Pissaladiere

Apparently this is a Nicoise classic. I'll let you know after we visit the south of France in September. In any event, it's rather tasty (provided you like anchovies).

• 3-4 onions thickly sliced
• 1 sheet puff pastry or David's pizza dough
• 16 anchovies halved lengthwise
• 12 black olives, stoned
  

1. Slowly cook ontion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until very soft.
2. Preheat oven to 220 C,
3. Roll pastry (or pizza dough) out to make a 30cm x 20cm rectangle and transfer to baking tray.
4. Leaving a 1 cm rim, pricky pastry all over with a fork and add a thick layer of onion.
5. Arrange anchovy strips in rows toform large diamonds. Put an olive in the centre of each diamond and drizzle over a little oil. Bake for 20 minutes until pastry/pizza crust is brown and crisp.
6. Serve warm
   

David's Pizza Dough

Here is the basic recipe for David's special Friday night pizza dough:

• 300g bakers flour
• 100g fine semolina
• 1 packet rapid rise dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup warm water
  

1. Measure out flour and semolina in mixing bowl atop scale.
2. Remove bowl from scale and add yeast and salt; mix well.
3. Pour olive oil in measuring cup and fill with warm water. Add to dry ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon.
4. Once roughly combined empty dough onto bench and kneed for about 5 minutes or until surface is smooth and not sticky. Form into ball.
5. Coat large bowl with olive oil, add dough, cover with Glad wrap and place bowl on top of water heater to rise.
6. About 2 hours from when the pizza is to go into the oven remove dough from bowl, spread out over pizza tin, cover with tea towel and return to water heater for 2nd rise.

Double Baked Gruyere Souffle: Not such a flop

The advantage of a double baked souffle is that you can make the first stage in advance and just finish them off when required. David and I ended up eating souffles four nights in a row. Very yummy!

• 70g butter
• 65g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (not not if you're cooking for David)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 380ml milk
• 160g grated gruyere cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cup thickened cream

Stage 1:
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Grease 6 x 200 ml metal dariole moulds or ramekins [I used 8 smaller ones].

Melt butter over low heat. Add flour, nutmeg, cayenne and salt. Cook for eight minutes, stirring regularly, until mixture starts to foam and flour is cooked. Add milk gradually, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Cook further 10 minutes stirring. [I slightly reduced these cooking times.]

Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl then add egg yolks. Combine. Whisk whites to medium peaks and fold through in three batches. Pour evenly into moulds.

Fill roasting pan with hot water, one third the height of the ramekins. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Souffles WILL shrink (see photo 2). The souffles can be put to one side at this stage.

Stage 2:
Remove from moulds and place upside down in individual ovenproof serving dishes with sides. Pour cream evenly between the souffles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Here is the end result - not such a flop!

Pumpkin Lasagne

1.25 kg peeled pumpkin, cut into 3 cm cubes
1 large spanish onion, cut in half and then into thin wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
40g butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
3 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 cup ricotta cheese
oven ready (dry) or fresh lasagne sheets

Pumpkin filling: preheat oven to 200C. Place the pumpkin and onion in a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with thyme leaves and chilli. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place in over and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Remove tray from oven and set aside to cool slightly. Then place pumpkin and onion in a bowl and mash with a fork, retaining some texture.

Cheese sauce: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until bubbling. gradually start whisking in the milk until smooth. Add the bay leaf and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, take out the bay leaf and then add the ricotta. Whisk until combined. Season to taste.

Layer up lasagne: Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly butter and ovenproof baking dish. Layer up lasagne starting with:

• 1/2- 1 cup cheese sauce
• half pumpkin/onion mash
• lasagne sheet
  
• 1/2- 1 cup cheese sauce
• half pumpkin/onion mash
• lasagne sheet
• finish with remaining cheese sauce and sprinkly with grated parmesan

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serves 4-6 for lunch.

Pipi Fritters

Collected Pipis in Nunguru Harbour on New Years day - Left them to soak in a bucket of salt water over night so they would spit out any remaining sand and then the following morning we steamed them open and ate quite a few. So sweet and juicy! After a rummage in the pantry for ingredients, we cooked up the rest into Pipi Fritters for breakfast. So it went a little something like this....

Whisk 2 eggs

add:
pepper/salt
grated lemon rind
pinch of chilli powder
and a couple of finely sliced fresh mint leaves

mix in 3 tablespoons of flour
2tsp of baking powder

add the coarsly chopped pipis (about a bread n butter plate full)
and 1/4 finely diced red onion

Mix

then add sploshes of beer till the desired consistency is reached.

Scoop out of mixing bowl with tablespoon and fry on medium heat in butter or oil. Made about 12 (fed 4 of us). Eat in the sun and enjoy!

Sunny Salad

I got this recipe from cousin Megan who got it from an issue of Cuisine magazine back in 2002. It tastes of summer and it makes a good wrap filling too.

6 ears sweet corn, husks and silks removed

2 large tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and stone removed

Cook corn 10-30 minutes (10 minutes if freshly-picked cobs, longer if they have been picked a day or two.)

Drain and cover loosely with kitchen paper (stops wrinkling)

When cool enough to handle, slice of the kernels

Remove cores from tomatoes, cut into quarters and flick out as many seeds as possible (PS: When Megan makes this she just uses entire tomato quartered - hates throwing out good food!) Cut the flesh into dice, put in a sieve and drain 10 minutes

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, shallot and basil in a bowl. Stir in corn, top with tomatoes and diced avocado. Stir and serve immediately. (Megan makes hours before party, seems to work ok.)

Serves 6-8 as a salad. Enjoy!

Lamb and kumara salad

Not a family favourite, but one I spotted in the New Zealand Herald. Vic Williams is a food writer and I am always eyeing up the recipes...YUM! I gotta try it, or a variation.

Serves 4

4 lamb steaks, cut from the leg, 2-3cm thick
3-4 medium red kumara (or sweet potato for the overseas people)
1 red capsicum
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 handfuls mixed salad greens
1 tbsp sesame paste (sometimes called sesame sauce)
3 tbsps peanut oil
2 tsps sesame seeds
2 sprigs coriander

Trim off and discard fat from the lamb steaks. Peel the kumara. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and boil the kumara until just-cooked, but still slightly firm. Put aside to reach room temperature. Meanwhile, remove the stem, white ribs and seeds from the capsicum and discard. Dice the flesh small. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and cook the lamb steaks for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are medium-rare, seasoning as they are turned. Put aside to rest.

Wash and dry the salad greens and pull off and discard any leggy stems. Make a dressing by stirring the sesame paste and two tablespoons of the peanut oil together with a little salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, toss the greens with the remaining peanut oil, add salt and pepper and place on four plates. Holding a sharp, thin-bladed knife on an angle, slice the lamb steaks across the grain and drape over the top. Cut the kumara into 1/2cm discs and distribute evenly among the plates.

Scatter the diced capsicum, sesame seeds and coriander leaves over everything, with a little more salt and cracked black pepper. Drizzle with the sesame dressing and serve.

Picnic Food

With a stonking hot summer upon us picnics are always a good idea.

I thought that I should try making some real picnic food - picnic pie and mini meat loaves.

The picnic pie was a bit of disaster as I didn't put enough eggs in it to hold it all together but it was rather tasty.


















Mini Meat Loaves - Inspired by Paella Days

Mince
A red onion
Garlic
Chopped capers, sundried tomatoes and olives
Herbs (fresh, dried, whatever, basil, oregano, parsley etc)
Bread crumbs
Tomato paste
Eggs
Milk
Red wine

Mix lots, and make into little balls (little muffin trays are great), top with pinenuts and cook till done (20mins at 180 at a guess). Super yummy when cold...





The finished Picnic Pie

Crab Mayonnaise in Iceburg Wraps

At last the iceburg escapes the kiwi burger; Paul found Gordan Ramsey’s version of this recipe, but I of course did some tweeking. This entrée is super easy to make and the filling can be prepared in the morning.

150g fresh crabmeat (or a small drained tin)
½ chopped red chilli
A couple of chopped spring onions
Small handful chopped coriander
Small handful chopped parsley
1T wholegrain mustard
3-4 T mayonnaise
Salt & Pepper
A small amount of lemon rind
1T Tomato paste

Mix all of the above and wrap in washed iceburg leaves. If preparing in advance make the crab mix but only put the mix in the lettuce if you are about to serve them. Garnish with curly lettuce leaves and tomatoes.

I also did a vegetarian version replacing the crab with cottage cheese which seemed to work.

Pizza - Chicken and Cranberry

At the flat at Kiwitea Street we are doing our usual Monday night gathering - food and a night of TV. Chef Phil is making us Chicken and Cranberry Pizza fresh from the kitchen of K12, while Maria is making us dessert (not sure what it is yet) The Wong's have come over with the pre dinner nibbles and I got the easy task of drinks(?!). Tomorrow is Anzac Day and we have the day off work. It will be too wet and rainy to go to the dawn service so I think we will watch Anzac specials at home in between DVD's and more food.

• buy thick or thin plain pizza bases (or make your own)
• spread on a thin layer of plain Hummus
• slice some smoked chicken and spread around leaving gaps in between the pieces
• dollop some cranberry jelly or preserve around (we use the kind that has whole cranberries in it)
• slice up some brie and spread around
• sprinkle fresh rosemary and rock salt on the top

Vegetable Bean Puffs

When I took some hot cross buns over to our neighbours at Easter, I returned home with some freshly baked vegetable bean puffs which were very tasty. Apparently these are quite a hit with Len & Marge's vegetarian teenage granddaughters and I reckon they are just the thing for someone to make for Julian and Tracey on moving house day.

1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 T oil
1 carrot grated
1 zucchinni grated or a few peas
1 410gm can of tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube crumbled
1 305gm can of 3-bean mix (rinsed and drained)
2 T fresh chives
4 sheets wholemeal or shortcrust pastry

Spoon mixed ingredients on pastry sheets that have been cut into quarters.
Lightly brush edges with water. Fold over and seal with back of fork.
Place on greased oven trays.
Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or parmesan.
Bake in moderate overn (180C) about 35 minutes.

Something not so sweet…

This is a nice simple thing to throw together and aided in our house by the fact that tesco does a great line in smoked salmon which is now a grocery staple.

Salmon & Ricotta Fettuccini (Mains for 4)
… to be served with a big green salad…

400g Fettuccini
Lemon juice and rind from two lemons
A good splodge of olive oil (about 1-2 T)
½ C Parmesan
250g Ricotta
1 big bunch of parsley chopped (or other green herbs)
200g Smoked salmon (chopped)

1. Cook fettuccini
2. Mix lemon juice, rind, olive oil and parmesan in a bowl
3. Drain pasta and pour liquid mix over then add ricotta, green herbs and salmon
4. Mix well and eat!

And all done in less than 20 mins…