Everything is burgeoning, I can only stare in wonder at my clematis in its pink gloriousness, its seems everything in the garden is happy, and the fruit bushes bloomed fully and are now covered with little fruit.
We have had our son home for a break from his job overseas and also my sister to stay for 10 days, to minimise time in the kitchen I have just been cooking old favorites, smoky fish pie, crayfish sandwiches and a when the vegetarian grandchildren came for dinner a Mexicana vegetable goulash, with corn bread from an earlier blog, I have baked a couple of recipes from Alexa Johnstons http://www.ladiesaplate.co.nz/ traditional NZ baking, which is a good collection of old favorites.
I feel very lucky these days when given crayfish [lobster], I don’t get many and like to eat them as plain as possible.
Drown in cold water for 30mins, boil 4 mins, drain and cool, then shell and eat in a white bread sandwich or with buttered toast.
It hardly seems worth while making jam when brought is often as good and cheaper, but I love making it, especially marmalade. This was made to use up some lemons going soft.
MARMALADE
4 lemons and 1 orange
Cut up finely with slicer in blender, just cover with water, place any pips in muslin and put in pot.
Simmer until soft, about an hour, then add cup for cup of sugar, bring slowly back to boil stirring until sugar melted, then boil until a little gels on a plate, about 10 to 15 mins. pour into sterilised jars.made 5 small jars.
VEGETABLE GOULASH from a friend
Selection of root and other veg
1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice [or use fresh ones if you have]
1 onion, chopped
Butter
3 tsp paprika
1 dsp flour
1/3 cup veg stock
1 can red kidney beans
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Chop and slice veg and place in heavy casserole or slow cooker. I like carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, potatoes, kumara, courgettes, celery, red or green peppers.
You can do this next step either in a small pan on the stove top or in a Pyrex jug in the microwave. Cook the onion in butter, add paprika and cook one minute, add flour, tomatoes and stock. Heat until thickened and boiling, stirring continuously if stove top, once or twice if microwave.
Pour over veg stir and cover well. Cook about 1 ½ hours in 180° oven stirring gently about every half hour. Depending on the casserole you may need to place foil under the lid so that it doesn’t get too dry.
Add kidney beans 10mins before finished cooking.
Stir in sour cream to taste and sprinkle with grated cheese.
SMOKY FISH PIE
Boil some potatoes and mash with knob of butter and milk.
Place some fish fillets [I use blue cod] in a greased oven proof dish.
Make up a packet of Maggi “Cook in the Pot, Fish Pie”.
Then to the sauce add 1 or 2 tsp of liquid smoke, I use “Village classic” Liquid Smoke [maple], which I got at New World in the deli part. Taste as you add it as easy to overdo it.
Pour this sauce over the fish, cover with mashed spuds, and grated cheese if you like, and bake at 180c for 30mins.
It tastes as good as if you used smoked fish and is very easy.
SPICE CRISPS from Alexa Johnston
140gm butter
100gm sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1/2 an egg
50gm treacle
140gms flour
1tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
Raised ½ tsp ground ginger
1/4tsp ground cloves
½ cup extra sugar
Soften the butter and cream with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, egg, and treacle and mix well.
Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until smooth dough is formed.
Place covered in fridge for at least an hour to firm.
Heat oven to 190c
Line a baking tray with baking paper or grease.
Put the extra half a cup of sugar on a shallow plate.
Take tsp of dough and place on bench, once divided into about 24, roll each into a ball, roll in the sugar and place in rows on the oven tray.
Don’t flatten as they do that themselves in the oven.
Bake 8 to 10 mins.
Transfer to cooling rack until cold and store in air tight tin
This is half the recipe in the book and I used a small egg instead of halving it and think half an egg would be better as they are lovely but not quite as crisp as they should be.
DATE & GINGER SLICE [ No baking] form Alexa Johnston
180gms dates chopped
170gm butter
85g sugar
2 tsp ginger
80g [3 cups] cornflakes or similar cereal
2tsp rum essence [optional]
Put dates, butter, sugar, ginger, in pot and melt on low heat, about 5 mins.
Remove from heat and stir in cereal.
Press into shallow tin.
Chill in fridge, then ice.
Icing
I used chocolate butter icing, but original recipe call for 170gms of melted dark chocolate.
Rough the surface with a fork.
Very rich, cut into tiny pieces, and have with good strong coffee.
If you know anyone looking for a good tidy cottage with a huge shed, [you will never need to see your husband again], I have just listed this lovely place. www.harcourts.co.nz DU91506
We have had our son home for a break from his job overseas and also my sister to stay for 10 days, to minimise time in the kitchen I have just been cooking old favorites, smoky fish pie, crayfish sandwiches and a when the vegetarian grandchildren came for dinner a Mexicana vegetable goulash, with corn bread from an earlier blog, I have baked a couple of recipes from Alexa Johnstons http://www.ladiesaplate.co.nz/ traditional NZ baking, which is a good collection of old favorites.
I feel very lucky these days when given crayfish [lobster], I don’t get many and like to eat them as plain as possible.
Drown in cold water for 30mins, boil 4 mins, drain and cool, then shell and eat in a white bread sandwich or with buttered toast.
It hardly seems worth while making jam when brought is often as good and cheaper, but I love making it, especially marmalade. This was made to use up some lemons going soft.
MARMALADE
4 lemons and 1 orange
Cut up finely with slicer in blender, just cover with water, place any pips in muslin and put in pot.
Simmer until soft, about an hour, then add cup for cup of sugar, bring slowly back to boil stirring until sugar melted, then boil until a little gels on a plate, about 10 to 15 mins. pour into sterilised jars.made 5 small jars.
VEGETABLE GOULASH from a friend
Selection of root and other veg
1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice [or use fresh ones if you have]
1 onion, chopped
Butter
3 tsp paprika
1 dsp flour
1/3 cup veg stock
1 can red kidney beans
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Chop and slice veg and place in heavy casserole or slow cooker. I like carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, potatoes, kumara, courgettes, celery, red or green peppers.
You can do this next step either in a small pan on the stove top or in a Pyrex jug in the microwave. Cook the onion in butter, add paprika and cook one minute, add flour, tomatoes and stock. Heat until thickened and boiling, stirring continuously if stove top, once or twice if microwave.
Pour over veg stir and cover well. Cook about 1 ½ hours in 180° oven stirring gently about every half hour. Depending on the casserole you may need to place foil under the lid so that it doesn’t get too dry.
Add kidney beans 10mins before finished cooking.
Stir in sour cream to taste and sprinkle with grated cheese.
SMOKY FISH PIEBoil some potatoes and mash with knob of butter and milk.
Place some fish fillets [I use blue cod] in a greased oven proof dish.
Make up a packet of Maggi “Cook in the Pot, Fish Pie”.
Then to the sauce add 1 or 2 tsp of liquid smoke, I use “Village classic” Liquid Smoke [maple], which I got at New World in the deli part. Taste as you add it as easy to overdo it.
Pour this sauce over the fish, cover with mashed spuds, and grated cheese if you like, and bake at 180c for 30mins.
It tastes as good as if you used smoked fish and is very easy.
SPICE CRISPS from Alexa Johnston
140gm butter
100gm sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1/2 an egg
50gm treacle
140gms flour
1tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
Raised ½ tsp ground ginger
1/4tsp ground cloves
½ cup extra sugar
Soften the butter and cream with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, egg, and treacle and mix well.
Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until smooth dough is formed.
Place covered in fridge for at least an hour to firm.
Heat oven to 190c
Line a baking tray with baking paper or grease.
Put the extra half a cup of sugar on a shallow plate.
Take tsp of dough and place on bench, once divided into about 24, roll each into a ball, roll in the sugar and place in rows on the oven tray.
Don’t flatten as they do that themselves in the oven.
Bake 8 to 10 mins.
Transfer to cooling rack until cold and store in air tight tin
This is half the recipe in the book and I used a small egg instead of halving it and think half an egg would be better as they are lovely but not quite as crisp as they should be.
DATE & GINGER SLICE [ No baking] form Alexa Johnston
180gms dates chopped
170gm butter
85g sugar
2 tsp ginger
80g [3 cups] cornflakes or similar cereal
2tsp rum essence [optional]
Put dates, butter, sugar, ginger, in pot and melt on low heat, about 5 mins.
Remove from heat and stir in cereal.
Press into shallow tin.
Chill in fridge, then ice.
Icing
I used chocolate butter icing, but original recipe call for 170gms of melted dark chocolate.
Rough the surface with a fork.
Very rich, cut into tiny pieces, and have with good strong coffee.
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