1-2-3 Winter soup

One of the joys of cooking is sharing with others. It is a wet, windy and miserable day in the Capital today! Before the rain started we shared a lovely breakfast with family, with lots of fabulous food perfectly cooked on a BBQ (although I turned down the fried Black Pudding but those who like it really like it!) We really enjoy sitting down and eating together in fine Italian tradition. We see it as a great opportunity to catch up on news and family stories and we talk a lot about food  and wine - funny that! I am very hot on making sure the food we eat is good for you, which is probably why I prefer home-made most of the time. My theory is good food does not have to be expensive or hard to do, you just need to plan well and buy in season.

I recently made this soup and it ended up as dinner for us, lunch for a builder and dinner for an artist on a budget and we still had some left over to have for lunch the next day and lots to freeze for a later time. I love the simplicity of the recipe, just lovely fresh sweet vegetables and stock and it's cheap to make! Don't be put off by the much maligned swede, it adds a special flavour to the soup.

I am not sure where I got the recipe from, it might have been from Radio NZ National about 5 years ago.

Recipe

One swede - peeled and grated

2 big chunks of pumpkin - skin off and grated

3 large carrots - peeled and grated

4 sticks of celery - if you like - chopped (this is my addition to the recipe)

1/2 to 3/4 cup yellow split peas - (another personal addition to the recipe)

Vegetable stock or if you prefer chicken stock.

Add about 2 cups of stock to a large pot, add split peas and boil for about 20 minutes until they soften a bit. Add all the grated and chopped vegetables and boil for about 30 - 40 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir every now and then. It will reduce down and become really thick, add more stock if you need to and check for saltiness, add pepper too. The soup can be whizzed to a finer consistency but I prefer the chunkier style.

Serve hot with buttered hot rolls or toast and forget about the cold outside!

1-2-3 Winter soup

One of the joys of cooking is sharing with others. It is a wet, windy and miserable day in the Capital today! Before the rain started we shared a lovely breakfast with family, with lots of fabulous food perfectly cooked on a BBQ (although I turned down the fried Black Pudding but those who like it really like it!) We really enjoy sitting down and eating together in fine Italian tradition. We see it as a great opportunity to catch up on news and family stories and we talk a lot about food  and wine - funny that! I am very hot on making sure the food we eat is good for you, which is probably why I prefer home-made most of the time. My theory is good food does not have to be expensive or hard to do, you just need to plan well and buy in season.

I recently made this soup and it ended up as dinner for us, lunch for a builder and dinner for an artist on a budget and we still had some left over to have for lunch the next day and lots to freeze for a later time. I love the simplicity of the recipe, just lovely fresh sweet vegetables and stock and it's cheap to make! Don't be put off by the much maligned swede, it adds a special flavour to the soup.

I am not sure where I got the recipe from, it might have been from Radio NZ National about 5 years ago.

Recipe

One swede - peeled and grated

2 big chunks of pumpkin - skin off and grated

3 large carrots - peeled and grated

4 sticks of celery - if you like - chopped (this is my addition to the recipe)

1/2 to 3/4 cup yellow split peas - (another personal addition to the recipe)

Vegetable stock or if you prefer chicken stock.

Add about 2 cups of stock to a large pot, add split peas and boil for about 20 minutes until they soften a bit. Add all the grated and chopped vegetables and boil for about 30 - 40 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir every now and then. It will reduce down and become really thick, add more stock if you need to and check for saltiness, add pepper too. The soup can be whizzed to a finer consistency but I prefer the chunkier style.

Serve hot with buttered hot rolls or toast and forget about the cold outside!

The Celebration

Yesterday we left the Capital and travelled up the coast to a fabulous Celebration of a newly married couple and a one year old's birthday. The day was a little overcast and chilly but the party soon warmed up with great food, a bit of dancing and music, laughter and heavenly mulled wine! The couple looked blissfully happy and handsome together, and publicly shared their love for one another with their families and friends!  Inside the house was full of colour - festooned with flowers, buntings and little candles in glass jars. The outside space looked fabulous, a bracken 'floor' with hay bales to sit around an open fire (where said wine was warming). The wedding present - 100s of daffodil bulbs -  were duly planted along the long driveway up to the house. Big children ran about freely having fun exploring the surrounds, while the adults chatted and enjoyed the day. A perfect way to celebrate a new beginning and a new life in a community.
We send our love and support to the couple and their girls!

The Celebration

Yesterday we left the Capital and travelled up the coast to a fabulous Celebration of a newly married couple and a one year old's birthday. The day was a little overcast and chilly but the party soon warmed up with great food, a bit of dancing and music, laughter and heavenly mulled wine! The couple looked blissfully happy and handsome together, and publicly shared their love for one another with their families and friends!  Inside the house was full of colour - festooned with flowers, buntings and little candles in glass jars. The outside space looked fabulous, a bracken 'floor' with hay bales to sit around an open fire (where said wine was warming). The wedding present - 100s of daffodil bulbs -  were duly planted along the long driveway up to the house. Big children ran about freely having fun exploring the surrounds, while the adults chatted and enjoyed the day. A perfect way to celebrate a new beginning and a new life in a community.
We send our love and support to the couple and their girls!

Amalfi baked lemons for a starter

We have a beautiful old lemon tree in our back yard which has produced an abundance of lemons this season. I really love a lemon flavour in everything and it is so nice to walk out the back door and pick a handful of the beautiful little yellow fruit. We do not seem to produce huge ones! 

These are especially nice as a starter and great for vegetarians - just leave out the anchovies.  

I found the recipe in Jamie Oliver's Italy book, in fact I have made lots of the recipes in this great cookery book, I'm a bit of a fan of his style of cooking.

I recently made them as a starter for a lunch, but they are perfect for dinner parties or those 'come and have a few drinks moments', you can prepare them well beforehand and they only take 10 -15 minutes to cook and serve.

Recipe

Lemons

1 or 2 balls of mozzarella - depending on how many you decide to make - sliced into thick 1/4 inches pieces.

Fresh basil leaves

Anchovy fillets

Ripe cherry tomatoes or just use chunks of large tomatoes

salt and freshly ground pepper

chilli flakes - optional

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Carefully remove the ends of the lemons and discard them - you do this to help keep the lemons upright on the dish. Using a small knife cut the lemons in half horizontally and then scoop out the lemon flesh - leaving hollows of lemon. (I used a teaspoon to do this as it seemed easier - over a bowl so I could catch the lemon juice to be frozen for another recipe).

Line a meat dish or tray with baking paper. With each lemon half push a piece of cheese into the hollow, lay a basil leaf on top, then an anchovy & chilli if using them, then the tomato, and top with another piece of mozzarella. Add a pinch of salt and pepper is desired and place on tray. (The subtle flavours of the lemon come through beautifully when cooked). Bake in a preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes then serve with hot grilled crostini. I popped the French bread in the oven while they were cooking which meant it was all ready at the same time. I put the whole dish on the table - rustic is our style and they are so cute to look at! 

Scoop out melted goodness and eat with the toast. 

Gorgeous - posh cheese on toast!

Amalfi baked lemons for a starter

We have a beautiful old lemon tree in our back yard which has produced an abundance of lemons this season. I really love a lemon flavour in everything and it is so nice to walk out the back door and pick a handful of the beautiful little yellow fruit. We do not seem to produce huge ones! 

These are especially nice as a starter and great for vegetarians - just leave out the anchovies.  

I found the recipe in Jamie Oliver's Italy book, in fact I have made lots of the recipes in this great cookery book, I'm a bit of a fan of his style of cooking.

I recently made them as a starter for a lunch, but they are perfect for dinner parties or those 'come and have a few drinks moments', you can prepare them well beforehand and they only take 10 -15 minutes to cook and serve.

Recipe

Lemons

1 or 2 balls of mozzarella - depending on how many you decide to make - sliced into thick 1/4 inches pieces.

Fresh basil leaves

Anchovy fillets

Ripe cherry tomatoes or just use chunks of large tomatoes

salt and freshly ground pepper

chilli flakes - optional

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Carefully remove the ends of the lemons and discard them - you do this to help keep the lemons upright on the dish. Using a small knife cut the lemons in half horizontally and then scoop out the lemon flesh - leaving hollows of lemon. (I used a teaspoon to do this as it seemed easier - over a bowl so I could catch the lemon juice to be frozen for another recipe).

Line a meat dish or tray with baking paper. With each lemon half push a piece of cheese into the hollow, lay a basil leaf on top, then an anchovy & chilli if using them, then the tomato, and top with another piece of mozzarella. Add a pinch of salt and pepper is desired and place on tray. (The subtle flavours of the lemon come through beautifully when cooked). Bake in a preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes then serve with hot grilled crostini. I popped the French bread in the oven while they were cooking which meant it was all ready at the same time. I put the whole dish on the table - rustic is our style and they are so cute to look at! 

Scoop out melted goodness and eat with the toast. 

Gorgeous - posh cheese on toast!

Catering - ladies a plate

I volunteer for a great charity called Dress for Success www.dressforsuccess.org/wellington and I am often asked to help cater at events to help raise money and the organisation's profile. I have a large file of 'party recipes', a few tried and true but for this event I had time to experiment with something new.

One of the things I like about living in our Capital is the CBD is very compact and you often 'bump into' people you know. Ruth Pretty is a well known chef in Wellington - I collect her recipes as they are really interesting, tasty and easy to do. I met her in a cafe recently, she has supported Dress for Success over the years so I thought I would give her a 'plug' and use one of her recipes for this event. I was really pleased with the outcome - it was a winner and had the added advantage of being suitable for vegetarians. Finely chopping the vegetables is a little time consuming but you could do that little job beforehand (over a glass of wine and it is done in no time!). I did think about putting them in my blender but thought they would make them too fine to roast properly.

These little pies are really yummy and they have the lovely tasty surprise of the hidden blue cheese when you bite into them.

Little Roasted Vegetable Pies (Ruth Pretty recipe in Dominion Post 14th June 2008)

 Makes 18 little pies but I made more than that as I doubled this recipe! They can be used straight away or placed in fridge to be reheated as required or frozen to use later, just thaw and reheat)

Ingredients

1/2 red onion (peeled and finely chopped)

1 shallot (peeled and finely chopped)

75g (1/2) red pepper (de-seeded and finely diced)

75g peeled pumpkin (finely diced)

75g zucchini - about 1 (finely diced) 

75g peeled kumara (finely diced)

25ml olive oil

flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

200g puff pastry (I used ready rolled pastry sheets)

65g blue cheese (finely chopped)

65g cream cheese

1 egg lightly beaten - (only half required but as I doubled the recipe used a whole one)

2tsp finely grated Parmesan

Method

Use baking spray (Dot's spray is a must in my pantry) to lightly grease 24 mini muffin tins.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Celsius.Place prepared vegetables in a bowl add oil and toss together.

Spread vegetables in a single layer on a low sided baking tray (if it is too deep they steam instead of roasting). I use baking paper too to help with the cleaning up! Place vegetables in the oven and roast for 5 -10 minutes until 'al dente'. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.

If using block pastry roll out to 2mm thick. Cut rounds with a frilly cutter and gently press into greased muffin tins. Any off cuts can be laid onto of each other, rolled and cut out as well.

Place Blue cheese, cream cheese, beaten egg and Parmesan in a bowl and use a fork to combine. Place a small teaspoon of the mixture in each pastry case. Pile 1 heaped tablespoon of the vegetables (although I used a heaped dessert spoon as it seemed too much) on top of the blue cheese mixture and very gently press down to 'stabilise' the diced vegetables.

Rest pies in the fridge for about 30 mins. 

Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius. Bake pies for 10-15 minutes or until pastry is cooked through and golden brown. When cool remove from tins. 

Catering - ladies a plate

I volunteer for a great charity called Dress for Success www.dressforsuccess.org/wellington and I am often asked to help cater at events to help raise money and the organisation's profile. I have a large file of 'party recipes', a few tried and true but for this event I had time to experiment with something new.

One of the things I like about living in our Capital is the CBD is very compact and you often 'bump into' people you know. Ruth Pretty is a well known chef in Wellington - I collect her recipes as they are really interesting, tasty and easy to do. I met her in a cafe recently, she has supported Dress for Success over the years so I thought I would give her a 'plug' and use one of her recipes for this event. I was really pleased with the outcome - it was a winner and had the added advantage of being suitable for vegetarians. Finely chopping the vegetables is a little time consuming but you could do that little job beforehand (over a glass of wine and it is done in no time!). I did think about putting them in my blender but thought they would make them too fine to roast properly.

These little pies are really yummy and they have the lovely tasty surprise of the hidden blue cheese when you bite into them.

Little Roasted Vegetable Pies (Ruth Pretty recipe in Dominion Post 14th June 2008)

 Makes 18 little pies but I made more than that as I doubled this recipe! They can be used straight away or placed in fridge to be reheated as required or frozen to use later, just thaw and reheat)

Ingredients

1/2 red onion (peeled and finely chopped)

1 shallot (peeled and finely chopped)

75g (1/2) red pepper (de-seeded and finely diced)

75g peeled pumpkin (finely diced)

75g zucchini - about 1 (finely diced) 

75g peeled kumara (finely diced)

25ml olive oil

flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

200g puff pastry (I used ready rolled pastry sheets)

65g blue cheese (finely chopped)

65g cream cheese

1 egg lightly beaten - (only half required but as I doubled the recipe used a whole one)

2tsp finely grated Parmesan

Method

Use baking spray (Dot's spray is a must in my pantry) to lightly grease 24 mini muffin tins.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Celsius.Place prepared vegetables in a bowl add oil and toss together.

Spread vegetables in a single layer on a low sided baking tray (if it is too deep they steam instead of roasting). I use baking paper too to help with the cleaning up! Place vegetables in the oven and roast for 5 -10 minutes until 'al dente'. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.

If using block pastry roll out to 2mm thick. Cut rounds with a frilly cutter and gently press into greased muffin tins. Any off cuts can be laid onto of each other, rolled and cut out as well.

Place Blue cheese, cream cheese, beaten egg and Parmesan in a bowl and use a fork to combine. Place a small teaspoon of the mixture in each pastry case. Pile 1 heaped tablespoon of the vegetables (although I used a heaped dessert spoon as it seemed too much) on top of the blue cheese mixture and very gently press down to 'stabilise' the diced vegetables.

Rest pies in the fridge for about 30 mins. 

Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius. Bake pies for 10-15 minutes or until pastry is cooked through and golden brown. When cool remove from tins. 

Middle Eastern Flavours Part 2

I made this to test it as a possible dish to take to a Family Celebration coming up soon. The dish needed to be something I could easily reheat as we have to travel for an hour to get there! It is really delicious and an inexpensive dish for a family dinner. We had it one night as a vegetarian dish and the next night I added some Middle Eastern flavoured minced lamb meatballs which also worked well. I put a dollop of Greek yogurt on top as a garnish but it was so nice we added more and mixed it into the dish. It seems a lot of white pepper but it was fine - not too hot. Use Agria potatoes - they are household favourites!

Instead of a casserole dish (make sure it is one you can use on a cook top). I used my large wide deep pot (fabulous for this sort of cooking) as I did not think it would all fit in my Tagine. I am also nervous about heating oil in my Tagine to fry anything as the blurb that came with it advised not to. (The Tagine was a gift from very dear friends and a precious item in my kitchen!).

Tagine of Spiced Root Vegetables – by Kate Fraser (as heard on Nine-to-Noon 22/6/2009

Spicy Base

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion – cut into large dice

2 tsp each of smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander

1 tsp each of chilli powder & ground white pepper

Vegetables

2 medium sized carrots

2 medium sized parsnips

1 medium kumara

6 medium sized waxy potatoes

About 700ml vegetable stock (or water with a little salt)

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Garnish

Lemon zest

2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in tagine base or casserole dish, add diced onions and all the spices, stir to combine

Reduce heat and cook gently until onions soften – about 6 minutes

Peel the vegetables and cut into roughly same sized chunks – about 4cm. Add to the spice mixture and stir to cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are coasted. Add stock or water and salt and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat, add lemon juice and simmer for about 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender. There should be enough thickened liquid to provide a sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve with Garnish, and rice or a grain (Quinoa or Couscous) or with roast lamb or poached chicken breasts or what-ever suits. Serve if desired with a Syrah or Reisling wine.

Middle Eastern flavours

I have a number of great recipe books for Moorocon and Turkish cooking.The photography in my books are a visual feast in themselves. I am a big fan of middle eastern flavours and of course many of the dishes use vegetables and pulses so are suitable to serve to vegetarians
My good friend Deb cooked this dish for us while on our stay in the Tekapo bach. She cannot remember where she got the recipe from so my apologies for the lack of reference.
I love using new ingredients and while Pomegranate Molasses had been in my pantry for a while I was waiting for the right recipe to try it.

Debs Middle Eastern Lamb

1 leg of lamb

1tbsp olive oil

2 red onions finely chopped
250ml beef stock

Paste

2tbsp pomegranate molasses

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

4 cloves of garlic ground with a 1tsp salt

Heat oil in pan, brown leg of lamb all over and set aside. Saute onions and place in large meat dish. Pour stock over onions. Mix paste ingredients and spread over the lamb and place in dish. 

Cook for 160 degrees Celsius for about 4 hours.

We used an oven bag which worked really well (just put onions and stock in bag, then pasted meat), the meat just fell off the bone, no need to carve!
I have also tried this recipe with lamb loin chops which worked well too, just lessen the time cooked to about 1 hour or less (depending on the cut of lamb chop).

We had mixed roast vegetables as a side dish, you could include a green vegetable like broccoli to add extra colour to the plate.

Middle Eastern flavours

I have a number of great recipe books for Moorocon and Turkish cooking.The photography in my books are a visual feast in themselves. I am a big fan of middle eastern flavours and of course many of the dishes use vegetables and pulses so are suitable to serve to vegetarians
My good friend Deb cooked this dish for us while on our stay in the Tekapo bach. She cannot remember where she got the recipe from so my apologies for the lack of reference.
I love using new ingredients and while Pomegranate Molasses had been in my pantry for a while I was waiting for the right recipe to try it.

Debs Middle Eastern Lamb

1 leg of lamb

1tbsp olive oil

2 red onions finely chopped
250ml beef stock

Paste

2tbsp pomegranate molasses

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

4 cloves of garlic ground with a 1tsp salt

Heat oil in pan, brown leg of lamb all over and set aside. Saute onions and place in large meat dish. Pour stock over onions. Mix paste ingredients and spread over the lamb and place in dish. 

Cook for 160 degrees Celsius for about 4 hours.

We used an oven bag which worked really well (just put onions and stock in bag, then pasted meat), the meat just fell off the bone, no need to carve!
I have also tried this recipe with lamb loin chops which worked well too, just lessen the time cooked to about 1 hour or less (depending on the cut of lamb chop).

We had mixed roast vegetables as a side dish, you could include a green vegetable like broccoli to add extra colour to the plate.

Ginger Gems

I recently purchased an old ginger gem iron in a second hand shop. It took me back to 'Manual' classes in Primary School so I checked my old faithful cookery book and sure enough found the recipe. It is a great recipe for learners as they are quick and simple to make. Most people I have spoken to about Ginger Gems consider them a 'blast from the past' as you never see them nowadays.  I think they are so easy to whip up, especially if you have unexpected people visiting - lovely over a cup of tea or coffee and they are cute little loaves to look at! I tried adding an extra teaspoon of ginger and swapped the golden syrup for treacle which makes the flavour a little more intense but equally delicious. You can leave them plain or add a slab of butter. So get hunting in the kitchen section of your thrift shops, as ginger gems are a 'gem' to make and they will soon become a favourite with your friends and family!

Ginger Gems (from the 1976 Edition Edmonds Cookery book)

1 ½ cups standard flour (you can use Self Raising but omit the BP.)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

6tbsp (¼ cup) milk

25g butter (about 2tbsp)

25g Brown Sugar (about 2tbsp)

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

Sift dry ingredients. Beat egg, add milk and add to dry ingredients. Melt butter, sugar, and golden syrup together and mix in last of all. Put into twelve hot greased gem irons and bake 12 minutes at 215 degrees Celsius.

Ginger Gems

I recently purchased an old ginger gem iron in a second hand shop. It took me back to 'Manual' classes in Primary School so I checked my old faithful cookery book and sure enough found the recipe. It is a great recipe for learners as they are quick and simple to make. Most people I have spoken to about Ginger Gems consider them a 'blast from the past' as you never see them nowadays.  I think they are so easy to whip up, especially if you have unexpected people visiting - lovely over a cup of tea or coffee and they are cute little loaves to look at! I tried adding an extra teaspoon of ginger and swapped the golden syrup for treacle which makes the flavour a little more intense but equally delicious. You can leave them plain or add a slab of butter. So get hunting in the kitchen section of your thrift shops, as ginger gems are a 'gem' to make and they will soon become a favourite with your friends and family!

Ginger Gems (from the 1976 Edition Edmonds Cookery book)

1 ½ cups standard flour (you can use Self Raising but omit the BP.)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

6tbsp (¼ cup) milk

25g butter (about 2tbsp)

25g Brown Sugar (about 2tbsp)

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

Sift dry ingredients. Beat egg, add milk and add to dry ingredients. Melt butter, sugar, and golden syrup together and mix in last of all. Put into twelve hot greased gem irons and bake 12 minutes at 215 degrees Celsius.

San Francisco Casserole - Easy rice vegetarian dish

I am a Rice Cooker convert. I used to scoff at such inventions but now I am hooked. It makes cooking all types of rice so effortless (with no 'boiling over the stove incidents'!) I am also a huge fan of vegetarian food. The preparation thereof is often labour intensive so cooking rice this way often makes it easier and quicker. I usually cook double the amount of rice and freeze what I do not need. It really comes in handy for cooking vegetarian rissoles etc. 

I am not certain of the origins of this recipe but it was given to me by Elaine who said it's origin is Australian as she got it from her Aussie friend. I have no idea why it's called a San Francisco Casserole!

1 large bunch silver beet (or chard) - tasty way to use a vegetable that grows prolifically in my garden!

4 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 cups cooked rice (brown rice is best and nicer)

2 cups sharp cheese, grated

Cook, drain well and chop the silver beet 

Beat eggs and add remaining ingredients (leave the rice, cheese and silver beet to last to ensure the mixture is well combined). Pour into a well greased dish and bake uncovered in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for approximately 45 minutes. Watch it doesn't brown too quickly, cover with a little tinfoil towards the end of cooking to prevent this. 

Sprinkle extra cheese on top for the last 5-10 minutes.

It is delicious and children love it! 

San Francisco Casserole - Easy rice vegetarian dish

I am a Rice Cooker convert. I used to scoff at such inventions but now I am hooked. It makes cooking all types of rice so effortless (with no 'boiling over the stove incidents'!) I am also a huge fan of vegetarian food. The preparation thereof is often labour intensive so cooking rice this way often makes it easier and quicker. I usually cook double the amount of rice and freeze what I do not need. It really comes in handy for cooking vegetarian rissoles etc. 

I am not certain of the origins of this recipe but it was given to me by Elaine who said it's origin is Australian as she got it from her Aussie friend. I have no idea why it's called a San Francisco Casserole!

1 large bunch silver beet (or chard) - tasty way to use a vegetable that grows prolifically in my garden!

4 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 cups cooked rice (brown rice is best and nicer)

2 cups sharp cheese, grated

Cook, drain well and chop the silver beet 

Beat eggs and add remaining ingredients (leave the rice, cheese and silver beet to last to ensure the mixture is well combined). Pour into a well greased dish and bake uncovered in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for approximately 45 minutes. Watch it doesn't brown too quickly, cover with a little tinfoil towards the end of cooking to prevent this. 

Sprinkle extra cheese on top for the last 5-10 minutes.

It is delicious and children love it! 

Noeline's pikelets

My dear mother passed away on December 30th 2010 but her memory lives on in many ways. She was a great cook, nothing fancy but good practical cooking for a family. Whenever we had family gatherings we often requested her pikelets, preferably smothered in her homemade raspberry jam, topped with whipped cream. I also like them buttered with a good dollop of golden syrup! So does our little Amelie - a recent after school 'lets bake' moment where all said pikelets quickly disappeared..... as I bake them - with a bit of help from Grandpa and Daddy!

Mum's recipe came from her sister and my great aunt Amy, a lady I do not remember as she died when I was only little. Having tried a few other recipes - this is still the best one and great if you need to whip up something quick to take 'as a plate' to an afternoon tea or such gathering. The lovely thing about this blog is those recipes are not lost.

1 egg

1 tbsp sugar - beat together with an old fashioned egg beater

Add 1 tbsp of golden syrup and beat again to combine. I use a large spoon at this stage.

Add 1 heaped cup of self raising flour and a pinch of salt (sieved together), stir to combine.

Gradually mix in (with a large spoon) approximately 1 cup made up of 2/3 milk and 1/3 water and beat until the mixture drops from the spoon, it should be 'thickish' - if it is too runny you have added too much liquid and the pikelets are not as nice looking! Heat your frying pan (I use my cast iron one) and lower the heat to low. 

Place dessertspoons onto pan, turn over when bubbles start to form. Place on a cake rack and cover with a tea towel. 

Note my favourite for this! It belonged to Vera Fletcher, is perfect for the job and has become a treasured item in my kitchen.

 

Noeline's pikelets

My dear mother passed away on December 30th 2010 but her memory lives on in many ways. She was a great cook, nothing fancy but good practical cooking for a family. Whenever we had family gatherings we often requested her pikelets, preferably smothered in her homemade raspberry jam, topped with whipped cream. I also like them buttered with a good dollop of golden syrup! So does our little Amelie - a recent after school 'lets bake' moment where all said pikelets quickly disappeared..... as I bake them - with a bit of help from Grandpa and Daddy!

Mum's recipe came from her sister and my great aunt Amy, a lady I do not remember as she died when I was only little. Having tried a few other recipes - this is still the best one and great if you need to whip up something quick to take 'as a plate' to an afternoon tea or such gathering. The lovely thing about this blog is those recipes are not lost.

1 egg

1 tbsp sugar - beat together with an old fashioned egg beater

Add 1 tbsp of golden syrup and beat again to combine. I use a large spoon at this stage.

Add 1 heaped cup of self raising flour and a pinch of salt (sieved together), stir to combine.

Gradually mix in (with a large spoon) approximately 1 cup made up of 2/3 milk and 1/3 water and beat until the mixture drops from the spoon, it should be 'thickish' - if it is too runny you have added too much liquid and the pikelets are not as nice looking! Heat your frying pan (I use my cast iron one) and lower the heat to low. 

Place dessertspoons onto pan, turn over when bubbles start to form. Place on a cake rack and cover with a tea towel. 

Note my favourite for this! It belonged to Vera Fletcher, is perfect for the job and has become a treasured item in my kitchen.

 

For the love of children and knitting

Now that I have more time on my hands I have rediscovered my love of knitting. Having so many little grandchildren, friends with grandchildren (and Mums who really appreciate woollen garments) I usually have a few projects on the go. It is so satisfying to see the little ones wearing a nice, warm, colourful, handmade natural product when they are at 'Kindy' or outside playing during the cooler months. 

However, one frustration for me has been finding patterns for plain easy to knit styles. I think the simple designs always look good and are the most practical for them to wear.

 A few weeks ago while browsing in my local Thrift Store I came across a whole bunch of patterns dating back to the 1930's - an absolute bargain at $5.00 for about 30 patterns! So 'thank you' to the person who dropped them off there, they have gone to a good home where a SRDG really appreciates them and of course the money 'donated' has gone to a good cause!

For the love of children and knitting

Now that I have more time on my hands I have rediscovered my love of knitting. Having so many little grandchildren, friends with grandchildren (and Mums who really appreciate woollen garments) I usually have a few projects on the go. It is so satisfying to see the little ones wearing a nice, warm, colourful, handmade natural product when they are at 'Kindy' or outside playing during the cooler months. 

However, one frustration for me has been finding patterns for plain easy to knit styles. I think the simple designs always look good and are the most practical for them to wear.

 A few weeks ago while browsing in my local Thrift Store I came across a whole bunch of patterns dating back to the 1930's - an absolute bargain at $5.00 for about 30 patterns! So 'thank you' to the person who dropped them off there, they have gone to a good home where a SRDG really appreciates them and of course the money 'donated' has gone to a good cause!

Irish Stew

Most homes in New Zealand have a Edmonds Cookery Book. It was first published in 1955 with 120,000 printings. Although the sales are now somewhat less it is still a bestseller in bookshops today. As it includes basic recipes many newly married women (and students!), are often gifted the book to start them on their way in the art of cooking. I have three editions of the book and it is still regularly used in my household. This recipe is from my 1976 edition. It was my first book and I referred to it when asked recently (by the man I love to cook for!) to cook an old fashioned Irish Stew. It is a simple recipe, but often simple is best! I have slightly altered the Edmonds recipe as I prefer to braise stews and casseroles slowly in the oven and unlike cook top cooking, you can don't have to keep constantly checking! The image shows the recipe before placing in oven.

Irish Stew

1 kg Lamb neck/shoulder chops ( a much cheaper cut of lamb than mid-loin chops)

6 Potatoes

3 Onions

3 Carrots

2 cups beef stock using Oxo cubes (or any sort of good quality stock - make sure it is boiling water)

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Trim fat of chops (leave whole). Peel potatoes and cut into big chunks. Peel carrots and cut into thick slices. Peel onions and cut into thick chunks or slices. In a little olive oil briefly brown chops on both sides then place in medium to large casserole dish. Add vegetables and pour hot stock over ingredients. Cover tightly and place in middle of oven at 160 degrees Celsius (lower temp by 10 degrees for a fan oven) and cook for about 2 hours. Test meat and vegetables with a fork to ensure they are cooked. 

Serve with mashed pumpkin and peas.

Irish Stew

Most homes in New Zealand have a Edmonds Cookery Book. It was first published in 1955 with 120,000 printings. Although the sales are now somewhat less it is still a bestseller in bookshops today. As it includes basic recipes many newly married women (and students!), are often gifted the book to start them on their way in the art of cooking. I have three editions of the book and it is still regularly used in my household. This recipe is from my 1976 edition. It was my first book and I referred to it when asked recently (by the man I love to cook for!) to cook an old fashioned Irish Stew. It is a simple recipe, but often simple is best! I have slightly altered the Edmonds recipe as I prefer to braise stews and casseroles slowly in the oven and unlike cook top cooking, you can don't have to keep constantly checking! The image shows the recipe before placing in oven.

Irish Stew

1 kg Lamb neck/shoulder chops ( a much cheaper cut of lamb than mid-loin chops)

6 Potatoes

3 Onions

3 Carrots

2 cups beef stock using Oxo cubes (or any sort of good quality stock - make sure it is boiling water)

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Trim fat of chops (leave whole). Peel potatoes and cut into big chunks. Peel carrots and cut into thick slices. Peel onions and cut into thick chunks or slices. In a little olive oil briefly brown chops on both sides then place in medium to large casserole dish. Add vegetables and pour hot stock over ingredients. Cover tightly and place in middle of oven at 160 degrees Celsius (lower temp by 10 degrees for a fan oven) and cook for about 2 hours. Test meat and vegetables with a fork to ensure they are cooked. 

Serve with mashed pumpkin and peas.