07 January 2012
Summer Solstice - Manawatu Standard Saturday 7th January 2012
I and the Ex farmer have recently returned from having a wonderful but brief holiday with our friends, Jo and Bruce who have built a house in the Coromandel over looking the beach. I had forgotten what a beautiful area of New Zealand this is. We slept, read books, went for walks and even went swimming in the rain!
We also had delicious food as Jo is an interested and intrepid cook.
The following recipe is an adaptation from a Burmese Restaurant in Christchurch and I understand Jo found the recipe in Cuisine magazine, but I do not know which publication. You can make your own crisp fried shallots. Firstly chop the shallots finely, and then heat through a couple of cups of safflower oil in a heavy saucepan. When hot, add the shallots, gently fry, turning constantly and do not leave the pan unattended. The shallots will slowly colour and when they are golden brown carefully pour the shallots with the oil through a sieve over a stainless steel bowl. Tip the drained shallots onto an absorbent paper lined tray and leave to cool. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge. Keep the flavoured oil and use for sautéing onions, garlic and the like.
Burmese Chicken Salad:
Ingredients:
400g chicken breast poached in water flavoured with ginger, lemon grass and fish sauce until just cooked, remove and let cool
Dressing Ingredients:
2 tbsp Canola oil
120g shallots, finely sliced
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp turmeric
60 mls lime juice
45 mls fish sauce
Method:
Combine first four ingredients and gently sauté together until shallots are soft
Add lime juice, fish sauce and taste to check seasoning
Salad Ingredients:
4 cups cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
2 large tomatoes, seeded, finely diced
2 or more red chillies, seeded, finely chopped
1 cup spinach, finely shredded
1 carrot, julienned
2 Kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
Generous handful chopped coriander
Garnish:
Spring onions, finely sliced
Coriander, roughly chopped
½ cup crisp fried shallots (purchased from an Asian shop or good food store)
Method:
Shred chicken and put aside in a cool place. Just before serving
combine salad ingredients and add to chicken. Dress salad and toss ingredients together. Serve on a large open bowl garnished with chopped spring onion, coriander and crisp fried shallots.
Jo has spent time in America and the following recipe is for American style lemon ricotta griddle cakes. These may seem extravagant to us as 10 eggs are used, but this recipe makes enough for 10 people, but I can tell you they are really delicious!. Jo served them for a late breakfast with roasted peaches, raspberries and enormous plump blueberries, not to mention a spoonful of Greek yoghurt and dash of maple syrup.
Lemon Ricotta Griddle Cakes (from Maine Island):
Ingredients:
10 eggs
180g butter, melted
2 ½ cups ricotta cheese
¾ tsp pure vanilla essence
¾ cup plain flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
Method:
Separate eggs, put yolks in one bowl and put egg whites in a second scrupulously clean large mixing bowl. Combine egg yolks with melted butter, ricotta cheese and vanilla essence. Add sifted flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest, fold gently together. Whisk egg whites to a soft peak, and beat 2 tbsp egg white into the base mix to lighten the mix. Using a large rubber spatula or metal spoon gently fold through the remaining egg whites using a figure eight motion. By adding the beaten egg whites separately, the griddle cakes have a much lighter texture.
Preheat a heavy fry pan or griddle iron, grease lightly with butter and cook spoonfuls of mix until bubbles appear on the griddle cakes.
Carefully turn over and cook the second side. Place on a clean teatowel over a wire rack and keep cooked cakes warm in a gentle oven. Serve with oven roasted peaches or any other fresh fruit, with Greek yoghurt and maple syrup.
To roast stone fruit I halve the fruit, remove the stone and place it in a well- greased oven proof low sided dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and place a nut of unsalted butter in the cavity of piece of fruit. Pour around the juice of an orange, a dash of white wine or even a couple of spoonfuls of water to which the juice of a lemon has been added. Oven roast at 150°C approximately 20 to 40 minutes until the fruit is soft. This will depend on the initial ripeness of the fruit.
Another morning we went for an energetic walk to Cathedral Cove and on our return we were sustained by these muffins made by friend Jo, No. Two!
I understand this may well be an original recipe from Alison Holst but Jo makes endless variations, both savoury and sweet. To make savoury muffins using the recipe below Jo removes the sugar and adds grated cheese, grated carrot, or any other vegetable, sundried tomatoes, chopped herbs or what ever you have on hand.
I understand the trick to making muffins is to not over mix the mixture , so do not worry if you see the occasional unmixed flour base.
Fresh Fruit Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
100g melted butter
1 cup chopped stone fruit, strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb
Method:
Combine sifted flour and sugar in a bowl and form a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Combine milk, egg and melted butter and mix well. Pout into dry ingredients with chopped fruit and lightly mix together. Place spoonfuls in well greased muffin tins
Bake in a preheated oven, 180° C for approximately minutes, until muffins are well risen and cooked though.
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