Small parcels of deliciousness

I have been thinking about this blog for a while, having fun with it too.
Over the last month or so I  have been on a bit of a theme, wrapping my dishes in parcels of baking paper, tying firmly with string and cooking them to perfection.
So far I have tried.....
Yotam Ottolenghi recipe of mushrooms cooked in herbs and this time with cream, (seen    previously on this blog - Vegan style)
http://pbearinwelly.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/mushroom-parcels-for-my-vegan-friend.html
This is just heaven - unlike my Vegan post - add the cream - really makes a difference. We had some left overs warmed the next day and served on toast for lunch. Yum!

Ready to parcel up

Mushroom parcels all ready for the oven

Ruth Pretty's Fish Parcels with Fennel, Pear and Capers (recently featured in the Dom Post)
(Serves 6 - Finely julienne a medium fennel bulb (remove the tough leaves first), finely slice 2 medium shallots, cook with a little oil over medium to low heat for about 2-3 minutes, add a julienned small  firm pear (leave the skin on), cook a further 2-3 mins, add 4 tbsp rinsed and coarsley chopped capers, 2tbsp finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper - put to one side.
Cut 6 x 48cm x 30cm rectangles of baking paper. Lay the above in the centre of one side, place a fish fillet (Terakihi or Gurnard) on top, add a sprig of dill or fennel and a knob of butter, season a little, fold into a parcel so it is all well sealed. Tie your parcel firmly with cooking twine.
Cook at 200C in a low sided tray for 9-12 minutes.  Like me you may need two trays if making for 6.  Serve with a wedge of lemon, minted potatoes and a crisp salad.
My guests really raved about this recipe. It is a bit of a winner.

Ready to parcel

Lauraine Jacobs Tarragon and Lemon Poussins in paper ( I used whole chicken legs)
http://cuisine.co.nz/cuisine.nsf/recipes/tarragon-llmon-poussins-in-paper?Opendocument&HighLight=2,tarragon,lemon,poussins

Ready to parcel wrap

Make sure you use a tray, some juices may dribble out

Yes it is a bit of a tiny fiddle to untie and unwrap at the table. But that is part of the excitement of what lies within! If you must, unwrap just before serving to your guests. But it is so exciting for them to unwrap and reveal at the table, the smells and the steam of deliciousness just waft out to get their taste buds going............
All of these recipes are tried and true, and are divine!
Handy too, as you can prepare all the above recipes well beforehand (and place in the fridge ready to pop in the oven when required).

Baked Taupo Trout

Over the New Year we were invited to spend some time with extended family in a rented bach in Taupo. In driving rain we  made our way up the 'main trunk line'. Our destination, a lovely spot (nestled on the edge of  Lake Taupo) called Rainbow Point. It was a beautiful place and an ideal opportunity to relax and share some time reading, chatting, eating and drinking. Oh and the odd party game as well. Hilarious fun!
Each night a couple would prepare a dinner and clean up afterwards, the perfect solution to ensuring we were well fed  -  keeping both cooks and guests happy!

On our second day, the view from the deck. No rain at last!

Catching the last bit of the sun

On our last day the sun finally shone. It gave the fisher people in the group an opportunity to venture out and catch something for dinner. With a guides help they effortlessly caught five trout, apparently from a depth of 140 feet. With their sleek silvery bodies, they are a beautiful fish ( I thanked them for giving us their life!).
As most NZ'ers will know, you cannot buy trout commercially or eat it in a restaurant - it is a protected species in this country. So, the only way you get to eat trout is to go fishing and hope you are lucky enough to hook one on your line. I cannot remember catching (or eating trout) and I was very grateful that someone was happy to do that for me. I am not a catcher or a gutter of fish!! Getting a wriggling, gasping fish off a hook is not for fainthearted me and as for removing fish guts, no thanks.......!!
The guide on the boat gave the cook (and catcher) the following recipe. They were baked to perfection on our BBQ and served at our long table with a couple of delicious summer salads and homemade chips (sprinkled with dukka and salt and baked with a little oil). Yum! We added dill to the fish cavity but in hindsight it was felt we should have left it out as trout flesh has a very subtle flavour, some considered the dill was not required and overpowered the flavour of the fish a bit.
Baked Taupo Trout
Take one gutted and scaled fresh fish, wash clean and pat dry with a paper towel
In the cavity, sprinkle with brown sugar, lemon pepper and a little salt.
Wrap tightly in tin foil.
Bake on a hot BBQ plate for 8 mins each side.

A small wine for the cook!

Remove and peel off tin foil, the skin should just come away from the fish.
Gently remove flesh by scooping off the bone, one side at a time. The bones should
just slip/peel off, you can then easily access the underside flesh of the fish.

After dinner we took our chairs out onto the lawn and finished the night watching the amazing firework display across the lake, magic!

View of the bach from the lawn

Post Christmas

The day turned out to be perfect in the end. In fact, the nicest day in a while in Welly. The sun shone while a breeze gently washed our garden setting. The 'inside' Christmas table lay idle. Instead we made our way down to the deck in our garden and wiled away 5 hours of eating, drinking and enjoying (an often) lively conversation and each others company.
It was a seafood themed lunch and as part of the menu I made individual smoked salmon terrines. They were a triumph and definitely a dish to make again. I didn't pour the chilli sauce over the terrine, but served it to one side. (The recipe can be found here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8359/smoked-salmon-and-avocado-terrines

The baked salmon was also fabulous! I took the 'salmon by its fins' and baked it to perfection in our kettle BBQ. The salmon stuffing ended up as a mixture from Jamie Oliver and a 'tried and true' recipe from my friend Deb. The lemon, herbs and thinly sliced fennel made a delicious side dish for the salmon, along with Oamaru Jersey Benny potatoes and fresh French beans.
Our guests made the desserts, a gorgeous berry terrine (by Delia Smith http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/a-terrine-of-summer-fruits.html).
It was a joy to photograph and eat - served with runny cream and yoghurt!

along with a wonderful nutty Christmas pudding, generously drizzled with runny cream.

This post is purposely full of adjectives. While we missed having our families with us, we all agreed it really was, 'one out of the box'. One of those magic summer days we will always remember!

Kedgeree - the quick one!

This is how you can use up some of those left overs in the fridge, and a recipe especially good if you are short on time!
I just happened to have some cooked brown rice, cooked left-over fish, lots of organic eggs, some fresh coriander and some tasty curry paste in the fridge. It all screamed a Kedgeree. It has been quite a few years since I last made one but I had a vague idea what ingredients to use and just went from there. I have to say it was extremely tasty and so easy to make, a child could do it.
I have since checked my books and while mine isn't exactly the same, it was pretty close. I used coriander instead of parsley and pan fried fish instead of smoked fish.
This is my 'thrown together' recipe, perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner.
Fish Kedgeree - depending on your appetite, this quantity will feed about 2-4 people
Ingredients
1 large onion - finely diced
1 large carrot  - finely diced
Some fish - preferably smoked but I used non-smoked - in any amount, to your taste
2 hard boiled eggs - chopped
1-2 cups cooked rice (I like brown but it will work well with white rice too)
Fresh coriander or parsley - about 1/4 cup finely chopped,
Curry Paste (I used about a heaped teaspoon of mild, but add to your taste) 
Method
Heat a little oil or ghee in a pan,
fry an onion until soft, add a finely chopped carrot and cook until just done ( you want to leave a bit of firmness in the carrot).
Add curry paste and cook for a few minutes - stirring all the time.
Add rice and stir lightly until warmed through. Add the roughly chopped egg, gently stir through.
Stir in chopped coriander or parsley with a little garnish on top and serve.

Akaroa Salmon at Wainui

In between birthday parties and Christmas we decided to spend a few days at a lovely spot in Banks Peninsula, Wainui. In these parts you call it a bach, further south it may be called a crib or a holiday home. It is a special place renovated and owned by dear friends P and T, sadly T passed away at the beginning of 2011 so the place has extra meaning when we visit. There, mornings begin with fabulous deafening native bird song, which continues quietly through the day and into the twilight. I just love it, we always find it the perfect place to relax, or read, or chat about the year gone and the one ahead.  We also love the walks along the valley road and the Wainui waterfront. Thank you P, we will book again for next year.

The bay had a visit from a huge cruise ship, providing an interesting thing to gaze upon (and dream) from the bach balcony.

Time for a chat

And of course it is also a great place to sample some new recipes and wines to match. This visit we decided a simple BBQ was in order for the first night and cold smoked Akaroa salmon for the next night. Both dishes accompanied by fabulous seasonal vegetables. It was a classic 'coals to Newcastle' moment as the salmon farm is very near where we were staying, a good thing -  as I also knew you could purchase Akaroa Salmon from the wharf at Wainui. So, one early morning visit scored a beautiful fish (about 5kg) that I knew would be perfect for the Christmas Eve party we were to attend that night (where we were staying).

We stuffed it with 1/2 cup chopped fennel, two spring onions, two sliced lemons, salt and pepper and rubbed the outside with olive oil. Baked at 200 degrees (wrapped in tinfoil) for about 40 minutes, we let it rest for about 1/2 hour before removing the tinfoil and serving with a crusty bread and aioli. Armed with their forks 17 very happy party goers devoured it. So simple, so absolutely fabulous!  

Moroccan fish and caravans

A couple of weeks ago I had an amazing foodie experience! During Wellington on a Plate my man and I shot along on to the last night of the Oyster Shack (cleverly marketed by Rachel of Yellow Brick Road). There was something extraordinary about hanging about in a car park on an overcast cool windy evening, lining up at the Oyster Shack caravan for our order, leaning on a wine barrel, slurping down a 'tray' of beautiful freshly shucked oysters followed by a mouthful of Pinot Gris. We both thought this 'pop up' idea was a stroke of genius and we loved the experience. During the Food Bloggers Conference I had the opportunity to listen to Rachel talk about her seafood business. She's passionate about sustainable fishing, and buys and sells knowing where the catch was caught,when and by whom. Rachel recently received the Sir Peter Blake Emerging Young Leader Award, http://www.sirpeterblaketrust.org/blake-leaders/the-alumni/2012/rachel-taulelei/
She deserves every success with her future business aspirations.

We eat a lot of fish in our house and I have many favourite recipes.One of my cooking mates Elaine gave me her recipe for a fish dish, it is a super recipe - full of flavour and can be prepared ahead of time. It is a perfect lunch dish with a side salad or for dinner as a main with beans and scalloped potatoes or with a medley of root vegetables cooked Moroccan style.
Moroccan Fish
Serves 4 people with generous portions
800g fresh fish fillets
Salt and pepper
Marinade
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic crushed
1/3 cup fresh chopped coriander
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil (I use a little less)
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Hot oil for cooking

Using my handy handheld whizz

Method
Lightly dust the fish with salt and pepper and place in dish where all fillets lie flat. Whizz the rest of the ingredients - not too finely - leave them a little chunky. Spoon marinade over the fish and leave for a least an hour. Remove the fish and as you do cover the other side of fillet with the marinade. It is quite thick so it won't run off the fish when you place the fish into the pan.Cook in hot oil for a few minutes each side. Delish!

Fish ready to cook