Category Archives: Vivienne

VIVIENNE’s Thoughts and Recipes for Autumn

27 Sunday Feb 2011

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I feel that Autumn is a time for being re-inspired in the kitchen.  If it has been too hot and humid for a long time, cooking (for me anyway) often becomes a bit of a chore in as much as I really would like a magic wand.  Sometimes I find myself making a potato salad (with cream and mayo and spring onions), throwing together a tossed salad and then cutting up a bought chicken or just cooking a decent piece of steak.  Sometimes I ask my husband ‘what would you like to cook tonight darling?”

Right now the hot and humid days have finally gone and energy is coming back.  Here are some of my favourites for weekend family eating.

Shami Kebabs (lamb meatballs)

For this I suggest you ask your butcher to bone out a leg of lamb, skin it and put it through the coarse mincer (not fine).   About 600g will make plenty as a snack for 4. (The remainder goes in the freezer.)

Put 3 slices of white bread (crust removed) in a bowl and add milk to soak until it is mush.  Pour off any milk and squeeze till bread no longer drips.   Mix the meat and bread together and add the following:

  • 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 teaspoons of garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons of fresh chopped mint
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of plain flour

Mix very well.   Form into small balls about the size of a walnut (definitely no more than 3cms diameter).   Traditionally about three of these would be threaded onto a metal or bamboo skewer and then deep fried.  However, I think it is easier (and possibly safer) to just shallow fry individual balls in peanut oil, fairly quickly.   It doesn’t take long.  Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm until you have finished doing a number of batches (you can’t do them all at once).

Great eaten hot, warm or cold – as a snack or part of a bigger spread.  Mango chutney goes well as does a minty yoghurt.

American style Pork Ribs

The trick to this dish is finding the right spare ribs.  I really do mean RIBS – they don’t have a lot of meat on them so you need to be fairly discerning in picking out the best.  My butcher doesn’t have them but I usually find them at the Safeway meat section.  Ridiculously expensive at $5-7 for just one slab of them.  To feed four people I need five or six packets.

Place ribs in a large baking dish and pop into medium hot oven to cook about ¾ through.  Add nothing, just the ribs.  The purpose is actually to cook out any fat.  Take pieces out and cut into sections of 4 or 5 ribs each.  Clean out the baking dish and arrange rib pieces side by side.   Mix the following together in a bowl:

  • About 150 ml of golden syrup
  • ½  teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • ½  teaspoon of salt and a little pepper
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic (more if you like)
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1 ½ tablespoons of dijon mustard

Coat the top side of the ribs with this mixture and cook in oven till it becomes sticky.  Turn ribs over and coat the other side and cook again till sticky.

The mixture can be increased proportionately to fit the quantity of ribs you are cooking.  The above amount probably is just enough for 4 sets of ribs.

Serve with a little boiled rice and salad or whatever takes your fancy.

 

Duck de Chirico

Duck with Muscat-Honey Sauce

Buy a good duck such as Luv-a-Duck (size 20-22) which is sufficient for four people.

Place in baking dish, sprinkle with salt and then into medium hot oven.  Cook for about three hours, turning occasionally, sprinkling more salt and pricking here and there to release fat.  About 2/3rds of the way through reduce oven temperature a little.  You want the duck well cooked but not ruined.  This is a sort of confit style.

While duck is cooking boil at least one potato per person until at least half done.  Peel and cut into large cubes.  About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, heat a large pan and add butter and the potatoes plus salt (Murray River flakes if you have them).  Turn about every now and then till crisping up.     Also prepare whatever other vegetable you might like or preferably make a really good mixed greens salad with cherry tomatoes, slices of pear, shaved real parmesan etc.

Now for this part you need to take care – remove duck to large plate and then drain off the fat in the pan into a jar for use later.   You should wind up with at least half a cup of total duck juices.   Put these juices into a small saucepan on the stove top.  Add equal quantities of Muscat (about $10 for a bottle of Chambers regular muscat) and honey (about the same quantity as the juices you have saved).

Cook and stir till it starts to foam.  Remove from heat and let settle so you can test taste.  It should be about right – sweet and yum.

Cut duck up into quarters or carve if you prefer.  Carefully share out the sauce for each serving.    Make your plate look nice and have an appropriate good wine to accompany (my favourite sparkling Shiraz-Durif goes down particularly well).

—ooo—

Vivienne – the Lifesaver

30 Sunday Jan 2011

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Story by Vivienne

It is a balmy Summer evening in Sydney.   My husband went out for the evening to see the school play the Emperor and the Architect.   I decided not to go as we had seen the play in London when it starred Anthony Hopkins and Jim Dale.  Having seen the best, I couldn’t imagine how I could sit through the school play version even though hubby had been involved in its production.

There was a reasonably good film on the tele and after about half an hour I heard thump thump coming from the unit above.  Gee, I thought, Doreen’s rearranging her Parker furniture again.   Quiet, then thump, quiet, thump thump.   Heck, must be a big makeover.  Then bang at the door and upstairs opposite neighbour breathlessly asks for a woollen blanket.   I hand it over, close the door then think – what on earth for?  I go upstairs and see smoke coming out from Doreen’s door where my blanket is stuffed.

Have you called the fire brigade?   Yes.  Good.   Where’s Doreen?   Oh, she’s still in there.   WHAT ? !   At this stage I can’t remember just what I said but I took a big deep breath and opened Doreen’s door and went in to find her.   Eyes closed – I couldn’t see a thing – so much thick smoke.   My good luck was that her unit was exactly the same as ours and I could find my way around in the dark.  Thump, bump – I hear her, she’s in the bedroom.  With my arms spread out I find Doreen and manage to scoop her up and half drag her out of the unit, close door and over to the opposite neighbour.  By this time other neighbours had gathered and I asked them to comfort Doreen – cup of tea, perhaps a brandy.

The fire brigade still have not arrived.    I race downstairs and go outside to view the fire – the balcony is ablaze, it looks rather frightening.  I race down the driveway to the road – no sign of fire brigade.   Race back to upstairs neighbour – ring the fire brigade again.   Back downstairs to see how the fire looks – not good.  All this went on for some time – another sprint down the driveway – I look up the road and there is the fire brigade at the wrong address, about 100 yards up.   Running, yelling, follow me the fire is this way.   Well, amazingly from the road there was no sign of fire, let alone smoke.  The brigade drive down after me and two of the fire chaps run with me, with axes in hand.   Within minutes the fire is out – big mess.

Back to Doreen – she is in shock, she looks a wreck, her toes are burnt, her face is smudgy black – but basically she is okay.  It was at this stage that it finally dawned on me as to why the opposite neighbours were very blasé (oh, she’s still in there !) – they were pissed.

One of the downstairs neighbours offered to put Doreen up for the night, I went back to see the closing credits of the film.   Hubby arrived home.   I told him he’d missed an exciting evening and I’m so glad I didn’t go to see the play because if I had gone Doreen might well be dead and our units burnt to the ground.  I finally went to the bathroom and saw myself – half my eyebrows were gone, my eyelashes were suddenly very short and I had a sort of mohawk hair style.  I was filthy as well.  I took the next day off work and helped sort out Doreen who was still in shock and totally incapable of doing anything to help herself.  I took over and sorted out her insurance claim, got her into a motel, arranged for assessors access etc.  I inspected her unit – nothing escaped the smoke and water damage but the fire was mainly at the balcony end and some of the seagrass matting was burnt.   What caused the fire – Doreen had put up new curtains and put some candles nearby to admire them.  They caught fire.  The rest you know.

Doreen recovered and was grateful for all my help.   My efforts went unreported until now.

Vivienne on Cookbooks

10 Monday Jan 2011

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Pictures and Story by Vivienne

These are my favourite cookbooks and I write about them in no particular order – I love them all.

The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander (1996 and 816 pages) – This really is a ‘must have’ cookbook and that is exactly what I said to myself when I heard that it had just been published.  It is almost an encyclopaedia and very much Australian.  There is a lot of cross referencing (Stephanie is a trained librarian) and it works its way alphabetically – anchovies, apricots, bacon, coriander, lamb, melons, rabbit, sage, trotters, yabbies etc.  So, for example,  if you happen to have a big crop of X vegetable here you will find how to store, prepare and cook it.    Want to know what to do with a duck?  Stephanie gives you all you need to know to cook it chinese style, french style, in a salad or with fruit.  Her marinated boned leg of lamb is a little ripper.  This too has some basics but it is so much more and it is written with a lot of love.

Mediterranean Food by Elizabeth David  (a Penguin paperback, reprinted 1970) – This is the first cookbook I bought for myself and it is now in six pieces held together with a rubber band.  Elizabeth includes quotes from such people as Henry James regarding a lunch he had at Bourg in France – these are all fascinating and reflect her own attitude to food and eating.  Her section on eggs is amazing – two pages on the details of cooking an omelette.  Some of her recipes omit certain details but commonsense usually overcomes that and the results are always delicious.  Many recipes are remarkably short and simple (five lines on how to cook a stiphado).  Elizabeth David was a pioneer cook and ahead of her time (she also loved oysters).  A must have book.

South East Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon (hardback, 1972).  Over the years I have found that even if you don’t think one of Charmaine’s dishes is ‘for you’ give it a go and trust her.  All the recipes are very good and taste great.  She takes you through India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, China and Japan in just 120 pages.  If you like ‘asian’ food you can have it all in just one book – it is like a best of the best.  There is an introduction to each country but the one on Burma is significant as that was where she spent her childhood.

Wogfood – an oral history with recipes by John Newton (1996) – and my copy is autographed!  John came to Albury for a festival and I had a lovely chat with him.  When he wrote Short Black for the Sydney Morning Herald I won his competition for an original regional dish and he sent me Australia, the Beautiful Cookbook (a very big book).  Wogfood is a story of migrants from the Mediterranean and what happened to them in Australia.  Quite a number of them lived and prospered in North East Victoria as well as Melbourne.  You can read about people like Greg Malouf and his kitchen at O’Connell’s Hotel in South Melbourne.  It is 240 pages including old family photos and a good sprinkling of recipes (duck confit, fennel salad, harissa, kapamas, Italian tomato sauce etc). Wonderful reading.

Greek Cookbook by Tess Mallos – my copy from 1978.  It is an A4 paperback which starts with 26 pages on their regional specialties and the joy of sipping an ouzo while enjoying mezethakia.  The recipes are focused on soups, sauces, seafood, meats, pastries etc and they are easy (uncomplicated) and work.  If I want to do something Greek this is my first port of call.  I spent three weeks in Greece and this book reflects my experience there – all good and a lot of fun.

Lebanese Cookbook by Dawn, Elaine and Selwa Anthony – also from 1978 (A4 hardback).  It has a similar format to the Greek Cookbook.  There are suggested menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner followed by mezza, pastries, soups, fish, meats, stuffed vegetables, salads, pickles etc.  It contains the only recipe for stuffed grape vine leaves which, when I cooked it, tasted terrific and better than any I have had elsewhere.

Note:

I have a lot of cookbooks and some are only used for inspiration, others contain a few recipes which I regularly use and then there are those which contain vital information on such things as how to kindly kill a crayfish.  The last cookbook mention here is included as a basic best book – not a favourite but highly recommended.

The Australian Women’s Weekly Original Cookbook by food editor Ellen Sinclair (reprinted 1989) – a must for some people because of the fact it is excellent if you haven’t a clue how to make a pavlova or a good scone.  Follow the recipe and you’ll be very happy (Cream Scones recipe a total winner and was made often when I had plenty of homemade raspberry jam).  I don’t actually refer to this book very often but it is an excellent reference for anyone who knows little about how to cook anything.  It covers all one would need if you only ever bought one cookbook and didn’t want something which one might call ‘modern Australian cooking’.

For those who don’t care much for cookbooks, here is a photo of another part of our driveway, taken in December 2010 and proving you can grow jacarandas in frost prone areas.

Bumper Christmas Edition 2 – Vivienne’s Christmas

25 Saturday Dec 2010

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By Vivienne

My main aim for Christmas is to have everything organised so that between Christmas and the New Year I do not have to do any shopping at all.  It is a holiday week and that means nothing but having a good time with the family.  So this means some planning and extra stocking of the pantry.  The check list is crucial – lots of beer, wine, turkey, ham, quality long lasting fruit and vegetables, all cars full of petrol, housework totally up to date (ugh) and a double check that I have enough frozen Aussie raw prawns and scallops as the seafood shop closes for what seems like three very long weeks.

The biggest task is actually fitting everything which needs to go in the fridge in the fridge.  Years of practice usually sees success but it is not easy.  Making room for the important liquid refreshments means there is a battle between the fruit juices, mineral waters and the milk.  Unlike some people we cannot survive on nothing but ouzo.  We have some serious beer drinkers and wine buffs in the family.  One rule which must be obeyed is always replace the beer removed from the fridge or else there will be no cold beer later on.

We have tried a cold Christmas meal but some said, yes, but, yes, but … we still want your roast potatoes and the best roast carrots in the world!  It was a bit odd really so I continue with the whole roast turkey and vegetables spread.  We have it as a late lunch/early dinner.  No getting up early either!

About 11 am sees me preparing the stuffing for the turkey.  Herbs are my own homegrown and dried.  The turkey is soon in the oven and the various vegetables are all prepared.  The dining table gets a make over and looks rather good.

At around 2 pm we start to enjoy ourselves.  We begin with various cheeses and my smoked trout and pickled water melon rind, anchovy stuffed olives (the whole family is now hooked on them) and chicken liver pate.  Next up will be an old fashioned prawn cocktail.   Then it is time for the turkey and pulling bonbons.  The wine courses usually commence with the sparkling shiraz/durif and then it is over to my wine buff daughter to choose what’s next.  After that it is have whatever takes your fancy (there are two different single malts in the ‘cocktail’ cabinet).  There is no pudding on offer as everyone is too full to even think about it (one year it was on the ‘menu’ but was left forlornly untouched).   You may wonder about the ham – well that is for general consumption with salads before and after Christmas.

In the days which follow we will head up the mountains to pick berries to eat and freeze for coming months.  It is a lovely day and apart from the last three years when the drought and fire buggered up the crops it is something we have done for 25 years.  We will also head out to the Rutherglen area, buy some more wine and have a beautiful lunch at one of the wineries.   In between times there will be much watching of cricket and some DVDs as well as playing Monopoly and Scrabble.

My immediate family is small.  I am the only child of an only child.  Of my two daughters one has a ‘bloke’, a long term partner – he is part of our little family.  His parents can’t join us this year.  Some years we have an interstate visitor but not this year.  The five of us will have a lovely and loving time and that’s how we like it.

This is half of my herb garden.  The photo was taken very recently and since then the oregano has commenced to flower.  Unseen is the sage and mint (behind the rosemary). Elsewhere is more thyme, parsley, garlic and regular chives and aloe vera (to soothe itchy scratches etc.)

Piggy Leaks

10 Friday Dec 2010

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By some guy who handed me a brown paper envelope in the Pig’s Arms Car Park.

REF: XlCapri22sk888threefatladies 15:2820101210

Pig’s Arms Kitchen.

Classification: Top Secret

======================================================================

To my darling daughters,

As requested here is my very special roast pork dish.  You will need to get your butcher to bone out the best part of  a prime shoulder of pork and butterfly it.

Next, prepare the stuffing:

Soak 15 dried apricots for about half an hour then chop them all up.

In a bowl mix together the chopped apricots, about 12 prunes (or you can used dates), two very finely chopped shallots, half a cup of ground almonds, salt and pepper.  You will need to moisten this mixture with some water so that it all sticks together nicely.

Spread out on one side of the pork about a third of the way in.  Cut about six lengths of real string and space evenly under the pork.   Carefully roll up and then tie the strings firmly.

Roast in the usual way with potatoes and pumpkin pieces etc.  When you think the pork is about ready give it a few gentle pricks.   The pork should take about one and half hours to cook, leave it in warm oven to rest while you make the gravy (keep it light).

You are free to pass this on to your children when the time is right but it is best kept as women’s business as I’m sure the blokes would bugger it up.

With love,

Mum (not his real name)

 

VIVIENNE’S Summer Suggestions

16 Tuesday Nov 2010

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GADO GADO

Prepare the Sauce:

To do enough for a meal for two:

In a small saucepan heat just enough oil to fry half a chopped onion and one crushed clove of garlic.  Don’t overcook it – you need to stay with the pan for the whole process.

Add chilli powder to taste (half a teaspoon say) and juice of good half lemon.  Smash an anchovy up and add to the mix.  Then stir in crunchy peanut butter (about half a small jar) and a few teaspoons of brown sugar.  Stir well and cook on slow heat for a little while.  Taste it.  When you are ready to have the Gado Gado for dinner, add a very small can of coconut milk to the sauce and mix well.  I prefer to serve the sauce warm up.

Gado Gado mix (the food to go with the sauce)

Hard boiled eggs (quartered), lightly blanched beans, raw cucumber pieces, cabbage (cut chunky) and carrots sticks.   I think bean curd (tofu) would probably go well with this so add some cubes if you like tofu.  I do believe you can use whatever vegetables you prefer including potato and perhaps the stalks of broccoli.  Arrange decoratively on an oval plate.

You can either dunk the vegetables in the sauce or pour it over.  I prefer dunking.  (Dedicated to Gerard)

PEANUT SAUCE FOR SATAYS

Version one:  same as for Gado Gado but add 2 tablespoons of tamarind and some sambal badjiak and a couple of splashes of water.

This is to go with beef or pork satay which is marinated in dark sugar, crushed garlic, salt, soy sauce and a little cummin and a little oil.  Cooked over charcoal.

Version two: Roast 200g of unsalted raw peanuts for a few minutes, cool a bit and rub off the skins.  Blend peanuts in blender and add 3 red chillies, 3 garlic cloves, salt, one chopped onion and a little oil.  Mix to a paste and then add enough water to make a workable consistency.  Heat mixture in a saucepan, adding a little more water for right consistency.  Taste and if desired add more soy sauce and lemon juice, or salt.  Serve hot with chicken satay.

Comment re Satay dishes:   my favourite one is Malay  which I do with lamb and I don’t serve it with any peanut sauce at all as it just doesn’t need it.  I’ll give you the recipe another time.

LAMB WITH EGGPLANT AND CAPSICUM

For the vegetables

  • One large eggplant cut crosswise into slices 1 cm thick.
  • 75 mls olive oil
  • 2 large red capsicums halved lengthwise.
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 fresh red chillli, seeded and chopped  (or use chilli powder)
  • salt and pepper – grounded – to taste.

For the Lamb and sauce

  • Splosh or two of virgin olive oil
  • Cut lamb rump from the leg into four or so thick slices looking like backstraps
  • ground salt and pepper
  • 80mls of dry red wine
  • 4 – 8 teaspoons of cranberry jelly
  • half cup of chicken stock.

To cook vegs – brush eggplant with little oil and grill both sides.  Cool and cut into long strips.  Do the same with capsicums but remove skin and then cut into long strips.

In a heavy frying pan heat a little oil and add vegies and herbs and chilli and stir until well mixed and almost falling apart, then season to taste and  keep warm on a separate plate.  Add a little more oil and sear the lamb, season and cook to your liking for a few minutes.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.  (Handy if your oven has a warming tray.)

With the remaining juices in the pan, heat and stir and get all bits nicely mixed and add wine and jelly, stirring until melted, then add stock and reduce till saucy consistency.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  I often add more jelly.

To serve, cut lamb at an angle and arrange on serving plate.  Add vegies and sauce and serve at once.

SMOKED TROUT SERVED WITH PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

To Make the ‘Pickled’ Watermelon Rind

You need watermelon with a thick white rind.  Slice off the green skin and make sure that no red melon is left on the rind.  Slice it up into pieces about 1cm by 3cm.  Simmer the pieces in pot of water until just a little soft.  Drain.  Prepare a ‘pickling syrup’ of a little white vinegar (a good dash), cup of hot water, about 3 teaspoons of sugar, 6 slivers of lemon skin and about 4 cloves.

This is cheap to make as you get to eat the watermelon and have a byproduct.  I store in a large well cleaned empty vegemite jar.  One cup of syrup will do about two jars worth.  Put syrup in jar and add the pieces of rind.   Okay to eat the next day but better after a few days.   The rind should taste a bit sweet.

I first had this with smoked trout 30 years ago at a wine and food group’s outing beside a river up the mountains.   It was totally glorious.

The Smoked Trout

First catch your trout ……  ha ha.   Seriously though – where I live you can catch and smoke your own and right now the fishing in Lake Hume and the rivers is so good.  But, better still is the fact we have the best smoked trout available at Butts Smokehouse – you can buy it whole or skinned and filleted.  Arrange trout on a platter with little bowls of the watermelon rind and those little crunchy bread squares or water biscuits.    This is a great starter to a casual lunch party picnic and goes so well with a crisp white wine.

In the Kitchen with Vivienne – 3 Special Occasions

30 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by in The Dining Room, Vivienne

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By Vivienne

These two Indian style dishes will blow your socks off !   Not with their heat but by their luxurious taste and appearance.

Ideal for dinner party for six when you want to do something different and can plan ahead.

—ooo—

RAAN  (leg of lamb dish)

...... not actual size 🙂

Remember if you want to have this for dinner on Saturday night you need to do all this preparation on the Thursday.

Take one good size leg of lamb and trim off all excess fat.

Prick the leg of lamb all over with a skewer.  With a sharp knife make several deep gashes in the flesh.  Put leg into the pan in which you will be roasting it.

Next:

  • finely chop about 4 oz of fresh root ginger
  • peel 12 cloves of garlic
  • all the yellow rind of one lemon (just in strips)
  • juice the lemon
  • 2 teaspoon of ground cummin
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cardamom
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of ground chilli (more if you like)
  • 3 teaspoon of salt

Blend all of the above and then spread it over the lamb.

Leave aside while you….

Mix a cup of ground almonds, two tablespoons of soft brown sugar and a cup and a quarter of  plain greek style yoghurt.  This should be enough to cover the leg of lamb.  Don’t worry about the bit at the bottom – you can’t turn it over at this stage.   If this mixture doesn’t look enough to coat the lamb just add some more ground almond and yoghurt.

Next:

Cover the lamb and put in fridge for two days.

On the day you want to eat this dish, take out of fridge one hour before starting to cook (bring to room temperature).  Sprinkle two more teaspoons of brown sugar over the lamb.

Preheat oven to 220c or 425F.   Place uncovered dish in oven and roast for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 180 or 350 and roast one more hour.  Then reduce temperature to about 150, and COVER the pan (with foil) and leave slowly roasting for another 4 hours.

Then….

Transfer lamb to serving plate, cover and leave in oven while you….

Spoon off any visible fat from roasting pan juices and then add saffron powder – half a teaspoon.  Stir all up on top of stove and let it boil to reduce a little.  You should be able to figure out the consistency.

My recipe says to spoon sauce over the dish but I think it is better to pass around the jug.

You really can’t do a regular carving job, just get stuck into it as it falls apart easily.

—ooo—

DHANSAK

Dhansak Lentils

A Parsee chicken with lentils and vegetables dish (my version)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of lentils (made up of one or four different lentils, whatever you like)
  • 2-3 cups water
  • Salt – 2 tsp
  • Ghee – about 2 tbs
  • Fresh root ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped
  • Garlic – 1  finely chopped
  • One good size chook, cut up into 8 pieces
  • Fresh mint – 1 tablespoon, finely chopped
  • 1 eggplant – cubed
  • Pumpkin – a cup and a bit peeled and cubed
  • Silverbeet – a cup, chopped up (no stalk bits though)
  • Onion – 1 large, sliced
  • Tomatoes – one can of chopped

For the masala:

  • Ghee – 1 or 2 tablespoons
  • Onion – 1 medium, sliced
  • Fresh root ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped
  • Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic – 3 cloves finely chopped
  • Cinnamon – ground, half teaspoon
  • Cardamom – ground, half teaspoon
  • Cloves – 3 ground up (optional as far as I am concerned)
  • Turmeric – 2 teaspoons
  • Coriander  – ground – 3 teaspoons

Cooking:

Soak lentils for 30 minutes, drain and then into large saucepan (preferably cast iron),  add water and salt, bring to boil and then simmer for 30 – 40 minutes (until soft obviously).  In another large pot melt ghee and first lot of ginger and garlic and the chicken pieces and lightly brown and then add to lentils.  In same pan as used for chicken pieces, add more ghee, second lot of garlic, ginger, onion and spices and sauté until onion clear but not brown.   Put all this and the other vegetables (pumpkin, eggplant, toms etc) into pan with the chicken.   Simmer away until chicken all cooked and everything smells great and vegetables sort of disintegrated.  Check taste for salt etc.

Note:  When preparing garlic, ginger and onion just do twice the amount first mentioned and halve it for the process.  If you have a good size pot and want to do two chickens you will not need to double all the other ingredients.  2 teaspoons of salt will be about right for 1 or two chooks, ghee will be plenty,  I’d increase vegetables and lentils by 50%, one can of tomatoes should do, but increase spices by 100%  (though the chilli, I leave up to your discretion).

Accompany this dish with Naan bread.  If you can’t make it yourself the brands in the supermarket are passable (just warm up in the micro-wave).

—ooo—

POTATO SAMBAL

This goes well with any curry, eat it warm or at room temperature.  Taste testers beware – this sambal is deceptively delicious and addictive.

In a tablespoon of ghee (you must use ghee, never oil) lightly cook the following:

  • 1 finely minced onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 non hot green chilli or pepper
  • half teaspoon of ground ginger
  • “         “             cummin
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • quarter tsp hot chilli

Having already cooked 5 potatoes and roughly mashed,  add the above mixture plus salt to taste.  Then stir in some thick coconut milk, a little bit at a time.  Consistency should still be firm.

Other usual side dishes recommended (apart from your favourite chutney or pickle):

  • Cucumber/yogurt
  • Sliced tomato and onions dressed in lemon juice, salt/pepper
  • Naan and or pappadums
  • If Naan not possible, a basmati rice dish of course

A note from Vivienne

This is the third and last instalment of recipes from me for the time being.  I don’t want to wear out my welcome.  Some of the other ideas I have are more suited to the winter months so I do intend to do another series.  In the meantime if any of you lovely people have a foodie question please feel free to ask and I’ll endeavour to assist in whatever way I can.

In the Kitchen with Vivienne – Seafood – Part 2

18 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by in The Dining Room, Vivienne

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CALAMARI rings with Tahini Sauce

First make this sauce:

Buy Mayver’s tahini (hulled stone ground sesame seeds) – comes in a jar and is cholesterol free.

In a small mortar, smash together 1 or 2 cloves of garlic with half a teaspoon of salt.

Use another small bowl and add about a third of a cup of the above tahini, mix in the garlic/salt and add a squeeze of lemon juice.  Mix together and gradually add cold water – it will at first turn thick but keep mixing and adding water until it becomes creamier and a lighter colour.  Taste test.  Most recipes suggest a lot more lemon but I think it is better with just a small amount.

The Squid bit

..... only if you have a large pan and quite a few friends

Buy your squid – if you can get a whole one and know how to clean and prepare it please do so.  Otherwise the frozen squid tubes are quite okay.  Once you have thawed the frozen ones (one per person), check that the inside is free of any gunk and then do your best to mop up excess moisture.   Slice into rings about ¾ of a centimetre thick.  Place about three tablespoons of plain wholemeal flour into a plastic bag and add calamari rings, shake to cover with flour.    Heat peanut oil in deep saucepan and cook in batches for a minute or two.  (same method as with the scallops)

Serve with sauce as a dip.

—ooo—

MUSSELS with a white wine/garlic/tomato sauce

Buy your mussels on the day you want to eat them if you can, otherwise keep in the fridge for no more than 24hrs.  Buy them loose by the kilo or in the prepacked  kilo bags from Tasmania (i.e. this recipe is not for those NZ mussels as only Australian ones will do) and do not buy those in a sealed tray as I don’t trust that method.

Discard any mussels which are open and won’t close with a few taps as well as those which are broken.  Pull out the beards as best you can.  Once cooked do not discard unopened mussels (there is nothing wrong with them) but see if you can pry them open or put under the grill and see if that works.  If they just will not open you will have to discard them unfortunately.

First, prepare the sauce – this should be sufficient for 2 kilos of mussels.

Hard boil one egg.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, add one finely chopped onion, at least 3 cloves of garlic (crushed) and sauté until soft (do not brown), add a tin of chopped or crushed tomatoes and at least a cup of white wine (for this I recommend a white lambrusco – cask style), add salt and pepper to taste.   Mix well and leave to bloop bloop for 15 minutes, taste test.  You will probably need to add more wine and then leave to slowly bloop for as long as it takes to start reducing in volume when the flavour will become more intense and yummy.  Add a little water to bring back the volume.  Finally, add the chopped up boiled egg.

In a big pot cook your mussels in just a little water with the lid on.  Cooking is quick so don’t leave the kitchen.  You will probably only manage half to one kilo at a time, so you will have to time manage this yourself.  One kilo is about right for two people but this depends on how fond you are of mussels.

Serve mussels with the sauce dolloped over them or with the sauce in a small bowl in the centre.  Sour dough bread goes well with this and is useful for mopping up the sauce.

MUSSELS the really easy way

Just prepare and cook them and place in big bowl on table, pluck the mussels out, dip in vinegar and eat.   Don’t forget the appropriate beer.  This is ideal after a morning of hard work in the garden in the springtime.

—ooo—

TEMPURA FLATHEAD

A plate of Platycephalus

The batter for this can be used for any tempura dishes, not just flathead.  I think flathead fillets are the finest of fish and highly recommend that you use them. The size and shape of flathead is perfect for this style of cooking.  You will need about 250g per person and each fillet should be cut into about three pieces.

The batter:  mix together half a cup of plain flour, half a cup of cornflour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and salt to taste.  Break one egg into a cup and lightly beat and fill with water to the one cup measurement.   Add this to the flours and only lightly beat till roughly blended.   (For gluten free, you can use all cornflour but do make sure you buy real cornflour because some cornflour is made out of flour, believe it or not.)

Heat peanut oil in deep saucepan, dip each piece of flathead in the tempura batter and cook much the same as for the scallops etc – it does not take long as once turning light gold the fish is cooked.

You might like to have chips with this – I recommend you do yourself a favour and buy the frozen straight or crinkle cut ones and pop in the oven.

Serve fish with lemon wedges and/or a quick dip made of 50/50 soy sauce and rice wine.

In the Kitchen with Vivienne – Seafood – Part 1

15 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in The Dining Room, Vivienne

≈ 23 Comments

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Recipes by  Vivienne

OYSTERS  – indulge yourself every now and then

Right now oysters are in fine form as they are best during the colder months.  Oysters are low fat, low cholesterol and full of vitamins and minerals.  Treat yourself to a dozen every week or so but have them at home, not eating out!

SCALLOPS

Also in season now and the Aussie ones are well worth spending $28 for a kilo.  Always trim the little tiny muscle bit off and sit on absorbant paper to soak up moisture.  They can be eaten many ways and require very little cooking time.   One of my favourites is crumbed scallops.

Place two or so tablespoons of plain or wholemeal flour in a plastic bag.  Add a little salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Shake to coat.  Beat an egg or two very well and drench.  Then coat in regular breadcrumbs.  For gluten free you can buy corn crumbs which are just fine.   Heat peanut oil in a deep saucepan (safer if there is any spitting which is usually completely unforeseen).  Pop in about 8 or 10 at a time, turn once – they should look light to medium golden – only takes a minute.   Serve with tartare sauce and your favourite salad.   A kilo will feed four.  (While you are cooking the 2nd, 3rd batches etc keep the cooked ones in your warming tray or pre-heated low oven.)

BURMESE STYLE PRAWN CURRY

From Charmaine Solomon’s book 1972  (slightly altered by me though as I think blachan smells bloody awful).

To serve two:

  • 16 large raw (Australian) prawns  – sauce will do up to 20 prawns if you want more.
  • 1 tbspn  ghee
  • 1 medium to large onion – finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic – very finely chopped
  • 1 inch piece of fresh giner – very finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground chilli
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 tomatoes – chopped
  • 1 and half teaspoons salt
  • Water

Heat ghee in good size saucepan.  Add onion, garlic and ginger and gently cook till just starting to turn pale gold.   Add spices and tomatoes and salt and stir well.  Cook on low heat, add about half a cup of water.  Allow the sauce to bloop bloop for at least half an hour.  When you first taste it will seem rather hot but it mellows as it bloops (put lid on).  You can do this earlier and turn off till you want dinner.  (You might want to add a bit more water later – you should be able to judge this.)

Prepare prawns by peeling and deveining and slit the back so the prawns will curl when cooked.

Gently reheat sauce and add the add the prawns to it.  Cook very very slowly for about half an hour. During this time cook basmati rice.  The prawns will have curled and taken on a lot of the colour and flavour of the sauce.

Serve with rice in a circle on plate and add prawns and sauce to centre.    Eat.

For serving with gluten free pasta instead of rice?  Well I think it will work okay.

PORK & PRAWN WONTONS

Mince up pork and raw prawn meat, mix with finely chopped onion, 4 chopped water chestnuts, 3 chopped spring onions and some cornflour, salt, pepper, tiny dash of sesame oil and a dash of soy.   Quantities depend on how many people you are feeding, but a ratio for 2 people would be about 200 grams of pork and 6 large raw prawns.

Mix till more like a paste.

Place a walnut size amount on each wonton wrapper and fold appropriately (triangle or parcel)..

Cook in boiling water for a few minutes, remove and serve in flavoursome homemade chicken broth or have solo with perhaps a dipping sauce.  Top the broth with shredded skinny egg omelette, chopped garlic chives or blanched snow peas.

ADVICE for seafood lovers

If the above seems a bit too daunting …… just go out and buy some oysters and cooked prawns and get stuck into them.

All dishes should be served with a cold Trotters ale or a chilled bottle of white wine of your choice.

Vivienne Says Hello

13 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Vivienne

≈ 55 Comments

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Vivienne - last century - while on holiday in London. I'm the one with the great tits

By Vivienne

My motto in life:

I’ll come to that bridge when I’ve crossed it.

Two of my famous sayings are:

  • You could have knocked me over with a boulder.
  • Don’t make me the prawn in your sandwich.

I have a husband and two fabulous daughters and one little dog (Lola).

This is Lola not long after she turned up at our place.  She had been dumped, was on heat, hungry and had no microchip.  She is now fully grown though not much bigger, just on four kilos.  We have always loved dogs and the last one passed on the year before so there was a vacancy.

Our driveway.  The trees were planted in 1981 as little babies.  They look a bit light on in the foliage department as this photo was taken a couple of years ago.  With the wonderful rain we have had this year they are now looking much healthier.

I plan on writing some food articles for those interested in seafood, curries, old fashioned cooking and reasons you should indulge yourself every now and then.

PS:  merit certificates will be awarded to the wittiest remark as to who has the best tits in the photo.