where every age from toddler to the ancient gets a turn at batting or bowling. Rules are made up on the spot – eg if the ball hits Mums sheets hanging on the clothes-line is it a catch & your ‘out’ or is it worth a score of 4 runs? Or if the stumps (a beer carton) falls over even if the bowler didn’t hit it, is the batter or the bowler who is ‘out’? (For those who don’t know the game of cricket, don’t worry, just pretend it makes sense because if you’re in Australia over Christmas you’ll learn soon enough).

So – home together with extended family is where most of us are on Christmas Day, & that is when most celebration/eating goes on, Christmas Eve not generally being an ‘event’ as such. Foods will usually include the early English traditional delights such as Plum Pudding & roast turkey; glazed & baked legs of succulent ham; dishes from either traditional or fused global influences; fresh seafoods plucked from the oceans; cold deserts of all sorts of mouth-watering treats, but of which the Pavlova (exquisite meringue topped with cream, pasionfruit, banana etc) is the ‘must-have’.

I’m going to post a few Christmas favourites on the Food/Recipe blog, but let me share with you right now what I consider to be THE best Christmas cake, & which has been a ‘Must-have’ amongst my mob for years.

SRI LANKA CHRISTMAS CAKE

This cake is delicious, moist & slightly sticky, with spices of cinnamon, cardamom & cloves, nuts & semolina. I cut it, as is said to be tradition in Sri Lanka, into individually wrapped little logs to give as little gifts. I wrap my little bonbons in foil, then in red or green cellophane, tied with curly ribbon. It’s more like a sweetmeat than a cake, & is a fab stand-by to have heaped in a bowl when friends pop in. Note: it needs to be made at least 2 weeks in advance. Remember too, that the fruits soak for 24 hours before you start making the cake. Don’t ice it –it’s sweet enough!

Like all things cooked, use the best ingredients you can find.

60g mixed peel

60g currants

250g sultanas

60g chopped glace apricots

60g chopped glace ginger

60g glace cherries, chopped in halves

2 tablspns honey

2 tablspns brandy

1 teasp rosewater

125g raw cashew nuts

125g butter

250g caster sugar

6 egg yolks (I use eggs of about 55g -60g, nit jumbos).

125g fine semolina

½ cup strawberry jam

½ cup pineapple or apricot jam

½ teasp cinnamon

½ teasp nutmeg

½ teasp ground cardamom

125g almond slivers

3 large egg whites

Place peel, currants, sultanas, apricots, ginger & cherries in a non-metallic bowl. Add honey, brandy, & rosewater. Cover with cling-film or foil & let stand 24 hrs

Next day……….

Pre-heat oven to 170.C (probably lower heat if fan forced). Grease & line base & sides of 30cm x 30cm tin.

Line up the kids of all ages ready for a stir & a wish

Grind or chop the cashews finely, & mix it into the fruit. Stir the almond slivers into the fruit. Cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg yolks, beating until light.

Next, this is where the Stir & Wish team troop in. Have an extra wish yourself as you stir, & trust me, it does come true!!

Stir in semolina, jams, & spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom), then the fruit & nuts mix. In a separate bowl (metal is best) beat egg whites until stiff but not dry & carefully fold through mixture 1/3^rd at a time. I use a good size metal spoon so that it retains the air from the whites.

Place mixture in prepared tin & bake initially for 25 mins. Turn oven down to 150.C & continue cooking another 1 ¾ – 2 hours, or until cake is just set & firm to touch. Leave in tin until cool & firm, then turn it out & store (wrapped well in foil) for at least 2 weeks before cutting. It can be sticky when cutting –you may need to use a knife dipped in hot water.

Storage Keeps about 4 months. Can store whole or cut in sections & stored in tins.

A Bowl of Soup, a Book, & Thou …….

2014-01-21 by Susie Debney

A loaf bread and jug wine is always an excellent idea and Omar had the right idea with a book in hand, but I’m thinking that a bowl of hot, nourishing soup is just the shot for winter when cuddled up with a good book. First get your book – I’ve put up a few suggestions in the Bookaholics section, but any pot-boiler will do!

Hearty Lamb, Lentil & Bean Soup with garlic toasts

This is a nutritious and hearty winter soup – the perfect companion for the fireside, or snuggled up watching videos on tele while the winter ice & snow do their thing outside. As with anything, the end result will depend on the freshness of the ingredients, especially the olive oil and spices.

You’ll need:

2 ½ tablspns olive oil

250g lamb or mutton shoulder, chopped (Lamb is ridiculously expensive here but you could try substituting another meat such as pork shoulder or beef with a good bit of fat running through it. If too lean the meat will just dry out -the aim is for succulent chunky bits in this soup)

A nice big onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¾ teasps ground cinnamon

½ teasp ground ginger

¼ teasp ground cumin

¼ teasp sweet paprika

1 carrot, chopped

1 ripe (red) capsicum, seeded and chopped

Pinch of saffron threads

2 x 400g can tomatoes –whole or chopped, doesn’t matter

About an equivalent amount of chicken stock

An extra 1 Litre chicken stock for the lentils

½ tin of chick peas – rinsed and drained

¼ cup Puy lentils (or good quality small green lentils)

2 tablspns fresh coriander, chopped

2 tablspns Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablspns fresh mint, chopped

½ tablspn lemon zest (or to taste)

Juice of ½ lemon

Slices of good crusty toast/ciabatta, rubbed with the cut side of a peeled garlic clove, and drizzled with citrus infused olive oil/or plain olive oil

Method: Heat olive oil to a reasonably high heat in a heavy-based saucepan and quickly brown the lamb pieces. Lower the heat to a medium low and gently sauté the onion and garlic pieces until soft and the garlic is golden. Add the spices and cook for another minute or so, or until they release their fragrance.

Add the carrot, capsicum, saffron, tomatoes and chicken stock – add more chicken stock if needs be. Season with sea-salt and freshly ground pepper , bring to boil , then reduce heat to very low and simmer a couple of hours. I prefer to cover the saucepan with a lid – without a lid gives you a lovely reduction (intensifying the flavor), but you may need to ensure you have more stock than the amount I have suggested. Stir occasionally and add a bit more water if it is sticking on the bottom.

Place about 1 litre chicken stock in small saucepan, add the lentils and cook about 20 mins or until tender (not mushy).

Once the soup mixture is cooked (when the lamb or other meat is tender), stir in the lentils, chickpeas, and lemon zest. Season to taste with sea-salt and fresh ground black pepper. Just before serving, add the fresh herbs and lemon juice (to taste). Serve with the crusty toasts.

Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

This is absolutely delicious, and is a recipe by Skye Gyngell, one of my favourite chefs. The recipe comes from one of her books A Year in my Kitchen -a book I’d thoroughly recommend to lovers of innovative yet simple food, simply prepared. Skye is well-kown in UK as Chef at Petersham Nurseries Cafe – a place with a huge reputation and awards for outstanding food. Skye’s philosophy is to source ingredients as locally as possible, supporting local providers rather than supermarkets. “… to learn more about the food you are eating & make a connection to the earth, seasons, environment & the people around you”. Her recipes involve simple, clean flavours that sing in the mouth. And BTW, there’s no chilli in this soup -it’s just in the picture!

You’ll need for 6 servings:

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablspns unsalted butter (I usually use salted without a problem)

2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced

sea salt (I love Maldon, available at Globus) & freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablspns freshly grated root ginger (see my note below)

1.5 L Chicken Stock , or water if you prefer

150ml double cream

1 tablspn tamari (or soy sauce) or more to taste. My tip is to let the soup settle first, let the flavours become friends with each other, before you add extra ‘taste’ such as tamari or soy as you don’t want any one flavour to be Diva in this chorus.

1 tablspn maple syrup (use a good brand, not an adulterated product)

juice of half a lime, or to taste.

Method:

Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions along with a pinch of salt, and sweat gently for 5 minutes or so until soft and translucent. Now add the ginger, stir, then add the sweet potatoes and stir once more.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes fall apart when prodded with a fork.

Remove from heat and puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Strain the soup through a fine sieve back into the pan and re-heat gently. (I don’t bother with straining the soup – I don’t mind mine being a bit less silky).

Stir in the cream, tamari and maple syrup, then squeeze in the lime juice. Check for seasoning and flavour -the soup should taste deep, warm, sweet and slightly spicy. If the flavour seems slightly on the surface, just add a little more tamari – it will have a grounding effect. Serve warm

The first time I made this delicious soup, I didn’t have root ginger in my fridge. I used instead a combination of finely chopped crystallised sugar, which I de-sugared by running under warm water and rubbing gently, & added some ground ginger. It was still lovely. It’s simply a matter of tasting and adjusting, as it is with any recipe you might be following.