Easter labours

Well the Turkish meal was a huge success and worth all the work (over 2 days!). The salads were perfect as' left overs' for the vegetarians at a gathering the next day, the extra day often intensifies the flavour anyway. At lunch we talked a lot about food.  I have been given a lovely vegetarian book called Plenty and had spotted a beautiful Moroccan Carrot & Orange salad, it was highly recommended and is next on the menu agenda, possibly when my daughter comes to stay!

In the meantime I have been given about 10kg of Quinces. I remember having Quince jam as a child (and not really liking the flavour or texture) will attempt to make Quince paste (lovely with cheese) for the first time ever, in fact any sort of paste for that matter. The donor of the Quinces also gave me the recipe, it involves standing and stirring for 2-3 hours (watching for hot spits from the mixture!) I have visions of reading my book while keeping an eye out to avoid the dangerous missiles, could be interesting. The recipe includes lots of tips on how to make it set, I'm nervous as I want to ensure my labour is worth it and my friends and family get to enjoy the result (and of course like it), wish me luck!

Easter labours

Well the Turkish meal was a huge success and worth all the work (over 2 days!). The salads were perfect as' left overs' for the vegetarians at a gathering the next day, the extra day often intensifies the flavour anyway. At lunch we talked a lot about food.  I have been given a lovely vegetarian book called Plenty and had spotted a beautiful Moroccan Carrot & Orange salad, it was highly recommended and is next on the menu agenda, possibly when my daughter comes to stay!

In the meantime I have been given about 10kg of Quinces. I remember having Quince jam as a child (and not really liking the flavour or texture) will attempt to make Quince paste (lovely with cheese) for the first time ever, in fact any sort of paste for that matter. The donor of the Quinces also gave me the recipe, it involves standing and stirring for 2-3 hours (watching for hot spits from the mixture!) I have visions of reading my book while keeping an eye out to avoid the dangerous missiles, could be interesting. The recipe includes lots of tips on how to make it set, I'm nervous as I want to ensure my labour is worth it and my friends and family get to enjoy the result (and of course like it), wish me luck!

Turkish cooking

I have a group of friends coming for dinner tonight so I thought I would try something new, sigh.... from my partner cos he loves the dishes I've just discovered and made and will never see again! I am loving my new recipe book, Turkey by Leanne Kitchen (she must get heaps about her surname!). I really plan a meal when friends and family gather as I am at my happiest eating, drinking and enjoying their company. I liked the look of Pekmez Roasted Pears with Feta and Hazelnuts as a starter. But what on earth is Pekmez! I went on line and discovered it was a traditional grape molasses made by boiling down grape juice into a thick syrup. One hour later (and a lot of stirring and checking) I thought it looked thick enough and poured the syrup into a bowl where it promptly turned to toffee! What to do after all the work. I decided to 'water it down' with boiling water and use it that way. It has an unusual taste, the pears are drizzled with the Pekmez and olive oil and roasted for about 30mins, the other salad ingredients are added just before serving and a dressing (also made with it) is drizzled over everything. I really enjoyed the experience of a new flavour and using something I have never heard of before. I hope my guests like it, along with the main course of Beetroot and Yellow Pepper relish salad, honey minted carrots and Beef  & Potato Tagine - slurping on a Shiraz and dunking with Turkish bread as you go! It is a beautiful day out there,  time to relax before the house is filled with people..

Turkish cooking

I have a group of friends coming for dinner tonight so I thought I would try something new, sigh.... from my partner cos he loves the dishes I've just discovered and made and will never see again! I am loving my new recipe book, Turkey by Leanne Kitchen (she must get heaps about her surname!). I really plan a meal when friends and family gather as I am at my happiest eating, drinking and enjoying their company. I liked the look of Pekmez Roasted Pears with Feta and Hazelnuts as a starter. But what on earth is Pekmez! I went on line and discovered it was a traditional grape molasses made by boiling down grape juice into a thick syrup. One hour later (and a lot of stirring and checking) I thought it looked thick enough and poured the syrup into a bowl where it promptly turned to toffee! What to do after all the work. I decided to 'water it down' with boiling water and use it that way. It has an unusual taste, the pears are drizzled with the Pekmez and olive oil and roasted for about 30mins, the other salad ingredients are added just before serving and a dressing (also made with it) is drizzled over everything. I really enjoyed the experience of a new flavour and using something I have never heard of before. I hope my guests like it, along with the main course of Beetroot and Yellow Pepper relish salad, honey minted carrots and Beef  & Potato Tagine - slurping on a Shiraz and dunking with Turkish bread as you go! It is a beautiful day out there,  time to relax before the house is filled with people..

Harbour, hills and heads

I moved from Christchurch to the Capital 6 years ago. I love living in Wellington and am lucky to live in a house on a hill with magnificent views of Wellington Harbour, Hills and Heads which provides me with a never ending source of fabulous photos, many of which are posted on my 365Project. We live close to native bush so I am also spoilt with gorgeous bird life coming in and out of our property. The harbour, hills and green belt pretty much sums up why I love living in the Capital! The coastline is also a great way to explore the Capital, I never tire of looking at the sea, on a wild and windy day - it is the best!!! Our sunrise is never the same, I delight in getting up early to capture them.  

Harbour, hills and heads

I moved from Christchurch to the Capital 6 years ago. I love living in Wellington and am lucky to live in a house on a hill with magnificent views of Wellington Harbour, Hills and Heads which provides me with a never ending source of fabulous photos, many of which are posted on my 365Project. We live close to native bush so I am also spoilt with gorgeous bird life coming in and out of our property. The harbour, hills and green belt pretty much sums up why I love living in the Capital! The coastline is also a great way to explore the Capital, I never tire of looking at the sea, on a wild and windy day - it is the best!!! Our sunrise is never the same, I delight in getting up early to capture them.  

lemony ideas

I love anything with lemon flavour, desserts, limonchello, quartered and juice squeezed onto fish and of course preserved lemon in Moroccon dishes. We have a never ending supply of lemons with our lovely old tree in our garden. Half a preserved lemon chopped finely is lovely stirred through a dish of chicken thigh meat (chop them into 3 bits), chunks of potatoes, pumpkin, onion and a little chopped fresh oregano (or dried oregano), spray a little olive oil over all the ingredients, season and roast at 200degrees for about 30-40 minutes, turn pieces over about 1/2 way through cooking. Delicious! Lemon tart is a real favourite of mine, I have a lovely recipe which is so easy to make and never fails to please my guests. I found it online
Lazy Mary's Lemon tart -1 large Meyer lemon cut into 8 pieces, 1 & 1/2 cups castor sugar, 1 stick of butter, 1tsp vanilla, 4 eggs, whizz in a blender and pour into a cooked tart shell, bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees until set, watch it closely and cover it with tinfoil if needed to stop it from burning- really delicious.