'Low Tea' at Nostalgia

I was invited to 'Low Tea' (an afternoon version of High Tea) this week. While I was happy to go along I didn't have high hopes for the experience other than a nice afternoon with family. I'm not really a big tea drinker apart from herbal teas and the idea of intricate little items of foods didn't really appeal.
I was pleasantly surprised and will be going back. It would be an ideal school holiday get together venue for a catch up with colleagues.

Nostalgia Restaurant is in Ponsonby and is like taking a step into history. I've included a couple of pictures from their website as the low light made photos difficult inside.
I had a Low Tea with two very nice herbal teas and a 'perfumed' glass of bubbles at the end. There was a lot of food (yes, I had just been out for lunch before hand...not a good idea) and it was all really nice tasting. I didn't have high expectations for the food thinking it would look nice but probably would be a disappointment - it wasn't.

Lazy Sunday Lunch - Savoury Tarts - Asparagus and Mushroom

These were just the easiest thing to make and they looked and tasted great. The idea cane from Annabel Langbein's 'Free Range In The City' but of course I modified!

I used bought sheets of flakey puff pastry, cut them into 8 pieces and then put the toppings on. They were baked at 180 for about 8-10 minutes.

I use uncooked asparagus, parmesan cheese and lemon zest on one and mushrooms, edam, fresh thyme and smoked garlic salt on the other.

I'll be making these (or a version of these) again.

Moroccan Bastilla - Chicken Pie

I have a heap of recipes filed in my email and in Pintrest. As it is the school holidays I get a chance to do some 'fun' cooking - that is cooking that is not a rush after a hard day at work! I looked in my store of recipes and this was the first one I came to. Luckily I had all the ingredients.

This one is another from Nici Wickes 'World Kitchen' series on TV. It is quite unusual but totally worth a try. The spice flavours are great.
It was also really nice cold. I'd happily make it for a lunch dish and serve it cold with chutneys.

Moroccan Bastilla - Chicken Pie 

4 Whole Tegel Chicken Legs, skin on, bone in
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 stick celery, chopped
1 onion – peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons rice bran oil or other cooking oil
3 onions, peeled and diced
1 heaped teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)

1 teaspoon salt, extra
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup chicken stock
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup roughly chopped parsley

1 cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice bran oil

10 sheets filo pastry
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Honey, cinnamon and flaked almonds to garnish

Chicken filling:

In a large stock pot, put the chicken legs, salt, pepper, celery, quartered onion and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat can be teased away from the bones with a fork (about 30-45 minutes). Remove chicken from the stock (reserve the stock) and allow to cool enough to handle. De-bone the chicken pieces and roughly shred. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Saute until soft, then add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, extra salt and black pepper. Add the chicken, ½ cup reserved stock and the saffron. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Set aside.

Prepare Egg/Herb filling:

Heat 1 cup of the reserved chicken stock then whisk in the eggs and chopped parsley. Cook until it resembles scrambled eggs. Pour through a sieve and leave to drain excess stock.

Almond filling:

Meanwhile, mix the almonds with the sugar and oil until a dry paste forms.

Assembling & Cooking the pie:

Pre-heat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 25cm diameter metal pie dish.

Brush one sheet of filo with melted butter and line the pie dish with it, leaving it to overhang the edges (to be folded over the filling later). Repeat with 6 more sheets, buttering between each layer and rotating the dish so that there is some filo overhang all the way around the dish.

Now assemble the layers of ingredients.

First, spread the cooled chicken mix evenly in the case, then add the egg/parsley mix on top and finally the almond mix. Wrap the overhanging sheets to encase the filling, buttering them if they need it. Finish by layering 3 final sheets, each brushed with butter,  so that the top is smooth. Tuck them carefully down the sides.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top and bottom of pie is cooked.

To serve, dust the top with pinches of cinnamon, flaked almonds and honey (optional). Sounds weird but it works!

Aloo Mutter - Potato and Pea Curry

I have been craving a big Indian feast and managed to find the time this weekend. I used to do big Indian meals a lot more often, but its been a while. I came across this dish while I was hunting for a new vegetable dish and gave it a go. It is pretty mild.

The only change I would make would be to cook for longer. The 15 minutes didn't allow enough time to cook the potato through.

I used a bit more fresh ginger than the recipe called for and used tinned tomatoes rather than peeling and de-seeding them.
I served it with roti, rice, poppadoms and a chicken curry. A very filling and satisfying meal.

Aloo mutter - potato & pea curry

SERVES: 4

If you want more protein, it’s also good with cubes of paneer cheese. I like to serve it with roti or chapatti bread.

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3cm piece ginger, peeled, grated
600g floury potatoes (I used Red Rascal), peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (or more if you prefer it hotter)
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat then add the onions. Cook until soft then add the garlic ginger and potatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and chilli flakes then cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook gently for a few minutes before adding the stock or water and salt. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. Stir in the peas and cook for a few more minutes until cooked through. Serve with Indian bread.

Breakfast - A very pleasant surprise

We buy our coffee freshly ground from the Atomic coffee rosters just up the hill from our home.
We have another cafe we usually go to for breakfast but as a change we will sometimes go to Atomic. Since they did did major renovations earlier this year they have increased their range of counter food and now have a daily menu as well with several more unusual options - not your standard cafe menu.
Yesterday I ordered Salmon Garvalax with Potato Salad, Fennel and toasted sour dough...perhaps not so 'breakfasty' but wow was I impressed!
Every part of it was amazing. I especially love the pickled fennel - something I'm going to have to try when the fennel in my garden grows big enough.
Yes, it was too big for me to finish!

Kiwifruit and Lime Jam

Kiwifruit jam isn't my favourite but the addition of lime is quite nice. This is a really simple jam recipe but is quite runny. Maybe I didn't boil it long enough?

I'm liking the suggestion of having it with hard cheese and crackers!

Kiwi fruit and Lime Jam

This recipe uses the flavorful kiwi fruit with a hint of lime juice and zest.

When making the jam, use just-ripe kiwi fruit to allow for the fruit's natural pectin to be at its highest levels. This will reduce the cooking time of the jam and also help it to set naturally.

The tangy jam is delicious with a little butter on toast and a cup of tea. If you're feeling adventurous, you could also use the jam as an accompaniment to a hard cheese with some cracker.

Ingredients:

• 5 ripe kiwi fruit, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 lime, juiced
• 1/8 tsp lime zest

Preparation:

1. Peel the kiwi fruit, cut into quarters and then chop roughly.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the kiwi fruit and sugar over a low heat.
3. Simmer gently until the sugar dissolves stirring occasionally. Add the lime juice and zest.
4. Once the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a rapid boil for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently and be sure not to let the mixture burn.
5. Spoon jam into a sterilized, air-tight jar and refrigerate. The jam can be kept up to a month.
6. Spread jam on hot buttered toast and serve with a cup of tea.

Kiwifruit and Lime Sorbet

I have had kiwifruit arriving in my Ooooby Box each week and can't seem to manage to eat them all. I hate throwing them in the compost so decided this weekend to use lots of them up.
I used frozen kiwi fruit (that I had prepared earlier) and made the sorbet in the afternoon. I had pretty much set by evening without using an ice cream maker.
It didn't make a lot but enough for four small servings. It was a really refreshing flavour, quite sharp but really nice. A good use for extra kiwifruit.

Ingredients

• 8 ripe kiwi fruits (I peeled and froze them in advance)
• 2 fresh limes
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Peel and quarter the kiwi fruit.
2. Juice the lime.
3. Dissolve  sugar in water.
4. Combine the sugar water, lime juice and chopped kiwi in ablender.
5. Puree until the mixture is very smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. (Or just into a dish in the freezer if using frozen kiwi fruit)
7. Freeze according to the specific machine's instructions. Freezing should take about 30 minutes in a small gel canister ice cream maker.
8. Let the sorbet harden for an additional 30 minutes in the freezer.
9. Serve immediately.