In the 90s, a book that was on everyone must read list, was called "Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg
The thought of Fried Green Tomatoes fascinated me. I thought they meant unripe tomatoes

but as my food knowledge grew, I understood that they are a special breed of Tomato
Now in New Zealand, as all over the world we can now access almost every food available...
and YES we can buy Green Tomatoes
Found some at the local shop and decided to make these little delights
Can’t get much easier

Slice the tomatoes
Dip in seasoned flour

Dip in beaten egg

Finally into breadcrumbs

Set aside In the fridge to settle and when ready
Just fry in mix of butter and olive oil
Fry in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan

Delicious with the leg of lamb we cooked this evening


Sent from my iPad

Roast Chicken Breasts With A Twist

Most of the time, I really like to cook with Chicken Thighs but there are times when we need a change and these Chicken Breasts were on special. Always love a bargain
This was really loved by the Family, its so simple and quick to prepare
You will see the recipe calls for Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
I just added a good shake of dried Oregano and some salt and freshly ground black pepper
That seems like Italian to me

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs
2 Cups Olive Oil
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 teaspoon  Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon

Preheat the oven to 200C and 

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. 

Combine the eggs, ½ cup olive oil, mustard powder, and salt in a blender. 

Drizzle in the remaining olive oil while the blender is on. 

Once the mixture has thickened, add in the lemon juice and stir slowly. 

Combine the cheese, garlic, lemon zest and the olive oil mixture in a bowl and mix well. 

Spread the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with pepper.

In a small saucepan melt the butter and stir in the breadcrumbs. 

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the chicken breasts,

 and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with some Roasted Potatoes and a nice bright Green Vege, in this case Green Beans and Broccoli  Delicious

 

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Quinoa, Quinoa Quinoa...its only a few years ago that this word was not even in my vocabulary.
BUT now its everywhere.
The Trendy Grain...well...Quinoa isn't really a grain. It's the seed of a plant that's related to spinach, not to wheat. Quinoa first was cultivated in South America, where it grows in the Andes mountain range. Quinoa grows best in cool climates and at high altitudes, generally above 8,000 feet.

So lesson over...it does make a good salad though, also the flakes are excellent to crumb fish for those not wanting to eat  wheat.

Members of our family went grain free for a while and when hunting for recipes to feed them I came across this little beauty

It is really tasty and makes a change from brown rice!!!
So you need

    1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

    2 cups water  
    Sea salt

    
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

    
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

    
1 small red onion, finely chopped

    Sea 
Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
    1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
    
1 lime, juiced

    
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

    
1/2 cup minced carrots

    
1/2 cup dried cranberries

     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add quinoa to pot and cover with the water
Add salt
Bring to the boil
Cover and simmer over low heat till quinoa has absorbed all of the water
15-20 minutes
Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.


Meanwhile place the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, 
red onion, sliced almonds, carrots, and cranberries into a bowl

Add coriander and lime juice

Mix together 

How about that for colour
Add to the Quinoa
Drizzle over about 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Serve

A Tasty Meat Sauce for Pasta

I know we all have our meat sauce that we call our own, this is very similar to one that I usually make, in fact almost identical
Thank you Bon Appetit for the inspiration, I read this in the morning and voila.. on the table for dinner
 It is a meat sauce not a tomato sauce, which I like a lot
I used Rigatoni
Those little ridges capture the sauce perfectly

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 small carrot, peeled, chopped

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. good ground beef  (20% fat), patted dry

Sea salt

3 oz. thinly sliced Pancetta, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

⅓ cup tomato puree, I like to use Passata, not so intense
1 bay leaf

Pinch of finely grated nutmeg

2 cups (or more) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 lb. fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, or dry rigatoni
2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about ½ cup), plus more for serving

Pulse onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until very finely chopped.

Transfer to a small bowl.


Heat oil in a large pot over medium.
Break beef into small clumps (about 1½") and add to pot;
Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper 
Cook, stirring occasionally but not breaking meat apart,
until beef is lightly browned but not crisp, 6–8 minutes.
It may be gray in spots (that’s okay!) and still a little pink in the center.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.



Wipe out pot.
Cook pancetta in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally,
until pancetta has released some of its fat and is crisp, 6–8 minutes.
Add onion mixture to pot and cook, stirring occasionally,
until vegetables are very soft and beginning to stick to surface, 6–8 minutes.



Return beef to pot and pour in wine.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook,
smashing down on beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated,
surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes.
(The meat should be reduced to what looks like little bits.
It takes a bit of effort, but you can take breaks.)
Add tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg and cook,
stirring occasionally and still pressing down on meat, until tomato paste is slightly darkened,
about 5 minutes.



 Pour stock and milk into pot; add a pinch of salt.

Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, stirring occasionally,
until meat is very, very tender, 2–2½ hours.
There shouldn’t be any rapid bubbles at this stage.
Instead, the sauce should release the occasional small bubble or two.
When finished, the sauce should have the texture of and look like a sloppy joe mixture.
If the liquid reduces before the meat is completely tender,
add an extra ½ cup stock and continue cooking.
Discard bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt;
keep warm.


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.
If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes.
If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.


Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with sauce.
Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and ½ cup Parmesan.
Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly,
until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.


Transfer pasta to a platter and top with more Parmesan.



Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill.



Also sitting on my table, my 2 friends and some beautiful Gardenias
Straight from the Garden



The Rainbow Plate -The More Colour in Your Food - The Better

Plus Such a Pleasure to Eat
Two very simple ideas to "colourize" your Table

For this Salad I used
Bag of mixed leaves plus 1/2 bag of Rocket
2 radishes sliced
Stick of celery chopped
2 San Manzano Tomatoes Chopped 
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
Bunch of chives chopped  for that onion boost
3 tablespoons of French Dressing

Just layer your lettuce and rocket
Scatter all the chopped vege over
Drizzle the French dressing
Hands in and toss
Voila

Next... the Asparagus Season is nearly over and we can really never get enough of it but I thought I would pretty it up, for a change

Asparagus tailed and cooked to al dente
1 medium Red Onion Chopped
1 Corn Cob freshly shucked, kernels sliced off
Little chopped parsley

Good Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper 
Juice and zest of a lemon

I find the best way to poach Asparagus, is to cook it in a shallow pan
Plenty of room to lay it out, in its full glory
Bring the pan of water to the boil
Add Salt and a slug of Olive Oil
Add Asparagus and cook till knife just goes through
Probably only 3-5 minutes at most

Drain and put into bowl of salted iced water  to stop it cooking and keep the lovely green colour
Drain

Meanwhile
Saute Onion in 3 tablespoons Olive oil till translucent,
Add Corn Kernels
Toss around for a couple of minutes, just to take the rawness out of the corn
Season with Salt and Pepper
Zest the Lemon over the top plus the Juice and Parsley
Toss to blend and pour over the Asparagus

How pretty is that?

Not Only Spinach But Also Mushroom - Little Pastries to Have with Drinks

Two of my favourite appetizers to have with drinks.
Mushroom Savouries and Spinach Puffs

Both have been particularly popular when I've served them

I had some mushroom filling leftover, so what better way to use it up try the Spinach Puff Method

So here ya go...yet another idea to feed those guests

Mushroom Filling.
¼ cup unsalted butter
4 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
250 gm mushrooms finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
¾ cup cream
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets
Grated Parmesan Cheese.
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

1 large tomato deseeded and cut into cubes

Parsley chopped 

1 egg beaten with a little water

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
Add green onions parsley and chives

Cook until wilted about 3 minutes
Add mushrooms
Cook 10 minutes, or until liquid evaporates.
Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir till blended
Cook 2 minutes stirring it will be dry be careful it doesn’t stick to pan.
Stir in cream, thyme cayenne freshly ground black pepper, salt and lemon juice.
Reduce heat to low cook 5 minutes or until thickened.
Cool
Meanwhile defrost the pastry and cut into 9 squares

Lightly grease mini patty tins, Press each square into a hole
Fill with Mushrooms and put a little cube of tomato on  top

Finely grate Parmesan Cheese over the top

Fold the edges in and pop a piece of parsley on top

Brush with egg wash and bake at 190C
Turn the tray once after 15 mins, then continue to bake until Golden
About another 10 minutes

Here they are all packed up ready for me to deliver today

Can't wait to try them

Chicken Fricasse by Gordon - Thumbs Up from All the Family

I was perusing My Gordon Ramsay Cookbook, actually looking for Chicken Gravy for Christmas Day. In passing I saw this recipe for Chicken Fricasse
As luck would have it, we had a whole Chicken in the Freezer
So got my butchering skill (?) possibly not skill but I cut the chicken in edible pieces
This recipe was so popular with the family, it is on the list of favourites.
As you can see we served it with Cous Cous, Peas and Cabbage
Thank you Mr Ramsay

1 large free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
(2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breasts cut in half)
150g smoked bacon lardons
4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
150g chestnut mushrooms, halved
1 bay leaf 2 rosemary sprigs
2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
75ml brandy
450ml chicken stock
100 mls cream
Small handful of parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Place a large heavy-based sauté pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil.
Season the chicken, add to the hot pan and sauté for 3–4 minutes on one side, until golden.

Turn the chicken, then add the lardons, garlic and mushrooms and mix well. 
Stir in the bay, rosemary and thyme.  

Add the brandy and, very carefully, tilt the hot pan towards the lit gas to ignite the alcohol and flambé the chicken. 

This must be done cautiously because it will create a huge flame.
(Couldn't capture the flame unfortunately)
Allow it to die down, then lower the heat slightly and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover and cook for a further 15–20 minutes, until all the chicken pieces are done.
Transfer them to a plate, then increase the heat under the pan for a few minutes to reduce and slightly thicken the sauce.
n.b. I didn’t want to reduce the sauce too much or it could have been a bit salty
so I added Cream to thicken slightly

Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over it.
Before serving, discard the garlic, rosemary and bay leaf,
and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. 


Can't get much better than that

Have You Tried This Dip It’s Amazing - Hot Black Bean Tex Mex Dip

That was the cry from a satisfied guest
We were holding a celebration drinks party for my Daughter’s Graduation
I was on food,
I made some of the usual Suspects
Chicken Sandwiches, Spinach Puffs, Mushroom Tarts, Guacamole, Blinis with Creme Fraiche and Smoked Salmon
We thought we should try something new... A Hot Bean Dip perhaps?
So I surfed the Net and found this recipe on the Allrecipes site
This is a keeper and we will make it again
It’s not the prettiest dish but look at the wonderful ingredients

So you will need
1 400 gm can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup mild picante sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup shredded Tasty cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 


Place black beans in a medium size mixing bowl,
partially mash beans -- beans should remain a little chunky.
Add cumin

In a medium size frying pan, heat oil over a medium heat. 
Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes.
Mix beans, corn, tomato, picante sauce, and chili powder into the frying pan; 
Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat,
Mix in cheese, cilantro and lime juice; 
Stir until cheese is melted. 

Corn chips best on the side

Yummy Chicken Salad with a Creamy Miso Dressing

When you need another Chicken Salad recipe. This works a treat
In the weekends we usually buy a Rotisserie Chicken from the Deli
Strip the chicken off the bones. Dress it. Make stock with the bones  Waste not Want Not

In this part of the world it is heating up. The Pohutakawa trees are in Bloom
Summer is here. Not quite the Hazy, Lazy days yet but it's a start

 

The difference here is the dressing using White Miso and Tahini along with other basic Asian flavour, Citrus, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce. What more could one ask for

So you need

    4 slices bacon

    1 1½-inch piece ginger, peeled, cut into very thin matchsticks

    1 tablespoon soy sauce

    1 tablespoon tahini

    1 tablespoon white miso

    2 teaspoons fish sauce

    ¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

    Pinch of sugar

    4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

    1 large egg yolk

    ¾ cup vegetable oil, divided

    Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper 

    1 small rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

    1 head of green leaf lettuce, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick ribbons

    2 scallions, thinly sliced

    Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
 

Cook bacon in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, turning slices occasionally, until brown and crisp, 5–8 minutes. 

Transfer to paper towels; let cool.


Cook ginger in a small saucepan of boiling water 1 minute. 

Drain ginger and rinse under cold water; set aside.


Whisk soy sauce, tahini, miso, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar, 

and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.


 

Whisk egg yolk and remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. 

Very gradually stream in ½ cup vegetable oil (almost drop by drop), whisking constantly until mayonnaise is emulsified and thick. 

Still whisking constantly, gradually add soy sauce mixture, then remaining ¼ cup oil. 

Thin dressing with a tablespoon or two of water if needed; 

you want it to be the consistency of heavy cream. 

Season with salt and pepper.



Toss chicken and ½ cup dressing in a large bowl to coat. 

Below Mise en Place Ready to serve

Add lettuce and another ½ cup dressing and toss again; season with salt and pepper. 

Crumble bacon over.


Transfer salad to a serving bowl or platter and drizzle another tablespoon or so of dressing over salad (you may have some left over). 

Top with scallions, sesame seeds, and reserved ginger.



Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.



Perfect for a Summers Day