Red Cabbage Slaw, Potato Pie, Burgers - Food Fit for a Birthday Dinner

Birthday Dinner
The Excellent thing about this Menu you can prepare everything ahead.

We had a dinner for the Beloved's Birthday on Sunday. Thinking of what delights to feed the Family, I came across and older blog which featured a couple of substantial Salads. Good for a crowd
Flounder Scapece and A Poached Tuna Salad
Click here for recipes for these dishes. meanwhile to accompany these Salads, I wanted to serve Cheesy Potato Pie.
I saw Chef Michael Smith on his 'Chef at Home' programme, On Food TV, demonstrate this delicious looking pie.
Basically its really just a different version of Potatoes Dauphinois.
I have been working on this pie... in fact I have made it about 4 times in the last 2 weeks and
By George I think I have finally 'got' it.
You need a pan which will go into the oven or a Springform Cake tin will do.

Its important to heat the pan and also to heat the cream and milk mix. This kicks off the cooking process and helps to get a nice crust.
One hint, place the potatoes inside the pan it will give you an idea how many to use

I've found it's important to pre bake the potatoes. Michael Smith didn't do that, but I found it all tasted a tad raw. So I baked them skin on.

Potato Pie


 6 med to large potatoes
1 cup cream
1/2 cup full cream milk
Sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper
Good grind nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 cup tasty grated Cheddar cheese
A little oil to grease the pan

Bake potatoes at 180C approx 50 minutes
Remove from oven and set aside to cool
When cool enough to handle
Peel and Grate the potatoes

Pre heat the oven to 170C
Grease the pan and into the oven about 5 minutes to get it good and hot

In a pot bring the Cream, and milk to simmer
Season with S & P and nutmeg
Add grated potatoes
Gently mix to coat all of the potatoes
Keep them slowly heating for a minute or two
Add grated cheese,

Stir again and pour into hot pan

This will take at least an hour to cook
Let it cool before unmolding

Just reheat about 10 minutes in 180C oven
Now here's a couple of ideas for leftovers
Grilled Tomatoes topped with a perfectly poached egg on Top

Another night just accompanied with some beautiful Organic Bacon

So, I was worried that I didn't have enough food, so I whipped up a little Focaccio

What to do with leftovers from the bread
Make Breadcrumbs of course

Now how about a Vege Salad
Red Cabbage Slaw. 
This was beautiful and worth making, it improves with time in the fridge.
I took this picture just a short time ago and of course had a taste.
Yum.

1/2 Red Cabbage finely sliced
1 red chili finely chopped

For the dressing
1/4 Cup Sour cream
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup gherkins chopped
1 Tablespoon of Gherkin Juice
1 Tablespoon sugar,
Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper

Pour over cabbage and chili

Place in Fridge...At least for 4 hours
The longer the better really.

You may have noticed the Grandchildren up there Top of Page.
Well they weren't too interested in 'My Menu'
So Burgers for them
Alex Guarnaschelli, Star of 'Alex's Day Off' currently screening on Food TV
Inspired me. The Red Cabbage Slaw was her recipe and also the mix for the Burgers
This is excellent.
Got lots of hidden vegetables in there...
Sour Cream instead of an egg to bind
and Breadcrumbs which soften the burger.

I used
1 kg of best beef mince
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Rice bran oil
Place carrot. celery and onion into food processor
Blitz to a paste.
Place into a pan with Rice Bran Oil
Cook

Season meat with S & P
Add Mayo and breadcrumbs,
Then cooked vege

Mix well and shape into Burger

Grill in hot pan
Add sliced cheese on top after turning them
Place on a warmed bun with some Tomato Ketchup and Mayo
Slice of Tomato on top and anything else you need for an excellent Burger

Pop on the Bun Hat
It was very popular. They ate it all up

I also served them a slice of Potato Pie
Good choice Grandma
Next Blog...what to do with the leftover. Burger Mix.

Riverside Matakana- Wonderful Weekend Retreat

We have just spent a weekend at the Riverside Matakana. Excellent units. Each one sleeps 6 people.
2 double bedrooms with en suites and a sleepout with 2 single beds perfect for kids.
Well appointed kitchen, Sky TV, on the river. Complete with Tennis Court, Swimming Pool.
If you have a boat (as we did) a ramp for launching directly onto the river, close to excellent fishing grounds. We even just tied the boat up to the Jetty.
Around Matakana there are lots of activities, including the Famous Matakana Market on Saturday Morning.
Take a bottle of Wine and watch the sun go down.

 Anyone for Tennis

 Fabulous Kingfish

 Fabulous Sprat

 Beautiful Sunset

 Wine and Fishing on the Jetty

We liked it so much, we have booked 10 days at Christmas for the Family again.
Only 9 months away!!!

Baked Salmon Florentine - Gluten Free Food

I have been doing a bit of Gluten Free cooking recently
Not for me but for other people
This Salmon recipe (which I pinched off Katie's Thyme for Cooking Blog )
was perfect. I served with mashed potatoes one night and with rice the next
Both work! More recipes to come soon.

12oz (350gr) salmon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
2 leeks
4oz (120gr) fresh spinach
1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) white wine
1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) chicken stock
1 tsp tarragon
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbs water
1/2 cup (5oz, 150gr) Greek yogurt
2 tbs whole grain mustard
1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) Gruyère cheese
2 tsp olive oil

Salmon:
Sprinkle thyme and paprika on salmon.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400F (200C).
Remove and break into large flakes

Sauce:
Heat wine, chicken stock and tarragon to a boil.
Add cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in yogurt, mustard and cheese.
The cheese doesn't need to melt...

Vegetables:
Trim and slice leeks.
Sauté in oil for about 2 minutes
Add a splash of water season with sea salt and pepper
Cover and let cook till tender about 5 minutes

Wash spinach and blanch in boiling salted water for about 10 seconds
Drain and squeeze out excess water

To assemble:
Put spinach in a gratin dish just large enough to hold everything.
Top with leeks and sliced salmon. 

Pour sauce over and

Bake, 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.

If you have increased the quantities as I did Bake for at least 25 minutes.

Meat Loaf in Pastry with a lean to the Greek Side

We are now home from the boat. Look at what we are missing. Its looks gorgeous.

Now onto food.

Years ago some friends of mine, Glen and Annie were called on by my husband, to supply him and his crew with dinner, while they slaved away making TV commercials at night.
At that time there was only one Post production Facility in New Zealand and it was in Auckland.
He flew up every week from Wellington,
Made several commercials stayed a couple of days and flew home.

Studios didn’t have any catering services in those days and eating junk food wasn’t an option.
Glen and Annie served them all sorts of tasty morsels and kept them sane.
Out of this came their very successful Catering Company, which they called Spring Onions.
Of course before long, everyone who worked at Vidcom, wanted their services and next thing you know they were doing Large Parties, Boardroom functions, lots of lunches.
One of their specialties was Pate En Croute.
A specially made Terrine... Cooled and wrapped in pastry.
Bryan a dear friend of ours loved it...he called it Meat Loaf in Pastry,
Which of course is what it actually is... a Posh version no less.

So for Bryan, I have made an actual Meat Loaf in Pastry.
With our friend Andy in mind, I opted for Greek flavours.
Probably best made with lamb to be more authentic... but I only had Beef

Meat Loaf mix
500 gms mince
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (whiz up in food processor with a small onion, some rosemary, thyme sage and sea salt and pepper)
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
100 gms cooked spinach ( I used frozen, great product)
75 gms feta, crumbled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


1 packet frozen Puff Pastry
1 egg beaten with a little milk

Mix all the meat loaf ingredients together in a big bowl
Get it to a nice wettish consistency, not sloppy,
just enough to bind together


Roll out the pastry into a rectangle
Place meat mix down the middle

Brush egg wash around the sides
Fold over
Crimp edges

Leave to rest about 15 minutes...that pastry just needs to get its breath back
Brush well with egg
Put on a couple of little decorations if you feel inclined
Slash some steam holes

Into 200C oven for about 10 minutes then turn down to 180C

The pie is cooked when it is golden brown and you can see clear juices in the slits.
Too hot to eat straight away.

Leave for about 20 minutes
We had it with a homemade tomato sauce.
You could use ketchup it’s up to you.

The Best Chicken Pies - Good Picnic Food

Have just made a delicious pie filling. I keep on going back and tasting it. 

We are off to Matakana for the weekend and I am supplying Friday nights dinner. 

Didn’t think, the kids would like The Baked Salmon Florentine I am going to make, so I decided to whip up some pies for them. 

Chicken Pie Anyone? Yes Please Grandma.

Very simple but so so tasty.

You need to spend some time chopping. You don’t want big hunks of vege.

Particularly for kids, they have to eat those little jewels. They don’t even notice.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 leek, tops removed, washed and finely chopped

1 medium potato, chopped into little cubes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 glass white wine

1 chicken breast, chopped roughly

2 chicken thighs, chopped roughly

2 tablespoons flour

1 chicken stock cube

1 cup hot water

Sauté onions in olive oil in a medium hot pan till soft

Add carrots and leeks and potato

Season with Salt and Pepper and sauté about 3 minutes

Keep an eye on them so they don’t brown

Add herbs and white wine

Raise the heat and reduce the wine

Lower heat again and add chicken

Stir

Add flour and cook about 3 minutes

Keep stirring, it can stick

Dissolve stock cube in hot water

Add to pan.

Bring to boil and simmer about 30 minutes

Let it reduce and thicken

Cool and use to make pies.

 Lucky kids

 Now I didn't think the kids would be thrilled with the addition of parsley so I saved a bit of the filling

Added some chopped parsley and made a couple more pies.

All the food groups, in this pie.

Chicken, vege, greens, (parsley)

Water for juice

Pastry, for the carbs

Butter, to grease the  tins

and Egg to wash the tops and make them pretty.

What more could one ask for?

Orange Buns - A real treat for Morning Tea -or maybe Apres lunch

A little snapshot out of the car window overlooking the Kerikeri inlet.
My first view of the Bay of Islands for about 4 years.
It is very beautiful place to be. we are so lucky.

Yesterday I made Oranges Buns. Like a little touch of sweetness for Morning Tea. Actually it became Apres Lunch. I didn't get up early enough, for these to bake in time for Morning Tea.
I have already done a post on this a couple of years ago, so click here and you can get the recipe and instructions on how to bake

Before baking

Just out of the oven

And what a beautiful 'bun out of my oven'

Tomatoes, Asparagus and Butter - What a Combo

There is little tastier than Tomatoes gently sauteed in Butter. Turn this into a Bechamel sauce, pour over Asparagus and little potatoes and bake with a cheesy topping. What a wonderful lunch.

I have been making an Asparagus and Tomato casserole for years. Originally I sourced this from The Lower Hutt Plunket Society Triple Tested Cook book. One of my well thumbed and stained cook books from the early 70's. This time I added some boiled new potatoes to bulk up the meal. A wonderful addition. You could of course add cooked pasta.

In the boat we have a good pantry and one of the staples is canned Asparagus. Of course a must for Asparagus rolls, this vegetable is the poorer cousin of the fresh variety but hey better canned than none.

1 can Asparagus, drained
4 small potatoes sliced and boiled in salted water till just tender, drain


3 tablespoons butter
4 medium tomatoes,roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (approx)

Breadcrumbs and grated cheese

Heat butter in a pot and add chopped tomatoes
Season with Salt and Pepper
Saute gently about 3 minutes
Add flour and cook another 3-4 minutes to cook the flour taste out.
Add milk and stir till thickened
you may need to add more the sauce shouldn't be too thick
Continue to simmer about 4 minutes

 

Meanwhile layer asparagus and potatoes in a casserole dish

Season with some freshly ground black pepper

 Pour sauce over the top of them

Cover with breadcrumbs and grated cheese
Bake in 180C oven till bubbly and golden

Should take about 20-25 minutes.

Don't be too greedy and eat too fast... tomatoes hold their heat and many a burnt roof of mouth, has happened in our house. Just too tempting to hold back.

Hundertwasser Toilet, Kawakawa- Bay of Islands - Homemade Mince Pies

There has been an enormous tragedy in New Zealand and our hearts go out to all in Canterbury. Christchurch City has enormous destruction from this mammoth earthquake and every New Zealander here and around the world is really feeling for our compatriots in the South Island.
I have been at home for a week and I was glad I was, so that I could watch this tragedy unfold on television. But after a week it was time for me to go and join my husband on the boat.
While I was away in Auckland he moved from the Whangaroa Harbour to the beautiful Bay of Islands.
A sight for sore eyes. If you have never been to this part of the world. Put it on your Bucket List,

On the drive up I stopped in Kawakawa for a coffee and relief stop. Kawakawa is the home of the famous

Hundertwasser Toilet. We have passed through so many times but seeing as I had the need, I decided to spend my penny there. What an amazing place. read about it here

Then of course after leaving Kawakawa, I reach Kerikeri, wonderful fresh Fruit and Vege at roadside stalls
As I was leaving one of these stalls I heard the cooing of doves and there they were
Wild doves all perched in the tree. Gorgeous

Back on board it's back to cooking and I fancied some French Bread Rolls for lunch
Thanks to Terry Thompson's Cajun Creole Cooking Book, I have a great recipe.
Check it out here
Crunchy crusts and a crumb full of holes.
Stuffed full of of avocado, salami /smoked salmon, cheese and tomato.
Excellent.

Been listening continually to the radio, as we hear the story of the tragedy of Christchurch, our second biggest city here in New Zealand

People have been amazing, including supplying food to the poor people in Canterbury, who have no power, water or sewage. If I was able, I would be making pies to supply those in need.
So I fed us instead. Bit hard to contribute food from a boat in the Bay of Islands.
I thought I should make a basic Grandma style of mince.

Mince and Mushroom Pie 
1 packet Puff Pastry

1 onion finely chopped
250 gms minced beef
Sea salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Beef Stock
Large dash of Worcestshire sauce
Large dash Tomato ketchup

2 tbs Vegetable oil
200 gms mushrooms roughly chopped
Sea salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 glass red wine

In a pot saute chopped onion
Add minced beef, season with Salt and pepper
Fry till brown
Add flour and stirring, cook it out
Add beef stock, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and simmer till it thickens

Meanwhile in another hot pan add chopped mushrooms
Saute quickly in oil
Season with Salt, pepper and oregano
Add wine and reduce
When reduce add to mince cook for another 5-10 minutes
Cool completely
This mixture should be fairly thick for the pie

Roll out pastry and line tins
Fill with cold mince mixture and bake
till golden brown
Two for dinner tonight - two for tomorrow

I quickly sauteed carrots, courgettes and celery in some butter. Seasoned and then added a little water. Let
simmer till water is absorbed. Tender, tasty and great with a pie. Dale accompanied his with Homemade ketchup. I had mine naked. Both worked.