Broad Bean Risotto recipe...not a hit with everyone

I've never grown broad beans before and to be honest haven't eaten them that much either. They were one of the earliest things that could be planted late winter/spring so I gave them a go. It also gave me an excuse to buy two willow obelisks for my vege garden to grow them on...they look great.

Bella and I picked a heap of them this afternoon and had broad bean risotto for dinner. I love any opportunity to take things straight from the garden to cook them rather than leaving them sitting in the fridge for days!

I have to admit though that as excited as she was about risotto, she gagged when I insisted she try the board beans!
I really enjoyed the meal and just loved the incredibly vibrant green of the beans.


I made a risotto without really using a recipe...although I have included a nice easy 'no stir' one from Sabato below. I shelled, steamed and then pealed the board beans and then added them to the risotto at the end.
I was amazed at how easily they shelled after they were cooked.

Ferron No Stir Risotto

serves 4 as a main

2 cups Ferron Carnaroli or Vialone Nano risotto rice
4 cups Sabato stock, simmering (available in vegetable, beef, porcini, fish and chicken from our showroom)
1 onion or 2-3 shallots, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped (optional)
extra virgin olive oil 
salt and pepper 
Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, grated (optional)

Heat oil in a heavy-based pot and cook the onion & garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes (this is called ‘toasting’ the rice).

Add the simmering stock all at once and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, add salt, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. While the risotto is cooking, prepare any other ingredients of your choice – see our suggestions below.

Once the rice has cooked, remove from heat and check the seasoning. You may want to add additional salt and pepper to your taste.

Stir in some Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano if desired. The amount depends on how ‘all’onda’ (creamy) you prefer your risotto.

Seasoning Mixes - Recipes

After posting my Mexican Spiced Tomato and Lentil soup recipe I had intended to quickly put up the Mexican Spice mix recipe but found I didn't have one of the ingredients (amazing considering the huge array of herbs and spices I have in my pantry). So apologies to Lynn (who wanted the recipe to make the soup), here it is now...with some added recipes.

These recipes are from Sophie Gray's 'Enjoy'. It's just as well I am transfer in these to my blog for future reference since this page of the recipe book looks a bit worse for wear due to regular use!

I use these all the time...the Mexican and Cajun in wedges (a regular for family meals) and the Italian herbs in the focaccia bread I make regularly and in a range of other dishes. The Tandoori mix is a good alternative to the hideous 'curry powder' mixes available from supermarkets.
Making these is significantly cheaper than buying ready made spice mixes (especially if you buy the herbs in the cheaper boxes). I just wash and reuse the jars that individual spices come in.

Mexican Spice Mix
1 heaped tbsp cumin
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1tbsp chilli powder or flakes

Italian Herb Mix
3 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp marjoram
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper

Cajun Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sugar

Tandoori Mix
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp garam masala

Silverbeet & Broccoli Tart Recipe

My winter garden has not produced much for us (apart from avocados and herbs) so it is nice to finally start getting a few things from it.
I planted carrot seeds ages ago and very few survived (that might be something to do with the fact that they should have been planted when it was warmer?). Yesterday Isabella got to pull a carrot for the garden and then within 20 minutes eat if for dinner. This is the kind of thing I want her to experience - an understanding about where food comes from and how it is grown.

Today I have made a tart with silver beet and broccoli from our garden. We had loads of half eaten cheese in our fridge that were left over from Rugby World Cup pre match drinks at our house. I couldn't bring myself to just throw them out so used them along with the home grown veges to make this tart. It was so simple to make...I didn't have a recipe, just kind of gave it a go. It really was delicious

Silverbeet Tart Recipe

Cooked Silverbeet (about 10 large leaves)
Cooker Broccoli
Cheese (I used Brie and blue Brie)
3 beaten eggs
Puff pastry (I'm not a great cooker of pastry so its a bit of a case of anything goes for me)
Fresh Thyme
Salt, pepper

Turn oven to about 200 degrees and put oven tray in to warm up.
Cook Broccoli and Silverbeet and squeeze out excess liquid.
Roll out pastry on baking paper and create an edge by folding up edges.
Lay silverbeet and broccoli over the base.
Cut or grate cheese and spread over the base.
Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over thyme leaves.

Slide baking paper on to hot tray from the oven and carry to a flat surface near (or in) the oven.
Carefully pour beaten egg over tart keeping it within the edges.

Bake till golden. Approximately 20 minutes.

Cake Pops - a birthday request

Sometimes it seems like things just fall into place, or that despite everything going on there are lots of reasons or lots of reminders that you intended to do something. I think making cake pops is going to be one of those things for me...with a bit of help form Isabella.

I spotted an article somewhere months ago about cake pops and thought they would be a great idea for a children's birthday party. The article was about  the Bakerella blog and linked to a movie of instructions on YouTube.

A mailer from Millies Kitchen Shop in Ponsonby arrived several weeks ago advertising classes for making cake pops. I'm not sure I need to go to the classes but I now know where to get the ingredients I need.

Last week at the supermarket Isabella (3 - nearly 4 years) insisted I buy a FoodTown magazine. When I explained it was a recipe again she was still adamant that I buy it. When we got home she explained that there were instructions about how to make cake pops inside that she wanted for her 4th birthday party.

Last night we attended 'Taste Of New Zealand' a four day food and wine festival in Victoria Park, Ponsonby, Auckland. One of the stands had cake pops displayed and for sale. I just had to buy one for Bella. She was as delighted as I though she would be.

So the 'culinary universe' seem to be making sure Isabella gets her birthday wish in December. I've even got a plan about how I can integrate them into the planned birthday cake. Some how I have to top the sheep cake I made for her third birthday!

Taste Of New Zealand 2011

John managed to justify his incessant 'social network' activity by winning VIP tickets for Taste Of New Zealand. Being one of the Localist Top 100 last month won him these tickets.

What a fantastic event! A great mixture of top NZ restaurants showcasing their food and vendors showcasing anything and everything foodie.

Our tickets got us a complimentary glass of bubbles - a nice way to start. We then headed to the Cable Bay stand for a glass of their delicious 2011 Sauv Blanc that I came across a week or so ago.

We then wandered around some of the displays. We stopped off at the 'Village Press' olive oil stand for really simple bruschetta with fresh tomato. It really demonstrated yet again how simple good quality ingredients make a dish. The great buy for the evening was a 2 litre 'cask' of village press olive oil for only $20! When you consider how much you pay in the supermarket for olive oil, or even cheap nasty vegetable oil this was a great buy.

Next stops was to The Grove tent for a Half Crayfish Tail with Cafe de Paris, Butter, Lemon and Vivian salad. It was really small but incredibly yummy.

John had spotted a 'Whiskey Masterclass' which we just had to take part in...and it was free. We sat down to a 45 minute education about whiskey and I even managed to almost quite like a couple when they were slightly watered down. The speaker said that some high level tasters water down their whiskey to release the flavours so I didn't feel too bad!


From there we wandered a bit and then headed home after a couple of quick purchases to use up our 'coins' - cake pops and 'Really Good' peanut butter.




Taste of New Zealand we will be back next year!

Kaimai Cheese Company - Cafe

On the way back from our conference in Rotorua we called in to the Kaimai Cheese Company for lunch. I have been wanting to stop there for ages and I'm really pleased we did.
We started with a cheese platter which had some really nice cheeses and followed that with lunch.

Lynn's blog gives a few more details.



Lisa's macaroni cheese was the winner. It was made with the
Kaimai Mature Chedder and bacon
and tasted fantastic!

   My two salads one with a kumera 

base, the other pumpkin 

Lynn had a chicken, cashew 

and noodle salad.

A great idea for Celery

We had lunch yesterday at a little Japanese place recommend by a Rotorua local - Kiaora Japan (link to another blog). The lunch meal package was reasonably priced and yummy.
What I was really interested in was the thin stops of celery that was part of a small salad. I suspect made using a vege peeler - a simple and really effective idea.

The complete experience

The hotel we are staying at for our three day conference has a real historic charm to the old part of the venue...not so much in our apartments sadly.
When we checked in last night I noticed large leather lounge suits and a glowing fire burning in a large ornate wooden fireplace. The other small bonus is that there is free internet access while our conference is on.
After our dinner tonight we came to the lounge area to check emails, update blogs and relax.
My drink of choice a Brandy and dry ginger ale. There is jazz playing quietly in the background and some delightful french accents to listen to.

Indian Hot!

I like my curries hot. Tonight we had Indian and when I asked how hot it was the waiter said 'Kiwi Hot', I asked for 'hot hot - Indian Hot'. He looked at me like I was deranged and asked if I knew what vindaloo meant...I didn't. He kindly explained that 'it means that it goes in to you hot and comes out hot in the bathroom'...I wonder if the last three letters in the name give a hint?
At this stage I said that maybe I would just have 'Kiwi Hot' but he wasn't going to let me get away with it.
So my vindaloo came and yes it was HOT. I ate it all just to prove a point and I guess I will see if it lives up to his name tomorrow.

Simple, Fresh and Delicious - what a contrast!

I am in Rotorua at ULearn a pretty stunning education conference. I am with two colleagues who are also close friends (after working closely together for 7 years now). We arrived last night around 8pm and decided to eat in the hotel we are staying in. The menu looked good - a bit old fashioned but some good options. We figured nothing else would be open so this was our best option.

Our meals when they arrived looked impressive (in an ostentatious kind of way), but really failed to deliver on taste. I ordered the duck which was incredibly disappointing (despite being reasonably pricey). I should have been warned by the description of the incredibly complicated sauce - a mixture of orange, basil, mint and at least three other items that disappeared in the sludge that appeared over my soggy skinned duck.

Thankfully today we decided that we all needed salads for lunch and that we had time to eat away from the conference. What a total contrast! For a third of the price we had simple, fresh and incredibly delicious salads. I will be making the asparagus, rocket and parmesan salad some time soon. Thank you Capers Epicurean in Rotorua (NZ).

Simplicity seems to be the key here. I remembering having this realisation while travelling in Italy. Most of the food was far more simple that what we ate at home. The classic example was pizzas - a few simple good quality ingredients rather than a heaving pizza covered with every possible ingredient...hence our family obsession with Al Volo pizzas, not a piece of pineapple in sight!

My question is...Why can't a restaurant that is charging triple the price present a meal that is equally tasty as a cafe feeding just as many people in a much shorter timeframe?

Mexican spiced tomato and lentil soup - recipe

I know its not really soup weather and that if I'm really honest we are too close to summer for soup but I have been craving this one for ages. To be honest I'm not even sure I made it over winter.

The recipe comes from Sophie Gray's (also known as the Destitute Gourmet) 'Enjoy'. I love the fact that it is vegetarian but has lentils in it for protein.

It uses Mexican Seasoning which is a recipe included in the book alone with a number of others that I make regularly to have on hand to quickly add to meals. (I'll include a couple soon).

I served it with toasted home made breads - focaccia, garlic and herb and basic white bread.

Mexican spiced tomato and lentil soup

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

3 tsp Mexican seasoning (cumin, chilli, sugar, oregano, salt)

2 x 400g chopped canned tomatos

6 cups stock (I used beef but vege or chicken is fine)

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

sour cream to garnish

In large saucepan, heat oil and add onion and garlic. Cook until light golden.

Mix in the Mexican seasoning, then add tomato, stock, tomato paste, lentils and sugar. Bring to boil and stir, then reduce temp and simmer for 45 minutes. Add chopped fresh herbs and garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

Guilt Tastes Sweet

My post today was going to be about donuts and hot chips as that pretty sums up my week of food while entertaining Miss 3 and her 12 year old cousin. John (my husband) has saved the day by arriving home with my own personal little food and wine festival. He attended an event hosted by 'Cuisine' celebrating their 150th issue, tasting New Zealand Sauv Blancs, roses and dessert wines, and as he kindly informed me I could have attend too. He knows just how much I would have loved something like this - hence the 'guilt' reference in the title of this post.

Being the consummate 'hunter-gatherer' he managed to bring home three very tasty bottles for me to try and carefully packaged anti pasto nibbles and a couple of very nice cheeses.

My first taste (well actually a pretty large glass) was the Cable Bay - 2011 Sav Blanc and it was amazing. Was it because it was my first glass after a long day? I'm not sure but I'm going to go back and check my initial reactions to it.

The second wine was a bit of a 'tried and true' one for us from the Saint Clair winery. The passionfruit taste that lingers is fantastic. We usually have their 'vicars choice' as it is a cheaper option than the 'reserve' I had tonight.

The third was ok but nothing on the first two.

The Cable Bay and Saint Clair were marked with a 'red dot' from the tasting - identified as the better wines of the evening - I would have to concur.

Just tried a bit more of the Cable Bay - yes it is amazing, really light, crisp and very easy to drink - no wonder that first glass slipped down so easily.

Basil Pesto recipe

Every year I grow far too much basil. My solution is making it into pesto and freezing it in ice cube trays. We then use it for the rest of the year in pasta and other dishes. 3-4 cubes stirred through cooked pasta with some olive oil and parmesan cheese on top makes great side dish.
It is even fine defrosted and served as a dip or spread (although you don't get that really vivid green that you get when it is freshly made).

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe that I use as a base for my pesto.





Basil Pesto Recipe

ingredients

• ½ a clove of garlic, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped (I have bulked this up with rocket when I don't have enough basil)
• a handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted (I have also used cashews which are really nice too)
• a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
optional
• a small squeeze of lemon juice

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, but it’s not essential. Try it with and without and see which you prefer.

Sticky Banana Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce - Recipe

This one was recommended by someone I work with so I'll credit it to both Jo Seager and Lisa!

The recipe looked pretty good but the actual taste exceeded my expectations. It was amazing and the caramel sauce to die for. I have to admit to eating spoonfuls of the sauce while the cake was still cooking. It was a hit with everyone at dinner tonight.

My only change will be to make it in a smaller diameter dish as it was a bit thin for my liking.

I will be making this again but will have to make sure it is not too often. I'm dying to try some cold tomorrow morning from the fridge too!

Sticky Banana Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 tsp baking soda
100g butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups self raising flour

2-3 bananas, sliced

For Butterscotch Sauce

1 cup brown sugar

100g butter

1 cup cream

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray a 22-23cm square cake tin with non-stick baking spray and line with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place dates in a small bowl with 1 cup of hot water . Bring to the boil, then add the baking soda. Stir well and cool for 5 minutes.

3. Using an electric beater beat the butter and caster sugar together until fluffy and pale. Add the eggs, vanilla and flour then beat in dates and their liquid. Mix in the banana slices then pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

4. Serve with butterscotch sauce poured over and ice cream.

To Make the sauce

1. Place the brown sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until it comes to a good boil. Boil for 1 minute then pour over the pudding as a sauce.

Pre-Rugby 'Snacks'

We have had visitors before every game played at Eden Park during the Rugby World Cup. A pretty good way to entertain knowing your guests will all have left by a certain time!

For the opening game John suggested there 'might' be people coming and to perhaps get some 'frozen pizzas'! Anyone who knows me knows that there is no way I

would be serving visitors frozen pizzas! What has gone down really well though are home made pizzas using a base made in the bread maker and cooked on pizza stones in the BBQ.

For tonight's game we had three different kinds of pizzas, mushroom ( to keep the little person happy), spicy sausage and one with anchovies. I also made guacamole using avocados from our tree and for our over seas visitor

some classic kiwi onion dip (again not something that I would usually make, but a necessary bit of kiwi culture to share). As always my homemade focaccia bread went down well...and will be really nice toasted tomorrow for breakfast.

Fantastic Mexican - El Camino

This little Mexican Cafe in Kingsland doesn't look much from the outside (or the inside for that matter) but the food is great.

El Camino has been in Kingsland for a while but for some reason we have not been there for a few years. After today's lunch we will be back. Especially since they cater really well for vegetarians.

While there wasn't too much for a little person who isn't yet keen on spicy food, a plain tortilla and coke sorted her out.

My spicy chicken burrito with mexican rise an salad was great. I couldn't fault anything about the meal.